CHAPTER VII.

Remarks upon the Quotations made by the Compilers from the writings of

GEORGE Fox.

This eminent minister and servant of Jesus Christ, was the honourable instrument, whom it pleased the Lord to make use of, in the convincement and gathering of the first members of the Society of Friends. He descended from a respectable family in Leicestershire, and his parents being persons of a religious character, endeavoured to give him, as well as the rest of their children, a guarded and pious education, according to the established religion of the nation. His opportunities of literary instruction were very limited, and hence his manner of writing is sometimes ambiguous and rather unpolished, but being naturally of a sound understanding and vigorous mind, and deeply versed in that knowledge, which is only to be acquired in the school of Christ, he became an eminent preacher of the gospel of Life and Salvation, skilful

both in word and doctrine.

It pleased the Lord very early in life, to impress upon his mind, the great fundamental doctrines of the Christian Religion, and to give him a clearer and more spiritual view of the nature of the gospel dispensation, than was then known by the different denominations of professors.

In speaking of these divine openings into the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, which were graciously vouchsafed to him, he informs us, that although they were not always communicated to him, through the medium of the sacred volume, yet they all answered to the testimonies of Holy Scripture, and were in accordance with it.

Soon after his mind came under religious exercise, he was brought to see, and reverently to acknowledge the unspeakable mercy of God in giving his dear Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to be a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world; and when questioned on this subject by Nathaniel Stevens, he gave a remarkably clear and full testimony to his belief in the atonement, which he has recorded in his Journal, p. 86.

His writings are remarkable for the abundant testimony which they bear, to the Divinity and various offices of our blessed Lord, and although the state of the Christian world at that time required that the doctrine of his second coming, by his Holy Spirit in the souls of all mankind, should be peculiarly enforced, yet he was ever careful to give, when occasion demanded, his unequivocal and positive declaration, to the unspeakable blessings which flowed from his transcendant manifestation in the body of flesh.

In the year 1673, being in the island of Barbadoes, and many

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misrepresentations of the Society of Friends being then circulated there, with the design of rendering them odious in the estimation of the people, he addressed a letter to the Governor and Council, in which he makes a full confession of the belief of the early Quakers, in God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Scriptures; for which see the conclusion of this chapter, and page 147 of the second volume of his Journal. In 1682 he issued a pamphlet, entitled, "Something by way of answer to all such as falsely say, the Quakers are no christians," which contains a declaration of the belief of the Society, in the Holy Three which bear record in heaven, the Divinity and Atonement of Jesus Christ, and the authenticity and divine authority of Holy Scripture.

George Fox died in the year 1690, and as we have these two declarations of the soundness of his faith, together with that to priest Stevens in 1644, they alone, if we had no other proof, (though there are volumes beside,) are amply sufficient, to show in the most indubitable manner, that he was not a believer in the antichristian notions of Elias Hicks. If, therefore, the compilers had been able to adduce from his controversial writings, any passages which could be misconstrued to favour a contrary opinion, it would not be any evidence of his coinciding in the sentiments which they wish to force upon him, unless they could make it appear that he denied at one time what he solemnly professed at another; and if they could do this, the authority of such a man would be of little moment. But George Fox was too deeply versed in the sacred truths of christian redemption, and too largely experienced in the work of salvation, to evince so changeable a disposition, or to entertain a doubt of any of the doctrines of the gospel of Christ. His religion was of the heart, not of the head. He had tasted, and handled, of the good Word of life, and spake from experimental knowledge of that salvation, which was purchased for mankind, by the coming, and suffering, and death of the adorable Son of God.

Most of the extracts made by the compilers, are taken from two controversial books by George Fox, entitled "Saul's Errand to Damascus," and the "Great Mystery," &c. Both of the books are so badly printed, as to render their authority, in many places, doubtful; they have now become scarce, and are accessible to but few of the members of the Society of Friends. It would seem that the compilers have not considered George Fox as very good authority for their principles, since their extracts from his works, are generally very short, several of them greatly mutilated, and taken from pieces, by no means so fully declaratory of his faith, as other essays which he wrote; particularly some inserted in his Journal. Some of the passages quoted in the pamphlet, are such as the enemies of Friends adduced, in order to prove that he was not a christian; a circumstance by no means favourable to the cause in which the compilers have embarked.

