DEATH OF MARTHA YEARDLEY, AND JOHN YEARDLEY'S JOURNEY TO NORWAY.
1851-2.
Martha Yeardley continued very unwell during the autumn, and by the end of
the year her disorder assumed a more alarming form. It soon became evident
that her dedicated life must at no distant period be brought to a close;
and after many weeks of suffering, with confinement to the chamber during
the latter part of the time, she expired, full of peace and hope in Christ
Jesus, in the Fifth Month, 1851. The following memorandum, touchingly
descriptive of her illness and death, was penned by her bereaved husband,
probably soon after her decease.
After our return from the Continental journey my beloved M.Y. became more
poorly. A severe influenza cold weakened her much; and a second attack she
seemed never to recover. It was succeeded by a regular rheumatic fever.
From the commencement of 1851, with but little exception, she was confined
to the house, and for a little while to her bed, until the 8th of the
Fifth Month, when her sweet and purified spirit ascended to her Saviour,
and commenced an eternity of bliss.
Thus was I deprived of my only earthly treasure. She was the Lord's
precious loan, granted me for nearly a quarter of a century, for which I
can never be sufficiently [thankful]. She was his own, bought with the
blood of his dear Son, and he saw meet to take her from me. Ours was a
blessed union, and a happy life, spent, I hope, unitedly in the service of
our Lord. In all our imperfections we did desire, above all earthly
things, to do the work of our Divine Master, and to labor for the
promotion of his kingdom, and for the spread of his knowledge in the
earth.
I was her only nurse till within ten days of her happy close. Long had a
covenant been made between us, in the time of health, that whichever of us
was taken ill the first, should be nursed by the surviving one, if
permitted and strength afforded; which it mercifully was to me, and a
happy season was the sick-room. We seemed to live together in heaven;
never, I think, could two mortals be more favored with the answer to
prayer.
In the early part of her illness she spoke much of the satisfaction she
had felt in our three last journeys to the Continent, and that she was
thankful in having been enabled to go through the whole of the service
which her Lord had put into her heart. I have since thought it was a mercy
that I did not proceed into South Russia, as, in all probability, my
precious one would have fallen on the journey, and never seen her peaceful
home again.
During the whole of the illness her delight was to speak of the joy of
heaven. My sins of omission and of commission, she said, are all passed
by; my iniquities are all forgiven, and washed away in the blood of the
Lamb; and now I rejoice in God my Saviour. His love and mercy to me are
beyond all bounds; and so strong is my faith in my precious Saviour, that
I have scarcely known, the whole of the illness, what it has been to be
troubled with an evil thought.
When she expressed a desire to go to Heaven, I reminded her of my
loneliness when she should be taken from me. The Lord will care for thee,
was her constant reply. He has promised me over and over again that he
will care for thee; the answer to my prayer has always been, I will care
for him.
Nearly the last conversation she had with any of her beloved relatives was
with ----, to whom she observed: My affection for thee is strong; I
believe thou lovest thy Saviour: I desire that thou mayest keep nothing
back that the Lord may require of thee, but serve him with greater
devotedness of heart; and if ever thou art called to bear public testimony
to his truth, be sure to preach the whole gospel, faith in Christ, and the
necessity of the practical work of the Holy Spirit to produce holiness of
life. To [another of her near relatives] she observed: Thou hast often
been sweetly visited by the love of thy Saviour, and be assured thou wilt
never find any joy equal to that of yielding thy heart in prompt obedience
to the will of thy Lord. Her last words to her affectionate sisters were,
The Lord bless you all: Farewell.
Towards the end of the year John Yeardley again communed with himself in
the language of sorrow, but also of humble resignation. At the same time
he speaks of an engagement of gospel labor from which he had then recently
returned, the first which he had undertaken alone since his marriage with
Martha Savory. Having seen his faithful and well-tried comrade fall by his
side, he had now to learn again to gird himself and enter, as in the days
of his youth, alone into the combat.
