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•.ornell University Library 
 BX7731 .A4 1843 
 
 Ancient testimony of the Religious Socle 
 
 olln 
 
 3 1924 029 464 793 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
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 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029464793 
 
THE 
 
 ANCIENT TESTIMONY 
 
 RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS, 
 
 COMMONLY CALLED QUAKERS, 
 
 RESPECTING SOME OF THEIR CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES 
 AND PRACTICES 
 
 REVIVED AND GIVEN PORTII BY THE YEARLY MEETINO, 
 
 Held in Philadelphia ia the Fourth month, 1843> 
 
 ^tttiot^ve (B&ition. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA : 
 FOR SALE AT FRIENDS' BOOK-STORE, 
 
 No. 3W ARCH STREET. 
 
At a Yearly Meeting held in Philadelphia, by adjourn- 
 ments, from the nth oj the Fourth month, to the 22d 
 of the same inclusive, 1843, — 
 
 The Meeting for Sufferings having been brought under 
 much exercise, on aeeount of the attempts of the enemy of all 
 righteousness to lay waste some of the principles and testi- 
 monies of our Religious Society, as set forth in the Writings 
 of our early Friends, particularly in the Apology for the 
 true Christian Divinity, written by Robert Barclay, — a 
 work with which we have divers times declared our unity ; 
 they haveprepared and produced to this Meeting, an address 
 to our members, reviving those Christian doctrines, and some 
 of the practices of our ancient Friends, which having been 
 read, and time spent in solidly deliberating upon its im- 
 portant contents, it was united with by this Meeting, and 
 the Clerk is directed to sign it on our behalf. The Meeting 
 for Sufferings is authorized to print such number as they 
 may deem proper, for general circulation amongst our mem" 
 bers and others. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 TA«X 
 
 Inteoductory Eemaees, 5 
 
 Of the One true God, &c 12 
 
 Of Divine Revelation, 18 
 
 Of the fallen state of Man, . . . .33 
 Of the Universality op the Light op Christ, 36 
 
 Op the Holy Scriptures, 41 
 
 Op Justification 50 
 
 Op Baptism and the Supper, . . . .58 
 Divine Worship, ..*.... 62 
 
 Ministry, 64 
 
 Prayer, 66 
 
 War, 68 
 
 Slavery 71 
 
 Trade and Living, 73 
 
 Parents and Children, 77 
 
 Conclusion, .81 
 
 iii 
 
THE 
 
 ANCIENT TESTIMONY 
 
 EELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 
 
 IJN" taking a view of the state of our religious So- 
 ciety, and of the great unsettlement which prevails 
 in the world, in regard to various subjects of a reli- 
 gious and moral character, we have been brought 
 under feelings of earnest and affectionate solicitude, 
 on behalf of our beloved brethren and sisters ; and 
 agreeably to our ancient practice, are religiously 
 engaged to address them. 
 
 We feel a fervent desire, that by humbly seeking 
 for and following the leadings of Christ Jesus, the 
 Shepherd and Bishop of souls, we may all experience 
 preservation from the many dangers and temptations 
 which abound in this day of shaking and commotion, 
 and witness an establishment upon that Rock which 
 cannot be moved, and which has been the unfailing 
 refuge and support of the righteous in every generation. 
 
 We are persuaded that this is the only ground of 
 preservation and of safety. It is not in the power 
 of any man, whatever may be his intellectual endow- 
 ments, or his acquired knowledge, to withstand, by 
 his own efforts, the force of temptation, or to direct 
 1* 5 
 
6 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OP 
 
 his steps safely through the difficulties and dangers 
 which attend his earthly pilgrimage. It is only as 
 we " trust in the Lord with all our hearts, and lean 
 not to our own understanding," that we shall be ena- 
 bled, through the inshining of the light of Christ Jesus, 
 to detect the various snares which the enemy of man's 
 happiness is insidiously laying for our entanglement, 
 and be endued with strength and wisdom to escape 
 them. 
 
 Undei* the guidance of this divine Light, the holy 
 ancients in all ages were enabled to overcome the 
 wicked one, and to obtain a good report, as those that 
 pleased God. It was this that separated our worthy 
 predecessors from the corrupt manners, friendships 
 and religions of the world ; led them in the way of 
 the daily cross and self-denial, and made them living 
 witnesses of the power and coming of the Lord Jesus. 
 Through its immediate discoveries, they were given 
 to see the emptiness of an outside religion — resting in 
 a profession of truths which, though good in them- 
 selves, were not livingly and practidally experienced. 
 By it, they were released from those forms and cere- 
 monies imposed by the will and wisdom of man in 
 this glorious gospel day, which is a dispensation of 
 life and substance, not of types and shadows; and 
 were constrained to bear a constant testimony to the 
 necessity of resisting and overcoming sin in all its mo- 
 tions ; and of witnessing the inward life of righteous- 
 ness begun, carried on and perfected in the soul, by 
 the immediate manifestation of the power and spirit of 
 Christ Jesus, as the only solid foundation for the hope 
 of everlasting life and happiness. 
 
 We believe that a loud and solemn call is renew- 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OP FRIENDS. 7 
 
 edlj' extended to the members of our religious Society, 
 to come up fully and unreservedly in tbe belief and 
 observance of those spiritual doctrines and holy prac- 
 tices, which conspicuously distinguished our honour- 
 able predecessors; that being brought more entirely 
 under the government of the Spirit of the Lord, the 
 source of all saving knowledge, we may really be taught 
 of God the things which belong to the soul's salvation, 
 and humbly and steadfastly walking in the light, may 
 have true fellowship one with another, and know the 
 blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from all sin. 
 
 The present is a period wherein we apprehend the 
 enemy of souls is busily at work, endeavouring, with 
 all the deceivableness of unrighteousness, to beguile 
 the unwary, and to draw us away from a steadfast 
 adherence to those doctrines and practices into which 
 our primitive-Friends were thus divinely led ; in order, 
 if possible, to frustrate the work of regeneration' in 
 individuals, and to hinder the spread of those princi- 
 ples and testimonies which, we believe, we were raised 
 up as a people, to uphold and promulgate in the earth. 
 
 The doctrine of the immediate manifestation of 
 the Holy Spirit in the soul of man, and the necessity 
 of submission to his renewing and transforming power 
 there, by which sin is effectually withstood and over- 
 come, and Christ faithfull}- followed in all his requir- 
 ings, aims a more direct and deadly blow at anti- 
 christ's kingdom, than any other; hence his enmity 
 against it is the greater, and he is busy in endeavour- 
 ing to pervert and obscure it; while, as it stands di- 
 rectly in opposition to the unregenerate nature of man, 
 so he is' most willing to have it concealed from bis 
 view. 
 
8 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 We have seen, during a season of trial which but a 
 little while ago passed over us, the attempts of the 
 grand Deceiver to invalidate and bring into disrepute 
 the doctrine of immediate divine revelation, by lead- 
 ing many who made profession of it, but were not 
 faithful to its teachings, under the pretext of greater 
 spirituality than their brethren, into a denial of some 
 of the fundamental truths of the Christian religion ; 
 especially in reference to the authenticity and divine 
 authority of the Holy Scriptures, and the divinity and 
 offices of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 
 
 This mournful declension brought deep sorrow and 
 painful exercise upon many faithful Friends ; who, 
 through divine mercy, were preserved from the delu- 
 sion, and engaged to lift up the standard of Truth 
 against its progress. Not having been permitted to 
 lay waste the Society by means of this dark and be- 
 wildering stratagem, the enemy is now assailing us 
 on the other hand ; endeavouring to draw away from 
 the spirituality of the gospel— to induce an undue de- 
 pendence upon outward means, and to settle down at 
 ease in a literal knowledge and belief of the truths of 
 the Holy Scriptures. 
 
 Another device is, to set individuals at work, in the 
 will and wisdom of the natural man, to comprehend 
 and explain the sacred truths of religion ; to bring 
 them down to the level of his unassisted reason, and 
 make them easy to the flesh ; so as to avoid the mor- 
 tifying experience of becoming fools for Christ's sake, 
 and taking up the daily cross to the wisdom, the 
 friendships, the honour and the fashions of the world. 
 Others lie is leading into great zeal and activity in 
 undertakings of a religious or benevolent ijharact^r, 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 9 
 
 which, however laudable their objects may be, are 
 not their proper work and business ; but engross the 
 time, talents and attention, which ought to be devoted 
 to the all-important concerns of the soul's salvation ; 
 and being in some measure substituted for that, pro- 
 duce great and serious loss to such individuals. 
 
 At different periods since we were first gathered to 
 be a people, individijals have arisen among us, who 
 have not submitted to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, 
 so as to experience the death of self and a resurrec- 
 tion into newness of life — or having known it, have 
 fallen away from that happy estate, and endeavoured 
 to lay waste the doctrines they once professed. 
 Through the friendships of the world, and the desire 
 aft€r an easier way, they have become ashamed of 
 the simplicity of the truth, and offended at the re- 
 proach which the worldly professor attaches to the 
 self-denying religion of the cross of Christ ; and their 
 spiritual vision becoming thereby clouded, they have 
 promulgated sentiments repugnant to our Christian 
 faith, and to the spiritual nature and universality of 
 the gospel, as set forth by our early Friends ; particu- 
 larly by Robert Barclay, in his able and excellent 
 " Apology for the true Christian Divinity ; " a work 
 which has been frequently published and spread by 
 our Society, as a correct exposition of its doctrines, 
 and which we would recommend to the careful and 
 serious perusal of all our members. 
 
 These defections are no new thing, nor are they 
 peculiar to our Society; many, in different ages of 
 the church, having made shipwreck of faith and a 
 good conscience, and for a time brought much suffer- 
 ing upon the faithful followers of Christ. But it is 
 
10 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 worthy of observatiou, that those among us, ^vho 
 have thus turned against the truth and Friends, even 
 though they were once eminent and useful instru- 
 ments, have generally fallen away, so as to lose what 
 they had known of the life and power of godliness ; 
 the men of this world have gathered them into their 
 fellowship, and like withered branches, all greenness 
 has been dried up. 
 
 During the season of trial already alluded to, when 
 some of the fundamental doctrines, of Christianity 
 were denied by those who have since separated from 
 us, many, from .a sincere desire to maintain those 
 precious doctrines inviolate, came forward in their 
 defence. For want of coming under, and keeping to, 
 the unfoldings of divine Light, by which alone the 
 spiritual eye is enabled to see clearly, and a qualifi- 
 cation is experienced to bear a true testimony to the 
 gospel in its fulness, some of these, in their efforts to 
 advocate those doctrines, have not sufficiently kept in 
 view the internal operation of the gospel, as the power 
 of God unto salvation ; nor borne a clear and une- 
 quivocal testimony, as our ancient Friends did, to the 
 universal appearance of Christ in the souls of all men, 
 as "the true Light, which lighteth every man that 
 cometh into the world." 
 
 Seeing the errors which arose from undervaluing 
 the Holy Scriptures, there has been a tendency to run 
 into the opposite extreme, and to exalt them into a 
 place and office which they do not claim for them- 
 selves, and which derogate from the work and office 
 of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 In attempting to counteract the sorrowful effects 
 resulting from a denial of the benefits which accrue 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 11 
 
 to mankind from the sufferings and death of Christ, 
 as the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, the 
 subject has been pressed so far as to give countenance 
 to the idea that Christ has paid the debt, and done the 
 work for us, without us; and that by a profession of* 
 faith in and reliance upon Him, as their atonement and 
 righteousness, the ungodly may be justified without 
 experiencing sanctification through the power of the 
 Holy Spirit. 
 
 For want of duly considering that the unfaithful- 
 ness or inconsistency of false professors, ' is no argu- 
 ment against a truth, sound and profitable in itself, we 
 apprehend that the high pretensions to the light of 
 Christ, made by those who separated from us, have 
 induced some to undervalue this fundamental doctrine 
 of Holy Scripture, and to treat it in a manner calcu- 
 lated to derogate from its sufiiciency as the primary 
 rule of faith and life; or to take such an imperfect 
 and mixed view of it, as to lessen the value and im- 
 portance which it justly holds in sound Scripture doc- 
 trine. 
 
 We think the influence and effects of these things 
 are to be discovered' in our favoured Society; and 
 under a renewed' fervent desire to discharge our reli- 
 gious duty in the sight of the great Head of the 
 Church, and an affectionate concern for our beloved 
 fellow-members, that we may all come into the unity 
 of the faith — striving together, through the Lord's 
 gracious assistance, for the spreading of his kingdom, 
 and the growth of each other in the pure unchange- 
 able truth ; we feel engaged to caution our dear Friends 
 against the dangers to which we have thus briefly 
 alluded ; and to revive some of the doctrines and tes- 
 
12 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 timonies which our religious Society has always 
 held, and still most surely believes; as well as to im- 
 part some tender counsel respecting other matters, 
 which may endanger their stability, and the peace and 
 prosperity of the Society at large. 
 
 OF THE ONE TEUE GOD, AND THE THREE THAT BEAR 
 EECOED IN HEAVEN. 
 
 We believe in one only wise, omnipotent and ever 
 lasting God, the creator and upholder of all things, 
 visible and invisible, — and in one Lord Jesus Christ, 
 by whom are all things, the mediator, between God 
 and man, — and in the Holy Spirit, which proceedeth 
 from the Father and the Son ; one God, blessed for- 
 ever, to whom belong all glory and honour, adors^tion 
 and praise, forever — Amen. 
 
 In speaking of the infinite, eternal Being, we have 
 always considered it most proper and consistent M'ith 
 his all-glorious and incomprehensible existence and 
 attributes, and safest for us, finite creatures, to confine 
 ourselves to the language of Holy Scripture. For 
 this reason, and because it tends to perplexity and 
 doubt, the Society has 'always objected to the use of 
 the terms person and personality, in speaking of the 
 Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Man may think, 
 by his wisdom and learning, to define the Divine ex- 
 istence, and render it more intelligible than the holy 
 men who wrote under the immediate guidance of the 
 Holy Ghost; but we believe that all such attempts 
 will ever be vain and futile, and that it is our duty 
 humbly to receive, and rest satisfied with, the descnp- 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OP FRIENDS. 13 
 
 tion of the Three that bear record in heaven, given to 
 us in the language of Holy Scripture, without at- 
 tempting to pry further into this sacred mystery. To 
 speak of the Supreme Being as constituted of three 
 persons, and to attempt to define in familiar terms 
 the relative place and office of each, we believe does 
 not tend to edification, but is calculated to lessen that 
 reverence and fear which ought always to clothe the 
 mind in speaking of Almighty God ; tends to bewilder 
 and confuse the sincere inquirer after truth, and not 
 only leads into unprofitable speculation, but may give 
 ground to the sceptic to cavil at the Christian religion. 
 
 Our ancient Friends, though often assailed in refer- 
 ence to this article of their faith, by persons who la- 
 boured to draw them into the use of terms which they 
 considered improper and unscriptural, steadily refused 
 to depart from the language of the prophets, and of our 
 blessed Lord and his apostles, in relation to it ; even 
 though they were charged with unsoundness of j^rin- 
 ciple, because they rejected those scholastic terms of 
 their opponents. 
 
 George Fox, in a work entitled, " An Answer to all 
 such as falsely say the Quakers are no Christians," 
 writes thus on this subject, viz : 
 
 " We own the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, 
 as the apostles have declared. And it is the Spirit 
 that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth ; for 
 there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, 
 the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are 
 one; and there are three which bear record in earth, 
 which we own. And now let none be oifended, be- 
 cause we do not call them by those unscri|/tural 
 names of Trinity and Three Persons, which aie not 
 
14 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 Scripture words ; arid so do falsely say, that we deny 
 the Father, the "Word, and the Holy Ghost, which 
 three are one, that bear record in heaven, &c. ; which 
 three we own with all our hearts, as the apostle John 
 did, and ias all true Christians ever did, and now 
 do. And if you say we are not Christians, because 
 we do not call the Father, Son and Holy Ghost the 
 Trinity, distinct and separate persons, then you may 
 as well conclude that John was no Christian, who did 
 not give the Father, Word, and Holy Ghost, those 
 names. 
 
