Isaac Pennington
Quotes of: Isaac Pennington
Isaac Pennington (1617-1679) was an expert in inward experience. He was a man who knew the true meaning of mysticism. He was a Quaker whose life and writings reflect the certainty, conviction, and commitment of a disciple of Christ.
Pennington was born into a prominent Puritan family; his father was once Lord Mayor of London. His education was of the best for that period; his style of writing reflects his wide acquaintance with literature and his absorption of the flavor and beauty of the finest writers.
In 1658 Pennington and his wife joined the Quaker movement and devoted all their talents to this renaissance of first-century Christianity. With George Fox, Robert Barclay, James Naylor, William Penn, and others they helped to make Quakerism a powerful force In the England of their day.
Pennington's greatest contribution was through his public ministry, through his remarkable letters, and through his many publications. Robert Barclay was the scholarly, logical protagonist of Quakerism; Pennington the literary, mystical interpreter of the new movement. Eleven years of imprisonment was a price he paid for his faith, but nothing daunted his devotion to Truth.
Across the years Pennington still speaks to our condition even though the quaint phraseology of the 17th century may seem a bit strange to our ears.