Collier the Quaker Meeting-A Personal Experience and Method

7/29/2019 Collier the Quaker Meeting-A Personal Experience and Method

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PENDLE HILL PAMPHLET 26

The Quaker MeetingA PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND METHOD

DESCRIBED AND ANALYSED

Howard E. Collier, M.D., Ch.B.

PENDLE HILL PUBLICATIONS

WALLINGFORD, PENNSYLVANIA


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HOWARD E. COLLIER

The Quaker Meeting

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Pu blish ed 1 94 4 b y Pen dle Hill

Repu blish ed electron ically 20 03 by Pen dle Hill

h t tp : / / www.pend lehill.org/ pend le_h ill_pam ph le ts .h tm

email: [email protected]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Howard E. Coll ier , the author of this

pa m ph let is a ph ysician an d s u rgeon of Worcester , Englan d.

Dr . Col l ie r was Swarthmore Lecturer in 1936. He i s an

au thor i ty on hea l th in indus t ry and has been reader in

Indus t r i a l Hyg i e ne a nd Me d i c i ne i n t he Un i ve r s i t y o f

Bi rmingham. In 1938, on a journey under taken mainly to

obse rve indus t r i a l condi t ions in th i s count ry , he was a

welcome s ojou rn er a t Pen dle Hill.

The Quaker meet ing i s the hear t and soul of Quaker

practice. Only so long as the meeting for worship is l iving

will th e Society of Friend s s u rvive. To write a bou t th e m eetin g

is d i f f icul t because i t concerns what i s so in t imate and

important . These pages adequate ly answer quest ions tha t

ar e often a s ked of Friend s t oda y. Dr. Colliers a pp roa ch to

th e su bject of th e m eetin g is th at of an experim enta l scien tist

gu ided by scientific procedu re.

This pamphlet is reprinted by Pendle Hil l through a

reciprocal arra n gemen t with th e Home Service Com m ittee

of London Yearly Meeting, some Pendle Hill publications

h avin g a lready been re iss u ed in London . We h ope tha t th e

da y will soon com e when En glish an d Am erican pu blication s

can again freely cross th e ocean


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HOWARD E. COLLIER

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Preface

I was a m edical stu den t when , early in 191 4, I a t ten ded

m y firs t Qu ak er Meet in g. It was n ot u n t il m an y years la ter

th at I join ed th e Society of Frien ds . Wh en th e war en ded I

becam e a genera l pra ct it ioner a n d for some year s m y work

absorbed my energies to the virtual exclusion of religion.

Abou t twelve year s ago I began to lose inter est in m y work

an d t o feel th at th e emotiona l sp rin gs of m y life were ru n n in g

dry. I began to fear th a t I was losin g my s ou l an d b ecom in g

a m ach in e. Once again I was led in to th e si len t a ss em blies

of Gods peop le. Th ere I h a ve exper ien ced wh a t I s h a ll n ow

at tem pt to descr ibe .

Ou t of m y own experien ce I can repeat Ch ar les Lam bs

in vita tion to all wh o feel th ey n eed qu ietn ess or wh o lon g to

possess the depth of their own spir i ts in st i l lness, Come

with m e in to a Qu a kers Meetin g.

No one wi l l suppose tha t the h igher exper iences of

worship can be learned f rom a book. Fa i th , hope , se l f -

u n ders ta n din g an d d isc ip lin e are requ ired a lso . Nor sh ould

anyone expect that every Quaker Meet ing wil l reach the

heights of adorat ion and of worship that are at ta ined in

som e of th em . Bu t s ome degree of pea ce, som e elemen t of

tru e wors h ip will be experienced in every rightly-h eld Qu ak er

Meetin g. An d th at is som eth in g of valu e gain ed in a n oise-

filled wor ld.

I write of my own experience: no doubt other Friends

h ave differen t experiences . I expres s m yself in m y own words .

Oth er Frien ds wou ld expres s th ems elves in d ifferent words .

I sh a ll descr ibe th e d isc ip lin e an d m ethod th a t h as h e lped

m e to learn to medita te an d worsh ip . Man y Fr iend s d oub t

t he ne e d o r va l ue o f a ny me t hod . Bu t no t h i ng ma t t e r s

provided th e end is reach ed, n am ely, to kn ow God in worsh ip

exper im en ta lly (i.e. in exper ien ce).


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My ad vice to the reader is , th en, th a t h e sh ould take

f rom t he fo l l owi ng pa ge s wha t e ve r spe a ks t o h i s own

con dit ion a n d leave on one s ide a ll th ose par t s th a t a re n ot

lit u p for h im by th e Light of Ch rist .

It is n ot speaking t rue th in gs th a t s h a l l com m end an y

m an to God, bu t speak in g from th e pu re , an d to the pu re in

oth ers . (Is a ac Pen in gton .)


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I. The Nature Of Religious Or Mystical Experience

Anyone who has made a ser ious a t tempt to descr ibeh is own s pir itu al experien ce will u n ders ta n d m e wh en I sa y

th a t on e of m y greates t difficu lt ies h as been to select word s

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

genera l ly accepted and unders tood. Personal ly I should

pre fe r to use such words as medi t a t ion , con templa t ion ,

comm u n ion a nd worsh ip ; bu t , s ince these words a re u sed

in a wide var iety of s en s es, I h a ve at tem pt ed to get over th ed i f f i c u l t y b y u s i n g a l t e r n a t i v e t e r m s ; t h u s I s p e a k o f

m editation or waitin g, cont em plation or seek in g, a n d s o

on. I ha ve u sed th e word wors h ip to emb ra ce th e whole.

The d i s t inc t ion be tween in te l l ec t , t hought and the

act ivity of rea s on in g on th e one h an d, a n d in tu ition , feelin g

and the activity of reflecting on the other, is clear and

precise en ou gh to give u s a s tar t in g poin t . Even scien t ist srecognize that intui t ive thought plays a large part in the

discovery of tru th . Bertra n d Ru s s ell, writ ing on Myst icism

and Logic (Hibbert Jou rn a l, J u ly, 191 4) sa ys: Mu ch of th e

most impor tant t ru th i s suggested by i t s means ( i .e . by

m ea n s of in tu itive feelin gs). Even in th e m ost logica l rea lm s ,

i t is insight that first arrives at what is new. He sees an

element of wisdom to be learnt from the mystical way ofl iving which does not seem to be at ta inable in any other

m an n er an d recogn izes th at even th e cau t ious an d pa t ient

invest igat ion of t ruth by the scient ist must be fostered

and nour ished by tha t very spi r i t and wisdom in which

m yst icism lives an d m oves.

In this book we shal l be considering then chiefly the

nature, practice and developments of intuit ive feeling asexperienced in religious worship. Such intuit ive feeling is

n ot irra t iona l, n or is it a n t i-rat ion al : it a r ises ra th er from a

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

pos s ess ion lon g before rea s on h a d developed . With Ru s s ell


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I hold tha t every normal person i s capab le o f worsh ip .

Myst ical experience is the mark of a heal thy, uninhibi ted

charac ter : i t i s not a morbid s ta te . That many of the

m yst ics h ave been m orbid, is eviden t en ou gh ; bu t s o also

have many rat ional ists! Moreover, speaking as a doctor I

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

prevent ion a n d cu re of a l l kind s of diseas e. I expect th at th e

developm ent of sp ir itu al h eal in g th rou gh wors h ip will ma ke

a great con tr ibu t ion to th e fu tu re of Medicin e.

Star t ing then f rom two s imple assumpt ions , namely

th a t in tu it ive exper ience is n orma l an d u n iversa l an d th a t

the experiences of worship are developments of intuit ive

experien ce, I s h a ll n ext pa ss br iefly in review th ose s im pler

every-day variet ies of that experience, so that i t may be

poss ible for th e read er to ma ke a tra n sit ion from th e fam iliar

to the less fam iliar , from t h e kn own to th e u n experien ced.