 " We believe, concerning God the Father, Son, and 
 Spirit, according to the testimony of the Holy Scrip- 
 tures, which we receive and embrace as the most au- 
 thentic and perfect declaration of Christian faith, being 
 indited by the Holy Spirit of God, that never errs ; 
 1st. That there is one God and Father, of whom are 
 all things ; 2ndly. That there is one Lord Jesus Christ, 
 by whom all things were made, who was glorified 
 with the Father before the world began, who is God 
 over all, blessed forever ; that there is one Holy Spirit, 
 the promise of the Father and the Son, and leader 
 and sanctifier, and comforter of his people. And we 
 further believe, as the Holy Scriptures soundly and 
 sufficiently express, that these three are one, even the 
 Father, the Word, and the Spirit." 
 
 Robert Barclay, in his Confession of Faith, says : 
 " There is one God, who is a Spirit ; and this is the mes- 
 sage which the apostles heard of him and declared unto 
 the saints, that He is light, and in him is no darkness at 
 all. There are three that bear record in heaven, the 
 Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these 
 (hree are one. The Father is in the Son, and the 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OP FEIENDS. 15 
 
 Son is ill the Father. No man knoweth the Son but 
 the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father save 
 the Son, and he' to whomsoever the Son will reveal 
 him. xhe Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep 
 things of God. For the things of God knoweth no 
 man, but the Spirit of God. Now the saints have re- 
 ceived, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit 
 which is of God, that they might know the things 
 which are freely given them of God. For the Com- 
 forter, which is the Holy Ghost, whorp. the Father 
 sends in Christ's name, He teacheth them all things, 
 and bringeth all things to their remembrance." 
 
 Concerning the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, 
 William Penn says : " Because we have been very 
 cautious in expressing our faith concerning that great 
 mystery, especially in such school terms and philoso- 
 phical distinctions as are unscriptural, if not unsound, 
 the tendency whereof has been to raise frivolous con- 
 troversies and animosities amongst men,, we have, by 
 those who desire to lessen our Christian reputation, 
 been represented as deniers of the Trinity at large; 
 whereas, we ever believed; and as constantly main- 
 tained, the truth of that blessed Holy Scripture three 
 that bear record in Jieaven, the Father, the Word, and 
 the Spirit, and that these three are one ; the which, 
 we both sincerely and reverently believe, according 
 to 1 John V. 7. And this is sufficient for us to believe 
 and know, and hath a tendency to edification and ho- 
 liness; when the contrary centres only in imagina- 
 tions and strife, and persecution, where it runs high, 
 and to parties; as may be read in bloody characters 
 in the ecclesiastical histories." 
 
 The following is extracted from a work written by 
 
16 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 George Whitehead, entitled, " The Divinity of Christ, 
 and unity of the Three that bear record in heaven, 
 and the blessed end and effects of Christ's appeaiance, 
 coming in the flesh, suffering and sacrifice for sinners, 
 confessed and vindicated by his followers, the Qua- 
 kers." 
 
 " The divinity of Christ confessed by us called 
 Quakers, and what we own touching the Deity or 
 Godhead, according to the Scriptures. That there is 
 but one God the Father, of whom are all things, and we 
 in him, — and one Lord Jesus Clwist, by whom are all 
 things, and we by him. That there are three that 
 bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and 
 the Spirit, and that these three are one, both in divin- 
 ity, divine substance and essence ; not three Gods, nor 
 separate beings, — that they are called by several 
 names in Scripture, as manifest to and in the saints ; 
 (for whatsoever may be known of God, is manifest in 
 man ; Rom. l.«) and their record received as the full 
 testimony of three, by such as truly know and own 
 the record of the three in earth • and yet they are 
 eternally one in nature and being ; one infinite wis- 
 dom, one power, one love, one light and life, &c. 
 
 " We never denied the divinity of Christ, as most 
 injuriously we have been accused by some prejudiced 
 spirits, who prejudicially, in their perverse contests, 
 have sought occasion against us; as chiefly because 
 when some of us were in dispute with [others,] we 
 could not own their unscriptural distinctions and 
 terms, touching the Father, the Word, and the Holy 
 Spirit; to wit: of their being incommunicable, dis- 
 tinct, separate persons, or substances; whereas, the 
 Father, the Word, and Spirit, are one — not to bp 
 
THE EBLIGIOUS SOCIETY OP PEIENDS. 17 
 
 compared to corruptible men, nor to finite creatures 
 or persons, which are limitable and separable. For 
 the only wise God, the Creator of all, who is one, and 
 his name one, is infinite and inseparable. And the 
 Father's begetting the Son, and the Spirit's being 
 sent, we witness to and own, as He said, ' Thou art 
 my Son, this day have I begotten thee.' And He hath 
 sent his Spirit into our hearts — and that the Father is 
 in the Son, and the Son in the Father, yea in the bo- 
 som of the Father ; so that they are neither divided 
 nor separate, being one, and of one infinite nature and 
 substance — Christ being the image of the invisible 
 God, the first-born of every creature, by whom all 
 things were created, both in heaven and in earth. 
 Yea, the Son of God is the brightness of his glory 
 and the express image of his substance. And that it 
 was in due time that God was manifest in flesh, as in 
 the fulness of time God sent his Son — and the Son of 
 God was made manifest to destroy sin — and a mani- 
 festation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit 
 withal. So the manifestation of the Father, of the 
 Son, and Holy Spirit, we confess to and own to be in 
 unity, and so the only true God, according to the 
 Scriptures. 
 
 " And that Jesus Christ being in th"e form of God, 
 thought it no robbery to be equal with God, and yet 
 as a- Son, in the fulness of time was sent of the Fa- 
 ther, and took on him the form of a servant, in which 
 state He said, ' My Father is greater than I.' And He 
 learned obedience through suffering, and was made 
 perfect, and is become an everlasting High Priest, 
 after the order of Melchizedeck, and is the author of 
 eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; and 
 2* 
 
18 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 God Lath given us eternal life in his Son. And unto 
 us a child is born and a son is given, whose name is 
 Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty G-od> the everlast- 
 ing Father, the Prince of peace; and He is over all, 
 God blessed forever, even the true" God and eternal 
 life. So tliat the deity or divinity of Christ, in his 
 eternal, infinite, glorious state, we really confess and 
 own, having known his virtue and power to redeem us 
 from our vain conversations, and to save us from 
 wrath to come. 
 
 "And we judge that such expressions and words, 
 as the Holy Ghost taught the true apostles and holy 
 men, mentioned in the Scriptures, are most meet to 
 speak of God and Christ, and not the words of man's 
 ■wisdom, or human inventions and devised distinctions, 
 since the apostle's days." 
 
 OF DIVINE REVELATION. 
 
 The doctrine of immediate divine revelation, which 
 was soon lost sight of in the apostasy, and even treat- 
 ed with derision and scorn, although clearly set forth 
 in the Holy Scriptures, and its necessity and use am- 
 ply testified to ; was revived and abundantly preached 
 by the early members of our Society, as the glory 
 and life of the gospel dispensation. Through the 
 powerful operation of the Holy Spirit on their hearts, 
 they came to see their own fallen condition, and their 
 need of a deliverer nigh at hand, and not afar off; and 
 obeying its divine openings, they were brought to the 
 true knowledge of God, and of his beloved Son, Jesus 
 Christ, as their Eedeemer and Saviour. They could 
 testify toothers what their eyes had seen, and their 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 19^ 
 
 hands had handled of the good word of life, and 5f 
 the powers of the world to come: the Holy Scrip- 
 tures were livingly and savingly opened to them by 
 this divine anointing; and their faith did not stand in 
 the wisdom of men, but in the power of God revealed 
 in their hearts. ^ 
 
 It is no inarvel that to those who had been thu 
 divinely gathered from the teachings and commentav 
 ries of men, to Christ JesUs, the minister of the sanc- 
 tuary and true tabernacle, which God hath pitched, 
 and not man, the doctrine of immediate divine reve- 
 lation should be very precious, and should form a 
 principal theme in their writings and discourses. 
 They not only knew in whom they believed, but also 
 that it was not of man, nor by man, but by the reve- 
 lation of Jesus Christ in the soul, that they came to 
 this saving knowledge. While other professors, too 
 generally, were resting in a bare belief of what Christ 
 had done for them, without them, and in a literal 
 knowledge of the Holy Scriptures'; these converted 
 and regenerated witnesses of the truth as it is in 
 Jesufe, were made partakers of that faith which is 
 produced by the testimony of the Spirit of Christ in 
 the heart; by which they not only received him as 
 their Redeemer and Saviour, in what He graciously 
 did and suffered in the flesh, as the propitiation for 
 sin, and as their mediator and intercessor; but like- 
 wise in his inward and spiritual appearance, to bap- 
 tize and sanctify them ; so as to prepare their souls to 
 partake of the fulness^df tlie blessings which the gos- 
 pel confers. 
 
 In setting forth the belief of the Society respecting 
 this important doctrine, Robert Barclay states thai, 
 
20 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 " Seeing ' no man knoweth the Father but the Sou, 
 and he to whom the Son revealeth him ; ' and seeing 
 ' the revelation of the Son is in and by the Spirit ; ' 
 therefore the testimony of the Spirit is that alone by 
 which the true knowledge of God hath been, is, and 
 can be only revealed. As, by the moving of his own 
 Spirit, He disposed the chaos of this world into that 
 wonderful order in which it was in the beginning, and 
 created man a living soul, to rule and govern it, so, 
 by the revelation of the same Spirit, He hath manifest- 
 ed himself all along unto the sons of men, both patri- 
 archs, prophets and apostles: which revelations of 
 God by the Spirit, whether by outward voices and ap- 
 pearances, dreams, or inward objective manifestations 
 in the heart, were of old the formal object of their faith, 
 and remain yet so to be ; since ' the object of the saint's 
 faith is the same in all ages, though held forth under 
 divers administrations.' Moreover, these divine inward 
 revelations, which we make absolutely necessary for 
 the building up of true faith, neither do nor can ever 
 contradict the outward testimony of the Scriptures, 
 or right and sound reason. Yet from hence it will not 
 follow, that these divine revelations are to be subjected 
 to the test, either of the outward testimony of the 
 Scriptures, or of the natural reason of man, as to q^ 
 more noble or certain rule and touchstone. For this 
 divine revelation, and inward illumination, is that 
 which is evident and clear of itself, forcing, by its own 
 evidence and clearness, the well-disposed understand- 
 ing to assent, irresistibly, moving the same thereunto, 
 even as the common principles of natural truths do 
 move and incline the mind to a natural assent." 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 21 
 
 With reference to the various outward sources of 
 knowledge, he says, " I would not, however, be under- 
 stood, as if I hereby excluded those other means of 
 knowledge from, any use or service to man; it is far 
 from me so to judge, as concerning the Scriptures in 
 the next proposition will more plainly appear." 
 
 Having laid down the position, that the knowledge 
 of the Father is by and through the Son, he proceeds 
 to show that the revelation of the Son is by the Spirit. 
 " Where it is to be noted," he says, " that I always 
 speak of the saving, certain, and necessary knowledge 
 of God, which, that it cannot be acquired otherways 
 than by the Spirit, doth also appear from many clear 
 Scriptures. For Jesus Christ, in and by whom the Fa- 
 ther is revealed, doth also reveal himself to his disciples 
 and friends, in and by his Spirit. As his manifestation 
 was outward when He testified for the trhth in this 
 world, and approved himself faithful throughout — so 
 being now withdrawn as to the outward man. He 
 teaches and instructs mankind inwardly by his own 
 Spirit. He standeth at the door, and whoso heareth 
 his voice and openeth. He comes in to such. Of this 
 revelation of Christ in him, Paul speaks, in which he 
 places the excellency of his ministry, and the certainty 
 of his calling. And the promise of Christ to his dis- 
 _ ciples, confirms the same thing, ' Lo, I am with you 
 alway, even to the end of the world ; ' for this is an 
 inward and spiritual presence, as all acknowledge." 
 
 Again, the apostle says : " What man knoweth the 
 things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him ? 
 even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the 
 Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of 
 the world, but the Spirit which is of God ; that we might 
 
22 THE ANCIESTT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 know the things that are freely given to us of God." 
 From which Robert Barclay argues, " If that which 
 appertains properly to raan, cannot be discerned by 
 any lower principle than the spirit of man, then can- 
 not those things which properly relate unto God and 
 Christ, be known or discerned by any lower thing 
 than the Spirit of God and Christ." Again, "that 
 which is spiritual, can only be known and discerned 
 by the Spirit of God; but the revelation of Jesus 
 Christ, and the true and saving knowledge of him is 
 spiritual, and therefore can only be known and dis- 
 cerned by the Spirit of God." The same apostle also 
 asserts, that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, 
 but by the Holy Ghost ; from which Robert Barclay 
 argues, " If no man can say Jesus is the Lord, but by 
 the Holy Ghost, then no man can know Jesus to be 
 the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost; and if no man can 
 know him to be the Lord but through this medium, 
 then there can be no certain knowledge or revelation 
 of him but by the Spirit." 
 
 "That these revelations were the object of the 
 saints' faith of old, will easily appear by the definition 
 of faith, and considering what its object is. Paul de- 
 scribes it two ways : Faith, says he, is the substance 
 of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen ; 
 which, as he illustrates it by many examples, is no. 
 other but a firm and certain belief of the mind, 
 whereby it rests and in a sense possesses the sub- 
 stance of some things hoped for, through its confi- 
 dence in the promise of God ; and thus the soul has a 
 most firm evidence by its faith, of things not yet seen 
 nor come to pass. The object of this faith is the pro- 
 mise, word, or t«stimony of God speaking in the mind. 
 
THE REIilGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 23 
 
 Hence it has been generally affirmed, that the object 
 of faith is God speaking ; which is also manifest from 
 all those examples deduced by the apostle throughout 
 that chapter, whose faith was founded, neither upon 
 any outward testimony, nor upon the voice or writ- 
 ing of man, but upon the revelation of God's will 
 manifest unto, and in them ; as in the example of 
 Noah. Thus, ' by faith Noah, being warned of God of 
 things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an 
 ark to the saving of his house; by which he con- 
 demned 'the world, and became heir of the righteous- 
 ness which is by faith.' What was here the object of 
 Noah's faith, but God speaking unto him? He had 
 not the writings nor prophesyiugs of any going be- 
 fore, nor yet the concurrence of any church or peo- 
 ple to strengthen him ; and yet his faith in the word, 
 by which he contradicted the whole world, saved 
 him and his house. Of which also, Abraham is set 
 forth as a singular example, being therefore called the 
 father of the faithful, who is said, against hope to have 
 believed in hope; in that he not only willingly forsook 
 his father's country, not knowing whither he went, in 
 that he believed concerning the coming of Isaac ; but 
 above all, in that he refused not to offer him up, not 
 doubting that God was able to raise him from -the 
 dead ; of whom it is said, that in Isaac shall thy seed 
 be called. The object of Abraham's faith in all this, 
 was no other but inward, immediate revelation, or 
 God signifying his will unto him inwardly and im- 
 mediately by his Spirit." 
 
