m 
 
 mm'' 
 
mtlieCitpoflmgork 
 
 THE LIBRARIES 
 
 Bequest of 
 
 Frederic Bancroft 
 
 1860-1945 
 
LETTERS 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 INCLUDING ALSO 
 
 OBSERVATIONS ON THE SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS 
 
 AND THEIR DESCENDANTS, 
 
 THE USE OF THE PRODUCE OF THEIR LABOR 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 PUBLISHED BY T. ELLWOOD CHAPMAN, 
 
 No. 5 SOUTH FIFTH STREET. 
 18CX. 
 
GUr\C A. 
 
 
 3^<^s'^e 
 
 Entered, according to the Act, of Congress, in the year 1834, by Isaac T. 
 HoppEH, in the Clerk's office of s«*8 Ihetrici Court of the Soutliern Distnct of 
 New York. 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 In presenting to the public this volume from the pen of Elias 
 Hicks, it is proper to observe, that it might have been much enlarged 
 by the addition of many other letters ; but, we believe, that those 
 contained in the present collection, are sufficient to give a pretty full 
 exposition of the views of the writer on the various subjects of which 
 they treat, and which comprehend the most important doctrines of 
 the Christian religion : and though sentiments may, perhaps, be found 
 in it, that may appear new to some, yet, we think, upon an attentive 
 examination, they will be found in accordance with the Scriptures of 
 truth and the doctrines of our most approved and enlightened primi- 
 tive Friends ; and we think, too, that the long life of unsullied in- 
 tegrity and fervent piety of the writer, claims for them a close and 
 impartial examination. Most of these letters were written to his in- 
 timate friends, without any expectation, so far as appears, that they 
 would ever be made public ; the candid reader will, therefore, readily 
 admit in this fact, a sufficient apology, if the writer has not always been 
 as successful in elucidating some points, as might have been desired. 
 Another circumstance should be noticed. Most of the letters con- 
 tained in this volume, were answers to letters received, which not 
 being in our possession, we have not been able to state the questions 
 that elicited his replies ; and hence some things in the latter may 
 appear to require explanations which, probably, they would not have 
 been thought to want, had those questions been published at the same 
 time. To this we add, that if the reader should discover some things 
 which may appear ambiguous, or objectionable, we think he will find 
 the same subjects more fully and satisfactorily explained in other 
 parts of the work. 
 
4 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 In giving publicity to the opinions and doctrinal views of Ellas 
 Hicks, as exhibited in this work, we believe we shall be doing a 
 public service, and at the same time gratify many of his friends. 
 
 The contents of this volume have been carefully transcribed from 
 letters, or papers, in the hand-writing of the author, with the excep- 
 tion of a very few, which have been taken from copies, either written 
 or printed. 
 
 The author appears fully to have believed, that the doctrines pro- 
 mulgated in them, were opened to his understanding by that Divine 
 life which is the light of men; but, the reader must be left to form 
 his conclusions from the light and evidence in his own mind. 
 
 New York, 2d mo. 1834. 
 
OBSERVATIONS 
 
 SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS 
 
 AND THEIR DESCENDANTS, 
 
 AND ON THE USE OF THE PRODUCE OF THEIR LABOUR. 
 
 [This Essay was first published in the year 18U, after having been approved by 
 the Meeting for Sufferings.] 
 
PREFACE 
 
 Whereas, I some time past published certain observations on the Slavery 
 of the Africans and their descendants, and on the consumption of the produce of 
 their labour, comprehended principally in nineteen dueries and Answers, the 
 design of which was to impress on the minds of my friends and fellow-citizens, 
 and others concerned, as far as might be, by fair reasoning, a full sense of the 
 abhorrent cruelty and unrighteousness of holding our fellow creatures in 
 bondage, and wresting from them, by violence, the produce of their labour ; 
 which being well received by many, and affording reason to hope they were 
 profitable to some, I was induced to believe a second edition might be 
 useful. 
 
 I have, therefore, revised the original, and endeavoured to compress it as 
 much as the subjects would admit ; and have added some quotations from an 
 anonymous pamphlet, published some time since in England, which are so 
 correspondent with the before mentioned observations, as to have a tendency, 
 in my opinion, to elucidate and enforce them. 
 
 I shall only add, as a farther apology for the present edition, that the evil 
 still continues : that there are still slave holders, and consumers of the nro- 
 duce of the labour of slaves, wrested from them by violence. 
 
 And as the slave holder can have no moral right whatever to the man he 
 styles his slave, nor to the produce of his labour, he cannot possibly convey 
 any to a second person by any transfer he can make: for, having nothing but 
 a criminal possession himself, he can convey nothing to a second person but 
 the same possession : and should this possession be continued throagh a line 
 of transfer to the twentieth person, still it would be nothing more than the same 
 criminal possession that was vested in the first possessor, and would convev 
 no moral right whatever. And should any other person come forward, and, 
 by the same mode of violence and power that was exercised by the first pos- 
 sessor, in reducing the man he styles his slave to the abject state of slavery, 
 and by which he violently took from him the produce of his labour, forcibly 
 take from such twentieth or more remote possessors, the slave and the pro- 
 duce of his labour, the right of such person, in point of equity, to such slave 
 and the produce of his labour would be just equal to the right of such remote 
 
8 PREFACE. 
 
 possessor ; as neither of them could have had any more than a criminal 
 possession : and whether that possession is obtained by violence or by transfer, 
 (if the person who receives it by transfer is informed of the criminal circum- 
 stance,) it can make no possible difference, except that one is protected by the 
 indulgence of a partial law of the country we live in, and the other is not. 
 By which undeniable proposition, it appears, that when any man becomes 
 possessed of a slave, or the produce of his labour, wrested from him without 
 his consent, whether it be by transfer or otherwise, any other person who has 
 power so to do, may, by violence, take from such possessor, such slave and 
 tae produce of his labour: and when he has in that way obtained possession 
 mereof, he has as good a right to such slave and to use the produce of his 
 ^abour as the former ; and the former can have no just cause to complain of 
 such usage, as he is only paid in his own coin. For, although the first pos- 
 sessor committed the act of violence, when he took from the man he styles his 
 slave his liberty, and compelled him to work, and by the same cruel force, 
 took from him the produce of his labour ; yet, every purchaser of such slave 
 and the produce of his labour, if he is apprized of the criminal circumstance 
 attending it, is as guilty as the first perpetrator : and should such slave and 
 the produce of his labour pass through the hands of twenty persons, all 
 Knowing at the time of transfer the criminal circumstances attending, ea^h 
 would be guilty of the entire crime of the first perpetrator. This bein? 
 assented to, and I conceive it is incontrovertible, I have a hope that this 
 edition may produce a good effect, and tend to raise up many more faithful 
 advocates in the cause of this deeply oppressed people, who may be willing 
 »o suffer every necessary privation, rather than be guilty of the least thing 
 .,nat may, in any degree, possibly strengthen the hands of their oppressors. I 
 therefore recommend this little treatise to the candid and impartial considera- 
 iioaof the reader, and subscribe myself his sincere friend, 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
OBSERVATIONS, &c. 
 
 The slavery of the Africans and their descendants, has 
 become so established by long continuance, and the force of 
 an unrighteous custom, that many persons consider the prac- 
 tice not only admissible, but consistent with justice and social 
 order. 
 
 But I am led to doubt the possibility of any rational, moral 
 person being thus circumstanced, unless he is first greatly 
 blinded by selfishness and partiality ; as I consider it a matter 
 of fact, obviously clear to every rational, contemplative mind, 
 that neither custom nor education, nor any law of men or 
 nations, can alter the nature of justice and equity; which 
 will and must, essentially and eternally, rest upon their own 
 proper base, as laid down by the great Christian Lawgiver, 
 viz. "Therefore, all things, whatsoever ye would that men 
 should do to you, do ye even so to them : for tliis is the law 
 and the prophets." Hence, I conceive, it is a most necessary 
 and important christian duty, for all those who are either 
 directly or indirectly concerned in the slavery of their fellow 
 creatures, seriously and impartially to consider the manner 
 and way in which the slavery of the Africans was first intro- 
 duced ; and by what means it has been so 'long continued ; 
 not doubting, but that every upright, impartial mind, by a full 
 examination into the subject, will readily discover, that it was 
 first introduced by fraud and force, and continued by an unjust 
 and tyrannical power : and will, therefore, be induced to restore 
 to them their just and native rights, as free men, which no 
 law nor power of men or nations ought to deprive them of 
 without their consent. 
 
 It is generally acknowledged, by the people of every 
 
 2 
 
10 OBSERVATIOXS 
 
 enlightened country, and particularly by those who believe 
 in revelation, as testified of in the Scriptures of Truth, that 
 man is a moral agent, (that is, free to act, with the restriction 
 of accountability to his Creator,) agreeably to the declaration 
 of the prophet Ezekiel ; through whom, Jehovah, in his 
 benignity and justice, claims the right of sovereignty over 
 the children of men : " All souls are mine ; as the soul of the 
 father, so also the soul of the son is mine : the soul that sinneth, 
 it shall die : the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, 
 neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son !" This 
 Scripture testimony, perfectly consonant with reason and jus- 
 tice, not only proves, that every man is to bear his own ini- 
 • quity, but that he also stands fully indemnified thereby, from 
 all the iniquity of his predecessors ; and likewise fully estab- 
 lishes man's free agency : and, of course, proves, that every 
 moral agent born into the world, (whatever the conduct and 
 situation of his parents may have been) is born free : upon 
 which undeniable truth, I shall found the following Queries 
 and Answers : 
 
 Query 1. Were not the people of Africa, at the time wh-en 
 the Europeans first visited their coasts, a free people, possessed 
 of the same natural and unalienable rights, as the people of 
 any other nation ? 
 
 Answer. They certainly were : for, when the Europeans, 
 whether by fraud or force, or by purchase from those who had 
 stolen or taken them prisoners in war, became possessed of a 
 number of the people of Africa, and by violence reduced them 
 to the wretched and degraded state of Slaves ; at the same 
 time it would have been as right and as consistent with equity 
 and moral justice, for the Africans to have done the same by 
 them, had it been in their power : by which undeniable propo- 
 sition, it is evident, that the slavery of .the Africans is the pro- 
 duct of mere power, Avithout any possible plea of right : and 
 that the same power of force, fraud, and tyrannical cruelty, that 
 was exercised in reducing the people of Africa at first, to the 
 miserable and wretched state of slaves, has, in like manner, in 
 a continual state of war, been exercised on all the descendants 
 
ON SLAVERY. 11 
 
 of those unhappy people that are held as slaves, from genera- 
 tion to generation, down to the present day: it being an 
 undeniable truth, that no rational creature can be any longer 
 a slave, than while the force of war is operating upon him : 
 and as before proved from Scripture, and moral justice, that 
 every child of an African, born in America, or elsewhere, is 
 born free : therefore, he suffers the same cruel force of fraud 
 and power while continued under the galling yoke of slavery, 
 as was exercised on his predecessors. 
 
 " The lust of power, and the pride of conquest, have doubt- 
 less produced instances far too numerous of man enslaved by 
 man. But we, in an enlightened age, have greatly surpassed, 
 in brutality and injustice, the most ignorant and barbarous 
 ages ; and while we are pretending to the finest feelings of 
 humanity, are exercising unprecedented cruelty. We have 
 planted slavery in the rank soil of sordid avarice : and the 
 product has been misery in the extreme. We have ascer- 
 tained, by a course of experiments in cruelty, the least portion 
 of nourishment requisite to enable man to linger a few years 
 in misery ; the greatest quantity of labour, which, in such a 
 situation, the extreme of punishment can extort ; and the 
 utmost degree of pain, labour and hunger united, that the 
 human frame can endure. In vain have such scenes been 
 developed. The wealth derived from the horrid traffic, has 
 created an influence that secures its continuance ; unless the 
 people at large shall refuse to receive the produce of robbery 
 and murder." 
 
 Q. 2. Under what name or descriptive mode of property 
 are the slaves to be considered, in relation to the man who 
 holds them as such ? 
 
 A. The slaves being taken by violence, either directly or 
 indirectly, contrary to their o\\ai wills, and in direct opposition 
 to all the power of self-defence, which they are capable of 
 exerting, whether they are taken prisoners of war or stolen, 
 or decoyed on shipboard by the slave merchant, and then for- 
 cibly confined and carried off ; it must be aclmowledged, they 
 are taken in a state of war, and considered by the captor as 
 
12 OBSERVATIONS 
 
 a prize : therefore, the only true title and description of pro- 
 perty they can possibly bear, is prize goods. 
 
 Q. 3. Is not the produce of the slave's labour likewise prize 
 goods ? 
 
 A. It certainly is ; for the man, who, by mere power and 
 violence, without any just plea of right, not only holds them 
 as slaves, but takes from them, in the same cruel and arbi- 
 trary manner, the proceeds of their labour, without their con- 
 sent, thereby places himself in a state of continual and actual 
 waT with his slaves. And, moreover, as the stealing or taldng 
 a man by violence, and depriving him of his liberty, and 
 reducing him to the wretched and helpless state of a slave, is 
 the highest grade of felony, and is done purposely to profit by 
 the slave's labour ; therefore, the produce of the slave's labour 
 is the highest grade of prize goods, next to his person. 
 
 Q. 4. Does the highway robber, that meets his fellow-citizen 
 on the highway, and robs him of all the property he has in 
 his present possession, and then leaves him at liberty, without 
 injuring his person, commit as high an act of felony, as he 
 that steals or buys, or takes a man by violence, and reduces 
 him to the wretched and degraded state of a slave for life ? 
 
 A. No ! in no wise. Which answer is founded on the self- 
 evident proposition, that it is more criminal to rob a man of his 
 liberty and property, than only to rob him of his property. 
 
 Q. 5. Does it lessen the criminality and wickedness of 
 reducing our fellow creatures to the abject state of slavery, and 
 continuing them therein, because the practice is tolerated by 
 the laws of the country we live in ? 
 
 A. No ! by no means. Because, every rational creature 
 Imows, or ought to Imow, that.no laws of men or nations, 
 can alter the nature of immutable justice. The criminality 
 remains as great in all cases of slavery, when inflicted with- 
 out any criminality of the individual made a slave, under the 
 sanction of law, as when it is not ; and in some cases, greater : 
 as in the instance of those governments, where they are not 
 only guilty of the cruelty and oppression of reducing, by mere 
 power, without any possible plea of right, their fellow crea- 
 
ON SLAVERY. 13 
 
 tures who have equally a right with themselves to liberty, and 
 the purchase of redemption by a Saviour's blood, to the abject 
 and wretched state of slaves, but are adding sin to sin, by 
 making and continuing cruel laws to hold them still longer 
 under the galling yoke. 
 
 Q. 6. Would it be right and consistent with justice and 
 equity, for the legislatures of the several states, and others 
 concerned, to make laws entirely to abolish slavery in their 
 respective states? 
 
 A. It would, doubtless, be entirely right, and perfectly con- 
 sistent with equity and justice to make such laws ; and noth- 
 ing, I apprehend, can exculpate them from the charge of blood- 
 guiltiness short of so doing : as, no doubt, many of the poor 
 victims of slavery suffer daily to the sl>edding of their blood, 
 under the hands of some of the cruel men who pretend to be 
 their masters, because they do not at all times immediately 
 submit to their cruel and arbitrary wills. 
 
 Q. 7. Would it not give just occasion for those who still 
 have slaves in their possession, and especially to such as have 
 lately purchased them, at a dear rate, to complain of wrong in 
 thus taking from them, v/ithout their consent, v/hat they esteem 
 as their real property ? 
 
 A. The making and enforcing such laws cannot possibly 
 give just occasion for any such complaint ; as it is impossible 
 for any man to gain any just property in a rational being, as a 
 slave, without his consent ; for, neither the slave dealer nor 
 the planter have any moral right to the person of him they 
 style their slave, to his labour, or to the produce of it ; so, they 
 can convey no right in such person, nor in the produce of his 
 labour to another ; and whatever number of hands they may 
 pass through, (if the criminal circumstances appertaining 
 thereto be known to them at the time of the transfer,) they can 
 only have a criminal possession ; and .the money paid either 
 for the slave or for the produce of his labour, is paid to obtain 
 that criminal possession, and can confer no moral right what- 
 ever ; and if the death of the person called a slave, be occa- 
 sioned by the criminal possession, the criminal possessor is 
 
14 0BS>ERVATI0N3 
 
 guilty of murder ; and we who liave knowingly done any a<;t 
 which might occasion his being in that situation, are accbssa- 
 hes to the murder, before the fact ; as by receiving the produce 
 of his labour, we are accessaries to the robbery after the fact. 
 Therefore, I conceive, it must appear clear and agreeable to 
 truth and justice, that a man who should dare to be so hardy 
 as to buy a fellow creature, whose liberty is withheld from him 
 by violence and injustice, ought not only to be obliged to set 
 him free, and to forfeit the purchase money, but likewise to 
 make full satisfaction to the person he had injured, by such 
 purchase. 
 
 Q. 8. As the Legislature of the State of New York has 
 passed a law, declaring that every child, born in this state of 
 a woman held as a slave, shall be free, the males at twenty- 
 eight years of age, and the females at twenty-five ; can such 
 a law be considered as doing full justice to that injured people? 
 
 A. Although such might have been the unjust bias, that too 
 generally prevailed on the minds of the inhabitants of this 
 State, at the time of making the law alluded to in the query, 
 that it was the best step the Legislature could then take ; 
 nevertheless, in my opinion, it fell very far short of doing 
 them that full justice to which they are entitled ; for, as all 
 children born of white women in this state, are free at the age 
 of twenty-one and eighteen years, according to their sex, and as 
 the Africans and their descendants are not here in their own 
 wills, nor agreeable to their own choice, but wholly in conse- 
 quence of the will and pleasure of the white citizens of this 
 State ; therefore, it is impossible, m point of justice, that any 
 disadvantage or penalty should attach to them, as a conse- 
 quence of their being here : but as free born men and women, 
 they have a right to demand their freedom at the same age as 
 other citizens ; and to deny them of it, is depriving them of 
 their just right. 
 
 Q. 9. What measures can be adopted by the Legislature 
 and citizens of New York, in order to exculpate themselves 
 from the giLlt of that atrocious crime of holding the Africans 
 and their descendants so long in slavery ? 
 
ox SLAVERY. 15 
 
 A. The least that can be done, in order to effect the salu- 
 tary end contemplated by the query, would be to declare free- 
 dom to every slave in the state, and to make provision by law 
 for the education of all minors that are in a state of slavery ; 
 compelling their masters, or those who have the charge of 
 them, to instruct them so as to keep their own accounts, and 
 that they be set at liberty, the males at twenty-one and females 
 at eighteen years of age : and further, that some lawful and 
 reasonable step be taken, to compensate such slaves as have 
 been held in bondage beyond "that age, for such surplus 
 service. ■ 
 
 Q. 10. By what class of the people is the slavery of the 
 Africans and their descendants supported and encouraged ? 
 
 A. Principally by the purchasers and consumers of the 
 produce of the slaves' labour ; as the profits arising from the 
 produce of their labour, is the only stimulus or inducement for 
 making slaves. 
 
 " The laws of our country may indeed prohibit us the 
 sweets of the sugar cane," and other articles of the West- 
 Indies and southern states, that are the produce of the slave's 
 labour, " unless we will receive it through the medium of 
 slavery ; they may hold it to our lips, steeped in the blood of 
 our fellow creatures, but they cannot compel us to accept the 
 loathsome potion. With us it rests, either to receive it and 
 be partners in th-e crime, or to exonerate ourselves from 
 guilt, by spurning from us the temptation. For let us not 
 think, that the crime rests alone with those who conduct the 
 traffic, or the Legislature by which it is protected. If we 
 purchase the commodity, we participate in the crime. The 
 slave dealer, the slave holder, and the slave driver, are virtu- 
 ally the agents of the consumer, and may be considered as 
 employed and hired by him, to procure the commodity. For, 
 by holding out the temptation, he is the original cause, the first 
 mover in the horrid process ; and every distinction is done 
 away by the moral maxim, That whatever ice do by another, 
 71)6 do ourselves. 
 
 '■' Nor are we by any means warranted to consider our indi- 
 
16 OBSERVATTONS 
 
 vidual share in producing these evils in a trivial point of view : 
 the consumption of sugar" and other articles of slavery " jn 
 this country is so immense, that the quantity commonly used 
 by individuals will have an important effect." 
 
 Q. 11. What effect would it have on the slave holders and 
 their slaves, should the people of the United States of America 
 and the inhabitants of Great Britain, refuse to purchase or 
 make use of any goods that are the produce of slavery ? 
 
 A. It would doubtless have a particular effect on the slave 
 holders, by circumscribing their avarice, and preventing their 
 heaping up riches, and living in a state of luxury and excess 
 on the gain of oppression : and it might have the salutary 
 effect of convincing them of the unrighteousness and cruelty 
 of holding their fellow creatures in bondage ; and it would 
 have a blessed and excellent effect on the poor atliicted slaves ; 
 as it would immediately meliorate their wretched condition 
 and abate their cruel bondage ; for I have been informed, and 
 reason naturally dictates to every one who has made right 
 observations on men and things, that the higher the price of 
 such produce is, the harder they are driven at their work. 
 
 And should the people of the United States, and the inhabit- 
 ants of Great Britain, withdraw from a commerce in, and the 
 use of the produce of slavery, it would greatly lessen the price 
 of those articles, and be a very great and immediate relief to 
 the poor, injured and oppressed slaves, whose blood is conthiu- 
 ally ciying from the ground for justice, as their lives are greatly 
 shortened, and many of them do not live out half their day? 
 by reason of their cruel bondage. 
 
 " If we as individuals concerned in purchasing and co-n- 
 suming the produce of slavery, should imagine that our share 
 in the transaction is so minute, that it cannot perceptibly 
 increase the injury ; let us recollect, that, though numbers 
 partaking of a crime may diminish the shame, they cannot 
 diminish its turpitude ; can we suppose, that any injury of an 
 enormous magnitude can take place, and the criminality be 
 destroyed, merely by the criminals becoming so numerous as 
 to render their particular shares indistinguishable 1 Were a 
 
ON SLAVERY. 17 
 
 hundred assassins to plunge their daggers into their victim, 
 though each might plead, that without his assistance the crime 
 Avould have been completed, and. that his poniard neither occa- 
 sioned nor accelerated the murder ; yet, every one of them 
 would be guilty of the entire crime. For, into how many 
 parts soever a criminal action may be divided, the crime itself 
 rests entire and complete on every perpetrator. 
 
 " But, waiving this latter consideration, and even supposing 
 for a moment, that the evil has an existence from causes totally 
 independent of us, yet it exists ; and as we have it in our power 
 jointly with others to remedy it, it is undoubtedly our duty to 
 contribute our share, in hope that others will theirs ; and to 
 act that part from conscience, which we should from inclina- 
 tion in similar cases that interested our feelings :" for instance, 
 let us suppose that the way for obtaining slaves from Africa 
 was entirely intercepted, and no other place opened for obtain- 
 ing any, except in the rivers Delaware and Hudson, in North 
 America ; that the slave traders were continually infesting the 
 shores of those rivers, as the only places to be insulted with 
 impunity ; that they frequently kidnapped, and sometimes by 
 force carried off numbers of the inhabitants to the West-Indies, 
 and sold them as slaves, among whom were man^^ of our fathers 
 and brothers, with their wives and children. We now view 
 them all hand-cuffed, two and two together, crowded down 
 between the ship's decks, and so closely stowed, as to be almost 
 suffocated ; in consequence of which, a number sicken and 
 die, which to them is a veiy happy release, when compared 
 with the still more cruel sufferings that await the survivors. 
 We next behold them in port, and the day of sale arrives, when 
 they are taken from on ship-board, and driven like a herd of 
 swine to market, but worse treated, being manacled together. 
 They are here herded in a pen or yard, like the beasts of the field, 
 exposed to public sale, and without regard to sex or age exam- 
 ined by those brutal men, who are to be their purchasers, as 
 naked as they were born : and, when one is struck off to any 
 bidder, a red hot iron is ready to brand the poor victim with 
 the name of his tyrant purchaser. This leads to a scene still 
 
 3 
 
OBSERVATIONS 
 
 more grievous, still more deeply afflicting. All nature is forced 
 to yield, when the husband is separated from a beloved wife, 
 and a wife from a beloved husband, who had been for many 
 years the joy of her life, and whom she had expected would 
 have been tlie strength and comfort of her declining years ; 
 but now, alas ! they are torn asunder, like bone from bone : 
 a heart-rending separation takes place, without a small indul- 
 gence of taking a spnpathetic farewell of each other, or the 
 possibility of indulging the most distant hope of seeing each 
 other again. 
 
 We behold the fond children, with ghastly look and frighted 
 eyes, cling to their beloved parents, not to be separated from 
 them, but by the lash of their cruel drivers, who make the 
 blood to start at every stroke on their mangled bodies. We 
 next, with heavy hearts and minds overwhelmed with pity, 
 follow them to their destined labour in the plantation field, 
 and by the morning dawn, we hear them sunm^ioned to their 
 daily task, by the clashing of cowskin scourges in the hands of 
 their hard-hearted overseers. And should any of them, in 
 consequence of fatigue and loss of strength, fall a little behind 
 their fellow sufferers, they are immediately reminded of it by 
 the lash of their cruel drivers. But here I must stop, as it is 
 too much for nature to pursue farther the dreadfully degrading 
 and cruel theme ! And is it not enough to awaken and arouse 
 to sympathy the hardest heart, and lead it to exclaim aloud 
 with abhorrence aa^ainst such brutal and unriq-hteous doings? 
 Is it possible that there should be in the United States a man, 
 or would he be worthy to bear the dignified name of man, 
 were he so void of the feelings of humanity, as to purchase 
 and make use of the labour of his fellow citizens, his kindred 
 and his friends, produced in the horrid manner above stated ? 
 Would not every sympathetic heart, at the sight of a piece of 
 sugar, or other article, that he believed to be the fruit of their 
 labour, produced with agonizing hearts and trembling limbs, 
 be filled with anguish and his eyes gush with tears ? Would 
 it not awaken in the feeling, unbiased mind, a sense of all the 
 cruel sufferings above related? Would it not, instead of 
 
ON SLAVERY. 19 
 
 pleasing his palate, be deeply wounding to the heart ? and, if 
 rightly considered, cause cries to arise from the bottom of his 
 soul, in moving accents of supplication to the righteous Judge 
 of Heaven and earth, that he would be graciously pleased to 
 put a stop to such complicated misery and great distress of his 
 creature man l 
 
 But some, who have not given the subject a full and impar- 
 tial discussion, may object and say, the slaves in the West- 
 Indies and southern states, are not our fellow citizens and 
 friends. But it cannot be objected by the impartial and the 
 just, who know, that although in a limited sense, as applied to 
 a particular town or city, they may not be so, yet upon the 
 general and universal scale of nature, they are our brethren 
 and fellow creatures ; all privileged by nature and nature's 
 God, with liberty and free-agency, and with the blessings 
 attendant thereon ; of which they are not to be deprived, but 
 by their own consent ; and, therefore, have a right to demand 
 of us the same justice and equity, as our fellow citizens and 
 friends, in a more limited sense, as above stated, could have 
 done ; and to whom we are accountable for every act of injus- 
 tice and omission of doing to them as we would they should 
 do unto us, and for which we shall all have to answer ere long, 
 at the dread tribunal bar, that we can neither awe nor bribe, 
 but shall receive a just retribution for all our works, whether 
 good or evil. 
 
 The foregoing queries and answers, with the annexed obser- 
 vations, are not intended to criminate such of my friends and 
 fellow citizens whose residence is in the slave-holding states, 
 and necessitated to partake more or less of the produce of 
 slavery ; as it is a known principle, that necessity hath no law 
 — but only to persuade those who are not exposed to such 
 necessity, to do all in their power to discourage and put an 
 end to that cruel and abominable sin, of holdino- our fellow 
 creatures in slavery ; as no one livinsf out of the slave-holdinar 
 States, can plead any necessity for trading in the produce of 
 the labour of slaves, to enrich and aggrandize themselves, on 
 
20 LETTER TO 
 
 the groans and misery of their fehow creatures ; neither can 
 any plead the necessity, who are hving in the free States, to 
 indulge theniselves in the hixuries raised by the labour of 
 slaves, in the West-Indies and other places ; but every one 
 remember, to do unto others as they would that others sliould 
 do to them, when placed under the like circumstances. 
 
 LETTEES. 
 
 TO RUFUS CLARK, NEW HAVEN. 
 
 Jericho, \~th of 2d month, 1813. 
 Dear Friend, 
 
 After parting with tliee at Humphreysville, we passed on 
 pretty comfortably to Woodbury, where we arrived early in 
 the afternoon and procured a meeting the same evening ; it 
 was pretty large, and, I hope, a comfortable edifying season 
 to many who attended. The Episcopal minister was present, 
 and passed away quietly without manifesting any dissatisfac- 
 tion. The following day, we rode to Danbury, and had a 
 meeting there in the evening to good satisfaction : a number 
 who attended, at tlie close, manifested a desire that we would 
 tarry longer with them and have another meeting, but the 
 way did not appear open in my mind for it at that time ; from 
 thence we went directly to Friends in our state, and visited all 
 the meetings in Purchase Quarter, that we had not attended 
 in our way out, except one at Salem. They were generally 
 well attended, and some very large, by the coming in of many 
 of other religious societies. They were generally very solemn 
 opportunities, and I was made glad in believing that the Lord 
 our gracious helper was near, to bless his own work and set 
 home the truth delivered to the several states of the people, 
 and to comfort the hearts of the faithful ; to him alone be the 
 praise. I found the work very laborious, having a heavy cold 
 on me, from the time of my leaving thee, until I got home, 
 and it still continues, tliough some better. I got safe home 
 the 10th instant, and the peace of mind and thankfulness of 
 
RUFUS CLARK. 21 
 
 heart I felt on my return, was more than an ample reward for 
 all my toil. I found my dear wife and children well ; lor 
 which, with His other mercies vouchsafed, my spirit was 
 bowed in humble gratitude to the Gracious Author of all our 
 blessings, whose faithfulness faileth not, and whose mercies 
 are new every morning. 
 
 I have felt much for thy dear wife* since I left you, and the 
 more so, I conclude, as something I expressed in answer to 
 a queiy of one of thy neighbours, affected, in so serious a 
 manner, her tender feelings. When I expressed what I did 
 on that subject, it was in the simplicity and integrity of my 
 heart, not apprehending that she, in the least, was implicated 
 in the matter. My whole view on the subject was to strengthen 
 the mind of thy neighbour, who I took to be an inquirer after 
 the right way ; and. believing as I do, that scarcely any thing 
 more fatal to a right growth in true religion can happen to 
 the sincere inquiring mind, than to be led into a belief, that 
 conversion from sin is effected by a sudden shock on the 
 human frame, which can be effected many ways, by only 
 working on the animal passions. Therefore I have long felt 
 it my duty to endeavour to show every honest inquirer, the 
 danger and inconsistency of such a belief As, I think, it 
 must necessarily lead those who give way thereto into much 
 exposure, by laying them open to many temptations ; for by 
 supposing themselves to be made whole in so sudden a man- 
 ner, it will be likely to induce a spirit of pride, and lead them 
 to imagine their condition to be much better than it really is. 
 This, I believe, has been the case in many instances, wherein 
 they have manifested a kind of triumph while a fiery zeal 
 has pressed them on, but, after the heat of their spirits has 
 cooled down, they haA^e entirely declined and gone back into 
 as bad, if not worse, state than they were in before ; which, 1 
 believe, will scarcely ever be the case with a truly converted 
 soul : such a belief, in some, may likewise tend to carelessness, 
 
 ♦ At the time this letter was written, she belonged to the Methodists, 
 was afterwards conv^inced of Friends' principles, and became a member ol 
 their society. 
 
22 
 
 LETTER TO RUFUS CLARK. 
 
 in respect to the great and necessary work of true christian 
 mortification, which is to know all the desires of the flesh and 
 of the will of man brought down and reduced into the perfect 
 obedience of Christ, and this can only be effected by many, 
 repeated, and deep baptisms of the Holy Ghost ; as it is only 
 by these baptisms and sufferings, that the christian learns true 
 obedience to the will of his Heavenly Father ; as is implied 
 in the saying of Christ to those of his disciples who desired 
 an exalted station. " Are ye able to drink of the cup that I 
 shall drink of," which was a cup of suffering and death, and 
 to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with ?" — 
 and we read, Hebrews v. 8, that even Christ himself 
 "Learned obedience by the things which he suffered," and 
 that not for a day, a month, or a year only, but is sometimes 
 dispensed to man, in his fallen state, for many years, (as it 
 was to Israel of old,) in order to bring him out of his fallen 
 state, and that the old man may be fully crucified and the soul 
 made meet for the kingdom of Heaven, where no unclean 
 thing can enter, which true and real conversion always 
 prepares for. 
 
 It is often the fervent prayer of my mind that the many 
 honest seekers, scattered up and down, as sheep without a 
 shepherd, may be strengthened to wait and trust in the Lord, 
 and lean not to their own understandings, nor put confidence 
 in man, " whose breath is in his nostrils ; for wherem is he to 
 be accounted of ?" but " trust ye in the Lord for ever ; for in 
 the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength ;" and he wall surely 
 arise in his o^vn time for the help of those who trust in him 
 with the whole heart and patiently wait for his coming. 
 
 I must now conclude, and with love to thyself and dear 
 wife, in which my wife joins, I rest thy friend. 
 
 ELI AS HICKS. 
 
LETTER TO WILLIAM POOLE. ^^ 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, 5th of 1st month, 1817. 
 Beloved Friend, 
 
 By these I acknowledg-e the due and very acceptable 
 reception of thy two letters of last month, the contents whereof 
 tended to revive afresh the cordial friendship and affection 
 witnessed, when I, Avith my companion, Isaac Hicks, was so 
 kindly entertained under thy roof, by thyself and family, and 
 which was renewed and strengthened by thy- kind visit to us 
 last spring. 
 
 How precious is the fellowship and affection which arises 
 from the influence of that pure love that binds together, in an 
 inseparable bond, all the children of the Heavenly Father's 
 family ; and in which is witnessed the truth of the apostle's 
 testimony, that in this union of spirits, " There is neither Jew 
 nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male 
 nor female ; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus, and if ye be 
 Christ's, then are ye Abrahanis seed, and heirs according to 
 the promise." — Gal. iii. 28, 29. 
 
 It is very pleasant and agreeable, when we are so far 
 separated from our friends whom we love, as not often to 
 have the opportunity of commmiing with them face to face. 
 to receive from them communications in this epistolary way, 
 and it is likewise comfortable and pleasant, when opportunity 
 and ability offers, thus to communicate in true christian 
 sympathy and affection. But so many and various are the 
 avocations that almost continually engross my attention, that 
 I do not find time and opportunity to visit my friends, in this 
 way, as often as I feel warm desires to do ; this I plead as an 
 excuse for not writing to thee ere now, although I have often 
 thought of it. Yet, if thou supposes me still behindhand in 
 that respect, I would have thee remember, that thou art not 
 to do as thou art done by, but in that way that thou desires 
 others should do by thee, then I shall be favoured, I trust, in 
 due time, with more of those agreeable epistolary visits from 
 
24 LETTERS TO 
 
 thee; for it is truly comfortable to me often to hear of the 
 welfare of my friends that I love ; and, I trust that I love in 
 an eminent degree, all those who love the Lord Jesus Christ 
 in sincerity. 
 
 Thou no doubt remembers the exercise of my mind, as 
 manifested in our last yearly meeting, respecting the super- 
 stitious observance of the first day of the week, together with 
 its demoralizing tendency on the morals and manners of a 
 great portion of the inhabitants of our country ; and what is 
 extraordinary to me, is, that some in our highly favoured 
 society, who purpose to be leaders and instructers, should 
 appear so blind and ignorant on the subject ; as I conceive it 
 is wholly founded on a mixture of Jewish and heathenish 
 superstition ; and, therefore, more loudly calls for reformation 
 than if it were altofi-ether of Jewish original. If we should 
 now take up anew the Jewish rite of circumcision, it would 
 not be so uiconsistent and hurtful, as the superstitious observ- 
 ance of the first day, as now established by the laws of our 
 country. The first institution for keeping the day was by an 
 edict of the first emperor that professed christianit^rj and 
 issuing from the unnatural and unchristian union of church 
 and state, it is manifestly nothing but an engine of priestcraft. 
 This emperor "s first edict runs as follows, (as appears by the 
 early history of the christian church, about the year 300.) 
 '• Let all the judges and tovrii people, and the occupations of 
 all trades, rest on the venerable day of the sun," (the first day 
 of the week being tlie day on which the heathen worshipped 
 tlie sun, hence the reason of its being called Sunday,) '• but," 
 says his edict, "let those who are situated in the country 
 freely, and at full liberty, attend to the business of agriculture, 
 because it often happens that no other day is so fit for sowing 
 corn and planting vines, lest the critical moment being let 
 slip, men should lose the commodities granted them by the 
 providence of Heaven." These things considered, I conceive 
 there is no heathenish custom, or Jewisli rite, that, in the 
 present day, calls more loudly for reformation than the super- 
 stitious observance of the day alluded to, and I am fully of 
 
LETTER TO J N . 25 
 
 the belief, that, had the latter generations of Friends been as 
 faithful to the testimonies we, as a people, are called to bear 
 against all superstitious and heathenish and Jewish rites, as 
 were our predecessors in the morning of the day, this super- 
 stition would, long ago, have been done away and lost in 
 oblivion in this enlightened country. 
 
 I must now draw to a close, as my paper is not sufficient to 
 contain the fulness of my mind on this, to me, important subject. 
 
 Thy affectionate friend, 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO J N . 
 
 The following Letter was written in answer to one which Elias Hicks 
 
 receiv^ed from J N , who believed in the doctrine of Universal 
 
 Salvation : 
 
 Baltimore, lOth month, 1817. 
 
 Friend, 
 
 On considering what thon hast attribnted to the Infinite 
 Jehovah as comprehending his primary excellences, I should 
 have been greatly surprised, had I not known that man, 
 through the medium of his natural senses, aided by all his 
 earthly or creaturely wisdom, however acquired by the deepest 
 researches in natural things, if unassisted by immediate divine 
 revelation, cannot know God, nor have any just and correct 
 idea of his excellent and glorious attributes ; and that there- 
 fore all his ideas of the divine character must be vague and 
 uncertain, and founded upon mere supposition, without any 
 certain evidence. And how can it be otherwise, seeing that 
 God is a spirit, invisible and incomprehensible to every thing 
 but spirit, agreeably to the doctrine and conclusive argument 
 of the apostle Paul, "What man knov^'cth the things of a man, 
 save the spirit of man which is in him ? even so the things 
 of God knoweth no man, but the spirit of God ;" and again, 
 "Thenatural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God, 
 for they are foolishness unto him ; neither can he know them, 
 because they are spiritually" and only spiritually '-discerned." 
 It therefore necessarily follows, that man Avith all the wisdom 
 he can acquire, aided by human science, however elaborately 
 
 4 
 
26 LETTER TO J N . 
 
 Studied, and with the further assistance of all the books and 
 writino-s in the world, if void of immediate divine revelation, 
 uever has known, nor ever can know, God, in relation either 
 to his essence or those excellent attributes which are in corres- 
 pondence and unison with his pure, holy, and unchangeable 
 nature ; for that which may be known of God is manifest 
 within man,* and that not by his reasoning powers, but by the 
 immediate impression and unpremeditated sensations which 
 the immortal spirit of man feels and sees by being brought 
 into contact with, and under the certain and self-evident 
 influence of, the spirit of God upon it. And hence man is 
 enabled to attribute to God his due only from sensible and 
 self-evident experience. Just the same as in a natural and 
 outward relation : we see the outward sun, we feel its warmth, 
 and walk in its light , and are thereby enabled to ascribe to it 
 with certainty (and not from blind and ignorant su])position) 
 its real excellences. So also it is as it respects the invisible 
 God ; that although as it regards our outward senses or the 
 powers of our reasoning faculties, he is to us an impenetrable 
 secret, yet he is clearly and sensibly manifested to tlie immortal 
 soul of man, by the light of his spirit, or the radiance of the 
 Heavenly Sun, which is God. By which manifestation the 
 apostle was enabled to declare from self-evident certainty, that 
 " God is light, and in him is no darlaiess at all :'' and that 
 " if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellow- 
 ship one with another, and the blood," which means no 
 doubt the spiritual life, "of Jesus Christ his son, cleanseth 
 us from all sin." Hence man in this enlightened state is 
 enabled to ascribe to God his just and righteous due ; for as, by 
 an entire submission and faithful obedience to the inspiration 
 and requirings of the spirit of God, man witnesses, by self- 
 evident experience, a redemption from sin, and such an entire 
 mortification of self, as to be brought not only to love his 
 neiofhbour as himself, but to lovo even the most cruel of 
 his enemies so as to pray to God for them, he comes to a 
 
 * Because that which maybe known of God is manifest in them; for God 
 hath showed it unto them. — Rom. i. 19. 
 
LETTER TO J N . 27 
 
 self-evident knowledge of at least two of the divine attributes, 
 namely, his infinite power and his infinite mercy. For know- 
 ing in himself the entire impossibility under which he hes of 
 performing this by any power of his own, he ascribes it all to 
 God, as the sole author thereof. And as by this inward 
 revelation all the secrets of his heart are laid open, without a 
 possibility of hiding any thing from him, so there arises a self- 
 evident sense of his infinite prescience. And so also it is, as it 
 relates to all his other attributes, necessary for man to have 
 any knowledge of in this state of being. 
 
 But man cannot rightly and rationally attribute any thing 
 to God but what he has knowledge or experience of, as every 
 thing else must be founded on supposition, as something that 
 may be or may not be ; and therefore cannot be a subject 
 of belief, or any part of a Christian's creed. And here let me 
 observe, that the term infinite implies no more, even in relation 
 to the Divine Being, than that there is a great First Cause, 
 not limited or bounded by any other being or cause. But to 
 what extent this unbounded liberty is exercised, at any one 
 time, either as it regards his general or his special providence. 
 or as it regards the attributes of an infinite God. no finite beino- 
 can have any just idea or conception of ; for, no doubt, the 
 infinite Jehovah has ways of seeing, knowing, and acting, 
 which no finite being can comprehend or have any knowledge 
 of. And therefore, how monstrous for any man to assert, that 
 if there be a God, he must from all eternity not only have seen 
 and luiown, but also have willed and ordained, every event, 
 both small and great, good and bad ; yea, every foul action 
 and thought originating in the chambers of wantonness and 
 debauchery ; and if he is not such a being, then thou sayst 
 there is no God, or at least thy ai'guments and reasonings 
 fairly imply such a conclusion and consequence. From which 
 there results, as it relates to the all-wise and infinite Jehovah, 
 the most palpable and daring presumption and absurdity : for 
 what can be more so, than to charge the Almighty with being 
 the author of all the murder, .lying, blasphemy, swearing", 
 robbing, and stealing, together with the whole catalogue of sin 
 
28 LETTER TO J N . 
 
 and iniquity in the world ? Would it not have been more 
 prudent to have deferred advancing such erroneous doctrines, 
 until thou hadst become better informed, and hadst a better 
 understanding of the Scriptures ? For, although thou hast 
 quoted many passages to give a cover to thy assertions and 
 reasonings, yet they afford no proof. Hadst thou, in thy 
 researches after laiowledge, been concerned to know the first 
 stej) of wisdom — the right knowledge of thyself— such an 
 humbling Aaew of thy own insufficiency and entire ignorance 
 of the Divine Being, and all his glorious attributes, would, I 
 trust, have preserved thee from falling into thy present errors. 
 Errors great indeed, and fatal in their consequences ; for if 
 men were capable of believing with confidence thy opinions, 
 either as regards the doctrine of unconditional predestination 
 and election, or the doctrine of universal salvation, both of 
 which certainly and necessarily resolve in one, who could any 
 longer call any thing he has his own ? for all would fall a 
 prey to the villains and sturdy rogues of this belief And, 
 indeed, a belief of these opinions would most assuredly make 
 thousands more of that description, than there already are ; 
 as every temptation to evil, to gratify the carnal desires, would 
 be yielded to, as that which was ordained to be ; and of course 
 would be considered as something aofreeable to God's crood 
 pleasure ; and therefore not only our goods and chattels would 
 become a prey to every ruffian of this belief, but even our 
 wives and daughters would fall victims to the superior force 
 of the abandoned and proffigate, as believing they could do 
 nothing but what God had ordained to be. 
 
 But we are thankful in the sentiment, that no rational 
 intelligent being can possibly' embrace, in full faith, tiiese 
 inconsistent doctrines ; as they are founded on nothing but 
 supposition : and supposition can never produce real belief, or 
 a faith that any rational creature can rely upon. I am fully 
 convinced, that the doctrines thou art endeavouring to dis- 
 seminate, and which have Jjeen professed by thousands in 
 days past, and are held by many in the present day, have 
 their origin in a profound ignorance of God and his righteous 
 
LETTER TO J N . 29 
 
 attributes, from which source infidehty and unbehcf liave been 
 produced. For the creature, in his hmited and carnal wisdom, 
 undertaking to search out the essence and first cause of all 
 things, without possessing a capacity or power for such 
 investigation, can only proceed therein by guessing and sur- 
 mising : hence the infidel springs up, who assures us, as his 
 opinion, that all things come by chance ; and which, I con- 
 ceive, fairly embraces thy doctrine of " one eternal now ;" 
 which implies, if it implies any thing, that all things have 
 been hurled into existence in an instant, by mere blind 
 chance, and without any intelligent designing First Cause. 
 This difference only excepted ; thou guessest or surmisest 
 that there is a First Cause ; and thou supposest him to 
 be of such a particular fancied description, and if he is not 
 just what thou hast described him to be, thou assurest us he 
 has no being. And as one supposition or guess is as good 
 and as certain as another, until the one or the other is proved 
 by evidence, therefore the infidel's guess or supposition is not 
 only as rational but even more consistent than thine : for thou 
 supposest a great First Cause, just, pure, holy, and merciful. 
 and at the same time makest him the author of all the injustice, 
 impurity, unholiness, and cruelty which exist ; but the infidel 
 believes all things to come by chance, and, therefore, charges 
 no wrong upon any one. 
 
 I will now notice thy great struggle to reconcile contra- 
 dictions, and by which thou art at variance with the doctrine 
 of the apostle, where he says, that " faith without works is 
 dead ;" for thou sayst that every individual, who in this life 
 becomes fit for the blessings of paradise, must have been pre- 
 ordained thereto : of course, thou entirely destroys man s free 
 agency, and if that be taken away the work is all done ; man 
 can neitlier fall nor rise ; do wickedly nor justly ; commit 
 sin nor do o-ood : therefore his actions and thoughts must be 
 all good, and likewise good for nothing, as they can neither 
 make him happy nor miserable. Away then goes all salvation 
 and all reprobation, for by thy doctrine they sinls into eternal 
 oblivion. 
 
30 LETTER TO J- 
 
 I will now seriously ask thee, whether the servant in the 
 parable, was condemned to the shades of darkness for having, 
 or not liaving, a talent to improve ? Thou wilt, I trust, most 
 certainly acknowledge, as the scriptures and common sense 
 assure us, that it was for having one. Then certainly he must 
 have had power and ahility to improve it : and if he had power 
 to improve it, as the other two did theirs, then certainly it was 
 his master's will that he should have improved it. Hence we are 
 assured, from the tenor of this parable, that a certain act and 
 thing has been done, that the all-righteous and unchangeable 
 Jehovah neither willed nor ordained, unless he willeth contra- 
 ries ; which I conclude neither thou nor any other person 
 would be willing to believe. Hence it further appears, that 
 the act of disobedience originated entirely in the independent 
 will of man ; as has every other sin in the world. It is a fact 
 which must be admitted, that every man that has sinned hath 
 self-evident knowledge of it, if any thing can be self-evident to 
 man : and therefore, if thy premises are well founded, that 
 every thing that the Divine Being foreknows he wills and 
 ordains, then the conclusion will follow, according to thy 
 arguments, that he has not foreknown any sin ; for I think 
 there is nothing more certain, as above proved, than that the 
 Divine Being never willed nor ordained the commission of any. 
 Sin arises entirely out of the corrupt independent will of man ; 
 and which will is not of God's creating, but springs up and 
 has its origin in man's disobedience and transgression, by mak- 
 ing a wrong use of his liberty. And as this corrupt will of 
 man is adventitious to him and no part of his original state, 
 but has its orighi in the wrong use of his free agency, by which 
 he has fallen from God into a state of darkness and death ; so, 
 when through the renewed emanations of the divine light and 
 life, man is again quickened, and brought to see his wretched 
 condition, and in this divine visitation, while lengthened out to 
 him, he makes a new election, in which he chooses God for 
 his portion, and his inward light and law for his guide, and 
 follows it in faithful obedience, then he knows his corrupt will 
 to be slain, and cast out into the ocean of oblivion, and God's 
 
LETTER TO J- 
 
 31 
 
 will becomes to him all in all. Hence man becomes again 
 reconciled to his Maker, in bonds of filial love and duty, and 
 witnesses the completion of a new birth. But if he still per- 
 sists in the exercise of his own corrupt will, during the day of 
 his visitation, until his heart is hardened, and he wears out the 
 mercy of a gracious God, then he comes jto witness the truth 
 of the apostle's doctrine, " indignation and wrath, tribulation 
 and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the 
 Jew first, and also of the Gentile." 
 
 I will now give thee my views of Divine foreknowledge, 
 arising out of my own experience, and not founded on suppo- 
 sition or surmise, but on certainty. I believe that the pres- 
 cience of the Almighty is infinite, that is, unbounded ; but how 
 far he extends it in the unbounded liberty of his own free will, 
 I would not dare to say, because it is beyond all finite compre- 
 hension. I also believe, that his all-searching eye " beholdeth 
 the evil and the good'' according to his own good pleasure ; — 
 but I believe, seeing and knowing a thing, stand entirely dis- 
 tinct from willino- and ordaining^ it. And I have admired 
 froiii whence that presumptuous idea should have arisen in 
 the minds of men, which obliges the Divine Being to will and 
 ordain every thing he foreknows ; seeing, it not only limits his 
 liberty and power, but also makes him the sole author of every 
 sin and evil in the world. Surely, these men would think it 
 very hard and cruel, were their neighbours to accuse them of 
 being the authors of all or any part of the evils that transpire 
 among them, because they had a just sense thereof before they 
 came to pass ; for we know, that man by the strength of his 
 reasoning powers, does foresee some events connected with 
 causes and eflects, and such as he had no agency in bringing 
 about, but were entirely the product of the will and design 
 of another. And so it is in regard to the Divine Being : for, 
 seeing man was created a rational, intelligent creature, in 
 order that he might be a happy creature, and as no 
 rational creature could be happy without liberty, and this 
 Hberty to be useful in procuring happiness, must be an 
 uncontrolled one, Divine Wisdom saw it ridit and needful 
 
32 LETTER TO J- 
 
 to confer this uncontrolled liberty on his creature man, so far 
 as was necessary to render him an accountable and a happy 
 being. And I think there is no truth more plain, than that 
 a rational, intelligent being, can neither be accountable nor 
 happy without being placed in a state of entire independence 
 as it regards the choice of things which constitute his ac- 
 countability and happiness. 
 
 Now if this be the case, many things may and will tran^ire, 
 originating in this free agency of man, whidh the Divine Being 
 never willed nor ordained ; and in this correct view of things 
 we fairly and fully exonerate the divine Author of all good, 
 from being the author of sin, in any degree, and from willing 
 any thing but good ; and justly place the odium where it 
 belongs, on man's independent and corrupt will. 
 
 I think every sensible person must see the vast difference 
 there is between these two doctrines. The first, that of preor- 
 dination or universal salvation, which resolve in one, tending 
 continually to set people at ease in their sins, and to encourage 
 them in the pursuit of their own carnal desires and gratifica- 
 tions ; the other, to wit, his free agency, and consequent pos 
 sible happiness, tending continually to stimulate to eveiy vir- 
 tuous pursuit, and the necessity of living under the cross to 
 the carnal inclinations : being bound to do justly, love mercy, 
 and to walk humbly with God, as duties, not only required of 
 every man, but as certainly as they are required, so certainly to 
 be attained, if sought after and laboured for through the assist- 
 ance of divine grace. 
 
 The principal cause of the darkness and ignorance which 
 prevail amongst men, in regard to a future state of rewards 
 and punishments, arises, I conceive, from the want of a right 
 knowledge of God, and of those general and immutable laws, 
 by which all things in heaven and in earth are governed, and 
 which result from the united and unchangeable attributes of 
 the infinite Jehovah ; to wit, his justice, wisdom, power, mercy, 
 and love, which never act independent of each other, but 
 always in luiison. And there is one general and immutable 
 law, that pervades all nature, that is, that hke produces its 
 
LETTER TO J N . 33 
 
 like ; viz. tiie fig-tree will produce figs ; the thorn-tree will 
 produce thorns ; of course every tree its ov/n fruit. A good 
 tree good fruit, and a corrupt tree corrupt fruit ; and at the same 
 time God dispenses to tliose different kinds ahke, in justice, 
 wisdom, power, mercy and love. He causes his rain to 
 descend equally on each, and his sun to shine on all alike. 
 Just so it is in relation to his free-agent creature man, who, 
 throixgh the power conferred upon him in his free-agency, 
 whilst in this probationary state, may be, speaking figuratively, 
 a good tree, or a corrupt tree, agreeably to his own election ; 
 yet God dispenses to all alike in justice, wisdom, power, mercy 
 and love. Hence those who make their election to good, and 
 choose to follow the teachings of the inward law of the spirit 
 of God, are of course leavened into the true nature of God, and 
 consequently into the happiness of God. For nothing but that 
 which is of the nature of God, can enjoy the happiness of 
 God. But he who makes his election, or choice, to turn away 
 from God's law and spirit, and governs himself, or is governed 
 by his own will and spirit, becomes a corrupt tree ; and although 
 the same justice, wisdom, power, mercy, and love, are dispensed 
 to this man, as to the other, yet by his contrary nature, which 
 has become fleshly, by following his fleshly inclinations, he 
 brings forth corrupt fruit. 
 
 Hence each has his own reward according to their different 
 natures, without any change in the Divine Being towards them. 
 For, to the first, his justice, power, wisdom, mercy and love, 
 constitute happiness and heaven ; whilst to the latter, they 
 constitute misery and hell, without the least change in their 
 common Creator. Hence all the happiness of the one, and 
 the unhappiness of the other, arises solely from their different 
 natures ; and this difference is n-ot of God, but wholly from 
 the effect of their own choice, and the nature and influence 
 of their different leaders. And we have no reason to suppose, 
 that any rational creature, who, in making his election, chooses 
 to follow the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride 
 of life, and becomes so wedded to those carnal pleasures and 
 delights, as to continue in them during the day of his visita- 
 
34 LETTER TO 
 
 tion and probation, would, if he had an eternity of probation, 
 either here or hereafter, ever alter his course ; as his whole 
 nature would be so interwoven into the very nature of the 
 evils which he had chosen to follow, as not to feel any induce- 
 ment or power to change. Just in the same manner it is with 
 him who makes liis election to God, and faithfully follows the 
 leadings of the spirit of truth, during the day of his probation 
 here ; he becomes so wedded to it, interwoven, and swallowed 
 up into its divine nature, as not to have any possible induce- 
 ment or power to change. And, therefore, had he to pass 
 throug-h an eternity of probation, either here or hereafter, it 
 would have no tendency at all to alter him ; which I iiold to 
 be according to the doctrine of the beloved apostle John : 
 " Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, for his seed 
 remaineth in him, and he cannot sin,, because he is born of 
 God." 
 
