WINSTANLEY'S EXPOSITION OF THE QUAKER DOCTRINES (1648-1649)
"There is nothing more sweet and satisfactory to a man than this,
to know and feel that spiritual power of righteousness to rule in
him which he calls God.... Wait upon the Lord for teaching. You
will never have rest in your soul till He speaks in you. Run after
men for teaching, follow your forms with strictness, you will still
be at a loss, and be more and more wrapped up in confusion and
sorrow of heart. But when once your heart is made subject to
Christ, the Law of Righteousness, looking up to Him for
instruction, waiting with a meek and quiet spirit till He appear in
you: then you shall have peace; then you shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free."--_The New Law of Righteousness_.
_The Mystery of God concerning the whole Creation, Mankind_, is the
title of Winstanley's first published pamphlet, to which we have already
referred, and which was written early in the year 1648, probably in
April or May. As already mentioned, it opens with a Dedicatory Epistle
to "My beloved countrymen of the County of Lancaster," in which he first
apologises for venturing into print in the following suggestive words:
"Dear countrymen, when some of you see my name subscribed to this
ensuing discourse, you may wonder at it, and it may be despise me in
your hearts ... but know that God's works are not like men's; He does
not always take the wise, the learned, the rich of the world to manifest
Himself in, and through them to others, but He chooses the despised, the
unlearned, the poor, the nothings of the world, and fills them with the
good tidings of Himself, whereas He sends the others empty away." He
further apprehends that his view, that "the curse that was declared to
Adam was temporary," and that ultimately the curse shall be removed off
the whole Creation, and the whole of mankind shall be saved, will not
be favourably received by those whom he is specially addressing. But he
avows it a necessary truth, and concludes his appeal by saying that
since the pamphlet was written he had met with "more Scripture to
confirm it, so that it is not a spirit of private fancy, but it is
agreeable to the Written Word."
The pamphlet opens with Winstanley's interpretation of the story of the
fall of Adam, the outline of which we have already given. Subsequently
he describes his own experiences: how he lay under bondage to the
serpent self-love, and saw not his bondage; how God had manifested His
love to him by causing him to see that the things in which he did take
pleasure were, in truth, his death and his shame. He again repeats his
contention that in due time God will not lose any of His work, but
redeem "His own whole Creation to Himself." Though this, he holds, will
not be done all at once, but in several dispensations, "some whereof are
passed, some in being, and some yet to come." He quotes largely from the
Scriptures, more especially from Revelation, in support of this view;
and argues most vehemently against the objection that if this were true,
if eventually all will be saved, then men need not trouble about their
own individual salvation. He also protests against the doctrine of an
everlasting Hell, as unconfirmed by the Holy Scriptures, as destructive
of God's work, and as incompatible with His great goodness.
The prevalence of the belief in dispensations, past, present, and
future, may be gathered from the following extract from one of
Cromwell's speeches to the Army Council, November 1st, 1647: "Truly, as
Lieut. Col. Goffe said, God hath in several ages used several
dispensations, and yet some dispensations more eminently in one age than
another. I am one of those whose heart God hath drawn out to wait for
some extraordinary dispensations, according to those promises He hath
set forth of things to be accomplished in the latter time, and I cannot
but think that God is beginning of them."[53:1]
The same idea reappears, in fact influences the whole of Winstanley's
second pamphlet, of some 127 closely printed duodecimo pages, as might
almost be inferred from its title, _The Breaking of the Day of
God_,[54:1] which is in itself a revelation of its main contents. The
Dedicatory Epistle, which is dated May 20th, 1648, some twelve months
prior to the outbreak of the Digger Movement, already recorded, is the
most interesting and suggestive portion of this long, wearisome, and
almost unreadable volume. It is addressed to--"The Despised Sons and
Daughters of Zion, scattered up and down the Kingdom of England." He
first reminds them that "they are the object of the world's hatred and
reproach," "branded as wicked ones," "threatened with ruin and death,"
"the object of every one's laughter and reproach," "sentenced to be put
to death under the name of round-heads," and so on. That they "are
counted the troublers of Kingdoms and Parishes where they dwell, though
the truth is that they are the only peaceable men in the Kingdom, who
love the People's peace, the Magistrate's peace, and the Kingdom's
peace." He continues--"But what's the reason the world doth so storm at
you, but because you are not of this world, nor cannot walk in the dark
ways of the world. They hated your Lord Jesus Christ, and they hate you.
