THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS IN ULSTER.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPEOTATOR."1 srn,—I trust you will see your way to publishing the following letter of advice issued to their members by the Society of Friends at the Quarterly Meeting for Ulster held at Lurgan, in view of the present crisis caused by the Home Rule Bill. I may add that the great majority of Friends in Ireland, like the majority of their fellow Protestants, are Unionists from
the experience of centuries.—I am, Sir, &c., X.
"In common with the other churches, Ulster Quarterly Meeting feels that the circumstances in which our country is placed demand earnest prayer on our part to our Heavenly Father for protection and guidance. He is Bing of kings and Lord of lords, and the deepest desire of our hearts should be that His will may be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
All around Hs warlike preparations are proceeding. The Society of Friends has always held that war and the taking of human life are irreconcilable with the spirit and teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We would do well to read and dwell upon the Sermon on the Mount and those portions of Scripture which deal with the love of Christ and His love manifested through us to others, even to our enemies, and seek to be thoroughly convinced in our own minds of the disparity between the spirit of Christ and that which animates war. Our faith and actions should be the result of personal conviction, not merely a blind following of a creed handed down by our fathers. We are all members of a community, and not isolated indi- viduals, and in our relationship with our neighbours we must inevitably come to a point of decision as to our attitude and action, in case the troubles come which are so sadly feared. That we should give the matter deep consideration is the duty of every Friend, so that the moment of choice may not find us unprepared.
If we are true to our principles as Friends, we shall not assist in the taking of human life, however great our desire to defend our rights as citizens of the United Kingdom.
This non-militant attitude may lead to misunderstanding of our position, but we must be prepared to face this, remembering that the servant is not greater than his Lord, and that such suffering was His portion in this world. Some members may be placed in circumstances of extreme difficulty, if not of actual danger ; they should, however, not neglect to take such pre- cautions, consistent with our principles, as prudence may dictate. Again, the non-militant attitude implies a firm faith in the protection of our Heavenly Father, as when Hezekiah of old said, With them is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us.' We therefore urge our members to see to it that they are individually reconciled to God through Jesus Christ our Lord,' and in the position of being His servants.
Prayer is far the most powerful weapon with which we are armed. Whatever our political views, we may truly unite at the Throne of Grace, asking that our country may be kept in peace. Let us therefore pray unitedly, as perhaps never before, that we may be peacemakers, and that we may in all things do the will of God."
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