PRESERVATION PHOTOCOPY: ORIGINAL MATERIAL RESTRICTED

Man, as he habitually exists, was often called "the
natural man." This natural man, full of his own desires,
thoughts, and imaginings, is strongly inclined to stand up in
his own will. He lives in darkness, shut up in himself,
shut of the light. Turned away from God, he is bent towards
the things of the world, is covetous, hardened, and is amply
supplied with the other biblical sins. So far I as I know,
the early Friends never referred to this man as an exile,
yet they certainly realized that he exists as such. Their
natural man was precisely what I have called the outer
person, the personal self, man-as-an-egotist.

Natural man, however, was not the whole man. In the
whole man, but not of the natural man, there is a divine
principle and power, another life, a world of light and
love, a true wisdom - there is, in short, that of God.

Man, as he habitually exists, was sometimes referred to as "the natural man", sometimes as the "old nature". This natural man, full of his own desires, thoughts, knowledge, and imaginings, is strongly inclined to stand up in his own will. Turned away from God, he is bent towards the things of the world, is covetous, vain, ambitious, hardened, and amply supplied with the other biblical sins. He lives in darkness, wrapped up in himself, shut up in unbelief, as George Fox expressed it. So far I as I know, the early Friends never were referred to this man as an exile, yet they certainly recognized that he exists as such. They seldom expressed their views of the human situation in terms of states of consciousness, yet when they did it clear that they recognized natural man to be somnambulistic. Said Penn to the people of England, "Oh, be thou awakened. Awake and arise out of thy deep sleep." In fine, their natural man had all the characteristics of what I have called the outer person, the personal self, man-as-an-egotist.

Within the whole human being, but not of the natural man, there is a divine seed: a spiritual principle and power, another life, a true wisdom, a world of light and love - there is, in short, that of God. Friends knew by experience that it is possible for the seed to stir and grow, for the power to become active, for people to open to that world of light and love. They knew, indeed, that it is possible to do more than open; one can enter; one can change location, leaving the natural man and centering in the inner being; one can experience what in this book we

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have called transport, a major change or transformation. Isaac Penington was explicit as to this possibility. He wrote, "...when the nature of the seed is grown up in thee...then thou wilt change that dwelling-place for the dwelling-place which is born from above; wherein there is light, life, peace, satisfaction, health, salvation, and rejoicing of soul from and before the Lord."

Friends also recognized that between the natural or outer man and the inner being there is a barrier. Again I qoute Penington, "O Lord my God! discover to the thirsty souls, what it is that withholds them from the living waters; that they may not labour and spend their strength in vain, in duties and ordinances invented by man."

Friends' aims were based on their experience of these several facts and possibilities. They aimed to overcome the natural man, to change out of him. They aimed to open or wear down or in other ways come over the barrier. They aimed so to live, and so to wait and worship, that the divine inward power would become operative and effect the profound change mentioned by William Penn. This change was to be two-fold. On the one hand there was to be a thorough cleansing and purgation, On the other, there was to come into life a new birth, a new creation, "Chirst formed within". They aimed, in a word, to promote catharsis—development the result of which would be a new formation of another being, a new being, harmonized and whole, a child of God because begotten of the divine will and power.

The writings of the early Friends, those of George

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Fox, Robert Barclay, Penn and Penington, make it aimly
clear that their central aim was to be born again, to be
born above the natural man, raised into growing of the
divine seed. What they had in mind was no mere conversion
of the natural man to a better life. What they desired was
no vague "spiritual" life. They worked for a definite and
substantial new being and new life, under God and within
God. As mentioned before, they took Christ's words to
Nicodemus earntesly. They did this because they knew what
Christ meant. They knew what he meant because they had
experience, firsthand experience of it. "Except aman be
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Except a man
be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into
the kingdom of God. Ye must be born again."

Profound catharsis and the birth and growth of a
new being in a new life - these, then, were their aims
for the attainment of which Penn said they had "sufficient
and blessed means." We may now inquire as what these
means were.

The early Friends had a clear and proud insight
as to man's part and God's part in the matter of brining
about the desired change, and their practices were in
accord with this insight. They knew that God's part is
large and major, man's part relatively small and minor,
but, though minor, necessary. Man, being man, must do
his share. Man, being man, must make effort.
What would seem to be the central effort of the
early Friends had to do with practice they called "waiting."