is ever ready and able to draw us, when we are willing to listen to it; on which conditions I believe the mercy of God ever was, and ever will be freely extended, agreeable to the concurrent testimony of his witnesses, through a long succession of ages; but, in the most full and clear manner in the dispensation of the Gospel, as we have it recorded, and set forth, from and through its divine Promulgator, by precept and practice, who hath (as said the apostle) left us an example, that we should follow his steps; and has plainly told us in the most unequivocal language, the consequence of disobedience on the one hand, or due compliance on the other. This [the Gospel] I consider and believe to be the most perfect dispensation ever ministered to man in its kind, that is, an outward or secondary testimony of the will of God to us, and which I have ever found to be coincident with the direct and immediate testimony, dictates and instructions of that life, which is the light of man; which justly claims the precedence of every other means of instruction, being pure uncreated truth; divine in its nature, universal in its diffusion, and saving in its effects, and is I believe the bountiful Creator's free gift to his creatures; being that which the apostle calls "Christ (or the spirit of anointing) within, the hope of glory." And being the pure leaven of the kingdom, it operates on and produces in the minds of all those, whose will (resulting therefrom) is reduced, brought down and subjected to it, by its clear convictions of the precious advantage of a conformity to its own nature, which is order, harmony, and true solid peace, or in other words, the true heavenly image of righteousness and true holiness. Here is, in truth and reality, a putting on Christ, not by imputation, but actual operation; in which state, he makes no scruple of acknowledging the spiritual consanguinity or divine relation, saying, "Whosoever doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my mother, and sister, and brother," notwithstanding, as the Father's most dignified Son and Messenger, the Spirit or divine emanation was poured upon him without measure, and upon us by measure.

"This I acknowledge to be my faith, and the settled result of anxious and early enquiry, which I have long and firmly believed; yet hope ever to stand ready to exchange for better, if better there are; and which, while they remain to be my sentiments, my heart's desire and prayer is, that I may ever be preserved cheerfully ready to openly acknowledge before men, preferring the testimony of a good conscience to the favour of princes, and every worldly consideration; believing it to be my duty, nevertheless, to extend charitable limitations to all who may apprehend they have seen further in any point whatsoever; under the conviction that, indeed, I am nothing without this Christian virtue, which I understand to be the love of God and man.

"I now add, that, consistent with the above sentiments, when I am asked if I believe in the vicarious sufferings and atonement of Christ, I answer candidly, I do not in the general acceptation of the terms; for, it appears to me (and has from early life) an inconsistent, unintelligible motley of absurdity, to suppose the Almighty so incensed and influenced with vindictive wrath, against millions and millions of rational intelligences; whom (it is asserted) he had by his all-creating fiat or operation wrapt, in miniature, in

one general head, and then permitted another power to involve in disorder and ruin, as to be inexorable to any other compromise or mode of reconciliation, but, that of voluntarily taking human nature upon himself, and dying a violent death to satisfy his own vengeance, and that to answer the purpose of reinstatement very partially; still leaving them far short of that angelic perfection, wherein the bewildered fabricators of this system of chosen absurdities assert they were at first created, but [both] in a natural and moral sense. I repeat again that this system of jargon, which scarcely admits of a parallel, appears irreconcileable in my judgment to the general attributes of Deity; which my understanding (contracted as it was) early revolted at; even against the general current of surrounding opinion, the importunity of imbibed prejudices, and fear of heretical deception, and that before I arrived at the age of seventeen years; and what to me change in nothing but increasing absurdity and visible traces of priestcraft, and ignorant credulity, almost at every repeated investigation. And what is beyond extraordinary, we are told that these unaccountable transactions took place ages before any of us, that are now on the stage of action, had any conscious existence. No wonder the native Indian of North America said, in answer to the missionaries' persuasions to subscribe to such shocking inconsistencies: 'It may not be amiss, before we offer him the reasons why we cannot comply with his request, to acquaint him with the ground and principles of that religion he would have us abandon. Our forefathers were under a strong persuasion, as we are, that those who act well in this life, will be rewarded in the next, in proportion to the degrees of their virtue: and on the other hand, those who have behaved wickedly here will also receive a just retribution hereafter; and if any one or more of our forefathers were guilty of a very heinous crime, or crimes, in such a case an allwise, powerful, just, and merciful God, would certainly correct the criminal, but would never involve those that are innocent in the guilt.' And I confess myself so fully of the same opinion, that, when I am asked whether I believe in the total depravity of human nature in consequence of Adam's fall, I answer plainly, I do not, in the general acceptation of the word; for, it is a term which in my opinion is only applicable (with strict propriety) to that state of obduration, which is the consequence of voluntarily choosing and persisting in evil, against the remonstrances, discoveries, and long-suffering visitations, of the light, grace, truth or word of God, until it becomes an object of the mind's terror, and settled aversion; in which state, it becomes to the soul a gnawing worm and source of fearful looking for. And further, when I am asked whether I believe that all the pains, and diseases, together with that natural death, to which the human and brute creation are subject, is the effect of Adam's fall, I answer plainly, that I do not; and if I am then asked why I profess myself a Christian, I answer, because I believe in the plain, wise and clear consistency of the doctrines of Jesus Christ; which are not, as I could ever discover, disgraced and clotted with any part of those glaring inconsistencies I have disavowed; and because I believe that, if any one had advanced them before him, he would not have hesitated to have included them among the number of those whom he addressed with the language of 'Ye

