Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/509

 FRIENDS 497 the book of Revelation : ' Behold I stand at the door and knock ; if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.' Divine worship must be performed immediately between the soul and its Maker. No man can do it for an- other. It is therefore the practice of Friends to sit down in solemn silence to worship God, that each one may strive to gather inward to the gift of divine grace in order to receive ability to worship the Father of spirits in spirit and in truth, and offer to him, through Christ Jesus our holy Mediator, an acceptable sacri- fice, whether in silent mental adoration, the public ministry of the gospel, or vocal prayer and thanksgiving. The call, authority, and qualification for gospel ministry are from Christ Jesus alone, who dispenses them to both men and women, as he sees fit, without regard to rank, learning, or human selection and appointment ; and they must be received immediately from him through the revelation of his Spirit in the heart. The command, 'Freely ye have received, freely give,' is of lasting obligation, and the gospel is to be preached without price ; hence the society has borne a constant testimony against a paid ministry, which derives its authority from hu- man learning and ordination, which does not acknowledge a dependence for the perform- ance of it upon the renewed motion and aid of the Holy Spirit. War is wholly at variance with the spirit of the gospel, which continually breathes peace on earth and good will to all men. When the reign of the Prince of Peace is set up in the hearts of men, ' nation will not lift up sword against nation, nor will men learn war any more.' The words of Christ, 4 Swear not at all,' and of the apostle James, ' Swear not, neither by heaven, nor earth, nor by any other oath,' forbid all swearing of every kind. The fast to which Christians are called is not the observance of any particular day set apart by man, but a continual fasting from sin ; and therefore Friends cannot con- scientiously join in public fasts or holy days, so called. They hold that under the gospel there is no inherent holiness in one day more than another, but that all are to be kept holy ; and they do not pay a superstitious reverence to the first day of the week, but as it is neces- sary that some time should be fix"ed to meet to worship God, and that men should be free from outward affairs, and that laborers and beasts should have time for rest, and as the primitive Christians used the first day for these purposes, therefore Friends observe that day as a time of rest, and for religious retire- ment and waiting on God. The enslaving of the human species is entirely opposed to the commands of Christ and the spirit of his _ re- ligion, and the society bears a testimony against the system ; also against the unnecessary use of intoxicating drinks. It enjoins upon its members plainness and simplicity in dress, language, and behavior ; moderation in the pursuit of business ; and that they discounte- nance lotteries and games of chance, music, dancing, stage plays, horse races, and all other vain and pernicious amusements and prac- tices." As all who regularly attend the meet- ings of Friends, as well as their children, are viewed as members, Fox saw that some system of church government was necessary by which their conduct might be regulated and controlled. Hence he early began the es- tablishment of meetings for discipline. The first objects of attention of these meetings were the care of the poor, the maintenance and education of orphans and poor children, the orderly accomplishment of marriages, the reg- istry of births and deaths, the granting of certificates of approval to ministers travel- ling abroad, and preserving an account of the sufferings of Friends in support of their re- ligion. While it was to be expected that offences would arise, it did not necessarily follow that the erring one must be cut off; and measures were adopted for extending brotherly labor, in the spirit of love and meek- ness, for the restoration of such. When brought sincerely to condemn his error and amend his way, a brother is gained; and if this desirable result is not attained, the church testifies against his misconduct and declares that he is no longer a member of it. This is the extent of the censure pronounced by the society, and its proceedings are founded on the directions given by our Lord in Matt, xviii. 15-20. The disciplinary care of the society was also exercised to preserve its members from denying or impugning its Christian principles. At different periods persons have been disowned for such errors as "denying the divinity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the immediate revelation of the Holy Spirit, or the authenticity of the Holy Scrip- tures." There are four grades of meetings for discipline : first, preparative, which prepare business for the second or monthly meetings, in which the executive power is chiefly lodged ; then the quarterly meetings, consisting of sev- eral monthly meetings, and exercising a super- visory care over them ; and lastly the yearly meetings, which include the whole society within a prescribed district, possess exclusively the legislative power, and annually investigate the condition of their subordinate meetings. In each preparative meeting there are usually two or more Friends of each sex chosen as overseers to take cognizance of any improper conduct of the members, to admonish them in love, and if necessary report the case to the preparative meeting. From this it generally goes to the monthly meeting, where a com- mittee is appointed to endeavor to convince and reclaim the offender. The women have similar meetings and the like order and care for the help and preservation of their men bers, but take no part in the legislative pro- ceedings of the society. There are also dis- tinct meetings for the oversight and help of