Isaac Penington (1616–1679) era el hijo mayor de un bien conocido político Inglés. Fue criado en una familia rica e influyente, y cultivado y pulido con una buena y amplia educación. Sin embargo, las aspiraciones de Penington, desde sus primeros días, estaban enteramente fijadas en las cosas de arriba y no en las muchas cosas del mundo que estaban a su alcance. Él dice de sí mismo: “Desde mi niñez mi corazón fue apuntado hacia el Señor, de quien me ocupé y a quien busqué desde mis tiernos años. Yo sentía que no podía estar satisfecho con (ni buscar) las cosas de este mundo perecedero, las cuales naturalmente expiran, sino que deseaba un verdadero sentido y unidad con lo que permanece para siempre.” De hecho, el hambre y la desesperación de Penington por el verdadero conocimiento y experiencia de Dios (como los lectores de este volumen reconocerán sin duda) fue un sello distintivo en su vida. Buscando, encontró; llamando, la puerta se abrió delante de él. Buscó al Señor con todo su corazón, mente y fuerza, y no cabe duda de que el Señor fue encontrado por él.
Isaac Penington was one of the early members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).
Penington was the oldest son of Isaac Penington, a Puritan who had served as the Lord Mayor of London. Penington married a widow named Mary Springett and they had five children. Penington's stepdaughter Gulielma Springett married William Penn. Convinced that the Quaker faith was true, Penington and his wife joined the Friends in 1657 or 1658. Penington became an influential promoter and defender of the Quaker movement, writing extensively on many topics. His writings are prized for their insightful and eloquent exploration of spiritual experience. While read in bulk they can seem repetitious, there is much that is eloquent, moving, and deeply insightful. His Letters have been read continuously within Quakerism for their spiritual counsel, and they deserve to be read more widely within Christianity. His complete works were first published in 1681. They are still in print today and can also be read online.
Penington became an influential promoter and defender of the Quaker movement, publishing several books about it. He was imprisoned six times for his beliefs, starting in 1661. Sometimes the charge was refusal to take an oath. Taking an oath was something that Friends were against doing (see Testimony of Integrity). Refusing to take an oath was prohibited by the Quaker Act of 1662. At other times Penington was charged with attending a Quaker meeting, which was forbidden by the Conventicle Act of 1664.
Penington's wife, Mary, was a remarkable woman in her own right. Her daughter Gulielma, from her first marriage, to Sir WIlliam Springett (who died young), became the first wife of WIlliam Penn.
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