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Show .· Tbe Au T R o 1\s l; 1 F E. VoL. t Always upon the 6dl Second Day of the firft Week of the Month at th~ Eight~n~f~:;her concerning Gofpel Order: Though the poarin~ of Cbril! J l~s re uireth his People ro admonjfi1 a Brother or Stfter twtce. hefor~ they tel~ the Church 1 yet that limiteth none, fo as they !hall ufe no longer forbearance before they tell the Church: Bur that they thai\ not lefs than twice admonifh their Brother or Sifter, before they te.U the Chur.ch .. And it is defired of all, thll before ~hey publickly ~omplatn, they wall 111 the Power of God to feel, if there 1s no more requucd of them to t~etr Bro~her or Sifter, before they expofe him or her to the Church. Let tin~ be weagh-til~. ~~gc}:~~r, when the Church is, told, an~ th~ Party admonifht by the Church again and as;ain, and he or (he remam ft_tll unfenfible ~nd unreconciled; ter nor Final judgment go forth again~ htm or her.' uU ev~ry one of the Meeting hath cleared his or her Confcaence : That 1f any Thtng be infifled upon any farther to vifit f~ch a Tranfgrelfour, they may clear themfelves 1 if poffibly the Party may be reachr and faved •. And af~er all are clear of the Blood of fuch an one 1 Let the Judgment of Fnends m the Power of God go fonh againft him or her, as moved for the Lord's H<; . nour and Glory's Sake: That no Reproact1 may come or refi upon Gods Holy Name, Truth and People. 9· As much as poffible can be, let all Dilferences be ended by fome Honeltfriends; and trouble not the Monthly or <_llJarterly Meeungswt.th them: And if that will not do, proteed to your particular M?nrhly Mceu~gs. But if rhey be not there ended neither; then take a fide S1x Honeft Fnends out of the Qparterly Meeting, and let them hea.r and determine the Matter. And iu Cafe any Petfon or Perfon.s be fo obftinate,, as that they refufe the Scnfe and Love ofFJienc!s, and w1ll not comply wtth them\ then to proceed towards them according to the Way of Truth in fuch Cafes. . 10 , That all fuch, as behold their Brother or Sifter· in a Tranlgreffion; go not in a Rough, Light, or upbraidin.g Sp~r~t to reprove or admonifh h,im or her but in the Power of the Lord and Spmt of the Lamb; In the W1fdom and Love of the Truth, which fuffereth thereby, to admonifh fuch an Offender. So may the Soul of fuch a Brother or Sifter be feafonably and effeEI: ually reach'd unto, ar.d overcome, and have Caufe to blefs th~ Name of the Lord on their Behalf: And fo a bleffing may be rewarded lnto the Bofom of the Faithful and tender Brother or Sifter that fo admoniCheth. u. Ar.d be it known unto all. we caft out none from atljl.ong us: Fot if they go from the Light, and Spirit, and Power in wh,ich our Unity is, they calt out themfelves. And it has been our Way to admonifh them, that they may come to the Spirit and Light of God which they are gone from, and fo come into the Unity :Jgain. For our Fellow!hip ftandeth in the Light, which the \Vorld hateth, and in the Spirit which the World grieverh, vexeth and quencheth: And if they will not hear our Admonitions, the Light condemneth them; and t11en goeth our Teftimony out againft them. J 2. That no Condemnation is to go farther than the Trlnfgreffion is known, and if he or {he return and give forth a Condemnation againft him or her felf, (which is more defirable than that we fhould do it} this is a Tdtimonyofhis or her Repentance and Refurre8:ion before God, his People and the whole World. As David when Nat ban came to admonifh, him, PJa!. 51. 