brinton the quaker doctrine of inward peace

7/29/2019 Brinton the Quaker Doctrine of Inward Peace

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PENDLE HILL PAMPHLET 44

The Quaker Doctrine

Of Inward Peace

Howard H. Brinton

PENDLE HILL PUBLICATIONS

WALLINGFORD, PENNSYLVANIA


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HOWARD H. BRINTON

The Quaker Doctrine Of Inward Peace

2

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Howard Brin ton h as been a professor or

lecturer at Guilford, Earlham, Mills , Haverford, and Bryn

Mawr Colleges, and at Woodbrooke, one of the Selly Oak

Colleges in Birmingha m in En glan d. He h as also worked in

Eu rope for th e Am erican Frien ds Service Com m ittee an d in

J ap an . From 19 36 to 195 0 h e, with h is wife, were Directors

of Pend le Hill a n d from 19 50 to 19 52 h e was Director. Now

Director Emeri tus , he continues to give classes each year

on Qu ak erism an d m ysticism at Pend le Hill.

Pu blish ed 19 48 , 196 4 b y Pend le Hill

Repu blish ed electron ically 20 03 by Pen dle Hill

h t tp: / / www.pendlehill.org/ pend le_h ill_pam ph le ts .htm

em a il: pu b lica tions @pen dleh ill.org


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HOWARD H. BRINTON


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I. Pressures Of Past Years

And The Quaker Way Of Meeting Them

We ar e all su fferin g from a sen se of pr ess u re. Feelin g

that our ances tors had ways of meet ing the pressures of

th eir d ay, we som etim es ima gin e th at we migh t im itate t h eir

ways with profit . But i t ma y be th at t h eir s i tu at ion was so

d i f f e ren t f rom our s t ha t we canno t imi t a t e t hem. I t i s

proba ble th at we ar e livin g in an en viron m ent which exerts

m ore pressu re on u s th an was exer ted by the ir environm entu pon th em . Th e difference between fou r m iles an h ou r in a

bu ggy an d for ty m iles an h our in an au tomobile meas u res

in som e degree th e differen ce between th e sp eed of livin g a

c e n t u r y o r m o r e a g o a n d t h e p r e s e n t s p e e d . I t i s a n

as tonish in g fact th at m ost of ou r lab or sa vin g devices h ave

not saved us any labor. They have merely increased the

number of things which we do. Because our f r iends canreach u s eas ily on th e teleph one we ar e the h elpless , obedient

s laves of th e teleph one bell whose dem an ds ca n n o more be

disobeyed th an can th e edict of a d ictator . Becau se we can

go anywhere easily and quickly, we go, believing that, as

long as we are in m otion, s ometh in g is b ein g accomp lish ed.

Bu t we can n ot blam e ou r in creas ed restlessn ess en tirely

on the new tools which the res t lessness uses to expressits elf. Som e oth er force is obviou sly at work . We a re b u sier

than we used to be even when we use ancient tools and

m eth ods. Let u s comp ar e, for in sta n ce, th e bu lky volu m es

w h ic h c on t a i n t h e m in u t e s o f o u r p r e s e n t d a y Ye a r ly

Meetings with the s lender pamphlets of a century ago or

with the two or three handwrit ten pages of two centuries

ago. Obviously the increase in Yearly Meeting activities isn ot ent irely du e to better tools to ca rry ou t th ese a ctivities.

For som e rea son we desire to be m ore active. In form er Year ly

Meetings far more time was given to spiritual admonitions

and s i lent wait ing. There were, for example, no s tanding


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committees in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting until near the

begin n in g of th e n in eteenth cen tu ry an d th en, only two

the committee on Westtown School and the committee on

Indians . The sense of pressure under which our present

presiding clerks work during a Yearly Meeting was, so far

as one ca n see, ab sen t . Th ere were long periods of wait in g

while m in u tes were b ein g written . Th is exam ple of an ear lier

absence of hurry might be duplicated in other f ields such

as h ome life an d b u s in ess . We are bu s ier becau se we wan t

to be bu sier . Wh y is th is? Ou r gadgets cou ld s ave u s work if

we wan ted them to do so. Th in k h ow m u ch ba ck-break in g

lab or on th e farm wou ld h ave been s aved by ou r a n ces tors

if th ey h ad h ad our tools with out our res t lessn ess .

We s ometim es h ear a ps ychological explan at ion which

u nd oubtedly con ta in s some t ru th . Bu syn ess , res t les sness ,

th e des ire for a ctivity is a form of esca pism ; we a re tr yin g to

esca pe from ou rs elves. Not bein g ab le to fa ce ou r own inn er

lives with al l th eir s t ress es an d s tra in s , th eir disorder an d

cha os , we occu py ou rse lves a s m u ch as poss ible with what

is ou twar d. We do n ot like ou r own com pa n y so we feverish ly

s eek t he company o f o the r s . We compens a t e fo r i nne r

weakness by seeking outward sources of s trength. We are

con t in u ous ly in m ot ion b ecau se we do not kn ow what to do

when we are s ti ll.

Bu t th is type of explan at ion , however t ru e an d u sefu l,

does n ot tak e u s very far . In th e firs t place the a ct ivis t can

and usual ly does reverse i t , declaring that al l a t tempts at

inward development are forms of escapism. Why should

an yone s ta n d s t ill an d re t rea t in to himself wh en th ere is so

much to be done, unless he is afraid of facing the world,

u n less its pr oblem s a re too d ifficu lt for h im to s olve? An d in

the second p lace th i s psychologica l explana t ion l eaves

u n an swered th e qu est ion a s to wh y ou r in n er life is s o weak

or disordered that we fear to face i t and so seek relief in

ou twar d a ctivity.


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There is a part ial explanat ion of our inner disorder

wh ich is ba sed on th e fac t th a t ou r in teres ts a re spread ou t

over a n u m ber of fields in which th e s ta n da rds of beh avior

are n ot cons is tent with one an other . Ou r h ome creates one

set of requirem ents , ou r s ocia l c lu b an other , ou r m eet in g

for worship an other , ou r bu s in ess or the bu s in ess on wh ich

we are d ependen t , an other . In each case we a t temp t to fit

ourselves into the code of behavior of a certain group of

persons and this code may be and often is different from

the code of other groups. The s tandard of behavior in our

religiou s grou p for in st an ce ma y be qu ite differen t from th e

stan dard in our bu sin ess grou p. Th e resu lt is an in n er s train .

Wh ile present in a given grou p we su ppress th e s tan da rds

of th e oth er grou ps , bu t we do n ot elim in at e them en tirely

from ou r m in ds . A sen se of pressu re an d ten s ion resu lts .

Our ances tors were bet ter in tegra ted wi thin themselves

because the i r l ives were bet ter in tegra ted wi thout , they

be longed to f ewer d i f f e ren t k inds o f g roups . In ea r ly

Pennsylvania, for example, everything, whether spiritual,

in tellectu al or econom ic, cent ered in th e Qu ak er m eetin g, a

con dit ion wh ich m ad e poss ible an in n er life in which th ere

were few con flictin g in ter est s .

Th e activist wh o seeks explan at ions ba sed on ou ter facts

declares th a t ou r res t lessn ess i s du e to the terr ible s ta te of

th e world a t pr esen t. If we cou ld ju st get th e ou ter world in

order we cou ld th en feel in ward pea ce. But perh ap s h e h as

n ot th e wh ole tru th , perh ap s th e more fu n da m enta l difficu lty

is with ou r inward world. As lon g as t h ere is inwar d ch aos,

al l ou tward act ion s will be conta m in at ed by th is cha os. In

such a case al l that we do wil l promote rather than al lay

con fu sion . We seek to br in g peace in th e world wh en th ere

is n o peace in our h ear ts a n d a s a resu lt we in fect th e ou ter

world with ou r in n er conflict . As a n old Ch in ese s a yin g h as

i t , The r ight act ion performed by the wrong man is the

wrong action .


