CONCISE ANSWER,
TO THE GENERAL INQUIRY,
who, of what are
THE SHAKERS,
UNION VILLAGE,
NOTICE,
The following lines originated in the year 1808, from the ap-
plication of an individual in the state of Georgia, to his corres-
pondent in this country, requesting information concerning the
people, who, at that time, greatly excited the attention of the
public, in different parts of the United States; but as the corres-
pondent felt inadequate to the task, he applied to the society to
furnish the information themselves; which, accordingly, was
done, by one of the young Believers, in manner and form follow-
ing: which is so comprehensive and concise, that copies of it
in manuscript have been procured by many; and being deemed a
suitable answer to general inquiry, as such it is now exhibited,
particularly for the benefit of such as cannot procure the larger
*olumes of information, published by the Church, or society.
& 4
J. Concise flnswer, &c.
A Church or people have of late,
Appear'd in the Ohio state;
And strange reports have spread abroad,
Of what they call the work of God;
And candid souls both far and near,
From this strange people wish to hear,
What part of scripture they’ve fulfil’d,
And on what rock their church they build.
“Are ye the saints (enquirers say)
Expected in the latter day?
And do ye hold, as we have heard,
That Christ hath in your Church appear'd?
That his true Spirit ye possess,
And judge the world in righteousness?
Is this the Lamb's great marriage day,
For which the ancient saints did pray?
By his example are ye led,
And do ye walk as Jesus did?
(4)
Or if the union to complete,
Two shining companies must meet;
Can ye give reasons to decide,
That ye're companions of the Bride?
Are these things true, or are they lies,
Which many say that ye practise?
To us a friendly answer give,
And tell us plainly how ye live;
So by the fruit we'll judge the tree,
And find out who the Shakers be.”

In answer then to your request,
We say we have our sins confess'd;
And in one faith we all agree,
That from all sin we will be free.
No secret lust do we conceal,
But open plainly all we feel;
We ever stand in open view,
And can hide nothing that we do:
As all our actions day and night,
Åre free and open to the light;
(5)
Our confidence ho man can crush,
Or put a Shaker to the blush.
In all our dealings with mankind,
No secret fraud the world can find;
And what we falsely took before,
With the full int’rest we restore:
Thus clear our conscience from all sin,
Down to an apple, peach, or pin.
Against the flesh we all unite,
And bear our cross by day and night;
For virgin purity we hold,
More precious than Peruvian gold.
And with this people none can stay,
Unless they walk this narrow way.
Tho' we renounce all fleshly lust,
We give each heir their portion just;
With which they're free to go away,
If with us they chuse not to stay.
To bind our souls there never was,
A man-made creed or paper laws;
A 2
(6)
Yet we enjoy one common light,
In which as brethren we unite.
Blood-shed and carnage we abhor,
And therefore cease from learning war.
In civil courts we hold no seat,
Nor great ones with high titles greet;
We lift no hand, we kiss no book,
To sanction any thing we’ve spoke;
Nor need we swear at all forsooth,
Because we speak the simple truth.
When wicked men do persecute,
We only bear the better fruit;
And still the more they rage and fight,
In closer compact we unite.
Our blessed union to complete,
The rich and poor together meet;
And while each one himself denies,
The mountains sink the vallies rise.
Thus we obey the gospel call,
Renounce the flesh and give up all;
(7)
And with a faith that's pure and clean,
Into large fam’lies we convene;
And such the Lord doth richly bless,
While one joint-int’rest we possess.
We're all industrious young and old,
But lying tongues have often told,
That Shakers are in bondage held,
And their hand labour is compell’d;
But truth must say that nothing binds,
But living faith and willing minds:
And yet the church can never own,
An idle slug or lazy drone. g
We meet on ev'ry sabbath day,
And unto God our homage pay;
In silent pray’r sometimes we kneel,
Or sing, or speak, just as we feel;
And as salvation we possess,
Our joy and gladness to express,
We dance, each like a living spark,
As David danc'd before the ark.
(8)
The line in which we're born again,
We testify in language plain;
And Jesus Christ we jointly call,
The blessed Father of us all;
His bright example we adore,
And follow none who were before.
