Excerpt from Epistle From the Yearly Meeting of Friends: Held in Philadelphia, by Adjournments From the 15th of the Fourth Month to the 19th of the Same, Inclusive, 1861; Addressed to Its Members The present is a period of much unsettlement in both civil and religious society. Many conflicting opinions on subjects of great importance, and afi'ect ing the highest interest of men, are pressed upon our notice with earnestness and plausibility. Where the natural inquisitiveness of the human mind is not regulated by the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit, it is liable to be drawn into reasoning upon religious truths, the tendency of which is to perplex and bewilder, to unsettle the mind in what it was onee rightly established in the belief of, and thus to produce a state of doubt and dimness of spiritual vision, which expose it to the adoption of serious errors. While laudably engaged in the proper cultivation of the intellectual powers, it becomes us to remember that there is a knowledge which pufi'eth up, and that if we employ it, With the unaided and unsancti fied mental faculties, in the investigation of religious truths, we shall be led astray. We believe the only place of safety, amid the peculiar trials and tempw tions of the present time, is in quiet inward retire ment, and humble waiting upon the Lord. In the simple trust and ready obedience of little children, we shall not only be taught in the school of Christ those' things that belong to our souls' peace, but receive strength, from time to time, to fulfil all the good pleasure of His will. In this state of reverent dependence upon God, a holy stability will gradually be attained, in which we shall not be tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men, but shall be enabled, With mag nanimity and firmness, to uphold those Christian principles and testimonies, which the adorable Head of the Church has called our Religious Society to show forth to the world. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.