They knew not Him, and they know not you. For if they had known Him,
they would not have crucified Him; and if they did truly know the power
of the God that dwells in you, they would not so despise you." "But,
well," he goes on to say, "these things must be. It is your Father's
will that it shall be so; the world must lie under darkness for a time;
that is God's dispensation to them. And you that are the Children of
Light must lie under the reproach and oppression of the world;[54:2]
that is God's dispensation to you. But it shall be but for a little
time. What I have here to say is to bring you glad tidings that your
redemption draws near."
In the pamphlet itself Winstanley attempts to prove that the coming
reign of Righteousness, and the overthrow of the Covetous, Self-Seeking
Power, are entirely in accordance with the prophesies of the Scriptures,
more especially with Revelation and John. In its final pages he
vehemently protests against the continued union of Church and State, or
rather against the continued upholding of the persecuting power of the
Church by the secular authorities. "The misery of the age" he attributes
to the fact that men are still striving "to uphold the usurped
Ecclesiastical Power, which God never made," and that in upholding this
they are "so mad and ignorant" as "to count Magistracie no government
unless the Beast reign cheek by chaw with it, as formerly in the days of
ignorance." This, however, he contends, should not be so, "for
Magistracie in the Commonwealth must stand, it's God's ordinance. But
this Ecclesiastical power in and over the Saints must fall." "This
Ecclesiastical power," he contends, "hath been a great troubler of
Magistracie ever since the deceived Magistracie set it up." The function
of Magistracie, "which is God's Ordinance," is "to be a terror to the
wicked, and to protect them that do well; whereas by this Ecclesiastical
power, established by deceived Magistracie, the sincere in heart that
worship God in spirit and truth, according as God hath taught them and
they understand, these are and have been troubled in Sessions, in
Courts, and punished by fine and prisons. But the loose-hearted that
will be of any religion that the most is of, these have their liberty
without restraint. And so Magistracie hath acted quite backward, in
punishing them that do well, and protecting in a hypocritical liberty
them that do evil. O that our Magistrates would let Church-work alone to
Christ, upon whose shoulders they shall find the government lies, and
not upon theirs. And then, in the wisdom and strength of Christ, they
would govern Commonwealths in justice, love, and righteousness more
peaceably."[55:1]
This pamphlet concludes with the following wise and beautiful thought:
"All that I shall say in conclusion is this: Wait patiently upon
the Lord; let every man that loves God endeavour by the spirit of
wisdom, meekness, and love to dry up Euphrates, even this spirit of
bitterness, that like a great river hath overflowed the earth of
mankind. For it is not revenge, prisons, fines, fightings, that
will subdue a tumultuous spirit; but a soft answer, love and
meekness, tenderness and justice, to do as we would be done unto:
this will appease wrath. When this Sun of Righteousness and Love
arises in Magistrates and people, one to another, then these
tumultuous national storms will cease, and not till then. This Sun
is risen in some; this Sun will rise higher, and must rise higher;
and the bright shining of it will be England's liberty."
The next fruit of Winstanley's prolific pen is a volume of some 134
closely printed pages, entitled _The Saint's Paradise: Or the Father's
Teaching the only Satisfaction to Waiting Souls_,[56:1] from which in
the previous chapter we have already quoted somewhat freely. The words
on its title-page, "The inward testimony is the Soul's strength,"
indicate the characteristic teachings of this remarkable book, which are
also admirably suggested by the two biblical quotations that also appear
thereon. "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and
every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know
me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, saith the Lord"
(Jer. xxxi. 34). "But the annointing which ye have received of him
abideth in you; and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same
annointing teacheth you all things, and is truth" (1 John ii. 27).