1 3· That no Teftimony by VVay of Condemnation be given forth againR: any Man or \i\1oman (whatever Crime they commit) before Admonition, aud rill fuch Time as they have had Gofpel Order, according toChrift's Do8:rine. 14- And if any Brother or Siller heat any Report of any Brother or Sifter\ Let him or her go to the Party, :lnd know the Truth of the Rcpon; and iftru~, let the Th.ing be judged.; if falfe, go then to the Reporter, and let h1m or her be JUdged. And 1f any fhould report it at a fecond or third Hand, without going to the Party of whom the Report goeth; let fuc~ be VoL. I. .'Ibe Au-r.o~~on!s LIF~ he brougbr to judgment' For thou thalt neither raife, nor fufFer a fal~ Report to he upon my People, fmh the Lord 1 for they are to be Holy as hetsHoly, andjuft asheisJufi. r). And ifany Connoverfie, or Wea.knefs fhould appear in either Men's or Women's Meetings, let it not be told out of your MeetirlgS becaufe fuch SpeecheStend to the def~ming of fuch Perfons and Mtetinis and to rhe ~un of the common Umry, and Breach of the Heavenly Society and Pri· v1led~e.. , . . Tim IS an .Arcowttt of whAt paffed tn "lbdt MeerVtJ. Nert Day (Notice being already given) we had a large publick Meeting in which the Sound of the Everlafl:ing Gofpel, Teftament ..and Co.venan~ went. forth: ~nd the Meeting ended wirh a Sweet and Wtighry Senfe. Tli~t Eve_nmg we had a more Se.!-efr Meedng of Friends tha'n the Day be· for~ tn whach the ~atureofMamag~, and the Prait:i(eofFriends rel:uing to II, a~d other Things were .very wetghtily and clofely difcourfed. The Refoluttons w.ere thefe followmg. J. A Scruple .concerning t.he Law of the Magiftrate aboutMarrittge, being propofed a!'d dtfoourfed of 10 the Fe>r of God alnong Friends, in a Seleft ~.e~rm~; It w~s r~e Umverfal and Unanimous ·Senfe of Friends, that Jo,mmg m .Mizrnage zs the Work Dj rbe lArd ~nly, ;tfld not of Pf'ielf or Ma· giflrau. For 'ris God's prdinance\ and not Man's: And the~ore Friends cannot c:onfent rhat rhey fhould join them together: For we Marry none • 'tis the Lord's Work, and w.e are but Wltne£ree. ' 2. But yet if a Friend through TcnderneJS have a Defire that the Ma• gifirare fh:ouldknow it before the Marriage be concluded . ihey may publifh the ~arne,, after th.c Th_ing h:ath.by F.ri~ds been fopn'd clear, and after the Marnage 11 perfo_rm,ed m a pubhck Meeting of Friends and others, according ro the Holy Otdcr and PraCtice of Friends in Truth throughout the World (the Manner of the Holy Men and Women of Old) may go and c.!rry a CO_PY of the. Certifi9Jte to the Magiftrate; and they are left to their Freedom herem, that tf they _pleafe they may Regifier it. But for Priefts or Magi{? trates to Marry, or Join any in that ~elation, it's not according to Scrip .. ture; and our Teibmony and Pra8:1ce have been always againff ft. It was God's Work ~ore the ~all, and i.t's God's Work vn.lt in the Reftoration. ;. 1f any Fnend have It upon h1m to Reprint any Book already Printed · and approved either in Englilnd or here, they may do it upon their owd Charges. .. 4· It is alfo 3:greed, that the Care of re.1ding.and approving Books be laid up~o fome of every Meetin~ ; to th~ end no Book be publifhed b~t irf the Umty : Yet any other fauhful Fnends not fo Nominated, are,not .the,eby excluded. Though in all thefe Cafes it 'ts defired, that all would L~~:th~~E~~~J,D1fputes about Wprds, which profit not, hut keep in the 5· It is further concluded, that the general Stock of tHe Qpmerly Meet· !ng he ~ot di_fpofed of, but by th.e Confent of the <h!arterly Meetlng. But 1f betwtxt T1mes there !hall be a PteOing Neccilhy concerning the Publick; let t~t . Monthly Meeting, where it fhaH fall out, lay down the Money, and.g1ve.tf! an Account at the next Quarterly Meeting, in Order to their Rehcf, 1f ttappear that they are .thereby overcharged. Andler all Things be done wuhout Favour, A£fe0bon, Relatioh, or any Refpefi to Perfons, even for the Lord's Sake, and his bleffed Everlafiing Truth : That God may blels and prof per his People. And let all Things be written down, ~oth as to your Monthly and Qpat' terly Mec~mgCollea10ns ; what.yo.u ~eccave, and what you disburfe l That all may be f.tu and clear to the Satl!TaUton of all tbat defue to fee and examine: the Books. And the Lord's Fear, and Life, and Power was · over .n, In which the Lord God prcferve his for ever. · The nm Day {being the Seventh D01y of the Week) was employed ip vifiting |
