For more than 200 years, Barclay's Apology was considered the authoritative exposition of Quaker belief and practice, a synthesis of personal religious experience and the historical context of the religion. A companion to The Inward Journey of Isaac Penington and William Penn's No Cross, No Crown.

Eleanore Price Mather excerpted and cut Barclay's Apology, published in 1676, to render this classic early exposition of Quaker belief and practice more accessible to today's readers. She also wrote a useful Introduction, and Howard Brinton a useful Preface, explaining who Barclay was, why his Apology was valued and widely read by Quakers for two hundred years, and why it is worth reading today.
The Apology is not the first text on Quaker faith for the enquirer to pursue, but it will serve the serious Quaker well. Barclay's text is full of illuminating and eloquent expressions of the Quaker faith, radical then and still today, on belief, worship, and the testimonies. Barclay's 17th century language is vivid and comprehensible, though the sentences are long and the constructions complex, in the old style. While it takes some work, the reader gains a vivid understanding and feel for the early Quaker lucidity and certainty in their experiential faith. This abbreviated version is an excellent way to get an essence of Barclay. ( )

An excellent short introduction to the most respected systematic articulation of early Quaker beliefs. Mather has done a very good job of shortening the work while maintaining the original language. Well worth reading by any Friend. Originally published in 1942 ( )

An excellent short introduction to the most respected systematic articulation of early Quaker beliefs. Mather has done a very good job of shortening the work while maintaining the original language. Well worth reading by any Friend. Originally published in 1942 ( )

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