 In outward and natural things, we often rely upon 
 probabilities and the testimony of others ; but in mat- 
 ters which pertain to the salvation of the soul, there 
 
24 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OP 
 
 can be no effectual faith but that which is produced 
 by the immediate operation of the Holy Spirit in the 
 heart, inclining and enabling us to believe what it re- 
 veals to us there, as well as those things which are 
 recorded in the Scriptures of Truth. This faith is not 
 an inherent principle or natural faculty of the human 
 mind, which can be exercised when, and as a man 
 pleases, though it will always be given to those who 
 seek it in an humble and childlike spirit, of Him who 
 is the author and giver of it. " Whatsoever is born 
 of God," saith the apostle, "overcometh th'e world; 
 and this is the victory that overcometh the world, 
 even our faith." No faculty or principle natural to 
 the mind of man, can give this victory. " By grace 
 are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves ; 
 it is the gift of God." This grace of God teaches us 
 to deny all ungodliness, and the world's lusts; and 
 where it is received and obeyed, it gives faith to be- 
 lieve that we shall be strengthened and enabled by it 
 to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil. Thus 
 we are saved by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ 
 through faith in him ; and as we continue to believe in 
 and follow him to the end, we shall know him to be 
 the finisher, as well as the author, of this living vic- 
 torious faith. 
 
 " He that believeth on the Son of God, hath the 
 witness in himself:" this "witness is the Holy Spirit, 
 by which the Son of God reveals himself to the soul, 
 gives it faith to believe in his all-powerful name, and 
 as He is obeyed and followed, He displays his. almighty 
 power and goodness, in pardoning its past sins — de- 
 livering it out of the bondage of corruption, and trans- 
 lating it into the liberty of the sons of God. Thus, 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 25 
 
 Christ L« experimentally known as the Redeemer, Sa- 
 viour and Sanotifier of his people ; and those only have 
 a right to call him so, whom He thus saves from their 
 sins, by his own blessed Spirit. " Wherefore I give 
 you to understand," saith the apostle, " that no man 
 speaking by the Spirit of God, calleth Jesus accursed ; 
 and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but 
 by the Holy Ghost." Through living experience of 
 his power, in breaking up the strong-holds of sin and 
 satan; delivering them from worse than Egyptian 
 bondage and darkness, and bringing them into the 
 marvellous light of the Lord, these can truly say that 
 Jesus is their Lord and Saviour; and while they keep 
 under the government of his Spirit, they can never 
 do or say any thing that derogates from his divine 
 character or offices, or from the testimony of the Holy 
 Scriptures. 
 
 After stating that some persons confess that the Holy 
 Spirit now leads and influences the saints, but that He 
 does it only by enlightening their understandings to un- 
 derstand and believe the truths delivered in the Scrip- 
 tures ; Robert Barclay further says, " This opinion is 
 not altogether according to th.e truth, neither does it 
 reach the fulness of it. Because there are many 
 truths, which, as they are applicable to individuals, 
 and most needful to be known by them, are in no wise 
 to be found in the Scriptures. Besides, the Spirit not 
 only subjectively helps us to discern truths elsewhere 
 delivered, but also objectively presents those truths to 
 the mind. For that which teaches me all things, and 
 is given me for that end, without doubt presents those 
 things to my mind which it teaches me. It is not said, 
 it shall teach you how to understand those things thaf 
 3 
 
26 THE ANCIEKT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 are written [merely] ; but it shall teach you aii thii gs. 
 Again, that which brings all things to my remembrance 
 must needs present them by way of object." This is 
 also evident from the nature of the New Covenant, 
 which is expressed in divers places : "As for me, this 
 is my covenant with them, saith the Lord ; my Spirit 
 that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in 
 thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out 
 of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy 
 seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for- 
 ever." — " The perpetuity of this promise is fully ex- 
 pressed ; and it was immediate, for thei'e is no mention 
 made of any medium. He says not, I shall by means 
 of such writings or books conve^j such words into your 
 mouths ; but my words, I, even I, saith the Lord, have 
 put into your mouths. This must be objectively, for 
 the words put into the mouth are the object presented 
 by him. He says not, the words which ye shall see 
 writt€!n, my Spirit sliall only enlighten your under- 
 standings to assent unto; but positively, my words 
 which I have put into thy mouth : therefore updn 
 whomsoever the Spirit remaineth always, and putteth 
 words into his mouth, him doth the Spirit teach im- 
 mediately, objectively, and continually." 
 
 " The nature of the New Covenant is yet more am- 
 ply expressed in Jeremiah, and repeated by the apostle 
 in these words ; ' For this is the covenant that I will 
 make with the house of Israel ; after those days, saith 
 the Lord, I will put my laws into their mind, and 
 write them in their hearts, and I will be to them a 
 God, and they shall be to me a people. And they shall 
 not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his 
 ' brother, saying, know the Lord ; for they shall all know 
 
THE EELXGIOTJS SOCIETY OF FEIENDS. 27 
 
 me, from tbe least to the greatest.' The olgieet 1 lere 
 is God's law placed in the heasct and written in the 
 mind; from whence they become God's people, and 
 are brought truly to know him. In this then the law 
 is distinguished from the gospel : the law before was 
 outward, written on tables of stone, but it is now in- 
 ward, written in the heart. Of old, the people de- 
 pended upon (their priests for tbe knowledge of God ; 
 but now they all have a certain and sensible knowl- 
 edge lof him. How much then are they deceived, 
 who, instead of making the gospel preferable to the 
 law, have made the condition of such as are under 
 the gospel far worse. For no douibt it is a far better 
 and TB&re desirable thing to converse with God im- 
 mediately, than only mediately, as being a higher and 
 more glorious dispensation; and yet these men ac- 
 knowledge that many under the law had immediate 
 converse with God, whereas they now cry that it is 
 ceased." 
 
 "Under the law there was the holy of holies, into 
 which the high priest entered, and received the word 
 of the Lord immediately from betwixt the cherubims; 
 BO that the people could then certainly know the mind ' 
 of the Lord : but now, according to these men's judg- 
 ment, we are in a far worse condition ; having nothing 
 but the outward letter of the Scriptures to guess and 
 divine from. But Jesus Christ hath promised us bet- 
 ter things, though many are so unwise as not to be- 
 lieve him, even to guide us by his own unerring Spirit; 
 and He hath J-ent and removed the veil, whereby, not 
 only one, and that once a year, may enter ; but all of 
 us, at all times, have access unto him as often as we 
 draw near unto him with pure hearts. He reveals his 
 
28 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OP 
 
 will unto US by his Spirit, and writes his law in oar 
 hearts. And where the knowledge of God is put into 
 the mind and written in the heart, there the object of 
 faith and revelation of the knowledge of God is in- 
 ward, immediate, and objective ; and this is the situa- 
 tion of every true Christian under the New Cove- 
 nant." 
 
 In replying to the objection, that if men be now im- 
 mediately led and ruled by the Spirit of God, they 
 may add new Scriptures of equal authority with the 
 Bible, and that every one may bring in a new gospel 
 according to his fancy, — Robert Barclay observes, 
 " We have shut the door upon all such doctrine, af- 
 firming that the Scriptures give a full and ample tes- 
 timony to all the principal doctrines of the Christian 
 faith. For we do firmly believe that there is no other 
 gospel or doctrine to be preached, but that which was 
 delivered by the apostles ; and do freely subscribe to 
 that saying. Let him that preacheth any other gospel 
 than that which has been already preached by the 
 apostles, and according to the Scriptures, be accursed. 
 So we distinguish between a revelation of a new gos- 
 pel and new doctrines, and a new revelation of the 
 good old gospel and doctrines ; the last we plead for, 
 but the first we utterly deny. For we firmly believe, 
 that no other foundation can any man lay than that 
 which is laid already." 
 
 William Penn, in writing on the same subject, says : 
 " By revelation we understand the discovery and illu- 
 mination of the Light and Spirit of God, relating to 
 those things that properly and immediately concern 
 the daily information and satisfaction of our souls, in 
 the way of our duty to him and our neighbour. We 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OP FRIENDS 29 
 
 renounce all fantastical and whimsical intoxications, 
 or any pretence to the revelation of new matter, in 
 opposition to the ancient gospel declared by Christ 
 Jesus and his apostles ; and therefore not the revelation, 
 of new things, but the renewed revelation of the eternal 
 way of truth." 
 
 That true Christians in the present day are to be 
 immediately led and governed by the Holy Spirit 
 dwelling in the heart, is evident from many Scripture 
 promises and declarations. Our Lord himself, a short 
 time before his ascension, gave this promise to his dis- 
 ciples : " I will pray the Father, and He shall give you 
 another Comforter, that He may abide with you for- 
 ever ; even the Spiri* of Truth, whom the world can- 
 not receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth 
 him : but ye know him, for He dwelleth with you, and 
 shall be in you." Again he says, " But the Comforter, 
 which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send 
 in my name. He shall teach you all things, and bring 
 all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have 
 said unto you." " Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of 
 Truth, is come. He will guide you into all truth ; for 
 He shall not speak of himself ; but whatsoever He shall 
 hear, that shall He speak : and He will show you things 
 to come." 
 
 We are here told, first, who this is, designated by 
 the several names of the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, 
 the Holy Ghost, the Sent of the Father in the name of 
 Christ; secondly, where He is to be found; He dwell- 
 eth with you, and shall be in you ; and thirdly, what 
 his work is ; He shall teach you all things, bring all 
 things to your remembrance, and guide you into all 
 truth. 
 
 8* 
 
30 THE ASTCIEBTT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 That tke Holy Spirit is to dwell in the saints now, 
 and that these promises were not made to the im- 
 mediate disciples of our Lord only, but to all who re-r 
 ceive him when He knocks at the door, and obey his 
 voice, is proved by many passages in the Scriptures. 
 Paul says to the Romans, " Ye are not in the flesh, but 
 in the Spirit, if so be the SpiriJt of God dwell in you ; " 
 and to the Corinthians, " Know ye not that your body 
 is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which- 
 ye have of God." What is this but affirming that 
 they in whom the Holy Spirit dwells, are no longer in 
 the flesh, or of those who please not God, but are be- 
 come Christians indeed : and in the same verse above 
 quoted, he tells the Romans, that " ii" any man have not 
 the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his;" that is, he is 
 no Christian. He then who acknowledges himself a 
 stranger to the work and government of the Spirit of 
 Christ in his own heart, has not attained to the least 
 measure of Christian experience; nay, has not so 
 much as embraced the Christian religion, notwith- 
 standing all he may otherwise know and believe about 
 Christ, or how much soever he may be acquainted 
 with the letter of the Holy Scriptures. If the Spirit 
 is taken away, Christianity is no more Christianity, 
 than the dead body of a man is a man, when the soul 
 is departed. Whatsoever is excellent, whatsoever is 
 noble, whatsoever is worthy, whatsoever is desirable 
 in the Christian faith, is ascribed to the Spirit. 
 
 To this, true Christians in all ages attribute their 
 strength and life: by it they declare themselves to 
 be illuminated, converted, regenerated, and redeemed 
 from the world. By it they are strengthened in weak- 
 ness, comforted in afiliction, armed against teini)ta- 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 31 
 
 tion, fortified against sufferings, enabled to triunapli 
 over their persecutors, and to hold communion with 
 God. It is the Spirit that quickeneth; it was the 
 Spirit that gave them utterance ; it was the Spirit by 
 which Stephen spalce, so that the Jews were not able 
 to r^ist. It is such as walk after the Spirit that re- 
 ceive no condemnation, for the law of the Spirit of 
 life in Christ Jesus makes them free from the law of 
 sin and death ; and it is by the Spirit of God dwelling 
 in us that we are redeemed from the carnal mind. It 
 is the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us that quickeneth 
 our mortal bodies ; it is through the Spirit that the 
 deeds of the body are mortified and life obtained. It 
 is by the Spirit that we are adopted and cry Abba, 
 Father ; for it is the Spirit that beareth witness with 
 Qur spirits that we are the children of God. It is the 
 Spirit thiat helpethour infirmities, and maketh interces- 
 sion for us with groanings which cannot he uttered ', 
 and it is by the Spirit that the glorious things wliich 
 God hath laid up for the righteous, which neither out- 
 ward ear hath heard, nor outward eye seen, nor the 
 heart of man conceived by all his reasonings, are re- 
 vealed unto us. It is by this Spirit that wisdom, 
 knowledge, faith, tongues, prophecies are imparted to 
 rnan, and it is by it that we are all baptized into one 
 body and made to drink into one cup.. In a word, 
 there is nothing relating to the salvation of the soul, 
 that can be rightly performed or effectually obtained, 
 without it. 
 
 This gift of the Holy Spirit, which comes through 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, is indeed the glory of the gos- 
 pel dispensation ; and we believe that if the professors 
 of tb° Christian name, would lay aside the prejudices 
 
32 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 of education and their preconceived opinions, and con- 
 sult the testimony of the Spirit in their own hearts, 
 they would find that whatever of spiritual comfort, 
 strength, or other benefit they partake of, is not to be 
 ascribed to their forms or ceremonies, nor does it come 
 through them, but from the inward operations of the 
 Holy Spirit; and that if they were weaned from those 
 outward observances and their attention and depend- 
 ence placed upon this blessed Source of divine conso- 
 lation and strength, they would be made the joyful 
 partakers of much fuller manifestations of his glorious 
 presence and power. The more we are brought into 
 humble, childlike reliance upon Christ, and obedience 
 to the dictates of his Spirit, the greater degrees of faith 
 will be granted us in his power to deliver us out of all 
 evil, in his wisdom and goodness to guide us in the 
 way everlasting, and in his unfailing strength to ena- 
 ble us to perform the will of God ; by which his faith- 
 ful followers will grow in divine knowledge and expe- 
 rience, and be built upon Him, the Rock of ages and 
 the foundation of many generations. 
 
 We have dwelt the more largely upon this doctrine, 
 because we believe it to be of great practical impor- 
 tance, and are apprehensive that it is not sufficiently 
 regarded or lived up to, by many under our name. It 
 is our earnest desire, that none among us may be 
 Irawn into the adoption of sentiments, or the use of 
 expressions which tend to weaken a belief in the im- 
 mediate guidance of the Spirit of Truth, or put the 
 Holy Scriptures into its place and office, thinking that 
 by the study of them they can come to the saving 
 knowledge of spiritual things, and esteeming them, in- 
 stead of the Spirit, the principal means for the enlight- 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 33 
 
 eniug, conversion and edification of mankind, or of 
 unfolding to the mind the divine will concerning us. 
 
 It pleased the Lord, by his blessed Spirit, to give 
 our primitive Friends to see the deadness and formal- 
 ity of the religious professions of their day; to bring 
 them out of the observance of those forms and cere- 
 monies which yielded no life nor peace to their panting 
 souls, and to gather them into reverent, silent waiting 
 upon himself, for a qualification to perform that wor- 
 ship which is in spirit and in truth. In faithfully fol- 
 lowing his heavenly guidance, they were united in the 
 faith and fellowship of the gospel, and all spake the 
 same language, come out of what society or from 
 what country they might ; and thus harmoniously tra- 
 vailing together for the honour of God and the spread 
 of the kingdom of Christ, they were like a city set 
 upon a hill that could not be hid. Many souls were 
 awakened and converted, through their instrumentality, 
 and joined the Society, and they were successfully en- 
 gaged in diffusing a knowledge of the doctrines and 
 testimonies of the gospel in many parts of the world. 
 May we all be sincerely engaged to follow them as 
 they followed Christ, that others, seeing our good 
 works, may glorify our Father who is in heaven. 
 
 THE FALLEN STATE OF MAN. 
 
 Man was created in the image of God, capable of 
 understanding the divine law, and holding communion 
 with his Creator. Through transgression he fell from 
 this blessed state, and consequently lost the heavenly 
 image. His posterity come into the world in the 
 image of the earthly, and until renewed by the quick-- 
 
34 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 eniug power of the grace- of God, they are fallen, de- 
 genei-ated, and dead to the divine life in which Adam 
 originally stood, and are subject to the power, nature 
 and seed of the serpent; and not only their words and 
 deeds, but their imaginations are evil perpetually in 
 the sight of God, as proceeding from this depravefl 
 and wicked seed. Man, therefore, in this state, can 
 know nothing aright concerning God ; his thoughts 
 and conceptions of spiritual things, until he is disjoined 
 from this evil seed, and united to the divine light, are 
 unprofitable to himself and to others. 
 
