This latter meeting is held in London, and consists of
deputies and others from all parts of the kingdom. The yearly meeting
then appoint a committee of twelve deputies, taken from twelve quarterly
meetings, none of whom can be from the quarterly meeting that passed
sentence against him, to examine his case again. If this committee
should confirm the former decisions, he may appeal to the yearly meeting
at large; but beyond this there is no appeal. But if he should even be
disowned by the voice of the yearly meeting at large, he may, if he
lives to give satisfactory proof of his amendment, and sues for
readmission into the society, be received into membership again; but he
can only be received through the medium of the monthly meeting, by which
he was first disowned.
SECT. III
_Two charges usually brought against this administration of the
discipline--that it is managed with an authoritative spirit--and that it
is managed partially--these charges are considered._
As two charges are usually brought against the administration of that
part of the discipline, which has been just explained, I shall consider
them in this place.
The first usually is, that, though the Quakers abhor what they call the
authority of priest craft, yet some overseers possess a portion of the
spirit of ecclesiastical dominion; that they are austere, authoritative,
and over bearing in the course of the exercise of their office, and
that, though the institution may be of Christian origin, it is not
always conducted by these with a Christian spirit.
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