Letters of Isaac Penington, an Eminent Minister of the Gospel in The Society of Friends.

125 pp. 12mo. "Isaac Penington (1616-1679) was the son of a wealthy Puritan magistrate. It is believed that he had a university education, but the particulars are not known. He married the widow Mary Springett and with her had five children; his stepdaughter, Gulielma Springett, became the wife of William Penn. Penington was a spiritual seeker from early years, but found his desire for a lasting sense of fellowship with God frustrated until in 1658 he became convinced that the Quaker movement was a work of God, and joined Friends. A prolific writer who had already published several books, he became one of the chief advocates, through the printed word, of the Quaker faith. He was imprisoned six times, for refusing to swear, or for attending Friends' meetings, and sometimes on no charge at all; he spent about five years thus confined, which he was said to endure very patiently, though sometimes in danger of his life from illness. He lost his home and much of his estate when relatives brought lawsuits against his family which they could not defend because of their testimony against oath-taking. He was an active member of Upperside Monthly Meeting (Buckinghamshire) from its founding in 1668 until his death in 1679." - Quaker Heritage Press