George Fox belongs rather among the _positive_ mystics, who seek
to realize the presence of God in this finite human life. That
He transcends all finite experiences they fully realize, but the
reality of any finite experience lies just in this fact, that the
living God is in it and expresses some divine purpose through it,
so that a man may, as George Fox's friend, Isaac Penington says,
"become an organ of the life and power of God," and "progagate
God's life in the world." The mystic of this type may feel the
light break within him and know that God is there, or he may
equally well discover Him as he performs some clear, plain duty
which lies across his path. His whole mystical insight is in
his discovery that God is near, and not beyond the reach of the
ladders which He has given us.
But no one has found the true George Fox when he stops with an
analysis of the views which he held. Almost more remarkable than
the truth which he proclaimed was the fervor, the enthusiasm, the
glowing passion of the man. He was of the genuine apostolic type.
He had come through years of despair over the wickedness of the
world, but as soon as the Light really broke, and he knew that
he had a message for the world in its sin and ignorance, there
was after that nothing but the grave itself which could keep him
quiet. He preached in cathedrals, on hay stacks, on cliffs of
rock, from hill tops, under apple trees and elm trees, in barns
and in city squares, while he sent epistles from every prison in
which he was shut up. Wherever he could find men who had souls to
save he told them of the life and Truth which he had found.
Whether one is in sympathy with Fox's mystical view of life or
not, it is impossible not to be impressed with the practical
way in which he wrought out his faith. After all, the view that
God and man are not isolated was not new; the really new thing
was the appearance of a man who genuinely practiced the Divine
presence and lived _as though he knew_ that his life was in a
Divine environment.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account