1851. 12 _mo._ 13.--How often have I prayed that the portion of her
Lord's spirit which animated her devoted life may rest on me! Her heart,
her tongue, and her pen were all employed in promoting the cause of her
Divine Master, whom she delighted to serve. All my earthly joy was now
gone to heaven, and I felt alone in the world; but my spirit seemed never
to be separated from her: she seemed to be hovering over me constantly. My
heart does sorrow for the loss of her sweet society; to me she was a wise
and sound counsellor, and a never-failing consoler in all my troubles. I
do mourn, but I dare not murmur. I hope my merciful Heavenly Father will
keep me in the hour of temptation, and be with me in the last trying hour,
and prepare me to join this precious one and all by whom she is surrounded
with her God and Saviour in the centre of bliss.
I had often mentioned to my precious one a prospect of religious service
in Ireland, and once since our return home from our last Continental
journey; when she replied, "I have no concern to go to Ireland--thou must
do that when I am taken from thee." It cost me many tears and prayers
before I could be resigned to request a certificate, alone, for the first
time since our union; but, looking seriously at the subject, the language
was constantly in my heart, The hour cometh when no man can work. Life is
uncertain, and I can only expect sustaining grace by faithfully following
my Lord: and, blessed be his name, he has kept and sustained me in every
trial.
This day would have been the twenty-fifth anniversary of our union. How
near it has brought my precious one to me in spirit, and how strong are my
prayers that my Lord may preserve me faithful to the end of the race! I
can say my desire is, when he cometh, he may not find me idle.
The visit which John Yeardley made in Ireland was general, comprehending
all, or nearly all, the meetings of Friends in the island, and including a
few public meetings in Leinster province. He has left very few notes of
this journey, except an itinerary of the places at which he stopped, but
makes frequent mention of the hospitality and kindness of Friends. From
Cork he writes:--
I am in the midst of a family visit to the Friends of Cork, and shall
have, I expect, from ninety to a hundred sittings. I am lodged a few miles
in the country, in a mansion surrounded by beautiful grounds, and all the
beloved inmates most affectionate and helpful to me. They send me to my
work in or about the city mostly to breakfast; and I return, in the
evening, and enjoy the refreshing breezes and the quiet: but then I have
the family visits to resume next morning. In riding to town to-day, I
tried to raise my heart to God; when the language sweetly occurred to me,
Bread shall be given thee, thy water shall be sure.--(_Letter of 8 mo.
5, 1851._)
A few days after his return from Ireland, he left home again to visit the
Isle of Man, in company with Barnard Dickenson. On his return, he was
refreshed by a visit to Dover, where he spent three weeks in the company
of his kind and sympathising friend Margaret Pope.
The interval which elapsed before the recommencement of his missionary
labors was to be short. In the First Month of 1852, we find him again
under exercise of mind for foreign travel; having, this time, to direct
his course towards the interesting community of religious persons in
Norway, whose principles and practices are the same as those of Friends.
The Diary which follows is the utterance of his heart in the prospect of
this work.
1852. 1 _mo._ 24.--This has been a precious morning unto my soul;
such a season of spiritual comfort I have not been permitted to experience
for a long time. I think it is vouchsafed me through the efficacy of
earnest prayer, which has brought me to resignation to my Lord's will. I
have now no more doubt as to Norway. Light springs on my path. How
powerful is the love of God when it fills the heart; there is not a place
on the Lord's earth where I think I could not go, if favored with the
strength, and blessed with the presence of my God and Saviour.
Unto thee, Lord, do I commit all my concerns, spiritual and temporal; do
thou give to thy unworthy servant an answer of peace. Keep me faithful and
patient to the end of the race. Lord, grant that my ministry, which thou
hast entrusted to me, may proceed purely and entirely from thy love, and
be exercised in thy fear and under the unction of thy Holy Spirit. Lord,
keep my heart fixed, on the last, last awful moment that I may have to
breathe; grant that it may be breathed out in the bosom of my adorable
Saviour; all sting of death taken away, my robes washed in his blood, and
my spirit purified and ready to be united to those beloved ones who are
already enjoying a blissful eternity with thee!
The next entry in the Diary was made at Christiania, where he thus speaks
of the unity and concurrence which his friends had testified with his
mission.
Since I last wrote any notes in this journal, I have passed through many
conflicts respecting my long-thought-of visit to Norway. When the subject
was proposed to my friends in London, it met with the warm encouragement
and sympathy of all, in every stage, to the receiving the full unity of
the Yearly Meeting of Ministers and Elders.
I am accompanied by my dear friend, Peter Bedford, whose sweet and
constantly cheerful spirits comfort and cheer me. We have already had many
proofs that our being joined together in this laborious journey is of the
Lord. Our friend William Robinson proves an efficient helper.