 Although we are not punishable for Adam's sin, and 
 d<5 not partake of his guilt until we make it our own 
 by transgression, yet we cannot suppose that^ descended 
 from Adam, man has any natural light, or moral 
 faculty pertaining to his constitution, that can give 
 him a sense of his fallen state, or bring him out of it 
 into that spiritual fellowship and communion with God, 
 which Adam fell from. Whatever real good any 
 man doth, it proceeds from the seed of God in him as 
 a new visitation of life, in order to bring him out of 
 his fallen state ; which, though it be placed in him, is 
 not of him. 
 
 Where the apostle asserts that the Gentiles do by 
 nature the things contained in the law, he is not to be 
 understood as speaking of man's own nature, which 
 he hath as man, for this would make him contradict 
 himself; since he declares that the natural man re- 
 oeiveth not the things of God, for they are foolishness 
 to him, neither can be know them, for they are spirit- 
 ually discerned. The nature by which the GentUes 
 did the things of the law, cannot therefore be the fallen 
 corrupt nature, bat the renewed spiritual nature,, pro- 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 35 
 
 ceeding from the regenerating power of divine grace, 
 which is evident from what follows : — " These having 
 not the law, [that is outwardly,] are a law unto them- 
 selves, which show the work of the law written in 
 their hearts." Now the law of God is among the 
 things of God, — and the apostle says, the law is spirit- 
 i\al, holy, just and good ; and the Scriptures declare, 
 that the writing of the divine law in the lieart, is an 
 essential part of the New Covenant dispensation, and 
 therefore it can be no part of man's nature. 
 
 However early children give evidence of the. effects 
 of the fall, and of a sinful nature, they cannot be 
 sinners from their birth, because there can be no sin 
 where there is no transgression ; and where there is 
 not a capacity tp receive a law, it cannot be trans- 
 gressed. The testimony of the apostle is very posi- 
 tive to this point; " Where no law is there is no trans- 
 gression I " " but sin is not imputed when there is no 
 law." To account a child guilty or obnoxious to 
 punishment, merely for an offence committed by its 
 parents, before it could have any consciousness of 
 being, is inconsistent both with justice and mercy; 
 therefore no infant can be born with guilt upon its 
 head. Those are by nature children of wrath, who 
 walk according to the prince of the power of the air, 
 the spirit that worketh in the hearts of the children 
 of disobedience. Here the apostle gives their evil 
 walking, and not anything which is not reduced to act, 
 as a reason of their being children of wrath. Besides 
 the natural alienation from the internal life of God, as 
 they became capable of distinguishing the monitions 
 of Truth in their consciences, the bonds of corruption 
 are often strengthened by habitual mdulgeuce of the 
 
36 thje ancient testimony of 
 
 carnal propensities, against the sense of duty, and thus 
 all who have arrived at such a degree of maturity as 
 to be convinced of right and wrong, have sinned and 
 come short of the glory of God. 
 
 But whatever Adam's posterity lost through him, is 
 fully made up to them in Christ, and undoubtedly his 
 mercy and goodness, and the extent of his propitiation, 
 are as applicable to infants, who have not personally' 
 offended, as to adults who have ; and little children who 
 are taken away before they have sinned, may with 
 perfect confideuce be resigned as entirely safe in the 
 arms of their Saviour, who declared " of such is the 
 kingdom of Heaven." * 
 
 ON THE UNIVEESAIJTY OF THE LIGHT OF CHEIST. 
 
 In reference to the universality of this divine light 
 and grace, we believe in accordance with the testi- 
 mony of Robert Barclay ; " That God, who, out of 
 his infinite love sent his Son the Lord Jesus Christ 
 into the world, who tasted death for every man, hath 
 given to every man, whether Jew or Gentile, Turk or 
 Scythian, Indian or barbarian, of whatsoever nation, 
 country or place, a certain day or time of visitation, 
 during which it is possible for him to be saved and to 
 partake of the benefits of Christ's death. That for 
 this end He hath communicated to every man, a mea- 
 sure of the light of his own Son, a measure of grace 
 ox of the Spirit, which the Scripture expresses by 
 several names, as sometimes of ' the seed of the king- 
 dom,' ' the light that makes all things manifest ' ' the 
 word of God,' or ' the manifestation of the 'spirit 
 
 * See Barclay's Apology, and Phipps' Original and Present 
 State of Man. 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 37 
 
 given to profit withal/ 'a talent/ 'a little leaven/ 'the 
 gospel preached in every creature.' 
 
 " That God, in and by this light and seed, invites, 
 calls, exhorts, and strives -with every man, in order to 
 save him ; which, as it is received and not resisted, 
 works the salvation of all, even of those who are 
 ignorant of the death and sufferings of Christ and of 
 Adam's fall ; both by bringing them to a sense of their 
 own misery, and to be sharers in the sufferings of 
 Christ inwardly ; and by making them partakers of 
 his resurrection in becoming holy, pure and righteous, 
 and recovered out of their sins. By which also are 
 sayed they that have the knowledge of Christ out- 
 wardly, in that it opens their understandings rightly 
 to use and apply the things delivered in the Scriptures 
 and to receive the saving use of them. But that this 
 may be resisted and rejected by both ; in which then, 
 God is said to be resisted and pressed down, and 
 Christ to be again crucified and put to open shame, in 
 and among men : and to those who thus resist and re- 
 fuse him. He becomes their condemnation." 
 
 "We do not understand this divine principle to be 
 any part of man's nature, nor yet to be any relic of 
 any good which Adam lost by his fall, in that we 
 make it a distinct and separate thing from man's soul 
 and all the faculties of it. There are some that lean 
 to the doctrine of Socinus or Pelagius, who persuade 
 themselves through mistake, as if this divine light 
 which we preach up, were some natural power or fa- 
 culty of the soul, and that we only differ from them in 
 the wording of it, and not in the thing itself. Whereas 
 there can be no greater difference than is betwixt us 
 in that matter ; for we certainly know that this light 
 4 
 
38 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 of which we speak, is not only distinct, but of a dif- 
 ferent nature, from the soul of man and its faculties." 
 
 After treetting at large upon the universal appear- 
 ance of the Holy Spirit to all men, he adds : 
 
 " By this we do not at all intend to equal ourselves 
 to that holy Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was 
 born of the virgin Mary, in whom all the fulness of 
 the Godhead dwelt bodily, — so neither do we destroy 
 the reality of his present existence. For though we 
 affirm that Christ dwells in us, yet not immediately, but 
 inediately as He is in that seed which is in us ; where- 
 as He, the eternal Word, which was with God and was 
 God, dwelt immediately in that holy M^n. He then 
 is as the head and we as the members — He is the vip.e 
 and we the branches." 
 
 And again, " We do not hereby intend any ways 
 to lessen or derogate from the atonement aiid sacrifice 
 of Jesus Christ, but on the contrary do magnify and 
 exalt it. For as we believe all those things to have 
 been certainly transacted which are recorded in the 
 Holy Scriptures, concerning the birth, life, miracles, 
 sufferings, resurrection and ascension of Christ, so we 
 do also believe tliat it is the duty of every one to be- 
 lieve it, to whom it pleases God to reveal the same, 
 and to bring them to the knowledge of it; yea, we 
 believe it were damnable unbelief not to believe it 
 when so declared ; but to resist that Holy seed, whicli, 
 as minded would lead and incline every one to believe 
 it, as it is offered unto them ; though it revealeth not 
 in every one the outward and explicit knowledge of 
 it, yet it always assenteth to it, where it is declared. 
 
 "Nevertheless, as we firmly believe it was neces- 
 sary that Christ should, mms,. that by hi* d^tk and 
 
THE EELIGIOUa SOCIETY OF FEIENDS. 39 
 
 suiferings He might offer up himself a sacrifice to God 
 for our sins ; who, his own-self bare our sins in his own 
 body ou the tree, so we believe that the remission of 
 sins which any partake of, is only in and by virtue of 
 that most satisfactory sacrifice, and no otherwise ; for 
 it is by the obedience of that one that the free gift is 
 come upon all to justification." 
 
 We have thought it proper thus to revive our an- 
 cient and acknowledged doctrine, concerning the uni- 
 versality and efEcaey of the manifestation of the 
 Holy Spirit or the Light of Christ, which we believe 
 is, in mercy, extended in a greater or less degree, to 
 every man without distinction of nation or colour, 
 during his day of visitation ; because in reference to 
 those who have not been favoured with the knowledge 
 of the Holy Scriptures, opinions are afloat, the tenden- 
 cy of which is to obscure our well known principle ; 
 representing the guide of such, in the things pertaining 
 to salvation, to be a moral faculty, the light of nature, 
 or a sense of the m^oral law, implanted in the consti- 
 tution of man &c., and denying that the declarations 
 of the apostle, where he says, " the manifestation of 
 the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal," and, 
 "The grace of God which bringeth salvation hath 
 appeared unto all men," have any reference whatever 
 to the circumstances of mankind at large, and that it 
 is very doubtful whether the testimony of the evan- 
 gelist respecting our Lord Jesus Christ, " that was 
 the true Light which lighteth every man that cometji 
 into the world," has any such application —^s^timents 
 with which we have no unity, being repugnant to our 
 Christian faith. 
 
 Another reason &ai setting foj^tk ^msh fMV ]MiU#f 
 
40 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 on this point is, that some modern writers, under the 
 pretext of upholding the inward light, are promulgat- 
 ing a system which gives that appellation to a phan- 
 tom of their own creating ; and which they also de- 
 signate as the light of universal reason, the voice of 
 universal conscience, the instinct of Deity, and other 
 similar terms; which they represent as a redeeming 
 principle implanted in man's nature, capable of spring- 
 ing up and producing all that man can know of God, 
 of duty and the soul ; and that the soul of man is 
 itself a living fountain of immortal truth. Such de- 
 lusive notions are entirely at variance with our Chris- 
 tian faith, and appear to us no other than the refined 
 speculations of a disguised deism, which virtually 
 denies the truth of divine revelation, the divinity of 
 Christ, and his various offices in the work of man's 
 salvation. 
 
 Our religious Society has never professed or be- 
 lieved in any other principle or power in man, to 
 redeem him from evil, than the Holy Spirit, the light 
 of Christ or the grace of God, which shines in and 
 appears unto all men, and was purchased for us iDy 
 the sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ; 
 and we consider it a gross abuse and perversion of 
 our Christian character and profession, to connect 
 them with the erroneous notions above alluded to. 
 
 Various are the specious forms, in which infidelity 
 is disguised in the present day, in order to conceal its 
 real character, and recommend it to the adoption of 
 the inexperienced and unwatchful ; and the nearer ii 
 counterfeits the truth, the greater is the danger to be 
 apprehended from its approaches. 
 
 •When -once the mind is set afloat on the troubled 
 
THE EELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIMNDS. 41 
 
 sea of creaturely imagination and vain speculation, 
 no matter at what point in religion it may be aiming, 
 it is liable to be tossed about by every wind that blows, 
 and to be carried away by every plausible theory or 
 argument, which may be started by men of greater 
 cunning or more powerful intellect than its own ; and 
 having parted from its heavenly Pilot, it is in immi- 
 nent danger of making shipwreck of faith and a good 
 conscience. 
 
 We feel it to be a duty to warn and caution all 
 our members against imbibing or adopting sentiments, 
 which would tend, in any wise, to shake their confi- 
 dence in the truths of the Christian religion, as they 
 are recorded in Holy Scripture; and to be careful 
 not to put themselves in the way of hearing or read- 
 ing any thing which would have such a tendency ; it 
 having been found by sorrowful experience, that some, 
 who thought themselves fortified against a spirit of 
 unbelief, have had their religious principles gradually 
 undermined, by thus needlessly exposing themselves 
 to temptation. 
 
 ON THE HOLY SCEIPTURES. 
 
 Our religious Society has always believed that the 
 Holy Scriptures were written by divine inspiration, 
 and contain a declaration of all the fundamental doc- 
 trines and principles relating to eternal life and salva- 
 tion ; and that whatsoever doctrine or practice is con- 
 trary to them, is to be rejected as false and erroneous ; 
 that they are a declaration of the mind and will of God 
 in and to the several ages in which they were written, 
 and are obligatory on us, and are to be read, believed 
 4* 
 
42 THE AKCIBNT TESTIMONY OP 
 
 and fulfilled through the assistapee of divine grace. 
 We esteem it an unspeakable favour that it has pleased 
 the Lord to preserve them to us, and the more wt 
 come under the government of the same Spirit which 
 inspired tl]ye holy men who wrote thiem, the more truly 
 shall we prize them, and delight to read and meditate 
 upon the preciows truths they contain. 
 
 It continues to be our Uiiiairbated concern to eiicour- 
 age all our members to practise the frequent perusal 
 of them, with their hearts turned to the Loifd, tha;fc,so 
 Jle may be pleased to open their understandings to 
 receive that spiritual benefit which He designs they 
 should convey, whether it be in doctrine, correction, 
 reproof, or instruction in righteousness, that the man, 
 of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished nnto a,ll 
 good works. We also exhort parents and those who 
 have the care ©f children, to educate them in the 
 knowledge of the Scriptures, which plainly set forth 
 the miraculous birth, holy life, wonderful works, meri^ 
 tQrious death, resurrection, glorious ascension, media- 
 tion and intercession, of our Lord Jesus Christ, their 
 Saviour and Redeemer, and also the blessed gift of 
 his light and grace, freely dispensed to every man to 
 profit withal. 
 
 While we thus highly value those sacred records, 
 and recommend them to the diligent attention of all, we 
 also feel jealous for the honour of our Lord and Mas- 
 ter, and for the glory of the gospel dispensation ; and 
 it is our desire, that in setting forth the benefits con- 
 ferred upon us through the Scriptures, our members may 
 he very careful not to be drawn into the adoption of 
 sentiments, or tlie use of terms or phrases, common 
 with many in our day, which ascribe to the Scriptures 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OP FRIENDS. 43, 
 
 instead of the Spirit of Christ, the office of bringing 
 the soul under a sense of the exceeding sinfulness of 
 sin, of enlightening and converting it, of unfolding all 
 the duties it is required to perforna, and bringing it to 
 the saving knowledge of God and Christ. 
 
 We believe the Holy Scriptures to be the words of 
 Godj written by holy men as they were moved by the 
 Holy Ghost; but to the Saviour of men, and not to the 
 Bible, belong the titles of the Word of God, the Bread 
 of Life, and the Light. It is He only, who can im- 
 part to the soul the sincere milk of the word, and the 
 bread and water of life ; who reveals himself and the 
 divine law in the hearts of his humble and obedient 
 children ; and if we would partake of the benefits of 
 gospel truth, and come to that knowledge of the Su- 
 preme Being and his beloved Son, which is saving, it 
 is indispensably necessary that we draw near to Him, 
 through the Spirit, who is the way, the truth and the 
 life. So far from any advantage arising from setting 
 the Holy Scriptures above their true place, and that 
 which they claim for themselves, we believe that it is 
 productive of serious injury, and may tend to with-^ 
 draw the faith and attention of the visited soul from 
 the inward appearance and teachings of Christ, the 
 incorruptible Seed and Word of God, by whom alone 
 we can be quickened, regenerated and made alive 
 unto God. 
 