ART. III.-Some Remarks on the phrase, the Mind of Truth.'

The following was communicated some time since to the Editor, by a Woman Friend:

"I remember to have heard the expression the mind of Truth' instead of the mind or will of Christ, as I suppose; but I cannot find any passage of Scripture to support it :-the following are those in which the word Mind is used in reference to the Deity. Lev. xxiv. 12. That the mind of the Lord might be shewed them. Rom. viii. 27. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit: xi. 34. For who hath known the mind of the Lord? 1 Cor. ii. 16. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. [See on this text, vol. iii. p. 299.-Ed.]

"Jer. xix. 5. Which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind; and xxxii. 35.

as

"From these quotations it does not appear that there is any impropriety in using the word mind, in reference to the LORD to Christ-or to the Spirit but there is no support in Scripture for such an expression 'the Mind of Truth.'-The impropriety consists in using the word Truth as a personal appellation or name, title or designation of Christ. He said indeed, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life;' but who uses the Way as a name: and why then the Truth-or if one be used, why not the other?

"Gal. ii. 5. That the truth of the Gospel might continue with you.

"Gal. iii. 1. O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

"Gal. v. 7. Ye did run well, who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth; and ver. 14, But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel, &c.

By a comparison of all these texts, the truth' appears to signify nothing more than the doctrine of the gospel: but let us turn to some others. The next that occurs is John i. 17; But grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. This example surely confirms the view advanced above. The next is John v. 33; John-he bare witness unto the truth. Is there any thing in this text, which can be supposed to justify the application of Truth,' as a name, to our Saviour? I think not. Nor yet in the following, John, viii. 32. Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Again, John, xvi. 13. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth. Lastly, John, xviii. 37, where Jesus says, 'For this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth; every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.' This seems to decide the question. So also, when the apostles so often speak of the truth, they seem to me to mean the same thing as when they more explicitly call it (as in 2 Cor. xi. 10.) the truth of Christ: or as in Gal. ii. 5 and 14, the truth of the Gospel-viz. the Gospel itself.

"But to return to the words of our Saviour, the truth shall make you

free;' if this should appear to give a sort of personality to the truth, yet the same might be advanced in favour of the law of the Spirit of life!' since Paul in that passage in Romans asserts that it had made him free."R. H. 11th mo. 1827."

I shall now continue these observations on a phrase, by the use of which our members have been prevailed upon at times to attribute more to 'the sense of the Meeting' than can be proved, on sound principles, to belong to it. Were we to count out the house,' and ascertain a majority by numbers, we should be thought to reduce our business to the ordinary secular standard. We are, yet, above doing this: our members retain still a belief in a superior influence on the mind, by the help of which we may be conducted to a right decision; though it should happen to be settled. by mere deference to the will of those we revere and love. I remember the time when (after, it may be, thirty years' attendance,) I could not have said that I had witnessed a conclusion of the Yearly Meeting, manifestly warped by personal feelings, by considerations of interest or party. There may be of our younger members in the like condition, still such as are unable to discern spirits-such as are full of faith in 'the leadings of Truth,' (as a sensible influence on the mind,) and desirous, above all things, to be edified and comforted by what they hear. To these a close controversy (a thorough searching out of the cause we understood not, Job, xxix. 16,) may often present a stumbling-block, in place of that attractive sweetness and such need not be called to witness doubtful disputations,

