Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the GospelYeardley, John
Religion
Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the Gospel
Yeardley, John
Clergy -- United States -- Biography; Quakers -- Biography; Yeardley, John, 1786-1858
After residing for a while at Congenies, they removed to Nismes, where
they preached to the strangers who attended the usual meetings for
worship, distributed religious tracts in the city and its environs, and
instituted a Scripture Reading Meeting for the young. But the object which
most strongly engaged their attention at Nismes was the foundation of a
boarding-school for the daughters of Friends. Louis Majolier, during a
great part of his life had conducted a day-school at Congenies: this
school was, of course, not accessible to the children of those Friends who
lived at a distance; and soon after L.M. died even this was given up, and
the means of education in the Society failed altogether. In their project
for supplying this deficiency, John and Martha Yeardley found the parents
and other Friends ready to second their efforts; and at the Two-months'
Meeting in the Eleventh Month, it was resolved to establish in the first
place a school for girls only at Nismes, and a committee was appointed to
carry this resolution into effect. A mistress was found without much
difficulty in Justine Benezet, a valuable Friend, who had had for sixteen
years the superintendence of the Orphan Asylum, and whose health had in
some degree given way under the too onerous charge.
In reference to the accomplishment of this undertaking, J.Y. writes:--
12 _mo_. 14.--_Nehemiah_ i. 11:--"O Lord, I beseech thee, let
now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer
of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name; and prosper, I pray thee,
thy servant this day." I often think of these words of the prophet, and
they [have supported me] when my soul has been cast down on account of the
school.
During their abode at Nismes they visited the little congregations of
Friends which lie to the westward of that city, and had to record that
the presence of their Divine Master went with them, giving them his word
to declare, and inclining the hearts of the hearers to receive it.
A letter from John Rowntree, which reached them towards the end of the
year, contains some observations on the work they had found to do in their
journey, with an interesting notice of what was passing in England.
Scarborough, 11 mo. 14, 1842.
MY DEAR FRIENDS,
.... The plan of your meetings for Scripture instruction seems to me
particularly good; you will, through them, have numerous opportunities for
impressing on the minds of your hearers the inestimable value of the Holy
Scriptures, when properly received, and made available by the enlightening
influence of the Holy Spirit, and the worthlessness--nay, the danger--of
resting satisfied with a mere knowledge of their words. The words of our
Lord were "spirit and life" to those who would receive them as such; yet
how many who heard them were to be judged by them at the that day, because
they believed not.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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