 In the progress of this great work. He is often pleased 
 to make use of the sacred records as a means to in- 
 struct, encourage and comfort the awakened mind ; 
 which, however, is not to turn its attention to them as 
 the guide, and the source of divine light and life, but 
 to draw it unto Himself, that it may have life, and ex- 
 
44 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 perienc(! the fulfilment of the promise, " All thy chil- 
 dren shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be 
 the peace of thy children." " Search the Scriptures, ' 
 said our blessed Lord, to the unbelieving Jews, for in 
 them ye think ye have eternal life ; and they are they 
 which testify of me ; but ye will not come unto me, 
 that ye might have life." It is our sincere engage- 
 ment that we may be individually concerned to hold 
 and use all the gifts, and the means, which our hea- 
 venly Father has graciously provided for our conver- 
 sion and furtherance in the way of life and salvation, 
 in due reverence and esteem. That to Him, and to 
 his beloved Son, and to the word of his grace, the first 
 and highest place and honour, may ever, with all hu- 
 mility, obedience and fear, be ascribed j and to the 
 Holy Scriptures the second place, as a means for 
 which we are bound to be humbly thankful to Him, 
 and diligently to improve by the assistance of his 
 Spirit, to our everlasting advantage. 
 
 Impressed with the importance of these views, and 
 with the danger of being drawn away from a clear 
 and full acknowledgment of our doctrine herein, we 
 are engaged to revive the following passages from the 
 Apology, viz : 
 
 "From these revelations of the Spirit of God to the 
 saints, have proceeded the Scriptures of Truth, which 
 contain a faithful historical account of the actings of 
 God's people in divers ages, with many singular pro- 
 vidences attending them; a prophetical account of 
 several things, whereof some are already past and 
 some yet to come ; also an ample account of all the 
 chief principles of the doctrine of Christ, held forth in 
 divers precious declarations and exiiortations, which 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIEKBS. 45 
 
 4 
 
 by the moving of God's Spirit, were upon sundry oc- 
 casions spoken and written unto some churches and 
 their pastors. Nevertheless, because they are only a 
 declaration of the Fountain and not the Fountain itself, 
 they are not to be esteemed the principal ground of 
 all truth and knowledge, nor yet the adequate primary 
 rule of faith and manners. Yet because they give a 
 true and faithful testimony of the first foundation, they 
 are, and may be, esteemed a secondary rule, subor- 
 dinate to the Spirit, from which they have all their 
 excellency and certainty. For as by the inward tes- 
 timony of the Spirit we do alone truly know them, so 
 they testify that the Spirit is that guide by which the 
 saints are led into all truth ; therefore according to 
 the Scriptures, the Spirit is the first and principal 
 leader. Seeing then we do receive and believe the 
 Scriptures, because they proceeded from the Spirit, 
 for the same reason is the Spirit more originally and 
 principally the rule. 
 
 " Though then we do acknowledge the Scriptures 
 to be very heavenly and divine writings, and the use 
 of them to be very comfortable and necessary to the 
 church of Christ ; and admire, and give praises to the 
 Lord for his wonderful providence in preserving these 
 writings so pure and uncorrupted as we have them, 
 through so long a night of apostasy, to be a testimony 
 of his truth against the wickedness and abominations 
 even of those whom He made instrumental in preserv- 
 ing them, so that they have kept them to be a witness 
 against themselves ; yet we may not call them the 
 principal Fountain of all truth and knowledge, nor yet 
 the first adequate rule of faith and manners, because 
 the principal Fountain of truth, must be the Truth 
 
46 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 itself, whose certa/inty and authority depend not upon 
 another. 
 
 " If by the Spirit only we can come to the true know- 
 ledge of God ; — if by the Spirit we are to be led into 
 all truth, and so be taught of all things; then the Spirit 
 and not the Scriptures, is the foundation and ground 
 of all truth and knowledge, and the primary rule of 
 faith and manners. The very nature of the gospel 
 declareth that the Scriptures camiet be the only and 
 chief tale of Christians, else there would be no differ- 
 ence between the law and the gospel." 
 
 " There are numberless things with regard to their 
 oircumstances which particular Christians may be 
 concerned in, for which there can be no particular 
 rule had in the Scriptures ; therefore the Scriptures 
 cannot be a rule to them [in those things]. As foi 
 . instance, some are called to the ministry of the woid : 
 Paul says there T*as a necessity laid upon him to 
 preach the gospel, and woe is unto one if I preach it 
 not. If it be necessary that there be now ministers of 
 the church as well as then, ithere is the same necessity 
 upon some taore than upon others to occupy this place ; 
 which necessity, as it may be incumbent upon some 
 particular persons, the Scraptures neither doth nor can 
 declare. 
 
 " If it be said the qualifications of a minister are 
 found in the Scriptures, and by .applying these qualifi- 
 cations to myself I may know wlietber I be fit for such 
 a place or not, I answer; The qualifications of a 
 bishop or minister, as they are mentioned both in the 
 Epistle to Timothy and that to Titus, are such as 
 may be found in a private Christian, yea, which ought 
 in some measure to be in every true Christian ; so that 
 
THE EELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 4'7 
 
 this giveth a man no certainty. Every capacity to 
 an office gives me not a sufficient call to it. Again ; 
 by what rule shall I judge if I be so qualified ? How 
 do I know that I am sober, meek, holy, harmless? 
 Is it not the testimony of the Spirit in my conscience 
 that must assure me hereof? And suppose I was 
 qualified and called, yet what Scripture rule shall in- 
 form me whether it be my duty to preach in this or 
 in that place, in France or England, Holland or 
 Germany ? Whether I shall take up my time in con- 
 firming the faithful, reclaiming heretics or converting 
 infidels, as also in writing epistles to this or that 
 church? The general rules of the Scriptures to be 
 diligent in my duty ; to do all to the glory of God, 
 and for the good of his church, can give me no light 
 in this thing; seeing two different things may both 
 have a respect to that way ; yet I may commit a great 
 error and offence in doing the one, when I am called 
 to the other. If Paul, when his face was turned by 
 the Lord toM'ard Jerusalem, had gone back to Achaia 
 or Macedonia, he might have supposed he could have 
 done God more acceptable service in preaching and 
 ■confirming the churches, than in being shut up in 
 prison in Judea; but would God have been pleased 
 herewith? Nay — certainly. Obedience is better than 
 sacrifice, and it is not our doing that which is good 
 simply, that pleaseth God, but that good which He 
 willeth us to do. 
 
 " Moreover, that which, of all things, is most need- 
 ful for a Christian to know, viz : whether he really be 
 in the faith and an heii^of salvation or not, the Scrip- 
 ture can give him no certainty in, neither can it be a 
 rule to him. That this knowledge is exceedingly de- 
 
ib THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 sirable and comfortable, all do unanimously acknowl- 
 edge ; besides, it is especially commanded, ' Examine 
 yourselves whether ye be in the faith; prove your own 
 selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus 
 Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?' 'Where- 
 fore the rather, brethren, give all diligence to make 
 jour calling and election sure.' Now I say, what 
 Scripture rule can assure me that I have true faith, 
 and that my calling and election are sure ? " 
 
 After examining various suggestions he says ; 
 
 " Moreover the Scripture itself, wherein we are so 
 earnestly pressed to seek this assurance, does not at 
 all affirm itself a rule sufficient to give it, but wholly 
 ascribeth it to the Spirit. ' The Spirit itself beareth 
 witness with our spirit that we are the children of 
 God.' ' Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and 
 He in us, because He hath given as of his Spirit.' 'And 
 it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit 
 is truth.' " 
 
 " If it then be asked whether I think hereby to ren- 
 der the Scriptures altogether uncertain and useless, I 
 answer, not at all : Provided, that to the Spirit, fi'om 
 which they came, be granted that place which the 
 Scriptures themselves give it, I do freely concede to 
 the Scriptures the second place, even whatsoever they 
 say of themselves, which the apostle Paul chiefly 
 mentions in two places, viz : 'Whatsoever things 
 were written aforetime, were written for our learning, 
 that we through patience and comfort of the Scrip- 
 tures might have hope.' ' The Holy Scriptures are 
 able to make wise unto salvation, through faith which 
 is in Christ Jesus,' 'All Scripture is given by inspiration 
 of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. " 49 
 
 correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the 
 man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto 
 all good works.' 
 
 " Secondly : God hath seen meet that herein we 
 should see as in a looking-glass, the conditions and 
 experiences of the saints of old, that finding our expe- 
 rience to answer to theirs, we might thereby be the. 
 more confirmed and comforted, and our hope of ob- 
 taining the same end strengthened ; that observing the 
 providences attending them — seeing the snares they 
 were liable to, and beholding their deliverances, we 
 may thereby be made wise unto salvation, and sea- 
 sonably reproved and instructed in righteousness. — 
 This is the great work of the Scriptures, and their 
 service to us, that we may witness them fulfilled in us, 
 and so discern the stamp of God's Spirit and ways 
 upon them, by the inward acquaintance we have with 
 the same Spirit and work in our hearts. The pro- 
 phecies of the Scriptures are also very comfortable 
 and profitable to us, as the same Spirit enlightens us 
 to observe them fulfilled and to be fulfilled. In all this 
 it is to be observed, that it is only the spiritual man 
 that can make a right use of them : they are able to 
 make the man of God perfect ; so it is not the natural 
 man. And whatsoever was written aforetime was 
 written for our comfort — our, that is, for the believers, 
 or for the saints ; concerning such the apostle speaks. 
 Peter plainly declares, that the unstable and unlearned 
 wrest them to their own destruction. These were 
 they who were unlearned in the divine and heavenly 
 learning of the Spirit, not in human and school litera- 
 ture, in which we may safely presume that Peter him- 
 self, being a fisherman, had no skill." 
 
50 • THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 In setting forth the use and service of the Holy 
 Scriptures to the church, as a secondary rule, subordi- 
 nate to the Spirit of Truth, he further says, " We do 
 look upon them as the only fit outward judge of con- 
 troversies among Christians, and that whatsoever doc- 
 trine is contrary unto their testimony, may therefore 
 justly, be rejected as false. And for our parts we are 
 very willing that all our doctrines and practices be 
 tried by them ; which we never refused, nor ever 
 shall, in all controversies with our adversaries, as the 
 judge and test. We shall also be very willing to ad- 
 mit it as a positive certain maxim, that whatsoever 
 any do, pretending to the Spirit, which is contrary to 
 the Scriptures, be accounted and reckoned a delusion 
 of the devil. For as we never lay claim to the Spirit's 
 leading, that we may cover ourselves in any thing 
 that is evil, so we know that as every evil contradicts 
 the Scriptures, so it doth also the Spirit in the first 
 place from which the Scriptures came, and whose 
 motions can never contradict one another, though they 
 may appear sometimes to be contradictory to the blind 
 eye of the natural man." 
 
 JUSTIFICATION. 
 
 The love of ease naturally leads men to prefer an 
 assent to the truths of religion, rather than submission 
 to the practical operation of it on the heart. It is 
 much easier to profess faith in what Christ has suffered 
 and done for us, than to yield obedience to the daily 
 cross, and endure the portion of suffering inseparable 
 from the baptism of the Holy Ghost, by which the 
 corruptions of the heart are removed, 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 51 
 
 From tlie rise of the Society, Friends have ut>fqui- 
 vocally declared their faith in the eificacy of the pro- 
 pitiatory offering which our Lord voluntarily made 
 of himself for the sins of the whole world. Geoi-ge 
 Fox early testified respecting his crucifixion, that " At 
 that time, the sins of all mankind were upon him, and 
 their iniquities and transgressions, with which he was 
 wounded ; which He was to bear and to be an offering 
 for as he was man, but died not as he was God ; so in 
 that He died for all men, tasting death for every man, 
 He was an offering for the sins of the whole world." 
 But while they fully believed that remission of sin and 
 reconciliation with God were obtained only through 
 Christ and his most satisfactory offering, they also 
 believed that no man was justified while he continued 
 in sin, whatever might be his profession of faith. These 
 devoted ministers of the gospel, as it was opened to them 
 in its prinxtive purity, accordingly preached in life and 
 doctrine, the indispensable necessity of holiness, with- 
 out which the Scriptures declare, that no man shall 
 see the Lord; and they placed justification where the 
 apostle places it, in connection with being washed 
 and sanctified, but not as preceding sanctification. 
 
 When they went forth in their ministry, they found 
 the different professors pleading for the impractica- 
 bility of being free from sin in this life, while they 
 considered themselves justified by faith in the Lord 
 Jesus ; alleging that our sins were imputed to him, that 
 He suffered instead of us the penalty of infinite wrath 
 and vengeance due to our sins, and thereby fully satis- 
 fied divine justice ; and they rested in the false hope, 
 that though they lived in sin, Christ was their surety 
 and they were saved by his imputed righteousness. 
 
52 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 They, argued, that as God has made Christ to he sin 
 for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the 
 righteousness of God in him, therefore as our sia is 
 imputed to Christ, who had no sin, so Christ's righte- 
 ousness is imguted to us, without our being righteous. 
 Friends bore a decided testimony against this sin- 
 pleasing doctrine, declaring that were the sentiment 
 admitted, that God was so reconciled with men as to 
 esteem them just while they were unjust and continu- 
 ing in sin. He would have no controversy with them, 
 which would make void the great practical doctrines 
 of repentance, conversion and regeneration. Though 
 Christ bore our sins, suffered for us, and among men 
 was accounted a sinner, yet they denied that God ever 
 reputed him a sinner, or that He died that we should 
 be reputed righteous, though no more really so than He 
 was a sinner. They understood the apostle, when he 
 speaks of our being made the righteousness of God in 
 Christ, to mean, that we are to be made really right- 
 eous, and not by imputation merely; for he argues 
 against any agreement between righteousness and un- 
 righteousness, light and darkness. Our Lord, in all his 
 doctrines and precepts, enforces the necessity of good 
 works; and although properly speaking, we are not 
 justified for them, yet we are justified in them, agree- 
 ably to the apostle James, " Ye see then how that by 
 works a man is justified, and not by faith only." " For 
 as the body without the spirit is dead, even so faith 
 without works is dead also." 
 
 We apprehend that some may be in danger of fall- 
 ing back into the errors against which our early 
 Friends testified ; and while endeavouring to counter- 
 act the spirit of infidelity, which denies the propitia- 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 53 
 
 tory efficacy of the death of Christ, they may run 
 into the contrary extreme of attributing the justifica- 
 tion of the ungodly to a professed reliance on the 
 atonement and an imputed righteousness, without ex- 
 periencing true repentance and the sanctification of 
 the Spirit. To the repenting, returning sinner, who of 
 himself has nothing on which to rest his hope of for- 
 giveness and acceptance with his offended Maker, the 
 mediation, intercession, and propitiation of the Ee- 
 deemer of lost man, is inexpressibly precious. It is 
 through Him alone that the door of hope is opened, 
 and all who receive into their hearts the gift of grace 
 which comes by Him, and yield to its convicting 
 power, by which alone they can be brought to see 
 their sinful state and to repent as in dust and ashes, 
 will in the Loi-d's time, through faith and submission 
 to him, know the blood of Christ to cleanse them from 
 all sin, and from the guilt of sin. 
 
 Robert Barclay lays down the doctrine of Justifica- 
 tion in these terms : " As many as resist not the light 
 of Christ, but receive the same, it becomes in them a 
 holy, pure and spiritual birth, bringing forth holiness, 
 righteousness, purity and all those other blessed fruits 
 which are accejjtable to God ; by which holy birth, 
 to wit, Jesus Christ formed within us, and working 
 his works in us, as we are sanctified, so are we justi- 
 fied in the sight of God, according to the apostle's 
 words ; ' But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but 
 ye are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and 
 by the Spirit of our God.' Therefore it is not by our 
 works wrought in our will, nor yet by good works 
 considered as of themselves, but by Christ who is 
 poth the gift and the giver, and the cause producing 
 
54 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 the eifects in us, who as He hath reconciled us «hil« 
 we were enemies, doth also in his wisdom save and 
 justify us after this manner, as saith the same apostle : 
 elsewhere ; ' Not by works of righteousness which we 
 have done, Ipt according to his mercy he saved us, 
 by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the 
 Holy Ghost,' which He shed on us abundantly through 
 Jesus Christ our Saviour ; that, being justified by his 
 grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope 
 of eternal life. This is a faithful saying ; and these 
 things I will that thou affirm constantly; that they 
 which have believed in God might be careful to main- 
 tain good works.' " 
 
 " We renounce all natural power and ability in our- 
 selves, to bring us out of our lost and fallen condition 
 and first nature; and confess that as of ourselves we 
 are able to do nothing that is good ; so neither can we 
 procure remission of sins or justification by any act of 
 our own, so as to merit it or draw it as a debt from 
 God due unto us; but we acknowledge all to be of and 
 from his love, which is the original and fundamental 
 cause of our acceptance. 
 
