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

Chapter 3: The Ministry of Visitation in Meetings (1757–1759)

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the fear of the Lord, at which time I perceived there were many Friends under a scruple* like that before mentioned. As scrupling* to pay a tax on account of the application has seldom been heard of before, even among men of integrity, who have steadily borne their testimony against outward wars in their time, I may therefore note some things which have occurred to my mind, as I have been inwardly exercised* on that account. From the steady opposition which faithful Friends in early times made to wrong things then approved, they were hated and persecuted by men living in the spirit of this world, and suffering with firmness, they were made a blessing to the Church, and the work prospered. It equally concerns men in every age to take heed to their own spirits; and in comparing their situation with ours, to me it appears that there was less danger of their being infected with the spirit of this world, in paying such taxes, than is the case with us now. They had little or no share in civil government, and many of them declared that they were, through the power of God, separated from the spirit in which wars were, and being afflicted by the rulers on account of their testimony, there was less likelihood of their uniting in spirit with them in things inconsistent with the purity of truth.* Some time after the Yearly Meeting, the said committees met at Philadelphia, and, by adjournments, continued sitting several days. The calamities of war were now increasing; the frontier inhabitants of Pennsylvania were frequently surprised, some were slain, and many taken captive by the Indians; 5 and while these committees sat,

5 Indian – When Woolman speaks of the native persons dwelling around him, he speaks of “natives” and “Indians,” language common to his time.