Cause, and also that it has a Cause proportionable and agreeable to the effect. The same principle which leads us to determine that there cannot be anything coming to pass without a Cause, leads us to determine that there cannot be more in the effect than in the Cause. We Yea, if once it should be allowed, that things may come to pass without 10 a Cause, we should not only have no proof of the Being of God, but we should be without evidence of the existence of anything whatsoever but our own immediately present ideas and consciousness. For we have no way to prove any thing else, but by arguing from effects to causes; from the ideas now immediately in view, we argue other things not immediately in view; 20 from sensations now excited in us, we infer the existence of things without us, as the Causes of these sensations; and from the existence of these things, we argue other things which they depend on, as effects on Causes. infer the past existence of ourselves, or anything else, by memory; only as we argue that the ideas, which are now in our minds, are the consequences of 30 past ideas and sensations. We immediately perceive nothing else but the ideas which are this moment extant in our minds. We perceive or know other things only by means of these, as necessarily connected with others, and dependent on them. But if things may be without Causes, all this necessary connection and dependence is dissolved, and so all means of our knowledge is 40 gone. If there be no absurdity nor difficulty in supposing one thing to start out of non-existence into being of itself without a Cause, then there is no absurdity nor difficulty in supposing the same of millions of millions. For nothing, or no difficulty multiplied, still is nothing, or no difficulty; nothing multiplied by nothing does not increase the sum. And indeed, according to the hypothesis I am opposing, of the acts of the will coming to pass without a Cause, it is the case in fact, that mil lions of millions of events are continually coming into existence contingently, without any cause or reason why they do so, all over the world, every day and hour, through all ages. So it is in a constant succession, in every moral agent. This contingency, this efficient nothing, this effectual No Cause, is always ready at hand, to produce this sort of effects, as long as the agent exists, and as often as he has occasion. If it were so, that things only of one kind, viz., acts of the will, seemed to come to pass of themselves, but those of this sort in general came into being thus, and it were an event that was continual, and that happened in a course, wherever were capable subjects of such events; this very thing would demonstrate that there was some cause of them, which made such a difference between this event and others, and that they did not really happen contingently. For contingence is blind, and does not pick and choose for a particular sort of events. Nothing has no choice. This No Cause, which causes no existence, cannot cause the existence which comes to pass, to be of one particular, sort only, distinguished from all others. Thus, that only one sort of matter drops out of the heavens, even water, and that this comes so often, so constantly and plentifully, all over the world, in all ages, shows that there is some Cause or reason of the falling of the water out of the heavens; and that something besides mere contingence has a hand in the matter. If we should suppose nonentity to be about to bring forth, and things were coming into existence without any Cause or antecedent on which the existence or kind or manner of existence depends; or which could at all determine whether the things should be stones, or stars, or beasts, or angels, or human bodies, or souls, or only some 50 new motion or figure in natural bodies, or some new sensation in animals, or new ideas in the human understanding, or new volitions in the will; or anything else of all the infinite number of possibles: then certainly it would not be expected, although many millions of millions of things are coming into existence in this manner, all over the face of the earth, that they should be only of one particular kind, and that it should be thus in all ages; and that this sort of existences should never fail to come to pass where there is room for them, or a subject capable of them, and that constantly whenever there is occasion for them. So that it is indeed as repugnant to reason, to suppose that an act of the will should come into existence without a Cause, as to suppose the human soul, or an angel, or the globe of the earth, or the whole universe, should have come into existence without a Cause. And if once we allow, that such a sort of effect as a volition may 10 come to pass without a Cause, how do we know but that many other sorts of effects may do so too? It is not the particular kind of effect that makes the absurdity of supposing it has been without a Cause, but something that is common to all things that ever began to be; viz., that they are not selfexistent, or necessary in the nature of things. If any should imagine, there is something in the sort of event that renders it possible for it to come into existence without a Cause, and should say that the free acts of the will are existences of an exceeding different nature from other things, by reason of which they may come into existence without any 20 previous ground or reason of it, though other things cannot; if they make this objection in good earnest, it would be an evidence of their strangely forgetting themselves; for they would be giving an account of some ground of the existence of a thing, when at the same time they would maintain there is no ground of its existence. Therefore I would observe, that the particular 30 nature of existence, be it ever so diverse from others, can lay no foundation for that thing's coming into existence without a Cause; because to suppose this, would be to suppose the particular nature of existence to be a thing prior to the existence; and so a thing that makes way for existence, with such a circumstance; namely, without a Cause or reason for existence. But that which 40 in any respect makes way for a thing's coming into being, or for any manner or circumstance of its