As was his usual custom, Winstanley opens with a Dedicatory letter,
addressed this time "To my Beloved Friends whose Souls hunger after
sincere milk," in which he relates his experience of the insufficiency
of mere traditional, or book, or imparted knowledge, in the following
words:
"I myself have known nothing but what I received in tradition from
the mouths and pen of others. I worshipped a God, but I neither
knew who he was nor where he was, so that I lived in the dark,
being blinded by the imagination of my flesh.... I spoke of the
name of God, and Lord, and Christ, but I knew not this Lord, God,
and Christ. I prayed to a God, but I knew not where he was nor what
he was, and so walking by imagination I worshipped the devil, and
called him God. By reason whereof my comforts were often shaken to
pieces, and at last it was shown to me, that while I builded upon
any words or writings of other men, or while I looked after a God
without me, I did but build upon the sand, and as yet I knew not
the Rock."
He then admonishes his friends that, though they may not as yet be aware
of it, and though they will probably be offended with him for saying so,
yet that, in reality, "this ignorant, unsettled condition is yours at
this time." However, he protests that nevertheless:
"I do not write anything as to be a teacher of you, for I know you
have a teacher within yourselves (which is the Spirit) and when
your flesh is made subject to him, he will teach you all things,
and bring all things to your remembrance, so that you shall not
need to run after men for instruction, for, your eyes being opened,
you shall see the King of Righteousness sit upon the throne within
yourselves, judging and condemning the unrighteousness of the
flesh, filling your face with shame, and your soul with horror,
though no man see or be acquainted with your actions or thoughts
but yourselves, and justifying your righteous thoughts and actions,
and leading you into all ways of truth."
Winstanley then further explains that the Father, the Spirit of
Righteousness, of Reason, pervades the whole Universe, and "dwells in
every creature, but supremely in man," and then continues:
"Truly, Friends, the King of Righteousness within you is a meek,
patient, and quiet spirit, and full of love and sincerity.... And
when you come to know, feel, and see that the Spirit of
Righteousness governs your flesh, then you begin to know your God,
to fear your God, to love your God, and to walk humbly before your
God, and so to rejoice in Him. Therefore if you would have the
peace of God, as you call it, you must know what God it is you
serve, which is not a God without you, visible among bodies, but
the Spirit within you, invisible in every body to the eye of flesh,
yet discernible to the eye of the spirit. And when souls shall have
communion with that spirit, then they have peace, and not till
then."
In the first chapter Winstanley emphasises the essential difference
between the teachings of men and the teachings of God in the following
words:
"The teachings of men and the teachings of God are much different.
The former being but the light of the moon, which shines not of
itself, but by the means and through the help of the sun. The
latter is the light of the sun, which gives light to all, not by
means and helps from others, but immediately from himself.
"Men's teachings are twofold. First, when men speak to others what
they have heard or read of the Scriptures, or books of other men's
writings, and have seen nothing from God Himself.... Secondly,
others speak from their own experience, of what they have heard and
seen from God, and of what great things God hath done for their
souls.... It is very possible that a man may attain to a literal
knowledge of the Scriptures, of the Prophets and Apostles, and may
speak largely of the history thereof, and yet both they that speak
and they that hear may be not only unacquainted with, but enemies
to that Spirit of truth by which the Prophets and Apostles
writ.[58:1] "For it is not the Apostles' writings, but the spirit
that dwelt in them, that did inspire their hearts, which gives life
and peace to all."
In the second chapter Winstanley consoles those whom he is specially
addressing by expressing his conviction that though their enemies may
think to kill all the Saints, and though God may suffer them to kill
some, yet others of them will necessarily be preserved to keep alive
their beliefs and to spread abroad their teachings, of the ultimate
triumph of which he never seemed to doubt. However, in view of the
perplexity of the times and of the dangers by which they were
surrounded, he gave them the following somewhat worldly-wise
advice--"For the appearance of God now is in the Saints that they
worship the Father in spirit and truth in such a secret manner as the
eye of the world cannot and does not always see": a practice of which,
as we have already noticed, the adherents of the Family of Love were
accused in the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
It is, however, in the fourth and fifth chapters that Winstanley
concisely and eloquently summarises the fundamental articles of his
religious faith. In them he again emphatically warns his fellows against
looking to others for knowledge of Divine revelations, and strongly
advises them to look into their own hearts. In support of this view he
quotes the Scripture text--"Light is come into the world, and men love
darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil" (John iii.
