are to be stopt and judged as there 's a woman tale in her person and fleckled in her face and also one John Harding who are for judgment and to be condemned 13ly And if there happen any difference betweene Friend and Friend of any matters if it cannot be ended before the Generall meeting Let half a dozen Friends from the Generall meeting be ordered to put a speedy end therevnto That justice may speedily done that noe difference may rest nor remaine amongst any And let your Generall meetings be once every Quarter of a yeare and to be appointed at such places as may be most convenient for the most of Friends to meete in Soe that the house may be cleansed of all that is contrary to puritie vertue light life and Spirit and power of God soe that Friends may not be one anothers sorrow and trouble but one another joy and Crowne in the Lord 14ly and all Friends see that your Children be trained vp in the feare of the Lord in Sobernesse and holynesse and Righteousnesse and temperance and meeknesse and lowlynesse and modesty in their apparrell and carriage and so to exhort your Children and families And teach your Children when they are young then will they remember it when they are old according to Solomon soe that your Children may be a blessing to you and not a curse 15ly And that Friends do buy Convenient burying places as Abraham did who bought a place to bury his dead and would not bury amongst the Aegyptians and Cananites and Jacob was brought out of Aegypt and Joseph and they were buryed in their Grandfather and great Grandfathers burying place And soe Friends to buy decent burying places for your meetings and to keep out of the Spirit of the Sodomites and Aegyptians and Cananites which corrupts the earth and let them be Decently and well fenced that you may Condemne the world in all things 16ly And also that Friends buy convenient Bookes for the Registring of births marriages and burialls as the holy men of God did of old as you may read through the Scriptures that every one may be reddy to give a Testimony and Certificate thereof if need require or any be called therevnto 17ly And also that all the Sufferings of Friends of all kind of Sufferings in all the County be gathered vp and put together and sent to the Generall meeting and soe sent to London to Ellis Hoakes That noe thing of the memoriall of the blood and cruell Sufferings of your Brethren be lost which shall stand a testimony against the murdering Spirit of this world and be to the praise of the everlasting power of the Lord in the ages to come who supported and vpheld them in such hardships and cruelties who is God over all blessed for ever Amen 18ly And let inquiry be made concerning all such as pay Tithes which make void the Testimony and Sufferings of all our Brethren who have Suffered many of them to death by which many Widdowes and Fatherlesse have beene made and which is contrary to the Doctrine of Apostles and the Doctrine of the Martyrs and contrary to the Doctrine of the Righteous in this present age all such are to be inquired into and to be exhorted 19ly And let Query be made concerning all Prisoners that are poore that they may be relieved and soe incouraged in their Sufferings and also that care be taken for their wives and families that they do not suffer for want of Supply of outward things And let enquiry be made how many prisoners there are in all the prisons in all your severall Counties Let Diligent enquiry be made into all these things at every monthly meeting and at every Quarterly meeting to take care accordingly Deare Friends be faithfull in the Service of God and mind the Lords businesse and be Diligent and bring the power of the Lord over all those that have gaine said it And all you that be faithfull goe to visit them all that have beene convinced from house to house that if it be possible you may not leave a hoofe in Aegypt and soe every one goe seek the lost sheep and bring him home on your backs to the fold and there wil be more joy of that one sheepe then of the ninety nine in the fold Coppies of this to be sent all abroad amongst Friends in their mens meetings G. F. All my Friends every where who are gathered in the name of Jesus Christ keepe your meetings according as you did in the beginning between the 10th and 11th hour when the Priest is in the heart of his worship and soe you all to be in your meetings feeding on the bread of life when the Priest and his company are in his and their dishes and pleasures and you then to break vp your meetings as you feele the power to order you about the third or fourth houre when the Priest is in the heart of his worship and soe you may go away when he is in his heart and sitt over his dishes and goe away in his heart This was the practice of Friends in the the beginning Therefore continue in it and doe not loose it keepe your meetings on the First dayes and your weekly meetings in the name of Jesus that never changes And Friends all take heed of sleeping in meetings and Sottishnesse and dullnesse for it is an ill savory thing to see one sitt nodding in meetings and soe loose the sence of the Lord and shamefacednesse both and it grieves the vpright and watchfull that waites vppon the Lord to see such things And for the Priests people and others that comes into your meetings and to see you that come together to worship God And to meete together to waite vpon him to have fellowship in his Spirit for you to sitt nodding is a shame and an vnseemly thing Therefore be carefull and watchfull and let it be amended and mind the light and power of Christ Jesus in you and that will condemne all such things and lead you out of and above such things and make you watchfull one over another for your good Let this be read in all your meetings G. F. Mem. This is Spelt and Pointed according to the Copy FINIS
