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Untitled Article
the mo * * direct road to Farmingtown , in Genesee , whither they were going to attend a Quarterly Meeting . After tracing the route on a map , he observed , the information would no doubt
be of use , bat their principal motive for calling was , that they wished to have a little religious opportunity in the family , saying ' Art thou willing Hannah V i ll / wl I "Vaat ? T I Viovonn /~» h * ic * r * ti r »« ' 1 liedY have no objection /—
rep , ' es , After a time of silence his companion , one Lloyd , observed—there was a few words impressed on his mind , which lie should feel most easy to express ,
lefore he left the house . And that is , ' Thus with the Lord unto thee , Hannah Barnard , I raised thee up , and I gave the a gift in the ministry ; and thoiu last departed from me , and hewn to thyself cisterns , broken cisterns that can hold no water / Then after a
pause of one or two minutes , he resumed , still speaking iu the name of the Most High ! * Nevertheless , if thou wilt repent , and return unto me , Iwill still have mercy on theeS " I waited a few minutes , till he appeared to have said ail he had to communicate , and then very deliberately
tmt audibly observed , * Such wellmeant but ignorant denunciations I ean pass by . They do not affect me , because I do not feel myself conscious of deserving them / He said no more . But 1 observed a young woman who sat near me sigh deepiy , and at length began in a strain of deep lamentation to relate how much she had suffered
on my account ! " Andtakingher on her own evidence , she had paid me a superstitious deference , which I never wished , or thanked * ny one for . She related a Vision , she had before I went to England [ in 1 / 981 . She saw a star rise in the west
a "d go to the east , and disappear , and what it could mean , she could not telL ' Until , said she , * I heard of thy departure from the principles of the Soe'ety , and then I told some of my Wends , I now understood the vision .
Nevert heless , 1 still believe if thou ^ ilt depart from thy iniquities , and u l * ent and turn unto the Lord , He will stllt have were ?/ on thee 9 and favour thee W | th that peace of mind which thee is now deprived ofV
u 1 thought it was then time to interr "pther , which I did by saying , * I beg ° * thee to keep a little more within " * limits of Christian charity . Thou Ul *< lertakest to assert that 1 have de-
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parted from the principles of the So ? ciety , I solemnly declare to thee , that if I know my own principles , they are in strict accordance with the rational , sound doctrines of the Society , as laid down in their best and most approved authors , as I have always understood
them . Thou goest further and uadertakest to judge of the state of my heart ! I ask , who gave thee that authority ? I am thankful that my Creator has reserved that prerogative to himself , and has not delegated it to mortal man . It is my consolation that He , the searcher of hearts and judge of all the earth , will do right .
" ' And I can say with conscious sincerity , whatever you may think , that I have , through a long life , religiously endeavoured to keep a conscience void of offence toward God and toward man . But I have seen the time when I found it utterly impossible for me to escape the censure of superstition # nd
bigotry , without violating my conscience and becoming a hypocrite , which I dare not do . 1 have had since at several times reverently to thank my Creator , under the prospect of approaching death , for preserving me from it . Perhaps you may thiuk that like Paul of old , I have become a fool
m boasting ; but I think I have been a little compelled to it this evening . And , as a privilege I am fully entitled to , 1 shall always take the liberty to defend myself against such uncharitable denunciations . I think it is a great pity that some Aquila or Priscilla does not instruct you both a little more
perfectly in the knowledge of your duty , and what true religion consists in , as well as the nature and necessity of Christian charity . For the Apostle expressly asserts , that let us have what gifts we may , ever so
excellent , they profit us nothing , ami we are nothing , without charity . ' If we were all of us to take the apostolic admonition along with us , and govern our conduct by it , it would do ihs cood d hi
antat s to judge nothing prematurely , or in the express words of Scripture , * before the time , but judge righteous judgment , ' and leave the judgment of one another ' s hearts , to the Searcher of hearts to whom it ex-1
clusively belongs . " A profound pause of some length now ensued , till Wm . Planner observed it was growing late , and perhaps it was best not to detain the fa-
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Religious VJ-sit to Hannah Barnard . 4 ^ 5
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Aug. 2, 1815, page 485, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1763/page/21/
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