As I do s o it will b e clea r, I hop e, th a t wors h ip is t h e flower

of a plan t wh ose r oots l ie deep in ordin ar y da ily life.

It m ay be tha t when we h ave been worr ied abou t som e

pr oblem of cond u ct or h ave been faced by a difficu lt d ecis ion ,

we h ave seen qu ite su dd en ly th e r igh t solu t ion or th e

right way. The early morning just as we first waken from

sleep is , a s a r u le , the t im e a t wh ich ou r in tu it ion a ppears

to be most act ive. Hence we are advised to sleep on our

problem s. Silen t ly in th e m orn in g, th e s ou l flies u pwar d,

says the au thor o f a book of Chinese wisdom. Ar t i s t s ,

sc ient is t s , tech n ic ian s an d write rs , each in th e ir own way

experien ce su ch m omen ts of c lear in sigh t .

Or we m ay be s u dd enly in vad ed by a s en se of u n ity

with Na tu re. Abou t two yea rs a go on an Apr il m orn in g, I felt

ill a t ea se a n d u n h ap py. Life was difficu lt an d th e bu rden of

th e war weigh ed u pon m e. I c lim bed th e s teep pa th a t th e

ent ran ce of one of our Pub lic Parks an d s tood beneath some

cherr y t rees th at fr in ge th e crest of th e ba n k. A fresh win d

blew dark c louds ac ross the g reen-b lue sky . The whi te


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blossoms shone and gl istened in the sunl ight . As I s tood

relaxed a n d s ti ll, I h a d th e illu s ion t h at I was en veloped in

light. I had the feeling that the l ight and I were one. Time

an d s pa ce slipp ed from m e. All awa ren ess of deta ils van ish ed.

A sense of uni ty with the world entered into me. I was

t ranqui l ized and s teadied by the beauty , the s tabi l i ty of

Nature . I do not suppose tha t I learnt anything tha t was

n ew to m e du rin g this experience. Bu t I believe I was tau gh t

someth in g an d th a t someth in g ha ppened in me . I r e tu rn ed

to m y work t ra n qu il, an d s t r engthen ed in fa i th an d h ope by

m y experien ce. Su ch experiences a re, I h old, in it iat ion s int o

wors h ip. I t is t ru e th at th e objects of su ch con tem plat ion

ar e n at u ra l an d imp erson al. Th erein will be fou n d t o reside

th e essen tial differen ce between n at u re-wors h ip a n d religion.

The second group of intuit ive experiences arise from

ou r in tercou rs e with ou r fellows. At th is level a p u rely h u m an

religion m u s t forever be con ten t to live. It ca n n ot ris e h igher .

Th e m ost p rimitive expr ess ion s of s ocial an d grou p int u it ion

are experienced in crowds the participa tion m y s tique in

th e h erd . In fam ily life, in social life, in deed wh erever a s en s e

of h u m an com rad esh ip is pr odu ced, the in dividu al tends to

merge in to the mass and become in tegra ted in to a la rger

whole. At s u ch t im es h e feels , t h in ks an d a cts in tu it ively or

by in s tinct . So eas ily do we pa s s in to th is con dition of s ocia l

pa r t i c i pa t i on t ha t we do no t a l wa ys r e c ogn i z e wha t i s

h ap pen in g, even when th e iden t ificat ion is com plete . Most

people do not n eed to learn a s pecial tech n iqu e in order to

produ ce th is condi t ion; a l thou gh th ere are m an y tech n iqu es

for enhancing i t . The modern worship of the State is an

exam ple of th e pr odu ct of th e pu rpos ive developm en t of th e

sen s e of s ocial pa rticipa tion . It is a n expres sion of in tu it ive

act ivity rath er th an of ra t iona l act ion .

Pas sin g a ll th ese exam ples in review, we can is ola te, I

believe, a few of th e m ore im porta n t con dit ions th at h ave to

be fulfilled before intuition becomes active, or any form of


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wors h ip can be entered u pon . Firs t ly, aw arenes s of s elf m u s t

be lost or h eld in ab eyan ce, an d s econ dly, in order th at s elf-

forge t fu ln ess m ay be a t ta in ed, ou r bodies m u st be relatively

quiescent, and our minds mus t be empt ied o f pas s ion ate

an d im m ed iate concern for the s elf.

A h u n gry ma n can n ot perform Thy service.

I beg for a bed with fou r legs on it;

I b eg for a qu ilt t o cover m e;

And then, Thy servant, will devotedly worship Thee.

It is tr u e th at fa st in g will h elp t h e well-fed t o m editate,

bu t ch ronic sta rvat ion, or a n overr iding sen se of fear or of

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

con cen t ra te ou r a t tent ion u pon th e se lf an d to ar r es t s e lf-

de tachment .

Next th ere mu st be a n objectother th an th e self, towards

which desire can be d i rec ted . Four th ly tha t object m u st be

felt to be AKIN to the w ors h ipper and last ly the intui t iveexperien ce (a n d esp ecia lly th e experience of worsh ip) is on e

ofresponse to an d of m u tu al in teract ion between th e su bject

an d th e object , be tween th e worsh ipper a n d h is God.

So much by way of very general introduction. I can

now say Come with me to a Quaker Meeting without (I

h ope) be in g u n du ly m isu n ders tood.

II. Meditation: Waiting

Inward Stillness

Recent years have wi tnessed a grea t increase in the

in terest ta ken in wha t m ay be gen erically term ed ps ych ic

phenomena . Not a l l o f th i s in te res t has been hea l thy .

V a r i o u s s y s t e m s o f m e d i t a t i o n h a v e b e e n w i d e l y

recommended and prac t iced as means of menta l hea l ing.

Th e wisd om of con cen t ra t ing too mu ch a t tent ion u pon th e

s e l f h a s b e e n q u e s t i o n e d n o t w i t h o u t r e a s o n . T h i s


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objection does n ot h old, I believe, to th e pr act ice of m editation

a s a partof th e Qu a ker Meetin g for wors h ip for th e followin g

reas ons . Firs t ly, th e m edita t ion is on ly a prel im in ar y to th e

con tem plat ion a n d a dora t ion of God in Ch rist : it is n ot an

en d in its elf, n or is it com plete in its elf. Th e s olita ry m ystic

m ay pu rsu e and a t ta in on ly persona l an d even s e lfish end s .

The member of a Quaker Meet ing meditates together with

oth ers an d h e is n ecessa r ily pu rsu in g a s ocia l pu rpose . One

of t he i mme d i a t e a nd i mpor t a n t ob j e c t s o f t he Qua ke r

Meeting is to create a Christian fellowship. If we go to

meet ing to get what we can out of i t , we can be sure of

getting very little. If we go to share in its service we shall

not come away empty. Fina l ly , the Quaker Meet ing for

Worsh ip is n ot an isolat ed a ct of wors h ip. It is or sh ou ld b e

a n in tegra l p a rt of th e life of th e Society of Frien ds . Th a t life

is act ive, as wel l as contemplat ive, pract ical as wel l as

religiou s . If th e Qu a ker Meetin g never p rodu ced a n y oth er

r e s u l t s s a v e t h o s e a r i s i n g f r o m a n i n c r e a s e i n h u m a n

frien ds h ip, t h e m eetin g wou ld be ju st ified. In fact , of cou rs e,

th e Meet in g for Worsh ip is , to u se a m edical an alogy, th e

h eart of th e Religiou s Society of Frien ds an d t h e sou rce an d

su pp ort of a ll its pr a ctical act ivit ies .

Th e firs t less on in corpora te m editation will h a ve been

learn t wh en th e body a n d th e a ct ive, ou t-goin g elemen ts

in th e min d can be so far b rought u n der d isc ip lin e tha t th ey

can be m ad e to becom e restfu lly pas sive an d s t ill, when ever

we so des ire.

