GEORGE FOX.

On page 86 of George Fox's Journal, we find the following: "This priest Stevens asked me, 'Why Christ cried out upon the cross, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" and why he said, If it be possible, let this cup pass from me, yet not my will but thine be done? I told him, at that time the sins of all mankind were upon him, and their iniquities and transgressions, with which he was wounded; which he was to bear, and to be an offering for, as he was man, but died not as he was God; so in that he died for all men, tasting death for every man, he was an offering for the sins of the whole world. This I spoke, being at that time, in a measure, sensible of Christ's sufferings."-1644.

"Though I had great openings, yet great trouble and temptations came many times upon me, so that when it was day I wished for night, and when it was night, I wished for day; and by reason of the openings I had in my troubles, I could say as David said, ' Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.' When I had openings, they answered one another, and answered the scriptures, for I had great openings of the scriptures, and when I was in troubles, one trouble also answered to another."-Page 90. 1646.

"The ranters pleaded that God made the devil: I denied it; and told them I was come into the power of God, the Seed, Christ, which was before the devil was, and bruised his head; and he became a devil by going out of truth; and so became a murderer and a destroyer. I showed them that God did not make him a devil; for God is a God of truth, and made all things good, and blessed them; but God did not bless the devil. And the devil is bad, and was a liar and a murderer from the beginning, and spoke of himself, and not from God." Page 278. 1655.

"I turned the people to the divine light, which Christ, the heavenly and spiritual Man, enlighteneth them withal, that with that light they might see their sins, and that they were in death and darkness, and without God in the world, and might also see Christ, from whom it cometh, their Saviour and Redeemer, who shed his blood and died for them, who is the way to God, the truth, and the life."-Page 299.

1655.

In a general epistle to the yearly meeting of Friends, in London, he says

"As the gospel is preached again, if your faith doth not stand in the power, but in men, and in the wisdom of words, you will grow carnal; and such are for judgment, who cry up Paul or Apollos

AND NOT CHRIST, the author of your faith. Those that love to be popular, would have people's faith stand in them, such do not preach Christ, but themselves. But such as preach Christ and his gospel, would have every man and woman to be in the possession of it, and every man's and woman's faith to stand in Christ, the author of it, and in the power of God; in which, as their faith stands, nothing can get betwixt them and God; for if any should fall amongst us, as too many have done, that leads its followers either into the waters, or into the earth."-Vol. ii. page 213. 1676.

In a paper which he wrote, "concerning the true church," &c. he

says

"Christ took upon him the seed of Abraham; he doth not say the corrupt seed of the gentiles; so, according to the flesh, he was of the holy seed of Abraham and David, and his holy body and blood was an offering and a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, as a Lamb without blemish, whose flesh saw no corruption. By the one offering of himself, in the new testament, or new covenant, he has put an end to all the offerings and sacrifices, amongst the Jews in the old testament. Christ, the holy Seed, was crucified, dead, and buried, according to the flesh, and raised again the third day, and his flesh saw no corruption. Though he was crucified in the flesh, yet quickened again by the spirit, and is alive, and liveth forevermore, and hath all power in heaven and earth given to him, and reigneth over all, and is the one Mediator between God and man, even the man Christ Jesus. Christ said, 'he gave his flesh for the life of the world; and the apostle saith, his flesh saw no corruption;' so that which saw no corruption, he gave for the life of the corrupt world, to bring them out of corruption. Christ said again, 'He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life, for my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. And he that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. He that eats not his flesh, and drinks not his blood, which is the life of the flesh, hath not eternal life. As the apostle saith, All died in Adam,' then all are dead. Now all coming spiritually to eat the flesh of Christ, the second Adam, and drink his blood, his blood and flesh, give all the dead in Adam, life, and quicken them out of their sins and trespasses, in which they were dead; so they come to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, and are living members of the church of Christ that he is the Head of, and are clothed with the Sun of righteousness, the Son of God, that never changes, and have the changeable moon under their feet, and all changeable worldly things, inventions, and works of men's hands."-Vol. ii. pages 384, 385. 1686.

6

In an essay entitled the "Royal Law of God Revived," &c. he says,

"And further saith the apostle in 1st John i. 1, 2. We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the

whole world.”

66

Now mark, this is a large word for all people to take notice of, That Jesus Christ is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world.

Therefore every one of you, in your own particulars, know this, that Christ Jesus who is crowned with glory and honour, did taste death for every man; mark, for every man; AND WHOSOEVER DE

NIES THIS DOCTRINE IS AN ANTICHRIST, AND PREACHES ANOTHER, IS

A FALSE PREACHER AND SEDUCER, and brings people to trouble and loss, from that which is right, and their due, in which is their satisfaction: so these are universal things to all mankind, whereby all mankind might come out of the earthly old Adam, in the fall and transgression, to him that hath died for them all, and purchased them all, and tasted death for all, and enlightened them all, and gave his grace to them all; and he willeth that all might be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth of Christ, who doth this: And whoever teacheth another doctrine, brings people into sects and confusion, to destroy one another, where they have not natural affections, and will do that to another, which they would not have others do unto them, who break the bonds thereby of civil commerce amongst mankind, and the religions, ways and worships of all such, are no worships, religions, nor ways to God, but set up by a dark, peevish, spirit, by which they destroy one another, which are God's creatures, about them; all which come from him, who is out of the truth, whom Christ came to destroy."-Page 19. 1671.

