the Hiftory of the Christian Church, even during the period of its early exiftence, and much more fo in the various fubfequent diffentions amongst the Roman Catholics, as well as at the memorable æra of the Proteftant Reformation, and alfo in the fucceeding diffent of various religious focieties from the established church, and from each other. And it remains for the intelligent Reader to form his own judgment whether the events recorded in the following narrative, do not furnish a new and affecting illuftration of the preceding ⚫bfervations.

AN ACCOUNT

Of the Conflitution of MEETINGS FOR DISCIPLINE, amongst the People commonly called Quakers ;-intended chiefly for the information of those Readers to whom the following Narrative might not otherwife be fufficiently intelligible.

THE members of this religious fociety unite, as a diftinct body, not only for the performance of public worship, according to that mode which they believe to have been intended by Jefus Chrift, but also for the maintaining of a CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINE FOR THEIR INTERNAL GOVERNMENT. By means of this difcipline, they are of opinion, that their union as a religious fociety receives additional strength, and that they are thereby enabled, with increased effect, to cooperate for their mutual good.

The confiderations which chiefly determine the local meeting or congregation to which each INDIVIDUAL belongs, are fometimes the relative number of members of which a congregation confifts, but more frequently the vicinity of the meeting-house to his own refidence. And the rules and regulations of the fociety are con

ceived

ceived to be obligatory upon every individual, who is defirous of continuing a member of it.

The members of each congregation affemble, once a month, at the conclufion of a meeting for worship; and they then conflitute a PREPARATIVE MEETING FOR DISCIPLINE, except in the cafe herein after mentioned. The queries, which are directed by the yearly meeting to be read, confidered and answered, at stated periods, form a part of the bufinefs of these meetings; the overfeers or other members impart fuch information, refpecting the occurrences among themfelves, as may appear neceffary; generally two members are appointed to be representatives to the ensuing monthly meeting; and the answers to the queries, together with fuch part of the information as may require to be communicated to the monthly meeting, are here prepared, to be transmitted to it by the representatives hence thefe local meetings of difcipline are denominated Preparative Meetings.

:

In fome places, the members of a fingle congregation constitute a MONTHLY MEETING for difcipline; but in other places, where the members are less numerous, the affociation of two, and generally of more than two, preparative meetings or congregations, within a stated district, conftitutes one monthly meeting. Monthly meetings are often denominated by the names of the places where they are most frequently held; but feveral of them take their names from fome other appropriate circumftance. In the felection of the particular preparative meetings or congregations that conftitute a monthly meeting, regard is fometimes

had

had to the aggregate number of members, but more frequently to the convenience and vicinity of the several congregations, to the place or places where the monthly meeting is ufually held.

A QUARTERLY MEETING generally comprizes the members refident in one county, and it usually confifts of the feveral monthly meetings within fuch county. Of late years, however, it has been found expedient, in feveral inftances, to unite the monthly meetings of two or more counties, in which the members were not numerous, under the jurifdiction of one quarterly meeting.

The members of the fociety in the States of New England, New York, Maryland, and Virginia, have each their diftin&t YEARLY MEETING; thofe members who refide in Pennsylvania and New Jersey affociate together for this purpose, as do also those who refide in North and South Carolina and in Georgia. Each of these yearly meetings, as well as the yearly meeting of Great Britain (ufually denominated the Yearly Meeting held in London) poffeffes, within its appropriate diftrict, the fupreme legislative and judicial power, in all that refpects the difcipline of the fociety. And the yearly meeting of each diftri&t is independent of the others. A mutual correfpondence between them and the yearly meeting held in London, is however generally maintained, by means of epiftles from the feveral annual meetings.

The NATIONAL YEARLY MEETING OF IRELAND appoints reprefentatives to the yearly meeting held in London,