September 29. John Woolman. As a young man in newborn America, John was a Christian, and he worked as a scribe—an employee who copied documents by hand. When his boss told him to write out a bill of sale, of course, John did it.
But it was a bill of sale for a slave, a human being. In his journal, John wrote, “… but at the executing of [the bill of sale], I was so afflicted in my mind, that I said before my master and [Jesus] that I believed slave-keeping to be a practice inconsistent with the Christian religion.”
John spent the rest of his life traveling and preaching and persuading people that slavery was evil, unjust, and not pleasing to Christ. John didn’t attack slave owners verbally or otherwise, but he emphasized justice. On this date in 1772, on the way to preach in England, John contracted smallpox and planned his funeral.
If you want a clear conscience, start by listening to it.
Servants of prominent citizen Thomas Woodward hurried to get things ready for company. Everything was to be perfect because John Woolman, a notable visiting Quaker, was spending the night—and no doubt looking forward to comfortable accommodations.
The servants busied themselves with menial chores, perhaps taking a second look at dishes and cutlery to check for spots. Split wood needed to be gathered from the woodpile. Chilly days in November called for a crackling fire and extra woolen blankets draped neatly over clean feather beds.
It was such a day when the smell of hot-pepper stew, steaming with beef tripe and vegetables, and warm rolls rising in the oven could have filled any parlor with the heady scent of a fresh-cooked meal in 1758.
John spoke to a large gathering of Quakers on a topic that might have had some folks shifting uncomfortably in their pews. Not a message the Quakers had expected—especially at a time when slavery was dismissed by many as a necessary evil. Among the listeners, dutiful and conscientious in nearly every other respect, there were still some Quakers who owned slaves. But that didn’t stop John from speaking about how evil it was to keep human beings as slaves. Property. For the keepers’ profit.
Later, right about dinner time, John arrived at the home of his gracious host. He saw how the family was being waited on by servants, and he wondered whether these people were unpaid slaves. Using a quiet, non-confrontational manner, he asked his host, Thomas Woodward, about it.
Yes, indeed they were slaves. No doubt an awkward pause and a swift change of subject ensued.
John ate his meal politely and retired to his room later that evening—but he couldn’t fall asleep. Restless, he got up and wrote a note to his host, saying that he couldn’t with a clear conscience continue to receive their hospitality on account of the slaves they kept.
He then quietly arose and dressed, put the note on a table, and left the home without further notice. On his way, he stopped first at the slave quarters to pay the servants for the work they had done for him.
The Woodwards woke in the morning to find their guest was gone. Thomas Woodward was so convicted by John’s frank letter and quiet exit, he released his slaves that very day.
It appears that what was most important to John was to maintain a clear conscience before God. Conscience was the organ by which God revealed His truth, and John dared not refuse to follow it. But he did more than dutifully obey and do what God wanted him to do. He really loved his fellow man the way Christ did. He knew: “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern” (Proverbs 29:7 NIV).
This was why he defended not only slaves, but all mistreated laborers and created beings on earth.
A world without Christ has shown itself to be unjust. What action will you take to expose and oppose injustice? If you want a clear conscience, start by listening to it.
Feliz, Elyce. “John Woolman, born October 19, 1720.” Posted October 27, 2013. civilwaref.blogspot.com/2013/10/john-woolman-born-october-19-1720.html.
Brewster Baptist Church. “Will You Go?” Posted on March 31, 2015. https://brewsterbaptistchurch.org/will-you-go/.
Christian History Institute. “John Woolman Walked out on a Slave Owner.” It Happened on November 18. Accessed July 4, 2020. https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/it-happened-today/11/18.
Story read by: Daniel Carpenter
Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter
Audio production: Joel Carpenter
Story written by: Toni M Babcock, https://www.facebook.com/toni.babcock.1
Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/
Project manager: Blake Mattocks
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