come, and his will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven) have found it to be our duty to cease from those National Contests productive of Misery & bloodshed, and submit our cause to Him the Most High, whose tender Love to his Children exceeds the most warm Affections of Natural Parents, and who hath promised to his Seed throughout the Earth, as to one individual, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Heb. xiii. 5. And as we, through the Gracious dealings of the Lord our God, have had Experience of that work which is carried on, "not by Earthly might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts," Zech. iv. 6; By which operation that Spiritual Kingdom is set up which is to subdue and break in pieces all Kingdoms that oppose it, and shall stand for ever. In a deep sense thereof, and of the safety, Stability and peace there is in it, we are desirous that all who profess the Truth may be inwardly acquainted with it and thereby be qualified to conduct in all parts of our life as becomes our peaceable profession. And we trust, as there is a faithfull continuance to depend wholly upon the Almighty Arm from one generation to another the peaceable kingdom will gradually be extended from Sea to Sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth," Zech. ix. 10; to the completion of those profesies already begun, that Nation shall not lift up Sword against nation nor learn war any more. ii. 4. Micah. iv. 3. Isa. And, dearly beloved Friends, seeing we have these promises, and believe that God is beginning to fulfil them, let us constantly endeavour to have our minds sufficiently disentangled from the surfeiting cares of this life and redeemed from the Love of the world that no earthly possessions nor Enjoyments may byas our judgments or turn us from that resignation, and entire trust in God, to which his blessing is most surely annexed: then may we say, Our Redeemer is Mighty, he will plead our cause for us. Jer. 1. 34. And if for the further promoting his most gracious purposes in the Earth he should give us to taiste of that bitter cup which his faithfull ones have often partook of, O that we may be rightly prepared to receive it! And now, dear Friends, with respect to the Commotions and Stirrings of the powers of the earth at this time near us, we are desirous that none of us may be moved thereat; "but repose ourselves in the munition of that rock that all these shakings shall not move, even in the knowledge and feeling of the Eternal power of God, keeping us Subjectly given up to his Heavenly Will and feel it daily to mortify that which remains in any of us which is of this world for the worldly part in any is the changeable part, and that is up and down, full and empty, joyfull and sorrow full, as things go well or ill in this world. For as the Truth is but one and many are made partakers of its spirit, so the world is but one and many are made partakers of the Spirit of it: & so many as do partake of it, so many will be straitened and perplexed with it. But they who are "single to the Truth, waiting daily to feel the life and Virtue of it in their hearts, these shall rejoice in the midst of Adversity," and have to experience with the profet, that though the fig-tree shall not blossom neither shall fruit be in the vines, The labour of the Olive shall fail, & the fields shall yield no meat; The flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stall yet will they rejoyce in the Lord and Joy in the God of their Salvation." Hab. iii. 17, 18. If contrary to this we profess the Truth & not living under the power and influence of it, are producing fruits disagreeable to the purity thereof, and trust to the strength of man to Suport ourselves therein, our confidence will be vain, for He, who removed the Hedge from his vinyard, and gave it to be trodden under foot by reason of the wild grapes it produced remains unchangible: and if, for the chastisement of wickedness and the further promoting his own Glory He doth arise even to shake terribly the earth, who then may oppose him, & prosper! We remain in the Love of the gospel your friends and brethren. Signed in and on behalf of our said meeting, by JACOB HOWELL,1 JAMES BARTRAM, JOSEPH WHITE, JOHN SCARBOROUGH, JOHN WOOLMAN, JOSEPH TOMLINSON, JOHN EVANS, MORDECAI YARNALL, JOHN CHURCHMAN, SAMUEL ABBOTT.' Scrupeling to do writings relative to keeping slaves, having been a means of sundry small tryals to me, in which I have so evidently felt my own will set aside that I think it good to mention a few of them. Tradesmen and retailers of goods who depend on their business for a livelihood, are naturally inclined to keep the good will of their customers; nor is it a pleasant thing for young men to be under any necessity to question the Judgment or honesty of elderly men, and such more especially who have a good character. Deep rooted customs though wrong are not easily altered, but it 1 Stephen Crisp's Epistle. [Note by John Woolman.] See Biog. Note, 112. is the duty of every man to be firm in that which he certainly knows is right for him. A Charitable, benevolent man, well acquainted with a negro may, I believe, under some circumstances, keep him in his family as a servant, on no other motive than the Negros good: but man, as man, knows not what shall be after him, nor hath he any assurance that his children will attain to that perfection in wisdom and goodness necessary to every Absolute governor. Hence it is clear to me that I ought not to be the scribe where wills are drawn in which some children are made absolute masters over others during life. About this time an Antient man of good esteem in the neighbourhood, came to my house to get his will wrote; he had young negroes, and I asking him privately how he purposed to dispose of them, he told me. I then said, I cannot write thy will without breaking my own peace, and respectfully gave him my reasons for it. He signified that he had a choice that I should