Nurturing ministers Case study #3: Encouraging an experienced traveler

John Griffith (1713-1776), born in Wales, emigrated with his elder brother to Pennsylvania There he established home and work, began a family, and found himself called into the ministry. His journal is full of interest.

When his wife died, leaving him with small children, he placed these with relatives for care and upbringing, because he felt that his calling to the ministry was about to require him to be free to move as called. In 1747, he was led to return to Great Britain. He had an adventurous voyage, during which his ship was captured by a French privateer, and the ship’s company was taken prisoner to France.  Eventually, after a brief captivity,  John arrived in England.  He visited his mother and siblings, but spent much of two years traveling in England, Ireland, and Wales.
In the course of his labors in Yorkshire, Griffith and his companion were hosted by David Hall and his wife, where he was refreshed, while having opportunities to minister to Friends and others in the region, until he was called elsewhere. A few days along, he received the following letter from David Hall.  It is worth taking a little time over, so I reproduce it here in full.

Dear Friend John Griffith
In the sweet spirit and fellowship of the everlasting and glorious gospel of peace, I hereby kindly salute thee, and thy dear companion and fellow-labourer, in the acceptable work thou art now engaged in; not forgetting his worthy consort, Margaret, when thou seest her.
Be not at all discouraged on any account, for I trust thy good Lord and master, whom thou serves, who made thee willing to leave thy outward habitation, and little ones, and to traverse the rugged ocean with thy life in thy hand, as an ambassador in Christ’s stead, to preach glad tidings of good things to the meek; to call upon and rouse the indolent and careless; to direct the straying sheep unto the fold of rest; to raise the drooping ones, that are now too low, and endeavour to bring down the lofty, that are too high, to the true centre, even the midst of the path of judgment: in short, to bring unto us the pledges of thy master’s love and thine, and to receive ours; who, after he had in his wisdom and counsel, suffered thee to be taken captive for the trial of thy faith, in mercy ransomed thee as an evidence of his power, will never leave thee nor forfake thee.
I have unity with thy spirit, gift, and with the manner of the administration thereof. I intreat thee, dear brother, keep to thy steady bottom way. The present state of the church loudly calls upon us, for the entire resignation, faith, hope, charity, and patience of the ministers of the gospel.
The diversities of gifts, operations, and administrations, from the one spirit, are beautiful and ferviceable: as the stars in the firmament are not all of one magnitude; have not all one station nor degree of lustre, but are each ornamental and serviceable, in their respective places and seasons. The Lord bless thee, be thy shield and exceeding great reward in time here, and in eternity hereafter.
Now as the apostle, in a paternal way, adviscd his son Timothy, to drink no longer water, but use a little wine for his stomach’s sake, and his often infirmities, I desire, as thou servest not an austere man, or hard mastcr, but the most merciful and bountiful King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, thou wilt take due care of thyself, and rightly consider thy constitu­tion. Do not drive on too fast in this cold climate, and season of the year. I consider, nets are not always to be spread and cast into the sea, but sometimes to be mended and repaired.
Thou finds the good seed lies low in many bosoms, and many meetings ; experience teaches thee, that where and when our master suffers, who said, ‘Where I am, there shall my servant be’,  we ought to be content to suffer with him; that when he reigns, we may also reign with him: shall the servant think to reign, when and where his Lord and master suffereth?
There are, my dear friend, thou knowest, times of sitting at the king’s gate ; a safe, honourable, and profitable situation, previous to advancement. They that are faithful in this low, safe sitting, in due time receive a call from the king to put on his royal robes, mount his horse and ride around, which is a high dignity and a high day; yet those so favoured, must not expect always to sit in that saddle, nor always to be cloathcd witb that royal apparel, but as certainly dismount, as ever they mounted and must by no means forget the road to the honourable king’s-gate, and their honourable seat there.
We should be glad to see thee here once more. Pray write to us. My wife joins with me in dear love to thee, and those above-mentioned.

I am thy truly affectionate friend,
David Hall.

 

I see several points in this letter that are good to reflect on, as we consider the renewal of a vibrant Friends ministry for our times.

1. David Hall gives affirmation of Griffith’s calling to travel, and of the way he has carried out the task assigned.  It’s one thing to set off with the unity of your meeting.  It’s quite another to be out there in the exercise of the gift over a period of weeks or years, and stay clear that you are on the right path.  Friends traditionally got this kind of “check in” in various ways.  If a minister came within the bounds of a meeting, and felt led to visit families, she would ask for clearness from the local ministers & elders.  If she were just appointing a few meetings, and “taking meetings in the way” (that is, attending regularly scheduled meetings for worship that come up along the way), she would make a local meeting aware of her presence and concern, but not normally need approval — the letter from the home meeting(s) providing enough warrant, unless something out of the ordinary took place.   Hall here gives Griffith the assurance of a Friend “well grown in the Truth” that all seems well with the traveler.

1. Hall also provided an affirmation of the importance of diligence and dedication (consecration) to the work, of which there was such need — and still is.  He spoke appreciatively of Hall’s following his leading, which was proving arduous, and pointing out how iimportant such a service is. Moreover, by pointing out the basic lesson that the gifts poured out by the spirit of Christ are diverse, and the diversity is a strength and a source of joy to the spiritual eye.  So he is urging Griffith in his work to keep close to the gift he is given, because it has a beauty and appropriateness of its own.
2. Yet Hall also advised Griffith to remember that every worker must rest and be renewed or healed from their labors.  The fundamental point is that this work is not to be carried out in one’s own strength, nor in violation of the constraints of our condition.  Be diligent, by all means, and be earnest to do all that is possible — but do not push so fast and hard that the instrument (the person) is made unfit for further service.
3. Hall sees and names a need  for fresh and diligent workers, based on the low condition of the spiritual life in many.  “Low” might mean then what it means now:  a complacency with  one’s condition, and a coolness in one’s relationship to the spiritual community.  This is often manifest as an unteachableness — an unwillingess to receive warning, instruction, or invitation from the Spirit, whether directly or through some other means, such as a rightly-employed minister.  “All we like sheep are gone astray, every one to his own way.”
4. Hall reminds Griffith of a core piece of the minister’s work, which is to feel for where the Seed is suffering, to partake of (be baptized into) that suffering, and then offer what is given at Christ’s direction for the healing of the people, and the removal of the oppression.  Thus, the minister must be listening and get self (prior conceptions, prejudices) out of the way, so as to see, in truth, the condition as it is opened to him.  This is why ministers were advised not to consult with people in the meeting about issues or concerns, until the minister has had a chance to worship with the ecommunity, and feel how its life is.  After such an entry into reverent, simple attention, and an offering of what arises from the Spirit, then the minister might enter into conversation — carefully — if he or she is asked to provide insight into a problem in the meeting, or even help in a dispute.  But:
5. Hall again stresses the importance of waiting to be called to undertake any or all service, and this is particularly important for the traveling Friend, away from her home context, tired perhaps from weeks of travel and intense attentiveness.  But this is not just about carefulness, caution, circumspection:  keeping close to the Guide is also a reliable source of joy and refreshment, whether in waiting or in going an errand on behalf of Love.

What a sympathetic and deeply experienced voice Hall reveals here, and how fully he has considered John Griffith’s condition, and desired to be serviceable both to the man and to the One who has sent him out — Speed the work!