John Yeardley and his companions left London on the 9th of the Sixth
Month, and went first to Homburg, as he wished to place a young person in
whom he was interested, at the school kept by the sisters Müller at
Friedrichsdorf, near that town. Whilst at Homburg he was suddenly attacked
with a severe and painful disorder, and was reduced to great extremity.
After about two weeks of suffering, he was restored to convalescence, when
he thus breaks forth:--
How can I sufficiently record the mercy of my God in sustaining me in a
time of great extremity, even when there was but little prospect of my
ever seeing Norway. He blessed me with resignation and sustaining grace,
so that I could rest as on the Saviour's bosom, for life or death. I knew
my Lord and Master could do without my poor unworthy service in Norway;
but if he had work for me to do in that land he would raise me up in his
own time; and so he has done.
As soon as he had sufficiently recovered his strength, they set forth for
Kiel; but not before John Yeardley had had a religious meeting with the
pupils in the school.
I was, he says, enabled to address them in German; a precious feeling was
over us, and many spirits were tendered before the Lord. F. Müller
expressed her great satisfaction with this parting visit.
They reached Kiel by easy stages in seven days. From this place he
writes:--
My very soul pants to be in Norway; had I wings I could fly there. And yet
how few are the days since the cloud between me and that land was so dense
that I could not see through it. But even then, O, what sweet peace and
resignation were the clothing of my humbled spirit. There seemed nothing
in my way to heaven, whether from Germany or Norway. I do believe my eye
and heart are fixed on my precious Saviour, and he has been my stay in the
hour of sore conflict of body, but none of mind. All seemed peace and
bliss when I glanced at the happy home above, already inhabited by my
precious one and many more who were dear to us on earth.--(_Letter of
7 mo._ 2, 1852.)
On the 5th of the Seventh Month they proceeded to Christiania, John
Yeardley employing the time on the voyage in adding to the little stock of
the Norse language which he had acquired at home in anticipation of the
journey. On landing at Christiania they were refreshed by seeing Asbjön
Kloster of Stavanger, who had come to meet them, and for two weeks had
been waiting their arrival.
At a meeting which they held in this city, both John Yeardley and Peter
Bedford were engaged to minister to the spiritual wants of the people; A.
Kloster interpreting for them. The company were so much interested, that
many of them went afterwards to the hotel to converse and ask for tracts.
The Friends left Christiania on the 10th, and sailed through the
rock-bound sea to Christiansand, the passage between the cliffs being in
some places so narrow that there was no more room than was sufficient for
the vessel to pass.
In this town they enjoyed much freedom in the gospel, and held two public
meetings. Regarding the first of these, John Yeardley says:--
7 _mo_. 13.--Our large room at the hotel was filled half an hour
before the time appointed, and it was with difficulty that we made our way
to our seats. A little unsettlement prevailed from the desire to enter,
which subsided after a few explanatory words. A time of quiet ensued, and
there was much openness to receive the gospel message. Before the close of
the meeting I became exceedingly thoughtful about appointing another for
the next evening; and on intimating the same to P.B., I found he was under
the same impression. It was, therefore, announced to the assembly before
they separated, and appeared much to satisfy them. The dear people were
unwilling to part from us without a shake by the hand.--(_Diary and
Letter_.)
At one of the meetings which they held in this town, whilst John Yeardley
was preaching, he became sensible that his interpreter had himself
received something to communicate to the congregation; he therefore
stopped speaking, and the interpreter, faithful to his duty, took up the
word until he had cleared his mind from its burden. After he had finished,
John Yeardley resumed his discourse.
On the 14th the Friends drove out a few miles into the country to "pay
some family visits." They had two double carrioles, or gigs: the road over
which they passed was "steep and rugged beyond description." In returning,
the carriole in which Peter Bedford rode struck against a rock at a sharp
corner and was overset. Peter Bedford's right shoulder was dislocated, and
he otherwise bruised. In conveying him into Christiansand he suffered much
from the shaking of the car; but the joint was quickly set by a skilful
surgeon; and, in the evening, the love he felt for the people was so
strong, that he could not remain absent from the meeting which had been
appointed for that time, and he even took part in its vocal exercise.
