66 none But we will confine ourselves, as closely as possible, to some of the opinions and pretensions of Fox, and let the reader judge of his sanity. The foundation of his dissent, as we have shewn, was, that the scriptures are not the rule, either of conduct or judgment, but the light of Christ within men. By this light only, by the same "divine spirit," in which they were written, could the scriptures be rightly interpreted. The spirit of the prophets was as much wanting as heretofore; could read John's words aright, but in and with the same divine spirit, by which John spake them;" none "could know the words of Christ and of his apostles, without his spirit." All, indeed, that Fox knew, was by divine inspiration, for he professes to have "no slight esteem" for the scriptures; not for what they taught him, but that "what the Lord opened in me, I afterwards found was agreeable to them." But this is an idle waste of words; it is proving by circumstances what is capable of direct proof. Fox claimed not only to be inspired, but to be a prophet; and this is asserted not only of him, but of many others of the sect, by the Quakers themselves. Barclay, says the republicans, "evilly intreated the messengers of the Lord, and caused his prophets to be beaten and imprisoned." Being one day," says Fox," in Swarthmore Hall, when Judge Fell and Justice Benson were talking of the news, and of the parliament then sitting, (called the Long Parliament,) I was moved to tell them, Before that day two weeks the parliament should be broken up, and the Speaker plucked out of his chair; and that day two weeks, Justice Benson told Judge Fell, that now he saw George was a true prophet, for Oliver had broken up the parliament." In another place he observes," When some forward spirits, that came among us, would have bought Somersethouse, that we might have meetings in it, I forbade them to do it; for I then foresaw the king's coming in again." But, if we put faith in the Quaker historian, one or other of the sect foretold every great event for twenty years :-the breaking up of the long parliament-the Restoration-the Dutch war—the plague 66 "Thus saith the Lord, my controversy is against you, even my hand in judgment is upon you already; and you are become cursed in all your hatchings and endeavours, and from time to time my hand hath been against you in battle; and you have been and are given up to be a prey to your enemies, &c. &c.; therefore, I rose in my fury against you, and will have war with all your followers, herein, for ever, &c. &c. And though your kings and princes have been cut off in wrath, &c. &c., you will not see, how you are given up to be a curse and a desolation, and a prey, in houses and lands, and persons, to those whom I raised against you, and gave power over you, &c.” -and the great fire, inclusive. But, unfortunately, their foreknowledge was of no service, either to themselves or others. In Cromwell's time, they spoke of the republicans as almost as bad as the cavaliers, no sure way of conciliating the latter; of the plague, the prophets died as well as other people; and from the fire, they had not the common prudence to remove their property; although one of them, named Ibbit, came expressly, and in haste, from Huntingdonshire, having delayed to announce it," until he felt," as he expressed it, "the fire in his own bosom;" he then "began to scatter his money up and down the streets, turn his horse loose, untie the knees of his breeches, [we suppose, prophets, like to let his stockings fall down, and to unbutton his doublet, [to cool the fire in his bosom, we presume,] and went all over the city denouncing the judgment against the people. So should they run up and down, scattering their money and goods, half undressed, like mad people, as he was a sign to them,”—and "the very first day of the following week it was fearfully proved true.' If this were any thing but nonsense, any thing but the casual and accidental concurrence of circumstance, which will, surely, make a true prophet of some one out of a hundred daily and hourly prophecying, we think the government should have had an eye to the Quakers rather than the papists, and the Monument have been surmounted with a hat and brim of Quaker dimensions, rather than disfigured with its prosy and lying inscription. This same Ibbit, when the fire had reached Cheapside, placed himself before the flames, and spread his arms forth to stop its progress; but his friends removed him thence, or, says the historian, "he must have perished." This latter, they say, was madness, proceeding from spiritual pride at the fulfilment of his prediction. It was madness, and so was the prediction itself. Another of the bewildering doctrines of Fox was the perfectibility of man. As explained by Penn, they teach "perfection from sin," but not "a perfection in wisdom and glory in this life, or from natural infirmities or death, as some have with a weak or ill mind imagined and insinuated against them" -a weak or ill mind indeed, that would add fresh burthens to the heavily laden, and make George Fox responsible for nonsense he never taught. But let us quote his own words on this subject.- "Now was I come up in spirit, through the flaming sword, into the paradise of God. All things were new, and all the creation gave another smell unto me than before, beyond what words can utter. I knew nothing but pureness, innocency, and righteousness, being renewed up into the image of God by Christ Jesus; so that I was come up to the state of Adam, which he was in before he fell." On another occasion he has the following introductory passage: "Moreover, the Lord God let me see, when I was brought up into his image in righteousness and holyness, and into the paradise of God, &c." After these things, our readers will think the performing of miracles a matter of course; and we beg them to understand this was not merely a pretension of poor George's, but that his acts were recognized and registered as miracles by his followers. We quote the following from the Index to the last edition.