Complete Works of Edward Burrough, Volume 5
Burrough's doctrinal writings — his most sustained theological arguments for the central tenets of Quaker faith: the Inward Light, direct revelation, the priesthood of all believers, and the sufficiency of Christ as teacher.
- Volume 5 of 7
- EPUB format
About This Edition
In this fifth volume, Burrough works out the theological foundations of Quakerism with greater deliberateness than in his early polemical tracts. Here he is less the debater and more the systematic thinker — though system never quite tames his prose. The major writings collected here explore the Quaker understanding of Scripture, the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding the individual conscience, and the nature of the gathered meeting as a place where Christ presides. These are questions that separated Friends from all other Protestant groups of the period, and Burrough’s treatment of them remains one of the clearest and most vigorous in the tradition.
The doctrinal essays in this volume were written during the intense theological controversies of the 1650s and early 1660s, when the Quaker movement was defining itself in relation to Puritanism, Ranterism, and other radical movements of the English Revolution. Burrough navigates these disputes with considerable skill, distinguishing Friends’ position from extremes on all sides. This modernized edition makes his arguments fully accessible without softening their force.
