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
The following day being appointed for an humiliation, Margaret went
with her children to the steeple-house at Ulverstone, having asked G.
Fox before to go with her: but he replying, That he must do as he was
ordered by the Lord, left her, and walked into the fields; and there
he felt a strong motion to go also to the steeple-house. When he came
there, the people were singing, but what they sung was, according to
his opinion, altogether unsuitable to their states. After they had
done, he stept up on a form, and asked leave to speak: the priest
consenting, G. Fox began thus: ‘He is not a Jew that is one outwardly;
neither is that circumcision which is outward: but he is a Jew that is
one inwardly; and that is circumcision, which is of the heart.’ And so
he went on, and said, ‘That Christ was the light of the world, and
enlightened every man that cometh into the world, and that by this
light they might be gathered to God,’ &c. Margaret Fell standing up in
her pew, wondered at this doctrine, having never heard any such before.
In the meanwhile G. Fox went on, and opening the Scriptures, said,
‘That they were the prophet’s words, and Christ’s, and the apostles’
words; and that what they spoke, they enjoyed and possessed, and had it
from the Lord. What have any to do, said he, with the Scriptures, if
they come not to the Spirit that gave them forth? You will say, Christ
saith this, and the apostles say this; but what canst thou, O man,
say thyself concerning this? Art thou a child of the light; dost thou
walk in the light; and what thou speakest, is it inwardly from God?’
He showed also, ‘That God was come to teach his people himself by his
Spirit, and to bring them off from their churches, and religions, and
their ways of worship,’ &c. These his words did so effectually reach
the aforesaid Margaret, that she sat down in her pew again, and weeping
bitterly, cried in her spirit to the Lord, ‘We are all thieves! We are
all thieves! We have taken the Scriptures in words, and know nothing of
them in ourselves.’ G. Fox still going on, declared against the false
prophets, and said, that their way of worship was but talking of other
men’s words, and that they themselves were out of the life and spirit
which those were in who gave them forth. Then cried out a justice of
peace, called John Sawrey, ‘Take him away.’ But Margaret Fell said
to the officers, ‘Let him alone. Why may not he speak as well as any
other?’ Priest Lampitt, it is like to please her, said also, ‘Let him
speak.’ G. Fox then speaking yet awhile, was at length led out by the
constable, according to the order of the said justice Sawrey; and then
he spoke to the people in the grave-yard.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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