Journal of the Life and Religious Labours of Elias Hicks

by Elias Hicks

I returned home on third day evening. Fourth and fifth days employed as usual. On sixth day paid him another visit, and found him much better, and the family cheerful. Oh, how unstable a creature is man! full and empty, joyful and sorrowful, as things go well or ill. All this is for want of having the mind centered in and on God, its alone proper object and sure balance.

I tarried until first day, and had an appointed meeting in the neighbourhood; and although not so large as I have sometimes had in that place, yet it was in the main an open favoured season, exciting thankfulness to the blessed Author of all our mercies. I returned home that evening, leaving my brother in a favourable way of recovery, with a hope that the visitation will be profitable to him and his family, if they rightly improve it.

The rest of the week I spent at and about home. Attended our monthly meeting on fifth day, and the funeral of a female relative on sixth day, who was taken off very suddenly with an apoplectic fit. Such instances speak a language to survivors very urgent and expressive: “Be ye therefore ready also.”

First day, the 24th. After a considerable time of silent waiting in our meeting, my mind was quickened in the remembrance of the following declaration of the apostle Paul: “For by grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” The subject opened to communication, wherein I had to unfold to the people the utter incapacity of man, in his fallen or natural state, doing any thing that would, in the least degree, further his salvation, or be acceptable to God, as a part of his necessary duty or service to him. For it would be very unwise and dangerous to presume or attempt any such thing: unwise, because it is impossible for him to effect it, and dangerous, lest he should do something that might warm or stir up his own passions, or those of others, in such manner as to apprehend that a degree of the divine power attended. For this would tend to lead to a very fatal errour, a continuance in the presumption; which can produce no other, than darkness and death to the soul. In this state he could not possibly avoid boasting, and thereby counteract the apostle’s doctrine; and indeed it would be justifiable to boast, if we could do the least thing of ourselves, without the immediate aid of divine grace. For strict justice cannot deny the ascription of merit to any cause that produces a real good work; but as no mere man can possibly ever be such a cause, so he can never merit any good from his own works, and therefore he never can have a right to boast. All this the truly humble are abundantly sensible of, and therefore dare not attempt any thing in a religious way, in their own time and will, but wait patiently for the immediate inspiring of divine grace, to whose power only, as the procuring cause of our salvation, all merit is due.

The rest of the week I spent in my usual avocations, not omitting my religious duties as they opened on my mind.

First day, the 1st of 10th month. My mind, while sitting in our meeting to-day, was led into the consideration of the real necessity there was for each individual to know God, before he could worship him acceptably, in spirit and in truth. For if we are ignorant of him, our worship would be no better than the worship of the Athenians to an unknown God. The subject enlarged and opened to the communication of divers gospel truths, and gave cause gratefully to acknowledge the mercy and goodness of our heavenly Father to his backsliding children.

The six following days I was occupied at and about home, with a grieved mind most of the time, on account of the conduct of some of my neighbours, particularly one of my tenants, and one other, who spent the week principally attending horse races; a most pernicious practice, leading to more evil than almost any other wicked custom that the loose and the vain are so foolishly addicted to; for it is not only spending our precious time in a vain and wanton manner, but likewise manifests great ingratitude to the Author of all our blessings, if not a total disbelief in him: for how can it be supposed that a rational mind, that has a real belief in God, could have hardiness enough to drive a horse in a race, to gratify a number of idle and vain spectators; and if for a bribe or a wager, it adds greatly to the sin, as it is then accompanied with covetousness and dishonesty. When we consider that the horse is one of the great temporal blessings conferred on man, by a gracious and beneficent providence, to abuse him without cause, by driving him in a race, is both cruel and wicked; for his life, and the life of his rider are both at stake, as it sometimes happens that both are killed. And not one single real good ever has arisen, or ever can be looked for, from it: for the truth of which, I dare appeal to any rational man who was ever in the practice, that it has never produced one hour of real peace to the mind.

First day, the 8th. As I sat in our meeting, the declaration of Paul, introductory to his epistle to the Hebrews, presented to my mind, and opened to a very interesting communication, showing that “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers [in Israel] by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things.” This renders it necessary for every true follower of him, to hear him in all things, as now, under the gospel dispensation, we have no other sufficient teacher but the Lord Jesus Christ, by his spirit in our hearts; therefore, they who do not hear and obey him, cannot be saved, but, agreeably to the testimony of Moses, “the wrath of God abideth on them.”

Second and third days. Were taken up in attending our meeting for sufferings. The rest of the week I was occupied in my temporal concerns, except attending our preparative meeting on fifth day.

First day, the 15th. Although in going to meeting to-day my mind was under the impression of poverty and spiritual want, yet I had not sat long, ere light sprang up, and opened to the communication of divers weighty gospel truths. In the unfolding of these, I was led to open to the people, that every birth was clothed in its own proper nature, and which must be congenial to the spring or source from whence the birth derived its existence. Hence, agreeably to the apostle Paul’s declaration, “The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven; and as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.” Therefore, as the earthy or animal part in man, must draw all its succour and support from the earth, and cannot be comforted nor subsist without earthly food; so neither can the spiritual part, or the immortal soul of man, be comforted or subsist in its true life, without spiritual food.