e;
for such it was." "Journal of John Woolman," Edition Philadelphia,
1845, pp. 30-31.

[174] Concerning this early home training, Woolman writes: "The pious
instructions of my parents were often fresh in my mind, when I
happened to be among wicked children, and were of use to me. Having a
large family of children, they used frequently, on first-days, after
meeting, to set us one after another to read the Holy Scriptures, or
some religious books, the rest sitting by without much conversation; I
have since often thought it was a good practice. From what I had read
and heard, 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." "Journal of John Woolman," 20.

[175] "Journal of John Woolman," 25.

[176] That Woolman had a very lofty conception of his calling will
appear in his following reflection: "All the faithful are not called
to the public ministry; but whoever are, are called to minister of
that which they have tasted and handled spiritually. The outward modes
of worship are various; but whenever any are true ministers of Jesus
Christ, it is from the operation of his Spirit upon their hearts,
first purifying them, and thus giving them a just sense of the
conditions of others. This truth was early fixed in my mind, and I was
taught to watch the pure opening, and to take heed lest, while I was
standing to speak, my own will should get uppermost, and cause me to
utter words from worldly wisdom, and depart from the channel of the
true gospel ministry." "Journal of John Woolman," 29.

[177] According to tradition, Woolman travelled mostly on foot during
his journeys among slaveholders. Brissot points out the similarity
between the Apostles' practices and Woolman's. The comparison is
entertaining, but cannot on all points be reconciled with facts given
by Woolman himself in his "Journal." See Brissot's "New Travels in
America," published in 1788.

Woolman's impression of slavery at this time is best told in his own
words referring to this first journey. He writes: "Two things were
remarkable to me in this journey: first, in regard to my
entertainment. When I ate, drank, and lodged free-cost with people who
lived in ease on the hard labor of their slaves I felt uneasy; and as
my mind was inward to the Lord, I found this uneasiness return upon
me, at times, through the whole visit. Where the masters bore a good
share of the