 " God manifested this love towards us, in the send- 
 ing of his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into the 
 world, who gave himself an offering for us and a sac- 
 rifice to God, for a sweet-smelling savour ; and having 
 made peace through the blood of the cross, that He 
 might reconcile us unto himself, and by the eternal 
 Spirit offered himself without spot unto God ; suffered 
 for our sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring 
 us unto God. 
 
 " Forasmuch then as 'all men who have come to 
 man's estate (the man Jesus only excepted) have ,='~"ed, 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 55 
 
 tliprcfore all have need of this Saviour, to remove the 
 wrath of God from them due to their oifences. In 
 this respect He is truly said to have borne the ini'c^ui- 
 ties of us all in his body on the tree ; and therefore is 
 the only Mediator, having qualified the wrath of God 
 towards us, so that our former sins stand not in our 
 way, being by virtue of his most satisfactory sacrifice 
 removed and pardoned. Neither do we think that re- 
 mission of sins is to be expected, sought or obtained 
 any other way, or by any work or sacrifice whatso- 
 ever ; though they may come to partake of this remis- 
 sion who are ignorant of the history. So then Christ 
 by his death and sufferings hath reconciled us to God, 
 even while we are enemies ; that is, He offers recon- 
 ciliation unto us ; we are put into a capacity of being 
 reconciled. God is willing to forgive us our iniquities 
 and to accept us, as is' well expressed by the apostle; 
 ' God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto him- 
 self, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath 
 put in us the word of reconciliation.' And therefore 
 in the next verses, the apostle entreats them in Christ's 
 stead, to be reconciled to God; intimating that the 
 wrath of God being removed by the obedience of 
 Christ Jesus, He is willing to be reconciled unto them, 
 and ready to remit the sins that are past, if they re- 
 pent. 
 
 " We consider then our redemption in a two fold 
 respect, both which in their own nature are perfect, 
 though in their application to us, the one is not nor 
 can be, without respect to the other. The first is the 
 redemption performed and accomplished by Christ for 
 us in his crucified body without us; the other is the 
 redemption wrought by Christ in us, which is no less 
 
66 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OP 
 
 pro2)erly called aad accounted a redemption than the 
 former. The first is that whereby a man, as he stands 
 in the fall, is put in a capacity of salvation, and hath 
 conveyed unto him a measure of that power, virtue, 
 spirit, life and grace that was in Christ Jesus, which 
 as the free gift of God is able to counterbalance, over- 
 come and root out the evil seed, wherewith we are 
 naturally as in the fall leavened. 
 
 " Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation 
 through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness 
 for the remission of sins that are past, through the 
 fc)rbearance of God." Here the apostle holds forth 
 the extent and efficacy .of Christ's death, showing that 
 thereby and by faith therein, remission of sins that are 
 past is obtained, as being that wherein the forbearance 
 of God is exercised towards mankind. So that though 
 men for the sins they daily commit deserve eternal 
 death and that the wrath of God should lay hold upon 
 them, yet by virtue of that most satisfactory sacrifice 
 of Christ Jesus, the grace and seed of God moves in 
 love towards them during the day of their visitation ; 
 yet not so as not to strike against the evil, for that 
 must be burned up and destroyed, but to redeem man 
 out of the evil. 
 
 " By the second we witness this capacity brought 
 into act, whereby receiving and not resisting the light, 
 spirit, and grace of Christ revealed in us, which is 
 the purchase of his death, we witness and possess a 
 real, true and inward redemption from the poM'er and 
 prevalency of sin, and so come to be really redeemed, 
 justified and made righteous, and toa sensible uniot. 
 and friendship with God. Thus He died for us, that He 
 might redeem us from all iniquity ; and thus we ' know 
 
The religious society of friends. -57 
 
 Him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellow- 
 ship of his sufferings, being made conformable to his 
 death.' " 
 
 Richard Claridge on the subject of justification, 
 says : — 
 
 "In a word, if justification be considered in its full 
 and just latitude, neither Christ's work without us in 
 the prepared body, nor his work within us by his Holy 
 Spirit, is to be excluded, for both have their place and 
 service in our complete and absolute justification. By 
 the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ without us, we truly 
 repenting and believing, are, through the mercy of 
 God, justified from the imputations of sins and trans- 
 gressions that are past, as though they had never been 
 committed : and by the mighty work of Christ within 
 us, the power, nature, and habits of sin are destroyed; 
 that as sin once reigned unto death, even so now grace 
 reigneth, through righteousness, unto eternal life, by 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. All this is effected, not by a 
 bare or naked act of faith, separate from obedience, 
 but in the obedience of faith, Christ being the author 
 of eternal salvation to none but those that obey him." 
 
 To those who receive him in his spiritual appear- 
 ance in the heart, whether they have ever heard of his 
 coming in the flesh or not. He gives power to become 
 the sons of God; and if any through weakness or un- 
 watchfulness fall again into sin. He is their propitiation, 
 and will forgive and blot out their transgression, if 
 they turn again to Him and sincerely repent. As the 
 Lord Jesus is thus revealed in them, converting, re- 
 generating, and renewing the soul by his Holy Spirit, 
 if they persevere in faithfulness, they experience Him 
 to be made unto them of God, wisdom, righteousnes.s, 
 
58 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 sanutification and redemption ; they are made one with 
 Him, as the branches with the vine; they put on the 
 Lord Jesus Christ, and in their respective measures 
 are made partakers of the divine nature, and of what 
 He has done for them j so that his obedience becomes 
 theirs, his righteousness theirs, his death and sufferings 
 theirs. Thus they are renewed up .into the image 
 which Adam lost by transgression, and walking in the' 
 light, as Grod is in the light, they have fellowship one 
 with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ -his Son 
 cleanses them from all sin. 
 
 BAPTISM AND THE SUPPBK. 
 
 The subjects of water baptism and the use of bread 
 and wine, have recently engaged much attention among 
 Christian professors, and we trust the minds of many 
 are gradually preparing for the reception Of views re- 
 specting them, more consonant with the spirituality of 
 the gospel dispensation. It is therefore highly impor- 
 tant, that dur members should faithfully support our 
 testimony in these particulars,, and be careful not to 
 be. "entangled with the yoke of bondage;" "the beg- 
 garly elements and carnal ordinances," from which 
 our forefathers were redeemed -by the outstretched 
 arm of Divine power. 
 
 We should ever bear in mind, that the Son of God 
 came into the world to put an end to sin, to finish 
 transgression, and to -bring in everlasting righteous- 
 ness; and that if this all-important work is accom- 
 plished, it must be carried on and perfected in the 
 heart of man by the Spirit of God — no outward cere- 
 monies can ever effect it. The dispensation of types 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OP FRIENDS. 59 
 
 and shadows, with its " divers washings" or baptisms, 
 was finished and passed away when our blessed Lord 
 was crucified; and was succeeded by the. more glo- 
 rious dispensation of the gospel, whiph is spirit and life 
 to the penitent and obedient soul. The Holy Scrip- 
 tures plainly declare that there is now but one bap- 
 tism ; and that this one baptism saves the soul ; " not 
 by the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but by the 
 answer of a good conscience towards God, by the re- 
 surrection of Jesus Christ." Few of the advocates of 
 water baptism contend that it is necessary to salva- 
 tion ; while the New Testament uniformly represents 
 the baptism of Christ, which is with the Holy Ghost 
 and fire, as effectual in purifying the soul from the 
 defilement of sin, and consequently essential to its sal- 
 vation. 
 
 The forerunner of our Lord testified, " I indeed bap- 
 tize you with water unto repentance ; but He that com- 
 eth after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not 
 worthy to bear ; He shall baptize you with the IToly 
 Ghost and fire; whose fan is in his hand, and He will 
 thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into 
 the garner, but He will burn up the chaff with un- 
 quenchable fire." These striking figures are a lively 
 representation of the work of the Holy Spirit in the 
 hearts of those who submit to his operations, whereby 
 they are thoroughly refined from the pollution of sin, 
 and the transgressing nature winnowed away, so as 
 to prepare the soul for being gathered into the hea- 
 venly garner. 
 
 To those who thus yield themselves to this fiery 
 baptism, and follow Christ in the regeneration, the 
 apostle addresses this language ; " Ye are complete in 
 
60 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 Him, who is the head of all principality and power : 
 in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision 
 made without hands, in putting off the body of the 
 sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ ; buried 
 with him in 'baptism, wherein also ye are risen with 
 him, through the faith of the operation of God, who 
 raised him from the dead." 
 
 As many as are thus baptized into Jesus Christ, are 
 baptized into his death ; and like as Christ was raised 
 up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so 
 these also walk in newness of life. " They have put 
 on Christ," and " become new creatures ; old things 
 are passed away ; behold all things are become new, 
 and all things of God." This, and this only, is the 
 baptism of the gospel, and this is complete and effec- 
 tual jn itself; without the addition of any outward 
 washing or sprinkling, — which relate to the body only, 
 and can never affect the soul. 
 
 Our views respecting the participation of the Lord's ■ 
 supper, are of the same character. The passover sup- 
 per, at which Jesus gave the bread and wine to his 
 disciples, was abolished, with the rest of the Jewish 
 ceremonies, at his death ; and although the disciples, 
 from their attachment to the law of Moses, practised 
 it after that event, as they did circumcision, and ab- 
 staining from blood and from things strangled; yet we 
 find nothing in Scripture to warrant the assumption 
 that it is a standing ordinance in Christ's church. 
 He himself declares, " Except ye eat the flesh of the 
 Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in 
 you : whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, 
 hath oternal life, and I will raise him up at the last 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 61 
 
 day; for my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is 
 drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh 
 my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him." When his 
 disciples murmured at this doctrine, he told them, " It 
 is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth no- 
 thing; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit 
 and they are life." 
 
 'S\^e believe that this communion of the body a,nd 
 blood of Christ, without which we cannot have eter- 
 nal life, is inward and spiritual, — a real participation 
 of his divine nature, through faith in him, and obedi- 
 ence to his Spirit in the heart; by which the inward 
 man is daily nourished and strengthened, and kept 
 alive unto God. This is the true communion of saints, 
 in and with Christ Jesus their Lord, and it is not con- 
 fined to those who have the knowledge of the Holy 
 Scriptures, or of the coming and sufferings and death 
 of the Son of Grod, as the propitiation for sin ; but is 
 graciously granted to every sincere and obedient soul, 
 who is faithful to the degree of light and knowledge 
 with which he is favoured, agreeably to the testimony 
 of our Lord himself; " Behold I stand at the door and 
 knock : if any man hear my voice and open the door, 
 I will come in to him and sup with him, and he with 
 me." 
 
 Having thus set forth the views which we as a peo- 
 ple have always believed and maintained, in regard to 
 these important doctrines, we think it right renewedly 
 to call the attention of our members to some of those 
 Christian testimonies, into which the Lord was pleased 
 to lead our worthy predecessors, and which it is no 
 less obligatory on us faithfully to uphold at the present 
 day. 
 
62 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY O-^ 
 
 DIVINE WOESHIP. 
 
 Divine worship is the highest and most important 
 duty in which the mind of man can be engaged. It 
 is no less than holding intercourse with the Father of 
 Spirits, and offering the tribute of homage and adora- 
 tion to " the High and lofty One, who inhabiteth eter- 
 nity, whose name is Holy ; " but who condescends also 
 to " dwell with him that is of a contrite and humble 
 spirit; to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive 
 the heart of the contrite ones." This solemn act is not 
 dependent upon, or necessarily connected with, any 
 thing which one man can do for another ; but must be 
 performed between the soul and its Almighty Creator ; 
 for " God is a Spirit, and they that worship him, must 
 worship him in spirit and in truth." 
 
 'Acceptable worship cannot be offered, but through 
 the assistance of the Spirit of Christ; He being our 
 Mediator, by whom only we can approach unto God, 
 and from whom we must derive, for this engagement, 
 both " the preparation of the heart and the answer of 
 the tongue." In order to experience this necessary 
 qualification, it is our duty to have the mind withdrawn 
 from all outward objectSj and reverently and humbly 
 to wait upon the Lord in the silence of all flesh ; that 
 so He may be pleased, through the revelation of his 
 Spirit, to give us a true sense of our needs and a know- 
 ledge of his will, and enable us to offer a sacrifice well- 
 pleasing in his sight ; whether it be in silent mental 
 adoration, the secret breathing,of the soul unto Him, 
 in the public ministry of the gospel, or vocal prayer or 
 thanksgiving. Those who thus wait upon the liord, 
 and depend upon the assistance of his Spirit, will often 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FEIENDS. 63 
 
 be favoured with a broken and contrite heart, a sacri- 
 fice which, it is declared. He will not despise — their 
 spiritual strength will be renewed, and they will expe- 
 rience a growth and establishment in the blessed truth. 
 These, however small their number or remote and so- 
 litary their situation may be, are the true worshippers 
 whom the Father seeketh to worship him ; and to 
 whom the Lord Jesus will fulfil his gracious promise, 
 " Where two or three are gathered together in my 
 name, there am I in the midst of them." 
 
 We tenderly entreat all to be constant in assem- 
 bling with their brethren on first-days, and other days 
 of the 'week when meetings for Divine Worship are 
 held, in order to bear a public testimony to our de- 
 pendence upon the Father of mercies, for the blessings 
 we enjoy, and to experience a renewal of our ability 
 to live in his fear, and to labour in his blessed cause 
 and service. Let us not suffer the improper influence 
 of temporal things, an indifferent or lifeless state of 
 mind, the smallness of the number who meet, or the 
 absence of a vocal ministry, to discourage us from 
 diligently attending all our religious meetings; re- 
 membering that iib is our reasonable service to present 
 our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto 
 God. Where this is the sincere engagement of those 
 gathered, whether it may please him to authorize any 
 public ministry or not, the great Minister of the sanc- 
 tuary, Christ Jesus, will, in his own time, dispense to 
 the waitins soul, that divine consolation or instruction 
 which He sees to he best for it. Let none, then, be 
 weary or ashamed of our ancient and noble testimony 
 to the excellence of silent waiting upon God ; it hav- 
 ing been found, in the e^cperience of many of his &er- 
 
64 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OP 
 
 vante, a most profitable exercise of mind, and one 
 which He has been graciously pleased eminently to 
 own and bless. 
 
 MINISTRY. 
 
 As it is the prerogative of the great Head of the 
 church alone to select and call the ministers of his 
 gospel, so we believe both the gift, and the qualifica- 
 tion to exercise it, must be derived immediately from 
 Him; — and that as in the primitive church, so now 
 also, He confers them on women as well as on men, 
 agreeably to the prophecy recited by the apostle Pe- 
 ter : " It shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, 
 I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh : and your 
 sons and your daughters shall prophesy;" "and on 
 ray servants and' on my handmaidens, I will pour out, 
 in those days, of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy : " 
 respecting which the apostle declares, " the promise is 
 unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar 
 off, even as many as the Lord our God shall caH." 
 
