Early Friends wrote extensively about their movement, often in its defense. We offer a number of writings by William Penn to help modern Friends understand who we are and who we aren’t. We also offer more recent writings on Friends’ faith and practice.
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Selected Quotations from William Penn’s No Cross, No Crown
William Penn (1644-1718) wrote No Cross, No Crown in 1669 about the importance of self-denial in the Christian life.
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The Beatitudes: Pathways of Living in True Joy and Peace
The teachings of Jesus called Beatitudes, recorded in Matthew and Luke, are an invitation to a way of living that brings true happiness and inward and outward peace.
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How to Become Happy
When we do something that we feel to be wrong, a feeling of reproof rises in us. This is from the Spirit of God. But as we obey God, we are led into deep happiness with him.
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How Grace Works
There is such an experience as “conversion.” It is not a mechanical process or a mere gush of emotion. It is a transaction in the realm of the spirit, where deep calleth unto deep, registering itself outwardly.
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The Outward and the Inward Christ
The Jesus of sacred history is the Christ of inward experience. All the qualities of that blessed life, the unfoldings of the Divine nature are available today through the Indwelling. God has revealed his mind through his son, but also in sacred literature. The public ministry of Christ was a constant fulfilling of the Scriptures.
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The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the glorified Christ. When the day of the Spirit broke in power on the day of Pentecost, mighty results followed. One result of this new experience was the formation of a new fellowship.
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Peace Be with You: A Study of the Spiritual Basis of the Friends Peace Testimony
A study of the spiritual basis of the Friends peace testimony.
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A Key
Originally published in 1692, this tract was intended to explain Quakerism to those who did not know the truth about Friends. It is also a good introduction to new Friends and a refresher for old Friends.
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A Quaker View of the Christian Revelation
The experience of the living presence of Christ is the basis for Quakerism. The continuing presence brings about a new relationship between God and individuals, but also between God and his people as a group.
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A Question of Authority
The tendency to rely on human leadership comes from people who are not “hearing” the message that God wants to lead them directly.