1646.
But since a circumstantial description of these state affairs is not within my design, I will return again to George Fox, who in the beginning of the year 1646, as he was going to Coventry, and entering towards the gate, a consideration arose in him how it was said that all Christians are believers, both Protestants and Papists: and it was opened to him, that if all were believers, then they were all born of God, and passed from death to life; and that none were true believers but such: and though others said they were believers, yet they were not. At another time as he was walking in a field on a First-day morning, it was discovered unto his understanding, that to be bred at Oxford or Cambridge was not enough to make a man to be a minister of Christ. At this he wondered, because it was the common belief of people; but for all that, he took this to be a divine revelation, and he admired the goodness of the Lord, believing now the ordinary ministers not to be such as they pretended to be. This made him unwilling to go any more to church, as it was called, to hear the priest Stevens, believing that he could not profit thereby: and therefore instead of going thither, he would get into the orchard, or the fields, by himself, with his Bible, which he esteemed above all books, seeking thus to be edified in solitariness. At this his relations were much troubled; but he told them, did not John the Apostle say to the believers, “that they needed no man to teach them, but as the anointing teacheth them;” and though they knew this to be Scripture, and that it was true, yet it grieved them, because he would not go to hear the priest with them, but separated himself from their way of worship: for he saw now that a true believer was another thing than they looked upon it to be; and that being bred at the universities did not qualify a man to be a minister of Christ. Thus he lived by himself, not joining with any, nay, not of the dissenting people, but became a stranger to all, relying wholly upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
Some time after, it was opened in him, that God, who made the world, did not dwell in temples made with hands. And though this seemed at first strange to him, because both priests and people used to call their churches dreadful places, holy ground, and temples of God; yet it was immediately showed him, that the Lord did not dwell in these temples which man had erected, but in people’s hearts, and that his people were the temple he dwelt in. This was discovered to him when he was walking in the fields to the house of one of his relations. And when he came there, it was told him, that Nathaniel Stevens the priest had been there, and told them he was afraid of Fox, for going after new lights. This made him smile, because now he saw the true state of the priests. But he said nothing of this to his relations, who, though they saw that something more was required than the vulgar way of worship, yet they continued therein, being grieved because he would not also go to hear the priests. Only he told them there was an anointing in man, to teach him; and that the Lord would teach his people himself. He had great openings now concerning the things written in the Revelations; and when he spake of them, the priests and professors would say, that was ‘a sealed up book.’ But to this he said, ‘Christ could open the seals, and that the things contained in that book, very nearly concerned us; since the Epistles of the Apostles were written to the saints of those times, but the Revelations point at things to come.’
In England, in those days, were people of very odd notions, and among the rest such as held, ‘that women have no souls.’ He lighting on some of these, could not forbear reproving them, since the Scripture, as he told them plainly, held forth the contrary; for the blessed Virgin Mary said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord; and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” He also came among a people that relied much on dreams; but he told them, ‘Except they could distinguish between dream and dream, their observations would be nothing but confusion, since there were three sorts of dreams; for multiplicity of business sometimes caused dreams; and there were whisperings of Satan in the night seasons; and there were also speakings of God to man in dreams.’ But because these people were more in want of a clear discerning, than of good will, they at length came out of those imaginations, and at last became fellow-believers with him; who, though he had great openings in his understanding, yet great trouble and temptations many times came upon him; so that when it was day, he wished for night, and when it was night, he wished for day. Nevertheless among all those troubles, his understanding was so opened, that he could say with David, “Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge;” for even in these troubles he had great openings of many places in scripture.
As to state affairs, things continued in a distracted condition; for the King, who after his army had been beaten, was gone to the Scots, was by them delivered up to the English; to whom now he could no more prescribe laws, but was fain to receive them. And the Churchmen were also at variance; for the Independents, (several of which sat also in Parliament,) began to say, that between Episcopacy, (against which they had fought conjunctly,) and Presbytery, the difference was only in the name, and some few outward circumstances; since people of a tender conscience might apprehend no less oppression from the Presbyterians, than from the Episcopalians: and that this fear was not vain or idle, time afterwards hath shown abundantly.
