George Fox: The Red-Hot Quaker

By Major Douglas

The story of George Fox’s life suffers from two great disadvantages which the reader should always bear in mind.

In the first place, the old, strange, stilted language, used by all in his day, makes it difficult for us to feel as much at home with him as we should do. We must remember that even Salvationists in our own days are tempted when they write to give up their simple, everyday language, and to wrap up their thoughts more fashionably. But those who will try to see George Fox, as he so often was to be found, praising the Lord in a stinking prison cell, will be able in spite of his strange words to grasp his glorious meaning.

And then we have also to remind ourselves that he had little chance either to observe or to organize any regular and effective warfare. For over a hundred years England had been victimized by religious discussions until the very idea of real worship had been almost lost. No wonder at poor George’s perplexities when his hungry soul began to long for God, and no wonder that the great note of his whole life thereafter was so largely that of avoiding whatever others did. If he could anywhere have seen how singing processions, flags, music, open-air demonstrations could be used in the power of the Holy Ghost to the salvation of the people; and if he could have been allowed to organize accordingly, all England would have been stirred and perhaps delivered at once from the curses of formalism and spiritual death. But it may be that God only granted him light according to what it was then possible to do. He lived a prophet’s life leaving to us in these days of liberty, not a complete description of our duties, but an example of fearless, devoted service, that, alas, but few have ever attempted to follow.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Papamoa Press
• Release date: Dec 2, 2018
• ISBN: 9781789127393

Major Douglas

Eileen Douglas was a Major of the Salvation Army and a prolific author of Christian books. Her published titles include: Red Flowers Of Martyrdom: And Other Histories (1896), All Sides of It (1887), The Little Slave Girl: A True Story, Told by Mammy Sara Herself, Who Is Still Alive (1906), Red Flowers Of Martyrdom (1907), The Fruits of the Spirit and the Whole Armour Of God (1909), Elizabeth Fry (1913), and Green Broom (1934).

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Text originally published in 1895 under the same title.

© Muriwai Books 2018, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

Publisher’s Note

Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

George Fox

The Red-Hot Quaker

BY

MAJOR DOUGLAS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

INTRODUCTION 4

CHAPTER I — GEORGE 5

CHAPTER II — A PILGRIM AND A STRANGER 8

CHAPTER III — LEAD KINDLY LIGHT 12

CHAPTER IV — A PRISONER 16

CHAPTER V — SOME EARLY QUAKERS 20

CHAPTER VI — UPS AND DOWNS OF QUAKER LIFE 25

CHAPTER VII — THE FIRES OF PERSECUTION 29

CHAPTER VIII — THE STORY OF SAILOR LURTING 33

CHAPTER IX — THE SHIP THAT WAS CAPTURED AND REDEEMED WITHOUT BLOODSHED 37

CHAPTER X — A CONCERN 41

CHAPTER XI — NEW ENGLAND TRAGEDIES 46

CHAPTER XII — THE MARTYRS 50

CHAPTER XIII — IN ENGLAND AGAIN 55

CHAPTER XIV — TREATS OF VARIOUS SUBJECTS 59

CHAPTER XV — FOREIGN TRAVELS 63

CHAPTER XVI — PRISON AND JUDGMENT 68

CHAPTER XVII — THE END 73

REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 76

INTRODUCTION

The story of George Fox’s life suffers from two great disadvantages which the reader should always bear in mind.

In the first place, the old, strange, stilted language, used by all in his day, makes it difficult for us to feel as much at home with him as we should do. We must remember that even Salvationists in our own days are tempted when they write to give up their simple, everyday language, and to wrap up their thoughts more fashionably. But those who will try to see George Fox, as he so often was to be found, praising the Lord in a stinking prison cell, will be able in spite of his strange words to grasp his glorious meaning.

And then we have also to remind ourselves that he had little chance either to observe or to organize any regular and effective warfare. For over a hundred years England had been victimized by religious discussions until the very idea of real worship had been almost lost. No wonder at poor George’s perplexities when his hungry soul began to long for God, and no wonder that the great note of his whole life thereafter was so largely that of avoiding whatever others did. If he could anywhere have seen how singing processions, flags, music, open-air demonstrations could be used in the power of the Holy Ghost to the salvation of the people; and if he could have been allowed to organize accordingly, all England would have been stirred and perhaps delivered at once from the curses of formalism and spiritual death. But it may be that God only granted him light according to what it was then possible to do. He lived a prophet’s life leaving to us in these days of liberty, not a complete description of our duties, but an example of fearless, devoted service, that, alas, but few have ever attempted to follow.

We send out this book, not with any idea of valuing the mere details of history which it supplies, but trusting that it may stir many a heart today to arise out of the miserable ruts of selfish habit, and cry to God for grace to serve as daringly and single-eyedly as George Fox did.