There are , so far as I know, no set rules and no r igid

techn iqu e th at ar e in fal lible . Some p eople need n o teach in g:

others f ind the lesson hard to learn. The chi ld-l ike often

enter the Inner Temple whilst the learned and the tough

minded are st i l l knocking at the outer gates. If , then, I

a t tem pt to ou t lin e the tech n iqu e tha t h as h e lped m e, I sh a ll

not be misunders tood. When a l l has been sa id the most

sk illed of u s is on ly a n ovice in th e ar t of m editation. Non e


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of us is too skil led to profit by the experience of others or

too ign oran t to be u n ab le to he lp s omeone.

The Meeting Th e m eet in g rea l ly s ta r t s as soon a s we

ge t up in the m orn ing. We mu st p repare the m ind an d h ea r t

for m eeting. We s h ou ld a llow plen ty of time t o get to m eeting

so th at we sh al l n ot be forced to hu rry thi ther . We en ter th e

room an d qu iet ly si t down in ou r s eat . On e by one Frien ds

wi l l come in and s i t down around us . Our f i rs t task i s to

col lec t our wander ing thoughts and to s i lence the most

in sisten t c lam ou rs of th e everyda y world. Like a sh eph erd

at nightfall collecting the stray members of his flock, so

m u st we draw into th e circle of st i lln ess al l ou r wan derin g

th oughts , fan c ies an d desi res .

At th i s ea r ly s t age mos t o f us wi l l r equ i re to pay

pa rt icu lar a t ten t ion to th e proper disposi t ion of th e body as

a pr elim in a ry to m editation. If we fail to d o th is , discom fort

leadin g to res t lessn ess i s bou n d to as sa il u s jus t when we

wish to be most quiet . The beginner will almost certainly

need to spend some t ime in learning consciously to relax

the m u sc les an d to pose the body in su ch a pos it ion tha t

b e fo r e m a n y m in u t e s h a v e p a s s e d h e h a s lo s t a l l

con sc ious n ess of h is body. In an ap pen dix I h ave discu ss ed

th is m atter a t som e length. Som e people ma y wish to pra ctice

bodily relaxat ion in th eir own h omes .

Th e next st ep in m edita tion is to ach ieve an equ al degree

of m ent al re laxa t ion or th e cessa t ion of discursive t hought ,

th e th in king, bu sy s ou l, sa ys Isa ac Penington , exclu des

t h e V o i c e o f G o d . T o m a n y t h i s i s a n o v e l , a l m o s t

in com preh ens ible, su ggestion . Neverth eless , wh at we u su ally

term our thoughts must be quietened. Be st i l l and cool

from thine own self said George Fox, and then thou

shalt feel the Principle of God to arise within thee. Or in

th e word s of J acob Boeh m e, Ceas e from th in e own a ctivity,

steadfastly fixing thine eyes upon one point. Be silent

before th e Lord, si t t in g alone with Him in th in e in m ost a n d


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hidden cel l , thy mind being central ly uni ted in i tself and

a tt en din g (i.e. wa itin g for) His Will in th e p a tien ce of h ope.

No one with practical experience of i t would suggest

th at th is is an eas y disciplin e to learn . In a s econ d a pp end ix

I have tried to give a few practical hints that have been

u sefu l to me.

I f our a t tempts to reach bodi ly and menta l quie tude

h ave been at a ll su ccess fu l, we sh al l su dd en ly real ize th at

th e ent ire meet in g h as su n k in to a profoun d s t illn ess . Th e

mee t ing has now reached the f i r s t c r i t i ca l po in t in i t s

developmen t . It is as if a c ross roads h ad been r eached. On e

road cl imbs up the hi l l towards contemplat ion or seeking

while th e other des cend s in to a valley of dead n ess which is

ak in to sleep. Sad t o relate , Qu ak er Meet in gs s ometim es go

dea d; th ey m ay becom e cold or rest less n ess m ay develop

within them. There are (I believe) several common causes

for th is leth argy. It m ay be tha t th e meet in g h as tak en th e

wron g road, or it m ay be tha t som eon e in th e meet in g h as

been u n faithfu l an d h as failed to sh are a m essa ge entru sted

to him by the Spiri t of God. But I believe the commonest

cau se of leth a rgy is t h e failu re of th e wors h ipp ers to ach ieve

in th em selves th e crit ical tra n sit ion from pa s sive waiting

to th e qu esting activity of contem plation, a bou t wh ich I sh all

speak in th e next chap te r.

W he ne ve r suc h a s t a t e o f l e t ha rgy o r r e s t l e s sne ss

appears in a meet ing, i t i s the duty ei ther of one of i ts

members to call the meeting to a fresh act of recollection,

th at is to sa y, to m ak e a fresh st ar t , or e lse every m emb er of

th e meetin g m u st cent re down in to an even d eeper si len ce.

A pr ayer or a Bible-read in g delivered or r ead u n der con cern

may help to achieve the reawakening of the meeting. It is

im pos s ible to sa y h ow lon g a p a rticu la r m eetin g will requ ire

to spen d in m edita tion b efore real m en ta l a n d b odily st illn ess

ar e att ained . In m y experien ce it m ay var y from a few minu tes

to ha lf an hou r .


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I close this all too brief discussion with a quotation

from th e writ in gs of J ohn Bellers, wh o was a n otab le Qu ak er

of th e secon d gen era t ion. Wh en I sa y tha t h e was n otable ,

chiefly for th e im porta n t contr ibu t ions to th epractica l life of

th e Society an d to th e social life of En glan d d u ring th e early

eighteenth century, the signif icance of his words may be

m ore fu lly rea lized.

Th e s ilen ce of a religiou s an d sp iritu al wors h ip

is n ot a drowsy, u n th in kin g s ta te of m in d b u t awith dr a win g of it from a ll vis ible objects a n d va in

im a gin in gs Bu t except a ll exces ses of th e body

an d pa ss ions of th e mind b e avoided by wat chfu l-

n ess , th e soul does n ot a t ta in t ru e s ilence .

III. Contemplation Or Seeking

Th ere is one, even Ch rist J esu s, th at can speak

to th y con dition . George Fox.

If th e Meetin g for Wors h ip d oes n ot becom e leth ar gic,

pa ss ive waitin g soon gives p lace to cont em plation or s eekin g.

Th e h idd en m in d (th at is to sa y, th e h eart) of th e wors h ipp er

tu rn s toward s Ch r is t with in tent ion a n d with desire . Deep

within the heart of every man and woman, an image of

God lies h idd en : th is is a ps ych ological fa ct . Th e im age is ,

of course, only a faint reflection of Transcendent Reali ty;

none the less i t const i tutes the point of contact between

ourselves and God in Christ . I t is therefore towards this

centra l im age in th e hea rt th at ou r seeking spir its s h ou ld

be directed. Wh o can te ll which am ong th e m yriad facets of

His Bein g will ca tch ou r veiled a tten tion ? His Beau ty, His

Truth, His Goodness or His Love? I believe that , provided

th e mind be emp tied of pa ss ion, it is Ch rist wh o determines

for u s wh at s h a ll be presented to con sc iou sn ess a s a s u bject

for contemplat ion during worship. That is to say that the


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su bject for ou r con tem plat ion sh ou ld n ot be d elibera tely

chosen by ou rs elves bu t wa ited for from Ch rist , wh o gives

it to u s .

Cat ch in g som e gleam of light directly from th e Min d of

Christ , the spir i t of the worshipper awakens to an act ive

an d a bove all a s ear ch in g s ta te. Th e activity is im agin at ive

ra th er th an logical, pictorial ra t h er th an form al . Th e world

that opens before our inner eyes is the world of values,

longings and desires the world of the ar t is t ra ther than

the photographer, of the poet ra ther than the cr i t ic , of the

p r o p h e t r a t h e r t h a n t h e p r e a c h e r . T h i s i s a r e g i o n o f

experience unexplored by most modern people and feared

by ma n y: yet everyone of u s h ides a p oet or a p roph et in h is

hea r t !

