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above set forth, and they contend and believe that man may have access to his God without any mediator-they contend that the crucifixion and sufferings of Christ, if an atonement at all, were an atonement only for the legal sins of the Jews. In respect to the third doctrine above mentioned, the Hicksite party deny the certainty and divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, and hold that they contain doctrines and injunctions which are incorrect, and that they are a mere shadow. That these discrepancies in religious doctrines, as above mentioned, between the Hicksite and the Orthodox parties, are radical, and all important in the opinion of this defendant and his party, in reference to the principles and tenets of religion, as held by the ancient fathers of this religious society-the Orthodox party believing, as they firmly do, that the doctrines entertained by the Hicksite party, strike at the foundation and main pillars of the christian system; that in consequence of these differences in doctrine, the Hicksite party are not in the same faith with them and the ancient religious Society of Friends. And this defendant, in further answering, saith, that during the Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends, held in Philadelphia in the spring of 1827, commencing on the third Monday of April, as above mentioned, at the hour of ten in the morning, according to the constitution and rules of the society, the Hicksite party held several private irregular meetings, at which few if any attended except their own party, in which, after adverting to the irreconcilable difference in opinion and doctrine between the two parties, and adverting to some confusion and disorder which they themselves had occasioned in the Yearly Meeting, but which they improperly ascribe to the Orthodox party, they stated, that the period had fully come in which they ought to look towards making a quiet retreat from the scene of confusion, alluding to the Yearly Meeting aforesaid, and they therefore recommended to the members of their party, deeply to weigh the momentous subject, and to adopt such a course as truth, under a solid and solemn deliberation, should point to-that at this sitting, in the spring of 1827 the said Yearly Meeting regularly closed its business, and adjourned to meet again the next year, at the usual time specified in its constitution, "to which adjournment no one objected, although most of the prominent members of the said Hicksite party were present at the time of the said adjournment, which was on Seventhday following the opening of the said meeting; the said adjournment was to the third Monday of April, 1828.'

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And this defendant, in further answering, saith, that in June, 1827, the said Hicksite party, pursuant to the determination formed by them at their irregular private meetings, held during the sitting of the Yearly Meeting as aforesaid, held another meeting of their own, at which they resolved upon and prepared an address, for the members of their own party, proposing for the consideration of their own party, the propriety

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and expediency of holding a Yearly Meeting for Friends in unity with themselves, and they recommend to the Quarterly and Monthly Meetings, prepared for such a measure, to appoint representatives to meet in Philadelphia, on the third Monday of October, 1827, with other members favourable to their views, there to hold a Yearly Meeting; that some of the members of a number of Quarterly and Monthly Meetings, which were under the control and jurisdiction of the regular and constitutional Yearly Meeting at Philadelphia aforesaid, which members belonged to the said Hicksite party, accordingly met at Philadelphia, on the third Monday in October aforesaid, and then and there, irregularly and contrary to the discipline, constitution, and government of the Society of Friends, formed a new Yearly Meeting of their own, which was adjourned by them to the second Monday of April, 1828, just one week before the time for the sitting of the regular constitutional Yearly Meeting as aforesaid; that on the second Monday of April, 1828, the Hicksite party held their new Yearly Meeting, and the Orthodox party held the regular ancient Yearly Meeting aforesaid on the Monday following, pursuant to the adjournment of the previous year; that the regular and ancient Yearly Meeting aforesaid, which is now continued and held by the Orthodox party as aforesaid, always has been and still is recognised by the ancient and primary Yearly Meeting of London aforesaid, as a regular Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends, and is in regular correspondence and fellowship with them; whereas the new Yearly Meeting, formed by the Hicksite party as aforesaid, is not recognised by the Yearly Meeting of London as aforesaid, as a Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends, and holds no intercourse or correspondence with them. Thus the Hicksite and Orthodox parties aforesaid, are completely and absolutely divided and separated, not only in regard to fundamental religious doctrines, but also in government and in fact, as well as in religious belief. They no longer form two parties of the same religious society, but they now form two separate, distinct religious societies and communities-the schism is complete. The Hicksite party aforesaid, have seceded not only from the faith, but from the religious institutions and government of the Society of Friends, and the ancient Yearly Meeting of Philadelphia being continued by the Orthodox party aforesaid, they are identified with them in regular and due suc

cession.

And this defendant, in further answering, saith, that these religious dissentions and divisions aforesaid, found their way into the meeting of the Society of Friends at Crosswicks aforesaid. That the Hicksite party and Orthodox party aforesaid, there hold separate and distinct meetings for business and worship, the former being under the jurisdiction and control of the new Yearly Meeting of Philadelphia aforesaid, to which they have attached themselves, having renounced the jurisdiction and control of the

