About the same time he writ to his friends the following paper:
‘The Lord is King over all the earth! therefore all people,
praise and glorify your King in the true obedience, in the
uprightness, and in the beauty of holiness. O consider, in the
true obedience the Lord is known, and an understanding from him
is received. Mark and consider in silence, in the lowliness of
mind, and thou wilt hear the Lord speak unto thee in thy mind:
his voice is sweet and pleasant; his sheep hear his voice, and
they will not hearken to another: and when they hear his voice,
they rejoice and are obedient; they also sing for joy. Oh, their
hearts are filled with everlasting triumph! they sing and praise
the eternal God in Sion: their joy shall never man take from
them. Glory be to the Lord God for evermore!’
And since many, that had been convinced of the truth, turned aside,
because of the persecution that arose, he writ for the encouragement of
the faithful, these lines:
‘Come ye blessed of the Lord, and rejoice together; keep in unity
and oneness of spirit; triumph above the world; be joyful in the
Lord; reigning above the world, and above all things that draw
from the Lord; that in clearness, righteousness, pureness, and
joy, you may be preserved to the Lord. O hear, O hearken to the
call of the Lord, and come out of the world, and keep out of it
for evermore! and come, sing together, ye righteous ones, the
song of the Lord, the song of the Lamb; which none can learn, but
they who are redeemed from the earth, and from the world.’
Now while G. Fox was at Derby in the house of correction, his relations
came to see him, and being sorry for his imprisonment, they went to
the justices, by whose order he was put there, and desired that he
might be released, offering to be bound in one hundred pounds, and
others in Derby in fifty pounds apiece with them, that he should no
more come thither to declare against the priests. But he being brought
before the justices, would not consent that any should be bound for
him, because he believed himself to be innocent from any ill behaviour.
Then justice Bennet rose up in a rage, and as G. Fox was kneeling down
to pray to the Lord to forgive him, Bennet ran upon him, and struck
him with both his hands, crying, Away with him, jailer; take him away,
jailer. Whereupon he was carried back again to prison, and there kept,
until the time of his commitment for six months was expired. But now
he had liberty of walking a mile; which he had made use of, in his own
freedom: and sometimes he went into the market and streets, and warned
the people to repentance. And on the First-days he now and then visited
the prisoners in their religious meetings. But the justices having
required sureties for his good behaviour, it came upon him to write to
them again, as followeth.
‘Friends,
‘See what it is in you that doth imprison; and see, who is head
in you; and see, if something do not accuse you? Consider, you
must be brought to judgment. Think upon Lazarus and Dives; the
one fared sumptuously every day; the other a beggar; and now you
have time, prize it, while you have it. Would you have me to be
bound to my good behaviour? I am bound to my good behaviour,
and do cry for good behaviour of all people, to turn from the
vanities, pleasures, and oppression, and from the deceits of
this world: and there will come a time, that you shall know it.
Therefore take heed of pleasures, and deceits, and pride: and
look not at man, but at the Lord; for look unto me, all ye ends
of the earth, and be ye saved, saith the Lord.’
Not long after he wrote to them again, thus:
‘Friends,
‘Would you have me to be bound to my good behaviour from
drunkenness, or swearing, or fighting, or adultery, and the like?
The Lord hath redeemed me from all these things; and the love
of God hath brought me to loathe all wantonness, blessed be his
name. They who are drunkards, and fighters, and swearers, have
their liberty without bonds: and you lay your law upon me, whom
neither you, nor any other can justly accuse of these things,
praised be the Lord! I can look at no man for my liberty, but at
the Lord alone; who hath all men’s hearts in his hand.’
And after some time, not finding his spirit clear of them, he writ
again, as followeth:
‘Friends,
‘Had you known who sent me to you, ye would have received me; for
the Lord sent me to you, to warn you of the woes that are coming
upon you; and to bid you, look at the Lord, and not at man. But
when I had told you my experience, what the Lord had done for
me, then your hearts were hardened, and you sent me to prison;
where you have kept me many weeks. If the love of God had broken
your hearts, then would ye see what ye have done. Ye would not
have imprisoned me, had not my Father suffered you; and by his
power I shall be loosed; for he openeth and shutteth, to him be
all glory! In what have I misbehaved myself, that any should
be bound for me? All men’s words will do me no good, nor their
bonds neither, to keep my heart, if I have not a guide within,
to keep me in the upright life to God. But I believe in the
Lord, that through his strength and power, I shall be preserved
from ungodliness and worldly lusts. The Scripture saith, Receive
strangers; but you imprison such. As you are in authority,
take heed of oppression and oaths, and injustice and gifts, or
rewards, for God doth loathe all such: but love mercy, and true
judgment, and justice, for that the Lord delights in. I do not
write with hatred to you, but to keep my conscience clear: take
heed how you spend your time.’
