The journal of George Fox, vol. 2 of 2 : $b Being an historical account of his life, travels, sufferings, and Christian experiences.Fox, George
Religion
The journal of George Fox, vol. 2 of 2 : $b Being an historical account of his life, travels, sufferings, and Christian experiences.
Fox, George
Fox, George, 1624-1691
And there is less reason for the title [mother] to be given
to Rome, or to any other outward place or city, by the children of
Jerusalem, that is above and free; neither are they Jerusalem’s
children, that is above and free, who give the title of mother
either to outward Jerusalem, to Rome, or to any other place or sect
of people. And though this title [mother] hath been given to places
and sects amongst and by the degenerate Christians, yet still we
say, as the apostle said of old, ‘Jerusalem that is above, is the
mother of us all.’ And we can own no other, neither outward
Jerusalem nor Rome, nor any sect of people for our mother, but
Jerusalem which is above, which is free, the mother of all that are
born again, and are become true believers in the light, grafted in
Christ, the heavenly Vine. For all who are born again of the
immortal Seed, by the Word of God, which lives and abides for ever,
feed upon the milk of the Word, the breasts of life, and grow by it
in life, and cannot acknowledge any other to be their mother but
Jerusalem which is above.” “O,” said Esquire Marsh to the Papist,
“You do not know this man, if he would but come to church now and
then, he would be a brave man.”
After some other discourse, I went aside with Justice Marsh into
another room, to speak with him concerning Friends; for he was a
justice of peace for Middlesex, and being a courtier, the other
justices put much of the management of affairs upon him. He told me
“he was in a strait how to act between us and some other Dissenters.
For,” said he, “you cannot swear, and the Independents, Baptists,
and Fifth-monarchy people say also they cannot swear; therefore,”
said he, “how shall I know how to distinguish betwixt you and them,
seeing they and you all say it is for conscience’ sake that you
cannot swear?” I answered “I will show thee how to distinguish.
They, or most of them, thou speakest of, can and do swear in some
cases, but we cannot swear in any case. If a man should steal their
cows and horses, and thou shouldst ask them whether they would swear
they were theirs; many of them would readily do it. But if thou try
our Friends, they cannot swear for their own goods. Therefore, when
thou puttest the oath of allegiance to any of them, ask them,
‘whether they can swear in any other case, as for their cow or
horse;’ which, if they be really of us, they cannot do, though they
can bear witness to the truth.” Hereupon I gave him a relation of a
trial in Berkshire, which was thus: A thief stole two beasts from a
Friend of ours, the thief was taken and cast into prison, and the
Friend appeared against him at the assizes. But somebody having
informed the judge, that the prosecutor was a Quaker, and could not
swear, the judge, before he heard what the Friend could say, said,
“Is he a Quaker? and will he not swear? Then tender him the oaths of
allegiance and supremacy.” So he cast the Friend into prison, and
premunired him, and set the thief at liberty that had stolen his
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