Bu t s ome will object (a s I on ce objected) th at th ey can n ot

con templa te a Ch r is t wh om th ey h ave n ever kn own or seen .

An d oth ers will as k wh at do you really mean when you ass er t

Christ is the object of your contemplation? Taking the

s econd qu est ion firs t by Ch rist I wis h to con vey every

m ean in g th at can be con tained with in th e words, th e Christ

Spirit. I mean every experience in personal or social life

that might be due to his act ivi t ies i f once the assumption

were made that the Spiri t of Christ is in fact active within

h u m an experience. I m ean m oreover all th at ca n be con veyed

by the words Jesus of Nazare th , Jesus Chr is t of the New

Testa m en t , the Ch rist of th e Historic Chu rch , the Ch rist of

Inward Exper ience or in a s ingle phrase I mean The

Eterna l Chr is t .

An d in a n swer to th e firs t qu est ion I sh ou ld s ay if th e

word Ch rist h as n o mea n in g for you or is an obsta cle to

you, choose whatever or whomever you have known as

The Best and place that within the empty circle as you

m ove from pa ss ive wait in g to contem plat ion. S tar t with th e

kn own an d p roceed toward s th e u n kn own . You will discover

(i f my experience be any guide in the matter) , that your


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Best is gradually transformed into a true Image of the

Chr ist . Perha ps you will awaken su dd enly to a real izat ion

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

truthfully, My Lord and my God. Universal experience

shows tha t the process by which our idea of the Best i s

converted or changed into a l iving Image of the Christ is

greatly h elped b y a d is ciplin ed s tu dy of th e New Test a m en t,

by a t tempt ing to l ive according to i t s s tandards and by

entering into a Christ ian fel lowship. So much concerning

th e object of ou r con tem plation . Let u s pr oceed.

Im a gin a tively alert b u t m en ta lly pa ss ive, we wait to

receive some word of life from Christ. No one can say to

which m emb er of th e meet in g th at word s ilent ly m ay com e;

in deed, it m ay com e to several people in th e m eet in g. Bu t

when an im pu ls e from th e Divin e Life does en ter th e m eetin g,

it comes in vested with power a n d with au th ority an d I am

moved by i t . In my own experience the word comes as a

fully-formed conception or picture, symbol or saying into

m y m in d; som etim es I experien ce the em otion in a n ent irely

indefini te and empty form. In the la t ter case i t f requent ly

m ean s th a t s ome oth er mem ber of th e meet in g is a bou t to

take a vocal part in the ministry of the meet ing. A few

p e r s o n a l e x a m p l e s m a y p e r h a p s m a k e t h i s h i g h l y -

gen era lized des cription of th is a sp ect of worsh ip m ore eas y

t o u nde r s t a nd .

I was sea ted in meet ing one hot summer day when

there came suddenly in to my mind out of a deep s i lence ,

som e words recorded in St . J ohn s Gospel. I seem to recall

tha t a t tha t per iod I had been th inking a good deal about

th e problem s of Divin e Gu ida n ce, an d p erson al respon s-

ibility. Wa s it s a fe to tru s t th e In ward Light? Su dd en ly th e

words formed th em selves in m y m in d, An d I kn ow th at m y

ju dgm en t is t ru e, beca u s e I s eek n ot m y own will, bu t th e

Will of Him Wh o sen t m e. It wa s a s if a k ey to a clos ed d oor

ha d been presen ted to m e .


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In s o fa r a s we a re a ctively s eeking to do an d to k n ow

th e Will of God for u s , I reflected , to thatdegree at least

our jud gm ent is t ru e an d t ru s tworth y. Bu t what i s the Will

of God for us? I t is revealed through many media the

Gospels, th e historic witn ess of th e Chu rch , the witn ess of

the Socie ty of Fr iends , the enl ightened guidance of our

pe r sona l f r i e nds , a nd ou r pa re n t s . Bu t t he e n l i gh t e ne d

conscience, disciplined by subjection to the Will of God, is

always th e fin al au th ority an d th e fin al gu ide, u pon whose

ju d gm en ts we m u s t rely. Conscience wil l not betray the

h igh est th a t we know through t hese o the r mean s . Non e theless our personal judgment must a lways be open to the

correct in g in flu en ce of a s till d eeper in s igh t in to Gods will

oth erwise ou r freed om will degener a te in to licen ce.

It seemed to me that I knew al l this in a moment . I t

was as if a pa t tern h ad s u dden ly app eared am idst confu sion.

All mom ent s of creat ive in sp ira t ion poss ess th ese qu al it ies

of convict ion and authori ty: they reveal to us the hidden

con n ect ions an d re la t ions th a t exis t be tween th in gs . Th ey

are flas h es of t ru th .

Creative con tem plation is p sych ic work : it is n ot a vagu e

imaginative activity. It arises from the imaginative activity

of th e m in d; bu t th at act ivity is con trolled b y an d cen tered

u pon a desire to kn ow God a n d t o do His will. Sin ce creat ive

contempla t ion i s the product of in tu i t ion ra ther than of

reason , we fin d th a t p ic tur es , im ages , s ym bols , ra th er tha n

c h a i n s o f i d e a s o r t h o u g h t s , a r i s e i n t h e m i n d d u r i n g

worsh ip. Glim ps es of forgotten pers ons , scenes an d p ictu res;

half-remembered verses or sayings; forgot ten sounds and

scents som et im es tak e form with in con sc ious n ess , ju s t a s

we som etim es s u dd enly see n ew beau ty in a fam iliar p ictu re.

Sometimes they arise very suddenly, a t other t imes more

grad u ally. Wh en first th ey arise in th e m in d, th ey m ay ap pear

to be qui te mean in gless . Th ere ma y be a lon g su ccess ion of

su ch im ages wh ich come only to pas s on in to oblivion. Bu t


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as we cen t re down ( i . e . concen t ra te ) more deep ly , one

par t icular image may recur and become f ixed and a t the

sa m e momen t we m ay feel th a t s ens e of su bdu ed emot ion

of wh ich I h a ve alread y s pok en . Wh en ever th is occu rs , it is

probable ( in my experience) that that part icular word or

im age is im porta n t e ith er to th e pers on wh o perceives i t or

else to th e meet in g as a whole.

I mu s t guard aga ins t m isu nd ers tand in g. I do notme a n

th at th ese experiences come to m e du rin g every m eet in g for

worship . Many meet ings pass in a lmost unbroken inward

si lence, bu t s ome a t leas t of th e experien ces of which I h ave

spoken u su ally occu r to me.

Supposing then tha t the worshipper has exper ienced

som e in ward st i rr in g of th e Power in h is h eart , wh at n ext?

It is n ecess ar y above all for h im to h old on to th e Power. He

must rest in i t . The word or image may have come to him

only for h is own pers ona l correct ion or encou ra gemen t , or

it m ay be a word th at ou gh t to be sh ar ed with th e meet in g.

At th is s ta ge , the card in a l e r ror i s to ru sh in to speech,

moreover the coming of the Power is the commencement

an d n ot the en d of th e spiritu al exercise. If I ru sh in to words ,

n ot only do I lose th e sen se of th e Power b u t I dissipate th e

Power in th e m eetin g: I do n ot in crea s e it .

Th e followin g exam ples m ay s h ow wh a t I m ean firs t ly

by a message tha t was to be shared and secondly by one

th at was pers ona l to myself.

During the early stages of a certain meeting, a vivid

p i c t u re o f a n a ba ndone d rowi ng boa t , s t r a nde d upon a

sandbank in a wide and open harbour presented i t se l f to

m y min d. Gu lls scream ed in th e a ir , a s t rong win d b lew, the

ra cin g waters of a r isin g t ide s eemed a bou t to dra w the boa t

into the st ream and to destroy i t . The physical basis of

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

happened to me many years previously in Poole Harbour.

