Hi, Patricia. As a matter of fact, a new Philadelphia Friends of Jesus group might be launching soon. I am planning to go down for the launch, once it is scheduled. I was already planning to reach out to you when I went to Philadelphia so that you and I could meet up, but now that I know that you are interested in the FoJF, I will keep you posted on that, too!

Thanks, Patricia, for locating (with Ellis Hein's help) the passage comparing Fox and Barclay.  Before I write much about this passage, I need to find and read it.

Life at the moment is rather hectic for me, so it might be a while before I find the document and read the passage.

Greetings Friends,

In the Eight Proposition section 11, Barclay says "Lastly, though I affirm that after a man hath arrived to such a condition in which a man may not sin, he yet may sin; I will nevertheless not deny but there may be a state attainable in this life, in which to do righteousness may become so natural to the regenerate soul, that in the stability of this condition they can not sin. Others may perhaps speak more certainly of this state, as having arrived to it. For me, I shall speak modestly, as acknowledging myself not to have arrived at it; yet I dare not deny it, for that it seems so positively to be asserted by the apostle, in these words (1 John 3:9), "He that is born of God sinneth not, neither can he, because the seed of God remaineth in him."¹"

And this is the difference between himself and Fox who had reached the state of perfection, but as in all revivals of holiness, by the time the second generation comes around, achievement of union is fading amongst the revivalists. Without the discernement of the Spirit which Fox  had, and Christ teaching him directly, Barclay is only going to be able to repeat what he had heard from men and therefore, his teaching will differ from those who were in complete union with Christ like Fox in the finer points of the doctrine of holiness..

Brenda

William F Rushby said…

Patricia: I wrote a response, and then mistakenly deleted it.  I wish I could resurrect it, but I don't know how to do that.  I'll try a bit later to reconstruct what I wrote!

I clearly did not understand your words correctly. Thank you for taking time to clarify for me.