Some time after, G. Fox returned to Leicestershire, his own country, where several tender people came to be convinced by his preaching. Passing thence into Warwickshire, he met with a great company of professors, who being come together in the field, were praying and expounding the Scriptures. Here the Bible was given him, which he opened on the 5th of Matthew, where Christ expounded some parts of the law; from whence G. Fox took occasion to open to them the inward and outward state of man: and that which he held forth getting some ground, they fell into a fierce contention among themselves, and so parted.
Then he heard of a great meeting to be at Leicester, for a dispute, wherein those of several persuasions, as Presbyterians, Independents, Baptists, and Episcopalians, were said to be all concerned. This meeting being appointed to be in the steeple-house, he went thither, where abundance of people were met, some of those that spoke being in pews, and the priest in the pulpit. At last, after several reasonings, a woman started a question, and asked, ‘What that birth was the Apostle Peter spoke of, viz. “a being born again of incorruptible seed, by the word of God, that liveth and abideth for ever.”’ The priest, instead of answering this question, said to her, ‘I permit not a woman to speak in the church;’ though he had before given liberty for any to speak. This kindled G. Fox’s zeal, so that he stept up, and asked the priest, Dost thou call this place, (the steeple-house,) a church? Or dost thou call this mixt multitude a church? But the priest not answering to this, asked, what a church was: and G. Fox told him, The church was the pillar and ground of truth, made up of living stones, living members, a spiritual household, which Christ was the head of: but he was not the head of a mixt multitude, or of an old house made up of lime, stones, and wood. This caused such a stir, that the priest came down out of his pulpit, and others out of their pews, whereby the dispute was marred. But G. Fox went to a great inn, and there disputed with the priests and professors of all sorts, maintaining what he had said, till they all went away; yet several were convinced that day, and among these, the woman who asked the question aforesaid.
After this, G. Fox returned again into Nottinghamshire, and went into the vale of Beaver, where he preached repentance to the people: and he staying some weeks there, and passing through several towns, many were convinced of the truth of his doctrine. About that time, as he was sitting by the fire one morning, a cloud came over him, and a temptation beset him, and he sitting still, it was suggested, All things come by nature; and he was in a manner quite clouded: but he continuing to sit still, the people of the house perceived nothing: at length a living hope arose in him, and also a voice, that said, There is a living God, who made all things; and immediately the cloud and temptation vanished away, whereby his heart was made glad, and he praised the Lord.
Not long after, he met with some people that had a mischievous notion, that there was no God, but that all things came by nature. But he, reasoning with them, so confounded them, that some were fain to confess, that there was a living God. Then he saw that it was good for him to have been tried under such a cloud. Now in those parts he had great meetings, and a divine power working in that country, and thereabouts, many were gathered. Then coming into Derbyshire, there was a great meeting of his friends at Eaton, where many of them began to preach the doctrine of truth, who afterwards were moved to declare the truth in other places also.
George Fox coming about this time to Mansfield, heard, that in a town about eight miles off, there was to be a sitting of justices, to deliberate about hiring of servants; and he, feeling a constraint upon his mind, went thither, and exhorted them, not to oppress the servants in their wages, but to do that which was right and just to them; and the servants, many of whom were come thither, he admonished, to do their duty, and serve honestly; and they all received his exhortation kindly. He felt himself also moved, to go to several courts and steeple-houses at Mansfield, and other places, warning them to leave off oppression, deceit, and other evils. And having heard at Mansfield of one in the country, who was a common drunkard, and a noted whoremaster, and a poet also, he went to him, and reproved him in an awful manner for his evil courses; which so struck him, that coming afterwards to G. Fox, he told him, that he was so smitten when he spoke to him, that he had scarce any strength left in him. And this man was so thoroughly convinced, that he turned from his wickedness and became an honest, sober man, to the astonishment of those that knew him before. Thus the work of G. Fox’s ministry went forward, and many were thereby turned from darkness to light; and divers meetings of his friends, who were much increased in number since the year 1646, were now set up in several places.
