A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume III (of 3) by Thomas Clarkson

T >> Thomas Clarkson >> A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume III (of 3)

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It has been long known again, that as the early Christians extended
their love beyond their own society, and beyond those of the world who
lived around them, to those who were reputed natural enemies in their
own times, so the Quakers do not confine their benevolence to their own
countrymen, but extend it to the various inhabitants of the globe,
without any discrimination, whether they are reputed hostile to the
government under which they live. In times of war we never see them
bearing arms, and in times of victory we never see them exulting, like
other people. We never see them illuminating their houses, or running up
and down the streets, frantic with joy upon such occasions. Their joy,
on the other hand, is wounded by the melancholy consideration of the
destruction of the human race, when they lament, with almost equal
sympathy, over the slaughter of enemies and friends.

But this character of a benevolent people has been raised higher of late
years in the estimation of the public by new circumstances or by the
unanimous and decided part, which they have taken as a body, in behalf
of the abolition of the slave-trade. For where has the injured African
experienced more sympathy than from the hearts of Quakers? In this great
cause the Quakers have been singularly conspicuous. They have been
actuated as it were by one spring. In the different attempts, made for
the annihilation of this trade, they have come forward with a religious
zeal. They were at the original formation of the committee for this
important object, where they gave an almost unexampled attendance for
years. I mentioned in the preceding volume, that near a century ago,
when this question had not awakened the general attention, it had
awakened that of the Quakers as a body; and that they had made
regulations in their commercial concerns with a view of keeping
themselves clear of the blood of this cruel traffic. And from that time
to the present day they have never forgotten this subject. Their yearly
epistles notice it, whenever such notice is considered to be useful. And
they hold themselves in readiness, on all fit occasions, to unite their
efforts for the removal of this great and shocking source of suffering
to their fellow-creatures.

But whether these be the reasons, or whether they be not the reasons,
why the Quakers have been denominated benevolent, nothing is more true
than that this appellation has been bestowed upon them, and this by the
consent of their countrymen. For we have only to examine our public
prints, to prove the truth of the assertion. We shall generally find
there, that when there is occasion to mention the society, the word
"benevolent" accompanies it.

The reader will perhaps be anxious to know how it happens, that the
Quakers should possess this general feeling of benevolence in a degree
so much stronger than the general body of their countrymen, that it
should have become an acknowledged feature in their character. He will
naturally ask, does their education produce it? Does their discipline
produce it? Do their religious tenets produce it? What springs act upon
the Quakers, which do not equally act upon other people? The
explanation of this phenomenon will be perfectly consistent with my
design; for I purpose, as I stated before, to try the truth or falsehood
of the different traits assigned to the character of the Quakers, by the
test of probabilities as arising from the nature of the customs or
opinions which they adopt. I shall endeavour therefore to show, that
there are circumstances, connected with their constitution, which have a
tendency to make them look upon man in a less degraded and hostile, and
in a more kindred and elevated light, than many others. And when I shall
have accomplished this, I shall have given that explanation of the
phenomenon, or that confirmation of the trait, which, whether it may or
may not satisfy others, has always satisfied myself.

The Quakers, in the first place, have seldom seen a man degraded but by
his vices. Unaccustomed to many of the diversions of the world, they
have seldom, if ever, seen him in the low condition of a hired buffoon
or mimic. Men, who consent to let others degrade themselves for their
sport, become degraded in their turn. And this degradation increases
with the frequency of the spectacle. Persons in such habits are apt to
lose sight of the dignity of mankind, and to consider them as made for
administration to their pleasures, or in an animal or a reptile light.
But the Quakers, who know nothing of such spectacles, cannot, at least
as far as these are concerned, lose either their own dignity of mind,
or behold others lose it. They cannot therefore view men under the
degrading light of animals for sport, or of purchasable play-things.