Wh en th is vision cam e to me with Power, it s eemed to pos ses s


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n e i t h e r s i g n i f i c a n c e n o r m e a n i n g , e i t h e r f o r m y o w n

cond ition , or in res pect t o th e exercis e of th e m eetin g. Bu t

as the meet ing proceeded the signif icance of the picture

becam e clear to m e. An other m emb er of th e meet in g sp oke

of J esu s a s leep in the boa t u pon th e s to rm - toss ed lake , an d

h ow, when th e disciples cal led to h im , he ros e in th e boat

an d s a id, Peace, be s t i ll. Th e boa t in m y vis ion h a d b een

empty an d s t ran ded an d th erefore in dan ger of dest ru c t ion,

and was in fac t a symbol , not only of my own personal

con di t ion a t th at t im e, bu t a lso of th e sta te of m ost p eople

du rin g th e early da ys of th e war . At th at t im e, ma n y of u s

were in da n ger of being swa m ped of losing both ou r Fa ith

and our Guide . Since the message so regarded seemed to

form an in tegral pa rt of th e exercis e of th e m eetin g, an d t o

h ave com e to m e with Power, it was sh ar ed.

On an other occasion , long before the presen t war , as I

sa t in m eet in g, there cam e qu ite su dd en ly ou t of th e silence

of th e m eeting like a s ton e fa llin g in to a well a s en ten ce

from the Gospels. No sooner had the words emerged into

con sc ious n ess th an I los t th em a gain . Wh enever an im age

or a word comes to us with Power, there is certain ( in my

experien ce) to be s ome s ign ifican ce in th em. Som etim es t h e

diff icul ty is to discover their s ignif icance. If , as in this

in s ta n ce, th e words a re forgotten or lost , it is m ost likely

th at for som e reas on, we are u n willin g to admittheir m ean in g

to ourselves. Knowing this to be the case I remained very

sti ll an d waited, expectin g the words to reapp ear in m y min d.

After a while they did so. When I recovered the words for

the second t ime, I thought I had f ixed them firmly in my

m in d, bu t s in ce they poss essed n o evident re levan ce to the

centra l th eme or exercise of th e meet in g, I h ad n o cau se to

sh ar e th em with oth ers . Th e meeting followed its own cou rs e.

When the meet ing was over, I was surprised to f ind that I

h a d en tirely forgotten th e word s on ce again. All th a t I cou ld

recall was th at th ey were spoken b y J esu s a s h ort t im e before


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h is d eath . Du ring th e followin g da ys I h u n ted for th ose word s

both in the Gospels and in my memory. After a search I

discovered t h at th ey were, in fa ct , very fa m ilia r to m e, bein g

the rebuke of Jesus to Peter in the Garden: Put up thy

sword in i t s p lace . At once I knew qui te c lear ly the i r

sign ifican ce for m yself a n d wh y I h a d forgotten th em ! I did

n ot w a n t to face th em. In con n ect ion with a certain problem

of per son al con du ct, I h a d b een in clin ed to st rive for certa in

su pp osed pers ona l r igh ts . Ch rist s m ess age to m e in deed

th e deeper h idd en wisd om of m y own bet ter s elf was Pu t

u p t h y sword Ceas e to s trive for s elfis h en ds .

Whi ls t i t f requent ly happens tha t personal guidance

comes to u s in th is fas h ion, it is m ore us u al for it to come to

u s (or so my experience seem s to sh ow) th rou gh th e spoken

words of some other member of the group. I t is important

th erefore to learn h ow to atten d or listen to spoken m ess ages

given in the meeting. I try to resist the tendency to l isten

cri t ical ly with the ear of reason; I seek rather to l is ten

a pp recia tively, th a t is , I try to feel a fter th e h idd en s en s e of

th e m ess age, seekin g to discover wh at is th e sign ifican ce of

th e m ess age for myself, wh at God is sa yin g to me th rou gh

His s ervan t . It a lm ost a lways h ap pen s th a t s ome ph ras e or

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

u n con sciou s, wh ere it m ay lie like a seed in th e soil, an d in

du e t im e produ ce its fru its in al tered cha racter an d con du ct .

Whenever we feel compelled to share a message, we must

h old firm ly to th e cent ra l point t h a t we h ave to con vey. We

m u s t n ever fear br evity or go on s pea king after we ha ve lost

the impulse tha t brought us to our fee t . Nor i s there any

n eed to sa y everyth in g th at ca n be sa id ab ou t the m at t e r

we need on ly concern ou rs elves with wha t m u s t be sa id by

us persona lly . Th e whole exercise of th e m eetin g sh ou ld m ak e

a uni ty of which our contr ibut ion is only one small part .

Th e exercise of th e whole m eet in g sh ou ld b e to produ ce a

comple te un i ty ou t o f the va r ious con t r ibu t ions o f the


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in dividu al mem bers . In a comp letely silen t m eet in g we m ay

exper ience a sense of c rea t ive achievement wi thout any

words h avin g been s poken a loud .

IV. Corporate Worship: Unity

Fellowship In Christ

Ih ave been writin g h ith erto chiefly ab ou t th e experience

of th e in dividu a l a s a n in dividu a l in th e Meetin g for Wors h ip.

I sh al l n ow at tem pt to des cribe th e experien ce of becomin g

an in tegra l pa rt of a worsh ipp in g grou p. Mu ch of wha t h as

been des cribed h ith erto ap pl ies equ al ly well to the p ra ct ice

of pr ivat e pra yer an d m editat ion. Wh at I am ab ou t to describe

can n ot be experien ced in solita ry worsh ip.

At some point during the meet ing i t may be qui te

ea rly, a s en s e of u n ity in fellowsh ip develops with in th e

Meeting for Worship. Everyone will agree, I think, that a

period of pa s s ive waitin g always pr ecedes th e m ore act ive

phases of contempla t ion and worship . But I am not a t a l l

sure that anyone can foretel l when the sense of uni ty is

l ikely to be achieved. Unti l that sense has been achieved,

th e m eet in g rema in s in com plete an d, i t ma y be, du ll. After

a period of waiting, then, a movement of Power visi ts the

m eetin g which pr oceeds to gath er i tself in to a st ill deeper

silen ce. If corpora te u n ity is a bou t to be ach ieved, it s eem s

as i f some force draws us out of our isolated selves and

merges individual consciousness into a non-individual or

corpora te awarenes s . Perh ap s th is s ta te m ay be descr ibed

by sayin g tha t we are aware of th e oth ers ; bu t a re con sc ious

neither of them nor of ourselves. The I begins to feel as

we. Th is is an experience the like of which h as b een u n kn own

to ma n y m odern p eople sin ce th e days of th eir ch ildh ood a n d

you th . Except ye become a s little childr en

Nevertheless this experience of communion with our

fellows d u ring worsh ip differs s om ewha t from th e ch ilds


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s en s e of b elon gin g to h is fa m ily. It d iffers ch iefly beca u s e

th e u n ity in wors h ip ta kes place benea th a Clou d of Glory

u n der wh ich th e m eet in g is gath ered. As th is sen se grows,

each one should seek to enter in to communion wi th h is

fellows, to sens e the n atu re of th e spir it th at a n im ates th em,

to perceive their needs or to share their burdens or their

joys . Lit t le by lit t le th e weigh t of ou r own p ers on a l ca res

an d an xiet ies is ins en sibly lifted from ou r own sh ou lders . It

seems , in lite ra l t ru th , as if th e group as a whole ha d ta ken

upon i t s broad shoulders the burdens of the individual .

Howa rd Br i n t on i n h i s Swa r t hmore L e c t u re , Cre a t i ve

Worship , g ives a profound analysis of th is remarkable

process . I propose to qu ote at length from h is b ook.

