with Friends, in her belief respecting some parts of the New Testament, particularly those relating to the miraculous conception and miracles of Christ in which she read to us what she termed the explanation of her sentiments on those points. And on paying the closest attention we were capable of, on only hearing them read, (she wholly declining a verbal explanation of them,) she does not clear up the matter of charge against her to our satisfaction, so far as to unite in a belief that it will be best for the Meeting to leave her at liberty to speak as a Minister of our Society. Signed by

Hannah Jenkins,

Judith Macy,

Avis Alsop,

Joseph Mitchel,
Thomas Comstock,
Sylvanus Gardner,
Elihu Bunker,
Solomon Bunker,
Sylvanus Macy,

The Monthly Meeting having acted upon this Report, and silenced H. B. she gave immediate notice of an appeal to the Quarterly. I shall give, as specimens of her manner and of the disciplinary proceedings on that side, (with the like caution to the reader as before,) a few more extracts.

"The next Quarterly Meeting was held at Standford, the 13th of the 2nd mo. 1802. I attended the meeting for worship, and then retired to Daniel Upton's. After some time, Barzillai Bunker and Job Webb called, and said they were directed by the meeting to ask me if I still intended to prosecute my appeal. I told them, as I had given regular notice of my intention, if I had changed my mind it would have been my business to inform them of it. About an hour after they called again, to let me know the meeting was ready for me to appear before them.

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After a short pause,

My husband and Mary Macy accompanied me. the minute of Hudson Monthly Meeting was read, containing information of my notice of appeal, and the appointment of a number of respondents on the occasion. When I requested a copy, Tiddeman Hull observed the meeting might consider of that, after the appointment of a committee of appeal; which he proposed as the most regular step. [Here followed some altercation, on the subject of the copy demanded, but finally refused.]

"So they proceeded to appoint a committee; after which I requested a copy of that minute, and of the [before-mentioned] minute of the Monthly Meeting. It was then proposed [as a question] whether the women friends might not be at liberty to withdraw. But before we withdrew, I rose and said, that having had an endorsement on my certificate from Hudson Monthly Meeting, for my European journey, from the Quarterly Meeting of Ninepartners, (of which they at that time constituted a part,) I now informed them that I had performed the journey and service, which I believed duty to my Creator required, I hoped according to the best knowledge and ability afforded me: [how, and when? Ed.] That, instead of a certificate from the Society in that land, of acceptance and unity with my labours, they had sent over in writing a charge against me of unsoundness of principles; but after many serious and careful examinations, I felt myself fully warranted in thus openly declaring, that I was not conscious of having avowed any sentiment, either in Europe or America, on either of the points of charge, which I was not fully supported and justified in by the printed works of approved authors in the Society; of whom I would mention two, namely, Robert Barclay and Anthony Benezet [!]: adding, I am now ready to take leave of the Meeting. We then retired." p. 47.

6

Hannah does not appear ever again to have entered a men's meeting : the remainder of the dealing' was in the committee. In the course of it there occurred many things as characteristic of the woman as before, but which I have not room to exhibit at length. At the first sitting she again introduced, in addition to the company of her husband, Mary Macy; whom the Friends did not incline (it seems) to trust with the opportunity of divulging what passed, and so were obliged to exclude her by an unanimous vote; H. B. not choosing to take any thing less as a refusal. She demanded the Quarterly Meeting's minute appointing them, and on being refused took down all their names, including the respondents, and made them verify her list.

"I told them (she says) I complained of the meeting and its committee, for having condemned me as unsound on both the points of charge. I complained of the committee for doing it after I had, at their request, laid before them the irregular and unreasonable proceedings of the several meetings in London, against me, when I had proved myself fully justified in those points, by the approved doctrines of the Society circulating in print. That Thomas Comstock, one of the committee, a short time before his appointment, voluntarily declared to me, in the presence of my daughter, HE never should think of breaking unity with any one of his brethren or sisters, on account of their opinions respecting the Jewish wars; whether such opinion was for or against their divine authority. And another of them had since acknowledged to me, before many witnesses, that he was fully of my mind respecting war; and also that he did not consider miracles in any other light (as to their essentiality) than I did; and that they appeared to him to rest on the very same (viz. historic) evidence."

p. 50.

In summing up her 'complaint,' after much had passed with the respondents and committee, she told them they had neither discipline [rule] nor prescriptive usage at present in the Society, for making her an offender on either point; and that she was able to make it appear, to any number of competent, impartial judges, that she had in fact only republished the printed doctrines of the Society. She gave them for perusal on her behalf the following papers of her own; viz. her Appeal to the Yearly Meeting in London; Statement to the London Quarterly Meeting's Committee; Comparative View of Barclay's Sentiments with those of H. B. on Miracles; and, lastly, a pamphlet of Anthony Benezet's, reprinted at London 1800, entitled, The plainness and innocent simplicity of the Christian religion, with its salutary effects, compared to the corrupting

nature and dreadful effects of war.'

