Journal of the Life and Religious Labours of Elias Hicks

by Elias Hicks

I attended our own meeting the next day in silence, and feeling a stop in my mind as to proceeding further at present in the visit before me, I turned my attention to my family concerns, not being willing to spend any of my precious time in idleness.

First day. Sat our meeting in silence. It is a precious thing and very consoling, to all Zion’s exercised travellers in the path of duty, to be instructed how and when to speak, and when to keep silence.

Fifth day. A silent meeting. Spent the rest of the week in attention to my family concerns.

First day, the 8th of 3d month. A favoured open time in our meeting to-day, in which the gospel was preached in its own authority, and in which the excellency and reality of the divine principle of grace and truth was opened and explained; showing it to be the same breath of life which was breathed into man on the day of his creation, and which constituted the divine image in man, and is the Lamb or innocent life of God, and which innocent life was slain in our first parents by their first transgression. Hence it is called the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, agreeably to the scriptures; but no otherwise slain than by man’s rejecting it, and turning away from it, into the serpentine wisdom; by which man became dead to this divine life, and that dead to him. Hence the denunciation was fulfilled on man, in the day thou eatest thereof, that is, in the day thou turnest away from this divine life, and presumest to know good and evil for thyself, thou shalt, or wilt, surely die; which was accordingly fulfilled on our first parents in the day of their transgression, and consequently on all their offspring who have followed their example. Agreeably to the apostle Paul’s doctrine, it then follows, that as in Adam all die, that is, as in our transgressing like Adam, we take upon us Adam’s nature in the fall, which nature is a state of death; so on the contrary, as we turn inward to the divine light and law, and repent of our transgressions, and become sincerely obedient thereunto, by denying ourselves and taking up our cross daily, we then come into the obedience of Christ; not doing our own will, but the will of our heavenly Father. We then put on Christ and become partakers of his divine nature, and thereby come to witness in our own experience, not only that in Adam, that is, in Adam’s nature in the fall, which we have taken upon us by our own transgression, and not by Adam’s, we die or witness a state of death to the divine nature: so likewise in our coming into the obedience of Christ, we take upon us his divine nature; and are thereby made alive and come to witness the Lamb which was slain in us, while we remained in Adam’s nature, to rise from the dead and become Christ in us the hope of glory, or the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. Therefore all the varied names given in scripture to this divine light and life, such as Emmanuel, Jesus, sent of God, great Prophet, Christ our Lord, Grace, Unction, Anointed, &c. mean one and the same thing; and are nothing less nor more, than the spirit and power of God in the soul of man, as his Creator, Preserver, Condemner, Redeemer, Saviour, Sanctifier and Justifier.

Spent the rest of the week at and about home. Attended our preparative meeting on fifth day. The meeting for worship I sat mostly in silence.

First day, the 15th. In the course of our meeting I felt constrained to communicate some plain truths in doctrine and in caution, to the unguarded and refractory; but which seemed too much to rebound, for want of a disposition in such to receive the word preached, as they are apt to kick against the truth when it is plainly told them; this causes hard labour to the messengers, who, although they feel the woe and are constrained to labour, yet find little satisfaction therein, except in the consciousness of having faithfully done their duty to their careless and deficient brethren and fellow creatures.

In the afternoon I proceeded in the concern before expressed, in visiting some of the neighbouring inhabitants. Had an appointed meeting at Jerusalem in the evening, and on second day, a meeting about four miles westerly from thence. On third day I had one further on, in a southwesterly direction, among a people in moderate circumstances as to this world, but whose minds seemed generally open to receive the doctrines of truth. I also had a meeting in the evening of this day in the town of Hempstead. These were all large favoured meetings, especially the last, which was unusually so, and in which the truths of the gospel were largely communicated, apparently to the satisfaction and edification of the assembly, and to the peace of my own mind. We returned home the next day, attending Westbury monthly meeting in our way.

Fifth day. Attended our monthly meeting. In the meeting for worship I was led to open to Friends the many precious advantages and privileges resulting from a firm faith and sincere trust in the Almighty Jehovah. For thereby we come to witness all those great and precious promises fulfilled which the scriptures mention, and know in our own experience that they who trust in the Lord are never confounded.

The rest of the week I was busily employed in a variety of temporal concerns, as I find no time to be idle, either in body or mind, for nothing affords so much true peace as a consciousness of the right improvement and employment of precious time.