19), which he then proceeds to explain as follows:
"The world is mankind; and every particular man and woman is a
perfect creation of himself, a perfect created world. If a
particular branch of mankind desire to know what the nature of
other men and women are, let him not look abroad, but into his own
heart, and he shall see. So that I say, man is the world, a perfect
creation, from whose poisoned flesh proceeds the lust of the eye,
the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life: these are not of the
Father. Now _light is come into the world_; that is, the Spirit of
Right Understanding hath taken up his dwelling in this flesh. Hence
man is called a reasonable creature, which is a name given to no
other creature but man, because the Spirit of Reason appears acting
in him, which if men did submit themselves unto, they would act
righteously continually: and so man would become lord of all other
creatures in righteousness.... But the masculine powers of the
poisoned flesh stand it out against the King of Glory till He cast
them into the lake of fire, into His own spirit, by which they are
tried, and, being found but chaff and not able to endure, are
burned and consumed to nothing in the flame."
"No man or woman, however, need be troubled at this," Winstanley
contends, "for let every man cleanse himself of these wicked powers that
rule in him, and there speedily will be a harmony of love in the great
creation, even among all creatures. Therefore let no man look without
himself, and say, other men will not obey this light that is come into
mankind; but let him look into his own heart, and he shall find that the
powers in his heart are those very men of the world that will not submit
to that Light of Reason that is come into it."[60:1]
Winstanley then proceeds to explain his conception of the resurrection
of Christ, as follows:
"Friends, do not mistake the resurrection of Christ. You expect
that he shall come in one single person, as he did when he came to
suffer and die, and thereby to answer the types of Moses' Law. Let
me tell you that if you look for him under the notion of one single
man after the flesh, to be your Saviour, you shall never, never
taste salvation by him.... If you expect or look for the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, you must know that the Spirit within
the flesh is the Jesus Christ, and you must see, feel, and know
from himself his own resurrection within you, if you expect life
and peace by him. For he is the Life of the World, that is, of
every particular son and daughter of the Father ... for everyone
hath the Light of the Father within himself, which is the mighty
man Christ Jesus. And he is now rising and spreading himself in
these his sons and daughters, and so rising from one to many
persons till he enlighten the whole creation (mankind) in every
branch of it, and cover this earth with knowledge as the waters
cover the sea.... And this is to be saved by Jesus Christ; for that
mighty man of spirit hath taken up his habitation within your
body; and your body is his body, and now his spirit is your spirit,
and so you are become one with him and with the Father. This is the
faith of Christ, when your flesh is subject to the Spirit of
Righteousness, as the flesh of Christ was subject. And this is to
believe in Christ, when the actings and breathings of your soul are
within the centre of the same spirit in which the man Jesus Christ
lived, acted, and breathed."
In accordance with this profound, philosophic, and truly spiritual view,
Winstanley found it incumbent upon him to warn his fellows against
another generally held belief, as follows:
"So that you do not look for a God now, as formerly you did, to be
a place of glory beyond the sun, moon, and stars, nor imagine a
Divine Being you know not where; but you see Him ruling within you;
and not only in you, but you see and know Him to be the Spirit or
Power that dwells in every man and woman, yea, in every creature,
according to his orb, within the globe of the Creation. So that now
you see and feel and taste the sweetness of the Spirit ruling in
your flesh, who is the Lord and King of Glory in the whole
Creation, and you have community with Him who is the Father of all
things. Now you are enlightened; now you are saved, and rise higher
and higher into life and peace, as this manifestation of the Father
increases and spreads within you."[61:1]
As was only to be expected, the publication of the above pamphlets
brought Winstanley into disrepute with the orthodox Ministers of the
Church, who accused him of denying God, Christ, Scripture, and the
Ordinances of God. This accusation gave rise to Winstanley's next
pamphlet, of some 77 well-printed duodecimo pages, the preface to which
is dated October 16th, 1648, and which bears the significant
title--_Truth lifting its Head above Scandals_.[62:1] In this volume
Winstanley indignantly denies such a charge, and makes use of the
opportunity to restate his views even more clearly than he had
previously done. The book opens with a dedicatory letter addressed "To
the Scholars of Oxford and Cambridge, and to all that call themselves
Ministers of the Gospel in City or Country," in which he carries the war
into his enemy's camp in a forcible and masterly manner. He reminds them
that they are not the only ones who have the right to judge of the
meaning of the Scriptures, "For the people, having the Scriptures, may
judge by them as well as you." He then continues:
"If you say, 'No, the people cannot judge, because they know not
the original:' I answer, Neither do you know the original. Though
by your learning you may be able to translate a writing out of
Hebrew or Greek into our mother-tongue, English, but to say this is
the original Scripture you cannot: for those very copies which the
Prophets and Apostles writ are not to be seen in your
Universities."
