Three Apostles of Quakerism: Popular Sketches of Fox, Penn and BarclayRhodes, Benjamin
History
Three Apostles of Quakerism: Popular Sketches of Fox, Penn and Barclay
Rhodes, Benjamin
Barclay, Robert, 1648-1690; Fox, George, 1624-1691; Penn, William, 1644-1718; Society of Friends
The debate was one-sided and bitter, and the Friends only retired
at last on condition of having another opportunity to vindicate
themselves. But as Vincent plainly showed that he had no intention
of redeeming his promise, the only satisfaction left was the press.
In "The Sandy Foundation Shaken," Penn gave the public his view of
the matter. But he did not stop with the doctrine of the Trinity, he
went on to the Atonement. He advanced such arguments against "Imputed
Righteousness" as Barclay has elaborated in his Apology. He also
produced arguments against the method in which in those days the
necessity of a satisfaction to the Divine justice was taught. His
expressions unfortunately resemble those of modern Unitarians, but
his position is vitally different. Penn believed the death of Our
Saviour on the cross a real Sacrifice, that "Jesus Christ was our holy
sacrifice, atonement and propitiation, that he bore our iniquities,"
but that Christ is not the cause but the effect of God's love. (See his
"Primitive Christianity revived.")
This book brought down on Penn the anger of Dr. Sanderson, Bishop of
London, and led to his being sent to the Tower. But that only "added
one more glorious book to the literature of the Tower," "No Cross, No
Crown," of which Hepworth Dixon, more trustworthy in literature than in
religion, says, "Had the style been more condensed, it would have been
well entitled to claim a high place in literature." Whilst there he
also replied in a treatise entitled "Innocency with her open face," to
many strictures on the "Sandy Foundation Shaken."
This imprisonment revealed in two ways the stuff of which William Penn
was made. First severity was tried, and one day his servant brought
him the report that the bishop was determined he should recant or die
in prison. He only smiled and said, "They are mistaken in me; I value
not their threats. I will weary out their malice. Neither great nor
good things were ever attained without loss and hardship." Then they
sent Stillingfleet, the future bishop, to try his powers of persuasion,
but they, too, utterly failed. "Tell my father, who I know will ask
thee, that my prison shall be my grave before I will budge a jot, for
I owe my conscience to no mortal man." Such spirit, combined with the
ability his books were revealing, revived the admiral's pride in his
son. The court, too, began to take interest in him, and shortly after
Stillingfleet's visit he was released, having been in the Tower more
than eight months.
He at once resumed his preaching, and having been partially reconciled
to his father, was employed by him to attend to his Irish estates. On
his return home, his father received him fully into his favour, to the
great delight of his mother's heart.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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