Th e Qu ak er Meetin g ap pr oxim at es to th e cha ra cter-

is t ics of a livin g organ ism . A n ice ad ju s tm en t of in dividu al

and social values is arr ived at , so that the whole does not

domi na t e t he pa r t s no r do t he pa r t s go t he i r own wa y

regar dless of th e wh ole. Ea ch d etermines an d is d etermined

by th e other . Th e power wh ich con trols an d d irects wh ich

is s om etim es ca lled t h e life of th e m eetin g per m ea tes

th e grou p a n d h ar m onizes th e deepest will of every mem ber.

In tellectu ally it is a pa ra dox th a t p ar ts kn it into a livin g

whole may retain their individual freedom, but we know

from ou r exper ien ce of life th a t s u ch is t h e cas e. As fellowsh ip

deepen s an d th e spi r it of worsh ip grows, a n ew and h igh er

synthesis si lent ly quickens the individuals into a uni ted

wh ole .

Whi t t ie r descr ibes the inf luence which quickened

wait in g hear ts

till h a ply som eon e felt

On h is m oved l ips th e sea l of s ilen ce melt ,

Or with ou t s poken word, low breath in g stole

Of a divin er Life from s ou l to s ou l

Bap tizin g in one ten der th ou gh t th e wh ole.


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Fr iend s h ave som et im es u sed th e te rm a ga th ered

m eetin g to in dicate th at th is com m on life h a s b een r ealized.

Th ere is, to u se an oth er tr ad it ion a l term , a coverin g over

th e m eetin g. If words ar e u ttered wh ich a re in th e life of th e

m eet in g, th is m ean s th a t th e words s poken express in a

m eas u re th e exercise of th e wh ole. Th ere is a wide d ifferen ce

bet ween a m eetin g in th e life a n d a lively m eetin g a

m eetin g in th e life m ay be h eld in com plete si len ce.

In worship, God binds together both the warring

desires of th e sou l an d th e d iss ocia ted u n it s of th e m eet in g

in to on e lively wh ole. Th is even t is a n a logou s to th e crea tive

process as i t t akes p lace throughout Nature . God binds

together through His Love the sca t te red and disordered

elements on one level of exis tence so tha t a new uni ty

em erges on a h igher level.

Th e ach ievem en t of corpora te u n ity th rou gh fellowsh ip

is th e gath erin g of sca t tered a n d d isord ered in dividu als so

th at a n ew u n it of pers ona l an d s ocial life emerges u pon a

higher level of existence. The achievement of Christ ian

fellowsh ip is t h e com in g of th e Kin gdom of God for a ll th os e

wh o pa rta ke in it It is a crea tive process .

My per s on a l belief is th a t t h e n ew u n it of life for wh ose

bir th ou r world is n ow in t ra vai l is th e in tegra ted group of

Friends in Christ m an an d woma n, you th an d child, bou n d

together by the com m on at t itu des, com m on aim s a nd mu tu al

ser vice wh ich can on ly be b u ilt , I believe, by th e pr a ctice of

corpora te Ch rist ian wors h ip.

R o b e r t B a r c l a y , t h e e a r l y Q u a k e r a p o l o g i s t , h a s

expressed the heart of the matter in the fol lowing words:

Ou r work th en a n d worsh ip is , wh en we m eet togeth er , for

everyone to watch an d wait u pon God in th ems elves a n d to

be gat h ered from a ll vis ibles th eret o (i.e. in to God). An d a s

everyon e is th u s (gath ered) th ey come t o feel th e good ar is e

over the evi l and the pure over the impure, in which God

reveals Him self an d d ra ws n ear to every in dividu al an d s o


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He is in th e midst in th e genera l wh ereby each pa r tak es of

(h is own) pa rt icu lar refresh m ent (an d) is a sh ar er in th e

wh ole body h avin g a join t fellowsh ip a n d com m u n ion with

all.

Again h e s ays: As m an y can dles ligh ted a n d placed in

one place do great ly au gm en t th e ligh t an d m ak e it m ore to

sh in e forth, so wh en m an y are gath ered together in th e sam e

life th ere is m ore of th e Glory of God a n d His Power a pp ear s

to the refreshment of each individual for that he partakes

n ot only of th e light r a is ed in h im self bu t in all th e rest .

V. Adoration Or Communion In Corporate Worship

At some point in every meet ing held in the l i fe ,

contemplat ion (as such) ceases and a new type of soul-

work, namely communion, i s entered upon. There i s no

m ean s of pred ict in g wh en th is fin al t ra n si t ion will occu r. I

h ave kn own m eet in gs of a lmost u n broken comm u n ion with

God; bu t th e m eet in g us u al ly reach es i t s h e igh t du r in g it s

second half. I have experienced much difficulty in writ ing

th is p resent ch apter . Cold pr ose is n ot a su itable m ediu m

for m y pu rp ose: even th e lan gu a ge of poetry were I a ble

to us e it wou ld fa il m e. Bu t Qu ak er com m u n ion can be

ju d ged b y it s fr u it s in ch a r a ct er a n d con d u ct : b y t h a t

s t an dard it m u s t b e ad ju dged to be va lu ab le . Perha ps wha t

can n ot be expressed m ay non e the less b e conveyed to those

who are ready to h ear .

We have seen above tha t a c r i t ica l phase seems to

separa te con templa t ion or wa i t ing f rom medi ta t ion , o r

seeking. I bel ieve that a similar cr i t ical phase occurs

between comm u n ion in worsh ip an d con temp lat ion . I ra th er

think that the achievement of unity is the cri t ical point

tha t c rea tes the br idge be tween seeking and communion,

bu t th at m ay be on ly a p ersona l opin ion. Th e ten dency du rin g

th e firs t crisis in th e m eetin g is t oward s leth ar gy: du ring


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th e secon d crisis th e tend ency is toward s ta lkin g or th in kin g

aboutChrist , instead of being open to receive him in the

m ids t of th e u n ified fellowsh ip. A m eetin g th a t h a s followed

th at d irect ion b ecomes d ispers ed an d res t less .

Th ere is yet an other imp ortan t pr elim in ar y to worsh ip

about which perhaps I should have spoken ear l ie r . Few

pe op l e c a n ha ve a t t e nde d ma ny Me e t i ngs fo r W orsh i p

with ou t real izin g with a sh ock (as I h ave done m an y t im es)

how far they are from conforming in feel ing, thought and

act to th e Min d of Chr ist . I t is as if a m as k of preten ce an d

sh am were be in g torn from ou r face an d a s if we h ad seen

our actual selves for the first t ime. This experience is as

sa lutary as i t i s humbl ing even humil ia t ing. I t i s an

experien ce th rou gh which , I believe, everyone m u st pa ss . It

is like a very low door in a wall givin g ent ra n ce to a gard en :

only the humble can enter the garden. When Peter c r ied

Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord, he was

very close t o an experien ce of worsh ip.

On on e of th e ma n y occasion s du r in g which a n acu te

sen se of sin h as oppressed m e in m eet in g, the words of J esu s

to Peter came into my mind with amazing force. Simon,

Sim on, sa id J esu s, th e Adversa ry ha s desired to h ave you

th at you m igh t be s ifted, as whea t is s ifted. But I have p ray ed

for y ou that your fai th may not fai l . And when you have

come to your t rue se l f , s t rengthen the bre thern . I have

pra y ed for y ou . It is th e Etern al Ch rist wh o spea ks . It is h e

who ra ises u p th ose wh o are cas t d own . Silent ly and su re ly

the da wn of Hope breaks throu gh ou r da rkn ess . Th e prayers

of th e Etern al Ch rist a re not m ere words ; th ey ar e holy an d

creat ive energies; they are power th at , entering in to u s a n d

becomin g on e with u s, gives to u s th e ab ility to ch an ge, to

grow, to be renewed in charac ter and conduct . So Chr is t

com es to u s as kin g on ly for a resp ons e from us : whe n t ha t

response is made the act of worship is achieved. Then the

door on which he knocks i s open. He comes to us a t a l l


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t im es an d in all places: in street , worksh op an d in our h omes:

bu t h e com es m ost frequen t ly and su re ly to me in th e s ilent

as s em blies of Gods p eople. Com in g th u s in p ower h e bu ilds

yet an other sm all m easu re of h is S pir it in to the s t r u c tu re of

m y very hu m an pers ona lity. As su n ligh t to th e flower, so is

th e Prayer of th e Eterna l Chr is t to the h u m an persona lity.

