BARCLAY. 



279 



Barclay, far as her influence could be of service to him or his 



1 / ' friends. When he returned to London, he learned 



that his father nd other Quakers were imprisoned in 

 Aberdeen for holding meetings in that city. He 

 therefore presented a memorial in their behalf to 

 Charles II., which was delivered by himself into the 

 king's own hand, who caused his Secretary of State, 

 the Duke of Lauderdale, to underwrite upon it a fa- 

 vourable reference to the council of Scotland, which 

 had the desired effect, as they soon after obtained 

 their liberty. 



In this year (1676) he published The Apology 

 for true Christian Divinity," in Latin, at Amsterdam, 

 which is the most celebrated of his works. It is de- 

 dicated to King Charles the II. The dedication is 

 remarkable for the freedom and boldness of sentiment 

 and language in which his majesty is addressed. 

 " Thou hast tasted," he says, " of prosperity and 

 adversity. Thou knowest what it is to be banished 

 thy native country ; to be overruled, as well as to 

 rule and sit upon the throne ; and being oppressed, 

 thou hast reason to know how hateful the oppressor 

 is both to God and man. If, after all these warn- 

 ings, and advertisements, thou dost not turn to the 

 Lord with all thy heart, but forget Him who re- 

 membered thee in thy distress, and give up thyself to 

 folly, lust, and vanity ; surely great will be thy condem- 

 nation." " The Apology" is reared on the " Theses 

 Theologicae," being an exposition of the fifteen pro- 

 positions contained in tha? work. The author's ge- 

 neral plan is, to state the position he means to esta- 

 blish, and to support it by scripture quotations appli- 

 cable to the case, or to deduce the truth of it by an 

 argument in the form of a syllogism. By this learn- 

 ed work he acquired great celebrity, as a deep theolo- 

 gian, profoundly skilled in the scriptures, the fathers, 

 and church history. His next publication, which also 

 appeared this year, is entitled, the " Anarchy of the 

 Ranters," and it is a vindication of the society from 

 the imputation of disorderly parties in their discipline, 

 of which they were accused by their adversaries. 



About the end of September, the Apologist re- 

 turned to Ury ; and although he had obtained his fa- 

 ther's release from confinement, he was not able to 

 protect himself. On the 7th November 1676, he was 

 committed to prison in Aberdeen along with several 

 other Quakers, for holding meetings tor public wor- 

 ship ; and did not regain his liberty until the 9th 

 April 1677- While in prison he wrote a treatise 

 entitled, " Universal Love considered and established 

 upon its right foundation," which was published after 

 his release. 



He left Ury in May, and went to London to ex- 

 ert himself for the deliverance of the Quakers of the 

 north, who were still harassed by imprisonment and 

 fines, for holding meetings at Aberdeen in contra- 

 vention, as it was alleged, of a statute enacted against 

 armed field conventicles ; which evidently did not ap- 

 ply to these peaceable people. From Theobald's near 

 London, lie wrote to the Princess Palatine on this 

 subject, in which he gives an account of a conversa- 

 tion that had passed between him and the Duke of 

 York relative to the sufferings of the Quakers. It 

 appears by this letter, that he had addressed his Royal 

 Highness in very plain language, for he says, " I 



told him, I understood from Scotland, that, notwith- Barclay, 

 standing Lauderdale was there, and had promised to / ' 



do something before he went, yet our friends' bonds 

 were rather increased ; and that there was only one 

 thing to be done, which I desired of him, and that 

 was, to write effectually to the Duke of Lauderdale 

 in that style wherein Lauderdale might understand 

 that he was serious in the business, and did really in- 

 tend the thing he did write concerning, should take 

 effect ; which I knew he might do, and I supposed 

 the other might answer ; which if he would do, I 

 nTust acknowledge as a great kindness. But if he did 

 write and not in that manner, so that the other might 

 not suppose him to be serious, I would rather he 

 would excuse himself the trouble ; desiring withal to 

 excuse my plain manner of dealing, as being different 

 from the court way of soliciting : all which he seem- 

 ed to take in good part, and said he would write as I 

 desired." He soon after returned to Ury, and was 

 permitted to enjoy the full exercise of his religion un- B 



molested, until the 9th November 1679, when he was 

 taken out of a meeting at Aberdeen, as well as seve- 

 ral of his friends ; but they were discharged in a few 

 hours, and never afterwards disturbed by the magis- 

 trate. 



" The Apology/' which had become widely cir- 

 culated in six different languages, was rudely assailed 

 by John Brown, in a work entitled, " Quakerism the 

 Pathway to Paganism." To this abusive perform- 

 ance, Barclay replied in vindication of his doc-, 

 trines, which is the last of his polemical writings 

 that are published. From this period, he was occu- 

 pied, for the most part, in travelling in England, re- 

 lative to the concerns of the society ; and when in 

 London, in 1682, he was honoured with a public 

 appointment, having received a commission as .gover- 

 nor of East Jcrsy in America. An extensive tract of 

 land in that province was, at the same time, granted 

 to him and his heirs in fee. Charles II. confirmed 

 his government for life, and the commission is ex- 

 pressed in terms highly flattering to this good man : 

 " Such are his known fidelity and capacity," it says, 

 " that he has the government during life ; but that 

 every governor after him shall have it for three years 

 only." He was authorised to appoint a deputy- 

 governor, with a salary of j400 sterling per annum; 

 and Gawn Laurie, a merchant in London, was ac- 

 cordingly appointed to that office. Having arranged 

 these matters, he returned to Ury : but in summer 

 1683, he again visited his friends in London. To- 

 wards the close of that year, however, he came home, 

 and occupied himself in shipping stores, provisions, 

 and other necessaries, from Aberdeen to the colony 

 of East Jcrsy ; in the prosperity of which, he was 

 extremely interested. 



In IGHo he went again to London relative to the 

 concerns of the society ; but he soon returned, and 

 remained at home until April 1687, when, at the ear- 

 nest solicitation of George Fox, and other friends, 

 he set off for court, to exert his influence in behalf 

 of the Quakers. As the king honoured him with 

 his friendship, he had access to his majesty at all 

 times ; and, on this occasion, he presented an Ad- 

 dress from the Quakers in Scotland, expressive of 

 their gratitude, for his majesty's proclamation permit- 



