Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the Gospel Part 18

It will be recollected that when John and Martha Yeardley were at Stuttgardt in 1826, they met with the Pastor Hoffman, and that they desired to visit the inst.i.tution at Kornthal, of which he was the director, but were obliged to forego this visit in order to hasten forward to Basle. They now prepared to discharge this debt of Christian love.

Kornthal is situated four miles from Stuttgardt; it was founded in 1819 by dissenters from the Moravians and Lutherans, and consisted in 1825 of about seventy families. J. and M.Y. went there on the 19th.

We were received, says the former, in a brotherly manner by the Director Hoffman. On entering the room we were informed that their pastor had died the night before; but instead of sorrow there seemed to be joy. This society holds it for a religious duty to rejoice when any of their members are favored to enter a state of endless bliss. This is religious fort.i.tude which but few possess, but I believe it is with them sincere, for in going over the inst.i.tution with the Director, I observed they spoke of it as a matter of holy triumph.

No meeting was held with the members of the establishment during this visit; it was left for J. and M.Y. to attend the usual evening a.s.sembly on First-day, the 21st; and they were informed that it would be an occasion on which any present who were moved by divine influence might freely relieve their minds.

At three o'clock, J.Y. writes, we set off to Kornthal under most trying feelings; I do not know when I have suffered so much from discouragement.

On account of the death of the pastor, many were come to attend the interment which was to take place the next day. This caused the meeting to be large; not less than 700 persons were present, and among them six or seven pastors. The service commenced with a few verses; the first words were these:--

"Holy Spirit come unto us, And make our hearts thy dwelling-place."

I can truly say I was awfully impressed with their meaning, and a secret prayer rose in my heart that it might be experienced amongst us. After the singing, a silence truly solemn ensued, and I intimated that I felt an impression to say a few words. When I sat down our kind friend the Director summed up the substance of what I had said, and repeated it in an impressive and becoming manner. He did this with the idea that some present who only understood Low German might not have clearly got the sense; however, we were told afterwards that they had understood every word that I had said. Hoffman generously acknowledged to the hearers that what had been delivered was strictly conformable with Scripture doctrine, and that he united most fully with it.

Next morning the children being a.s.sembled for religious instruction, at the conclusion I requested they might remain awhile, and I had a few words to say to them, which was a relief to my mind. Hoffman asked if they had understood; they almost all answered, Ja, ja, ja.

This visit has afforded an opportunity of our becoming acquainted with many serious characters out of the neighborhood who were come to the interment; many of them felt near to me in spirit. Hoffman's wife is a precious, still character; there is much sweetness in her countenance. All received us heartily in Christian love; it felt to me as if it were the night before one of our Monthly Meetings, and I was at a Friend's house, so much freedom was to be felt. The inn is kept by Hoffman; they would make us no charge, saying love must pay all. We were most easy to make a present to the box for the inst.i.tution, but they would have refused it, saying feelingly, Travellers like you have many expenses.

The cause for J.Y.'s peculiar discouragement in the prospect of this meeting was the want of an interpreter. Any one who knows the difficulty of public speaking or continuous discourse in a foreign language, will comprehend the anxiety which he felt when he saw no alternative but that of committing himself to preach in German. Though very familiar with the language, he never completely overcame the want of early and of thoroughly grammatical instruction in that difficult and intricate tongue. It was with feelings of this kind that he penned the following memorandum before going to Kornthal:--

18_th_.--Extremely low in mind and in want of faith. No creature can conceive what I suffer in the prospect of having to speak in a foreign tongue in a religious meeting.

At Stuttgardt they took leave of their endeared friend, Henry Kienlin.

It is, says J.Y., hard to part; but every one must follow his calling, and mind only the direction of the Lord.

On quitting Stuttgardt, John Yeardley makes a few remarks regarding the religious state of Wurtemberg.

22_nd_.--Wurtemberg is a favored land. In Feldbach, three hours from Stuttgardt, there are about 800 Christian people who hold meetings in each other's houses: some of them belong to the Kornthal Society. Years ago, many emigrated to America and Russia, to gain religious liberty; now it is granted them by their own Government.

On the 22nd, they journeyed to Tubingen, where they visited the worthy Professor Streundel.

He was surprised and shy when we entered, as if he wanted to say, The sooner you take leave the better. But as soon as he knew where we came from, his countenance changed, and he received us heartily. He had his wife called--a very polite person. He asked many questions as to our church discipline, &c.; the order of our Society pleased him much. He had undertaken the study of divinity from an apprehension of duty, and said that it was only by the a.s.sistance of the Holy Spirit we could be made instrumental in the ministry.

On the 25th they came to Wilhelmsdorf, on the Lake of Constance, where is a branch of the Kornthal a.s.sociation. They found the director "a man of great simplicity, but of inward worth."