And as they are not accustomed to consider their fellow-creatures as
below themselves, so neither are they accustomed to look with enmity
towards them. Their tenet on the subject of war, which has been so amply
detailed, prevents any disposition of this kind. For they interpret
those words of Jesus Christ, as I have before shewn, which relate to
injuries, as extending not to their fellow-citizens alone, but to every
individual in the world, and his precept of loving enemies, as extending
not only to those individuals of their own country, who may have any
private resentment against them, but to those who become reputed enemies
in the course of wars, so that they fix no boundaries of land or ocean,
and no limits of kindred, to their love, but consider Jew and Gentile,
Greek and Barbarian, bond and free, as their brethren. Hence neither
fine nor imprisonment can induce them to learn the use of arms, so as to
become qualified to fight against these, or to shed their blood. And
this principle of love is not laid as it were upon the shelf, like a
volume of obsolete laws, so that it may be forgotten, but is kept alive
in their memories by the testimony which they are occasionally called to
bear or by the sufferings they undergo by distraints upon their
property, and sometimes by short imprisonments, for refusing military
service.

But while these circumstances may have some influence in the production
of this trait of benevolence to man in the character of the Quakers, the
one by preventing the hateful sight of the loss of his dignity, and the
other by destroying the seeds of enmity towards him, there are others,
interwoven into their constitution, which will have a similar, though a
stronger tendency towards it.

The great system of equality, which their discipline daily teaches and
enforces, will make them look with an equal eye towards all of the human
race. Who can be less than a man in the Quaker society, when the rich
and poor have an equal voice in the exercise of its discipline, and when
they fill equally the important offices that belong to it? And who is
there out of the society, whom the Quakers esteem more than human? They
bow their knees or, their bodies, as I have before noticed, to no man.
They flatter no man on account of his riches or his station. They pay
homage to no man on account of his rank or title. Stripped of all
trappings, they view the creature man. If then they view him in this
abstracted light, they can view him only as an equal. Bit in what other
society is it, that a similar estimate is made of him? The world are
apt in general to make too much of those in an elevated station, and
those again in this station are apt to make less of others beneath them
than they ought. Thus an under or an over valuation of individuals
generally takes place in society; from whence it will unavoidably
happen, that if some men are classed a little below gods, others will be
classed but a little above the brutes of the field. Their discipline,
again, has a tendency to produce in them an anxious concern for the good
of their fellow-creatures. Man is considered, in the theory of this
discipline, as a being, for whose spiritual welfare the members are
bound to watch. They are to take an interest in his character and his
happiness. If he be overtaken in a fault, he is not to be deserted, but
reclaimed. No endeavour is to be spared for his restoration. He is
considered, in short, as a creature, worthy of all the pains and efforts
that can be bestowed upon him.

The religion of the Quakers furnishes also a cause, which occasions them
to consider man in an elevated light. They view him, as may be collected
from the preceding volume, as a temple of the Spirit of God. There is no
man, so mean in station, who is not made capable by the Quakers of
feeling the presence of the Divinity within him. Neither sect, nor
country, nor colour, excludes him, in their opinion, from this
presence. But it is impossible to view man as a tabernacle, in which the
Divinity may reside, without viewing him in a dignified manner. And
though this doctrine of the agency of the Spirit dwelling in man belongs
to many other Christian societies, yet it is no where so systematically
acted upon as by that of the Quakers.

These considerations may probably induce the reader to believe, that the
trait of benevolence, which has been affixed to the Quaker character,
has not been given it in vain. There can be no such feeling for the
moral interests of man, or such a benevolent attention towards him in
his temporal capacity, where men have been accustomed to see one another
in low and degrading characters, as where no such spectacles have
occurred. Nor can there be such a genuine or well founded love towards
him, where men, on a signal given by their respective governments,
transform their pruning-hooks into spears, and become tygers to one
another without any private provocation, as where they can be brought
under no condition whatever, to lift up their arm to the injury of any
of the human race. There must, in a practical system of equality, be a
due appreciation of man as man. There must, in a system where it is a
duty to watch over him, for his good, be a tender attention towards him
as a fellow creature. And in a system, which considers him as a temple
in which the Divine Being may dwell, there must be a respect towards
him, which will have something like the appearance of a benevolent
disposition to the world.

