CHAPTER VI

CHAPTER VI.

1673-1675.—George Fox writes to his wife from Bristol—has a glorious powerful meeting there, in which he declares of three estates and three teachers—at Slaughterford meets with much opposition to the settlement of women’s meetings—the chief opposer struck by the Lord’s power, condemns his error—at Armscott is arrested by Justice Parker, and sent to Worcester jail with Thomas Lower—writes to his wife—he and T. Lower write to Lord Windsor and other magistrates, with a statement of their case—they are examined at the sessions, but George Fox is ensnared with the oath, and re-committed for refusing to take it—Thomas Lower is discharged, and afterwards visits Justice Parker, and gives the priest of the parish (who instigated their imprisonment) a severe rebuke in his presence, though unknown—George Fox disputes with Dr. Crowder on swearing—he is removed to London by Habeas Corpus—but ultimately remanded to Worcester—is examined at the assizes by Judge Turner, but the case is referred to the sessions—disputes with a priest on perfection—brought up at the sessions and re-committed, but has liberty till the next sessions—is again removed by Habeas Corpus, and tenders in court a declaration instead of the oath—attends the Yearly Meeting in London—appears again at the sessions of Worcester, and points out the flaws in his indictment—yet he is brought in guilty and premunired—writes to the king respecting the principle of Friends—is seized with illness, and his life almost despaired of—Justice Parker writes to the jailer to relax the rigour of his imprisonment—his wife intercedes with the king for his release, which he is willing to grant by a pardon—this George Fox could not accept, as it implied guilt—he is once more removed by Habeas Corpus—the under-sheriff quarrels with him for calling their ministers priests—he is brought before the judges, and Counsellor Corbet starts a new plea, that the Court cannot imprison on a premunire—the indictment is quashed for error, and he is freed by proclamation after nearly fourteen months’ imprisonment—he writes many papers and pamphlets in Worcester jail.

When we came into Bristol Harbour, there lay a man-of-war, and the press-master[33] came on board us to press our men. We had a meeting at that time in the ship with the seamen before we went to shore, and the press-master sat down with us and stayed the meeting, and was very well satisfied with it. I spoke to him to leave two of the men he had pressed in our ship (for he had pressed four), one of whom was a lame man; and he said, “at my request, he would.”

We went on shore that afternoon, and got to Shirehampton, where we obtained horses, and rode to Bristol that night, where Friends received us with great joy. In the evening I wrote a letter to my wife, to give her notice of my landing; as follows:—

“Dear Heart,

“This day we came into Bristol near night, from the sea; glory to the Lord God over all for ever, who was our convoy, and steered our course! the God of the whole earth, of the seas and winds, who made the clouds his chariot, beyond all words, blessed be his name for ever! He is over all in his great power and wisdom, Amen. Robert Widders and James Lancaster[34] are with me, and we are well; glory to the Lord for ever, who hath carried us through many perils, perils by water, and in storms, perils by pirates and robbers, perils in the wilderness and amongst false professors! praises to him whose glory is over all for ever, Amen! Therefore mind the fresh life, and live all to God in it. I intend (if the Lord will) to stay a while this away; it may be till the fair. So no more, but my love to all Friends.”

Bristol, 28th of 4th Month, 1673.

Between this and the fair, my wife came out of the North to Bristol to me, and her son-in-law Thomas Lower with two of her daughters[35] came with her. Her other son-in-law John Rous, W. Penn and his wife, and Gerrard Roberts, came from London, and many Friends from several parts of the nation, to the fair; and glorious, powerful meetings we had at that time, for the Lord’s infinite power and life was over all. In the fresh openings whereof, I was moved to declare of “Three estates, and three teachers,” viz.: “God was the first teacher of man and woman in Paradise; and as long as they kept to and under his teaching, they kept in the image of God, in his likeness, in righteousness and holiness, and in dominion over all that he had made; in the blessed state, in the paradise of God. But when they hearkened to the serpent’s false teaching (who was out of truth,) disobeyed God and obeyed the serpent, in feeding upon that which God forbade them, they lost the image of God, the righteousness and holiness, came under the power of Satan, and were turned out of Paradise, out of the blessed into the cursed state. Then the promise of God was, ‘that the Seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head,’ break his power that man and woman were under, and destroy his works. So here were three states and three teachers.”teachers.”

God was the first teacher in Paradise; and whilst man kept under his teaching, he was happy. The serpent was the second teacher; and when man followed his teaching, he fell into misery, into the fall from the image of God, from righteousness and holiness, and from the power that he had over all that God had made; and came under the serpent, whom he had power over before. Christ Jesus was the third teacher; of whom God saith, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him;’ and who himself saith, ‘Learn of me.’ This is the true gospel-teacher, who bruises the head of the serpent, the false teacher, and the head of all false teachers, and of all false religions, false ways, false worships, and false churches. Now Christ, who said, ‘Learn of me,’ and of whom the Father said, ‘Hear ye him,’ said, ‘I am the Way to God, I am the Truth, I am the Life, and the true Light.’ So as man and woman come again to God, and are renewed up into his image, righteousness, and holiness by Christ, thereby they come into the Paradise of God, the state which man was in before he fell; and into a higher state than that, to sit down in Christ that never fell. Therefore the Son of God is to be heard in all things, who is the Saviour and Redeemer; who laid down his life, and bought his sheep with his precious blood.