 The gift being free, tlie exercise of it is to be with- 
 out money and without price, agreeably to the com- 
 mand of our Lord, "freely ye have received, freely 
 give." 
 
 The apostle Paul, in speaking of his ministry de- 
 clares, "I neither received it from man, neither was I 
 taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ ; " that 
 the exercise of it was " not in the words which man's 
 wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teach- 
 eth ; " and that his " speech and his preaching was not 
 witli enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demon- 
 stration of the Spirit and of power ; that the faith of 
 his hearers might not stand in the wisdom of men, but 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FKIENDS. 6o 
 
 in the power of God." "We believe tliat the expe- 
 rience cf every true minister of Christ will correspond 
 with that of the apostle ; and therefore, our religioas 
 Society, from its first rise, has borne a constant and 
 faithful testimony against a man-made and hireling 
 ministry, which derives its authority and qualification 
 from human learning and ordination ; which does not 
 recognize a direct divine call to this solemn work, nor 
 acknowledge its dependence for the performance of it, 
 upon the renewed motions and assistance of the Holy 
 Spirit, vouchsafed on every occasion ; and which re- 
 ceives pay for preaching. 
 
 We apprehend, that the selection of one man to 
 speak to an assembly, who is always to perform that 
 service at the stated times of meeting, whether divine- 
 ly called to it and assisted, or not; to the exclusion of 
 all others, whatever may be their religious exercises 
 or apprehended duty, is an unautliorized assumption 
 of power, greatly prejudicial to the welfare of the 
 church ; and a direct interference with the divine pre- 
 rogative of Christ, whose right it is to dispense his 
 gifts to whom He will, as saith the apostle, " to one is 
 given, by the Spirit, the word of wisdom ; to another 
 the word of knowledge, by the same Spirit; to ano- 
 ther faith; to another the gifts of healing — to another 
 the working of miracles — to another prophecy — to 
 another discerning of spirits — to another divers kinds 
 of tongues — to another the interpretation of tongues : 
 But all these worketh that one and the self-same Spi- 
 rit dividing to every man severally as He will." 
 
 It is our earnest concern, that none of our members 
 ma" countenance or encourage a hireling and man- 
 made ministry, by attending at places where it is al- 
 6 
 
66 THE ANCIEKT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 lowed, or in any other way ; but that all may faith- 
 fully uphold our Christian testimony herein, for which 
 our forefathers suffered deeply, both in their property 
 and persons, many of them even unto death. - 
 
 PEAYEE. 
 
 Peayee is a duty inseparable from the life and 
 growth of a Christian. Whenever he is upon the 
 "watch, it is the clothing of his spirit. He cannot 
 maintain the watch against the insidious machinations 
 of his unwearied enemy, without the constant aid of 
 the Holy Spirit. This Spirit, which reminds him of 
 his need of holy aspirations to the throne of grace for 
 preservation, and for forgiveness of his missteps when 
 off the watgh, influences and prepares his heart to 
 breathe forth fervent desires before the Lord, for 
 strength to stand against the wiles of the devil, that 
 he may be built up and preserved upon the Rock 
 Christ Jesus. When through divine love he is made 
 sensible of the Lord's holy presence, prayer or praise 
 arises in his soul ; and thus he is permitted to hold 
 communion with the Father of mercies, the God of 
 all consolation. But it is only through the Spirit of 
 our Holy Intercessor and Advocate with the Father, 
 that the heart is thus influenced and enabled to put up 
 availing prayer. None need doubt that this indispen- 
 sable qualification will be furnished if they humbly 
 seek it, and are obedient to the divine will in this and 
 other duties. 
 
 At those seasons of divine visitation, when the con- 
 victions of that grace, which strives with all to save 
 them, are pressing upon the rebellious transgressor, as 
 
THa RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 67 
 
 they are yielded to, a cry for mercy and forgivenesa 
 is raised by the Holy Spirit in the heart, which will 
 reach the gracious ear of Him against whom he 
 has sinned, and will be accepted. 
 
 Were the command of our Lord to "watch and 
 pray continually," lived up to, there would be no for- 
 mal prayers ; and where that is not regarded, formal 
 prayers will not avail as a substitute. Many of our 
 early Friends had been educated in the habit of " say- 
 ing their prayers," as it is termed, at stated periods ; 
 and when it was given them, in the light of Christ Je- 
 sus, to see their own conditions, and that He required 
 a thorough change of heart, they were convinced that 
 those customary prayers, in which the spirit of suppli- 
 cation was not poured forth from on high upon the in- 
 dividual, would not avail anything, and they were re- 
 strained from the practice, and from teaching them to 
 their children. They clearly saw and felt, that He 
 only, to whom the apostles applied, could teach them 
 how to pray and what to pray for ; under his guidance 
 their lives became lives of prayer and watchfulness, 
 and many of them attained to an extraordinary growth 
 and fixedness in the blessed truth. 
 
 Like the qualification for gospel ministry, we have 
 always believed that the putting forth of the Shepherd 
 of Israel is requisite for the duty of vocal prayer in 
 our religious assemblies, a service in which the spirit- 
 ual worshipper can fervently and cordially unite, 
 when it is performed under the anointing of the Holy 
 Spirit. It is one of the most solemn acts in which 
 man can be engaged, and when prostrated in the pre- 
 sence of the great I AM, our words should be few 
 and weighty. We would carefully avoid discourag- 
 
68 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 ing any from a faithful compliance with this Jury, 
 when divinely opened to them ; but there is need of 
 caution, lest any fall into a habit of kneeling in meet- 
 ings, as though they could hardly be commenced or 
 concluded properly, without vocal addresses of this 
 nature. Such a practice tends to lessen that rever- 
 ence and holy fear, which all ought scrupulously to 
 maintain in approaching the sacred presence ; and 
 meetings are greatly injured by such unauthorized 
 communications, — sometimes running into lifeless de- 
 claration, and also asking amiss, which bring death 
 over a meeting instead of life, and eclipse the excel- 
 lency of the gift of prayer. 
 
 May all then be watchful and attentive to the gen- 
 tle intimations of our holy High Priest, who will 
 clothe with deep humility and awe ; and when He sees 
 it proper, will grant to his servants the spirit of sup- 
 plication, and strengthen them to offer living prayers, 
 with the Spirit and with the understanding also, which 
 will find acceptance with him, and tend to the refresh- 
 ment of his church and people. 
 
 WAR. 
 
 It being the nature and design of the Christian re- 
 ligion, to subject the angry and revengeful passions of 
 human nature to its benign influence and government, 
 those who have fully submitted to its transforming 
 power, must necessarily be redeemed from the spirit 
 in which wars and fighting originate. The gospel of 
 Christ breathes peace on earth and good will to men, 
 ■ — and the precepts of its divine Author entirely pre- 
 clude the indulgence of a disposition which would re- 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 69 
 
 sent an injury or inflict one upon a fellow-creature 
 Ye have heard, says He, " that it hath been said, an 
 eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth; but I say unto 
 you that ye resist not evil ; but whosoever shall smite 
 thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." 
 "I say unto you, love your enemies; bless them that 
 curse you ; do good to them that hate you, and pray 
 for them that despitefully use you and persecute you, 
 that ye may be the children of your Father which is 
 in heaven." If then we would be children of God, and 
 joint heirs with Christ, we must love our enemies in- 
 stead of hating them, — do good to them, instead of in- 
 juring them; and not seek to avenge ourselves for 
 wrongs which may be inflicted upon us. 
 
 It is also worthy of our serious consideration, that 
 in our Lord's instructions on the subject of prayer, we 
 are taught that the measure of the forgiveness which 
 we receive from our heavenly Father, will be that 
 which we exercise toward our fellow-men. " Forgive 
 us our debts, — as we forgive our debtors." "And when 
 ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any, 
 that your Father also, which is in heaven, may for- 
 give you your trespasses." " But if ye forgive not men 
 their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father for- 
 give you." Thus it is evident, that the spirit of the 
 gospel is that of universal love and forgiveness ; and 
 wherever these plain and unalterable commands of 
 Christ are duly regarded, strife, malevolence and dis- 
 cord, must come to an end; "violence will no more 
 be heard in the land, wasting or destruction within its 
 borders ; " but the prediction will be fulfilled, " they 
 shall beat their swords into plough-shares, and their 
 spears into pruning-hooks ; nation shall not lift up 
 
70 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 sword against nation, neither shall they learn war aLj' 
 more." When we contemplate these blessed effects 
 of the religion of the Prince of peace, and contrast 
 them with the fierce and cruel passions which rage 
 upon the battle-field ; the injuries inflicted by man up- 
 on his fellow ; how many immortal spirits are hurried 
 mprepared, into an awful eternity, — guilty perhaps of 
 a brother's blood; the cry of the mourning widow and 
 of the bereaved orphan; how mournful is the prospect, 
 and how deeply is it to be deplored, that any of the 
 professors of the Christian name should countenance a 
 system, so' directly opposed to the precepts of Christ, 
 and so offensive in the sight of heaven. 
 
 Although our portion of the land has been long ex- 
 empted, through divine faveur, from the desolating 
 scourge of war, and the members of our religious So- 
 ciety have not been called to suffer as in former years 
 in support of our testimony on this subject, — yet we 
 greatly desire, that in this day of ease, we may not 
 become indifferent to its importance, or in any degree 
 relax in its faithful maintenance. We feel a fear, lest 
 some among us, for want of due consideration, may 
 be induced to pay those pecuniary demands, which 
 are exacted by the laws, in lieu of military service, or 
 connive at, or encourage the payment of them by 
 others, — a practice highly discreditable to any mak- 
 ing profession of the truth, and against which we feel 
 bound to bear our testimony. However remote the 
 connexion may seem, between the payment of such a 
 fine and the cruel operations of active warfare, they 
 are parte of the same iniquitous system. The exac- 
 tion of such fines, i^ also an infringement of our liberty 
 of conscience; inasmuch as it requires us to pay for 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OP FRIENDS. 71 
 
 the exercise of a religious scruple, the free enjoyment 
 of which is a natural and inalienable right. We are 
 therefore engaged again to press upon all, the upright 
 and faithful support of our testimony in this respect ; 
 and where a distraint or imprisonment is the conse- 
 quence, to bear it in a meek and becoming spirit, so 
 as to evince that we are actuated by religious motives. 
 Meetings are enjoined to be careful annually to collect 
 and forward such accounts, agreeably to ancient 
 usage. 
 
 SLAVERY. 
 
 We wish, renewedly, to call the attention of Friends, 
 to the righteous testimony which our religious Society 
 has long borne against holding our fellow-men in bond- 
 age. When we remember that the victims of this sys- 
 tem of wickedness and cruelty are our brethren; chil- 
 dren of the same universal parent; for whose souls 
 Christ died as well as for ours, and that they are de- 
 signed to be fellow-heirs with us of immortality and 
 eternal life, — the sufferings, the degradation, and the 
 wrongs they endure, cannot but awaken our sympa- 
 thies, and incite the enquiry what the Lord is calling 
 for at our hands, in their behalf. The sin of slavery, 
 with its multitude of attend^t evils, hangs as a dark 
 cloud over our land, and portends the approaching in- 
 fliction of divine judgments. We continue to feel an 
 unabated concern for the spread of the testimony 
 against slavery in the earth ; believing that as the 
 spirit of the gospel is suffered to prevail among the 
 professors of the sacred name of Christ, it will bring 
 with it peace on earth and good will to men, 'vithout 
 
72 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OP 
 
 distinction of nation or colour ; — " will loose the bands 
 of wickedness, undo the heavy burdens, break every 
 yoke, and let the oppressed go free." 
 
 Our forefathers engaged in this concern, under the 
 constraining influence of religious duty and a sense of 
 justice; and as they endeavoured to prosecute the 
 work with a steady reference to the guidance of " the 
 wisdom which cometh down from above; which is 
 first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be en- 
 treated, full of mercy and good fruits; without parti- 
 ality and without hypocrisy," it pleased the Lord emi- 
 nently to bless the labours of the Society. Knowing 
 that times and seasons are not at our command, but 
 are in the hand of Him who can turn the hearts of 
 men, as a man turneth a water-course in his field, they 
 endeavoured, in their public labours for the promotion 
 of this worthy cause, to feel the way open ; to watch 
 the pointing of the Divine finger, and to move in his 
 fear and counsel. Thus they were preserved from 
 rash and imprudent action; from intemperate zeal, 
 and from being swayed by animal excitements, which 
 often impel those who yield to their influence, into 
 measures, which, instead of promoting, retard or frus- 
 trate, the objects which they professedly have in view. 
 
 When a fierce and angry spirit is indulged, even in 
 opposing what is glarii%ly wrong, it raises a corre- 
 spondent feeling in those against whose conduct it Ls 
 directed; and closes the mind against the force of 
 those arguments, which, if presented in the meek and 
 gentle spirit of the gospel, would probably produce 
 conviction. 
 
 We would caution all our members, to beware of a 
 flpirit of this descriptiouj on the subject of slavery; 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FKIENOS. 73 
 
 and to take care that in the anxiety to be doing some- 
 thing, — political motives, party feelings, unsound prin- 
 ciples, and other influences equally at variance with a 
 right exercise of mind, be not mixed up with it; to tlie 
 great ^njury of the cause, and of the individuals who 
 suffer themselves to be drawn into such coalitions. 
 
 While, therefore, we would encourage all our mem- 
 bers to dwell under a lively feeling of the wrongs of 
 our fellow-men, and of the enormity of the system by 
 which they are enslaved and oppressed, — we believe 
 their safety and preservation as individuals, and the 
 progress of this righteous testimony, so far as respects 
 our religious Society, very much depend upon their 
 keeping within its bosom in their efforts to promote 
 it ; and carefully attending to the unfoldings of duty 
 in their own breasts, by which they would be kept 
 from joining in associations, or engaging in measures, 
 which, however plausible they may appear, would en- 
 danger their growth in best things, and their stability 
 and usefulness as members of the body. 
 
 TRADE AND LIVING. 
 
 We believe the call of the Lord is renewedly ex- 
 tended to us as a people, at the present time, to come 
 back to the example set us by our primitive worthies, 
 in reo-ard to moderation in trade and business, and 
 simplicity and humility in the style and furniture of 
 our houses, — in our manner of living, and in dress, 
 address and demeanour ; that so we may again faith- 
 fully uphold our testimony in these respects, in sup- 
 port of which they underwent much reproach and 
 suffering. 
 
74 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 Their eye being directed toward an enduring in- 
 heritance, and their hearts set upon things above, they 
 sought not after greatness in this world, but passed 
 the time of their sojourning here in watchfulness and 
 fear, and in great simplicity of heart, as well as of 
 living and demeanour ; endeavouring by their integ- 
 rity and uprightness, and the purity of their example, 
 to reach the divine witness in all, and to promote the 
 love of truth and righteousness among men. In minds 
 thus bent on seeking a more glorious inheritance than 
 the things of time can afford, the love of the world 
 could have little influence. . They were bright exam- 
 ples of justice, of moderation in business, in their 
 houses, their dress and language, and of the self-denial 
 which the gospel enjoins, in all their conduct and con- 
 versation. 
 
 But, dear Friends, has not a departure from this 
 simplicity and heavenly-mindedness, led many among 
 us into the love and eager pursuit of the riches and 
 honour of the present world ; producing the fruits of 
 pride, emulation, and a love of grandeur ; bringing in 
 many imaginary wants and foolish fashions ; to satisfy 
 which, has led into hazardous speculations and a pur- 
 suit of business, incompatible with our holy profession; 
 which has engrossed the time and talents, so as to 
 leave but -little of either, or of inclination, to attend to 
 the momentous concerns of religion, to the right edu- 
 cation of their children, or the promotion of the wel- 
 fare of our fellow-men. The mind thus absorbed and 
 encumbered, is unfitted for religious thoughtful ness, as 
 well as religious service; and for breathing daily after 
 the spiritual riches, which are enjoyed in humble ccm- 
 munion with God. 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 75 
 
 We believe that the pecuniary distress which pre- 
 vails so extensively over our country, and those con- 
 vulsions which have swept away from many, a large 
 portion of their property, are dispensations permitted 
 by infinite Wisdom, to show us the vanity and uncer- 
 tainty of all temporal possessions, and to turn the 
 minds of the people to the necessity of endeavouring 
 to lay up treasure in heaven, "where neither moth 
 nor rust corrupts, and where thieves do not break 
 through and steal." 
 
