Removing to another place, I came among a people that relied much on
dreams. I told them, except they could distinguish between dream and
dream, they would confound all together; for there were three sorts
of dreams; multitude of business sometimes caused dreams, and there
were whisperings of Satan in man in the night season; and there were
speakings of God to man in dreams. But these people came out of these
things, and at last became Friends.[14]
[14] "Friends" is here used for the first time in the Journal as
the name of the new denomination. It is not possible to determine
when the name was adopted or why it was chosen. When the Journal
was written the term had already become fixed and Fox uses it
without comment or explanation, referring it back to a period
before it came into use as the name of the Society. At first the
word "friends" was probably used in an untechnical sense for
those who were _friendly_, and little by little it hardened into
a name. At the very beginning they called themselves "Children of
the Light."
Now, though I had great openings, yet great trouble and temptation
came many times upon me; so that when it was day I wished for night,
and when it was night I wished for day; and by reason of the openings
I had in my troubles, I could say as David said, "Day unto day
uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge." When I had
openings they answered one another and answered the Scriptures; for I
had great openings of the Scriptures: and when I was in troubles, one
trouble also answered to another.
About the beginning of the year 1647 I was moved of the Lord to go
into Derbyshire, where I met with some friendly people, and had
many discourses with them. Then, passing into the Peak country,[15]
I met with more friendly people, and with some in empty high
notions.[16] Travelling through some parts of Leicestershire, and
into Nottinghamshire, I met with a tender people, and a very tender
woman, whose name was Elizabeth Hooton.[17] With these I had some
meetings and discourses; but my troubles continued, and I was often
under great temptations.
[15] In the northern part of Derbyshire.
[16] These were "Ranters" who will appear again and often. They
claimed to be perfect and above the possibility of sinning. Some
even went to the wild extreme of claiming to be Christ, or God.
They went on living for the most part much as they chose, and
justified their acts on the ground that it was God who was acting
in them. It is clearly apparent from this autobiography that such
persons were very numerous at the time. It will be noticed that
George Fox believes also in the possibility of freedom from sin,
but perfection as he holds it means something quite other than
this doctrine of the Ranters, as the Journal will show.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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