A Word from the Lost

A WORD FROM THE LOST

Remarks on James Nayler’s
Love to the Lost And a Hand held forth
to the Helpless To Lead out of the Dark

by David Lewis

So that before any can rightly worship God they must wait to know his Spirit that leads to know him and his worship. . . . So that all who would so worship him as to be accepted, you must know the light, and in it wait to know what God calls for at your hands: for it is not what men appoint you to do or not to do that will acquit you before the Lord. (LL 3:63)

This book is a commentary on Love to the Lost, a pamphlet published by the early Quaker James Nayler in February 1656. It explores Nayler’s theology described in this pamphlet, which was written prior to his blasphemy conviction, as similar to that of other early Quakers. This book puts Nayler’s thought into its historical and biographical context.

It is not easy to be sure what Nayler meant in his pamphlet. Several mountain ranges stand between us and James Nayler: the changed thinking of the Enlightenment about God and the universe; the aesthetic revolution of the Romantics; and the post-modern and liberal Quaker skepticism about whether absolute and certain ‘Truth’ exists. We lack his deep Christian background. Modern Friends probably understand more about (for example) Buddhism and Celtic mysticism than the theological mix of Reformation Europe. But despite these difficulties, this book chooses to assume that there is a continuity in spirituality between Nayler and twenty-first-century Friends, even though it may not be expressed in the same language.

Central to this commentary is a comparison of the theology in Love to the Lost with the various books of discipline of London Yearly Meeting (later Britain Yearly Meeting). The comparison will, it is hoped, explain Nayler to a modern audience, illustrate the Quaker journey since 1652, and offer some reflections on the present condition of Quakerism in Great Britain.

About the author

David Lewis is a Quaker living in Portsmouth, United Kingdom. David has served on various central committees for Britain Yearly Meeting. David is also assistant clerk to his area meeting. He has published short articles in Quaker Voices, and in Friends Quarterly.

Now available:
266 pp.: Hardcover, ISBN 978-1-7328239-7-6, $35.
266 pp.: Paperback, ISBN 978-1-7328239-8-3, $25.

Now available as an ebook: ISBN 978-1-7328239-9-0, (eBook), $12.50

Purchase ebook now - choose EPUB or Kindle format:

Return to Inner Light Books home page

For more information contact editor@innerlightbooks.com.

Inner Light Books