Birch Builds, 1874-1974 Book

The dates and numbering of this and the previous two pamphlets from Pendle Hill are confusing. The sequencing of the number suggest this is the final of the three yet it has the earlier date of 1944 from the other two. Number 28 is consistently listed as 1945 while number 29 is listed as both 1944 and 1945. As all three are condensations or summaries of historical works of import to the initial development of the Society of Friends rather than world events at the time of publication (WWII, for instance), the confusion of dates and pamphlet numbering is of no real significant, it seems, than to the perhaps overly retentive types. Or, perhaps as well to those who believe all works reflect implicit and tacit influences of their world at the time of writing.

Regardless, William Penn's work is the most accessible of the three pamphlets for me because it is much more politically and experimentally grounded than the other two. Penington is mystical; Barclay theoretical. Penn's is grounded in practical matters. Life is a collection of our works, our acts and deeds.

In summary: Measure my faith and beliefs by how I live and what I do, not by what I say or write. Sound like sage advice to put into practice in the present world of alternate truths, bald false lies for the sake of selfish convenience. Many of Penn's admonitions included in the pamphlet, although written 350 years ago, are too relevant today.

Anna Brinton's introduction is enlightening. “Pride, power, worldly honor and respect, rank, wealth, luxury, and every form of excess are adverse both to religion and to the public welfare. The temperance Penn pleads for is both politically and religiously good. ‘True Godliness,’ he writes in the most famous sentence in No Cross No Crown, ‘does not take men out of the world, but enables them to live better in it and excites their endeavors to mend it.’” (pp. v-vi)

“The whole emphasis is on conduct as the expression of obedience to God.” (p. xii)

A couple of selected excerpts from Penn's No Cross, No Crown hint at the depth of flavors to be found within the chewy center of the pamphlet. First his attack on organized modern, Christianity:

“There seems very little left of Christianity but the name. The deity they truly worship is the god of the world. To him they bow with the whole powers of soul and sense. What shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear? And how shall we pass away our time? Which way may we accumulate wealth, increase our power, and enlarge our territories?” (p. 3)

“Religion fell from experience to tradition, and worship, from power to form, from life to letter, so that a man may say with truth: thy condition is worse by thy religion, because thou art tempted to think thyself better for it, and art not.” (p. 7)

As he talks about Pride, consider recent events and much of the American Way:

“Pride is an excess of self-love, joined with an undervaluing of others, and a desire of dominion over them: the most troublesome thing in the world. There are four things by which it hath made itself best known to mankind, the consequences of which have brought an equal misery to the evil. The first is an inordinate pursuit of knowledge. The second, an ambitious seeking and craving of power. The third, an extreme desire of personal respect and deference. The last excess is that of worldly furniture and ornament.” (pp. 17-18)

“Pride does extremely crave power, then which not one thing has proved more troublesome and destructive to mankind.” (p. 22)

“The third evil effect of pride is an excessive desire of personal honor and respect.” (p. 23)

“To be descended of wealth and titles fills no man’s head with brains, nor heart with truth: those qualities come from a higher cause.” (p. 29)

“A proud man in power is very mischievous; for his pride is the more dangerous by his greatness, since from ambition in private men it becomes tyranny in him. The men of this temper would have nothing thought amiss they do; no, they will rather choose to perish obstinately than, by acknowledging, yield away the reputation of better judgement to inferiors; thought it were their prudence to do so. And indeed, `tis all the satisfaction that proud great men make to the world for the miseries they often bring upon it that, first or last, they leave their real interest to follow some one excess of humor, and are almost ever destroyed by it. This is the end pride gives proud men and the ruin it brings upon them, after it has punished others by them.” (p. 30)

And finally, “The temperance I plead for is not only religiously but politically good; `tis the interest of good government to curb and rebuke excesses.” (p. 36)

Amen, Friend William Penn!