 With real concern, and desire for thy present and future wel- 
 fare, I conclude with recommending the foregoing remarks 
 and observations to thy candid and unprejudiced considera- 
 tion, and rest thy assured friend, 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, Ibfk of 6th month, 1817. 
 Dear Ffuend, 
 
 Thy favour of third month last came duly to hand, and 
 was very acceptable : the contents whereof have obtained my 
 serious attention, and, notwithstanding I concur with thee, 
 in thy general observations, relative to our cherishing a 
 disposition of forbearance and charity towards one another in 
 things of an indifferent nature, and in those where our views 
 may be diverse, although, at the same time, each may act from 
 right and sincere motives ; yet, I do not suppose, to advance 
 doctrines and opinions that we believe are founded in truth, 
 and in the very Mature and reason of things, and to enforce 
 
"WILLIAM POOLE. 35 
 
 them with all the energy and demonstration that we are 
 capable of, is in any respect contradictory to such forbearance 
 and charity, but rather, 1 conceive, goes to establish such a 
 disposition, as it manifests a desire of improving and advancing 
 others at our own risk, and the endangering the loss of our 
 own reputation, at least with the unthinking multitude, and 
 he that prizes his reputation higher than he does his Christian 
 duty, is seldom found in the practice of it. 
 
 Thy arguments in favour of the retention of' a Legal 
 Sabbath, in my opinion, carry very strong evidence against it. 
 Thou queries, — is the appropriation of one day, the reason for 
 the abuse of all days, or is it not rather that latent root of evil 
 in the mind that respects no day ? To which I may answer, 
 I have no idea of any latent or hidden root of evil in the heart 
 of man, when viewed as the offspring of infinite perfection; 
 but I believe him to be possessed, as the good gifts of his 
 bountiful Creator, with the power of free-agency, or freedom 
 of will, and with propensities, tending to induce him to seek 
 after, and strive to obtain, the means of preserving life, and 
 suitable sustenance to these mortal bodies, together with 
 comfort and joy. But at the same time, liable so to be acted 
 upon, by things without him, as not to make a right use of 
 these blessings, but to abuse them, so as to produce evil to 
 himself and injury to his fellow creatures, and, I apprehend, 
 these evils have been greatly increased by the setting apart, 
 by law, the first day of the week, as a day of idleness or rest, 
 forbidding all the inhabitants, under certain penalties, doing 
 any act of useful business on that day, either smaU or great, 
 although laudable and praiseworthy if done on any other day. 
 T^his I assert from experience, and from my observation for 
 more than fifty years past, and I cannot see how it can be 
 otherwise, in the view and observation of any sensible persons, 
 unless their minds have been fettered by the undue force of 
 custom and tradition : for when we consider that in this 
 enlightened country, where the inhabitants are taught to think 
 for themselves, and not receive their faith from their parents 
 or tutors, any farther than as their counsel accords with the 
 
36 LETTER TO 
 
 dictates of their own consciences ; the number that can 
 persuade themselves that there is any thing sacred or holy in 
 that day, more than another, is very small, and many, I believe, 
 acquiesce in the custom of keeping it as a Holyday, more from 
 the popularity of the measure, than from any sincere belief 
 of the rectitude thereof Therefore, in this view of the subject, 
 it appears to me impossible that any good should come from 
 it ; and to consider it as a mere moral Sabbath, or day of rest 
 from our outward avocations and useful labour, is, in my 
 opinion, altogether irrational, as there is not a trace of any 
 practice of the kind recorded in any history, that I have met 
 with, except since the reformation : and it is particularly 
 objectionable as now observed, as some members of our own 
 Society, and some others, seeing the inconsistency of admittiing 
 the idea under the Christian dispensation of a seventh day 
 Sabbath, as a day more holy than another, in order to accom- 
 modate their conduct to a compliance with a superstitious 
 law of the government they live under, have metamorphosed 
 it to a moral Sabbath, or mere day of rest from their useful 
 vocations, and so, by far-fetched arguments, founded in sup- 
 positions, but without evidence as to the truth of them, have 
 quieted their consciences, so as to get along easy in the mix- 
 ture with the multitude, whereby our usefulness as a peculiar 
 people, called to hold forth to the world pure and peculiar 
 testimonies, has been very much lessened, and the reformation 
 obstructed. 
 
 Thy arguments on this head, in my opinion, contradict 
 themselves. Thou sayest, it is a pleasure to reflect that the 
 poor horse, after six days' labour, is entitled to the seventh as 
 a day of rest. But let us query, — is it so ? I conceive nott; 
 neither will it ever be so ; unless we are brought again under 
 tlie Jewish code, with its severe restrictions. I believe, it is 
 so far from being a day of respite, generally speaking, to the 
 poor horse, that it rather increases his burden ; for thou 
 allows, that if all were brought under the influ.ence of a true 
 Christian spirit, such an appropriation would not be needed : 
 therefore the benefit of it, if any, must result from its influence 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 37 
 
 on the covetous and avaricious, wliich nothing but self-interest 
 will govern. For their business is often so planned as to do. 
 if possible, as much work in six days as would have been 
 done in seven, had there been no such appropriation ; hence 
 those animals are driven in the six days, agreeably to this 
 view, as much as they would have been in seven, as the 
 seventh is considered a lost day. Add to tliis, that those men 
 have many cares, therefore there are many portions of business 
 allotted for the first day, such as money to collect, and men to 
 be seen to converse about some particular business ; here the 
 poor horse is called upon, and must go, whip and spur, say ten, 
 twenty, or thirty miles, and back at night, and to make this 
 appear plausible, and as they may more likely meet their friends, 
 who also come with the same views, they attend some place call- 
 ed a place of worship ; hence instead of being a day of rest, it 
 is often a day of greater fatigue than any in the week, to both 
 man and horse. But the case thou mentions of the poor slaves, 
 is in favour of my views, as they are generally driven, by 
 their hard-hearted claimants, so as in six days, if possible, 
 to gain the seventh, as their masters consider that as so 
 much lost time to them, unless the slaves work hard on the 
 seventh for themselves, as they term it, which, however, is 
 only nominally so, for their masters reap the principal profit 
 thereof These considerations prove, that a mere moral Sab- 
 bath, or day of rest from labour, as plead for by some, is not 
 necessary, nor consistent, as it not only defeats its supposed 
 use, but impeaches the divine character as not having rightly 
 divided the time for labour, and the time for rest, and that he 
 has acted partially towards the children of men in not having 
 enlightened any of them to see the utility of such an appro- 
 priation, nor even, from what appears, suggested the idea to 
 any, until he appointed it to Israel with the rest of their 
 shadows, and then to no other but that people, and he has 
 not even given it to them with a view of moral advantage, 
 or profit, as a mere day of rest from bodily labour ; but as 
 pointing and leading to a more excellent state, the subjugation 
 of their wills to the divine will : the same as circumcision, 
 
38 LETTER TO 
 
 their sacrifices, (fcc. : and, as certainly to be ended at the close 
 of that dispensation, as any other ritual thereof. And, there- 
 fore, I consider the institution of a first day Sabbath, or the 
 setting apart one day in seven as a day of rest, and the 
 sanctioning of the same by a penal law, utterly inconsistent 
 with the Gospel dispensation, and unsupported by revelation 
 and- right reason, and altogether the offspring of superstition, 
 and idolatry ; which is clearly evinced by its fruits, for it has 
 always been, from its first institution, a source of persecution, 
 and naturally tends, especially in this enlightened age, to 
 lessen the authority and use of magistracy ; for some of these, 
 through their own superstition, and many others, by the 
 instigation of their hireling teachers, whose interest lies in 
 involving the people in ceremony, are induced to persecute 
 their innocent neighbours, by enforcing penalties upon them 
 for what they term a breach of the Sabbath, when only doing 
 a small share of useful and commendable labour, and, at the 
 same time, will overlook acts of gross immorality. By which 
 they not only lose their authority as magistrates, but greatly 
 impair their own reputation, and that of the government they 
 act under. 
 
 But there is another consideration, that will, I think give 
 conclusive evidence in the case, and which will be found 
 in an answer to this query, viz: Has, or has not, DiA'ine 
 Wisdom established, by an immutable law, as old as the world, 
 a right distribution of time, and so divided it into appropriate 
 seasons, with a time for labour and a time for rest, that the 
 most consummate wisdom of man can never amend ? The 
 answer appears to me obvious, and natural — he has. For 
 when I reflect upon the beautiful order displayed by Divine 
 Wisdom in the universe, I am at a loss to conceive how the 
 rational creature man should have conceived the idea of 
 amending it, without great presumption : for when we view 
 the regular succession of day and night, surely no rational 
 creature can ask for more time to rest than is given by this 
 arrangement. 
 
 Had the society of Friends persevered consistently with 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. m 39 
 
 their first principle, the inward hght and law, and their 
 declared sense respecting the first day of the week being insti- 
 tuted as a sabbath, there is little reason to doubt, but that the 
 Society would long before this have been liberated from the 
 superstitious observance thereof, and of being continually lia- 
 ble to persecution for a breach of it. For, as Barclay well 
 observes, " We, not seeing any ground in Scripture for it. 
 cannot be so superstitious as to believe, that either the Jewish 
 Sabbath now continues, or that the first day of the week is 
 the anti-type thereof, or the true Christian Sabbath ; which, 
 with Calvin, we believe to have a more spiritual sense, and 
 therefore we know no moral obligation, by the fourth com- 
 mandment or elsewhere, to keep the first day of the week, 
 more than any other, or any holiness inherent in it.'' 
 
 Could it be proved from Scripture (which nevertheless, J 
 conceive, it cannot) that the apostles and primitive Christians 
 did use the first day of the week, for the purpose of worship, 
 in preference to any other day, yet that is no more than can 
 clearly be proved concerning many other superstitious rites, 
 retained among the greater part of professed Christians, such as 
 water baptism, their bread and wine, (fcc. Therefore the rea- 
 sons which some give for our joining with others in setting 
 apart the first day of the week, for the purpose of worship 
 and a day of rest, go as fully to prove the necessity of our 
 compliance with them in those other superstitious rituals : for 
 I do not find any thing in all the New Testament, enforcing 
 the present manner of observing the first day of the week : 
 therefore I think it is altogether unfounded in revelation, scrip- 
 ture, and right reason. 
 
 But nevertheless, I agree Avith thee, and I have had no other 
 sentiment in the case, that the great mass of the people, even 
 in this enlightened country, are not prepared for a sudden 
 change ; and it is a subject that will take some time to spread 
 and prevail, but that ought not to hinder those who are pre- 
 pared, and who clearly see the injury attached to the measure, 
 from spreading their prospects, and giving them all the force 
 they can ; as such an improvement of their time and talents 
 
40 ^ LETTER TO 
 
 is comprehended, both in their duty to their Creator and to 
 man their fellow creature. 
 
 As to thy question, relative to the origin of evil, I may take 
 the liberty, as my best present answer, to say I consider it a 
 useless occupancy of our time and talents, and but a vain 
 stretch of our imagination, to seek after that which is rendered 
 incomprehensible by our gracious Creator to our finite under- 
 standings. Let us be content with what we experience in our- 
 selves, in accordance with the testimony of the apostle, that 
 what is to be known of God, or the real Good, is manifest 
 witliin man ; so likewise all that we know of the real source of 
 evil, is manifested within ; but in both cases, in a limited 
 degree, suited to our present state ; yet in sufficient fulness to 
 effect every good purpose to man, as he patiently abides in his 
 proper allotment. 
 
 I may just add, and I tliink with real gratitude to our all- 
 gracious and beneficent benefactor, that our late yearly meet- 
 ing was one of the most favoured, through the several sittings, 
 of any in my present remembrance, although we had a less 
 number of visiters, from other yearly meetings, than for many 
 years past. 
 
 My wife and children join me in love to thee and thine, in 
 which T rest thy affectionate friend, 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, 1st mo. lUh, 1SI8. 
 Beloved Friend, 
 
 Thy affectionate lines of 11th mo. 27th, came to hand soon 
 
 after their date, while I was visiting the meetings of Salem 
 
 (juarter, by the attentive care of our mutual friend, Samuel R. 
 
 Fisher : their contents were truly grateful, and met the fullest 
 
 accordance of my mind. I unite with thee in feeling a desire, 
 
 that all who hear scntimcnls and doctrines delivered, that em- 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 41 
 
 brace man's best interest here, and which may effect his happi- 
 ness hereafter, may be not only convinced of their trnth and 
 rectitude, but also be in the practice of what they teach ; never- 
 theless, we have no just reason to hope, that this will in any 
 general way be the case, not even if those doctrines are deli- 
 vered in the clearest manner, and under the influence of Divine 
 wisdom. This, I conceive, is a truth as fully demonstrated in 
 the Scriptures, as any truth they contain, and some know it in 
 their own experience and observation. I have no doubt but 
 Divine wisdom and impartial goodness, has opened a medium 
 to every intelligent and rational mind, through which, if it 
 willingly improves the means afforded, every truth necessary 
 to be known in the way of its salvation will be manifested ; 
 but if they are neglected and turned from, although doctrines 
 may be delivered with all the clearness of evidence that Divine 
 wisdom and goodness may see meet to unfold, yet such will 
 cavil and call for more clear evidence. As they disregard the 
 evidence of Divirje truth in their own minds, so neither will 
 they regard any other evidence. This was abundantly evident 
 in regard to the doctrines and miracles of the Saviour when 
 manifested in the figure.. For although he preached doctrines 
 and wrought miracles, greater and more excellent than any 
 other ever had done on earth, yet how very few believed on 
 him. 
 
 Now I do not conceive that the reason of their unbelief 
 was because the doctrines delivered were not sufficiently elu- 
 cidated, or clothed with sufficient evidence, but because those 
 who heard them had their minds pre-occupied, with principles 
 and doctrines that were more congenial to self and selfish 
 views, and therefore no doctrine, unless it could be brought to 
 correspond with theirs, would be admitted by such to be clearly 
 unfolded ; when, at the same time, had they been willing to 
 have received the doctrine with the elucidation and evidence 
 wliich accompanied it, it would then have been sufficiently 
 clear. 
 
 That this disposition is tenfold more the cause of the unbe- 
 lief of mankind, than the want of evidence or clear elucidation 
 
 6 
 
42 LETTER TO 
 
 attending the rightly commissioned servants of the Lord in 
 opening doctrine to the people, in every age of the world, I 
 cannot doubt ; and this, I conceive, is fully evinced by the suf- 
 ferings and persecutions, that the faithful in all ages have had 
 to pass through. For. as man, in his fallen state, is in every 
 age the same, therefore the doctrines of trutli are ever opposed 
 to him, and he to them ; but as soon as he is brought to see his 
 wretched condition, and, under a sense thereof, sincerely seeks 
 for salvation, the witness for God in his own heart will begin 
 to act^ then, a word to the wise, as the saying is, is enough ; 
 only to mention a subject, however new, if founded in truth, 
 the witness for truth in his own mind, with very little elucida- 
 tion, will immediately assent thereto. But if the mind is pre- 
 occupied with its own selfish and preconceived principles, 
 strongly enforced by tradition, and in which man, in his natu- 
 ral state, has taken up a rest, such will not be convinced of 
 any doctrines that run counter thereto, until they are first 
 brought to feel their wretched condition, which such very 
 rarely do, without the pressure of some very heavy calamity 
 or sore disappointment, which razes their superstructure to the 
 very foundation. 
 
 Multiplied testimonies of Scripture might be brought to 
 prove the truth of this doctrine, but I will mention only one 
 to close these observations : " Go unto this people and say, 
 Hearing, ye shall hear and shall not understand ; and seeing, 
 ye shall see and not perceive: for the heart of this people is 
 waxed g-ross and their ears are dull of hearing- and their eves 
 have they closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear 
 with their ears," &c. Acts xxviii. 26, 27. This I conceive 
 to be a clear description of the states and conditions I have 
 before mentioned. But I do not mention these things to pre- 
 vent, in any degree, a right care, according to thy remarks, but 
 only to show that when that has been all done, there will be 
 cavillers and fault-finders : therefore we ought to be careful 
 not to blame Ihe speaker, when the blame may be altogether 
 with those who find fault ; and that not because they do not see, 
 but because, as the prophet declares, they are unwilling to 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 43 
 
 understand or perceive, having hardened their hearts pre- 
 viously against the witness in themselves ; therefore they will 
 not receive it from another, but will be making objections 
 merely to ward off the truth, rather choosing to eat their own 
 bread and wear their own apparel, and clothe themselves with 
 the name Christian, only to take away the reproach of men. 
 And, I fear, there are a considerable number under our name 
 of this description, who not only love the world, but also its 
 friendships, manners, maxims, policies, customs, fashions, vani- 
 ties, pleasures and amusements, yet like to bear the name of 
 Gluaker, because it has become honourable among men. Alas ! 
 how much better would it be for the Society and the promotion 
 of truth, if it was still a name of reproach. 
 
 I got home from my western journey the 19th of last month, 
 found my family in usual health, to our mutual comfort, and 
 with a thankful heart and a peaceful mind, which I attributed 
 to the goodness and mercy of Israel's bountiful Shepherd. 
 
 With love to thyself and family, and Friends in thy neigh- 
 bourhood, I subscribe thy friend, 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO PHEBE WILLIS. 
 
 Dear Feiend, Jericho, 5th mo. I9th, 1919. 
 
 Thy acceptable epistle I have perused, and believing it to be 
 the producUof real friendship, it was gratefully received, and 
 the language it utters would, not many years since, have been 
 my own. But having for a considerable time past found from 
 full conviction, that there is scarcely any thing so baneful to 
 the present and future happiness and welfare of mankind, as 
 a submission to tradition and popular opinion, I have there- 
 fore been led to see the necessity of investigating for myself all 
 customs and doctrines, whether of a moral or of a religious 
 nature, either verbally or historically communicated, by the 
 greatest and best of men or angels, and not to sit down satis- 
 fied with any thing but the plain, clear, demonstrative testi- 
 mony of the spirit and word of life and light in my own 
 heart and conscience ; and which has led me to see how very 
 far all the professors of Christianity are from the real spirit 
 
44 LETTER TO 
 
 and substance of the Gospel. And among otlier subjects, I 
 have been led, I trust, carefully and candidly, to investigate 
 the effects produced by the book called the Scriptures since it 
 has borne that appellation ; and it appears, from a comparative 
 view, to have been the cause of four-fold more harm than good 
 to Christendom,* since the apostles' days, and which, I think, 
 must be indubitably plain to every faithful, honest mind, that 
 
 * Phebe Willis was a near neighbour of Elias Hicks, with whom he was in 
 habits of frequent social intercourse, and with whom he had often conversed on 
 the subjects embraced in this letter, and, on this account, it is probable he was not 
 so particular in explaining his views, as doubtless he would have been, if he had 
 expected it would have fallen into the hands of strangers, or been made public. 
 This will apply to what he says when speaking of the Scriptures, that they "have 
 been the cause of fourfold more harm than good to Christendom." This sentence 
 is explained, and we trust satisfactorily, in his letter to Moses Brown. See 
 page 171. 
 
 It was, no doubt, the improper use of the Scriptures, and not any objection 
 that E. H. had to the writings themselves, that induced him to believe they had 
 done more harm than good. This is evident from the whole scope of the letter, 
 and more particularly from the paragraph (page 49) beginning, " But my views 
 respecting the Scriptures, are not altered, although thus abused by others," &c. 
 And however some may think he has overrated the evil consequences arising from 
 the perversion of them, we find some of our early Friends bearing as strong a tes- 
 timony against their improper use as E. H. Samuel Fisher, one of the most emi- 
 nent of George Fox's early contemporaries, in reply to the celebrated John Owen, 
 thus reprehends the idolatry of exalting the Scriptures above their proper place, 
 and thus diminutively speaks of them when brought in competition with "the 
 word of life itself," ihe only sure rule of faith and practice: " So, then, as to evince 
 it that I am none of those idiots that idolize any mere men's writings, as many do 
 the unskilful scribblings of their scribes for the Scriptures, Httle less than Israel did 
 the golden calves, after which they dotingly ran from God himself, saying of these 
 images in their own imaginations. 'These are thy gods,' &c. Nar yet any mere 
 writings of those holy men that wrote the Holy Scripture itself, as most of our misty 
 ministers and their people do, because they were written by Divine inspiration, little 
 less than Israel did the brazen serpent, because it was hung up by Divine institution : 
 I shall first take occasion to thrust down that enthroned calf of thy anti-scriptural 
 tribulary, treatises, thesis, and atheological thoughts upon the Scripture, from that 
 high place it hath in the thoughts of such as fall down before it, as Moses threw 
 down that molten image, (which the high priest made, and ignorant people made a 
 god of,) and stamped it to powder. And secondly, as Hezekiah, not without God's 
 own approbation, took down the brazen serpent, which had its being, (as the Holy 
 Scripture itself had) not without God's own appointment, when once men began 
 to do homage to it, and called it more than Nehushtan, that is, a piece of brass, 
 that they might know it was no God: so shall I take down the dead corpse, and 
 bare carcase, of the best copy of the Scripture, since men begin lo go a whoring 
 after it from God and Christ, and the Word of Life itself, out of that high and stately 
 throne wherein thou, J. Owen, stalest it." — Sain' I. Msher's Woi-ks, pp. 239, .440. 
 
PHEBE WILLIS. 45 
 
 has investigated her history free from the undue bias of edu- 
 cation and tradition. Mark the beginning of the apostacy. 
 When the professors of Christianity began to quarrel with 
 and separate from each other, it all sprang from their dilfer- 
 ent views and diflerent interpretations of passages of Scrip- 
 ture, and to such a pitch did their quarrels arise, as that a 
 recurrence to the sword was soon deemed necessary to settle 
 those disputes. And the strongest party in that line, finding 
 that as long as the people were at liberty, and had the privilege 
 of searching the Scriptures and putting their own interpreta- 
 tions upon them, and making them their rule, diversity of opin- 
 ion and differences would increase, this led the strongest party 
 to that disagreeable and unchristian alternative of wresting 
 them out of their hands and forbidding their being read by the 
 people at large. And this state of things continued for many 
 years, until the beginning of reformation by Martin Luther. 
 
 It will be now necessary to consider, whether the Scrip- 
 tures were in any Avise accessary to this infant beginning of 
 reformation ? I think it is clear they were not ; but as Lu- 
 ther and his adherents gained strength, they began to shake 
 off the yoke of papal oppression, and, among other things, the 
 restriction on the Scriptures was taken off, and every citizen 
 that joined Luther's party, had the privilege of reading the 
 Scriptures at his pleasure. And what was the result ? A 
 diversity of sentiment, respecting what they taught, which 
 soon set the reformers one against another, and produced such 
 divisions and animosities among them, that recourse was 
 again had to the sword to settle disputes, hi this condition 
 things continued until George Fox was raised up to bear tes- 
 timony to the light and spirit of truth in the hearts and con- 
 sciences of men and women, as the only sure rule of faith and 
 practice, both in relation to religious and moral things, and 
 which was complete and sufficient, without the aid of books 
 or men, as his doctrine and example clearly evinces ; as his 
 reformation was begun and carried on without the necessary 
 aid of either. But, as the professors of Christianity then held 
 the Scriptures, or their interpretations of them, as their chief 
 idol, and [as] such was their veneration for them, that for anyone 
 
46 LETTER TO 
 
 to hold up any thing else as a rule, he was immediately pro- 
 nounced a heretic or schismatic, and not fit to company or 
 associate with in any way, this led George and his friends 
 to show, that their doctrines were in nowise derogatory to 
 those written by those who were inspired by the same spirit in 
 former days. And all goes to prove, that every step of reforma- 
 tion from the fall, in every ao;e of the world, has been begim 
 and best carried on when the reformers kept close to the lead- 
 ing and inspiration of the spirit of truth, and sufiered nothing, 
 whether books or men, to turn them aside from their ever-pre- 
 sent and ever-blessed sure guide ; seeing they have the Anoint- 
 ing to be their teacher, and the Spiritual Lamb to be their light. 
 And, I conceive, every man and woman, who has a right 
 understanding and correct ideas of the Divine character, must 
 have the same views ; for otherwise they must contradict their 
 own professions, as every one who believes in the existence of 
 God, attributes to him justice, mercy, and love, and that he is 
 unchangeable in his nature, and incapable of partiality ; 
 hence he must, and no doubt has, given to every man and 
 woman, a comj^lete and sufficient rule of faith and practice, 
 without the aid of books or men ; and hath so ordered in the 
 course of events, that the more strictly and faithfully every 
 man and woman lives up to the guidance and teaching of 
 this inward anointing, and never turns aside to the right hand 
 or to the left, for the precepts and traditions of men, the more 
 instruction and help they afford one another. And to suppose 
 a written rule to be necessary, or much useful, is to impeach the 
 Divine character, and charge the infinite Jehovah with par- 
 tiality -and injustice, as the greater part of his rational creation 
 have never been furnished with those means. And had they 
 been needful, he certainly would, in order to deal with an even 
 hand of justice, have fiirnished all his rational creatures with 
 them; as it was equally in his power so to have done from the 
 beginning. But as man's fall principally consists in his turn- 
 ing from his inward spiritual guide, to the direction of his out- 
 ward senses and animal passions and affections, so [man having 
 so far departed] tliat he lost almost all right knowledge of 
 
PHEBE "WILLIS. 47 
 
 this inward giiide, the Lord in mercy dispensed to him divers 
 outward manifestations, as a means to lead his attention back 
 to his spiritual guide ; and these means have always been suited 
 to the states of those to whom they were dispensed, and there- 
 fore often very different to different nations and people. To 
 the family of Abraham he dispensed a v^ery peculiar system" of 
 rituals and outward shadows, to which he required obedience, 
 in order to bring them back to a submission to his will, as 
 manifested by his Spirit in their hearts. But he dispensed 
 them to no other people but to Israel, and those that came of 
 their own accord and joined them ; and as soon as the effect 
 was produced by bringing them back to their inward guide, 
 all those outward means became obsolete and useless. So 
 likewise he made use of the ministry of Jesus Christ and his 
 apostles for the same end, to turn from darlaiess to the inward 
 light, and when that was effected, their ministry had done all 
 it could do, and to such, as they continued to walk in the 
 light, their doctrine became obsolete and useless. And so in 
 every age where any real reformation has been produced, it 
 has always been by instruments newly raised u-ji, by the im- 
 mediate operation of the spirit. And where any people have 
 depended upon what has been written to former generations, 
 such make no advancement, but just sit down in the labours 
 of their forefathers, and soon become dry and formal, and fall 
 behind those they are copying after or propose to follow. 
 
 This is very manifestly the case with our Society, although 
 so highly favoured with almost every possible means to gather 
 them from all outwards, to their true inward teacher, who 
 teaches as ncA^er man taught — nothing but the truth. And 
 this is the cause why many turn from him, to the teachings 
 of men or books, because they can mostly turn their teachings 
 to suit their own ends; hence plain truth is disagreeable to 
 them, but teachings that they can interpret to suit their own 
 inclinations, as most men do the Scriptures, these they cr^' up 
 and speak highly of And such as these cause all the ani- 
 mosities and divisions in Christendom, and from hence most 
 of their quarrels and wars have arisen. And there is great 
 
4S LETTER TO 
 
 cause to fear, that if those in our Society, who are united 
 with those among others, in very improperly setting up the 
 Scriptures above their true value, are adhered to, they will 
 finally divide and scatter us, as they have all other professors 
 of Christianity. For considerable disputes have already arisen 
 concerning passages of the first im]iortance. I M'ill mention 
 one wherein the very leaders are divided. And surely if it is 
 so wrapt up in mystery that we cannot understand it alike, 
 how much better should we be without it. It is Peter's tes- 
 timony concerning the more sure word of prophecy, which 
 many of those considered as the most wise and learned 
 amongst us, tell us is the Scriptures. And should I be by 
 these convinced that Peter really meant tlie Scriptures, it 
 would, to me, render all his writings as unworthy much 
 attention. And I have no kind of doubt if Friends generally. 
 of the foremost ranks, should honestly and plainly speak their 
 sentiments on the Scriptures in general, so great would be 
 their diversity of prospects, that little help or edification, in a 
 society capacity, could be derived from them ; and it is alto- 
 gether reasonable it should be so in the dispensings of a wise 
 Providence, seemg, as we have the Scriptures at our com- 
 mand, that if there was sufficiency in them to point the way 
 to Heaven, we might then by our own strength and labour 
 arrive at that happy place and outstrip the vsons of Noah. 
 But the all-wise Jehovah, who hath declared that he will not 
 give his glory to another, nor his praise to graven images, 
 hath also decreed, that should all the various professors of 
 Ciiristianity associate aiid bind themselves together, by the 
 strongest ties that lie within the reach of human contrivance, 
 to circulate the Scriptures in their own will and wisdom, or pur- 
 sue any other means or method to promote the spiritual inter- 
 est of immortal souls, it will all prove abortive, and confusion 
 of language, if not in a natural, yet in a spiritual sense, will 
 be their portion : for, in my view, there has no event tran- 
 spired since the building of the Babel Tower, on Shinar's 
 plain, that is so fully representative thereof, as the multiplied 
 Bible societies of the present day. 
 
PHEBE WILLIS. 49 
 
 But my views respecting- the Scriptures are not altered, 
 although thus abused by others, and trust I shall, as I here- 
 tofore have done, as my mind is opened to it, call upon them 
 as evidence to the truth of inspiration ; and to show that the 
 upright and faithful in former ages, were led and instructed 
 by the same spirit as those in the present day ; and that the 
 Lord is graciously willing to reveal himself as fully to the 
 children of men in this day as in any day of the world, with- 
 out respect of persons, as each is attentive to his inward and 
 spiritual manifestations. And how nmch more reasonable it 
 is to suppose, that an inspired teacher in the present day, 
 sliould be led to speak more truly and plainly to the states of 
 the people^ to whom he is led to communicate, than any doc- 
 trines that were delivered one thousand seven hundred years 
 ago to a people very differently circmnstanced to those in this 
 day, I leave to every rational mind to judge. And that the 
 doctrines of George Fox and our primitive Friends, should be 
 easier understood, and plainer, being written in our own lan- 
 guage, than the doctrines of the primitive Cliristians, appears 
 very reasonable. But we are all, or have been, so bound down 
 by tradition, being taught from the cradle to venerate the 
 Scriptures, and people generally considering them so sacred as 
 not to be investigated, but bound to receive them asAv^e have been 
 taught ; hence we have all been more or less, dupes to tradition 
 and error. I well remember how oft my conscience has smitten 
 me when I have been endeavouring to support the society's 
 belief of the Scriptures,* that they so very far excelled all other 
 writings, that the fear of man had too great a share in leading 
 me to adopt the sentiment, and custom rendered it more easy, 
 but I never was clear in my own mind as to that point ; and 
 had I carefully attended to my own feelings, I should have been 
 
 * From what we have heard Elias Hicks say on this subject, as well as from 
 what is to be found in his writings and printed discourses, we think he would 
 have expressed his views more correctly on this point, if, instead of saying, " the 
 Society's belief^" he had said, the belief of some in the Socicii/. We think however 
 the closing paragraph in his letter is a sufficient apology to every liberal mind for 
 any inaccuracies which may be found in it. 
 
 r 
 
50 LETTER TO 
 
 preserved, I believe, in a line of more consistency in that 
 respect. And I may now acknowledge to thee, that I never ex- 
 pressed my own genuine feelings and prospects so clearly, and 
 so much to the peace of my own mind, as in our last quarterly 
 meeting; and indeed such was the view T had, and the clearness 
 of the opening, that I apprehended there could not have been 
 a rational mind present, acquainted with the subjects of my 
 conununication, but would have assented thereto. Much 
 more might be said in proof of the foregoing, but my time 
 and leisure will not reasonably admit me to proceed further. 
 And what I have written has been done in scraps of tinie., 
 that I have as it were stolen from my other many avocations, 
 without any time to copy it, or give it 'much examination ; 
 therefore, I hope thou xcilt excuse the improprieties that may 
 have escaped my notice, believing- that thou wilt be able to 
 apprehend the main drift of the arguments, and be ivilling 
 to put the best consti'uction on such parts as may, to thee, 
 appear erroneous. Thy assured friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, \Wi mo. 28, 1819. 
 Dear Friend, 
 
 Thy acceptable letter of the Sth instant was duly received, 
 and its various parts afforded particular satisfaction. I was 
 much pleased with the account from Baltimore, as I had. at 
 different times, taken much interest in the unhappy difficulties 
 between those two monthly meetings ; and had made use of 
 my best endeavours for the settlement thereof. 
 
 It wafe pleasing to find, that thou and thy wife contemplated 
 a visit to us, in the course of the ensuing year, if way should 
 open for it. If I should live to see it brought into eficct, it 
 would be truly grateful. Thy freedom on some points of doc- 
 trine advanced by me. was also pleasing, as I am established 
 
WILLIAM B. IRISH. 51 
 
 in the sentiment, that truth never loses by close investigation, 
 but rises thereby more bright and clear. 
 
 I have often thought, that nothing more sullies and degrades 
 the scriptures of truth, than the fears that many of their advo- 
 cates manifest, in regard to the investigation of them, and 
 insisting upon their being taken and believed literally just as 
 they are, whether consonant witli reason, yea or nay. 
 
 That book that will not bear the test of all the investigation 
 that the human mind is capable of going into, and stiil rise 
 superior to all the cavils and false, insinuatibns that may be 
 cast upon it, cannot be of much use to mankind. 
 
 The letters thou alludes to, that I read at thj house, from St. 
 Domingo, I have put in a friend's liand for printing ; but 
 whether they are to be printed in a pamphlet or a newspaper, is 
 yet uncertain, but let it be which it may, I will endeavour to 
 furnish thee with a copy. 
 
 Thy affectionate friend, 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM B. IRISH. 
 
 Jericho, Isl. mn. Volh, 1820. 
 
 Thine of the 4th inst. came duly to hand and was very 
 acceptable. Thy object in writing as it regards thy religious 
 queries, attracted my attention, and altliough thou assures me 
 that, from present appearances, thou wilt never become a 
 Quaker or Friend, yet, I apprehend, that which induced thee 
 to drop tlie sentiment is a favourable omen, and leads me to 
 hope, that if thou attendest faithfully to that which has begun 
 a good work on thy vision, and has enabled thee to "see men 
 as trees walking," and shown thee the baneful effects of the pre- 
 judice of education, and how mightily tradition and custom 
 tyrannize over the human mind, and bind it down as with fet- 
 ters of iron, too strong for reason alone to rend asunder, and 
 set the captive soul free ; — I say,if thou willingly and patiently 
 
 i 
 
52 LETTER To 
 
 adlieres to that which has begun a good work in thee, by show- 
 ing thee the difference between things that differ, I not only- 
 feel a hope (although it will be through deep inward suffer- 
 ings and the cross, as none can become real Christians, or 
 Quakers, without it,) that thou wilt yet become a Quaker, or 
 Christian, wliich are one, and, I trust and hope, a good one." 
 But to come to this happy experience, depends very much on 
 thyself, for if thou willingly surrenders thyself as an offering 
 to God, to do his will, as by the light in thy own heart and 
 conscience he is pleased to manifest it to thee, thy understand- 
 ing will be more and more opened into those things that con- 
 cern thy present and everlasting peace. 
 
 I do not admire at the difficulties thou hast had to encoun- 
 ter, in regard to the mode of redemption generally held by 
 professing Christians, as being effected by the death, or outward 
 dying of Jesus Christ, on the outward wooden cross. This, 
 as it regards the redemption of the immortal soul from the 
 bondage of sin, I consider a vulgar error, that came in with 
 the apostacy from primitive Christianity. The redemption 
 effected by the outward oflering could only, according to the 
 true analogy of things, be a redemption of outward bodies. 
 For under that legal dispensation, there were many legal insti- 
 tutes that were binding upon the people of Israel and on no 
 other people, and a breach of these produced legal crimes, to 
 which penalties were annexed, and these were inflicted on the 
 bodies of the Israelites. Now I consider that the offering of 
 the body of Jesus Christ on the outward cross, applied only, 
 as a matter of redemption, to the Israelites, redeeming them 
 from the curse of that covenant, and the penalties attendant 
 on any breach thereof ; and this redemption was the top stone 
 of that figurative dispensation, as by it that dispensation, 
 with all its legal rites and ceremonies, was abolished and 
 done away. Hence the Jews could no longer be guilty of 
 any of those legal crimes, as the law that required those 
 rites was dead and done away, by the outward death of their 
 
 • W. B. I. not long afterwards became a member of the Society. 
 
 I 
 
WILLIAM B. IRISH. 
 
 53 
 
 Messiah : And this outward redemption of the outward bodies 
 of the Israelites, from the penahies of their outward laAv, is a 
 complete figure of the inward redemption of the soul from sin, 
 by the life^ or spiritual blood of Christ, inwardly sprinkling 
 our consciences, and thereby enabling us to die to sin as he 
 died for sin ; by which we are redeemed from dead works, to 
 serve the living God in ncAvness of life, which makes, and 
 alone can make, the true Christian. 
 
 Why should thou think it cruel or painful, that God sent 
 his son into the world, and when in the world permitted him 
 to suffer death by the hands of wicked men, when history 
 informs us, that many thousands of righteous men and 
 women have, by the permission of the Almighty, been perse- 
 cuted to death by wicked men ? Yet, nevertheless, we do not 
 believe that God sent any of these into the world 'purjwsely 
 to suffer death in the cruel way they did, by the poM^er of the 
 wicked ; neither do I believe that God sent Jesus Christ into 
 the world purposely to suffer death, in the way he did, any 
 more than all these. For I do not believe that God created 
 any rational being and sent him into the world to suffer 
 death for other men, because they were wicked and he was 
 righteous, but that it was the righteousness of all these, 
 that aggravated the wicked, and was the procuring cause of 
 their hatred and vengeance towards them, when they cruelly 
 persecuted them to death. But their suffering was entirely 
 opposite to and inconsistent wuth the purpose and will of 
 God ; for if it Viras not, the perpetrators of those dreadful 
 crimes and most atrocious deeds, would all stand justified in 
 his sight. Hence we clearly see that all those kinds of doc- 
 trines that naturally and necessarily impeach the all-good and 
 all-gracious Jehovah with apparent cruelty and incorrectness 
 in his purposes and designs, concerning his rational creation, 
 are founded on, and have their origin in, that false and incon- 
 sistent doctrine of predestination and election, which ought to 
 be exploded by every rational being, as it destroys all the 
 nobility and excellence of God's rational creation, and places 
 them below the poorest animal on- earth. 
 
54 LETTER TO 
 
 I believe that the Almighty Creator of the universe, had but 
 one sole purpose and design in creating man, and placing him 
 on this terraqueous globe ; and that was to do his will, and 
 thereby to continue in a happy state of union and communion 
 with him, through the spirit ; and he has so ordered and 
 arranged all things here on earth, in his wisdom and good- 
 ness, as to constitute a state of probation to man, during his 
 militant, state, or while his inunortal spirit continues in con- 
 nexion with these mortal bodies, which are not to contiime 
 any longer in existence, than during the time of this proba- 
 tionary scene, which was necessary to give the rational intel- 
 ligent creature, man, a fit opportunity to rise above that inno- 
 cent state in which he was created, to the exalted state of 
 virtue and glory, by a just and righteous improvement of the 
 liberty and power conferred upon him by his gracious Creator 
 for that purpose, and that purpose only, agreeably to the 
 instruction of Divine Wisdom. Hence we conclude that 
 God never sent his son Jesus Christ, nor any of his rational 
 creation, into the world, ■purposely to suffer death by cruel 
 men ; but only, in his own free and voluntary choice, to 
 attend to and do his holy will in all tilings, and thereby glo- 
 rify and enjoy him ; which all agree to be the chief end and 
 design of man's creation. 
 
 Therefore, all the persecution and cruel deaths that have 
 transpired in the world among mankind ; not only the perse- 
 cution and crucifixion of Jesus Christ ; but also, all the suf- 
 fering and martyrdom caused by wicked men, have had 
 their rise and spring from man's unjust and unrighteous use 
 of his liberty and power, conferred upon him only to do his 
 Maker's will in all things. 
 
 But the sequel, as well as the very reason of things, clearly 
 shows, that man, in his probationary state, was possessed of a 
 power and liberty (uncontrolled by any other power) to do his 
 Maker's will, by his instruction and aid, which was fully 
 offered to his acceptance, or not to do it, if he chose to comply 
 with temptation: as he had communicated to him, by his 
 Maker, a power of entire free choice. For if this was not the 
 
"WILLIAM B. IRISH. 55 
 
 case, he could never liave been virtuous or wicked, as all 
 virtue consists in his choosing: the Sfood, and all sin in his 
 choosing the evil, independent of any other cause but his own 
 choice. And, no doubt, had the Israelites all been faithful to 
 that outward covenant given them through Moses, they would 
 all have been prepared to have received their Messiah in the 
 way of his coming, as did those that believed on him, and by 
 which the end of his coming would have been much more 
 fully answered ; as all Israel then, like the disciples of Jesus 
 Christ, would willingly have passed from the old, and cheer- 
 folly entered into the new dispensation. Hence no crucifixion. 
 no suffering or death of Jesus Christ would have taken place ; 
 but when his ministry on earth was finished, by fulfilling the 
 law and abolishing that outward covenant, and turning the 
 minds of the people to the inward, to the law written in the 
 heart, and when, b^ a life of perfect righteousness and self- 
 denial, he had introduced his disciples into the Gospel, he 
 Avould then have been (like Enoch and Elijah) translated, 
 without suffering the pains of death. But as Divine Wisdom 
 foresaw, that his people Israel would revolt from his command- 
 ments, and rebel against his law, and become cruel and hard- 
 hearted ; so likewise he foresaw, that the wicked among them 
 would cruelly persecute and slay many of the righteous, and 
 his son Jesus Christ among the rest. Therefore he inspired 
 many of his servants to testify of these things amongst them, 
 before they came to pass, as warning and caution, that so 
 those who were seeking after the right way, might be pre- 
 served from taking any part therein, while those who wilfully 
 hardened their hearts against reproof, might suffer the penalties 
 resulting from their crimes, which they had committed in their 
 own free choice, contrary to the counsel and will of their Creator. 
 The doctrine of the Trinity, as held by many professing 
 Christians, I also consider a weak and vulgar error : that of 
 three distinct persons in one God, and that each of these 
 persons is whole God, as, I think, is inserted in some of the 
 confessions of faith. As I believe there cannot be a greater 
 absurdity, than to apply personality to God, in any right sense 
 
56 LETTER TO 
 
 of the word, as personality imi)lies locality, which signifies, 
 limited to place, which would be very impious to say of the 
 infinite Jehovah. It is also a doctrine unwarranted by Scrip- 
 ture, as the word trinity is not to be found in the Bible : for 
 although the apostle is made to say, agreeably to our present 
 translation, that there are three that bear record in Heaven, 
 yet he assures us, that these three are hut one. We have no 
 certainty, however, that they have given us the apostle's 
 sense clearly, as we have no reason to believe the translators 
 were inspired men, for they tell us that inspiration has ceased. 
 But admitting the translation to be correct, yet it carries in it 
 no clear evidence of any such doctrine, as we ought to receive 
 all written testimonials according to their most easy, natural, 
 and rational sense, and especially so, when they in any 
 degree contradict other and more plain and clear testimonies 
 of as hio-h, or hiof'her orig-in. There was nothinaf more 
 plainly, nor more fully impressed upon the Israelites by 
 their great lawgiver, than to acknowledge but one God ; and 
 although they often asserted that the spirit of the Lord came 
 to them, or was upon them, yet they manifest no idea of any 
 divisibility, or distinction of persons, between God and his 
 spirit ; but wherever the holy spirit of God is, there is God, 
 and where God is, there is the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, 
 which are one, as the terms are synonymous ; for God is a 
 spirit, and nothing but spirit. And when this Spirit, or God, 
 acts or operates on the spirit of man, in his first operations, he 
 quickens and enlightens man's spirit, and in this operation he 
 bears record of his own life in the soul of man, as the Holy 
 Spirit or Holy Ghost, and as the spirit of man yields and 
 submits to his oj^eration, there is a birth of God brought forth 
 m the soul or spirit of man, and by which he now bears record 
 of his own life in the soul as father, and this birth of God in 
 the soul, being begotten by God, unites in record or witness, 
 in unity with God as son, and still it is only God, working- all 
 in all in the soul, agreeably to his own will and pleasure. 
 And which agrees with the doctrine of the apostle, where he 
 says, that it is God that worlceth in us, both to will and to do, 
 
Al'ILLIAM B. IRISH. 57 
 
 of his own good pleasure. And again : " For as many as are 
 ed by the spirit of God, they are tlie sons of God." 
 
 As to John's revelations, they are some of that apostle's 
 ast writings, written at a time when he was far advanced 
 ni deep experience ; and we find that the most deep and 
 mysterious writings of the prophets and apostles, are often 
 couched in allegorical similies : therefore, it requires our 
 coming to the same experience, rightly to comprehend or 
 understand them ; and hence, when I meet with parts or 
 passages of scripture that I do not understand, I leave them 
 until I may arrive at a state of deeper experience, by which 
 means I have come clearly to comprehend and understand 
 some tilings, that, at a previous time, seemed mysterious to 
 me ; and this, I have no doubt, will be thy case, in respect to 
 what Paul says of women keeping silence in the churches, 
 as also in some other respects ; for I apprehend, if Paul hath 
 said what we find recorded in 1st Corinthians, xiv. 34, 35, 
 and 1st Timothy, ii. 11, 12, that he had no aUusion at ail to 
 their preaching or prophesying in the churches ; and if he 
 had, we have no right, nor reason, at all to admit it as sound 
 doctrine, as it contradicts a number more of his own 'de- 
 clarations on that point, (as also the general testimony of 
 scripture,) which are much more rational, clear, and plain, as 
 may be seen in his epistle to the Romans, xiv. ; Philippians, 
 iv. 3 ; 1st Corinthians, xi. 5 — 13 ; and Paul assures us, that 
 male and female are one in Christ, that is, when they become 
 real Christians, of whom Christ is the head. Also, under 
 the law there were prophetesses as well as prophets, and the 
 effiision of tlie spirit in the latter day, as prophesied by Joel, 
 was to be equally on sons and daugliters. servants and hand- 
 maids ; and. to believe otherwise, is irrational and inconsistent 
 with the Divine attributes, and would charge the Almighty 
 with partitility and injustice to one-half of his rational creation. 
 Therefore, in my belief, it would be wrong to admit it, 
 although asserted in the most plain and positive manner by 
 men or angels. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
5g LETTER TO 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, 3d mo. 22d, 1820. 
 Beloved Friend, 
 
 Thine, of the 28th of 1st month, did not come to hand until 
 the 20th instant, and although long on the way, yet when 
 it arrived w^as very satisfactory, except the accomit of thy 
 rheumatic complaint and lameness in thy right arm, which 
 excites my sympathy, having latterly had a very severe turn 
 of my old complaint ; but I am again restored to pretty good 
 health, which is the state of my family at present. 
 
 Our valued friend and neighbour. Fry Willis, departed this 
 life this morning about five o'clock. He was in apparent 
 good health the evenirig before last. About nine o'clock, he 
 went down into the cellar on some occasion, and fell whilst 
 there, and wounded his head ; and when found was incapable 
 of giving any a;ccount how it happened ; but by searching 
 the wound, it was not thought sufficient to affect him in the 
 manner he was, that it has trf3come the opinion he had a 
 stroke of the apoplexy. He continued to decline until his 
 dissolution took place. We are of late very frequently notified 
 of our mortality, and the uncertainty of time. 
 
 Thou seems to desire my opinion on the trinity, and should 
 I add to that, my views on the atonement by Jesus Christ, thou 
 may possibly consider me very officious : hoAvever, as I have 
 lately, in answer to a request from an acquaintance, given 
 partly, if not altogether, my vicAvs on those two subjects, I 
 will give thee an abstract from my letter ; take it as follows : 
 
 [Here follows an abstract from the letter to W. B. Trish. 
 See page 44. J 
 
 First day afternoon. 2d of 4th month, a snowy stormy day ; 
 it began snowing about 11 this morning, and has been snow- 
 ing till now — at present it falls quite fast, and is near 5 o'clock. 
 
AVILLIAM POOLE. 59 
 
 We have had quite cold weather for several days past, and it 
 is not only cold vvithout, but I thought, at meeting to-day, it 
 was pretty generally cold within, as we had, I think, a pretty 
 hard and silent meeting; but I do not murmur, as I am often 
 comforted in believing, that we are much more favourably 
 dealt with than Ave deserve ; and thou knowest that this will 
 keep the honest above repining or finding fault, hence wo 
 cannot be very miserable if we are not altogether as happy as 
 we could wish. 
 
 My wife and daughter join me in love to thee and thine, in 
 which I rest thy affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, 1th mo. 23^,1820. 
 Beloved Friend, 
 
 Thy acceptable letter of 4th month last came duly to hand, 
 and although the answering of it has been thus long procras- 
 tinated, yet, I may assure thee, it has not been occasioned by 
 forgetfulness, or a lack ot warm desires about me at trnies 
 to do it ; but my avocations, since receiving it, have been 
 so many and various, that no time previous to the present 
 seemed to open ; and. I may add, the incapacity I have gene- 
 rally felt to write any thing that would be in any degree 
 edifying, has led me thus to put off: And now I have begun, I 
 see but little more than just to acloiowledge the reception of 
 thy letter, and the satisfaction I had in the perusal of it, as 
 corroborating my sentiments fully. 
 
 Thy views in regard to many professing Christians, con- 
 sidering Heaven as a located place, are undoubtedly correct ; 
 for surely they are the most absurd and inconsistent : and 
 I should rejoice, could I believe that the members of our 
 Society were all redeemed from that false and vulgar idea. 
 But until mankind come rightly to believe in the inward 
 light, and receive it as a redeeming principle, sufficient for 
 
LETTER TO 
 
 their- complete salvation, as they obey it in all its manifesta- 
 tions, they cannot have any just and correct ideas of God, or 
 of the right way of salvation, and, of course, must remain in 
 igfnorance as to those thinsfs; 
 
 For what was declared by Jesus Chi'ist will remain an 
 infallible and unchangeable truth ; that " no man knoweth 
 wlio the Son is, but the Father ; and who the Father is, but 
 the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him ;" and this 
 Son, according to John's testimony, which testimony is truth, 
 is " the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into 
 the world" — and this light was the divine nature that dwelt 
 in the man Jesus Christ, and in whicli he was one with his 
 Father : so that he could say in truth, " I and my Father are 
 one," for " he that is joined to the Lord, is one spirit." 
 
 I may also add, that the anticipation of a visit from you, as 
 noted in some of thy past favours, tended somewhat to the 
 procrastination before alluded to, as hoping to speak with thee 
 face to face ; and I still flatter myself with the hope, that I 
 shall not be wholly disappointed. 
 
 Witli love to thee and thine, I conclude, thy affectionate 
 friend. ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, Sth mo. 6l/i, 1820. 
 Beloved Friend, 
 
 Thine, of the 2Sth ultimo, came duly to hand, and was very 
 acceptable. By it I learn, that mine of last month had not 
 reached thee. This induces me to take my pen, and, with 
 this duplicate, acknowledge not only the reception of thy last, 
 as above, but also the one previous. I was glad to find by its 
 contents, that my views on the two subjects, viz., the Atone- 
 ment, and what is called the Trinity, vrere consonant with 
 thine. 
 
 Thy views respecting Heaven, or a state of happiness, like- 
 wise perfectly agree with mine. Great, and fatal, I fear, are 
 the errors of many, on this important point. For if Heaven 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 61 
 
 IS a ■place, it must of course be local, and. if tliis is admitted, 
 it will imply locality in the infinite Jehovali, as Heaven is his 
 place of abode. But the idea appears, to me, too gross for 
 any enlis^htened, intelligent mind to admit. But when we 
 consider Heaven a state, in which the mind, or rational spirit, 
 must be brought to enjoy complete felicity, then, of course. 
 Heaven is every where to such a soul or spirit : and so it 
 must be of course to the infinite Jehovah, who fills all the 
 regions of unlimited space ; for where God is, there is Heaven, 
 and no place can be found without him. But none can enjoy 
 tliis heaven of bliss, but such as are partakers of his Divine 
 nature, which none experience, but such as are born of his 
 spirit. 
 
 I have likewise long believed, that the doctrine of election 
 and predestination, is not only false and inconsistent, as stand- 
 ing in eternal contrariety with the divine attributes, but is 
 likewise injurious in its effects to a xeiY considerable portion 
 of Christian professors, and, as such, I have found it my duty 
 to oppose and reprobate it, as being very inimical to man's 
 present and future good. And, although, as thou very justly 
 observes, it has been often combated, and its inconsistency 
 manifested, yet it seems to maintain its ground with many : 
 one cause of which, I have believed, is the cowardice of some, 
 who have been better taught and instructed, some of whom 
 are within our own pale, even ministers and elders, who are 
 ready to criminate their brethren, for publicly opposing and 
 exposing those false doctrines, and such like opinions and 
 tenets of others, although they themselves believe them to be 
 erroneous ; but they love to keep up a fair side to all, lest, as 
 the^'- say, they should give offence ; and so balk their testimony, 
 rather than lose the friendship, and. what is still more with 
 them, I fear, the praise of men. 
 
 The doctrine of Predestination and Election, with many 
 other erroneous opinions, have their source in mistaken ideas 
 and views, that many people have formed, of the Divine 
 character ; especially as it regards his agency and power, for 
 as he is acknowledged to be Almighty, and all things possible 
 
62 LETTER TO WILLIAM POOLK. 
 
 with God, most people, in this iinhmited view, thiiiK ne can 
 do any and every thing, and therefore as whatever is done by 
 this unhniited and Ahnighty power is right, tliey assert that 
 in the exercise of this power, he has decreed some to everlast- 
 ing life, and others to endless misery. And some expressions 
 of the apostle Paul seem to warrant the idea, when considered 
 independent of other of his expressions, viz. : " Therefore hath 
 he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will 
 he hardeneth," &c. But he has furnished a solution of that, 
 where he says, that " it is impossible for God to lie." And it 
 is no more impossible for him to lie, than it is to do any act 
 contrary to equity and justice ; for, I conceive, that power 
 in the Divine Being is always governed by his equity and 
 justice. 
 
 But contrary to this, most men, not taking into view his 
 other attributes, suppose that he may and can do any thing, 
 according to his Almighty power, and his doing it makes it 
 right. As a Friend of high standing once argued with me, 
 in regard to liis power to save all mankind, that, if it was 
 agreeable to his pleasure, he could convert and save all man- 
 kind in a moment. To which I objected the impossibility of 
 the Divine Power, consistently with his own attributes, saving 
 any rational, immortal soul, by an act of mere coercion, that 
 had, in its own will and choice, fallen into a state of death 
 and condemnation : for if he could, contrary to the choice and 
 will of one immortal soul, that had fallen by transgression, 
 restore it again, by a mere act of power, against the will of the 
 creature, then I had no doubt but all would be saved, because 
 perfect justice could not, consistently with its own nature, 
 save one and reject another, as all are by him considered in 
 one predicament, that is, in a state of unbelief, that he might 
 alike have mercy upon all. 
 
 I hope ere now my letter of last month has come to hand ; 
 if so, any further addition, at present, will not be necessary. 
 I should be glad to hear from thee, after the reception of this. 
 Please write by mail, and leave the postage unpaid. 
 
 With love to thee and thine, I rest thy affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
LETTER TO PHEBE WILLTS. 63 
 
 TO PHEBE WILLIS. 
 
 New York, <}th mo. ^M, 1820. 
 I'EAR Friend, 
 
 I have read tliy coramiinication with attention and candour 
 and am very sorry that any thing that I have said or done, 
 should have given thee so much trouble or concern. But I can 
 assure thee, that if I am any way faulty in the premises, it is 
 altogether unintended by me ; and did I not believe that thou 
 hadst acted intentionally the part of a sincere friend, I should 
 not have noticed thy letter so far as to have made any reply, 
 as the greater part is entirely irrelevant to the subjects, or to 
 my real case. For if people that hear communications, or read 
 writing, will take the liberty to divide and dissect communica- 
 tions, so as to make them say what they were never intended 
 to say, who is the most blameable, the speaker or writer, or 
 hearer or reader? — And this is often done, I believe, by some, 
 on purpose to find fault, though I don't mean to apply this 
 disposition to thee in the least, and yet, I believe, there are 
 many such, and not a few only, in our own society. 
 
 Thy greatest concern seems to be what I have said, or what 
 my sentiments are, respecting the Scriptures, and " that I am 
 of a different opinion concerning them, than I was in the early 
 part of my exercises, in a religious way." But this is entirely 
 a mistake, for my belief concerning them has been uniformly 
 the same from my youth up, even before thou hadst seen the 
 light of this world : — for a communication I trust I was led 
 to deliver in a public meeting in Oysterbay, between forty and 
 fifty years since, is very fresh in my remembrance, as it then 
 opened in my mind ; that the professors of Christianity gene- 
 rally idolized them as much, or even more, and that to their 
 hurt, than ever the Israelites did the brazen serpent ; which 
 simile I then noticed to the people, and gave it as the opening 
 view of my mind, that the time was drawing near when tiie 
 Lord would raise up Hezekiahs, who should be led to takf» 
 
64 LETTER TO 
 
 hold of that idohzing spirit and disposition, and grind it to 
 powder, and it would be swept away into annihilation by the 
 power of Shiloh's Brook, and its remembrance would cease as 
 to its reality. For is it possible that men can be guilty of 
 greater idolatry, than to esteem and hold the Scriptures as the 
 only rule of faith and practice, by which they place them m 
 the very seat of God and worship them as God? — Thus did 
 tiie Israelites with the Brazen serpent ; and although that had 
 been an instrument of so much good to that people, while 
 they looked beyond it, to the power and presence of God, yet, 
 when they left their hold of his power and presence and looked 
 only to the power of the Image, it did them more hurt than 
 good. The Lord [therefore] saw meet to take it away, although 
 if the Israelites had kept up the true faith in the immediate 
 presence, it might have been continued throagh their genera- 
 tions until the antit^^ie came, which is Christ, as God in spirit; 
 but not Christ as man. And to this Christ and God which 
 is one, I ascribe all true divinity, and to those immortal spirits 
 that are in unison with him and partake of his divine nature, 
 but to nothing else do I ascribe any real Divinity ; and surely 
 it cannot be ascribed to any corporal matter, only in simili- 
 tude or shadow. 
 
 The next thing I would observe is, " that I have said that 
 it would be better that they were entirely annihilated." But 
 this is not the case ; as I have never said it, as I remember, ex- 
 cept I might when in pleasant conversation with my particular 
 friends, who are in full unity and knew how to understand 
 me, I might have said that I did not know but it might be as 
 well that they were entirely done away, but never expressed 
 this as my settled belief But I may add, that I sometimes 
 ihink, that if they are really needful and useful to a few who 
 make a right use of them, yet as, I believe, they are doing 
 great harm to multitudes of others, whether it would not be 
 better for the few who find some comfort and help from them, 
 to give them up for a time, until the wrong use and abuse of 
 them are done away, in the same manner as, in a moral rela- 
 tion, it miglit be better for the inhabitants of the world; if 
 
PHEBE WILLIS.' 65 
 
 cHstillation, and the means of making spiritnous liquors, were, 
 for a time, given up and done away, until the wrong use and 
 abuse of them are done away and forgotten ; although it might 
 deprive some of the benefit of them who use those articles only 
 to their comfort and help ; for if after a time it might be thought 
 right to renew the making it, when the intemperate use and 
 abuse was done away, it would be a \'«ry easy thing for man 
 to make it again. 
 
 Just so in respect to the Scriptures ; it would be a very easy 
 things for Divine Wisdom and Goodness to raise up and qual- 
 ify some of his faithful servants to write scriptures, if he 
 should think best, as good and as competent for the genera- 
 tion in which they lived, and likely would be much better 
 than those written so many hundred years since. For 
 would not some of us be very glad, if we could have imme- 
 diate access to Paul and some other of the apostles, who 
 contradict one another and sometimes themselves : by which 
 means we might be informed of the true meaning of what 
 they wrote and cause us all to understand them alike. 
 
 Another complaint thou mentionest is, "that I counteract 
 our disciphne respecting reading the Scriptures," which is also 
 a mistake, £is my mind is the same to encourage Friends, 
 especially the younger class, as I have always done in that 
 respect ; but I have only endeavoured to counteract the inno- 
 vations that appear in many Friends, by fixing times before- 
 hand, some at tables, and a great stir there is in England, 
 since they joined the superstitious Bible societies, to bring 
 Friends into a poor, lifeless form of calling their children and 
 families together in the afternoons of the first day of the 
 week, by which they join with others in establishing a seventh- 
 day Sabbath, and by that means would, if given way to, 
 bring the Society under an old Jewish yoke of bondage, which 
 the apostle informs us was even too hea^vy for them to bear ; 
 that all that is good within me abominates such superstitious 
 conduct. I consider our discipline goes no further, and means 
 no more, than that Friends carefully endeavour by every 
 right means to inculcate right ideas of morality and religion 
 
 9 
 
66 LETTER TO 
 
 in the minds of their children and their famihes; and beiiev- 
 ing, that by sometimes reading the Scriptures and other good 
 books at intervals, when nothing better ofiers, they prove as 
 an auxihary, they recommend them accordingly, but have 
 fixed no times for it; and which, in my opinion, would be 
 very improper. But that Friends, especially heads of fami- 
 lies, live under a right concern, so that they may be ready, 
 whenever they feel their minds secretly drawn into a solemn 
 state, that they yield thereto and wait to be instructed how 
 to act and what to do, and, I believe, were this the case with 
 parents of children, they would often be furnished with a 
 word of counsel and encouragement, although contained 
 in bat few expressions, that would be more effectual to 
 the help and encouragement of their children and fami- 
 lies, than the reading of all Paul's epistles without being 
 under the right covering ; for it will remain an eternal truth 
 that the letter killeth, but the spirit only giveth life. 
 
 I shall notice one thing more in thy letter, that res- 
 pecting the atonement ; and as time will not admit me to 
 write much more, I shall in a short way give thee my view 
 on the subject. And first, I may say that our primitive 
 Friends stopped short in that matter, not for want of faith- 
 fulness, but because the day, that was in some respects still 
 dark, would not admit of further openings, because the 
 people could not bear it, therefore it was to be a future 
 work. But to suppose, in this day of advanced light, that 
 the oftering of the outward body of Jesus Christ, should 
 purge away spiritual corruption, is entirely inconsistent with 
 the nature and reason of things, as flesh and spirit bear 
 no analogy with each other, and it likewise contradicts our 
 Lord's own doctrines, where he assured the people, that 
 the flesh profiteth nothing, and many other of his sayings 
 it contradicts. And I believe nothing ever did or ever will 
 atone for spiritual corruption, but the entire death of that 
 from whence that corruption originated, which is the cor- 
 rupt will and the life that the creature has generated in 
 him bv that will, both which must be slain by the sword 
 
PIIEBE WILLIS. 
 
 67 
 
 of the spirit, which stands in the way to Eden, and must 
 die and be annihilated on the cross ; and. this is the true 
 atonement, which the creature cannot effect for himself, only 
 as he submits to the operation of the life and spirit of 
 Christ, which will enable the willing and obedient to do 
 it. And the outward atonement was a figure of it, which, 
 with the outward example of Jesus Christ in his righteous 
 works and pious death, gives strength to be faithful to 
 make this necessary offering and sacrifice unto [God], by 
 which his sins are blotted [out], and he again reconciled to 
 his Maker. 
 
 / inust now close, as time calls me aioay ; thou must 
 excuse the scribbling way in which I have loritten, as the 
 shortness of time made it necessary to write in much 
 haste. 
 
 In love to you all, I rest thy affectionate friend, 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
08 LETTER TO 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, \2th mo. 28th, 1830. 
 Dear Frie.vd, 
 
 Thy letter of 8th mo. 21st, and that of 9th mo. 20th, as 
 also a note by Stephen and Edmund Willets, were all duly 
 received. In the latter, thou accountest correctly for my not 
 answering the two foregoing ones, ere now. I left home the 
 22d of 9th mo. to join a committee of our yearly meeting, 
 in visiting the monthly meetings within its compass, on a 
 concern that originated in said meeting, in consequence of the 
 many deficiencies stated in the reports from the Quarters. 
 Previous to this time, I was for some days taken up in attend- 
 ing on my son-in-law, who had a severe attack of indisposi- 
 tion, and as soon as he mended, so that I felt easy to leave 
 him, I left home, the committee having proceeded a few days 
 previously. He is now pretty welt restored to usual health : 
 but he, and his wife and surviving children, have recently had 
 a close trial, in the decease of his youngest daughter Eliza- 
 beth, about eight years of age ; — she was a precious, promising 
 child. Since which, Sarah, the widow of Isaac Hiclis, bus 
 had a similar trial, in parting with Mary, her youngest daugh- 
 ter ; and although it was like rending bone from bone, yet by 
 labouring after patience and due resignation, they appear again 
 pretty well composed. 
 
 What thou farther observes, of Heaven being a state and 
 not a place, is perfectly congenial to my views ; and, I con- 
 ceive, it would be the sentiment of every intelligent person, 
 did they rightly improve the means dispensed to them by a 
 wise and gracious Providence, freed from the shackles of 
 superstition and tradition, which have been riveted on their 
 minds by an erroneous education. 
 
 " 'Tis education forms the common mind, 
 Just as the twig is bent, the tree's inclined." 
 
 Wliat very great responsibility attaches to parents, and how 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 69 
 
 very necessary it is for rliem to use every right means in their 
 power, to establish in the minds of their children, in early life, 
 correct principles and right views, in order that the rising 
 youth under their charge, may be educated in the path of 
 rectitude, and have right ideas of the Divine character. 
 
 As to the unchangeable unity of the Divine Power and 
 great First Cause of all created existence, as declared to 
 Moses, -^dz. " I am, that I am," we must believe he is incapa- 
 ble of division ; for as there can be but one will in Heaven, to 
 render it a state of perfect happiness, so there can be but 
 one wall in God, who is the King immortal, invisible ; "whose 
 dwelling is in the light, which no man can approach unto;" 
 and who saith by his prophet Isaiah, " Who hath told this 
 from that time ? Have not I the Lord ? And there is no God 
 else besides me ; a just God, and a Saviour ; there is none 
 beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all tlie ends of 
 the earth ; for I am God. and there is none else." Isaiah xlv. 
 21, 22. 
 
 I apprehend that all those erroneous ideas, that have sfot a 
 place in the minds of most of the professors of Christianity, 
 (some of which thou hast hinted at,) as it respects the unity 
 of God, have arisen from the want of being rightly instructed 
 in the design and purpose of Jehovah, in dispensing that out- 
 ward figurative covenant, and letter, or written law, to the 
 people of Israel ; and therefore, they have blended it with the 
 Gospel, and endeavour to unite Flesh and Spirit, Heaven and 
 Earth : and which has given rise to most of the disputes and 
 dissension ajnong those that go under the Christian name. 
 Hence the necessity of keeping the two dispensations or cove- 
 nants separate and entirely distinct, one from the other ; giving 
 to the outward law dispensation all its claim : that is, all that 
 is outward, all that is visible ; every thing discoverable by the 
 outward or external senses, such as outward circumcision, an 
 outward bondage and captivity, an outward deliverance and 
 salvation, an outward Jerusalem, an outward Heaven, an out- 
 ward God [or representative of him,] outward legal sins, and 
 an outward Saviour to redeem from those outward legal sins 
 
70 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 and transgressions ; — all these joined together in an outward 
 covenant, make one complete whole, all open to the view of 
 the external senses. 
 
 And as this first covenant was outwardly suited to man's 
 animal nature, so likewise the Heaven was suited to man's 
 animal nature : as all its bread and all its wine, and all its 
 water, could only nourish, comfort, and satiate the thirst of 
 man's animal nature, likewise its God was outward and its 
 Saviour outward, — all applying to man's animal nature, and 
 could rise no higher. The apostle Paul correctly declares, 
 " That was not first which is spiritual, but that which is nat- 
 ural, and afterward that which is spiritual ;" and he further 
 says, "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should 
 no place have been sought for the second." Therefore, the 
 first must altogether pass away, not only in part, but the 
 whole, even its heaven : for otherwise there would be no place 
 for the second. 
 
 Such was the ignorance and carnality of the Israelites, 
 that is, the generality of them, that they did not look to be 
 instructed in any other way, than through the medium of their 
 external senses ; therefore the Lord condescended to meet 
 with them and instruct them in that way through his ser- 
 vants, viz. Moses and the Prophets, and finally by his Son 
 Jesus Christ, who, when he had fulfilled the law of the out- 
 ward covenant, and all the righteousness of that external tes- 
 timony, told his disciples, that it was expedient for them that 
 he should go away, assuring them, that if he went not away, 
 the Comforter would not come. By which we clearly disco- 
 ver, that that outward body of Jesus, together with all those 
 outward miracles, wrought in and through that body of flesh, 
 and blood, such as healing the sick, cleansing the leper, caus- 
 ing the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, the 
 lame to walk, &c., are all a part of the figurative dispensation, 
 and that Jesus of Nazareth, with all his outward, visible, mighty 
 works, acting on the animal bodies of men, was the top-stone 
 of that shadowy dispensation, given only to the people of 
 Israel, as Jesus with all liis mighty works was sent but to that 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 
 
 71 
 
 people, according to his own declaration ; " I am not sent but 
 unto the lost sheep of the house Israel." Matt. xv. 24. 
 
 But in and under the Gospel dispensation, the law and 
 covenant is spiritual and universal, written in the heart of 
 every rational being mider Heaven ; and is, therefore, invisible 
 to all the external senses, and is only manifested by its fruits. 
 And as the law and covenant is spiritual and internal, so like- 
 wise, the Messiah and Comforter of the Gospel dispensation 
 is spiritual, and only internally and spiritually known and 
 manifested, and is universallt/ manifested to all the children 
 of men, the world over ; and by wliom the Gospel is preached 
 in every rational creature. For every one that has pierced 
 him shall see him ; and as all have pierced him with their 
 sins, so every eye shall see him, inwardly, but not out- 
 wardly, for only one man pierced the outward Messiah, but 
 all have pierced the spiritual Messiah, and borne him down 
 as a cart with sheaves, and for which all will have to weep, 
 and howl, either in mercy or judgment. 
 
 But some may object and say, who is this spiritual Messiah, 
 or Comforter ? To which I answer, he is the Holy Ghost, or 
 Spirit of Truth, the one God, and only self-existing First 
 Cause, by which the worlds were made, and who is the Author 
 of all created existence, — one God over all, and through all, 
 and who graciously condescends to teach his people himself, 
 for the " Lord's children are all taught of the Lord, and in 
 righteousness are they established, and great is the peace of 
 his children." For as the mind or soul of man is visited and 
 acted upon by the Holy Ghost, or invisible power of God, 
 and is united with this divine visiter, and becomes passive to 
 its influence, there is a conception witnessed, and a new birth 
 is brought forth, which the miraculous conception and birth of 
 the blessed Jesus was a figure of And as Mary nursed and 
 brought up the child .Tesus, from his infancy to manhood, by 
 the aid of her husband, so the soul, under the direction of its 
 Heavenly husband, nourishes up this new born child of God, 
 until it comes to the state of a " young man, and has overcome 
 the wicked one ;" that is, the old earthly or first nature, oy 
 
LETTER TO 
 
 which it witnesses the resurrection from the dead, being raised 
 up from dead works, to serve the hving God in newness of 
 hfe, which is the second birth, whereby it regains paradise. 
 Hence is fulfilled, spiritually, all that Jesus passed through 
 outwardly ; the one the figure, and the other the substance ; 
 and as Jesus did all, in the outward, by the power of his 
 Heavenly Father, so this spiritual birth likewise does all, by 
 the power of its Heavenly Father. Hence it is one God, 
 working all in all, both in the outward, and in the inward 
 and spiritual Covenant, and hence all is given up to him, and 
 he becomes all in all, one God over all, unchangeably the 
 same, yesterday, to-day, and for ever. 
 
 And, although God was in Christ in the fulness, even in 
 that very man called Jesus of Nazareth, and through him, as 
 a proper vehicle, wrought all those mighty works, yet. at the 
 same time, he was also every where else, as he pervades all 
 space, and is a complete, indivisible, omnipresent, unchange- 
 able God, and who only is worthy to be worshipped, honoured, 
 and obeyed by the children of men, throughout all ages, world 
 without end. And as the holy man Jesus possessed the divine 
 nature of his Heavenly Father in the fulness, so his children, 
 born anew by his spirit, become partakers of his divine nature, 
 and, as Paul says, these are " heirs of God and joint-heirs with 
 Christ." 
 
 Finally, my dear friend, farewell. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, 2d mil. Uth, 1821. 
 Dear Friend, 
 
 Thine of the 16th ultimo was duly received, and read with 
 satisfaction ; and for my not giving a more full explanation 
 of some of my views, in my last, please to forgive the defect, 
 wlien I make the following apology, viz.: having been from 
 
• WILLIAM POOLE. 73 
 
 home, most of the time, for a number of months past, attend- 
 ing to various religious engagements ; while absent, many 
 (etters were received from a number of my friends, from 
 various parts of the country, and, as thou knowest that 
 friendship is a sacred tie, and involves mutual obligations, 1 
 was desirous of filling up my part, by answering my friends' 
 letters seasonably, lest I should incur censure for neglect. 
 I have found it expedient, when tluis urged, to forward the first 
 rough draft, most of which are written in haste ;' this was the 
 case with my last to thee : but believing that thou wouldst 
 construe charitably such omissions, or errors, as I might 
 have overlooked, I ventured to send it, (although not fully 
 satisfied with it myself,) and had rather, if time had per- 
 mitted, given it another investigation. But it may be best 
 as it is, as thy remarks thereon, may enable me more 
 fully to give thee my views on those subjects not so fully 
 explained. 
 
 In regard to an outward [representative of] God, (to open 
 this subject,) it will be proper to have reference to a number 
 of passages of Scripture, and also to begin with the opening of 
 the lav/ dispensation by Moses : " Even he shall be to thee 
 instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God." — 
 Exodus, iv. 16. " I will raise them up a prophet from among 
 their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his 
 mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall com- 
 mand him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will 
 not hearken unto my words, which he shall speak in my name, 
 I will require it of him." — Deut. xviii. 18, 19. " For Moses 
 truly said unto the fathers, a prophet shall the Lord your God 
 raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me ; him shall 
 ye hear in all things, whatsoever he shall say unto you. 
 And it shall come to pass, that every soul which will not hear 
 that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people." — 
 Acts, iii. 22, 23. 
 
 It is very evident, from "these passages and many others, 
 that might be quoted, that the Israelites were reduced to 
 such a state of sensuality and ignorance by their bondage, 
 
74 LETTER TO 
 
 that the heiglit of their desires, generally, as a body of people, 
 iu regard to happiness, was comprehended in a deliverance 
 from their outward captivity, and being placed in the full 
 enjoyment of temporal blessings. And we do not find that any 
 reward was offered as an inducement to theij- fulfilment of the 
 outward law and commandment, but the outward promised 
 land, with outward advantages, comprehending every thing 
 necessary to complete the happiness of the animal man, as 
 they were faithful to the law and testimony of that dispensa- 
 tion ; (although it made none of the comers thereto perfect, 
 as pertaining to the conscience,) and thus we are furnished 
 with a complete figure of the invisible heaven, or state of 
 happiness to the immortal soul ; and as the invisible God, 
 who is an eternal, self-existing, undivided, unchangeable 
 spirit — the alone Creator, and First Cause of all things, be- 
 comes the sole Ruler and Governor in any immortal soul of 
 man, and the creature becomes wholly passive, here the divine 
 will governs in all things, and this constitutes Heaven to tho 
 soul. And although there may be ten thousand, or any other 
 number of souls, yet if all are passive as above, and as meal 
 to the leaven, still, there will be but one will, that rules and 
 governs all ; and this state, and this only, constitutes Heaven, 
 where there is perpetual and universal harmony. 
 
 And it is ckar, from the history of Israel's redemption from 
 Pharaoh's yoke, that this complete passive state of' the will, 
 was the principal requisite in effecting their deliverance, for 
 when there was the least appearance of the Israelites' exerting 
 a will, contrary to this entire passive state it immediately 
 stopped their progress. But where there are two contrary, 
 wills,, even in a family outwardly, there is always a want of 
 right harmony. Thus when our first parents "set up a will, 
 and turned away from that passive state, they ought ever to 
 have stood in to the divine will , God graciously ordained, 
 that the woman should be subject to her husband, and he 
 should rule over her, and this subjection ought to continue 
 until both surrender their wills again to God, as in the begin- 
 ning, and then male and female are one in him, and then 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. lO 
 
 man's sovereig-nty over tlie woman is entirely done away, and 
 God's will. becomes all in all. 
 
 And to make the outward law and dispensation a complete 
 figrire of the inward, there must be not only an outward 
 circumcision, but an outward moral law, to regulate the out- 
 ward conduct, likewise an outward ceremonial religion ; and 
 as religion is to pave the way to Heaven, therefore, to make 
 the figure complete, there must be an outward Heaven. This 
 the Jews had, and as Heaven cannot be such Avithout a God, 
 so, as all the rest are outward, there must be an outward God, 
 or representative of God, to complete the figure. And by the 
 foregoing quotations, it appears to me, that Jesus Christ was 
 to be the sole Director and Governor in Israel, during the time 
 of his outward ministration ; as all were, to hear him, under 
 the penalty of being cut ofi" or destroyed from among the 
 people. And this view seems verified, by the implicit obedience 
 of his disciples to his commands, by which their wills Avere 
 entirely subdued to his will ; and although he often, in his 
 communications, endeavoured to raise their views, yet it is 
 very evident that their attachment was so fixed on tlie out- 
 ward manifestation, and tlieir attention so wholly turned to be 
 instructed through the medium of tlie outward senses, that, 
 I conceive, it requires no forced construction to conclude, he 
 stood in relation to them as a God, in the same sense as their 
 outward good land was a type of Heaven, or an outward 
 Heaven, and their outward Jerusalem as the city of God and 
 type of the spiritual Jerusalem. Jesus Christ, in his outward 
 manifestation, \\'as more blest, and abundantly more glorified, 
 than any other man, and was above all, and therefore was the 
 representative of God on earth, visible to the external senses, 
 although the power by which he did all his mighty works, 
 was the invisible power of God, conferred upon him for that 
 end, he being the instrument through whom God, by his 
 power, wrought all those mighty works, that declared him to 
 be the Son of God with power ; but it \vas only the ell'ects of 
 the power, and not the power, that was visible to the outward 
 senses of his disciples and the people. 
 
76 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 Hence it was expedient that he should leave them, as to his 
 visible appearance, as nothing short of that, could open the 
 way for their reception of the Holy Spirit as a leader. And, 
 in another respect, he stood in place of God to that people, in 
 raising their dead outwardly, and heahng all their outward 
 maladies, and forgiving those he healed of all their legal sins, 
 by which he qualified them to enjoy all the privileges and 
 good things of their outward Heaven, and all the happiness it 
 comprehended. In which, he and his mighty works, out- 
 wardly wrought, were a complete figure of the work of God 
 on the believing soul ; raising it from the death of sin, healing 
 it of all its spiritual maladies, and fitting it for the enjojanent 
 of the divine presence, which is Heaven in the substance. 
 And as he stood in place of God outwardly to Israel, so he 
 was likewise a real and true man, as the scriptures abundantly 
 assure us, being the son, or oflspring, of Abraham and David 
 after the flesh ; born of an Israelitish virgin, brought up and 
 nursed by his parents, and was subject unto them, until he 
 arrived at the state of manhood; complying faithfully with all 
 the requisitions and ordinances of the Jewish law, by which 
 he justified his Heavenly Father in giving that law and those 
 commandments, proving, by his faithfully fiilfilling all of them, 
 that it was within the capacity and power of every Israelite 
 to have done the same, had they faithfully improved the ability 
 they had received for that end ; and, by which, he condemned 
 their unfaithfulness. And the last ritual was John's water 
 Baptism, by complying with which, he fulfilled all the right- 
 eousness of the outward law and testament, and was then 
 prepared for entering upon his mission by the more fiill 
 diftusion of the Holy Spirit, which descended upon him 
 as soon as he had finished all the work of shadows, relative 
 to the law state, and which qualified him for his Gospel 
 mission, in which he went forth, clothed with power from 
 on high, preaching the glad tidings of peace and salvation ; 
 very few, however, understood or believed his doctrines, 
 the people being so outward and worldly-minded. And, 
 when he had finished his ministration, in which lie fulfilled 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 77 
 
 the righteousness of botli tlie law and the Gospel, setting 
 thereby an example to all his followers, — showing them that 
 by faithfulness to the operations of the same spirit and poAver, 
 according to the measure received, they might do the same ; 
 yea, he assured his immediate followers, that even greater 
 works than these which he had done, should they do. AYhen 
 he had thus finished his course, he surrendered himself to his 
 enemies, who crucified him, that is his outward jjody, which 
 was all they could do. But when he gave up the 'ghost, 
 his immortal spirit rose superior to all their malice, and 
 ascended immediately into Paradise. This ascension was 
 not visible to the outward senses ; his body was laid in the 
 tomb, — and to complete the figure of our redemption, it Avas 
 raised again outwardly, by which is tyjjified the crucifixion of 
 the old fallen man, with all his deeds, which is effected by the 
 cross of Christ ; as saith the apostle, " Know ye not, that so 
 many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ" that is into the 
 spirit and power of God"were baptized into his death ? There- 
 fore we are buried with him by baptism into death ; that like 
 as Christ was raised up'' outwardly "J\om the dead by the glory 
 of the Father, even so we also sliould" be spiritually raised up 
 to'^walk in newness of life." 
 
 And this outward ascension, as it was manifest to the exter- 
 nal senses of his disciples, must liave been the outward man, 
 as the immortal spirit of the Saviour never was, nor ever could 
 be, seen by outward eyes : — hence this outward ascension was 
 a complete type of the inward or spiritual ascension, of the 
 immortal soul of man, from an earthly to a heavenly state ; 
 by which it regains Paradise, and which must and will be 
 regained by every redeemed soul on this side the grave. 
 
 I have the same view as thou hast, in regard to the expres- 
 sion of Jesus on the cross, when he said " It is finished," that 
 it not only related to his finishing and abolishing the law, but 
 equally so to his ministiy of the Gospel ; for his Gospel doc- 
 trines supersede the law, in my opinion, entirely. By these 
 we are required to do good for evil, and when smitten on one 
 cheek to turn the other, to cease from oaths, to love our neigh- 
 
78 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 bouT as ourselves, and to love our enemies and to pray for 
 them; and to do unto all others as we would they should 
 do unto us, (fcc. &c. 
 
 I conceive that those who have these divine precepts, and 
 understand them, have no absolute need of any part of the 
 law of Moses for instruction. As the inward Divine Law 
 comprehends much more, and its moral precepts are much 
 more extensive and dignified, than those of the outward law 
 and testimony, and therefore, it not only supersedes them, but 
 renders them entirely nugatory to the Christian, as he must 
 know them all fulfilled, before entering the Christian state. 
 
 I agree with thee, that unbelief in the creature more gene- 
 rally arises from the want of a willingness to believe plain 
 truths, than from the want of knowing what those truths are. 
 and for the reasons thou hast given, for they find if they yield 
 to plain truth, it will take from them what they want to retain, 
 or stand in the way of what they v. ish to gain, as in the case 
 •of Balaam. 
 
 As to my saying there can be but one will in Heaven, I had 
 no other view, than to consider it a state and not a place ; and 
 I apprehend that the'premises on which I founded the expres- 
 sion, would have explained it in that way ; but as I have no 
 copy of that letter, and do not remember the wording of it, I 
 conclude it escaped my notice. But as all my knowledge of 
 Heaven arises from an inward sense in my own soul, and that 
 sweet enjoyment that I sometimes feel and believe to be of a 
 heavenly nature, because it satiates all the desires of the soul, 
 and which is only witnessed when the soul is entirely swal- 
 lowed up in the Divine will, and wholly passive to the Divine 
 power ; this has brought me to believe, that there can be but 
 one will in the soul that is in a heavenly state, or a state in 
 which God only rules and reigns. 
 
 Other parts of thy letter that I have not particularly noticed, 
 are in unison with my views, and as my paper is now nearly 
 full, I must draw to a close. Therefore, with the salutation of 
 love to thee, thy dear wife and children, in which my wife 
 joins, I conclude thy affectionate friend, ELIAS HICKS. 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 79 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 New York, Uh mo. 26tk, 1821. 
 Mt Dear Friend, 
 
 • Thine of the 16th instant was handed to me yesterday by 
 a friend at the close of our Select quarterly meeting, and the 
 sight of it only was truly consoling, having, from a report of 
 thy indisposition that was circulated among us, let in a fear, 
 that I should never see another letter in thy own handwrit- 
 ing : — that truly, my dear friend, the sight of it, and the con- 
 tents when read, were a feast of fat things, to find that thou 
 wast improving in thy bodily health, but more especially that 
 thy mental tone of reflection, and consideration was returning 
 in its usual vigour. Have we not often cause to say, with 
 David, " What shall we render unto the Lord for all his bene- 
 fits?" for he often wounds to heal, and sometimes brings a 
 dark shade of affliction and trial over us, purposely for our 
 brightening and more full purification from the dregs of our 
 fallen nature ; and to give a more enlightened view of the 
 excellence of his wisdom and power; and of his never failing, 
 unchangeable goodness and mercy; therefore, dear friend, 
 we have abundant cause continually to thank him and take 
 courage. 
 
 As to the subject thou mentionest relating to a sentiment of 
 mine, that a preparation for Heaven and happiness must be 
 witnessed on this side the grave ; this sentiment I conceive is 
 unchangeably correct ; as reason and truth corroborate the 
 scripture testimony, that there is no repentance in the grave, 
 nor are we, from these sources, permitted to believe the Romish 
 error of a purgatory after death, nor have we any ground from 
 reason or revelation to believe we shall have another state of 
 probation when this has passed away ; but what most forcibly 
 establishes my belief in the premises, arises from a considera- 
 tion of the state in which Divine Wisdom has placed his 
 rational creaturesjformed by his own power, innocent and clean 
 f'j?m any defilement ; but placed in a state of probation, 
 
89 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 endued by their gracious Creator with a sufficient portion of 
 wisdom and understanding, if rightly improved under his wise 
 direction and guidance, to rise out of this innocent statu, to a 
 state of experience in Imowledge and virtue, and, by a steady 
 perseverance in this way, to a state of glorification with their 
 heavenly Father. 
 
 And as all man's defilement arises from his own acts, by 
 making a wrong use of his liberty, while endued with suf- 
 ficient power and understanding to have stood, had he made 
 a right use thereof, so this power and ability is continued to 
 him, to enable and lead him in the way of return, during the 
 time of his i^robation; but if still he goes on in his wrong 
 choice, and in the gratification of his own will and sensual 
 lust, in opposition to the strivings of the divine light in his 
 mind, during the day of liis probation here, he becomes so 
 swallowed up in the vortex of darkness and hardness of heart, 
 that, if hereafter he had an eternity of probation, we have no 
 reason to suppose he would ever change his course. And when 
 man makes his election and choice to do right, and improves 
 his ability so to do, under the direction of his gracious Bene- 
 factor, he becomes so wedded to it, and so swallowed up in the 
 Divine Nature, that all the ground of temptation in him is 
 removed and done away ; and this agrees with the doctrine 
 of the apostle respecting those who are born of God. There- 
 fore the circumstance of Israel's having enemies to encounter 
 after they entered their promised land, will not hold good as 
 a figure to the righteous after death, but may, in some degree, 
 while passing through this scene of trial ; because it would 
 prove too much, as Israel so revolted after they had entered, 
 as to become entirely dispossessed ; which, to admit as a 
 figure to those who die in a heavenly state, or state of 
 acceptance with God^ that they might afterwards fall away, 
 or be farther tried, would be a cause of great discourage 
 ment, and tend to destroy all our hope. And although I 
 believe, that the righteous after death are established be- 
 yond the reach of danger, or trial, yet not bej^ond a state 
 of continual advancement in glory and joy. For, as by 
 
WILLIAM poolp:. 81 
 
 experience, we learn that the continued possession aud 
 enjo^nnent of any favour or blessing, tends to lessen, in some 
 degree, the happiness we derive from it; so the continued 
 accession of new favours, tends greatly to augment our 
 happiness. Therefore, as the Divine perfections are infinite, 
 and without end, I consider it altogether reasonable to suppose, 
 that God, in his unsearchable wisdom and goodness, will con- 
 tinually advance his dedicated children and servants, in the 
 new enjoyments of his infinite perfection, through all the 
 eternal ages. 
 
 I this morning received thy letter of the 1 0th instant, which 
 was also acceptable. 
 
 My dear wife has been a house-keeper most of the past 
 winter and spring, through bodily indisposition, though mostly 
 able to be about house ; the rest of my family, and those of 
 our children, are in usual health. Thou mentionest a little 
 view of a visit to us, but rather despairs of eflecting it. But 
 should thy health improve, and way open for it, it would be 
 very cordial to us, and might be a real improvement to thy 
 state of bodily health. 
 
 I may now draw to a close, and, in much love and affection 
 to thyself, wife, and children, rest thy sympathizing friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 AN ESSAY 
 
 ON THE BIRTH AND OFFICES OF CHRIST. 
 
 Wisdom is justified of her children — The fulfilment of the Law, and the 
 Introduction of the Gospel. &c. 
 
 The following prophecies and scripture testimonies, con- 
 cerning Jesus of Nazareth, fully show, that he was born of 
 the Virgin Mary, and brought up and educated in all the 
 precepts, statutes, and commands of the law, given through 
 Moses to Israel, by the pious care of his mother, and Joseph 
 lier husband, and was subject and obedient to them until he 
 
 11 
 
82 AN ESSAY ON THE BIRTH 
 
 arrived to mair.s estate ; thereby setting a perfect example to 
 children, agreeably to the requirings of their law. And, after 
 he had arrived to the state of manhood, he entered upon, and 
 performed, all the duties of that covenant, as a real, true 
 Israelite ; fulfilling all the commandments and ordinances of 
 their law, blameless ; by which he set a perfect example to all 
 the Israelites, showing them, how by faithfulness to the mani- 
 fested will of the Heavenly Father, and a right improvement 
 of the ability received from him for that end, they might 
 likewise have fulfilled all the ricfhteousness thereof as he had 
 done. And by which, he condemned their unfaithfulness and 
 hardness of heart ; as we believe it is impossible, that the all- 
 gracious Creator, should ever require any thing of his rational 
 creation but wliat he furnishes them Avith ample ability to 
 perform, as they are faithful to the clear manifestations of his 
 light in their own hearts. 
 
 The first Prophecy that appears clear on this subject, is 
 that of Jacob, when blessing his sons : " The sceptre shall 
 not depart from .Tudah, nor a law-giver from between his feet, 
 until Shiloh come ; and unto him shall the gathering of tlie 
 people be." — Gen. xlix. 10. What an excellent display of 
 infinite wisdom, is to be seen in the manner in which God 
 hath meted out his varied dispensations, as a means for the 
 recovery of liis poor lost creature man from the bondage of 
 sin and death ; not opening two dispensations at the same 
 time, nor a new one, until the former is at an end. Neither 
 doth he require his servants to do two things, or walk two 
 ways at once, although both are right ; but every thing singly 
 in its right place and time, and this wisely, to prevent all 
 confusion. As wliere there are two heads of equal power, 
 or two wills to be satisfied, in a family or nation, there will 
 always be confusion. And, therefore, the Shiloh of Israel 
 was not to come, until the outward sceptre, and last King of 
 Israel, that sprang from Judah's loins, should first pass aAvay ; 
 which was accomplished in the death of Herod, who died not 
 long after the birth of Jesus ; and this in order that the people 
 should have but one head to look to. For, if there v^^ere two, 
 
AND OFFICES OF CHRIST. 
 
 83 
 
 their ideas would be confused ; and it shows the correctness 
 of the parable, that no man can serve two masters. 
 
 Tlie second Prophecy is that of IMoses, confirming the 
 former : " The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a 
 Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me ; 
 unto him ye shall hearken." " I will raise them up a Prophet 
 from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my 
 words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them, all that 
 I shall command him." — Deut. xviii. 15, 18. " Therefore the 
 Lord hinxself shall give you a sign ; behold, a virgin shall 
 conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emanuel." — 
 Isaiah, vii. 14. " Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine 
 Elect in whom my soul delighteth ; I have put my spirit upon 
 him : he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles." — Isaiah, 
 xlii. 1. " Behold my servant whom I have chosen ; my 
 beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased ; I will put my 
 spirit upon him: he shall show judgment to the Gentiles."— 
 Mat. xii. 18. " Philip findeth Nathaniel, and saith unto him, 
 we have found him of whom Moses in the law and the 
 Prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." — 
 John, i. 45. " Ye men of Israel, hear these words ; Jesus of 
 Nazareth, a man approved of God, among you, by miracles 
 and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst 
 of you, as ye yourselves also know." — Acts ii. 22. 
 
 This brings us to the end of the outward advent and 
 ministration of the Jewish Messiah ; I say Jewish Messiah, 
 because he was not permitted to visit, outwardly, the Gentile 
 nations, in that outward nature, in wliich he was a complete 
 Israelite, proceeding from the loins of Abraham and David, as 
 the Scriptures clearly testify. Nor did he suffer his disciples 
 to do it, when he sent them forth to preach, while he was per- 
 sonally with them. Which shows that the end of his coming, 
 agreeably to the foregoing prophecies, was, first, as a real Israel- 
 ite, to prove, by fulfilling all the righteousness of their out- 
 ward law and covenant, that the Lord was not a hard master, 
 by requiring obedience to the outward statutes and judgments 
 that he had given them to perform, and to put an end to that 
 
84 
 
 AN ESSAY ON' THE BIRTH 
 
 covenant, and do it away ; as was effected when he gave up 
 his outward or bodily Hfe on the cross, saying, it is finished. 
 And secondly, after having finished the law, John's water hap- 
 tism being the last ritual he had to conform to, he immediately 
 after this received the descendings of the Holy Spirit of God 
 upon him, agreeably to the above prophecy of Isaiah, by which 
 he became a partaker of the Divine Nature of his heavenly 
 Father, and by this spiritual birth, became the Son of God 
 with power, and thereby fully qualified for his Gospel mis- 
 sion, and went forth, clothed with the spirit and power of 
 God, preaching the Gospel to the poor. Hence we see another 
 instance of the consummate wisdom of the Highest, in send- 
 ing his beloved Son, qualified only as a real and true Israelite, 
 first to fulfil, in that state, all the righteousness of the law, 
 before the full pouring forth of the Holy Spirit upon him, 
 which is the peculiar privilege of the Gospel state ; but which 
 no individual is prepared to receive, until, like the blessed 
 , Jesus, he has fulfilled all the righteousness of the moral law. 
 For had this full diffusion of the spirit been conferred upon 
 him, while engaged in the fulfilment of that outward cove- 
 nant, he would not have been any example to that people, as 
 it would have proved that it required greater ability than the 
 Israelites had received, to perform the same ; and thereby 
 impeach the Lord of being a hard master, in requiring more 
 than he had given them ability to perform. 
 
 But by withholding this full diffusion of the spirit, until he 
 had fulfilled the law of the outAvard covenant, with the same 
 ability that every Israelite had conferred upon him for the 
 same purpose, he thereby justifies his heavenly Father, and 
 proves his impartiality towards the children of men, and 
 stands as a perfect example, in that relation, to all succeeding 
 ages, who come to the knowledge of it. And then by the 
 pouring forth of his spirit upon him, he shows his readiness 
 to do the same to every other of his rational creation, accord- 
 ing to their several needs, to enable them to fulfil, as Jesus 
 has done, all the righteousness of the Gospel : who have pre- 
 
AND OFFICES OP CHRIST. 85 
 
 vioiisly come up in the same way of faithfulness in fulfilling 
 the righteousness of the law. 
 
 And when he had finished his outward ministration, he 
 then gave himself up to the power of his enemies, although 
 it was a very severe and trying baptism for his human 
 nature to bear, having a clear prospect of his sufferings and 
 death, saying " O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup 
 pass from me : nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." 
 By his willing surrender to his heavenly Father's will, he has 
 set us a perfect example, that we should count nothing too 
 dear to surrender, not even our bodily lives, for the Gospel's 
 sake and the testimony of a good conscience. 
 
 And when he had sealed his testimony with his blood, out- 
 wardly, he was raised up again, by the power of God, and 
 showed himself to his disconsolate disciples, who were now 
 witnessing the fast he had foretold them of. Mat. ix. 15 
 Mark ii. 19, 20. And after having several times shown him- 
 self to them, and instructed them further in those things 
 relating to the Gospel dispensation, he left them his farewell 
 command, to tarry at the city of Jerusalem, until they should 
 receive power from on high, " For John," says he, " truly 
 baptized with water ; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy 
 Ghost, not many days hence." " But ye shall receive power 
 after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you : and ye shall" 
 then, but not till then, " be witnesses unto me both in Jeru- 
 salem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the utter- 
 most parts of the earth." 
 
 Hence we have the example and testimony of .Tesus Christ 
 and his disciples ; who never attempted to preach the Gospel 
 until they had received the Holy Ghost, to prove that nothing 
 short of the Holy Spirit of God, immediately received, ever 
 did, or ever can qualify any man to preach the Gospel. 
 Therefore, if any undertake to do it, without this qualifica- 
 tion, they ought all to be considered as intruders, and minis- 
 ters of Anti-Christ. 
 
 For it is '• not by might, nor by power," that depend upon 
 the associations or wisdom and science of men. nor yet by 
 
m 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 their money, though the professed ministers of Christendom, 
 who preacli for hire and divine for money, seem to consider 
 the latter the principal thing by which the Gospel and King- 
 dom of peace is to be exalted and advanced in the earth, " but 
 by my Spirit, saith the Lord ;" that is, by the little stone that 
 Nebuchadnezzar saw cut out of the mountain without hands, 
 viz. without the help, the power, the wisdom, or contrivance 
 of any man, or any associations of men. And this little 
 stone, that brake in pieces, that mighty image that Nebuchad- 
 nezzar saw in his dream, was not cut out, nor sent into the 
 world, until all the outward Kingdoms that God had set up 
 and finished had come to an end ; then, in the fulness of time, 
 he came to effect the glorious end of doing away, and utterly 
 destroying, all the Kingdoms of the world, that man sets up in 
 his own wisdom and power, for his own glory and aggrand- 
 izement. 
 
 Take it in the prophet's words. Daniel ii. 44, 45, " And in 
 the days of these kings, shall the God of Heaven set up a 
 Kingdom, which shall never be destroyed ; and the Kingdom 
 shall not be left to other people," that is, not to those who 
 would make use of it to their own glory and aggrandizement, 
 " but it shall break in pieces and consume all these Kingdoms, 
 and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that 
 the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that 
 it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and 
 the gold ; the Great God hath made known to the king, what 
 shall come to pass hereafter ; and the dream is certain, and 
 the interpretation thereof sure." 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, 1th mo. llh, 1821. 
 Dear Friend, • 
 
 Thy acceptable letter of the 10th ult. was duly received, 
 and the information it contained of the continued improve- 
 ment of tliy liealth, was very satisfactory ; although it also 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 
 
 87 
 
 contained some alloy, by stating the indisposition thy wife has 
 lately experienced — bnt it was grateful to hear she was better. 
 And seeing this is allotted to all mortals, in passing through 
 this checkered scene, I know of no way better for us. than 
 continually to endeavour quietly to submit, and cheerfully to 
 acquiesce in the allotments of a Gracious Providence, who 
 certainly Imows what is best for his creatures ; and does not 
 afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men, but designs 
 that all his dispensations, hoAvever various, shall work together 
 for their real good, and will accomplish his design to all those 
 who love him and keep his commandments. 
 
 Therefore, it behooves us, at all times, to endeavour to be 
 in the condition in which we can continually thank God and 
 take courage, for this is well pleasing to him. 
 
 The account of the burning of my son-in-law's barn by light- 
 ning, was correct. It being a providential circumstance, was 
 quietly acquiesced in ; and especially when we consider, that 
 had it not been for the heavy rain that fell at the time, there is 
 no doubt but that his house and mine, together with all my other 
 buildings, must have fallen a sacrifice to the devouring flames ; 
 as the wind sat directly to them, and they were for some time 
 almost continually more or less covered, as I was informed by 
 those present, with large flakes of fire ; but the rain falling so 
 fast, they did not kindle so as to do any damage. It hap- 
 pened when we were from home, attending our yearly 
 meeting. 
 
 I also received the papers thou alludest to, and I am really 
 astonished at the ignorance and weakness of the individual 
 who, under the signature of Paul, has made a public attack 
 upon our Society, and especially when we consider the man- 
 ner of his movements, in his fourth number. In reply to 
 Amicus, he says, " To his essay I have the same objection, as 
 to the Society of which he is a member. He makes too much 
 of little things ; is employed, like the Pharisees of old, in 
 tything mint, anise, and cummin, and has omitted the weigh- 
 tier matters of the law :" but what these weightier matters of 
 the law are, he omits telling us, because they are directly in 
 
OS LETTER TO 
 
 opposition to his purpose. And therefore, after passing on a 
 httle, he brings in his substitutes for them. And what are 
 they ? Why, nothing more or less, than two mere, old, Avorn- 
 out, antiquated ceremonies of the Jewish law, water baptism 
 and the Jewish Passover, which he seems to put in place 
 of justice, mercy, and faith, the principal essential things, both 
 of Law and Gospel. But what sul)tevfuges will hirelings flee 
 to, to support their hire ! for in the beginning of his cata- 
 logue of non-essentials, (that nevertheless seem uppermost in 
 his mind,) is this : " Whether tlie ministry be supported by 
 previous or subsequent, by express or implied contract." 
 These he supposes parallel with the Jews' tithing mint, anise, 
 and cummin ; and although it may be non-essential to him, 
 which of those ways is substituted, provided his pay for 
 preaching is secured to him ; yet, let us suppose that none 
 of those ways were substituted to ensure the wages of the 
 hireling ; would he then consider it non-essential whether 
 he was paid or not, and was left to the necessity of preaching 
 freely, as Jesus commanded, and as he and his discigles prac- 
 tised ? 1 apprehend he would then consider it essential, as I 
 do tything of mint, anise, and cmnmin, in the days of the 
 outward advent of Jesus Christ : even more essential than 
 what he calls, though very untruly, the sealing ordinances of 
 the Gospel, viz. water baptism, and the partaking of a little 
 bread and Avine, corporeal things, that many wicked men par- 
 take of in abundance to their own hurt. And yet I fear that 
 many of those who partake of them in a ceremonial way, as 
 a religious act, are really injured by it, as it keeps them under 
 bondage to ignorance and superstition, and therefore becomes 
 wounding to their immortal souls. 
 
 The plain grammatical language of thee and thou, to a sin- 
 gle person, being the only correct and plain language of truth 
 and of the Scriptures, I deem much more essential than water 
 baptism, or the partaking of bread and wine in a ceremonial 
 way. 
 
 First, It is the only language of plain truth, and the holy 
 men of old use it tln-ougliout the ScripUires, winch 1 consider 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 89 
 
 an unequivocal testimony of its essentiality: because it is 
 contrary to the reason and nature of things to suppose that 
 they should have always thus kept to it, had they not thought 
 it essential. 
 
 Secondly, I have found it to be the testimony, may I not 
 say the undeviating testimony, of every class of Christian 
 professors I have ever conversed with, that water baptism, 
 and what is called the Supper, are non-essentials. And they 
 say, moreover, tliat they do not make use of them as things 
 essential ; and allow that those Avho do not use them, ma^r be 
 effectually saved without them, if they attend to those things 
 that are essential, viz. justice, mercy, and faith. 
 
 And I further assert, that the tything of mint, anise, and 
 cumiuin, under the Jewish dispensation, was much more essen- 
 tial to that people, than water baptism, or the ceremony of the 
 Supper, is to the Christian ; as they can bear no other compa- 
 rison than that the first was essential, and the latter is non- 
 essential. And when .Tesus Christ reprehended the scribes 
 and Pliarisees, for tything mint, &c., it was not because it was 
 non-essential to them, but because they preferred the shadow 
 to the substance ; which the closing paragraph on that subject 
 clearly proves, viz. " These ought ye to have done, and not to 
 leave the other undone." Matt, xxiii. 23. 
 
 And I have often been surjDrised at the ignorance of many 
 of the advocates for water baptism, in their bringing forward 
 the apostle Paul, as a witness on its behalf; seeing he has left 
 on record such a plain and imequivocal testimony against the 
 use of it. '• I thank God that I baptized none of you but 
 Crispus and Gains ; lest any should say that I had baptized 
 in mine own name. And I baptized also the household of 
 Stephanus : besides, I know not whetlier I baptized any other. 
 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel : 
 not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be 
 made of none effect." 1 Cor. i. 14, 15, 16, 17. 
 
 Now if it be as Paul declares, that Christ sent him not to 
 baptize, how can any real or pretended minister of the Gospel 
 presume that he has any commission therefor. As I under- 
 
 12 
 
90 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 Stand, they found their principal authority for baptizing with 
 water, on the 19th verse of 28th chapter of Matthew. And 
 if that command is considered to have binding authority on 
 any one of the ministers of Christ's Gospel, it must certainly 
 be binding on every other, as it comprehended all his disci- 
 ples. Hence if any one of his ministers is brought under a 
 binding obligation, from that command, to baptize with water, 
 every other must lie under the like obligation, and. of course. 
 Paul among the rest ; who nevertheless assures us, he was 
 under no such obligation, and manifested his sorrow for having 
 spent the little time he did, about such a non-essential thing : 
 believing, no doubt, as I do, that it is impossible that a wise 
 and holy God should at any time command his rational crea- 
 ture, man, to do a non-essential act, as it would cast an indig- 
 nity upon his Divine character. 
 
 I furtlier note what thou observes of my being attacked on 
 every side, by the advocates of Bible and Missionary Socie- 
 ties, and a hireling ministry. I freely acknowledge it is so. 
 and was this all I had to suffer, I should account it a very 
 light thing. But I have been assailed by those of our own 
 household, and that without any reasonable cause ; and even 
 some with whom, in days past, I have taken sweet counsel ; 
 but who, by dwelling on back groiuid, have too much settled 
 on their lees : and when any are called to advance reforma- 
 tion, and exalt, truth's testimony over tradition and error, 
 they cry out novelty! and schism ! and seem disposed, unless 
 these settle down with them on their beds of ease, and rest in 
 the labours of those who have gone before, to prepare war 
 against them, and persecute them, a.> did the priests and rulers 
 in Israel formerly persecute and kill their prophets, and even 
 Jesus Christ. And no doubt, as these rise up, in the same 
 spirit, in the present day, to oppose the progress of truth, they 
 will as effectually, in a spiritual sense, kill the prophets, as the 
 Jews did theirs outwardly, that is, they will so discourage and 
 block up the way of the Lord's messengers among the people, 
 by their opposition, as to cause ihein to cease from their 
 lahnnrSj seeing no way to go forward: for tlie time appears to 
 
' WILLIAM POOLE. V 
 
 have come, long since spoken of, when men ''• will not endure 
 sound doctrine," and even is come home to us, in this favoured 
 Society, and '• if they do these things in a green tree, what 
 shall be done in the dry ?" Is it not with us, as it was witli 
 the Lord's people formerly, when the prophet was led thus to 
 exclaim, " Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep 
 between the poreli and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy 
 people, O Lord, and give not thy heritage to rejjroach, that 
 the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they 
 say among the people, where is their God?" Joel ii. 17. 
 
 I must now draw to a close, lest my letter should be too 
 long and tedious ; and as the time is near at hand for the mail 
 to close, I have no time to copy, therefore please to excuse the 
 errors that may occur, as I send the first draft. 
 
 With love to you all, I rest thy sympathizing friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, I2th mo. 2&th, 1821. 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 Thy letter of 10th mo. and that of 12th mo. 1st, are now 
 before me. I have read them with satisfaction and interest, 
 several different times, and with a view to have answered 
 them ere now ; but before I set pen to paper something 
 has intervened, which diverted me from it until the present 
 time. 
 
 I conclude my last letter to thee has miscarried, as thou 
 hast not noted the reception of it, and as I seldom have time 
 to copy my letters, I do not now remember the time of its 
 date. 
 
 In regard to the controversy between Paul and Amicus, 
 I am willing to say to the latter, I wish him good speed, and 
 that Paul, according to my judgment, has gained no advantage 
 over him ; but on the contrary, doubt not, as Amicus keeps a 
 single eye to the right director, he will maintain and advance 
 
92 LETTER TO 
 
 tlie cause of truth. And I am led to hope, that through this 
 and some other hke controversial investigations, now going 
 on with us and in some other places, that some of the main 
 pillars of anti-christ's kingdom will be shaken to their very 
 base. 
 
 I remember in one of thy former communications, thou 
 mentioned hearing of some dissension among Friends in New 
 England, and requested, if I was in possession of the cause, 
 I would inform thee of it. And although I have made inquiry 
 at different times in regard thereto, I have not found any 
 thing worthy of notice, so far as to trouble thee with it ; but 
 thy request at the present time being brought to remembrance, 
 I felt a freedom to mention two circumstances that, I believe, 
 have given occasion for a diversity of sentiment among some 
 Friends in the east, and which, I apprehend, they have suf- 
 fered to rise too high, for wa,nt of abiding in the everlasting 
 patience. 
 
 The first was occasioned by a new member, who had. at 
 his request, been admitted into Society. He was one who 
 stood high in a political point of view among the people, 
 having filled several high offices, both in the civil and military 
 department, in pretty early life ; but being made sensible of 
 the impropriety of those things, and the inconsistency of such 
 a course of life with the precepts of the Gospel, he made a 
 full and pretty sudden surrender of all his worldly honours 
 and offices, and turned his attention towards Friends, and 
 soon became a member, and not long after began to speak in 
 public meetings, and was pretty well approved by some Friends 
 of the foremost class : some others were fearful he was run- 
 ning too fast, and for want of prudence they manifested their 
 dilTerent views to him, which raised a jealousy in his mind 
 towards those he considered as his opposers, which tended 
 very much to break the unity in several of their meetings. 
 Before this disturbance subsided, the other made its ap- 
 pearance, which was in this wise : A certain young man^ 
 whom the Presbyterian association had admitted into one of 
 their seminaries of learning near Providence, in order to be 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 93 
 
 educated for the ministry, on the charity funds of the society 
 under their control, as I have understood ; having- his eyes 
 opened to see the inconsistency of their doctrines, he left them 
 and turned his attention towards Friends, and occasionally 
 attended their meetings, and manifested a very orderly and 
 sober life. Apprehending it right to inform his old friends of 
 the reasons for leaving them, he took up his pen and in a 
 pamphlet, which he styled the Celestial Magnet, gave them 
 his reasons, founded on scripture testimony, and showed that 
 the Divine light in the soul of man is a sure guide and 
 sufficient teacher in the way of salvation, without the necessity 
 of any other means, as man gives up in full obedience thereto. 
 This gave great umbrage to his old friends. In addition to 
 this, he wrote four other pamphlets under the same signature ; 
 all which, through the kindness of a friend, I had the oppor- 
 tunity of reading. 
 
 The first and the third, I considered to manifest pretty clear 
 evidence that his mind, in a degree, had been divinely opened. 
 Hi? second number, as I had but a slight opportunity of con- 
 sidering it^ I have entirely forgot tlie contents of; but his 
 fourth and fifth numbers I should have been much better 
 pleased if they had never been written. These pamphlets 
 have also been a bone of contention among some Friends, not 
 only in the east, but even among some this way ; which, in 
 a clear manner, evidences the exceeding weak state of our 
 Society. 
 
 Neither of these cases, I conceive, was of moment sufficient 
 to unsettle the minds of Friends ; the latter especially. The 
 young man not being a member, Friends were not amenable 
 for his conduct, and he in no wise accountable to them. And 
 yet, some Friends have let themselves out against him in a 
 very harsh manner, setting him down publicly as a deist, and 
 his book a deistical performance and a very pernicious one. 
 Some of these have never seen him or his book, but are 
 altogether acting on mere hearsay, which I consider a stain 
 upon Society. If I should meet with the first and third num- 
 bers, I intend to forward them f^r thy perusal. 
 
94 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 Some thing's, that have been subjects of our former com- 
 munications, have caused me considerable exercise, by the 
 opposition I have met with from some, who may be accounted 
 wise in their own eyes. Such as that of Heaven being a state 
 and not a place ; and also the Garden of Eden being a state 
 and condition of the soul, in union and communion with its 
 Maker, rather than a mere local spot on the surface of this 
 earth ; and that of Jesus of Nazareth being a real and true 
 man, and placed in a state of probation as we are, having our 
 real and true nature, as to his manhood^ and tempted in all 
 points as we are, yet by his faithfulness to his Heavenly Father 
 he overcame every temptation and lived free from sin, and 
 by the pouring forth of the divine spirit upon him, and he 
 uniting with it, he became a partaker of the divine nature, 
 and was born of God, and was then the Son of God with 
 power : as no created being can be, strictly speaking, a son 
 of God, but by being born of the spirit of God. 
 
 But spirit and corporeal matter cannot unite together and 
 produce a birth ; but the spirit of God can command matter 
 and create material substances, such as an animal man, (fcc. ; 
 as in the case of the blessed Jesus. But a real son of God is 
 only produced by a union of the spirit of God with the rational 
 spirit of man ; as these are united in marriage covenant, there 
 is a birth brought forth : this is the new birth that Jesus spake 
 of to Nicodemus, and this is that which is born of God, and 
 cannot sin, as saith the apostle, " Whosoever is born of God 
 doth not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him ; and he 
 cannot sin, because he is born of God." This is that son that 
 knoweth the father, as Jesus Christ said. This is the Christ, 
 or Son of God, that Paul travailed in birth, or in prayer, that 
 he might be formed in the souls of his newly converted 
 children. This is that child born, and son given, that the 
 prophet speaks of, and which is born in every converted soul, 
 and upon whose shoulders the government rests ; and here 
 now is known the wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, the 
 everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Here it is that the 
 Father and the Son are one, and now it is that the Son 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 95 
 
 becomes the head of all principalities and powers, thrones 
 and dominions, and having conquered all, even death, the last 
 enemy, the Son surrenders all up to the Father, and God 
 becomes all in all. All this must be known, and is known, in 
 every truly redeemed and completely saved soul. Here it is 
 that God only reigns, and all the hosts of Heaven are made 
 to rejoice with this holy anthem, without any corporeal jar 
 or noise, " Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigueth." 
 Here we are brought to understand Paul, where he says, 
 " Wherefore, henceforth know we no man after the flesh : 
 yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now 
 henceforth know we him no more." All external evidences 
 are at an end, by the revelation of the Father, by and through 
 the Son, or this new birth of the spirit of God in the soul of 
 man, M^hich knows and calls God, Father, and is in unity and 
 oneness with him. Here the mystery of our salvation is 
 opened by the pure, unchangeable light in the soul, and 
 oecomes as self-evident as the most plain and simple truth, on 
 which the soul rests with entire confidence, as on a rock that 
 cannot be shaken ; against which, Jesus said, " the gates of 
 lell shall not prevail.'" 
 
 I should like to have thy views on the foregoing subjects, 
 A^hen opportunity offers. 
 
 In love to thee and thine, I rest thy affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
'^6 LETTER TO 
 
 TO WILLIAM WHARTON. 
 
 Jericho, 1st mo. Wh, 1822. 
 Dbab Friend, 
 
 Thine of last month was duly received and was very accept- 
 able. It is, as thou justly observes, a day of much inquiry, 
 and happy would it be for them did the members of our highly 
 professing society keep a single eye to our foundation princi 
 pie. the light within, and walk agreeably to its dictates, and 
 cease from all speculation and disputation on nonessentials, 
 which comprehend every thing that has no other foundation 
 of belief than external evidence, which never did, nor ever can 
 give a true and living faith in God, nor manifest to us his will 
 relating to the salvation of the soul ; for this is reserved as the 
 sole privilege of the light within, or spirit of truth, which 
 teacheth us all things that we need to know in the Avay and 
 work of our 'salvation ; and as we obey him he leadeth into 
 all truth, and is the only infallible teacher. And all those 
 wiio v/alk by this light are delivered from all the bonds and 
 shackles of tradition and superstition, and place no dependance 
 on any outward sacrifices. or offerings, not even on the offer- 
 ing of Jesus Christ on the outward wooden cross, except as 
 an example of faithfulness to the requirings of divine truth ; 
 being strengthened and encouraged thereby to surrender our 
 lives as a willing offering to God, as he did, rather than balk 
 our testimony to his truth. Were the members of our Society 
 generally brought into this state, it might then be said oi 
 us as Jesus said of his disciples, " Ye are the light of the 
 world,'' and others seeing our jiood works, would have cause 
 on our behalf to glorify our Heavenly Father ; but a state very 
 dissimilar to this, I fear, is more consonant with our present 
 state, even like that the apostle expressed concerning Israel, 
 that blindness in part had happened to them ; for many, yea, 
 very many of our society appear to be little more than tradi- 
 tional members, being very void of any right sense of true 
 spiritual religion, and doating about names and historical 
 
WILLIAM WHARTON. 97 
 
 testimonies, which never can produce that true and Hving 
 faith that works by Love to the purifying of the heart ; which 
 is the gift of God, created in the soul of man by his faithfully 
 attending to the teachings of his grace or light within, and by 
 nothing else. But many among us, for want of a right and en- 
 tire dependance on this guide, are too much settling in a form 
 of godliness, without experiencing the power thereof to raise 
 them out of their traditional death. These are as dead 
 weights, that greatly hinder the progress of right reformation ; 
 and are in the same spirit with the scribes and Pharisees of 
 old, ready to rise up in opposition to every right and necessary 
 step for promoting the righteous cause of truth in the earth. 
 These are such as cry out " lieresy," against those whom the 
 Lord is raising up and qualifying by his grace to advance liis 
 kingdom of peace and righteousness in the earth, branding 
 them with the degrading epithet of being the disturbers of the 
 church's peace, whilst the beam is in their own eye. 
 In love I conclude, thy friend. 
 
 ELLIS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM WHARTON. 
 
 Jericho, 2d mo. IQth, 1822. 
 My Dear Friends William & D. F. Wharton, 
 
 Dear D's. very acceptable letter of the 3d instant was duly 
 received. Your opening this medium of correspondence is 
 truly grateful to my best feelings, as my sympathy is often 
 strongly excited with and toward the youth and younger 
 members of our Society, attended with a hope that, through 
 the poAverful influence of divine love, and the inspirings of 
 divine light in their minds, many of them will be strengthened, 
 as they are faithful thereunto, to break asunder the strong 
 bands of tradition and education,, under the implicit leading 
 of which our poor Society has been doing little more for a 
 century past than, like Israel of old, encompassing a moun- 
 tain in the wilderness, without making any advancement. 
 
 13 
 
98 LETTER TO 
 
 And -as what was written aforetime was written for our 
 learning, let not my young friends be dismayed, although 
 they should see but here and there one of their elderly friends 
 who are enough alive in the travel to lead the way for them, 
 when the command is heard in the camp, go forward, for ye 
 have tarried long enough in this mountain. Seeing that 
 among the thousands of Israel, none but their leader, Moses, 
 and good Joshua and Caleb, were prepared to go forth and 
 lead the youthful army ; the rest died in the place where they 
 were, just going the round of former experience. 
 
 I noticed the addition to your little family, and, if consistent 
 with Divine Wisdom, may it increase to many more, and by 
 your faithfulness to the pointings of truth, may they be brought 
 up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and grow up 
 like olive plants about your table : then will they be a bless- 
 ing and a crown to you. 
 
 Except my wife and myself, who are more and more feeling 
 the infirmities of age increasing upon us, M^ith some attendant 
 bodily pains, which nevertheless does not hinder our being 
 about amongst our friends, all the branches of our family 
 are in usual health. 
 
 Please to present my love to your father, my truly valued 
 friend, S. R. Fisher ; to your sister Sarah and brother 
 Thomas ; and with a large share to yourselves, I conclude 
 aifectionately, your friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, Uh mo. 8th, 1822. 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 Thine of the 3d ult. was duly received, and is now before 
 
 me : I have perused it several times. It came to hand in a 
 
 favourable time to excite my sympathy, as I was then and for 
 
 some time after, under very considerable bodily afliiction. 
 
 Add to that, the many false reports and unjust insinuations 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 99 
 
 that have been spread concerning me. I have been slandered, 
 reviled, and defamed, by pulpit, press, and talk, not only by 
 open opposers, but also by some more privately, who profess 
 to be my friends, terming me a deist, a seducer, socinian, uni- 
 tarian, denying the divinity of Christ the Saviour, and. what 
 not. And all because I have faithfully and honestly borne 
 testimony against those false and unscriptural, though gene- 
 rally acknowledged and applauded doctrines, of one God sub- 
 sisting in three distinct and separate persons ; the impossibility 
 of God's pardoning sinners without a plenary satisfaction ; 
 and the justification of impure persons by an imputative 
 righteousness, «fcc. 
 
 That which, as I am informed, is the principal reason of 
 the great noise which hath sounded in so many ears of late, 
 is, my denying the divinity of Christ, and divesting him of his 
 eternal God-head, which has been most busily suggested, as 
 well as maliciously insinuated among the people ; but which 
 is one of the greatest falsehoods that the malicious spirit of 
 the slanderer ever fabricated. The Proverbs, which as most 
 agree intend Christ the Saviour, speak in this manner, (viii. 
 15, 20, 23) ; " By me kings reign, and princes decree justice." 
 " I (wisdom) lead in the way of righteousness ; in the midst 
 of the paths of judgment, I was set up from everlasting." To 
 which Paul alludes, (1 Cor. i. 24), "Unto them which are 
 called," we preach " Christ the power of God, and the wisdom 
 of God." Which doctrine, thousands can bear me witness, I 
 have often held forth and urged on my hearers, in my public 
 communications, and from whence I conclude, that if Christ 
 is the power of God, and wisdom of God, then certainly 
 Christ the Saviour is God, in as much as it is impossible 
 God's power and wisdom should be distinct or divided from 
 himself : Therefore Christ is not distinct from God, but 
 entirely that same God, and which the Evangelist also 
 asserts concerning Christ, the word, that was in the beginning 
 with God and was God. 
 
 David and Isaiah speak thus : " The Lord is my light and 
 my salvation :" — " I will also give thee for a lighf to the Gen- 
 
100 LETTER TO ' 
 
 tiles ;" and to the Church, he says, — For " the Lord shall be 
 unto thee an everlasting light." From which plain testimo- 
 nies, I assert the unity of God and Christ ; although nomi- 
 nally distinguished, yet essentially the same Divine light ; and 
 I have ever believed that the divinity of God and of Christ 
 are one — but I do not belieA^e in two divinities. 
 
 The foregoing, thou will observe, is mostly taken from 
 " Innocency with her open face," written by William Penn, 
 who, in stating his own case and sentiments, has clearly 
 described mine. 
 
 I will now return to thy letter, and in near sympathy and 
 fellow feeling with thee, in thy present exercises and tribula- 
 tions, and in order for thy encouragement, inform thee of my 
 place of retreat and sure refuge, in times of trouble; when the 
 old accuser lays close siege to me, in order to raise in me, if pos- 
 sible, a spirit of murmuring, that he might lead me to despair 
 of the never-failing mercies of our all-sufficient Helper. In 
 order to blunt the sharpest darts of the enemy, I enter into a 
 close and inward investigation of my deepest sufferings, to 
 know, with clearness, whether they are real or only imagi- 
 nary. By this search, I often find the enemy has greatly 
 exaggerated them ; and having obtained a pretty correct view 
 of them, I then compare them with my present deserts, and 
 here all my uneasiness subsides ; as I find myself better dealt 
 with than I really deserve, even in the midst of my sharpest 
 conflicts. I then take a more enlarged view of my friends 
 and fellow creatures around me, and I see none so happy and 
 free from trouble as to induce me, even if it were possible, to 
 change situations with them : but 1 see many others, whose 
 troubles appear much greater than mine, although as descrv- 
 . ing an .exemption therefrom as myself By this time, thou 
 wilt begin to discover, my state of suffering and sorrow is 
 turned to a state of rejoicing, and in which I am renewedly 
 strengthened to thank God and take courage: and this I 
 crave, in sympathetic desire, through the divine blessing, may 
 be thy happy experience, my dear tribulated friend. 
 
 Thou seemest somewhat alarmed at the stir and dissension 
 
W^ILLIAM POOLE. 101 
 
 that are manifested in divers parts of our favoured, though 
 at the same time, hikewarm and lethargic Society. But I 
 account it rather a favour, as it is only when Zion travaileth, 
 that she hringeth forth her healthy and well-favoured children ; 
 and, in my view, it seems like one of those times the apostle 
 alludes to where he says, " Yet once more I shake not the 
 earth only, but also Heaven." And is not the heaven of 
 our Society become almost like the old Jews' heaven, a mere 
 traditional one ? " And this word, Yet once more, signifieth 
 the removing of those things that are shaken," or may be 
 shaken, " as of things that are made, that those things which 
 cannot be shaken, may remain." 
 
 And a great many of the members of our Society, are 
 not only little more than traditional ones, but some of them 
 seem even to be cleaving^ to some of the old doctrines of the 
 Romish Church, that truth and righteousness cannot warrant 
 nor approve ; and I hope that these shakings will remove 
 those quite out of the way, by opening their unsoundness and 
 inconsistency to the right-minded and honest seekers in So- 
 ciety, whose immortal spirits cannot be satisfied on the old, 
 mouldy crumbs of tradition and education. 
 
 My wife joins me in love to thee and thine, and in which I 
 rest thy sympathizing and aJSectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO EDWARD HICKS, NEWTOWN, PENN. 
 
 Jericho, Uh mo. 9th, 1822. 
 Deah Friend, 
 
 I have been for a considerable time past, almost every day, 
 anticipating the pleasure of communing with my beloved' 
 friend Edward Hicks, face to face. This I was induced to 
 expect, by information received both by letter and verbal com- 
 munication, that he had obtained the concurrence of his friends 
 to make another transit on some part of the disk of poor Long 
 Island ;' and as my information appeared very correct, it made 
 
102 LETTER TO* 
 
 the disappointment greater. And as days, and weeks, and 
 even months, passed away without meeting the anticipated 
 gratification, I was led to query with myself, what should be 
 the cause, and whether the remembrance of the Bulls of Bashan, 
 or the scurrilous reports of long-tongued lying fame, had shut 
 up the way. But while ruminating on those things, I was 
 recently, or not very long since, informed, that an accident by 
 fire, had consumed his covert of temporal amusement, and 
 place of industry, (where, like Paul of old, he laboured with 
 his hands for his own and his family's comfortabl-e support,) 
 as also his implements for carrying on his work, with other 
 materials of considerable amount, and therefore not a small 
 loss. Add to that, I have been lately informed, that while en- 
 gaged in labour in his master's vineyard, he was seized with 
 such bodily affliction as to unfit him, for the present, to proceed 
 in his religious labours, and also to render him unable for 
 bodily exercise and labouring with his hands in his work- 
 shop, had it escaped from the flames. 
 
 Now, my dear friend, are not these lessons of A^ery deep in- 
 struction ? They show how very unfit and incapable we are 
 of laying out, or making any appointments of our own, that 
 will insure to us any real good, either in temporals or spirit- 
 uals, and even when we proceed in his counsel, and enter into 
 concerns, either of a temporal or of a religious nature, he does 
 not leave it for us to judge how long, or how far we may proceed 
 therein, but he keeps the reins in his own hand, like the well- 
 advised husbandman when breaking the horse, that noble, and 
 when broken, by his will being fully subjected, useful and 
 docile quadruped. His first business is to learn him to lead^ 
 so as to follow his master cheerfully, contrary to his own will. 
 But this he seldom does until he has made himself very sore 
 by his obstinate hanging back and refusing to go ; but after a 
 considerable struggle, he yields and follows his master wherever 
 he pleases to lead. But he has still another important lesson 
 to learn, and that is, to stop when and wherever his master 
 directs. To effect this, the bridle is necessary, with the bits 
 in his mouth, against which he presses in his own will until 
 
EDWARD HICKS. 103 
 
 he makes himself sore again before he is passive, and then 
 instead of standing still as he ought, his will not being fully 
 subdued, he runs backward. Here again the whip or the 
 spur becomes necessary, in order to make him stand still at 
 command, or even at the beck of the finger. This effected, 
 he is now well broken, and becomes wholly passive to his 
 master's will, and stands in his favour, and is highly prized by 
 him. 
 
 But how very seldom is man brought to this complete passive 
 state. We read of but one who came completely to it, viz. 
 Jesus Christ, our great pattern, and he was brought to it by 
 the things that he suffered. And I have often thought, and 
 do most surely believe, that did men and women attend strictly 
 and faithfully to the inward manifestations of truth in their 
 own minds, when arrived to years of understanding, without 
 regard to tradition and custom, thousands would be soon 
 brought into this happy, passive state ; for no other state can 
 be truly happy. Then would the children of men be brought 
 down to that state of equilibrium, that, undoubtedly, must 
 have been the design of the Creator in the beginning. But 
 man having swerved from this state of filial and complete 
 passive obedience to the will of his all-wise and gracious 
 Creator, it has led him into those many and great inconsis- 
 tencies and inequalities, which cause all his present misery 
 and distress. And many there are, I believe, who, m their 
 setting out in life, may be rightly directed in their choice of 
 business by which to obtain a comforta1)le livelihood for 
 themselves and fainilies, and at which time they neither 
 thought of, nor coveted more ; but, through the corrupt custom 
 and course of trade and business among men, in their fallen 
 state, some increase in their wordly possessions in such a rapid 
 way, they soon obtain and amass together much more than 
 they either desired or expected in their first setting out. And 
 for want of keeping a single eye to their Divine director, who. 
 if rightly attended to, would as clearly have showed them 
 where to stop, as he showed them where to begin, they have 
 continued on, by which means their desires after more have 
 
104 LETTER TO 
 
 increased with the increase of their possessions, and finally 
 they lose all sense of what is right for them, and by grasping 
 after more in their own dark wisdom, they bring a blast on all 
 their designs, and plunge themselves and families into irre- 
 trievable poverty and disgrace. While some others are per- 
 mitted to proceed on until their minds are wholly swalloAved 
 up in their abundance, the care of which becomes such a load 
 and burden, that they have no rest, and it eventually termi- 
 nates in the utter ruin of themselves and families, and their 
 temporal abundance soon becomes squandered and lost by 
 the licentiousness and extravagance of their offspring or heirs, 
 as such estates, thus gotten, seldom last longer than the second 
 or third generation. 
 
 And as in temporals, so in spirituals. Many we see, who 
 appear to set out right, for want of attendino^ to their right 
 guide, have not been able to endure those fiery baptisms that 
 are necessary for the entire crucifixion of the old man. And 
 although tliey may have been partly broken, so as to lead in a 
 tolerable degree, yet, wlien put forward, for want of being 
 wholly subject to the bit and bridle, they run away, and so 
 make shipwreck of faith, and lose their little beginning. But 
 I hope better things of }ny dear Edward, who has passed 
 through the ordeal of many fiery baptisms, and has been there- 
 by induced to dig deep, through the sandy superficial surface 
 of tradition and superstition, to the imperishable foundation, 
 the rock that is immovable. Therefore stand fast, my dear 
 friend, in that liberty, in which the truth has made us free, 
 and be not entangled with any yoke of bondage ; for such 
 shall assuredly reap if they faint not. And thou hast the 
 seal of a son, if the apostle is correct ; for, says he, " Every 
 son that the father loveth, he chasteneth ;" and he furtlier 
 says, that " if w^e are without chastisement, we are bastards 
 and not sons." 
 
 By letter from Hugh Judge, I am informed that W. F., 
 the English Friend, revived in their Yearly Meeting last 
 fall, the old subject, namely, the appointment of a congress, 
 as proposed by your Yearly Meeting some years past. And 
 
EDWARD HICKS. 105 
 
 although that Yearly Meeting, the year before, had unitedly 
 laid it quietly asleep, yet W. F., as Hugh informs, pressed 
 the matter so much, that Friends, although contrary to the 
 sense of the Meeting, condescended to take it on minute, 
 and appointed a committee to consider it and report, and 
 called on the women to join them in it. But the women 
 were wiser than the men, and dismissed the subject without 
 further troubhng themselves with it ; and the men's commit- 
 tee reported that no way opened to take any step, and the 
 Meeting was for dismissing it ; but W, F. urged the matter 
 so hard, that he prevailed with the Meeting to refer it over to 
 the next year for consideration. I thought it might have been 
 well if my friend E. H. had been there, to have taught the 
 Friend better. 
 
 My wife and daughter Elizabeth unite with me in love to 
 thee and thine, and in which I rest thy sure and affectionate 
 friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 New York, 5th mo. 25th, 1822. 
 My Deae Friend, 
 
 I now take my pen to acknowledge the receipt of thy five 
 last kind letters, received since my last to thee, and shall 
 make no other apology for deferring an answer till this time, 
 than that a full belief pervades my mind, that our friendship 
 is not only mutual, but is established on its right foundation, 
 so as to banish all suspicion and jealousy from our minds, in 
 regard to any neglect of right attention to each other's com- 
 munications. 
 
 Thy several letters, above alluded to, were all pleasant and 
 very acceptable, especially the one dated 4th month, 13th ; for 
 the length of which thou makest some apology, but which 
 was altogether unnecessary, as it was none too long. The 
 doctrinal points it treated of were exactly in accordance with 
 
 14 
 
106 LETTER TO 
 
 what has long been my settled belief ; and the encouragement 
 and fellow feeling it contained was truly grateful. 
 
 We have just entered on the concerns of our Yearly 
 Meeting ; I therefore can say but little about it, saving that 
 we have the company of divers Friends from yours, viz., 
 
 R J and J W , from Jersey ; E H 
 
 and several others, from Bucks county ; N S and 
 
 S P , from Concord ; T P and wife, from 
 
 Baltimore, &c. 
 
 The papers containing the controversy between Paul and 
 Amicus were duly received, and on reading some of Paul's 
 communications it was really distressing to think, that a 
 rational being could possibly be so grossly ignorant, as his 
 assertions on divers subjects manifest him to be ; especially 
 where he assures us. as his belief, that all the human species 
 that are not furnished with the Bible, and history of the out- 
 ward advent of Jesus Christ, must perish, or be eternally lost. 
 Can any believe a rational being sincere when making such 
 assertions ? 
 
 Not being furnished with much to communicate at this time, 
 may now draw to a close. 
 
 Thy affectionate friend, 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, 8th mo. Sth, 1822. 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 When I inform thee, that the day after the close of our 
 Yearly Meeting, after returning home, I was seized with 
 severe indisposition, it will serve as an apology for my not 
 writing soon after the close of it. Such was tJie severity of 
 my pains, which came on by intervals of from three to five 
 hours, and sometimes more, between the turns, which held 
 from ten to forty or fifty minutes at a time, and sometimes an 
 hour or more, that it disqualified me for almost all land of 
 action for several weeks : so that 1 could neither write nor talk 
 
"WILLIAM POOLE. 107 
 
 without bringing on those severe spasnis of pain, which ran 
 through the upper part of my breast in a direction to each 
 arm, and so down to my elbows ; which at times was so 
 excruciating, that I lack words to give to another a fuU idea 
 of it. But in tlie intervals I felt pretty well, so long as I kept 
 quite still, which I accounted a great favour, as I could then 
 meditate and improve the time. Upon the whole, I consider 
 it in a good measure verified, as expressed by one formerly, 
 that all things work together for good to those who truly love 
 God, and delight to meditate in his law. 
 
 Thy letter of the 22d ultimo is now before me, by which 
 it appears, that various and many are the reports that are 
 spreading, not only concerning my bodily indisposition, but 
 also concerning the infirmity of my mind. But thanks be to 
 God for his unspeakable mercy, who has been pleased in the 
 riches of his love, to keep me sound within, and is strengthen- 
 ing by his own power my inner man, and enabling me to 
 walk cheerfiilly on amidst evil report and good report, and 
 will not sufier any of those things to move me off" the ancient 
 foundation, the inward revelation of his own blessed spirit, 
 who is over all, God. blessed for ever. 
 
 " Neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might 
 finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have 
 received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace 
 of God." 
 
 As to the two natures in Jesus Christ, I conceive that if any 
 should deny that, they are justly to be accounted deists, as 
 they make void every scripture account concerning him, for 
 his human nature is as fully estabhshed as his Divine nature. 
 There are some who are accused of denying his Divine 
 nature, but I don't recollect of ever hearing of any who dare 
 deny his human nature ; for that would contradict every 
 scripture testimony that declares him to be the son of the 
 Virgin Mary ; for nothing but the human nature could ever 
 be produced from the flesh and blood of Mary. This. Jesus 
 himself testifies, when speaking to Nicodemus. '• That," 
 says he, " which is born of the flesh is flesh ; and that which 
 
108 LETTER TO 
 
 is bom of the spirit is spirit. The wind bloweth where it 
 listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell 
 whence it coraeth, and wfiither it goeth : so is every one that 
 is born of the spirit." Hence we discover the cause of the 
 ignorance, and consequently the unbelief of Nicodemus ; being 
 ignorant of the spiritual birth he could not believe in it, for 
 none can believe what they do not understand, and this is the 
 reason why so many disbelieve the divinity of Christ. For 
 none can believe it really and to profit, but such as are, in a 
 greater or less degree, themselves born of the spirit ; for it is 
 tiie spirit of God only that quickens an immortal soul ; the 
 flesh profiteth nothing in the things of God. Although we 
 cannot see wind, yet we know and feel self-evidently its poAver 
 and operation ; just so, those who feel the power and operation 
 of the spirit of God upon them, self-evidently know that it is ; 
 and as they yield and unite with its operation upon them, 
 then is a birth of the spirit, according to their surrender to its 
 power, begotten in them, and these, and these only, caii 
 savingly believe in the divinity of Christ, and know that he is 
 born of God, and is truly the son of God ; " for as many as 
 are led by the spirit of God," as saith Paul, " are the sons of 
 God." But none can believ^e this doctrine but those who 
 know it effected in themselves. 
 
 I find by thy letters, that thou despairest of seeing Long 
 Island this sunniier ; nevertheless, should it be consistent with 
 the ordering of Best Wisdom, that thou aijid I should be per- 
 mitted to continue in this mutable state a few months longer, 
 and be preserved in health, we may probably see each other 
 and witness the satisfaction of speaking face to face, and have 
 the pleasure of communing on those things verbally which 
 now make use for our pens. I am ready to conclude that ere 
 this comes to hand, thou wilt have heard that our Monthly 
 and Quarterly Meetings have set me at liberty to visit, in a 
 religious way, some parts of your Yearly Meeting, and T think 
 Brandywine and Wilmington will likely be comprehended in 
 the limits. Until when, I remain thy sincere and very affection- 
 ate friend. ELIAS IIICKS. 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 109 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, Wi mo. 23d, 1822. 
 My Dear Friend, > 
 
 It appears, by a letter Valentine lately received from thee, 
 that I had omitted informing thee of the reception of the last 
 numbers of the Christian Repository thou hadst forwarded ; 
 these may certify that they came duly to hand, and the one 
 thou lately forwarded to Valentine, I was well satisfied Math. 
 
 Thou desirest to have seasonable notice of the time when I 
 may likely be with you at your meeting. I shall willingly 
 comply with thy request, as far as way opens for it. But it is 
 not likely I sliall see you until after Baltimore Yearly Meeting, 
 and my visit is finished to the southward. I propose proceeding 
 through the upper part of Jersey, into Bucks county, taking 
 meetings through that county, as way opens, and after that 
 proceed pretty directly to Baltimore. 
 
 I find I shall not leave home as soon as in an early period 
 of my concern I had contemplated ; for as the time drew near, 
 and I was brought to look into the state of my accounts about 
 home, in order for a full settlement, I found myself somewhat 
 in debt in some neighbourhoods, in a religious wa^^ ; and I 
 have been closely engaged for some time endeavouring to pay 
 all off. I had two large meetings the day before yesterday, 
 principally among those not of our Society, about ten or fifteen 
 miles distant from my place of abode. They were truly 
 strengthening, encouraging seasons, in which the Lord's poAver 
 was felt to preside to the humbling and contriting many 
 hearts ; for which my mind was inspired with gratitude, and 
 made humbly thankful for the unmerited favour. Two or 
 three more such opportunities will, I believe, close my 
 accounts about home, that it appears probable I may proceed 
 on my western and southern journey about the middle of next 
 week. 
 
 I shall now, as I feel but little ability for writing at present, 
 conclude with just informing that my health, and that of my 
 
110 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 family, is pretty much as usual ; although I frequently feci 
 some returns of the pain in my breast, and which I hardly 
 expect ever to get clear of, considering my advanced age. 
 
 With love to thee and thine, I rest thy sympathizing and 
 affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Upper DiMin, Wh mo. 16<A, 1822, 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 Having a little leisure this morning, whilst waiting for the 
 time of meeting here, and having thee frequently in remem- 
 brance since I left home, and finding our friend Isaac Parry, 
 who is now with us, intends going in a day or two to Phila- 
 delphia, to attend your Meeting for Sufferings, and who 
 expressed a hope he should see thee there ; I was induced to 
 take my pen, and salute thee with a few lines, desiring that 
 grace, mercy, and peace may be with thee and abound. 
 
 I left home the 2d instant. Left my family and friends, 
 generally, in usual health ; and passing on through New York 
 and the upper part of Jersey, into the upper part of Bucks 
 county, taking meetings in our way, we arrived here last eve- 
 ning. We have abundant cause to bless the name of Israel's 
 unslumbering Shepherd, who hath graciously manifested his 
 power and presence for our help and preservation ; opening a 
 way for us in the hearts of the people, among whom we have 
 been exercised in Gospel labour, for the promotion of his noble 
 cause of truth and righteousness in the earth ; breaking down 
 and silencing all opposing spirits, and causing his truth to reigu 
 triumphant over all, to the praise of His grace, who is over all, 
 blessed for ever. 
 
 We are now pressing on towards Baltimore, taking such 
 meetings in the way as the time will admit of After attend- 
 ing the Yearly Meeting, we have a view of seeing Friends on 
 the Eastern shore of Maryland ; after which we shall bend 
 our course towards Wilmington. 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. Ill 
 
 If thou feelest the way open for it, I should be pleased to 
 hear from thee, while at Baltimore. I shall likely bdge with 
 Gerard T. Hopkins. 
 
 Finding nothing further at present to communicate, I shall 
 now conclude, with much love to you all, thy affectionate 
 friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Head of Chester, Uth mo. 8th, 18-22. 
 Dear Friend, 
 
 We came here last evening in our way from Baltimore to 
 Easton, on the Eastern shore of Maryland. We have a meet- 
 ing appointed here to-day, to-morrow at Cecil, and the next 
 day, the first of the week, at Old Chester Neck ; from thence 
 we shall proceed on towards Easton, and after taking the 
 meetings in that quarter, turn towards the Delaware. But 
 whether we shall take all the meetings on the Delaware side 
 below Wilmington, or proceed pretty directly on to that place, 
 taking only such as fall in our way, is not yet determined. 
 If the latter course is pursued, we shall get there in two or 
 three weeks ; if otherwise, it may be four weeks or more. 
 
 But I feel myself as a day labourer, and of course do not 
 see far ahead. 
 
 The yearly meeting we have recently attended, was acknow- 
 ledged by Friends wlio were there, to be the largest and most 
 favoured of any they have had in that place for many years 
 past. The latter I can concur with, at least as far as my own 
 feelings and observation will warrant ; as I have not been in a 
 Yearly meeting, where Friends, in the public service, and also 
 in the ordering of discipline, were so fully harmonious ; and 
 the almost universal unity and regard both old and young 
 manifested to me through the course of the meeting, and at 
 our parting, bowed my mind in an humbling sense of the 
 unmerited favour and inspired it with thanksgiving and grati- 
 
112 LETTER TO 
 
 tilde to the gracious and benevolent Author of all our rich 
 mercies and blessings. 
 
 It has been somewhat remarkable, considering the abun- 
 dant reports that were Avidely spread before I left home, calcu- 
 lated to make an unfavourable impression, that there has not 
 a single circumstance transpired, that has been attended with 
 any unpleasant aspect : but, on the contrary, scarcely a dog 
 has opened his mouth against us, unless he has done it behind 
 tl)e door in secret. 
 
 But, it may be, the worst is yet to come :* but thanks be 
 given to the great Preserver of men, who hath in mercy led me 
 into that place of safety recommended by Paul, that is, to be 
 entirely without carefulness about any of those things. Be- 
 ing reduced into that state of nothingness of self, that the 
 sharpest shafts and arrows of professed friends, or open foes, 
 cannot hit me ; for thou very well knowest, that where there 
 is nothing, there is nothing to hit ; of course they are all shot 
 in vain. 
 
 It is now near meeting time, I must therefore draw to a 
 close ; and in much love to thee, thy dear wife and children, 
 and inquiring friends, subscribe thy affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Caviden, Wth mo. 23<i, 1822. 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 Thy letter of tlie 14th instant is now before me, and its 
 salutary and encouraging contents are truly grateful ; stimu- 
 lating to faithfulness in the path of duty. It came duly to 
 hand at Easton, and it was my intention to have written thee 
 
 * Information of the fact of the combination which was foriTling against 
 him in Philadelphia, and the publication of T. E's. letter, developing some 
 of the features of that combinalion, had a little before this time reached 
 E. H. 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 
 
 113 
 
 from that place, but my time being pretty much occupied 
 when I first received it, in writing to some other of my friends, 
 when I was about to put pen to paper I discovered that my 
 companion, to whom I had shown thy letter, had written to 
 thee, and given the desired information ; I therefore deferred 
 writing for that time, but coming here last evening, and hav- 
 ing some leisure to-day, I feel inclined to address a few lines 
 to thee, to inform thee where we are and how we are to be 
 disposed of for a few days to come, &c. 
 
 We have a meeting appointed to-morrow at Mother Kiln ; 
 the next being first day, we propose attending Friends' meeting 
 here in the morning, and at three in the afternoon we have a 
 meeting appointed in the town of Dover ; and on second day 
 at Little Creek, and the next day the Quarterly Meeting will 
 begin, where I anticipate seeing thee and thy wife, and being 
 comforted in conversing with you face to face, that our joy 
 may be full. Therefore I shall not at present write much, 
 especially as the time is near at hand for the mail to leave this 
 place. We have attended all the meetings of Friends on the 
 Eastern shore, and had two large meetings with others — one 
 at Chestertown and one at Easton. I think they were favoured 
 opportunities, and we left them with peace of mind. 
 
 We are at Joseph G. Rowland's, who, with his worthy wife, 
 has received us with a hearty welcome and entertained us 
 kindly. 
 
 With the addition of my affectionate love and regard to 
 thee, thy dear wife and children, I subscribe thy assured 
 ^riend, 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO JOHN MERRITT, NEW YORK. 
 
 Byberry, I2th mo. 27th, 1822. 
 Dear Friend, 
 
 I have for some time felt warm desires to address thee in 
 this way, but no favourable opportunity has presented ere 
 
 15 
 
114 LETTER TO 
 
 now. After leaving thee at Newark, we proceeded on our 
 journey, taking meetings on our way to Baltimore, where Ave 
 arrived in good season to attend the Yearly Meeting. 
 
 Our journey was very prosperous, the meetings were gene- 
 rally large and greatly favoured, and the apparent universal 
 unity and kindness of my friends was beyond the expression 
 of words, and caused deep humiliation and grateful acknow- 
 ledgments to my Heavenly Father, for the unmerited mercy. 
 
 The Yearly Meeting of Baltimore I think was a very 
 favoured meeting ; the unity and harmony that generally pre- 
 vailed among the living, active members, through the several 
 sittings, was truly precious ; at the close of which we took 
 leave of our friends in much unity and harmony, and left 
 there with sweet peace of mind and with thankful hearts for 
 the favours received. 
 
 We proceeded on our journey, attended the meetings of 
 Friends on the Eastern shore of Maryland, and all but one in 
 the State of Delaware, to great satisfaction, and in the feeling 
 of near unity with our friends. Passing on we came to Phila- 
 delphia, where a few made some opposition, though mostly 
 behind our backs ; yet here our joy was transcendently 
 greater, although it was before as great as we could dare to 
 ask for ; but here it was much greater by contrast, for we had 
 not met with any opposition before we came here, and here 
 tlie Lord, our gracious preserver, openly and obviously de- 
 fended us against our opposers, and turned the mischief and 
 evil machinations of their designs upon their own heads, and 
 has confounded their evil devices, and caused them to be 
 taken in the snare they had prepared for their friend, who, 
 through tlie spnit of envy that predominated in them, they 
 were led to consider their enemy, but who nevertheless is still 
 their friend, and prays that they may be delivered from their 
 wretched infatuation. 
 
 We left Philadelphia the 25th instant. Our friends m an 
 abundant manner expressed their sorrow for our leaving them 
 so soon, as onr time had been so generally taken up in our 
 visits to tlie families of Green Street meeting and in attend- 
 
JOHN MERRITT. 115 
 
 ing the public meetings, that they could not have so much of 
 our company as they desired, although nearly every evening 
 wlien we retired to our lodgings, which was seldom earlier 
 than eight o'clock, we found from thirty to fifty, and some- 
 times near a hundred Friends, young and old, being desirous 
 of our company and conversation, and m.any of those oppor- 
 tunities were solemn and instructive seasons to those thus 
 assembled. Surely it is the Lord's doing, and mavellous in 
 our eyes. The fourth, fifth, and sixth days of this week we 
 attended meetings at Frankford, Germantown, and Abington, 
 all very large and favoured. We are now at Byberry, with 
 our friend John Conily, who, with his family, is well. We 
 expect to attend the meeting here to-morrow, the next day at 
 Middletown, the next at Bristol, the next at the Falls, the next 
 at Pennsbury, being fifth of the week ; after which we shall 
 cross the Delaware to Trenton, and, if the travelling will 
 reasonably permit, attend some more meetings in Jersey, down 
 the Delaware. I should be willing to reach home by the time 
 of our Q,uarterly Meeting, if way opens for it, but must sub- 
 mit that to higher authority than man. 
 
 My companion joins me in love to thee, to dear Phebe, 
 and the children, in which I rest thy affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 P. S. Please to remember me to dear E. Coggeshall and 
 family, to dear Elizabeth Haydock and family, and let the 
 two Elizabeths see this letter, as I have thought of com- 
 muning with them in this way, but the urgency of the work 
 I am engaged in, affords mfe but little time to write to my 
 friends. And should Samuel Titus, of New Rochelle, be in 
 town, please let him see it, and present my love, to him ; also 
 to John R. Willis and other inquiring friends, in thy freedom ; 
 also to thy neighbours, Samuel Willets and wife. — I am as 
 well nearly as when I left home. Farewell. 
 
 E. H. 
 
116 LETTER TO 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, 2d mo. 3d, 1823. 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 Thy letters of 12th mo. 30th, and 1st mo. 5th, were duly 
 received, and read Avith interest and satisfaction. And as 
 thou requests to know how I got on in my journey, I feel 
 willmg to give thee a summary thereof; as it has been, take 
 it ill all its parts, the most satisfactory and the most peaceful 
 one I have ever taken, from the first step taken therein to my 
 return home. 
 
 In my first opening the concern to my friends in the 
 Monthly and Quarterly Meetings, their unity, sympathy, and 
 encouragement were more fully expressed therewith, than I 
 had ever before witnessed on any like occasion, and it seemed 
 as a precursor of what might eventually follow, and tended to 
 establish my faith and dependance in that arm and power that 
 at first opened the prospect and engaged me in the service ; 
 and who graciously condescended to be with me and guide 
 me through the journey, and opened a way for me, that 
 neither man, nor all the united powers of darkness, were able 
 to shut. Prom a grateful sense thereof, my spirit is humbled 
 in deep self-abasement for the unmerited favour ; for my 
 peace, through his mercy and power, was preserved unbroken, 
 out of the reach of all opposing spirits. Thanksgiving and 
 praise be rendered to his right worthy name, who is over all, 
 God blessed for ever. 
 
 As to what thou observes respecting Jesus not being the Son 
 of God, spiritually, until after the baptism of John and descent 
 of the Holy Spirit upon him, it is a subject that appears to be 
 a very simple one, as all truths are, and does not admit of any 
 speculation, as the whole rests upon matter of fact, as recorded 
 in the Scriptures.* For do they not fully testify, that Jesus 
 was born a real and true Tsraelitish child, being the offspring 
 
 * Deut. xviii. 15, 18. Acts ii. 22 ; iii. 22. Hebrews, ii. 16, 17, 18 ; iv. 15. Isaiah. 
 
 11. 1. 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 117 
 
 of Abraham and David, and born into the world as was 
 Isaac and John the Baptist, by the special interference of the 
 Divine power, through the medium of the flesh and blood of 
 a woman, and therefore, as Jesus himself testifies, " that 
 which is born of the flesh is Jlesh ; and that which is born 
 of the spirit is spirit," 
 
 Hence we reasonably suppose this testimony of Jesus might 
 set the matter at rest, with every man endued with a rational 
 understanding. For the miraculous conception in either case, 
 could not constitute a diflerence of nature in the being pro- 
 duced ; especially when we consider that the immortal soul 
 cannot be generated in the flesh of woman, as there is no 
 analogy between matter and spirit ; and when we consider 
 further, that the flesh of every child born of a woman, is only 
 animated by the breath and air of this world: take that 
 away, and the animal man dies immediately. That was the 
 case with Jesus- on the cross ; but his immortal spirit, born of 
 God, returned to God, who gave it, as it stood superior to 
 death, tlell, and the grave. 
 
 We likewise find him growing up from a child to the state 
 of manhood, like other children, and no doubt his soul when 
 it entered the body prepared for it, was furnished with such a 
 portion of the Divine spirit, as was most consistent with the 
 will of his Heavenly Father, and by whicli he was enabled to 
 fulfil all the righteousness of the law and covenant given to 
 Israel by Moses ; and therefore, in a certain sense, might be 
 considered a Son of God, as much so as that dispensation 
 would admit of But if he had been completely so before the 
 baptism of John and the descent of the Holy Ghost, why was 
 that superadded, and why did not his Heavenly Fatlier. pr(j- 
 vious to that time, declare him his Son in whom he was well 
 pleased ? 
 
 And when we further consider, that we do not hear any 
 thing of him, after he was grovru to man's estate, not even so 
 much as being tempted, until after the Holv Spirit descended 
 upon him, and by whicli he wa. t.ien more fully the Son of 
 God, and filled with the Divine nature of his Heavenly Fa- 
 
118 LETTER TO 
 
 ther, and thereby qualified to meet the temptations that assailed 
 him, and when he had vanquished tejiiptation, we then find 
 him entering upon his mission, and not before. 
 
 And that must be the experience of every gospel minister ; 
 for I cannot conceive that any can arrive to a state for gospel 
 ministry, until they have first fulfilled the substance of the 
 moral law, as Jesus did ; and that opens the way for the 
 reception of a further infusion of the Holy Spirit, as a neces- 
 sary preparation for gospel ministry. For every one who 
 ministers of the things of God, must first be born of the Spi- 
 rit of God, for none can be the sons of God but those who 
 are born of his Spirit. And nothing but Spirit can be born 
 of the Spirit of God, so as to become his children, and be 
 taught of him, as God is a pure, holy, immortal, invisible, 
 infinite, and unchangeable Spirit, possessed of every virtue 
 and excellence that can be attributed to him, and all his child- 
 ren must really partake of his Divine nature, without any 
 mixture, to qualify them for heaven, and those celestial joys 
 that constitute that happy state. 
 
 We arrived safe in New York on 7th day, the ISth of 1st 
 month ; attended their fore and afternoon meetings on 1st 
 day. They were large and favoured, as was generally the 
 case with all the meetings we attended after parting with 
 thee. 
 
 On 1st day evening as I retired to bed, I was taken with a 
 turn of gravel, which held me through the night, and pre- 
 vented my getting much rest, but was so much better next 
 day, that I rode home in the afternoon, and found my family 
 all in usual health ; which, together with the many favours 
 dispensed to me in the course of my journey, by a Gracious 
 Providence, was cause of deep humility and thankfulness. 
 On 3d day I rested with my family. On 4th day attended 
 our select Quarterly Meeting, in wliich I had some service. 
 On 5th day, about five in the morning, I was taken Math a very 
 severe turn of my old complaint, which held me in much severe 
 pain for about twenty-six hours, but getting relief about seven 
 or eight o'clock on 6th day morning, I ventured to attend the 
 
WILLIAiM POOLE. 119 
 
 public parting meeting of the quarter, which was large, and I 
 think, a favoured meeting, and held, I trust, to our mutual 
 comfort and rejoicing ; my friends generally manifesting much 
 gladness in my being restored to them again. I accounted it 
 as one of the special favours received, my being permitted to 
 get home previous to the severe attack of my old, and in some 
 sort habitual, complaint ; that the query arises very fresh at 
 times, what shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits 1 
 for surely his mercy endureth for ever. 
 
 T rest thy affectionate and sympathizing friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 AN ADDRESS TO YOUTH. 
 
 The following Address to the Youth, was annexed to a letter written 
 by Elias Hicks to two Friends in Philadelphia, in the early part of the 
 year 1823. 
 
 Since penning the foregoing, my mind has been draMm into 
 a renewed feeling of near sympathy and gospel affection with 
 the dearly beloved youth, not only those of your Monthly 
 Meeting," that fell more particularly under my notice in the 
 family Adsits I made when with you, but all others of your 
 city, whom the Lord in the riches of his mercy, is renew- 
 edly visiting with the day-spring from on high, through the 
 immediate manifestation of his love and light in their inner 
 man, as the guardian angel of his presence to guide them and 
 keep them ; and as they take heed thereunto, will preserve and 
 keep them from all evil, and will lead them up to the head- 
 spring and fountain of living water, of which, when they 
 drink, they will never thirst again after the muddy waters of 
 tradition and education, that stands in the letter that killeth. 
 But their thirst will be continually satiated with the pure wa- 
 ter of life, that makes glad all Zion's dedicated and devoted 
 
 * Green Street. 
 
120 LETTER TO 
 
 children, and which adds no sorrow with it. And as they 
 give good heed to this holy anointing, which is truth and is 
 no he, it will lead them off from all dependance on man, 
 whose breath is in his nostrils, for wherein is he to be 
 accounted of; and they will have no need that any man 
 teach them then, but as the same anointing teacheth. It will 
 bring them to see the end of all shadows that stand in out- 
 ward visible things, let them be ever so great or excellent, and 
 will gather them into itself (the invisible power) to the law of 
 the spirit of life, that sets the soul free from the law of sin 
 and death, and from all condemnation. And may the dear 
 youth dwell near and in tbis holy principle, in this day of trial 
 and rebuke, for the Lord's hand is stretched out upon the 
 nations, and he " will overturn, overturn, overturn it, and it 
 shall be no more, until he come whose right it is, and I will 
 give it him." The Lord I believe is about to put an end to, and 
 overturn all man's work in religion, and to put an end to all 
 man's forms, creeds, and professions, that stand in man's 'WiU 
 and spirit, that He only, may come to rule and reign in the 
 hearts of his cliildren, that so all may savingly come to laiow 
 but one Lord, one faith, and one baptism ; one God and Fa- 
 ther of all, who is above all, through all, and in you all. 
 May the dearly beloved visited youth press forward toward 
 this blessed and happy state, and come to know an establish- 
 ment therein, is the sincere and sympathetic desire of their 
 ancient, aifectionate, and exercised friend and elder brother. 
 
 ELLIS HICKS. 
 
 TO J. WILSON MOORE, PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 Jericho, 2d mo. 26th, 1823. 
 Deab Friend, 
 
 Thy letter, accompanying one from thy father of the 14th 
 ult., was very acceptable ; a feeling sense of the kindness and 
 regard of my friends, manifested in an epistolary way, is truly 
 grateful to my mind. I anticipate with thee, at least in 
 
J. WILSON MOORE. 
 
 121 
 
 desire, that bigotry and superstition may be banished frjom 
 the rnind of every member of our highly favoured Society. 
 For M'hat reproach and inconsistency must attach to every 
 rational being, who makes the high profession that we do, of 
 being led and guided by an unerring principle of light and 
 truth in the mind, as a sufficient and only rule of faith and 
 practice, when such turn back to the letter, and presume to 
 establish a rule from the writings of men in former ages, and 
 so contradict their profession. And the inconsistency appears 
 the more glaring and reproachful, when the enlightened mind 
 takes a correct view of the records of past ages, wherein it 
 clearly appears, that nothing but a strict adherence to this 
 unerrins: rule, has ever reconciled man to his Maker, or to 
 his fellow creature. But every man, in all ages, who has 
 attended strictly to this rule, regardless of every external 
 rule, unless first sanctioned by this internal rule, has never 
 failed of beinar reconciled both to God and man. 
 
 I will go no farther back, to prove these assertions, than the 
 introduction of the gospel dispensation by the blessed Jesus ; 
 who in his last counsel and command to his immediate fol- 
 lowers, turned their attention entirely away from placing 
 any dependance on external evidence, even the best that was 
 ever dispensed to the children of men, in any age of the 
 world ; that is, what is contained in his own life and doc- 
 trines, that was super-eminent to all external evidence that had 
 ever been dispensed to man before his coming. This was the 
 view, no doubt, his disciples had concerning him, and that he 
 would continue with them and be their preserver and com- 
 forter. But he showed them their error and mistake, when he 
 declared to them, that it was expedient for them that he should 
 go away, for if he went not away, he assured them that the 
 comforter would not come unto them. " But if I depart, I 
 will send him unto you, and when he is come, he will reprove 
 the world of sin ;" that is, every rational creature that is in the 
 world at any time. " He will guide you into all truth," conse- 
 quently out of all error ; and this corroborates the testimony 
 of John, who assured the believers of his day, that they had 
 
 16 
 
122 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 an unction from the Holy One, and needed not any man to 
 teach them, but as the same anointinof taug-ht them, which is 
 truth, and is no he.* 
 
 And wJiile the beh'evers attended to this, they were of one 
 heart and one mind, being all baptized by this one spirit of 
 truth into one body, and all made to drink into this spirit — of 
 that water that whosoever drinks of, will never thirst aofain 
 after the lo ! heres, or lo ! theres, that are in the world ; and 
 which all have their source and spring from the letter that 
 killeth. And it is of no avail who wrote the letter, whether 
 Paul or Apollos, or Cephas, or George Fox, or Penn, or Bar- 
 clay, or any other man, still as we turn to it, we turn from 
 that which is a thousand fold better, even the spirit of truth, 
 that is ever nearer to us than it is possible the letter can be, as 
 it dwelleth with and is in every believer, and is the only pre- 
 sent helper in every needful time. The letter, or what is 
 composed in writing, can only direct to this 'spirit of truth, and 
 may be one among the many outward instruments that a gra- 
 cious God, in h«s wisdom and goodness, has dispensed to the 
 children of men, to lead them from their unbelief, by pointing 
 and directing their attention to this irnvard teacher, the spirit 
 of truth, which, as they obey it, will lead them into all truth, 
 without the aid of any other teacher, and will bring about 
 their salvation without any other Saviour. But to know this 
 work fully effected, we must cleave wholly and alone to this 
 inward guide, and leave all outward guides behind ; seeing we 
 cannot serve two masters, neither can we folloM'- two guides, 
 the one inward and the other outward, at the same time. But 
 when the outward weaker one, suited to the darkness and car- 
 nality of our hearts, has brought us to the inward one, in 
 which is all wisdom, sti'ength, and power, then w^e ought to 
 quit the weaker one, which never was able, nor ever was 
 mtended, to make the comers thereunto perfect, as respects 
 the soul. Hence all those wdio profess to believe in this inter- 
 nal teacher, the spirit of truth, and turn back to the letter or 
 
 * 1 John, ii. 27. 
 
J. AVILSON MOORE. 123 
 
 writings of Paul, of Peter, of Fox, or Barclay, or any other 
 outward teacher, and undertake from their writings to form 
 creeds or confessions of faith as a rule of conduct to the be- 
 lievers, clearly indicate that they have fallen away from the 
 faith once delivered to the saints, and turned back to the weak 
 and beggarly elements, and justly incur the severe reprehen- 
 sion of Paul to the Galatians — " Are ye so foolish ? having 
 begun in the spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh ?" 
 
 And every enlightened mind, who hath been conversant in 
 the history of the primitive church, may clearly discover that 
 a departure in the believers from this inward perfect guide, 
 and turning their attention to the writings of the primitive 
 saints, was one principal cause of the apostacy that so soon after 
 the apostles' days overspread the Christian Church. And to 
 such an excess did it soon arise, as to turn the professors of 
 Christianity back into a state of greater darkness than they 
 were in while conversant among the Gentile nations ; not 
 only denying this inward guide, the spirit of truth, but actu- 
 ally denied all internal immediate revelation, which is going a 
 step below the most ignorant inhabitants of the wilderness. 
 And when George Fox was raised a witness to the truth, his 
 whole errand appears to have been, to turn people from dark- 
 ness to this inward light, as the only and alone sure rule and 
 infallible way to blessedness ; and so long as our primitive 
 Friends kept to this as their only guide, love and unity pre- 
 vailed. But when they began to set up for one, against an- 
 other, divisions and disputes arose and broke the unity ; one 
 party saying, I am of Penn, others, I am of Mead, &c. Thus 
 the harmony was broken ; and this for want of keeping to the 
 inward guide, which is the same in all, and letting the eye 
 wander without to external evidence, which never made the 
 comers thereunto perfect, as pertaining to the conscience, as all 
 external evidence is conveyed to the spirit of man tlirough the 
 medium of the animal senses. And as the spirit of man can- 
 not rise any higher through this medium, than to know the 
 things of man, therefore no external evidence can reveal the 
 things of God, which are only known by tlie Spirit of God. 
 
124 LETTER TO 
 
 As my paper is now nearly full, I will draw to a close, and 
 in much love to thyself, beloved wife, and little daughter, rest 
 thy affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO NATHAN SHOEMAKER, PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 Jericho, "id mo. 31s/, 1823. 
 Dear Friend, 
 
 Thy acceptable letter of 1st month last, came duly to hand, 
 but my religious engagements, and other necessary concerns, 
 have prevented my giving it that attention that its contents 
 seem to demand. Thou queries after my views of the suffer- 
 ing of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and what was the object 
 of the shedding of his blood on the cross, and what benefits 
 resulted to mankind by the shedding of this blood, &c. I 
 sliall answer in a very simple way, as I consider the whole 
 subject to be a very simple one, as all truth is simple when we 
 free ourselves from the improper bias of tradition and educa- 
 tion, which rests as a burdensome stone on the minds of most 
 of the children of men, and which very much mars the unity 
 and harmony of society. 
 
 1st. By what means did Jesus suffer ? The answer is plain, 
 by the hands of wicked men, and because his works were . 
 righteous and theirs were wicked. Query. Did God send him 
 into the world purposely to suffer death by the hands of wicked 
 men ? By no means ; but to live a righteous and godly life, 
 (which was the design and end of God's creating man in the 
 beginning,) and thereby be a perfect example to such of man- 
 kind as should come to the Imowledge of him and of his per- 
 fect life. For, if it was the purpose and will of God that he 
 should die by the hands of wicked men, then the Jews, by 
 crucifying him, would have done. God's will, and of course 
 would all have stood justified in his sight, which could not be. 
 But it was permitted so to be, as it had been with many of the 
 prophets and wise and good men that were before him, who 
 
NATHA.N SHOEMAKER. '25 
 
 suffered death by the hands of wicked men for righteousness' 
 sake, as ensamples to those that came after, that they should 
 account nothing too dear to give up for the truth's sake, not 
 even their own hves. 
 
 But the shedding of his blood by the wicked scribes, pha- 
 risees, and people of Israel, had a particular effect on the 
 Jewish nation, as by this, (the topstone and worst of all their 
 crimes,) was filled up the measure of their iniquities, and whicli 
 put an end to that dispensation, together with its law and 
 covenant. That as John's baptism summed up in one, all 
 the previous water baptisms of that dispensation, and put an 
 end to them, which he sealed with his blood, so this sacrifice 
 of the body of Jesus Christ, summed up in one, all the out- 
 ward atoning sacrifices of the shadowy dispensation, and put 
 an end to them all, thereby abolishing the law, having pre- 
 viously fulfilled all its righteousness, and, as saith the apostle, 
 " He blotted out the hand-writing of ordinances, nailing them 
 to his cross ;" having put an end to the law that commanded 
 them; with all its annexed legal sins, and abolished all its legal 
 penalties, so that all the Israelites that believed on him, after 
 he exclaimed on the cross, " It is finislied," might abstain 
 from all the rituals of their law, such as circumcision, water 
 baptisms, outward sacrifices, seventh day sabbaths, and all 
 their other holy days, &c. and be blameless ; and the legal 
 sins that any were guilty of, were now remitted and done 
 away by the abolishment of the law that commanded them, 
 for " where there is no law there is no transgression." But 
 those that did not believe on him, many of them were destroyed 
 by the sword, and the rest were scattered abroad in the earth. 
 But, I do not consider that the crucifixion of the outward 
 body of flesh and blood of Jesus on the cross, was an atone- 
 ment for any sins but the legal sins of the Jews ; for as their 
 law was outward, so their legal sins and their penalties were 
 outward, and these could be atoned for by an outward sacri- 
 fice ; and this last outward sacrifice was a full type of the 
 inward sacrifice that every sinner must make, in giving up 
 that sinful life of his own will, in and by which he hath from 
 
120 LETTER TO 
 
 time to time, crucified the innocent life of God in liis own soul : 
 and which Paul calls " the old man with his deeds," or " the 
 man of sin and son of perdition," who hath taken God's seat in 
 the heart, and there exalteth itself above all that is called God, 
 or is worshipped, sitting as Judge and Supreme. Now all this 
 life, poAver, and will of man, must be slain and die on the 
 cross spiritually, as Jesus died on the cross outwardly, and 
 this is the true atonement, which that outward atonement was 
 a clear and full t\'pe of This the apostie Paul sets forth in 
 a plain manner, Romans vi. 3, 4. " Know ye not that so 
 many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were "baptized 
 into his death ? Therefore we are buried with him by bap- 
 tism into death, that, like as Christ was raised up from the 
 dead" outwardly, "by the glory of the Father, even so we," 
 having by the spiritual baptism witnessed a death to sin, shall 
 know a being raised up spiritually, and so"walk in newness 
 of hfe." 
 
 But the primitive Christian church having soon after the 
 apostles' days, turned away from their true and only sufficient 
 guide, the Spirit of Truth, that Jesus commanded his disci- 
 ples to wait for, and not attempt to do any thing until they 
 had received it, but assured them that w^ien they had received 
 it, it would be a complete and sufficient rule, without the ad- 
 dition of any other- thing, as it ivould lead them and guide 
 them into all truth. And to its sufficiency, John, the beloved 
 apostle, bore this noble and exalted testimony, in full accord- 
 ance with his Divine Master, in this emphatic language to his 
 fellow believers : " Ye have an unction from the Holy One, 
 and need not that any man teach you, but as the same anoint- 
 ing teacheth you, which is truth, and is no lie."* But the be- 
 lievers, by too much looking to their old traditions, soon lost 
 sight of, or neglected fully to attend, as they ought to have 
 done, to this inward guide, and turned their attention outward 
 to the letter, which always killeth those loho lean upon it as 
 a rule. Hence, the successors of those meek and self-denying 
 followers of the example and commands of Jesus, apostatized 
 
 * 1 John, ii. 20, 27. 
 
NATHAN SHOEMAKER. 127 
 
 from the simplicity of the gospel, by which the unity was 
 broken, and they soon became divided into sects and parties, 
 and persecuted each other; and invented and promulgated 
 inconsistent and unsound doctrines, such as original sin, certi- 
 fying that all Adam's offspring are condemned to eternal pun- 
 ishment for one mis-step of our first parents ; for' they do not 
 appear to have been guilty of but one failure, and that, it 
 appears, they made satisfaction for at the time of their first 
 arraignment by their benevolent Creator, manifesting sorrow 
 and repentance : which seems to be fairly implied by the sequel 
 of the interview between them : for it is said he clothed them 
 with coats of skins, to.hide their nakedness, which is an emblem 
 of durable clothing, and as their nakedness was not an out- 
 loard one, hut a nakedness of soul, not being able to conceal 
 their sin from the All-penetrating Eye of Divine Justice, so 
 when he had brought them, through conviction, to see their 
 error and to repent of it, he was reconciled to them, and 
 clothed them again with his Holy Spirit. 
 
 And inasmuch as those idle prbmulgators [of the doctrine] of 
 original sin, believe they are made sinners without their consent 
 or knowledge, which, according to the nature and reason of 
 things, every rational mind must see is impossible ; so likewise 
 they are idle and ignorant enough to believe they are made right- 
 eous without their consent or knowledge, by the righteousness 
 of one who lived on the earth near two thousand years before 
 they had an existence, and this by the cruel act of wicked men 
 slaying an innocent and righteous one ; and these are bold 
 and daring enough to lay this cruel and unholy act to the 
 charge of Divine Justice, as having purposely ordained it to 
 be so . But what an outrage it is against every righteous law 
 of God and man, as the Scriptures abundantly testify. See 
 Exodus, xxiii. 7. " Keep thee far from a false matter, and 
 the innocent and righteous slay thou not, for 1 will not justify 
 the wicked." Deut. xxvii. 25, " Cursed be he that taketh 
 reward to slay an innocent person ;" and much more might be 
 produced to show the wickedness and absurdity of the doc- 
 trine, that would accuse the perfectly just, all-wise, and mer- 
 
12S LETTER TO 
 
 ciful Jehovah, of so barbarous and cruel an act, as that of 
 slaying his innocent and ris^hteous Son, to atone for the sins 
 and iniquities of the ungodly. 
 
 Surely, is it possible, that any rational being that has any 
 right sense of justice or mercy, would be willing to accept 
 forffiveness of his sins on such terms ! Would he not rather 
 go forward and offer himself wholly up to suffer all the i>enal- 
 ties due to his crimes, rather than the innocent should suffer? 
 Nay, was he so hardy as to acknowledge a willingness to be 
 saved through such a medium, would it not prove that he stood 
 in dn-ect opposition to every principle of justice and honesty, 
 of mercy and love, and show himself to be a poor selfish crea- 
 ture, unworthy of notice !* 
 
 * George Wliitehead, one of the most distinguished and approved early writers 
 in the Society of Friends, when speaking of the doctrine of satisfaction, or justification 
 by imputative righteousness, expresses himself in the following terms, viz. " The 
 Quakers see no need of directing men to the type for the antitype, viz. neither to the 
 outward temple, nor yet to Jerusalem, either to Jesus Christ or his blood ; knowing 
 that neither the righteousness of faith, r\pr the word of it, doth so direct. (Rom. x.) 
 And is it the Baptists' doctrine to direct men to the material temple, and Jerusa- 
 lem, the type for the antitype 1 What nonsense and darkness is this I And 
 where do the Scriptures say the blood was there shed for justificatiofi, and that 
 men must be directed to Jerusalem to it 1 (Whereas, that blood shed is not in 
 being.) But the true apostle directed them to the light, to walk in the light, for 
 the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse them from all sin." — Whitehead's Light and 
 Life of Christ, p. 34. 
 
 " You blasphemously charge Divine justice with punishing your sins to the full 
 in Christ, or punishing him, that was ever innocent, to the full for your sins; so 
 that you account it against justice to punish your sins again in you, though you 
 live and die in them. And yet you think it an excellent piece oi justice, to punish 
 the innocent to the full, for the guilty. But your mistake in this is gross, as will 
 further appear, and you will not hereby be acquitted, nor cleared. Thia will not 
 prove you invested with Christ's everlasting righteousness, nor will this cover your 
 own filthy rags, or hide your shame. 
 
 " And while you think that you are secured in your sins, from the stroke of jus- 
 tice, as having been fully executed, and that by way of revenge, upon the innocent 
 Son of God, in punishing your sins to the full upon him ; I say, while you state 
 this as the nature of the satisfaction by Christ's sufTering in your stead, the whole 
 world may as well acquit itself thereby from punishment as you ; for he died for 
 all, and is ' the propitiation for the sins of the whole world.' An 1 therefore if this 
 must be looked upon as the full punishment of sin, that it was laid upon Christ, 
 and that ' the sin cannot be again punished after such satisfaction,' this may make 
 a merry world in sin— once punished to the full in Christ, never to be punished 
 again upon the offender, which the law directly takes hold of. Oh, soothing doc- 
 
WILLIAM PCOLE. 129 
 
 Having given thee a sketch of my views on the subject of 
 tliy queries, how far tliou may consider them correct, 1 must 
 leave to thy judgment and consideration ; and may now 
 recommend thee to shake off all traditional views that thou 
 hast imbibed from external evidence, and turn thy mind to the 
 light within, as thy only true teacher : wait patiently for its 
 mstruction, and it will teach thee more than men or books can 
 do ; and lead thee to a clearer sight and sense of what thou 
 desirest to know, than I have words clearly to convey it to 
 thee in. That this may be thy experience, is my sincere de- 
 sire ; and with love to thyself and family, I conclude, thy affec- 
 tionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 New York; 5th mo. 23(7, 1823. 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 Thy affectionate remembrance of the 24th ult. is now before 
 nie, having perused it several times, and not witliout feeling 
 near sympathy with thee and thy dear companion, under 
 your present bodily affliction. But these seemingly unfavour- 
 able tidings, were nevertheless accompanied with a comfortable 
 hope, that through the patient and quiet acquiescence of thy 
 beloved companion to tlie present dispensation of a wise and 
 gracious providence, as noted in thy letter, and thy intention 
 to copy after such an excellent example, will, I trust, as you 
 continue to persevere therein, bring you to witness the truth 
 of the apostolic declaration, " that all things work together for 
 
 trine to sinners! the plain effect of which is, to make the wicked world rejoice in a 
 sinful state, and say, ' O, admirable Justice, that was pleased thus to revenge thy- 
 self upon an innocent man, that never sinned, and to punish our sin to the full 
 upon him! O transcendent mercy! that hast found out this expedient, that we 
 might be fully acquitted, pardoned, and discharged from tlie penalty that is just 
 and due to us for all our sins, past, present, and to come I' O ! what glad tidings 
 are these to the hypocrites and drunkards." — G. Whitehead, Christian Quaker, 
 jyp. 404, 405. 
 
 17 
 
130 LETTER TO 
 
 good, to them that love God." And should you be permitted 
 to finish your course in this toilsome probationary state, a few- 
 years sooner than some of your ancient brethren and sisters, 
 whose lot it has been to bear the burden and heat of the day ; 
 yet this would be no cause of regret to you, but rather of joy 
 and rejoicing, in the fruition of tliat sweet peace that this 
 world, with all its best accommodations, can never give, 
 neither can the- want of them ever take away, nor the remem- 
 brance of them tend, in the least, to sully that joy that is 
 unspealvable and full of glory. 
 
 I am quite in sentiment with thee respecting the case of 
 trial, and test of our. religious principles, in the late Yearly 
 meeting in Philadelphia;* and had there not been light and 
 strength enough vouchsafed by the head of the church, to 
 condemn and put to silence that mass of incongruous matter, 
 brought forward by a party in the Meeting for sufferings, as a 
 creed, or test of the faith of the members of our Society, it 
 would, I believe, liave convinced every sensible enlightened 
 member, that the glory of the Divine presence had entirely de- 
 parted from us, or at least as much so as from any of the formal 
 professors of Christianity. I think we might as well have gone 
 back and submitted to the Episcopalian, or Presbyterian creed, 
 as to have adopted the one brought forward by that meeting. 
 
 Please to remember me affectionately to thy wife and 
 children, and with a large share to thyself, I rest thy assured 
 friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 * An attempt by the opposers of Elias Hicks to obtain the sanction of the Yearly 
 Meeting to a document called, Extracts from the Writings of Primitive Friends, 
 &c., and intended to operate as a creed or rest of faith ; but which was rejected by 
 the meeting. 
 
JOHN WILSON MOORE. 131 
 
 TO J. WILSON MOORE, PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 Jericho, 6th mo. 22d, 1823. 
 Dear Fkiend, 
 
 Thy very acceptable letter of oth month last is now before 
 rae, and has received several perusals with additional plea- 
 sure, in finding the views and sentiments of a younger brother 
 so coincident with my own. As it leads to the anticipation 
 of a hope, that the Lord has not forsaken his people, but is 
 raising up many from among the younger classes of society 
 to advocate his cause of truth and righteousness in the earth. 
 And as these abide faithful in lowliness and true humility and 
 in an entire abasedness of self, and move forward under the 
 leading and operation of Divine love and light upon their 
 minds, some of these will be qualified and enabled to advance 
 the cause of righteousness, and carry forward the reformation 
 to a greater state of purity and perfection, than has ever been 
 experienced since the fall of man. And my mind, while pen- 
 ning these lines, is inspired with gratitude and thanksgiving 
 to the God and Father of all our sure mercies, in that he hath 
 been graciously pleased to lengthen out my days, to see and 
 behold the approach of that blessed day. Blessed to those 
 who are prepared to receive it, a day in which the Lord is 
 arising to shake terribly the earth ; but to those who oppose 
 him in the way of his coming, a day of darkness and distress, 
 of burning and fuel of fire. Wherein a birth is bringing and 
 will be brought forth in many minds ; not an outAvard one, 
 not located to any particular place, people, or person, but an 
 inward and spiritual one ; a birth begotten of God in every 
 rational soul that is willing and prepared to receive it, in like- 
 ness and operation to the little stone that Nebuchadnezzar saw 
 cut out without hands, or the aid of any thing that is mortal, 
 and which that outward birth of Jesus of the Virgin Mary, 
 was a figure of, he being located and limited in his outward 
 manifestation to the people of Israel. But this birtii of God, 
 brougtit forth in the immortal soul of man, God being its 
 
132 LETTER TO 
 
 father, and the willing, devoted soul of man its mother : this 
 brings us, a)id nothing short of this can bring us, to under- 
 stand the prophecy, " For unto us a child is born, unto us a 
 son is given ;" or in other words, this new birth of the spirit 
 every soul of man must witness brought forth within, or he 
 cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This is fully illus- 
 trated by the apostle Paul, when he says, " For as many as 
 are led by the Spirit of God, are the Sons of God, and if sons, 
 then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ." This is 
 the birth and Son that none knoM'- but the Father^ and this is 
 the Father that none know but the Son, or new birth, that is, 
 as above described, begotten by him. And this comprehends 
 that mystery of Godliness that is hid from the wise and pru- 
 dent in this world s wisdom, but which is revealed by the Fa- 
 ther to all his innocent and obedient children, who, as babes 
 and sucklings, draw all their life and support from the breast 
 of divine consolation. And although those who have been as 
 princes among the people, may " set themselves, and the rulers 
 take counsel together," in their traditional zeal, "against 
 the Lord, and against his anointed :" Yet " he that sitteth in 
 the Heavens shall laugh : and the Lord shall have them in 
 derision ; and vex them in his sore displeasure ;" and will cast 
 up a way for all his faithful and devoted children to walk in ; 
 a highway of holiness, wherein none shall be able to make 
 them afraid. May the Lord hasten it, in his own time and 
 will. 
 
 As thou observes, I have been favoured with a full state- 
 ment of particulars that transpired in the course of your 
 Yearly meeting. And it was cause of much joy to my mind, 
 to find that truth bore away the victory a)id triumphed over 
 delusion and error. 
 
 I shall repay thy namesake's kindness in his (twn coin; 
 therefore tell him from me, that my heart would be truly glad- 
 dened to see him come forth more boldly and firmly in preach- 
 ing the gospel of the grace of God, and directing the minds 
 of the people, as the blessed Jesus and the worthy G. Fox 
 did, to the spirit of truth or light within, as the only true and 
 
JOHN WILSON MOORE. 133 
 
 essential teacher and way of salvation, unembarrassed and 
 sepal ated from all the entanglements of Jewish and heathen- 
 ish traditions and superstitions ; as also from all and every 
 dependance upon any external evidence, whether it be the 
 testimony of men or of angels ; for even outward miracles 
 are not sufficient evidence to any but those who are present 
 at the time of their manifestation, and even then they often 
 are too weak to gain the full assent of a rational mind ; of 
 course, no evidence of the gospel. For what a sad predica- 
 ment would the professors of Christianity be in, if they had 
 no evidence of its truth but outward miracles, seeing when • 
 they were accomplished in the view of the bystanders, the 
 magicians of Egypt could render the evidence of some of 
 them doubtful. Therefore the written or verbal testimony of 
 an outward miracle, is no certain evidence of the thing spoken 
 of, hence not essential to us under the gospel, as that wholly 
 depends upon much higher evidence. For had Moses told 
 Pharaoh and the Israelites, that the Lord had sent him to 
 deliver Israel from their bondage, and for proof of his mission, 
 told them, that v/hcn he was in the wilderness, where the Lord 
 spoke to him, in order to confirm them in the truth of his 
 message, he cast his rod on the ground, and it became a fright- 
 ful serpent ; and when he was cgmmanded to take it up again, 
 it became a rod in his hand : had Moses come down with 
 this story, would they not have been unwise to have believed 
 him, had he not wrought the same miracle in their sight. 
 Hence we learn that the hear-tell of an outward miracle is no 
 miracle to us, and of course is no sufficient evidence to the 
 real truth of any proposition unless supported by some better 
 evidence. 
 
 As to what thou observes respecting the crucifixion of Jesus 
 on the outward wooden cross, &c. ; I meant no other than 
 what thou observest, as applying only to the believing Jews, 
 and I supposed that Avhat I wrote to N. S.* implied the same. 
 Be that as it may, that was the idea I intended to convey ; for 
 although that offering would have been sufficient for the 
 
 ♦ Seelet'er to Nathan Shoemaker. 
 
134 LETTER TO 
 
 whole nation, yet those who did not beheve on him rendered 
 it abortive., as to themselves, and therefore they lay under the 
 penalties annexed to any breach of their law. 
 
 As to what thou observest about my usins^ smoother instru- 
 ments in order to render my work more pleasing and still as 
 usefid, if thou shouldst ever be brouglit to the trial from expe- 
 rience, the answer would then be plain ; for the servant has no 
 right to reason from consequences, nor to use any manage- 
 ment, but when he is commanded to smite the rock, to do so, 
 and when to speak calmly to it, to do so, let the consequence 
 be what it may. And if a Moses could not be permitted to 
 vary in the least degree, from the simple and plain word of 
 command, wi'thout incurring a severe censure and a great loss 
 to himself, what can such as I expect, if we undertake to 
 indite for Jehovah ? And 1 believe many precious gifts have 
 been greatly marred and some lost, by endeavouring to please 
 man. 
 
 Thou wilt not impute to neglect my not answering thy let- 
 ter sooner, when I tdl thee, that such is the number of letters 
 received from many of my dear friends, that a dozen or more 
 still remain unanswered, and some of considerably older date 
 than thine ; although I have industriously filled up all my 
 time to clear myself of debt,* when not employed in other 
 pressing engagements. 
 
 Please present my dear love to thy wife and other of my • 
 dear friends, as the way opens, and with a large share for 
 thyself, I rest thy assured friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TOABRAHAM LOWER, PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 Jericho, 1th mo. 26th, 1823. 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 Although considerable time has elapsed since 1 last saw 
 thee, yet the length of time and distance of way that have 
 separated us, have not, in the least, diminished that cordial 
 
ABRAHAM LOWER. 
 
 135 
 
 friendship and uniting love, tliat, I trust, was mutually wit- 
 nessed between us, in the course of my last visit to your city : 
 in the fresh feelings of which I affectionately salnte thee, 
 attended with desires that grace, mercy and peace may ho 
 with thee and abound. And this no doubt will be experienced, 
 as we are unceasingly engaged to dwell deep with the immortal 
 seed of eternal life in our own minds, whereby we shall be 
 enabled to hold fast the profession of our faith without waver- 
 ing, regardless of the frowns or favours of mortals. And as 
 we persevere herein, through all the bustles and tumults that 
 are in the world, and in its spirit, unshaken and immovable, 
 in and through this day of trial and rebuke, for such it is, in 
 which the Lord is arising to shake terribly the earth, and not 
 only the earth, but the heavens also, that is, every false rest 
 and self-created place of refuge, that man, in his own devising, 
 hath set up, together with all man's earthly dependance, upon 
 the work of his own hands, — those who thus persevere without 
 waverinof, beina: wilhng to endure hardness for the truth's sake, 
 will, no doubt, in the close, obtain the end of their faith, even 
 the salvation of their souls. 
 
 My lot and service, since my return, have mostly been in 
 and about home, in the compass of our own monthly meeting. 
 1 have likened my present situation to that of Mordecai of 
 old, sitting quietly and patiently, in nothingness of self, at the 
 waiting gate ; a situation truly grateful. 
 
 I understand by letters from your city, our valued friend. 
 Priscilla Hunt, met with much the same treatment, while 
 among you, as fell to my lot : a few oppOsers, but many 
 friends ; that truth through her labours reigned triumphant. 
 and clothed her mind with peace in the end, which is cause 
 of gratefnl acknowledgment to Him, from whom all our rich 
 blessmgs flow. 
 
 What will be the fate of these opposers ? Have they 
 become so exalted as to consider themselves only, the people, 
 and that wisdom will die with them, that they thus withstand 
 the truth ? If they were \vise of heart, Avould they not have 
 learned submission to the truth, and to their friends, by the 
 
136 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 things they have suffered, and no longer, by their adverse 
 proceedings, break the unity and disturb the peace of society. 
 1 sorrow for them, lest they put off repentance to too late an 
 hour, and be led into such a dilemma as to become fighters 
 against God and his truth. Surely they stand in great need 
 of the sympathy and prayers of the faithful. 
 
 My bodily health is much the same, in general, as when I 
 was with you, and my peace of mind and confidence in the 
 Divine sufficiency steady and unshaken. To the Lord be 
 the praise of his own works, whose power is over all in the 
 truly obedient and humbly devoted soul. 
 
 My love flows to all my friends, particularly to those united 
 with me in the arduous labour of visiting families, Samuel 
 Noble, Joseph Warner, and George Woolley ; and now, with 
 a large share to thyself, dear wife and family, I subscribe thy 
 sincere friend. 
 
 ELTAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE. WJLMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, 9thmo. I2th, 1823. 
 My Dear F'riend, 
 
 Thy letter of 6th mo. last, is now before m,e, and which I 
 have perused a number of times, with interest and satisfaction ; 
 and although nearly three months have elapsed since its 
 reception, without an answer, yet believe jne, my dear friend, 
 it is not owing to any abatement of love, and sincere regard 
 for thee and thine, that I have thus procrastinated. Being 
 circumstanced like other dependant mortals, who have not 
 times and seasons ut their conimand, I have found it expedient 
 to wait, not only to know the right time, but also to feel, if 
 possible, some right qualification. 
 
 And although I cannot, at this time, lay much claim to 
 those requisites, yet, having thee in lively remembrance, witJi 
 thy dear companion, this morning, and feeling renewed sym- 
 pathy with you, I was induced to put pen to paper, although 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 137 
 
 I might not be furnished with more than to acknowledge the 
 continuance of my brotherly love, and sympathy with and for 
 you ; accompanied with desires for your steady progress in 
 the path of duty, which is the path to life and peace ; and I 
 may add, that as a considerable time has elapsed since I have 
 had any particular account from you, I feel desirous to hear 
 how you fare. 
 
 I am quite of the mind with thee, that the limitmg power, 
 given to, or taken by our meetings for sufferings in this coun- 
 try, is inconsistent with the true liberty of the gospel state, 
 and repuonant to the liberty exercised by our primitive Friends. 
 It is sorrowful to observe, that almost every right step of 
 reformation has gone down to the grave with the first instru- 
 ments of such reform, or soon after. Their successors, instead 
 of coming up in the same life and power that qualified the 
 first instruments to set on foot the work of right reform, 
 have set down at ease in their labours, as tliough the work 
 was now completed. Hence they dwindled into a state of life- 
 less formality, contenting themselves with a form of godliness, 
 while, in their lives and conduct, they manifestly denied the 
 power thereof ; which only can redeem the soul from sin and 
 death. Then in come creeds and confessions of faith in lieu 
 thereof, formed out of materials made ready to their hands, 
 like as is represented by the brick and mortar made use of by 
 the sons of Noah, that is, they are endeavouring to get to 
 heaven through other men's experience, without coming to 
 know and witness in themselves the heart-rending power of 
 Divine love and light, by which the man of sin and son of 
 perdition in them, might have been fully revealed ; and by 
 their willing obedience to the operation thereof, and their co- 
 working with it, they might have come to witness, as their 
 faithful predecessors had done, the man of sin cast out, and 
 know a deliverance from the power of darkness, and a being 
 translated into the kingdom of God. But, alas ! instead there- 
 of, " how is the gold become dim ! how is the most fine gold 
 changed !" The beautiful sons of the morning of our day, 
 viz. our faithful and worthy predecessors, comparable to fine 
 
 18 
 
138 LETTER TO 
 
 gold, how are too many of their successors changed and be- 
 come as earthen pitchers. 
 
 The records aAd testimonies of past ages, amongst all na- 
 tions, show the short existence and continuance of every 
 right reformation, even from the days of Noah up to the pre- 
 sent time. The family of Noah, although so awfully warned, 
 how soon they returned to their old courses. The reformation, 
 tlu-ough Moses and Joshua, and the elders of Israel, lasted no 
 longer than to the time of their death ; and the several reforms 
 after the death of these, by prophets and such as the Lord 
 raised up for that end, were of short duration. So likewise, 
 the reform produced by Jesus and his disciples, lasted very lit- 
 tle longer than the life of John, the beloved apostle ; and with 
 Avhat mighty power did Anti-christ reign from the beginning 
 of the third century until Luther's small reform, which was 
 soon lost in his successors. It so fared with Calvin and some 
 others, up to the time of George Fox ; and, although his reform 
 very far exceeded all others since the fall of primitive Chris- 
 tianity, yet alas ! how is life, how is power, how is faithfulness 
 wanting among a very great portion of his successors? Many 
 of whom, nevertheless, are very zealous to set up forms and 
 confessions of faith, instead of coming to and submitting them- 
 selves to the real life and power of Godliness ; which, if it is 
 abode in, renders all creeds and confessions of faith nugatory 
 and of no avail. 
 
 In answer to thy request respecting my age, &c., I may 
 reply, that according to the record of my birth, as found in an 
 ancient Bible in my father's possession, I was born the 19th 
 day of 3d month, 1748. My father was considered a member 
 among Friends at the time of my birth, which in that day gaA'e 
 me the privilege of taking a wife in the order of Society, and 
 that established my membership. My mother was never in 
 strict fellowship Avith any religious society, but was a woman 
 of strict morality, and generally beloved and respected by her 
 neighbours and acquaintance of every profession. She died 
 with the consumption, when I was about ten years of age. 
 
 I was born in Q,ueens County, Long Island, on the north 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 139 
 
 side of the great plains, generally known by the name of 
 Hempstead Plains, about three miles west of the meeting- 
 house at Westbury ; but in my eighth year, my father removed 
 to the sea shore, on the south side of the island, where I con- 
 tinued to reside until married : I then settled at Jericho, my 
 present residence. 
 
 As to thy inquiry, whether I have any settled intention 
 respecting leaving a journal of my life, (fcc, I am at present 
 not prepared to answer. For, although I have made some notes 
 of my journeys, and of some things that have transpired in 
 the course of my pilgrimage, yet I have doubts, of latter time, 
 whether there is a propriety and a utility in so much written 
 testimony, or whetlier it does not tend to clog and shut up the 
 avenue to better instruction, and whether, what is revealed to 
 one generation, is as likely to be profitable to a succeeding one, 
 as to that to which it was particularly directed and opened, 
 and therefore, to intrude that upon a succeeding generation, 
 which was particularly adapted and suited to the state of a 
 previous one, may it not have a tendency to cause the suc- 
 ceeding generation to look back to the letter, instead of keep- 
 ing a single eye to the spirit, which can only furnish us with 
 knowledge and ability to make progress in reformation ? For 
 nothing short of an advancement in light can enable us to 
 advance reformation. Therefore every generation must have 
 more light than the preceding one, otherwise they must sit 
 down at ease, in the labour and works of their predecessors, 
 and hence, of such it might be said, ye have done nothing 
 at all, ye have only lived in a state of idleness on the labour 
 of your fathers. 
 
 Just like such young men, who have a very large temporal 
 property left them by their fathers, and therefore think they 
 have enough without labour. And although it may bring them 
 through tolerably well, yet, as they bring their cliildren up in 
 idleness, we find the third or fourth generation are often 
 reduced to a state of abject poverty ; and it is the same, I 
 believe, in religion. And this accounts for the falling. away 
 of every right reformation, tlie successors of the reformers 
 
140 LETTER TO 
 
 sittino^ down in a state of idleness in the labour of their pre- 
 decessors. And is it not reasonable to suppose, that what was 
 revealed to our predecessors was most peculiarly adapted to 
 them and to their states, and not to ours of a succeeding gene- 
 ration. 
 
 J6SUS says, " I have yet many things to say unto you, but 
 ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of 
 Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth." This cer- 
 tainly is better than the journals and epistles of men's writing, 
 in a previous age, although written by Divine inspiration. 
 
 I must now conclude, with just observing, that since I began 
 this letter, I have been informed that our friend Isaac Stephen- 
 son, from old England, has appointed a meeting to-morrow at 
 this place. I have not yet seen him, but reports speak well of 
 him, as a plain, simple, worthy Friend, and a good minister. 
 He proposes taking some meetings this way. 
 
 In much love to thee and thine, in which my v.afe and 
 daughter Elizabeth unite, I subscribe thy affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO SAMUEL COMFORT, BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 
 
 Flushing, mil mo. 22d, 1823. 
 My Dear Fbiend, 
 
 Thine of last month was duly received, and was very 
 acceptable, for although as to any outward acquaintance, thou 
 art to me an entire stranger, yet in the feeling of that love 
 that is stronger than death, and which binds together all the 
 living children of the Heavenly Father's family, I feel thee 
 near in the unity of the one spirit, and in the fresh feelings 
 thereof I greet thee, accompanied with desires that grace, 
 mercy, and peace may be with thee and abound. 
 
 I am here attending our Quarterly meeting, and have with 
 me a minute of concurrence from our Monthly meeting, with 
 a concern T have some time felt, to perform a small tour of 
 religious duty to some of the adjacent quarters of our Yearly 
 
SAMUEL COJIFORT. 141 
 
 meeting, and look up some of the publicans and f-inners, who, 
 or many of them, as Jesus said, are likely, I think, to enter 
 into the kingdom sooner than many of our high professing 
 scribes and Pharisees, who are not only not willing to enter 
 themselves, but are endeavouring to hinder those that would. 
 
 As my time is limited I shall not write much at present, but 
 may just add, tliat I unite \\dth thee, that the views generally 
 held by the professors of Christianity, as to what it is and who 
 it is, that bruises the serpent's head, are very incorrect, as they 
 consider it all effected by the man Christ Jesus. But he only 
 did his own part ; for the woman here is spoken of by way 
 of allegory, as representing the true church, the King of 
 Heaven's true spouse, whose seed comprehends all the faithful 
 devoted cliildren of our Heavenly Father, all of whom have 
 their part in bruising the serpent's head, by slaying the enmity 
 in themselves ; by getting a complete conquest, through the 
 aid of Divine grace, over tiie serpentine wisdom of the crea- 
 ture, that leads the mhid into reasoning against the Divine 
 commands, aided by the natural propensities of the earthly or 
 fleshly part ; from whicli all our temptations arise. Hence 
 there is always enmity between the flesh and the spirit, until 
 one or the other overcomes ; for the flesh warreth against the 
 spirit, and the spirit against the flesh : hence the creature hath 
 no true peace until the spirit overcomes and subjects and 
 silences all the motions of the flesh. Then the creature can 
 rejoice and say with one formerly, " There is therefore now 
 no condenmation to them which are in Christ Jesus," that is, 
 those who through Divine grace have come up into his like- 
 ness, into his righteousness, into his image, " who walk not 
 after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the law of the spirit 
 of life in Christ Jesus." or the same law that ruled and go- 
 verned in Jesus Christ, " hath made me free from the law of 
 sin and death." Even so let it be in all the Lord's children, 
 even Amen for ever. 
 
 In nuich love to thee and thine, I rest thy sincere friend. 
 
 EUAS HICKS. 
 
 P. S. Please to remember me aflfectionately to all my friends 
 
il2 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 in thy neighbourhood, as way opens in thy freedom, not for- 
 getting thy brother John. E. H. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jeridw, \2lh vw. 7th, 1823. 
 My Deab Friend, 
 
 Thy letters of 9th month 18th, 10th month 24th, and 11th 
 month 26th, that remain unanswered, are now before me. And 
 although I could give several reasons for not answering them, 
 yet I will mention but one, and that is, way has not opened 
 for it until now : and notwithstanding a near sympathy with 
 thee in thy tribulations has been witnessed, yet it may be that 
 Infinite Wisdom, in the riches of his love, is leading thee off 
 from all outward dependances, that so thy hope and trust may 
 be more fully and firmly fijced on him alone, who is the ever- 
 lasting and inexhaustible source of strength and consolation. 
 And although the severing of those who have been bound 
 together in the strong bands of conjugal love, is like the 
 parting of bone from bone, yet, as all our rich blessings are 
 but the goods of our kind and gracious benefactor, and are 
 only loaned to us during his good pleasure, so when he calls 
 for them, as they are his just right, we ought cheerfully to 
 surrender them, with due acknowledgments and gratitude for 
 the unmerited favour, in suffering us to enjoy them so long as 
 we have. To which I may add for thy increased comfort, that 
 I have not the least doubt, that, although the absence of thy 
 dear companion may seem to thee at the first view, a great 
 loss, it is to her an eternal gain, and may eventually also, as 
 thou acquiesces in the Divine will, bring thee to realize, in 
 contemplation, a portion of that celestial joy that encircles 
 her mansion. 
 
 As relates to a memoir of my life, (fee, it appears that my 
 reasons for objecting to such a publication, are not satisfactory 
 to thee. What those reasons were I do not remember, as I 
 have no copy of that letter, and I seldom keep a copy of my 
 letters, unless they are of a controversial kind. But may now 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 113 
 
 further observe, t}iat I agree with thee, that the abuse of a 
 blessing is no argument against its being dispensed ; but it 
 must be first proved that the thing is a blessing, and was 
 intentionally dispensed as such, by the great Dispenser of all 
 real good. I have no doubt when the apostle, under the 
 influence of Divine love, addressed an epistle to the Corin- 
 thians, that he was rightly directed therein, and as he knew 
 and was led into a right knowledge of their states, so he could 
 administer to their needs and to their instruction. But I do not 
 apprehend that he had the most distant idea that he was writing 
 to nations yet unborn, and of whose state and condition he 
 could have no knowledge. Nor do I believe that Divine Wis- 
 dom, when he influenced the mind of the apostle to write his 
 several epistles to the Corinthians, &c., intended them for a 
 rule to after ages ; for had that been the case, he would have 
 made them as plain and clear as he did the law to Israel, so 
 . that every one should understand them alike. And although 
 the law to Israel does not concern us in the present day, yet 
 every one that sees it reads it alike — it admits of no con- 
 troversy. But not so with the writings of the apostles ; for 
 the best and wisest of men disagree respecting them. And 
 the Scriptures of the primitive Christians, from the early ages 
 of Christianity, have been made a principal cause of the 
 division, the controversy, the war, and the persecution and 
 cruelty, that have convulsed and drenched Christendom in 
 blood ever since it has been called Christendom. And does it 
 not impeach the wisdom and goodness of our great Benefac- 
 tor, to suppose he ever intended those writings as a rule, when 
 the best of men cannot understand them alike ? 
 
 Eat the reason is obvious. The gospel law is inward and 
 spiritual, and cannot be comprehended in outward characters, 
 but must be written in every heart distinctly, as our states and 
 conditions are all different and distinct ; and it is always suited 
 to the state and condition of every heart, and of course must 
 act diversely in each mind, according to the diversity of their 
 several dispositions, propensities and passions. Therefore no 
 literal law. or creed, can take place under the gospel, except 
 
144 LETTER TO 
 
 in moral or outward things ; for no outward law can bind 
 the soul, as the government of the soul is exclusively the pre- 
 rogative of God and not of man. 
 
 Thou sayest, the same arguments would operate against 
 preaching the gospel ; but I say nay, not in the least degree ; 
 for if the minister is under the right influence, he will be led 
 more or less into the very state and condition of the hearers, 
 and his words will carry their ovaii evidence, b(Mng clothed 
 with power. But it cannot be so with epistles Avriltcn to cer- 
 tain states a thousand years ago. And I make no doubt but 
 thou sees clearly, that should we now go to make up a rule, or 
 creed, from the waitings of primitive Friends, what breach of 
 harmony, nay what confusion it would make in Society. And 
 although preaching the gospel with the Holy Ghost sent down 
 from heaven, is the best and most excellent of all outward 
 means, and it was all that Jesus directed his disciples to practise, 
 yet I will also admit that epistles may be written suited to the 
 time in which they are written. Nevertheless, if the right 
 improvement was made by every generation, truths would be 
 so opened in every age as to supersede the use of what had 
 gone before. Thus an advancement in reformation would be 
 experienced, old things would be left behind, and new things, 
 in the wisdom of trutli, would be opened on the minds of 
 honest travellers Zion-ward. 
 
 But, alas ! instead of pressing forward toward ihe mark for 
 the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, how many 
 are looking back to the weak and beggarly elements, to which 
 they seem willing to be in bondage. 
 
 Had the successors of the apostles attended, as they ought 
 to have done, to the command given by Jesus to his disciples, 
 to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit, as no doubt they 
 were directed to do by the disciples, that being the only neces- 
 sary and sufficient qualification to preach the gospel, as the 
 disciples had done, with the Holy Ghost sent down from hea- 
 ven accompanying their words, and so in succession from 
 jeneration to generation, the apostacy never could have en- 
 iijred. But instead thereof, they turned their attention to the 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 145 
 
 letter, one crying I am of Paul, another T am of Apollos, (fee, 
 and neglected the spirit ; hence divisions and contentions ori- 
 ginated in the church, and destroyed the peace and unity 
 thereof, and, in process of time, plunged it into a desperate 
 state of total darkness. The same late from the same cause 
 has befallen, in a great degree, our poor Society.' But had 
 Friends kept to the light and spirit of truth, as recommended 
 in the preaching of George Fox and our primitive worthies, 
 and waited for its clear manifestation, and moved only under 
 the operation of its power, no apostacy could have entered ; but 
 the Society ere now would have made great advancement on 
 the labours and experience of those early worthies. Many 
 things would have been opened in succession on the minds of 
 the faithful, by the same light of truth, that George Fox and 
 the people of that day could not have borne. But instead 
 thereof, Friends turned their attention back to the letter of the 
 Scriptures and the writings of our primitive Friends, which 
 were particularly useful in the day and time in which they 
 were written ; but in after time, when the light was leading, 
 or would have led, all who were faithful to its manifestations, 
 to an advancement to greater and brighter experience in di- 
 vine things, they have blocked up their own way by an undue 
 attention to the letter. 
 
 But when the light is calling away from these weak and 
 beggarly elements, those old writings are no more nor less- 
 than the letter that killeth, and, if rested in, will have the same 
 effect as the reading of the law of Moses had upon the primi- 
 tive disciples; it will and does bring a veil upon the heart, and 
 turns backward to a former dispensation, instead of leading 
 forward in the new and living way, which only can add fresh 
 life and vigour to the soul, and enable it to go forward on its 
 heavenly journey, without fainting by the way. 
 
 Could I pen down something that might be useful to the 
 present and succeeding generation, and then be obliterated, it 
 might not be amiss ; but as I am looking forward in tlie faith, 
 that greater and brighter things will be opened to a succeed- 
 ing generation, than 1 and the people of this generation can 
 
 19 
 
146 LETTER TO 
 
 bear, tliis makes me unwilling- to leave any thing of my expe- 
 rience, that might tend to hinder the reception of those new 
 and advanced revelations. For thou seest clearly, I trust, that 
 the writings called the Scriptures, and those of our primitive 
 Friends, are the strongest bulwark made use of by the car- 
 nally-minded, to put to silence new openings of trutli, on the 
 minds of the faithful in the present day. 
 
 I might add, but must draw to a close for want of room ; and 
 in renewed feeling of brotherly love to thee and thine, bid 
 farewell. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 N. B. Please to excuse the incorrectness of my letter, as I 
 have not time to copy it, nor room for much alteration, but 
 hope thou wilt be able to come at the substance. 
 
 E. H. 
 
 TOABRAHAM LOWER, PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 Jericho, \st mo. 26ih, 1S24. 
 My truly beloved Friend, 
 
 Thy very acceptable letter of tlie 15th ult. came duly to 
 hand, a-nd its salutary contents revived afresh, that near sym- 
 pathy, fellow feeling and unity, I trust mutually witnessed, 
 when favoured with each other's company for a short season, 
 and at which time was verified that saying, " As iron sharp- 
 enetb iron, so doth a man's countenance that of his friend." 
 
 T often look back v/ith pleasure on the time 1 spent with 
 my dear friends at Philadelphia, and, in a particular manner, 
 the near unity and fellowship witnessed with those of Green 
 Street monthly meeting, whom 1 visited in the Gospel of 
 Christ. And although the enemy of all good seemed busy in 
 endeavouring to stir up opposition, yet, through the con- 
 descending goodness of Israel's Shepherd, the truth was raised 
 so above him, and so bruised his head, that he had no power 
 to bruise the heel, but was cast out into the earth, the habita- 
 
ABRAHAM LOWER. 147 
 
 tion of beasts. And, dear friend, seeing the Lord, by his own 
 right hand of power, hath been with us, and preserved us thus 
 far, and hath enabled us to set up our Ebenezer, let us thank 
 him and take courage, standing fast in the faith, without 
 wavering or turning aside in the least degree, although all 
 men may rise up against us ; ever remembering, however we 
 may be buffeted within or without, his grace is sufficient for 
 us in the midst of all our tribulations ; and as we continue 
 faithful, without turning aside, to the right hand or to the left, 
 through the fear or favour of man, lie will carry us through 
 and over all to his praise who is calling us to glory and 
 virtue. 
 
 I find by thy letter that some of your elders, (fee. are still 
 proceeding in the same disorderly manner, as when I was 
 with you. How presuming, for a quarterly meeting of 
 ministers and elders, to intermeddle with the local concerns of 
 a monthly meeting. I should not think it necessary for the 
 monthly meeting to pay any attention to them, nor be turned 
 aside from proceeding in the regular line of discipline, with 
 any of their members, whether ministers or elders, who act 
 disorderly by breaking the unity of the meeting. We have a 
 small number in our quarterly meeting who seem to have 
 been led away somewhat in a manner similar to those in your 
 city, who opposed us when I was with you ; but they are more 
 mild, and some of them seem as though they might again 
 come into unity with Friends. 
 
 I have been engaged of late around the suburbs of our 
 quarter in searching out, in the highways and hedges, the 
 halt, the maimed, and the blind, among Episcopalians, Pres- 
 byterians, Baptists, Methodists, and Nothing-arians, and I 
 perceive, among th^ ministers of the various sects, my commu- 
 nicatioris have made the Methodists the most uneasy ; they 
 talk pretty loud, and finding no better way to vent their 
 malice, they have been endeavouring to prove that I am no 
 Quaker, and, Herod and Pontms Pilate like, the Presbyterian 
 minister and Methodist have made friends, in order to perse- 
 cute me ; but their arrows are all blunted like those in your 
 
148 LETTER TO 
 
 city ; they dont hurt, they fall to the ground before they reach 
 me. I was out in this Httle tour about eleven days, and 
 attended seventeen meetings, and previous thereto, in the 
 latter part of the fall, I visited three of the adjacent quarterly 
 meetings, next above our quarter, and have great cause of 
 humble gratitude and thankfulness to the great and blessed 
 Author of all our rich mercies and blessings, who continued to 
 be near, a present helper in every needful time : blessed be hia 
 great and excellent name, for his mercy endureth for ever. t 
 
 I have circulated the proposals thou sent me, on behalf of 
 Joseph Rakestraw, for printing the Christian Quaker, by "Wil- 
 liam Penn and Georsre Whitehead. 
 
 I apprehend, with t]ie present prospect, he may go on with 
 the work, and strike off a pretty large edition. And 1 am 
 like-minded with thee, that there has not been a time, previous 
 to the present, that these writings could be read to more ad- 
 vantage and profit than at this time ; for such was the bias of 
 tradition and superstition that covered with darkness the 
 minds of the people when they were first published, that none 
 but a iew of the most enlightened, could then bear them. 
 The people's minds in general were so bound down by the 
 prejudice of a corrupt education, and by the teachings of their 
 blind leaders, that they were offended at every advancement 
 of reformation. For traditional religion, as the records of past 
 time assure us, cannot admit of any advancement, hence we 
 see that traditional religion is always a persecuting one, and 
 always stands in opposition to reform. 
 
 To conclude : may grace, mercy, and peace be with thee 
 and abound, and may the Lord Almighty be thy stay and thy 
 staff in every proving season, and carry thee through and 
 over all, to the praise of his great and excellent name, who is 
 over all, blessed for ever. 
 
 In near and dear love to thee and thine, I rest thy friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 N. B. Please to present my love to inquiring friends, espe- 
 cially those who were united with me in the work of the Gospel, 
 
ABRAHAM LOWER. 149 
 
 as also in the fellowsliip of the sufFerina^ and joy dispensed to 
 us in the visit to the famihes in your monthly meeting, not 
 forg-ettina: our ancient friend George Justice. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, 3d mo. 2Qih, 1824. 
 Dear Friend, 
 
 Thy kind letter of the 3d instant came duly to hand and 
 fully confirmed my suspicion concerning thee, that something 
 had transpired which led to so long silence, and I had become 
 very anxious to hear from thee, before the reception of the 
 letter above alluded to ; the contents of which, if possible, 
 have increased my sympathy with and for thee in thy present 
 afflicted state ; accompanied with a hope, that thou mayest be 
 favoured yet, to see good days and be enabled to join thy 
 rightly exercised brethren in the arduous labour, in pulling 
 down error and exalting the standard of truth upon its own 
 sure foundation. 
 
 The following Essay was written some time past by a cor- 
 respondent of mine, in answer. to a small pamphlet entitled, 
 " A False Position Exposed." The author, to show what he 
 considered a false position, observes, that " some persons dog- 
 matically asserted that we are under no obligation to believe 
 what we do not understand." 
 
 The tract entitled, " A False Position Exposed," has fallen 
 short of its design, so far as it relates to me, in rendering a 
 reason for rejecting a doctrine, founded in reason and substan- 
 tiated by experience. 
 
 From the tenor of the arguments adduced to expose the un- 
 soundness of the position, I am convinced the writer has mis- 
 taken its nature and legitimate meaning. If he had quoted 
 the writers in the affirmative of the question, we should have 
 been able to judge more accurately of the motive which caused 
 them to adopt and promulgate the sentiment. For my own 
 part I am willing to be considered a friend to the proposition, 
 
150 LETTER TO 
 
 and fearlessly assert, that we can?iot, and therefore are not, 
 bound to believe what we cannot comprehend. I observed 
 the position is founded in reason, because it is the essential 
 property of reason to analyze every subject which challenges 
 belief, and decide according to the greater measure of evidence ; 
 and if the subject brought before its view is too mighty for its 
 limited powers, it must remain in darkness ; for it is an un- 
 doubted truth, that secret things belong to God, but things 
 revealed, to us and our children. It therefore follows that 
 things which are secret cannot be believed, because they can- 
 not be comprehended : the admission of this theory limits the 
 mind to the acknowledgment of truths revealed, and effectually 
 prevents our professing to know and understand things or 
 subjects which have been kept secret from the foundation of 
 the world. It would bring to pass what the author of the 
 expose says ; " It is extremely desirable that every man should 
 use his own understanding, and not implicitly take any thing 
 for granted, as being wise and true, merely because another 
 person may dogmatically and roundly assert it to be so." 
 And it would present insuperable difficulties to the conscien- 
 tious sectarian when required to acknowledge creeds and sys- 
 tems, which their warmest advocates admit are contradictory. 
 No matter how true a proposition or thing may be, or is in 
 itself, if the witness does not know it to be so, his testification 
 is false. Tlie application of this rule to religious opinions 
 would enable us to distinguish between those who have a 
 faith accordinof to knowledo-e, and those who have a faitli 
 according to tradition. The admission of such a principle 
 would not destroy our belief in the Scriptures, but rather 
 establish it, because it would induce an honest inquiry after 
 truth, and make us extremely cautious how we became wit- 
 nesses, one way or the other. We may understand and be- 
 lieve the Scriptures to be divinely inspired writings, without 
 being able to unravel all their mysteries. We may compre- 
 hend the truth of Paul's declaration, that all scripture was 
 given by inspiration of God, (that was so given,) although we 
 may not comprehend his meaning when he wrote things hnrd' 
 
"WILLIAM POOLE. 15i 
 
 to be understood, which no man can say he believes until he 
 has been learned the interpretation thereof, by the same Spirit 
 that searcheth all things. If Paul did not comprehend what 
 he believed and taught, he \vas certainly like those he 
 reproved, who had a zeal for God, but not according to know- 
 ledge ; and all those who pretend they believe what they do 
 not understand, certainl}^ confess they know not what they 
 say, nor whereof they affirm. The Essay before mentioned is 
 as follows : — 
 
 " ' Comprehension is that act of the mind, whereby it appre- 
 liends any object that is presented to it, on all the sides 
 whereon it is capable of being apprehended or known.' If the 
 above definition be true, we wall at once perceive that the pro- 
 position does not embrace the idea that we must reject things 
 we positively loiow to exist, because the manner or reason of 
 their existence is a mystery. It is not necessary for us to 
 know the motives of a writer, or to believe all his assertions, 
 to enable us to understand that such a book was written, or 
 that the author was in existence. We need not know why A 
 gives his bond to B in order to ascertain the amount of the 
 bond, or to establish its reality. No man pretends to compre- 
 hend the manner in which God exists, and yet by things 
 which are made, he can comprehencl and believe that such a 
 being made the worlds, and all that in them is. 
 
 " We can comprehend that the world exists without being 
 able to conceive the necessary relation that exists between the 
 act by which God decreed that the world should exist in 
 time, and its actual existence. It is not necessary for us to 
 know how, or in what manner, the Creator made the sun, 
 moon and stars, and appointed their several stations, to enable 
 us to comprehend their use and actual existence. We are 
 not obliged to analyze the beams of the sun, which warm and 
 enlighten us, or to decompose the air we breathe, in order to 
 comprehend the benign influence of the one, or the absolute 
 certainty of the other. 
 
 " I can comprehend this drop of water, this grain of sand, and 
 
152 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 tin's slender herb, without a knowledge of their intrinsic pro- 
 perties or nature ; and although I cannot comprehend how 
 matter and mind are united, nor explain how the nourish- 
 ment taken into the stomach, is converted into blood or bones, 
 yet I know and comprehend the fact : ' I think therefore I 
 exist.' To know certainly what we believe, we must cer- 
 tainly understand what we know. We read of some in old 
 time, who, when they knew God, refused to worship him as 
 God ; and others, who knew their master's.will, yet did it not. 
 I would ask the objector to the position, whether these persons 
 comprehended the object and subjects, the Scriptures declare 
 they knew. If we refer to the experience of the apostles, we 
 find they could not believe, until they were made to under- 
 stand what was required of them : that which they knew, and 
 had seen, they testified of; they were substantial witnesses, 
 because they were enabled to comprehend the mystery. And 
 they strove ' by the foolishness of preaching' to enlighten the 
 understanding of their hearers ; and all those who thought 
 the evidence strong enough, believed. 
 
 "When the eunuch read Isaiah, without comprehending his 
 meaning, he was an unbeliever ; but when his understanding 
 was opened, he believed. ' Ye do err, not knowing the Scrip- 
 tures,' said Jesus to his unbelieving neighbours. Did he 
 intend to say they did not believe in the book? No. They 
 believed the Scriptures to be the words of God ; but pretend- 
 ing to give an interpretation to them, before they compre- 
 hended their meaning, they became blind : but V\'hen the me- 
 dium of comprehension was opened, and the light of truth 
 rendered them intelligible, they made a proper application of 
 the prophecies. Hence we see a belief without knowledge, 
 was like faith without works, a perfect nonentity. Know- 
 ledge must precede belief, conviction must precede conversion, 
 and truth must be understood before it can be loved. Igno- 
 rance is no longer hold to be the mother of devotion. A blind 
 adherence to any doctrines, whether true or false, generates 
 darkness ; and the adoption of unintelligible dogmas gives a 
 doubtful character to truth itself. 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 153 
 
 " If the writers against the proposition mean to saj^, that faith 
 enables us to comprehend all things which reason cannot un- 
 fold, I am ready to unite with the sentiment, because it esta- 
 blishes the truth of our position, by admitting the absolute 
 necessity of that light which makes all things manifest, ana 
 introduces evidence into the mind, and proves to a demonstra- 
 tion, that we can believe only in proportion as we are enabled 
 to comprehend. And as it is the special province of the spirit 
 of truth, to lead into all truth, it follows as a certain conse- 
 quence, that we shall never be able to comprehend all truth, 
 until we are led into the knowledge of it." 
 
 Some of my friends at Wilmington have recently furnished 
 me with the first number of a new periodical work, called 
 " The Berean," in which I perceived an attempt to prove the 
 same plain truth, whicli was the design of the author of the 
 foregoing essay, viz. that we are not bound, and because we 
 cannot believe what we do not understand. And although it 
 would seem that there is scarcely any axiom in Euclid more 
 self-evident than the above position, yet liow astonishing it is 
 to consider, that there are many among the professors of Chris- 
 tianity, so blind and so bewildered by the force of tradition 
 and superstition, as to oppose such a self-evident proposition. 
 As to the hireling clergy opposing it, it is not so strange ; as 
 this, like many other truths of real Christianity, touches them 
 in such a very tender place, to wit, the purse, that we are not 
 to wonder ; as its tendency, if generally acknov,'ledgcd, would 
 take from them their fat benefices, and spoil the trade of priest- 
 ' craft. Therefore, when the people's eyes are likely to be 
 opened, as were the Ephesians,'by Paul, they cry out, (Deme- 
 trius-like, when they have called together the workmen of the 
 same craft,) saying, " Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have 
 our wealth ;" for Paul had convinced them. " that they be no 
 Gods, which are made with hands ;" and surely the Trinita- 
 rians' Gods are less so, as they are neither visible to the exter- 
 nal nor intr^rnal senses, of course they are, as to their person- 
 ality, a nonentitv, the mere creatures of the imagination. But, 
 
 20 
 
154 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 inasmuch as there are many led away with tlie dekision, that 
 we must beheve some things that we neitlier Iciiow nor under- 
 stand, one of the most inconsistent and hurtful of which is, 
 the absurd doctrine of the Trinity ; therefore, 1 hope, the indi- 
 vidual who has taken his pen in " The Berean," to confute it, 
 will not lay it down again, until he has razed it to its very 
 foundation, and will not leave a single vestige of it to inter- 
 rupt the minds of any of the children of men in future. 
 
 I was likewise favoured, by some of my friends of Wilming- 
 ton, with a copy of Brownlee's book, entitled " A careful and 
 free Inquiry into the true Nature and Tendency of the Reli- 
 gious Principles of the Society of Friends." Had he said he 
 had carefully examined and searched in all the envious, 
 slanderous books, of the old persecuting enemies of the So- 
 ciety of Friends, and had carefully culled tlie falsehood and 
 gross misrepresentations they contained, or that the most inve- 
 terate opposcrs could invent, to scandalize the Society, and 
 had added to it not a little of his own, his book would then 
 have answered better to its title. My friend aforesaid, sug- 
 gests a thouglit, that should I think proper to communicate 
 any matter concerning said book, it would be acceptable to 
 his friends at Wilmington. 
 
 But I am ready almost to conclude, whether entirely to 
 neglect it, would not be the best answer ; for really it does 
 not appear to be worthy of a serious answer, as its contents 
 are generally made up of irrelevant, contradictory, and hete- 
 rogeneous matter, that I think he answers and confutes himself, 
 as he goes along. But as some person lias made some correct 
 remarks on said book, in the first number of tlie Berean, I 
 shall not cast any discouragement in his way ; for such is the 
 influence that many of the hirelings have over the credulous, 
 that let them say A\hat they will, some are ready to receive 
 it as truth. How such are to be pitied ! 
 
 I shall now draw to a close, and in near affection and s)''m- 
 pathy rest, as ever, thy friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
SAMUEL COMFORT. 165 
 
 TO SAMUEL COMFORT, BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 
 
 Jericho, ith mo. ith, 1824. 
 Dear Friend, 
 
 Thine of the 15th ult. \vas duly received, and read with 
 satisfaction, tendina: to excite renewed feehngs of that love 
 and true Christian fello\vship, that binds together in the indis- 
 sohible bond all the living children of our Heavenly Father's 
 family. 
 
 The young Friends, who were the bearers of it, have been 
 agreeably with us for sev^eral days past ; and my engagements 
 have been such since they came, that I rather despaired of writ- 
 ing by them, agreeably to thy request. But having a little lei- 
 sure this afternoon, after my friends had retired, I concluded 
 I would attempt to indite a few lines, without expecting to 
 satisfy thy request in regard to church government, for want 
 of ability, although I consider it a very simple thing to the 
 truly enlightened mind. 
 
 The root and ground of all right church government, is laid 
 down by the great Christian lawgiver, as it respects moral order. 
 " If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his 
 fault between thee and him alone ; if he shall hear thee, thou 
 hast gained thy brother. 
 
 '• But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or 
 two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every 
 word may be established. 
 
 " And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the 
 church : but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto 
 tliee as an heathen man and a publican." Matthew xviii. 15, 
 16, 17. 
 
 " All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to 
 you, do ye even so unto them: for this is the law and the 
 prophets." Matthew vii. 12. 
 
 These doctrines, I conceive, comprehend the substance of 
 all church order. If any part of our discipline does not stand 
 in accordance with these doctrines, such part ought to be con- 
 
156 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 sidered spurious. But I have often thought that much more 
 harm arises to Society from a wrong execution of tlie disci- 
 pline, than from the letter itself For, as many undertake to be 
 active in the execution of the discipline, who have never passed 
 under the baptizing operation of the spirit of truth, that can 
 only prepare for the work, these darken counsel by words 
 without knowledge, and bring death over a meeting, and stop 
 the progress of right order. These are " sensual, having not 
 the spirit, having men's persons in admiration, because of 
 advantage." 
 
 To free the Society from such officious innovators, requires 
 the united exertions of all the faithful, and which can only be 
 done by a firm and faithful administration of right gospel 
 order, without partiality. 
 
 Did each monthly meeting attend closely to the order com- 
 prehended in the foregoing doctrines, Ave should soon get rid 
 of many unworthy members, who are destroying the peace of 
 the Society. That when any member sliould report any thing 
 publicly against a brother or sister, without first going pri- 
 vately to see them, let the matter be true or false, they ought 
 to be dealt with, and unless they make satisfaction to the party 
 aggrieved by such tale-bearing, they ought to be disowned. 
 For as the wise Solomon saith, "The words of a tale-bearer 
 are as wounds, and he that repeateth a matter separateth 
 very friends." 
 
 ■ There is another evil increasing of late in Society, that of 
 publicly opposing a Friend, who may apprehend it is his or 
 her duty to speak by way of exhortation in a meeting. If the 
 person so opposed be a member, and the monthly meeting, to 
 which he belongs, have not declared their disunity with him, 
 such person, so opposing, ought to be dealt with without fail. 
 
 If our montlily meetings were, in general, as faithful and 
 firm as one of late has been in your parts, it would soon 
 restore peace and tranquillity ; for nothing, I believe, but dis- 
 orderly conduct of that kind, has been the occasion of the 
 present uneasiness and disturbance in the Society. 
 
 Many persons from mere envy, I believe, have been induced 
 
SAMUEL COMFORT. 157 
 
 to spread evil reports, in direct violation of the discipline, and 
 some of them have led others to join them in the same disor- 
 derly practice ; and these kind of disorders seem increasing 
 among us hy some from whom we might have expected better 
 things,— among the rest, that of not rising from their seats in 
 times of public supplication. The preservation of peace in 
 Society, depends much upon monthly meetings and indivi- 
 duals keeping close to the order of our discipline ; and if cir- 
 curristances have altered, so as to make it necessary for some 
 alteration in the discipline, let that be done as way opens 
 for it. 
 
 But as the law outward is only made for transgressors, so it 
 will never be sufficient for a righteous man to square his con- 
 duct by ; for every man who attends to the inward Divine law, 
 rises above the control of all outward law ; and it is such that 
 are only qualified to make and execute discipline, consistent 
 with the order of the gospel. 
 
 In much love and Christian affection, I subscribe thy sin- 
 cere friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 New York, 5lh mo. 2hth, 1824. 
 My Dear Frtend, 
 
 Thy very acceptable letter, finished on thy way home from 
 Philadelphia, and the one by the bearer of these, was duly 
 received, and their contents were very grateful and encou- 
 raging, tending to strengthen the bond and brighten the chain 
 of that mutual love and friendship, that has existed between 
 lis ever since our first acquaintance, and which, I trust, will 
 live beyond the grave. I find that thou still feels thyself as 
 dwelling in Mesheck, or in the low valley ; a situation that 
 gives us a better estimate of our dependant and real character, 
 than when we are permitted to ride the king's horse, and, for 
 a short time, to be clothed in his royal apparel ; as the former 
 
158 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 places US in a state of safetjr, if we patiently acquiesce therein, 
 as when we are at the bottom we can fall no lower. And I 
 never feel myself safer and better situated than when I am at 
 the King's gate, waiting and watching that none might be 
 permitted to destroy the King's life, not even his chamberlains, 
 or principal servants, nor intrude upon his power, but that he 
 may quietly and peacTeably sit upon his throne, and all the 
 earth keep silence before Him ; then' continued peace will 
 reign, and the earth and its inhabitants, as they quietly submit 
 and resign to His holy will, are permitted to rejoice before 
 him, in every diverse allotment or dispensation, of his loving^ 
 kindness, wisdom and power. Therefore, I hope my dear 
 friend, tliou wilt not dwell too much upon the dark side of 
 things, but endeavour to dwell in that cheerful state of mind 
 recommended by our great pattern, when he mentioned that 
 great truth to his disciples, and which we all know and exp^ 
 rience as such ; viz. " In the world ye shall have tribulation ; 
 but be of good cheer ; I have overcome the world," — and 
 doubt not but that we, by the same power that enabled him to 
 overcome, may also overcome : therefore, my dear friend, let 
 us, in every dispensation of his love and power, cheerfully 
 resign and thank God, and take courage. 
 
 We have proceeded but a little way in the business of our 
 yearly meeting as yet, nevertheless, one subject has brought 
 us to a pretty close trial of our faith and patience. A propo- 
 sition was brought forward, previous to reading the epistles, 
 to omit noticing or reading the London printed epistle, and 
 although it appeared very clear, that much the greater part of 
 the meeting were ready, and even desirous of adopting the 
 measure, yet a few were so opposed thereto, that it was thought 
 best, for the present, to condescend to them and suffer it to be 
 read ; which, I hope, will be the last time such epistles will be 
 read in our yearly meeting. 
 
 We have heard much said in Society of late, concerning 
 new doctrines, but in the course of this yearly meeting Ave 
 have already had more novel and strange doctrines held forth 
 among us, tlian T have ever heard before ; such as these, that 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 159 
 
 our victory over sin is not to be known on this side the grave : 
 that the humanity of Jesus Christ prays to his own divinity ; that 
 not to beheve, that the crucifixion of the body of Jesus without 
 the gates of old Jerusalem, was a sufficient atonement for the 
 sins of the whole world, unchristians us, and renders us crimi- 
 nal, &c. Our yearly meeting for discipline was conducted in 
 a good degree of harmony and condescension, but our select 
 meeting was the most trying I ever experienced. A. B. took 
 such a high stand in our public meetings, as to leave scarcely 
 any time for others to exercise their gifts, greatly to the 
 wounding of many exercised minds, that I fear, instead of 
 promoting the noble cause we are called to promote, weakness 
 and suffering have been increased, greatly to the grief of the 
 honest-hearted. 
 
 28th. Our yearly meeting of discipline closed this after- 
 noon, but the select meeting stands adjourned until to-morrow 
 morning. 
 
 In much love to thee and thine, in which my wife joins, 1 
 
 subscribe thy affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Baltimore, IQth mo. 26th, 1824. 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 Thy letter of the 22d instant was duly received, and its 
 contents were very acceptable, excepting the part announcing 
 thy late affliction, and present weak state of body ; which 
 information has excited afresh near sympathy with thee, yet 
 not without a hope, that in the end all these bodily afflictions, 
 which for the present are not joyous, but rather grievous ; as 
 the mind is raised to look beyond the present to the future, 
 and thereby becomes strengthened to acquiesce in all the 
 varied dispensations allotted us by a wise and gracious provi- 
 dence, while passing through this vale of probation, so neces- 
 sary in order for our advancement in the pathway to virtue 
 
160 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 and ^lory ; will work together for good in the accomplish- 
 ment of the noble end and glorious designs of the heavenly 
 Father, in the creation and restoration of his children. As 
 to the time, if health is continued, of our seeing our friends at 
 Wilmington and its vicinity, as I feel myself as a poor depen- 
 dant day labourer, I cannot at present ascertain wlien it will 
 be ; but from my present prospect, believe I shall call upon you 
 in my way home, and it maybe within the compass of ten or 
 twelve days from the present time. 
 
 Friends here seem progressing in their yearly meeting con- 
 cerns, as far as they have advanced, cheerfully, and with 
 apparent unanimity. 
 
 The meeting of ministers and elders got through the busi- 
 ness of that meeting in one day, and closed for this year at 
 five o'clock last seventh day evening, in apparent harmony 
 and concord. 
 
 The yearly meeting has several subjects of considerable 
 moment now before it, which have been committed to the 
 consideration of committees. 
 
 29th. One of the subjects mentioned was a proposition to 
 omit reading the London printed epistle, on which the com- 
 mittee thereon unanimously reported as their sense, that the 
 reading of it be discontinued; which report the meeting con- 
 firmed, and it was laid by without further notice. 
 
 A proposal came up from Baltimore quarter, for altering 
 the discipline in such manner, that when any member goes 
 out in marriage it may be considered a voluntary relinquish- 
 ment of his or her right in Society, and to be disowned 
 without any further notice ; but this proposition was not 
 agreed to- yXikI as we shall likely, in a few days, be favoured 
 to speak together face to face, I will now come to a close, with 
 just observing, that I feel very thankful that it has been my 
 lot to attend this yearly meeting; as I do not remember that I 
 ever sat a yearly meeting with greater satisfaction . Friends 
 liaving passed through their business in much harmony and 
 bTotherlj^ condescension, the meeting closed last evening. 
 
 Meetinofs aic Inid out for us in our way to your place as 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 161 
 
 follows ; to-morrow ev^ening at six o'clock, at Bush, first day 
 at Deer Creek, second da}^ at Little Britain, third day at East- 
 land, fourth day at West Nottingham, fifth day at East Not- 
 tingham ; after which, we shall direct our course towards 
 Wilmington, without any present prospect of stopping much 
 on the way. In much love to thee and thine, in which my 
 wife unites, I subscribe thy afiectionate friend. 
 
 ELTAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 • Philadelphia, \2mo. Alh, 1824. 
 Mr Dear Fkiend, 
 
 Thine of the 28th ult. excited afresh in my mind deep sym- 
 pathy and fellow feeling with thee, in thy present stale of 
 complicated bodily affliction ; and althougl), as thou observes, 
 it is undoubtedly all under right direction, and which is alto- 
 gether in accordance with my views, nevertheless, no afiiiction 
 for the present seems joyous ; yet they tend to create a hope in 
 the minds of those who continue in the way of well doing and 
 are rightly exercised thereby, in full acquiescence with every 
 dispensation of a gracious providence, that they will all work 
 together for our good, and produce, to those who hold out to 
 the end, a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. And 
 having this hope as an anchor to the soul, amidst every con- 
 flicting and trying scene, let us, my dear friend, thank God, 
 and take courage, in a full belief that he will never leave nor 
 forsake the upright in heart. 
 
 I have so far recovered my usual state of health, that I 
 ventured out and attended three meetings this week, on third, 
 fourth, and fifth days, viz. the North, Twelfth Street, and 
 Green Street, lo the peace of my own mind, and, I believe, to 
 the general satisfaction, comfort and encouragement of my 
 friends ; but some cavilled, viz. an hireling priest and two or 
 three of those who style themselves orthodox ; and there is no 
 d(>ubt in my mind, that should the purest departed saints be 
 » 21 
 
1G2 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 permitted to return and preach among these, the pure unsullied 
 doctrines of the Gospel, they would make a much greater 
 uproar among the people. Such, I conceive, is tlie deplorable 
 state of the professed churches in Christendom. 
 
 We expect to leave town this afternoon and ride to German- 
 town, to be at meeting there to-morrow ; on second day at 
 Abington, and on fourth day at Byberry. So far meetings 
 are laid out for us. On fifth day will be the monthly meeting 
 of Newtown, on sixth day at Middletown, on seventh day at 
 Falls ; should we find it in our way to attend those meetings, 
 and be able to go forward, we shall likely attend the meeting 
 at Trenton to-morrow week ; after which, if health is perrnitted, 
 we shall bend our course homewards. 
 
 In that love that many waters cannot quench, I subscribe, 
 thy affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO SAMUEL R. FISHER, PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 Jericlw, \2th mo. 26th, 1824. 
 Dear Friend, 
 
 Although it has rested on my mind most of the time since I 
 returned home, to address a few lines to thee in this way, not 
 only to aclcnowledge. with grateful sensations, the many espe- 
 cial favours and abundant kindness received from thee and thy 
 dear children, by myself, my v/ife and daughter, granddaugh- 
 ter, and other companions in travel, while I was confined by- 
 bodily indisposition under thy hospitable roof, but also to inform 
 thee a little of our fare while progressing on the \vay to our 
 own habitation, — yet such has been the weak state of my body, 
 and trembling of my hands, that I have not attempted to put 
 pen to paper to write a letter, until the present time ; and I very 
 much doubted when I commenced, whether I .should suc- 
 ceed. But I do much better than I anticipated. 
 
 After taking an afiectionate farewell of our friends in the 
 city, we proceeded, agreeably to our previous conclusion, 
 
SAMUEL R. FISHER. 163 
 
 taking meetings at Germantown, Abington, and Byberry. 
 These three meetings were to me favoured and encouraging 
 opportunities, though pretty trying to my weak body. And 
 after the close of the meeting at Byberry, the concern to 
 attend the three monthly meetings of Newtown, Middletown, 
 and Falls, the three successive • days, was renewed and so 
 fixed on my mind, that I found my peace consisted in sub- 
 mitting thereto, which I cheerfully did when I clearly saw it 
 was my Heavenly Father's good pleasure, and I found abun- 
 dant peace in so doing. The meetings were very large ; and, 
 I trust, through the gracious condescending goodness of our 
 never-failing Helper, many were instructed, comforted, and 
 edified. 
 
 On first day we attended the morning and afternoon meet- 
 ings at Trenton, and as thy children Thomas and Sarah, and 
 divers other Friends from Philadelphia, were there, thou no 
 doubt hast heard all that is needful in relation to them. On 
 second day we proceeded to St.onybrook. On the way my 
 wife was taken ill, insomuch as not to be able to sit up any 
 after our arrival at the widow Clark's. After meeting, we 
 returned back to the widow's and lodged. The next day, my 
 wife being better, we proceeded on our journey, through mud 
 and mire, the roads being very heavy, and arrived, near eve- 
 ning, at our friend Samuel Pound's, about six miles short of 
 Plainfield, who, with his worthy wife, received us with tokens 
 of sincere friendship. 
 
 The next day we attended a monthly meeting at Plainfield, 
 held for Rahway and Plainfield, and the day after had an 
 appointed meeting at Rahway. Both these meetings were 
 satisfactory and encouraging seasons ; and we left them the 
 next day in the fresh feelings of mutual love and affection, 
 and rode to New York, where we arrived, a little before sun- 
 set, on sixth day evening. We tarried here until first day, 
 and attended the two meetings in the city, both of which were 
 crowded and overrunning full, like some of the large meet- 
 ings in Philadelphia. 
 
 On second day we returned home, and, to our mutual com- 
 
164 LETTER TO 
 
 fort and satisfaction, found onr children and friends in usual 
 health, except Phebe, our grand-daughter, who had some 
 return of her fever, and was not so well as when she first got 
 liome, but is now in a favourable way of recovery. 
 
 The second day after getting home, I was favoured to, get 
 clear of the gravel, that had occasioned me such a long season 
 of pain. I feel now pretty free from pain, and my strength is 
 daily increasing. 
 
 In much love to thyself and dear children, I subscribe thy 
 affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, \st mo. BHi, 1825. 
 Mt Beloved Friend, 
 
 Not having heard any thing from thee since I wrote thee 
 from Philadelphia, I feel very anxious to hear how thou art 
 getting along under the pressure of thy bodily afflictions, as 
 by thy last letter, thou inforrnedst me that they had become 
 complex. Hence, in the near sympathy that impresses njy 
 mind on thy behalf, I feel very desirous of hearing from thee, 
 as soon as is reasonably convenient. 
 
 After leaving Philadelphia, we proceeded, taking meetings 
 at Germantown, Abington, Byberry, and the three monthly 
 nieetings at Newtown, Middletown, and Falls. These were 
 all large, and, I think, favoured meetings, through the conde- 
 scending goodness and unmerited mercy of the Shepherd of 
 Israel. The day after the monthly meeting at the Falls, being 
 the first of the week, we attended fore and afternoon meetings 
 at Trenton, in Jersey. In the morning, several hundreds 
 assembled more than the liouse could contain ; and in the 
 aflernoon also, many went away for want of room. They 
 were, I trust, both solemn and profitable meetings. The Go- 
 vernor and many of the members of the Legislature being in 
 town, they made us an offer of the state house for our accom 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 165 
 
 modalion ; but as the two meetings of our Friends came in 
 course on that day, I felt most easy to attend them as they 
 came, and my bodily infirmity was such, that I did not think 
 it prudent to attempt a third meeting in the evening ; there- 
 fore way did not open to accept the offer. On second day we 
 proceeded on our way homeward, taking meetings at Stony- 
 brook, Plainfield, Rahway, and New York, and got safe home 
 on the following second day, and found our children and 
 friends generally well ; which, together with the attendant 
 peace of mind, was cause of thankfulness and gratitude to the' 
 blessed j\uthor of all our manifold blessings and favours dis- 
 pensed from his bountiful hand. I have not fully recovered 
 my usual state of health, but am able to keep about and attend 
 meetings. 
 
 I subscribe thy affectionate friend. 
 
 ELTAS HICKS. 
 
 TO THOMAS M'CLINTOCK, PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 Jericho, \st mo. 2Ath, 1825. 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 Thy very acceptable letter of the 10th instant was duly 
 received, and I have taken my pen in order, as way may open, 
 to answer the queries it contained. 
 
 Q,uery 1. '• What dost thou mean by the terms, ' outward 
 legfal sins' ?" I mean the breach of those outward legal rites 
 and ceremonies, such as circumcision, &c., contained in the 
 law of Moses, the non-observance whereof was accounted a 
 transgression of that law, and rendered the animal bodies of 
 the Israelites legally unclean and unholy ; but which was not 
 any breach of that universal moral law given by God to man- 
 kind from the beginning, and which is manifested to every 
 man by the two witnesses which God has placed in every 
 rational creature, as the only sufficient rule and guide, to wit, 
 reason and truth. And as man is a two-fold creature, so his 
 gracious Creator has given him a two-fold revelation, viz. tlie 
 
166 LETTER TO 
 
 light of the outward sun to reveal to him, tlirougli the medium 
 of his external senses, the things of a man, and the internal 
 sun, Avhicli is the truth, or light and spirit of God, to reveal to 
 him, through the medium of his internal senses, the things of 
 God : and through the medium of these two witnesses, when 
 rightly adhered to, every rational being is clearly and self- 
 evidently instructed in his duty both to God and man. 
 
 But sorrowful to relate, the professors of Christianity have, 
 generally, slain these two Avitnesses, and they are now lying 
 dead in the streets of Sodom and Egypt, as the apostle John 
 saw was the case in his day ; that is, in the defiled Ijearts of 
 the formal professors in Christendom. By renouncing and 
 turning from the leading and guidance of these two witnesses, 
 and adopting in lieu thereof the letter of the Scriptures, and a 
 belief in mysteries they do not understand, both of wliich in 
 themselves are dead things, and cannot communicate any life 
 to. the soul of man, they have brought over themselves a state 
 of death and darkness, and thereby slain these two witnesses, 
 or " pressed them down as a cart with slieaves," by which 
 they have rendered them entirely useless to them in the things 
 of God and true religion. But to return. As the observance 
 of these rituals did not cleanse nor redeem the soul from moral 
 evil, so, by a parity of reason, the non-observance of them did 
 not pollute the soul, but only prevented the Israelites from freely 
 and fully partaking of the outward blessings of their good 
 land, which was their only promised reward for their obedi- 
 ence and faithful adherence to tliese outAvard rituals, and 
 moral prdcepts contained in tljeir outward law. 
 
 Secondly. It was not the sufferings and death of Jesus on 
 the cross merely, that abolished the law, and did away those 
 legal transgressions : that was only the finishing Avork. The 
 abrogation of the law, and the cancelling the breaches of its 
 legal precepts, were principally efiected by Christ's declara- 
 tions in his sermon on the mount, and his oflfering himself up 
 to the will of his Heavenly Father, when, in his fervent prayer 
 in the garden, a little before his crucifixion, he earnestly 
 besought him, if it was possible, he would let that cup pass 
 
TfioMAs m'clintock. 167 
 
 from him ; but in his usual submission, as a dutiful son to the 
 will of his Father, he exclaims, "Not my will, but thine be done." 
 He never offered himself up to his cruel persecutors, but they 
 came upon him in a malicious manner, and took him by force, 
 in his- quiet retreat in a public garden. 
 
 Having, by his sermon on the mount, publicly abolished 
 the " law of carnal commandments contained in ordinances," 
 and introduced a " better testament,'" in direct opposition to it, 
 and tliereby cancelled the obligations of it, his disciples were 
 no longer bound to observe its requirings ; which is manifested 
 by his justifying them for a breach of their seventh-day sab- 
 bath, assuring them that he was "Lord of the sabbath day." 
 And as Moses was authorized, by divine command, to give 
 them that law and covenant, with all its legal rites and cere- 
 monies, so likewise he, as paramount to Moses, was authorized 
 by his Heavenly Father to do it away, and abolish the 
 whole ; agreeably to the declaration of the apostle Paul, Colos. 
 ii. 14. And he finished his mission when on the cross he said, 
 " It is finished ! and bowing his head he gave up the ghost :" at 
 which time the vail of the temple was rent in twain, from the 
 top to the bottom, in confirmation of the consummation and 
 total end of that dispensation. 
 
 This vail was fixed by Moses to prevent the Israelites from 
 coming into the immediate presence of the Lord, in the inner 
 court, where none but the priests were permitted to enter 
 during that dispensation. This vail represented Moses and 
 that outward law. But this vail was done away by Jesus on 
 the cross, he having previously, as aforesaid, abolished the 
 law, with all its rituals and ceremonies, and introduced the 
 new covenant. And the vail being now done away, the 
 people, all that believed on him, were now permitted to appear 
 before the Lord without a mediator, as a mediator makes a 
 vail between God and the soul. Hence the apostle exhorts 
 the believers to come boldly to the throne of gi'ace, that they 
 may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in tlie needful time. 
 See Heh. iv. 16. 
 
 Apprehending that what I have said may furnish the means 
 
JOS LETTER TO 
 
 to thee by which thy first four queries may be resolved, I now 
 tarn to the fifth, and may observe, that the abrogation of the 
 law and the introduction of the gospel, or new covenant dis- 
 pensation, to that people, as declared by the propliet, was the 
 principal end of the mission of Jesus, and which was verified 
 by his so exactly fulfilling the declaration of his Heavenly 
 Father to Moses, so long before his coming. Hear Jehovah 
 declare his intentions. " I will raise them up a prophet from 
 amongst their brethren, like unto thee. I will put my words 
 into his mouth, and he shall speak unto them whatsoever I 
 shall connnand him." This was just the case with Moses, for 
 he spake nothing to the people but what the I^ord commanded 
 him. Hence their likeness to each other. By comparing 
 this with his sermon on the mount, we shall clearly discover 
 a full abrogation of the law, as also a clear introduction of 
 the gospel or new covenant, as promised to that people, so 
 long before, by tlie prophet Jeremiah. 
 
 And in reply to the latter part, where thou queries — Were 
 any of the Jews who came into the spirituality of religion, 
 previous to his coming, at liberty to decline the observance of 
 the external rituals ? I answer, by no means. For as the 
 Israelites had refused to come into the presence of the Lord, 
 or to hear his commands immediately from him, and chose 
 rather that he would speak to them through the medium of a 
 man, so he gave them Moses and the larophets as mediators, 
 who received the word at his mouth, tUid conveyed it to the 
 people. And although these had immediate access to the 
 Divine presence, yet they were not permitted to omit any 
 obligation of that law while that covenant stood unrepealed, 
 as their principal business was to teach it to the people during 
 its continuance. Hence a failure in them would have been 
 as great, if not a greater crime, than in the common people. 
 
 Now, these mediators formed a vail between them and their 
 God, for the Israelites could not look beyond them for the know- 
 ledge of him, and of what he shottld require at their hands, 
 while this vail continued. For they chose to be instructed 
 by external evidence, and thereby disavowed all inward and 
 
THOMAS m'cLINTOCK. 169 
 
 spiritual evidence. Hence arose the occasion and necessity 
 for external miracles. For had all the Israelites been pre- 
 pared, and as willing as Moses was, to receive God's word and 
 will immediately from his own mouth, there never would 
 have been any reason or use for outward miracles ; as it does 
 not appear that he has dispensed any to other nations, and as 
 is manifest by the prophet Jeremiah's testimony concerning 
 the new covenant dispensation to that people, (which was only 
 new to the house of Israel, but was the same old covenant to 
 the rest of the nations, that he made with man in the begin- 
 ning,) when the Lord would speak immediately to every indi- 
 vidual of them, by his own spirit and word in tljeir hearts. 
 So that none now, who come into this new or inward covenant, 
 need go to a Moses or a prophet, or any other fellow creature, 
 to know the Lord, or his will concerning them ; for all, through 
 the inward law and light of this covenant, are made to know 
 him, from the least to the greatest. 
 
 This vail that was fixed by God between him and his 
 people, at their own request, was figured out by the vail which 
 Moses, by God's command, set up in the tabernacle to keep 
 the people from approaching the inner court, where none were 
 to enter but the Lord's priesls, whom he had consecrated by 
 his own spirit ; and, while this tabernacle and vail continued, 
 the people received the commands of the Lord from the priests' 
 lips. But this vail was done away in and by Jesus, as saith 
 the apostle, when he concluded his mission on the cross, as 
 before cited. And all the Israelites that believed on him, and 
 submitted to his doctrines and commands, by which he abro- 
 gated tlie law and introduced the gospel, and confirmed the 
 latter by his holy example, way was made for them to come 
 freely to the throne of grace, in the inner temple of their hearts, 
 where the Lord makes himself known to his children, and 
 they receive his word immediately from his own mouth, every 
 vail and mediator being rem.oved from between them. 
 
 Jesus had nothing outward to offer but his bodily life, as 
 saith the Psalmist, speaking in his name, " A body hast thou 
 prepared me," and that he was under the necessity of surrcn- 
 
 22 
 
170 LETTER TO 
 
 dering up, as there was no other way to save it but b}^ con- 
 forming to the will of the Scribes and Pharisees, which he 
 could not do without losing his spiritual life ; agreeably to 
 his own doctrine, " He that saveth his life shall lose it: but he 
 that loseth his life, for my sake and the gospel, the same shall 
 save it." Thus he set an example to all his followers, that, 
 in order to be saved, they must surrender themselves, as he 
 had done, a willing offering to God. And we must suffer the 
 fire of his divine word in us, to burn as an oven, (which is 
 what John the Baptist called the baptism of tlie Holy Ghost 
 and fire,) until all the chaff, and every thing in us and of us 
 that the controversy of God is against, is burned up and con- 
 sumed, and the soul made pure and clean, a fit receptacle for 
 his holiness to dwell in ; and even our natural lives must 
 likewise be surrendered to his holy will. Tliis comi)rehends 
 the true atonement, which all the external atonements under 
 the law were but a type and figure of 
 
 As to the advantage the reviewers have taken, or pretend 
 to take, on what they construe as a concession on my part, in 
 my letter to Dr. Shoemaker, that the death of Christ, merely 
 of itself, was an atonement at all, I had no such idea; for I 
 believe I rested it principally on the effects of his mission and 
 death. As is very clear, not only from the apostle's testimony, 
 where he asserts that Jesus had abolished the law and " blotted 
 out the hand- writing of ordinances, nailing them to his cross," 
 &c., but also by the facts which followed, some of which were 
 manifest while he w^as with his disciples, in justifying them 
 for a breach of their shadowy sabbath, and divers other things 
 in their conduct which made a breach upon the letter of their 
 law. By which the design of his mission is proved, and that 
 it was purposely to put an end to that law and covenant, and 
 to introduce a better : not another outward one, but an inward 
 one, agreeably to the prophecy of Jeremiah. And this he 
 clearly and amply did in his sermon on the mount, as is before 
 shown, but was finished by his last act of surrender on the 
 cross, when he bowed his head and said, " It is finished." At 
 which time " the vail of the temple was rent in twain from the 
 top to the bottom." 
 
THOMAS M CLINTOCK. 171 
 
 Here the Divine power interfered, and set its seal to the 
 complete abrogation of. tlie law ; and at that very time, all 
 the legal transgressions that any of the Israelites lay under 
 the censure of, by a breach of their ceremonial law, were 
 done away and abrogated with the law of carnal command- 
 ments that instituted them. So that every Israelite, that be- 
 lieved in Jesus as their Messiah, was now at liberty to abstain 
 from all the rituals of the law and be blameless. That, strictly 
 speaking, it was not the persecutions he suffered, nor the 
 cruel death by which he finished his mission, that atoned for 
 any sins ; but it was his godly life, his commands and doctrines, 
 that abolished the law and introduced the gospel, and put an 
 end to these legal sins and transgressions, and in the room 
 thereof brought in everlasting righteousness. 
 
 As to what may be the fate and condition of the unbelieving 
 Jews, I am not at present prepared to give a full answer, not 
 having considered it a subject requisite for me to enter into 
 any particular investigation of But apprehend, if they are 
 rightly engaged to live a virtuous and upright life, according 
 to knowledge received, and the doctrine of their prophets, — 
 " to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with their 
 God," — ^.they will be accepted, when thousands of professed 
 Christians may fall sliort thereof. 
 
 In much love to thee and thine, in which my wife and 
 children are united, I subscribe thy affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO MOSES BROWN, PROVIDENCE, R.I. 
 
 Jericho, "id mo. 3Gth, 1825. 
 Beloved Friend, 
 
 It is with some reluctance that I take my pen to reply to thy 
 letter of the 11th month last ; and had it not been for the long 
 unbroken friendship, — at least so on my part. — that has sub- 
 sisted between us from our first acquaintance, I should not 
 now have done it. For if I hate any thing, it is contention ; 
 
172 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 as I am fully in unison with the advice of the wise Solomon, 
 when he recommended to " leave off contention hefore it be 
 meddled with." I mostly answer false aocnsations with si- 
 lence, after the example of our great Pattern, when he was 
 falsely accused before the Roman governor. And had I not 
 apprehended that T. H.'s letter savoured more of accusation, 
 founded upon flying and false reports, than it did of that phi- 
 lanthropic Christian charity, that would rather cover than 
 expose the supposed or real faults of a fellow creature, T 
 might have answered it as readily as I did S. F. H.'s. But I 
 consider S. F. H.'s letter very different from that of T. H. ; for 
 the latter roundly asserted that D. Slack was a deist, and almost . 
 an atheist, without accompanying his assertions with the least 
 shadow of proof And I have always considered it a full and 
 clear evidence of the weakness and futility of a cause, when 
 it requires defamation and detraction to support it. And as 
 thou alludest principally to Slack's first essay, as savouring of 
 deism and infidelity, I am willing to acknowledge that I have 
 not been able to discover the least symptom of that kind in that 
 essay, any more than in the general writings of our primitive 
 Friends. They were accused of the same, by the ignorant 
 and superstitious of their day, because they did not acknow- 
 ledge the Scriptures to be the only rule of faith and practice. 
 And they have, that is, the hirelings and their abettors of the 
 present day, the same view at this time concerning the mem- 
 bers of our Society, who are faithful in the support of our 
 ancient foundation, the light and spirit of truth Mnthin. But 
 alas ! the number of these I fear is too few. But as expe- 
 rience lias taught our persecutors to see that the time is past 
 for them to use force, persecution, and detraction, to bring us 
 to submit to their cruel wills ; they are now using the cunning 
 of the serpent, by flattery and deceit : and in this way they 
 are much more successful in drawing many away from the 
 simplicity of truth, so as to join with them in their many and 
 various ways and associations, set up in the will and foolish 
 wisdom of man, under the show of doing God service, by 
 which they are robbing widows and orphans, and for a pre- 
 
MOSES BROWN. 
 
 173 
 
 tence are making long prayers. But to return to the subject 
 of Slack's book, would it not have been more honourable and 
 neighbourly, to say nothing of the Christian, as he considered 
 the youth very erroneous in his views, to have taken the pen 
 and showed him his errors, — as surely it must have been an 
 easy task, if he was so mucli out of the way, as he asserts him 
 to be — rather than to bear him down with hard names and 
 tmfriendly epithets ? As he could then have given the pub- 
 lic an opportunity to judge for themselves, without trusting to 
 his bare assertions, which carry no evidence at all with them. 
 
 I trust I have now given sufficient reasons for not answer- 
 ing the letter alluded to, and I hope they will prove satisfac- 
 tory ; but if not, I am done with the subject. 
 
 Thou seems to accuse me of prevarication, but upon what 
 erround, I am unable to conceive ; unless it is on what thou 
 afterwards mentions in respect to a message I sent, as thou 
 sayest, to the author of that pamphlet, by a respectable Friend 
 of our city. I have no remembrance of sending any message 
 to that author, by any Friend of our city ; but I remember 
 meeting a Friend of Providence in New York, and we had 
 some conversation respecting that individual ; and, I think, I 
 manifested to that Friend my regret for the publication of 
 Slack's two last numbers ; as I apprehended he was too young 
 in experience to enter so largely into the discussion of matters 
 of such importance, and that if I had the opportiaiity of speak- 
 ing with him, I should recommend stillness to him, as the 
 safest in his present child-like state ; not doubting but a divine 
 visitation had been extended to him, that enabled him not only 
 to see the bigoted and corrupt state of the hireling clergy and 
 their abettors, but likewise to bear a full and decided testi- 
 mony to our foundation principle, the light within : and he 
 supported it by as full and conclusive arguments, as I had met 
 with in any Friend's writings. But I knew he must lack, what 
 is entirely necessary in our Christian progress, a train of solid 
 experience, which would require time to effect. 
 
 As to the encouraging message thou speakest of, I have no 
 remembrance of it ; and it may be among the many false 
 
174 LETTER TO 
 
 reports, tliat were circulated by some envious individuals, 
 such as that •' I had a continual intercourse with David Slack, 
 while he was writing those essays, and that I had a hand in 
 forming them;" and a great deal more of such lying stuff: 
 when the truth is, I had never heard of the existence of such 
 a person, until some acquaintance of mine in New York sent 
 me the first essay. This was the first time I had ever heard 
 of such a man ; and I came to the knowledge of the other 
 essay in the same way. 
 
 As to what tljou observest in regard to my desiring S. F. H. 
 to show my letter to T. H., it is a mistake ; but as I considered, 
 from what I had heard, that D. Slack was considered as con- 
 federate with them that dissented from Friends, I apprehended 
 my letter to S. F. H. would be a sufficient answer in both 
 respects ; and as S. F. H. would receive my letter at the time 
 of the yearly meeting, I wished him to show it to such Friends 
 as he thought necessary. I had no allusion in particular to 
 T. H., as I had previously concluded not to answer his letter, 
 and for the reason I have now given, and which is only effected 
 by thy importunity ; as I should much rather they should have 
 remained in the inclosure of my own thoughts, as it is very 
 unpleasant to impeach a fellow creature of faults, unless it 
 appears absolutely necessary. And as it regards what thou 
 sayest respecting the interview between A. Braithwaite and 
 myself, tliou appearest, on account as thou sayest, of my pre- 
 varication, incorrectness, (fcc, to be induced rather to believe 
 the two females, than my statement. Well, let it be so. I 
 know I have spoken the truth ; and there I am willing to leave 
 it, let others think as they may. As to what thou sayest of 
 my letter to Dr. Shoemaker, I may observe that it contained 
 my simple sentiments at that time, and I penned it in the sin- 
 cerity of my heart, and innocency of my hands ; and I do not 
 in the least regret that I have written it. But I stand always 
 open to conviction ; and if any person, even a child, should 
 convince me of any error it contains, I shall cheerfully yield 
 it up, and acknowledge myself wiser than when 1 wrote it. 
 
 As to what thou sayest of my contradicting myself, by say- 
 
MOSES BROWX. 175 
 
 ing at one time, that the Scriptures were the best book, and 
 at another time, that it does more hurt than good ; if this is to 
 thee a paradox, it is one, I conceive, tliy own common sense 
 and every day's observation would easily solve. For it is my 
 candid belief, that those that hold and believe the Scriptures to 
 be the only rule of faith and practice, to those it does much 
 more hurt than good. And has any tiling tended more to 
 divide Christendom into sects and parties, than the Scriptures? 
 and by which so many cruel and bloody wars have been pro- 
 mulgated [promoted.] And yet, at the same time, may it not 
 be one of the best books, if rightly used under the guidance 
 of the Holy Spirit ? But, if abused, like every other blessing 
 it becomes a curse. Therefore, to these it always does more 
 hurt than good ; and thou knowest that these comprehend 
 far the greatest part of Christendom. As to what thou say- 
 est, of " Once in grace, always in grace," needs no reply. 
 
 There is one subject more to be noticed, and which creates 
 a degree of admiration in my mind, that is, thy supposition of 
 my being out of the unity of my friends ; when nothing is 
 more notoriously evident than my full unity, and which is 
 so obvions, by its being tested almost from year to year for 
 forty years or more, and never more so than in the past 
 season, in which I have twice been called upon to surrender 
 all, and go forth in ray great and good Master's service. The 
 first was a journey to the northward, in our own yearly 
 meeting ; the latter, to attend Baltimore yearly meeting, and 
 some other services in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the Jer- 
 seys ; both which services I accomplished in the summer and 
 fall of last year, with the full unity of my friends expressed 
 on minute, and was furnished with returning minutes express- 
 ive of the full unity of my friends where I visited. And what 
 should induce thee to mention a wish for my returning into 
 the unity of ray friends, when I have not been out of. it ? un- 
 less it be in [the case ofj some few individuals, who have been 
 led away from the truth, and on their parts have broken the 
 unity towards me, without any cause given by me: therefore I 
 have nothing to do in the concern, but to wait patiently for 
 
176 LETTER TO 
 
 them to return to me. Which I trust they will all have to do, 
 before they can witness true peace of mind. 
 
 In love I conclude, and subscribe myself, as ever, thy sin- 
 cere and affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO SAMUEL COMFORT, BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 
 
 Jericho, 4th mo. 2&th, 1825. 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 Thine of 2d month last came duly to hand, and its con- 
 tents were very salutary, tending to revive afresh tliat near 
 sympathy and fellow-feeling affection, witnessed when favoured 
 with each other's company. What thou remarkest relative to 
 the sufferings of the faithful in the present day, is very cor- 
 rect ; we look for no other in the present bewildered state of 
 the people, both within and without the pale of Society. For 
 even some of our members, who think much of themselves, 
 and who, in time past, have been thought something of by 
 their friends, have so far turned away from first principles, as 
 to unite witli hireling priests in defaming and gainsaying their 
 fellow members ; even some, whom iu time past, they at least 
 pretended great respect and regard for ; but not abiding in the 
 principle, they lost their first love, and grew indifferent and 
 careless, and became dead and formal, and could not endure 
 sound doctrine. Hence a cavilling spirit got up, which led 
 them to find fault with their brethren, to cover their own 
 nakedness, and jealousy crept in and greatly destroyed love 
 and unity, and a contentious spirit entering filled the vacuum. 
 And it will never be good day to the Society again, until indi- 
 viduals, each one for one, rally back to the standard, and recur 
 to and unite in the first principle, and leave every thing behind 
 that genders to contention, or that has a tendency to lead to 
 dilTerent views and opinions. 
 
 Things with us, on the Island, remain in a good degree of 
 .|uiel J but I do not know that those in the opposition have in 
 
SAMUEL COMFORT. 177 
 
 any degree mended ; but their number is so small they can do 
 nut little. But in New York it is a pretty trying and dis- 
 turbed time. I know not when it will end, or be better with 
 us. I apprehend our case is such, that the fire and hammer 
 will be needful some time longer, to do away the dross and 
 tin, and reprobate silver. We shall all have need to let pa- 
 tience have its perfect work, that so in the end of the conflict, 
 we may be entirely refined, wanting nothing. 
 
 My wife has been quite ill for two weeks past, but is now on 
 the mend, and we are in hopes the disorder has pretty much 
 subsided. The rest of our family and children around us are 
 in usual health, as are our friends generally here away. 
 
 With much love to thee and thy dear wife and children, I 
 subscribe thy affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 New York, 5th mo. Ath, 1823. 
 Dear Friend, 
 
 I take my pen to write, in answer to thine of the I9th ult. 
 more particularly as it respects the historical accoinit of the 
 miraculous conception and birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the son 
 of the Virgin Mary, as stated in the account of his life by 
 Matthew and Luke, in their evangelical histories. I shall, in 
 the first place, state to thee my answer to the first and only per- 
 son that ever put the question to me, on this wise, Dost thou 
 believe in the miraculous conception of Jesus in the womb of 
 his mother Mary ? and, although I consider it an impertinent 
 question, yet, as it was put by a particular friend and neigh- 
 bour of mine, Thomas Willis, I condescended to answer it, 
 which was in these words ; — That I had believed it from 
 my youth up to the present time, as far as history and tradition 
 could give belief, and, I apprehended, no person had any 
 other, or could have any higher belief, as we did not find that 
 any nation or people, however highly favoured, had other 
 knowledge or belief thereof, but those who had the history : 
 
 23 
 
178 LETTER TO 
 
 therefore a belief therein was not an essential to salvation. 
 For that which is essential to the salvation of the souls of the 
 children of men, is certainly dispensed by our common Creator, 
 to every rational creature under heaven ; for he is unchancre- 
 ably perfect, equal in all his ways and righteous in all his 
 works, and will do equal justice to all, so that all who dis- 
 obey his manifested will, are left without excuse. For shoiild 
 he manifest any certain thing essential to salvation, to a small 
 portion of mankind, and keep it secret from the greater part, 
 would it not be partial, seeing he is all-wise and all-power- 
 ful, and could as easily manifest it to all as to one? and 
 not only the Scriptures, but the very reason and nature of 
 things prove it. We read that the spirit of the Lord strove 
 in, or with, the people before the flood, no doubt with every 
 individual of them, as it did with Adam, as it did with Eve, 
 as it did with Cain ; his call is extended to all as saith the 
 prophet, " Look unto me and he ye saved, all the ends of 
 the earth ;" the weakest, the poorest, the farthest off, the least 
 obedient, &c. " He hath showed thee, O man," every man, 
 " what is good ; and what doth the Lord require of thee." Not 
 to believe in the hear-tell of outward miracles, outward sacri- 
 fices, outward oblations, outward baptisms, outward sacra- 
 ments of bread and wine, all wliicli only nourish the body and 
 are cast out with the draught, but, "to do justly, and to love 
 mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God V loving God above 
 all and our neighbour as ourselves, doing always unto others 
 as we would they should do unto us, always attentive to that 
 gospel that the Scripture tells us is preached in every creature, 
 — not out of them, but in them,— by the light and Spirit of 
 God, and is the power of God unto salvation. A belief in, 
 and obedience to tliis inward gospel and power of God, is all 
 that is essential to our salvation ; for this, and this only, can 
 brinar us to love God above all, and our neitrhliours as our- 
 selves, and to love our enemies, and to pray to God for them, 
 and to beat our swords into ploughshares, and spears into 
 pruning liooks, and no more learn war, but be at peace with 
 God. and with all men. 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 179 
 
 I may further observe, in answer to thy question, that 1 am 
 in sentiment with thee, as to the subject of the miraculous 
 conception ; as it is reasonable to suppose, tliat when the 
 Great Prophet of the Jews should come, or be manifested to 
 Israel, as spoken of by the former prophets, as that dispensation 
 until all its pai^ts had been confirmed by outward miracles, 
 and as that people would not believe any thing of moment 
 without such interference of divine power, hence their Mes- 
 siah must be ushered in through that medium, or they would 
 not have believed on him. And it was essential to that people 
 to believe on him when he came, or he could be of no use to 
 them. Therefore, I observed to T. Willis, that although there 
 appeared to me as much, or more, letter testimony in the 
 account of the four Evangelists, against as for the support of 
 that miracle, yet it had not altered my belief therein, as stated 
 in my letter to him, which no doubt thou hast read. But my 
 enemies will not believe my positive assertion, expressed in 
 my own words, but will have it according to their own minds. 
 Well, so let it be ; if they can live upon their own false con- 
 struction of my words, let them have it so, till they can feel 
 the weight of their own error, and then they will, I hope, learn 
 better, whilst I enjoy peace through it all. With love as usual, 
 thy affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO ABRAHAM LOWER, PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 Jericho, 6th mo. 1st, 1825. 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 I trust thou wilt not impute my nofes answering thy very 
 acceptable letter of 4th month last, to forgetfulness or inat- 
 tention, but to the real cause, viz. the many and varied avo- 
 cations that continually press upon my mind, together with 
 the want of qualification to indite any thing worthy thy atten- 
 tion ; and I feel but little more at present, than to inform that 
 we are enjoying a usual portion of health, and feel grateful for 
 the favour, and to give thee a little account of our late yearly 
 
180 LETTER TO 
 
 meeting. We got pretty quietly through the first sitting of the 
 select meeting, excepting that two females, one from the east 
 and another from the west, advanced some heavy charges 
 against us for indulging and supporting a spurious ministry 
 among us ; which, at the time, was passed by in silence, hut was 
 promptly met in a succeeding meeting. Bnt my mind was so 
 released from that meeting, at the close of the first sitting, as it 
 appeared to me, that notliing further could be done to profit in 
 our meeting again, except closing the minutes, and signing a 
 returning certificate for Isaac Stephenson. And as that meet- 
 ing coming together again, added a third sitting in a day, it 
 was more than I felt able to bear, therefore, I did not attend 
 tlie two last sittings ; and all that was done, or attempted to 
 be done in them, except what is above noticed, evidently 
 tended to do much more harm than good. 
 
 The first sitting of the yearly meeting of discipline, which 
 held about three hours, was principally taken up in settling the 
 point respecting the reading of the London printed epistle ; 
 which resulted in not reading it. The subject brouglit up 
 from Westbury quarter, proposing that all appointments be 
 made for a limited time, &c. and that above mentioned, intro- 
 duced considerable altercation: the latter finally issued in 
 being referred back to the quarterly meeting from whence it 
 came, to be further explained, although it was thouglit by 
 most, that it was already sufficiently explicit to all that were 
 willing to see it so. But it is a true saying, " None are so 
 blind as those who will not see." But I believe, on the whole, 
 it was a profitable meeting, in which light was spread on 
 various subjects; and our parting sitting was solemn and edi- 
 fying. 1 discover, by letters recently received, that the old 
 accuser of the brethren is still vaunting about, giant-like, and 
 is disturbing Israel's camp, which makes it necessary for all 
 our little Davids to throw off Saul's armour, and betake them- 
 selves to their sling and smooth stones, and patiently wait the 
 directions and leave the event to the Lord of battles, who will, 
 in his own time, bring forth judgment unto victory, as the little 
 isles patiently wait for hi.s law. 
 
ABRAHAM LOWER. 181 
 
 Time necessarily leads me to a close. My wife and daugh- 
 ter E. join me in much love to you all, and to all our friends 
 of the city, as way opens in thy freedom to communicate it ; 
 for I love all, who in sincerity and truth love God the Father, 
 and Jesus Christ his son. In which I subscribe thy affection- 
 ate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, 6ih vw. 30//i, 1825. 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 Thy acceptable letter of the 16th instant was duly received, 
 and its contents were comfortable and encouraging in its va- 
 rious views ; and as this acknowledgment, in unison with thy 
 sentiments, is all I feel furnished with at present to communi- 
 cate, to fill up my paper, I will add for thy amusement, when 
 thou can find nothing better, the perusal of a transcript from 
 a letter of a correspondent : take it as follows : — 
 
 " It was grateful and encouraging to find, that my ancient 
 beloved friend was still in the keeping of Him who sleepeth 
 not by day, nor slumbereth by night, and who by his hand of 
 power is making strong, even in old age, 'the arms of the 
 hands,' of all his faithful and riglitly devoted servants, ena- 
 bling them to go forth valiantly for the promotion of his dig- 
 nified and noble cause of truth and righteousness in the earth, 
 to the pulling down of the strong holds of Anti-christ's king- 
 dom, or the man of sin and son of perdition, or in more simple 
 and plain terms, self and self-will in man ; who' hath taken the 
 seat of God in the heart, and exalteth himself above all that 
 is called God, or that is worshipped.* And hence arise all 
 the false worships that now are, or ever have been, in the 
 world, with all the spurious, hireling, and man-made ministry, 
 created and formed in schools, colleges, and semuiaries of 
 
 * Thess. ii. 3, 4. 
 
182 LETTER TO 
 
 human and heatnenish science, out of which have sfrown all 
 those new and seh-conceived histitutions and associations, 
 such as Bible societies, missionary societies, and societies for 
 the propogation of the gospel in foreign parts, (fcc, while at 
 tlie same time very few of their rumiber understand what the 
 gospel is, judging them by their fruits, with the mind clothed 
 with the best of charity. For their whole superstructure, from 
 the foundation to the cap stone, is of a pecuniary kind, viz. 
 money. Take away that, and they are all at a stand ; for 
 what sturdy and successful beggars are all these societies and 
 their agents, whom they are sending forth, in all parts of the 
 country and among various nations, to hoard together these 
 pecuniary means, their only source of strength. 
 
 Are not these, like those the apostle speaks of, who have a 
 form of Godliness, hut deny the power thereof? From such, he 
 says, turn away.* For of this sort are they which creep into 
 houses and lead captive silly women, under a pretence of reli- 
 gion, when their chief design is to get their money. If this is 
 not the case, from whence arise those associations, such as 
 cent societies, mite societies, &c., that are formed, and which 
 are draining money from poor widows and orphan children, 
 under the show of religion, by which they prove to demonsti-a- 
 tion, that gain with them is Godliness ?"t 
 
 Can we, consistently with reason and truth, suppose that 
 those mighty combinations of men of all descriptions, from the 
 highest to the lowest, professors and profane, which go to make 
 up those institutions alluded to, many of whom do not appear 
 to have any more correct ideas of real Christianity, nor do 
 their Avorks carry any more semblance of it, than tlie works 
 of the untutored Gentile in the uncultivated wilds of America — 
 I say can any rational man, whose mind is free from the bias 
 of a corrupt and superstitions tradition, suppose that the infi- 
 nite and all-wise .Tehovah, hath any part or lot in those insti- , 
 tutions, carried on in the very spirit, power, and contrivance 
 of fallen man, and which abundantly less resemble the work 
 * 2 Tim. iii. 5, 6. t 1 Tim. vi. 5. 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 1^3 
 
 of God than they do the work of Aiiti-christ, as set forth by 
 John in his revelation : When Satan was loosed from his 
 prison, and went forth to deceive the nations which are in the 
 four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, which compre- 
 hend all the worldly-minded hypocritical professors of religion 
 and unstable inhabitants of the eartli, to gather them together 
 to battle, the number of whom are as the sand of the sea.* 
 What a clear description is this of the unstable multitude that 
 make up these associations, and their abettors. 
 
 Therefore, the Lord's call is extended to all his enlightened 
 and truly devoted children, " Come out from among them and 
 be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; 
 and I will receive you, and be a father unto you, and ye shall 
 be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." 
 
