Chapter 2

 When one looks back upon the past 250 years and attempts to estimate the value of Friends to the Christian¹ life of England and America, there are certain outstanding features which at once arrest attention. 66Amongst the chief contributions which the Society has been successful in making hitherto to the Christian life of England and America are the following:

 

1. At a time when religion was in danger of becoming, to a large extent, formal, ceremonial and external, the early Friends succeeded in calling the attention of their own generation to the necessity for a vital, inward experience. They undoubtedly² helped many besides those who actually joined with them into a clearer understanding of the inwardness of the Christian gospel, and into a personal experience of the living and indwelling Christ.

 

2. The Reformation and post-Reformation period was marked by that intensity³ of religious conviction which so often leads to intolerance and religious bigotry⁴. Even those who had suffered persecution⁵ themselves followed the very example one would have expected them to avoid as soon as the opportunity occurred. That our spiritual forefathers⁶ had an immense influence upon that age, in bringing about a greater spirit of religious toleration, cannot be 67doubted by any who read carefully the religious history of that time.

 

3. From the day that William Penn entered into treaty with the Red Indian Chiefs till the day when John Woolman made his protest against Negro Slavery, and on till John Greenleaf Whittier thrilled the nation with the songs which called to love and brotherhood⁷, Friends have consistently stood for an attitude of sympathetic understanding of other races. Nowhere perhaps has this been more publicly and more deservedly acknowledged than by the action of President Grant in handing over to Friends the management of certain reservations for Red Indians, a policy which he declared had proved “most satisfactory.”

 

4. Even at the time when Quakerism ceased to be a powerful evangelical force, and when Friends seem to have lost something of their first love, the Society was producing men and women of outstanding Christian character, who were known to be no hypocrites; whose word was their bond; whose business integrity was proverbial 68and whose character for truthfulness⁸ and honesty was surely an outstanding contribution to the Christian life of the eighteenth century. This type of character has, I believe, been largely maintained till the present day.

 

5. And lastly, scarcely any great philanthropic movement has risen during the last 200 years which has not had the support of Friends; and notable cases could be quoted to show the way in which Friends have taken the lead in such matters. Especially at times when religious revival⁹ has taken on emotional forms, and when the emphasis has been thrown almost exclusively upon the subjective¹⁰ side, it has been of great benefit to the Church to have the association of practical philanthropy with the very Society which has always insisted on the necessity for an inward experience.

 

I refer to these few historic examples in order to illustrate¹¹ the way in which I am approaching the question, and to show how a particular Christian Society has, for upwards¹² of 250 years, been steadily¹³ 69bringing its influence to bear upon the Christian life of two great nations. In looking back upon the past, we may truly thank God and take courage. Let there be no thought of arrogance¹⁴ in our minds; but rather of deep humility¹⁵, as we proceed to look into the problems which confront us to-day, and consider in what direction our Society may contribute towards their solution.

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

3 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

4 bigotry   

n.偏见，偏执，持偏见的行为[态度]等

参考例句：

• She tried to dissociate herself from the bigotry in her past.她力图使自己摆脱她以前的偏见。
• At least we can proceed in this matter without bigotry.目前这件事咱们至少可以毫无偏见地进行下去。

5 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

6 forefathers   

n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left. 它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All of us bristled at the lawyer's speech insulting our forefathers. 听到那个律师在讲演中污蔑我们的祖先，大家都气得怒发冲冠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

8 truthfulness   

n. 符合实际

参考例句：

• Among her many virtues are loyalty, courage, and truthfulness. 她有许多的美德，如忠诚、勇敢和诚实。
• I fired a hundred questions concerning the truthfulness of his statement. 我对他发言的真实性提出一连串质问。

9 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

10 subjective   

a.主观(上)的，个人的

参考例句：

• The way they interpreted their past was highly subjective. 他们解释其过去的方式太主观。
• A literary critic should not be too subjective in his approach. 文学评论家的看法不应太主观。

11 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。

12 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

13 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

14 arrogance   

n.傲慢，自大

参考例句：

• His arrogance comes out in every speech he makes.他每次讲话都表现得骄傲自大。
• Arrogance arrested his progress.骄傲阻碍了他的进步。

15 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。