George Fox was now come up to quite another state than formerly he had lived in; for he knew not only a renewing of the heart, and a restoration of the mind, but the virtues of the creatures were also opened to him; so that he began to deliberate whether he should practise physic for the good of mankind. But God had another service for him; and it was showed him, that he was to enter into a spiritual labour; and also that those who continued faithful to the Lord, might attain to a state in which the sinful inclination was subdued. Moreover, the three great professions in the world, viz. physic, divinity, (so called,) and law, were opened to him, whereby he saw that the physicians wanting the wisdom of God, by which the creatures were made, knew not their virtues: that the lawyers generally were void of equity and justice, and so out of the law of God, which went over the first transgression, and over all sin, and answered the Spirit of God that was oppressed in man: and that the priests, for the most part, were out of the true faith, which Christ is the author of, and which purifies the heart, and brings man to have access to God. So that these physicians, lawyers, and priests, who pretended to cure the body, to establish the property of the people, and to cure the soul, were all without the true knowledge and wisdom they ought to possess. Yet he felt there was a divine power, by which all might be reformed, if they would receive, and bow unto it. And he saw also, that though the priests did err, yet they were not the greatest deceivers spoken of in the Scriptures; but that these great deceivers were such, who, as Cain, had heard the voice of God, and who, as Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, and their company, were come out of Egypt, and through the Red Sea, and had praised God on the banks of the sea shore; and who being come as far as Balaam, could speak the word of the Lord, as having heard his voice, and known his Spirit, so that they could see the star of Jacob, and the goodliness of Israel’s tents, which no enchantment could prevail against: these that could speak so much of their divine experience, and yet turned from the Spirit of God, and went into the gainsaying, these he saw would be the great deceivers, far beyond the priests. He saw also that people generally did read the Scriptures, without having a true sense of them; for some cried out much against Cain, Ishmael, Esau, Corah, Balaam, Judas, &c. not regarding that the nature of these was yet alive in themselves; whereby they always applied to others that nature, in which they themselves lived.
The Lord had also opened to him now, that every man was enlightened by the divine light of Christ; and he saw that they that believed in it, came out of condemnation, and became the children of the light: but they that hated it, and did not believe in it, were condemned by it, though they made a profession of Christ. All this he saw in the pure openings of the light. He also saw that God had afforded a measure of his Spirit to all men, and that thereby they could truly come to serve the Lord, and to worship him; and that his grace, which brings salvation, and had appeared to all men, was able to bring them into the favour of God.
And on a certain time, as he was walking in the fields, he understood that it was said to him: ‘Thy name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, which was before the foundation of the world.’ This he took to be the voice of the Lord, and believed it to be true. Then he felt himself powerfully moved to go abroad into the world, which was like a briery thorny wilderness; and he found then that the world swelled against him, and made a noise like the great raging waves of the sea: for when he came to proclaim the day of the Lord amongst the priests, professors, magistrates, and people, they were all like a disturbed sea. Now he was sent to turn people from darkness to the light, that they might receive Christ Jesus; for he saw, that to as many as should receive him in his light, he would give power to become the sons of God: and that therefore he was to turn people to the grace of God, and to the truth in the heart; and that by this grace they might be taught, and thereby obtain salvation; since Christ had died for all men, and was a propitiation for all, having enlightened all men with his divine saving light, and the manifestation of the Spirit of God being given to every man to profit withal. He now being sent thus to preach the everlasting gospel, did it with gladness, and endeavoured to bring people off from their own ways, to Christ, the new and living way; and from their churches, which men had made and gathered, to the church in God, the general assembly written in heaven, which Christ is the head of; and from the world’s teacher’s, made by men, to learn of Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life; and of whom the Father said, “This is my beloved Son, hear ye him;” and off from the world’s worship, to the Spirit of God in the inward parts, that in it they might worship the Father, who seeks such to worship him.
