ABSTRACT
The First Advice urges Friends to 'Take heed to the promptings of love and truth in the hearts', and to 'Trust them as the leadings of God, whose Light shows darkness and brings to new life'. Friends have a unique way of responding to the evils of the world. They can see them arising from the very tendencies they have identified in themselves. They have a feeling of commonality with others, not despite the bad things they do, but partly because of them. So they cannot imagine they would rid the world of evil by ridding it of the 'evil people', whether literally or metaphorically. On the other hand, they will want, as early Friends did, to 'bring people off' the bad ways they have followed so blindly. And they can feel strong and confident in attempting to do this, having discovered in them a divine light and power to overcome the evil.