:

That there has crept into the Society, of later time, a separate interest, of a certain class of Friends ruling as ministers and elders, is manifest. And, what is more to be lamented, this house' is now in measure • divided against itself:' so that we are in danger to have, in a figure, Pau and Apollos, and Cephas, with their separate adherents and friends, who would fain put them in competition with each other; nay, with the MASTER himself. And the means by which, chiefly, this sort of work is carried on, is personal influence: the reputation of knowing on every difficult question the mind of Truth!' To this, as considered to be disclosed through them, are others expected to yield up their judgments; all evidence of Scripture and right reason to the contrary notwithstanding. Thus is a meeting silenced, and the question settled for it, by a portion, and that often questionable whether the best informed, of those assembled ; to the injury (by its being unrighteously kept down. Rom. i. 18.) of the Truth itself.

Scripture may be very fitly appealed to, here, to show how they proceeded in such cases in old time. If we look into the fifteenth of the Acts, we shall find, 1. the Church with the Apostles and Elders, assembled to receive' Paul and Barnabas and certain others' from the country; come to get a point settled at Jerusalem, about which there had been 'no small dissention and disputation among themselves.' It may or may not have been, that both sides of the question were represented in that deputation: but it appears the Pharisaical view of it found, at once, its advocates there. For there rose up certain' who would have had the Gentile con

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verts made debtors by circumcision to the whole law, to keep it, (Gal. v. 3.) and thus have deprived them at once of their Gospel freedom. took place?

2nd. The Apostles and Elders' (by themselves, as I take it, and not with every one who might incline) came together to consider of this matter.' And here the definitive sentence of Peter, according to the power of the keys put upon him (but not without his brethren, nor with which to lord it over them) after much disputing,' settled the question for that body ver. 7 to 11. Then, 3rd. Came all the multitude' to hear what had been concluded on, and approve it: and from the CHURCH thus constituted, and unanimous, 'the decrees' went down to the subordinate meetings.

Here was sound work: the thing first matured, by free discussion in private, among capable and authorized persons; and then divulged, and (as might be expected) generally approved and sanctioned. Now, mark 4thly the terms in which it was couched :-'It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us, to lay on you no greater burthen than these necessary things'-things to be presently noticed; but let us first advert to this record of the sense of the Meeting.' There was an assumption of the highest authority of all,-of the name of Him, who was to come (sent by the Father and by the Son) to be their Comforter, teacher, and advocate in the spirit: and who, received and entertained aright, was to abide with His Church for ever! The Apostles had a right-need we dispute it-to assume this highest of all Gospel claims to obedience, and to set it over all the disputants in their decision; the mind of Christ had been made known to them, amidst many infallible tokens (to them and others) of His all-sufficiency, and they were authorized (exclusively authorized) to declare it; and cause it, when made manifest to others by reason and evidence, to go forth as their decree for the observance of the churches.

By reason and evidence? Yes for consider how, first, they declare the things laid on the country to be necessary:' they needed not to have said this had it been from the Papal chair. And how proved thus, and reasonable also? Let us see: they were first to abstain from meats offered to idols, of which they could not partake without the defiling company of idolaters-in fact, without being forced to learn wicked lewdness.' 2. And from blood and things strangled:' necessary to avoid giving an offence, fatal to all hope of the conversion of such, to their Jewish neighbours reasonable, as a salutary dietetic regulation, keeping them on their guard also (as we may conclude) in other respects, as to what they might suitably partake of as food. And from fornication:' necessary (I think, again,) to the happiness of the future father and mother of a Christian family and reasonable, as consistent with both the doctrine and the lives of the Apostles and Elders, their teachers, and with the blessed example of Christ. From which if ye keep yourselves ye shall do well :' argument again, from the expediency of the thing-not mere authoritative injunction.

(To be continued.)