, the celebrated apologist for the Quakers, and one of the ablest
, the celebrated apologist for the
Quakers, and one of the ablest writers of that sect, was
born at Gordonstown, in the shire of Murray, Scotland, in
1648, of an ancient and very honourable family. The
troubles in Scotland induced his father, colonel Barclay,
to send him while a youth to Paris, under the care of his
uncle, principal of the Scots college who, taking advantage of the tender age of his nephew, drew him over to
the Romish religion. His father, being informed of this,
sent for him in 1664. Robert, though now only sixteen,
had gained a perfect knowledge of the French and Latin
tongues, and had also improved himself in most other parts
of knowle_dge. Several writers amongst the quakers have
asserted that colonel Barclay had embraced their doctrine
before his son’s return from France, but Robert himself has
tixed it to the year 1666. Our author soon after became
also a proselyte to that sect, and in a short time distinguished himself greatly by his zeal for their doctrines. His
rirst treatise in defence of them appeared at Aberdeen,
1670. It was written in so sensible a manner, that it
greatly raised the credit of the quakers. The title runs
thus “Truth cleared of calumnies, 'wherein a hook entitled, A dialogue between a Quaker and a stable Christian
(printed at Aberdeen, and, upon good ground, judged to be writ by William Mitchel, a preacher near by it, or at least that he had a chief hand in it), is examined, and the
disingenuity of the author in his representing the Quakers
is discovered here is also their case truly stated, cleared,
demonstrated, and the objections of their opposers answered according to truth, scripture, and right reason to
which are subjoined queries to the inhabitants of Aberdeen,
which might (as far as the title tells us) also be of use to
such as are of the same mind with them elsewhere in the
nation.
” The preface to this performance is dated from the
author’s house at Ury, the 19th of the second month, 1670.
In a piece he published in 1672, he tells us that he had
been commanded by God to pass through the streets of
Aberdeen in sackcloth and ashes, and to preach the necessity of faith and repentance to the inhabitants he accordingly performed it, being, as he declared, in the greatest
agonies of mind till he had fulfilled this command. In
1675, he published a regular and systematical discourse,
explaining the tenets of the quakers; which was well received. This was called “A Catechism and Confession of
Faith, &c.
” Many of those who opposed the religion of the
quakers, having endeavoured to confound them with another sect called the ranters, our author, in order to shewr
the difference between those pi his persuasion and this
other sect, wrote a very sensible and instructive work
called “The Anarchy of the Ranters and other Libertines,
&e.
” In for the Quakers
was published in Latin at Amsterdam, 4to. His
” Theses
theologies,“which are the foundation of this work, had
been published some time before. He translated his Apology into English, and published it in 1678. The title in
the English edition runs thus
” An apology for the true
Christian divinity as the same is held forth and preached by
the people called in scorn Quakers being a full explanation and vindication of their principles and doctrines, by
many arguments deduced from scripture and right reason,
and the testimonies of famous authors both ancient and
modern, with a full answer to the strongest objections
usually made against them presented to the king: written
and published in Latin for the information of strangers, by
Robert Barclay; and now put into our own language for
the benefit of his countrymen.“This work is addressed
to Charles II. and the manner in which he expresses himself to his majesty is very remarkable. Amongst many
other extraordinary passages, we meet with the following:
” There is no king in the world, who can so experimentally
testify of God’s providence and goodness; neither is there
any who rules so many free people, so many true Christians which thing renders thy government more honourable, thyself more considerable, than the accession of many
nations rilled with slavish aud superstitious souls. Thou
hast tasted of prosperity and adversity thou knowest what
it is to be banished thy native country, to be over-ruled
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 those warnings
and advertisements, thou dost not turn unto the Lord with
all thy heart, but forget him who remembered thee in thy
distress, and give up thyself to follow lust and vanity, surely,
great will be thy condemnation.“These pieces of his,
though they greatly raised his reputation amongst persons
of sense and learning, yet they brought him into various
disputes, and one particularly with some considerable members of the university of Aberdeen an account of which
was afterwards published, entitled
” A true and faithful
account of the most material passages of a dispute between
some students- of divinity (so called) of the university of
Aberdeen, aud the people called Quakers, held in Aberdeen in Scotland, in Alexander Harper his close (or yard)
before some hundred of witnesses, upon the 14th day of the
second month, called April, 1675, there being John Lesly,
Alexander Sherreff, and Paul Gellie master of arts, opponents and defendants upon the Quakers’ part, Robert
Barclay and George Keith praeses for moderating the
meeting, chosen by them, Andrew Thompson advocate;
and by the quakers, Alexander Skein, some time a magistrate of the city published for preventing misreports
by Alexander Skein, John Skein, Alexander Harper, Thomas Merser, and John Cowie to which is added, Robert
Barclay’s offer to the preachers of Aberdeen, renewed and
reinforced.“It appears also that he suffered imprisonment
for his principles, which he bore with the greatest
meekness. In 1677, he wrote a large treatise on
” universal
love.“Nor were his talents entirely confined to this abstracted kind of writing, as appears from his letter to the
public ministers of Nimeguen. In 1679, a treatise of his
was published in answer to John Brown he wrote also the
same year a vindication of his Anarchy of the Ranters.
His last tract was published in 1686, and entitled
” The
possibility and necessity of the inward and immediate Revelation of the Spirit of God towards the foundation and
ground of true faith, proved in a letter written in Latin to
a person of quality in Holland, and now also put into
English.' 7 He did great service to his sect by his writings
over all. Europe. He travelled also with the famous IVlr.
Penn through the greatest part of England, Holland, and
Germany, and was every where received with great respect. When he returned to his native country, he spent
the remainder of his life in a quiet and retired manner. He
died at his own house at Ury, on the 3d of October 1690,
in the forty-second year of his age, leaving seven children,
all of whom were alive in October 1740, fifty years after
their father’s death, and the last survivor, Mr. David Barclay, a merchant of London, died in March 1769, in his
eighty-eighth year, a gentleman still remembered for having had the singular honour of receiving at his house in
Cheapside, three successive kings, George I. II. and III.
when at their accession they favoured the city with their
presence. From his windows they witnessed the procession, previous to dining with the lord-mayor and citizens at Guildhall on the lord-mayor’s day.