DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 DURHAM, N. C. 
 
 Form 934—20M—1-35 
 
THE 
 
 CONSTITUTION 
 
 FOR THE 
 
 SOCIETY OF FRIENDS 
 
 IN AMERICA, 
 
 WITH 
 
 SUPPLEMENTAL PROVISIONS AND 
 RULES OF DISCIPLINE. 
 
 ADOPTED BY 
 
 Iowa YeEarRLY MEETING 
 
 PRINTED FROM THE OFFICIAL COPY BY 
 WESTERN WORK PUBLISHING ASSOGIATION, 
 OSKALOOSA, IOWA. 
 
HIS GONSTITUTION for the Society of Friends in 
 America, including the Declaration of Faith (historical 
 statements of doctrine), the Form of Government and the Rules 
 of Discipline, having been regularly adopted by the New Eng- 
 land, Wilmington, Indiana and Kansas (1900), California, New 
 York, Western and Baltimore (1901), Oregon, North Carolina 
 and Iowa (1902) Yearly Meetings, eleven in all,is, this the twenty- 
 first day- of October, 1902, declared by action of the Third 
 Quinquennial Conference of the American Yearly Meetings of 
 Friends assembled, to be the authorized, official copy for the 
 Society of Friends in America. 
 
 Portions expressly for Iowa Yearly Meeting 
 are inclosed in brackets. 
 
HISTORICAL STATEMENT. 
 
 The Society of Friends, generally called Quak- 
 ers, arose in England about the middle of the sev- 
 enteenth century. George Fox began his ministry 
 in 1647. The position of the Friends was the log- 
 ical conclusion of the Protestant Reformation, and 
 marked the culmination in the development of doc- 
 trine which had been advancing by irregular stages 
 for more than a century. They proclaimed the 
 truth that man’s salvation is a personal matter be- 
 tween his own soul and God, and does not depend 
 upon the intervention of the Church in any of its 
 offices, or by any of its officers, in the administra- 
 tion of any rite, ordinance or ceremony whatever. 
 They accepted the doctrines of the Apostolic Age 
 of the Church, and distinctively emphasized the 
 truth that the Holy Spirit enlightens every soul to 
 reveal its condition and make the- individual feel 
 the need of a Saviour. They emphasized the furth- 
 er truth that Christ’s promise to plant a new life 
 _ in the soul and abide there to give it light, to feed 
 it with the bread of life and to lead it into ali 
 truth, had become a practical reality, to be known 
 
 284383 
 
4 HISTORICAL STATEMENT. 
 
 and experienced by every true believer. They pro- 
 claimed that the true baptism is that of Christ 
 Himself, who baptizes His people with the Holy 
 Spirit, and that the true communion is the spirit- 
 ual partaking of the body and blood of Jesus Christ 
 by faith, and that there is no form or degree of 
 sacerdotalism in the Christian Church. 
 
 This clear and vigorous message as to the free- 
 dom and the spirituality of the Gospel attracted 
 multitudes of people who had sought the truth in 
 thé endless disputations of the time. The Society 
 was organized with a great number of adherents. 
 They took the title of Society because it was con- 
 sidered that the term Church belonged to the whole 
 body of Christ, and that no portion of that. body 
 had a right to assume to itself a name that implied 
 any exclusion of others. The claims of the Estab- 
 lished Church made this, in a measure, necessary. 
 The name Friends was taken in accordance with 
 the declaration of the Master: “Ye are my friends ~ 
 if ye do whatsoever I command you.” For a time 
 the members called themselves “The Friends of 
 Truth.” 
 
 The distinguishing doctrines of Friends have 
 from the beginning led them into special lines of 
 service that have resulted in great good to man- 
 kind. Because they would not comply with unjust 
 requirements they were imprisoned in great num- 
 bers in England until their quiet endurance of op- 
 pression aroused the conscience of ‘the nation, and 
 
HISTORICAL STATEMENT. 5 
 
 this resulted in obtaining many of the blessings of 
 civil and religious liberty which all now enjoy. 
 They were the consistent and unyielding oppon- 
 ents of human slavery when they stood almost 
 alone in their opposition to it. They have opposed 
 war as violating the principles of Christianity, as 
 well as the precepts of its Founder, and as bring- 
 ing untold evils upon mankind, and they have al- 
 ways advocated peaceable methods of settling dis- 
 putes between nations. They have steadily ad- 
 vocated justice toward the North American In- 
 dian, and have labored independently and as the 
 representatives of government, for his civilization 
 and christianization. They believe that oaths were 
 forbidden by Christ, and they have obtained in all 
 English-speaking countries the privilege of affirma- 
 tion. They have advocated, and in many cases in- 
 augurated, prison reform, which has greatly re- 
 lieved the sufferings of convicts. They have been 
 among the leaders in the rational and Christian 
 treatment of the insane; and, in many other ways, 
 have engaged in the service they felt laid upon them 
 for the good of humanity. 
 
 Friends came to America soon after the body 
 arose in England. New England.Yearly Meeting 
 was established in 1671, or earlier; Baltimore in 
 1672; Virginia in 1673, and joined to Baltimore 
 in 1845; Philadelphia in 1681; New York in 1695, 
 by New England; North Carolina in 1698; Ohio 
 in 1813, by Baltimore; Indiana in 1821, by Ohio; 
 
 284383 
 
6 HISTORICAL STATEMENT. 
 
 Western in 1858, by Indiana; Iowa in 1863, by 
 Indiana; Canada in 1867, by New York; Kansas 
 in 1872, by Indiana; Wilmington in 1892, by In- 
 diana; Oregon in 1893, by Iowa; California in 
 1895, by Iowa. 
 
 Conferences to consider special situations were 
 held in Philadelphia in 1829, and in Baltimore in 
 1849. 
 
 The first General Conference ot the Yearly 
 Meetings was held at Richmond, Indiana, in 1887, 
 and was attended by delegates from London and 
 Dublin Yearly Meetings, and from all those on the 
 American continent, except that of Philadelphia, 
 which was unofficially represented. It was after- 
 wards decided to hold similar conferences of the 
 American Yearly Meetings once in five years. They 
 have been held in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1892 
 - and 1897. At the latter conference it was felt that 
 a closer union of the Yearly Meetings and a uni- 
 form discipline would be desirable. A committee 
 was appointed in furtherance of this purpose and 
 this Constitution and Discipline was prepared. 
 
 It has been regularly adopted by the Yearly 
 Meetings of New England, Wilmington, Indiana 
 and Kansas in 1900; by California, New York, 
 Western and Baltimore in 1901; by Oregon, North 
 Carolina and Iowa in 1902. 
 
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE CHURCH AND ITS DENOMINATIONS. 
 
 1. The Church of Jesus Christ is composed of 
 these persons who, through repentance of their 
 sins and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their 
 Saviour, have been born into His kingdom by the 
 Holy Spirit. By the revelation of the Holy Spirit 
 they look to Christ as their Prophet, Priest and 
 King, and, by the Spitit’s baptism and power, are 
 enabled to resist temptation and to live in obedi- 
 ence to God’s holy will. 
 
 A Christian denomination is an organization 
 Berend of those who hold similar views of the 
 teachings of the Holy Scriptures, and maintain 
 certain practices based upon these teachings, and 
 who voluntarily associate themselves for joint par- 
 ticipation in worship, for fellowship and mutual 
 help, and for united effort in the promotion of 
 truth and righteousness. The denomination of 
 The Friends is such a Christian body. 
 
 3. Each denominational body has its own system 
 of government, and rules for the transaction of its 
 business and for individual observance by its mem- 
 
 bers. 
 
CHAPTER IO 
 
 _ Section I. 
 ESSENTIAL TRUTHS. 
 
 The vital principle of the Christian faith is the 
 truth that man’s salvation and higher life are per- 
 sonal matters between the individual soul and God. 
 
 Salvation is deliverance from sin and the pos- 
 session of spiritual life. This comes through a 
 personal faith in Jesus Christ as the Saviour, who, 
 through His love and sacrifice. draws us to Him. 
 
 Conviction for sin is awakened by the operation 
 of the Holy Spirit causing the soul to teel 1ts need 
 of reconciliation with God. When Christ is seen 
 as the only hope of salvation, and a man yields to 
 Him, he is brought into newness of life, and re-_ 
 alizes that his sonship to God has become an actu- 
 al reality. This transformation is wrought with- 
 out the necessary agency of any human priest, or 
 ordinance, or ceremony whatsoever. A changed 
 nature and life bear witness to this new relation to 
 Him. 
 
 The whole spiritual life grows out of the soul’s 
 relation to God and its co-operation with Him, not 
 from any outward or traditional observances. 
 
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 9 
 
 Christ Himself baptizes the surrendered soui 
 with the Holy Spirit enduing it with power, be- 
 stowing gifts for service. This is an efficient bap- 
 tism, a direct incoming of divine power for the 
 transformation and control of the whole man. 
 Christ Himself is the spiritual bread which nour- 
 ishes the soul, and He thus enters into and becomes 
 a part of the being of those who partake of Him. 
 This participation with Christ and apprehension of 
 Him become the goal ‘of life for the Christian. 
 Those who thus enter into oneness with Him be- 
 come also joined in living union with each other as 
 members of one body. 
 
 Both worship and Christian fellowship spring 
 out of this immediate relation of believing souls 
 with their Lord. 
 
 The Holy Scriptures were given by inspiration 
 of God and-are the divinely authorized record of 
 the doctrines which Christians are bound to accept, 
 and of the moral principles which are to regulate 
 their lives and actions. In them, as interpreted 
 and unfolded by the Holy Spirit, is an ever fresh 
 and unfailing source of spiritual truth for the pro- 
 per guidance of life and practice. 
 
 The doctrines of the apostolic days are held by 
 The Friends as essentials of Christianity. The 
 Fatherhood of God; the Deity and humanity of the 
 Son; the gift of the Holy Spirit; the atonement 
 through Jesus Christ by which men are reconciled 
 to God; the Resurrection; the Highpriesthood of 
 
IO THE DECLARATION OF FAITH, 
 
 Christ, and the individual priesthood of believers, 
 are most precious truths to be held, not as tradi- 
 tional dogmas, but as vital, life-giving realities. 
 The sinful condition of man and his proneness 
 to yield to temptation, the world’s absolute need of 
 a Saviour, and the cleansing from sin in forgive- 
 ness and sanctification through the blood of Jesus 
 Christ, are unceasing incentives to all who believe 
 to become laborers together with God in extending 
 His kingdom. By this high calling The Friends 
 are pledged to the proclamation of the truth wher- 
 
 ever the Spirit leads, both in home and in foreign 
 fields. 
 
 The indwelling Spirit guides and controls the 
 surrendered life, and the Christian’s constant and 
 supreme business is obedience to Him, But, while 
 the importance of individual guidance and obedi- 
 ence is thus emphasized, this fact gives no ground 
 for license; the sanctified conclusions of the Church 
 are above the judgment of a single individual. 
 
 The Friends find no scriptural evidence or au- 
 thority for any form or degree of sacerdotalism in 
 the Christian Church, or for the establishment of 
 any ordinance or ceremonial rite for perpetual ob- 
 servance. The teachings of Jesus Christ concern- 
 ing the spiritual nature of religion, the impossibil- 
 ity of promoting the spiritual life by the ceremonial 
 application of material things, the fact that faith 
 in Jesus Christ Himself is all-sufficient, the purpose 
 of His life, death, resurrection and ascension, and 
 
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. Tak: 
 
 His presence in the believer’s heart, virtually des- 
 troy every ceremonial system and point the soul to 
 the only satisfying source of spiritual life and 
 power. 
 
 With faith in the wisdom of Almighty God, the 
 Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and believing 
 that it is His purpose to make His Church on earth 
 a power for righteousness and truth, The Friends 
 labor for the alleviation of human suffering; for 
 the intellectual, moral and spiritual elevation of 
 mankind; and for purified and exalted citizenship. 
 The Friends believe war to be incompatible with 
 Christianity, and seek to promote peaceful methods 
 for the settlement of all differences between na- 
 tions and between men. 
 
 It is an essential part of the faith that a man 
 should be in truth what he professes in word, and 
 ‘the underlying principle of life and action tor in- 
 dividuals, and also for society, is transformation 
 through the power of God and implicit obedience 
 to His revealed will. 
 
Section II. 
 THE RICHMOND DECLARATION. 
 
 Believing that God has designed that our branch 
 of His Church, which the Good Shepherd has 
 gathered into one flock, and who have received the 
 Gospel of Salvation as fellow-members of the body 
 of Christ, should hold the truth in righteousness, 
 keep the unity of the Spirit and constantty seek to 
 attain unto the unity of the faith and of the knowl- 
 edge of the Son of God, we, therefore, humbly 
 adopt and will faithfully profess and publish these 
 fundamental doctines of Christian Truth: 
 
 OF GOD. 
 
 We believe in one holy, almighty, allwise, and 
 everlasting God, the Father, the Creator and Pre- 
 server of all things; and in Jesus Christ, His only 
 Son, our Lord, by whom all things were made, and 
 by whom all things consist; and in one Holy Spirit, 
 proceeding from the Father and the Son, the Re- 
 prover of the world, the Witness for Christ, and 
 
 *This Declaration was prepared by the General Conference of Friends held 
 at Richmond, Indiana, in 1887, and adopted by most of the American Yearly 
 Meetings, including Iowa. It was approved by the, Third Quinquennial Gonfer- 
 ence of Friends and re-adopted by Iowa Yearly Meeting in 1902. 
 
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 13 
 
 the Teacher, Guide and Sanctifier of the people of 
 God; and that these three are one in the eternal 
 Godhead ; to whom be honor, praise, and thanksgiv- 
 ing, now and forever, Amen. 
 
 THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 It is with reverence and thanksgiving that we pro- 
 fess our unwavering allegiance to our Lord and 
 Saviour, Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at 
 any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the 
 bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him. In 
 Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 
 He is the true Light which lighteth every man that 
 cometh into the world; through whom the light of 
 truth in all ages has proceeded from the Father of 
 lights. He is the eternal Word who was with God 
 and was God, revealing Himself in infinite wisdom 
 and love, both as man’s Creator and Redeemer, for 
 by Him were all things created that are in heaven 
 and that are in earth, visible and invisible. Con- 
 ceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, 
 the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst men. 
 He came in the fulness of the appointed time, being 
 verily foreordained before the foundation of the 
 world, that He might, fulfill the eternal counsel of 
 the righteousness and love of God for the redemp- 
 tion of man. In Him dwelleth all the fulness of 
 the Godhead bodily. Though He was rich, yet, 
 for our sakes, He became poor, veiling in the form 
 of a servant the brightness of His glory, that 
 through Him the kindness and love of God towards 
 
14 THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 
 
 man might appear in a manner every way suited- 
 to our wants and finite capacities. He went about 
 doing good; for us He endured sorrow, hunger, 
 thirst, weariness, pain, unutterable anguish of body 
 and of soul, being in all points tempted like as we 
 are, yet without sin. Thus humbling Himself that 
 we might be exalted, He emphatically recognized 
 the duties and the sufferings of humanity as 
 amongst the means whereby, through the obedience 
 of faith, we are to be disciplined for heaven, sanc- 
 tifying them to us, by Himself performing and en- 
 during them, leaving us the one perfect example of 
 all righteousness in self-sacrificing love. 
 
 But not only in these blessed relations must the 
 Lord Jesus be ever precious to His people. In Him 
 is revealed as true God and perfect man, a Redeem- — 
 er, at once able to suffer and almighty to save. He 
 became obedient unto death, even the death of the 
 cross, and is the propitiation for our sins, and not 
 for ours only, but also for the sins. of the whole 
 world; in whom we have redemption through His 
 blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the 
 riches of His grace. It is our joy to confess that 
 the remission of sins which any partake of is only 
 in and by virtue of His most satisfactory sacrifice 
 and no otherwise. He was buried and rose again 
 the third day, according to the Scriptures, becom- 
 ing the first fruits of them that sleep, and having 
 shown Himself alive after His passion, by many in- 
 fallible proofs, he ascended into heaven, and hath 
 
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 15 
 
 sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. 
 now to appear in the presence of God for us. With 
 the apostles, who beheld His ascension, we rest 1 
 the assurance of the angelic messengers, “This 
 same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heay- 
 en, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen 
 him go into heaven.” With the Apostle John, we 
 would desire to unite in the words, “Amen; even 
 so, come, Lord Jesus.” And now, whilst thus 
 watching and waiting, we rejoice to believe that 
 He is our King and Saviour. He is the one Medi- 
 ator of the new and everlasting covenant, who 
 makes peace and reconciliation between God of- 
 fended and man offending; the great High Priest 
 whose priesthood is unchangeable. He is able to 
 save them to the uttermost that come unto God by 
 Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession 
 for them. All power is given unto Him in Heaven 
 and in earth. By Him the world shall be judged 
 in righteousness; for the Father judgeth no man, 
 but hath committed all judgment unto the Son, 
 that all men should honor the Son even as they 
 honor the Father. All that are in the graves shail 
 hear His voice, and shall come forth, they that 
 have done good unto the resurrection of life, and 
 they that have done evil unto the resurrection of 
 judgment (R. V.). 
 
 We reverently confess and believe that divine 
 honor and worship are due to the Son of God, and 
 that He is in true faith to be prayed unto, and His 
 
16 THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 
 
 name to be called upon, as the primitive Christians 
 did, because of the glorious oneness of the Father 
 and the Son; and that we can not acceptably offer 
 prayer and praises to God, nor receive from Him 
 a gracious answer or blessing, but in and through 
 His dear Son. 
 
 We would, with humble thanksgiving, bear an 
 especial testimony to our Lord’s perpetual domin- 
 ion and power in His Church. Through Him the 
 redeemed in all generations have derived their 
 light, their forgiveness, and their joy. All are 
 members of this Church, by whatsoever name they 
 may be called amongst men, who have been 
 baptized by the one Spirit into the one body, who 
 are builded as living stones upon Christ, the 
 Eternal Foundation, and are united in faith and 
 love in that fellowship which is with the Father 
 and with the Son. Of this Church the Lord Jesus 
 Christ is the alone Head. All its true members 
 are made one in Him. They have washed their 
 robes and made them white in His precious blood, 
 and He has made them priests unto God and His 
 Father. He dwells in their hearts by faith, and 
 gives them of His peace. His will is their law, 
 and in Him they enjoy the true liberty, a freedom 
 from the bondage of sin. 
 
 THE HOLY SPIRIT. 
 
 We believe that the Holy Spirit is, in the unity 
 of the eternal Godhead, one with the Father and 
 
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. cate 
 
 with the Son. He is the Comforter ‘‘Whom,” 
 saith Christ, “the Father will send in My name.” 
 He convinces the world of sin, of righteousness, 
 and of judgment. He testifies of and _ glorifies 
 Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit who makes the evil 
 manifest. He quickens them that are dead in tres- 
 passes and sins, and opens the inward eye to behold 
 the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the 
 world. Coming in the name and with the author- 
 ity of the risen and ascended Saviour, He is the. 
 precious pledge of the continued love and care of 
 our exalted King. He takes of the things of Christ 
 and shows them as a realized possession, to the 
 believing soul. Dwelling in the hearts of believers, 
 He opens their understandings that they may un- 
 derstand the Scriptures, and becomes, to the hum- 
 ble and surrendered heart, the Guide, Comforter, 
 Support, and Sanctifier. 
 
 We believe that the essential qualification for 
 the Lord’s service is bestowed upon His children 
 through the reception and baptism of the Holy 
 Ghost. This Holy Spirit is the seal of reconcilia- 
 tion to the believer in Jesus, the witness to his 
 adoption into the family of the redeemed; the 
 earnest and the foretaste of the full communion 
 and perfect joy which are reserved for them that 
 endure unto the end. 
 