-" Miracles wrought by the power of God, (page) 155. She that was ready to die raised up again, 158. The lame made whole, 95. The diseased cured, 481. A distracted woman recovered, 26. See Trouble of Mind. A great man, given over by his physicians, restored, 28, 341, &c. &c." Let us look more particularly into one or two of these. "After some time, I went to a meeting at Arnside, where Richard Myer was, who had been long lame of one of his arms. I was moved of the Lord to say unto him, amongst all the people; Stand up upon thy legs,' for he was sitting down; and he stood up, and stretched out his arm that had been lame a long time, and said, Be it known unto you, all people, that this day I am healed.' Yet his parents could hardly believe it; but after the meeting was done, had him aside, took off his doublet, and then saw it was true." Again, at Cossel, he observes, "came a woman, and brought her daughter for me to see how well she was; putting me in mind, that when I was there before, she had brought her to me much troubled with the king's evil, and had then desired me to pray for her,' which I did, and she mended upon it, praised be the Lord." At Baldock there was a baptist woman sick. "John Rush, of Bedfordshire," says Fox, "went with me to see her. When we came in, many tender people were about her. They told me she was not a woman for this world; but if I had any thing to comfort her concerning the world to come, I might speak to her.' I was moved of the Lord to speak to her; and he raised her up again, to the astonishment of the town and country." We have thought it necessary to give this brief notice of. some of the extravagant opinions taught, and pretensions made, by Fox, that our readers may understand the ground of that abhorrence in which he was held, and that persecution he endured. Still it was not the great doctrines of his sect that Fox, in early life, principally taught, or the insulted feelings of the people, from which he always suffered; a little nonsense in principle, and a little folly in conduct, both being ill-timed, served, over and over again, to shut him up in prison. The not observing an established courtesy by taking off his hat, was a perpetual offence to all the proud spirits in the magistracy, before whom he was eternally brought, and subjected him to intolerable persecution; and, on his part, the very mention of death, or Moses, or circumcision, or the church, or the word of God, were a sure block, over which he stumbled; and a text which he must expound, without regard to time, season, or audience. It was not that what he said was altogether ridiculous; but ridiculous from the vehemence, rudeness, and denunciations, with which he denied what none but the most ignorant ever supposed, or discussed what nobody else disputed. But Fox was once of the most ignorant. He afterwards acquired that knowledge and power, never contemptible, which a complete mastery over such a work as the Bible, gives to every man; and, having thus discovered his former ignorance, thought all men in the same darkness from which he had so unexpectedly burst forth. We have before warned the reader, that he must not expect a connected narrative of Fox's life. Such an abstract would have less interest, and throw much less light on the real character of the man, than our collected notices. His was a life of change, without variety; to-day in prison, to-morrow at liberty; and it needed even less fore-knowledge than some of his own prophecies, to predict when he would be in jail again. It is an extraordinary circumstance, that it was not till after some years' wandering, and after the establishment of many meetings, that Fox was commanded by the Lord " to go abroad into the world." It may be added, that no man ever observed a command more religiously. For more than twenty years, we do not believe he had a home; and when he married, he was seldom there long together, and only at wide intervals of time. During this long period, the privations he endured, the brutal violence he suffered from, the indignities he submitted to, make the heart ache. Some of his simple narratives are, in the highest degree, affecting, and will testify, as long as the record shall remain, to the perfect sincerity of his intentions. Thus, shortly after his liberation from a twelvemonth's imprisonment in Derby jail," he came at night to an inn, where he bid the woman of the house, if she had any meat, to bring him some. But because he said thee and thou to her, she looked strangely on him. Then he asked her if she had any milk? and she said No! He, believing she spoke falsely, and seeing a churn in the room, would try her, and asked her if she had any cream? But she denied that she had any. Then a little boy, playing about the churn, put his hands into it, and, pulling it down, threw all the cream on the floor. Thus the woman appeared to be a liar; and she, being amazed, took up the child, and whipped it sorely; but he reproved her for her lying, and, going out of the house, went away, and that night lay in a stack of hay, in rain and snow." Another time, he came to a house," where he desired to have some meat, drink, and lodging, for his money; but they would not suffer him to stay there then he went to another house, but met with the like refusal. By this time it was grown so dark, that he could not see the highway, but perceiving a ditch, he got a little water, and so refreshed himself. Then he got over the ditch, and, being weary, sat down among the furze bushes till it grew day." With the first of the morning, Fox was fortunately apprehended; for on this occasion he was not committed to prison; and, while in custody, "some discreet man called him into his house, where he got some milk and bread, not having eaten for some days before." At Patrington they also refused. him meat and lodging; but, "as it grew dark, he spied a hay stack, and went and sat under it till morning." The next day he came to Hull, on which he feelingly observes, "That night I got a lodging! but was very sore with travelling on foot so far." On "a first day," being at Doncaster, he, and other friends, were stoned by the people, and one struck Fox on the head, and the blood run down his face. Nothing, however, could deter or intimidate him. On" the next first day," he went into the steeple-house" at Titchhill, and "there found the priest, and the chief of the parish, in the chancel, to whom he began to speak; but they immediately fell upon him, and the clerk struck him with his bible so violently on his face, that the blood gushed out, and he bled exceedingly. Then the people thrust him out of the steeple-house, and beating him, threw him down, and dragged him along the street, so that he became besmeared with blood and dirt, and his hat was taken away. Some moderate justices now, hearing how George Fox and his friends had been abused, came to examine the business; and the clerk was afraid of having his hand cut off, for striking him in the church; but George Fox, as a true Christian, forgave him, and would not appear against him." Indeed, his sufferings and privations were, at this time, so great, and seemingly so beyond human power of endurance, and his wanderings so known, as to give rise to the most absurd reports: it was among the common superstitions, that he was often in two counties at the same time; and we find one of his friends requesting him to go to bed, or, at least, to lie down upon a bed," that they might say they had seen me in or upon a bed; for they had got a report that I would not lie on any bed, because I had laid many times without doors." 66 |