 Are not the fore-named institutions and associations, the 
 principal strongholds of sin and Satan in the present day ? for 
 it is in and through these, by fair pretences to do much good, 
 the deceiving spirit transforms himself into an angel of light, 
 and would, if it were possible, deceive the very elect. And 
 who are tliose elect, that will be instructed and enabled to 
 escape all his snares, and the cunning and creaturely devices 
 of his agents, whom he hath captivated by means of his sub- 
 tie transformations, joining with them and encouraging them, 
 to go forward in their own wills and according to their own 
 contrivance, furnished, like the Babel builders of old, with, the 
 best materials that man hath at his own command, viz. the 
 Scriptures ; comparable, when men make use of them to effect 
 their own purposes, by direction of their own wisdom and 
 science, to the brick and slime mortar, that the sons of Noah 
 made use of in days of yore, to build their tower, whose top 
 they, in their presumption, intended should reach to heaven, 
 that they might get to themselves a name. But their language 
 was confounded, and their worl\ ceased. And this, no doubt, 
 will be the case with our modern Babel builders ; for the hete- 
 rogeneous multitude, that form the present group of builders, 
 are very similar to those in former days, and their aim appears 
 
 ♦ Rev. XX. 7, 8. 
 
1S4 LETTER TO 
 
 to be the same, to wit, by their own power and wisdom, and 
 in their own way and time, to build a tower, or a something 
 whose top shall reach to heaven, by which to get to themselves 
 a name. 
 
 I will now answer the query, Who are those elect, whose 
 eyes are so enlightened by Divine truth, and made so piercing 
 as to penetrate through all the subtle transformations of the 
 enemy of their souls, and strengthened to escape all his 
 snares ? They are those, and those only, who, in the day of 
 God's merciful visitation, have surrendered themseh^es to his 
 government ; for he has in his unbounded goodness, visited by 
 his grace or good spirit, the souls of all his rational creation ; 
 in which time he has given them the offer of salvation, by 
 setting life and death before them, and enduing them with a 
 capacity to choose. But none are the elect, but those who 
 choose the good and refuse the evil ; who in the day of his 
 grace, while it continues to strive with them, choose and eiect 
 the Lord for their portion, and the God of Jacob for the lot of 
 their inheritance ; and who persevere in the way of well- 
 doing, until they experience a full birth of the spirit, and are 
 born of God, and are established in the truth, and do not sin ; 
 because they are born of God, and his seed remaineth in them. 
 These are they, in whom the wicked transforming spirit hath 
 no place, and are passed beyond the possibility of being de- 
 ceived, being founded and established on that unshaken rock, 
 the revelation of the spirit of God in their own souls, the only 
 true teacher, and sure rule of faith and practice, against which 
 the gates of hell can never prevail. 
 
 What thou mentions in regard to my being from home in 
 consequence of an appointment by our yearly meeting, to 
 attend, with some others, the opening of a new quarterly 
 meeting at Scipio, is incorrect ; as the time of opening that 
 juarter does not come on until the beginning of 10th month 
 next, previous to which time I have to perform a considerable 
 tour of duty, having obtained the unity and concurrence of 
 our monthly meeting to pay a religious visit to the inhabitants 
 of our island, more particularly the eastern part. I am now 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 185 
 
 engaged near home, and shall not go far to the east until after 
 our quarterly meeting, which comes the latter end of next 
 month. It would be pleasant to see thee here at that time. 
 
 I was out five days last week, and attended eight meetings ; 
 and I was made thankful in believing, from very apparent evi- 
 dences, in those opportunities, that the Lord had not left him- 
 self without a witness in any of his rational creation ; and 
 when his word goeth forth, this witness is raised and the power 
 is manifested. This is the Lord's doing, and is marvellous in 
 mine eyes. For although these opportunities were mostly 
 among such, as the high professing Scribes and Pharisees 
 would deem publicans and sinners, such as dare not lift 
 up their eyes to heaven, but when convicted, and in a degree 
 quickened by his grace, could do no more than smite upon 
 their breasts and cry out, " God be merciful to me a sinner." 
 This was evidently the case in most of these opportunities, as 
 much brokenness and contrition was manifested. Truly the 
 harvest may be said to be great, but the rightly qualified 
 labourers are very few : too many of those who seem to be 
 willing to take a part, are mere traditionalists, who, like the 
 man. prefer carrying a stone in one end of their wallet, to, 
 balance their meat and drink, and give as a reason for so 
 doing, that their fathers and grandfathers did so before them, 
 and think it a crime to know more than they did ; so instead 
 of advancing go backwards. 
 
 My love to thee and thine, and to the rest of our friends in 
 thy neighbourhood and elsewhere, as opportunity offers in thy 
 freedom, for I feel that I love all men, and in that I have peace 
 with all ; and in this I subscribe thy aifectionate friend. 
 
 ELLIS HICKS. 
 
 TO SAMUEL COMFORT, BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 
 
 Jericho, 7th mo. I9th, 1825. 
 My Deah Friend, 
 
 Thy letter of the 5th mo. last is now before me. I have oft 
 perused it ; as its contents tend to revive afresh the feeling of 
 
 24 
 
186 LETTER TO 
 
 that brotherly love that binds together in one all the truly 
 begotten children of the heavenly family. And did all the 
 members of our highly favoured and highly professing Society, 
 abide in this lo\"e, it would drive out and banish from the 
 Society all tale-bearing, detraction, discord, envy, and every 
 evil work, and in lieu thereof peace would reign within our 
 walls, and prosperity within our palaces. 
 
 But, alas ! it is otherwise. The wild boar of the forest has 
 made an inroad in our pleasant places ; the lion, that in times 
 past was made to lie down with the lamb, is now prowling 
 about, seeking to devour and destroy the innocent life, and the 
 subtle fox is endeavouring to deceive and bring within the 
 reach of liis power the innocent lambs, insomuch that wasting 
 and desolation are within our borders, and the ways of Zion 
 do mourn, for her solemn assemblies hav^e, in some instances, 
 become places of discord. 
 
 Hence the necessity of every individual rallying to the 
 standard, the light within ; for in that only can we, as a 
 people, unite our strength ; that being our only standard prin- 
 ciple from the beginning ; and if we desert that, or add any 
 , thing to it, as essential, besides good works, we shall become 
 a broken and divided people, and must remain so until all 
 recur to this first principle as our only rule of faith and prac- 
 tice ; and prove by our fruits that we are led and guided by 
 it ; that is, by our just and righteous works, doing unto all 
 others as we would that others should do unto us. ^Ve are 
 then as perfect as Jesus and the gospel require, being perfect 
 as our Father in heaven is perfect ; and, if any man requires 
 more than this of any of his fellow creatures, he requires more 
 than God and his prophets, and his son Jesus Christ require, 
 and therefore proves himself to be a proud man, and if a 
 proud man, then a fool, and knows not what he sa^;^ nor 
 whereof he affirms. And this is the sad and dreadful lot of 
 every man and woman who say tliey believe what they do 
 not understand, which no man can do ; as no rational crea- 
 ture can believe any thing without evidence, and that Avhich 
 we do not understand cannot be evidence : — for instance, a 
 
SAMUEL COMFORT. 
 
 137 
 
 Greek may be broiiglit forward as an evidence in case of theft, 
 before a judge who did not nnderstand his language, and 
 although he was an eye and an ear witness in the case, and 
 might express before the judge the truth, the ^^•hole truth, and 
 nothing but the truth, yet the judge could not believe, and 
 that because he could not understand ; and so it must be with 
 every thing we do not understand. 
 
 By information from Philadelphia I find that the case 
 respecting the Green Street monthly meeting, improperly 
 taken up by the quarterly meeting, remains yet undecided. 
 Surely, \vhen will the Philadelphians learn wisdom, and be 
 willing to submit to right order. May it not be right for some 
 plain simple countrymen, under right direction, to step in and 
 lend them a hand of help, that they may not die in their sins. 
 
 I subscribe myself thy affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, W I L ]\I I N G T O N. 
 
 Jericho, \st mo. 2\st, 1826. "* 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 Thy very acceptable letter of the 14th instant came duly to 
 hand, and its contents excited renewed feelings of near sym- 
 pathy with thee, in thy present trials and bodily afflictions, 
 and my desire and prayer is, that the Lord Almighty, in whom 
 is our life, and the length of our days, may so strengthen thee 
 with might in thy inner man, and endue thy mind with ever- 
 lasting patience, that thou mayest not repine nor be discou- 
 raged, but be enabled to put thy whole trust and depcndance 
 in the I,ord, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strengtli. 
 
 My long silence in regard to communing with thee in this 
 way, as noted in thy letter, I can assure thee has not arisen 
 from any diminution of that near love and regard, that has 
 subsisted between us from our first acquaintance, and which 
 knows no abatement ; but from the continued exercises and 
 avocations of various kinds that press upon me and swallow 
 
188 LETTER TO 
 
 up my time, not allowing me to spend any in idleness, and 
 this agrees with my best wishes, for none of the moments 
 of time allotted to me, have been so burdensome as those I 
 have spent in idleness. 
 
 Anna Braithwaite and hus-band have been with us this 
 week, she attended Westbury monthly meeting last 4th day, 
 and ours the day following ; I attended them both. I had 
 not seen her, until now, since her return to this country, and 
 have not spoken to her as yet, saving at the close of the first 
 meeting, on fifth day last, as I sat next to her. When I arose 
 to close the partition, I oftered her my hand, which she faintly 
 received. We have interchanged a letter or two. She in- 
 formed me by a short note, that if I had any wish to have any 
 communication with her she was entirely willing ; to which I 
 replied, that I had no desire to have any communication with 
 her, either directly or indirectly, until she had made an 
 acloiowledgment for her breach of friendship, and of the salu- 
 tary discipline of our Society ; and as she has not yet complied, 
 the way is closed between us, and will continue so until she 
 does comply. But I informed her that, as it regarded myself, I 
 freely forgave her, but I could not as it respected the breach 
 made on the wholesome order of the Society, as that was not 
 in my power to do. Her services with us were not acceptable 
 to the meeting, her certificates were read and minuted, without 
 any expression respecting her company and service, and alike 
 in both the men's and women's meetings, and in the same way 
 in the men's meeting at Westbury. 
 
 I have made some remarks on Joseph John Gurney's letter 
 to his friend, on the doctrine of redemption, and have thought 
 of sending them to thee, if a suitable opportunity offered. 
 
 I will note one passage of his letter, pages 31, 32,* viz. 
 " Here I would remark, that while the inspired writers bear 
 the most ample and decisive testimony to the unity of the 
 Supreme Being ; while the great principle, that God is one, 
 lies at the very foundation of their scheme of religion and 
 
 * J. J. Gurney's letter has been published by the Amorican Tract Society, and 
 the passage here quoted is to he found on page 13, Tract No. 33. 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 
 
 18f« 
 
 pervades it in every part ; we nevertheless learn, from many 
 of their declarations, that in that great scheme of mercy which 
 he has ordained for our salvation, the one God has manifested 
 himself to mankind (with reverence be it stated) as the Father, 
 the Son, and the Holy Spirit."* Why should he feel more rev- 
 erence or fear in mentioning the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 
 than in mentioning the Supreme God ? The reason is very 
 obvious, it is because God has manifested himself to every 
 rational being under heaven by the immediate impression of 
 his own life, light, and power, and has manifested himself 
 self-evidently, so that all must know him, and his will con- 
 cerning them ; but man cannot know him self-evidently when, 
 in his own foolish wisdom, he divides him into three distinct 
 parts, by which he lowers down and degrades the divine cha- 
 racter, not knowing what he says nor whereof he affirms. 
 He cannot possibly prove it to be true ; that is the reason, I 
 apprehend, the friend, when he wished to give an idea of 
 three in the Divine nature, was made fearful, even more so 
 abundantly, than when he mentioned the one Supreme God ; 
 and had he attended to that fear when he was about to divide 
 God, to support a superstitious dogma, he would have been 
 preserved from this absurdity. This doctrine has grown out 
 of the apostacy, and lias no evidence for its support in Scrip- 
 ture, reason, or truth, for the Scripture they mostly adduce, is, 
 no doubt, an interpolation.! Another reason why our author 
 felt such reverence, or fear, I apprehend, is what every man 
 witnesses when he is about to assert something to justify him- 
 self in a wrong act, knowing he cannot bring any evidence to 
 prove the truth of the assertion, and that it may as likely be 
 false as true, he trembles at tlie attempt, and this will be the 
 case until custom has confirmed him in it. And this fear, I 
 
 * Elias Hicks was a firm believer in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, "and 
 these three are one;" it is not therefore, to the terms that he objects, but to the 
 manner in which they are here used, as implying a distinction in the. Divine natiirf 
 —this distinction is clearly expressed in the paragraph immediately following that 
 quoted by Elias Hicks. 
 
 t I John V. 7. The authenticity of this text appears to have been doubtp.'l by 
 Richard Claridge, a learned and highly esteemed writer among eirly Friends, and 
 it is now admitted to be an inierpoiation, even by maiiy Trinitarians. 
 
190 LETTER TO 
 
 have no doubt, has attended, more or less, all who have 
 asserted the trinity of peisois in God, unless they were edu- 
 cated in the belief of it from their childhood. For it greatly 
 derogates from the unity and majesty of God, as it divides him 
 into three separate substances, and of course must destroy his 
 unity, and lessen in the mind the idea of his self-existing power, 
 for if each of these substances is equal in power, then God the 
 Father has but one third of the power that he possessed when 
 the fulness of the divine unity comprehended, in his undivided 
 essence, all power in heaven, and in earth. And as every 
 subsistence must have its own proper substance, independent 
 of any other, hence, if the Father is God, and the Son is God, 
 and the Spirit is God, and each of these a distinct person, or 
 being, then certainly three Gods, instead of one God, the absur- 
 dity of which must appear to every man of common sense. 
 Thy affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 New York, 6th mo. \st, 1826. 
 Dear Fhiend, 
 
 Since my arrival in this city, I have received two letters 
 from thee — the first dated 5th month 12th, 1826 ; the other, 
 the 18th. They were both very acceptable, especially the lat- 
 ter. In the course of the sittings of our select yearly meeting 
 at this time, every portion of the wisdom of the creature has 
 been exerted, to get a committee appointed to visit our quar- 
 terly meeting of ministers and elders. The whole design, no 
 doubt, is to find some way to criminate me ; but all these 
 efforts have been fully defeated thus far. The subject sent up 
 from our quarterly meeting to the yearly meeting, proposing 
 the appointment of elders to be for a limited time, and their 
 appointments also to be exclusively the business of the monthly 
 meeting, is thrown into the hands of a large committee for con- 
 sideration, and to report their viev^s upon the subject to a 
 future sittinar of the meeting. 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 191 
 
 There was rather an uncommon circumstance transpired 
 yesterday in our meeting for worship. A few minutes after 
 the meetinor assembled, one of our English Friends, E. R., 
 took the floor, and stood so long that the assembly appeared to 
 be wearied, and as soon as she sat down, A. B. kneeled, and 
 almost as soon as she had resumed her seat, 11. J., E. R., and 
 A. B. attempted to break up the meeting by shaking hands, 
 and a number in the next raised seat also shook hands ; 
 but the whole assembly sat still as though riveted to their 
 seats. As the Friend who sat next to E. Bates, believing the 
 motion to be premature and not in order, refused to give him 
 his hand, they could not effect their object. And as he and 
 T. Wetherald sat still and did not unite with the motion, not 
 an individual left their seats, but appeared more composed. 
 In a few minutes Thomas stood up, and had a very favoured 
 opportunity with the people, to the rejoicing of every heart, I 
 believe, except those who might have let in prejudice and 
 envy.* 
 
 * The stenographer who took in short hand the communications delivered at the 
 meeting here referred to, made the following note, which was published with the 
 sermons : 
 
 " As the circumstances of this meeting were peculiar, and have been variously 
 represented, it becomes the duty of the stenographer to give a statement of facts 
 as they appeared to liim at the time. 
 
 " At an early period of the meeting Mrs. Robson rose, and continued to speak 
 for more than an hour. She was very soon succeeded by BIrs. Braithwaite in the 
 foregoing p^-ayer ; immediately after which, Richard Jordan and Elisha Bates, 
 v,ho sat at the head of the meeting, shook hands as the customary signal for a sepa- 
 ration : but contrary to any thing ever before witnessed by the stenographer, or by 
 any other person vvith whom he has conversed, not a solitary individual, among 
 more than two thousand, was seen to move! 
 
 ''In the course of about a minute, there was another and a similar attempt made 
 to close the meeting, by R. Jordan, E. Robson, A. Braithwaite, and some persons 
 occupying the second galleries, but it was with the same effect ! A profound 
 silence now pervaded the whole of this large assembly, and, in breathless expec- 
 tation, every eye seemed riveted with intense interest upon the galleries. The 
 whole meeting, simultaneously breaking through the rules of the Society, remained 
 fixed and immovable, as if controlled by some invisible power. Such- was the 
 effect, that the beholder might have easily conceived himself surrounded by a con- 
 gregation of statues, instead of animate beings. During this interval, Mr. Vv'eth- 
 erald rose and delivered the following discourse, which being succeeded by a few 
 remarks from Ehas Hicks, a short pause ensued — when Mr. Hicks and Mr. Weth- 
 erald shook hands, and the meeting quietly dispersed." 
 
192 LETTER TO 
 
 With much love to thee, with every branch of thy family 
 and inquiring friends, I rest thy syrapathizmg and very affec- 
 tionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, AVILMINGTON, 
 
 Jericlw, Sth vio. 9th, 1826. 
 Mt Dear Friend, 
 
 Thy two letters of 6th mo. and thy last of 7th mo. 31st, 
 are now before me. I have perused tliem several times with 
 much satisfaction, as they contained nothing to induce regret, 
 except the account thou givest of thy continued bodily infir- 
 mity, and the burdens of thy temporal business, which tends 
 to excite renewed and continued sympathy with thee amidst 
 thy various trials. But let us, dear friend, through and over 
 all, gratefully remember that lie whose mercy is over all his 
 works, and who careth for the sparrows, will in his own time 
 cause all things to work together for good, to those who truly 
 love him. 
 
 I fully accord with thy views as it respects the several sub- 
 jects treated upon in tliy letters, and especially as it regards 
 our English visitors, now supposed to be on their passage to 
 this land, as experience teacheth, it is not good to lay hands 
 suddenly on strangers, but much safer to be reserved and cau- 
 tious both on the Tigfht hand and the left. 
 
 I feel for them as they are coming among us in rather an 
 evil time ; a time, I conceive, in which they will be closely 
 watched, and in which they will have need to attend steadily 
 to the advice given b^r Jesus to his disciples, " be ye therefore 
 wise as serpents and harmless as doves," for should they 
 Ij.ippen to tread in the steps of their forerunners, some of 
 whom have lately departed our coast, they may have cause to 
 Tuo the day they landed on our shore, which I fear is the case 
 ■)[ those who lately left us. 
 
 We had the company, last first day week, of J. W. and com 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 
 
 103 
 
 panion from the district of Maine, and A. B. from yonr yearly 
 meeting. 
 
 J. W. appears to be an innocent and well intentioned person, 
 but of small experience, and not sufficiently established on the 
 one only unshaken foundation, to travel abroad in the work 
 of the gospel, in the present time of commotion in the Society ; 
 for I fear that in his late journey he has not only suffered loss 
 himself, but, in some instances, has rather wounded than pro- 
 moted the cause he professed to advocate. 
 
 Things, as they relate to the discordant sentiments of some 
 among us, are at present somewhat at a stand, but I don't 
 know that the professed orthodox, have, as yet, become so 
 convinced of the weakness and inconsistency of their tra- 
 ditional views, as willingly to barter them away for those that 
 are better. But this is no strange thing, for it is as Paul says, 
 blindness in part has happened to Israel, and that not only in 
 Paul's time, but in every age and dispensation of God to his 
 creature man ; for children are so apt to place implicit confi- 
 dence in their parents and tutors, whose seeming pious conduct 
 they are led to venerate, that often, for want of due considera- 
 tion, they set up the standard their parents left them, inso- 
 much that the reproof of the martyr Stephen will, more or less, 
 apply to some in every succeeding generation, '• As your 
 fathers did so do ye." This has been very apparent in our 
 Society, as well as in every other, both in a moral and reli- 
 gious point of view. See how hard it has been for Friends in 
 Pennsylvania, to give up the part they took in the coercive 
 governments of this world, and what a struggle Friends had 
 
 O ' CO 
 
 to "bring their members from holding their fellow men in 
 slavery. An old man, an elder and leader in Society, and 
 one whom I truly loved, chose rather to be separated from 
 society than to set his slaves fi^ee, and was disowned, as were 
 several others of my acquaintance. And we need only exa- 
 mine the history of the past, and it will appear that in all ages. 
 since the fall of man, tradition and popularity have been in 
 general the governing principle among the children of men, 
 in preference to strict justice and truth, and never more so 
 
 25 
 
194 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 than in our day, — if we are to judge professors by their works 
 and fruits. 
 
 Thy affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO THOMAS M 'CLIN TOOK, PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 Jericho, 8th mo. U(h, 1826. 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 Thy letter of 3d month last, by W. B. I., was duly received, 
 and very acceptable, as its contents were corroborative of my 
 own sentiments and feeling, on the several subjects of which 
 it treated, particularly as respects the agitation in Society. 
 Por no real and perfect birth, either in a moral or religious 
 sense, is brought forth without pain and labour. And this 
 was the prophet's view formerly, wliich led him to exclaim, 
 " When Zion travailed, she brought forth children." And I 
 have no doubt but that the present stir and agitation in our 
 Society, has been productive of many living and substantial 
 births. 
 
 Had the same state of supineness and ease continued, that 
 had for a long time been prevalent among us, many, I believe, 
 who are now quickened, and alive in concern for truth's pros- 
 perity, might still have remained easy and secure amidst their 
 worldly enjoyments. But the conflicting views and discordant 
 opinions, that have for a few years past agitated the minds of 
 the people, have naturally led the minds of our Friends, espe- 
 cially those in younger life, into an investigation, to think and 
 search for themselves, and no longer pin their faith on the 
 sleeves of their predecessors, but to know the foundation that 
 is immovable, and that cannot be shaken, for themselves. 
 And msiUY, I believe, have profited greatly by their own right 
 labour and exercise. But all who may seem to take part i)i 
 the commotion and exercise, may not, for want of faithfulness 
 and stability, prove good and wholesome fish, but as is repre- 
 sented by the parable of a draw-net, many may be enclosed 
 t!iercui that the head fisherman, wiien he comes to make Ills 
 
THOMAS m'cMNTOCK. 195 
 
 selection, will cast back into the sea again, while he will sav 
 all the good. And some may be like the seed that fell on the 
 highway ; the light chaffy spirit may devour it. And some 
 like the seed on stony ground, tliat springs up quickly, but for 
 want of depth, when trials and tribulations attend, they are 
 scorched by the heat, or give back and are offended. And 
 some may be like the seed in thorny ground, which, although 
 it springs up and seems to take root for a time, yet through the 
 admission of the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of 
 riches, it is choked, and brings forth no fruit, to the honour of 
 the husbandman. But those who, out of a good heart, receive 
 the seed in the love of it, and give all their strength and ability 
 to its support and growth, in these it will produce "some thirty, 
 some sixty, and some an hundred fold," to the honour of the 
 Great Seedsman. 
 
 Our transatlantic friends, I. and A. B., have, I think, by 
 keeping their design so much behind the curtain, made rather 
 an inglorious exit, especially the latter, not giving their friends 
 generally an opportunity of a parting kiss, and the accompa- 
 niment of their good desires for a prosperous and pleasant pas- 
 sage to their native shore. However, they are gone ; and I 
 apprehend if they have made any right move while among us, 
 this latter stands paramount to all the rest : so that they have 
 left nothing else for us to do relative to them, l)ut to pray for 
 their safe arrival to their native land, and the gladdening em- 
 braces of their family and friends, and an increase of light and 
 knowledge in wisdom's ways ; which the upright in heart 
 know to be Vv^ays of pleasantness, and all her paths to be paths 
 of peace. 
 
 We will now take leave of those that are gone, and reflect 
 a little on their anticipated successors, for whose preservation 
 and safe-keeping while among us, should they be permitted to 
 land on our shore, I feel considerable solicitude. For unless 
 they attend carefully to the advice given by our great Pattern 
 and perfect Way-mark, to his primitive disciples, to be " wise 
 as serpents, and harmless as doves," — that is. unless through 
 deep suffering and temptation, they have so learned in the 
 
196 LETTER TO 
 
 school of experience, as to become real adepts in the myste- 
 ries of iniquity, and fully so in the mysteries of godliness, both 
 which I conceive are comprehended in the above declaration 
 of Jesus, they may have cause rather to curse than bless the 
 day they landed on the American shore. And it is my sincere 
 desire, that Friends here may lay fast hold of the same advice. 
 For if good to the visiters, it is surely as necessary for the 
 visited, in order that we may be mutually improved, and har- 
 moniously build together the waste places, by each carefully 
 building against his own house. 
 
 We have recently, in our family circle, met with a very close 
 trial, in the decease of our grand -daughter, Mary Hicks, second 
 daughter of Valentine and Abigail Hicks. A very great trial 
 to her parents and their surviving children, and to all of us 
 indeed, as she was a very sensible and promising young 
 woman, and bid fair to be a great comfort and strength to her 
 parents. But she has gone, I trust, to her peaceful home, 
 " where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are 
 at rest," beyond the reach and noise of archers. And all we 
 have on our part now to do, is quietly to acquiesce in the Di- 
 vine will, and passively and clieerfully submit to the dispos- 
 ings of a gracious Providence, who, in his infinite wisdom and 
 mercy, does all things well. She departed last evening, about 
 11 o'clock, in great quiet, without any struggle or bodily 
 emotion. 
 
 In near love to thyself, wife, and children, in which mine 
 unite, I subscribe thy affectionate friend, 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, 2d mo. mh, 1827. 
 Dear Friend, 
 
 Thy two letters received since my return home, have been 
 very acceptable ; and although I have not wrote, yel the omis- 
 sion has not arisen from anv abatement of love and regard, 
 
WILLIAM POOLE. 197 
 
 but from the press of many avocations, both of a moral and 
 rehgious nature, that absorb my time, so that my correspond- 
 ence with my friends in this way, is generally much in arrear. 
 
 I observe that thou hast a hope, that amidst all the agitation 
 and intemperance that is manifested by the intolerant party in 
 Philadelphia, called Orthodox, that the trutli is making its way. 
 But, I apprehend, it is possible that through the supineness of 
 those who see the incorrectness of those who are opposing the 
 truth, — by their keeping silence, and nof standing forth to 
 show themselves to be on the Lord's side. — they will greatly 
 strengthen the hands of those opposers of right order, as they 
 will consider all who sit silent, while they are pressing forward 
 their proposals, are on their side : for, I apprehend, in this 
 time of trial, none ought to be neutral, but stand forth openly 
 and boldly for the promotion of truth's cause ; for otherwise, 
 they will strengthen the hands of their opposers. Since my 
 return home, I have been considerably afllicted with a cold 
 and cough, and am now keeping house on that account. 
 
 On my return, at our last monthly meeting, the only one I 
 have attended since I came home, I found a necessity of lay- 
 ing before my friends a concern that had been for some time 
 impressive on my mind, to })ay a religious visit to the families 
 of Friends in the two monthly meetings of Westbury and Jeri- 
 cho, which, after consideration, was fully united with by the 
 meeting. I made a little beginning last week, but have been 
 prevented from going on this week through indisposition. 
 
 •The case of the three Friends under the notice of our 
 monthly meeting for a breach of unity, is still under care, as 
 the committee in the case have not made any report thereon, 
 but probably may at our next monthly meeting. Except these, 
 our monthly meeting is generally united, and in harmony one 
 with another. Our late quarterly meeting united in establish- 
 ing a meeting for worship in t?ie village of Jerusalem, about 
 seven miles from this place, in a southern direction. 
 
 Thy friends and acquaintance hereaway are generally in 
 usual health, colds excepted, which are pretty prevalent. 
 Abraham Hicks is still very ill, and we are ready to conclude 
 
198 
 
 LETTER TO 
 
 he can continue but a little longer, without some essential 
 amendment. His has been a very long and trying scene of 
 affliction, which he has borne with patience. 
 
 Thy affectionate friend. ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO SAMUEL COMFORT, BUCKS COUNTY, PA. 
 
 Jericho, 3(h mo. 29th, 1S27. 
 Mv Dear Fbiend, 
 
 Thy kind and very acceptable letter of 1st mo. last was 
 duly received, but through the intervention "of various exer- 
 cises of different kinds, which have taken me from home a 
 considerable part of the time since its reception, way has not 
 opened to answer it till now. 
 
 As to thy proposition for writing an essay on the various 
 subjects therein mentioned, I feel myself entirely inadequate 
 for the purpose at present ; although I have often had very 
 clear presentations on some of those subjects, but I was cir- 
 cumstanced as one formerly, who was commanded to seal up 
 the vision and not write it for the present, as it is likely most 
 of the people could not bear it at the present time, even some 
 of the members of our favoured Society. 
 
 But the time is hastening apace when those things that are 
 opened or spoken in secret, will be published on the house 
 top, and no power on earth can let or hinder truth's spreading, 
 and it will prosper and prevail, and overturn all those Anti- 
 christian structures that the man of sin and son of perdition 
 has reared, during the long and dark night of apostacy, that 
 has overspread all Christendom for more than fifteen hundred 
 years, a darkness like that of Egypt, a darkness that all the 
 Lord's living children can feel and are at times baptized therein 
 for the dead. 
 
 Thou hast, no doubt, been informed of the Protests that 
 two of the mont?dy meetings of Philadelphia, viz. that of Pine 
 Street and Twelfth Street, have sent forward against me to 
 our monthly meeting ; they were brought by two Friends. 
 
SAMUEL COMFORT. 199 
 
 that from Pine Street by Isaac W. Morris, and tliat from 
 Twelfth Street by Jasper Cope ; they attended our monthly 
 meeting on the occasion, canie in rather late, and after the 
 meeting had proceeded a little in the business before them, 
 I. W. Morris arose and informed the meeting that he was the 
 bearer of a communication from their monthly nieeting to 
 ours, and handed it to the clerk, and the other Friend made 
 the like observation and handed forward his paper ; they then 
 took their seats, and neither of them opened their mouths 
 ag-ain durina: the meetinof. A month before this I handed in 
 my certificate, which had been granted me to perform my late 
 visit in your parts, with an indorsement of unity from the 
 southern quarterly meeting, and one of the same tenor froni 
 Darby monthly meeting. 1 also opeiied a prospect of ;i 
 visit to the families of Friends of the two monthly meetings o: 
 Westbury and Jericho, at that meeting, and received the fu'' 
 unity of my friends therein, all which was entered on minute, 
 and these minutes were read at the present meeting, in the 
 hearing of these two Philadelphia Friends, as also three other 
 certificates from the monthly meetings of Green Street, Abing 
 ton, and Byberry, all expressive of their unity and satisfaction 
 with me in my late visit among them. We likewise conductef' 
 all the business that came before us in harmony and concord. 
 I omitted in the right place to mention, that when the Friend-^ 
 handed in their communications to the clerk, he informed the- 
 meeting what they were, and proposed that a few Friends shouh: 
 be verbally appointed to examine them and report to next meet- 
 ing, whether they were suitable to be read in the meeting, the 
 proposition was united in without a dissenting voice ; when 
 the meeting closed, I spoke with the Friends, and pressingly 
 invited them to go home with me and take dinner, as did 
 several others of my particular friends, but they excused them- 
 selves by informing us they were under a pre-engagement to 
 dine elsewhere. At the next monthly meeting the committee 
 nominated, proposed the reading of those communications : 
 they were accordingly read and unitedly reprobated by the 
 meeting, as comprehending little besides falsehood and 
 
200 
 
 LETTEB TO 
 
 calumny, and were judged to be unworthy of a place on our 
 minutes, and were accordingly rejected and no further notice 
 taken of them. Thus ended a monstrous deal of useless 
 labour and toil of a part of a monthly meeting, in the city of 
 brotherly love, which, it is to be feared, is degenerated into a 
 city of brotherly hatred and envy. Alas, for the day ! Would 
 not the blessed Jesus, if he were now to visit her, wail over 
 her as he did over Jerusalem formerly, and say, O, Philadel- 
 phia ! Philadelphia ! thou that wouldst kill tlie prophets, and 
 stone them that are sent unto thee, how oft would I have 
 gathered thee, as a hen gathereth her brood under her wings, 
 but ye would not, therefore some of your houses are left unto 
 you desolate. 
 
 I am just about closing my family visit, above alluded to, 
 and feel peace in my labours of love among my friends, all 
 whose houses and hearts appeared to be open kindly and 
 cheerfully to receive me in this arduous exercise, and, to all ap- 
 pearances, we were mutually comforted in each other, as fully 
 so as could reasonably be expected in the present weak state 
 of the Society. 
 
 I am now about retiring to the king's gate, like Mordecai 
 formerly, there to wait for fresh orders and whether it may be 
 to retire from the field of labour and rest for a while, and put 
 my house in order, and be prepared to go hence and be seen 
 of men no more on this stage of action ; or, whether I may be 
 called to some small chores of farther labour in the vineyai'd 
 of the heavenly husbandman, suited to my declining years, I 
 laiow not, but cheerfully submit to His heavenly disposal, wlio 
 doeth all things well, and endeavour to be continually pre- 
 pared to say, in whatever way he may be pleased to turn his 
 hand upon me, '• Thy will be done, O Lord.-' 
 
 My family and friends hereaway, of tliy acquaintance, are 
 in usual health. Abraham Hicks, who has been for a long 
 time very ill, is at present a little better, but very weak. 
 
 With near love to thyself and family, and other friends of 
 our acquaintance in thy neighbourhood, I subscribe thy affec- 
 tionate friend. ELIAS HICKS. 
 
ISAAC T. HOPPER. 201 
 
 TO ISAAC T. HOPPER, PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 Jericho, 6tli mo. 8th, 1827. 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 Thy very acceptable letter of 29th ult. was duly received, 
 bearing information of the steps some of my dear friends have 
 been driven to take, in order to maintain their just rights and 
 that Christian liberty that the gospel has entailed as a perpetual 
 legacy on all its devoted and faithful children. And although 
 the present state of things among us, a once highly favoured 
 Society, may look dark and gloomy, nevertheless, I anticipate a 
 hope, that the Lord Almighty, in the riches of his love, and in 
 the majesty of his power, will, in his own time, which only is 
 the best time, arise for the redemption of the oppressed seed, 
 and will open a way for their deliverance, and cause them to 
 tread upon the necks of all their enemies and those who rise 
 up against them, and cause them to sing on the banks of deli- 
 verance ; while that Egyptian spirit, that delights in oppres- 
 sion, will be swallowed up in the Red Sea of tlieir own unsta- 
 ble thoughts and vain imaginations, while it goes stalking 
 about with its chariots and horsemen, to wit, the arm of flesh, 
 in order to bring back again into Egyptian bondage the 
 wrestling seed of Jacob. For the Lord from his holy hill, 
 will look down upon them and cause confusion in their camp, 
 and confound all their counsels, and cause them to fall a prey 
 to their own deceivings ; and they will not be able to rise any 
 more. May the Lord hasten it in his own time and will. 
 
 Our yearly meeting has been the most distressing and trying 
 we have ever known ; and although those who would be rulers 
 have taken counsel together, and imagined vain things, never- 
 theless it has all been turned backward, and made to rest on 
 their own heads. 
 
 As the bearer of this, Phineas Jannej'", is about taking his 
 leave to proceed homeward, I must now draw to a close ; and 
 with much love to self, wife, and children, m which mine unite, 
 I subscribe thy affectionate friend, 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 26 
 
202 LETTER TO 
 
 TO MOSES PENNOCK, CHESTER COUNTY, PA. 
 
 Jericho, 1th mo. 22, 1827. 
 Esteemed Friend, 
 
 Thine of" the sixth month last was duly received, and its 
 contents have been examined, and I was made to marvel, why 
 any in this enlightened age, who have the opportunity of read- 
 ing and examining the Scriptures, should be at a loss for an- 
 swers to the queries therein contained — especially such who 
 profess being led by an unerring guide, the light within, or 
 spirit of truth, or law written in the hearts of the children of 
 men, by which all may know God for themselves ; as saith the 
 Lord by his prophet, " All shall know me from the least to the 
 greatest ;" and tlierefore have no need to inquire or to say to a 
 neighbour or brother, know the Lord. And when we come 
 truly to know God, all such queries will be answered. 
 
 The first query necessary then to be considered is, what is 
 God? To which the answer is plain ; as is testified through 
 the whole scope of Scripture, and the general consent of man- 
 kind, — " God is a spirit." And he is one spirit and not two — 
 a complete unity in himself, entirely independent of all other 
 causes, being the only self-existing great first cause, to whom 
 all other causes owe their existence, and from whom they have 
 derived their being. And as God is but one spirit, so of neces- 
 sity there is but one sole good ; for which truth we have the 
 absolute testimony of his Son, for he saith, " There is none 
 good but one, and that is God." Hence, of course, there is but 
 one self-existing divinity, and that is God alone, who filleth all 
 things, and by whom all things consist, and in whom all things 
 that have life, live and move, and have their, being, from the 
 most exalted inhabitant of the highest heaven, to the smallest 
 insect in earth or sea. And each must possess a fulness of his 
 power, according to their nature and being, as every efiect 
 must rest upon its cause, or it would fall into a state of anni- 
 hilation. Even the vegetable tribes depend upon his power 
 for being and life, as docs every other part of his creation. 
 
MOSES PENNOCK. 203 
 
 As to the divinity of Jesus Christ, the son of the virgin, — 
 when he had arrived to a full state of sonship in the spiritual 
 generation, he was MiioUy swallowed up into tlie divinity of 
 his heavenly Father,* and was one with his Father, with only 
 this difference ; his Father's divinity was underived, being 
 self-existent, but the son's divinity was altogether derived from 
 the Father ; for otherwise he could not be the son of God, as 
 in the moral relation to be a son of man, the son must be be- 
 gotten by one father, and he must be in the same nature, spirit, 
 and likeness of his father, so as to say, I and my father are one 
 in all those respects. But this was not the case with Jesus in 
 the spiritual relation, until he had gone through the last insti- 
 tute of tlie law dispensation, viz. John's watery baptism, and 
 had received additional powert from on high, by tlie descend- 
 ing of the holy ghost upon him as he came up out of tlie 
 water.t He then witnessed the fulness of the second birth, 
 being now born into the nature, spirit, and likeness of the hea- 
 venly Father, and God gave witness of it to John, saying, 
 " This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." And 
 this agrees with Paul's testimon^^, where he assures us that as 
 many as are led by the spirit of God, do become the sons of 
 God.§ So Jesus, by being faithful to the leading of the spirit 
 of God, fulfilled all the righteousness of the Jewish law,|| and 
 was then prepared to receive additional power from on high, 
 by which he was qualified to enter upon his gospel mission, 
 and introduce the new covenant, prophesied of long before by 
 Jeremy the prophet, and by which he went far beyond all the 
 former prophets, l^ and witnessed in spirit the substance of all the 
 shadows of their law and covenant, being the son of God witJi 
 power, according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection 
 from the dead.** And all who come rightly into the new cove- 
 nant, and are led by the spirit that Jesus commanded his disci- 
 ples to wait for,tt become the sons of God, and joint heirs with 
 Jesus Christ,U and are made kings and priests unto God,?§ 
 
 ♦ 2 Pet. i. 4. t Luke ii. 52. t Matt. iii. 16. § Rom. viii. 14. II Matt. iii. 1.5. 
 
 H Acts, iii. 22. Heb. i. 6, 9. ** Rom. i. 4. -ft Luke, .\xiv. 49. tt Rom. viii. 17. 
 
 §§ Rev. i. 6, and v. 10. 
 
204 LETTER TO 
 
 having overcome the world as Jesus did, and are preachers 
 of righteousness both in word and deed. 
 
 Thy next query respectuig the miraculous conception, (fcc. 
 is to me a very plain, simple thing. All the external miracles 
 of the Jewish covenant, had but one aim and end ; and the 
 miraculous conception of Jesus, and of Isaac and John the 
 Baptist, were among the greatest ; all of which were intended 
 to prove to that dark and ignorant people, debased by their 
 bondage, that there was a living and invisible God ; for such 
 was their degraded state, that no other means seemed calcu- 
 lated to awaken them, and raise in them a belief in that invi- 
 si])le power, that made and governed the world, but an exter- 
 nal manifestation thereof, through the medium of outward 
 miracles. And as Moses and the prophets had foretold of the 
 coming of their last g:reat prophet, it was of singular import- 
 ance to that people, that they should know and believe in him 
 when he came ; and as they depended on outward miracles as 
 the highest evidence under that dispensation, so it is not only 
 reasonable, but even natural to suppose, that he would be ush- 
 ered in by some miraculous display of divine power. Hence 
 the reason, likewise, of the many miracles that Jesus was em- 
 powered to work among them, as they were too outward and 
 carnal to receive evidence through any other medium. And 
 we likewise see, that none but those who believed on him as 
 their promised Messiah, were prepared to receive and obey his 
 last counsel and command, to turn from outward and external 
 evidence, to that which is inward and spiritual ;* the latter 
 being as nmch above the former, as the gospel state is above 
 the law state, or the spirit above the letter. For where Moses 
 is read, or the law state with its outward miracles, there is a 
 veil upon the heart, and it leads back to the letter, or external 
 evidence, which killeth ;t but this veil is taken way in Christ 
 or the gospel state, wherein all have free access to the throne 
 of grace, without priest or book. 
 
 Thou further queries, why was he permitted to suffer death ? 
 Is not the reason obvious. Why were the Lord's prophets and 
 
 * John, xiv. 16, 17, and xvi. 7. t 2 Cor. iii. 6. 
 
MOSES PENNOCK. 5i05 
 
 faithful servants, in the various ages of the Vv^orld, permitted to 
 suffer death ? Was it not always the same thing, because there 
 was no other alternative ; for they must either give up their 
 lives for the testimony of truth, and a good conscience towards 
 God, or they must deny the truth, and disobey God, by con- 
 f:>rming to their opposers and persecutors. But tliey chose 
 rather to obey God tlian man ; therefore they had rather suffer 
 death, than to balk their testimony to the truth, which eveiy 
 wise and honest man would likewise prefer. And it was the 
 same case with Jesus ; he had rather suffer death, and seal his 
 testimony to the truth with his blood, than to turn aside from 
 the truth to please his wicked persecutors, as he told Pilate the 
 Roman governor, " To this end was I born, and for this cause 
 came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the 
 truth." 
 
 And as to his resurrection from the dead, it is simple and 
 plain, as all the ways of an infinitely wise and gracious God 
 are, and must be so to his rational creature man, whom he hath 
 created for the purpose of liis own glory, and therefore his 
 whole duty must be comprehended in plain simple truth, that 
 every individual endued with common understanding may 
 know and comprehend. Even the wayfaring man, though a 
 fool to the wisdom and science of this world, cannot err therein. 
 And for any reasonable creature to judge otherwise. I conceive 
 is casting a great indignity on the Divine character. 
 
 When we consider the outward law and covenant made 
 with the people of Israel, with all its parts and appendages, 
 from its first institution to the ascension of Christ, we shall 
 perceive that it is to be regarded as a mere shadow or figure 
 of good things to come. And all those shadows were mani- 
 fested externally to the outward senses of man, and all com- 
 prehended in and by external objects; but the good things 
 pointed to by them, are internal, in the soul, and only known 
 by the inward and spiritual senses ; and this last shadow of 
 the resurrection of the outward body of Jesus, and of some 
 few others in the course of that dispensation, is the highest 
 and most valuable, as it had in its design and tendency the 
 
206 LETTER TO 
 
 awakening of the unbeliever, tlie Sadducee, to a belief of the 
 sufficiency of an invisible power, that was able to do any- 
 thing and every thing, that is consistent with justice, mercy, 
 and truth, and that would conduce to the exaltation and good 
 of his creature man. Therefore the resurrection of the dead 
 body of Jesus, that could not possibly, of itself, create in itself 
 a power to loose the bonds of death, and which must conse- 
 quently have been the work of an invisible power, points to, 
 and is a shadow of, the resurrection of the soul, that is dead in 
 trespasses and sins, and that hath no capacity to quicken itself, 
 but depends wholly on the renewed influence and quickening 
 power of the spirit of God. For a soul dead in trespasses and 
 sins, can no more raise a desire of itself for a renewed quick- 
 ening of the divine life in itself, than a dead body can raise a 
 desire of itself for a renewal of natural life ; but both equally 
 depend on the omnipotent presiding power of the spirit of 
 God, as is clearly set forth by the prophet under the simili- 
 tude of the resurrection of dry bones : Ezekiel, xxxvii. 1. 
 
 Hence, the resurrection of the outward fleshly body of Je- 
 sus, and some few others, under the law dispensation, as mani- 
 fested to the external senses of man, gives full evidence as a 
 shadow, pointing to the sufficiency of the divine invisible power 
 of God, to raise the soul from a state of spiritual death into 
 newness of life, and into the enjoyment of the spiritual sub- 
 stance of all the previous shadows of the law state. And by 
 the arising of this Sun of Righteousness in the soul, all 
 shadows flee away and come to an end ; and the soul presses 
 forward, under its divine influence, into that, that is within the 
 veil, where our forerunner, even Jesus, has entered for us, 
 showing us the way into the holiest of holies : as is typed 
 forth by Moses in the tabernacle he set up in the wilderness, 
 as commanded by the Lord, into which holy place, none were 
 to enter, but the Lord's priests. But that is taken away in 
 Christ or the gospel state, Avith the veil that separated the peo- 
 ple from the inner court, where the Lord manifests himself to 
 his children face to face by his spirit, which is the dispensa- 
 tion of sonship, and fulness of the gospel state. 
 
MOSES PENNOCK. 207 
 
 Thus far I have felt a hberty to give thee my views m an- 
 swer to the queries proposed by thee ; and in that love that 
 breathes peace on earth and good will to all men, 1 subscribe 
 thy sincere friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, 8ih mo. 2d, 1827. 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 I feel myself indebted to thee for two very acceptable letters, 
 which 1 have not answered, and although I have now taken 
 my pen with a view to attempt a reply, yet, I feel so little to 
 communicate that will, in any wise, be interesting to thee, that 
 I am almost ready to despair of going forward. But consider- 
 ing the particular satisfaction I take in the reception of letters 
 from my friends, I am encouraged to make the attempt, 
 although I should find but little to comniunicate. 
 
 I unite with thy views in relation to the doctrines of Chris- 
 tianity, and the abuse of them, as also in relation to the doc- 
 trines, precepts and example of Christ, who hath laid down a 
 rule for his friends to follow in his example of perfect righteous- 
 ness. But it is indeed sorrowful to reflect that the general 
 body of Christendom, who profess to be his followers, have so 
 lar deviated and gone counter to his precepts and example, 
 that we can discover but very little of it in their lives and 
 conduct, very many of them having verged back to the law 
 state, and, instead of worshipping God in spirit and in truth, 
 they have instituted a worship to mental shadows and forms, 
 by erecting in their minds the appearance of the fleshly body 
 of Jesus, and are falling down to it and worshipping it, as 
 though it was God, calling it by that exalted title. And what 
 makes it tlie more grievously aflecting is, that many of tlte 
 leading characters of our favoured Societ}', have gone back 
 into the same error, until darkness has clouded their minds. 
 
 In regard to the movements of my friends in Philadelphia and 
 
208 LETTER TO 
 
 adjacent parts, I feel nothing but peace and quietness when I 
 look towards them, for, I trust, I feel them in that love that 
 casts out all fear, but I have not, as yet, found it my place 
 actively to put a hand to it. As nothing but the internal evi- 
 dence and power of divine truth, inwardly revealed, will be 
 sufficient to carry on and effect the arduous undertaking, let 
 all dwell low in the life and in the light that makes all things 
 manifest : for in the hfe and light, which is one, there is power 
 to effect all its oAvn purposes. And, my dear Friends who 
 have been driven, from necessity, to adopt means for the pre- 
 servation and peace of Society, I conceive have nothing to 
 fear, as they keep low in the principle of divine love and 
 light, that has ever been the rock and foundation of the 
 righteous in all the preceding ages, and will ever continue the 
 same through all the succeeding ages, as they move forward 
 when it opens the way, and stand still, when it stands still, 
 in the all-conquering patience of our blessed pattern. In this 
 state they will be brought to experience the salvation of God, 
 and have cause to rejoice on the banks of deliverance. 
 
 Thy affectionate friend and brother in the fellowship of the 
 gospel. 
 
 ELLIS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM WHARTON, PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 Jericho, Will mo. \2th, 1827. 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 Althougii I feel but little to communicate, yei as I have so 
 convenient an opportunity to convey a few lines to thee, by 
 my son in law V. H., who is about setthig out this morning 
 for y-our city, I was not willing to let it pass without improv- 
 ing it, so far as just to inform thee I am still in the body, and 
 in the enjoyment of a full share of health and peace of mind ; 
 which favour I ascribe to the unmerited mercy of our gracious 
 and benevolent Creator and Preserver, whose mercy is over 
 ail his works, and who is dealing out to all, severally as he 
 
WILLIAM WHARTON. 209 
 
 will, in his infinite wisdom and justice, with an eqnal hand. 
 And although my health of body, and ability to move about, 
 are beyond what is common with men in such an advanced 
 state of life, y.et I feel a steady decay in both respects, which I 
 account as a favour from my gracious Lord, who is paving the 
 way, by daily slight or moderate pains of body, to make the 
 pa.ssage through the valley of the shadow of death so tolerable, 
 as not to interrupt the mind in its progress heaven-ward, and 
 it makes death to the body as a mere shadow indeed to the 
 upright in heart ; which often inspires the grateful mind with 
 this acclamation : What shall we render unto the Lord for all 
 his benefits ! for his mercies are new every morning and his 
 foithfulness every night ; as he guards his devoted children 
 by the angel of his presence through darkness and the shadow 
 of death, to the glory and praise of his ever blessed name. 
 
 I was pleased to find, by thy letter, that you were getting 
 along in youf religious engagements so favourably, and that 
 you had in your meetings frequent evidences of the Divine 
 approbation. And I have no doubt but, as Friends steadily 
 endeavour to dwell low in the innocent life, keeping a single 
 eye to the Divine Monitor, that grace, mercy, and peace, will 
 be witli them, and no weapon formed against them will be 
 permitted to prosper. But the spirit of opposition, that is sow- 
 ing discord and contention, will be confounded in its own 
 work of darkness. 
 
 Please present my love to thy dear Deborah and children ; 
 to thy father Fisher and family, and to all inquiring friends in 
 thy freedom, as though named ; and with a large share to 
 thyself, in which my wife and children present unite, 
 I subscribe thy affectionate friend. 
 
 ELL^S HICKS. 
 
 ar 
 
210 LETTER TO 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, •Imn.o. 29th, lS2a 
 Mt Dear Friend, 
 
 In looking over my letters I found I was indebted to thee 
 for two very acceptable ones, the latter of which was dated 
 12th mo. 24th, since when I have been, the greater part of 
 the time, disqualified for writing by the accidental bite of a 
 cat. But within three or four days past I have ventured to set 
 pen to paper, to answer some of my friends' letters, having 
 received a number during my illness. And although I feel but 
 little ability, either of body or mind, to write any thing that 
 Mali be very interesting to my friends, yet as thou hast heard 
 of my being hurt, and as many reports have been spread 
 abroad respecting it, and some pretty much exaggerated, I 
 apprehended thou wouldst be willing to hear the present state 
 of the case. And although my hand, that was hurt, is still 
 lame and almost useless as to any manual exercise, yet, the 
 inflammation and swelling is pretty much subsided, and is free 
 from pain, so as to let me rest pretty well through the night, and 
 is in a good way of recovery, although it progresses but slowly. 
 And altliough the dispensation has been aiflictive to the body, 
 yet it has been a season of instruction and real profit to the 
 mind, by which it is inspired with humility to thank God for 
 all his wonderful works to the children of *men, and to take 
 courage to persevere in the way of Avell doing. 
 I rest thy affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO JOHN C. SANDERS, OHIO. 
 
 Jericho, 3d mo. 23th, 1828. 
 Dear Friend, 
 
 Thy letter of the 10th instant was duly received, and its 
 contents have been considered, I very often have letters of 
 
JOHN C. SANDERS. 211 
 
 the same import, and I am as often led to marvel why any- 
 rational being should be at a loss about the right way of sal- 
 vation, as it is the plainest and easiest way ever cast up for 
 reasonable beings to walk in ; even so plain, that the way- 
 faring man, though a fool, a.^ to the wisdom and science of 
 this world, cannot err in it. For the truth of which I dare 
 appeal to the whole race of mankind that dwell on the face of 
 the earth. Did thou ever meet with a man that was rational, 
 however wicked and ungodly, but who had a consciousness 
 of what was good and what was evil, without going to men or 
 books for a solution? Is not this a plain way, a sure way, 
 and the only way worthy of the Divine character, who is an 
 omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent Being. And none 
 know this plain way, but those who know this Being for 
 themselves, without priest or book. For not all the books 
 ever written, nor all the external miracles recorded in the 
 Scriptures, nor all other external evidence of what kind 
 soever, has ever revealed God, who is an eternal invisible 
 Spirit, to any one of the children of men. 
 
 This truth is fully established by his son Jesus Christ, when 
 he interrogated his disciples on this wise : " Whom say ye 
 that I the son of man am ?" Peter answered, " Thou art 
 Christ, the son of the living God." And what was his answer 
 to Peter 7 It was on this wise : " Blessed art thou Simon 
 bar- Jonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, 
 but my Father which is in heaven. And upon this rock," 
 that is, this revelation of my Father, "I will build my 
 church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." 
 And how does God reveal himself to men? Not by Jesus 
 Christ whom the Jews crucified ; for had Jesus been able to 
 reveal God he certainly would have done it. But it required 
 the immediate revelation of the Spirit of God to reveal Jesus 
 to them as being their promised Messiah, By this it appears, 
 that nothing but God's onmipresence can, or ever did, reveal 
 him, savingly, to any man. 
 
 The Scriptures bear full testimony to this truth, that " in 
 him Ave live, move, and have our being." But people, in their 
 
212 LETTER TO 
 
 natural estate, do not love this intimate knowledge of God, as 
 it requires our dying to self, and all our selfish inclinations. 
 1 will appeal to thy own experience, did thou ever do a bad 
 act, knowing it to be so, without feeling immediate conviction 
 and reproof? and did thou ever do a good act without feeling 
 thyself justified, and at peace? Hereby God's omnipresence 
 15 established, as there is no other principle, in heaven or 
 earth, that would act such a part toward man ; as " there is 
 none good but one, and that is God." 
 
 As to the paragraph thou hast transcribed from one of my 
 public communications, published by the stenographer, which 
 created a difficulty in thy mind in" regard to its correctness, 
 and which some of my opposers make a handle of to vilify 
 my character, if rightly considered, it would be plain and clear 
 to every rational mind. For the infinitely wise and perfect 
 God, in creation, has seen fit to make man a rational being, 
 hence all his communications and revelations to him, must 
 and will be rational, and in a way to be rationally understood. 
 And as we are all made for the same glorious end and pur- 
 pose, to glorify and enjoy him, and as we come into the world 
 free from all pollution, innocent, but without knowledge, yet 
 endued with a capacity and propensity to seek and obtain it, 
 so the way is made plain by which only true knowledge can 
 be obtained, which is by obedience to the manifested will of 
 the Creator. But he did not see fit to fix man in that state of 
 innocence, as it would have been a state of bondage, therefore 
 he placed him in a state of freedom, and gave him the power 
 of choosing his own way, but not without informing him of 
 the danger of a wrong choice. But nian, through the excite- 
 ment of a desire after knowledge, turned aside from the divine 
 command, and lost his standing in the favour of the Creator 
 by rebelling against his will. And this has been the lot of 
 every transgressor ; and as all know by what means they 
 have fallen, so they likewise know the way of return. For. 
 as by disobedience to divine command, sin entered into the 
 world, and death by sin, so by our obedience to divine com- 
 mand, life and immortality are brought to light by the Gospel. 
 
