Journal of the Life and Religious Labours of Elias Hicks

by Elias Hicks

I was led forth to communicate largely to the people on the subject; and on the blessed effects that do, and will result to all those who find such a Saviour, and who, in humility and sincerity of heart, follow him faithfully in the way of his leadings. It was a solemn season, and a day thankfully to be remembered.

I was taken up principally the rest of this week, except attending our preparative meeting on fifth day, in my hay harvest. It is a laborious season; and is made much more so by reason of there being so few faithful labourers, among those who offer themselves as such. Most of them are more anxiously careful how they may obtain the highest wages, than to be engaged honestly to strive justly to earn them. This makes the care and oversight of such business rather irksome and unpleasant, which otherwise would be agreeable and often delightful.

First day, the 13th. I sat our meeting in silence. This week I was mostly taken up in caring for and assisting in, my hay harvest. For by the fertility of the season, our fields have brought forth plenteously. On fifth day our monthly meeting was held, in which Friends united with the concern I had laid before them at the preceding monthly meeting, to pay a visit in gospel love to Friends and others, in some parts of the yearly meetings of Philadelphia and Baltimore. A certificate was prepared for the purpose, leaving me at liberty to proceed therein, as way should open.

First day, the 20th. A solemn, and, I trust, a profitable meeting to-day, in which the gospel was preached freely in the demonstration of truth, and a precious covering was felt to spread over the assembly; and sweet peace clothed my mind at the conclusion. Surely the Lord is a bountiful and rich rewarder of all his faithful servants, who serve him, not for reward, but for the sake of that love wherewith he loveth them, and which he so abundantly sheddeth abroad in their hearts, that they are thereby drawn to love him above all; and in and under the influence of this precious love, they are led and constrained to serve and worship him freely for his own sake, because he is worthy, and not for any reward to themselves, because they are altogether unworthy; and because that precious love wherewith he hath loved them, and with which he hath filled their hearts, hath banished and dispelled therefrom every germ of self-love, and all kind of selfishness. Nevertheless, of his own rich bounty and free will, without any real merit on our part, he abundantly and plenteously bestoweth his blessings upon all his faithful servants and children, whereby their love to him is continually increased, until he becomes their all in all, their alpha and omega, and they are brought into the possession of that perfect love that casteth out all fear; and in which they are enabled continually to worship and adore Him who liveth for ever, and who only is everlastingly worthy of all blessing and praise.

In the course of this week was our quarterly meeting, which was held at this time at Westbury. It was a season of exercise to all who were concerned for the promotion of right order in the Church; and much counsel, reproof, and admonition, were communicated, under right influence, to stir up the negligent and refractory members to more faithfulness and attention to their several duties, and a more full submission to the manifestations of divine grace in their own minds, that they may be thereby strengthened to arise, and shake themselves from the dust of the earth, and separate themselves from those hindering and annoying things, which divert and turn them aside from their Christian duty, and those things in which their best interest consists. The meeting for worship was likewise a favoured season. Many very important truths of the gospel were clearly opened in the demonstration of the spirit; and the meeting closed under a thankful sense of the unmerited mercy; and the living among us separated to their several homes with grateful hearts.

I laid before this meeting my prospect of a religious visit as aforementioned, and received the unity and concurrence of the men’s and women’s meetings; and an endorsement thereof was made on my certificate. Being now left at liberty, and separated to the work whereunto I believed myself called by the Holy Spirit, and knowing my own insufficiency, and that of myself I can do nothing, all that remains for me is to cast my care wholly on him, in full faith, who hath called me; and, as I abide in the patience and in a full submission to his heavenly will, he that putteth his servants forth, will in his own right time go before them and make way for them, without which there is no way; and will make darkness light before them, and not forsake, but safely carry them through and over all the opposition and discouragements, that either men or devils may or can cast in the way, to the exceeding praise of his grace, and to the glory and exaltation of his great and excellent name, who is over all, God blessed for ever.

First day, the 27th. My mind while sitting in our meeting to-day, was led into a view of the great necessity there was of more faithfulness and attention to the inward principle of divine truth, or inward teacher in the mind, as professed by us as a people. For want of this, many were led into divers errours and deficiencies, which in their tendency not only led to great weakness, but to the encouragement of evil doers in their evil practices; a sight and sense of which had for some time been a cause of much exercise to my mind. The subject became very impressive, insomuch that I found it necessary to spread it before the meeting in a large arousing testimony; laying before the auditory the great danger many were in for want of a living concern to work out, through the assistance of divine grace, their salvation while the day of visitation was lengthened out. For nothing short of a full submission to the operation of divine truth on their minds could fit and prepare them for the awful approaching season, when the pale-faced messenger shall arraign us before the judgment seat of Him, whom we can neither awe nor bribe, to give an account of the deeds done in the body, whether good or evil. A solemn weight spread over the meeting and many minds appeared to be deeply humbled. May the exhortation be fixed in their remembrance, as a nail in a sure place that may not be moved, is the fervent desire of my mind.

The rest of this week I was busily employed in endeavouring so to arrange my temporal matters, that when I leave home on the prospect before me, I may feel my mind at full liberty therefrom, and that no occasion may be given, through the medium of any of my temporal engagements, for the enemies of truth to gainsay or find fault, to the disadvantage or reproach of the great and dignified cause I was about to embark in. For I have been led to believe some who have gone out on this solemn embassy, for want of this care have given too much occasion for censure, and have thereby wounded the cause they have proposed to promote, and brought much exercise on the minds of the faithful.

On fifth day at our meeting, my mind was deeply bowed in commemoration of the Lord’s continued mercies, and that indeed it might be said of us as it was of Israel formerly, that it was of the Lord’s mercies we were not consumed; and I was made thankful in believing, that there was a small remnant who were preserved faithful to his name and cause, and who were the salt of the society, and for whose sake he would not utterly cast us off nor forsake us. Surely it is of his unmerited mercy that we are not swallowed up in the mass of the people, and numbered among the unstable multitude who have no sure and solid foundation to rest their hopes upon, but are trusting in a ceremonial religion, of man’s invention; all which in the day of trial will fail them, and afford no succour to the soul.