The Quaker; Being a Series of Sermons by Members of the Society of Friends

by Elias Hicks

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Vol. I. No. 8. THE Q/UAKER. SERMON BY ELIAS HICKS, DELIVERED IN WILMINGTON, DEL. ' SUNDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 3, 1826. While sitting in this meeting, my mind has been led to take a retrospective view of the several steps of reformation among the children of men, which have been produced by their merciful Creator. And previous to the opening of this subject, I have been induced to make a few observations, that may tend to our better understanding these steps of reform: they are si milics pointing to the subject. Mankind have found it useful to themselves to domesticate certain portions of the animal creation, in order to be served by them, to be benefited by them, and to make them useful. Now as every animated creature on earth must have a will to direct his actions, and to carry into action, and into effect, what he wills: so it is with these creatures; they have a will, but still they may become perfectly domesticated, so that their will is in complete subjection to the will of their owners. The creature must become passive, so as not to have a will to resist the owner's will, otherwise he cannot be very useful: because no two creatures can be truly useful and beneficial to one another, with adverse wills. Vol. i.?z Now if the owner of the creature is upright, the reduction of the will of the animal may become a blessing to the animal, because it is in the power of the superior being to bestow greater benefits on the inferior, than it has at its own command. And so with mankind, although they have agreed as social beings, and actually fixed on what shall be considered rights and privileges; yet, as social beings, they have condescended and consented to place themselves in different situations. Some find it their interest to stand in the situation of servants? they f...

88 pages, Paperback

First published February 8, 2010

About the author

1748-1830