He forces home his argument in the following words:
"You say you have the just copies of their writings. You do not
know that but as your Fathers have told you, which may be as well
false as true, if you have no other better ground than tradition.
You say that the interpretation of Scripture into our mother tongue
is according to the mind of the _spirit_. You cannot tell that
neither, unless you are able to say that those who did interpret
those writings have had the same testimony of spirit as the pen-men
of Scripture had. For it is the spirit within that must prove these
copies to be true."
He then turns the tables by accusing them of being "the very men that do
deny God, Scriptures, and the Ordinances of God; and that turn the
truths of the Spirit into a lie, by leaving the letter, and walking in
their own inferences"; and also "by holding forth spiritual things by
the imagination of the flesh, and not by the law and testimony of the
Spirit within." And he contends that, in truth, he and his fellows are
"those men that do advance God, Christ, Scriptures, and Ordinances in
the spirituality of them."
In the opening chapter of the book itself, Winstanley, with more than
his usual directness, plunges into the heart of his subject in the
following suggestive words:
"I have said that whosoever worships God by hearsay, as others tell
him, and knows not what God is from light within himself; or that
thinks God is in the heavens above the skies, and so prays to that
God which he imagines to be there and everywhere, but from any
testimony within, he knows not how nor where: this man worships his
own imagination, which is the Devil. But he who is a true
worshipper must know who God is and how He is to be worshipped,
from the Power of Light shining within him, if ever he have true
peace."
"Hence," he continues, "a report is raised, and is frequent in the
mouth of the teachers, that I deny God. Therefore, first, I shall
give account of what I see and know Him to be; and let the
understanding in heart judge me."
Winstanley then endeavours to formulate his theistic views and beliefs
in a series of questions and answers, from which we feel compelled to
quote the following:
"_Q._ What is God?
"_A._ I answer, He is the incomprehensible Spirit Reason;[63:1]
who as He willed the Creation should flow out of Him, so He
governs the whole Creation in righteousness, peace, and moderation.
And He is called the Father, because as the whole Creation comes
out of Him, so He is the life of the whole Creation, by whom every
creature doth subsist.
"_Q._ When can a man call the Father his God?
"_A._ When he feels and sees, by experience, that the Spirit which
made the flesh doth govern and rule king in his flesh. And so can
say, I rejoice to feel and see my flesh made subject to the Spirit
of Righteousness.
"_Q._ But may not a man call Him God till he have this experience?
"_A._ No: for if he do, he lies, and there is no truth in him. For
whatsoever rules as king in his flesh, that is his God....
"_Q._ But I hope that the Father is my Governor, and therefore may
I not call Him God?
"_A._ Hope without ground is the hope of the hypocrite. Thou canst
not call Him God till thou be able in pure experience to say thy
flesh is subject to Him. For if thy knowledge be no more but
imagination or thoughts, it is of the Devil, and not of the Father.
Or if thy knowledge be merely from what thou hast read or heard
from others, it is of the flesh, not of the spirit.
"_Q._ When then may I call him God, or the Mighty Governor, and not
deceive myself?
"_A._ When thou art by that Spirit made to see Him rule and govern,
not only in thee but in the whole creation.... Wait upon Him till
He teach thee. All that read do not understand; the Spirit only
sees truth, and lives in it."