SECT. II.

_Trait of benevolence includes again good will towards man in his
religious capacity--Quakers said to have no spirit of persecution, nor
to talk with bitterness, with respect to other religious sects--This
trait probable--because nothing in their doctrines that narrows
love--their sufferings on the other hand--and their law against
detraction--and their aversion to making religion a subject of common
talk--all in favour of this trait._

The word benevolence, when mentioned as a trait in the character of the
Quakers, includes also good will to man in his religious capacity.

It has often been observed of the Quakers, that they shew no spirit of
persecution, and that you seldom hear them talk with bitterness, with
respect to other religious societies.

On the first part of this trait it may be observed, that the Quakers
have never had any great power of exercising dominion over others in
matters of religion. In America, where they have had the greatest, they
have conducted themselves well. William Penn secured to every colonist
the full rights of men as to religious opinion and worship. If the
spirit of persecution is ever to be traced to the Quakers, it must be
found in their writings on the subject of religion. In one or two of the
productions of their first authors, who were obliged to support their
opinions by controversy, there is certainly an appearance of an improper
warmth of temper; but it remarkable that, since these times, scarcely a
book has appeal written by a Quaker against the religion of another.
Satisfied with their own religious belief, they seem to have wished only
to be allowed to enjoy it in peace. For when they have appeared as
polemical writers, it has been principally in the defence of themselves.

On the second part of the trait I may remark, that it is possible, in
the case of tithes, where their temper has been tried by expensive
distraints, and hard imprisonments, that they may utter a harsh
expression against a system which they believe to be anti-Christian, and
which they consider also as repugnant to equity, inasmuch as it compels
them to pay labourers, who perform work in their own harvest; but this
feeling is only temporary, and is seldom extended beyond the object
that produces it. They have never, to my knowledge, spoken with
bitterness against churchmen on this account. Nor have I ever heard
them, in such a season of suffering, pass the slightest reflection upon
their faith.

That this trait of benevolence to man in his religious capacity is
probably true, I shall endeavour to shew according to the method I have
proposed.

There is nothing, in the first place, in the religious doctrines of the
Quakers, which can produce a narrowness of mind in religion, or a
contempt for the creeds of others. I have certainly, in the course of my
life, known some bigots in religion, though, like the Quakers, I censure
no man for his faith. I have known some, who have considered baptism and
the sacrament of the supper as such essentials in Christianity, as to
deny that those who scrupled to admit them, were Christians. I have
known others pronouncing an anathema against persons, because they did
not believe the atonement in their own way. I have known others again,
who have descended into the greatest depths of election and reprobation,
instead of feeling an awful thankfulness for their own condition as the
elect, and the most tender and affectionate concern for those whom they
considered to be the reprobate, indulging a kind of spiritual pride on
their own account, which has ended in a contempt for others. Thus the
doctrines of Christianity, wonderful to relate, have been made to narrow
the love of Christians! The Quaker religion, on the other hand, knows no
such feelings as these. It considers the Spirit of God as visiting all
men in their day, and as capable of redeeming all, and this without any
exception of persons, and that the difference of creeds, invented by the
human understanding, will make no difference in the eternal happiness of
man. Thus it does not narrow the sphere of salvation. It does not
circumscribe it either by numerical or personal limits. There does not
appear therefore to be in the doctrines of the Quaker religion any thing
that should narrow their love to their fellow creatures, or any thing
that should generate a spirit of rancour or contempt towards others on
account of the religion they profess.

There are, on the contrary, circumstances, which have a tendency to
produce an opposite effect.

I see, in the first place, no reason why the general spirit of
benevolence to man in his temporal capacity, which runs through the
whole society, should not be admitted as having some power in checking a
bitter spirit towards him in his religious character.