He was, continues John Yeardley, six years in Kornthal, and seems to be sensible of the importance of the situation he fills, and of his incapability to be useful to others unless a.s.sisted by divine grace. He read our certificate attentively, and said, in a weighty manner, Yes; one Lord over all, one faith, one baptism. We found they have no regular preacher, but meet for wors.h.i.+p every evening and on First-day mornings. We were desirous of seeing them together, and they were pleased to find such was our intention. The bell was rung, and in a few minutes the whole colony a.s.sembled, about two hundred, with children. Much liberty was felt in speaking among them; and some of them appeared to be sensible of the value of true silence, and from whence words ought to spring; many shed tears under the melting influence of divine love which was so preciously to be felt amongst us. We took an affectionate leave, well satisfied in visiting this little company, to strengthen them to hold up the cause of their Lord and Master, in the midst of darkness. Within about thirty English miles there are none but rigid Roman Catholics, not one Evangelical congregation. At our departure my wife said: "These words arise in my mind for thy comfort: Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace."

At the inn where we stopped at Wilhelmsdorf, we were spectators of an occurrence rarely to be seen. Among the laborers who dined there, the one who had finished first read a chapter from the Bible to the rest. When all had done eating, one offered a prayer; and then all went quietly back to their work. This practice shows at least the sincerity of their hearts.

CHAPTER IX.

THE SECOND CONTINENTAL JOURNEY.

1827-28.

PART II.--SWITZERLAND.

On the 27th of the Tenth Month John and Martha Yeardley crossed the Swiss frontier to Schaffhausen, where their presence was welcomed by several pious persons. Amongst these were a young woman, Caroline Keller, who from a religions motive had altered her dress and manners to greater simplicity, and John Lang, Princ.i.p.al of the United Brethren's Society. In a social meeting convened on the evening of their arrival, J.L. directed the conversation to the principles of friends, and J. and M.Y. explained the views held by the Society on silent wors.h.i.+p, the ministry, and the disuse of ceremonies.

The [French] language, says J.Y., was difficult to me; but by the grace of G.o.d I was helped, and they were quite ready to seize the sense of what we endeavored to convey. The love of G.o.d was felt among us, and the Princ.i.p.al said, at parting, that he had not before been so impressed with our views. I sent him Tuke's "Principles," and he told me yesterday he was attentively studying it. My dear M.Y. told me it had been given her to believe we were in our right place, and that we were called by religious intercourse to bear witness for our Lord and Master and his good cause.

I am afraid, he remarks in a letter in which he describes their service at Schaffhausen, I am afraid thou wilt think me too minute in my details; but really when I enter into the feeling which accompanied us in these visits, it seems as if I could scarcely quit it.

They spent the 29th at Schaffhausen in close Christian communion with two pious families. To C.K. particularly, at whose house they dined, they felt so nearly united, that they scarcely knew how to part from her.

We have cause to be thankful, says J.Y., for our visit to Schaffhausen; but if we were more faithful we should be more useful. Our friends were quite inclined for us to have had a meeting with them, but we were too fearful to propose it. O vile weakness!

On the 31st they saw the Agricultural School for poor children at Beuggen.

Amongst the boys were twelve young Greeks, who were being instructed in ancient and modern Greek, and in German. They had been sent to Switzerland by the German missionaries, and most of them had been deprived of their parents by the cruelty of the Turks. It was the intention of their benefactors that they should return to Greece to enlighten their countrymen. Their religious instruction was based simply upon the Bible, without reference to any particular creed.

In the Greek school, writes John Yeardley, we observed a serious man about thirty years of age, who had the appearance of a laborer, learning Greek.

This was a little surprising, and led us to inquire the cause. The inspector readily gratified us: and gratifying indeed it was to hear that this poor man had given up his work of s.h.i.+p-carpenter, from pure conviction that he was called to go and instruct the poor Greeks at his own expense. He is intending to spend the winter in learning the modern Greek, and to proceed in the spring to Corfu. He intends to provide for his own living by working at his trade, and he will take for instruction about four boys at a time, and as soon as he has brought them forward enough, set them as monitors over others. Some time ago two young men were sent out by the Bible Society to Corfu; but before they reached the place of their destination they were deterred by the missionaries on account of the unsettled state of the country, and dared not proceed further for fear of losing their lives. It is remarkable that, at the juncture when these two young men were turned back by discouragement, this poor man should receive the impression to go to the same place. We desired to have an interview with him, and he was instantly sent for to the Inspector's room.

After a few remarks which opened for us to make to him, he confessed he had no peace but when he thought of giving up to this feeling of duty, and that when he looked towards going he felt happy in the prospect of every hards.h.i.+p. It was remarked that, as this call was made from above, the great Master alone could guide his steps; he appeared fully sensible from whom his help must come. He is beloved by his employers, and has an excellent certificate from the pastor, of his moral and religious character.

On the 2nd of the Eleventh Month they went to Zurich, and the same day drove out over a very bad road to Pfaffikon to visit the Herr von Campagne.

We had a cold wet journey, but the good old man gave us a hearty welcome to his house. He is seventy-six years of age. He asked us pleasantly how we came to think of visiting an old man who was on the brink of the grave.

He had heard much of Friends, and wished, he said, to become personally acquainted with some of the Society. He is a most benevolent character, but we could not unite with all his religious views; he does not think it necessary to meet for religious wors.h.i.+p; in short, his principles are much the same as those held by Jacob Bohmen.

We slept at his house, and next morning returned to Zurich, where we called on our particular friend Professor Gessner and his family, and we rejoiced mutually to see each other again.