acknowledgments here made are generally by such persons as have complied too far with the Church of England 2. Solemn Days appointed by the Congregation the usual occasions whereof are to seek the Mind of God in relation to any differences in their Church on the Death or Resignation of the Pastor when any Officer or other useful Person hath forsaken them when there are any Calamities befallen them or any Mercies bestowed on their Church or the Nation They say the Holy-days observed by the Church of England are all Popish Christmass Easter and Whitsuntide they regard not State Fasts and Thanksgivings they do allow of 3. Church Meetings which consist only of the Members i.e. those who are in Covenant These are for regulating Matters in their Church and are held some Day in the Week before they Break Bread They begin with Prayer advise together admit Members admonish Offenders excommunicate the Obstinate receive the Penitent c. The ordinary Pennance requir'd is an acknowledgment of the Crime at these Meetings with promise of future amendment 4. Messengers Monthly Meetings which consist of the Delegates or Messengers from all the Sister Churches i. e. those Established after their Model within a certain Precinct for which every Church appoints two or more according to its discretion These are commonly the Pastor and one or two Elders of each Congregation The manner of appointing them as follows viz. The Pastor gives publick notice in a Church Meeting That on such a Day the Messengers Meeting is to be and desires them to send their Messengers and ordinarily proposes himself and one more and if they consent desires them to lift up their Hands the usual sign whereby they signifie their consent or approbation At these Meetings they Communicate to each other the concerns of their particular Churches give account of all Members cut off and of all other proceedings that are material If any difficulties have arisen in the particular Congregations the respective Messengers report to their own Congregations what was the opinion or determination of the Representatives of the several Churches Besides these Meetings above-mentioned ☜ at Rothwell they have private Cabals of trusty Men to prepare matters to be proposed at their Church-Meetings thereby to prevent any nice canvasing matters of Controversie before the Members for fear of raising or somenting Disputes among them Their method in the admission of Members Admission of Members is viz. At their Church-Meetings the Pastor gives notice to the Assembly that there are certain persons who design to offer themselves to the Church and asks their consent that they may be called in and Examined which obtained every Person is called in by himself and Examined touching his Conversion Faith Experiences c. and then ordered to withdraw The Examination finished the Pastor enquires of the Members whether they are willing to receive such and such particular Persons and if the Majority signifie their consent by lifting up their Hands they are called in and by the Pastor acquainted that the Church is satisfied of their Experiences c. and will admit them by and by When every particular Person hath been thus dealt withal the Pastor receives them according to the substance of the shorter Covenant and in a Book which they keep different from that which contains the Subscriptions for the Pastors maintenance each Person writes his own Name This Practice they say is warranted Isaiah the 44th Chap. the 5th Vers After the strictest enquiry it appears that the Printed Covenant with the Explanation hath been delivered to very few and those Select Persons so that it seems to have been chiefly designed for the Elders with whom the Members are to consult It doth not appear that it hath been refused to any Member who hath desired to buy it tho' the generality have either not heard of it or not seen it Those who have it are obliged not to Communicate it to any Stranger or the World as they term all others who are not of their way When the Congregation is assembled the Preacher whether Pastor or Elder begins with Prayer Behaviour in the Congregation the People generally standing they look upon those as lazy who sit and will not suffer any Man to be covered When Prayer is ended they cover their Heads and sit or stand as they please during the Sermon This is the whole of their Behaviour and Service unless they Sing an Hymn which they ordinarily do Baptism They Baptize both Children and Adult in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost without the Sign of the Cross Praying before and after None Pray on this occasion but the Pastor and none but he may Baptize and that only the Members or Children of the Members of his own Congregation No Sureties are admitted The Parents are charged in behalf of their Children the Adult takes the charge upon himself If one of the Parents be a Member it 's sufficient to entitle the Child to their Baptism Where the Parents are of different Perswasions they Baptize the Children privately They ordinarily Baptize at a Church Meeting and in any private House if desired Children tho' Baptized by them are not esteemed Members unless when they arrive at Years of Discretion they enter into Covenant as the other Members have done Breaking of Bread Every Member is required to receive the Sacrament as often as it is administred The Table stands in the midst of the Congregation near the Pulpit The Pastor sits in his Chair near the Table and the Receivers on Forms round about it the People as Spectators at some small distance behind them The Pastor Prays all standing and craves a Blessing on the Bread then sets it apart in almost the same Words which the Church of England uses then breaks it into small pieces and puts them on divers Plates saying whilst he is breaking Thus was our Lord's Body torn mangled broken c. The Bread thus broken is carried in the Plates by the Deacons to the several Receivers The Pastor sits in his Chair Eating with the rest As soon as the Bread is Eaten the Pastor Prays then pours out the Wine saying Behold the Blood of Christ poured out for thee and for me and for all of us c. Drink ye all of this drink large draughts of the Love of Christ c. as he thinks most proper to express himself Then he drinks and gives to the Deacons When all have drank the Pastor Prays an Hymn is Sung and the Assembly is dismissed They forbid all private Prayer at this Ordinance saying The Pastors Prayers are sufficient They esteem ' it a Memorial only Examine none before they come saying There is no need of any more Preparation at that time than any other In the absence or sickness of the Pastor there must be no Sacrament If any Member plead Conscience for leaving them and desire a discharge and offer his Reasons in publick Dismission of Members they
