The History of the Rise, Increase, and Progress of the Christian People Called Quakers: Intermixed with Several Remarkable Occurrencs.Sewel, William
History
The History of the Rise, Increase, and Progress of the Christian People Called Quakers: Intermixed with Several Remarkable Occurrencs.
Sewel, William
Society of Friends -- History -- Early works to 1800
Concerning state affairs it hath been said already, that Charles II.
had been proclaimed king by the Scots; but he being still in Holland,
they sent to him there, that he would subscribe the Covenant, and so
abrogate Episcopacy in Scotland: it was also desired that he would
put some lords from him. But those that were sent, received only an
answer from the young king in general terms, which made them return
home again, where we will leave them, to see in the meanwhile how it
went with G. Fox, who had been sent away, as hath been said, from
Chesterfield, came to Derby in the year 1650, and lay at a doctor’s
house, whose wife was convinced of the truth he preached. Now it
happened, as he was walking there in his chamber, he heard the bell
ring, and asked the woman of the house what the bell rung for. She
told him, there had been a great lecture that day; so that many of the
officers of the army, and priests and preachers were to be there, as
also a colonel that was a preacher. Then he felt himself moved to go
to that congregation; and when the service was done, he spoke to them
what he believed the Lord required of him; and they were pretty quiet.
But there came an officer, who took him by the hand, and said, that he,
and the other two that were with him, must go before the magistrates.
Coming then about the first hour in the afternoon before them, they
asked him, why he came thither; to which having answered, that God had
moved him to it; he further said, that God did not dwell in temples
made with hands; and that all their preaching, baptism, and sacrifices,
would never sanctify them; but that they ought to look unto Christ in
them, and not unto men; because it is Christ that Sanctifies. They then
running into many words, he told them, they were not to dispute of God
and Christ, but to obey him. But this doctrine did so displease them,
that they often put him in and out of the room, and sometimes told them
scoffingly, that he was taken up in raptures. At length they asked him,
whether he was sanctified; and he answering, yes; they then asked, if
he had no sin; to which he said, ‘Christ my Saviour has taken away my
sin, and in him there is no sin.’ Then he and his friends were asked,
how they knew that Christ did abide in them; G. Fox said, ‘By his
Spirit, that he has given us.’ Then they temptingly asked, if any of
them was Christ; but he answered, ‘Nay, we are nothing, Christ is all.’
At length they also asked, if a man steal, is it no sin; to which he
answered with the words of scripture, ‘All unrighteousness is sin.’ So
when they had wearied themselves in examining him, they committed him
and another man to the house of correction in Derby, for six months, as
blasphemers, as appears by the following mittimus.
_To the Master of the House of Correction in Derby, Greeting._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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