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Su ch in ward references ar e typical of th e teach in gs of

Jesus . He had l i t t le to say regarding bet ter laws , be t ter

governments , be t ter agreements between nat ions to keep

th e p eace, b etter organ ized relief work . Firs t be recon ciled

to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift . Ye have

h eard th at i t was sa id b y th em of old t ime Th ou s h al t not

kill, bu t I sa y u n to you t h at wh osoever is a n gry with h is

brother and so on through the whole gospel . Such an

inward emphas i s i s a l so the pr inc ipa l charac te r i s t i c of

Quaker ism, which seeks to be based on New Tes tament

Chr is t ian ity. Above th e ou tward Bible, th e ou tward serm on,

th e ou tward Ch ris t , th e ou tward sa cram ent , th e Socie ty of

Frien ds h as u plifted th e in ward revelat ion, th e In ward Ch rist,

th e in ward sa cram ent a s of su prem e, th ough n ot exclu s ive ,

im portan ce. For th e Qu aker , ou tward a n d in ward comb in e

in an in t im at e organ ic relat ion, bu t th e in ward is prim ar y.

Accord in gly, when we spea k of th e Qu ak er way of m eetin g

pre s s u re s we mus t expec t t ha t t he ans wer w i l l ma in ly

concern our inward l i fe and only secondari ly the changes

which we can pr odu ce in th e ou ter world. If a t ire is t oo soft

we say tha t the oute r pressure i s g rea te r than the inner

pres su re an d we rem edy the difficu lty by in creas in g th e in n er

pr ess u re. It wou ld b e poss ible to in flat e th e t ire by less en in g

the ou ter pressu re , bu t th is could b e done on ly un der h igh ly

sp ecialized con dition s. Nor d o we m eet th is p roblem of th e

soft t i re by going ahead of the car with tools to make the

road smoother . Rather we increase the inner pressure so

tha t a ll ja r s , bu m ps , su dden s tops or s t a r t s can be bearably

dea lt with .

I n s i m i l a r f a s h i o n a p e r s o n i n d a n g e r o f b e i n g

overwh elm ed by outs ide pressu res can m eet th em bes t b y

increasing his inner dimensions. He can of course t ry the

other p lan , creat ing ch an ges in h is en viron m ent in order

to redu ce the press u res . In th e cou rse of su ch effor ts m en

h ave contr ived a vas t a rra y of tools a n d s cien tific in str u m en ts

with wh ich great ch an ges h ave been brou gh t abou t in th e


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ou ter world. We are a ble to con trol alm ost everyth in g except

th e weath er a n d we seem to be on th e verge of con trollin g

th at . Bu t one very im portan t e lemen t h as been left ou t

we h a ve n ot su cceeded in cont rollin g ou rs elves. We ar e sti ll

ill a t ea se, res tless , u n sa tisfied, dr iven to in crea sin g activity

by every new invent ion. We over look the a l l - important

a l ternat ive to outer change the increase of our inner

resources , our in n er s t ren gth an d s ta bility. Only so can we

balan ce the ou ter forces an d m eet every jar a n d bu m p on

th e road with a power wh ich h olds its own , wh ich m ay give

way a lit t le on ly to as ser t i tself th e m ore.

Th is th en is th e firs t an swer wh ich we propose to th e

problem . Th e Qu ak er way is s o to order th e in n er life th at

outer press u res can be adequ ate ly m et an d d ealt with . Th is

is n ot the m ethod of th e ascet ic wh o conqu ers h is s ens u al

desires by violence toward himself, nor of the hermit who

avoids his fellow men, nor of the stoic who makes himself

in depen den t an d in different t o the world a rou n d h im . It is

rather an ordering of the inner l ife, so that there will be a

proper balance of inner and outer , the inner holding f i rs t

place. In one sen se we become in depend ent of outer tu m u lts

an d con flic ts , bu t in an other sen se we are not in depend ent

becau se we m u st seek to reprodu ce in th e world arou n d u s

th e in n er pea ce created with in ou rs elves . If we do not s eek

to reprodu ce ou r inn er p eace it will become lifeless an d sta tic.

II. The Attainability Of Inner Peace

But is inner peace, free from al l sense of pressure,

at tainable? Many would say no. We have a physical body

whos e demands a re i n s a t i ab l e and f r equen t ly qu i t e a t

var ian ce with th e sta n da rds of th e society in which we m ove.

Also we ar e bou n d by m an y t ies to a world a rou n d u s wh ich

is in a state of conflict. We should not, even if we could,

sever ou r t ies with it . We can n ot tu rn a d eaf ear to th e cries

of su ffer in g arou n d u s which dis tu rb ou r peace .


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Th is qu est ion as to th e at taina bility of in n er p eace is

closely related to one of th e ma n y iss u es in th e 17th centu ry

between th e ear ly Fr iend s a n d th e Pu r itan s . Th e Qua kers

m aint ained t h at p erfection a n d freedom from a s ens e of gu ilt

resul t ing in complete peace within could be at tained. The

Puri tans h eld th at perfect ion a n d its consequ ent in n er peace

an d freedom were not a t ta in ab le. To su pp ort th eir view th e

Quakers quoted such scr ipture as this , Mark the perfec t

m a n , h is en d is p ea ce (Ps. 3 7:3 7), Be per fect be of on e

m in d, live in p ea ce (2 Cor. 1 3:1 1), Now th e God of p ea ce

m a ke you per fect (Heb. 1 3:2 0 f.), Un til we a ll com e u n to

a perfect m an , un to the m easu re of th e s tatu re of th e fu ln ess

of Christ (Eph. 4:13). There can be li t t le doubt that early

Ch rist ian ity accepted th e doctrin e of th e poss ibility of h u m an

perfect ion h ere an d n ow, in th is pres ent life .

Bu t for the Pu r itan s a n d for ma n y modern th eologian s

m an can n ever be free from s in a n d sh ou ld th erefore n ever

be free from a sen se of gu ilt . He is born in s in, th ey sa y, an d

rem ains in s in jus t as long as h e is a pa rt of a s in fu l flesh ly

world. Th e pen alty m ay be rem oved by an u n deserved m ira cle

of divin e gra ce, bu t th e s in rem ains . Chris t was perfect , bu t

h is p erfect ion is wh olly beyon d ou r h u m an reach . Th ou gh

h is l ife is ou r ideal, it is n ot an a tta in ab le idea l.

It wou ld be in terest ing to sp ecu late a s to h ow m u ch of

our m odern res t lessn ess is du e to our Pu r itan in h er itan ce

which demands a perpetual tens ion between the rea l and

th e ideal. Th ough Qu ak er ism was , abou t th e begin n in g of

t he 18 th cen tu ry , more i n f luen t i a l t han Pur i t an i s m in

c o l o n i a l A m e r i c a , i m m e d i a t e l y t h e r e a f t e r P u r i t a n i s m

in creas ed wh ile Qu ak erism decreas ed. Th e new on -com in g

m e c h a n i c a l a g e w i t h i t s o u t w a r d o r i e n t a t i o n w a s l e s s

congen ial to Qu ak erism with its in ward ly directed s pirit . As

a resu lt of bein g ou twardly directed, th e hu m an sou l tend ed

to become reduced to the level of that outward nature in

w h i c h i t s a t t e n t i o n w a s a b s o r b e d . H u m a n i t y u n i t e d

in separ ab ly with th e u n ceas in g flu x of m ater ia l na tu re an d


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sen su al desire an d post pon in g to the n ext world th e goal of

peace an d freedom from gu ilt , was doomed to rest less n ess ,

to the hopeless search for the unat tainable. The Absolute

vanished leaving only the relative. The goal receded into

in fin ite dis tan ce leavin g on ly mea n s an d tools . Modern m an

becam e a worsh ipper of tools. His ph ilosoph y is pra gm atism .