 We own no principle of spiritual light, life, or 
 holiness, inherent by nature in the mind or heart 
 of man. We believe in no principle of spiritual light, 
 
 2 
 
18 THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 
 
 life, or holiness, but the influence of the Holy Spirit 
 of God, bestowed on mankind, in various measures 
 and degrees, through Jesus Christ our Lora. It is 
 the capacity to receive this blessed influence, which, 
 in an especial manner, gives man pre-eminence 
 above the beasts that perish; which distinguishes 
 him in every nation and in every clime, as an ob- 
 ject of the redeeming love of God; as a being not 
 only intelligent but responsible; for whom the mes- 
 sage of salvation through our crucified Redeemer 
 is, under all possible circumstances, designed to 
 be a joyful sound. The Holy Spirit must ever be 
 distinguished, both from the conscience which He 
 enlightens, and from the natural faculty of reason, 
 which, when unsubjected to His 'Holy influence, is, 
 in the things of God, very foolishness. As the eye 
 is to the body, so is the conscience to our inner be- 
 ing, the organ by which we see; and, as both light 
 and life are essential to the eye, so conscience, as 
 the inward eye, cannot see aright, without the 
 quickening and illumination of the Spirit of God. 
 One with the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit 
 can never bestow or dishonor our once crucified 
 and now risen and glorified Redeemer. We dis- 
 avow all professed illumination or spirituality that 
 is divorced from faith in Jesus Christ of Nazareth, 
 crucified for us without the gates of Jerusalem. 
 
 THE HOLY SCRIPTURES: 
 
 It has ever been, and still is, the belief of the So- 
 ciety of Friends, that the Holy Scnptures of the 
 
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. ime) 
 
 Old and New Testament were given by inspiration 
 of God; that, therefore, there can be no appeal 
 from them to any other authority whatsoever; that 
 they are able to make wise unto salvation, through 
 faith which is in Jesus Christ. ‘“These are written 
 that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the 
 Son of God; and that believing ye might have life 
 through His name.” The Scriptures are the only 
 divinely authorized record of the doctrines which 
 we are bound, as Christians, to accept, and of the 
 moral principles which are to regulate our actions. 
 No one can be required to believe, as an article of 
 faith, any doctrine which is not contained in them; 
 and whatsoever any one says or does, contrary to 
 the Scriptures, though under profession of the im- 
 mediate guidance of the Holy Spirit, must be reck- 
 oned and accounted a mere delusion. To the 
 Christian. the Old Testament comes with the sol- 
 emn and repeated attestation of his Lord. It is to 
 be read in the light and completeness of the New; 
 thus will its meaning be unveiled, and the humble 
 disciple will be taught to discern the unity and 
 mutual adaptation of the whole, and the many-sid- 
 edness and harmony of its testimony to Christ. The 
 great Inspirer of Scripture is ever its true Inter- 
 preter. He performs this office in condescending 
 love, not by superseding our understandings, but 
 by renewing and enlightening them. Where Christ 
 presides, idle speculation is hushed; His doctrine 
 is learned in the doing of His will, and all knowl- 
 
20 THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 
 
 edge ripens into a deeper and richer experience of 
 His truth and love. 
 
 MAN’S CREATION AND FALL. 
 
 It pleased God, in His wisdom and goodness, to 
 create man out of the dust of the earth, and to 
 breathe into his nostrils the breath of life, so that 
 man became a living soul; formed after the image 
 and likeness of God, capable of fulfilling the di- 
 vine law, and of holding communion with his Mak- 
 er. Being free to obey, or to disobey, he fell into 
 transgression through unbelief, under the tempta- 
 tion of Satan, and thereby lost that spiritual life of 
 righteousness, in which he was created; and so 
 death passed, upon him as the inevitable conse- 
 quence of sin. As the children of fallen Adam all 
 mankind bear his image. They partake of his nat- 
 ure, and are involved in the consequences of his 
 fall. To every member of every successive genera- 
 tion, the words of the Redeemer are alike applica- 
 ble, “Ye must be born again.” But while we hold 
 these views of the lost condition of man in the fall, 
 we rejoice to believe that sin is not imputed to any 
 until they transgress the divine law, after sufficient 
 capacity has been given to understand it; and that 
 infants, though inheriting this fallen nature, are 
 saved in the infinite mercy of God, through the re- 
 demption which is in Christ Jesus. 
 
 JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION. 
 “God so loved the world that-he gave His only 
 
' 
 
 THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 21 
 
 begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him 
 should not perish, but have everlasting life.” We 
 believe that justification is of God’s free grace, 
 through which, upon repentance and faith, He par- 
 dons our sins, and imparts to us a new life. It is 
 received, not for any works of righteousness that 
 we have done, but in the unmerited mercy of God 
 in Christ Jesus. Through faith in Him, and the 
 shedding of His precious blood, the guilt of sin is 
 taken away, and we stand reconciled to God. The 
 offering up of Christ as the propitiation for the sins 
 of the whole world, is the appointed manifestation 
 both of the righteousness and of the love of God. 
 In this propitiation the pardon of sin involves no 
 abrogation or relaxation of the law of holiness. It 
 is the vindication and establishment of that law, in 
 virtue of the free and righteous submission of the 
 Son of God Himself to all its requirements. He, 
 the unchangeably just, proclaims Himself the jus- 
 tifier of him that believeth in Jesus. From age to 
 age, the sufferings and death of Christ have been 
 a hidden mystery, and a rock of offense to the un- 
 belief and pride of man’s fallen nature; yet, to the 
 humble penitent whose heart is broken under the 
 convicting power of the Spirit, life is revealed in 
 that death. As he looks upon Him who was 
 wounded for our transgressions, and upon whom 
 the Lord was pleased to lay the iniquity of us all, 
 his eye is more and more opened to see, and his 
 heart to understand, the exceeding sinfulness of 
 
22 THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 
 
 sin for which the Saviour died; whilst in the sense 
 of pardoning grace, he will joy in God through our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received 
 the atonement. 
 
 We believe that in connection with justification 
 is regeneration: that they who come to this exper- 
 ience know that they are not their own; that being 
 reconciled to God by the death of His Son, we are 
 saved by His life; a new heart is given and new de- 
 sires; old things are passed away, and we become 
 new creatures, through faith in Christ Jesus; our 
 wills being surrendered to His holy will, grace 
 reigns through righteousness, unto eternal life, by 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
 Sanctification is experienced in the acceptance of 
 Christ in living faith for justification, in so far as 
 the pardoned sinner, through faith in Christ, is 
 clothed with a measure of His righteousness and 
 receives the Spirit of promise; for, as saith the 
 Apostle, ‘““Ye are washed, ye are sanctified, ye are 
 justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the 
 Spirit of our God.” We rejoice to believe that the 
 provisions of God’s grace are sufficient to deliver 
 from the power, as well as from the guilt, of sin, 
 and to enable His believing children always to tri- 
 umph in Christ. How full of encouragement is the 
 declaration, According to your faith be it unto 
 you.” Whosoever submits himself wholly to God, 
 believing and appropriating His promises, and ex- 
 ercising faith in Christ Jesus, will have his heart 
 
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 23 
 
 continually cleansed from all sin by His precious 
 blood, and, through the renewing, refining power of 
 the Holy Spirit, be kept in conformity to the will 
 of God, will love Him with all his heart, mind, 
 soul and strength, and be able to say with the 
 Apostle Paul, “The law of the Spirit of life in 
 Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of 
 .sin and death.” ‘Thus, in its full experience, sanc- 
 tification is deliverance from the pollution, nature, 
 and love of sin. To this we are every one called, 
 that we may serve the Lord without fear, in holi- 
 ness and righteousness before Him, all the days of 
 
 our life. It was the prayer of the Apostle for the 
 
 believers, “The very God of peace sanctify you 
 wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul 
 and body be preserved blameless unto the coming 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that call- 
 eth you, who also will do it.” Yet the most holy 
 Christian is still liable to temptation, is exposed to 
 the subtle assaults of Satan, and can only continue 
 to follow holiness as he humbly watches unto pray- 
 er, and is kept in constant dependence upon his 
 Saviour, walking in the light, in the loving obedi- 
 ence of faith. 
 
 THE RESURRECTION AND FINAL JUDGMENT. 
 
 We believe, according to the Scriptures, that 
 there shall be a resurrection from the dead, both of 
 the just and of the unjust, and that God hath ap- 
 pointed a day in which He will judge the world in 
 righteousness} by Jesus Christ whom He hath or- 
 
va oe Se ae 
 
 24 THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 
 
 dained. For, as saith the Apostle, “We must all 
 appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that 
 every one may receive the things done in his body, 
 according to that he hath done, whether it be good 
 or bad.” 
 
 We sincerely believe, not only in a resurrection in 
 Christ from the fallen and sinful state here, but ina 
 rising and ascending into glory with Him here-. 
 after; that when He at last appears we may appear 
 with Him in glory. But that all the wicked, who 
 live in rebellion against the light of grace, and die 
 finally impenitent, shall come forth to the resurrec- 
 tion of condemnation. And that the soul of every 
 man and woman shall be reserved, in its own dis- 
 tinct and proper being, and shall have its proper 
 body as God is pleased to give it. It 1s sown a 
 natural body, it is raised a spiritual body; that be- 
 ing first which is natural, and afterward that which 
 is spiritual. And though it is said, “This corrupti- 
 ble shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shali 
 put on immortality,” the change shall be such as 
 will accord with the declaration, ‘““Flesh and blood 
 can not inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth 
 corruption inherit incorruption.” | We shall be 
 raised out of all corruption and corruptibility, out 
 of all mortality, and shall be the children of God, 
 being the children of the resurrection. 
 
 “Our citizenship is in heaven” (R. V.), from 
 whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body that 
 
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 25 
 
 it may be. fashioned like unto His glorious body, 
 according to the working whereby He is able even 
 to subdue all things unto Himself. 
 
 | We believe that the punishment of the wicked 
 and the blessedness of the righteous shall be ever- 
 lasting, according to the declaration of our com- 
 passionate Redeemer, to whom the judgment is 
 ommitted, “These shall go away into eternal pun- 
 ishment, but the righteous into eternal life’ (R. 
 ame 
 BAPTISM. 
 
 _We would express our continued conviction that 
 our Lord appointed no outward rite or ceremony 
 tor observance in His Church. We accept every 
 command of our Lord in what we believe to he its 
 genuine import, as absolutely conclusive. The 
 question of the use of outward ordinances is with 
 us\a question, not as to the authority of Christ, but 
 as to His real meaning. We reverently believe 
 that, as there is one Lord and one faith, so there is, 
 under the Christian dispensation, but one baptism, 
 even that whereby all believers are baptized in the 
 one| Spirit into the one body. This is not an out- 
 ward baptism with water, but a spiritual experi- 
 ence; not the putting away of the filth of the 
 flesh, but that inward work which, by transform- 
 ing jhe heart and settling the soul upon Christ, 
 brings forth the answer of a good conscience 
 towards God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 
 in the experience of His love and power, as the 
 
26 THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 
 
 risen and ascended Saviour. No baptism in out- 
 ward water can satisfy the description of the 
 Apostle, of being buried with Christ by baptism 
 unto death. It is with the Spirit alone that any can 
 be thus baptized. In this experience the announce- 
 ment of the Forerunner of our Lord is fulfilled, 
 “He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with 
 fire.” In this view we accept the commission of 
 our blessed Lord as given in Matthew xxviii. 18th, 
 19th and 2oth verses: “And Jesus came to them 
 and spoke unto them saying: All authority has ~ 
 been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go 
 ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, 
 baptizing them into the name of the Father and of 
 the Son and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to 
 observe all things whatsoever I commanded you, 
 and, lo, | am with you alway, even unto the end of 
 the world” (Rk. V.). This commission, as we be- 
 lieve, was not designed to set us a new ritual un- 
 der the new covenant, or to connect the initiation 
 into a membership, in its nature essentially spirit- 
 ual, with a mere ceremony of a typical character. 
 Otherwise it was not possible for the Apostle Paul. 
 who was not a whit behind the very chiefest apos- 
 tles, to have disclaimed that which wouid, in that 
 case, have been of the essence of his commission 
 when he wrote, “Christ sent me not to baptize, but 
 to preach the Gospel.” Whenever an external cer- 
 emony is commanded, the particulars,. the mode 
 and incidents of that ceremony, become of its es- 
 
THE DECLARATION OF. FAITH. 27 
 
 sence. There is an utter absence of these particu- 
 lars in the text before us, which confirms our per- 
 suasion that the commission must be construed in 
 connection with the spirittial power which the risen 
 Lord promised should attend the witness of His 
 apostles and of the Church to Him, and which, af- 
 ter Pentecost, so mightily accompanied their min- 
 istry of the word and prayer, that those to whom 
 they were sent were introduced into an experience 
 wherein they had a saving knowledge of, and liv- 
 ing fellowship with, the Father and the Son and 
 the Holy Spirit. 
 
 THE SUPPER OF THE LORD. 
 
 Intimately connected with the conviction already 
 expressed is the view that we have ever maintained 
 as to the true supper of the Lord. We are well 
 aware that our Lord was pleased to make use of a 
 variety of symbolical utterances, but He often 
 gently upbraided His disciples for accepting liter- 
 ally what He had intended only in its spiritual 
 meaning. His teaching, as in His parables or in 
 the command to wash one another’s feet was often 
 in symbols, and ought ever to be received in the 
 light of His own emphatic declaration: “The words 
 that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are 
 life.” The old covenant was full of ceremonial 
 symbols; the new covenant, to which our Saviour 
 alluded at the last supper, is expressly declared by 
 the prophet to be “not according to the old.” We 
 cannot believe that in setting up this new covenant 
 
28 THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 
 
 the Lord Jesus intended an institution out of har- 
 
 mony with the spirit of this prophecy. The eating - 
 of His body ‘and the drinking of His blood cannot 
 
 be an outward act. They truly partake of them 
 
 who habitually rest upon the sufferings and death of 
 
 their Lord as their only hope, and to whom the in- 
 
 dwelling Spirit gives to drink of the fulness that 
 
 is in Christ. It is this inward and spiritual partak- 
 
 ing that is the true supper of the Lord. 
 
 The presence of Christ with His Church is not 
 designed to be by symbol or representation, but in 
 the real communication of His own Spirit. “I 
 will pray the Father and He shall give you another 
 Comforter, who shall ahide with you forever.” 
 Convincing of sin, testifying of Jesus, taking of 
 the things of Christ, this blessed Comforter com- 
 municates to the believer and to the Church, in a 
 gracious, abiding manifestation, the REAL PRES- 
 ENCE of the Lord. As the great remembrancer, 
 through whom the promise is fulfilled, He needs 
 no ritual or priestly intervention in bringing to the 
 experience of the true commemoration and com- 
 munion, ‘Behold,’ saith the risen Redeemer; “I 
 stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my 
 voice and open the’ door, I will come in and sup 
 with him and he with me.”’ In an especial manner, 
 when assembled for congregational worship, are 
 believers invited to the festival of the Saviour’s 
 peace, and in a united act of faith and love, unfet- 
 tered by any outward rite or ceremonial, to partake 
 
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 29 
 
 together of the body that was broken and of the 
 blood that was shed for them, without the gates of 
 Jerusalem. In such a worship they are enabled to 
 understand the words of the aspostle as expressive 
 of a sweet and most real experience: “The cup of 
 blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of 
 the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is 
 it not the communion of the body of Christ? For 
 we, being many, are one bread and one body; for 
 we are all partakers of that one bread.” 
 
 PUBLIC WORSHIP. 
 
 Worship is the adoring response of the heart and 
 mind to the influence of the Spirit of God. It 
 stands neither in forms nor in the formal disuse of 
 forms. It may be without words as well as with 
 them, but it mst be in spirit and in truth. We rec- 
 ognize the value of silence, not as an end, but as a 
 means toward the attainment of the end; a silence, 
 not of listlessness or of vacant musing, but of holy 
 expectation before the Lord. Having become His 
 adopted children through faith in the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, it is our privilege to meet together and 
 unite in the worship of Almighty God, to wait up- 
 on Him for the renewal of our strength, for com- 
 munion one with another, for the declaration of 
 the glad tidings of salvation to the "unconverted 
 who may gather with us. This worship depends 
 not upon numbers. Where two or three are gath- 
 ered together in the name of Christ there is a 
 church, and Christ, the living Head, in the midst 
 
30 THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 
 
 of them. Through His mediation, without . the 
 necessity for any, inferior instrumentality, is the 
 Father to be approached and reverently worshiped. 
 The Lord Jesus has forever fulfilled and ended the 
 typical and sacrificial worship under the law, by 
 the offering up of Himself upon the cross for us, 
 once for all. He has opened the door of access into 
 the inner sanctuary, and graciously provides spirit- 
 ual offerings for the service of His temple, suited 
 to the several conditions of all who worship in 
 spirit and in truth. The broken and the contrite 
 heart, the confession of the soul prostrate before 
 God, the prayer of the afflicted when he is_ over- 
 whelmed, the earnest wrestling of the spirit, the 
 outpouring of humble thanksgiving, ‘the spiritual 
 song and melody of the heart, the simple exercise 
 of faith, the self-denying service of love, these are 
 among. the sacrifices which He, our merciful and 
 faithful High Priest, is pleased to prepare, by His 
 Spirit, in the hearts of them that receive Him, and 
 to present with acceptance unto God. 
 
 By the immediate operations of the Holy Spirit. 
 He, as the Head of the Church, alone selects and 
 qualifies those who are to present His messages or 
 engage in other service for Him, and, hence, we 
 cannot commit any formal arrangement to any one 
 in our regular meetings for worship. We are well 
 aware that the Lord has provided a diversity of 
 gifts for the needs both of the Church and of the 
 world, and we desire that the Church may feel her 
 
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. eye! 
 
 responsibility, under the government of her Great 
 Head, in doing her part to foster these gifts, and 
 in making arrangements for their proper exercise. 
 
 It is not for individual exaltation, but for mut- 
 ual profit, that the gifts are bestowed; and every 
 living church, abiding under the government of 
 Christ, is humbly and thankfully to receive and ex- 
 ercise them, in subjection to her Holy Head. The 
 - church that quenches the Spirit and lives to itself 
 alone must die. 
 
 We believe the preaching of the Gospel to be one 
 of the chief means, divinely appointed, for the 
 spreading of the glad tidings of life and salvation 
 through our crucified Redeemer, for the awakening 
 and conversion of sinners, and for the comfort and 
 edification of believers. 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 that 
 both the gift and the qualifications to exercise it 
 must be derived immediately from ‘Him; and that. 
 as in the primitive Church, so now also, He con- 
 fers spiritual gifts upon women as well as upon 
 men, agreeably to the prophecy recited by the 
 Apostle Peter, “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 shali 
 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 call.” As the gift is freely received, 
 
43 THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 
 
 so it is to be freely exercised, in simple obedience 
 to the will of God. 
 
 Spiritual gifts, precious as they are, must not be 
 mistaken for grace; they add to our responsibility, 
 but do not raise the minister above his brethren or 
 sisters. They must be exercised in contnued de- 
 pendence upon our Lord, and blessed is that min- 
 istry in which man is humbled, and Christ and His 
 grace exalted. “He:that is greatest among you,” 
 said our Lord and Master, “let him be as the 
 younger ; and he that is chief as he that doth serve. 
 I am among you as he that serveth.” 
 
 While the church cannot confer spiritual gifts, 
 it is its duty to recognize and foster them, and to 
 promote their efficiency by all the means in its 
 power. And while, on the one hand, the Gospel 
 should never be preached for money, on the other, 
 it is the duty of the church to make such proyision 
 that it shall never be hindered for want of it. 
 
