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Excerpt from Memoirs of the Life of Isaac Penington: To Which Is Added a Review of His Writings The character of a man may be known by his writings: and it must be allowed of greater importance to inspect the thoughts of a virtuous man, than simply to know the outward circumstances of his life. But when we are pleased or edified with the writings of an author of distinction, we become naturally curious to know the manner in which he passed his time: and, on the other hand, if we are led from the perusal of biography, to believe that the subject of it was a person qualified to please or to edify, we are disposed to continue our acquaintance, by perusing also the memorials of his wisdom which he has left behind him. It is chiefly on the former account that a collection of the few scattered accounts of the life of Isaac Penington would be, if well executed, a useful work. His numerous tracts have been three times edited, and lie open to the access of every one. They a re generally grateful and consolatory to that class of readers which is composed of persons who feel their own feeble state, with respect to religious concerns; and desire to be, so far as it is right they should be, assisted by the experience of others. But two quarto, or four octavo volumes, closely printed, are, to many, formidable things; and it is certain too, that considerable attention of mind is a requisite qualification, and considerable calmness of mind a very desirable one, to sit down to the perusal of the valuable remains of this eminent Friend. Cursory readers, also, have imputed to Isaac Penington the charge of mysticism; a term, as generally used, of not the most definite import, but sometimes sufficient to deter the impatient from examining for themselves into the justice of the charge. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.