It is earnestly recommended, that friends frequently inspect the state of their affairs, and frequently settle their accounts; and, when any find themselves unable, or have not more than sufficient, to pay their just debts, that they immediately disclose their circumstances to some judicious friends, or principal creditors, and take their advice how to act; and be particularly careful not to make distinctions between their just debts, by paying one in preference to another, but to pay them equally, in justice and equity, whether arising from endorsement or otherwise.

And if any of our members become so incautious and inattentive to the inspection and settlement of their affairs, as to contract debts which, it shall afterwards appear, they were unable to pay at the time they so contracted, they are to be considered as disorderly walkers, and dealt with accordingly.

WAR.

66

We have as a people looked upon ourselves, as well as the primitive Christians, to be included in the notable prophecy, Isai. ii. 4, They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks, and learn war no more;" agreeably to the doctrine of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and his apostles, (to which our ancient friends abundantly bore testimony, both in doctrine and practice, and suffered deeply for, confirmed and ratified by several of our yearly meetings, particularly in the years 1693 and 1730, by their express declarations and testimonies against carrying guns for defending our ships, persons, and goods,) and we are under many strong engagements to observe the same, from the particular care of Providence over such as have been faithful to this our testimony, particularly those of our friends in Pennsylvania; nevertheless, some professing to be of our society, have slighted and neglected this our ancient and Christian testimony to that degree, as to be concerned in privateering, or as owners of ships going as letters of marque, which is a flagrant and lamentable departure from our peaceable principle, which hath always been

to confide in the protection and Providence of Almighty God, and not in weapons of war; which practice of theirs may be attended with injustice, barbarity and bloodshed.

This meeting having taken this sorrowful and afflicting case, and breach of our ancient testimony, into our serious consideration, have thought it our incumbent duty to bear our testimony against such practices; and it is the unanimous sense of this meeting, that all quarterly and monthly meetings ought speedily to deal with every person found in the practice of such things, in the spirit of truth and love, in order to bring them to a sense of their error, and to reclaim them from it; which if they cannot do, then to testify against them, and let them know we have no unity or fellowship with them. 1744.

We are sorrowfully affected, by the answers to the queries, that some friends have failed in the maintainance of our Christian testimony against wars and fighting, by joining with others to hire substitutes, and by the payment of money to exempt themselves from personal service, in the militia; a practice inconsistent with the testimony to the reign of the Prince of Peace which our ancients received, and were concerned to maintain through cruel sufferings, and which the faithful in this day dare not shrink from. This defection from our Christian testimony and general practice having been matter of sorrow to this meeting, we are concerned strongly to advise against it, and that friends every where stand faithful and single in their dependence on the Lord for preservation, who

alone is forever able to keep in perfect safety. And if suffering be the lot which doth result from such obedience to the divine requiring, such will, as they abide in the simplicity and innocence of truth, reap the fruits of peace in their own bosom. Let therefore the care of friends, in their several monthly meetings, be exerted to prevent any contributions for hiring substitutes, or other methods of exempting themselves from the militia, inconsistent with our well-known testimony. 1760.

It is our sense and judgment, that we cannot, consistently with our well-known principles, actively pay any rate or assessment on any town or class of men, which may be imposed for not raising the quotas or number assigned them to raise for any military purpose; whether it be as a fine for neglect, or as an equivalent for such quotas or detachment; nor any rates or assessments made for the advancing of the hire or enlisting-money of volunteers, or which may be expressly therein ordered to be given or paid to military men. 1762.

We advise that all friends carefully avoid censuring or judging each other, in respect to the payment or non-payment of any taxes, a part whereof goes to the support of war, and a part for civil gov

ernment.

And it is recommended to friends every where, to take into their serious consideration the inconsistency of any under our profession, suffering their temporal interest to induce them in any manner to contribute to the purposes of war.

It is the concern of this meeting, to recommend to the several monthly meetings, that they, con

sistently with our ancient testimony, refuse the payment of all taxes, expressly or specially for the support of war, whether called for in money, provisions or otherwise; and that accounts of distraints for such taxes be sent up; and that such friends as do actively pay such taxes, be dealt with as disorderly walkers. We also desire, that all friends carefully avoid discouraging a tender scruple, which may arise in the minds of our brethren, respecting the payment of taxes, a part whereof is evidently for the support of war; and that all be careful to manifest, by a steady, consistent conduct, that they singly aim to experience an advancement in the truth. 1781.

It is our sense and judgment, that it will not be consistent with our testimony against war, for any of our members to receive pensions from government, for military services performed before they became members, though reduced to necessitous circumstances; but that this necessity should be relieved by monthly and quarterly meetings, and thereby preserve our religious testimony against the anti-christian practice of war, and manifest their sympathy for their brethren, by contributing to their comfortable support. 1818.