first existence, must be prior to the existence. The distinguished nature of the effect, which is something belonging to the effect, cannot have influence backward, to act before it is. The peculiar nature of that thing called volition, can do nothing, can have no influence, while it is 50 not. And afterwards it is too late for its influence; for then the thing has made sure of existence already, without its help. CONCLUSION As it has been demonstrated that the futurity of all future events is established by previous necessity, either natural or moral; so it is manifest that the Sovereign Creator and Disposer of the world has ordered this necessity by ordering his own conduct, either in designedly acting or forbearing to act. For, as the being of the world is from God, so the circumstances in which it had its being at first, both negative and positive, must be ordered by him in one of these ways; and all the necessary consequences of these circumstances must be ordered by him. And God's active and positive interpositions, after the world was created, and the consequences of these interpositions; also every instance of his forbearing to interpose, and the sure consequences of this forbearance, must all be determined according to his pleasure. And therefore every event, which is the consequence of any thing whatsoever, or that is connected with any foregoing thing or circumstance, either positive or negative, as the ground or reason of its existence, must be ordered of God; either by a designed efficiency and interposition, or a designed forbearing to operate or interpose. But, as has been proved, all events whatsoever are necessarily connected with books, one after another, the rest sitting by without much conversation, which I have since often thought was a good practice. From what I had read, I believed there had been in past ages people who walked in uprightness before God in a degree exceeding any that I knew or heard of now living; and the apprehension of there being less steadi something foregoing, either positive or negative, which is the ground of their existence. It follows, therefore, that the whole series of events is thus connected with something in the state of things, either positive or negative, which is original in the series; i.e., something which is connected with nothing preceding that, but God's own immediate conduct, either his acting or 10 ness and firmness amongst people in forbearing to act. From whence it follows, that as God designedly orders his own conduct, and its connected consequences, it must necessarily be that he designedly orders all things. JOHN WOOLMAN (1720-1772) From the JOURNAL [EARLY YEARS] I have often felt a motion of love to leave some hints of my experience of the Goodness of God; and pursuant thereto, in the 36 year of my age, I begin this work. this age than in past ages, often troubled me while I was still young. . . Having attained the age of sixteen, I began to love wanton company; and though I was preserved from profane language or scandalous conduct, still I perceived a plant in me which produced much wild grapes. Yet my Merciful Father forsook me not utterly, but at 20 times through his grace I was brought seriously to consider my ways, and the sight of my backsliding affected me with sorrow; but for want of rightly attending to the reproofs of instruction, vanity was added to vanity, and repentance. Upon the whole my mind was more and more alienated from the truth, and I hastened towards destruction. While I meditate on the gulf towards which I traveled, and reflect on my youthful disobedience, my heart is affected with sorrow. I was born in Northampton, in Burlington county, in West Jersey, in the year of our Lord 1720; and before I 30 was seven years old I began to be acquainted with the operations of Divine Love. Through the care of my parents I was taught to read near as soon as I was capable of it, and as I went from school one seventh-day, I remember while my companions went to play by the way I went forward out of sight; and setting down, I read the twentysecond chapter of Revelations: "He 40 showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb," etc.; and in the reading of it, my mind was drawn to seek after that pure habitation which I then believed God had prepared for his servants. The place where I sat, and the sweetness that attended my mind, remain fresh in my I lived with my parents and wrought on the plantation, and having had schooling pretty well for a planter, I used to improve winter evenings and other leisure times. And being now in the twenty-first year of my age, a man in much business at shopkeeping and baking asked me if I would hire with him to tend shop and keep books. I acquainted my father with the proposal, and after some deliberation it was agreed for me to go. I had for a considerable time found my mind less given to husbandry than heretofore, having often in view some other way of living. At home I had lived retired, and now 50 having a prospect of being much in the way of company, I felt frequent and fervent cries in my heart to God the Father of Mercies, that he would preserve me from all taint and corruption; that in this more public employ I might serve Him, my gracious Redeemer, in that humility and self denial with which I had been in a small degree exercised in a very private life. . . [ANTI-SLAVERY ACTIVITIES] My employer, having a negro woman, sold her, and directed me to write a bill 10 of sale, the man being waiting who had bought her. The thing was sudden, and though the thoughts of writing an instrument of slavery for one of my fellow creatures felt uneasy, yet I remembered I was hired by the year, that it was my master who directed me to do it, and that it was an elderly man, а member of our Society, who bought her. So through weakness I gave way, and 20 wrote it; but at the executing I was so afflicted in my mind that I said before my master and the friend that I believed slave-keeping to be inconsistant with the Christian religion. This in some degree abated my uneasiness; yet as often as I reflected seriously upon it I thought I should have been clearer if I had desired to be excused from it as a thing against my conscience, for such 30 it was. And some time after this