Episcopalian Spirituality: The Garden Brothers and Henry Scougal

The brothers George and James Garden were closely linked to the north-eastern Church establishment of the Restoration era. After 1689, they lost their positions and influence. Their experience-orientated interpretation of Reformed theology, which was originally shaped by John Calvin and closely linked to the teachings of Robert Leighton and Henry Scougal, was not acceptable to the representatives of the Presbyterian Kirk. The Garden brothers were increasingly influenced by continental mystics such as Antoinette Bourignon whose teachings they saw as closely related to their religious role models’ spirituality. Following the death of Queen Anne, it became obvious that their religious convictions would make them targets of religious persecution, which prompted them openly to join the ranks of the Jacobites and take part in the 1715 rebellion.