Robert Barclay – An Introduction
By Paul L. Copeland
Let us have a moment of silence.
“... And O Blessed God! Thou has been graciously pleased to begin a good work, a glorious work of righteousness in our days and times. Blessed God and Father! We humbly pay Thee, carry it on and make it prosper. Prosper the souls of thy people in it, that they may be a growing, thriving and increasing people in thy holy ways and in thy blessed work; and as Thou hast sown a precious seed and planted a noble vine by thine own Almighty hand; and hast given us a root of life, the foundation of our faith, love and obedience, which foundation Thou hast laid in Zion; Lord, keep thy people sensible of it; that they may mind it, and wait upon Thee, and be preserved in that root of life wherin thy blessing is; that thy people may partake of thy blessing, and grow up into the nature of that life, to bring forth fruit to Thee – to increase in faith and love, in obedience and humility and meekness; that the life of true Christianity may be promoted and increased among thine heritage; ...”[1]
The preceding passage is part of a prayer offered by Barclay at Grace Church Street Meeting,
Robert Barclay and his Apology for the True Christian Divinity have had a profound impact on my understanding of Quakerism and on how to live as a Quaker. For this reason I felt it important for me to pass on some observations and insights revealed by Barclay. I should say now that I do not consider Barclay to be canon. As we often say no one person can speak for Quakerism as a whole. However, Barclay was the first, and for quite a while the only Quaker to expound a theological basis to Quakerism. When one reads Fox, Penn and Pennington we generally find very moving tracts that show us an avenue to the Light, but rarely is there a systematic analysis of the theological grounding behind their experience.
As Howard Brinton says in the Preface to the Pendle Hill Pamphlet Barclay in Brief:
George Fox, William Penn and Robert Barclay were the three great trail-breakers of primitive Quakerism. What Fox accomplished in the filed of religious pioneering and church organisation and what Penn achieved in political and social action, Barclay attained in the field of thought and scholarship.[2]
Barclay sets forth in the Apology a justification of Quakerism when compared to two of the main Christian branches at work in 17th Century
As we start this investigation we must remember that Barclay wrote in a time that was theologically different from us. Nearly everyone in
But who was Robert Barclay?
Barclay was Born in 1648 and died in 1690, aged a relatively young 42. He died as a result of fever. He was from a noble Scottish family, in fact is father David Barclay was a soldier and fought for
Robert Barclay was brought up with a Calvanist background, in fact Barclay himself says , “My first education from my infancy up, fell amongst the strictest sort of Calvanists”[3]. At an early age though Barclay was sent to
“… and my tender years and immature capacity not being able to withstand and resist the insinuations that were used to proselite me to that way, I became quickly defiled with the pollutions therof”
But at the request of his dying mother his father brought him back to
In 1665 his father was imprisoned for having held office under the Commonwealth. Here Daviid Barclay was sharing a cell with Quaker John Swinton, who convinced him to the Quaker way. Robert was brought to Quakerism through his father and he joined the Society in either late 1666 or early 1667. The following words that Barclay used to describe his experience with the Quaker Meeting for Worship are well known and repeat them here:
“For, when I came into the silent assemblies of God's people, I felt a secret power among them, which touched my heart; and as I gave way unto it I found the evil weakening in me and the good raised up; and so I became thus knit and united unto them, hungering more and more after the increase of this power and life whereby I might feel myself perfectly redeemed; and indeed this is the surest way to become a Christian; to whom afterwards the knowledge and understanding of principles will not be wanting, but will grow up so much as is needful as the natural fruit of this good root, and such a knowledge will not be barren nor unfruitful.”[4]
Barclay’s father remained in prison for four years, and Robert was sent back to the estate at Ury. He continued to study widely and in 1670 he married Christian Molleson in
In 1682 twelve Quakers under the auspices of Penn established East New