 Fervent is the solicitude we feel, that we may all 
 " hear the rod, and Him who hath appointed it ; " and 
 be deeply engaged to have our affections weaned 
 from the perishing things of this life, and fixed upon 
 that which is to come. Thus would our desires be 
 moderated, and our wants circumscribed by the limita- 
 tions of the holy truth; — pride,, avarice and ambition, 
 would be laid in the dust, and we should be constrain- 
 ed, by the love of God shed abroad in our hearts, to 
 seek first the kingdom of heaven, and the righteousness 
 thereof, — in the humble reliance, that He who know- 
 eth what things we have need of before we ask him', 
 will not fail to grant them unto us. In this lowly, 
 humble state of mind, the desire to accumulate money, 
 or to make an appearance in the world corresponding 
 with others, would be mortified and subdued ; and as 
 the meek and self-denying followers of Him, who 
 though Lord of all, had not whereon to lay his head, 
 \vi' should be contout^d \vith that simplicity and mod- 
 'eration which comport with our Christian profession, 
 and receive with grateful hearts, whatever our hea- 
 venly Father saw meet to dispense. 
 
 May such as have lost much of their earthly sub- 
 
76 
 
 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 Stance, endeavour to profit by the dispensation, as a 
 fatherly correction from the hand of Him, who afflict-, 
 eth not willingly ; and cheerfully accommodate them- 
 selves to the change in their circumstances, by a cor- 
 respondent reduction in their expenses, rather than 
 seek to recover what they have lost, by an undue ex- 
 tension of business. 
 
 We affectionately and earnestly warn all to " take 
 heed and beware of covetousness, which is idolatry ; " 
 whether it be in making haste to be rich by embark- 
 ing in large business, or by indulging a penurious and 
 hoarding disposition in a smaller way. It is a saying 
 which experience abundantly verifies, that " they that 
 will be rich, fall into temptation and a snare, and into 
 many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in 
 destruction and perdition : for the love of mony is the 
 root of all evil, which, while some have coveted after, 
 they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves 
 through with many sorrows." 
 
 One of the great deceptions to which mankind are 
 liable, is looking for happiness where it is not to be 
 found ; and being ensnared by the love of the world 
 and the deceitfulness of riches, they miss the true en- 
 joyment, as well as the great object, of life, which are 
 only to be found in the love and service of God. 
 
 May all then abide under the daily cross, whereby 
 the earthly mind, which hath its delight in the plea- 
 sures and treasures, and fashions of the world, may 
 be crucified ; that being redeemed out of these things, 
 which so manifestly hinder the progress of the soul 
 heavenward, we may become, more and more, a seri- 
 ous and self-denying people, adorning the doctrine of 
 God our Saviour in all things. 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FEIENDS. 77 
 PARENTS AND CHILDREN. 
 
 We affectionately entreat those who are placed in 
 tlie responsible stations of parents and caretakers of 
 children, to endeavour to train them up, by precept 
 and example, in a holy life and conversation, and in 
 simplicity and plainness of attire and language; re- 
 membering that they are precious lambs entrusted to 
 their care, by the great Shepherd of the sheep, to 
 whom they must give an account for their souls, in the 
 day when He shall make inquisition into their steward- 
 ship. Much depends upon the example set before 
 them ; the minds of children being very quick in dis- 
 cerning what objects have the first place in the affec- 
 tions of those who are over them. 
 
 If they see that the parents' hearts are set upon the 
 things of this life — that they are fond of making a 
 show and appearance among men — running greedily 
 after gain, though perhaps derived from small earnings 
 or penurious savings— or that they are adorning their 
 houses and children with finery and costly things; 
 their infant minds will soon imbibe similar views and 
 feelings, and be estranged from the simplicity of the 
 cross of Christ, and tlie love of their Redeemer. 
 
 In the ordering of divine providence, great influence 
 is attached to the parental relation ; and where its du- 
 ties are faithfully performed in the fear and counsel of 
 the Lord, restraining in the holy authority which He 
 gives, as well as admonishing and persuading them in 
 his love — we believe the declaration will be verified, 
 "train up a child in the way he should go, and when 
 he is old, he will not depart from it." 
 
 Although we have always believed, that the first- 
 7 * ' 
 
78 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 day of the week is not the Christian sabbath, (that be« 
 ing a state of spiritual rest to the soul,) and that there 
 is no inherent holiness in it above any other day, it 
 being our duty to keep every day holy unto the Lord, 
 — and that agreeably to the saying of the apostle, no 
 man is to judge us in respect of an holy day, or of the 
 sabbath days, which are a shadow of things to come ; 
 yet we have ever been concerned to enjoin upon all 
 our members, the due observance of that day, as a 
 season of rest from all unnecessary labour, and of re- 
 ligious retirement and meditation. 
 
 We wish renewedly to impress upon parents, the 
 importance of having their families collected during 
 that part of first-day which is not appropriated to pub- 
 lic worship, that they may be kept from unprofitable 
 company, from idly rambling abroad, or needless vis- 
 iting ; and pass the time in suitable religious reading 
 or other serious employment ; that thus they may not 
 only reap the benefit of setting apart^ one day in the 
 week, more particularly for religions purposes, but 
 that our example as a religious Society may be such 
 as becomes a people professing godliness. 
 
 We feel a fear, lest there are some parents who are 
 so bound to their worldly interest, as to have little 
 concern for their offspring, neglecting both their lite- 
 rary and religious education ; and others, who are in 
 a state of lukewarmness respecting the everlasting 
 well-being of their interesting charge; and from an 
 unwillingness to cross their inclinations and exercise 
 a salutary restraint, are suffering them to indulge in 
 many hurtful things, and to wander from the path of 
 self-denial. 
 
 Great must be the condemnation of such parents, in 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 79 
 
 a day to come, if they persist in such courses. Instead 
 of " their children rising up and calling them blessed," 
 it may be sorrowfully the case, that the sins of the 
 children will be in some measure chargeable upon the 
 neglect of the parents, and not only be visited upon 
 them by bitterness and anguish in this life, but add to 
 their guilt in that which will never have an end. 
 
 O then, look to yourselves, we beseech you, and 
 discharge your trust for God, and for the good of 
 their souls, — exhorting in meekness, and commanding 
 in wisdom; that so you may minister and reach to 
 the witness, and help them over their temptations in 
 the authority of the Lord's power ; and when they 
 feel themselves helped and delivered, their souls will 
 bless God on your behalf, and you will reap the com- 
 fort of your labour. 
 
 We feel a fervent exercise on behalf of the visited 
 children of our heavenly Father, in whose view the 
 glory of this world has been stained, and their spirit- 
 ual eyes anointed to see the transcendent beauty and 
 excellency of the pure unchangeable truth. We ap- 
 prehend these are often discouraged, in beholding the 
 declension from ancient zeal and uprightness; and that 
 unless they are watchful, and singly attentive to their 
 heavenly Counsellor, they may be induced to settle 
 down at ease, short of the attainment of that entire 
 redemption and sanctification, which is held up as the 
 mark for the Christian to aim at. Lean not, we be- 
 seech you, upon the arm of flesh, in yourselves, or 
 even in the most favoured of the Lord's instruments, 
 but let your dependence be upon God alone. In this 
 day of unsettlement and shaking, there are many 
 voices to be heard which are not in unison with the 
 
80 THE ANCIENT TESTIMQNY OF 
 
 voice of Christ Jesus, our holy Shepherd ; and youl 
 safety will very much depend upon maintaining, 
 through divine assistance, a state of inward retirement 
 and stillness of mind ; that so yon may be favoured to 
 distinguish" his voice from tha,t of the stranger ; and 
 reverently to wait on Him for the unfoldings of his 
 blessed will concerning you. 
 
 In this state of patient- waiting for Christ; and child- 
 like obedience to his requirings, you will be safely led 
 forward in your Christian course, step by step, as He 
 sees you are able to bear it; your experience and 
 knowledge in divine things will be gradually enlarged 
 by Him ; you will be preserved from falling into errors 
 in faith or practice ; and from running before your 
 guide, and engaging in things, which, however lauda- 
 ble in themselves, are not the work in which He de- 
 signs you should be employed. 
 
 As you thus rely in simple faith upon Him and his 
 teaching, following whithersoever He leads, — but not 
 daring to move without his putting forth, He will not 
 fail, in his own time and way, clearly to open before 
 you the path of allotted service, and to give you wis- 
 dom and strength faithfully to walk therein. He will 
 baptize you again and again, with the baptism of his 
 own Spirit, in order that the vessel may be sanctified 
 and 'kept clean for the reception and occupancy of tlie 
 gifts which He may see meet to bestow upon you, for 
 the edification of his church; and as you diligently 
 employ these in hjs fear, and to his glory, depending 
 upon the strength which comes from Him, you will 
 through his mercy, be numbered among those, who, 
 " having served their generation, by the will of God," 
 shall receive " the end of their faith, even the salvation 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OP FRIENDS. 81 
 
 of their souls," and hear the consoling language, 
 " Well done, good and faithful servant, — enter thou 
 into the joy of thy Lord." 
 
 In presenting these important subjects at this time 
 to the serious and weighty attention of our beloved 
 Friends, we would aifectionately and earnestly exhort 
 all to let them have due place in their minds, and to be 
 steadfast and unmovable in the faithful maintenance 
 of all our doctrines and testimonies, always abounding 
 in the work of the Lord, and scrupulously guarding 
 against every thing which would tend to weaken their 
 attachment to our holy profession. 
 
 In connexion with this subject, we believe it right 
 to spread a caution against the indiscriminate reading 
 of books, which purport to be of a religious character. 
 Many of these contain much that is inconsistent with 
 our Christian principles and testimonies, — and though 
 interspersed with other matter, which is sound and in- 
 structive, yet this is rather calculated to render such 
 works more injurious, serving as a cover for erroneous 
 opinions, and thus more easily insinuating them into 
 the mind. That the course of reading pursued by in- 
 dividuals, has a direct and powerful tendency to mould 
 their religious sentiments and practices, is a truth abun- 
 dantly confirmed by observation. It has also been found, 
 in the experience of many, that the frequent and familiar 
 perusal of treatises and forms of expression in refer- 
 ence to religious topics, which are not in accordance 
 with our views of the spirituality and purity of the 
 gospel — and of modes of defining and explaining doc- 
 trines, which differ from the simple and scriptural me- 
 thods used by the Society, although they may at first 
 
82 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY OF 
 
 strike us unpleasantly and as being objectionable, yet 
 by frequent repetition and dwelling upon them, this 
 feeling is lost ; the mind is gradually led to look upon 
 them as matters of indifference, or of very little mo- 
 ment, and thus by degrees, imperceptible perhaps to 
 its clouded vision, the way is prepared for its depart- 
 ure from a full belief and acknowledgment of the 
 Truth as it is in Jesus. 
 
 We believe, that in this way, many sincere and 
 seeking minds, who have been sensible of the day of 
 the Lord's merciful visitation, and measurably yielded 
 thereto, have lost their strength, become involved in 
 doubt and perplexity, — and for want of keeping singly 
 to the unfoldings of the light of Christ, " blindness in 
 part hath happened unto them ; " so that after having 
 begun in the Spirit, and run well for a tiijie, they have 
 turned, as it were, to the beggarly elements, apd sought 
 to be made perfect by the works of the flesh. Thus, 
 the unsanctified activity of the natural mind getting up, 
 they have grown weary of the path of self-denial and 
 the daily cross, and of " the patient waiting for Christ," 
 — have marred the work of regeneration in their own 
 hearts, and eventually thrown off their religious pro- 
 fession. 
 
 Next to the Holy Scriptures, we would recommend 
 all to read frequently in the writings of our worthy pre- 
 decessors. In them may be found clear and enlarged 
 views of Christian doctrine and practice, given forth 
 by men who were subject to the divine government in 
 themselves ; and having tasted of the good word of 
 life, and the powers of the world to come, could testify 
 fromliving experience, to the blessed efficacy and triith 
 of the principles they professed. They furnish us also 
 
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 83 
 
 •with lively and instructive examples of love to God and 
 faith in Christ ; of zeal and devotedness to his cause — 
 of patient, unwearied labours, and the meek endurance 
 of privations, reproach, derision, and cruel persecution 
 even unto death, for the spread of the kingdom of their 
 dear Redeemer, and tlie testimony of a good conscience ; 
 and as a convincing evidence of the reality of their re- 
 ligion, a fulness of peace and joy, and a well-grounded 
 hope of immortality and eternal life, when brought 
 upon the bed of sickness and of death. Let us, then, 
 be. conversant with the writings of these devoted ser- 
 vants of Christ, and endeavour, through divine assist- 
 ance, to follow in their footsteps, and maintain the 
 same faith ; that so, in the end, we may reap the same 
 blessed and everlastingly glorious reward. 
 
 May all carefully avoid a disputatious spirit, that 
 would be cavilling about niceties of doctrine, and ques- 
 tions which gender strife and contention, — seeking to 
 be wise above what is written in the Holy Scriptures, 
 — and to reason and argue about those things, which 
 Divine Providence has not seen meet to reveal to us. 
 And let all beware of resting in a bare acknowledg- 
 ment, even of the most sound and consistent principles; 
 ever remembering, that a profession of the Truth will 
 add to our condemnation, if we are not endeavouring 
 to live in conformity with it. It is only as we bow to 
 the visitations of divine love, in mercy extended to our 
 souls, and submit to the heart-changing and sanctify- 
 ing power of the Holy Spirit, that we can show forth 
 in our life and conversation, the blessed effects of the 
 doctrines we profess, even the fruits of the Spirit, which 
 are declared to be " love, joy, peace, long-suffering, 
 gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance." 
 
84 THE ANCIENT TESTIMONY, ETC. 
 
 Without these, the most correct belief will be " but as 
 sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal." Our blessed 
 Lord has solemnly declared, " Not every one that 
 saith unto me. Lord, Lord, shall enter into the king- 
 dom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father 
 which is in heaven." And as we make a high profes- 
 sion of the inward work of the Spirit of Truth, in re- 
 deeming the soul from every sinful lust and inordinate 
 affection ; separating it from an undue attachment to 
 the things of time and sense, and fixing its hopes on 
 those enduring treasures which are laid up in heaven 
 for the righteous, — so if we fail to show forth these, 
 its certain and happy effects, in our daily walk among 
 men, — we shall not only baulk our holy profession, but 
 bring upon ourselves greater condemnation, than those 
 whose eyes have not been anointed to see so fully into 
 the nature of the religion of our Lord and Saviour 
 Jesus Christ. May we then, dear Friends, under a 
 solemn sense of our great responsibility as his professed 
 followers, be incited to a jealous watchfulness over 
 ourselves, and a holy fear lest we fall short of the 
 mark for the prize of our high calling, which is no less 
 than Christian perfection; that, daily seeking to the 
 Lord for strength and wisdom, we may be enabled to 
 overcome the wicked one, — and doing the will of God 
 from the heart, we may, through his adorable mercy, 
 experience preservation from the evils which abound 
 in the world, and be prepared to stand with accept- 
 ance before the Son of Man. 
 
 Signed by direction and on behalf of the Yearly Meeting 
 aforesaid, 
 
 WILLIAM EVANS, Clerk this yeae.