Chapter VI. The "Quakers" or "Friends"

THE " Society of Friends " is, numerically considered, comparatively unimportant, numbering at the present day considerably less than twenty thousand, all told; but their influence upon Non-Catholic thought, in the past as well as in the present, is great enough to make it necessary to say a few words upon their tenets. They were founded by George Fox about the middle of the seventeenth century, although their first intention was not the formation of any distinct sect.

I. First, they must be classed, generally speaking, under the title " evangelical " Christians. Their theo logical position, though unexpressed in any formal creed, is practically that of the least common multiple of the Nonconformist denominations, though with the marked exception of all sacramental dogma of every kind. They use no form of Baptism, and no form of the Lord's Supper; believing that all forms and cere monies apparently instituted by Christ were of no vital importance in His eyes, and were merely unessential signs of certain deep spiritual meanings. The " baptism of the Spirit " is that inner accession of grace to the soul by which it is led to embrace God's pro mises, and every meal, if eaten in recollection and devotion, sufficiently fulfils the injunctions given at the Last Supper.

2. Their characteristic doctrine is that of Inner Illumination. Every soul, it is believed by them, which waits humbly and quietly upon God, receives special light and grace sufficient for its needs. No ordained ministry, no liturgy, no sacramental system, is required by the believing Christian. This line of thought is carried out (or rather wasv until quite recently) to its utmost logical extent. The Friends' " meeting houses " are in no sense thought to be churches; the persons who through age or experience may happen to preside are not believed to possess any ministerial commission beyond that enjoyed by all " Friends," men and women alike. The services themselves, if they may be called so, consist of the simple meeting of the members to gether, in an unadorned room, in silence: there is no music and no pulpit; and the only distinction made amongst the worshippers lies in the fact that a gallery, facing the body of the room, holds the "overseers," the "elders" and the "recorded ministers"1. There are no liturgical forms of any kind. There need not, indeed, be any outward utterance at all. Each person present, by recollectedness and " introversion," seeks to pass into the consciousness of God's presence, and there remains in silence, unless, and until, the divine impulse

" recorded ministers" (unpaid) are members of the congregation, men or women, who after having acceptably " exercised the gift of ministry," are recognized by that title.

comes upon him to make an address to his fellow-members or to engage in spoken prayer. If no such impulse comes all remain silent. (Men and women in these as in governmental matters are on terms of perfect equality.)

This, at least, is the ideal; but, as a matter of fact, in recent years, certain almost inevitable developments have taken place. (The wonder is that they did not take place sooner in the history of the sect.) The old absolute simplicity is tending to disappear; addresses and sermons are frequently prepared beforehand by those on whom the responsibility of conducting the meeting will probably fall, and there is an increasing movement in the direction of recognizing more explicitly ministerial functions.

3. Further characteristics of the Quakers are to be found in their attitude towards war and their doctrine of non-resistance. In these matters they take Christ's words in the Sermon on the Mount as obligatory upon all who claim the name of Christian — their original ideal, at least, was to do so. It is not unknown, for example, to find Quakers who refuse to pay taxes for the support of the army, and who submit without resentment or rancour to a forcible sale of their goods for the payment of these. It was also largely owing to the efforts and example of the " Friends " that the movement against slavery was successful. They have also suffered considerably in the past from persecution for conscience' sake.

In their central doctrine — that of Inner Illumination — as well as in their repudiation of outward observances of worship, it is evident that they have a great deal in common with the school of Quietists; and there is about them, as about the writings of the Quietists, the same attractive and spiritual air. It would be a matter for wonder indeed if the almost continuous practice of the Presence of God — for that, after all, is the foundation of their interior attitude — did not have such a result. In a limited sense, then, they are extraordinarily spiritual persons.

First then, in dealing with them, this fact must be remembered. It would be a grave mistake to class them generally and vaguely as having anything in common with noisy revivalists, or those semi-political, semi-social, " religious " bodies into which so many modern Nonconformist sects appear to be gradually changing. They are an extremely retiring race — though, strangely enough, some of their members are markedly prosperous in worldly affairs; they have none of the vices of self-advertisement, they have practically no ambitions towards proselytism; they approximate far more to the Contemplative than to the Active ideal. Neither have they produced any theo logians or preachers of note (such, in fact, is not their ambition); they rather resemble a quiet spiritual family desiring to serve God in peace after the manner of their fathers, unpretentiously and simply.

It is difficult, beyond this, to suggest any particular line of argument to pursue with them; and probably most good would be done, in the earlier stages, by sympathy, and by showing that the spiritual life is at least as much a product of Catholicism as of any system of mere "introversion". Any theological discussion, until it is grasped that the outer is an expression of the inner, and can be its help rather than its hindrance, would be certainly useless. The Quaker inquirer must first be made to see that since man consists of body and soul, the sacramental idea answers to his needs far more adequately than any purely interior scheme of devotion. It is this "blind spot" in his spiritual outlook that is responsible for the defects of his system.