It was, writes John Yeardley, a favored time. Peter Bedford gave some
account of the difference between our religious Society and other
professing Christians. It opened the way for me to speak on the peculiar
doctrines and practices of Friends at more length than I ever remember to
have done before; after which the glad tidings of the gospel flowed
freely, and the people were invited to come to Christ and partake of the
full blessedness of his teaching by the Holy Spirit. A precious solemnity
prevailed, and the serious attention of the company was great. A good many
soldiers, and some officers, were present; but the expression of our
dissent from all wars and fightings had not displeased them, for they
shook hands with US most kindly.--(_Diary and Letter_.)
Besides being interested for the people of Christiansand in general, John
Yeardley and Peter Bedford were especially attracted towards several young
men who had embraced the doctrines of Friends, without any knowledge of
the Society, and without any instruction from man. With these persons they
met more than once. John Yeardley writes:--
"We had a precious meeting with them. They were invited to embrace the
doctrines of the gospel in living faith, and to give full room to the
workings of the Spirit of Jesus, whose voice they had already heard
inviting them to come under his teaching. We encouraged them to meet for
divine worship."
On the 16th the Friends proceeded thirty-five miles to Mandal, travelling
post. From thence, John Yeardley and Asbjön Kloster went by the road to
Stavanger, leaving Peter Bedford and William Robinson to follow by
steam-vessel, the former being unable to bear the motion of the Norwegian
carriages.
John Yeardley, in one of his letters, in a lively manner describes the
mode of travelling:--
The usual vehicle in this country is the single-seated carriole, made
exactly to fit the figure of the traveller, and no spare room except a
little well under his feet. The seat is placed on two crossbars fixed to
the long shafts, the spring of which is intended to mitigate the jolting
of the road. We chose double cars on iron springs, which we found _not
too easy_: they were like old-fashioned, worn-out, and very shabby
English gigs. The posting is under government regulation, and is performed
by sure-footed ponies kept by the farmers, who are obliged to supply them
under any circumstances after having had notice. A _forbud_ is sent
on with printed notices filled up with the time at which the traveller
expects to arrive at each station. This _avant-courier_ is often a
little boy, and sometimes, to save the expense of a horse, for which the
traveller has paid, he is sent on foot. On one occasion we met a young
girl, with bare feat, who had walked sixteen miles with notice papers, as
our _forbud_. Now away goes the traveller, accompanied by a man, or
more often a boy, or it may be a little girl, to bring back the pony. They
run by the side, but down hills always seat themselves behind on the
luggage as best they can. The traveller drives himself, and the little
horses are so brisk that, whatever the state of the road may be, they run
down the mountains as fast as they can clatter, and so sure-footed that
they are scarcely ever known to fall; but a person of weak nerves has no
business to be the rider.
From Christiansand to Stavanger is about 200 miles, which took us four
days. Our road lay occasionally over a wild and stony heath by the sea,
sometimes along the river-banks, lakes, or fiords, but more often among
and upon the high and rugged rocks; the passing of some of which is, I
think, more difficult than crossing the Alps between Switzerland and
Italy.--(_letter of 8 mo. 3._)
On the way towards Stavanger John Yeardley had a public meeting at
Flekkefiord, the first time such a meeting had been held in the place. It
was "a good time," and so well attended that the town-hall could not
contain nearly all who came together.
Immediately on arriving at Stavanger, the Friends commenced visiting the
families of the Friends in the town and on the adjacent islands; and on
the next First-day held a meeting about eleven miles up one of the fiords,
to which so many flocked from all directions that they were obliged to
assemble in the open air:--
It was, says J.Y., a lovely sight to see so many clean-dressed peasants,
in their mountain costume, with a seriousness in their countenances which
indicated that a motive better than curiosity had brought them together. I
was reminded and had to speak of the miracle of our blessed Saviour, when
he commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass, and fed them with
five barley loaves and two fishes.
Since this time, he says in a letter, we hold our public meetings in the
open air, and the stillness that prevails is quite remarkable. Last
evening we had a solemn opportunity in a plantation belonging to one of
our Friends by the seaside. The hushing of the trees, the gentle rolling
of the waves behind a strong sea-wall, and the warbling of the little
birds, all seemed to aid our worship; but these would have been nothing
had not the presence of our Divine Master been near. After the meeting, as
many as could be seated partook of tea, &c. The seriousness, simplicity,
kindness and hospitality, are great. All flock together as if they were
one family.--(7 _mo_. 28.)
