Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from Rules of Discipline of the Religious Society of Friends: With Advices: Being Extracts From the Minutes and Epistles of Their Yearly Meeting, Held in London, From Its First Institution
In the belief that they may prove acceptable to friends generally, some extracts are appended to this preface, from approved documents of the Society, issued at different periods, and declaratory of its views, in reference to some of the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. Although the original and immediate ground of the religious fellowship of our predecessors, was union of sentiment in regard to Christ's inward teaching - a doctrine which they believed to have been too much neglected by others, yet, as is evident from these extracts, they were firm believers in all that is revealed in Holy Scripture respecting our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; nor would they have allowed that any one held the truth, who denied his coming in the ?esh, or the benefit derived to fallen man by his propitiatory sacrifice.
Our early friends not only recognized the Bible as the standard of their religious doc trines, but were particularly careful to adhere to Scripture language in the statement of them. They adopted no creed or confession of faith to be subscribed by their members, yet when charged with false opinions, they did not hesitate to make a full declaration of their views on any or all of the points of the Christian faith. Thus, when George Fox was at Barbadoes, in the year 1671, the society being accused of denying the outward coming of Christ, he, with some other friends, drew up a paper in reply to the charge, To go forth in the name of the people called Quakers. Again, in the year 1693, on the occasion of a secession in America, a more enlarged statement of the doctrines of our society was drawn up and published in London; and other documents have been issued by the yearly meeting, of a similar tenor, so recently as the years 1829 and 1830.
The subjoined extracts are taken from these declarations; and their harmony cannot fail to be grateful to the members of our religious society. A brief notice of the origin and establishment of our Christian discipline, of its objects, and of the principal meetings instituted for its maintenance, is now inserted in the form of an Introduction.
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