A Brief Account of the Rise and Progress of the People Called QuakersPenn, William
Religion
A Brief Account of the Rise and Progress of the People Called Quakers
Penn, William
Society of Friends
I. Communion and loving one another. This is a noted mark in the mouths
of all sorts of people concerning them: they will meet, they will help
and stick one to another: whence it is common to hear some say, "Look how
the Quakers love and take care of one another." Others, less moderate,
will say, "The Quakers love none but themselves:" and if loving one
another, and having an intimate communion in religion, and constant care
to meet to worship God, and help one another, be any mark of primitive
Christianity, they had it, blessed be the Lord, in an ample manner.
II. To love enemies. This they both taught and practised. For they did
not only refuse to be revenged for injuries done them, and condemned it
as of an unchristian spirit; but they did freely forgive, yea, help and
relieve those that had been cruel to them, when it was in their power to
have been even with them: of which many and singular instances might be
given: endeavouring, through faith and patience, to overcome all
injustice and oppression, and preaching this doctrine as Christian, for
others to follow.
III. Another was, the sufficiency of truth-speaking, according to
Christ's own form of sound words, of yea, yea, and nay, nay, among
Christians, without swearing, both from Christ's express prohibition to
swear at all; (Mat. v.) and for that, they being under the tie and bond
of truth in themselves, there was no necessity for an oath; and it would
be a reproach to their Christian veracity to assure their truth by such
an extraordinary way of speaking; simple and uncompounded answers, as yea
and nay, without asseveration, attestation, or supernatural vouchers,
being most suitable to evangelical righteousness. But offering, at the
same time, to be punished to the full for false-speaking, as others for
perjury, if ever guilty of it: and hereby they exclude with all true, all
false and profane swearing; for which the land did and doth mourn, and
the great God was, and is, not a little offended with it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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