 The Church, if true to her allegiance, cannot 
 forget her part in the command, “Go ye into all the 
 world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.” 
 Knowing that it is the Spirit of God that can alone 
 prepare and qualify the instruments who fulfill this 
 command, the true disciple will be found still sit- 
 ting at the feet of Jesus, listening that he may learn 
 and learning that he may obey. He humbly places 
 himself at his Lord’s disposal, and when he hears 
 the call, “Whom shall I send, -and who will go for 
 
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 33 
 
 us?” is prepared to respond, in child-like reverence 
 and love, “Here am I, send me.” 
 
 PRAYER AND PRAISE: 
 
 Prayer is the outcome of our sense of need, and 
 of our continual dependence upon God. He who 
 uttered the invitation, “Ask and it shall be given 
 you,”” is Himself the Mediator and High Priest 
 who, by His Spirit, prompts the petition and who 
 presents it with acceptance before God. With such 
 an invitation, prayer becomes the duty and_ the 
 
 _ privilege of all who are cailed by His name. Pray- 
 
 er is, in the awakened soul, the utterance of the 
 
 ery, “God be merciful to me, a sinner; and, at 
 
 every stage of the believer’s course, prayer is es- 
 
 __ sential to his spiritual life. A life without prayer 
 
 is a life practically without God. The _Christian’s 
 life is a continual asking. The thirst that prompts 
 
 the petition produces, as it is satisfied, still deeper 
 
 longings, which prepare for yet more bounteous 
 supplies, from Him who delights to bless. Prayer 
 is not confined to the closet. When uttered in re- 
 sponse to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, it be- 
 comes an important part of public worship, and, 
 whenever the Lord’s people meet together in His 
 name, it is their privilege to wait upon Him for 
 the spirit of grace and supplication. A life of pray- 
 er cannot be other than a life of praise. As the 
 peace of Christ reigns in the Church, her living 
 members accept all that they receive, as from His . 
 pure bounty, and each day brings them fresh 
 3 
 
34 THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 
 
 pledges of their Father’s love. Satisfied with the 
 goodness of His house, whether as individuals, as 
 families, or as congregations, they will be still 
 
 praising Him, heart answering to heart, “Bless the 
 
 Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless 
 His holy name.” 
 
 LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE IN ITS RELATION TO CIVIL 
 GOVERNMENT. 
 
 That conscience should be free, and that in mat- 
 ters of religious doctrine and worship man is ac- 
 countable to God, are truths which are plainly de- 
 _ clared in the New Testament, and which are con- 
 firmed by the whole scope of the Gcspel, and by the 
 example of our Lord and His disciples. To rule 
 over the conscience, and to command the spiritual 
 allegiance of His creature man, is the high and 
 sacred prerogative of God alone. In religion ev: 
 ery act ought to be free. A forced worship is 
 plainly a contradiction in terms, under that dispen- 
 sation in which the worship of the Father must be 
 in spirit and in truth. 
 
 We have ever maintained that it is the duty of 
 Christians to obey the enactments of civil govern- 
 ment, except those which interfere with our alleg- 
 iance to God. We owe much to its blessing. . 
 Through it we enjoy liberty and protection, in con- 
 nection with law and order. Civil government is 
 a divine ordinance, instituted to promote the best. 
 welfare of man, hence magistrates are to be regard- 
 ed as God’s ministers, who should be a terror to 
 
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. Leas 
 
 evil doers and a praise to them that do well. There- 
 _ fore, it is with us a matter of conscience to render 
 them respect and obedience in the exercise of. their 
 proper functions. 
 
 MARRIAGE. 
 
 Marriage is an institution graciously ordained 
 by the Creator Himself for the help and continu- 
 ance of the human family. It is not a mere civil 
 contract, and ought never to be entered upon with- 
 out a reference to the sanction and blessing of Him 
 who ordained it. It is a solemn engagement for 
 the term of life, designed for the mutual assistance 
 and comfort of both sexes, that they may be help- 
 meets to each other in things temporal and spirit- 
 _ual. To this end it should imply concurrence in 
 spiritual as well as temporal concerns, and should 
 
 be entered upon discreetly, soberly, and in the fear 
 of the Lord. 
 
 PEACE. 
 
 We feel bound explicitly to avow our unshaken 
 persuasion that all war is utterly incompatible with 
 the plain precepts of our divine Lord and Lawgiv- 
 _ er, and the whole spirit of His Gospel, and that. no 
 plea of necessity or policy, however urgent or pe- 
 culiar, can avail to release either individuals or na- 
 tions from the paramount allegiance which they 
 owe to Him who hath said, “Love your enemies.” 
 In enjoining this love, and the forgiveness of in- 
 juries, He who has brought us to Himselt has not 
 prescribed for man precepts which are incapable 
 
36 THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 
 
 of being carried into practice, or of which the prac- 
 tice is to be postponed until all shall be percnace 
 to act upon them. 
 
 We cannot doubt that they are incumbent now, 
 
 and that we have in the prophetic Scriptures the 
 
 distinct intimation of their direct application, not 
 
 only to individuals, but to nations also. When na- - 
 
 tions conform their laws to this divine teaching 
 wars must necessarily, cease. 
 
 We would, in humility, but in faithfulness to our 
 
 Lord, express our firm persuasion that all the exi- 
 gencies of civil government and social order may 
 be met under the banner of the Prince of Peace, in 
 strict conformity with His commands. 
 
 OATHS. 
 
 We hold it to be the inalienable privilege of the 
 
 disciple of the Lord Jesus that His statements con- 
 
 cerning matters of fact within his knowledge 
 
 should be accepted, under all circumstances, as ex- 
 pressing his belief as to the fact asserted. We rest 
 upon the plain command of our Lord and Master, 
 
 “Swear not at all;” and we believe any departure 
 
 from this standard to be prejudicial to the cause of 
 truth and to that confidence between man and man, 
 the maintenance of which is indispensable to our 
 
 mutual well-being. This command, in our persuas-— 
 ion applies net to profane swearing only, but to ju- — 
 
 dicial oaths also. It abrogates any previous permis- 
 sion to the contrary, and is, for the Christian, abso-_ 
 lutely conclusive. 
 
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 37 
 
 THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK. 
 
 Whilst the remembrance of our Creator ought 
 to be, at all times, present with the Christian, we . 
 would express our thankfulness to our Heavenly 
 Father that He has been pleased to honor the set- 
 ting apart of one day in seven for the purposes oi 
 holy rest, religious duties, and public worship; and 
 we desire that all under our name may avail them- 
 selves of this great privilege, as those who are call- 
 ed to be risen with Christ, and to seek those things 
 that are above, where He sitteth at the right hand 
 of God. May the release thus granted from other 
 occupations be diligently improved. On this day 
 of the week especially ought the households of 
 Friends to be assembled for the reading of the 
 Scriptures and for. waiting upon the Lord; and we 
 trust that, in a Christianly wise economy of our 
 time and strength, the engagements of the day may 
 be so ordered as not to frustrate the gracious pro- 
 vision thus made for us by our Heavenly Father, 
 or to shut out the opportunity either for public 
 worship or private retirement and - devotional 
 reading. : 
 
 In presenting this declaration of our Christian 
 faith, we desire that all our members may be afresh 
 encouraged, in humility and- devotedness, to re- 
 
 . newed faithfulness in fulfilling their part in the 
 
 great mission of the Church, and through the © 
 Church to the world around us, in the name of our 
 crucified Redeemer. Life from Christ, life in Christ, 
 
38 THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 
 
 must ever be the basis of life for Christ. For this 
 we have been created and redeemed, and, by this 
 alone, can the longings of our immortal souls be 
 satisfied, 
 
 Section III. 
 
 A DOCTRINAL EPISTLE OF GEORGE FOX.* 
 
 For the Governor of Barbadoes, with his Council 
 and Assembly, and all others in power, both civil 
 and military, in this island, from the people called 
 Quakers. 
 
 Whereas, many scandalous lies and slanders have 
 been cast upon us to render us odious; as that we 
 deny God, Christ Jesus and the Scriptures of truth, 
 
 c.: This is to inform you that all our beoks and 
 declarations, which for these many years have been 
 published to the world, clearly testify the contrary, 
 yet for your satisfaction, we now plainly and sin- 
 cerely declare that we own and believe in the only 
 wise, omnipotent and everlasting God, the’ Creator 
 of all things, in heaven and in earth, and the Pre- 
 server of all that He hath made; who is God over 
 all, blessed forever; to whom be all honor, glory, 
 dominion, praise and thanksgiving, both uow and 
 for evermore! And we own and believe in Jesus 
 Christ, His beloved and-only begotten Son, in 
 
 *The letter of George Fox to the Governor of Barbadoes in 1671. Adopted 
 by Iowa Yearly Meeting in 1902. 
 
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 39 
 
 ~ whom He is well pleased ; who was conceived by the 
 
 Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary; in whom 
 we have redemption through His blood, even the 
 forgiveness of sins; who is the image of the invis- 
 
 Bre _ ible God, the first-born of every creature, by whom 
 
 were all things created that are in heaven and in 
 earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, 
 dominions, principalities or powers; all things were 
 created by Him. And we own and believe that He 
 was made a sacrifice for sin, who knew no sin, 
 neither was guile found in His mouth; that He 
 was crucified for us in the flesh without the gates 
 of Jerusalem; and that he was buried, and rose 
 again the third day by the power of His Father for 
 our justification; and that He ascended up into 
 heaven, and now sitteth at the right hand of God. 
 This Jesus, who was the foundation of the holy 
 prophets and apostles, is our foundation; and we 
 
 _ believe there is no other foundation to be laid but 
 
 that which is laid, even Christ Jesus; who tasted 
 death for every man, shed His blood for all men, is 
 the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, 
 but also for the sins of the whole world; according 
 as John the Baptist testified of Him, when he said, 
 “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the 
 sin of the world,” John i, 29. We believe that He 
 alone is our Redeemer and Saviour, the Captain of 
 . our salvation (who saves-us from sin, as well as 
 from hell and the wrath to come, and destroys the 
 devil and his works) ; He is the seed of the woman 
 that bruiseth the serpent’s head, to-wit, Christ 
 
40 THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 
 
 Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, the First and the 
 Last ; He is (as the Scriptures of truth say of Him) 
 our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and re- 
 demption; neither is there salvation in any other. 
 for there is no other name under heaven given 
 
 among men, whereby we must be saved. He alone — 
 
 is the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls; He is our 
 Prophet whom Moses long since testified of, saying, 
 “\ Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto 
 
 you of your brethren, like unto me; Him shall ye 
 
 hear in all things, whatsoever He shall say unto 
 “you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul 
 which will not hear that Prophet shall be destreyed 
 from among the people,’ Acts iii, 22, 23. He it is 
 that is now come, ‘‘and hath given us-an under- 
 standing, that we know Him that is true.” He rules 
 
 in our hearts by His law of love and of life, and 
 
 makes us free from the law of sin and death. We 
 - have no life but by Him, for He is the quickening 
 Spirit, the second Adam, the Lord from heaven, by 
 whose blood we are cleansed, and our consciences 
 sprinkled from dead works to serve the living God. 
 He is our Mediator that makes peace and reconcili- 
 ation between God offended and us offending; He 
 
 being the Oath of God, the new covenant of light, 
 
 life, grace and peace, the author and finisher of our 
 faith. This Lord Jesus Christ, the heavenly man, 
 
 4 
 
 the Emmanuel, God with us, we all own and believe — 
 
 n: He whom the high-priest raged against, and 
 said He had spoken blasphemy; whom the priests 
 
 and elders of the Jews took counsel together against, © 
 
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. Ai 
 
 and put to death; the same whom Judas betrayed 
 for thirty pieces of silver, which the priest gave 
 him as a reward for his treason; who also gave 
 _ large money to the soldiers to broach an horrible lie, 
 namely, “That His disciples came and stole Him 
 away by night whilst they slept.” After He was 
 _ risen from the dead, the history of the Acts of the 
 _ Apostles sets forth how the chief priests and elders 
 persecuted the disciples of this Jesus, for preaching 
 Christ and His resurrection. This, we say, is that 
 Lord Jesus Christ, whom we own to be our life and 
 salvation. 
 
 Concerning the Holy Scriptures, we believe that 
 they were given forth by the Holy Spirit of God, 
 through the holy men of God, who (as the Scrip- 
 ture itself declares, 2 Pet. i. 21), spake as they were 
 moved by the Holy Ghost. We believe they are to 
 be read, believed and fulfilled (he that fultlls them 
 is Christ), and they are “profitable for doctrine, for 
 ‘reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteous- 
 ness, that the man of God may be perfect, thorough- 
 ly furnished unto all good works,” 2 Tim. i. 16, 
 17; and are able to make wise unto salvation, 
 “through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” 
 
 We believe the Holy Scriptures are the words of 
 God, for it is said in Exodus xx.1: “God spake ali 
 these words, saying,” etc., meaning the ten com- 
 mandments given forth upon Mount Sinai; and in 
 Reyelation xxii, 18, 19, saith John, “I testify unto 
 every man that heareth the words of the prophecy 
 
42 THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 
 
 of this book. If any man shall add unto these 
 things.” “And if any man shall take away from 
 the words of the book of this prophecy” (not the 
 word). So in Luke 1. 20: “Because thou believest 
 not my words;” and in John v. 47; xv. 7; xIv. 23; 
 xii. 47. So that we call the Holy Scriptures, as 
 Christ, the Apostles, and holy men of God called - 
 them—the words of God. 
 
 We declare that we esteem it a duty incumbent 
 on us to pray with and for, to teach, instruct and 
 admonish those in and belonging to our families. 
 This being a command of the Lord, disobedience 
 thereunto will provoke His displeasure, as may be 
 seen in Jeremiah x. 25: “Pour out Thy fury upon 
 the heathen that know Thee not, and upon the fam- 
 ilies that call not upon Thy name.” Now, Negroes, 
 Tawnies, and Indians make up a very great part of 
 the families in this island, for whom-an account will 
 be required by Him who comes to judge both quick 
 and dead, at the great day of judgment, when every 
 one shall be rewarded according to the deeds done 
 in the body, whether they be good or whether they 
 be evil—at that day, we say, of the resurrection 
 both of the good and of the bad, of the just and the 
 unjust, “when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed 
 from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming 
 fire, taking vengeance cn them that know not God 
 and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Chrest; 
 who shall be punished with everlasting destruction 
 from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory 
 
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 43 
 
 _ of His power; when He shall come to be glorified 
 im His Saints, and to be admired in all them that 
 believe in that day.” 2 Thess. I. 7, 10. See also 2 
 Peter iu. 3, 7. 
 
 Section IV. 
 
 yy Os 
 and 
 
 WORSHIP. 
 
 ei 
 
 ie 
 
 hie 
 
 Tt 
 ie 
 
 It is the duty and the privilege of believers to 
 
 _ meet together for the public worship of God. In do- 
 
 ing this they each time make a public profession to 
 
 _the world of their faith in Christ, and avail them- 
 
 selves of opportunities for spiritual blessing and 
 mutual helpfulness not otherwise offered. 
 
 Worship is the highest act of which the human 
 faculties are capable, and it can be truly pertormed 
 only as it is in response to the influence of the 
 Spirit of God. Public worship in the Christian 
 Church is in accordance with the declaration of our 
 Lord, that “where two or three are met together 
 in My name, there am I in the midst of them.’”’ The 
 congregation is thus “the congregation of the 
 _ Lord,” and the meeting is, primarily; with Him. 
 He touches the spiritual consciousness of believers, 
 - and thus, through Him, their High Priest and In- 
 _tercessor, they are enabled to worship the Father | 
 in spirit and in truth. Worship stands neither in — 
 
 " 
 ! 
 
 pr, aide Bad 
 
A4 THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 
 
 forms nor in the formal disuse of forms; it may be 
 without words as well as with them. Both silence 
 and vocal exercises are recognized and valued not 
 as ends, but as means toward the attainment of an 
 end, which is the divine blessing upon the individ- 
 ual and the congregation. 
 
 As Master of the Assembly, the Lord directs 
 and leads the profitable exercises of His congrega- 
 tion. He calls and qualifies whom He will to be 
 the bearer of His message, and the individual be- 
 lever should hold himself in obedient submission to 
 His will. The occasions of public worship are 
 divinely appointed for the edification of believers in 
 the truth, and for the proclamation of fresh and 
 vital messages of salvation to the world. 
 
 SECTION. V. 
 
 SPIRITUAL GIFTS. 
 
 It has pleased the Head of the Church to make 
 use of human instrumentalities in the accomplish- 
 ment of His purposes; to this end He continues to 
 bestow special gifts upon certain members of the 
 body, for the propagation of the gospel; for the 
 perfecting of believers; and for the edifying and 
 strengthening of the whole body in faith and life 
 and power. The exercise of these gifts is a potent 
 
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 45 
 
 _ means by which the Church brings the truth to the 
 _ individual consciousness, interprets and proclaims 
 _its message, and reveals its scope and purpose. 
 There are varieties of gifts in the ministry, and in 
 a properly organized body provision is made for 
 the exercise and development of them all. It is not 
 _ easy to draw a sharp distinction between the differ- 
 -ent types of ministry; frequently they are united in 
 one person, who is thus peculiarly qualified for 
 helpful service. 
 
 There is a gift for the ministry of instruction 
 _and of exposition, or of teaching the truth. Those 
 who possess this gift are enabled to contribute in 
 different degrees to the establishment of the mem- 
 bership, and to the expansion of the conception of 
 divine things. This ministry of teaching requires 
 a balanced, trained and well-stored mind, and the 
 consecration of that mind to the service of Him 
 who is the Truth. 
 
 There is a gift of speaking to states and needs of 
 
 individuals, and of congregations. This prophetic 
 
 ministry is characterized by its spiritual vision, the - 
 
 self-evidence of its message and its fitness for the 
 
 situation. It is a gift of seeing truth immediately, 
 and of effectively teaching it to others. 
 
 There is a’ gift for exhortation, which is an abil- 
 ity for making an appeal to the hearts of men, and — 
 for stirring them to a sense of God’s love and of 
 
 His purposes for man—the power of! moving and 
 
46 THE DECLARATION OF FAITH. 
 
 convicting souls; those who possess this gift are 
 peculiarly fitted for evangelistic work. 
 
 There is also a pastoral gift, which consists espe- 
 cially in ability to do personal work with individ- 
 uals or with families. This gift fits the possessor 
 of it to comfort those who mourn, to lead the mem- 
 bers into a closer religious life, to arouse in the 
 young an interest in the things of the Spirit, and 
 to impress others with a sense of the scope and 
 reality of the spiritual life. It is the gift of shep- 
 herding and feeding the flock. ; 
 
 The! Church cannot make or appoint ministers: 
 it can only recognize gifts where they exist and 
 properly provide for their exercise and develop- 
 
 ment as a sacred bestowal of the Head of the. 
 
 Church. 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 
 CHAPTER T. 
 
 Section [. 
 
 THE FRIENDS. 
 
 1. The Friends recognize and emphasize the fun- 
 damental and essential truth that Jesus Christ is the 
 - Head of His Church; that He dwells in the hearts 
 of His believers; that, as they look for His guid- 
 _ ance, their ‘understandings are enlightened and they 
 ‘are. enopied to do His will. Associated with this” 
 is the further truth that the Head of the Church is 
 z ‘ pleased to confer upon each believer some especial — 
 _ gift or gifts which he is to exercise with such abil- 
 ity as may be possessed. Members have equal 
 rights and privileges in the denomination, modified 
 _ only by the gifts they have received and their faith- 
 ae in the exercise thereof. It is theretore both 
 theocratic and democratic in the principle of its 
 - government. 
 
