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By William Penn, George Fox's dear Friend, Brother in Christ, and admirer
He established colonies in the new world to escape the religious persecutions that Quakers were experiencing from the Puritan Congregationalists, Baptists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians in England and Europe; which colonies which had a significant influence on the later form of government adopted by the United States of America. His colonies featured full freedom of religion, fair trials, elected representatives of the people in power, and a separation of powers—again ideas that would later form the basis of the American constitution. Penn chose perhaps the most difficult course possible for a Christian man: a Christian and ruler of government. The fewer decisions, the simpler one's life, the easier it is to remain faithful to your God's requirements. With courage that I cannot imagine, Penn plowed through decisions, negotiations, administration, and government of a region the size of England - with faith in his God and actions that remained true to Christian principles. From a wilderness, he carved a colony which quickly surpassed their older colonial neighbors, while creating and maintaining a peace with the Indian that was never equaled. He walked the high wire of secular power with Christian humility; few could even approach his secular accomplishments, and scarce would any be able match his maintaining of Christian virtue all the while. Truly he was of a Christian nobility that we many never again see in history. He was an accomplished ruler with the meekness of the greatest servant, his Lord Jesus Christ. Well ahead of his time, Penn wrote and urged for a Union of all the English colonies in what was to become the United States of America. He was also the first to propose the United States of Europe as a way to avoid the continual wars on the continent. Penn's father was Admiral Penn, and while Oliver Cromwell was in power, the Penn family was exiled to Ireland. The Admiral was a Royalist, supporting the deposed king's son claim to the crown. He invited a Quaker preacher, Thomas Loe, to come to his home so that they might judge first-hand what the controversial Quaker message was; young William was deeply impressed at 12 years of age. When the crown was returned to power, Admiral Penn's previous support catapulted him back to become Lord of the Admiralty and be knighted through the powerful support from King Charles II and his brother, the future King James II. At fifteen, Penn went to Oxford where he again heard the Quaker preaching of Thomas Loe, who held some meetings there. He was deeply impressed by their message, and he decided to join the Quakers. In William Penn's twenty-fourth year he became a Quaker minister, and through a long life faithfully served his Lord and Master in England, Europe, and America. For those of you interested, Penn's writings of No Cross No Crown and Fruits of Solitude and Maxims are on this site, in addition to a complete biography of his life - America's most famous Quaker. This preface is a wonderful book by itself, in that it not only testifies to George Fox's life in Christ, but also to the Light of Christ within each of us as the power to purify, and to the particulars of the character of the true Church of Christ. He also gives us a history of the true church up to his time. This preface has been updated, simplifying sentence structure and modernizing the language to make it more understandable; while preserving the melodious content of his powerful writing, which also testifies to Penn's own possession of Christ, in measure sufficient to perfection. Excerpt from http://www.hallvworthington.com/wjournal/journalintro.html
"... Geoge Fox did actively seek out the company of clergy, but "found no comfort from them", as they too seemed unable to help with the matters that were troubling him. One clergyman in Worcestershire advised him to take tobacco (which Fox detested) and sing psalms; another, in Coventry, was helpful at first but lost his temper when Fox accidentally stood on a flower in his garden; a third suggested that bloodletting would cure the "mind diseased". UNIQUE BELIEFS BEGIN TO FORM Over the next few years, George Fox continued to travel around the country as his particular religious beliefs took shape. In prayer and meditation, he came to a greater understanding of the nature of his faith and what it required from him. This process he called "opening", because he experienced it as a series of sudden revelations of ideas that were already complete by the time he became conscious of them. He also came to what he deemed a deep inner understanding of standard Christian beliefs in creation and salvation. Among his ideas were: Christians differ in external practice, but all are considered
"saved" because of their belief; rituals can therefore
be safely ignored, as long as one experiences a true spiritual
conversion. The qualification for ministry is given by the Holy
Spirit, not by ecclesiastical study. This implies that anyone
has the right to minister, assuming the Spirit guides them, including
women. God "dwelleth in the hearts of his obedient people":
religious experience is not confined to a church building. Indeed,
Fox refused to apply the word "Church" to a building,
using instead the name "steeple-house", a usage maintained
by many Quakers today. Fox would just as soon worship in fields
and orchards, believing that God's presence could be felt anywhere.
Though by no means the only charismatic throughout church history,
being open to the Spirit could include the charismata. Among
other things Fox recorded being used in exorcism, divine healing,
and "a word of knowledge" (1 Cor.12:8–10). But as I had forsaken the priests, so I left the separate
preachers also, and those esteemed the most experienced people;
for I saw there was none among them all that could speak to my
condition [address my spiritual needs]. And when all my hopes
in them and in all men were gone, so that I had nothing outwardly
to help me, nor could tell what to do, then, oh, then, I heard
a voice which said, "There is one, even Christ Jesus, that
can speak to thy condition"; and when I heard it my heart
did leap for joy. Then the Lord let me see why there was none
upon the earth that could speak to my condition, namely, that
I might give Him all the glory; for all are concluded under sin,
and shut up in unbelief as I had been, that Jesus Christ might
have the pre-eminence who enlightens, and gives grace, and faith,
and power. Thus when God doth work, who shall let [hinder] it?
