2. Practice.—It is in the application of their leading doctrine of the "internal light" that the peculiarities of the Friends are most apparent. Believing that it is the Holy Spirit, or the indwelling Christ, that alone maketh wise unto salvation, illumining the mind with true and spiritual knowledge of the deep things of God, they do not consider " human learning " essential. to a minister of the gospel, and look with distrust on the method adopted by other churches for obtaining such—viz., by formally training after a human fashion a body of youths chosen on no principle of inward fitness. They believe that the call to this work now, as of old, is " not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father;" and that it is bestowed irrespectively of rank, talent, learning, or sex. Consequently, they have no theological halls, professors of divinity, or classes for "Students." Further, as fitness for the ministry is held to be a free gift of God through the Holy Spirit, so, they argue, it ought to be freely bestowed, in support of which they adduce the precept of the Sayior—" Freely received, freely give;" hence those who minister among them are not paid their labor of love, but, ou the other hand. whenever such are engaged from home in the work of the gospel, they are, in the spirit of Christian love, freely entertained, and have all their wants supplied: in short, the Friends maintain the absolutely voluntary character of religious obligations, and that Christians should do all for love, and nothing for money. It also follows from their view of a call to the work of the ministry, that women may exhort as- well as men, for the "spirit of Christ" may move them as powerfully as the other sex. The prophecy of Joel as applied by Peter is cited as authority for the preaching of women: " On my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my spirit, and they shall prophesy.' They also adduce the New Testament examples of Tryphxna, Tryphosa, the beloved Persis, and other women who appear to have labored in the gospel. Their mode of conducting public worship likewise illustrates the entireness of their dependence on the " internal light." In other religious bodies, the minister has a set form, of worship, through which he must whether he feels devoutly disposed or not. This seems objectionable to the Friends, who meet and remain in silence until they believe themselves moved to speak by the Holy Ghost. Their prayers and praises are, for the most part, silent and inward. They prefer to make melody in their hearts unto God, considering such to be snore spiritual than the outward service of the voice.
The doctrine of the "internal light" has also led the Friends toTeject the ordinances of baptism and the Lipid's supper as these are observed by other Christians. They believe the Christian baptism to be a spiritual one, and not, like the Jewish and heathen baptisms, one with water; in support of which they quote, among other passages, the words of John the Baptist himself: "I baptize you with water, but there cometh one after me who shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." Similarly do they regard the rite Of the Eucharist: It is, say they, inward and spiritital, and consists not in any symbolic breaking of bread and drinking of wine, but in that daily commu nion with Christ through the Holy Spirit, and through the obedience of faith, by which the believer is nourished and strengthened. They believe that the last words of the dying Redeemer on the cross, "It is finished," announced the entire abolition of symbolic rites; that under the new spiritual dispensation then introduced, the necessity for such, as a means of at truth, ceased, and that their place has been abundantly sup-, plied by the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, whose office it now is to lead and guide men into all truth. • The true Christian supper, according to them, is set forth in the Revela tions—" Behold I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in unto him, and will sup with him and he with me." For the same reason—viz., that the teaching of the Spirit is inward and spiritual—the Friends ignore the religious observance of days and times, with the exception of the Sabbath, which some at least among them regard as of perpetual obligation.
The taking or administering of oaths is regarded by Friends as inconsistent with the command of.Christ, "swear not at all," and with the exhortation of the apostle James —" Above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation." They have also refused to pay tithes for the maintenance of what they
hold to be a hireling ministry, believing that Christ put an end to the priesthood and ceremonial usages instituted under the Mosaic dispensation, and that he substituted none in their place. In consequence, all Consistent Friends have been regularly mulcted of plate, furniture, or other goods, to the value of the amount due. The recent conversion of tithe into rent-chare, however, has, in opinion of many Friends, largely removed objections to the payment of this ecclesiastical demand. In regard to the civil magistracy, while they respect and honor it, as ordained of God, they are careful to warn the members of their society against thoughtlessly incurring its responsibilities, involving as it does the administration of oaths, the issuing of orders and warrants in reference to ecclesiastical demands, the calling out of an armed force in cases of civil commotion, and other duties inconsistent with the peaceful principles of the society. The Frienclu have likewise consistently protested against war in all its forms; and the society has repeatedly advised its members against aiding and assisting in the convey ance of soldiers, their baggage, arms, ammunition, or military stores. They regard the profession of arms and fighting, not only as diametrically opposed to the general spirit of Christ, whose advent was sung by angels in these words: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will toward men ;" but as positively forbidden by such precepts as---" Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you;" also, "Resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also;" and while they acknowledge that temporary calamities may result from adopting this principle of non-resistance, they have so strong a faith in its being essentially the dictate of divine love to the Christian heart, that they believe God, by his wise and omnipotent providence, could and will yet make it " mighty to the pulling down of the strongholds of iniquity." The world, they believe, will, by and by confess that the peace-makers are truly the children of God. The efforts of the, society for the emancipation of the slaves arc n part of modern British history. They may most cer tainly lay claim to having cultivated the moral sense of their fellow-countrymen in regard to this important question. As early as 1727, they commenced to " censure " the traffic in slaves, as a practice "neither commendable nor allowed," and gradually warmed in their opposition, until the whole nation felt the glow, and entered with enthusiasm on the work of abolition. In respect to what may be called minor points, the Friends are also very scrupulous; they object to "balls, gaining-places, horse-races, and playhouses, those nurseries of debauchery and wickedness, the burden and grief of the sober part of other societies as well as of our own." The printed epistle of the yearly meeting of 1854 contains a warning against indulging in music, especially what goes by the name of "sacred music," and denounces musical exhibitions, such as oratorios, as essentially a "profanation "—the tendency of these things being, it is alleged, " to with draw the soul from that quiet, humble, and retired frame in which prayer and praise may be truly offered with the spirit and with the understanding also." They ol;:fcct, besides, to "the hurtful tendency of reading plays, romances,' novels, and ether perni cious books:" and the yearly meeting of 1764 "recommends to every member of our society to discourage and suppress the same." A similar recommendation was issued by the society in 1851 for the benefit of "younger Friends" in particular, whe would appear to have been eating the forbidden fruit. The printed epistle of the yearly meeting of 1724 likewise "advises against imitating the vain custom of wearing or giving mourn ing, and all extravagant expenses about the interment of the dead," and this advice has been repeatedly renewed. A multitude of other minute peculiarities, which it would be tedious to note, distinguish the Friends from their fellow-Christians.