 = 
 a: 
 WP oe 
 
 le 
 
 2. Positions in the organization relating to spir- 
 ‘itual matters result from the official recognition of 
 - these gifts by the body rather than from appoint- 
 ment to office. Appointments are made to other 
 
48 FORM OF GOVERNMENT. . Peas 
 
 positions, Each member has duties to perform ~ 
 and responsibilities to meet, and the business of the 
 organization is conducted in recognition of this 
 equality of rank in the membership, with the furth-_ 
 er recognition of the special gifts. 
 
 3. There are no distinctions in the rights, priv-_ 
 
 ileges or responsibilities of the members because 
 of sex. 
 
 4..The business of‘ the organization is transacted 
 
 in meetings, in which every member of the body 
 has a right to participate. These meetings, in some 
 instances, delegate authority in certain matters to 
 other meetings composed of those who occupy 
 specified positions or who have been appomited for 
 the special service. 
 
 SecTIon II. 
 
 THE DENOMINATION OF THE FRIENDS. 
 
 The denomination of The Friends is composed 
 of Yearly Meetings, with their subordinate 
 branches, in Great Britian, Ireland, the United 
 States and Canada; and those members who are — 
 variously situated in other parts of the world. The ~ 
 bond of union is maintained by annual correspond- 
 
 ence between them; by issuing and receiving the — 
 
 credentials of ministers for special service; by 
 granting and receiving certificates of membership 
 in cases of removal; and by joint participation in 
 religious and benevolent enterprises. Each Yearly — 
 
 mike 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 49 
 
 Meeting is independent in the transaction of its 
 business. Those Yearly Meetings which unite in 
 this Constitution and Discipline, and, under its 
 provisions delegate certain authority to the Five 
 Years Meeting, retain their original independence, 
 and, in its exercise, grant the powers hereinafter 
 described. 
 
 Each Yearly Meeting retains the authority to 
 adopt additional disciplinary regulations not incon- 
 sistent herewith. Such portions of this Constitu- 
 tion and Discipline as have no application to the ex- 
 isting conditions of any particular Yearly Meeting 
 shall be null therein. 
 
 CHAP DERY ES. 
 MEMBERSHIP. 
 
 The Friends admit into membership all who 
 make a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 whose lives testify to their union with Him, and 
 who accept the doctrines of the Gospel as held by 
 The Friends. The children of members are enroll- 
 ed as Associate members. They are thus recog- 
 nized, not because their birthright can of itself 
 make them members of the body of Christ, for they 
 can only become such by experiencing the new 
 birth by the Holy Spirit, but because of the prom- 
 ises in the Holy Scriptures to believers and their 
 households, and the conviction that true Christians 
 
 4 
 
50 FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 will so make their children the objects of living 
 prayer, and will so instruct them in the Gospel ana 
 go with them to the Throne of Grace, that they 
 will surrender their hearts to God in their youth, 
 and early take a natural and living interest in the 
 Church as they do in the family. Persons thus en- 
 rolled as Associate members shall be enrolled as 
 Active members of the Church when they shall! 
 have made a credible profession of faith in Jesus 
 Christ as their Saviour and Lord, and shall have 
 accepted the doctrines of the Gospel as held by The 
 Friends. If the member does not make such pro- 
 fession when he reaches matured years, his name 
 may be dropped from the list of members, at the 
 discretion of the Monthly Meeting. Where but 
 one parent is a member, the children may be en- 
 rolled as Associate members upon the request of 
 that parent and the consent of the other. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 A MEETING. 
 
 A congregation of members is called a meeting 
 or a church. It is under the supervision of Minis- 
 ters and Elders as ta its spiritual interests, and of 
 Overseers as to the moral conduct of the members. 
 These are officers of the Monthly Meeting of which 
 the particular meeting forms a part. 
 
 The business affairs of a congregation are cared 
 for by the regular officers and by such committees 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 51 
 
 as may be appointed by the Monthly Meeting for 
 this purpose from the [Active] members of the con- 
 gregation. Monthly Meetings may establish a 
 business meeting for a particular congregation 
 when its local interests make such meeting advis- 
 able. 
 
 CHAPTER TV. 
 MEETINGS FOR BUSINESS. 
 
 CLERKS. 
 
 The Clerk, or presiding officer, of a busines 
 meeting has the care of its business, which he lays 
 before it for consideration and determines what 
 conclusion the meeting reaches, In a meeting for 
 business it should be the chief desire to ascertain 
 what may be the mind of the Lord, and Clerks 
 should be chosen with a spiritual discernment, and 
 should be chosen with a special reference to their 
 sound judgment and gift of spiritual discernment, 
 and their ability to determine what is the will of the 
 meeting as indicated by the expression made. 
 Clerks should be familiar with the usages of the 
 denomination and with all its departments of work. 
 The Clerk shall keep a faithful record of the pro- 
 ceedings of the meeting, and he shall furnish 
 copies of necessary portions of such records to 
 persons authorized, under the appointment of the 
 same or any superior meeting, to ask for them. He 
 shall sign on the meeting’s behalf all official docu- 
 
eer oe ee 
 
 52 “FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 ments put forth by it. Meetings which may desire 
 to continue the ancient practice of holding separate 
 business meetings of men and women are at liberty 
 to do so, appointing separate Clerks from their 
 number. In all business meetings such assistant 
 Clerks may be appointed as may be found advis- 
 able. 
 
 GeO NINA W 
 MONTHLY MEETINGS. 
 SECTION I.—ORGANIZATION AND POWERS. 
 
 1. A Monthly Meeting is a regular organiza- 
 tion of one or more congregations, and consists of 
 all those persons who are entitled to be recorded 
 upon its list of members. It is charged with the 
 government of the body, according to the Consti- 
 tution and Discipline, and has authority to receive 
 and dismiss members; to discipline offenders; to 
 grant, appeals; to consider and act upon all ques- 
 tions affecting the membership; to hold and ad- 
 minister real estate and other property for the use 
 of the Church; and to adopt and carry out meas- 
 ures for the improvement of ‘the spiritual interests 
 of the body. It meets monthly for the transaction 
 of business; and once in three months it reports, 
 in an abstract of its minutes, such business as 
 should be laid before the Quarterly Meeting of 
 which it forms a part and to which it is subordi- 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 53 
 
 nate, and to attend which it may appoint two or 
 more representatives. 
 
 2. Each [Active] member has a right to-partici- 
 pate in the business of the Monthly Meeting. 
 
 3. A Monthly Meeting is duly organized for 
 the transaction of business when it has been estab- 
 lished by a superior meeting and has appointed a 
 Clerk to have charge of its business. 
 
 4. All officers appointed by the meeting shall 
 hold their positions until their successors are ap- 
 pointed. 
 
 Section [.—THE CiLerK. 
 
 The Clerk of a Monthly Meeting shall be ap- 
 pointed by the meeting on the nomination of a 
 committee named for the purpose. He shall for- 
 ward to the-Quarterly Meeting such business as re- 
 quires its attention, and such abstracts of the min- 
 utes of the Monthly Meeting as may be necessary. 
 He shall keep (in a book printed for the purpose 
 and provided by the Yearly Meeting) a correct 
 record of the membership, including all births, 
 marriages, deaths and transfers, and he shall an- 
 nually furnish the Quarterly Meeting such statis- 
 tical information as the Yearly Meeting may direct, 
 including the recording, deaths and transters of 
 ministers. Where found desirable, a Recorder may 
 be appointed to assist the Clerk in keeping these 
 records. 
 
54 FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 Section IIJ.—MInIstTerRs AND ELDERS. 
 
 Ministers and Elders are charged with the over- 
 sight and care of the spiritual interests of their 
 various congregations. The choice of these is 
 based upon moral character and the possession of 
 spiritual gifts and qualifications. They are desig- 
 nated for their positions by the Monthly Meeting 
 in the manner prescribed in Chapters VII and VIII, 
 Form of Government. 
 
 Section 1V.—OVvERSEERS. 
 
 I. The Monthly Meeting shall choose every 
 three years, through the nomination of a committee, 
 two or more faithful and judicious persons for 
 each separate congregaticn to serve as Overseers. 
 It shall be their duty to exercise watchful care and 
 affectionate oversight for the maintenance of a con- 
 sistent moral life by the members of the meeting; 
 to extend care and reproof in all cases of disobed- 
 ience, disorder, or any conduct unbecoming to a 
 Christian, and to restore, if possible, such offenders 
 to an orderly life and to full fellowship with the 
 meeting. 
 
 2. If due care and labor in this direction prove 
 ineffectual, it becomes their duty to enter complaint 
 to the Monthly Meeting against such offenders. 
 
 Section V.—THE TREASURER. 
 
 Each Monthly Meeting shall annually appoint a 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 55 
 
 Treasurer, who shall receive and disburse tunds as 
 directed by the meeting, keep a regular account of 
 the money so received and paid, and make an an- 
 nual report to the Monthly Meeting. [The Treas- 
 urer shall be ex officio a member of the Finance 
 Committee. | 
 
 Section VI.—CoRRESPONDENTS. 
 
 Each Monthly Meeting shall appoint a Corres- 
 pondent to authenticate documents issued by it to 
 other meetings, and to attend to such correspond- 
 ence as the meeting may direct. Information of 
 the appointment of Correspondents is to be for- 
 warded to the Yearly Meetng. 
 
 Section VII.—Boarp or TRUSTEES. 
 
 Each Monthly Meeting shall appoint three or 
 more of its members to serve as a Board of Trus- 
 tees. It shall be the duty of the Trustees to hold 
 and manage all real estate and personal property 
 belonging to the meeting, to keep all deeds legally 
 recorded, to guard all property from injury or im- 
 proper use, to preserve all important records and 
 documents, and to make an annual report to the 
 Monthly Meeting. Where Monthly'Meetings are 
 incorporated under State laws their property will 
 necessarily be held and administered 1n accordance 
 therewith. Yearly Meetings may provide for the 
 holding and transferring of real estate and other 
 property by their own ‘Trustees. 
 
56 FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 Section VIII.—FInAncE COMMITTEE. 
 
 The Monthly Meeting shall annualy appoint a Fi- 
 nance Committee to superintend the raising and 
 expending of funds, and to provide for the inci- 
 dental expenses of the Monthly Meeting and its 
 congregations. There may be a separate commit- 
 tee for each congregation where found desirable. . 
 
 SEcTIon , [X.—PastoraL COMMITTEE. 
 
 The Ministers, Elders and Overseers of each 
 congregation constitute its Pastoral Committee. 
 The Monthly Meeting may also appoint other 
 members to cooperate with them in this work. (See 
 Departments of Work, Chap. I). 
 
 SECTION X.—OTHER COMMITTEES. | 
 
 Monthly Meetings shall appoint such other com- 
 mittees as the interests of the various departments 
 of its work may require. 
 
 SECTION XI.—REPORT ON THE STATE OF THE 
 CHURCH. 
 
 Each Monthly Meeting shall annually report to 
 the Quarterly Meeting preceding the Yearly Meet- 
 ing upon the spiritual condition of its membership 
 and its meetings, basing its report upon those re- 
 ceived from its congregations, and covering the 
 points named in the clause relating thereto. (See 
 Form of Government, Chap. XIV, Sec. I, Par. 8). 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 57 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 NEW FIELDS OF WORK. 
 
 I. When a new field of work has been entered 
 upon by the members of a congregation, and has 
 progressed beyond their individual care, 1t should 
 be under the care of the Monthly Meeting, and 
 new meetings for worship be established when ad- 
 visable. 
 
 2. When a Monthly Meeting shall deem it ad- 
 visable for a new Monthly Meeting to be establish- 
 ed within its limits, it shall send a proposition 
 therefor to the Quarterly Meeting, which shall ap- 
 point a comrhittee to consider the subject and re- 
 port. If the Quarterly Meeting approves the pro- 
 position it shall establish the meeting and report 
 its action to the Yearly Meeting. Where the meet- 
 ing to be established is composed of mempers of 
 two or more Monthly Meetings, the consent of 
 each shall be obtained. 
 
 3. Monthly Meetings, through their Quarterly 
 Meetings, have authority to petition Yearly Meet- 
 ings, to establish, or to discontinue, or to divide a 
 _ Quarterly Meeting, or to unite two or more Quar- 
 terly Meetings. 
 
 JCHAPRER: Vib 
 MINISTERS. 
 Section I.—RecorpiInG MINIsTERs.* 
 
 1. Whena member, man or woman, has spoken 
 *See Rules of Discipline, Ghapter VI, Section III. 
 
58 FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 as a minister (see Spiritual Gifts) so that 
 the meeting is edified and spiritually helped there- 
 by, the Local Meeting on Ministry and Oversight 
 is carefully to consider whether he has received 
 from the Head of the Church a gift in the ministry 
 which should be officially recognized. Persons may 
 occasionally speak to edification, or engage in ex- 
 hortation, or give testimony to their experience, or 
 offer vocal prayer with evidence of spiritual power 
 without having, necessarily, received a special gift 
 in the ministry. When the Local Meeting on 
 Ministry and Oversight is satisfied that a member 
 has received a gift in the ministry, it shall send the 
 information to the Quarterly Meeting on Ministry 
 and Oversight for its judgment. Upon receiving 
 such information the said Quarterly Meeting shall 
 appoint a committee to consider the subject; to ob- 
 tain information as to the evidence that the person 
 has received spiritual gifts; as to his manner of 
 life; his doctrinal views; his mental capacity; and 
 his general qualifications for the ministry. The 
 committee shall report its judgment to the Quar- 
 terly Meeting on Ministry and Oversight, and if 
 this meeting concurs in the action of the Loca! 
 Meeting, it shall inform the Monthly Meeting of 
 which the person is a member. The Monthly Meet- 
 ing shall then act in the case according to its judg- 
 ment. If it concludes that the person’s gift should 
 be acknowledged, it shall ask the concurrence of the 
 Quarterly Meeting, and without such concurrence 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 59 
 
 the name shall not be recorded. When a minister 
 is duly recorded by a Monthly Meeting, the Clerk 
 shall notify the Local Meeting on Ministry and Ov- 
 ersight and the Secretary of the Evangelistic and 
 Church Extension Board of the Five-Years Meet- 
 ing, giving the full name and address of the min- 
 ister. : 
 [Ministers fully appointed or ordained by 
 other Evangelical Churches, whose views are in ac- 
 cord with questions to Ministers and Elders, de- 
 siring to unite in membership with us, and present- 
 ing proper credentials, may, with the approval oi 
 the Local Meeting on Ministry and Oversight, and 
 at the discretion of the Monthly Meeting, be re- 
 ceived as Ministers in our Church. ] 
 
 [Ministers shall be furnished with a copy of 
 the Minute recording them. ] 
 
 2. When a Monthly Meeting is informed by the 
 (Quarterly Meeting on Ministry and Oversight that 
 in its judgment a minister has lost his gift in the 
 ministry and usefulness in his station, if the judg- 
 ment be concurred in, his recognition as a minister 
 shall be rescinded by the Monthly Meeting. 
 
 Section [].—LIBERATING MINISTERS. 
 
 When a minister believes that he is catled of 
 God to ministerial service outside his Quarterly 
 Meeting, the following course shall be pursued: 
 
 1. If the proposed service lies within the limits 
 of the Yearly Meeting of which he is a member, 
 
60 FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 the minister shall bring the concern before the 
 Monthly Meeting, and request a certificate of its 
 unity and concurrence. The Monthly Meeting 
 may grant the certificate, defining the nature and 
 the field of the service. Special service may be un- 
 dertaken under the direction of the Evangelistic 
 and Church Extension Committee of the Yearly 
 Meeting without a certificate. 
 
 2. If the proposed service lies within another 
 American Yearly Meeting, and the Monthly Meet- 
 ing unites and concurs, it shall transmit a written 
 statement of the nature and field of the proposed 
 service, and of its unity and concurrence therein, to 
 the Quarterly Meeting. If that body also approves, 
 it shall grant the minister requesting it a certificate 
 of the fact, defining the nature and field of the ser- 
 vice, and expressing the unity and concurrence 
 therein of the Monthly Meeting. When, in excep- 
 tional cases, time does not permit of the action of 
 the Quarterly Meeting, the certificate of the Month- 
 ly Meeting may be forwarded to the Clerk of the 
 Quarterly Meeting, who shall confer with thie 
 Clerk of the Quarterly Meeting on Ministry and 
 Oversight, and, if they approve of the proposed 
 service, they shall endorse the certificate, and such 
 endorsement shall give the necessary authority for 
 the service. These Clerks shall report their action, 
 with the attendant circumstances, to their respec- 
 tive meetings. : 
 
 3. If the proposed service lies beyond the limits 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 61 
 
 of the American Yearly Meetings, the Monthly 
 Meeting concurring shall transmit to the Quarter- 
 ly Meeting, and the Quarterly Meeting to the Year- 
 ly Meeting on Ministry and Oversight, and the 
 Yearly Meeting on Ministry and Oversight to the 
 Yearly Meeting, a written statement of the nature 
 and the field of service and their concurrence 
 therein. If the Yearly Meeting also concurs in the 
 service it shall grant the minister a suitable certifi- 
 cate therefor, defining the nature and the field 
 thereof and the unity and concurrence therein of 
 each of the meetings which have considered the 
 subject. 
 
 4. When time will not permit the consideration 
 of the Quarterly Meeting’s certificate by the Yearly — 
 Meeting on Ministry and Oversight and the Year- 
 ly Meeting, the certificate shall’ be forwarded to 
 the Clerk of the Permanent Board of the Yearly 
 Meeting, who shall lay the subject before a regu- 
 lar or a special meeting of that body. The unity 
 of the Board with the proposed service and its ap- 
 proval endorsed upon the certificate of the Quarter- 
 ly Meeting by the Clerk, and countersigned by the 
 Correspondent of the Yearly Meeting shall give 
 the necessary authority for entering upon the ser- 
 vice. " 
 
 5. In every case where a certificate tor a minis- 
 terial service is granted, the Clerk and the Corres- 
 pondent of the meeting finally granting it shall 
 sign the same, and this meeting shall see that the 
 
62 FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 mnister is properly provided with means for the ac- 
 complishment of the service. 
 
 6. When a minister or other worker in any 
 Yearly Meeting desires to engage in special pas- 
 toral or evangelistic service within the limits of an- 
 other Yearly Meeting, he shall lay the matter be- 
 fore his Monthly Meeting as for other service. If 
 that meeting grants him a certificate, he shall sub- 
 mit it to the Evangelistic and Church Extension 
 Committee of his own Yearly Meeting; if, after 
 due consideration by the committee, his standing 
 and qualifications appear to offer no hindrance to 
 his entering upon the proposed service, the com- 
 mittee is to furnish him with a written statement 
 to this effect. In the performance of this service 
 he shall work in harmony with the authorities in- 
 trusted with such matter in the Yearly Meeting 
 where his service is performed. 
 
 Where the service shall continue for a longer 
 period than six months, the minister should apply 
 to his Monthly Meeting for a certificate transfer- 
 ring his membership to the Monthly Meeting with- 
 in which his service is located. 
 
 7. When a minister has been engaged in pas- 
 toral or evangelistic service in any locality, and the 
 Local Meeting on Ministry and Oversight becomes 
 satisfied that his services are no longer profitable, 
 it shall officially notify the Monthly Meeting of its 
 judgment, and that meeting shall act as it may 
 deem best. If it concurs in the judgment the min- 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 63 
 
 ister shall discontinue all service in the locality 
 where he has been engaged, and the reason for 
 such action shall be given to the meeting of which 
 the minister is a member, if he so requests. 
 
 8. All certificates for ministerial service shall, 
 after the performance of the labor, be seasonably 
 returned to the meeting or meetings that granted 
 them. 
 