At a subsequent conference with the committee, on the 15th of Third month, a question arose respecting her having circulated a book which called in question the truth and authority of three of the Evangelists,' which she immediately let them know was Evanson's Dissonance ;' and justified it against the imputation of one of the committee, of being a pernicious book:' she says,

6

It was sent me by a respectable friend [probably 'Thos. Foster, of whose own case' by and bye, in the Summary'] a short time after I was condemned by the Select Yearly Meeting in London, with a letter testifying his high opinion of the author's respectability; not only as to his natural understanding and acquired knowledge, but also as a sincere conscientious

man.

And though the author had candidly stated, what he considered, evident marks of spuriousness in some part of the four Evangelists, yet he professed himself a sincere believer in the truth and divine excellence of the gospel of Jesus Christ; and that, so far from intending to lessen its credit, he believed it necessary, in order to rescue it from objection and discredit, [with the wise in the wisdom of this world,] to purge its genuine essence from corrupt and spurious additions. Judging I suppose (as I did) with Alexander Geddes, the author of a late translation of the Bible which I have in my possession, that the Christian religion had been more injured by its professed friends than by its openly avowed enemies; and that it is time for Christianity to learn to walk alone, without Jewish leading-strings or Gentile go-carts; and I recommended his translation to them, as a work well worth their serious perusal." p. 54.

"I must say, I differed from Tiddeman Hull respecting uniformity of belief among the Society: I had on this occasion no small opportunity of making discoveries respecting it; and I had found almost as many opinions as persons. Soon after I was arrived in London, a young woman told me she had, since hearing so much about it, separately asked two of the members of the Morning Meeting' in one day, whether Friends believed the doctrine of the Trinity: one of whom told her yes and the other no:" [and both, truly. Ed.]

And he having asserted that the society was now differently circumstanced, in not having to oppose a set of people who almost idolized the Scriptures,' she thought many of the leaders in our society did as much. 'Among whom (she said) I could instance Martha Routh, who declared at a meeting in London at which I was present, a year ago that very day, that she believed with all her soul, the whole of the Scriptures to be the pure truth of God, given forth by divine inspiration, from the book called Genesis to the very end of Revelation! And she prayed the Lord to take her suddenly out of the world, rather than suffer her to live to doubt any part of it. And my husband added, that he could not tell how she would explain herself, if she was there present; but this he knew, that he was present at a meeting in New York, a few months before, when she expressed herself in the same way.' p. 57.

Other books, circulated by H. B. in the same cause, came up now for censnre; as also her having allowed her daughter (who was of age it seems) to go to church; and herself not constantly attending meetings. She referred as to the first part, to her daughter's self-if intended to fall under censure on that account: to the second, she alleged the cold, uncomfortable, and even dangerous situation of the Meeting-house.'

6

"At length_Elihu Bunker said, there was another book in circulation, signed John Hancock, (entitled Reasons for withdrawing from society with the people called Quakers,' 1802,) which he considered pernicious; though he supposed I should call that implicit belief,' for he confessed he had not read it. And for his own part, he did not think it at all proper for such poor weak creatures as he was, to undertake to read and judge of books for themselves: when there were so many who were so much better judges! I then took the liberty of remarking to him, that he completely made a tenth figure of his own judgment [at least] by such a declaration. They then proposed to retire: when Job Webb said, he thought he should not go away easy without mentioning one thing more; which was, that a Friend who had been to the Westward told him, that he heard a per

66

son there [where?] say, he heard me tell his brother, that I had been endeavouring for many years to find out who [what] Jesus Christ was: and I thought I had at length found out that he was but a man; only our elder brother. And he wished to know whether I had used those expressions."

p. 61.

She gave a complete Non mi ricordo' to the Friend's question; but fully justified the expression of our elder brother,' on the alleged authority of that esteemed elder brother, Thomas Scattergood; and cited, as to the other part, the apostle Peter himself calling our Lord, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God.' And concluded with reproaching the committee, for reverting to such pitiful things' for matter of accusation against her! I may here observe that in a case of wrong, or wicked lewdness,' some act of immorality or injustice, or even breach of order or observance, it is highly proper that the specific offence be charged and made out-and that we do not expect the party to accuse himself, in a Meeting for Discipline. But in a question of our law and doctrine, and whether a person be, or be not, fit to exercise ministry among us, it is not unreasonable to expect him, or her, to make some concession or disclosure of that discrepancy which, concealed, must tend to eat out charity; and, published among us, to breed schism. Yet, from the usual previous abatement of confidence, and breach of the unity of spirit, (which is the bond of our peace as a body) among the parties in such discussions, the result is commonly nothing better than a mere disclosure of the will of the majority to exclude the offending party, be he right or wrong upon the matter. This is also a deplorable, but in my judgment inevitable, result of discouragements thrown, by a gathered church, in the way of a sound doctrinal instruction of all its members!

