As soon as those friends that were with him were withdrawn, he lay down upon a bed (as he sometimes used to do, through weariness after a meeting) but soon rose again; and in a little time lay down again, complaining still of cold. And his strength sensibly decaying, he was fain soon after to go into bed; where he lay in much contentment and peace, and very sensible to the last. And as in the whole course of his life, his spirit in the universal love of God, was set and bent for the exalting of truth and righteousness, and the making known the way thereof to the nations and peoples afar off; so now, in the time of his outward weakness, his mind was intent upon, and (as it were) wholly taken up with that: and some particular friends he sent for, to whom he expressed his mind and desire for the spreading friends' books, and truth thereby in the world, and through the nations thereof. Divers friends came to visit him in his illness; unto some of whom he said, All is well: the seed of God reigns over all, and over death itself. And though (said be) I am weak in body, yet the power of God is over all, and the seed reigns over all disorderly spirits. Thus lying in an heavenly frame of mind, his spirit wholly exercised towards the Lord, he grew weaker and weaker in his natural strength; and on the third day of that week, between the hours of nine and ten in the evening, he quietly departed this life in peace, and sweetly fell asleep in the Lord, whose blessed truth he had livingly and powerfully preached in the meeting but two days before. Thus ended he his days in his faithful testimony, in perfect love and unity with his brethren, and in peace and good-will to all men, on the 13th day of the 11th month, 1690, being then in the 67th year of his age. Upon the 16th day of the same month (being the sixth of the week, and the day appointed for his funeral) a very great concourse of friends, and other people of divers sorts, assembled together at the meeting-house in White-hartcourt, near Gracechurch-street, about the middle time of the day, in order to attend his body to the grave. The meeting was held about two hours with great and heavenly solemnity, manifestly attended with the Lord's blessed presence and glorious power; in which divers living testimonies were given, from a lively remembrance and sense of the blessed ministry of this dear and ancient servant of the Lord, his early entering into the Lord's work at the breaking forth of this gospel-day, his innocent life, long and great travels, and unwearied labours of love in the everlasting gospel, for the turning and gathering many thousands from darkness to the light of Christ Jesus, the foundation of true faith; his manifold sufferings, afflictions, and oppositions, which he met withal for his faithful testimony, both from his open adversaries, and from false brethren; and his preservations, deliverances, and dominion in, out of, and over them all,'by the power of God: to whom the glory and honour always was by him, and is, and always ought to be by all, ascribed. : After the meeting was ended, his body was borne by friends, and accompanied by very great numbers of friends, and other people, to friends' burying-ground near Bunhillfields where, after a solemn waiting upon the Lord, and several living testimonies borne, recommending the company to the guidance and protection of that divine Spirit and power, by which this holy man of God had been raised up, furnished, supported, and preserved, to the end of his day, his body was decently committed to the earth; but his memorial shall remain, and be everlastingly blessed among the righteous. An Epistle of dear George Fox's, which was writ with his own hand, and left sealed up with this superscription, (viz. Not to be opened before the time;) which after his decease being opened, was thought meet to be printed, being as followeth: viz. For the Yearly and Second-days Meeting in London, and to all the Children of God in all places in the world. By and from G. F. This for all the Children of God every where, that are led by his Spirit, and do walk in his Light, in which they have life, and unity, and fellowship with the Father, and the Son, and one with another: Keep all your meetings in the name of the Lord Jesus, that be gathered in his name by his Light, Grace, Truth, Power, and Spirit; by which you will feel his blessed and refreshing presence among you, and in you, to your comfort, and God's glory. And now all friends, all your meetings, both men's and women's, monthly and quarterly, and yearly, &c. were set up by the power, and spirit, and wisdom of God; and in them you do know, that you have felt both his power, and spirit, and wisdom, and blessed refreshing presence among you, and in you, to his praise and glory, and your comfort so that you have been a city set on a hill, that cannot be hid. And although many loose and unruly spirits have risen betimes to oppose you and them, both in print and other ways; but you have seen how they have come to nought: and the Lord hath blasted them, and brought their