Winstanley subsequently explains his views at considerable length. True
knowledge, he contends, comes from within, not from without. "The whole
Scriptures," he maintains, "are but a report of spiritual mysteries held
forth to the eye of the flesh in words." The Gospel he explains to be
"the Father Himself, that is, the Word and glad tidings that speak peace
inwardly to pure souls." The writings of the Apostles and the Prophets
he regards as "the report or declaration of the Gospel, which are to
cease when the Lord Himself, who is the everlasting Gospel, doth
manifest Himself to rule in the flesh of sons and daughters." Concerning
Baptism he says: "I have gone through the ordinance of dipping, which
the letter of the Scripture doth warrant, yet I do not press anyone
thereunto, but bid everyone to wait upon the Father, till He teach and
persuade, and then their submitting will be sound. For I see now that it
is not the material water, but the water of life; that is, the Spirit in
which souls are to be dipped, and so drawn forth into the one Spirit;
and all these outward customs and forms are to cease and pass
away."[65:1] As regards prayer, he contends that no one should pray
"until the Power within thee gives words to thy mouth to utter, then
speak, and thou canst not but speak."[65:2]
It is, however, in a subsequent pamphlet, _The New Law of
Righteousness_, that Winstanley more fully expounds this characteristic
Quaker doctrine, and summarises his deeply philosophic views concerning
silence as the necessary precursor of all true prayer, as follows:
"All these declare the half-hour's silence that is to be in Heaven
(Rev. viii. 1). For all mouths are to be stopped by the power of
Reason's law shining within the heart. And this abundance of talk
that is amongst people by arguments, by disputes, by declaring
expositions upon others' word and writing, by long discourse,
called preaching, shall all cease (Jer. xxxi. 34).
"Some shall not be able to speak, they shall be struck silent with
shame by seeing themselves in a loss and in confusion. Neither
shall they care to speak till they know by experience within
themselves what to speak; but wait with a quiet silence upon the
Lord, till He break forth within their hearts, and give them words
and power to speak.... Men must leave off teaching one another,
and the eyes of all shall look upward to the Father, to be taught
of Him. And at this time silence shall be a man's rest and liberty;
it is the gathering time, the soul's receiving time: it is the
forerunner of pure language.... He that speaks from the original
light within can truly say, I know what I say, and I know whom I
worship."
Somewhat later he continues:
"None shall need to turn over books and writings (for indeed all
these shall cease too) to get knowledge. But everyone shall be
taken off from seeking knowledge from without, and with an humble
quiet heart shall wait upon the Lord, till He manifest Himself: for
He is a great king, and worthy to be waited upon. His testimony
within fills the heart with joy and singing. He first gives
experiences; and then power to set forth these experiences. Hence
you shall speak to the rejoicing one of another, and to the praise
of Him who declares His power in you. But he that speaks his
thoughts, studies, and imagination, and stands up to be a teacher
of others, shall be judged for his unrighteousness, because he
seeks to honor flesh, and does not honor the Lord."
He then somewhat mystically continues:
"Behold the Annointing, that is to reach all things, is coming to
create a new Heaven and a new Earth wherein Righteousness shall
dwell, and there shall not be a vessel of humane earth but it shall
be filled with Christ. If it were possible to have so many buckets
as to contain the whole ocean, every one could be filled with the
ocean, and being put all together it would make up the perfect
ocean which filled them all. Even so Christ, which is the spreading
power, is now beginning to fill every man and woman with Himself.
He will dwell and rule in everyone; and the Law of Reason and
Equity shall be Christ in them. Every single body is a star shining
forth of Him, or rather a body in and out of whom He shines; and He
is the ocean of power that fills all. And so the words are true,
the Creation, mankind, shall be the fulness of Him that fills all
in all. This is the Church, the great Congregation, that, when the
mystery is completed, shall be the mystical body of Christ, all set
at liberty from inward and outward straits and bondage. And this
is called the holy breathing that made all new by Himself and for
Himself."