I see again, that the sufferings, which the Quakers so often undergo on
account of their religious opinions, ought to have an influence with
them in making them tender towards others on the same subject. Virgil,
who was a great master of the human mind, makes the queen of Carthage
say to Aeneas, "Haud ignara mali, miseris succurere disco," or, "not
unacquainted with misfortunes myself, I learn to succour the
unfortunate." So one would hope that the Quakers, of all other people,
ought to know how wrong it is to be angry with another for his religion.

With respect to that part of the trait, which relates to speaking
acrimoniously of other sects, there are particular circumstances in the
customs and discipline of the Quakers, which seem likely to prevent it.

It is a law of the society, enforced by their discipline, as I shewed in
a former volume, that no Quaker is to be guilty of detraction or
slander. Any person, breaking this law, would come under admonition, if
found out. This induces an habitual caution or circumspection in speech,
where persons are made the subject of conversation. And I have no doubt
that this law would act as a preventive in the case before us.

It is not a custom, again, with the Quakers, to make religion a subject
of common talk. Those, who know them, know well how difficult it is to
make them converse, either upon their own faith, or upon the faith of
others. They believe, that topics on religion, familiarly introduced,
tend to weaken its solemnity upon the mind. They exclude subjects also
from ordinary conversation upon another principle. For they believe,
that religion should not be introduced at these times, unless it can be
made edifying. But, if it is to be made edifying, it is to come, they
conceive, not through the medium of the activity of the imagination of
man, but through the passiveness of the soul under the influence of the
Divine Spirit.

SECT. III.

_Trait of benevolence includes again a tender feeling toward the brute
creation--Quakers remarkable for their tenderness to animals--This
feature produced from their doctrine, that animals are not mere
machines, but the creatures of God, the end of whose existence is always
to be attended to in their treatment--and from their opinion as to what
ought to be the influence of the Gospel, as recorded in their own
summary_.

The word benevolence, when applied to the character of the Quakers,
includes also a tender feeling towards the brute creation.

It has frequently been observed by those who are acquainted with the
Quakers, that all animals belonging to them are treated with a tender
consideration, and are not permitted to be abused, and that they feel,
in like manner, for those which may be oppressed by others, so that
their conduct is often influenced in some way or other upon such
occasions.

It will be obvious, in enquiring into the truth of this trait in the
character of the Quakers, that the same principles, which I have
described as co-operating to produce benevolence towards man, are not
applicable to the species in question. But benevolence, when once rooted
in the heart, will grow like a fruitful plant, from whatever causes it
may spring, and enlarge itself in time. The man, who is remarkable for
his kindness towards man, will always be found to extend it towards the
creatures around him. It is an ancient saying, that "a righteous man
regards the life of his beast, but the tender mercies of the wicked are
cruel."

But, independently of this consideration, there is a principle in the
Quaker constitution, which, if it be attended to, cannot but give birth
to the trait in question.

It has been shewn in the first Volume, on the subject of the diversions
of the field, that the Quakers consider animals, not as mere machines,
to be used at discretion, but in the sublime light of the creatures of
God, of whose existence the use and intention ought always to be
considered, and to whom rights arise from various causes, any violation
of which is a violation of a moral law.

This principle, if attended-to by the Quakers, must, as I have just
observed, secure all animals which may belong to them, from oppression.
They must so consider the end of their use, as to defend them from
abuse. They must so calculate their powers and their years, as to shield
them from excessive labour. They must so anticipate their feelings, as
to protect them from pain. They must so estimate their instinct, and
make an allowance for their want of understanding, as not to attach to
their petty mischiefs the necessity of an unbecoming revenge. They must
act towards them, in short, as created for special ends, and must
consider themselves as their guardians, that these ends may not be
perverted, but attained.

To this it may be added, that the printed summary of the religion of the
society constantly stares them in the face, in which it is recorded,
what ought to be the influence of Christianity on this subject. "We are
also clearly of the judgment, that, if the benevolence of the Gospel
were generally prevalent in the minds of men, it would even influence
their conduct in the treatment of the brute creation, which would no
longer groan, the victims of their avarice, or of their false ideas of
pleasure."

