A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume 2: Taken from a View of the Education and Discipline, Social Manners, Civil and Political Economy, Religious Principles and Character, of the Society of FriendsClarkson, Thomas
Religion
A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume 2: Taken from a View of the Education and Discipline, Social Manners, Civil and Political Economy, Religious Principles and Character, of the Society of Friends
Clarkson, Thomas
Society of Friends
"Human learning brings excellent ministeries towards this. It is
admirably useful for the reproof of heresies, for the detection of
fallacies, for the letter of the scripture, for collateral testimonies,
for exterior advantages; but there is something beyond this that human
learning, without the addition of divine, can never reach. Moses was
learned in all the learning of the Egyptians; and the holy men of God
contemplated the glories of God in the admirable order, motion, and
influences of the heaven; but, besides all this, they were taught
something far beyond these prettinesses. Pythagoras read Moses' books,
and so did Plato, and yet they became not proselytes of the religion,
though they were the learned scholars of such a master."
CHAP. IV.
_The spirit of God which has been thus given to man in different
degrees, was given him as a spiritual teacher, or guide, in his
spiritual concerns--It performs this office, the Quakers say, by
internal monitions--Sentiments of Taylor--and of Monro--and, if
encouraged, it teaches even by the external objects of the
creation--William Wordsworth._
The Quakers believe that the spirit of God, which has been thus given to
man in different degrees or measures, and without which it is impossible
to know spiritual things, or even to understand the divine writings
spiritually, or to be assured of their divine origin, was given to him,
among other purposes, as a teacher of good and evil, or to serve him as
a guide in his spiritual concerns. By this the Quakers mean, that if any
man will give himself up to the directions of the spiritual principle
that resides within him, he will attain a knowledge sufficient to enable
him to discover the path of his duty both to God and his fellow-man.
That the spirit of God was given to man as a spiritual instructor, the
Quakers conceive to be plain, from a number of passages, which are to be
found in the sacred writings.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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