Jason R Henderson

The Writings of Isaac Penington Jason R Henderson

Isaac Penington (1616-1679) was the son of a prominent English politician, and the father-in-law of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania. He lived during what is often considered one of the most turbulent periods of England's history. Though born into a family of wealth and reputation, Penington's heart was set upon things above from his earliest days. Even as a child, he recognized that the accepted religion of his day stood in the will and understanding of man, in outward practices, duties, and scriptural truths that were professed but not truly possessed. Isaac Penington longed for more. Speaking of his early days he wrote, "That which I sought after was the resting place, the true Life of my soul, the power and presence of the Lord, the same demonstration of his Spirit that was witnessed in the days of the apostles. Yet, breathing after this and not meeting with it caused unutterable anguish, misery, and distress in my heart." But the Lord is found by those who seek Him, for it is the Father's good pleasure to reveal His Son. And as Penington, together with many in his day who shared his hunger for truth, turned their hearts to the living God, the veil was taken away, and they discovered and declared a Christianity that stood in, and flowed out from, the light and life of Jesus Christ reigning in the inner man.