1647.
But let us return to George Fox, who in the beginning of the year 1647, feeling some drawings to go into Derbyshire, went thither, and meeting there with some friendly people, had many discourses with them. Then passing further into the Peak-Country, he met with more such people, and also some that were swayed by empty and high notions. And travelling into Nottinghamshire, there he met with a tender people, and among these one Elizabeth Hooton, of which woman more will be said in the sequel: with these he had some meetings and discourses. But his troubles and temptations still continued; and he fasted much, and walked often abroad in solitary places, taking his Bible with him; and then sat in hollow trees, and lonesome places till night came on; and frequently in the night he walked mournfully about, being surrounded with many sorrows in the times of these first workings of the Lord in him.
During all this time, he never joined in profession of religion with any, but gave up himself to the disposing of the Lord; having forsaken not only all evil company, but also taken leave of father and mother, and all other relations; and so he travelled up and down as a stranger on the earth, which way he felt his heart inclined: and when he came into a town, he took a chamber to himself there, and tarried sometimes a month, sometimes more, sometimes less, in a place; for he was afraid of staying long in any place, lest, being a tender young man, he should be hurt by too familiar a conversation with men.
Now, though it might seem not very agreeable with the gravity of my work, to mention what kind of clothes he wore in these first years of his peregrination; yet I do not count it absurd to say here, that it is indeed true what a certain author, viz. Gerard Croes, relates of him, that he was clothed with leather; but not, as the said author adds, because he could not, nor would not, forget his former leather work; but it was partly for the simplicity of that dress, and also because such a cloathing was strong, and needed but little mending or repairing; which was commodious for him who had no steady dwelling place, and every where in his travelling about sought to live in a lonely state: for keeping himself thus as a stranger, he sought heavenly wisdom, and endeavoured to get knowledge of the Lord, and to be weaned from outward things, to rely wholly on the Lord alone. Although his troubles were great, yet they were not so continual, but that he had some intermissions, and was sometimes brought into such a heavenly joy, that admiring the love of God to his soul, he would say with the Psalmist, “Thou, Lord, makest a fruitful field a barren wilderness, and a barren wilderness a fruitful field.” Now he regarded the priests but little, because he clearly saw that to be trained up in the universities, and to be instructed in languages, liberal arts, and the like sciences, was not sufficient to make any one a minister of the gospel; but he looked more after the dissenting people; yet as he had forsaken the priests, so he left the separate preachers also, because he saw there was none among them all that could speak to his condition. And when all his hopes in them, and in all men were gone, then he heard, according to what he relates himself, a voice which said, ‘There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition.’ Having heard this, his heart leapt for joy, and it was showed him why there was none upon the earth that could speak to his condition; namely, that he might give the Lord alone all the glory, and that Jesus Christ might have the pre-eminence.
He then experimentally knowing that Christ enlightens man, and gives him grace, faith, and power, his desires after the Lord, and his zeal in the pure knowledge of God grew stronger; so that he wished to increase therein without the help of any man, book, or writing. Yet he was a diligent reader of the holy Scriptures, that speak at large of God and Christ, though he knew him not but by revelation, as he, who had the key, did open. Thus he entered into no fellowship with any society of people, because he saw nothing but corruptions every where; which made him endeavour to keep fellowship only with Christ: since in the greatest temptations, when he almost despaired, it was showed him, that Christ had been tempted by the same devil; but that he had overcome him, and bruised his head, and that therefore through the power, light, grace, and Spirit of God, he himself might also overcome. Thus the Lord assisted him in the deepest miseries and sorrows, and he found his grace to be sufficient: insomuch, that though he had yet some desires after the help of men, his thirst was chiefly after the Lord, the Creator of all, and his Son Jesus Christ; because nothing could give him any comfort but the Lord by his power; and he clearly saw that all the world, though he had possessed a king’s state, would not have profited him.