The Portland daily press., 1877-06-08
THE FRIENDS.
Yenrly Meeting Of This Society Their
Doctrines, History, suAerings, &c.


at Newport, Il. l., have concluded for tn
greater convenience of Eastern members Il
transact their business this year in this city
commencing on Saturday morning at Cit!
Hall. Sunday will be devoted exclusively tt
worship ard the preaching of the gospel o
free grace.
For over two centuries this Society has beer
noted as holding deeply spiritual gospel views
thoroughly evangelical and orthodox, in TIT
accepted sense of these terms Geo. Fox, the
pioneer, says: 81 came not to call men int
sect, but out Of all sect into Christ" Ignoring
implicit dependence on human creeds, The
noted William Penn exclaims: "Thank God
the Bible only is our creedr'
In the spiritual night of the 18th century
Fox arose to preach simple, primitive, I'M
ritualistic Christianity, based on Christ'i
| finished work, with the four corner stones
defined by Mr.. Moody last week as essentials
LIST, the Atonement; I'd, Justification by Faith
Sd, Regeneration; 4th Resurrection and Chris
living Saviour.
This simple faith, tlnging aside all 1itualism
and ordinances, gathered in few years il
England 100000 followers, Their preaching
squares true with Rowland Hilps-three RS
viz: LIST, Ruin by the fall; 81, Redemption by
Christ; Sd, Regeneration by the Holy Spirit
The Holy Bible they recognize as the standard
of faith through which the Spirit disc!oses
Gods will. They reaffirm with Luther, that
call doctrine that cannot be deduced therefrom
or proven thereby is of the devil" and that
this Holy Bible is their only outward guide tc
purity happiness, and Christ.
They believe lin the language of Foxl that
''the Holy Spirit comes to the unregenerate
man, convicts him of sip, leads him to Christ
and points him to the atoning Blood
They believe that God has created maa a freq
agent to accept or reject the convictions and
overtures of the Holy Spirit, and that in the
Holy Bible, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, though
distinctly revealed as manifestations OF Deity
are one God over all blessed for ever, accepting
as William Penn says, "most fully the teachings
Of the Apostles ancient creed on these mat
ters"
In common with other evangelical churches
Penn asseIts) "We accept also the several
primary articles of the Church of England or
matters of salvation
Most especially do the Friends hold dear the
XIth Article of that Church-"We are &C
counted righteous before God only for the sake
of our Lord Jesus Christ by faith, and that moi
of our own works or deservings."
This same Lord Jesus they hold to be God
over all in His Deity, and in His humanity per
feet and sinIess.
They always have maintained the need Of
rapa ptanoo or uhpo;cs;oo m tho will of God
and Of regeneration by the power of the Holy
Spirit.
A century before the Wesleys did George
Fox and his colleagues preach the sublime doc
trines of sancti6caton, perfect trust, and
holiress of life, with unrivalled boldness and
power. For the personal coming of the Lore
Jesus to judgment in power and great glory
with all the holy angels the Friends wait; az
the temperance of their triumphant Lord
the hope of His church! And strongly do they
deprecate all attempts to spiritualize away this
glorious appearance of the Great God and our
Saviour Jesus Christ.
The doctrine of the glorious resurrection Of
his saints, at the coming of the Lord to reigr
with Him forever, and the wicked to "indgna
tion and WRATH they most fully affirm.
No point more prominently marks this So
cety than its utter discarding of all outward
symbols and sacraments, believing with st.
Paul that Christ nailed them to His cross, and
that there is but one baptism, that of the
Spirit; and one communion, of the forgiven
soul with its risen Lord; that all symbols Of
these are at variance with His spiritual king
dom; that st. Paul (Colossians ii, 20 to 90
settles the question for ever. And justin
Martyr in still stronger terms endorses the Ian.
guage of the Apostle. The further fact that
for 600 years the Protestant Church ignored
the symbol of baptism puts the position taken
by the Friends beyond question. The views of
the Society in regard to peace, total abstinence,
slavery, prison reform, capital punishment.
and liberty of conscience, are world known.
The opprobrious epithet Quaker was ap-
piled in scorn to Geo. Fox by an insolent
British justice. whom he had hidden to tremble
at the name of the Lord.
Perhaps no modern branch Of the Christian
Church has suffered for Christs sake more
keenly than this-scourging, Punishment,
prison and martyrdom. In AZ years, ending
1897, twehty-three thousand Friends were
sufferers for conscience sake, no less than 1888
having sealed their martyr lives with death in
prison or on the gallows.
Four of these noble Christian MARTYRS, hung
by Endicott en- Boston Common, probably
accomplished for New England's cherished
liberty of conscience more than the world will
ever recognize
Charles Spurgeon remarks that the simplicity
of Friends for 200 years has been standing
rebuke to the fashionable follies of the world.
The Society numbers in the United States
about 10000, with II yearly meetings. several
colleges, 662 church edfces, 100000 church
property, and Sabbath school roll of $4,000.
The membership in England and Ireland is
10000; also churches and foreign missions in
Norway, France, Germany, Syria, Palestine,
Madagascar, India, Mexico and yearly
meeting for Australia and Tasmania.
Among the distinguished ministers who are
present from out Of New England are the fol-
lowing:
William Wetherald. Canada.
David b. Updergraff, Ohio
John Y. Hoover, Iowa.
Edmard G. Young, Ohio
Thomas W. Ladd New York.
Sarah Il. Satterthwate, England.
Martha N. Hunt Indiana.
Deborah 9. Thomas, Baltimore.
Rebecca Collins New York.
Allen Joy, North Carolina.
Among the arrivals yesterday we notice the
following who ara members of the Conference
Eli Jones and j. w. Jacob of China, Miss
Rebecca Smiley, sister of the gifted speaker,
Miss Smiley, Hon. Joseph Grinnell and Mrs.
Grinnell of New Bedford, B. Butfum of Provi-
dence, W. Jones and wife, T. K. Earle and
wife, E. Rowland, and G. Rowland of New
Bedford.
TO-DAYS EXERCISES.
Business meetings for ministers ard elders
only will be held at a. m. and p. ~ AT
7.3O p. NJ. there will be public preaching
meeting at City Hall, to which the public
generally are invited.
The mems meeting will be called TO order by
the clerk, Mr.. Newhali, and the women's by
Mrs. Gertrude Garland, formerly Gertrude
Whittier Of this city.
ST. DoMINICK' Undressing exercishs were
given by the children of St. Dominick's school
In honor of Bishop Healey's second anniversa
ry. The children presented him with very
elegant silver castor. The following was the
programme of the exercises: