Mission with Prophetic Power: The Journal of John Woolman (SRSC 12)

Resources for Application

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First-day – The primary weekly Quaker gatherings were often called “First-day meetings.” See the Introduction. Hardly – To be worked “hardly” is to be overworked. Indian – When Woolman speaks of the native persons dwelling around him, he speaks of “natives” and “Indians,” language common to his time. Low – Friends often spoke of being “low,” or “bowing low” before God, a state of humble submission. Minute – A “minute” in a Quaker business meeting is some kind of record of the meeting’s stance on some issue of thought or life that they want either to remember or share with other meetings. Motions, Operations, Visitations – Whereas we tend today to talk about “encounters” with God, being “touched,” or “the work of the Holy Spirit,” in John Woolman’s time Christians spoke of “visitations,” of a particular “motion” of feeling or will, or of the “operations” of God’s love more generally. Opening – An “opening” of the Spirit is an inclination from God that one should say something, usually in the context of a meeting. A “pure” opening means that this inclination is particularly clear without the need for much discernment to recognize God’s presence within the inclination. Operations – see Motions. Principle – The presence of the Holy Spirit working within us.