1719 / 1747 QUAKER DISCIPLINE. Rare Early Quaker Anti-Slavery Sentiment, Interactions with Indians, &c.

whatsoever is honest, pure, etc.] may in general terms be said to come under ye notice of frds, overseers & meetings. An altho it is a duty incumbent upon meetings and every faithful member where any disorder unbecoming practice comes to their knowledge to advise, admonish, or deal with such as are guilty of ym. Yet yt ye same may not be overlooked, or neglected, it ought to be more particularly directly ye business & service of ye overseers.  . . .  Further quotations of interest: Such as are given to excess of drinking, swearing, cursing, lying, unlawful or unseemly keeping company with women, or any other scandalous practice. Such as are at difference or strife, one with another. Either about their intrest or worldly affairs, or other resentments or provocations, advising ym to agree it between themselves & be speedily reconciled & to avoide if possible bringing any troublesome business to meetings which can be otherwise ended.  . . .  If any (old or young) *** come to meeting do fall a sleep, go out & in frequently, or otherwise disturb ye meeting: let ym be rebuked & cautioned first privately, and all parents, masters & mistresses, ought at all times to have a godly care over their children & servants & caution ym accordingly. . . .  Such as keep company in order for marriage, with one not of our profession, or with any Bound Servant, without ye leave of her master or mistress. Such as marry out of unity of frds - or by any other method ym ye decent & orderly way used among friends. Such as go themselves or suffer their children to go to such marriages mentioned in ye last paragraph, for tis a strengthning ym in yt disorder. such as they may hear of who Intend to Offer proposals of marraige to the Monthly Meeting, wh is manfest to ym cannot pass there, either or want of a certificate or any other apparent cause, etc.  . . .  Other issues addressed include attending to plainness of speech, gesture, and dress, against indulgence of a wanton mind, against the use of unscriptural names for the days of the week and names of the months, on plainness of furniture and decoration in the home, against debt, warnings against racing either on horse-back or foot, against gambling and wagers, against smoaking tobacco indecently & too publickly, as in streets high-roads or other publick places of general & promiscuous resort, . . .  on the selling of rum or brandy to ye Indians because it is contrary to ye care frds have always had since ye settlement of these countries yt they might not contribute to ye abuse & hurt those poor people receive by drinking thereof, being generally incapable of using moderation therein.  . . .  It is desired yt frds do not buy or sell Indian Slaves. Also yt none among us be concerned in fetching or importing negro slaves from their own country or elsewhere. And it is ye advice of ye meeting, yt all frds who have any of ym do treat ym with humanity & in a Christian manner & as much asin ym lies make ym acquainted with ye princible truth & incultivate morallity in them.  . . .  The manuscript then goes on to address particular cases of discipline, such as not taking other friends to court and then an account of due process inside the quarterly meetings, the process of appeal, on the use of arbitration, on handling contentious members of the community, the handling of those guilty of disorderly and indecent practices or gross and notorious crimes; on the propriety of marriage, parental consent, community consent, etc.; on definitions of incestuous marriages, on the discretion and modesty to be used in the selection of tombstones,  . . .  If wt is above expressed is done & all appear clear, let ye entry be made of their second appearance & wt more is usual and necessary & ye couple left to their liberty to consummate their marriage according to ye good order used among frds. It is farther prest & advised yt ye sd Consummation be performed decently, gravely & weightily & yt ye parties themselves, their parents, or any other concerned do take care at ye houses or places where they go to, or are after ye meeting is over, yt not reproach arise or occation be given by any intemperate or immoderate feasting or drinking or by any unseemly wanton discourses, but yt all behave with such moderation, modesty, and sobriety as become a people fearing God.  . . .  The 1747 updates include important sections reflecting the growing abolitionist sentiment among the Friends, etc, That the overseers of the respected monthly meetings or other weighty friends be careful to deal with such as are engaged in lotteries of any kind, such as are concerned in ye importation of negroes, or in buying them after they are imported, such as are in the practice of giving rum to excite people to bid at Vandues and those who take drams given at such times. Such of our profession who being Clerk of Courts or Magistrates are guilty of the breach of our ancient discipline in administering oaths, and such who being Justices of ye Peace marry people by Lycences, this being inconsistent with our principles, such under our profession who carry guns for defending their ships, person or goods, or are concerned in privateering, or as owners of ships going with Letters of Marque, snuffing and chewing tobacco in meetings, . .  Friends must observe the former advice of our yearly meeting not to incourage ye importation of Negroes nor to buy them after imported. &c.  Etc. etc.