EDITED BY PETER SIPPEL
SECTION 3.3: THE 19TH CENTURY ("CONSERVATIVES")
ELEAZAR BALES: (OR "BEALS") (PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED)
Life of Job. From Western Yearly Meeting (Conservative) (no longer extant.) A Summary
of Job, and his faithfulness under suffering.
Future State of Existence. An exhortation on the need to live out the faith and be obedient
to our duties now.
Fall And Redemption of Man. Dealing with sin, the fall, and redemption.
Exhortation to Righteousness. Urging sinners to repent and become Christians.
Living For Christ. An exhortation to Conservative Friends to faithfulness in the face of
opposition and the wiles of the Enemy.
Remarks. Largely a personal testimony, given at the age of 80 at an Appointed Meeting for
encouragement of others, during a time of drought.
Fall And Redemption of Man (2). Another, longer message on the same theme; this one an
Evangelistic sermon delivered at an Appointed Meeting held in the local Wesleyan Church;
also a farewell message.
ANN BRANSON:
An Early General Invitation. An abstract from her Journal of an early message, delivered to
a neighboring village in Ohio during a time of life threatening illness. Branson was Ohio
Yearly Meeting (Conservative.)
A Funeral Message and a Message to the Quarterly Meeting. Two short abstracts from her
Journal, both a warning nature; the first warning people of the possibility of their own
sudden death, the second warning that God would mar the pride of the present people, then
at war with each other.
Ministry And Worship. Delivered in Philadelphia, 1866, making reference to worship and
the presence of Christ, and instrumental ministry.
ELWOOD DEAN:
Like Unto Leaven. A short message on Jesus remarks on the Kingdom of Heaven being like
leaven, from a minister in Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative.) Thanks to Edsel Burdge
and Larry Kuenning for this one.
JOSEPH S. ELKINGTON:
As The Mountains Are Round About Jerusalem. A few words of encouragement to those
who were frustrated and discouraged, either because of their own weaknesses or the
weaknesses of the church. Also including a reminder not to dwell on that to the exclusion of
all else. Elkington is probably best known for his work with the Doukhobors, continued by
his son, Joseph, Jr. (below) and grandson, Howard.
JOSEPH S. ELKINGTON, JR.:
Ye Watchmen Who Stand Upon the Walls. Son of Joseph S. Elkington (above.) A very
brief (two sentences) exhortation to faithfulness.
SARAH LYNES GRUBB:
The Love of Many Is Waxed Cold. The basic themes are that the Society is in a lukewarm,
backslidden state, seeking after material good and worldly respectability, and facing the
wrath of God; concluding with a invitation to the youth. Classic themes from one of the
most vocal of the nineteenth century Friends, best known for her strenuous opposition to
Joseph John Gurney.
God Is Inviting Us to Walk in His Light. Typical Sarah Lynes Grubb, exhorting Friends
away from darkness and bondage (i.e. Gurneyism) and into faithfulness.
ANN JONES:
The Will of Him Who Sent Me. A Short message, delivered in 1832 before she became an
outspoken critic of Joseph John Gurney.
Your Bitter Cunning Shafts Will Return upon Your Own Heads Delivered before the Men's
Yearly Meeting in London, 1836, a strongly worded critique of the growing "evangelical"
influence among Friends and warning to those who she saw as trampling the historic
testimonies underfoot. This seems fairly typical of the anti-Gurney sermons I have
encountered so far, except for being more polite and tactful.
GEORGE JONES:
O That this May Be the Endeavour of Each of Our Minds. A short exhortation to seek the
Lord in silent meetings. George Jones was the husband of Ann Jones.
THOMAS SHILLITOE:
Your Condition is Not Hopeless: The First Address To The Inmates At Spandau Prison. In
1824 Shillitoe made four visits to the Spandau Prison in Prussia (now part of Germany) and
delivered sermons to the women, two to the men in prepared meetings, and one on a more
spontaneous nature to the men in a literacy class, two of which were taken down in Lewis
Seebohm's German translation; these were published (in the German) about ten years later,
and subsequently translated into English and published in England, and reprinted in The
Friend (Philadelphia.) This, the first, was delivered to the more well behaved and stable of
the men prisoners.
There Is Plenteous Redemption: the Second Address to the Inmates at Spandau Prison.
Shillitoe did not feel his work was finished after the first address, and requested (and was
reluctantly granted) a second meeting, this time with all the male prisoners, including the
more dangerous, hardened, disruptive and unstable inmates who were not permitted into the
first meeting for security reasons. This address was given to them.
Worship The Lord in The Beauty of Holiness. A short exhortation, calling upon the
listeners in the end to be found "as lights of the world" and "a city set on a hill."
Death Will Be Experienced in The Soul. Largely a warning against accumulating riches and
seeking to be conformed to the world.
ADAM SPENCER: (PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED)
Regeneration. A Conservative Friend from Ontario, Canada; this message is based on the
"You must be born again" passage in John, and was delivered at an Appointed Meeting
within Western Yearly Meeting (Conservative).
RUTH ANNA STANTON: (PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED)
Exhortation. An exhortation to worship, submit to God, etc. From Western Yearly Meeting,
(Conservative) in Indiana (no longer extant.)
Faithful Testimony. On maintaining traditional Friends testimonies and practices.
Free Agency. An exhortation and invitation to accept salvation.
Remarks. Addressed to the Yearly Meeting. Starting with Jesus's comment about Jerusalem
persecuting the prophets, and asking how that applies to those present; she also makes
reference to the tendency to find fault in others instead of moving forward on our own.
DANIEL WHEELER:
These Will Pass From Death Unto Life. Former career military person in the Navy and
Army, Wheeler was converted to Quakerism in a wholly silent Meeting. He spent much of
his life in Russia, and was also engaged in an ambitious tour of various Pacific Islands
including Somoa, Hawaii, New Zealand, etc. He died in the United States. A favorite of the
Conservative Friends, he was also the subject of highly favorable remarks by Hicksite
Samuel J. Levick and Gurneyite Joseph James Neave.
God Has a Seed Even in This Place. A summary of a message, taken from his Journal,
which was delivered in Rio de Janeiro, while on his way to his ambitious travels throughout
the Pacific. He begins by saying he had never anticipated being in such a place where there
was so much bigotry, superstition, and slavery, then goes into how God had a remnant even
there and proceeds to address that on true spiritual worship and the gospel.