Transcript for Episode 9:

• Elizabeth Bathurst 1655 - 1685

• Katherine Evans 1618-1692

• Sarah Chevers 1608-1692

• Judith Zinspenning 1630 – 1664

Ann:

Welcome to this podcast series coming courtesy of Silver Wattle Quaker Centre, located in central New South Wales on the edge of Werriwa or Lake George, the largest freshwater lake in Australia. We acknowledge and give thanks for First Nations groups’ care of Country. We commit to its ongoing care.

I’m Ann Zubrick, a member of the Silver Wattle Board.

Here is Introducing Early Quakers: Episode 8 – Francis Howgill, 1618 – 1669, narrated by Michael Corbett.

Michael:

In my research of first-generation Quakers, I quite often found the comment, “not much is known about the person before...” or “not much is known about the person after...” So I was led to the thought that I should join a few people together to make a joint profile. The following is the result:

Elizabeth Bathurst 1655–1685

Elizabeth was born in London and was the eldest child of Charles Bathurst. He was a grocer and with his wife, Grace, were Quakers. Elizabeth and her sister Anne went to a local Presbyterian Church and, according to her father, she suffered a ‘great weakness of body’. In 1678 two prominent Quakers visited the Bathurst home, where ‘seekers’ were always welcomed. During dinner they talked, and all became aware of the ‘living power’ of God’s presence amongst them as ‘the word of life’. In that moment, Elizabeth and all her siblings all became ‘convinced’. Soon after her conversion, Elizabeth interrupted worship at their Presbyterian Church speaking against the doctrine of rejection and cast off by God. Later she undertook several preaching tours and was imprisoned at least once in the Marshalsea prison in South London – which was notorious for being the ‘worst prison’ in England.

During her lifetime Elizabeth was recognised by the Quaker community as a gifted preacher. In discussing her first major work “Truth’s vindication: or, A gentle stroke to wipe off the foul aspersions, false accusations and misrepresentations, cast upon the People of God, called Quakers”. This was published in 1679 and explains the distinctive Quaker account of salvation, focusing in particular on the universal offer of salvation and the infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit. She also wrote “The sayings of women... in several places of the scriptures”, presenting a theological defence of women’s authority to preach and teach. Elizabeth and her father quite often travelled together in her Ministry, enduring time in jail and persecutions. There is not a great deal of information of her life is known other than her sermons. One of her sermons was witnessed by George Fox and recorded in one of his journals. The times spent in prisons and the strain of ‘travelling in the Ministry’ for seven years and her body weakness led to her death in 1685 at the age of 30.

Katherine Evans 1618–1692 and Sarah Chevers 1608–1692

Katherine and Sarah were Quaker missionaries, and both went to Scotland around 1653, although they did not know each other at this time. Katherine’s first brush with the law was in 1655 when she was banished from the Isle of Wight and later that year went on trial and was imprisoned for visiting other Quaker Prisoners. John, her husband, was a Quaker Minister, and they had several children. Sarah was married to Henry and also had several children. Henry’s religious beliefs are unclear, although Sarah attempted to turn him towards Quakerism. Katherine and Sarah independently both felt led to travel in The Ministry to Egypt, the final destination was unclear. In late 1657, Sarah was 50 years old and Katherine about 40 years. They were introduced to each other through a London based Quaker community and they decided to undertake the journey together. So, they set sail from England through to the Mediterranean sea where, towards the coast of Turkey, they encountered severe storms and the ship was damaged, so they went to the island of Malta on the 21st December 1658 to seek repairs. Both left the ship to distribute some texts and began to preach.

They didn’t realise that Malta was a strictly Catholic country which forbid women preaching any religious message. This came to the attention of the Maltese Inquisitor, Girolamo Casanate. They were arrested and put under house arrest with the English consul till about April 1659. Under the orders of Cardinal Barberini, they were sent to the local prison under charges of blasphemy. While in prison, they both resisted efforts to convert them to Catholicism but they continued to write and preach their religious beliefs, despite bouts of illness, starvation, isolation, restraints and continual interrogation, they were treated as if they were insane. So it was hoped that they would die in prison. At first, they were imprisoned together but later separated to break their resolve, but it proved to strengthen it. Prison officials tried to stop them from getting writing materials, but these were being smuggled in by the Consul. Many prominent Quakers tried to intervene on their behalf including George Fox, but these were unsuccessful. Another travelling Quaker Missionary, Daniel Baker, had a vision of an angel telling him of their bad situation. He went to visit them and to offer himself up as a prisoner in exchange, but this failed, and he returned to England to continue the campaign for their release. During their imprisonment, they wrote their story under the titles ‘This is a short Relation of some of the Cruel Sufferings [for the Truths sake] in the Inquisition in the Isle of Malta’, which was published in 1662, and ‘A true account of the Great Tryals and Cruel Sufferings Undergone by these two Faithfull Servants of God, in the time their above Three Years and a half’s Confinement in the island of Malta’, published in 1663. Many of the letters to their husbands and children were also published. They were eventually released in 1662, after repeated attempts to convert them as the priests responsible and the new Consul grew weary of their behaviour whilst in prison and the continued petitions from Fox and others. They returned to England, continued to preach, but little else is known of their lives after this.

Judith Zinspenning 1630–1664

Judith was born in Amsterdam, Holland and was the daughter of the Mennonite tradesman Conrad Zinspenning. She showed such a deep religious inclination that her father said, ‘it is a pity that this girl is not a boy, who in time might become an eminent instrument in the church’. However, Judith found the Flemish Mennonite worship dry and lifeless. She married in 1652 to a physician Jacob Sewell and had at least one son – William Sewell – who became a well-known printer of Quaker books and papers. In 1657 she met a Quaker missionary William Ames and became ‘convinced’ to Quakerism where she found the lively inner ‘Spirit’, so she left the Mennonites and became an ardent ‘instrument’ of Quakerism with her home becoming a place for Quaker Meetings, she became the first women in Netherlands to lead worship services. In 1663 she travelled to England, where she developed many contacts with the Quakers. She preached and wrote several books, including ‘An Earnest Reproof’ in 1660 and in 1664 she wrote “an Epistle to the Friends of Truth”.

Later in 1664, Judith returned to the Netherlands but became a victim of a plague epidemic and died.

Elizabeth Bathurst wrote:

And now I tenderly admonish you, That as you are convinced of the saving Power of this Devine Principle [to wit, the Light of Jesus manifest in the Conscience] see you constantly therein. For, Friends, let me tell you, here lieth our Strength in these Times of trial; herein is our safety this Day of Danger; in this you’ll be secure and quiet….because of the fear in the Night; so that instead of Peace, you may have great bitterness; yet be persuaded to dwell in the judgement’ – wait patiently upon God, who drawth near to you in the Waye thereof, and I will assure you, in this Light you shall see more Light and in it consolation and salvation shall be enjoyed.

and

As men and women are made one in Jesus Christ, so women receive an office in the Truth as well as men, and they have a stewardship and must give an account of their stewardship as well as men.

Katherine Evans and Sarah Chevers wrote:

And in the greatest of our afflictions we could not say in our hearts, ’Father, would thou hadst not brought us here’ but cried mightily to our God for power to carry us through what-ever should be inflicted upon us, that the Truth of our God might not suffer through our weakness. And the Lord did hear us… and caried us on with all boldness and made our fore heads as flint… that whensoever we were brought forth upon trial, our fear was taken away, that we stood as iron gates.

Judith Zinspenning wrote:

Dear Friends, go on in that which ye have begun; for I can bear witness for the Lord, that his love hath been abundantly shed abroad upon us, without respect of person; because those that fear him, and work righteousness, are acceptable to him; and he makes his truth manifest among us, and causeth his peace and mercy to rest upon us. It is true that Satan doth not rest to scatter this and show doubts and unbelief in our hearts; but we keeping close to the Lord, are preserved from his snares; and is happy is he who hath found a place where he is freed from tempests’ but before this place be found, there are many hidden rocks that may be struck, not unknown to me. And therefore I have the true compassion on those who are not past them all yet; for a shipwreck may easily be suffered on any of these.

Ann:

We hope these stories have sparked reflection and a deeper appreciation for the courage and spiritual depth of early Friends.

If you'd like to explore Quaker spiritual practices or join us for a retreat or course — either in person or online — visit silverwattle.org.au.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What qualities do you think made Elizabeth Bathurst, Katherine Evans, Sarah Chevers, and Judith Zinspenning effective ministers and leaders in the early Quaker movement?

2. All four women felt called to preach and teach despite social expectations of their time. What challenges do you think women faced in religious leadership during the seventeenth century?

3. Katherine Evans and Sarah Chevers endured imprisonment, isolation, and pressure to abandon their beliefs. What do their experiences tell us about the strength of religious conviction?

4. Elizabeth Bathurst wrote in defence of women’s authority to preach and teach. Why do you think this issue was important in early Quakerism, and why might it still be relevant today?

5. Judith Zinspenning left a religious tradition she found “dry and lifeless” after encountering Quakerism. What might lead a person to change their spiritual or religious path?

6. Several of the women travelled widely in ministry despite dangers, poor health, and family responsibilities. What do you think motivated them to take such risks?

7. The quotations at the end of the episode emphasize perseverance through trials and faithfulness in difficult circumstances. Which quotation spoke to you most strongly, and why?

8. What similarities and differences do you see among the lives of Elizabeth Bathurst, Katherine Evans, Sarah Chevers, and Judith Zinspenning? Which of their stories did you find most memorable?