To this address the king was pleased to give this gracious answer.
‘I thank you for the assurance of duty and affection to my person and government, contained in this address; and you may always depend upon my protection.’
Thus we again see a prince on the throne, who solemnly assureth the Quakers, so called, of his protection; so that now they enjoy the due liberty of subjects that behave themselves peaceably and dutifully under the government set over them, in like manner as other inhabitants of Great Britain: and therefore they have not neglected to exhort one another to show their thankfulness to Almighty God, and to pray for the king, as it hath been intimated already, that this was recommended in one of the epistles of their yearly meeting. Now since mention hath several times been made in this history of those epistles of the annual assembly to the particular churches, I have thought fit to insert here one of them, viz. that of the year 1717, which is as followeth:
1717.
The Epistle from the Yearly Meeting in London, held by adjournment, from the 10th day of the Fourth month, to the 14th of the same inclusive, 1717. To the quarterly and monthly meetings of Friends in Great Britain, and elsewhere.
‘Our salutation, in the love of Christ Jesus our blessed Lord, is freely extended unto you, whose tender care over, and mercy to, this our annual assembly, we do humbly and thankfully acknowledge, in the love, amity, tender condescension, and peaceable procedure thereof, with respect to the divine power and goodness of the Lord our God, and the service of his church and people; sincerely desiring the prosperity of his whole heritage, even in all the churches of Christ among us, in his dear love, unity and peace, to his eternal glory, and our universal comfort and perpetual joy in the kingdom of the dear Son of God.
‘We are truly comforted, in that we understand there is such a general concurrence and union among Friends, with our former earnest desires and counsel, for true and universal love, unity, peace, and good order to be earnestly endeavoured and maintained among us, as a peculiar people, chosen of the Lord out of the world, to bear a faithful testimony to his holy name and truth, in all respects; and that all that is contrary be watched against and avoided; as strife, discord, contention, and disputes tending to divisions, may be utterly suppressed and laid aside, as the light and righteous judgment of truth require.
‘Oh! that all the churches and congregations of the faithful, would be excited by the Spirit of the dear Son of God, fervently to pray for the prosperity of his church and people throughout the world, that Sion may more and more shine in the beauty of holiness, to the glory and praise of the King of glory.
‘The friends and brethren, come up from the several quarterly meetings in this nation, have given a good account to this meeting of truth’s prosperity, and that friends are generally in love and unity one with another; and by several epistles, from friends of North Carolina, Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Barbadoes, Holland, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, which have been read in this meeting; as also by verbal accounts given by several friends that have lately travelled in divers parts of America, and elsewhere, we have received comfortable accounts of the state of truth and friends in those parts; by which we are encouraged to hope truth prevails in many places, and a concern grows upon friends for the prosperity thereof; and that there is an inclination in people to hear the truth declared.