 CHAP TER: VIE 
 THE APPOINTMENT OF ELDERS.* 
 
 t. Monthly Meetings shall annually appoint a 
 committee of three to cooperate with a committee 
 of the Local Meeting on Ministry and Over- 
 sight, in proposing for the station of Elder, per- 
 sons, who, in their judgment, possess the proper 
 gifts and qualifications therefor. When these nom- 
 inations are received by the Monthly Meeting it 
 may proceed with their appointment. There shall 
 be not fewer than three Elders in each Monthly 
 Meeting, who shall each serve for the term of 
 three years, and, as nearly as possible, one-third of 
 their number shall be appointed each year. 
 
 2. Ministers and Elders are associated in the 
 spiritual care of the flock and they should jointly 
 feel the responsibility of the spiritual: condtion of 
 the membership and the congregation. Elders are 
 
 to cooperate with, encourage and strengthen the 
 *See Rules of Discipline, Ghapter VI, Section III. 
 
64. FORM OF GOVERNMENT, 
 
 ministers, in both ministerial and pastoral work, 
 facilitate their labors, promote their usefulness, 
 have an oversight of the public ministrations of the 
 Gospel, assist therein as. the spiritual needs of the 
 congregation may require, and extend such advice 
 and counsel to ministers as circumstances may de- 
 mand, Elders should have quick spiritual discern- 
 ment for the proper performance of their duties; a 
 good understanding of the Scriptures and of the 
 doctrines of the Christian religion, and a knowl- 
 edge of the position and purposes of our branch of 
 the Church. They are tenderly to encourage those 
 who may take any part in public meetings for wor- 
 ship and who give evidence of true spiritual exer- 
 cise, and they are to restrain such as do not give 
 such evidence. They are prayerfully to seek to dis- 
 cern the spiritual. gifts that any may receive and to 
 encourage their exercise and development in every 
 proper way. They are to see that opportunities for 
 such exercise are conveniently afforded. Feeling 
 the weight of the responsibilities resting upon them, 
 Elders will be prayerful in the active performance 
 of their duties, and it is helpful to have.them give 
 public endorsement to the ministry, as way may 
 open therefor, when the truth has been satisfactor- 
 ily presented. 
 
 3. Elders are tenderly to advise with members 
 of the congregation as to their spiritual condition, 
 and, in the freedom of brotherly love, endeavor to 
 
= 
 
 FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 65 
 
 aid all in the attainment of a high standard of 
 Christian life. 
 
 4. Each Yearly Meeting will use such method 
 as it may! deem best to ascertain the doctrinal 
 views of Ministers and Elders, but persons who are 
 known not to hold and teach Christian doctrines as 
 held by The Friends should not be recorded or re- 
 tained in the station of Ministers or Elders. (See 
 Rules of Discipline Chap. VI, Sec. III). 
 
 GIVES HOR, IX. 
 QUARTERLY MEETINGS. 
 
 1. A Quarterly Meeting consists of the mem- 
 bers of all the Monthly Meetings within its limits 
 and subordinate to it. Its officers shall consist of a 
 Clerk, a Correspondent, and a Treasurer, who 
 shall be appointed on the recommendation of a 
 Nominating Committee. 
 
 2. The Quarterly Meeting has the power to es- 
 tablish, divide or aiscontumne a Monthly Meeting, 
 or to unite two or more Monthly Meetings. 
 
 3. If members belonging to two or more Quar- 
 terly Meetings, either in the same or different Year- 
 ly Meetings, request the establishment of a new 
 Monthly Meeting, the request shall be sent to all 
 the Quarterly Meetings to which the signers ot the 
 request belong and their consent obtained. The re- 
 quest shall state where and when the new Monthly 
 
 5 
 
66 FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 Meeting is to be held, and to what Quarterly Meet- 
 ing it is to be attached. When the consent of all 
 the interested Quarterly Meetings has been ob- 
 tained, the Quarterly Meeting to which the new 
 Monthly Meeting is to be attached shall proceed to 
 establish it as requested. 
 
 4. In order to establish, discontinue, or divide a 
 Quarterly Meeting, or to unite two Quarterly Meet- 
 ings, application should be made by the Monthly - 
 Meetings concerned, through their Quarterly Meet- 
 ing, or respective Quarterly Meetings, to the Year- 
 ly Meeting for its action. 
 
 5. The Quarterly Meeting has supervision ovet 
 the Monthly Meetings. It may review their pro- 
 ceedings and examine the records thereof, so that 
 any irregularities of proceedings may be corrected 
 by the Monthly Meeting. It shall receive appeals 
 from the Monthly Meetings and decide upon them, 
 and shall grant appeals from its own decisions to 
 the Yearly Meeting. 
 
 6. The Quarterly Meeting may appoint a com- 
 mittee to advise with the Monthly Meeting in cases 
 of difficulty, as it may know of such need, or upon 
 the request of the Monthly Meeting. 
 
 7. At the last session before the Yearly Meeting, 
 it shall receive from the Monthly Meeting all sta- 
 tistics required by the Yearly Meeting, and also re- 
 ports on the state of the Church, and upon these 
 shall base its report to the Yearly Meeting. 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 67 
 
 8. It shall appoint representatives to attend the 
 Yearly Meeting on its behalf. It shall designate 
 such number of these as may be required by the 
 Yearly Meeting, to represent it on the Finance Com- 
 mittee of the Yearly Meeting. (See Form of Gov- 
 ernment Chap. X, Sec. I, Par. 11). 
 
 [The number of representatives shall not ex- 
 ceed eight. They shall be selected by a Nominat- 
 ing Committee. | 
 
 OI SUAN EADS IRD 
 
 YEARLY: MEETINGS. 
 SEcTION I.—ORGANIZATION AND POWERS: 
 
 tr. A Yearly Meeting consists of the members of 
 the Quarterly Meetings subordinate to it, and it 
 possesses complete legislative, judicial and admin- 
 istrative authority. The design of its annual as- 
 semblies is the general ordering and regulation of? 
 affairs of the Church in the service of God and the 
 maintenance and promotion of Christian faith, 
 love, unity, life and practice throughout its subordin- 
 ate meetings. 
 
 2. The Yearly Meeting shall be opened at the 
 appointed time and place by the Clerk of the last 
 annual meeting, who shall occupy his position un- 
 til a successor is appointed. In the event of the ab- 
 sence of the Clerk the Assistant or Recording Clerk 
 
68 FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 shall perform this service. If neither shall be pres- - 
 ent, the meeting shall appoint a temporary Clerk.. 
 
 [lowa Yearly Meeting shall be eas sep at 
 Oskgloosa, Iowa, and shall, meet t at ES ogk in 
 the Sn Third dayé; foliowrie t thé First 
 day in Month. } 
 
 3. The representatives from the Quarterly 
 Meetings shall nominate to the second sitting of the 
 Yearly Meeting persons to serve the meeting in the 
 position of Clerk and Assistant Clerk, and such oth- 
 ers as may be deemed necessary for the efficient 
 transaction of the business. 
 
 4. The Yearly Meeting has the power to decide 
 all questions of administration; to counsel, admon- 
 ish or discipline its subordinate meetings; to insti- 
 tute measures and provide means for the promotion 
 of the truth, and righteousness; and to inaugurate 
 and carry on departments of religious and philan- 
 thropic work. 
 
 5. The Yearly Meeting shall receive annual re- 
 ports from the Quarterly Meetings as to the state of 
 the Church, to which it shall give prayerful consid- 
 eration, and it shall extend such counsel and advice 
 in relation thereto as it may deem necessary. 
 
 6. The Yearly Meeting shall annually receive 
 abstracts from the minutes of the Quarterly Meet- 
 ings, containing statements of business for its con- 
 sideration and action. It may review the proceed- 
 ings of any Quarterly Meeting and shall-give ad- 
 
 al 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 69 
 
 vice and instruction to the Quarterly Meetings when 
 these are requested, or may be thought necessary. 
 
 7. Business may be introduced to a Yearly Meet- 
 ‘ing in the reports from Quarterly Meetings, from 
 the Permanent Board, from the Standing Commit- 
 tees of the Yearly Meeting, from a Special Commit- 
 tee on New Business, and in communications from 
 the Five-Years Meeting, and from other Yearly 
 Meetings. Business may also be laid before a Yearly 
 Meeting by any of its members with the consent of 
 the Clerk. When the matter is of special importance. 
 it shall be referred to a committee before it is acted 
 upon. 
 
 8. All propositions from, Quarterly Meetings, 
 and all proposed legislation affecting this Consti- 
 tution and Discipline, shall be introduced to the 
 Yearly Meeting in writing, and shall not be finally 
 acted upon on the day of their introduction. Pro- 
 positions for the amendment of this Constitution and 
 Discipline must be referred to the Permanent Board 
 of the Yearly Meeting, or to a special committee, for 
 its consideration for one year. When a proposition 
 is approved by a Yearly Meeting it shall be reported 
 to the Five-Years Meeting, for its consideration 
 and to make such modifications as it may see fit. 
 
 9g. The Yearly Meeting shall recéive and decide 
 all cases of appeal regularly brought before it from 
 the Quarterly Meetings. Its procedure in treating 
 such appeals is indicated in Sec. V, Chap. I, Rules 
 of Discipline. 
 
to ae 
 
 70 FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 
 _1o. The Yearly Meeting, unless incorporated 
 under the laws of a state making it unnecessary, 
 shall appoint Trustees—not fewer than three nor 
 more than seven in each case—who shall hold the 
 titles of its real estate, and have the same duly re- 
 corded in the official records of the state or county. 
 Trustees shall be similarly appointed to invest all 
 funds and other personal property, whether received 
 by bequest, donation or otherwise, and to adminis- 
 ter the same according to the direction of the don- 
 ors. The Yearly Meeting shall have one or more 
 such boards of Trustees as it may deem advisable. 
 Due care must be exercised by Trustees to observe 
 the requirements of the statutes of their several 
 states in the administration of their trusts. 
 [Trustees shall be ex officio members of the Per- 
 manent Board. | : 
 
 11. Each Yearly Meeting shall annually appoint 
 a Finance Committee, composed of those persons 
 designated by the Quarterly Meeting for the sery- 
 ice, who shall consider the propositions for appro- 
 priations by the Yearly Meeting and report upon 
 them, audit the accounts of the Treasurer, and of 
 the various boards and committees having charge of 
 the expenditure of funds, and ascertain and report 
 what amounts it will be necessary for the Yearly 
 Meeting to raise. [Each Quarterly Meeting, in ap- 
 pointing its representatives, shall designate the one 
 to serve on the Finance Committee. ] F 
 
 12. Each Yearly Meeting shalt appoint a person 
 
 5 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 71 
 to serve as Treasurer. He shall receive the money 
 from the Quarterly Meetings, and from other 
 sources, for the Yearly Meeting’s use and shall pay 
 the same as directed by the Yearly Meeting or its 
 Permanent Board. He shall be authorized to re- 
 ceive and officially receipt for all legacies, dona- 
 tions or other funds requiring a formal legal ac- 
 knowledgment. 
 
 13. When a meeting is discontinued, the property 
 belonging to said meeting shall be vested in the 
 Yearly Meeting, to be held in trust for some specific 
 purpose, or to be used for the advancement of the 
 general work of the Yearly Meeting, as that body 
 may determine. All funds held by such discontinued 
 meeting shall be administered in accordance with 
 the directions of the original donors. 
 
 14. Each Yearly Meeting shall appoint one or 
 more persons to serve as Correspondent. A Cor- 
 respondent shall countersign certificates of miunis- 
 ters liberated for service in foreign lands, epistles 
 and other documents issued to other Yearly Meet- 
 ings, and such documents and transcripts of records 
 as may require certification beyond the signature of 
 the Clerk. 
 
 15. A proposition to establish a new Yearly 
 Meeting shall be reported by the Yearly Meeting, 
 or Meetings concerned, to the Five-Years Meeting. 
 
 16. Each Yearly Meeting may appoint an Evan- 
 gelistic and: Church Extension Committee whose du- 
 ties are prescribed in Chap. LI, Dep’ts. of Work. 
 
72 FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 17. Each Yearly Meeting shall furnish to the 
 Five-Years Meeting such statistical information as 
 it may request. 
 
 Section I].—THE PERMANENT BOARD. 
 
 1. Each Yearly Meeting shall have a Perma- 
 nent Board (heretofore called the Representative 
 Meeting), to consist of not more than fifty mem- 
 bers, who shall be so ‘selected that each Quarterly 
 Meeting of the Yearly Meeting shall be represented. 
 One-fifth of their number shall be appointed each 
 year to serve for five years. It shall annually ap- 
 point a Clerk for the management of its business. 
 
 [The representatives to the Yearly Meeting from 
 thd various Quarterly Meetings shall annually re- 
 port to the Yearly Meeting for its appointment, the 
 names of not more than ten, as proposed members 
 of the Permanent Board, chosen with a view to their 
 special qualification and available residence loca- 
 tion. Each Quarterly Meeting’s representatives 
 _ Shall be entitled to select one member to represent 
 that Quarterly Meeting, if not already represented, 
 either from its own membership or from some more 
 conveniently located meeting. ]. 
 
 2. It shall meet at such times and places as the 
 Yearly Meeting may designate, or upon its own ad- 
 journment. Special meetings may be called by the 
 Clerk on the requisition of five members. Five 
 days’ notice of special meetings: must be given in 
 
 ae 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT. nS 
 
 writing to all members, and the business to come be- 
 fore the special meeting shall be stated in the call. 
 At least one-fourth of the total number of members 
 shall be required for the transaction of business, and 
 in no case shall action be taken unless one-fourth ot 
 the total membership of the Board approves. 
 
 3. The Permanent Board shall represent the 
 Yearly Meeting in the interim of its annual assem- 
 blies, and it may act on behalf of the Yearly Meet- 
 ing in cases where the interest or reputation of The 
 Friends may render it necessary. It shall attend to 
 such business as the Yearly Meeting may refer to it. 
 It shall examine memorials of deceased members, 
 transmitted to it from subordinate meetings, and 
 such as are approved it may recommend to the 
 Yearly Meeting for publication. 
 
 4. It shall inspect and perfect, when necessary, 
 titles to land and other estates belonging to any 
 meeting; it shall attend to the appropriation of 
 charitable legacies and donations when necessary, 
 and it may give advice, where needed, on such mat- 
 ters. It shall extend such advice and assistance to 
 persons suffering on account of their Christian testi- 
 monies as their cases may require, and may apply 
 to the government, or to persons in authority, on 
 their behalf. 
 
 5. It shall keep a record of its proceedings, and 
 annually lay the same before the Yearly Meeting. 
 
 6. It may draw on the Treasurer of the Yearly 
 
74 FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 Meeting to pay the necessary expenses incurred in 
 the execution of its duties. 
 
 CHAP EER AG 
 THE FIVE-YEARS MEETING. 
 
 1. The Five-Years Meeting shall be composed of 
 delegates appointed by the several Yearly Meetings 
 on the American continent. Each Yearly Meeting 
 shall be entitled to five delegates, and to one addi- 
 tional delegate for each one thousand members or 
 fraction thereof greater than five hundred. 
 
 2. The Five-Years Meeting shall be opened by 
 the Clerk of the last meeting, at 7:30 ocléck p. m., 
 on the third Third day of the Tenth month, at the 
 place designated by its own adjournment, and he 
 shall occupy his position until his successor is ap- 
 pointed. In the event of the absence of the Clerk, 
 the first assistant Clerk shall perform his service. It 
 both are absent, or if neither is a delegate, the 
 Chairman of one of the Yearly Meeting delegations 
 shall act as temporary Clerk. 
 
 3. The Chairmen of the delegations from the 
 Yearly. Meetings shall nominate at the second ses- 
 sion cf the meeting persons to serve the meeting as 
 Clerk, First Assistant Clerk, and Second Assistant 
 Clerk, and such others as may be deemed necessary 
 for the efficient transaction of the business. 
 
 4. The Five-Years Meeting is-invested with full 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 75 
 
 jurisdiction over all matters delegated to it by this 
 Constitution and Discipline. It shall also have ad- 
 visory supervision of the interests of the denomina- 
 tion, and shall publish its full proceedings for the - 
 information of the Yearly Meetings and their mem- 
 bership. 
 
 5. he expenses of the Five-Years Meeting shall 
 _be apportioned among the several Yearly Meetings 
 according to their membership. The amount of the 
 railroad fares of the delegates in going to and re- 
 turning from the place of meeting shall be appor- 
 tioned among the Yearly Meetings, according to 
 the number of delegates to which they are entitled. 
 
 6. The Five-Years Meeting shall have charge of 
 those departments of work assigned to it in The 
 Departments of Work. 
 
 CHAE ERY Cd: 
 
 NEW YEARLY MEETINGS. 
 
 When it is proposed to establish a new Yearly 
 Meeting by setting off a portion of an existing 
 Yearly Meeting, or portions of two or more Yearly 
 Meetings, or when two Yearly Meetings may wish 
 to be united, such meeting or meetings shall inform 
 _ the Five-Years Meeting of their approval of the 
 proposition. The Board of Foreign Missions shall, 
 in like manner, inform the Five-Years Meeting 
 
“76 FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 when the organization of a Yearly Meeting is pro- 
 posed in any of its mission fields. The Five-Years 
 Meeting shall carefully consider the entire proposi- 
 tion, and shall establish such new Yearly Meeting if 
 it shall deem it advisable to do so. 
 
 When-a new Yearly Meeting is to be established 
 the Five-Years Meeting shall appoint a committee, 
 not to exceed ten in number, to attend the opening 
 of such Yearly Meeting, with the minute of the 
 Five-Years Meeting establishing it, and this com- 
 mittee shall inaugurate its sessions in accordance 
 with the organization of existing Yearly Meetings. 
 
 Yearly. Meetings may also show their interest in 
 the establishment of a new Yearly Meeting by ap- 
 pointing committees to attend its opening. 
 
 CHAPTER XIE 
 
 THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF THE 
 CHURCH. 
 
 Meetings are td give careful attention to wise 
 methods for raising funds for the service of the 
 Church; they shall encourage. voluntary giving and 
 shall make such arrangements as will extend to 
 every member an opportunity to contribute as he 
 may desire. Every member should contribute ac-. 
 cording to his means, and a failure to do this be- 
 comes a culpable avoidance of Christian duty. The 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT. Shs 
 
 ordinary necessary expenses of the meeungs may- 
 properly be raised by quota. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 MEETINGS ON MINISTRY AND OVERSIGHT... 
 
 Ministers, Elders and Overseers will be aided in 
 their work by co-operation and mutual consultation. 
 To facilitate this, Meetings on Ministry and Over- 
 sight are established. 2 
 
 Section I.—Locat MEETINGS ON MINisTRY AND- 
 OVERSIGHT. 
 
 1. The Local Meeting on Ministry and Over- 
 sight is composed of all the Ministers, Elders and 
 Overseers within the limits of the Monthly Meeting - 
 of which they are members. Its regular meetings 
 shall be held once in each month, or once in two or 
 three months, as the needs may require. Speciai 
 meetings may be called by the Clerk on the request 
 of three members. Notice in avriting shall be sent 
 to the members five full days before such special 
 meeting. [Pastors may call the meeting on Minis- 
 try and Oversight for counsel without special’ 
 notice. | 
 
 2. The Local Meeting on Ministry and Over- 
 sight shall have the care of the ministry and the re- 
 ligious work in its congregations. At each regular - 
 
78 FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 session the members from each congregation shall 
 designate one of their number to present to the 
 meeting a verbal report of the spiritual condition 
 and life of the congregation, the attendance at meet- 
 ings for public worship, the character of the minis- 
 try and its adaptation to the needs of the meeting; 
 statements shall be made as to the evidence of the 
 reception of spiritual gifts by any of the members, 
 and of the care that has been extended toward the 
 exercise and development of such gifts; information 
 shall be given of any special work that. may have 
 been entered upon, and of any available fields for 
 service. These reports from the several congrega- 
 tions shall be practically considered, and such action 
 shall be taken, or such advice and assistance given, 
 as the circumstances may require. 
 