We shall now proceed to an examination of the quotations of the compilers, and trust we shall be able to show, that in all they have gleaned from him, there is nothing which will support the antichristian dogmas of Elias Hicks. The first extract on page 46 of

the pamphlet, is from an essay, entitled "Saul's Errand to Damascus," page 12, viz:

"Question, Whether a believer be justified by Christ's "righteousness, imputed-Yea or No ?

Answer, He that believeth is born of God; and he that is born "of God is justified by Christ alone, without imputation."]

Our present business is only to inquire how far the sentiments here expressed by George Fox, accord with those of Elias Hicks upon the same subject. George Fox says, "he that is born of God is justified by Christ alone without imputation." Now if the believer "is justified by Christ alone," it is evident, he is not justified by any works of his own, but by Christ's righteousness; and whether we say this righteousness is imputed, applied, or put on, all which terms the scriptures warrant, the doctrine is the same, the expression changes it not. The meaning of George Fox, therefore, is simply this, that the believer is made righteous, by and in Christ, which is strictly accordant with that declaration of the apostle Paul, concerning Christ, where he says, "who of God, is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption;" and again, he hath made him to be sin, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God, in him." This doctrine, Elias Hicks rejects in his letter to Dr. Shoemaker, in terms of the strongest disapprobation and contempt. The early Quakers objected to the term imputation, in the sense in which it was almost wholly used in that day, viz. the accounting of wicked persons holy, while they continued in their sins; but though they denied this as a most dangerous and delusive doctrine, yet they sincerely owned that imputation which the Holy Scriptures so clearly sets forth. The remaining part of the quotation is from page 14 of the same book, viz.

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"Question-Whether Christ in the flesh be a figure or not, " and if a figure, how and in what? Answer-Christ is the substance "of all figures; and his flesh is a figure, for every one passeth through "the same way, as he did, who comes to know Christ in the flesh: "there must be a suffering with him, before there be a rejoicing with ❝ him; Christ is an example to all to walk after: and if thou knewest "what an example is, thou wouldst know what a figure is, to come 66 up to the same fulness."]-Page 14.

The reply of George Fox to the proposed question, is divided into two parts: the query is, "whether Christ in the flesh, be a figure or not?" To this he plainly replies, "that Christ is the substance of all figures;" therefore it follows, that Christ in the flesh was not a figure, but the substance typified by the figures. He then adds, "Christ's flesh is a figure."

It is evident that George Fox uses the word figure here, as synonymous with example; for he says, "Christ is an example, to all to walk after, and if thou knewest what an example is, thou would know what a figure is." He was very far, however, from considering that Christ, or his sufferings, in the flesh, was no more than a figure; for on page 98 of his Great Mystery, we find him thus severely reprimanding a priest for saying so: viz.

"And he saith, Christ in the flesh, his sufferings, was but an example and a figuré."

"Answer-Christ ended all figures, in suffering, and examples and patterns; yet he is the saint's pattern and example, as the Scripture witnesses; and there is no other example nor pattern to be heeded, but Christ alone, which they are to learn of; but to say he is nothing but a figure, for that, thou and you all will be judged: for he ended all figures, and is the resurrection and the life both; and thy dead body shall live with my dead body, this is scripture; and they that said, the resurrection was past in the days of the apostles, overthrew the faith of some." The latter part of this was in reply to the charge of deaying the resurrection; and George Fox proceeds to answer some other charges alleged, as denying Christ came in the flesh, &c. in which he very justly asserts his belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ.