Wh at can words sa y m ore sa ve tha t we are bu r ied in Chr is t ,

th en ce to ar ise ren ewed?

Friends in and by the i r meet ings bear wi tness to the

experience tha t here on ea rth th e Creator meets the creatu re

an d th a t a persona l re la t ion of ac t ion a n d resp ons e n ay!

of love and being loved is established between them

ben eat h a Clou d of Glory.

Dur ing worsh ip , our Fa the r i s no t ban i shed to the

remote conf ines of Time and Space . He i s a t hand, His

Presence can be fel t and known. He is a t work within His

World and in ourselves. So, in awe, grat i tude, reverence,

love , an d a dora t ion we bow ou r h eads an d b rea th e Abba ,

ou r Fa th e r .

Moreover in wors h ip He m in ist ers n ot only to th e whole

bu t a lso to each individu al, ju s t a s J esu s d id , when h e took

a towel and water to wash and wipe the feet of all of his

disciples. No love could be more humble. In this manner

and repeatedly we experience in the Meeting for Worship

Chris t s m in is t ry th a t sp eaks to ou r particu lar need. His

ministry f l ies l ike an arrow pointed direct ly at us, whose

barb bur ies i t se l f deep in our hear t . Fr iends have come

confiden tly to expect s u ch m in ist ry in th eir m eetin gs. All of

us could give many examples of i t f rom our own personal

experience. Th ere is One, even Christ J esu s, th at can sp eak

to thy condition.

Fr iend s m an n er of corpora te wors h ip i s n ot a n ew

discovery. Th e firs t m eetin g of th is kind of which we poss ess

a r ecord is des cribed in th e secon d ch ap ter of Acts. On th e

da y of Pen tecost t h e disciples were m et with on e accord , in


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one place. And lo! a mighty rushing wind fi l led the whole

h ou se. Th en we read th ey sa w tongu es of wha t looked l ike

fire a n d on th e h ead of each per s on a fla m e alight ed. An d

th ey were filled with th e Holy En ergy of God a n d b ega n to

speak as the spi r i t gave them ut te rance and every

ma n h ea rd them speak in h i s own lan gu age.

I h ope I sh al l n ot be th ou gh t to be disr esp ectfu l to the

Early Christ ian Chu rch if I sa y tha t in st r ict m easu re similar

experien ces a re s t i ll en joyed in s om e Friend s Meetin gs. It

seems to me to be possib le tha t the physica l basis of the

events recorded in the Acts was a sudden sharp s torm of

win d an d ra in which sh ook th e house an d pas sed a lmos t a s

su dden ly as it cam e. Th en a s th e c loud pa ss ed from b efore

th e face of th e su n , brigh t sh afts of su n ligh t lit u p th e meetin g

room an d a ppeared, to some a t leas t of th e worsh ippers , a s

tongues of fire p layin g u pon a n d a roun d th e bent h eads of

t h e o t h e r s . I t i s e v i d e n t t h a t t h e w h o l e m e e t i n g w a s

profoundly moved and in a s ta te of spi r i tua l exa l ta t ion.

Firs t ly we read th at th ey were m et in u n ity w ith one accord.

Secondly the rushing wind has a lways been a symbol of

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

illu m in at ion : so we read th ey sp oke as th e sp ir it gave th em

u tteran ce an d th ey were hea rd b y each l is ten er in th e native

language of h is own s ecret hear t . Have we not , in m eas u re,

experien ced all of th ese th in gs in m eetin g?

B e t h a t a s i t m a y , t h e p l a i n t r u t h i s t h a t d u r i n g

corporate worship, the Lord of Life has often ministered

direct ly to m y need a n d to th at of m y fr ien ds , as I kn ow fu ll

well.

Final ly, i t may be in si lence or in speech, prayer or

thanksgiving completes the exercise of the meet ing and a

wonderful sense of achievement i s exper ienced. With a

h an ds h ak e an d a sm ile th e circle of th e act of wors h ip closed.

After m eetin gs su ch a s I h a ve descr ibed we emer ge in to

a world ren ewed, an d p as s u pon our way. Neith er th e world


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n or we our se lves a re ever qu ite th e sa m e again . Bu t s oon

we mu st t a ke u p ou r da ily t a sk s where we ha d la id th em

down . We mu st wrest le with stu bb orn fact both in ou rselves

an d in t h e world. In one s ens e th erefore the m eetin g is end ed;

in ano the r sense i t has jus t begun . One summer day in

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

h eadlan d of th e Cornish coas t an d watch ed th e great Atlan tic

rol lers as they swept past my feet on their way to the far

dista n t s h ore. I s a w wave-crest as it followed wa ve-crest , in

unending sequences of r ise and fal l . The wave is a t rue

symbol of the harmonized l ife; worship is the crest whilst

action is the trough; both together make a l ife. Life is

rhythmic. The privi lege of worship always brings a new

responsibil i ty in i ts hand. Every new freedom involves a

n ew dis ciplin e. As Willia m Pen n s a id, No Cross , n o Crown.

Bu t of a t ru th , th e life of th e Spir it b r in gs its own reward.

So le t a l l tak e cou ra ge an d p ress towar ds th e Ligh t . Bu t le t

no one suppose tha t th is manner of l i fe and worship i s a

broad a n d eas y road. Th e ga teway to it is n arrow an d th e

pathway rough. Indeed the shadow of a Cross fal ls r ight

across i t , s ince to enter upon i t and to persevere in i t , we

must die daily to self-will and to self-desire. But the Hand

tha t cau ses u s to bend s o low is th e sam e Han d th a t des ires

to raise u s u p a gain . Moreover, that Han d can raise u s h igh er

th an our former s ta te an d plan t ou r feet more su re ly u pon a

road whose bourne l ies in eterni ty. In corporate worship

says Barclay, there is an inward t ravai l and wrest l ing,

bu t , a s we ab ide in our measure o f g race , the re i s an

overcomin g of th e power of da rk n ess in u s a n d we enjoy

th e h oly fellowsh ip a n d th e com m u n ion of th e body an d

blood of Chr is t by wh ich ou r in ward m an is n our ish ed an d

fed.

Or in th e words of Penin gton, Ou r worsh ip is a deep

exercis e of ou r s pirits before th e Lord, wh ich doth n ot con s is t

i n e x e r c i s i n g t h e n a t u r a l m i n d t o s p e a k , h e a r o r p r a y


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accordin g to wh at we com pr ehen d of ou r (own ) n eeds: bu t

we wait to hea r with th e n ew ear wha t God sh al l pleas e to

speak and we pray as God pleases to quicken and

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

com m u n ion en joyed a n d s weet peace reap ed (Th en ) ou r

Father is fe l t blessing us and plant ing ( in us) the seeds of

life What more can I say except Come with me to a

Qu ak er Meetin g?