will not give him a discharge unless it be with a Testimonial recommending him to some Congregation they approve of If he refuse to joyn with such a Congregation as they approve of and withdraw himself from them they cut him off as an Apostate No pretence of Conscience will prevail with them to allow any to joyn with the Church of England or the Presbyterians or Quakers or the strict Baptists They plead they cannot discharge them because those Churches they desire to joyn with do not walk accordingly to the Rule of God's Word saying should we suffer you we should comply with you in Sin Therefore the Officers charge them with their Covenant and Command them to obey the Authority of Christ invested in them upon pain of the displeasure of the King of Heaven When any Member revolts Excommunication the method they profess to observe is To send for him to give his Reasons to the Church if he comes they admonish him to return if he does not come they empower one or two Messengers to go to him and admonish him in the Name of the Church this they do a second time If this prevails not after some time allowed according to their discretion they send Messengers to acquaint him that on such a Day they intend to cut him off and when they have cut him off they send to acquaint him with it This is always done at a Church Meeting If the Pastor be Living it is his Sole Privilege to pronounce the Sentence of Excommunication The Method is to Pray and Exhort the People on this occasion and then to pronounce the Sentence in these or the like Words viz. I do in the Presence of God with the judgment and consent of this Church To justifie this they urge 1 Cor. 5.4 5. deliver A. B. unto Satan for the destruction of the Flesh to be buffeted by him that his Soul may be saved in the Day of the Lord. They then blot his Name out of the Book of Subscriptions which they call the Book of Life and henceforth avoid him according at it is set down in the Explanation of the Covenant If any sick Sick Person desires it the Pastor and some Elders repair to him and Anoint him Praying over him They dip their Fingers in a Porringer or Sawcer of Oyl wherewith they rub the Temples of the Sick Person They traduce the Publick Prayers of the Church of England as Idolatrous and Antichristian the Ministers as scandalous in their Lives negligent in their Duty forsaking their own Articles formal in their Administrations legal in their Preaching without the Power of Godliness c. They call all Churches and Worship false which are not Establish'd by a Covenant like theirs i. e. all Churches that are not Independent They engage not to go near these Churches and if any of the Members occasionally go and are uncovered there they interpret such uncovering an assent to the Prayers and deal with such Persons as Sinners cutting them off if they do not testifie their Repentance They say That God hath before ordained whatsoever comes to pass even the worst of Sins and that Sinners cannot avoid committing them That it is to no purpose to pray for or endeavour after Repentance because the Sins of the Elect past present and to come are already forgiven and therefore they ought to pray only for the Manifestation of their Pardon They look upon themselves obliged to Trade with their own Members or those of their Way if possible When some have done otherwise the Pastor hath publickly declared in their Church Meetings that it was their Sin and the Elders have joined with him 'T is a general Rule among them Trade with any rather than the Church of England In order to perpetuate this Schism Davis breeds up Young Men in his House According to the best account I can get There are about Thirteen gathered Congregations of this Separation under setled Pastors the Members whereof are computed to be between two and three Thousand Besides these they have divers Congregations for Prayer and Preaching which have no setled Pastors nor any Administration of the Sacraments When any of the Hearers desires to be admitted a Member of any particular Congregation notice is given to that Congregation who at their Church Meeting appoint the Pastor with some Elders and Deacons to go and hold a Church Meeting near the place where such Hearer dwelleth and to examine and admit him as before specify'd When they have gained a competent Number of Members in any part they fix a Pastor among them and embody them This was the state of the Separation at Rothwell about the Year 1696 which as I understand has receiv'd no considerable alteration since that time THE CANONS OF GEORGE FOX Friends Fellowshipp must be in the Spirit and all Friends must know one another in the Spirit and Power of God First IN all the Meetings of the County two or three being gathered from them to goe to the Generall Meetings for to give notice one to another if there be any that walkes not in the truth and have beene convinced and gone from truth and soe dishonoureth God that some may be ordered from the meeting to goe to exhort such and bring into the next Generall meeting what they say 2ly If any that professe the truth that follows pleasures drunkennesse gameings or is not faithfull in their callings and dealings nor honest nor just but runs into debt and soe brings a Scandall vppon the truth Friends may give notice to the Generall meeting if there be any such and some may be ordered to goe and exhort them and bring in their answer the next Generall meeting 3ly And if any goes disorderly together in Marriage contrary to the Practice of the holy men of God and assemblies of the righteous in all ages who declared it in the assemblies of the Righteous when they took one another all things being cleere and they both being free from any other And when they doe goe together and take one another let there not be lesse then a dozen Friends and Relations present according to your former order having first acquainted the mens meeting and they have cleernesse and vnity with them And that it may be Recorded in a Book according to the word and Commandement of the Lord and such if any walk contrary to the truth herein let some be ordered to speak to them and give notice thereof to the next Generall meeting 4ly And all that be widdows which have Children and doe intend to Marry let Query be made what shee hath done for her Children If there be noe will made then let such part of her late husbands Estate be set out for her Children as is equall and according to truth and what they can doe afterwards let them do also And where there is a will made let those Legacies and Portions be improved and secured before Marriage for the Children of the deceased with what more