Message from the Pastoral Care and Eldership Team (PaCET) for Sunday Meeting 14th May 2023

Dear Friends,

‘We were reckoned, in the north part of England, even as the outcasts of Israel, and as men destitute of the great knowledge, which some seemed to enjoy; yet there was more sincerity and true love amongst us and desires after the living powerful presence of God than was among many in that day who ran into heaps and forms but left the cross behind them.

God out of his everlasting love did appear unto us, according to the desire of our hearts, who longed after him; when we had turned aside from hireling-shepherds’ tents, we found him whom our souls loved; and God, out of his great love and great mercy, sent one unto us, a man of God, one of ten thousand, to instruct us in the way of God more perfectly; which testimony reached unto all our consciences and entered into the inmost part of our hearts, which drove us to a narrow search, and to a diligent inquisition concerning our state, through the Light of Christ Jesus.

The Lord of Heaven and earth we found to be near at hand, and, as we waited upon him in pure silence, our minds out of all things, his heavenly presence appeared in our assemblies, when there was no language, tongue nor speech from any creature. The Kingdom of Heaven did gather us and catch us all, as in a net, and his heavenly power at one time drew many hundreds to land. We came to know a place to stand in and what to wait in; and the Lord appeared daily to us, to our astonishment, amazement and great admiration [wonder], insomuch that we often said one unto another with great joy of heart: ‘What, is the Kingdom of God come to be with men? And will he take up his tabernacle among the sons of men, as he did of old? Shall we, that were reckoned as the outcasts of Israel, have this honour of glory communicated amongst us, which were but men of small parts and of little abilities, in respect of many others, as amongst men?’

And from that day forward, our hearts were knit unto the Lord and one unto another in true and fervent love, in the covenant of Life with God; and that was a strong obligation or bond upon all our spirits, which united us one unto another. We met together in the unity of the Spirit, and of the bond of peace, treading down under our feet all reasoning about religion. And holy resolutions were kindled in our hearts as a fire which the Life kindled in us to serve the Lord while we had a being, and mightily did the Word of God grow amongst us, and the desires of many were after the Name of the Lord. O happy day! O blessed day! the memorial of which can never pass out of my mind. And thus the Lord, in short, did form us to be a people for his praise in our generation.’

Francis Howgill 1653, QFP 19.08

Early Friends such as William Penn, Alexander Parker, Isaac Penington, James Naylor, and Francis Howgill speak to us in a language more beautiful than modern English but it is not always easy to understand, often with references to scriptures which are not common knowledge to us today. Early Friends all had similar beliefs about the nature of God whereas we Quakers today have very varied and different understandings.

In spite of the difficulties, Howgill has a powerful message for us. For many of us the discovery of Quakerism was a time of great excitement and rejoicing, a new outlook on life and at very little cost. Early Friends had the joy not merely of discovering this communally, but also of learning how to put their discoveries into practice. They did this at the risk of assaults, fines, imprisonments and even of losing their lives. They knew the value of their faith because they knew what it could cost.

One phrase suddenly stood out for me in this familiar passage: ‘treading down under our feet all reasoning about religion.’ At a time when theism and non-theism can create tensions among us, it is good to be reminded that the things which unite us are far more important than intellectual agreements.


In Friendship
David Hitchin

On behalf of the Pastoral Care and Eldership Team (David Hitchin, Chris Lawson, Tim Pitt-Payne, Caroline Pybus, Theresa Samms, Nancy Wall)