The reader will not tear through the pages of this book like those of a novel. However, if the reader works through the chapters attentively and thoughtfully, then the book's underlying structure will lead the reader to a better understanding of the impetus, crafting, and effect of early Quaker sermons—just as the early Quaker sermons that are themselves the subject of this book led their auditors to an understanding of divine things and helped them to walk in the path of wisdom.

In Preaching the Inward Light, Michael Graves marshals his expertise and interest in rhetoric and religion to focus on the theory and practice of seventeenth-century Quaker impromptu preaching, i.e., sermons delivered without prior intentional preparation. He challenges the common belief that seventeenth-century Quakers were quiet, meditative, retiring pacifists. In fact, he shows that they were vocal and evangelistic. They desired to rediscover and recapture “primitive” Christianity, which they understood to be urgent and immediate, and they employed impassioned, evangelical preaching in their quest.

Graves seeks to answer three basic questions: (1) why did Quakers rely on impromptu preaching in the seventeenth century? (2) how did preachers manage to speak—often at great length—without preparation? and (3) how was the practice of impromptu preaching passed on to the next generation? He finds the answers to these questions in his analysis of various primary sources: (1) seventy-nine extant sermon texts; (2) early Quaker theoretical and polemical texts about the process of impromptu preaching; and (3) various published or unpublished documents describing the rationale, practice, and/or response elicited by Quaker impromptu sermons.

Quakers employed impromptu preaching, he concludes, because they believed in immediate divine revelation and believed that the Holy Spirit gave words to the preacher. Through eldering, assimilation, and reading, preachers nurtured potential successors. Noted Quakers such as George Fox, Margaret Fell, Stephen Crisp, and Robert Barclay wrote texts about the theory of preaching. Although preachers did not prepare and write out their sermons in advance, they possessed a toolbox of resources that allowed them to speak when called by the Spirit. The larger culture in which they operated (English Puritanism) was charged with religious debate: stress on the personal experience of God; debate over the efficacy of good works and whether scripture was the sole and ultimate authority; and suggestions that the state should be remade for God's glory (40). Most Quaker preachers knew the Bible inside and out, perhaps having memorized many passages. Finally, Graves shows that the preachers consistently fell back on five conceptual metaphor clusters in which they were well-rehearsed: (1) light and dark; (2) voice and silence; (3) the seed; (4) hunger or thirst; and (5) the journey or pilgrimage.

There is an inherent tension here, as Graves acknowledges. The Quaker preacher Margaret Fell criticized preparation (education, study) for preaching and any preaching that was mere interpretation of a scriptural passage; she advocated reliance on immediate revelation. Robert Barclay described preaching as a call from the Spirit and insisted that the preacher should wait to be inspired by the Spirit before speaking. Yet Samuel Brownas wrote a book of advice for aspiring Quaker preachers (speak not too fast, not too loud, not too low, and not too slow; avoid gestures and grimaces; avoid superfluous words and linguistic bad habits). At the same time he insisted that the preacher be a “blank page” upon which the Spirit would “write.” Graves can clearly identify classic patterns and techniques in the sermons he studied: use of allegories, narration, testimony, exposition of scripture, and metaphors. In sum, there is a tension between Quaker reliance on inspiration from the Spirit and rhetoric (the attempt to influence a person through strategically selected and stylized speech; p. 8). By focusing specifically on the language and construction of Quaker sermons, rather than their message, Graves tries to explain these tensions. In part, he does this by relying on Stephen H. Webb's definition of rhetoric as the “art of listening to an audience so that the message can be adapted even while it is being delivered” (3). Indeed, Graves points out time and again how Quaker preachers stressed the importance of the auditor in any assessment of a sermon's effectiveness. In the end, he simply hypothesizes, following Barclay's notion that “inner spiritual ideas” are “stirred up by the Spirit” when needed: “perhaps . . . the Spirit can employ all the resources and materials in the brain in any impromptu situation” (311).

This book is exceedingly well crafted and organized. It is well written, with excellent transitions between paragraphs and chapters and clear signposting. The introduction provides a fine review of the literature. Chapters 1 and 2 set out the sociopolitical, religious, and intellectual context from which Quaker impromptu preaching emerged and provide a sketch of the early Quaker worldview. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 trace the development of the early Quaker theory of impromptu preaching—purpose, theory, and techniques. In chapters 6, 7, and 8 Graves scrutinizes surviving sermons for recurrent themes, metaphors, and characteristics. He summarizes these well, providing excerpts from the sermons to prove his assertions. Chapters 9, 10, 11, and 12 analyze four important sermons by four prominent Quaker preachers (George Fox, Stephen Crisp, Robert Barclay, William Penn). The complete text of each sermon is provided. Three appendices include information on the author's search for surviving sermons, a list of the extant sermons he found and their current locations, and a chart of the thematic characteristics of Quaker sermons. The bibliography is extensive, and there are two indices: Works and Subjects.