That Which is Holy and Living

“Oh, that ye might inwardly know these things! Turn in, turn in. Mind what stirs in your hearts; what moves against sin, what moves towards sin. The one is the Son’s life, the Son’s grace, the Son’s Spirit; the other is the spirit and nature which is contrary thereto. If ye could come but to the sense of this, and come to a true inward silence, and waiting, and turning at the reproofs of heavenly wisdom, and know the heavenly drawings into that which is holy and living, ye would soon find the Lord working in your hearts.”

— Isaac Penington
To the Independents of Canterbury
Photo credit: Georgia Sparling

Mind what is working in your heart. Come to a true inward silence, and waiting.

What is your relationship with silence and stillness?

What happens for you when you try to sit still in silence? How do you maintain a state of inner stillness through the noise and demands of your daily life?

Author

  • Isaac Penington (1616–1679) was one of the early members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in England. He wrote about the Quaker movement and was an influential promoter and defender of it.

    View all posts