The Relative Propriety of the inshining Light in the Consciences of the Early Gathering of Friends

NOTE: Draft Copy - 8-9-19 Copyright: 2019-2023

Preface

From the earliest days of the gathering of Friends, through the appearance of the Spirit of Christ in their conscience and consciousness, a people testified to witnessing the appearance of inherently sustained Life itself in itself within their conscience and consciousness; so that they were drawn out of the process of being guided and informed by the reflected thoughts of other people and institutions. They were come out of the process of reflective thought to organize and administer human relationships and worship. The impulse of the inherently sustained Presence of Christ was completely sufficient in itself to guide their relations with one another.

Out of the Process of Reflective Thought in Relation to Others

There were many people in the earliest days of the Quaker gathering who, through the appearance of the inherent Presence of the spirit of Christ in their consciousness and conscience, were (relatively speaking) drawn out of the process of relating to one another through reflective thought to guide and rule their relationships, interactions, and worship. The nature of this different way of relating to and interacting with other people was such that they were come out of identification with and participation in outward formalities, ceremonies, instrumentalities, and institutions; even those that others in the gathering found helpful and nurturing through the inshining Light itself in their conscience. This being drawn out of the process of reflective thought in relation to other people led them to make no distinction between godly or ungodly forms and instrumentalities. They were draw out of all forms in relation to others people.  It is a blessing and encouraging to share this experience with those who were part of the earliest history of the gathering of Friends and to know this ministration of life, through the appearance of  immanent Presence itself in itself inherently sustained in the conscience and consciousness, is still alive today.

Godly Forms and those out of all Forms.

[Note: This document is the first attempt to show part of the vision behind the Christonomy (www.christonomy.net) network. There are various embedded links in the document directly to the document or cross-reference discussed. This will give the reader the opportunity to interact with and immerse themselves in the Early Quaker source documentation directly and in real time and with ease while reading the content of the article. This is the third year of a ten year project. At this stage in the project there are enough early Quaker source documents keyboarded and published to begin adding content to the blog side of the project.]

In 1666, a document ( [London 1666] View Document ) was published and sent to various Quaker Meeting-houses. The subscribers to the document state they are called to watch over the souls of the gathering and, out of that calling, are concerned with its viability in the face of those in the gathering who speak out against the leaders of the gathering and the establishment of outward formalities and prescriptions to rule and guide the relationships and interactions of the people in the gathering. To preserve the fellowship and the viability of the gathering the subscribers lay down six prescriptions on how people, in the established Meetings, are to relate to and interact with those Quakers who are come out of outward formalities (relatively speaking) and who speak out against the enforcement of outward forms and the leaders who promote adherence to outwardly established forms over against the prerogative of the inshining Light in the conscience.

A testimony on institutionalized Recorded Ministry and institutionalized non-committal to recorded Ministry within Quakerism

A testimony on institutionalized Recorded Ministry and institutionalized non-committal to recorded Ministry within Quakerism from a person who is come out of (and is coming out of) the process of participation in identification with outward or institutionalized formalities such as recorded ministry to guide and inform relationships and interactions with people.

Virtue out of the Shadows

Research Notes.

I am ever thankful for those early Quakers who, through the inshining Spirit, were come out of the process of idenitification with and participation in outward forms to guide and informs their relationships, laid down their testimonies in writing. For by so doing, they make it possible for those of us today who share the same spiritual experience to expose to our contemporaries that the Spirit was ministering in such a way even from the very beginnings of the Quaker gathering.

I am also thankful for those Quakers who, through the inshining Spirit were come out of participation in and identification with outward formalities out of the Life and were led into godly formalities or formalities in the Light and who labored against those in the Quaker gathering were were come out of all formalities and into the substances itself in itself. For those negative reflections not only say things about those who they reflect against but also says important and revealing things about those doing the reflecting.

The Christonomous Experience in Relation to Autonomy and Concorporation.

There are people whose identity, conscience, and consciousness is, generally speaking, guided and informed autonomously. That is, they are self-regulated and individualistic in their interactions and relationships in the sense that they move, act, and relate to others the context of the various outward social, political, and religious ideas, morals, ethics, opinions, values, and institutions. The conscience and consciousness of the autonomous or individualistic person is guided and informed from within the sphere of those outward formalities they decide to follow. Often, they are accused of being selfish or self-centered because, in their interactions with others, they value their own sphere of outward social, political, and religious formalities over others, and often at the expense of others, and groups. The self-regulated conscience values the sense of independency above conformity to the conscience of the group.