covenants and live in adultery, in direct opposition to the laws both of God and man. As we believe that Christ died for all men, without respect of persons; how fearful then ought we to be of engaging in what hath so natural a tendency to lessen our humanity, and of suffering ourselves to be inured to the exercise of hard and cruel measures, lest we thereby in any degree, lose our tender and feeling sense of the miseries of our fellow creatures, and become worse than those who have not believed.

"And dear Friends, you, who by inheritance, have slaves born in your families, we beseech you to consider them as souls committed to your trust, whom the Lord will require at your hands; and who, as well as you, are made partakers of the Spirit of Grace, and called to be heirs of salvation. Let it be your constant care to watch over them for good, instructing them in the fear of God, and the knowledge of the gospel of Christ, that they may answer the end of their creation, and God be glorified and honoured by them, as well as by us; and so train them up, that if you should come to behold their unhappy situation in the same light that many worthy men who are at rest have done, and many of your brethren now do, and should think it your duty to set them free, they may be the more capable to make a proper use of their liberty. Finally, brethren, we intreat you in the bowels of gospel love, seriously to weigh the cause of detaining them in bondage. If it be for your own private gain, or any other motive than their good, it is much to be feared, that the love of God and the influence of the Holy Spirit is not the prevailing principle in you, and that your hearts are not sufficiently redeemed from

the world; which that you, with ourselves, may more and more come to witness, through the cleansing virtue of the holy spirit of Jesus Christ, is our earnest desire."

The Yearly Meeting of the next year, (1755,) renewed its directions to the subordinate meetings, to treat with those who imported, and bought or sold slaves, by the following minute.

"The consideration of the inconsistency of the practice of being concerned in importing or buying slaves, with our Christian principles; being weightily revived and impressed, by very suitable advices and cautions given on the occasion, it is the sense and judgment of this meeting, that where any transgress this rule of our discipline, the overseers ought speedily to inform the monthly meeting of such transgressors, in order that the meeting may proceed to treat further with them, as they may be directed in the wisdom of Truth."

In the year 1758, it issued the following minute, which continued to be the rule of discipline on the subject, until 1776.

"After weighty consideration of the circumstances of Friends within the compass of this meeting, .who have any negro or other slaves, the accounts and proposals now sent up from several quarters, and the rules of our discipline relative thereto; much time having been spent, and the sentiments of many Friends expressed, there appears an unanimous concern prevailing, to put a stop to the increase of the practice of importing, buying, selling, or keeping slaves for term of life; or purchasing them for such a number of years, as manifests that such purchasers, do only in terms, and not in fact, avoid the imputation of being keepers of slaves. This meeting very earnestly and affection

ately intreats Friends, individually, to consider seriously the present circumstances of these and the adjacent provinces, which, by the permission of Divine Providence, have been visited with the desolating calamities of war and bloodshed, so that many of our fellow-subjects are now suffering in captivity; and forvently desires, that, excluding temporal considerations, or views of self-interest, we may manifest an humbling sense of these judgments, and in thankfulness for the peculiar favour extended and continued to our Friends and brethren in profession, none of whom have, as we have yet heard, been slain, nor carried into captivity, would steadily observe the injunction of our Lord and Master, 'To do unto others, as we would they should do unto us;' which it now appears to this meeting, would induce such Friends who have any slaves, to set them at liberty,--making a Christian provision for them, according to their ages, &c. And in order that Friends may be generally excited to the practice of this advice, some Friends here now signified to the meeting, their being so fully devoted to endeavour to render it effectual, that they are willing to visit and treat with all such Friends who have any slaves; the meeting therefore, approves of John Woolman, John Scarborough, John Sykes and Daniel Stanton undertaking that service; and desires some elders or other faithful Friends in each quarter, to accompany and assist them therein; and that they may proceed in the wisdom of Truth, and thereby be qualified to administer such advice as may be suitable to the circumstances of those they visit, and most effectual towards obtaining that purity, which it is evidently our duty to press after. And if after the sense and judgment of this meet

ing, now given against every branch of this practice, any professing with us should persist to vindicate it, and be concerned in importing, selling or purchasing slaves, the respective monthly meetings to which they belong, should manifest their disunion with such persons, by refusing to permit them to sit in meetings for discipline, or to be employed in the affairs of Truth, or to receive from them any contribution towards the relief of the poor, or other services of the meeting. But if any cases of executors, guardians, trustees, or any others should happen, which may subject any such Friends to the necessity of being concerned with such slaves, and they are nevertheless willing to proceed according to the advice of the monthly meetings they belong to; wherever such cases happen, the monthly meetings are left to judge of the same in the wisdom of Truth, and, if necessary, to take the advice of the quarterly meeting therein."

The records of the Yearly Meeting show, that in almost every year during the interval from 1758 to 1776, the subject claimed the earnest and increasing care of the meeting. The subordinate meetings were exhorted to labour in Christian love and meekness with those who offended in this particular. From the year 1767, regular statements of this labour, and of the success which attended it, were forwarded to the Yearly Meeting, which repeatedly expressed its satisfaction with the care and concern thus manifested.

An examination of the minutes of the various quarterly and monthly meetings has shown that the attention of Friends was, from the year 1758, forward, steadily directed to the great point of convincing their fellow members who held slaves, of the cruelty and

injustice of so doing. It does not appear that many were disowned for purchasing and selling negroes. The forbearance, and yet earnestness of the course pursued, had the happier effect of inducing the greater number to abstain from doing either; and by the year 1774, the Yearly Meeting may be said to have cleared its members from dealing in slaves.

A considerable number had also been emancipated; yet still the holding of slaves was not a disownable offence, nor did a Friend bring himself under censure for transferring or accepting a slave, without a pecuniary consideration; although by the minute of 1758, the sense of the meeting had been so far expressed, as to declare that the slaveholder was not to be employed in the affairs of the Society.

Friends in various quarters were now no longer satisfied with this qualified disunity, and in 1774, requests were sent up from Philadelphia and Bucks quarterly meetings, soliciting a revision and explanation of the minute of 1758. In the Yearly Meeting itself, a concern appeared for the further promotion of our testimony against the iniquitous practice of depriving our fellow men of their natural right to liberty, as appears from the following minutes.

"A committee of thirty-four Friends was appointed to take this weighty subject under their consideration, and make report to a future sitting, of their sense and judgment of what additions or amendments are seasonable and necessary, at this time, to be made to the rule of discipline before mentioned; and any Friends who find a concern on their minds to deliver their sentiments to the said committee, have the consent of this meeting for so doing.

"Tenth month, 1st. The report of the committee