Rebecca Travers (1609?–1688), writing to George and Margaret Fox in 1676, commented on the situation as she then saw it:

The ancient love among some of the brethren waxes cold, and self love and the too much love of this world stains our pristine glory, when it was said, even by our enemies, they so love one another that we shall never be able to break them. The women’s meetings are accompanied with the power and presence of the Lord as ever – our service great, and our supply faileth not.