 3. When there is evidence that a person has re- 
 ceived a gift in the ministry, action shall be taken in 
 accordance with the chapter on the recording of 
 ministers. 
 
 4. Where particular meetings feel the need of 
 the special service of ministers, the initiative in the 
 arrangement therefor shall be taken by the pastoral 
 committee of the congregation. They shall submit 
 their proposal to the Monthly Meeting for its action. 
 Such ministers shall carry on their labors ‘in har- 
 mony with the principles of the denomination and 
 agreeably to the provisions of this Constitution and 
 Discipline, taking care that, in all meetings for wor- 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 79 
 
 ship, opportunity be afforded for the free exercise by 
 the members of the congregation of any gifts for 
 service which the Lord may confer. 
 
 When a Monthly Meeting is satisfied that a min- 
 ister’s services in such position are no longer re- 
 quired, it should terminate this relation. 
 
 5. If any minister shall teach doctrines or en- 
 courage practices subversive of our faith, or shall 
 appear to have lost his gift in the ministry and use- 
 fulness in his station, the Local Meeting on Minis- 
 try and Oversight shall report the case to the Quar- 
 terly Meeting on Ministry and Oversight. If that 
 meeting concurs in such judgment the case shall be 
 reported to the Monthly Meeting for its action. 
 
 6. The Local Meeting on Ministry and Over- 
 sight shall appoint representatives to the Quarterly 
 Meeting on Ministry and Oversight. It shall also 
 report to such Quarterly Meeting ; a summary of the 
 information received as to the “spiritual condition 
 and life of its congregations. 
 
 7. The Local Meeting on Ministry and Over- 
 sight shall annually appoint a committee of two to 
 co-operate with a committee of the Monthly Meet- 
 ing, in nominating to the Monthly Meeting persons 
 for appointment as Elders. 
 
 8. Once a year, or oftener, this meeting shali 
 make a report in writing to the Monthly Meeting of 
 the spiritual condition at the membership, of the 
 attendance upon public worship, of family devo- 
 
ee a 
 oe 
 
 80 FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 tions, of the conduct of the members in their rela- 
 . tions to one another and to the world, of Christian 
 work in which the members are engaged, and of 
 such other matters as may pertain to the affairs of 
 the congregation. 
 
 Section I].—QuarTERLY MEETINGS ON MINISTRY 
 AND OVERSIGHT. 
 
 1. The Quarterly Meeting on Ministry and Over- 
 sight 1s composed of the members of the Locai 
 Meetings on Ministry and Oversight within its lim- 
 its. It shall meet regularly near the time of the 
 Quarterly Meeting to transact the business pertain- 
 ing to its department of Church government, and it 
 shall appoint representatives, and make a report to 
 the Yearly Meeting on Ministry and Oversight. 
 
 2. The Quarterly Meeting on Ministry and 
 Oversight shall consider cases forwarded from the 
 Local Meetings on Ministry and Oversight for the 
 acknowledgment of ministers. When the proposi- 
 tion for the acknowledgment of a gift in the minis- 
 try is approved, the said Quarterly Meeting shall so 
 inform the Monthly Meeting. When the proposi- 
 tion is not approved it shall so inform the Local 
 Meeting in which the proposition originated. 
 
 3. When a Quarterly Meeting on Ministry and 
 Oversight has been informed by a Local Meeting on 
 Ministry and Oversight of the subversive character 
 of the teachings or practices of any minister, it 
 
 oe 
 
FORM OF GOVERNMENT. Si 
 
 shall give the matter careful and prayerful attention. 
 If it concurs in the judgment of the latter meeting, 
 and the causes of complaint cannot be removed, the 
 Quarterly Meeting on Ministry and Oversight shall 
 then advise the Monthly Meeting to depose him 
 from the ministry. Should the Local Meeting on 
 Ministry and Oversight be manifestly neglectful in 
 reporting any such case, or should it decline to do 
 so, it shall be the duty of the Quarterly Meeting on 
 Ministry and Oversight to institute proceedings 
 therein on its own motion. The minister shall not 
 sit as a member of the meetings on Ministry and 
 Oversight while his case is pending, but he may, if 
 he desires, be present to make statements on his own 
 behalf and to answer accusations. He must, how- 
 ever, retire while the decision is being made. 
 
 4. The Quarterly Meeting on Ministry and 
 Oversight shall have the general care of the pastoral 
 work within its limits. It shall be diligent and ju- 
 dicious in devising measures and means for the pro- 
 motion of spiritual life and godliness, and it shall 
 give special attention to new congregations, weak- 
 er meetings, and those without a ministry. 
 
 Section II].—YEARLY MEETINGS ON MINISTRY 
 AND OVERSIGHT. ; 
 
 1. The Yearly Meeting on Ministry and Over- 
 sight is composed of the members of the Quarterly 
 Meetings on Ministry and Oversight within its 
 
 6 
 
82 FORM OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 limits. It shall meet annually at such times as the 
 Yearly Meeting may direct, and thereafter on its 
 own adjournment, but in no case so as to conflict 
 with the sittings of the Yearly Meeting. 
 
 2. It shall receive reports from the Quarterly 
 Meetings on Ministry and Oversight, covering the 
 matters upon which they receive reports from the 
 Local Meetings on Ministry and Oversight, and it 
 shall annually report to the Yearly Meeting the 
 condition and work of the ministry, and of its 
 membership; it may address epistles of advice and 
 instruction to its subordinate meetings, and appoint 
 committees to visit them. 
 
 3. The Yearly Meeting on Ministry and Over- 
 sight shall carefully consider subjects which have 
 reference to the spiritual needs of the Church, and 
 it may report its judgment to the Yearly Meeting 
 for its action. 
 
RULES OF DISCIPLINE. 
 
 CEIVED ERT 
 RIGHTS OF MEMBERSHIP, 
 
 SEcTION I.—RECcEPTION By REQUEST. 
 
 I. Application for membership may be made in 
 writing to the Monthly Meeting through the mem- 
 bers of the Pastoral Committee of the congrega- 
 tion. 
 
 2. It shall be the duty of the Pastoral Commit- 
 tee before presenting the name of an applicant for 
 membership to ascertain whether he makes a cred- 
 ible profession of faith in Christ as his Saviour, 
 and accepts the doctrines of the Christian religion 
 as held by The Friends; whether his present life in- 
 dicates the sincerity of his profession, and whether 
 he will conform to the Rules of Discipline. The 
 judgment of the committee shall be given, with the 
 application, and the Monthly Meeting shall act 
 according to its best judgment. The Clerk shall 
 inform the applicant of his reception into member- 
 ship: 
 
 3. When a member is received, the announce- 
 ment of his reception may be publicly made at the 
 conclusion of a meeting for worship on the First 
 
84 RULES OF DISCIPLINE. 
 
 Day of the week when he is present, that all the 
 members may extend to him a welcome. 
 
 4. Parents or guardians may make application 
 for the enrollment of minor children, as Associate 
 members. 
 
 Section I].—REcEPTION By CERTIFICATE. 
 
 1. Monthly Meetings shall issue certificates of 
 membership for such of its members in good stand- 
 ing, or for Associate members, as may remove to 
 the limits of another Monthly Meeting when the 
 same is requested, or the Monthly Meeting deems it 
 best to do so, and such certificate shall be accepted 
 by the Monthly Meeting to which it is’ addressed, 
 unless sufficient reason shall appear to the contrary. 
 In every case the Monthly Meeting receiving the 
 certificate shall inform the meeting which issued it 
 of the action taken thereon, and the membership 
 will not be transferred until such notice is received. ~ 
 
 2. When an applicant for membership produces 
 a letter of recommendation from another evangeli- 
 cal denomination, the Monthly Meeting may exer- 
 cise its judgment as’to receiving him on this recom- 
 mendation. 
 
 3. The acceptance and the issuing of all certifi- 
 cates shall be recorded on the minutes of Monthly 
 Meetings, and the list of members corrected accord- 
 ingly. Removal certificates for ministers shall in- 
 clude a certificate of this position. The official posi- 
 
RULES OF DISCIPLINE. 85 
 
 tions of Elders and Overseers are not transferable. 
 
 [Monthly Meetings may furnish members, pro- 
 posing to travel or to sojourn at a distance, letters 
 of introduction to Friends or other Christian 
 Bodies. Such letters shall show their membership 
 and Christian standing, recommending them to those 
 amongst whom they may come, but they con- 
 vey no rights of membership. | 
 
 Section III.—RESIGNATION AND FORFEITURE OF 
 MEMBERSHIP. 
 
 1. Resignations of membership shall be made to 
 the Monthly Meeting in writing. The Monthly 
 Meeting may exercise its discretion in accepting a 
 resignation. 
 
 2.. If a member in good standing wishes to unite 
 with some other evangelical body of Christians, the 
 Monthly Meeting may grant him a letter stating his 
 Christian standing, whereupon his membership with 
 The Friends shall cease. 
 
 3. When any member shall have united with an- 
 other religious body, the Monthly Meeting, on in- 
 formation thereof, shall remove his name from the 
 list of members, and inform him of its action. 
 
 4. Members removing to places remote from any 
 Monthly Meeting should correspond with their 
 Monthly Meetings, and, where practicable, Monthly 
 Meetings, through a committee, should correspond 
 
86 RULES OF DISCIPLINE. 
 
 with their absent members. If no information has 
 been, or can be, received from a member for a per- 
 iod of three years, his Monthly Meeting, in its dis- 
 cretion, may remove his name from its list of 
 members. 
 
 Section IV.—DeEaALiInc WitH OFFENDERS. 
 
 1. <All formal complaints against a member shall 
 be introduced to his Monthly Meeting in writing by 
 the Overseers, whereupon a committee shall be ap- 
 pointed to confer with the offender, who shall seek 
 in a spirit of love, to show him his error, and to 
 lead him to repentance and confession of the same, 
 in order that he may be restored to fellowship in 
 the Church. If the exercise of due care and’ for- 
 bearance shall be without avail, the Monthly Meet- 
 ing shall execute a minute of disownment and fur- 
 nish the offender with a copy of the same. 
 
 2. When any member habitually neglects the at- 
 tendance of meetings for worship, without reason- 
 able excuse, after a period of three years, due care 
 having been extended by the Monthly Meeting, his 
 name may be removed from the list of members, 
 and the meeting shall inform him of its action. 
 
 [If any of our members, whose official positions 
 make them representative persons in the church, 
 
RULES OF DISCIPLINE. 87 
 
 shall partake of the outward rite of Baptism or of 
 the Supper, or shall teach or advocate these, or any 
 other doctrines or practices contrary to our Declara- 
 tion of Faith, or official statements of Christian 
 doctrine, timely care shall be extended and, if they 
 can not be prevailed upon to condemn their error 
 and to desist therefrom, their Monthly Meetings 
 should remove them from such positions. | 
 
 [If any of our members shall take or administer 
 oaths, the Monthly Meeting to which they belong 
 shall earnestly seek to convince them. of their error 
 in the light of Christ and the Gospel, and to restore 
 them. ] 
 
 3. lf any member shall deny the fundamental 
 doctrines of the Christian religion, or shall be 
 guilty of conduct that brings the Christian religion 
 into public disrepute, the Monthly Meeting shall 
 appoint a committee to endeavor, in a Christian 
 spirit, to reclaim him; if this proves unavailing it 
 shall disown him. 
 
 [If any of our members shall enlist in the army 
 or navy, the Monthly Meeting shall seek to reclaim 
 them from their error. If its care prove unavailing, 
 it should disown them. } 
 
 [If any of our members shall engage in gambling 
 or lotteries, the Monthly Meeting shall seek to re- 
 claim them from their error. If its care prove un- 
 availing, it should disown them. ] 
 
88 RULES OF DISCIPLINE. 
 
 SECTION V—APPEALS. 
 
 1. When a member who has been under dealings 
 by a Monthly Meeting is dissatisfied with its de- 
 cision, he may file with the next Monthly Meeting, 
 or the one succeeding it, his appeal to the Quarter- 
 ly Meeting for its review of the case. The Monthly 
 Meeting shall enter the same upon its minutes and 
 inform the Quarterly Meeting thereof. A commit- 
 tee of three shall be appointed to represent it in the 
 case before the Quarterly Meeting. 
 
 2. When a Quarterly Meeting receives a notice 
 of appeal from a Monthly Meeting it shall refer the 
 subject to a committee, omitting from the appoint- 
 ment members of the Monthly Meeting appealed 
 from. The committee shalt carefully and deliber- 
 ately examine the whole proceedings in the case 
 from their commencement, giving the appellant and 
 the Monthly Meeting’s Committee a full hearing. 
 If it be found that the offence has been rightly ad- 
 judged and the charge substantiated, and that the 
 proceedings have been in accordance with the Con- 
 stitution and Discipline, they are to so report to the 
 Quarterly Meeting, and that meeting, if it approves 
 of the report, shall confirm the judgment of the 
 Monthly Meeting and inform the appellant of the 
 result. 
 
 3. But if it be found that the offence has not 
 been correctly adjudged, or that the charge has not 
 been sufficiently sustained, or that by any irregular- 
 
RULES OF DISCIPLINE. 89 
 
 ity in the proceedings the rights of the appellant 
 have been infringed, the committee shall report in 
 accordance therewith, and the Quarterly Meeting, 
 if it approves of the report, shall set aside the judg- 
 ment of the Monthly Meeting. 
 
 4. In all cases where the judgment of a meeting 
 is set aside, the ground of such decision must be en- 
 tered upon the minutes, and the meeting affected in- 
 formed thereof. If that ground be one of irregu- 
 larity of proceeding only, the meeting shall be at 
 liberty to take up the case again, and correct its 
 error. 
 
 5. Should the appellant be dissatisfied with the 
 decision of the Quarterly Meeting, he may file with 
 the next Quarterly Meeting, or the one succeeding 
 it, but none later, his appeal to the Yearly Meeting 
 for its review of the case. The Quarterly Meeting 
 shall enter the same upon its minutes, inform the 
 Yearly Meeting thereof, and appoint a committee 
 of three or more to represent it in the case before 
 the Yearly Meeting or a committee of the same. The 
 Yearly Meeting shall call all cases of appeal not 
 later than the second day of the sitting of that body. 
 
 6. An appellant shall have a right to be present 
 during the appointment of the committee in his 
 case, and objections which he may then make to 
 persons nominated on the committee are to be 
 judged of by the meeting. 
 
 7. The committee appointed by the Yearly Meet- 
 
go RULES OF DISCIPLINE. 
 
 ing in a case of appeal from a Quarterly Meeting 
 shall examine into and judge of the nature of the 
 offence, and the proceedings in the case, and they 
 shall fully consider the statement of the appellant 
 and that of the respondents, and also the minutes 
 of the Monthly and Quarterly Meetings in the case, 
 and shall report to the Yearly Meeting. The decis- 
 ion of the Yearly Meeting shall be final. 
 
 8. In every case of appeal the decision shall be 
 recorded upon the minutes of the superior meeting, 
 and the clerk of that meeting shall forward a tran- 
 script thereof to the meeting or meetings whence 
 it came, with instructions to enter the same -upon 
 their minutes. 
 
 g. A Monthly Meeting may appeal to the Yearly. 
 Meeting in a case where it may feel aggrieved by 
 the decision of the Quarterly Meeting. 
 
 CHP EERIE 
 MARRIAGE. 
 
 1. Parties desiring to unite in marriage accord- 
 ing to the long-standing custom of The Friends 
 should inform the Monthly Meeting of which one 
 or both of them are members, that they intend mar- 
 riage with each other, which meeting shall enter 
 the proposal on its minutes; and, if either party 1s 
 a minor, consent of parents or guardians must be 
 given to the meeting. 
 
RULES OF DISCIPLINE. gI 
 
 2. If either party be a member of another 
 Monthly Meeting, the Monthly Meeting where the 
 proposition is introduced should have information 
 thereof, so that the name of the Monthly Meeting 
 may be entered on the record. 
 
 3. When any one of our members desires to join 
 in marriage with one not in membership with us, 
 the same procedure is recommended as when both 
 are members, the Monthly Meeting noting the fact 
 of non-membership on its records. 
 
 4. If any objections have been presented to the 
 Overseers, which they shall judge reasonable, they 
 should inform the Monthly Meeting, and a commit- 
 tee should be appointed to investigate and report. 
 when the meeting may dismiss the case or proceed 
 in it, as shall appear right. 
 
 5. _ If no obstruction appears, the parties shall be 
 left at liberty to accomplish their gage accord- 
 ing to the Rules of Discipline. 
 
 6. A committee of two men and two women 
 shall be appointed to attend the marriage, to see that 
 it is properly conducted, and make report to the 
 Monthly Meeting. 
 
 7. Monthly Meetings shall not, in any case, rec- 
 ognize marriage proceedings under circumstances 
 which would violate the laws of the State in which 
 the marriage is solemnized. 
 
 8.. Marriages under the Rules of Discipline shail 
 
Q2 RULES OF DISCIPLINE. 
 
 be solemnized in a regular week-day meeting, or in 
 a meeting appointed by the Monthly Meeting. 
 
 g. At a suitable time in the meeting the parties 
 should stand, and, taking each other by the right 
 hand, declare to the following effect, the man first: 
 
 “In the presence of the Lord, and before these 
 witnesses, I take thee, D. E., to be my wife, promis- 
 ing with Divine assistance, to be unto thee a loving 
 and faithful husband, as long as we both shall live.” 
 
 And the woman in like manner: 
 
 “In the presence of the Lord, and before these 
 witnesses, I take thee, A. B., to be my husband, 
 promising with Divine assistance, to be unto thee 
 a loving and faithful wife as long as we both shall 
 live.” 
 
 to. A certificate is then to be signed by the par- 
 ties, the man first, the woman adopting the name of 
 her husband; and then it is to be audibly read by 
 some proper person. At the conclusion of the meet- 
 ing it should be signed by others as witnesses. 
 
 11. Parties who are to marry must carefully ob- 
 serve the requirements of the laws of their state. 
 both in obtaining a license, when such is required, 
 and in reporting the marriage to the proper civil 
 officers. 
 
 12. Each Yearly Meeting may adopt such regu- 
 lations for the solemnization of marriage as its 
 local conditions may make advisable. 
 
RULES OF DISCIPLINE. 93 
 
 [The following or similar course is recommended 
 when a minister officiates at marriages not conduct- 
 ed under the foregoing rules: After seeing that the 
 license has been obtained, he should have the parties 
 stand and take each other by the right hand. Then 
 after such words as may be fitting to the occasion, 
 address them respectively by their full names as fol- 
 - lows: 
 
 To the man—Dost thou M———— take this wo- 
 man whose hand thou holdest, to be thy wife, prom- 
 ising with Divine assistance to be unto her a loving 
 and faithful husband, so long as you both snail live? 
 
 Answer: I do. 
 
 To the woman—Dost thou N———— take this 
 man whose hand thou holdest, to be thy husband, 
 promising with divine assistance to be unto him a 
 loving and faithful wife so long as you both shall 
 live? 
 
 Answer: I do. 
 
 The minister shall then say: Having complied 
 with the laws of the State of ———, by legal au- 
 thority committed to me, I pronounce you husband 
 and wife. 
 
 As this is one of the most sclera occasions of 
 life the marriage ceremony should be attended with 
 suitable religious exercises. 
 
 Ministers should report all marriages of Friends 
 solemnized by them, both to the proper civil officers 
 
94 RULES OF DISCIPLINE, 
 
 and to the Clerk of the Monthly Meeting of which 
 the newly married persons are members. ] 
 
 CHAPTER ie 
 DIVORCE. 
 
