દર quakers, by William Penn ;"-" A fummary of the "biftory, doctrine, and difcipline of friends;" Or "A "Hiftory of the rife and progress of the people called Qua"kers, in Ireland, began by Thomas Wight, and conti"nued by John Rutty, M. D.” And, in order to fhew the eftimation in which the ORIGIN and IMPORTANCE of t e difcipline continues to be held by the fociety, the following paragraph, being the introduction to the chapter on "Difcipline and "meetings of difcipline," and iffued in 1675, is here inferted from the "Extracts from the minutes and advices of the yearly meeting," compiled and published in 1802. "It is our judgment and teftimony, in the word of "God's wisdom, that the rife and practice, fetting up "and establishment, of men's and women's meetings, " in the church of Chrift, in this our generation, is "according to the mind and council of God, and done "in the ordering and leading of his eternal fpirit; and "that it is the duty of all friends and brethren in "the power of God, in all parts, to be diligent there❝in, and to encourage and further each other in that "bleffed work, and particularly that friends and bre"thren in their refpective counties, encourage their "faithful and grave women in the fettlement of the "faid meetings." Page 42. NARRATIVE OF EVENTS, &c. THE reprefentative national meetings of the people called Quakers in Ireland, first began in 1670. These meetings were regularly held twice a year, and were hence denominated "THE NATIONAL HALF YEAR'S MEETINGS OF IRELAND." They were compofed of representatives, and other members of the fociety, from the three quarterly meetings, in the provinces of ULSTER, LEINSTER, and MUNSTER; there being only a few members of the fociety in CONNAUGHT, who conftitute one fmall meeting, which is joined to the quarterly meeting of Leinfter. No very material changes appear to have taken place in the discipline of the fociety, for more than a century after the establishment of the national half year's meetings. In the fifth month, 1791, the QUERIES and AD VICES framed for the ufe of meetings of difcipline,* having been revised by the direction of the yearly meeting, held in London, they were new modelled and arranged, under diftinct heads. Directions were also then given, prefcribing the times at which these queries and advices were to be read and confidered in the feveral meetings for difcipline; and to the whole, the following minute was prefixed. "It is agreed, that the queries fhall be answered "at the times, and in the manner directed; and that "no others be used without the leave of this meeting." In the eleventh month of the fame year, the national half year's meeting of Ireland was held at Dublin; and to this meeting was tranfmitted, from the preceding yearly meeting, held in London, (according to the ufual practice on fuch occafions) a copy of the faid minute, and of the newly arranged queries and advices, together with directions concerning the use of them.t Although much brotherly regard had been always felt, and a cordial intercourfe uniformly maintained, between the yearly meeting of Great Britain, and the national half year's meeting of Ireland, yet it had ne ver * See page 17. + These queries and advices are published in the book of "Extracts from the minutes and advices of the yearly meet"ing of Friends, held in London," under the head QUERIES. For a brief sketch of their hiftory, fee Appendix, No, I. ver been admitted by the latter, that the fociety in Ireland were amenable, in matters of discipline, to the yearly meeting of Great Britain; and fome doubts were therefore entertained, whether the prohibitory injunction, contained in the said minute, ought to extend to Ireland. The fubject was, in confequence, difcuffed at the national half year's meeting, afsembled at this time; and as its members concurred with their brethren in Great Britain, in a frong defire of uniformity throughout the fociety, the queries and advices, as arranged by the late yearly meeting held in London, were adopted and recommended to general ufe in Ireland. This compliance of the fociety in Ireland, with the recommendations of their brethren in Great Britain, led to a confideration of the expediency of discontinuing the provincial meetings for discipline, held once in every fix weeks, and thence denominated SIX WEEKS' MEETINGS. These meetings had for many years been almoft peculiar to Ireland, where they were first established, so long fince as the year 1668, prior to the exiftence of either monthly, quarterly, or the national half year's meetings; and of late they had been regarded as a kind of intermediate quarterly meetings. If the newly arranged queries were to be read at those times only, which had been prescribed by the late yearly meeting held in London, it muft of course preclude |