To the priests of Derby he also writ again in this manner:
‘Friends,
‘You do profess to be the ministers of Jesus Christ in words,
but you show forth by your fruits, what your ministry is. Every
tree doth show forth its fruit; the ministry of Jesus Christ
is in mercy and love, to unloose them that be bound, and to
bring out of bondage, and to let them that are captivated go
free. Now, friends, where is your example, (if the Scriptures
be your rule,) to imprison for religion? Have you any command
for it from Christ? If that were in you, which you do profess,
you would walk in their steps, who spake forth those words, the
Scriptures which you do profess. But he is not a Jew, who is one
outward, whose praise is of men; but he is a Jew, who is one
inward, whose praise is of God. But if you do build upon the
prophets and apostles in words, and pervert their life, remember
the woes which Jesus Christ spake against such. They that spake
the prophets’ words, but denied Christ, they professed a Christ
to come; but had they known him they would not have crucified
him. The saints, which the love of God did change, were brought
thereby to walk in love and mercy; for he that dwelleth in love,
dwelleth in God. But where envy, pride, and hatred doth rule,
the nature of the world doth rule, and not the nature of Jesus
Christ. I write with no hatred to you, but that you may weigh
yourselves, and see how you pass on your time.’
Having thus cleared his conscience to the priests, it was not long
before a concern came upon him to write again to the justices, which he
did as followeth.
‘I am moved to warn you to take heed of giving way to your own
wills. Love the cross, and satisfy not your minds in the flesh;
but prize your time while you have it, and walk up to that you
know, in obedience to God; and then you shall not be condemned
for that you know not, but for that you do know, and do not obey.
Consider betimes, and weigh yourselves, and see where you are,
and whom you serve. For if you blaspheme God, and take his name
in vain; if ye swear and lie; if ye give way to envy, hatred,
covetousness, and greediness, pleasures, and wantonness, or any
other vices, be assured then, that ye do serve the devil; but if
ye fear the Lord, and serve him, ye will loathe all these things.
He that loveth God, will not blaspheme his name; but where there
is opposing of God, and serving the devil, that profession is sad
and miserable. O prize your time, and do not love that which
God doth forbid; lying, wrath, malice, envy, hatred, greediness,
covetousness, oppression, gluttony, drunkenness, whoredom, and
all unrighteousness, God doth forbid. So consider, and be not
deceived, evil communication corrupts good manners. Be not
deceived, God will not be mocked with vain words; the wrath of
God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness. Therefore
obey that which doth convince you of all evil, and telleth you,
that you should do no evil. It will lead to repentance, and keep
you in the fear of the Lord! O look at the mercies of God, and
prize them, and do not turn them into wantonness. O eye the Lord,
and not earthly things!’
Besides this, he writ the following to Nathaniel Barton, who, as was
hinted before, was both a justice, and a preacher.
‘Friend,
‘Do not cloak and cover thyself: there is a God who knoweth thy
heart, and will uncover thee; he seeth thy way. Wo be to him that
covereth, and not with my Spirit, saith the Lord. Dost thou do
contrary to the law, and then put it from thee? Mercy, and true
judgment thou neglectest: look what was spoken against such. My
Saviour said to such, “I was sick and in prison, and ye visited
me not; I was hungry and ye fed me not; I was a stranger and ye
took me not in.” And when they said, When saw we thee in prison,
and did not come to thee, &c. He replied, “Inasmuch as ye did it
not to one of these little ones, ye did it not to me.” Friend,
thou hath imprisoned me for bearing witness to the life and power
of truth; and yet professest to be a minister of Christ: but
if Christ had sent thee, thou wouldst bring out of prison, and
out of bondage, and wouldst receive strangers. Thou hast been
wanton upon earth; thou hast lived plenteously, and nourished thy
heart, as in a day of slaughter: thou hast killed the just. O
look where thou art, and how thou hast spent thy time! O remember
thyself, and now, while thou hast time, prize it, and do not
slight the free mercy of God, and despise the long suffering
of God, which is great salvation; but mind that in thee, which
doth convince thee, and would not let thee swear, nor lie, nor
take God’s name in vain. Thou knowest thou shouldst do none of
these things: thou hast learned that which will condemn thee;
therefore obey the light, which doth convince thee, and forsake
thy sins, and look at the mercies of God, and prize his love
in sparing thee till now. The Lord saith, “Look unto me all ye
ends of the earth, and be ye saved:” and, “Cease from man, whose
breath is in his nostrils.” And friend, prize thy time, and see
whom thou servest; for his servant thou art, whom thou dost obey,
“Whether of sin unto death, or obedience unto righteousness.”