* * * * *
We think we have now dealt sufficiently with Winstanley's exposition of
the theistical doctrines subsequently adopted, and almost in their
entirety, by the Society of Friends. In a later chapter (Chap. XVI.) we
shall show how far he himself modified his earlier views. And in the
succeeding chapter we shall briefly lay before our readers the practical
and fundamental social changes Winstanley deemed demanded by the
dictates of Reason, as forming the necessary first steps towards laying
the foundations of "a new Earth and a new Heaven wherein Righteousness,
or Justice, shall dwell."
FOOTNOTES:
[53:1] _Clarke Papers_, vol. i. p. 379.
[54:1] British Museum, Press Mark, 4377, a. 2.
[54:2] In 1655, Giles Calvert published "A _Declaration from the
Children of Light_ (who are by the world scornfully called Quakers)."
British Museum, Press Mark, E. 838.
[55:1] The full truth of these words comes home to us when we bear in
mind that the law (_De Comburendo Heretico_) sanctioning the burning of
heretics was only repealed in the reign of Charles the Second (in 1677),
the Bishops of the day opposing its repeal almost to a man.
[56:1] King's Pamphlets. British Museum, Press Mark, E. 2137.
[58:1] "The early Friends were men of prayer, and diligent searchers of
the Holy Scriptures. Unable to find true rest in the various opinions
and systems which in that day divided the Christian world, they believed
that they found the Truth in a more full reception of Christ, not only
as the living and ever-present Head of the Church in its aggregate
capacity, but also as the life and light, the spiritual ruler, teacher
and friend of every individual member."--_Book of Discipline of the
Society of Friends_. Quoted by J. S. Rowntree, _Society of Friends: its
Faith and Practice_, p. 24. See also Barclay's _Apology for the true
Christian Divinity_, p. 1: Second Proposition.
[60:1] "It is the inward master (saith Augustine) that teacheth, it is
Christ that teacheth, it is inspiration that teacheth: where this
inspiration and unction is wanting, it is vain that words from without
are beaten in." And thereafter: "For he that created us, and redeemed
us, and called us by faith, and dwelleth in us by his Spirit, unless he
speaketh unto you inwardly, it is needless for us to cry out."--From
Barclay's _Apology_, p. 13.
[61:1] "If instead of assuming the being of an awful deity, which men,
though they cannot and dare not deny, are always unwilling, sometimes
unable, to conceive, we were to show them a near, visible, inevitable,
but all-beneficent deity, whose presence makes the earth itself a
heaven, I think there would be fewer deaf children sitting in the
market-place."--John Ruskin, _Modern Painters_.
[62:1] British Museum, Press Mark, 4372, a.a. 17. Below the title
appears the following words: "Professors of all forms, behold the
Bridegroom is coming, your profession will be tried to purpose, your
hypocricy shall be hid no longer. You shall feed no longer upon the Oil
that was in other men's Lamps (the Scriptures), for now it is required
that everyone have Oil in his own Lamp, even the pure testimony of truth
within himself. For he that wants this, though he have the report of it
in his book, he shall not enter with the Bridegroom into the chamber of
peace."
[63:1] "The incomprehensible Spirit Reason!" It is interesting to note
here that the "Tau" of the great Chinese philosopher, Lau-tsze,--the
word he uses to denote the Absolute, which, consequently, he wisely
leaves vague and undefined, and which apparently has no English word
exactly equivalent to it,--suggests to his translator three English
words--"the Way, Reason, and the Word." The latter's one objection to
the word Reason as an equivalent is that to him it "seems to be more
like a quality or attribute of some conscious being than Tau is." See
_The Speculations of the old Philosopher Lau-tsze_, by John Chalmers,
M.A. Introduction.
[65:1] See Barclay's _Apology_ (Concerning Baptism), p. 7.
[65:2] "All true and acceptable worship to God is offered in the
_inward_ and _immediate_ moving and drawing of his own Spirit, which is
limited neither to places, times, nor persons. For though we be to
worship him always, in that we are to fear before him; yet as to the
outward signification thereof in prayers, praises, or preachings, we
ought not to do it where and when we will, but where and when we are
moved by the secret inspiration of his Spirit in our hearts, which God
heareth and accepteth of, and is never wanting to move us thereunto when
need is, of which he himself is the alone proper judge."--Barclay's
_Apology_ (Concerning Worship), p. 6.