 The marriage relation is the most sacred of hu- 
 man engagements, and it is solemnly entered into 
 for life. It must not’be broken except upon the 
 grounds set forth in the Holy Scriptures. While 
 this relation may be abused, so as to bring suffer - 
 ing upon innocent persons, the moral welfare of the 
 individuals and of the community requires that the 
 sacred permanency of its obligations be maintain- 
 ed. The scriptural, moral and legal obligations and 
 restrictions apply to husband and wife alike. 
 
 [If any members (husbands and wives) shall so 
 far depart from the teaching and spirit of the Gos- 
 pel, in violation of the solemn covenant of marriage, 
 as to quarrel with each other; or, if either shall in- 
 sult or abuse the other; or, if they shall cease to 
 live together as husband and wife, thus disgracing 
 themselves and the Church, let them be speedily 
 dealt with; and if-either or both refuse to submit 
 their difficulties to the overseers, or other Friends 
 chosen to settle the difference, or to abide by their 
 
 decision and live together in harmony, they should — 
 
 be disowned. 
 
 But if either party manifest a willingness to com- 
 
RULES OF DISCIPLINE. 95 
 
 ply with the advice of Friends, and to do his-or her 
 duty, such should not be censured for the wrong of 
 the other, but should have the sympathy of Friends. 
 And if any of our members, under extraordinary 
 circumstances, incline to apply for divorce, they 
 should request the advice of the Monthly Meeting 
 in the case, which nieeting should appoint a com- 
 mittee to investigate the subject in accordance with 
 scriptural instruction. Individuals are not at lib- 
 erty to proceed with such applications without the 
 consent of the Monthly Meeting. | 
 
 GHA PAR LW. 
 TEMPERANCE AND THE LIQUOR 
 TRAFFIC. 
 
 1. All members are earnestly warned against the 
 use of all intoxicating liquors, and of opium in all 
 of its preparations, except for purposes strictly med- 
 icinal, and in the manufactures and arts; and they 
 are advised to abstain from the use of tobacco, The 
 use of these tends to physical, mental and moral 
 injury. 
 
 [Christians who prayerfully consider the subject 
 will feel conscientiously restrained from the use, 
 production or sale of tobacco. No person who uses 
 or sells tobacco should be recorded a Minister, or ap- 
 pointed an Elder, Overseer, or Clerk. ] 
 
 2. As the liquor traffic is a great cause of pov- 
 erty and crime, and a serious obstacle to the spread 
 of the Gospel, members of the Church should never 
 
96 RULES OF DISCIPLINE. 
 
 engage in it in any way, but should be active, earn- 
 est and emphatic in their opposition to this great 
 evil. The liquor saloon should receive no counten- 
 ance in any manner whatsoever. 
 
 [If any of our members shall engage in the use 
 or sale of intoxicating liquors except for medicinal 
 or mechanical purposes, the Monthly Meetings to 
 which they belong, shall earnestly seek to convince 
 them of their error in the light of Christ and the 
 Gospel, and restore them. After due care has been 
 extended without avail, they should be disowned. } 
 
 CHAPTER ¥- 
 SECRET SOCIETIES. 
 
 The rights of individuals to freedom of action. 
 within proper bounds, must be maintained, but it is 
 the duty of the Church to warn its members against 
 whatever may, in any way, interfere with the best 
 development of Christian character, The so-called 
 “secret societies” may often have benevolent and 
 useful provisions for their members, while, at the 
 same time, there may be influences in their associa- 
 tion that lower the moral standards, or lead away 
 from religious interests, or undermine the grounds 
 of faith. The mere pledge to secrecy is a surrender 
 of manly independence that tends to moral decad- 
 ence. Members of the Church should be very cir- 
 cumspect in these important matters, and they wili 
 
RULES OF DISCIPLINE. 97 
 
 find safety in the complete avoidance of such 
 relations. 
 
 [ Believing that the obligations and rules of oath- 
 bound societies are inconsistent with Christianity, 
 if any of our members shall join in membership 
 with or adhere to them, Monthly Meetings should 
 extend care; and if they cannot be convinced of 
 their error, they should be disowned. ] 
 
 CRAP PERV L 
 QUERIES. 
 
 SEcTION I.—GENERAL QUERIES. 
 
 1. The intention in directing the following 
 queries to be seriously considered is not only to in- 
 quire into the state of the meetings, but also to en- 
 courage every member to examine himself whether 
 he acts consistently with the principles of the Christ- 
 ian religion. 
 
 No arrangements, however perfect, can take the 
 place of individual faithfulness to Christ, and daily 
 dependence upon the help of the Holy Spirit, which 
 are necessary to growth in spiritual life and to use- 
 fulness in the Church. The serious consideration 
 of the following queries should tend to direct the 
 attention of all to the true source of spiritual 
 strength, to promote the religious welfare of individ- 
 uals, and to keep the Church in a heaithy condition. 
 
 7 
 
98 RULES OF DISCIPLINE. 
 
 2. These queries are to be read in Monthly and 
 Quarterly Meetings three times a year. 
 
 Query 1. Are all meetings for worship and dis- 
 cipline duly held, and are you regular and punctual 
 in attending them? 
 
 Query 2. Do you love one another as become> 
 
 the followers of Christ? Are you careful of the rep- 
 utation of others? When differences arise, do you 
 make earnest efforts to end them speedily? 
 
 Query 3. Do you seek to maintain a religious 
 life, and to be watchful that you may not be unduly 
 absorbed by temporal affairs? Are you in the daily 
 
 ‘practice of reading the Holy Scriptures in your 
 families, giving time for reverent waiting upon the 
 Lord? 
 
 Query 4. Do you, who have children or others 
 under your care, endeavor to train them for upright 
 and useful lives; and do you prayerfully seek the 
 guidance and blessing of the Lord on your efforts 
 for their conversion and growth in grace? Do you 
 
 encourage them to read and study the Holy. 
 
 Scriptures ? 
 
 Query 5. Do you abstain from the manufacture, 
 sale, or use of intoxicating liquors as a beverage? 
 Are you careful to avoid all places and amusements 
 
 inconsistent with a Christian character; and do you — 
 
 observe true moderation in all things? 
 
 Query 6. Do you maintain the Christian prin- 
 ciple of peace and consistently réfrain from bearing 
 
RULES OF DISCIPLINE. 99 
 
 arms and from performing military service as in- 
 compatible with the precepts and spirit of the gos- 
 pel; from taking or administering oaths; and from 
 defrauding the public revenue? 
 
 Query 7. Do you frequently inspect your af- 
 fairs and settle your accounts? Are you just in your 
 dealings, punctual to your promises and prompt in 
 the payment of your debts; careful to live within 
 your income; and to avoid involving yourselves in- 
 business beyond your ability to manage? 
 
 Query 8. Do you provide for the suitable educa- 
 tion of your children, and do you guard them 
 against hurtful reading and evil associates? Are 
 the necessities of the poor and those likely to require 
 aid inspected and relieved? 
 
 Section I].—QueErtes For MEETINGS on. MINIs- 
 TRY AND OVERSIGHT. 
 
 These queries are to be read three times a year in 
 the Local and Quarterly Meetings on Ministry and 
 Oversight. ° 
 
 Query 1. Are you diligent in attending your 
 meetings for worship and discipline, and careful to 
 promote the attendance of your families? 
 
 Query 2. Are you in unity with one another, 
 and with the meetings to which you belong, har- 
 moniously laboring together in the love of the 
 Gospel? Have you an earnest religious exercise 
 
I0O0 RULES OF DISCIPLINE. 
 
 for the conversion of sinners and for the building 
 up of believers? 
 
 Query 3. Do you prayerfully endeavor to oc- 
 cupy, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in 
 humble dependence upon Christ, the spiritual gifts 
 with which you have been entrusted? Do you 
 cherish an active interest in all who engage in the 
 ministry or other Christian work; and do you make 
 evident your loving sympathy with them and their 
 service ? 
 
 Query 4. Are you good examples to others in up- - 
 
 rightness of life? Do you frequently read the 
 Holy Scriptures, prayerfully seeking a right under- 
 standing of them under the enlightening influence 
 of the Holy Spirit? 
 
 Section II].—Questions To MINISTERS AND EL- 
 DERS. 
 
 [The following queries should be read once a 
 year in the Local Meeting on Ministry and Over- 
 sight. 
 
 No one shall be recorded as a Minister or ap- 
 pointed an Elder, whose doctrinal views are not 
 clearly in accord with the affirmative of the follow- 
 ing questions: 
 
 Query 1. Dost thou believe in one only wise, 
 omnipotent.and eternal God, the Creator and Up- 
 holder of all things? 
 
 Query 2. Dost thou believe in the fall of man 
 
 \ 
 
RULES OF DISCIPLINE. IOl 
 
 through disobedience to God, by yielding to the 
 temptation of Satan; in the depravity of the human 
 heart resulting therefrom; and that, in consequence, 
 all men have sinned and come under condemnation ? 
 
 Query 3. Dost thou believe in the Deity and Man- 
 hood of the Lord Jesus Christ; that His willing sac- 
 rifice on the cross of Calvary was a satisfactory offer- 
 ing to God for the sins of the whole world; that He 
 arose from the dead and ascended into heaven, and 
 now sitteth at the right hand of the Father, our 
 Mediator, Advocate and Intercessor; that man, 
 having been led to repentance, is justified and made 
 acceptable to God through faith in Christ and in 
 His atoning blood and mediation; that this salva- 
 tion is the free gift of God; that it is offered to all, 
 and that all have power to accept or reject it? 
 
 Query 4. Dost thou believe in the Holy Spirit, the 
 promise of the Father, whom Christ declared He 
 would send in His name; that He is come, and con- 
 victs the world of sin; that He leads to repentance 
 towards God and, as the Gospel is known, to faith 
 towards the Lord Jesus Christ, by taking of His 
 and showing it to believers; opens to them the 
 truths of the Gospel as set forth in Holy Scriptures 
 and, as they exercise faith, guides, sanctifies, com- 
 forts and supports them; that. through Him the 
 Lord Jesus Christ performs the work of grace in 
 the hearts of men? 
 
 Query 5. Dost thou believe that thou: hast been 
 born again and hast thou become a child of God? 
 
102 RULES OF DISCIPLINE. 
 
 Query 6. Dost thou believe in the spirituality of 
 worship; that the one Baptism of the Gospel dispen- 
 sation is that of Christ, who baptizes His people with 
 the Holy Spirit; and that the only true communion 
 is a spiritual partaking of the body and blood of 
 Christ by faith? 
 
 Query 7. Dost thou believe the Lord Jesus Christ 
 is Head over all things to the Church; that He calls 
 to the service of the Gospel and. qualifies for it, and 
 that the gift and the qualification to judge of it 
 are from Him, to be exercised under the gtidance 
 of the Holy Spirit? 
 
 Query 8. Dost thou believe in the resurrection of 
 the just and of the unjust;.in a day of judgmént; 
 and that the wicked shall go away into eternal pun- 
 ishment, but the righteous into eternal life? 
 
 Query 9. Dost thou believe that the Holy Scrip- 
 tures were given by inspiration of God; that they 
 are to be believed and accepted in their entirety ; and 
 that whatever doctrine or practice is contrary to 
 them is to be rejected as false and erroneous? | 
 
DEPARTMENTS OF WORK. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 Tue PastoraL COMMITTEE OF THE CONGREGA- 
 ; TION. 
 
 1. It is the duty of this Committee to have a 
 general oversight of the shepherding ot the flovk, 
 to be watchful of the interests of absent members, 
 to visit the families of attenders of meetings, to ex- 
 tend a special care to those attenders who are not 
 members, and to invite them to join in membership 
 when they are prepared to do so. They shall ex- 
 tend a watchful care over the Associate members, 
 and encourage them to become Active members so 
 soon as they are prepared to do so. 
 
 2. The Pastoral Committee shall receive appli- 
 cations for membership, examine each case carefully 
 
 and act upon it as provided in Rules of Discipline, 
 hap. I, Sec. \T. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE EVANGELISTIC COMMITTEE OF THE QUAR- 
 TERLY MEETING. 
 
 The Quarterly Meeting shall have the general 
 oversight and care of the evangelistic work within 
 
104 DEPARTMENTS OF WORK. 
 
 its borders; it shall be diligent to assist the congre- 
 gation in carrying it on, and it shall have authority 
 to open and assume charge of new fields of labor. 
 It may annually appoint an Evangelistic Committee 
 to advance these interests, whose chairman shall be 
 an advisory member of the Yearly Meeting’s Com- 
 mittee on Evangelistic and Church Extension Work. 
 
 CHAPTER TE 
 
 EVANGELISTIC AND CHURCH EXTENSION COMMIT- 
 TEE OF THE YEARLY MEETING. 
 
 1. Each Yearly Meeting may appoint a Commit- 
 tee on Evangelistic and Church Extension Work, 
 whose duty it shall be to ascertain the needy fields 
 within the limits of the Yearly Meeting, and en- 
 deavor to meet the requirements of these by such 
 gospel service as may, under the Divine blessing, 
 arouse the lukewarm and indifferent, bring sinners 
 to repentance and faith in Christ, strengthen be- 
 lievers, and advance the interests of the Church. 
 Special attention shall be given to gathering the 
 scattered membership and to the establishment of 
 meetings where practicable. They shall be au- 
 thorized to secure funds by voluntary contributions 
 for building new meeting houses and repairing old 
 ones. When this Committee engages in evangelistic 
 work within the limits of a Quarterly Meeting, it 
 shall maintain harmonious relations with the Quar- 
 terly Meeting on Ministry and Oversight. 
 
 va 
 
 4 
 
DEPARTMENTS OF WORK. IO5 
 
 2. The Committee shall organize by the ap- 
 pointment of a Chairman, a Secretary, and a Treas- 
 urer, who, with the General Superintendent, where 
 one is appointed, shall constitute. the Executive 
 Committee. These persons shall perform the duties 
 usually pertaining to their positions. 
 
 3. Upon the nomination of the Committee, the 
 Yearly Meeting may appoint a General Superintend- 
 ent of Evangelistic and Church Extension Work, 
 who shall perform such duties as the Committee 
 may direct. 
 
 4. The Committee shall give to ministers, or 
 other workers who desire to engage in special pas- 
 toral or evangelistic service, certificates as provided 
 for in Par. 6, Sec. Il, Chap. VII.,.Form of Govern- 
 ment. 
 
 5. The chairmen of the Quarterly Meetings’ 
 Committees shall be advisory members of this 
 Yearly Meeting’s Committee. 
 
 GEA PT PRAY. 
 ADDITIONAL DEPARTMENTS FOR IOWA 
 YEARLY MEETING. 
 
 Section I.—Foreicn Mrssions. 
 
 1. [The Yearly Meeting may appoint a Mis- 
 sion Board of ten members, five of whose appoint- 
 “ments shall expire each year. 
 
 To this Board is entrusted the care and manage- 
 ment of the Mission Work that is carried on by the 
 Yearly Meeting. 
 
106 DEPARTMENTS OF WORK. 
 
 2. The Officers of this Board may consist of a 
 President, Vice-President, Secretary, and ‘lreasur- 
 er with the duties which usually devolve upon such 
 officers in Mission Boards. Reports of the work 
 shall be made annually and the Treasurer’s report 
 shall be duly audited before being presented to 
 
 the Yearly Meeting. 
 
 ey The Mission Board is authorized to take up 
 voluntary contributions for the work in such man- 
 ner as they may arrange, throughout the Yearly 
 Meeting. 
 
 4. All Missionary funds raised within the lun 
 its of the Yearly Meeting, whether in support of 
 work that is carried on directly by the Yearly Meet- 
 ing, ot for other fields, should pass through the 
 treasury of the Board and be included in the re- 
 ports. | 
 
 Section I].—Brsre ScHOOLS. 
 
 [Each Monthly Meeting may appoint two 
 or more persons annually to act with a Committee 
 appointed by the Bible Schocl to nominate the of- 
 ficers. This Committee with the newly elected of- 
 ficers may nominate the teachers, and with the pas- 
 tor and general officers of the schooi constitute 2 
 Bible School Committee to have under their care 
 the interests of the School. They may arrange for 
 ‘ special services, (such as Children’s Day or Christ- 
 mas Exercises), and may supply any vacancies 
 among the officers and teachers: 
 
DEPARTMENTS OF WORK. 107 
 
 2. Each Quarterly Meeting may appoint a Super- 
 intendent of Bible School W ork. 
 
 3. The Yearly Meeting may appoint a Bible 
 School Committee of five members. The Committe 
 may organize by appointing a President and a Sec- 
 retary who may also act as Treasurer. The Yearly 
 Meeting may also appoint a Superintendent of Bible 
 School Work, the said Superintendent to be nomi- 
 nated by the Bible School Committee. The Super- 
 intendent may be ex officio a member of the Yearly 
 Meeting’s Committee, and shall report annually to 
 the Yearly Meeting. | 
 
 Section II].—TuHe Younc PEoprLe’s CHRISTIAN 
 ENDEAVOR UNION. 
 
 1. [The Young People’s Christian Endeavor Un- 
 ion of Iowa Yearly Meeting may consist of the 
 membership of the Young’ People’s Christian En- 
 deavor Societies of lowa Yearly Meeting. 
 
 2. It is the mission of the Union to lead the 
 young people to Christ, to build them up in Chris- 
 tian character, to work for the church in every way 
 possible and to stimulate the spirit of fidelity to 
 Christ and the church. 
 
 3. The Union may have a Constitution govern- 
 ing its organization and work, under which the of- 
 ficers may be a President, two Vice-Presidents, Sec- 
 retary, Treasurer, Superintendent and Correspond- 
 ing Secretary, to be nominated annually in a ses- 
 
108 DEPARTMENTS OF WORK. 
 
 sion of the Union, and appointed by the Yearly 
 Meeting. These constitute the Executive Commit- 
 tee and shall report to the Yearly Meeting. ] 
 
 Section IV.—PEACE. 
 
 [The Yearly Meeting’s Committee on Peace is 
 constituted by the appointment of one member from 
 each Quarterly Meeting, who may have care.of the 
 work in the said meeting. The Committee thus ap- 
 pointed may organize by the appointment of a 
 Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. This Commit- 
 tee may hold an annual meeting at the time of 
 Yearly Meeting, and receive reports of work done 
 by similar committees in the subordinate meetings. 
 They may distribute literature, arrange for public 
 meetings, and as far as practicable in all our subor- 
 dinate meetings, raise funds and labor to extend the 
 knowledge of Peace principles among the masses of 
 the people and encourage every right movement 
 toward arbitration and universal peace. | 
 
 SECTION V.—SUPPRESSION OF’ THE LiQuUOR 
 TRAFFIC. 
 
 1. [Each Monthly Meeting may appoint annually 
 a committee on the Suppression of the Liquor Traf- 
 fic. They shall co-operate with the member of the 
 Yearly Meeting’s Committee belonging to their 
 Quarterly Meeting and report to him all work done. 
 
 2. The Yearly Meeting’s Committee on Suppres- | 
 
DEPARTMENTS OF WORK. 109g 
 
 sion of the Liquor Traffic may be constituted by 
 the appointment of one member from each Quar- 
 terly Meeting, who shall have care of the work in 
 the said meeting. The Committee thus appointed 
 may organize by the appointment of a Chairman, 
 Secretary and Treasurer, and shall report annually 
 to the Yearly Meeting. 
 