By removing peace and perfectabili ty from all things this

s ide o f t he g rave , t he Pur i t ans doomed thems e lves t o

con tin u al diss at isfact ion an d fru str at ion , their only h ope of

salvat ion being a promise set forth for them in a sacred

book. Th eir d escen da n ts bu ilt a grea t m ater ia l s t ru ctu re in

wh ich th e hu m an sou l wan ders h om eless an d withou t peace.

George Fox h ad m an y argu m ents with th e Pu r itan s on

th e p oss ibility of pea ce a n d per fection in th is life. To som e

who pleaded for sin as he expressed it , he said: If your

faith be true it will give you victory over sin and the devil

an d p u r ify your h ear ts an d cons ciences (J ourn al I, p . 56)1,

and to others who said we must always be s tr iving he

replied, it is a sa d an d comfortless sort of st rivin g, to strive

with a belief we sh ou ld n ever overcom e. (J ou rn a l II, p. 2 18 )

His a ss ertion of th e pos sibility of perfection an d in ward

peace may seem at f i rs t s ight to be based on pr ide and

egotism bu t th e opposite is in real ity the ca se. Its ba sis is

the possibility of complete obedience to the will of God in

h u m ility an d self su rren der. For th e Qua ker, perfect ion a n d

its con sequ ent in n er pea ce can be rea ched when al l of Gods

im m edia te requ iremen ts as u n ders tood are fa i th fu lly met .

Th ese requ iremen ts a re n ever so great th a t th e in dividu al

cannot meet them. God requires more of a man than of a

boy, more of a saint than of a s inner. Robert Barclay, the

g r e a t e s t Q u a k e r t h e o l o g i a n , c a l l s t h i s a p e r f e c t i o n

proport ionab le an d a n swerab le to m an s m easu re wh ereby

we ar e kept from t ra n sgressing th e law of God a n d en ab led

to an swer wha t h e requ ires of u s , even a s h e tha t im proved

his two talents so as to make of them four perfected his

work n o les s t h a n h e th a t m a de of h is five, ten . (Apology,


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Prop. VIII). As we ar e fa ith fu l to th e ligh t t h a t we h a ve, m ore

will be given . Th u s a soldier wh ose con science tells h im to

fight must fight or be a coward. But if he is faithful to the

very best th at is given to him from on High an d en dea vou rs

through prayer and worship to increase his sens i t ivi ty to

th e will of God, h e will even tu a lly lear n a n oth er a n d b etter

way. Th ere is a growin g in th e life even wh ere th e h ear t is

pu rified from sin, even as Ch ris t did grow an d wax s tr ong

in sp irit , for a s ta te of per fection d oth n ot exclu de d egrees

(Isa a c Pen in gton, Work s, I , p. 39 1).

Inner peace comes through obedience to the Divine

Voice not , as J esu s p oin ted ou t , blin dly as a s lave obeys a

m as ter, bu t a s a friend com plies with th e wish es of h is friend

beca u se th e two a re on e in sp irit . Hen ceforth I call you n ot

servan ts bu t fr iend s for the servan t kn oweth n ot wh at h is

ma s te r doeth .

III. Perfection And Pacifism

An im porta n t elemen t in th is Qu ak er doctrin e of in ward

peace and i ts relat ion to what is somewhat misleadingly

called per fection ism is in dicated in th e sett in g of J esu s

sa yin g Be ye perfect even a s you r fat h er wh ich is in h eaven

is perfect. J esu s begin s by sa yin g Love you r en em ies a n d

e n d s b y s a y i n g t h a t t h i s k i n d o f p e r f e c t i o n w h i c h i s

cha ra cteris t ic of God, wh o ma kes h is s u n to r ise both on

the evil and on the good, is possible for men also (Matt.

5:4 4-4 8 ). To b e per fect is to love you r en em ies for on ly by

loving your enemies can you remove an inner source of

confl ict which prevents inner peace. He alone can secure

in n er peace who is a t pea ce with th e world a rou n d h im even

though the world around him may not be a t peace wi th

h im . Hatred, p ersecu tion, cu rsing (I qu ote J esu s lis t ) ar e

express ions of inner d i sorder . Remove them and peace

res u lts ; with it will com e a s en s e of a ch ievin g th a t per fection

which is ch ar a cteristic of God wh o is kin d to th e evil (Lu ke


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6:35). No m an h ates others with ou t a sen se of gu ilt , for in

ha t in g o thers h e project s on th em a secre t un kn own h a t red

for himself. Love removes this inner conflict which seeks

sa tisfaction in ou ter con flict. Th e pa cifis t is s om etimes ca lled

a p erfect ionis t . Th is is t ru e only in th e lim ited s en se th at h e

poss ess es a m ean s of rem ovin g tha t feelin g of guilt in h im self

which genera tes conf l ic t and hat red and is genera ted by

th em. Only wh en th e pacifis t a t ta in s inn er peace does h e

t ruly l ive up to his name and become a peace-maker and

only th e peace-ma ker can a t ta in in n er peace.

IV. Inner Conflict And Its Solution As Portrayed In The

Quaker Journals

The Society of Friends possesses a great number of

sp ir itu al au tobiogra ph ies or J ou rn als , as t h ey ar e us u al ly

cal led, which portray the l ives of what might be cal ledstandard Friends. This appel lat ion is just i f ied because

thes e J ourna l s we re a t one t ime r ead i n eve ry Quake r

h ou seh old in order to im pres s on th e h earers th e type of life

wh ich was th e t rue Qu aker n orm . Par t ly throu gh them , the

Qu ak er cu ltu ra l pa t tern was pa ssed from one genera t ion to

an other with rema rka ble su ccess for n ear ly two cen tu r ies .

Th ese J ou rn als som etim es begin with a b rief accou n t of aperiod of ear ly in n ocence, u su a lly followed by a des cription

of ch ildh ood frivolit ies which th e writer looks ba ck u pon a s

a waste of t ime. After that comes a vivid picture of inner

conflict . Th e s ou l is divided , pu lled in on e direction by th e

powers of evil a n d in th e oppos ite direction by th e powers of

good. For t h is sea son of conflict on e exam ple will sta n d for

al l. Th e s tr u ggle var ies in in ten si ty th ou gh it d oes n ot var yin ch ar acter . J ob Scott (17 51 -179 3) writes a vivid d escription

of h is own fou r years st ru ggle:

Often in th e nigh t an d som et im es in th e break

o f d a y I h a v e r e t u r n e d h o m e f r o m m y m a n y

meetings grievously condemned, dis tressed and


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a s h a m e d , w i s h i n g I h a d n o t g o n e i n t o s u c h

com pa n y an d r esolvin g to do so n o more. Bu t s oon

m y resolu t ions fai led m e an d a way I wen t a gain

and again. The Lord followed me close in mercy

an d often b roke in powerfu lly u pon m e tu rn in g al l

my mirth into mourning; yet I st i l l got over the

h oly witn ess , did d esp ite to th e sp irit of grace a n d

r e p a i r e d a g a i n a n d a g a i n t o t h e h a u n t s o f

diversion. Adored forever be the name of the

Lord, h e fors ook m e n ot, bu t followed m e s till closer

and c los e r and s ounded the a l a rm loude r and

loud er in m y ears . Th e way was sh own m e bu t

I wou ld n ot wa lk in it. I kn ew m y Lord s will bu t

did it n ot; m in e own I still deligh ted in . My da ys

I s p e n t i n v a n i t y a n d r e b e l l i o n ; m y n i g h t s

frequ en tly in h orror an d dis tress . Man y a n igh t I

scarce du rs t en ter my ch am ber or lay me down in

bed I pr ayed, I cried, I repen ted, I sin n ed. God

st ill in terru pted m y career , d is tu rbed m y cas u al

sat isfact ion and blasted al l my joys. In pursuing

my course I knew I was pursuing my dai ly and

almost unsupportable dis tress . I knew myself a

pr isoner a n d yet I h u gged m y cha in s .