CHAP. IV.

_Second trait is that of complacency of mind or quietness of
character--This trait confirmed by circumstances in their education,
discipline, and public worship, which are productive of quiet personal
habits--and by their disuse of the diversions of the world--by the mode
of the settlement of their differences--by their efforts in the
subjugation of the will--by their endeavour to avoid all activity of
mind during their devotional exercises--all of which are productive of a
quiet habitude of mind_.

A second trait in the character of the Quakers is that of complacency,
or evenness, or quietness of mind and manner.

This trait is, I believe, almost as generally admitted by the world, as
that of benevolence. It is a matter of frequent observation, that you
seldom see an irascible Quaker. And it is by no means uncommon to hear
persons, when Quakers are the subject of conversation, talking of the
mysteries of their education, or wondering how it happens, that they
should be able to produce in their members such a calmness and quietness
of character.

There will be no difficulty in substantiating this second trait.

There are circumstances, in the first place, in the constitution of the
Quaker system, which, as it must have already appeared, must be
generative of quiet personal habits. Among these may be reckoned their
education. They are taught, in early youth, to rise in the morning in
quietness, to go about their ordinary occupations in quietness, and to
retire in quietness to their beds. We may reckon also their discipline.
They are accustomed by means of this, when young, to attend the monthly
and quarterly meetings, which are often of long continuance. Here they
are obliged to sit patiently. Here they hear the grown up members of the
society speak in order, and without any interruption of one another. We
may reckon again their public worship. Here they are accustomed
occasionally to silent meetings, or to sit quietly for a length of time,
when not a word is spoken.

There are circumstances again in the constitution of the Quakers, which
are either preventive of mental activity, and excitement of passion, or
productive of a quiet habitude of mind. Forbidden the use of cards, and
of music, and of dancing, and of the theatre, and of novels, it must be
obvious, that they cannot experience the same excitement of the
passions, as they who are permitted the use of these common amusements
of the world. In consequence of an obligation to have recourse to
arbitration, as the established mode of decision in the case of
differences with one another, they learn to conduct themselves with
temper and decorum in exasperating cases. They avoid, in consequence,
the frenzy of him who has recourse to violence, and the turbid state of
mind of him who engages in suits at law. It may be observed also, that
if, in early youth, their evil passions are called forth by other
causes, it is considered as a duty to quell them. The early subjugation
of the will is insisted upon in all genuine Quaker families. The
children of Quakers are rebuked, as I have had occasion to observe, for
all expressions of anger, as tending to raise those feelings, which
ought to be suppressed. A raising even of their voice is discouraged, as
leading to the disturbance of their minds. This is done to make them
calm and passive, that they may be in a state to receive the influence
of the pure principle. It may be observed again, that in their meetings
for worship, whether silent or vocal, they endeavour to avoid all
activity of the mind for the same reason.

These different circumstances then, by producing quiet personal habits
on the one hand, and quiet mental ones on the other, concur in producing
a complacency of mind and manner, so that a Quaker is daily as it were
at school, as far as relates to the formation of a quiet character.

CHAP. V.

_Third trait is, that they do not temporize, or do that which they
believe to be improper as a body of Christians--Subjects, in which this
trait is conspicuous--Civil oaths--Holy or consecrated days--War--Tithes
--Language--Address--Public illuminations--Utility of this trait to the
Quaker character._

It is a third trait in the character of the Quakers, that they refuse to
do whatever as a religious body they believe to be wrong.

I shall have no occasion to state any of the remarks of the world to
shew their belief of the existence of this trait, nor to apply to
circumstances within the Quaker constitution to confirm it. The trait is
almost daily conspicuous in some subject or another. It is kept alive by
their discipline. It is known to all who know Quakers. I shall satisfy
myself therefore with a plain historical relation concerning it.

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