We can challenge all the world. Who hath anything to say against our way? our Saviour? our Redeemer? our Prophet, whom God hath raised up that we may hear, and whom we must hear in all things? Who hath anything against our Shepherd, Christ Jesus, who leads and feeds us, and we know his heavenly voice? Who hath anything against our Bishop, in whose mouth was never guile found, who doth oversee us in his pasture of life, that we do not go astray from God, and out of his fold? Who hath anything against our Priest, Christ Jesus, made higher than the heavens, who gives us freely, and commands us to give freely? Who hath anything to say against our Leader and Counsellor, Christ Jesus, who never sinned; but is holy, harmless, and separate from sinners? God hath commanded us to hear Him; and He saith, ‘Learn of me;’ and if we should disobey God’s and Christ’s command, we should be like our father Adam and mother Eve, who disobeyed God’s command, and hearkened to the serpent’s teaching.

Man commands, and would force us to hear the hirelings, who plead for sin and the body of death to the grave; which doctrine savours of the devil’s teaching, not of Christ’s; but we resolve to hear the Son, as both he and the Father command, and in hearing the Son we hear the Father also, as the Scripture testifies. For the author to the Hebrews says, ‘God, who at sundry times, and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son;’ mark that, God hath spoken unto us (his apostles, disciples, church), by his Son. And whereas some have objected, that although Christ did speak both to his disciples and to the Jews, in the days of his flesh, yet since his resurrection and ascension he doth not speak now:—the answer is, that ‘as God did then speak by his Son in the days of his flesh, so the Son, Christ Jesus, doth now speak by his Spirit.’ Wherefore John saith in the Revelations, ‘He that hath an ear let him hear, what the Spirit saith to the churches,’ Rev. ii. And Christ is said to ‘speak from heaven,’ Heb. xii. 25. ‘See that ye refuse not him that speaketh; for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven.’ They that resisted Moses’ law, who spake on earth, died for it without mercy, which was a natural death; but they that refuse Him that speaks from heaven, neglect and slight their own salvation, and so die a spiritual death through unbelief and hardness of heart. Therefore was the exhortation given of old, ‘To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation,’ &c. Heb. iii. 15, &c. So that they who neglect or refuse to hear the voice of Christ, now speaking from heaven in this his gospel-day, harden their hearts.

“Let all therefore mark well these three estates and teachers; the God of Truth was the first teacher, while man was in Paradise and in innocency. The serpent was the second teacher, the false teacher, who by his false teaching came to be the god of the world, which lies in wickedness. Christ Jesus, that bruises the serpent’s head, is the third teacher, who saith, ‘Learn of me,’ and of whom God saith, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him;’ and of whom the testimony of the saints of old was, ‘God hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.’ Thus they that come to be renewed up again into the divine, heavenly image, in which man was at first made, will know the same God, that was the first teacher of Adam and Eve in Paradise, to speak to them now by his Son, who changes not; glory be to his name for ever!”

Many deep and precious things were opened in those meetings by the Eternal Spirit, which searcheth and revealeth the deep things of God.

After I had finished my service for the Lord in that city, I departed thence into Gloucestershire, where we had many large and precious meetings; and the Lord’s everlasting power flowed over all. From Gloucestershire I passed into Wiltshire, where also we had many blessed meetings.

At Slaughterford, in Wiltshire, we had a very good meeting, though we met there with much opposition from some who had set themselves against Women’s Meetings; which I was moved of the Lord to recommend to Friends, for the benefit and advantage of the Church of Christ. “That faithful women, who were called to the belief of the truth, being made partakers of the same precious faith, and heirs of the same everlasting gospel of life and salvation that men are, might in like manner come into the possession and practice of the gospel order, and therein be meet-helps unto the men in the restoration, in the service of truth, in the affairs of the church, as they are outwardly in civil, or temporal things. That so all the family of God, women as well as men, might know, possess, perform, and discharge their offices and services in the house of God, whereby the poor might be better taken care of, the younger instructed, informed, and taught in the way of God; the loose and disorderly reproved and admonished in the fear of the Lord; the clearness of persons proposing marriage more closely and strictly inquired into in the wisdom of God; and all the members of the spiritual body, the church, might watch over and be helpful to each other in love.” But after these opposers had run into much contention and wrangling, the power of the Lord struck down one of the chief of them, so that his spirit sunk, and he came to be sensible of the evil he had done in opposing God’s heavenly power, and confessed his error before Friends; and afterwards gave forth a paper of condemnation, wherein he declared, “that he did wilfully oppose (although I often warned him to take heed,) until the fire of the Lord did burn within him; and he saw the angel of the Lord with his sword drawn in his hand, ready to cut him off,” &c.