Th is accou n t is con den sed from ten pa ges of J ob Scotts

Journal (pp. 30-40) . The passage presents , perhaps in a

form more ex t reme than the average , a common human

experien ce, wh ich is often u n recogn ized for wh at it is an

u n eas in ess du e to a pu ll on th e sou l by a Divin e Power from

ab ove wh ich can n ot be escap ed. It is t h e experien ce described

by th e Psa lm is t: Wh ith er s h a ll I go from th y spirit! or wh ith ershall I flee from thy presence? (Ps. 139); or by Francis

Thompson:

I fled h im down th e nigh ts a n d d own th e days :

I fled h im down th e arch es of th e years .


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Every h u m an sou l is pu rsu ed by th e h oun d of h eaven,

bu t n ot every hu m an soul kn ows wha t is pu rsu in g h im. J ob

Scott writes of h is s tru ggle with an u n ders ta n din g acqu ired

only after th e stru ggle was over. Th ere was n o su dden cha n ge

to a state of peace. He came gradually to realize that this

in ward som ething wh ich h ad b een th u s long an d powerfu lly

str ivin g with m e was th e t ru e an d l ivin g spir it a n d p ower of

th e etern al God, th e very sa m e th at str ove with th e old world,

in flu enced th e pat r iarchs , proph ets an d a pos t les an d vis it s ,

strives with an d a t seas ons m ore or less in flu ences th e hear ts

of a ll m an kin d. I n ow sa w th is t h e only pr in ciple of all tru e

con version an d sa lvat ion ; th at s o long as t h is was resis ted

an d rejected, sepa ra tion m u st infallibly rem ain b etween God

an d th e sou l, bu t th a t wh enever th is i s received an d in a ll

th in gs th orou gh ly su bm itted to, a recon ciliation tak es place

(J ou rn a l, p. 41 ). Th is overcom in g of th e sen se of sep a ra tion

was also an experien ce of th e u n ion of h is own will with th ewill of God:

Th e one th in g needfu l is real u n ion with God,

an actu al join in g with h im in one s pir it . With ou t

th is u n ion let a m an kn ow wha t h e will, believe,

possess and enjoy whatever he may or can, but

h e is a n alien a n d a wan derer on th e earth . Noth in g

else ca n ever sa tisfy his sou l or ab idin gly st a y h is

m in d. Th ere is n o oth er poss ible perma n ent r es t

for th e sole of h is foot. He may drive, toil an d b u st le

a b o u t a n d m a n y m a y t h i n k h i m i n a s t a t e o f

en joym en t, bu t it is a ll a d elu sion . In th e midst of

a l l ea r ths ca resses , i f he presumes to dec la re

himself happy he does violence to t ruth and his

own feelings and the truly wise are privy to the

l ie . I f he professes re l igion, goes to meet ing,

pra ct ices th e exteriors of devotion an d t alks m u ch

about fai th and godliness , i t may for a moment

quie t his mind and deceive his soul and others


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but long he cannot rest composed without l iving

u n ion with God (p. 4 3).

Th is u n ion was n o s u bm ergence o f J ob Sco t t s

in dividu ality in som e all in clu sive Over-Sou l, it was ra th er

a willin gn ess to su bm it to th e Divin e requ irem en ts wh at ever

th ey m igh t be, a willin gn ess to tak e h is u n iqu e in dividu al

pa rt in a life greater th a n h is own . I gave u p very fu lly an d

from th e h eart to serve th e Lord in th e way of h is leadings.

I f o r s o o k r u d e a n d v i c i o u s c o m p a n y , w i t h d r e w i n t ore t i rement , a t t ended the mee t ings of F r iends and of ten

sou gh t th e Lord an d waited u pon Him in solemn reveren t ia l

s i lence a lone for h is coun sel, direct ion an d pres ervat ion .

Af te r th i s sh i f t ing f rom a human-cente red to a d iv ine-

c e n t e r e d l i f e , J o b S c o t t b e c a m e a w a r e o f m a n y n e w

requiremen ts , wh ich h e mu st m eet if h e was to reta in th e

inward peace which he had found. One of these was hisappearance in vocal minis try in the meeting for worship.

Th e u n eas in ess created by h oldin g back disa pp eared. I felt ,

h e writes , th e retu rn of pea ce in m y own b osom, a s a r iver

of life for a con sider a b le tim e afterwa rd , sweetly com fortin g

my mind and conf i rming me in this solemn under taking

(p. 54). Living up to the divine requirements was no easy

m at ter becau se n ew du t ies were cons ta n t ly ap pear in g. On eof th ese, for in sta n ce, was th e requiremen t to refu se to u se

th e paper cu rren cy iss u ed to su pp ort the Revolu tiona ry War .

Once, wh en called to u n derta ke a long religiou s jou rn ey, h e

felt i t very hard to leave his wife and children behind and

financially dependent on the meeting, but he finally gave

way an d t h en h e cou ld write: At th is su rren der of al l th in gs

I felt th e light of h ea ven to fill m y sou l. Su ch d ecis ion s a sthis would not have been so difficult as they were if the

Divin e Pres en ce ha d a lways been felt . J ob Scott frequ en tly

u n d e r w e n t p e r i o d s o f a r i d i t y w h i c h w e r e e s p e c i a l l y

embarrass ing when la rge c rowds expec t ing to hear h i s

m in is tr y at ten ded a m eetin g wh ich h e was vis i t in g. Tim es


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of doubt, darkness, failure were, he felt , necessary. I saw

pret ty c lear ly , he wri tes , in the mids t of my deepes t

depress ion tha t i f I should be favored wi th unremi t t ed

tranquil i ty and divine enjoyment I should be in danger of

sp iritu a l pr ide a n d exaltat ion (p. 51 ). Bu t in sp ite of th ese

ups and downs the search for , and a t ta inment of , inward

peace was a c lea r ly def ined process . I t cons i s ted of a

willingness to obey the will of God in so far as that will

cou ld be a scer ta in ed.

I h ave dwelt a t len gth on J ob Scott becau se h is life is

typical of hundreds of others which are portrayed in the

Qu a ker J ou rn a ls . An in itial con flict is followed b y a d ecision

which f inal ly ends i t and brings peace. But this decis ion

only begins the long spir i tual journey on which there are

many di f f icul t hurdles to surmount . The Quakers do not

believe , as do some other Ch ris t ian s , th a t m an is b orn in a

sta te of total depra vity an d r em ains in it u n t il h e is whollycha n ged by con vers ion which t ran sforms h im from a s ta te

of n atu re to a com pleted s ta te of gra ce. Conversion is th e

beginning not the end of a process . When inward peace

disappears i t is a s ign that the next s tage of growth is at

hand and peace can only be reached i f tha t growth takes

place. A divine call may come requiring an individual to

speak in a meet ing. I f the ca l l i s res is ted inward peacedisap pears . In su ch a s t a te Mar th a Rou th took to h e r bed

an d b ecam e so ill th at h er life was des pa ired of. David Ferr is

who resis ted for m an y years was t rou bled with vivid d ream s

which were clear ly rep rima n ds for h is d elin qu en cy. Fin ally,

to u se th e h omely figu re em ployed b y Sam u el Bowna s, th e

ice is b roken , th e Frien d s peak s in m eetin g, perh ap s on ly

to ut ter a s ingle Bible verse. Profound peace again entersth e sou l. Hugh J u dge of Con cord Meetin g, Pen n sylvan ia,

th u s writes of h is feelin gs a fter h is firs t s erm on . My pen is

n ot ab le to set forth th e awfu l, solemn qu iet, the ca lm , serene

sta te of m in d th at I enjoyed for m an y days, so tha t it seem ed

th at I h ad gotten in to an other world. Th e sam e peace com es


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again and again as each new requirement i s met , the

ad opt ion of pla in dress , the u se of th ee and th ou in s tead of

you, keeping on the hat or some other act considered i l l

mannered by the world, undertaking a diff icul t piece of

religious service in a far country when family or business

needs might have been thought to demand a t t en t ion a t

h ome. Most s ignifican t in th is r espect is t h e cu rta ilm en t of

bu s in ess wh en the bu s in ess ha s grown to su ch an exten t

th a t it in terferes with religiou s d u ties. Th e exa m ple of J oh n

Woolman is best known but almost every Journal wri ter

finds i t eventually necessary to exercise some restraint in

bus iness . Fr iends acquired a reputa t ion for hones ty and

in du stry which frequen tly resu lted in con siderab le bu siness

su ccess . It h as been frequen t ly poin ted ou t by h is tor ian s ,

Arnold Toynbee among them in his S tud y of His tory , t h a t

m at erial su ccess weak en ed t h e sp iritu al vitality of th e Society

of Fr iends . Th ere is t ru th in th is b u t in a grea t m an y cas es

Fr iend s foun d th at in ward peace could only be a t ta in ed by

redu cin g th eir bu s in ess u n der takin gs . J ohn Barc lay speaks

for all when he says: I believe it right to sit loose to this

world and the anxieties thereof lest I be incapacitated for

perform in g th at s ervice wh ich m ay be sh own to be my du ty.

