George Fox, in his Journal, records that God led him to "recommend" established and settled Meetings. He then set out to successfully see this recommendation through. In the course of sharing this recommendation, it happened, that George Fox, and those first Quakers who followed his recommendation, went beyond his leading from recommendation to imposition of settled outward forms over against the consciences of other first Quakers who were once in unity with him. This impostition took the form of denigration, labeling, intimidation, and, in extreme cases, excommunication of those whose Conscience in the Light did not conform with Fox's recommendation toward adherence to outward forms. Fox perverted God's recommendation through imposition. William Rogers a contemporary Quaker to George records in his "historical manuscript" "The Christian Quaker ..." the nature of the disunity that happened because of Fox's transition from recommendation to imposition. Rogers records that another first Quaker, John Story (among the valiant 60) often shared the observation that even early Christians were beset with disunity over adherence to outward forms. Rogers and those first Quakers, who for conscience sake, would not conform to Fox's recommendation and who later spoke out against Fox's imposition of a recommendation from God, also for conscience sake, explicitly stated that they had been led out of the process, practice, and method of seeking unity in and through outward institutional forms. These other first Quakers testified to the witness of the Gathering's original unity in a conscience and conscious established in the experience of the sufficiency of the inshining Light itself in itself as the sole and complete source of the unity between the Children of Light; without regard for or adherence to any outward political or religious ideology or institution. They witnessed unity without regard to outward principle. In this witness, they expereinced the power of the inshining Light to transcend variance, in the midst of outward variance, because their identity was not established by and in outward principle but in the direct awareness or the inshining Light as the source of their identity. This immanent inshining identity manifested long-suffering, patience, and toleration out of the fear of stepping upon the prerogative of the inshining Light of Christ itself working in the conscience of each person. For the sake conscience, these other first Quakers would not impose outward leadings or forms on their brothers and sisters so as to become a stumbling block to the inshining workings of the Spirit itself in itself in the conscience of others.



It is the nature of imposed outward forms, even recommendations from God through the conscience of others, to nurture, foster, and grow, variance or the opposite of those things recommended. In essence, the source of disunity is the process of professing, embracing, and imposing, meaning, purpose, and identification with outward political and religious forms and institutions. The moment George Fox and those who followed him set out to impose and settle their outward institutional and theological and ideological constructs over against the consciences of other Children of Light, they laid the foundation for the Quaker schismatic history.



Christ is certainly come and is coming. Rogers writes that the first Quakers in the inshining of the Light in the conscious and conscience lived the second coming of Christ in the conscience. This inshining Eternal Power ever makes appearance and we voice out loud, as the first Children of Light so voiced,



"TO YOUR OWN, TO YOUR OWN, TO YOUR OWN. Meaning thereby they should turn in their minds to the Light of Christ in their conscience, which was declared to be that teacher, which could never be removed into a corner, ... For no doubt but the Spirit of the Lord, revealed unto those first labourers in the Gospel, that there was a proneness in the Sons and daughters of Men, to admire, depend upon, and sometimes (through an affectionate part or blind Zeal) to worship such as were instruments, to give forth outward Directories, or Church Faiths ... therefore I am persuaded that the voice of Truth through them was not only thus, viz. To your own (which being observed, leads into independency upon others) but also frequently on this wise, We preach not our selves, look not unto us."

Source: The Christian Quaker ... William Rogers, Preface, page 38.