Who will try to see Heaven and Hell, God and judgment, with that clear vision that will force them to go out in season and out of season to snatch poor sinners from their awful doom?

Who will get so completely delivered from all regard for public opinion, so utterly impatient of useless routine, that looking to God for hourly direction, they will constantly appear just where nobody expects them, to block the road to Hell and point the road to Heaven?

We send this book out, above all, to believers, with a complete organization working in absolute freedom at their disposal. How villages, cities, aye, nations, could be made to quake by workers as full of God and faith, as reckless as to their life, interest and comfort, as determined to wreck the devil’s kingdom as George Fox was! God grant this little book may help to produce such men and women whole-sale.

CHAPTER I — GEORGE

"Teach me Thy way, О Lord, and lead me in a plain path."—Psalm 27:11.

The picture that arises before us as we take up our pen is a study in browns, mellowed and subdued by the touch of some two odd centuries.

Can we make you see it, too?

A large, somewhat gloomy kitchen, paneled perhaps in brown wood, with tall, dark settles by the wide chimney nooks. A glowing Are throws its gleams on a chattering group of men and women who have gathered round the cheery ingle-nook of Christopher Fox to gossip or talk over the affairs of the nation, according to their sex, in the short hour between sundown and bed time. The children gather round the table a little apart, presumably learning their lessons—all except one, a tiny, curly-headed boy with deep, mournful, grey eyes, who sat always in a shadowy corner apart, listening to the laughter and jokes of his elders with unchanging gravity of expression. Years afterward, he told what had been passing in his childish mind at these times, and what he was saying in the as yet unfathomed depths of his child soul.

If ever I come to be a man, surely I shall not be so wanton!

And yet the company who, from time to time, gathered under the roof of Christopher Fox and his wife Mary were very far from being what is commonly known as wanton. Mary and Christopher were godly people. Indeed, among his friends, Christopher was known as Righteous Christer. They belonged to the Church of England, and earnestly endeavored to bring their children up in the fear of the Lord. But George was a different child to any of the others. From his birth the hand of the Lord was upon him. His baptism was one of suffering and sorrow, even the baptism that Christ Himself was baptized with. No wonder that he never cared to join in the games of his brothers, and lacked that irresponsible light heartedness which is the dower of childhood.

George was a curious child. He was never like other children, but was, we are told, retired, still and solid. He loved to get into a quiet corner and think and think and think. His questions concerning religious matters were the terror of his friends, so impossible did they find it to answer them; while the quaint answers he gave to questions they put to him showed that he was observant and thoughtful beyond his years. Still, he was not a disagreeable child, nor was there anything of the prig about him. He was not conceited or self-confident enough for that. His spiritual and mental attitude toward the world, for the first fifteen years of his life, was that of one who had lost his way on a mountain, and was ever and anon hearing faraway voices that called him to the main road. Happily for him he had a wise and good mother. Though far from understanding her strange, unchildlike little son, she was content with the fact that he was well inclined, and left him pretty much to his own devices, and did not try to force him into an ordinary boy-mould.

At eleven, he had his first glimmering of inward light—a point of light which hung starlike over the clouds arid blackness of his puzzled soul. From then to the day of his death he followed on bravely after that light, in spite of almost impossible obstacles. His resolution was, first, that he would live a pure and righteous life; second, that he would be faithful in all things, inwardly to God, outwardly to man. He also resolved that he would always keep his word, and that he would not commit excess in eating and drinking!

These two last resolutions were in total opposition to the spirit of the day, which was a brutal and sensuous one. The fires of the Reformation had burnt themselves out, and the Protestant Church had little else but a name to live. The clergymen were, for the most part, loose and ease-loving, and held their office not through any spiritual right, but in virtue of their education. Spirituality and real heart religion were well-nigh unknown qualities. The Puritan party had risen in protest about the middle of the sixteenth century, and endeavored to maintain the simplicity of the Gospel, but in the first half of the seventeenth, when little George was born, their protest had largely degenerated into a stern, uncompromising denunciation of various church ordinances, and external habits of life and mode of dress. The spiritual life was, generally speaking, at a low ebb.

Bo George’s relatives, seeing that he was such a sober and religiously inclined child, insisted to his parents that he should be made a clergyman. But as George had not the slightest ambition in this direction, he was put to service with a man who was a shoemaker, and who also dealt in wood and cattle. His thoughtful turn of mind was never allowed to interfere with his work, and he was so diligent in business that his master became very successful in his trade all the time George was with him. So truthful was he that it was a common saying among his fellows: If George says ‘verily,’ there is no altering him.

Time went on, and George was nineteen. For the past eight years he had earnestly and faithfully endeavored to be true to his eleven-year-old vow. He had grown in grace, so far as leading a godly and temperate life went, but up to this period we do not find that he enjoyed any personal, direct communion with God. The joy of the Lord, which, in after years was so truly to be his strength,