deeds to light, and made them manifest to be the trees without fruit, and wells without water, and wandering stars from the firmament of God's power, and the raging waves of the sea, casting up their mire and dirt and many of them are like the dog turned to his old vomit, and the sow that was washed, turned again to the mire. And this hath been the condition of many, God knoweth, and his people! : And therefore all to stand stedfast in Christ Jesus, your head, in whom you are all one, male and female, and know his government, and of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end; but there will be an end of the devil's, and of all them that be out of Christ, and do oppose it and him, whose judgment doth not linger, and their damnation doth not slumber: and therefore in God and Christ's light, life, spirit, and power, live and walk, that is over all (and the seed of it) in love and in innocency, and simplicity; and in righteousness and holiness dwell, and in his power and Holy Ghost, in which God's kingdom doth stand. All children of New and Heavenly Jerusalem, that is from above, and is free, with all her holy, spiritual children, to her keep your eyes. And as for this spirit of rebellion and opposition, that hath risen formerly and lately, it is out of the kingdom of God and Heavenly Jerusalem; and is for judgment and condemnation, with all its books, words, and works. And therefore friends are to live and walk in the power and spirit of God, that is over it, and in the seed, that will bruise and break it to pieces: in which seed you have joy and peace with God, and power and authority to judge it; and your unity is in the power and spirit of God, that doth judge it and all God's witnesses in his tabernacle go out against it, and always have and will. And let no man live to self, but to the Lord, as they will die in him; and seek the peace of the church of Christ, and the peace of all men in him for blessed are the peace-makers. And dwell in the pure, peaceable, heavenly wisdom of God, that is gentle, and easy to be entreated, that is full of mercy; all striving to be of one mind, heart, soul, and judgment in Christ, having his mind and spirit dwelling in you, building up one another in the love of God, which doth edify the body of Christ, his church, who is the holy head thereof. So glory to God through Christ, in this age and all other ages, who is the rock and foundation, and the Emanuel, God with us, amen, over all, the beginning and the ending; in him live and walk, in whom you have life eternal, in whom you will feel me, and I you. All children of New Jerusalem, that descends from above, the holy city, which the Lord and the Lamb is the light thereof, and is the temple; in it they are born again of the Spirit: so Jerusalem that is above, is the mother of them that are born of the Spirit. And so they that come, and are come to heavenly Jerusalem, are them that receive Christ; and he giveth them power to become the sons of God, and are born again of the Spirit: so Jerusalem that is above, is their mother. And such do come to heavenly Mount Sion, and the innumerable company of angels, and VOL. II. B to the spirits of just men made perfect; and are come to the church of the living God written in heaven, and have the name of God, and the city of God, written upon them : so here is a new mother, that bringeth forth a heavenly and a spiritual generation. There is no schism, nor division, nor contention, nor strife, in heavenly Jerusalem, nor in the body of Christ, which is made up of living stones, a spiritual house. And Christ is not divided, for in him there is peace. Christ saith, In me you have peace. And he is from above, and not of this world; but in the world below, in the spirit of it, there is trouble: therefore keep in Christ, and walk in him. Amen. And Jerusalem was the mother of all the true Christians before the apostacy; and since the outward Christians are broken into many sects, and they have gotten many mothers but all they that are come out of the apostacy by the power and spirit of Christ, Jerusalem that is above, is their mother, (and none below her;) who doth nourish all her spiritual children.' Read at the Yearly Meeting in London, 1691. G. F. Reader, please to note, that these following papers and epistles (some of which being mentioned in the Journal, page 246. v. ii. &c. and there omitted) are found meet to be here inserted, and are as followeth : A Warning to the Magistrates and People of the City of Oldenburg. 'Friends, 'Have you not seen and felt the judgments of God upon your city, the Lord sending lightning from heaven that destroyed and burnt it? And as I passed through your city on a first-day of the week, which you call your sabbath, I saw some drinking, and soldiers playing at shuffleboard, and others with their shops open and trading, when they should have been waiting upon God and worshiping him; and your people were light and vain, without any sense of God's judgment or repentance. O'therefore repent, lest the all-seeing God, who sees all your actions |