I believe it s afest for m e if in a n y bu sin ess it sh ou ld b e one

of m oderat e profit a n d n ot in volvin g mu ch at ten tion.2 (John

Barclay, Friends Library, VI, p. 402). But such business

was far from bein g the on ly dis tr act ion which cou ld r ob th e

sou l of pea ce. Rebecca J ones writes : I h ave sh ak en m y

h an ds from th e gain of sch oolkeepin g (J ou rn al , p. 18 7);

Catherine Phil l ips ceases to wri te poetry; Edward Hicks

re s t r a ins h i s i nc l i na t i on t o pa in t p i c tu re s : J ohn Ru t ty

redu ces tim e spen t in writin g books on m edicin e an d William

Allen gives u p a pr omising ca reer of scientific res ear ch . Su ch

self-surrender is not ascet icism, i t is an effort to at tain

in t eg ra t i on o f pe r s ona l i t y a round a cen t r a l i n t e re s t by

redu cin g com peting in terests . If ones centr al in terest is

bu siness , fu n da m en tal yearn in gs of th e sou l wou ld be left


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unsat is f ied. The cent ra l in teres t to which a l l o thers are

subord ina ted mus t be impor tan t enough to be wor thy of

comp lete, u n qu alified devotion . Th e on ly in teres t wh ich so

qu a lifies is th e religiou s in teres t .

V. The Philosophical Basis

A simp le ph ilosoph y in terprets th is sea rch for in ward

peace. In ward peace is th e resu lt of in ward u n ity, n ot ju st a

unity of ideas but a uni ty of the whole person, including

th ose feelin gs a n d intu it ions which ar ise ou t of th e deeper

ar eas of th e sou l which ar e beyond con sciou s th ou gh t . Th is

in ward u n ity is produ ced by th e divin e Ligh t of Tru th sh in in g

in to th e sou l from wha t George Fox called Th e h idd en u n ity

in th e etern a l being (J ou rn al I, p. 29). Th e primord ial u n ity

of th e creat ive sou rce, if u n resis ted, produ ces u n ity in th e

in dividu al or th e grou p.

No su btle meta ph ysic is in volved h ere. We ar e sp eak in g

of a u n ity of will, n ot of su bs ta n ce. Sin ce th ere is on ly on e

Truth, the parts of the soul , or the individuals in a group,

come into unity in so far as they find and follow the one

tru th , ju st as th e followers of one p erson com e in to u n ity in

so far a s th ey follow th e will of th eir lead er. Th e Ligh t is n ot

divided in su ch a way tha t th ere is one s pa rk of divin ity in

one person a n d a n other spa rk in an other . Th e Ligh t in it s

w h o l e n e s s s h i n e s i n t o e v e r y i n d i v i d u a l , t h o u g h t h a t

in dividu als comp reh en sion of it m a y be very im perfect. In

so far as th e on e Divin e Cen ter is a pp roach ed, so far do th e

var iou s fra gm en ts of an in dividu al person or of a grou p of

persons com e in to u n ity.

Th e pr ocess of at ta in in g u n ity in th e in dividu al is similar

to the process of at taining unity in the group. A Friends

meeting, in making a decis ion, does not vote, because a

vote would emphasize not remove an existing division of

op in ion . A t ru th mus t be s ough t wh ich t r ans cends t he

fra gmen ta ry in sigh ts of va riou s in dividu a ls or fa ction s. As


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the discuss ion proceeds each par t ia l ins ight supplements

every o ther pa r t i a l ins ight un t i l t ru th emerges and the

meeting becomes unified in a single insight. The decision

th u s a rr ived a t i s not in tend ed to be a com promise , th ough

i t o f ten i s a compromise , bu t a new c rea t ion which no

member of the group could have arr ived a t a lone . This

method does not a lways succeed but i t succeeds of ten

enough to just i fy the theory behind i t . I t is defini tely a

r e l i g i o u s m e t h o d r e q u i r i n g w i l l i n g n e s s t o s u b m e r g e

individual desires and prejudices and to obey the wil l of

God wherever it m a y lead . Religion in t h is ca se is a m eth od

whereby, thr ou gh pra yer, worsh ip, an d p at ien t waitin g often

in silence, the soul may become sensitized to the Light of

Tru th an d willin g to su bm it to it . On ly th rou gh th is a t t itu de

of obedien ce can real in n er u n ity arise eith er in th e in dividu al

or in th e grou p. Conflict in th e sou l ar ises from refu sa l to

accept th e t ru th . As on e Qu aker jou rn alis t , S tephen Crisp,

pu ts it : My wisd om a n d r eason were overcom e by th e t ru th ,

I cou ld n ot therewith with sta n d it an d defen ded it with th e

sa m e reason by wh ich I res is ted it , an d s o was yet a s tr an ger

to the cross th at was to cru cify m e (J ou rn al , 16 94 , p. 16).

Pride, s elf-will, a n exclu sive loya lty to on es own fra gmen ta ry

viewpoin t m u st be cru cified if m an is t o be resu rrected in to

th at n ewn ess of life in which h e is a t p eace.

VI. The Place Of Self-Surrender

Self-surrender of man to God is often misunderstood

because of the language used in describing i t . The word

su rren der seem s to im ply an a t t itu de of pa ss ivity wh ich

i s o u t o f t u n e w i t h t h e t e n d e n c y o f o u r p r e s e n t a g e

toward extreme act ivism. The effort a t self-annihi lat ion,

accompan ied by t he expec t a t i on t ha t , when a l l human

t h o u g h t a n d f e e l i n g s u b s i d e s , G o d m a y m a n i f e s t h i s

redeeming power in the soul i s somet imes descr ibed as


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Quies t i sm. Thi s word t oo , i s mi s l ead ing . I t p l ace s t he

e m p h a s i s o n l y o n t h e n e g a t i v e s i d e o f t h i s r e l i g i o u s

experience. In Qu ak erism th e n egat ive is n ot an end in itself

bu t a pr epa ra tion for th e pos itive. If th e lower is qu ieted it is

only th at t h e high er m ay h ave opportu n ity to ass ert itself.

The weeds must be cleared away if the flower is to grow.

The human must be s t i l l i f the divine is to be heard. In

earlier forms of Quaker theology the distinction between

the divin e an d th e hu m an is th ought of as sh arp an d defin ite ,

in some m odern forms divin e an d h u m an m erge as a fin ger

m erges in to the h an d; in eith er case self-su rren der in s i lent

expectant wait ing should be the f i rs t spir i tual exercise, a

prerequ isite of all oth ers. If divin e a n d h u m an ar e too closely

identif ied, self-surrender becomes meaningless and man

rema in s en tan gled in th e web of h is own weak n esses a n d

contradict ions. Inward quiet ing is the negat ive s ide of a

pos itive experien ce. It m a y even res u lt in in ten se a ctivity asis illu str at ed on almost every pa ge of th e Qua ker J ou rn als .