have wrote it, but as I could not consistent with my conscience he did not desire it and so he got it wrote by some other person, and a few years after, [passing over time to finish the relation,] there being great alterations in his family, he came again to get me to write his will. His negroes were yet young, and his son to whom he intended to give them, was since he first spoke to me, from a Libertine become a sober young man, and he supposed that I would have been free on that account to write it. We had much friendly talk on the subject, and then defer'd it, and a few days after he came again and directed their freedom and so I wrote his Will. Near the time the last mentioned friend first spoke to me, a neighbour received a bad bruise in his body, and sent for me to bleed him, which being done he desired me to write his will. I took notes and amongst other things he told me to which of his children he gave his young Negro woman. I considered the pain and distress he was in, and knew not how it would end, so I wrote his Will save only that part concerning his Slave, and, carrying it to his bed-side read it to him, and then told him in a friendly way, that I could not write any Instruments by which my fellow creatures were made slaves without bringing trouble on my own mind. I let him know that I charged nothing for what I had done, and desired to be Excused from doing the other part in the way he propos'd. Then we had a serious conference on the Subject, and at length he agreeing to set her free I finished his will. Having1 found drawings in my mind to visit friends on Long Island, after having obtained a certificate from our Monthly da mo Meeting I set of ye 12. 5. 1756. When I reached the island, I lodged the first night at the house of my Dear Friend Richard Hallet: 86 the next day being the first of the week I was at their meeting at Newtown in which though small, we had experience of the renewed manifestation of the love of Jesus Christ to the comfort of the honest hearted. I went that night to flushing, & the next day in company with my Beloved Friend Matthew Franklin 7 we crossed the ferry at White Stone, were at three meetings on that side the water, & then came on to the island, where I spent the Remainder of the week in Visiting meetings. The Lord I believe hath a people in those parts who are honestly concerned to Serve him, But many I fear are too much cloged with the things of this life, and do not come forward bearing the cross in such faithfullness as the Almighty calls for. 87 My mind was deeply Engaged in this visit, both in public and private; and at several places where I was, on observing that they had Slaves, I found myself under a necessity in a friendly way to labour with them on that Subject, Expressing as way opened, the inconsistency of that practice with the purity of the Christian Religion, and the ill Effects of it manifested amongst us. The latter end of the week their Yearly Meeting began at which were our friends John Scarborrow,88 3 Jane Hoskins,80 and Susannah Brown,89 from Pennsylvania, the public meetings. were large, [and measurably favoured with Divine goodness.] The exercise of my mind at this meeting was chiefly on account of those who were considered as the foremost rank in the Society, and in a meeting of Ministers and Elders way opened that I exprest in some measure what lay upon me. And at a time when friends were met for transacting the publick business, We seting A note by Woolman at this point in MS. A, foot of page 36, reads, "N. B. Visit to Long Island comes in here before mention is made of leaving Merchandise." This is done. i.e. returned to Long Island. [Ed.] * John Scarborough. MS. B only. a while silent, I felt a weight on my mind and stood up; and through the Gracious condescension of our Heavenly Father, Strength was given fully to clear my mind of a burthen which for some days had been increasing upon me. Through the humbling dispensations of Divine Providence men are sometimes fitted for His service. The messages of the Prophet Jeremiah were so disagreable to the people, and so reverse to the Spirit they lived in, that he became the Object of their reproach, and in the weakness of nature thought to desist from his prophetick office; but, saith he, His word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and could not stay. I saw at this time, that if I was honest to declare that which Truth opened in me I could not please all men, and laboured to be content in the way of my duty, however disagreeable to my own inclinations. After this I went homeward taking Woodbridge and Plainfield in my way; in both which Meetings, the pure Influence of Divine Love was manifested, in humbling sense whereof I went home; having been out 24 days, and rode about 316 miles. While I was out on this Journey my heart was deeply affected with a Sense of the State of the Churches in our Southern Provinces, and believing the LORD1 was calling me to some further Labour amongst them, I was bowed in Reverence before HIM, with fervent desires that I might find Strength to resign myself up to HIS HEAVENLY Will. Until the year 1756, I continued to retail goods, besides following my trade as a Taylor; about which time I grew uneasy on account of my business growing too cumbersome. I began with selling trimings for garments, and from thence proceeded to Sell cloaths and linens, and at length having got a considerable shop of goods, my trade increased every year, and the road to large business appeared open: but I felt a Stop in my mind. Through the Mercies of the Almighty I had in a good degree learned to be content with a plain way of living. I had but a small family [my outward Affairs had been prosperous] and, 8 MS. B. In this earlier MS. the words God, Almighty, Lord, or pronouns referring to him, are frequently capitalized throughout. This is the point, indicated by J. W., in MS. A, in which he inserted the visit to Long Island. 3 MS. B erased. |