and this I knew experimentally [through experience]. (QFP §19.02)
In 1648 Fox began to exercise his ministry publicly: he would preach in market-places, in the fields, in appointed meetings of various kinds, or even sometimes in "steeple-houses" after the priests had finished. His preaching was powerful, and many people were convinced to share his beliefs in the spirituality of "true religion". The worship of Friends, in the form of silent waiting, seems to have been well-established by this time, though it is not recorded how this came to be. It is not even clear at what point the Society of Friends was formed—although a monthly meeting was set up in County Durham in 1653—but there was certainly a group of people who often travelled together. The term "children of the light" was at one time used, as well as simply "friends". Fox seems, however, to have had no desire to found a sect, but only to proclaim what he saw as the pure and genuine principles of Christianity in their original simplicity — though he afterward showed great prowess as a religious legislator, in the organization which he gave to the new society. Fox's preaching was grounded in scripture, but mainly effective because of the intense personal experience he was able to project. He was scathing about contemporary immorality, especially deceit and the exacting of tithes, and urged his listeners to lead lives without sin — though avoiding the Ranter (or Antinomian) view that all acts of a believer became automatically sinless. At the time, there were a great many rival Christian denominations holding very diverse opinions; the atmosphere of dispute and confusion gave George Fox an opportunity to put forward his own beliefs through his personal sermons. By 1651 he had gathered many other talented preachers around him, and continued to roam the country seeking out new converts. They continued to do this despite a harsh reception from some listeners, who would whip and beat them to drive them away. An interest in social justice was slowly developing, marked by Fox's complaints to judges about decisions he considered morally wrong — for example, his letter on the case of a woman due to be executed for theft. Oppression by the powerful was a very real concern for the English people, in the turmoil of the English Civil War following the excesses of Charles I (executed in 1649) and the beginnings of the Commonwealth of England. George Fox's conflict with civil authority was inevitable. In 1652 Fox felt that God led him to walk up Pendle Hill. There he had a vision of thousands of souls coming to Christ. From there he traveled to Sedbergh in Westmorland, where he heard a group of Seekers were meeting. He preached on the nearby Firbank Fell and convinced many, including Francis Howgill, to accept his teachings on Christ being able to speak to people directly. IMPRISONMENT At Derby in 1650 Fox was imprisoned for blasphemy; a judge
mocked Fox's exhortation to "tremble at the word of the
Lord", calling him and his followers "Quakers"
— now the common name of the Society of Friends.[3] He suffered
harsh treatment in prison following his refusal to fight against
the return of the monarchy (or indeed to take up arms for any
reason). A further conviction came in 1653 in Carlisle; it was
even proposed to put him to death, but Parliament requested his
release rather than have "a young man… die for religion".[4 In his preaching, [Fox] often emphasised the Quaker rejection
of baptism by water..; this was a useful way of highlighting
how the focus of Friends on inward transformation differed from
what he saw as the superstition of outward ritual. It was also
deliberately provocative to adherents of those practices, providing
opportunities for Fox to argue with them on matters of scripture.
This pattern was also found in his court appearances: when a
judge challenged him to remove his hat, Fox riposted by asking
where in the Bible such an injunction could be found. ".. George Fox was again accused of conspiracy, this time against Charles II, and fanaticism — a charge he resented. " ".. King Charles should refrain from war and domestic religious persecution, and discourage oath-taking, plays, and maypole games. These last suggestions reveal Fox's Puritan leanings, which continued to influence Quakers for centuries after his death. Fox counseled his followers to openly violate numerous laws that attempted to suppress the movement, sending many Friends to jail over the next two and a half decades. ".. Meanwhile, Quakers in New England had been banished, and Charles was advised by his councillors to issue a mandamus condemning this practice and allowing them to return. George Fox was able to meet some of the New England Friends when they came to London, stimulating his interest in the colonies. Fox was unable to travel there immediately: he was imprisoned again in 1663 for his refusal to swear oaths, and on his release in 1666 was preoccupied with organizational matters ..
Religious Society of Friends. More commonly known as Quakers,
they are considered a Christian sect or cult depending on the
branch. The three branches are Conservative Friends
[are a distinct minority of Quakers ] (sect), Evangelical
Friends [The Evangelical Quaker denomination Friends
United Meeting claims most of the Quakers worldwide but in New
Zealand the Evangelical and Conservative branches are a distinct
minority of Quakers behind Liberal Friends. From an Evangelical
Friends' web site: Evangelical Friends International is affiliated
with the [American] National Association of Evangelicals but
is not a part of the [American] National Council
of Churches nor the World Council of Churches. They thus probably
qualify as a sect, as they are separated somewhat from the wider
Christian church.] It is generally accepted that the Religious Society of Friends was founded in 1652 by George Fox. Members are strongly opposed to violence. Meetings for worship are characterised by extended periods of complete silence - sometimes with whole meetings in silence. Perhaps ironically George Fox was imprisoned in 1649 for interrupting a church service. Apparently if he had waited until the end everything would have been fine. He was in prison again in 1651 (under a 1648 blasphemy law), and from 1664 to 1666. (He was imprisoned a total of eight times, most often for refusing to join the army.) Quaker classic literature (that most modern Quakers haven't read) includes No Cross, No Crown by William Penn, The Apology by Robert Barclay, and The Inward Journey by Isaac Penington. NZ Cults & Religous Groups List: R Copyright © 2003-2007, Cults.co.nz http://www.cults.co.nz/c.php#conservativefriends |
William Penn
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