A Book of Quaker SaintsHodgkin, L. V. (Lucy Violet)
Religion
A Book of Quaker Saints
Hodgkin, L. V. (Lucy Violet)
Society of Friends
Neither was there anything exclusive in George Fox's message. 'Keep
yourselves in an universal spirit' was what he both preached and
practised. It was in 'an universal spirit' that he and his followers
scattered all over the country. No wonder they earned the name of 'the
Valiant Sixty,' that little band of comrades who in 1654 started out
from the North Country on their mission of convincing all England of
'the Truth.'
They were nearly all young men, their leader Fox himself still only
thirty at this time. Francis Howgill and John Camm were two of the
very few elders in the company. They usually travelled in couples,
dear friends naturally going together; for is not the best work always
done with the right companion? George Fox, who was leader, not by any
outward signs of authority but by fervour of inward power and zeal,
occasionally travelled alone. More often he took with him a comrade,
such as Richard Farnsworth (of whom we have heard at Pendle), or James
Nayler, or Leonard Fell, or many another, of whom there are other
stories yet to tell.
Never was George Fox happier than when he was sowing the seed in a new
place. All over England there are memories of him, even as far away as
the Land's End.
When, in 1656, he reached the rocky peninsula of granite at the
extreme south-west of England, he wrote in his journal: 'At Land's End
we had a precious meeting. Here was a fisherman, Nicholas Jose,
convinced, that became a faithful minister. He spoke in meetings and
declared truth to the people, so that I told Friends he was "like
Peter." I was glad the Lord raised up His standard in those dark parts
of the nation, where since there is a fine meeting of honest-hearted
Friends, and a great people the Lord will have in that country.'
Unluckily, some of the other Cornish fisherfolk were not at all 'like
Peter.' They were wreckers, and used to entice ships on to the rocks
by means of false lights in order to enrich themselves with the spoils
washed up on their coasts. This is why George Fox spoke of them as a
'dark people,' and was moved to put forth a paper 'warning them
against such wicked practices.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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