1 Women's meetings recommended. 2 3 Proceedings in marriage to be laid before them. WOMEN'S MEETINGS. It is our tender and christian advice that you do encourage faithful women's meetings, and the settling of them where they are wanting, and may with convenience be settled; knowing their service, and what need there is also of their godly care in the church of Christ, in divers weighty respects proper to them. 1691. P. E. Our women's meetings being set up and approved in the love of God, and by his wisdom and power; and being of manifest service, and helpful in the church; it is the earnest desire and advice of this meeting, that they may be upheld and encouraged, where they are settled, by monthly and quarterly meetings; and that in counties and places where they are not, it be the care of the quarterly meetings to endeavour that they be set up and encouraged in proper and convenient places, where they may be most serviceable and helpful. 1707. P. E. Advised, that friends in all places encourage the service of the meetings of faithful women, and that quarterly meetings would help and assist such women friends in setting up monthly meetings; wherein they may wait for divine wisdom to give proper advice to those of their own sex; and that proceedings in relation to marriage be laid before such meetings, and the clearness of the persons concerned be inquired into by them; which method, we apprehend, will render our grave and solid women helpmeets to the brotherhood in the discipline, and conduce to the edification of the church. 1745. WOMEN'S MEETINGS. 4 Constitution the women's This meeting agrees, that the meeting of women friends held annually in this city, be at liberty to correspond in writing, with the quarterly meetings of women friends; to receive accounts from them, and to issue such advice as, in the wisdom of truth, may from time to time and duties of appear necessary, and conducive to their mutual edification. The seve- yearly meeting. ral quarterly meetings of women friends are at liberty to appoint two or more of their members to meet in London, at the time of holding this meeting; nevertheless so that the number from any women's quarterly meeting, do not exceed that of the representatives allowed to be appointed by the men's quarterly meeting for the same district; which meeting of women so appointed shall be denominated the Yearly Meeting of Women Friends held in London. And this meeting is further of the judgment, that the several women's quarterly meetings should annually send to their yearly meeting, answers in writing to the queries proper for the women friends. But the said yearly meeting is not at liberty to make or alter any rules of discipline, or queries. 1784.-1790. On considering the nature and extent of the discipline committed to women friends, it is our judgment, that its nature is, as expressed by the minutes of the yearly meeting, to come up to the help of their brethren in the discipline of the church. As to its extent, I. They are to inspect and relieve the wants of the poor of their own sex; and to apply to the men's meeting for the means, and for its concurrence, as cases shall require. II. They are to take cognizance of proposals for marriage, conformably to the rules on that subject. III. They are to join in certificates of removal for women friends, when they are about to be recommended with their husbands. In such cases the women's monthly meeting, on notice from the men's meeting, is to appoint one or two of its members to make the necessary inquiry, and to report the result thereof to the friend or friends appointed to inquire by the men's meeting. But when it may appear proper to U 5 Extent of dis cipline committed to wo men friends. WOMEN'S MEETINGS. issue a certificate of removal on behalf of a woman friend other than as above, the men's meeting on receiving such information shall make a record of the same, and then request the women's meeting to appoint two of its members to make the needful inquiry. If no obstruction arise, the friends so appointed are to prepare a certificate agreeably to the second and third rules for Removals and Settlements; which, after being read and approved in the women's meeting, is to be sent into the men's meeting for its approbation and signature in the usual manner, and is then to be returned to the women's meeting to receive the signature of its clerk. IV. They are also, on receiving from the men's meeting certificates for women friends, to make appointments to visit the persons removed into the compass of the monthly meeting.1 1 In V. They are to have overseers, agreeably to their tenth query. order to which, when it is necessary that women overseers be appointed, the women's monthly meeting is to appoint a committee, which is to join a committee to be appointed by the men's monthly meeting. The joint committee is to nominate the overseers, and the names of the women then nominated are to be reported to the women's monthly meeting, and, if approved by the said meeting, sent to the men's meeting for confirmation. VI. The women's monthly meeting, at the desire of the men's monthly meeting, should make appointments to join the men in visiting such women as apply for admission, or reinstatement, into membership; and the report of the committee is to be made to the men's monthly meeting, which is to inform the women's meeting of the conclusion. VII. In cases of delinquency of women friends, when, after due exercise of private labour, the women's monthly meeting believes it necessary to record any of its members as delinquents, it is to inform the men's meeting thereof. If the men do not take up the matter exclusively, the women are then to proceed to deal with the delinquent, and report the result of their labours to the men's meeting; but if the men's meeting should see it expedient to join them in the dealing, the See the 4th Rule for Removals and Settlements. report of the joint committee is to be made to the men's meeting, WOMEN'S MEETINGS. 6 Women's quarterly meetings to men's when apply for assistance to the If a quarterly meeting of women friends should apprehend itself unable to give to its monthly meetings such assistance as the place of the one, and the state of the other require, it is desired to lay the case before its men's quarterly meeting for advice and assistance, previously to expressing such inability in its answer to the query on that subject, needful. to the yearly meeting. And the quarterly meetings of men friends are desired to attend to such applications as may be thus made, and give to their women's meetings all the assistance they may be enabled to render them. 1803. 1 Counsel to faithfulness in the duty of public worship. 2 MEETINGS FOR WORSHIP. As it hath been our care and practice from the beginning, that an open testimony for the Lord should be borne, and a public standard for truth and righteousness upheld, in the power and spirit of God, by our open and known meetings, against the spirit of persecution, that in all ages hath sought to lay waste God's heritage; and as only through faithfulness, constancy, and patience, victory hath been and is obtained; so it is our advice and judgment, that all friends, gathered in the name of Jesus, keep up these public testimonies in their respective places; and do not decline, forsake, or remove their public assemblies, because of times of suffering; as worldly, fearful, and politic professors have done, because of informers and the like persecutors for such practices are not consistent with the nobility of the truth, and therefore not to be owned in the church of Christ. 1675. W. E. Dear friends and brethren, keep in the pure and peaceable wisdom of Jesus, that you may be in all things ordered to the Lord's glory, and your mutual peace and refreshment. Friends, though the enemy be near to betray with fair pretences, the Lord is nearer to preserve his heritage and water his plants; therefore let none wax cold, let none murmur. Be noble and valiant for the truth on earth, look to the Lord God of your life, and keep your eye steadfastly to Him; and be of an universal spirit, and by how much the more it is a day of trial, and an hour of temptation, forsake ye not the assembling of yourselves together: but by so much the more be zealous, and diligent in keeping all your meetings in the Lord's everlasting power, by which they were set up: and as you are found diligent and steadfast in the work of the Lord, the God of peace will suddenly tread down Satan |