In his " answer to all such as falsely say, the Quakers are no Christians," written from Worcester Prison, and printed in the year 1682, he has the following declaration, viz:

"And Christ hath purchased his Church with his own blood, Acts xx. 28. 'And we give thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, that is, the forgiveness of sins, who is the image of the invisible God, the first begotten of every creature; for by him were all things created, which are in Heaven, and which are in earth, things visible, and invisible, whether they be thrones, dominions, principalities, or powers, all things were created by him and for him; and he is before all things; and in him, and by him, all things consists; and he is the Head of the body, (the Church) who is the beginning, and the first begotten from the dead, that in all things he might have the pre-eminence; for it pleased the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell, Col. i." And many other scriptures we might bring, which do prove that Christ is the Head of the Church.

"And Christ saith, all power in Heaven and in earth is given to me, Matt. xxviii. 18. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ; this is the true God, and eternal life, 1st John v. 20. And Christ and the Apostles in their days, did not set up one man to be Pope (nor set a triple crown on his head) to be Christ's vicar and vicegerent upon earth, nor set him above the Apostles, &c.: but on the contrary, Christ said, it was the Gentiles that exercised lordship, and are called gracious lords; but said Christ, he that will be the

greatest among you, let him be servant unto all: not Pope or Lord over all, but servant unto all. And Christ gave the keys and power to others of his disciples, as well as Peter, to bind and loose, Matt. xviii. 19. And so Christ prayed for all his disciples and followers, that God had given him, that he would keep them from the evil of the world; and not only for Peter, as may be seen in John xvii. 9. And we own the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, as the Apostles have declared.

"When the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son made of a woman, made under the law, that he might redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons, Gal. iv. 4, 5. And by the grace of God, Christ tasted death for every man, Heb. ii. 9. And how that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and rose again, according to the scriptures, 1st Cor. xv. 3, 4. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, Jesus Christ, 1st Cor. iii. 11. And so we believe those things which God before hath showed, by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, and he hath thus fulfilled it, and is risen from the dead, and is at the right hand of God, who is alive again, and lives for evermore; and will reward every man according to his deeds, and is the Judge both of the quick and dead, and his sheep now hear his voice, and follow him, as in the Apostles' days, Acts iii. Rev. i. 18. Neither is there salvation in any other than in the name of Jesus; for there is none other name given under Heaven among men, whereby we must be saved, Acts iv. 12. And without controversy, great is the Mystery of Godliness, God manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory, 1 Tim. iii. 16. And it is the spirit that beareth witness, because the spirit is truth; for there are Three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these Three are one; and there are Three which bear record in earth, &c. which we own, 1st John v. 6, 7. And now let none be offended, because we do not call them by those unscriptural names of Trinity, and Three Persons, which are not scripture words; and so do falsely say, that we deny the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, which Three are one that bear record in Heaven, &c. which Three we own with all our hearts, as the apostle John did, and as all true Christians ever did, and now do, and if you say, we are not Christians, because we do not call the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the trinity, distinct and separate persons: then you may as well conclude that John was no Christian, who did not give the Father, Word, and Holy Ghost, these names.

"We believe concerning God the Father, Son, and Spirit, according to the testimony of the Holy Scripture, which we receive and embrace as the most authentic and perfect declaration of Christian faith, being indited by the Holy Spirit of God, that never errs: 1st, That there is one God and Father, of whom are all things; 2ndly, That there is one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom all things were made, John i. and xvii. Rom. ix. who was glorified with the Father before the world began, who is God over all, blessed forever, John

xiv. That there is one Holy Spirit, the promise of the Father and the Son, and leader, and sanctifier, and comforter of his people, 1st John v. And we further believe, as the Holy Scriptures soundly and sufficiently express, that these Three are one, even the Father, the Word, and Spirit.

"And in the fulness of time according to the promise of the Father, Christ was manifested in the flesh, and by the grace of God tasted death for every man, as before, is risen, and ascended, and sits on the right hand of God in Heaven, and is the only Mediator between God and man; and that he exercises his prophetical, kingly, and priestly office, now in his church, and also his offices, as a Counsellor and Leader, Bishop, Shepherd and Mediator, he (to wit) the Son of God, he exercises these offices, in his household of faith, whose house we are, that are believers in the light, and by faith engrafted into Christ, the Word, by whom all things were made; and so are heirs of eternal life, being elected in him before the world began. And we do not matter if this Jewish spirit saith now of us, as it did formerly of the followers of Christ, that none but accursed people followed him, that knew not the law; and if you say as Nathaniel said, John i. 46, can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? We say with Philip, come and see."-Pages 26,

27, 28.