JOHN C. SANDERS. 213 
 
 Hence, the just and holy God deals out and dispenses to his 
 rational children with an equal hand, to every one according 
 to their several abilities ; to one he gives five talents, to 
 another two, and to another one. And where much is given 
 much is required, and where less is given less is required ; but 
 always in a perfect and equal way, without respect of persons. 
 And although Jesus, the great prophet and messiah of Israel, 
 went far before the former prophets, and had a greater power 
 given him, as he had a greater work to perform, yet it must 
 have been just and equal in proportion to what was dispensed 
 to others ; for if otherwise he could be no example to them 
 that follow after : for if the one talented servant had been as 
 faithful in the improvement of his talent as the five talented 
 one, his example would have been equally as good. 
 
 As to original sin, according to the acceptation of some 
 professors of Christianity, that we are under the curse for the 
 transgression of our first parents, I abhor the idea, as it casts 
 a great indignity on the divine character, to think that a gra- 
 cious and merciful God should condemn us for an act that 
 was wholly out of our power to avoid ! I consider it very 
 little short, if any, of blasphemy against God. For I have 
 never felt myself under condenmation for any sin but my own, 
 neither have I felt any justification for any righteousness but 
 what has been wrought in me b)?" the grace of God ; believing 
 with the apostle that " by grace we are saved, through faith, 
 and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God ; not of works 
 lest any man should boast ;" that is, not any works of our 
 own ; " for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus 
 unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we 
 should walk in them." Hereby we discover, as also from the 
 very reason and nature of things, the incorrectness and absur- 
 dity of the doctrine of unconditional and personal election and 
 reprobation, as held by some professors of Christianity, by 
 which they exceedingly derogate from the excellence and 
 perfection of the divine character, and accuse God of being a 
 partial Beina:, a respecter of persons. 
 
 But it is perfectly consistent with truth, and the reason and 
 
214 LETTER TO 
 
 nature of thing's, that as God is the only good, so he never 
 does nor can, according to his own unchangeable nature and 
 essence, command or ordain any other than good works, for 
 his rational children to walk in. He has set them at liberty 
 to make their own election, to good or evil works, as is self- 
 evidently manifested by the acts and doings of all the children 
 of men. And this is the rule Jesus gave to Jiis disciples : "By 
 their works or fruits ye shall know them." And it is only 
 those who choose the good and refuse the evil, that God 
 accepts- as his children, and these only he qualifies as his 
 messengers to mankind, as saith the Psalmist concerning the 
 great Prophet and Messiah of Israel. For he had to make 
 his choice, like the rest of mankind, being tried and proved as 
 we are ; therefore David says, and gives this reason for his 
 exaltation, " Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wicked- 
 ness, therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with 
 the oil of gladness above thy fellows." Hence it appears, that 
 all his exaltation emanated from his obedience and faithfulness 
 to the manifested will of his Heavenly Father. This he learned 
 by the suflerings that fell to his lot, like other men, as the 
 Scriptures declare, Hebrews v. 8, " Though he were a son, 
 yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered." 
 Hence we see. that the ways of God to man are all equal : 
 which is also declared by the prophet Ezekiel, chap, xviii. in 
 a full and clear manner. And abundance more plain Scrip- 
 ture testimonies might be produced, to show the correctness 
 of the paragraph thou hast quoted • but what are already 
 noted may be sufficient for thy satisfaction, and that of all 
 others who are honestly disposed to seek after truth, freed from 
 the prejudice of tradition and education, those fetters of the 
 human mind. 
 
 I will now conclude, having wrote much more than I anti- 
 cipated when I first took my pen ; and if what is written does 
 not satisfy thee, it maybe, if we are favoured to live, and have 
 our health a few months longer, we may be permitted to speak 
 face to face, to our mutual satisfaction. In which view I sub- 
 scribe thy sincere friend. ELLAS HICKS. 
 
CHARLES STOKES. 215 
 
 TO CHARLES STOKES. R A N C O C A S, K. J. 
 
 New York, 4th vio. M, 1829. 
 Dear Friend, 
 
 Tliy acceptable letter of 2d month last was duly received, 
 and its contents have been considered ; , and although I appre- 
 hend there is enough already in print of my own clear testi- 
 mony, and spread before the public throughout most parts of 
 the United States, in my communications and letters, some 
 published by my consent and some by my opposers, to answer 
 and confute all those several matters and charges specified by 
 thee ; yet inasmuch as thou desirest to have a clear statement 
 in relation to those subjects noted in th}' letter, take it as fol- 
 loAvs : — 
 
 First. As to the Scriptures of truth, as recorded in the book 
 called the Bible, I have Gxex believed that all parts of them, 
 that could not be known but by revelation, were written by 
 holy men as they were inspired by the Holy Ghost, and could 
 not be known through any other medium ; and they are pro- 
 fitable for our encouragement, comfort, and instruction, in the 
 very way that the apostle Paul testifies ; and I have always 
 accounted them, when rightly understood, as the best of books 
 extant. I have always delighted in reading them, in m^' 
 serious moments, in preference to any other book, from my 
 youth up, and have made more use of tlieir contents to con- 
 firm and establish my ministeriaf labours in the gospel, than 
 most other ministers that I am acquainted with. But at the 
 same time, I prize that from whence they have derived their 
 origin, much higher than I do them ; as " that for which a 
 thing is such, the thing itself is more such." And no man, 1 
 conceive, can know or rightly profit by them, but by the open- 
 ing of the same inspiring spirit, by which they were written, 
 and, I apprehend, I have read them as much as most other 
 men, and few, I believe, have derived more profit from them 
 than I have. 
 
 Secondly. I have always believed, smce I have been a man 
 
216 LETTER TO 
 
 and reflected on the subject, in the miraculous conception of 
 Jesus, as far as history can give behef ; and no man, I con- 
 ceive, is possessed of a higher belief. And, as to his divinity. 
 I am fully convinced that he was truly the son of God, and 
 that he could not be so, unless he fully partook of the very 
 nature, spirit, likeness, and divinity of his heavenly Father. 
 As in the moral relation none can be a proper son of man un- 
 less, he fully partake of the very nature, spirit, image, and like- 
 ness of his Father. That his mission, as the last and great- 
 est prophet of the law state, was, first to fulfil the righteous- 
 ness of that shadowy covenant, and thereby abolish it and all 
 its outward ordinances, and by which he was prepared to 
 receive additional power from on high ; as the Scriptures 
 assure us, that when he came up out of John's watery bap- 
 tism, the last institute of that dispensation, the Holy Ghosts 
 descended upon him, and a voice from heaven was heard to 
 say, " This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." 
 He now witnessed -the fulness of the spiritual birth, and was 
 thereby qualified to enter upon his gospel missio^i, and usher 
 in the new covenant, prophesied of long before by the prophet 
 Jeremy, being the son of God, with power according to the 
 spirit of holiness ; by which he went far before all the former 
 prophets. 
 
 As to the disposition of his body of flesh, I consider it a 
 secret fhat infinite wisdom hath seen fit to hide from man, as 
 he did the bodies of Moses and Elijah, lest' some of their 
 admiring followers should idolize them. One thing the Sci'ip- 
 tures assure us, and which I fully believe, that " flesh and 
 blood cannot enter the kingdom of God." And Jesus fully 
 confirms this view when he told Nicodemus, " that which is 
 born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit 
 is spirit." As to heaven and hell, and the devil, I am aston- 
 ished to think that any, even though of small experience, 
 should not have a real knowledge of them. Does not heaven 
 signify a joyful state to the soul, and hell a state of torment ? 
 And docs not the presence of God by his spirit, either by justi- 
 fying or condemning us, always produce one of these tu'o 
 
CHARLES STOKES. • 217 
 
 states, according to our obedience or disobedience to the divine 
 requirings ? I am fully persuaded I was a witness to these 
 things before I was twelve years of age, and, therefore, I con- 
 sider that the torment of a soul separated from God, by sin 
 and transgression, far exceeds what the Scriptures make use 
 of as a figure thereof, mider the similitude of a body cast into 
 a lake of fire and brimstone. But we cannot suppose that 
 external fire and brimstone can have any effect on an immor- 
 tal spirit ; and the Psalmist clearly justifies this view in his 
 appeal to the Almighty. "If," says he, "I ascend up into 
 heaven, thou art there ; if I make my bed in hell, behold thou 
 art there," &c. Here we see that his presence constitutes the 
 state and condition of every immortal soul, according to their 
 obedience or disobedience to the requirings of his holy spirit, a 
 manifestation whereof is given to every rational, accountable 
 being to profit withal ; by which all are made to know his will 
 concerning them, unless they are wilfully blind. 
 
 And as to what is called a devil or Satan, it is something 
 within us, that tempts us to go counter to the commands of 
 God, and our duty to him and our fellow creatures ; and the 
 Scriptures tell us there are many of them, and that Jesus cast 
 seven out of one woman. And I remember hearing, in my 
 young years, a very able and fully approved minister, among 
 Friends, give his explanation of that portion of Scripture. He 
 said that the evilsshehad fallen into were caused by an unlawful 
 indulgence of the propensities of our common nature, as pro- 
 bationary creatures ; which, although necessary and useful in 
 their place, when indulged beyond the bounds of reason and 
 truth, produce sin. And I should suppose that every man 
 of common understanding, by a proper introversion into him- 
 self, would immediately discover, that he was never tempted 
 to any evil, but through one or other of the propensities and 
 desires of his common nature, as an accountable being, and 
 that those propensities and desires, while kept under the dis- 
 cipline of the cross of Christ, which is God's law written, as 
 the Scriptures declare, on the tablets of our hearts, were all 
 ministers of good to man, and qualified him rightly to answer 
 
 28 
 
218 LETTER TO 
 
 the end of his creation. For without these propensities and 
 desires, man would be a dormant, inactive creature ; as he 
 would have nothing to excite him to action, to procure those 
 things necessary to preserve his life, or to seek after an attain- 
 ment in true knowledge, sufficient to introduce him into the 
 knowledge of his Creator, and prepare him to be a communi- 
 cant with him in the realms of blessedness, when done with 
 time here on earth. 
 
 Can it be possibly necessary for me to add any thing fur- 
 ther, to manifest my full and entire belief of the immortality 
 of the soul of man ? Surely, what an ignorant creature must 
 that man be, that hath not come to the clear and full know- 
 ledge of that in himself. Does not every man feel a desire 
 fixed in his very nature after happiness, that urges him on in 
 a steady pursuit after something to satisfy this desire, and 
 does he not find, that all the riches, and honour, and glory of 
 this world, together with every thing that is mortal, falls infi- 
 nitely short of satisfying this desire ; which proves it to be 
 immortal ; and can any thing, or being, that is not immortal 
 in itself, receive the impress of an immortal desire upon it ? 
 Surely not. Therefore, this immortal desire of the soul of 
 man, never can be fully satisfied, until it comes to be estab- 
 lished in a state of immortality and eternal life, beyond the 
 grave. 
 
 On my return to the bosom of my dear family and friends 
 at home ; although under the severe operation of the cold I 
 took in Jersey, that confined me to the house for several 
 weeks ; nevertheless, such was the unsullied joy and peace of 
 mind 1 witnessed, in a retrospective view of my late journey 
 to the west among my friends, and the unmerited favours dis- 
 pensed to me through the whole arduous labour, for the pro- 
 motion of the noble cause of truth and righteousness in the 
 earth, that a view of it inspires my whole man with humility, 
 thanksgiving and gratitude, to the blessed Author of all our 
 sure mercies, who is over all worthy for .ever. Add to that 
 the sweet communion with my much beloved wife and chil- 
 dren, I humbly considered a comfort and felicity far beyond 
 
CHARLES STOKES. 219 
 
 my deserts. But, alas ! how fleeting and uncertain are all 
 our joys that rest on terrestrial objects ; for as soon, almost, as 
 I had pretty well recovered from my bodily indisposition, and 
 in the full enjoyment of the endeared embraces of my beloved 
 companion, she was taken from me.* 
 
 And as nothing further has transpired of late worthy of 
 particular notice I will now draw to a close. 
 I subscribe thy sincere friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO WILLIAM POOLE, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Shrewsbury, bih mo. I9th, 1829. 
 My Dear Friend, 
 
 The long interruption of our mutual and friendly corres- 
 pondence has not arisen on my part from any diminution of 
 that sincere love and regard that has subsisted between us 
 from the time of our first acquaintance, but from causes over 
 which I had no control. For when I returned from my ardu- 
 ous western journey, and was initiated again in the bosom of 
 my dear family, I was under the pi-essure of a severe cold, which 
 laid me up, and for a number of weeks, disqualified me for 
 writing. 
 
 Soon after I had in some degree recovered my usual state 
 of bodily ability, my dear and mi«ch beloved wife was taken 
 down with a cold, and although for a number of days we had 
 no anticipation of danger from her complaint, thinking it most 
 likely in a few days, she would again be restored to her usual 
 health, which she had been favoured with during my absence, 
 yet, about five days after she was taken, the disorder appeared 
 to settle on her lungs, and brought on an inflammation which 
 termmated in a dissolutiojj of her precious life, on the ninth 
 day from the time she was first taken ill. She had but little 
 
 * The remaining part of this letter gives an account of the last sickness and 
 death of his ■wife, but as a narrative of this event is contained in the letter imme- 
 diately following, to William Poole, it is here omitted. 
 
220 LETTER TO ' 
 
 bodily pain, 3^ct. as slie weakened doMai, slie suffered through 
 shortness of breath ; but before her close, she became perfectly 
 tranquil and easy, and passed away like a lamb, as though 
 entering into a sweet sleep, without sigh or groan, or the least 
 possible bodily emotion, and her precious spirit, I trust and 
 believe, has landed safely on the angelic shore, " where the 
 wicked" and all opposing spirits " cease from troubling, and 
 where the weary are at rest." 
 
 To myself and family, in the relation she stood to us as a 
 faithful and truly loving wife, and a tender and affectionate 
 mother to our children, instructing them in the path of virtue, 
 by precept and example, endeavouring to guard them and 
 keep them out of harm's way, this is a great and irreparable 
 loss, and nothing is left to console us on that behalf, but a 
 confident belief and an unshaken hope that our great loss is 
 her still greater gain. 
 
 And although the loss and the trial as to all my external 
 blessings, are the greatest I have ever met with, or 1 ever shall 
 have to endure, yet I have a hope, that through Divine aid, I 
 may be preserved from murmuring or complaining, and that I 
 may continually keep in view the unmerited favour, dispensed 
 to us, by being preserved together fifty-eight years, in an un- 
 broken bond of endeared affection, which seemed, if possible, 
 to mcrease with time to the last moment of her life, and Avhich 
 neither time nor distance can lessen or dissolve ; but in the 
 spiritual relation I trust it. will endure for ever, where all the 
 Lord's redeemed children are one in him, who is God over all, 
 in all, and through all, blessed for ever, 
 
 I am now here attending the quarterly meeting of Shrews- 
 bury and Rahway, which closes to-day, and we propose to 
 return to New York to-morrow. My daughter Elizabeth is 
 here, and unites with me in love to you all, which is the 
 same as ever, and in which I conclude and subscribe thy 
 affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
BENJAMIN FERRIS. 221 
 
 TO BENJAMIN FERRIS, WILMINGTON. 
 
 Jericho, Glh mo. I7th, 1S29. 
 Mv Dear Fhiend, 
 
 Thy very acceptable letter of 5th month last was duly 
 received, and the very comfortable and interesting account it 
 contained of the life and death of our \^ery dear and mutual 
 friend, William Poole, was truly grateful. His departure will 
 cause a real chasm in my most interesting correspondence ; for 
 although I have a large circle of friends with wJiom I occa- 
 sionally correspond, yet with none, for a great number of years, 
 have I so often corresponded, as with my dear friend, William 
 Poole. Our social intercourse was such, that it was almost 
 like near neighbours ; and I shall sensibly feel a loss in our 
 separation. But I have this to console me, — that however 
 great the loss may seem, it can be but for a short season," as I 
 confidently believe it will redound to his eternal gain, and that 
 his precious spirit is safely landed on the angelic shore, where 
 the wicked, and every opposing spirit, will cease from troubling, 
 and the weary are at rest, with a crown of everlasting joy upon 
 their heads. 
 
 It was cause of gladness to me, when I heard the decease* 
 of dear AVilliam announced, that I had written him just pre- 
 vious thereto ; as there had been a longer space of silence be- 
 tween us, when I last wrote, than usual, occasioned on his part, 
 I apprehend, by his indisposition ; and on my part, by the 
 transpiring of certain events, which tended to shut up the 
 way very much from writing to my friends. But 1 felt tlie 
 impression so strong on my mind, when I wrote the last, that 
 I could not be easy to delay any longer. 
 
 We have John Conily with us, visiting our meetings, and 
 appointing some among those not in membership with us. He 
 is on his way to visit the meetings of Friends in Purchase 
 
 * It will be seen by a reference to the note accompanying the last letter of E. H., 
 which closes this volume, that the aged and venerable writer closed his earthly 
 pilgrimage in about eight months from this period. 
 
222 LETTER TO 
 
 quarter. He had made a beginning there about two weeks 
 past, but was called Jiome on account of the indisposition of 
 his wife. She being much restored, he came on here again 
 last seventh day, and expects to be in New York next first day. 
 My family and friends hereaway are in usual health, except a 
 little grand-daughter, that was taken yesterday with a chill, 
 followed with considerable fever. 
 
 Please to present my love to thy dear wife and children, and 
 to all inquiring friends, particularly to the children of my dear 
 departed friend, William Poole, and say to them on my behalf, 
 that strong and fervent are my desires, that they may walk in 
 his footsteps, and follow his virtuous example ; that so it may 
 be said, instead of the father there is the children ; for I con- 
 fidently believe, that nothing could have given their dear 
 father greater joy, than to have seen his children walking 
 in the truth. 
 
 Thou wilt excuse the imperfections of the aboA^e, as I write 
 in haste, and have no time to copy — my time being steadily 
 employed in making preparations for my northern journey, in 
 order to finish the remaining part of my religious concern in our 
 own yearly meeting, as expressed in my certificate of last year ; 
 expecting to leave home on that account a few days hence. 
 
 And with a large share of love to thee, I subscribe thy afiec- 
 tionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO ELIAS WILBUR, SARATOGA, N. Y. 
 
 Jericho, \st mo. 1st, 1830. 
 Dear youxg Friend, 
 
 Having thee in remembrance for several days past, I was 
 induced to take my pen and commune with thee a little in the 
 letter line, and give thee a little sketch of our progress home- 
 ward. After we took leave of thy father's hospitable roof, 
 and since we parted with him at Pittstown, though we then 
 separated as to the body, yet in mind I often feel him as 
 
ELIAS WILBUR. 
 
 223 
 
 thon^h present, with grateful sensations for his kindness in 
 accompanying us in our journey from plate to place, through 
 rough and smooth, with such cheerfulness and good will as 
 tended to smooth the way before us and made our journey 
 more pleasant. 
 
 After parting with tliy father at Pittstown, we took leave of 
 our friends there and proceeded directly to Troy, where we 
 arrived in good season. Here we rested the next day, and 
 the day following we rode down to Thomas Wright's ; and 
 the day after being very stormy and my head pretty much 
 out of order, we tarried there over first day and attended Hud- 
 son meeting. On second day we proceeded to Ninepartners, 
 and after attending the quarterly meeting there, and that at 
 Stanford, both of which, I think, were favoured seasons, in 
 which the canopy of love was spread over the assemblies to 
 the comfort and rejoicing of the honest-hearted, and to their 
 edification ; we parted with them in true peace of mind and 
 with thankful hearts, and proceeded directly to Cornwall, 
 where we arrived in season to attend their meeting the follow- 
 ing first day. This was a large and favoured opportunity, the 
 people came together freely, and appeared to go away well 
 satisfied. On second and third days we had appointed meet- 
 ings at the lower and upper Clove. At the latter place. Friends 
 and those called orthodox, continued to meet together on first 
 days, and word was sent forward to a Friend of that meeting to 
 spread the notice at the close of their first day meeting, of our 
 appointment on third day, which was accordingly done by 
 our Friend Wait Pearsall, which raised the resentment of tlie 
 orthodox ; and one of their principal leaders, as soon as the 
 meeting was closed, fell upon the Friend who gave the notice 
 and asked him how he dare give out notice for me who was a 
 Deist, &c., and had been regularly disowned, and that he like- 
 wise had been disowned. And two or three of the orthodox 
 p-ot about him and assured him, that we should not have the 
 privilege of going into the house ; but the Friend assured them 
 that he would have the house opened. However, they 
 appeared determined that we should not have it ; and to pre- 
 
221 LETTER TO 
 
 vent Friends getting in, they sent the key away two miles off; 
 but before the time of our meeting came about^ they took wit 
 in their anger, and their chief man went and got the key and 
 opened the house without giving Friends any farther trouble, 
 and we had a large favoured meeting, without any interrup- 
 tion. iVfter which, the next day, we rode to New York. 
 Here we tarried until after first day, and attended Friends' 
 meetings as they came in course ; at Hester Street on fifth 
 day, and Rose Street on first day morning, and at Hester Street 
 again in the afternoon. These meetijigs were large, especially 
 the two last, the latter of which Friends thought contained 
 more people than ever had been in that house before, as there 
 had been a new arrangement of some of the seats which had 
 made room for a number of seats to be added. These were 
 all favoured seasons, worthy of our grateful remembrance. 
 On second day evening we had a large favoured meeting in 
 the town of Brooklyn, which closed my concern and crowned 
 my labours in the gospel among my friends the two preceding 
 seasons, with true peace of mind ; a sense of which unmerited 
 favours, inspires my heart with thanksgiving and gratitude to 
 the blessed author of all our sure mercies, and who remains to 
 be God over all, blessed for ever. The next day we proceeded 
 homeward, where we arrived safe on fourth day afternoon, 
 and found my family and friends in usual health, which I 
 considered an additional favour, and we were made to rejoice 
 together under a feeling of that love that unites and makes 
 glad the whole heritage of God. 
 
 And what shall I say to thee, my dear young friend, for 
 thy encouragement in the way of well doing and path of true 
 and real virtue. TI:iou hast pious parents, who, no doubt, 
 feel anxious for thy preservation, and who can have no greater 
 joy than to see their children walking in the truth. Can I do 
 better than to remind thee of the counsel of that ijood man 
 David to his son Solomon, on this wise : '' And thou Solomon 
 my son, know thou the God of thy Father, and serve him 
 with a perfect heart and a willing mind, for if thou seek him, 
 he will be found of thee, but if thou forsal^e him. he will cast 
 
ELIAS WILBL'R. **° 
 
 thee off for ever." And I will add in confirmation of this 
 counsel of David, that most excellent and perfect lesson of our 
 crreat and holy pattern Jesus Christ. " Seek first the king- 
 dom of God and his righteousness, and all other things shal 
 be added;" because, every thing that can be a blessmg and 
 real comfort to rational beings is comprehended m this king- 
 dom And this kingdom, Jesus tells us truly, is withm us ; 
 and God is ever in his kingdom, and none but he has a right to 
 hand out his blessings to man. And as we have no true wis- 
 dom at our command, therefore the apostle tells us where to 
 find it " If any lack wisdom let him ask it of God, who giveth 
 liberally, and upbraideth not;" for indeed, "blessed is the man 
 that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is." 
 
 Please present my love affectionately to thy dear parents, 
 and to all inquiring friends, as way opens in thy freedom; 
 and tell thy father that a line from him, giving some account 
 of your fare since I left you, will be very acceptable. And 
 may grace, mercy, and peace, be with thee and abound, and 
 then thou wilt be neither barren nor unfruitful in those things 
 that belong to thy everlasting peace. In love I conclude thy 
 
 ^''''''^' ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 29 
 
226 LETTER TO 
 
 SIX QUERIES 
 
 PROPOSED TO ELIAS HICKS, 
 WITH HIS ANSWERS. 
 
 TO THOMAS LEGGETT, JR. NEW YORK. 
 
 Jencho, llih mo. 16th, 1829. 
 Dea-r Friend, 
 
 Thy affectionate letter I have duly received, and its contents 
 were grateful to my best feelings, as they appear to be the 
 result of sincere friendship. But I may acknowledge it was 
 really marvellous to my mind to think how it could be possi- 
 ble, that thou, my friend, should find any inducement to pro- 
 pose to me such questions, as are comprehended in thy first 
 four queries, as I should suppose that no person who lias had 
 the opportunity tliou hast had, of seeing and of hearing me, 
 in public and in private, and who has known my manner of 
 life for more than twenty years, would have given the least 
 possible credit to any of those irrational and false reports to 
 which these queries allude ; and although I consider them as 
 unworthy of my notice, yet friendship induces me, as thou hast 
 requested it, to make a brief reply to them severally. 
 
 First Query. — Dost thou wish to be understood, by any 
 thing thou may have said, publicly or privately, that thou 
 denies the miraculous conception of the fleshly body of Jesus 
 Christ, or dost thou believe that Joseph was his father ? 
 
 Answer. — I have ever believed and asserted, from my youth 
 up, that I had as full a belief in the miraculous conception of 
 the fleshly body of Jesus Christ, as it was possible for the his- 
 tory to give belief. And I may now a-ssure thee that I never 
 thought or said, that I believed Joseph was his father. 
 
 Second Query. — Dost thou mean to be understood, by any 
 thing thou may have said publicly or privately, that thou 
 denies the divinity of Jesus Christ ? 
 
 Ansicer. — As respects the divinity of Jesus Christ, I appre- 
 
THOMAS LEGGETT, JR. 227 
 
 • 
 
 hend no minister in the Society of Friends has more often in 
 his pnbUc communications asserted the divinity of Jesus 
 Christ the Son of God, than I have, assuring my hearers, that 
 he was fully swallowed up into the divine nature, and complete 
 divinity of his heavenly Father. But I never believed that 
 Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was the father of himself but 
 that he was truly the Son of God, endued with poM^er from on 
 high, by which he was qualified to usher in and introduce the 
 new covenant dispensation, as prophesied long before by Jere- 
 miah the prophet, when all outward mediation should cease, 
 as the law of God was now to be written on the inward table 
 of the heart, and not on tables of stone, or with pen, ink, and 
 paper ; after which no man was to say to his neighbour or 
 brother, know the Lord, for all shall know me from the least to 
 the greatest. This is the covenant that I acknowledge, and I 
 acknowledge no other, and this I consider the only real gospel 
 covenant. 
 
 Third Query. — Dost thou wish to be understood as deny- 
 ing the authenticity of the Scriptures of truth, or as wishing to 
 undervalue them ; or would thou encourage all to the frequent 
 and diligent perusal of them, as being able, under divine illu- 
 mination, to make wise unto salvation ? 
 
 Ansv)er.—As respects the Scriptures of truth, I have highly 
 esteemed them from my youth up, have always given them the 
 preference to any other book, and have read them abundantly, 
 more than any other book, and I would recommend all to the 
 serious and diligent perusal of them. And I apprehend I have 
 received as much comfort and instruction from them as any 
 other man. Indeed they have instructed me home to the sure 
 unchangeable foundation — the light within, or spirit of truth, 
 the only gospel foundation, that leads and guides into all truth, 
 and thereby completes man's salvation ; which nothing else 
 ever has, or ever can do. But Avhy need I say these, things, 
 as all men know that have heard me, that I confirm my doc- 
 trine abundantly from their testimony: And I have always 
 endeavoured sincerely to place them in their true place and 
 station, but I never dare exalt them above what they them- 
 
228 LETTER TO 
 
 selves declare ; and as no spring can rise higher than its foun- 
 tain, so hkewise the Scriptures can only direct to the fountain 
 from whence they originated — the spirit of truth : as saith the 
 apostle, " The things of God knoweth no man, but the spirit 
 of God j" therefore when the Scriptures have directed and 
 pointed us to this light within, or spirit of truth, theie they 
 must stop — it is their ultimatum — the topstone of what they 
 can do. And no other external testimony of men or books 
 can do any more. And Jesus in his last charge to his disci- 
 ples, in order to prevent them from looking without for instruc- 
 tion, in the things of God, after he had led them up to the 
 highest pinnacle that any outward evidence could effect, certi- 
 tied them, that this light within, or spirit of truth, by which 
 only their salvation could be eifected, dwelt with them, and 
 should be in them. And this every Christian knows to be a 
 truth ; and there never was a real Christian made by any other 
 power than this spirit of truth ; and every thing that can be 
 done by man without it, must fail of effecting his salvation. 
 
 Fourth Query. — Dost thou believe there is no accounta- 
 bility beyond the grave, or that there is no state of rewards 
 and punishments after death ? 
 
 Answer. — This charge, which I hear has been made against 
 me, is altogether such a barefaced and palpable falsehood, that 
 1 can hardly believe that any man could be ignorant and 
 wicked enough to fabricate such a story, nor that any man 
 that knew any thing about me could give the least possible 
 credit thereto ; as I have spent a great portion of my time in 
 travel and exercise, having travelled thousands and tens of 
 thousands of miles, leaving behind me every tender and sweet 
 enjoyment that this life can afford, for no other cause than to 
 promote truth and righteousness among my friends and fellow 
 creatures, that they might be prepared to die, and enter into 
 that eternal inheritance prepared for the righteous, where the 
 wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest ; fully 
 l)elieving that every man will reap the reward of well done 
 good and faithful servant, or receive the sentence, depart from 
 me ye workers of iniquity, I know you not. 
 
THOMAS LEGGETT, JR. 229 
 
 Fifth Query. — When thou speaks of our coming up to a 
 level with the man Christ Jesus, dost thou mean level in our 
 several capacities — I mean that the one talented servant, per- 
 fectly occupying his one talent, is as perfect as the five talented 
 servant perfectly occupying his ? 
 
 Answer. — To this I need say but little, as thou hast given a 
 correct solution of it. That as God is no respecter of persons, 
 he therefore deals out to all his rational children with an equal 
 hand, as is beautifully set forth by Jesus in the parable of the 
 talents ; for had the one talented servant faithfully employed 
 his one talent, and gained another, he would have stood as 
 high in his Lord's favour, as the five talented servant. 
 
 Therefore as his beloved son had a much greater -work on 
 earth than any other man, so he had a much greater fulness 
 of the spirit than any other man ; " For he whom God hath 
 sent, speaketh the words of God : for God giveth not the spirit 
 by measure unto him." John iii. 34. I believe with Peter,. 
 when he thus expressed himself, " Jesus of Nazareth, a man 
 approved of God among you by miracles, and wonders, and 
 signs, which God did by him in the niidst of you, as ye your- 
 selves also know." Acts ii. 22. And again, 
 
 " How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy 
 Ghost and with power ; who went about doing good, and 
 healino- all who were oppressed with the devil : for God was 
 with him." Acts x. 38. This " Holy Ghost and power," I 
 believe is the only Saviour that can cleanse the soul of man 
 from sin, and give him an inheritance among all them which 
 are sanctified.* 
 
 Sixth Qiicry. — What relation has the body of Jesus to the 
 Saviour of man ? Dost thou believe that the crucifixion of 
 the outward body of Jesus Christ was an atonement for our 
 sins 1 
 
 A??5?6-er.— In reply to the first part of this query I answer, 
 I believe, in unison with our ancient Friends, that it was the 
 outward garment, in which he performed all his mighty works, 
 
 * John, xvii. 21, 22, 23- 1 John, lii. 1 to 7. Ephe. iv. 11, 12, 13. Rom. viii. Mj 
 15, 16; 17, 13. 
 
230 LETTER TO 
 
 or as Paul liatli expressed it, " know ye not that your body is 
 the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you ;" therefore he 
 charged tlieni not to defile those temples. "What is attributed 
 to that body, I acknowledge and give to that body, in its place, 
 according as the Scripture attributeth it, which is through and 
 because of that which dwelt and acted in it. But that which 
 sanctified and kept the body pure, (and made all acceptable in 
 him,) was the life, holiness, and righteousness of tlie spirit. 
 And the same thing that kept his vessel pure, it is the same 
 thing that cleanseth us."" 
 
 In reply to the second part of this query, I would remark, 
 that I " see no need of directing men to the type for the anti- 
 type, neither to the outward temple, nor yet to Jerusalem, 
 neither to Jesus Christ or his blood, [outwardly;] knowing that 
 neither the righteousness of faith, nor the word of it, doth so 
 direct."t " The new and second covenant is dedicated with 
 the blood, the life of Christ Jesus, which is the alone atone- 
 ment unto God, by which all his people are washed, sancti- 
 fied, cleansed, and redeemed to God."J 
 
 I may add, it has always been the lot of the Lord's faithful 
 servants, in every age of the world, to be cried out against, and 
 it makes good the saying of the apostle. " All that will live 
 godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." 
 
 I conclude thou hast not given thyself the trouble to read 
 any of my public communications, as taken down by M. T. 
 C. Gould, the stenographer ; as in them, all objections are an- 
 swered, in regard to my belief and doctrine : — Readj volume 
 1st, and first communication, and a letter I wrote to a Friend 
 in Chester county, Penn., under date 7th mo. 22d, 1827, in 
 answer to four queries similar to thine, published I believe in 
 the latter part of the fourth volume of the same work. 
 
 With love to thy dear wife and children, T remain thy sin- 
 cere friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 * Isaac Pennington, vol. iii. p. 34. 
 
 + Whitehead's Life and Light of Christ, p. 34. 
 
 t George Fox's Doctrinals, p. 646. 
 
 § A wdVk called " the Q,uaker," containing sermons, Cue. 
 
HUGH JUDGE. 231 
 
 THE 
 
 LAST LETTER 
 
 OF 
 
 ELI AS HICKS; 
 
 WRITTEN TO HUGH JUDGE, OF OHIO* 
 
 Jericho, 2th mo. Ulh, 1830. 
 Dear Hugh, 
 
 Thy very acceptable letter of the 21st ultimo, was duly 
 received and read with interest, tending to excite renewed 
 sympathetic, and mutual fellow-feeling ; and brought to my 
 remembrance the cheering salutation of the blessed Jesus, our 
 holy and perfect pattern and example, to his disciples, viz. 
 " Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." By which 
 he assured his disciples that, by walking in the same path- 
 way of self-denial and the cross which he trod to blessedness, 
 they might also overcome the world ; as nothing has ever 
 enabled any rational being, in any age of the world, to over- 
 come the spirit of the world, which lieth in wickedness, but 
 the cross of Christ. 
 
 Some may query, what is the cross of Christ ? To these I 
 answer, it is the perfect law of God written on the tablet of 
 the heart, and in the heart of every- rational creature, in such 
 indelible characters that all the power of mortals cannot erase 
 nor obliterate. Neither is there any power or means given 
 or dispensed to the children of men, but this inward law and 
 light by which the true and saving knowledge of God can be 
 obtained. And by this inward law and ligh^, all will be either 
 justified or condemned, and all be made to know God for 
 themselves, and be left without excuse, agreeably to tlie pro- 
 phecy of Jeremiah, and the corroborating testimony of Jesus 
 in his last counsel and command to his disciples, not to depart 
 
 • Tli'is loiter was just closed when he was attacked with the paralytic affection 
 which terminated his life, on the 27lh of 2d month, 1830. 
 
232 LETTER TO 
 
 i'rcm Jerusalem until they should receive power from on high ; 
 assuring them that they should receive power, when they 
 had received the pouring forth of the spirit upon them, which 
 would qualify them to bear witness of him in Judea, Jeru- 
 salem, Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth ; which 
 was verified in a marvellous manner on the day of Pentecost, 
 when thousands were converted to the Christian faith in one 
 day. By which it is evident, that nothing but this inward 
 light and law, as it is heeded and obeyed, ever did, or ever can 
 make a true and real Christian and child of God. And until 
 the professors of Christianity agree to lay aside all their non- 
 essentials in religion, and rally to this unchangeable founda- 
 tion and standard of truth, wars and fightings, confusion and 
 error will prevail, and the angelic song cannot be heard in our 
 land, that of " glory to God in the highest and on earth peace 
 and good-will to men." But when all nations are made will- 
 ing to make this inward law and light, the rule and standard 
 of all their faith and works, then we shall be brought to know 
 and believe alike, that there is but one Lord, one faith, and 
 but one baptism; one God and Father, that is above all, 
 through all, and in all ; and then will all those glorious and 
 consoling prophecies, recorded in the Scriptures of truth be 
 fulfilled. Isaiah ii. 4, " He," the Lord, " shall judge among 
 the nations, and rebuke many people ; and they shall beat 
 their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning 
 hooks : nation shall not lift up sword against nation ; neither 
 shall they learn war any more." Isaiah xi. " The wolf also 
 shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with 
 the kid ; and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling 
 together ; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow 
 and the bear shall feed ; their young ones shall lie down 
 together ; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the 
 sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned 
 child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall 
 not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain : for the earth," 
 that is our earthly tabernacles, " shall be full of the knowledge 
 of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." 
 
HUGH JUDGE. 
 
 233 
 
 These scripture testimonies give a true and correct descrip- 
 tion of the gospel state, and no rational being can be a real 
 Christian and true disciple of Christ, until he comes to know 
 all these things verified in his own experience, as every man 
 and woman has more or less of all those different animal pro- 
 pensities and passions in their nature ; and they predominate 
 and bear rule, and are the source and fountain from whence all 
 wars and e/ery evil work proceed, and will continue as long 
 as man remains in his first nature, and is governed by his 
 animal spirit and .propensities, which constitute the natural 
 man, which Paul tells us, " receiveth not the things of the 
 spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he 
 know them, because they are spiritually discerned." This 
 corroborates the declaration of Jesus to Nicodemus, that " ex- 
 cept a man be born again, he cam:ot see the kingdom of God ;." 
 for " that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is 
 born of the spirit is spirit." Here Jssus assures us, beyond all 
 doubt, that nothing but spirit can either see or enter into the 
 kingdom of God ; and this confirms Paul's doctrine, that " as 
 many as are led by the spirit of God are the sons of God," and 
 " joint heirs with Christ." And Jesus assures us, by his 
 declaration to his disciples, John xiv. 16, 17 ; " If ye love me, 
 keep my commandments ; and I will pray the Father and he 
 shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you 
 for ever, even the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot 
 receive :" that is, men and women in their natural state, who 
 have not given up to be led by this .spirit of truth, that leads 
 and guides into all truth ; " because they see him not, neither do 
 they know him, but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, 
 and shall be in you." And as these give up to be wholly led 
 and guided by him, the new birth is brought forth in them 
 and they witness the truth of another testimony of Paul's, 
 even that of being " created anew in Christ Jesus unto g-ood 
 works," which God had foreordained that all his new-born 
 children should walk in them, and thereby show forth by their 
 fruits and good works, that they were truly the children of 
 God, born of his spirit, and taught of him : agreeably to the 
 
 30 
 
23] LETTER TO HUGH JUDGE. 
 
 testiniony of the prophet, that " the children of the Lord, are 
 all taught of the Lord, and in righteousness they are estab- 
 lished, and great is the peace of his children." And nothing 
 can make tliem afraid that man can do unto them ; as saith 
 the prophet in his appeal to Jehovah, " Thou wilt keep him 
 in perfect peace, whose mind is staid on thee, because he 
 trusteth' in thee." Therefore, let every, one that loves the 
 truth, for God is truth, " trust in the Lord for ever, for in the 
 liOrd Jehovah there is everlasting strength." 
 
 I write these things to thee, not as though thou didst not 
 know them, but as a witness to thy experience, as " two are 
 better than one, and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." 
 
 I will now draw to a close, with just adding, for thy encou- 
 ragement, be of good cheer for no new thing has happened to 
 us ; for it has ever been the lot of the righteous to pass through 
 many trials and tribulations, in their passage to that glorious, 
 everlasting, peaceful, and happy abode, where all sorrow and 
 sighing come to an end — the value of which is above all price ; 
 for when we have given all that we have and can give, and 
 suffered all that we can suffer, it is still inffnitely below its 
 real value. And if we are favoured to gain an inheritance in 
 that blissful and peaceful abode, " where the wicked cease from 
 troubling, and the weary are at rest," we must a-scribe it all 
 to the unmerited mercy and loving kindness of our Heavenly 
 Father, who remains to be God over all, blessed for ever. 
 
 I will now conclude, and in the fulness of brotherly love 
 to thee and tliine, in which my family unite, subscribe thy 
 affectionate friend. 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 Please present my love to all my friends, as way opens. 
 
 [The three following Letters were not published in any former edition.] 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 TO THE QUARTERLY MEETING OF MEN AND WOMEN FRIENDS, 
 TO BE HELD AT WESTBURY. 
 
 Newtown, in Gloucester County, West Jersey, 13th of 1st mo., 1798. 
 Dear Friends : 
 
 Feeling my mind for some days past drawn towards you in near sympathy 
 and affectionate remembrance, thought I could not do justice to myself or 
 to you without saluting you with a few lines, when convened in the capacity 
 of a Quarterly Meeting, expressive of the near unity, fellow feeling, and 
 regard that has often been witnessed to spread in my heart towards you 
 all since I left you, accompanied with fervent desires that we all may more 
 and more endeavor to dwell deep in tiie pure spring of divine life, and 
 become established in the one pure faith that works by love, that so the 
 effectual baptism of the one spirit may be witnessed baptizing all into the 
 one body, whereby we may come to drink together in the one spirit, as in 
 this only is the true communion of the body and blood of Christ experi- 
 enced, even that bread that comes down from Heaven and nourishes the soul 
 up into eternal life, and as each member feels the quickening of this pure 
 life, and abides therein, ability is witnessed (and by no other means) to 
 promote in their varied allotments and stations the cause of truth and right- 
 eousness, without envying or grudging one another, and to transact the 
 affairs of the church to the honor of our holy head, and the edification and 
 comfort of His people. May those who stand as delegated shepherds, 
 whether ministers, elders, or overseers, look well to themselves and to the 
 flock over whom they are appointed, that so all may be fed with wholesome 
 food — milk to babes, strong meat to young men, and strengthening cordials 
 to those who are infirm, whether young or old, who through exposure to the 
 fogs and damps that arise from the stagnant waters of this world's glory 
 and friendship, are in danger of being surfeited. And let all those who are 
 called to lead the way ever keep in remembrance that example is more 
 powerful than precept ; that through faithfulness and an holy confidence in 
 that arm of power that hath wrought deliverance to all those who sincerely 
 trust in Him, all may come to experience when the Chief Shepherd shall 
 appear a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 
 
 May the dearly beloved youth of every description, whether married or in 
 a single state, male or female, be encouraged to trust in the Lord, and more 
 and more to dedicate the flower of their days to His honor and service, 
 seeing he has been graciously pleased in unerring mercy to visit their minds 
 with the glorious day-spring from on high, and is calling them out of dark- 
 ness into bis marvelous light, and fitting and fashioning those who are obedi- 
 ently following in the way of his commandments as vessels of honor in his 
 house, and will make some of them as polished shafts in his quiver as they 
 abide in faithfulness and come up in His holy fear. Therefore, dear young 
 friends, be guarded; keep up a strict watch upon the very wicket of your 
 hearts, that so the delusive and ensnaring pleasures, friendships, and honors 
 of the world rob you not of your chastity nor turn away your affections 
 from the beloved of your souls. Endeavor to keep in view at all times, 
 especially when tempted or allured by the grand deceiver, or the natural 
 propensities of your own creaturely passions — keep in full view, if possible, 
 at those seasons, his self-denying example, the sorrow and suffering of his 
 life, and the bitter agonies of his death, when he yielded up on Calvary's 
 Mount his precious life. I have often thought, did we keep enough before 
 
336 APrENDix. 
 
 us his holy example and the glorious recompense of reward, it would stain 
 in our view all the glory and honor of this perishing world, and enable us, 
 as one formerly, to account all as dross, that so we might win Christ and be 
 worthy of a name in his house and place at his right hand, where there are 
 rivers of pleasure, and that forevermore. Finally, dear friend?, may the 
 love and fellowship of the gospel of peace and salvation increase and pre- 
 vail amongst you more and more — uniting you together in Him and one to 
 another, who is the head of all principalities and powers, thrones and 
 dominions, and is God over all, blessed in himself, and in his son, Jesus 
 Christ, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. 
 
 From your affectionate friend, 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 Read in the Quarterly Meeting at Westbury, with the partition between 
 men's and women's meeting removed. 
 
 TO M M- 
 
 Jericho, 8(h of 2d mo., 1824. 
 Dear Friend : 
 
 Better late than never. The reason why I have not given a direct answer 
 to thy letter of 7th mo. last has been owing to the want of seeing the right 
 time, and feeling a suitable qualiiication for it; but having for several days 
 past been led to think of my friends in and about Hudson, and remembering 
 thy kind remembrance above said, I felt an inducement to attempt a reply. 
 
 The subject of vocal prayer has very particularly exercised my mind for 
 many years, and the abundant, formal, lifeless communications in that way 
 by the varied sects of professed Christians have been a great burden to my 
 mind, and I likewise believe they are an abomination in the sight of the 
 Lord : hence I have often been engaged to bear a full and public testimony 
 against them. This may account in some measure for my seldom appearing 
 in that way, and from a fear lest the oflFering might not be sufficiently 
 attended with that life that would exonerate me from my own condemna- 
 tion. For I consider it to require our minds to be clothed with deep rever- 
 ence and godly fear to approach and address the majesty of heaven in 
 solemn prayer, nevertheless I believe it may be sometimes consistent with His 
 will and our required duty in the present state of mankind. 
 
 For when the dark states of men and women, who, by tradition and an 
 improper education, are settled at ease in sin, the light of truth breaking in 
 upon their minds in tlie day of God's merciful visitation to their souls, the 
 sight of their deplorable condition strikes the mind with such fear and hor- 
 ror that, like Israel at Mount Sinai, they draw back and are afraid and 
 unwilling to meet with Him in that way any more, which places them in a 
 state that requires a mediator; and, as Mo^cs was appointed a mediator to 
 the whole house of Israel, so I believe, under the gospel dispensation that 
 has no written or external law, nor can have, the states of the people being 
 so various th it it is impossible that any literal law can be made to suit all 
 conditions, hence we see the necessity of coming to the new covenant law, 
 that is indited by the spirit of God in every individual, and which is so 
 exactly suited to the state and 'condition of the individual in whose heart it 
 is indited, the states and condition of the children of men being so varied 
 that it is not likely nor probable that that law that is perfectly suited to 
 the state of one man would be ex;ictly fitted to the state of any other man 
 in the world. Biit as mankind have generally turned away and become 
 dark and blind, hence when, by the renewed visitations of divine love and 
 light, they are brought to see their wretched condition, as above said, tbey 
 
APPENDIX. 237 
 
 are afraid to come into His presence, yet feel some faint desire after deliv- 
 erance. Now, on behalf of tliese, the Lord, I believe, in the present day, as 
 formerly, sees meet in his wisdom and goodness to inspire the hearts of his 
 ministers (as mediators to those low and disconsolate states) with the 
 spirit of prayer and supplication. Not to inform Him of their wants, which 
 he altogether knows, but as a means to prepare the minds of such discon- 
 solate ones with faith and courage, suitably to look up to Him as their only 
 helper, which places them in a condition to receive his blessing with grati- 
 tude and thanksgiving. And this, I trust, will be the case while sin abounds 
 in the world ; but when men and women become real Christians, wholly led 
 and guided by the spirit of truth or law written in the heart, after the 
 example of Jesus of Nazareth, then all external mediation ceases, for all 
 then are immediately taught of God, as saith the Prophet. 
 
 " For the children of the Lord are all taught of the Lord, and in righteous- 
 ness are they established, and great is the peace of these children." 
 
 These have no longer any need to say each to the other, know the Lord, 
 for all shall know him, from the least to the greatest, and these, as to them- 
 selves, have no need of reading or studying, however good or useful they may 
 have been, while men and women are groveling along in the way of uncer- 
 tainty, amidst the mists and fogs of tradition and superstition, seeing, by 
 faithfulness to the dictates of this unwritten law, they are brought through 
 to the clear light of the day, and have no longer need (as respects their 
 spiritual condition) of the light of the sun or moon outwardly, for God has 
 become their everlasting light, and the days of their mourning are ended. 
 And these experience that excellent state described by the Psalmist, viz : 
 " Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor 
 standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, but 
 his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate both 
 day and night." 
 
 And I have long believed that if our ministers who travel up and down to 
 improve the people in their religious concerns, instead of spending so much 
 of their time in recommending the people so much to the letter and the 
 reading of books, however good they may be as such, were more concerned 
 to recommend to them silent retirement and meditation on the new cove- 
 nant law written in the heart, which only can set free from the law of sin 
 and death, their labors would be more productive, as relates to the people, of 
 real good, and terminate in much more peace and comfort to themselves. 
 And I really fear unless this is the case that we, as a people, will ere long 
 dwindle down into the same state of dead formality as now generally reigns 
 in Christendom among other professors of the Christian name. 
 
 In much love to thyself, I subscribe thy affectionate friend, 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
 TO SAMUEL EVANS. 
 
 Jericho, \st mo., 2ith, 1830. 
 Respected Touns Friend : 
 
 The manner of my address arises from the knowledge I had of thy worthy 
 father, and the respect due to his character, and allho' thou art to ^ne an 
 entire stranger, yet I willingly cherish a hope that thou, by due attention to 
 the real Quakers' light and law, which is inward and spiritual — thou may 
 arise to the same respectability. But from my general observation on men 
 and things, from youth to old age, I have never become possest of sufBcient 
 evidence to enforce a belief that any individual of our society, if he ever 
 was s real Quaker, or friend, has ever added any respectability to his char- 
 
238 APPENDIX. 
 
 acter as such, by the study and practice of the law of our country, or any 
 other, that needs the coercion of war, or the sword, for its support. 
 
 And I consider the genuine Quakers' inward law and light, aud their out- 
 ward law and discipline that emanates from it, entirely supercedes all other 
 outward law, as it would never permit any one of its faithful subjects to 
 break any just law of any nation on earth, as the universal law of the real 
 Christian and the real Quaker, both of which are one, consists in passive 
 obedience and non-resistance to all the laws of man, whether just or unjust, 
 and arbitrary, and those whose lives are regulated by this universal law 
 are not afraid to bear their testimony against every unjust law of man, and 
 against all its arbitrary requisitions : neither will they actively comply there- 
 with, although the penalty for refusing should cost them their natural 
 lives, and which penalty has actually been inflicted on many Christians and 
 on some of our friends, in former years, for such refusal. 
 
 And, therefore, under these considerations, had I been favored with a 
 number of sons, I should not dare to have encouraged or given my assent to 
 any one of them, to fill the place of a lawyer. Under the full conviction 
 that the calling in the present mode of their proceedure, in our courts of 
 justice, is very injurious to the peace, prosperity, and happiness of every 
 country and government in which they abound, as they encourage litigation, 
 make suits at law more frequent, and prevent the more rational and less 
 expensive and more just way of settling disputes among neighbors, by ref- 
 erence to just and impai-tial men, by way of arbitration. 
 
 For every honest man who desires nothing but the right should take place 
 is very sensible, that when the parties are both honestly disposed, and agree 
 to refer the subject of dispute to two or three, or more, as the case may 
 require, of their judicious neighbors, whose honesty and integrity has been 
 long established, that it is ten fold more likely that justice will be done 
 between them, than when tried by a jury promiscuously picked up by a 
 sheriff, many of whom may be very ignorant both of law and justice, and 
 who may be easily influenced by the pleading of a cuuniug lawyer, who is 
 ever ambitious to out-do his opponent, whether right or wrong, to decide 
 directly opposite to truth and justice, and which I believe is often the case 
 when disputes are settled by a jury and lawyers in our courts of lavr. 
 
 Therefore, my advice to thee as a real friend, is to have as little to do with 
 the law in any shape whatever as thou canst possibly avoid, as I do not think 
 it consistent for any member of our society to procure a livelihood for him- 
 self and family by practising the law. 
 
 And as there are a great variety of honest callings, in each of which every 
 honest, industrious man can procure a sufficiency of this world's goods for 
 his own and family's comfort and which will much less interfere with our 
 religious duty, and conduce more to the general good of society, I would 
 recommend some mechanical branch, which will require but a small begin- 
 ning, and which manner of life is generally conducive to health, and freer 
 from care, and less burdensome to the mind, than some higher branches of 
 business. Before I close, I will just add, as a token of my sincere regard 
 towards thee, accompanied with a fervent desire for thy advancement in the 
 enjoyment of the best of blessings, a short portion of scripture record, that 
 I consider of so great value as to deserve a place in every mind, in charac- 
 ters that cannot be obliterated by time; they are as follows, viz: " Humility 
 is before honor, and a haughty spirit before a fall ;" this is the motto of ray 
 mind. Hear the conclusion of the whole matter, "Fear God and keep his 
 commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." 
 
 I will now conclude, and with due respect subscribe thy alTectionate 
 friend, 
 
 ELIAS HICKS. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PACE. 
 
 Advertisement, 3 
 
 Observations on Slavery, 5 
 
 Letter to Rufus Clark, 20 
 
 " William Poole, 23 
 
 " " J N , 25 
 
 " " William Poole, 31 
 
 " " «' " 40 
 
 " " Phebe Willis, 43 
 
 " " William Poole, 50 
 
 " " William B. Irish, 51 
 
 " " William Poole, • 58 
 
 " " " " 60 
 
 " " " " 01 
 
 " " Phebe Willis G3 
 
 " «< William Poole, 08 
 
 " " " " 79 
 
 An Essay on the Birth and Offices of Christ, 81 
 
 Letter to William Poole, 80 
 
 " " " " 91 
 
 " " William Wharton, CO 
 
 " " " " 97 
 
 " " William Poole, 98 
 
 " " Edward Hicks, 101 
 
 " " William Poole, 105 
 
 " " " « lOG 
 
 " " " " 109 
 
 " " " " 110 
 
 " "« " " Ill 
 
 " " " " 112 
 
 " " John Merritt, 113 
 
 '* " William Poole, 116 
 
 An Address to Youth, 119 
 
 Letter to J. Wilson Moore,.. 120 
 
 " " Nathan Shoemaker, 124 
 
 " " William Poole, 129 
 
 " " J. Wilson Moore, 131 
 
 " " Abraham Lower, 134 
 
240 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Letter to William Poole, 136 
 
 «' " Simnel Comfort, 140 
 
 " «' William Poole, 142 
 
 " " Abraham Lower, 146 
 
 " "William Poole, l4y 
 
 «' "Samuel Comfort, , 155 
 
 " " William Poole, 157 
 
 " " " " 159 
 
 " " " " 161 
 
 " " Samuel R. Fisher, 162 
 
 " William Poole 164 
 
 " " Thomas McClintock, 165 
 
 " " Moses Brown, 171 
 
 " " Samuel Comfort, 176 
 
 " " William Poole, 177 
 
 " " Abraham Lower, 179 
 
 " " William Poole, 181 
 
 " " Samuel Comfort, v 1^^ 
 
 " " William Poole, 187 
 
 " " " " 190 
 
 " " " " 192 
 
 " " Thomas McClintock, 194 
 
 " " William Poole, 196 
 
 " " Samuel Comfort, 198 
 
 " " Isaac T. Hopper, 201 
 
 " " Moses Pennock, 202 
 
 " " William Poole, '. 207 
 
 " " William Wharton, 208 
 
 " " William Poole 210 
 
 " " John C. Sanders, 210 
 
 " " Charles Stokes, '... 215 
 
 " " William Poole, 219 
 
 " " Benjamin Ferris, 221 
 
 " " Elias Wilbur, 222 
 
 " " Thomas Leggett, Jr., 226 
 
 " " Hugh Judge, 231 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Letter to The Quarterly Meeting of Men and Women Friends, held at 
 
 Westbury 235 
 
 « .. M M , J... 236 
 
 " " Samuel Evans, 237 
 
DATE DUE 
 
 GftVLORD 
 
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