In consequence of the use of the expression which the compilers have italicised, viz. "Christ's flesh is a figure," the enemies of the Society of Friends took occasion to misrepresent them, as though they considered the outward manifestation of our blessed Lord to be nothing more than a figure or type of his inward appearance in the soul of man. This accusation, (now revived by the compilers,) was alleged by Francis Bugg, the author of the Snake, George Keith, and others: the following reply to the Snake, by George Whitehead, will fully vindicate the early Quakers from the aspersion. In repelling the accusation that they used the words, " figure and veil," in order to derogate from the true value of Christ's outward appearance; he alludes to the use of the word veil by the apostle Paul in the Hebrews; and then says

"But herein he [the accuser,] would place on me a misapplication of the words, Who being found in the shape or figure of a man,' &c. and therefore saith, What relation has this, to the calling 'Christ Jesus a type or figure of their light within, which I have shown above, out of the Quaker's books? And I have denied this as a falsehood before, and now declare against his manifest perversion and injury to me, and my words herein: For as I sincerely disown the words charged, viz. "the calling Christ Jesus a type or figure of our light within," so I could not apply the words before, in the text, Philip. ii. to have any relation thereto, and much less as proof of that, which I never hold: And I know none of us, that doth so call Jesus Christ, a type of our light within; HE being the fountain thereof; nor that Christ is only a figure, as falsely charged by Francis Bugg. Which perversion, so far as I can find, was first forged from these words in the book, "Saul's Errand," viz. Christ in the flesh, without them is their example or figure; which is both one.' For his being their example, 1 Pet. ii. 21, iv. 1. i. 15, John xiii. 15, are quoted. See also Luke ii. 31. He was called a sign; now hence to say he was only a sign, were a gross perversion; Christ was our example, now hence to say he is nothing else but an example, were an abuse, and to lessen his dignity, and a variation from the sense; as our adversary has done, upon trust of his author Francis Bugg; upon his false report, which is besides all justice, morality, and judicial proceed

ings. Now the question is, whether figure may be made synony mous to example, for the words example or figure as before? I conceive it may."

George Whitehead then proceeds to give examples, where the Greek word for type or figure, is also rendered example. He then concludes: "That is, exemplum, exemplar, hath a threefold signification in scripture: First, it signifies a type or figure of things, either past or to come. Second, an example of imitation. Third, an example of warning or caution.

"Now see how synonymously the terms type, figure, pattern, and example, are rendered in scripture, and of what extent, not only in relation to the types under the law, but in some respect to Christ, and his ministers, though he be also confessed to be the antitype, substance, and end, of all legal shadows, types, and figures. But I have not called Christ himself a type of our light within, nor justified the same."-Page 502, Switch and Supplement.

It must be evident to every unprejudiced reader, from this explanation of George Whitehead's, that our early Friends used the terms figure, and example, in much the same sense, when applied to Christ, and that they had no intention whatever of limiting him to be no more than a figure or example.

The next quotation from this author, inserted in the pamphlet, is extracted from his Great Mystery, page 307. He is replying to John Stillom, who affirmed, "Not any man knows him, speaking of Christ, to be God, till he find him in scripture, and saith, as deep things as the spirit hath revealed, they are all in the scripture." George Fox answers, "Many knew God and knew Christ, and yet had not written scripture to tell them of those things, as Enoch and Abel; and many again hath scripture, speaking of God and Christ, and yet doth not know God and Christ, and doth not find him in scripture as instance, the Pharisees knew not God and Christ, "which had the scripture, and had not life until they came to Christ, "the scripture speaks of: and many things the spirit did reveal, "which was not written in the scriptures;] and was spoken to the saints."-Great Mystery, page 306.

It will be seen, that even in this short quotation, the compilers have mutilated the sentence. They begin after a comma, leaving out the leading part of the paragraph, where George Fox has laid down his proposition, and merely take in a part of the example, which he gives, of the truth of his assertion. This they close at a comma, and italicise the last seven words, in order to make it appear that George Fox thought the spirit would reveal many things, which are not declared in the scripture, and thus produce his authority for pretended new revelations, which contradict and overturn the sacred volume. That George Fox intended no such thing is very clear. He is speaking of the days of Christ's personal appearance, when the books of the New Testament were not written, and uses the past tense, viz. many things which were not then written, confining it to that time of which he was then speaking; adding that these things," was spoken to the saints." If these things, which were spoken to the saints, had not