A Book of Quaker SaintsHodgkin, L. V. (Lucy Violet)
Religion
A Book of Quaker Saints
Hodgkin, L. V. (Lucy Violet)
Society of Friends
Amidst their engrossing labours in the capital the two London
'Publishers' did not forget to send news of their work to Friends in
the North. Many letters written at this time remain. Those to Margaret
Fell, especially, give a vivid picture of their progress. These
letters are signed sometimes by Howgill, sometimes by Burrough,
sometimes by both together. But, whatever the signature, the pronouns
'I' and 'we' are used indiscriminately, as if to show that the writers
were not only united in the service of Truth but were also one in
heart.
'We two,' they say in one letter, 'are constrained to stay in this
city; but we are not alone, for the power of our Father is with us,
and it is daily made manifest through weakness, even to the stopping
of the mouths of lions and to the confounding of the serpent's
wisdom; eternal praises to Him for evermore. In this city, iniquity is
grown to the height. We have three meetings or more every week, very
large, more than any place will contain, and which we can conveniently
meet in. Many of all sorts come to us and many of all sorts are
convinced, yea, hundreds do believe....'
Again: 'We get Friends together on the First Days to meet together out
of the rude multitude; and we two go to the great meeting place which
we have, which will hold a thousand people, which is always nearly
filled, there to thresh among the world; and we stay till twelve or
one o'clock and then pass away, the one to the one place and the other
to another place where Friends are met in private; and stay till four
or five o'clock.'
Only a month later yet another 'great place' had to be taken for a
'threshing-floor,' or hall where public meetings could be held. To
these meetings anyone might come and listen to the preachers' message,
which 'threshed them like grain, and sifted the wheat from the "light
chaffy minds" among the hearers.'
How 'chaffy' and frivolous this gay world of London appeared to these
first Publishers, consumed with the burning eagerness of their
mission, the following description shows. It occurs in a letter from
George Fox himself when he, too, came to the metropolis, a few months
later.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account