a young man of our Society spake to me to write an instrument of slavery, he having lately taken a Negro into his house. I told him I was not easy to write it, for though many people kept slaves in our society as in others, I still believed the practice was not right, and desired to be excused from doing the writing. I spoke to him in good will, 40 and he told me that keeping slaves was not altogether agreeable to his mind, but that the slave being a gift made to his wife, he had accepted of her. . . . About this time an ancient man of good esteem in the neighborhood came to my house to get his will wrote; he had young negroes, and I asking him privately how he purposed to dispose of them, he told me. I then said, "I can- 50 not write thy will without breaking my own peace," and respectfully gave him. my reasons for it. He signified that he had a choice that I should have wrote it, but as I could not consistent with my conscience he did not desire it, and so he got it wrote by some other person. And a few years after, there being great alterations in his family, he came again to get me to write his will. His negroes were yet young, and his son, to whom he intended to give them, was, since he first spoke to me, from a libertine become a sober young man; and he supposed that I would have been free on that account to write it. We had much friendly talk on the subject, and then deferred it. And a few days after he came again and directed their freedom; and so I wrote his will. . . . ... [TRADE AND BUSINESS] Until the year 1756 I continued to retail goods, besides following my trade as a tailor; about which time I grew uneasy on account of my business growing too cumbersome. I began with selling trimmings for garments, and from thence proceeded to sell cloths and linens; and at length, having got a considerable shop of goods, my trade increased every year, and the road to large business appeared open; but I felt a stop in my mind. Through the mercies of the Almighty I had in a good degree learned to be content with a plain way of living. I had but a small family; my outward affairs had been prosperous; and on serious reflection I believed Truth did not require me to engage in much cumbering affairs. It had generally been my practice to buy and sell things really useful. Things that served chiefly to please the vain mind in people, I was not easie to trade in; seldom did it, and whenever I did, I found it weaken me as a Christian. The increase of business became my burthen, for though my natural inclination was towards merchandize, yet I believed Truth required me to live. more free from outward cumbers. There was now a strife in my mind betwixt the two; and in this exercise my prayers were put up to the Lord, who graciously heard me, and gave me a heart resigned to his holy will. I then In merchandize it is the custom, where I lived, to sell chiefly on credit; and poor people often get in debt, and when payment is expected have not wherewith to pay, and so their creditors often sue for it at law. Having often observed occurrences of this kind, I found it good for me to advise poor people to take such as were most use- 20 ful and not costly. In the time of trading I had an opportunity of seeing that a too liberal use of spirituous liquors, and the custom of wearing too costly apparrel, led some people into great inconveniences; and these two things appear to be often connected one with the other. For by not attending to that use of things which is consistent with universal 30 righteousness, there is a necessary increase of labour which extends beyond what our Heavenly Father intends for us. And by great labour, and often by much sweating in the heat, there is, even among such who are not drunkards, a craving of some liquor to revive the spirits; that partly by the wanton, luxurious living of some, and partly by the drinking of others, led to it through immoderate labour, very great quantities of rum are annually expended in our colonies, of which we should have no need, did we steadily attend to pure wisdom. [PASSIVE OBEDIENCE] that he came to speak with me to provide lodging and entertainment for two souldiers, there being six shillings a week per man allowed as pay for it. The case being new and unexpected, I made no answer suddenly, but sat a time silent, my mind being inward. I was fully convinced that the proceedings in wars are inconsistent with the purity of the Christian religion, and to be hired to entertain men who were under pay as soldiers was a difficulty with me. I expected they had legal authority for what they did; and after a short time I said to the officer, "If the men are sent here for entertainment, I believe I shall not refuse to admit them into my house; but the nature of the case is such that I expect I can not keep them on hire." One of the men intimated he thought I might do it consistant with my religious principles, to which I made no reply, as believing silence at that time best for me. Though they spake of two, there came only one, who tarried at my house about two weeks, and behaved himself civily; and when the officer came to pay me, I told him I could not take pay for it; having admitted him into my house in a passive obedience to authority. . . [THE USE OF DYED CLOTHING] From my early acquaintance with truth, I have often felt an inward distress, occasioned by the striving of a spirit in me, against the operation of the heavenly principle; and in this cir40 cumstance have been affected with a sense of my own wretchedness, and in a mourning condition felt earnest longing for that divine help which brings the soul into true liberty. Retiring into private places, the spirit of supplication hath been given me; and under a heavenly covering have asked my gracious Father to give me a heart in all things resigned to the direction of his. wisdom, and in uttering language like this, the thoughts of my wearing hats and garments dyed with a dye injurious to them, has made lasting impressions The fourth day of the fourth month, 1758, orders came to some officers in Mount Holly, to prepare quarters a 50 short time for about one hundred soldiers; and an officer and two other men, all inhabitants of our town, came to my house; and the officer told me on me. |