Now he found also that the Lord forbade him to put off his hat to any man, high or low; and he was required to Thou and Thee every man and woman without distinction, and not to bid people Good Morrow or Good Evening; neither might he bow or scrape with his leg to any one. This was such an unusual thing with people, that it made many of all persuasions and professions rage against him; but by the assistance of the Lord, he was carried over all, and many came to be his fellow-believers, and turned to God in a little time; although it is almost unspeakable what rage and fury arose, what blows, pinchings, beatings and imprisonments they underwent, besides the danger they were sometimes in of losing their lives for these matters: so indiscreet is man in his natural state. For here it did not avail to say, That the hat-honour was an honour from below, which the Lord would lay in the dust, and stain it; that it was an honour which the proud looked for, without seeking the honour which came from God alone; that it was an honour invented by men in the fall, who therefore were offended if it were not given them; though they would be looked upon as church members, and good Christians; whereas Christ himself said, “How can ye believe, who receive honour of one another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?” That it was an honour, which in relation to the outward ceremony, viz. the putting off the hat, was the same which was given to God; so that in the outward sign of reverence, no distinction, or difference was made betwixt the Creator and the creature; nay, that the saying of you to a single person, went yet a degree further; for not only kings and princes formerly among the Heathens and Jews, had not been offended at it when they were Thee’d and Thou’d, but experience showed that this still was the language wherewith God was daily spoken to, both in religious assemblies, and without. But all these reasons found little entrance with priests, magistrates, and others: bitter revilings, ill usage, and shameful abuses, were now become the lot and share of those who for conscience-sake, could no longer follow the ordinary custom: for though it was pretended that the putting off of the hat was but a small thing, which none ought to scruple; yet it was a wonderful thing, to see what great disturbance this pretended small matter caused among people of all sorts; so that even such that would be looked upon as those that practised humility and meekness, soon showed what spirit they were of, when this worldly honour was denied them. But all this served to strengthen the fellow-believers more and more in their plain carriage, and made them live up faithfully to the convincement of their conscience, without respect of persons.
In the meanwhile the troubles of the land continued. We left the King in the foregoing year in the Isle of Wight, in effect unkinged. Some time after the Duke of York, second son to the King, being then past fourteen years of age, fled to Holland, disguised in woman’s apparel; and his eldest brother the Prince of Wales, who two years before fled to France, came now to Helvoet-Sluys in Holland, and went from thence with some English men of war, whose commanders were for the King, to the Downs in England, with intention to take the ships coming from London. He also published, by the spreading of a declaration, that he came to release his father. Now there was also a negociation on foot between the King and the Parliament, and there seemed some hopes of an accommodation; had not the army, the chief instrument in breaking down the royal power, opposed it, by calling for justice against all those who had wronged the country, none excepted. This broke off the treaty, several suspected members were turned out of the Parliament, and the King was carried to Windsor about the time called Christmas; and it was resolved henceforth to send no more deputations to him, nor receive any from him, who now was no more named King, but only Charles Stuart: a very strange turn of mundane affairs, and a mighty evidence of the fluctuating inconstancy thereof. But things made no stand here, for it was concluded to bring him to a trial; and the Parliament appointed General Thomas Fairfax, and Oliver Cromwell, Lieutenant General, with more than an hundred other persons, to be his judges. These being formed into a court of justice, the King was conducted from Windsor to St. James’s, and from thence brought before them in Westminster Hall, where he was arraigned as guilty of high treason, for having levied war against the Parliament and people of England. But he not owning that court to be lawful, nor acknowledging their authority, said ‘I am not intrusted by the people, they are mine by inheritance:’ and being unwilling to answer to the charge, he was on the 27th of the month, called January, sentenced to death, as a tyrant, traitor, murderer, and a public enemy to the Commonwealth. But before this sentence was pronounced, the King desired that he might be permitted to make a proposition to both Houses of Parliament in the painted Chamber, designing as was since said to propose his own resignation, and the admission of his son, the Prince of Wales, to the throne. But this request was denied by the Court. Now though the said Prince of Wales, considering his father’s danger, had applied himself to the States-General of the United Provinces at the Hague for assistance; and that these sent two Ambassadors to the Parliament, who coming to London on the same day the fatal sentence was pronounced, could not obtain admission till next day to the Speakers of both Houses, and were afterwards with Fairfax and Cromwell, and other commanders; and one of them had also his audience in the Parliament to intercede with them for the King’s life; yet all proved in vain: for on the 30th of the aforesaid month, the King was brought on a scaffold erected before the banqueting house, and his head severed from his body. The same day the Parliament ordered a declaration to be published, whereby it was declared treason to endeavour to promote the Prince of Wales, Charles Stuart, to be King of England, or any other single person to be the chief governor thereof. And then, after having abolished the House of Peers, they assumed to themselves the chief government of the nation, with the title of, The Parliament of the Commonwealth of England.