John Woolman while making a dangerous vis i t to Indians

on th e fron tier writes: My min d wa s cen tered in resign at ion

in which I always fou n d qu ietn ess (J ou rn al , p. 203 ).

No Quaker was more feverishly act ive than Thomas

Sh illitoe. He vis ited in th e love of th e Gosp el th ou s a n ds of

drin kin g hou ses in Irelan d, prison ers a n d ou tlaws in variou slands, King, Czar and Emperor. Nothing could s top him,

though he was by na ture a shy and t imorous charac te r .

Th e followin g pa ss a ge from h is J ou rn al discloses t h e sou rce

of h is s tren gth :

Wh en I am led to tak e a view of th e accu m u -

l a t e d d i f f i c u l t i e s t h a t I m u s t e x p e c t i n t h e

prosecution of the work before me, my soul is

humbled and bowed wi thin me as into the very

du s t ; wh ereby my min d a t t im es becam e sorrow-

fu lly cha rged with an ap preh ens ion. I sh ou ld n ot

h a v e s t r e n g t h t o p r o c e e d a g r e e a b l y t o t h e


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expectat ion I had given my fr iends, and thereby

shamefully expose myself. But Divine goodness

a p p e a r e d f o r m y h e l p w i t h t h e a n i m a t i n g

assurance, that i f I remained wil l ing to become

like a cork on th e m ighty ocean of ser vice, wh ich

m y great Master s h ou ld requ ire of m e, in th e storm

and in the ca lm, f ree f rom the l ead of human

reas on, n ot con su lt in g an d con ferrin g with flesh

an d blood, willin g to be wafted h ith er a n d th ith er,

as th e Spirit of th e Lord m y God sh ou ld b low u pon

m e, he wou ld ca re for m e every day an d every way;

so tha t the re should be no l ack of s t rength to

en cou n ter a ll my difficu lties. Here m y discou ra ge-

m ent s van ish ed. (J ou rn al , 18 39 , Vol. I, pp. 229 -

230. )

On e of th e m ost powerfu l prea ch ers of th e doctr in e of com plete resign at ion as th e way to in ward peace was Elias

Hicks. E xpress ions like th e followin g abou n d in h is pu blish ed

serm ons : I felt n othing when I cam e in to th is m eetin g nor

had I a de s i r e a f t e r any th ing bu t t o cen t e r down in to

aba semen t an d n oth in gn ess: an d in this s itu at ion I remained

for a while, t ill I fou n d s om eth in g was st irr in g an d r isin g in

m y sp irit . An d th is was wha t I la bored after to be em pt y,to know nothing, to cal l for nothing, and to desire to do

n oth in g. (Th e Qu a ker , vol. I, p. 2 4 4).

I t would be useless to mult iply such examples . In so

far a s Qu ie t ism m ean s th e su rrend er of th e hu m an or self-

cen tered will in order t h a t th e divin e m ay becom e active in

an d th rou gh the h u m an , it is a u n iversa l Qu aker doct r in e .

Cut off from the higher God-centered will, the lower self-centered will seeks satisfaction in an area too limited to

sat isfy i t . As a resul t there is no inward peace. But the

remedy is not far off. In the silence of prayer, meditation

an d wors h ip th e sou l learn s to sa y n ot my will bu t th in e be

don e. Th e pea ce of God floods in a n d a lon g with th e pea ce


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of God there also comes sooner or later the call to action

with out which th a t peace can n ot con t in u e .

George Fox lived a life of tireless activity, bu t t h is activity

was rooted in in ward peace an d s t illn ess . Th roughou t h is

epistles he calls on Friends to be sti l l . Stand sti l l in that

wh ich is p u re a fter ye see you rs elves (Ep . 10 ). Wa it in th e

Light (Ep . 63 ). Sta n din g still in th e Ligh t with in a n d t h erein

waitin g, ye will s ee you r S a vior Ch rist J esu s (Ep . 79 ). Wa it

in th e Life wh ich will keep you a bove Word s (Ep . 11 9). Be

low an d s till in th e Life a n d Power (Ep . 146 ). In th e St illn ess

a n d Silen ce of th e Power of th e Alm igh ty d well (Ep . 2 0 1).

With th is ca ll to sti lln ess th ere is a lso a call to th at wh ich is

cool, an d free from th e h eat of pa ss ion a n d d esire. Dwell in

th e Cool Sweet Holy Power of God (Ep . 1 31),Dwell in th e

end less Power of th e Lord th at h at h t h e Wisd om which

is sweet a n d cool an d pu re (Ep . 24 2). Be st ill an d cool in

th y own m in d a n d s pir it (J ou rn al I, p. 433 ).

VII. The Habitation Of Peace

Qu ak er writers s ometim es sp eak a s if th ere were a calm

area in the soul to which one might ret i re as to a quiet

room , well sh ielded from th e ou ter tu m u lt . Th u s Fox writes

to som e Frien ds en du ring severe pers ecu tion (Ep . 206 ) Allin the power of the l iving God abide in which ye may feel

Life, Peace an d Rest an d a n ab idin g peace, a secret cha m ber

to tu rn in to (Ep . 20 8). An d J oh n Woolm an writes: Th e

p lace o f p raye r i s a p rec ious hab i t a t i on I s aw th i s

habitat ion to be safe to be inwardly quiet when there

were great s t i rr in gs a n d com m otions in th e world (J ou rn al ,

Wh ittier Edition, p. 236 ). J ohn Pem berton writes to Su sa n n aFothergi l l in 1755 when the French and Indian war was

coming on: Yet there are such that can, in humil i ty and

th an kfu ln ess s ay th ey ar e favored with a qu iet ha bitat ion.

An d J oh n Bar cla y writes Oh it is a sweet th in g to get in to

th e calmn ess , to th at s pot wh ere al l cares , fears , an d dou bts


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ar e swa llowed u p (J oh n Bar c lay , Le t te rs , 18 20 ). Th is

ch a m ber , h a bitat ion or sp ot is , in Qu ak er p h ilosoph y,

th at ar ea of perfect u n ity an d p eace which exis ted before all

m u ltiplicity an d st rife. Be at pea ce one with an oth er, writes

Fox, th en you will live in th e Prin ce of Peaces pea ce a n d in

his Kingdom, Dominion and Life in which is unity, which

was before Enmity was (Ep. 208). Stand steadfast in the

Unchangeable Life and Seed of God which was before all

cha n gin g an d al terin gs were (Ep. 7 6).

VIII. Getting Atop Of Things

Th at p eace can be foun d with in a cer ta in a rea of th e

sou l is a figur e of sp eech which allocates to s pa ce th at which

i s no t i n s pace . The re i s , i n Quake r wr i t i ngs , ano the r

sign ifican t figu re ba sed on a sp ace relat ion sh ip. Wh en Foxdescr ibes a n encoun ter with an obs t ru ct ion of an y kin d,

a p erson , a dou bt , a tem pta t ion, a d ifficu lt s i tu at ion h e

often en ds with th e ph ra se bu t I got at op of it. In h is epistles

he frequently gives advice to others to do likewise: Keep

atop of that which will cumber the mind (Ep. 86), Take

h eed of be in g hu rr ied with m an y th oughts bu t live in th a t

which goes over th em all (Ep . 52 ), Bu t th ere is d a n ger a n dtempta t ion to you of dra win g your m in ds in to your bu sin ess ,

an d cloggin g th em with it : so tha t ye can h ar dly do an yth in g

to th e service of God, bu t th ere will be cryin g m y bu sin ess ,

my bus iness , and your minds wi l l go into the things and

n ot over th e th in gs (Ep . 13 1). Keep you r h ead s a bove th e

waters of th e sea in which th ere is a tem pest .

