Description: Quaker Quicks - Exploring Isaac Penington: Seventeenth-Century Quaker Mystic, Teacher and Activist, brings forth the story of Isaac Penington, who was a leading Quaker when the movement first emerged during the confusion and crisis of the English Civil War.

Inspiring people to move toward a new vision of peace, equality, generosity and integrity, Penington saw the potential in everyone to help create such a new world.

Verdict: For those uninitiated, Isaac Penington (1616–1679) was the eldest son of Alderman Isaac Penington, Lord Mayor of London from 1642–1643. He was brought up in a strict and rigid Puritan family, and was interested in religion from an early age. In 1634 he was admitted to the Inner Temple and was called to the bar in 1639.

He became dissatisfied with what seemed to him to be an outward and formal religion. By 1649 he had become associated with some Independents (a loose coalition of political and religious radicals). After this he went through a period of spiritual darkness and later became a Seeker looking for a more inward and spiritual religion.

He actually wrote much about this quest. In ‘A voyage out of Thick Darkness’ (1650) he argued that it was essential to wait for the Spirit’s light and in ‘Light or Darknesse’ he recounted his spiritual troubles and his longing for a more perfect righteousness.

In 1654 Penington married Mary, the widow of Colonel Springett. Mary had also experienced difficulties with her religious beliefs and had spent some years trying to find spiritual satisfaction, so she and Isaac had much in common in a spiritual sense. Within two to three years they came into contact with the Friends.

One day in 1657 when they were walking in the park an unidentified Quaker rode by on his horse. He chastised the Peningtons for their elaborate and fashionable attire. Later he sent two Quakers Thomas Curtis and William Simpson to visit them. Then, in 1658, after hearing George Fox speak, Isaac and Mary joined the Friends.

Their home at The Grange in Buckinghamshire became a hub of Quaker activity. They befriended Quaker Thomas Ellwood and made him the tutor to their five children.

Mary and Isaac suffered greatly for becoming Quakers. Friends and relatives shunned them and they were stoned on their way to Meetings. Between 1660 and 1670 Isaac was imprisoned six times because of his Quaker principles.

Throughout this time he showed a forbearance and even tenderness towards his persecutors. When not in prison Isaac spent his time spreading truth by preaching and writing, and he continued to write even when in prison.

By now, his writing was often political. In ‘Three Queries Propounded to the King and Parliament’ he reminded readers that in the recent Civil War God had overturned the government and empowered men of low estate and warned that it could happen again. In ‘A Weighty Question’, addressed to King and Parliament he asked whether they had the right to enforce laws people could not conscientiously obey.

In March 1665 he was imprisoned in Aylesbury for a month for attending a Quaker funeral. Soon after his release he was imprisoned again for refusing to address the Earl of Bridgewater as “My Lord”. He was released after serving nine months, but was arrested again about three weeks later and held in Aylesbury prison for about eighteen months. He was released after one of Mary’s relatives obtained a writ of habeas corpus and had his case transferred to king’s bench.

During his 1665 imprisonment their house was seized and Mary and their children were evicted. They found a new home at the much smaller Berrie House in Amersham.

His imprisonments had taken their toll on his health, but in 1672 he was able to witness the marriage of his step-daughter Gulielma Springett to William Penn.

Isaac Pennington died in 1679 and is buried at Jordans in Buckinghamshire.

Thus, here in this most wondrous addition to the quite brilliant Quaker Quick series, as a whole, author Ruth Tod reveals to us the life and work of this 17th century Quaker, Isaac Penington, in a way that her prose really brings the man to life on the pages.

Diving deep into his writings, and astutely mirroring how they can still be drawn on today within our very own spiritual lives, the way Ruth details everything is really rather enriching to the soul.

For, and much like other Quaker leaders, Isaac Penington discovered that silently waiting on the divine helps us better understand ourselves and others so that we are more able to respond to life’s challenges with openness, confidence and courage.

Thus, in this book, author Ruth not only draws upon Penington’s letters and pamphlets to build a bridge between his time and ours, she also uses examples and interpretations of his writings to explore the beliefs and habits that shape our lives.

About the Author - Ruth was a programme co-ordinator for Quaker Peace and Social Witness in London, facilitating, training and writing on peace, economics and sustainability. Since then she has campaigned and facilitated meetings locally, both in London and now where she lives in Henley, Oxfordshire. She has also taught the Alexander Technique, which has given her insights into the value of waiting and listening.

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