Appendix A: On Bodily Relaxation And Poise

I f we wish to achieve rea l bodi ly inac t iv i ty dur ing

worsh ip we m u st d iscover a m ethod of s i t t in g tha t can be

m ainta in ed for th e period of an h ou r. We sh ou ld s it erect ,

th e back m ore or less erect . Th e lower pa rt of th e sp in e an d

th e region of th e sh oulder-blad es n eed to be su pported. Man y

people requi re a cushion or padded sea t to s i t upon, and

those who are shor t in s ta ture requi re a hassock for the

feet . Th e feet sh ou ld be d isp osed in su ch fas h ion th at , wh en

the muscles of the legs are relaxed, the knees do not fal l

apa r t bu t rema in s tead y. Th is can be accom plish ed e ith er

by crossing the feet a t the ankles ( this is the best posture

for ta ll people) or by res ting th e feet side b y side u pon th e

floor. The legs should never be crossed at the knees. The

ha n ds s h ou ld be ligh t ly c la s ped an d s hou ld res t u pon th e

th ighs or s ome p refer to s it with ligh tly folded ar m s. Man y

fin d th a t th e most res t fu l a t t itu de is for the u ptu rn ed pa lm

of one hand to suppor t the back of the o ther hand, whi le

both th e wris t s res t u pon th e th igh s . Th e h ead (especia lly

du rin g th e early st a ge of m edita tion) sh ou ld b e h eld r elat ively

erect . I t must certainly be balanced upon the axis of the

ne c k . I t shou l d ne i t he r d roop fo rwa rd no r be s t r a i ne d

ba ckwa rd . Mos t p eople (bu t n ot a ll) close t h eir eyelids . Th e

eyes in e ithe r cas e, sh ould be d irected forward s r a th er tha n

down wards . Du r in g the la te r s tages of th e m edita t ion th e


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h ead u su ally in c lin es forward an d downward s u ppor ted by

th e n eck. It n ever dr oops . Th e whole bod y is gen era lly relaxed

an d s in ks in to qu iescen ce an d res t . In genera l it is best to

avoid sitting with th e fa ce toward s a br ight light esp ecia lly

if th e eyes a re s en s it ive to l ight .

As a ru le it is n ecess ar y, a t a l l event s for th e begin n er,

to give part icular a t tent ion to the sta te of tension in his

m u scles. We seldom real ize h ow ten se a n d s t iff ou r m u scles

rema in even when we su ppose th a t we are res t ing quiet ly.

R e a l m u s c u l a r r e l a x a t i o n i s ( I b e l i e v e ) a n e s s e n t i a l

prelim in ary to m editat ion . It is eas ier to sh ow wh at is m ean t

by muscu la r re l axa t ion by ac tua l demons t ra t ion than by

word s ; bu t th e followin g descr ipt ion of rela xation m a y help

some. Take the lef t hand in the r ight and raise i t a few

in ch es from t h e tab le . Let th e left h an d a n d a rm h an g like

a log supported only by the right hand. If the left arm is

fully relaxed i t will hang heavily, and when the right hand

is qu ickly rem oved, th e left will fa ll on th e ta ble like a dea d

weight a n d with cons idera ble force. Th a t a rm is r elaxed . A

relaxed m u s cle feels s oft wh en gras ped by th e h an d. With

a l it t le pr act ice, it becom es qu ite eas y to detect th e pres en ce

o f musc u l a r t e ns i on i n a musc l e g roup , by no t i ng t he

sen sa t ions th at we feel when ever we direct ou r a t ten t ion to

i t . As I wri te I can perceive the muscular tensions of my

righ t forearm , ha n d a n d fin gers. I can con tra st th at feelin g

of ten s ion with th e relaxed feelin g tha t is p res en t in m y left

h an d as it res t s id ly u pon th e page.

W he n we ha ve be e n se a t e d fo r a f e w mome n t s i n

meet ing we may feel that we are slow in reaching inward

st illn ess a n d calm . In th at cas e we sh ould pas s th e at tent ion

rapidly over every part of our body, not ing whether there

may be a sense of st rain, tension or fat igue in any part of

th e body. Th e neck, legs, ba ck or sh oulders m ay be cram ped

an d s t iff. If th at be th e cas e, it is n ecess ar y consciously to

relax th e ten s e m u s cles even if a s light ch a n ge of pos it ion is


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in volved. Special a t ten t ion s h ou ld b e paid to th e mu scles of

the head, face and neck. The muscles of expression are

placed in th e face a n d t h ese a re s pecial ly liab le to obs t in at e

ten sion s du rin g all s ta tes of h eigh ten ed em otiona l feelin g,

su ch as an xiety, fear, dou bt, etc. Th e jaws ar e often clen ched

wh en th e rest of th e body is r ela xed. (How often people are

kept awake at night by spasm of the muscles of the jaw!)

Th e eyelid s m a y be firm ly in s tea d of ligh tly closed , th e lips

m ay be tens e an d cont in u in g to form words long afte r th e

res t of the body has reached a pass ive and re laxed s ta te .

Fin al ly, th e m u scles of th e tongu e, voice-box an d n eck m ay

reflect by their su bt le a lm ost imp ercept ible movemen ts th e

cont inued act ivi ty of the mind and reason. With a l i t t le

pra ct ice, a s ta te of gen eral ized m u scu lar relaxa t ion ca n be

ach ieved in a m att er of m in u tes or s econ ds . It is worth while

ta kin g som e trou ble to perfect ou r a bility to relax, not on ly

because i t i s a p rac t i ca l a id to con templa t ion , bu t a l so

because i t can be used in eve ryday l i fe , a s a means o f

o b t a i n i n g s l e e p w h e n n e e d e d , a n d a l s o b e c a u s e a f e w

m in u tes of m u scu lar relaxat ion h as a rem ark ab ly refresh in g

effect wh en we are fa tigu ed, a n xiou s , irrita ble or em otion a lly

dis turbed.

Appendix B: On Ceasing From Thought

Followin g th e a bove tech n iqu e a rea l degree of bod ily

and menta l re laxat ion may have been a t ta ined. But there

may yet remain two bodily activit ies which are st i l l to be

quieted. These are thinking in words and i rregular and

im properly con trolled b reath in g. We h ave alread y noted t h e

im portan ce of th e mu scles of th e ton gu e an d n eck in keepin g

up muscular tension. If you choose a text of scripture for

th e fixation p oin t of you r m in d, you m a y fin d th a t you ar e

si lent ly repeat in g th at text to you rs elf an d th at th e mu scles

of the tongue, voice and l ips are in almost unceasing ( i f


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slight ) m ovem en t. A s ta ge is s oon rea ch ed th erefore in wh ich

t h e a t t e n t i o n m u s t b e d i s j o i n e d f r o m t h e w o r d s a n d

redirected to some image or picture that symbolizes the

chos en words for you . For exam ple, you m igh t u se th e words

I a m th e Way a s a fixation p oin t. If you repea t th ese word s

you r l ips will becom e ten s e a s you form th e word Wa y. So

im agin e a way, form a p ictu re of it . As t h e st i lln ess deepen s,

even th at pictu re will fa ll awa y from you a n d you will rea ch

th e borderlan d of In ward Q u iet .

Experience sh ows th at th e regu lari ty, depth an d n atu re

of our breathing greatly affects our abil i ty to relax and to

remain re laxed. The most common mistakes are sha l low,

r a p i d b r e a t h i n g ( i . e . c h e s t o r t h o r a c i c b r e a t h i n g ) a n d

i r regular brea thing. We should brea the deeply wi th our

a bdomi na l musc l e s , ke e p i ng ou r c he s t musc l e s a l mos t

ent irely in active. (Lay you r h an d u pon th e front of you r ch est

an d brea th e deeply w ithoutallowin g th e ha n d on th e ch est

t o move . T h i s wi l l show you how t o b re a t he wi t h t he

abdominal muscles.) As you si t in si lence le t the breaths

com e an d go easi ly, gent ly an d r egu lar ly with ou t s t ra in or

fuss. You will feel that this exercise has a stilling effect

bo th on m ind an d body.

La s t upd a te: 06 / 07 / 03

Collier the Quaker Meeting-A Personal Experience and Method

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