Th is can be in terpreted as m ean in g th at m an y problems

are not soluble on their own level. If there is a conflict of

two opp osing idea s or feelin gs, n o real solu tion is a rrived a t

if on e s im ply pr evails over th e oth er, elim in a tin g wh a tever

good there may be in the weaker. Too often the weaker is


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driven ou t of s igh t on ly to reap pea r in disgu ise to continu e

the conf l ic t . But by achieving a higher , more inc lus ive

experien ce we can get a bove th e prob lem , look down on it ,

and f ind that i t ceases to be a problem. This process is

descr ibed b y the ps ychologis t J u n g in m ore secu lar te rms :

I have o f t en s een i nd iv idua l s who s imply

outgrew a problem wh ich h ad des t royed others .

T h i s o u t g r o w i n g r e v e a l e d i t s e l f o n f u r t h e r

e x p e r i e n c e t o b e t h e r a i s i n g o f t h e l e v e l o f con sciou sn ess. Some h igh er or wider in terest ar ose

on th e persons h orizon, an d th rou gh th is widen in g

of h is view, th e in solu ble problem lost i ts u rgency.

It was not solved logically in i ts own terms, but

faded out in contrast to a new and s tronger l i fe

ten den cy. Wh at on a lower level h a d led to th e

wildest conflicts and to emotions full of panic,

viewed from th e h igher level of th e per son ality n ow

seem ed l ike a s torm in a val ley seen from a h igh

m o u n t a i n t o p . T h i s d o e s n o t m e a n t h a t t h e

th u n ders torm is robb ed of its rea lity; it m ean s th at

in st ead of being in it , on e is n ow above it . Th e

greatest and most important problems of l i fe

can n ever be solved, bu t only ou tgrown (S ecret of

the Gold en Flow er, p. 88. Harcourt Brace & Co. ,

Inc., New York).

George Fox in h is letter to Crom wells da u ght er, La dy

Cla ypole, wh o wa s sick an d m u ch trou bled in m in d gives

ad vice wh ich fits t h is d octrin e of J u n g.

Whatever t empta t ions , d i s t rac t ions , confu-

sion s th e ligh t doth m ak e ma n ifest an d discover,

do no t l ook a t t he s e t empta t i ons , confus ions ,

corru ption s; bu t look a t th e ligh t , which discovers

them, and makes them mani fes t ; and wi th the


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sa m e light you m ay feel over th em , to receive power

to s tan d agains t th em. Th e sam e Ligh t wh ich lets

you see s in a n d tr an sgression will le t you see th e

covenant of God, which blots out your s in and

transgression, which gives victory and dominion

over i t , and brings into covenant with God. For

lookin g down at s in an d corru ption an d distra ction

ye a re s wallowed u p in i t : bu t lookin g at th e light

which discovers th em , ye will see over th em . Th a t

wi l l g ive v ic tory ; and ye wi l l f ind grace and

s t ren gth : there is th e firs t s tep to peace . (J ourn al

I. , p. 49 3.)

Th is is qu ite d ifferen t from h olding th a t evil is u n rea l

and hence to be ignored. I t means that inward confl ict is

avoided by a k in d of pa cifist tech n iqu e wh ich u ses n o violen ce

on th e evil in ou rs elves. By fixin g ou r a tten tion on th e light,

the darkness i s no t on ly revea led for wha t i t i s bu t i s

t ranscended .

To u s e Foxs words we get a top of it. Th e d a rk forces

of the soul cannot be removed by a direct attack. To fight

th em is to give th em t h e on ly real s t ren gth which th ey can

poss ess . Th ey sh ou ld n ot be desp ised or h at ed. As r evealed

by th e ligh t th ey m u st firs t be a ccepted for wh at th ey ar e.

Th en , by allowin g the l igh t to s h in e an d s o perm itting h igh er

forces in th e ba ckgrou n d to em erge an d opera te , there will

ar ise a n in teres t , a con cern , a n ew life, call it wh a t you will,

tha t will su r rou nd an d overcome the da rkn ess an d cente r

th e sou l in th at wh ich is a bove it . It is n ot throu gh a s tru ggle

to possess the Light but rather by permit t ing the Light to

possess us tha t inner darkness i s overcome. The Quaker

J ourn als do n ot in dica te th a t th is way is a lways su ccessfu l.

Th ere are m an y records of long periods of dryn ess , bu t s oon er

or later refresh in g sh owers descen d an d n ew life is genera ted

in th e soul .


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IX. Inward Peace As A Test Of Guidance

In ward peace is bo th an end an d a m eans . As a m eans

it b ecom es a n eviden ce of d ivin e a pp roval wh ile la ck of it is

an ev idence tha t some d iv ine requi rement i s no t be ing

fulf i l led. In a Quaker meeting for the business of church

govern m en t th e followin g expr ess ion is frequ en tly h ear d: I

wou ld feel mos t ea s y, or I wou ld feel comfort a b le if s u ch

and such an ac t ion were ca r r i ed through or no t ca r r i ed

through, indica t ing tha t the inward peace of the speaker

wou ld be a t ta in ed on ly if a certain cou rse were or were n ot

accompl ished. Throughout the Quaker Journals we f ind

frequ ent reference to th e ab sen ce of in ward p eace as a s ign

that some concern, possibly to undertake a journey in

th e love of th e gosp el, pos s ibly to en gage in s om e effort for

social reform, h ad been laid u pon th e in dividu al . Wh en t h at

con cern h as been car r ied th rough th ere is referen ce to th e

re tu rn of peace . It is n ot essen t ia l tha t th e u n der taking be

su ccess fu l for in ward pea ce to resu lt . It is only n ecess ar y

th at th e in dividu al feel th a t h e h as done a ll th a t h e is ab le

to do to carry out the requirement . God does not require

m ore tha n is p ossible. He on ly dem an ds th at we live u p to

ou r ca pa city. As for con sequ en ces, h ow can a fin ite m in d

tell what they in the long course of t ime may be. History

s h o w s m a n y i n s t a n c e s o f a p p a r e n t i m m e d i a t e f a i l u r e

resu lt in g in u lt im at e su ccess . Th e pa cifis t for exam ple, who

fin ds th at in join in g an ar m y he will h ave no p eace of m in d

and who for this reason refuses to join may be presented

wi th many exce l len t a rguments which he cannot re fu te

showing him the evi l consequences of his refusal , but he

kn ows th at h is feelin gs are ju st a s tr u ly organ s of kn owledge

for certain aspects of experience as is reason. If properly

sensitized to the perception of moral and religious values,

th e feelin gs m ay be m ore reliab le organ s th an th e in tellect .

Thought may reveal immediate relat ive consequences but


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in sp ired feelin g ma y go far beyond th ou gh t, in som e m easu re

revealin g th e abs olu te an d u lt im at e. Th at inward pea ce is a

test of guidance is , of course, a dangerous doctrine. Woe

unto those who are at ease in Zion. There is a kind of

placidity which resu lts from lack of sen sitiven ess to th e n eeds

of others , to ca llou sn ess an d h ardn ess , which sh u t ou t th e

world and i ts sufferings. Such calm may be genuine for a

shel lf ish but not for a human being. Let him who seeks

peace by indifference examine himself closely, he will find

th at in th e depth s of h is h eart t h ere is n ot really peace. If h e

at t emp ts to redu ce him self to the level of pu re sen sa t ion h e

will fin d it d ifficu lt if n ot im pos s ib le to a void year n in g an d

regret . The peace of cal lousness is a false peace, a t ruce

concea lin g h idd en conflict .

If in ward p eace is t o be u sed a s a tes t of guidan ce two

con dit ions m u st b e h ones t ly m et firs t th e feelin gs m u st

be sen si t ized th rou gh pra yer, worsh ip, m editat ion or other

spi r i tua l exerc ises , so tha t they may be t rus tworthy for

as certain in g moral or religious t ru th .3 Secon d, the gu ida n ce

of th e in dividu al mu st b e ch ecked with th e gu ida n ce of oth ers

the guidance of the group to which he belongs and the

guidance of inspi red ut terances of the pas t and present .

The guidance of the group is not always superior to the

gu ida n ce of th e in dividu al, bu t it m u st b e taken in to accoun t.