But as without an helper meet,
No parentage can be complete;
Therefore in being born anew,
We have a blessed Mother too;
Tho' human wisdom cannot scan,
How woman here can help the man;
..Yet by the woman in her lot,
The way of God is plainly taught.
When both agree and testify,
And show what we must crucify;
In strict obedience we obtain,
That pow'r by which we're born again:
The pow'r of God which we enjoy,
Doth by degrees all sin destroy;
(9)
That lawless nature it doth bind,
Both in the members and the mind;
And when its cursed motions cease,
We find an everlasting peace.
As lust conceived by the fall,
Hath more or less affected all;
So we believe 'tis only this,
That keepeth souls from perfect bliss.
As streams do from their fountains flow,
And as we reap just what we sow,
We clearly see by fixed laws,
That all effects are like their cause:
So we believe all souls are free,
To..make their choice what they shall be:
As self is pleased, or deni’d,
To right or left we must divide;
Induc’d by what we love or hate,
We chuse the wide, or narrow gate;
And as we chuse we run our race,
Till each attain their proper place;
(10)
In plainer terms we bring it out,
That we do know beyond a doubf,
That those who in the flesh remain,
True happiness can never gain;
While such as from all lust are free,
With God and Christ they ever be.
When this small answer ye peruse,
Ye may believe it if ye chuse;
As certain facts may credit claim,
Above the voice of common fame:
But if in any doubts ye be,
Like good Nathaniel come and see.
A HYMN.
composed by Samuel Hooser, formerly an itimerant preacher of
the Methodist order. He first visited the Church at this place, in
the year 1808, and received faith: The next day, he wrote the
following verses, which may serve as a just reproof to many of his
former brethren and others, who speak evil of the things which
they know not, or listen with pleasure to the tales of others.
1. I often heard of Shakers, while in my native land,
That they were a deluded, a blind bewitched band;
Such awful news was spreading, too horrid to relate
How wicked they were acting, in the Ohio state,
At length. I went among them, to see how they went on:
I quickly was convinced that those reports were wrong;
I found them such a people, as I had never seen,
So bright, so pure, so holy, so much oppos'd to sin.
3 I often heard of Zion, but now I’ve found the place,
The city that's adorned, with truth, and love, and grace:
My heart was struck with wonder, to find such glory there,
here all was peace and union, without a single jar.
4 I found I’d got to Zion, where saints and angels dwelt:
Such piercing streams of glory my soul had never felt;
This is no place of darkness, but one eternal day!
Here doubts and fears are banish'd, and satan cannot stay.
5 I cri'd adieu to pleasures of ev'ry other kind,
I'll give up all my idols, and leave the world behind;
I've found the blessed people with whom 1'll bear the cross,
And count all earthly glory but vanity and dross,
2.
(12)
6 Here is the holy fire that burns all sin and shame?
The guilty sons of Babel cannot endure the flame:
I'll shout eternal F. to Zion's King and Queen,
That I have found such glory as saves the soul from sin,
7 O why was I so stupid, to stay away so long!
And labour in confusion, with Babel's mixed.throng;
But since I've found the city, where Christ in glory reigns;
I'll bid adieu to Sodom, and all its dismal plains.
8 Salvation here is flowing, from sin and dross refin'd
I'm willing here to tarry, and leave my lusts behind:
I feel my soul united to this despised flock;
Let earth and hell oppose us, we're safe upon the rock.
3 Tho persecution rages, we'll boldly shout and sing;...
We shall be safely guarded by Salem's conquering King,
Amidst all tribulation, we feel our love increase.
Altho the world doth hate us, in Zion we have peace,
10 Sweet union here is rolling, all through this º place;
Here flows the crystal fountain, and God unvails his face; ,
Fair lilies here are growing, that never fade nor die;
No other ground produces such fruits of peace and joy.
11 How blessed are the people, who sre admitted in!
And dwell secure in Zion, deliver'd from all sin;
Their joys are still increasing, their songs are ever new:
They love their Great Creator, and all their brethren too.
& (as cy
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