After this the Friends availed themselves of the efficient assistance of
Endré Dahl, and of the active peasants who form a large portion of the
Society of Friends there, in a more extensive excursion which they made up
one of the fiords which in so remarkable a manner intersect the country.
John Yeardley gives a graphic description of this voyage.
Our efficient helper prepared his own boat; our ship's company are all
volunteers. We set out with seven, but were joined by others on the way,
so that this morning we started with ten men. They are a most cheerful and
playful company, all interested in the object of our voyage. It does my
heart good to see with what delight they bring planks for seats, and run
in all directions to give notice of our meetings. Each seems to strive
which shall show us the most attention, even anticipating our wants. They
enjoy our family readings and worship; their conduct is instructive; and
the solemnity on these occasions precious.
On Fifth-day we landed on an island (Findon) sprinkled with trees, and
with a park-like bank sloping to the water. This was refreshing to the eye
after having seen nothing but bare rook for many days. The meeting was at
our friend's house who owned the pretty little farm. It was sweet and
refreshing; and afterwards a number of these people accompanied us to the
boat, and did not quit their standing till we were out of sight. My heart
yearned towards them in gospel love.
Next morning we started before 6 o'clock, and when we had rowed fourteen
English miles put into a little village, Ielsom. We were all strangers in
the place, and Friends and their principles unknown. Our friend Endré Dahl
had a pointing that we should try for a meeting, which was appointed for
2 o'clock. After waiting till 3, only one or two persons came, and we had
a consultation whether we should proceed on our voyage, but concluded it
safer to go in and sit down. When we were seated (I may say in faith),
first one and then another came in, till the large room and passage were
filled, and a number were outside under the windows. It was quite a
remarkable meeting, and we were well satisfied in having exercised
patience as well as a little faith. We were informed that it was the
custom of the place not to attend any appointed meeting till an hour after
the time named.
We arrived at Sand about 9 o'clock, after hard rowing, the tide being
against us. Sand is beautifully placed at an opening in the rocks, at the
mouth of a river where salmon-fishing is good. As soon as we landed, our
ship's company made the object of our journey known, when a
serious-looking man immediately offered to go about six miles to inform a
person who he knew would like to attend. Two individuals in this place
have for some time been in the practice of holding a silent meeting for
worship; they had no knowledge of Friends, nor Friends of them.
Fixing the meeting for the First-day evening, John Yeardley and his
companions pursued their way the next morning, which was Seventh-day, to
Sävde, situated at the head of the fiord, and consequently the extreme
point of their voyage. Before starting they went a little way up the Sand
river, to view one of the grand Norwegian waterfalls, and also to see how
the salmon-fishery is conducted.
A hamper of about six feet in diameter, and the same height, made by the
fisherman of the roughest wicker-work, is placed in a side stream of the
rock, in the bed of the river. The anxiety of the salmon to mount up the
stream is so great, that he forces himself through a hole into the hamper,
as the easiest way of advancing upwards, from which position he cannot
again escape. In this manner, in a favorable season, sixty-three salmon
have been caught in one night in a single basket. It is a source of wealth
to the little town of Sand.
At Sävde they held a meeting on First-day morning.
We reached the head of the fiord, writes John Yeardley by 12 o'clock, and
found but poor accommodation. We three had one room with three beds; Endré
Dahl with his willing-hearted and contented men lodged in a barn on straw.
There was time enough to arrange for a meeting in the morning, and we
applied for a room at the inn; but a little knot of illiberal Haugeans
[followers of Hauge], or _Saints_, as they call themselves, persuaded
our landlord not to let us meet in his house. But we obtained better
accommodation under the rocks in a house containing two rooms connected by
a passage, and, seating ourselves in the centre, could be well heard by
those outside the door. We had a good meeting.
Returning to Sand, he continues:--
The wind being against us, the men had to work very hard at the oar to
bring us in time for the meeting appointed for 6 o'clock at Sand. Some of
the Friends from near Sävde accompanied us in their small boat; and some
from Sand had gone many miles to attend the meeting at Sävde, and returned
to the one at Sand. Their zeal is great and their love fervent. This was a
very crowded meeting, and proved a satisfactory time. We found here a few
of the _Saints_, but of a more liberal cast; they expressed great
grief that their brethren at the head of the fiord had refused the
peaceable messengers of the gospel from a far country a house in which to
meet. This unwelcome news had reached them long before our arrival.
