_The humble Address of the People called Quakers, from their
yearly meeting in London, the 26th day of the Third month,
called May, 1716._
‘May it please the King,
‘We thy faithful and peaceable subjects, being met in this our
annual assembly, do hold ourselves obliged, in point of principle
and gratitude, rather than by formal and frequent addresses,
humbly and openly to acknowledge the manifold blessings and kind
providences of God, which have attended these kingdoms ever since
thy happy accession to the throne.
‘And as our religion effectually enjoins us obedience to the
supreme authority, so it is with great satisfaction that we pay
it to a prince, whose justice, clemency, and moderation, cannot
but endear, and firmly unite the hearts and affections of all his
true Protestant subjects.
‘We are therefore sorrowfully affected with the unhappiness of
those our countrymen, who have so little gratitude or goodness,
as to be uneasy under so just and mild an administration; nor can
we reflect on the late unjust and unnatural rebellion, without
concluding the promoters thereof, and actors therein, were men
infatuated, and hurried by such an evil spirit, as would lay
waste and destroy both the civil and religious liberties of these
Protestant nations.
‘And as God, the Lord of Hosts, hath most signally appeared
to the confounding that Black Conspiracy, so we pray his
good Providence may always attend the king’s councils and
undertakings, to the establishing his throne in righteousness and
peace, and making his house a sure house.
‘Permit us therefore, great prince, to lay hold of this
opportunity to approach thy royal presence with our hearty
thanks to the king and his great council, for all the privileges
and liberties we enjoy. To behold a prince upon the throne,
solicitous for the ease and happiness of his people, beyond any
other views, so heightens our satisfaction and joy, that we want
words to express our full sense thereof. And therefore we can do
no less than assure the king, that as it is our duty to demean
ourselves towards the king’s person and government with all
faithful obedience, so we are determined by divine assistance,
devoutly and heartily to pray the God and father of all our
mercies to vouchsafe unto the king, a long, peaceable, and
prosperous reign; and that when it shall please the Almighty to
remove from us so precious a life, by taking it to himself, there
may not want a branch of the royal family endowed with wisdom and
virtue to fill the throne, till time shall be no more.’
To this address the king was pleased to give this gracious answer.
‘I thank you for the assurance of duty and affection to my person
and government, contained in this address; and you may always
depend upon my protection.’
Thus we again see a prince on the throne, who solemnly assureth the
Quakers, so called, of his protection; so that now they enjoy the due
liberty of subjects that behave themselves peaceably and dutifully
under the government set over them, in like manner as other inhabitants
of Great Britain: and therefore they have not neglected to exhort one
another to show their thankfulness to Almighty God, and to pray for
the king, as it hath been intimated already, that this was recommended
in one of the epistles of their yearly meeting. Now since mention hath
several times been made in this history of those epistles of the annual
assembly to the particular churches, I have thought fit to insert here
one of them, viz. that of the year 1717, which is as followeth:
1717.
_The Epistle from the Yearly Meeting in London, held by
adjournment, from the 10th day of the Fourth month, to the
14th of the same inclusive, 1717. To the quarterly and monthly
meetings of Friends in Great Britain, and elsewhere._
‘Our salutation, in the love of Christ Jesus our blessed Lord,
is freely extended unto you, whose tender care over, and mercy
to, this our annual assembly, we do humbly and thankfully
acknowledge, in the love, amity, tender condescension, and
peaceable procedure thereof, with respect to the divine power and
goodness of the Lord our God, and the service of his church and
people; sincerely desiring the prosperity of his whole heritage,
even in all the churches of Christ among us, in his dear love,
unity and peace, to his eternal glory, and our universal comfort
and perpetual joy in the kingdom of the dear Son of God.
‘We are truly comforted, in that we understand there is such a
general concurrence and union among Friends, with our former
earnest desires and counsel, for true and universal love, unity,
peace, and good order to be earnestly endeavoured and maintained
among us, as a peculiar people, chosen of the Lord out of the
world, to bear a faithful testimony to his holy name and truth,
in all respects; and that all that is contrary be watched against
and avoided; as strife, discord, contention, and disputes tending
to divisions, may be utterly suppressed and laid aside, as the
light and righteous judgment of truth require.
‘Oh! that all the churches and congregations of the faithful,
would be excited by the Spirit of the dear Son of God, fervently
to pray for the prosperity of his church and people throughout
the world, that Sion may more and more shine in the beauty of
holiness, to the glory and praise of the King of glory.
‘The friends and brethren, come up from the several quarterly
meetings in this nation, have given a good account to this
meeting of truth’s prosperity, and that friends are generally
in love and unity one with another; and by several epistles,
from friends of North Carolina, Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland,
Barbadoes, Holland, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, which have
been read in this meeting; as also by verbal accounts given by
several friends that have lately travelled in divers parts of
America, and elsewhere, we have received comfortable accounts of
the state of truth and friends in those parts; by which we are
encouraged to hope truth prevails in many places, and a concern
grows upon friends for the prosperity thereof; and that there is
an inclination in people to hear the truth declared.
