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
There came another time the widow of old Lord Fairfax, and with her a
great company; one of whom was a priest. I was moved to declare the
truth to them, and the priest asked me, “Why we said, Thou and Thee to
people? for he counted us but fools and idiots for speaking so.” I asked
him, “Whether they that translated the Scriptures, and that made the
grammar and accidence, were fools and idiots, seeing they translated the
Scriptures so, and made the grammar so, Thou to one, and You to more
than one, and left it so to us. If they were fools and idiots, why had
not he, and such as he, that looked upon themselves as wise men, and
that could not bear Thou and Thee to a singular, altered the grammar,
accidence, and Bible, and put the plural instead of the singular. But if
they were wise men that had so translated the Bible, and had made the
grammar and accidence so, I wished him to consider whether they were not
fools and idiots themselves, that did not speak as their grammars and
Bibles taught them; but were offended with us, and called us fools and
idiots for speaking so?” Thus the priest’s mouth was stopped, and many
of the company acknowledged the truth, and were pretty loving and
tender. Some of them would have given me money, but I would not receive
it.
After this came Dr. Cradock, with three priests more, and the governor
and his lady (so called) and another that was called a lady, and a great
company with them. Dr. Cradock asked me, “what I was in prison for?” I
told him, “for obeying the command of Christ and the apostle, in not
swearing. But if he, being both a doctor and a justice of peace, could
convince me, that after Christ and the apostle had forbidden swearing,
they commanded Christians to swear, then I would swear. Here was the
Bible,” I told him, “he might, if he could, show me any such command.”
He said, “It is written, ‘ye shall swear in truth and righteousness.’”
“Ay,” said I, “It was written so in Jeremiah’s time; but that was many
ages before Christ commanded, ‘not to swear at all;’ but where is it
written so, since Christ forbade all swearing? I could bring as many
instances for swearing out of the Old Testament as thou, and it may be
more; but of what force are they to prove swearing lawful in the New
Testament, since Christ and the apostle had forbade it? Besides,” said
I, “in that text, where it is written, ye shall swear, what ye was this?
Was it ye Gentiles, or ye Jews?” To this he would not answer. But one of
the priests that were with him answered, “it was to the Jews that this
was spoken.” Then Dr. Cradock confessed it was so. “Very well,” said I,
“but where did God ever give a command to the Gentiles to swear? For
thou knowest that we are Gentiles by nature.” “Indeed,” said he, “in the
gospel-times everything was to be established out of the mouths of two
or three witnesses; but there was to be no swearing then.” “Why then,”
said I, “dost thou force oaths upon Christians, contrary to thy own
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