At a later date, John Yeardley relates an occurrence which happened at
Sand, worthy of note in itself, and which must have been not a little
confirmatory of his faith. It came to his knowledge after his return to
Stavanger.
When we were at Sand, one of the Friends who joins in holding the silent
meeting invited several of our ship's company to his house; but the man's
wife was so exasperated that she drove them away, saying she would not
have such folks under her roof. She had confounded the principles of
Friends with those of some wild persons who had gone about the country
spreading ranterism, and giving the people the idea that they were of our
Society. It was in vain to reason with her, and the husband, for the sake
of peace, mildly consented to let the Friends withdraw. However, she
attended our public meeting, where the gospel doctrine of our Society was
pretty fully illustrated; and I felt constrained also to preach on the
unreasonableness of persecution for conscience' sake, either by the
government, private persons, or families. Conviction seized her heart, and
she became broken to pieces. After the meeting she sought up the Friends
whom she had driven from her house, and told them she could not be happy
unless they would give her a proof of forgiveness by taking up their abode
in her family so long as they might remain in the place. Several of them
accepted the invitation, which gave them an opportunity for free and
satisfactory conversation.
How merciful are the Lord's doings with us in sending help in the needful
time! I was so spent when we arrived at Sand, having had nothing from
breakfast till 5 o'clock, that I said in my heart, It is impossible to get
through the meeting this evening.
The Friends had some religions service at several other places about
Stavanger, and on the 6th of the Eighth Month proceeded northward to
Bergen, accompanied by Endré Dahl and his wife and Asbjön Kloster. Their
chief service in this city was a public meeting, at which there was a
large attendance. John Yeardley says of the meeting:--
There was a great mixture of feeling. Many pious, thirsty souls, I
believe, were present, and I hope such were encouraged and comforted; but
the strong impression on my mind was to call the sinner to repentance.
On their way back to Stavanger, among the passengers were two Finland
convicts, for whose peculiar case they felt much sympathy.
On board our steamer were two prisoners on the deck, in heavy irons. They
were natives of Finland, and had been sentenced to some months'
confinement in irons at Christiania, for having, it is said, committed
some outrage on the priest in disturbing the national worship. There has
for some time past been a great awakening about religion in Finland and
other parts of the North, and the most active among this number, in their
zeal not tempered with right knowledge, have transgressed the law. I
heartily pitied the two poor creatures, inasmuch as I feared justice had
not been done them; the prejudices of the priests and judges are so great
in all matters connected with any separation from the national worship.
They were chained together, and were clothed in their native reindeer
skins, and on their ironed feet were snow-sandals turned up with a long
toe. We offered them money, but they turned from it; and when acceptance
of it was pressed, their change of countenance indicated anger. They
understood nothing but the Finnish language.
On their return to Stavanger, Peter Bedford felt that his share in the
work was accomplished, and that it was not his part to accompany John
Yeardley in the service which remained for the latter to do in Norway.
After being present at another public meeting in Stavanger, and in a
parting interview with the Friends of the town, he went with William
Robinson direct to Kiel. John Yeardley had two or three more meetings in
the neighborhood of Stavanger, where the desire of the people to attend
was more remarkable than ever.
On the 11th of the Eighth Month he bade farewell to this interesting
place, and, accompanied by Endré Dahl, again crossed the mountains to
Christiansand, holding meetings at several places on the sea-coast, where
none had ever been held before. His notices of some of these meetings are
well worth transcription.
14_th_--Journeyed about fourteen miles up the fiord, into the
mountains, to Aamut in Qvindesdalen. This meeting was the most solemn of
any we have had. Many said, in tears, at the conclusion, This is a
doctrine that we cannot resist; it goes to our heart, and meets the
conviction of our own experience. What shall we do?--our heart burns
within us!
15_th_.--We returned to Foedde to a meeting this afternoon, which
was, I think, the largest we have had. There were two large rooms filled,
and a number seated on planks on the grass; not less than about 700
persons were present. Many followed us to the lodging, to converse on
subjects that lay near their hearts, and to ask for tracts and books.