Next, it should be remembered, that he knows very little indeed of theology in the Catholic sense. His devotional instincts are usually orthodox; he has a strong sense of the Fatherhood of God, of the Salvation of the world through the Son, and of the constant and intimate action of the Holy Ghost upon the soul: but of dogmas, beyond these — of any conception of a Church as an ark of Salvation — or of such clearly defined doctrines such as those taught in the most elementary Catechism, he has practically no idea. Religion is for him a state of soul rather than a body of truth.

Finally, however, it should be remembered that the Quaker, when converted, usually makes a most admirable Catholic. He has learnt already certain elements of the science of prayer, though these are, of course, accompanied by the well-known dangers incident to Quietistic methods; his is a soul of great simplicity, purity and natural obedience; and when his own well-trained character and his quiet self-control receive the grace of the sacraments and the benefits of organized Catholic worship and discipline, it is prob able that he will progress rapidly and surely.

It is unnecessary to say more than a few words upon the " Salvation Army," since with regard to dogma its members take their stand simply upon the common platform of " evangelical Christianity ". Strictly speaking, they do not form a sect, but rather a guild within these wide limits, corresponding more or less to a Religious Order, with rules and a discipline of their own.

The "Army" was founded by Mr. Booth first in the form of a missionary movement in 1865, but be came military in its character and nomenclature in 1878. Since then it has met with extraordinary success in many countries throughout the world; it pos sesses more than 16,000 officers, and its annual income is said to amount to a million and a half pounds. Recently it has undergone numerous developments in the direction of social enterprise; and it numbers amongst its activities, labour colonies, trading and famine depots, systems of night-shelter, and, still more recently, an "Anti-suicide Bureau".

I. Its theology is, as has been said, that common to

"evangelical Christianity"; but there are two or three points that call for particular attention.

(a) "Instantaneous conversion" is a doctrine on which the Army lays great stress. In the spiritual department it is this act of the will which it is sought to elicit from those to whom the members minister, and for this purpose the emotions are violently appealed to by hymn-singing, passionate preaching, and fervent extempore prayer. The essence of this conversion is that the soul should " accept Jesus Christ " as the sacrifice for sin, and cast upon Him the burden of her guilt It is a striking fact that in these days of the " New Theology" and "broad" thought the "Army" should retain practically intact the doctrines of the Divinity of Jesus Christ, the Atonement, and the merits of the Precious Blood; as well as the authority and inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, and the reality of eternal punishment.

(£) Neither are the abuses so common amongst those who preach "instantaneous conversion" usually to be found in the Salvation Army. The possibility of backsliding is freely acknowledged, and great stress therefore is laid upon the simple doctrines of grace, and the need for watching, prayer and the process of " sanctification " even after conversion has been accomplished. The sacraments, however, find no place in this scheme. The waving of a flag over a child has practically supplanted the administration of baptism, and the Lord's Supper is not officially celebrated by the members of the Army. There is no formal objection however to the Salvationists attending these services in Nonconformist chapels. It is another happy feature of the system that the " converted " are encouraged to throw themselves into spiritual and philanthropic work; and the ingenuity of the Army in finding occupation for all its members, though under vigorous supervision, is remarkable.

2. The organization of the "Army" is magnificent, and corresponds, as has been said, very closely to that of a missionary Religious Order. The costume, on military lines, is well known; and military titles are borne by the officers of the various grades, whether men or women. Obedience also is strictly insisted upon, and the disciplinary rules (for example, the prohibition of alcohol and tobacco) are severely enforced. Extempore prayers, with addresses on Scripture and an abundance of hymn singing, form the devotional exercises of the Army even in private. The phrase ology used in these and in public meetings is deliberately startling, and at first even offensive; yet it is comparatively harmless, and often forms a safeguard of orthodoxy.

3. Finally, great praise is due to the admirable social work done by the "Army" especially among the outcast population of the great cities. This work is sensible and business-like in its objects and methods, and the officers are in consequence often entrusted by magistrates with the care of some of the more hopeless cases brought before them. Emigration-work is forming more and more a feature of the activity of the Army.

i8z NON-CATHOLIC RELIGIONS OF ENGLAND

It will be perceived then that it is in defect rather than in positive error that the Salvation Army goes astray. Its members retain a most satisfactory ortho doxy on many fundamental points of the Christian religion; and their personal devotion to our Blessed Lord, and their readiness to undergo ridicule and to sacrifice themselves in His Name, are points that should be noticed and esteemed. In these points, as in the practice of the active virtues and of prayer, they have little to learn. They have even been said to resemble in many characteristics, and with some justice, the first followers of St. Francis. They are markedly charitable to other denominations and have very little of the narrow and separatist spirit amongst them. Their hostility to and distrust of the Catholic Church — a spirit occasionally but not frequently shown — is due entirely to simple ignorance of the aims and essence of Catholicism, and to a belief that that religion stands for formalism and superstition.

In theological matters then they resemble children who have learned excellently a few letters of the alpha bet and who repeat them over and over again with the very limited vocabulary consequently at their disposal. There is very little which they have to unlearn, except the disproportions of their faith, and the way to their hearts lies undoubtedly in that which is the very essence of their own religion — fervent faith and devotion towards Jesus Christ as the One Saviour of men,

THE "IRVINGITES," OR "THE CATHOLIC APOSTOLIC CHURCH ".

A few remarks are necessary upon the denomination known as " Irvingite," not so much because of its numerical or religious importance, as from the extra ordinary zeal and perseverance shown by its members in the face of great discouragement, and the very strange and bewildering claims made by them. They are drawn from all classes of society, and have the peculiarity among modern nonconforming denomina tions of possessing an exceedingly elaborate ritual and a high sacramental doctrine.

1. They were founded by Edward Irving, a deposed Presbyterian minister, in 1835. The belief of the founder, supported by others who claimed the gift of " prophesying," was that it was the intention of Jesus Christ to restore through him the Apostolic College, as a preparation for the Second Coming which was to take place in the immediate future. Twelve men were designated as " Apostles," the last of whom, a Mr. Woodhouse, died at an advanced age a few years ago; and it was through these that the new denomination was controlled. It was commonly held by the Irvingites that the Second Coming would take place before the last of the " Apostles " passed away; but subsequent "prophecies" have reassured them that it will not, even now, be long deferred.

2. The nomenclature used by the body is remark able. Their officials bear the names of "angels,"

"prophets," "evangelists," "pastors," "elders" and " deacons ". Of these the " prophets " are the most interesting, since it is claimed that these exercise the restored "gift of tongues," and communicate divine messages to their hearers. The "prophecies" are ex changed amongst the different branches of the denomination, and are said to correspond remarkably one with another.

3. Doctrinally, the Irvingites do not differ greatly from the High Church section of the Anglican Establishment. They accept the idea of sacerdotalism to the fullest extent, believe in the Real Presence, reserve the Sacrament, and anoint the sick with consecrated oil. Further, their liturgy is beautiful and dignified; its words are drawn chiefly from Catholic sources, from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, and from Eastern service books: it includes the use of incense and holy water. A great feature of their system lies in their belief in the Millennium, in which " the saints shall reign with Christ a thousand years," beginning at the immediately expected Second Advent

4. The body is not, in intention, at all exclusive or separatist. It stands, not so much as a rival to other Christian bodies, as to supply a position of further advancement and initiation. Its members acknowledge the validity of both the Anglican and the Catholic ministry, and it is possible for Anglican clergy, it is said, to hold ministerial positions both in the Establishment and in the Irvingite body simultaneously. It need hardly be said, however, that this is extremely rare, if ever it has been an actual fact. They form a very peaceful and quiet society, and are distinguished for their fervour and vivid faith as well as for their charity. A magnificent church belonging to them stands in London, in Gordon Square. Small changes take place from time to time in their liturgy and cere monial; but their main lines are those which have been described.

The primary difficulty in dealing with them is that of course found in dealing with any who like these — the Swedenborgians, the Pentecostal dancers, the Mormons and the rest — believe themselves to have received a special Revelation from God. In no sense are the Irvingites, consciously at least, a development of any preceding process; they constitute a new body with a new commission and authority from heaven.

Two or three points, however, may be mentioned.

i. The main feature of their system is their belief in a restored Apostolate. They realize, and quite rightly, that Apostolic authority is more than mere Episcopal authority; and their claim is that they alone have understood this. It may be pointed out, therefore, to them with advantage that the exercise of Apostolic authority has been the governing principle of the Catholic Church through all the centuries, and it was the rejection of this principle that caused the schismatic movements both in East and West. The Pope, in short, has actually exercised the Apostolic authority, he imparts the "Apostolic Benediction," and, in the name of Peter on whom Christ built His Church, he has, as the residuary legatee of the plenitude of Apostolic power, governed the Church since the days of Jesus Christ. In the Vicar of Christ and the Successor of St. Peter, there is, therefore, and has always been, exactly the element which Edward Irving believed himself especially raised up to restore. And it is further part of the faith of Catholic Christendom that, whenever the Second Advent of Christ may take place, there will be found upon earth that Apostolic ministry still continuing. In this the earlier Irvingite instinct was perfectly right; it was but the embodiment of that instinct which was wrong.

2. Of destructive criticisms of the Irvingite system there is, of course, an abundance. It may be pointed out with advantage that the universal belief amongst them that the Second Advent would take place before the death of the last of the " apostles " has not been justified; that the mission Irving believed himself to have received from heaven to communicate his revelation to the rest of Christendom has met with a really startling ill-success, since there are not at the present day more than 50,000 of his followers existing in the world, and that the mark of " Catholicity " therefore is remarkably absent from his denomination. Destructive criticism, however, cannot accomplish much: it would seem to be far better to use the Catholic system, and the fact of the continuity and expansion of the Church, as a natural dissolvent, and to draw the inquirer by positive rather than by negative teaching. It may be added that Irvingites are usually exceedingly friendly and sympathetic towards Catholics, and acknowledge that next to their own denomination the Catholic Church is the nearest to the truth,