If a Qu ak er con cern , wh en su bm it ted to the m eet in g, is n ot

ap proved b y th e m eetin g, only a very clear an d s tron g feelin g

sh ou ld lead th e in dividu al to carry out th e lead in g. Th ere is

n o su re eviden ce of Divin e gu ida n ce. Th e pres ence or a bs en ce

of in ward pea ce, wheth er in th e in dividu al or th e grou p, is a

u sefu l tes t if m ad e u n der r igh t con dit ions .

In the days when Friends deal t in a discipl inary way

wi th members who b roke w i th t he Quake r s t anda rd o f

beh avior, they poin ted ou t to the d elin qu en t in dividu al tha t

t h e L o r d w a s e x e r t i n g a p r e s s u r e o n h i m w h i c h w a s

dis tu rbin g h is p eace an d th at h e could rem ove this press u re


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HOWARD H. BRINTON


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by ob edien ce to th e Divin e Will. Da vid Ferr is of Wilm in gton

writes to Robert Pleas an ts in 1 77 4 regard in g h is s laves:

I fear th at to h old t h em in a s ta te of s lavery,

depr ived of th e ir n a tu ra l r igh t m ay be a m ean s of

depr ivin g thee of th y own freedom, a n d n ot only

preven t th ee from bein g so serviceable in th y day

as o therwise thou might be but be a ba r in the

w a y o f p e a c e h e r e a n d h e r e a f t e r I c a n n o t

suppose tha t a t th is t ime of the day I need usearguments to convince thee of the evil of slave-

keep in g. Obed ien ce is wh at I ju dge to be wan tin g;

an d i t is s orrowfu l to th in k th at p eople sh ou ld go

on in the way they know to be wrong. If the

Lord r equ ires th ee to set th y sla ves free, obey h im

promp t ly an d leave the resu lt to him, an d pea ce

sh al l be with in th y borders .

Th is was a typical Qu ak er ap pea l. If wha t you ar e doin g

gives you no sense of peace then it is wrong, regardless of

th e ap pa rent con sequ ences of ac t in g oth erwise .

X. The Return To Inwardness

What is called in this essay The Quaker Doctrine of

In ward Peace is obviou sly n ot a doctr in e which is u n iqu e

to t he Soc i e ty o f F r i ends . In i t s gene ra l and e s s en t i a l

cha ra cter it ca n be fou n d in all th e so-called h igh er religions .

Wh at is peculiar to Qu ak erism is m ore a m atter of emp h as is

and method than of subs tance . That a quie t i s t ic type of

r e s i g n a t i o n a n d r e s t r a i n t r e s u l t s , n o t i n r e t i r e m e n t t o

h erm ita ge or clois ter , b u t ra th er in m ore in ten se a ct ivity in

th e world; th at a life centered in th e peace of God m ay be

lived not only by priest , pastor and religious professional

bu t by m ercha n t , ban ker, far m er, m other of a lar ge fam ily

an d a ll who a re in da ily cont a ct with a s in fu l world. In ward


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peace ma y be fe lt in th e hear t which s h ares th e bu rden of

th e wor lds su ffe r in gs , th is doc t r in e h as rece ived a

pecul iar , though by no means an exclus ive emphas is , in

th e Society of Frien ds .

Only in i ts method is the Society of Friends unique.

Th e Qu aker m eet in g for worship an d th e Qu aker m eet in g

for bu s in ess a re u n iqu e in s t itu t ions . It is th e ir pu rpose to

expose the soul to the Light f rom God so tha t peace i s

removed if i t ought to be removed, or attained if i t can be

a tta in ed. If th e sou l becom es s en sitive, if its vision is widen ed

an d d eepened s o tha t n ew ar eas of life com e with in its k en,

then a new requi rement may be l a id upon i t and peace

rem oved u n til th at requ irem ent is m et . If th e sou l is a ble to

fin d in th e s ilen ce un ion with th e peace of God a t th e h eart

o f e x i s t e n c e , t h e n i n w a r d p e a c e i s s e c u r e d a n d n e w

k n o w l e d g e a n d p o w e r r e c e i v e d . T h e s o u l , n o l o n g e r

exhaus t i ng i t s ene rgy i n conf l i c t w i th i t s e l f , becomes

in tegra ted a n d u n ified. Hence ar ises n ew power a n d vis ion

for task s a h ead. Th is is wha t Dan te expressed b y th e words:

In His will is ou r pea ce.

The examples given in this essay are taken from the

17th and 18th centur ies . This was a t ime when, among

F r i e n d s , t h e i n w a r d a n d o u t w a r d w e r e c o m p a r a t i v e l y

in tegrat ed. It was a t ime of socia l pioneering in su ch fields

as equality of sexes, races and classes, simplicity of l ife,

peace-making, prison reform, reform of mental hospitals ,

abolition of slavery, education. Yet it was also a time of

in tens e in wardn ess , wh en th e prim ary em ph as is was placed

on divine guidance and the search for inward peace. This

in wardn ess in creas ed m ens sen si t ivity to m oral evils , a n d

ena bled s itu a t ion s to be faced fresh ly ra th er th an th rough

th e obs cu rin g h aze of conven tiona l pa t tern s .

Modern Qu ak erism , affected by th e prevailin g trend s

of our t ime, has los t much of this inwardness . Act ivi ty

cont inues to increase . Outward peace i s sought as never


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before but men search less intent ly for the inward peace

which is b oth s ou rce an d goal of ou tward p eace.

After a lon g period of trial we h a ve fou n d t h a t m odern

scient if ic ski l l has brought nei ther outer nor inner peace.

Th e at ten t ion of science h as been focu sed u pon th e outward,

i gnor ing t he f ac t t ha t t he power fu l i n s t rumen t s wh ich

science h as created m ay be u sed for good or evil accordin g

to the in ward s ta te of th e men wh o us e them . Bu t even i f

scient ific sk ill h ad tu rn ed its att ent ion to th e in ward it wou ld

not necessari ly have brought peace. Applied science may

work out m ethods by wh ich m en can con trol oth ers th rough

adver t is in g or pr opagan da , bu t su ch control can be exer ted

for good or evi l purposes and can therefore create ei ther

peace or conflict . In recent years scientific skill has been

la rge ly used for conf l i c t , e i the r to promote a mi l i t an t

nat ional ism or to produce a rest less insat iable desire for

poss ession s in order to increas e th e sa le of goods . Th is is

n ot th e road to peace. It is c lear eviden ce th at th e in n er life

is evap orat ing ou t of ou r cu ltu re, tha t th e sou l which h eld

th is cu ltu re togeth er is van ish in g, leavin g ou ter force as a

m ean s of providing secu rity an d u n ity.

Bu t in th e m ids t of su ch dis in tegra t ion th ere are n ow,

as th ere h ave been in ear lier ages , person s a n d grou ps wh o

discover or red iscover th e sou rces of pea ce an d u n ity wh ich

have been hinted at in these pages. All men everywhere

m u st com e to realize th at ou ter conflict resu lts from in n er

conflict , th at in n er con flict can be h ealed on ly by tha t Power

Divin e which d escen ds to m en from on h igh. Peace I leave

with you , sa id J esu s, m y peace I give u n to you : not a s th e

world giveth give I u n to you . Let n ot you r h ear t be t rou bled,

n eith er let i t be a fra id. (J oh n , 14 :27).

Genu in e pea ce does n ot resu lt from treat ies or polit ical

in st itu tion s, leas t of a ll from fear in sp ired by force. Pea ce is

received by human souls through resignat ion of the self-

centered will an d th rou gh expectan cy.


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La s t upd ate: 05/ 21 / 03

Notes

1. Referen ces to the J ou rn al are to the Bi-Centenary Edit ion1901.

2 . Th is an d o the r exam ple s of cu r t a ilmen t o f bu s ines s a r e

given in Children of Light, by H. H. Brinton, pp. 402-

405.

3 . Aes the t ic t ru th cou ld a ls o be inc lu ded though it is n ot

per t in ent to th is d iscu ss ion.

brinton the quaker doctrine of inward peace

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