Being come to Lancaster, at the sessions, there appeared about forty priests against him; and these had chosen one Marshal, priest of Lancaster, to be their speaker; and the witnesses they had provided, were a young priest, and two priests’ sons. When the justices were set, and had heard all the charges of the priests and witnesses; which were, that G. Fox had said, that God taught deceit, and that the Scripture contained but a parcel of lies; the witnesses were examined upon oath; but they were so confounded, and at such a loss, that one of them, not being able to answer directly to what was asked him, said, the other could say it; which made the justices say, ‘Have you sworn it, and do you now say, the other can say it? It seems you did not hear those words spoken yourself, though you have given it in upon your oath.’ There were several persons in the court, who declared that they had heard one of the two priests’ sons say, if he had power he would make George deny his profession; and that he would take away his life. The young priest, who also was a witness, confessed, that he should not have meddled with the thing, had not another priest sent for him, and set him on work. After all the accusations had been heard, several men of reputation in the country affirmed in court, that no such words, as had been sworn against G. Fox, were spoken by him at the meeting; for most of the serious men on that side of the county, that were then at the sessions, had been at that meeting, wherein the witnesses swore he spake the aforesaid blasphemous words. Colonel West, being a justice of the peace, and then upon the bench, was so well pleased with these evidences, that he, (having long been weak in body,) said he blessed the Lord that had healed him that day; adding, that he never saw so many sober people, and good faces together in all his life. And then turning himself to G. Fox, said, ‘George, if thou hast any thing to say to the people, thou mayest freely declare it.’ Then he began to speak; but priest Marshal, the orator for the other priests, went away presently. Now that which G. Fox declared, was, that ‘the holy Scriptures were given forth by the Spirit of God; and that all people must first come to the Spirit of God in themselves, by which they might know God and Christ, of whom the prophets and apostles learnt, and also know the holy Scriptures. For as the Spirit of God was in them that gave forth the Scripture; so the same Spirit of God must also be in those that come to know and understand the Scriptures: by which Spirit they might have fellowship with the Father, and with the Son, and with one another: and that without that Spirit, they could know neither God nor Christ, nor the Scriptures, nor have right fellowship with one another.’ No sooner had he spoken these words, but about half a dozen priests burst out into a passion, and one of them, whose name was Jackus, said that the Spirit and the letter were inseparable: which made G. Fox answer, ‘Then every one that hath the letter, hath the Spirit; and they might buy the Spirit with the letter of the Scripture.’ To which judge Fell, and colonel West added, that according to that position, they might carry the Spirit in their pockets, as they did the Scriptures. The justices also bid Jackus prove what he had said. But he finding himself caught, would have denied it; and the other priests endeavoured to disguise his words with a pretended meaning. But the justices would admit no other meaning, than the plain sense of the words. And seeing the witnesses did not agree, and perceiving that they were set on by the envy of the priests, they discharged him, and after judge Fell had spoken to the justices Sawrey and Thompson, concerning the warrant they had given forth against G. Fox, showing that this tended to encourage such riots as those in the Isle of Walney, he and colonel West granted a supersedeas, to stop the execution of the said warrant.
G. Fox, being thus cleared in open sessions, many people rejoiced, and were that day convinced of the Truth declared by him in the court; and among these, one justice Benson, and the mayor of Lancaster, whose name was Ripan; also one Thomas Briggs, who had been very averse to, and an opposer of, the Quakers so called; and this same Briggs became afterwards a faithful minister of the gospel amongst them, and remained so to the end of his days.
G. Fox stayed yet some days at Lancaster. But to relate all that he and his friends met with, is not my intention; for to set down at large all such occurrences, would be a work requiring more leisure and strength than can be expected from me. And therefore I intend only to describe what I find most remarkable; though many notable things have happened, of which I could not fully be informed in every circumstance, as name, place, time, &c. But it is probable that this may give occasion in England, to some other author after me, to make such discoveries, that posterity will wonder at it. For such abuses as G. Fox met with, was the share also of many others of his friends, especially the preachers, who this year were no less than twenty-five in number; and almost in every place where they came, they met with opposition, and became as it were the prey of the rude multitude. But neither the beating, buffeting, nor stoning of the mad rabble, nor the jails, nor whippings that befel them from the magistrates, were able to stop the progress of the doctrine they preached to the people in markets, streets, and also in steeple-houses. And many and even of those that had been enraged like wolves, became afterwards like lambs; and suffered patiently from others, what formerly they themselves, in a blind zeal, had committed.
Thus the Quakers so called, by a firm and lasting patience, have surmounted the greatest difficulties, and are at length become a numerous people, many not valuing their own lives, when they met with any opportunity for the service of God. And though their enemies on this account, have charged them with stubbornness and obstinacy, yet they meekly resigned to what befel them, well knowing that thus to be accused hath been always the lot of those who suffered for the testimony of truth. Neither could they be charged with resistance or making head against their persecutors; for one man did sometimes lead a great many of them to prison, who never forsook their religious assemblies, how hot soever persecution was. That this was also the practice of the primitive Christians, appears by what Cyprian, who died a martyr, wrote to Demetrian, viz. Nemo nostrum, quando apprehenditur, reluctatur; nec se adversus injustam violentiam vestram, quamvis nimius et copiosus sit noster populus, ulciscitur.[5] But let not my reader think, that these I have described have been the greatest sufferings of this harmless people; for I believe them to have been an hundred times more than my pen will be able to mention. Now I take up again the thread of my relation.