 3. Each member of this Committee shall co-op- 
 erate with each Monthly Meeting’s Committee of 
 his Quarterly Meeting, in providing plans for the 
 year’s work, and forward a summary of reports to 
 the Secretary of the Yearly Meeting’s Committee. | 
 
 Section VI.—ComMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 
 
 [The duty of this Committee may be to co-oper- 
 ate with like Committees of other Yearly Meetings 
 in aggressive work for the civilization and christ- 
 ianization of the Indians of our own country, and in 
 the appointment of members and officers of the 
 Executive Committee of Friends on Indian Af- 
 fairs. | 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 BOARDS OF THE FIVE-YEARS MEETING. 
 Section I.—Boarp oF ForeIGcNn Missions. 
 
 ‘ -A Board of Foreign Missions shall be organ- 
 ized, to consist of two members from each Yearly 
 Meeting, and an additional member for each eight 
 thousand members and fractional part thereof above 
 
110 DEPARTMENTS OF WORK. 
 
 five thousand, to be designated by the Yearly Meet- 
 ings when their delegates to the Five-Years Meeting 
 are appointed, and who may or may not be dele- 
 gates to the Five-Years Meeting, to serve for five 
 years. Each. Yearly Meeting shall fill vacancies in 
 its own representation. The Board of Foreign Mis- 
 sions thus constituted shall meet before the final ad- 
 journment of the Five-Years Meeting and appoint 
 from among its members a Chairman, a Secretary 
 and a Treasurer, and at least two others who, with 
 these officers, shall constitute an Executive Commit- 
 tee. The names of these officers shall be reported 
 to the Five-Years Meeting and published in its pro- 
 ceedings. ; 
 
 The Board of Foreign Missions shall have a gen- 
 eral advisory oversight of the Foreign Mission 
 work of the several Yearly Meetings represented in 
 the Board. With the approval of two-thirds of its 
 members it may enter upon mission fields not oc- 
 cupied by any Yearly Meeting; and it may assume 
 control of such missionary work as any Yearly 
 Meeting may see fit to transfer to it. 
 
 The members of the Board from the several 
 Yearly Meetings shall fully inform the Secretary as 
 to the mission needs, and of the work done by their 
 Yearly Meetings and their subordinate meetings. 
 
 The Executive Committee of the Board shall have 
 the general charge of its affairs in executing the di- 
 rections of the Board. The members of the Ex- 
 
DEPARTMENTS OF WORK. ei 
 
 ecutive Committee shall be paid their actual ex- 
 penses incurred in the performance of their duties. 
 
 It shall be the duty of the Chairman to preside 
 at the meetings of the Board and of the Executive 
 Committee, and to order such payments as are to be 
 made by the Treasurer for the obligations authoriz- 
 ed by the Board or the Executive Committee. 
 
 The Secretary shall be the executive officer of the 
 Board, and it shall be his duty to collect informa- 
 tion respecting the condition and needs of Foreign 
 Mission fields, and to learn, as far as possible, the 
 best means of supplying those needs; to obtain from 
 the members of the Board, and from other sources, | 
 full information of the Foreign Mission work car- 
 ried on by the several Yearly Meetings represented 
 in the Board, or by the members of these Yearly 
 Meetings and to advise those in charge of such work 
 in reference thereto; to ascertain the qualifications 
 and preferences of those offering themselves as mis- 
 sionaries; to collect and publish full statistics con- 
 cerning all the Foreign Mission work of Friends in 
 America, and, in general to obtain and impart such 
 information, from within and without the denomi- 
 nation, as may aid the Foreign Mission work. 
 
 The Secretary shall be paid such salary as the 
 Board may determine. 
 
 It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to receive all 
 funds for the use of the Board, and to disburse them 
 on the order of the Chairman, countersigned by the 
 
D2 DEPARTMENTS OF WORK. 
 
 Secretary. He shall keep the said funds in a sep- 
 arate bank account, and his accounts shall be ex- 
 amined annually, or oftener, by auditors appointed 
 by the Board. 
 
 The Secretary and Treasurer shall annually make 
 separate reports to the members of the Board and 
 to each Yearly Meeting, and the Board shall make 
 full report to the Five-Years Meeting. 
 
 Voluntary contributions for the work of the 
 Board or for the separate missionary work of the 
 Yearly Meeting, shall be annually solicited in every 
 congregation of each Yearly Meeting, care being 
 taken to give to each member an opportunity to 
 participate therein;;and each Yearly Meeting wil! 
 make the necessary arrangements therefor. 
 
 The expenses of the administration of the Board, 
 not otherwise provided for, shall be apportioned to 
 the several Yearly Meetings uniting in the work of 
 the Board, according to the number of their mem- 
 bers, and each Yearly Meeting shall raise its quota 
 thereof in such manner as it may choose. 
 
 If there shall be any Yearly Meeting that does 
 not adopt this Constitution and Discipline, or any 
 Association within such a Yearly Meeting which 
 may yet desire to place all or any portion of its mis- 
 sion work under the direction and control of the 
 Board of Missions, the Board shall be at liberty to 
 undertake the same with such arrangements as to 
 
DEPARTMENTS OF WORK. 113 
 
 representation on the Board and the expense of the 
 work as may be agreed upon. 
 
 The Board of Foreign Missions shall become in- 
 corporated under the laws of the State of Indiana, 
 with the title of “American Friends Board of For- 
 eign Missions,” and they shall appoint Trustees to 
 receive, invest and administer, according to the 
 laws of the said State, such gifts, bequests and con- 
 tributions as may be made for the use and purposes 
 of the Board. This incorporation shall include pro- 
 visions for holding and transferring real estate 
 wherever necessary. 
 
 The Board of Foreign Missions may establish 
 regulations for the admission of members into the 
 Church in the various fields under its care, and for 
 the establishment and organization of meetings of 
 such members. These meetings shall continue un- 
 der the care and supervision of the Board until 
 such time as it may appear to be advisable to at- 
 tach them to some existing Yearly Meeting, or un- 
 til, in its judgment, a new Yearly Meeting should 
 be established, when the Board shall report the sit- 
 uation, with its recommendations, to the Five-Years 
 Meeting, which body, after careful consideration, 
 shall be at liberty to establish such Yearly Meeting 
 in the manner directed in the section on new Yearly 
 Meetings. 
 
 8 
 
TI4 DEPARTMENTS OF WORK. 
 
 Section II.—EvANGELISTIC AND CHURCH Ex- 
 TENSION BOARD. 
 
 An Evangelistic and Church Extension Board 
 shall be appointed by the Five-Years Meeting, to | 
 consist of two members from each Yearly Meeting, 
 and an additional member for each eight thousand 
 members and fractional part thereof above five 
 thousand, to serve for five years. The committee 
 thus appointed shall meet before the final adjourn- 
 ment of the meeting, and appoint from among its 
 members a Chairman, a Treasurer, and a Secretary, 
 who, with at least two additional members appoint- 
 ed for the purpose, shall constitute the Executive 
 Committee. The names of these officers shall be 
 reported to the meeting and published in its proceed- 
 ings. 
 
 The duties of these officers shall be such as the 
 Board may determine. 
 
 The members of this Board shall inform the Sec 
 retary of the needs for Evangelistic work in their 
 several Yearly Meetings, of its progress, and of the 
 names and organizations of such Evangelistic Com- - 
 mittees as these meetings may have, and the Secre- 
 tary shall keep a complete record of the ministers 
 and their addresses in all the Yearly Meetings. 
 
 The Evangelistic and Church Extension Board 
 shall obtain such information as may be possible in 
 reference to neglected fields within the several Year- 
 
DEPARTMENTS OF WORK. If5 
 
 ly Meetings, or in territory accessible therefrom, 
 and shall advise the Evangelistic and Church Ex- 
 tension Committee of the Yearly Meeting in refer- 
 ence thereto. Where the needs of these fields are 
 greater than the Yearly Meeting in whose care they 
 are placed can properly meet, the Board may assist 
 in the work, upon the request of the Yearly Meeting 
 by the contribution of funds obtained for this pur- 
 ’ pose by solicitations from Friends and others. When 
 such fields, within or without a Yearly Meeting, 
 have been entered upon, and the erection ot build- 
 ings for public worship has become advisable, the 
 Evangelistic and Church Extension Board shall so- 
 licit funds for this purpose, in such manner as it 
 may deem proper; it shall advise in reference to the 
 erection of such buildings, and it may take tempor- 
 ary charge of the work where it may seem desirable 
 so to do. It may also establish a permanent building 
 fund. 
 
 The Board may also make loans of judicious 
 amounts, from funds in its hands, taking proper se- 
 curity for their payment, for the purpose of aid- 
 ing in the erection of buildings for public worship 
 wherever, in the judgment of the Board, such as- 
 sistance may be advisable. In the discretion of the 
 Board the loan may be free from interest for a term 
 not to exceed three years. 
 
 The Evangelistic and Church Extension Board 
 shall make a report of its work to the Five-Years 
 
 > 
 
116 DEPARTMENTS OF WORK. 
 
 Meeting. The expenses of its correspondence sha 
 be met by this meeting. 
 
 Section II].—LeEcIsLaATion. 
 
 The Five-Years Meeting shall appoint a commit- 
 tee of two members from each Yearly Meeting, and 
 this committee shall appoint from its members a 
 sub-committee of five. The former, in conjunction 
 with the Permanent Boards of the Yearly Meetings, 
 shall give attention to legislation in their respective 
 States affecting the denomination and the interests 
 it represents; and the latter shall give attention to 
 subjects before the National Congress, and in those 
 States where there are no organized meetings of 
 The Friends. The committee shall have authority 
 to issue statements as to the position of this branch 
 of the Church when urgent occasions shall arise. 
 
 SECTION 1V.—EpDUCATION. 
 
 The Five-Years Meeting shall appoint a commit- 
 tee, to consist of one member from each Yearly 
 Meeting, who shall give information concerning 
 such educational needs as may arise who may ad- 
 vise for or against the establishment of new institu- 
 tions or the closing or consolidation of old ones; 
 who may recommend text-books that give valuable 
 information concerning the history or doctrines of 
 our branch of the church; and who may establish a 
 Friends Teachers’ Agency. 
 
DEPARTMENTS OF WORK. 117 
 
 Section V.—PHILANTHROPY. 
 
 It shall also be the duty of the Comntttee on Leg- 
 islation to aid members of the Church anywhere 
 who, from exceptional causes, may need assistance 
 not rendered by the customary manner of caring for 
 the poor, and to participate with other Christians :n 
 relieving distress resulting from unusual causes. 
 They shall be at liberty to solicit contributions for 
 the purpose of their appointment. 
 
 Section VI.—INDIANS AND NEGROES. 
 
 The Five-Years Meeting may undertake the work 
 of securing justice to the North American Indians 
 _and Negroes in all their interests, and may engage 
 in efforts for their education, civilization and chris- 
 tianization where it may deem it advisable to do so. 
 
 Section VII.—PEAcE AND ARBITRATION. 
 
 The Five-Years Meeting may engage in the work 
 of advancing the cause of Peace and Arbitration 
 whenever it may deem it advisable to do so. 
 
SUGGESTED FORMS. 
 
 TRANSFER CERTIFICATE, 
 
 ese 0 © 8 wee oe ee 8 ee 8 ie 8 8 8 fe 8 ee ©) se) we ee) ein wien eee aie 
 
 standing with us, and we therefore commend...... 
 
 to your Christian care and fellowship 
 
 On behalitona: 275 etree Monthly Meeting of 
 Friends -heldtat<-.17.ft tee on the... .day 
 “6.10 Veg hpure ree A OE DSR 190 
 
 cee cee ee Clerk 
 
 Where the membership of families is transferred, 
 the names of both parents should be given in fuil, 
 also the full name and age of each child, designating - 
 who are Active and who are Associate members. 
 
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF TRANSFER. 
 
 This is to certify, that we have received and have 
 accepted the certificate of membership issued by you 
 
 CTI a RG MOREA EAE MA i : 
 
 @lacbelialh ofa 1). 4/0: Monthly Meeting of 
 Himends Weld: this a. day of. Wail jaa 190 
 
 RAPA NW are MSE EISR Clerk 
 CERTIFICATE TO OTHER DENOMINATIONS. 
 
 BU ote a NS he ar UPA er aya Church at 
 BRYN ciSilas i! ek a PERO, Secge anton at LO ihn a en SEA Ge 
 Seige ae ......a member in good standing in our 
 Church at this place wishes........membership, 
 
 transferred to your body. We therefore, commend 
 
 AEN Sam to your care and Christian fellowship. 
 
 Omiipehalinah ake). Vs le Monthly Meeting of 
 iat ns el dierb a6 cok kc ie ee Omiythe |e ws 
 CBS GT DAs on aA Re Rees , 190 
 
 poy re uae et Ce Le i pw Clerks 
 
STATISTICAL REPORT. 
 
 To be entered on the Records of the Monthly and Quarterly 
 Meetings: 
 Repontiol. ne ee ae Meeting of Friends 
 he rede Naar see rn es eal P. 0., State of... eee 
 for the year ending Sixth Month 30th, 190..... 
 No. of members reported last year, Males...................c20e020 
 Females:.:::2- eee 
 Total ..... 2.2 
 No. of members this year, - - Males... ieee ees 
 Females. ..:5:- cee 
 
 Nowof Wpirths <2. oe. oe ee es was seaptatianectsse 
 No. received by request..........-2-2..:ec0cce-200 ous er 
 Na: received by certificate... oe ch heicer ake Soa 
 No. received by letter from other denominations...........+:-++ s+ 
 
 Total Increéase......0.050). eee 
 
 Nosofwdeaths.... 942.52). veccesteesssssiusdaus sane 
 
 ING. resignations ......2css.ccys-cctechseae besos s52scs-2 ose aces ae 
 No. transferred to other Monthly Mestings.......................1....... 
 No. transferred to other denominations...............-..::::-:02: fesse 
 Total Decrease... F et Pe 
 No. reported above who are ye ‘Members pepaeeare Ise -* 
 No. reported above who are Non-Resident Members..............-..- 
 No. of Monthly Meetings. .... .......-.:::2::cerseeseeeeeeterecersnsneeemeddecenenares 
 No. of Congregations ... ......-.--.-::c:::seeececereccesneeeeeecaesttnaaensnalan aeanans 
 No. of Ministers last year, Male...........-....----- Female....10...-}...--+224 
 No. of Ministers this year, Male.............------- Female..........4.-------- 
 
INDEX. 
 
 APPEALS, 88. 
 ~ Army, 87. 
 
 BaprisM, with water, 25, 86. 
 
 with the Holy Spirit, 17, 26, 102. 
 Belief, 7—46. 
 Bible Schools, 106. 
 Births, 50, 53. 
 Board of Trustees, 55, 70. 
 _ Boards of the Five-Years Meeting, 109. 
 Education, 116. 
 Evangelistic and Church Extension, 114. 
 Foreign Missions, 109. 
 Indians and Negroes, 117. 
 Legislation, 116. 
 Peace, 117. 
 Philanthropy, 117. 
 
 CERTIFICATES, 59-63, 118, 119. 
 ‘of removal, 118. 
 for ministerial service, 59-63 
 of removal of ministers, 62. 
 of marriages, 92-93. 
 Children, membership of, 49-50 
 Christ, 13. 
 Christian Endeavor, 107. 
 Church, The, 7. 
 Clerks, official functions, 51, 53. 
 
122 INDEX. 
 
 Conscience, 34. 
 Creation, Man’s, :20. 
 Correspondents, 55. 
 
 DEATHS, 53. 
 
 Declaration of Faith, 7. 
 
 Delegates, (See also Representatives), 74. . 
 Departments of Work, 108. 
 
 Divorce, 94. : 
 
 EpvucaTIion, 116. 
 
 Elders, 54, 56, 63. 
 appointment of 63, 100. 
 duties of 63-65. 
 
 Essential Truths, 8. 
 
 Evangelistic Committee, 
 of Quarterly Meeting, 103 
 of Yearly Meeting, 104. 
 
 FINAL JUDGMENT, 23. 
 Finance Committee of Monthly Meeting, 56. 
 Finance Committee of Yearly Meeting, 70. 
 Financial Support, 76. 
 Five-Years Meeting, 74. 
 Form of Government, 47. 
 Foreign Missions, 105, 109. 
 Fox, Letter of, 38. 
 Friends, The, 47, 
 
 Denomination of, 48. 
 
 GAMBLING, 87. 
 Gifts, Spiritual, 44. 
 God, 12. 
 
INDEX. 123 
 
 HISTORICAL STATEMENT; 3. 
 Holy Spirit, 16. 
 
 JEStus, 18. 
 Judgment, Final, 23, 102. 
 Justification, 20. 
 
 Liquor TRAFFIC, 95, 108. 
 Lotteries, 87. 
 
 MARRIAGE, 35, 90. 
 
 Meeting, 50. 
 for business, 51. 
 
 Members, Associate, 50. 
 Active, 50, 51, 53. 
 
 Membership, 49. 
 reception by request, 83. 
 reception by certificate, 84. 
 resignation, 85. 
 
 Ministers, 
 recording, 57, 59, 100. 
 liberating, 59-63. 
 
 Ministry and Oversight, 
 Local, 77. 
 Quarterly, 80. 
 Yearly, 81. 
 Queries for, 99. 
 
 Monthly Meetings, organization and powers, 52. 
 
 Navy, 87. 
 
 New Fields of Work, 57. 
 
 New Monthly Meetings, 57. i 
 New Quarterly Meetings, 57 
 New Yearly Meetings, 75. 
 
124 INDEX. 
 
 “ 
 
 OaTHS, 36, 87. 
 
 ‘Offenders, 86. 
 ' Officers, term of, 53. 
 Overseers, 54, 56. 
 appointment of, 54. 4 
 duties of, 54, 74-80. 
 
 ‘PASTORAL COMMITTEE, 56, 103, 
 Pastors, 77, 78, 79, 106. ; 
 Peace, 35, 108. 
 
 Permanent Board, 72. 
 Praise, 33. 
 
 Prayer, 33. 
 
 QUARTERLY MEETINGS, 65. 
 Queries, 97-102. 
 general, 97. ; 
 for Meetings on Ministry and Oversight, 99. ‘ 
 questions to Ministers and Elders, 100. 
 
 RECORDER, 53. 
 
 Recording Ministers, 57-59. 
 
 Report on State of the Church, 56, 
 Representatives, 53, 67. 
 Representative Meeting. (See Permanent Board). 
 Resurrection, The, 238, 102. ; 
 Richmond Declaration, The, 12. 
 ‘Rights of Membership, 83-90. 
 Rules of Discipline, 83. 
 
 SANCTIFICATION, 20. 
 Sabbath, 37. 
 Scriptures, Holy, 18. 
 Secret Societies, 96. 
 
oS Few 
 ~ ; 
 
 INDEX. 125 
 
 Sin, 20. 
 Spirit, the Holy, 16. 
 State of the Church, 56. 
 
 Statistical blank, 120. 
 Superintendent of Evangelistic and Church Extension 
 
 Work, 105. 
 Supper, Lord’s, 27, 87. 
 
 TEMPERANCE, 95. 
 Tobacco, 95. 
 Transfer certificate, 120, 121. 
 Treasurer, 54. 
 Trustees, 
 of Monthly Meetings, 55 
 of Yearly Meetings, 70. 
 
 Wark, 87. 
 Women, 31, 57. 
 
 . Worship, Public, 29, 43. 
 
 YEARLY MEETINGS, 67. 
 Young People’s Christian Endeavor, 105. 
 
pane T 
 
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 Date Due 
 
 NOV 11 1937 | | 
 or a | 
 
 WAR 22 '63 
 
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 fee 
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 Form 335—-25M—7-35—B-M.Co. 
 
R 1 ud 
 Sch.", 28936 F911 Ia 2.94383 
 Iowa Society of Frienéss 
 
 Constitution 
 
 School of Religion 
 
 FOR LIBRARY 
 USE ONLY 
 
i EAN