The conferences with the Committee of appeal going on thus, to no purpose as to the discipline, the Monthly Meeting took up her case anew, on the question of her continuance in membership and on the 23rd of 3rd Month, Tiddeman Hull with other Friends paid her a visit of dealing' on this account. She had been so often disappointed about copies of papers that, when this Committee sat down with her at her home, and offered to read to her the following document, she rose and stepped up to the Friend above named, and took it out of his hand, as if to read it herself. Having thus obtained (and perceived the tenor of) the paper, she refused to return it; and after some altercation, told them she sidered it fairly obtained and chose to copy it;' which she did at her own desk, they continuing their objections. She was in her own house,' ، with her husband, and above them in point of spirit: and we need not wonder that, after some further unsatisfactory conversation, as to the right of the Monthly Meeting thus to take up her case again, pending an appeal about her ministry, she walked out of the room; and they quitted the house!

con

The Minute: "The subject relative to Hannah Barnard being again revived, and after a time of solid deliberation thereon, it is thought proper to say, that the matter of charge exhibited against her was considered altogether sufficient to disown her upon but a hope was entertained, that taking the step we have already done, of silencing her as a minister, might have

led her to some more serious reflection, and self-examination. But that not appearing to be the case, the Meeting concludes to appoint Tiddeman Hull, Timothy Crandle, John Macy, John Alsop, Sylvanus Gardner and John White, to make her another visit, in conjunction with an appointment from the Women's Meeting, [Anna Gellston and Kezia Jenkins attended] to report to next Meeting. Extract from the Minutes of Hudson Mo. Meeting: 3 mo. 23, 1802, John Alsop, Assistant Clerk." p. 62.

"On Seventh day, the 8th of the 5th Mo. 1802, the next Quarterly Meeting was held at Standford; and being informed there was no occasion for my attending-I took care to intrust verbal information with my husband, of my intention to appeal to the Yearly Meeting, if the meeting confirmed the judgment of Hudson Monthly Meeting; which he informed me he delivered accordingly, but to no purpose. [I conclude, as being informal or superseded. Ed.] And on second day, the 10th, Abraham Macy called to let me know that he, with one more, was appointed by the Quarterly Meeting to inform me, they had confirmed the judgment of Hudson Monthly Meeting, and that the meeting did not consider I had any right [now left] of appeal to the Yearly Meeting." p. 64.

Hannah Barnard upon this wrote a letter, addressed to the Yearly Meeting of Ministers and Elders, to be held in New York, 22nd of 5th Mo. 1802,' to the like purport with her former communications to the Monthly and Quarterly Meetings, respecting her visit to Europe, and certificate from the Friends of Ireland; with the denial of her request for one (upon a charge of unsoundness of principles') by the Yearly Meeting of London. She gave this to a friend going to Yearly Meeting at New York, who reported she delivered it: which' (says Hannah) is the last I have ever heard of it, either directly or indirectly.'

There remains now to be noticed only her separation from the Society, by the following act of the Monthly Meeting of Hudson, delivered to her on the 27th of the 6th Month, by four Friends.

“Whereas Hannah Barnard, of the city of Hudson, in the State of New York, having been a favoured member and acknowledged minister among us the people called Quakers, endowed with talents and qualifications for service in the church of Christ; and had she continued to experience a humble abiding under the influence of the precious principle of light and grace in her own heart, which would have preserved her in that humility, meekness and self-denial, that beautifies and ever should adorn a minister of Christ, and in a conduct consistent with the dignity of our profession, she might have been eminently useful: but unhappily, by giving way to an aspiring exalted mind, she hath so far become clouded in her understanding, and led away by a spirit of delusion, as to call in question the authenticity of various parts of the Scriptures of truth, both of the Old and New Testament, which, in common with other professors of faith in Christ, we have always acknowledged to be of divine authority, and most surely believed by us: particularly, she does not unite with the Society, in acknowledging the truth of that part which relates to the miracles and miraculous conception of Christ: that she hath not only imbibed those erroneous and dangerous sentiments, but is assiduous in disseminating them among others-hence it evidently appears that she is not one with us, in principle nor in practice: and having had abundant labour bestowed upon her by Friends, in a private way as well as by divers meetings in Great Britain, in order to convince her of the dangerous tendency of the sentiments she entertains, and if possible to avert the evils which appeared to await her: