The journal of George Fox, vol. 1 of 2 : $b Being an historical account of his life, travels, sufferings, and Christian experiences.Fox, George
Religion
The journal of George Fox, vol. 1 of 2 : $b Being an historical account of his life, travels, sufferings, and Christian experiences.
Fox, George
Fox, George, 1624-1691
over, Friends departed; and I went without my hat to BALBY, about seven
or eight miles. Friends were much abused that day by the priest and his
people; insomuch that some moderate justices hearing of it, two or three
of them came, and sat at the town, to hear and examine the business. And
he that had shed my blood was afraid of having his hand cut off, for
striking me in the church (as they called it;) but I forgave him, and
would not appear against him.
In the beginning of this year 1652 great rage got up in priests and
people, and in some of the magistrates of the West-Riding of Yorkshire,
against the truth and Friends; insomuch that the priest of WARMSWORTH
procured a warrant from the justices against me and Thomas Aldam, to be
executed in any part of the West-Riding of Yorkshire. At the same time I
had a vision of a bear and two great mastiff dogs; that I should pass by
them, and they should do me no hurt; and it proved so: for the constable
took Thomas Aldam and carried him to York. I went with Thomas Aldam
twenty miles towards York: and the constable had the warrant for me
also, and said, “he saw me, but he was loath to trouble men that were
strangers; but Thomas Aldam was his neighbour.” So the Lord’s power
restrained him, that he had not power to meddle with me. We came to
Lieutenant Roper’s, where we had a great meeting of many considerable
men; and the truth was powerfully declared amongst them, and the
Scriptures wonderfully opened, and the parables and sayings of Christ
were expounded, and the state of the church in the apostles’ days was
plainly set forth, and the apostacy since from that state discovered.
The truth had great dominion that day, so that those great men that were
present did generally confess to it, saying, “they believed that this
principle must go over the whole world.” There were at this meeting
James Naylor, Thomas Goodyear,[14] and William Dewsbury, who had been
convinced the year before; and Richard Farnsworth also. And the
constable stayed with Thomas Aldam till the meeting was over, and then
went towards York prison; but did not meddle with me.
Footnote 14:
Thomas Goodyear became a faithful minister, and suffered much
persecution and imprisonment. When in Oxford jail (for refusing to
swear), the jailer put irons on his legs, which being too small hurt
him, and besides other abuse, would not let him and other Friends have
straw to lie on. The jailer also told the other prisoners if they
wanted coats, they might take those of the Friends off their backs;
but one of the prisoners answered he would go naked first.
Thomas Goodyear was the author of “_A Plain Testimony to the Ancient
Truth and Work of God_.” He died at Selby, in 1693.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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