‘By the accounts brought up this year, we find that friends’
sufferings in England and Wales, amount to five thousand
two hundred and ninety pounds, and upwards, chiefly for
tithes, priests’ wages, and steeple-house rates; and that,
notwithstanding there have been four friends discharged the last
year, there yet remain twenty friends prisoners on these accounts.
‘We advise that a tender care remain upon friends in all places,
to be faithful in keeping up our Christian testimony against
tithes, as being fully persuaded, it is that whereunto God hath
called his people in this our day; we seeing by daily experience,
that such as are not faithful therein, do thereby add to the
sufferings of honest friends, and hinder their own growth and
prosperity in the most blessed truth.
‘As touching the education of Friends’ children, for which this
meeting hath often found a concern; we think it our duty to
recommend unto you, the necessity that there is of a care in
preserving of them in plainness of speech and habit, suitable to
our holy profession: and also that no opportunity be omitted,
nor any endeavour wanting, to instruct them in the principle of
truth which we profess; that thereby they, being sensible of
the operation thereof in themselves, may find, not only their
spirits softened and tendered, fit to receive the impressions
of the divine image, but may also from thence find themselves
under a necessity to appear clear in the several branches of
our Christian testimony. And as this will be most beneficial to
them, being the fruits of conviction, so it is the most effectual
way of propagating the same throughout the churches of Christ.
And there being times and seasons wherein their spirits are,
more than at others, disposed to have those things impressed
upon them; so we desire that all parents, and others concerned
in the oversight of youth, might wait in the fear of God, to
know themselves divinely qualified for that service, that in his
wisdom they may make use of every such opportunity, which the
Lord shall put into their hands. And we do hereby warn and advise
friends in all places to flee every appearance of evil, and keep
out of pride, and following the vain fashions and customs of this
world, as recommended in the Epistle, 1715.
‘And as we always found it our concern to recommend love,
concord, and unity in the churches of Christ every where,
so as a means to effect the same, we earnestly desire that
Friends, but more especially such as are concerned in meetings
of business, do labour to know their own spirits subjected
by the Spirit of Truth; that thereby being baptized into one
body, they may be truly one in the foundation of their love
and unity, and that therein they may all labour to find a
nearness to each other in spirit; this being the true way to a
thorough reconciliation, wherever there is, or may have been any
difference of apprehension: thereby Friends will be preserved in
that sweetness of spirit, that is, and will be the bond of true
peace, throughout all the churches of Christ.
‘And, dear friends, the Friends of this meeting, to whom the
inspection of the accounts was referred, made report, that having
perused the same, they found the stock to be near expended;
whereupon this meeting thinks it necessary to recommend unto you,
that a general and free contribution be made in every county,
and that what shall be thereupon collected, be sent up to the
respective correspondents.
‘Finally, dear Friends and brethren, be careful to walk
unblameable in love and peace among yourselves, and towards all
men in Christian charity, and be humbly thankful to the Lord our
most gracious God, for the favour he hath given us in the eyes
of the king and civil government, in the peaceable enjoyment of
our religious and Christian liberties under them; and the God of
peace, we trust, will be with you to the end.
‘The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirits. Amen.
‘Signed in, and on the behalf, and by the order of this meeting,
By BENJAMIN BEALING.’
From this epistle may be judged in some degree of the others, which
are sent from the yearly meeting of the people called Quakers, to
the particular meetings of their society every where. We see by it,
that they give notice of the state of their particular churches, and
that they earnestly recommend love and unity among their brethren,
with other Christian virtues, and especially a good education of
their children, besides other matters which they judge to be meet and
necessary. With this epistle here inserted, I will finish this work, as
having performed my design and intention, viz. the giving of a plain
and circumstantial account and relation of the rise of this religious
society, which, as we have seen, sprung from mean beginnings, to a
great increase and progress, and extended itself far, notwithstanding
the violent opposition, and most grievous severity, for suppressing
and rooting them out, so often put in practice, and committed by their
enemies, but all in vain. And they now enjoy an undisturbed liberty
to perform the public exercise of their worship to God, since their
religion is permitted by law; which liberty they in no wise have
obtained by making resistance, but by a long-suffering patience, a
peaceable deportment, and a dutiful fidelity to the government set over
them: so that now they see clearly, that God doth not forsake those
that do not forsake him, according to what the prophet Azariah formerly
said to king Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin, 2 Chron. xv. 2, “The
Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be
found of you: but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.” Having thus
performed what I intended with this historical relation, I concluded
it, to the praise and glory of the Most High, who hath afforded me
lifetime and ability, after a long and difficult labour, to bring this
history to a suitable end.