Among them was a man who goes about to exhort the people to amendment of
life. He appeared to be a simple, sincere character, and was much
satisfied with our meeting, saying, as if from the bottom of his heart,
How remarkably, how wonderfully, have the truths of the gospel been opened
and explained to us this day!
16_th_.--At Fahrsund we had some difficulty to procure a place for a
meeting. It is a brandy-drinking place. No one would bear anything of our
business. A rich old lady has a large room which she lets for all kinds of
purposes except for anything connected with _religion_; she gave an
abrupt refusal to the application. E. Dahl and I went to the English
vice-consul, showed him my certificate, and explained to him the object of
my visit to Fahrsund. He kindly accompanied us to the old lady, and told
her that we belonged to a respectable religious society in England and
were not the persons she supposed, come to preach wild doctrines. She
consented to let us occupy the entrance-hall, which was good and spacious.
The consul then went with me to call on the sheriff; he said he and his
lady would attend the meeting, which they did, with a good many of the
respectable inhabitants, but the common people would not come near us. One
man to whom a notice was offered, when he saw the word _worship_,
immediately tore it to pieces. The lady to whom the room belonged sat near
me all the meeting, and looked serious before the close; and she took
leave of us with very different feeling from that in which she first met
us. The sheriff came to me after the meeting and offered his hand, saying,
I thank you for the present occasion--I shall never forget it.
Before the meeting at Foedde John Yeardley had an opportunity of
refreshing his mind with the charms of Norwegian nature.
My friend E. Dahl and I went out for a quiet walk. It was a lovely Sabbath
morning; the sky cloudless, and the sun shining brightly on the water as
it rapidly foamed down the cliffs. After gathering a few cranberries we
seated ourselves on a shady rock to meditate. All was silent
around--nothing heard but the shepherd-boy playing his horn; the sound
coming from the distant mountains into the wooded valley where we sat,
first shrill, then softening into a simple irregular note. My friend asked
me what I thought the instrument was. It is made, said he, of a goat's
horn, and is blown to keep the fox from taking the young lambs, and as a
means of communication with other shepherds when widely separated on the
mountains; the sound of this horn also keeps the sheep from straying.
They arrived at Christiansand on the 19th; and Endré Dahl, finding a
vessel sailing for Stavanger, engaged a passage in it for himself. After
parting with him, John Yeardley writes:--
E. Dahl and I have been closely united in the gospel bond; he has been a
truly affectionate sympathizer and efficient helper. I am thus, he
continues, left alone in a strange land; but I do feel a peaceful and a
thankful heart to my Heavenly Father that he has in mercy blessed me with
light, strength, and faith to go through this service in Norway.
Imperfectly has it been performed, I know; but I have done what I could,
and a song of thanksgiving is due to my Lord.
John Yeardley returned by Germany to England. At Obernkirchen, near
Minden, where some persons had not long before been convinced of Friends'
principles, he had a meeting, in which he was joined by a number of
Friends from Minden. A few years before, Thomas Arnett, from America,
desired to hold a meeting for worship in this place, but was prevented by
the police. The object was now accomplished by engaging a room without the
limits of the state of Bückeburg, in which the town is situated, and
within the Hessian frontier, which includes, in fact, a part of
Obernkirchen.
A public meeting for worship in that place (says John Yeardley, in a
letter written after his return home,) was such a new thing, that on our
arrival we found a press of persons whom the room could by no means
contain. The landlord readily granted us his barn, which was commodious,
and we threw open the large doors into the yard, which was seated; besides
which, the people stood in numbers. We had a solemn meeting. There is a
little company who hold a meeting at Obernkirchen; several of these have
suffered on account of their religions scruples in refusing baptism to
their children, &c. These we invited after meeting to take coffee with us,
about thirty persons, all serious. It was a delightful occasion. After the
coffee we had a sweet parting meeting with this truly interesting company.
We had been given to expect that, although we had taken the precaution to
_pitch our tent_ without the limits of the intolerant place, the
police would be present, and would most probably disperse our assembly.
But no such thing;--all was quiet.
I was thankful (he adds in his Diary) that the meeting was held in quiet,
for there is a bitter feeling of persecution in the neighborhood. I was
previously much cast down, but "thanks be unto God who always causeth us
to triumph in Christ."