If thou servest God, and fearest him, thou wilt not blaspheme
his name, nor curse, nor swear, nor take his name in vain; nor
follow pleasures and wantonness, whoredom, and drunkenness, or
wrath, or malice, or revenge, or rashness, or headiness, pride
or gluttony, greediness, oppression or covetousness, or foolish
jesting, or vain songs; God doth forbid these things, and all
unrighteousness. If thou professest God, and acteth any of these
things, thou takest him for a cloak, and servest the devil:
consider with thyself, and do not love that which God doth hate.
He that loveth God, keepeth his commandments. The devil will tell
thee, it is an hard thing to keep God’s commandments; but it is
an easy thing to keep the devil’s commandments, and to live in
all unrighteousness and ungodliness, turning the grace of God
into wantonness. “But let the unrighteous man forsake his ways,
and turn unto me,” saith the Lord, “and I will have mercy. Turn
ye, why will ye die?” saith the Lord.
‘Howl ye great ones, for the plagues are pouring out upon you!
Howl ye oppressors, for recompence and vengeance is coming, upon
you! Wo unto them that covetously join one house to another, and
bring one field so nigh unto another, that the poor can get no
more ground, and that ye may dwell upon the earth alone: these
things are in the ears of the Lord of Hosts. Wo unto him that
covetously getteth ill-gotten goods into his house, that he may
set his nest on high, to escape from the power of evil.’
It has been said already, that some of G. Fox’s friends were moved,
as well as he, to preach the doctrine of truth; and in this year it
also happened, that Elizabeth Hooton, of whom mention hath been made
before, from a true experience of the Lord’s work in man, also felt
herself moved publicly to preach the way of salvation to others, being
the first woman preacher, by what I am informed, among those that
began now generally to be called by the name of Quakers. Yet I have
found in a Dutch book, printed at Dordt, in the year 1647, and called,
History of the Troubles in England, concerning the various Sects risen
there, that among other persuasions at London, there were also women
that did preach in large meetings, and were heard by many with great
satisfaction; so that the preaching of a woman was not such a novelty
as otherwise it might have been.
In the foregoing year it hath been said, that some Scotch Commissioners
having been with Charles II. in Holland, were returned to Scotland; and
though the King at first seemed backward to consent to the Presbyterian
Covenant, yet seeing no other way open to the Scottish throne, he came
to other thoughts, and so went over to Scotland, and made his entry
into Edinburgh, through the gate on which were placed the quarters of
the Earl of Montrose, who having endeavoured not long before to subdue
the Scots, had been beaten with his forces, and, being taken prisoner,
was executed. The young King being now come into Scotland, seemed
willing to comply as much as he could, thereby to ingratiate himself,
not only with the Scots, but also with the English, if possible;
and in order thereunto, he gave forth a declaration at his Court at
Dumfermling, dated the 16th day of August, 1650, and in the second year
of his reign, as it is there said, in which declaration, I meet with
the following words:--
‘Though his Majesty, as a dutiful son, be obliged to honour the
memory of his royal father, and have in estimation the person of
his mother, yet doth he desire to be deeply humbled and afflicted
in spirit before God, because of his father’s hearkening to evil
counsels, and his opposition to the Work of Reformation, and to
the Solemn League and Covenant, (by which so much of the blood of
the Lord’s people hath been shed in these kingdoms,) and for the
idolatry of his mother.’
Here the King confessed openly, that his father’s house was guilty of
great crimes, and plainly signified, that the nation indeed had been
wronged by his father’s behaviour; and he seemed to promise amendment,
if he came to be restored. In the meanwhile, they began to see in
England, that the Scots were like to make head against them: and
therefore they ordered to send General Fairfax with an army thither;
but he showed himself unwilling to go, chiefly, as it was believed,
by the advice of his wife, who hearkened to the counsel of the
Presbyterian preachers; and these thought it would contribute to their
own settlement, if those of their own persuasion in Scotland were not
resisted. But the Parliament, many of whose members were independents,
did not matter that; but resolved, since Fairfax resigned voluntarily,
to create Oliver Cromwell general of the national forces, in the
room of Fairfax. Which being done, Cromwell was sent with an army to
Scotland, and beat the Scots not far from Edinburgh, whereby that city
not long after yielded to him.
In this year was born in Holland, on the 14th of the month called
November, N. S. William the Third, Prince of Orange, whose mother was
daughter of the late King Charles the First. And this prince, by a
strange revolution of human affairs, has since been advanced to the
English throne; and is at present, whilst I write this, King of Great
Britain, &c.