by Isaac Penington
Isaac Penington (1616–1679) was one of the most important theologians of early Quakerism — a Cambridge-educated man of considerable social standing who became convinced of Friends' truth in the 1650s and spent years imprisoned for his refusals. This text, "A Brief Account of Some Reasons Why those People called Quakers cannot do some Things on the one hand, and forbear doing of some Things on the other hand," was written to explain to magistrates and the public why Quakers refused practices that landed them in prison. It is not a polemical tract but an explanatory one: each numbered point states a Quaker refusal and gives its scriptural and theological basis. Penington argues throughout that Friends act not from stubbornness or rebellion but from conscience and the direct leading of God — that their nonconformity is obedience to a higher authority. The text concludes with one of the great warnings of 17th-century dissent: that those who persecute the saints will find themselves fighting against God.
Reprinted by "Engineer" to the soc.religion.quaker newsgroup, December 2004, as part of a discussion of Quaker practice and conscience.
This account was drawn up brief, for their sakes who want either time or patience to consider of it more at large; and answers to the heads of their sufferings, in a particular declaration to the Parliament.
1. Why we go into meeting-places or markets or other-where to testify to the truth, and against deceit.
Because we are moved of the Lord so to do. We are his; and where he bids us witness for him, and against deceivers and their deceit, we must do it: woe unto us (from the Lord) if we do it not. If any man do any such thing in his own will, we witness against him, and the Lord will require it of him. Now this is no more than the apostles and servants of the Lord have done, as it is recorded in Scripture.
2. Why we cannot pay tithes.
Because tithes were not a maintenance appointed by Christ for his ministers, but were set up by the Pope (as the maintenance of his ministers) since the days of the apostles. And this maintenance by tithes, Wickliff and others bore a testimony against, and divers of the martyrs in Queen Mary's days suffered for, as by the articles charged against them, and the testimony that they held forth, may appear.
3. Why we meet together on the first days of the week, and at other times.
Because we find the Lord drawing of us, and his presence among us in our meetings, and receive refreshings to our souls thereby.
4. Why we cannot swear.
Because Christ our Lord (who is greater than Moses, who gave the law about swearing) hath said, "Swear not at all;" and his apostle (who abode in his doctrine) saith, "Above all things, my brethren, swear not; neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath." Now mark the drift of Christ, which is not only to forbid profane and unlawful oaths (for if that were all, Christ had spoken nothing further nor fuller than Moses had done; which is contrary to all the instances of the like kind, whereby he straitens all that had been said by Moses of old time,) but all swearing, without exception, as may further appear by the instance immediately foregoing, in the case of divorce, where he expresseth an exception in these words, "Saving for the cause of fornication;" but here is no exception added by Christ; and the putting in of an exception by man's wisdom, destroyeth Christ's words, making his command no straiter than the law of Moses, which forbad all profane and unlawful swearing. (Levit. 19:12.)
5. Why we cannot put off our hats to persons.
Because it is a custom of honour in the world, to men as men: and we can give no honour to men above what God hath given them; neither can we practise such things in the world's way, whose vanity, pride, and corruption we are to witness against. Neither are we allowed to lay aside that behaviour which God hath given us, to take up that which the world hath invented. We are not against giving honour to magistrates; but we are to give it in God's way, and not in the world's way. We are to give God his due honour, and man his due honour; but not to give the honour due to God, to man; nor to give man more honour than God hath given him; nor to give honour in a vain fashion. Now hat-honour is a fashion of honour, invented and set up by the world, and it is a part of that glory of the world which we are to witness against, and are not to comply with.
6. Why we cannot use the fashionable language of the world (viz.) you to a single person.
Because the primitive language of the Lord (thee and thou to a single person) is that which we find in us. We have not changed the primitive language, the world hath changed it. And the vanity of their change is, that it was changed in compliance with the pride of great men (who were not willing to receive thee and thou from those they thought inferior to them), and not from any service of God or good to men, but only as a mark of respect to the spirit of pride.
7. Why we cannot go to the public worship.
Because it is not the true worship of God. It is not the worship which God hath set up, but that which men have set up; it is not in the spirit and truth which God requires, but is a formality, a form without the power. The spirit is not waited upon there; the spirit doth not lead and guide there; but man's invention, man's learning, man's will and wisdom is the god thereof. The worship which God accepts must be in spirit and truth; (John 4:23-24;) and that which is not in spirit and in truth, is not accepted by God, how specious soever it may appear in men's eyes. Now as we will answer it to God, we cannot go to that which is not the true worship, to countenance it thereby; but we must testify against it for God, and direct men towards that which is the true worship.
8. Why we cannot pay the priests their wages.
Because they are not true ministers of Christ; and we are not to give wages to false ministers. Christ told his disciples, that they should receive wages from those that received them, and bade them shake off the dust from their feet against those that received them not; but he gave them no authority to compel wages from any. Now the priests of this day do not go as Christ's disciples, but they force their wages (they compel it to be paid) from those that are not willing to receive them, and yet they will not shake off the dust from their feet against them; but rather take that from them by force, which Christ's disciples were to receive from those that received them. Now it is expressly said in the law: "A labourer is worthy of his hire;" but it is not said, "He may force his hire from those that will not hire him:" so that no law of Christ will justify their forcing wages from those that refuse to be their hearers.
9. Why we cannot pay clerks and let out seats in the church.
Because they are places which were erected for popish and idolatrous worship; and where a worship not differing in its nature and ground (but only in form) is continued in this day; and the root from whence all this idolatry grew, is not so much as discovered, much less purged out of these dominions, by them who formerly declared against it in words. Now as we will answer it to God, we are to give no countenance or furtherance to idolatry. And for clerks, they were officers invented by the false church (since the apostasy), never appointed by Christ in his church, and such we dare not help to maintain.
Any man that shall in the fear of the Lord read this, may see that these things bear a weight upon our hearts; and what we do herein, we do for conscience' sake, in obedience to the Lord; and not out of stubbornness or rebellion, as by some we are charged, nor out of any delight that we have to disturb or disquiet others; but singly to the Lord, that we may stand clear in his sight. We know whom we obey therein, and are sure we do that which is pleasing to him.
Therefore let men take heed how they persecute us, lest they be found fighters against him who will be too strong for them. For these many ages, since the days of the apostles, deceit hath got up, antichrist hath sat in the temple, the true worshippers have been imprisoned and martyred. The Lord will avenge the sufferings and blood of his saints, and in due time will plead their cause against the oppressors, on whom his hand will then fall heavy, and the rocks and the mountains shall not be able to hide them from the presence of the Lamb; and that day who will be able to abide? though now men put it far from them.
Colophon
Written by Isaac Penington (1616–1679), one of the foremost theologians of early Quakerism, in the 1660s. Penington was imprisoned multiple times for his refusals and his writings; this text was written to explain, to those who had the power to imprison Friends, why Friends acted as they did. It is one of the clearest early articulations of Quaker theology as a lived ethic rather than a creed.
Reprinted to soc.religion.quaker by "Engineer," December 2004, as part of an ongoing discussion of Quaker practice and testimony. Message-ID: <[email protected]>.
Preserved from the Usenet archive for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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