In the order, in which I have hitherto mentioned the meetings for the
discipline of the Quakers, we have seen them rising by regular ascent,
both in importance and power. We have seen each in due progression
comprizing the actions of a greater population than the foregoing, and
for a greater period of time. I come now to the yearly meeting, which is
possessed of a higher and wider jurisdiction than any that have been yet
described. This meeting does not take cognizance of the conduct of
particular or of monthly meetings, but, at one general view, of the
state and conduct of the members of each quarterly meeting, in order to
form a judgment of the general state of the society for the whole
kingdom.
We have seen, on a former occasion, the Quakers with their several
deputies repairing to different places in a county; and we have seen
them lately with their deputies again repairing to one great town in the
different counties at large. We are now to see them repairing to the
metropolis of the kingdom.
As deputies were chosen by each monthly meeting to represent it in the
quarterly meeting, so the quarterly meetings choose deputies to
represent them in the yearly meeting. These deputies are commissioned to
be the bearers of certain documents to London, which contain answers in
writing to a [27]number of the queries mentioned in the last chapter.
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