ancient Yearly Meeting aforesaid, the latter being under the jurisdiction and control of the ancient Yearly Meeting above mentioned, now held and formed by the Orthodox party as aforesaid, and which still continues to hold its annual meetings on the third Monday of April, the regular constitutional period as aforesaid, which Yearly Meeting disowns and does not recognise the said Preparative Meeting at Crosswicks, held by the Hicksite party aforesaid. And this defendant in further answering, in respect to the pretensions of the said Stacy Decou, as set forth in the said bill of interpleader, says, that he admits that the Society of Friends were formed and associated under that name about the time in the said bill set forth, and are a well known denomination of Christian professors, that they have been and still are under a system of discipline which relates to the preservation of a decent and comely order, and its internal polity, to the observance of the principles of morality and justice by all belonging to it, and to the maintenance of its particular testimonies: and he further says, that their said discipline also relates to the preservation of sound religious doctrines among the members of the society, and among others, especially to the preservation of the doctrines above stated, as maintained by the Orthodox. He admits that the rules of discipline have been occasionally altered as circumstances might require, but he denies that any alteration in fundamental religious doctrine has ever been made; on the contrary, all efforts at such alterations, springing as they have occasionally done from ambition, or the restless spirit of innovation, have been sedulously watched and guarded against. He admits that this religious society acknowledge Christ as their head, and his love operating upon the heart as a principle of authority; that they also acknowledge as a great fundamental principle of authority and effective bond of union, the divine light operating upon the soul, yet he denies that as a religious denomination, they exhibit the strange anomaly of a sect of christians without rules of discipline, and without particular religious doctrines, but says that under the direction of Christ as their head, and under the influence of that divine light, as they humbly trust, their rules of discipline have been formed and their religious doctrines adopted. Though this Society has never issued a formal creed or regular confession of faith, yet they have established religious doctrines as above mentioned, which are to be found in their ancient and approved writers that this Society freely accords to every individual, as a member of the state in which he resides, a right to judge for himself of the true meaning of the Scripture testimony, uncontrolled by the arbitrary dictation of his fellow man; but if any member of this religious society depart essentially from the mode of government, rules of discipline, or religious doctrines, held by the Society of Friends, he is considered as not being one in faith with them, and after having extended due care for the help and benefit of such individual without success, they declare

the same, and issue their testimony accordingly; he will be excluded and no longer considered a member of their society. As the right of private judgment exists in every man, so it ought to be preserved inviolate to this and every other religious society, and in order to this, it is vitally important that they should have the power to exclude those who are not identified with them in doctrine and discipline, or the society would sink into a chaotic and incoherent mass. And this defendant, in further answering, says, that he denies that all the members of the Society of Friends have equal rights as such members, according to the ancient usages and principles of their association; on the contrary, he says that ministers, elders, overseers, and other experienced members of great weight of religious character, have always been considered as holding a degree of authority in their meetings for discipline, not common to all the other members of the society, and this superior weight and influence have been the means of preserving the society from the evils which infidelity and licentiousness would otherwise have introduced among them. In the institution of meetings of discipline, they are considered as effectively composed of such only as are experienced and exemplary members of society; the younger and less experienced members are not considered, according to the ancient usages of this society, as having a right to sit in meetings for discipline, unless invited so to do by the elders and overseers, and when so invited, they were not expected to take an active part, but rather to profit in silence by the wisdom and example of their elder brethren, upon whom the government of the church rested, and until the spirit of revolution invaded the borders of this society, they cheerfully acquiesced in the government and control of the elder and experienced and spiritually-minded brethren, whose long years of dedication to the service of the church, and faithful labours in the camp, entitle them to a weight and authority, not accorded to the hasty and intemperate thoughts and expressions of youth, agreeably to the injunction of Scripture, "Ye younger submit yourselves to the elder;" and the sense and judgment of the elder ought to be received and considered as the conclusive and deliberate determination of the meeting, without any reference to the number of voices or the principle of majorities-that the doctrine of majorities, so far as they relate to church affairs, is an anomaly in the religious society of Friends, unsupported by usage and practice; that no question was ever so settled, no vote either by ballot or otherwise was ever so taken nor proposed to be so taken, except by the Hicksites themselves, who have prompted many of the youth to think more highly of themselves in spiritual matters and religious affairs, than they ought, or was customary before, and it serves among other things to mark the line of distinction between them and the true Society of Friends-the principle of majorities in a religious society where birth-rights are admitted, encouraging the youth to cast off the restraints which religion imposes, and

which the due authority of age and wisdom is calculated to preserve and support, would, if admitted, soon endanger the preservation of the wholesome doctrines and discipline of the institution, and would stimulate an artful and designing leader, who might be ambitious of distinction, fond of novelty, and wild and visionary in his conceits, by addressing himself to the younger and less experienced members, flattering their pride and prejudices, and courting their approbation, to draw them astray from the path of duty and the wholesome institutions of their fathers. That the clerk in these meetings is a very responsible and weighty officer, clothed with very important and interesting powers, to gather the solid determinations of the meetings upon the true principles herein set forth. It sometimes happens in large Yearly Meetings that the whole extent of expression in favour of any important subject under consideration, will be confined to a dozen voices or thereabouts, in an assembly composed of as many hundreds; no vote is taken, and this expression would be deemed by the clerk sufficient to authorize him to make a minute in accordance with the sentiment delivered, but if after so many or even more voices had been heard, two or three of the faithful worthy elder members should express an opposition to such measure, it would be considered a sufficient warrant from the weight and authority attending it, for the clerk to forbear from making the minute; the clerk is therefore much more than a mere recording officer. And this defendant in further answering, says, that the individuals of the people called Quakers, who emigrated to New Jersey and Pennsylvania, were members of the Yearly Meeting of London, and their attachment to the society in their native country continued strong and ardent, that after the difficulties incident to the formation of new colonies were in some measure surmounted, and meetings for divineworship were formed, they proceeded to organize themselves into meetings for discipline pursuant to the advice and direction which the society in England had issued. Preparative, Monthly, and Quarterly Meetings were successively instituted. All these naturally grew out of the functions and relations subsisting in the society where it was primarily and fully organizedthat there being a manifest want of some general supervision over the whole, some experienced and judicious Friends assembled at the time of the holding of the Burlington Monthly Meeting, wrote epistles to every settlement of Friends on the Continent relative to the formation of a Yearly Meeting, in order to ascertain the views and to obtain the approbation of the society at large upon the subject, and a general concurrence being had, the first Yearly Meeting on this continent was held in 1682, which has continued with some changes of the time and place of meeting, as deemed expedient by the Society of Friends. But although this Yearly Meeting of Friends was thus instituted, yet it held and acknowledged a strict subordination to the great parent Yearly Meeting in London, in all matters relating to the general

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