[A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume I (of 3) by Thomas Clarkson]@TWC D-Link book
A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume I (of 3)

INTRODUCTION
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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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