[5] No one of us makes resistance when he is taken up; nor takes any revenge on your unrighteous violence, although our numbers are greater than yours.
G. Fox being acquitted by the court, as hath been said, it made the priests fret to hear it cried about, that the priests had lost the day, and that the Quakers had kept the field. To revenge this, they got some envious justices to join with them, who at the following assizes at Lancaster, informed judge Windham against G. Fox; which so prevailed upon him, that he commanded colonel West, who was clerk of the assizes, to issue forth a warrant for apprehending him, but the said colonel telling the judge of his innocency, spoke boldly in his defence. The judge offended at this, commanded him again, either to write a warrant, or to go off from his seat. Then the colonel told him in plain terms, that he would not do it, but that he would offer up all his estate, and his body also for G. Fox. Thus the judge was stopped; and G. Fox coming that night to Lancaster, heard of a warrant to be given out against him, and therefore judged it better to show himself openly, than to make his adversaries seek him. So he went to the chambers of judge Fell and colonel West; and as soon as he came in, they smiled, and the colonel said, ‘What! are you come into the dragon’s mouth?’ But G. Fox was always undaunted, and did not use to flinch in danger. So he stayed some days in town, and walked up and down there, without being meddled with, or questioned by any.
Yet his Friends in the meanwhile did not suffer the less; for all the villany or insolence that could be thought of, was not judged by some to be too bad to vex them. It was about this time that Richard Hubberthorn and several others were hauled out of a meeting by some wicked men, and carried some distance off in the fields, where they bound them, and left them so in the winter season.
G. Fox being now come again to Swarthmore, wrote several letters to the magistrates and priests who had raised persecutions thereabouts. That to justice John Sawrey, was very sharp, and after this manner:
‘Friend,
‘Thou wast the first beginner of all the persecution in the North. Thou wast the first stirrer of them up against the righteous seed, and against the truth of God; and wast the first strengthener of the hands of evil-doers against the innocent and harmless: and thou shalt not prosper. Thou wast the first stirrer up of strikers, stoners, persecutors, stockers, mockers, and imprisoners in the North; and of revilers, slanderers, railers, and false accusers, and scandal-raisers. This was thy work, and this thou stirredst up! So thy fruits declare thy spirit. Instead of stirring up the pure mind in the people, thou hast stirred up the wicked, malicious and envious; and taken hand with the wicked. Thou hast made the people’s minds envious, up and down the country: this was thy work. But God hath shortened thy days, and limited thee, and set thy bounds, and broken thy jaws, and discovered thy religion to the simple and babes, and brought thy deeds to light. How is thy habitation fallen, and become the habitation of devils! How is thy beauty lost, and thy glory withered! How hast thou showed thy end, and thou hast served God but with thy lips, and thy heart far from him, and thou in thy hypocrisy! How hath the form of thy teaching declared itself to be the mark of the false prophets, whose fruit declares itself! for by their fruits they are known. How are the wise men turned backward! View thy ways, and take notice, with whom thou hast taken part. That of God in thy conscience will tell thee. The ancient of days will reprove thee. How hath thy zeal appeared to be the blind zeal; a persecutor, which Christ and his apostles forbad Christians to follow! How hast thou strengthened the hands of evil-doers, and been a praise to them, and not to them that do dwell! How like a mad man, and a blind man, didst thou turn thy sword backward against the saints, against whom there is no law! How wilt thou be gnawed and burned one day, when thou shalt feel the flame and have the plagues of God poured upon thee, and thou begin to gnaw thy tongue for pain, because of the plagues! Thou shalt have thy reward according to thy works. Thou canst not escape; the Lord’s righteous judgment will find thee out, and the witness of God in thy conscience shall answer it. How hast thou caused the heathen to blaspheme, and gone on with the multitude to do evil, and joined hand in hand with the wicked! How is thy latter end worse than thy beginning, who art come with the dog to bite, and art turned as a wolf to devour the lambs! How hast thou discovered thyself to be a man more fit to be kept in a place to be nurtured, than to be set in a place to nurture! How wast thou exalted and puffed up with pride! And how art thou fallen down with shame, that thou comest to be covered with that which thou stirredst up, and broughtest forth. Let not John Sawrey take the words of God into his mouth, till he be reformed. Let him not take his name into his mouth, till he depart from iniquity. Let not him and his teacher make a profession of the saints’ words, except they intend to proclaim themselves hypocrites, whose lives are so contrary to the lives of the saints; whose church hath made itself manifest to be a cage of unclean birds. You having a form of godliness, but not the power, have made them that be in the power, your derision, your by-word, and your talk at your feasts. Thy ill savour, John Sawrey, the country about have smelled, and of thy unchristian carriage all that fear God have been ashamed; and to them thou hast been a grief. In the day of account thou shalt know it, even in the day of thy condemnation. Thou wast mounted up, and hadst set thy nest on high; but never gottest higher than the fowls of the air. But now thou art run amongst the beasts of prey, and art fallen into the earth; so that earthliness and covetousness have swallowed thee up; and thy conceitedness would not carry thee through, in whom was found the selfish principle, which hath blinded thy eye. Thy back must be bowed down always; for thy table is already become thy snare.