themselves and their followers. And in addition to this, that more frequent opportunities might be afforded them of bearing their outward testimony publicly for God, and of enlarging the sphere of their spiritual life, they appointed a meeting on one other day in the week in most places, and two in some others, for the same purpose. CHAP. XIII. _Miscellaneous particularities--Quakers careful about the use of such words as relate to religion--Never use the words "original sin"--nor "word of God," for the scriptures--Nor the word "Trinity"--Never pry into the latter mystery--Believe in the manhood and divinity of Jesus Christ--Also in a resurrection, but sever attempt to fathom that subject--Make little difference between sanctification and justification--- Their ideas concerning the latter_. The Quakers are remarkably careful, both in their conversation and their writings, on religious subjects, as to the terms which they use. They express scriptural images or ideas, as much as may be, by scriptural terms. By means of this particular caution, they avoid much of the perplexity and many of the difficulties which arise to others, and escape the theological disputes which disturb the rest of the Christian world. The Quakers scarcely ever utter the words "original sin," because they never find them in use in the sacred writings. The scriptures are usually denominated by Christians "the word of God." Though the Quakers believe them to have been given by divine inspiration, yet they reject this term. They apprehend that Christ is the word of God. They cannot therefore consistently give to the scriptures, however they reverence them, that name which St. John the Evangelist gives exclusively to the Son of God. Neither do they often make use of the word "Trinity." This expression they can no where find in the sacred writings. This to them is a sufficient warrant for rejecting it. They consider it as a term of mere human invention, and of too late a date to claim a place among the expressions of primitive Christianity. For they find it neither in Justin Martyr, nor in Irenaeus, nor in Tertullian, nor in Origen, nor in the Fathers of the three first centuries of the church. And as they seldom use the term, so they seldom or never try, when it offers itself to them, either in conversation or in books, to fathom its meaning. They judge that a curious inquiry into such high and speculative things, though ever so great truths in themselves, tends little to Godliness, and less to peace; and that their principal concern is with that only which is clearly revealed, and which leads practically to holiness of life. Consistently with this judgment, we find but little said respecting the Trinity by the Quaker writers. It is remarkable that Barclay in the course of his apology, takes no notice of this subject.