George Fox on Friends

George Fox on Friends’ Beliefs

From The Journal of George Fox, edited by John L. Nickalls

In 1671, when Fox proposed to visit the island of Barbados, he sent a letter to the Governor of the island, setting the record straight regarding Friends and our beliefs. In his journal he noted:

To the Governor and Assembly at Barbados, 1671.

To the Governor Codrington of Barbados and his Council and Assembly and all others in power both civil and military in this island, from the people called Quakers.

Whereas many scandalous lies and slanders have been cast upon us to the rendering us the more odious, (vizt) that we do deny God and Christ Jesus and the Scriptures of Truth, etc., this is to inform you that all our books and declarations (that for these many years have been published to the world) do clearly testify to the contrary, but yet for your sakes this is now given forth.

That God who is the only wise, omnipotent, and everlasting God we do own and believe in, who is the creator of all things both in heaven and in earth, and the preserver of all that he hath made, who is God over all, blessed for ever, to whom be all honour and glory and dominion and praise and thanksgiving both now and for evermore.

And that Jesus Christ is his beloved and only begotten son in whom he is well pleased, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the virgin Mary, in whom we have redemption, through his blood even the forgiveness of sins, who is the express image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature, by whom were all things created that are in heaven and that are in the earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created by him.

And we do own and believe that he was made sin for us, who knew no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, and was crucified for us in the flesh without the gates of Jerusalem; and that he was buried and rose again the third day by his own power for our justification, and we do believe that he ascended up into heaven, and now sitteth at the right hand of God; and that this Jesus is the foundation of the prophets and apostles, and our foundation, so that there is no other foundation to be laid but what is laid, even Christ Jesus; and that he tasted death for every man, and shed his blood for all men; that he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world; for saith John the Baptist of him, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world’ (John 1:29).

And we do believe that he is our alone redeemer and saviour, even the captain of our salvation, who saves us from sin, as well as from hell and the wrath to come, and destroys the Devil and his works; who is the seed of the woman who bruises the serpent’s head, to wit, Christ Jesus who is alpha and omega, the first and the last; that he is, as the Scriptures of Truth say, our wisdom and righteousness, justification and redemption; neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven, given among men whereby we must be saved. He it is who is the shepherd and bishop of our souls; he it is who is our prophet, whom Moses long since testified of, as ‘A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall you hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul that will not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people.’ (Acts 3:22-23).

He it is that is now come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true; and to rule in our hearts even with his law of love and of life in our inward parts which makes us free from the law of sin and death. And we have no life but by him, for he is the quickening spirit, the second Adam the Lord from heaven, by whose blood we are cleaned and our consciences sprinkled from dead works to serve the living God, by whose blood we are purchased, and so he is our mediator that makes peace and reconciliation between God offended and us offending, being the oath of God, the new covenant of light, life, grace, and peace, the author and finisher of our faith.

Now this Lord Jesus Christ, the heavenly man, Emanuel, God with us, we all own and believe in, whom the high priest raged against and said he had spoken blasphemy; and the chief priests and elders of the Jews took council together and put him to death; the same whom Judas betrayed for thirty pieces of silver which he had from the priests as a reward, and who gave a large sum of money to the soldiers to broach a horrible lie, namely that they should say that his disciples came and stole him away by night whilst they slept. And after he was risen from the dead, as you may see in the Acts of the Apostles, how that the chief priests and elders persecuted the disciples of this Jesus for preaching Christ and his resurrection, this, we say, is that Lord Jesus Christ whom we own to be our life and salvation.

Now concerning the Holy Scriptures, we do believe that they were given forth by the Holy Spirit of God through the holy men of God, who spoke, as the Scriptures of Truth saith, ‘As they were moved by the Holy Ghost’ (2 Peter 1:21); and that they are to be read, and believed, and fulfilled, and he that fulfills them is Christ; and they are ‘profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works’ (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and are able to make us wise to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. And we do believe that the Scriptures are the words of God, for it is said, ‘God spake all these words’ (Exodus 20:1) meaning the ten commandments given forth upon Mount Sinai; and saith John, ‘I testify unto every man that heareth the words of prophecy of this book, if any man addeth unto these and if any man shall take away from the words’ (not word) ‘of the book,’ etc. (Revelation 22:18-19). So in Luke 1:20: ‘Because thou believest not my words;’ and so in John 5:47, 15:7, 14:23, 12:47. So that we call the Scriptures, as Christ and the apostles called them, and as the holy men of God called them (vizt) the words, not word of God.