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George Fox
George Fox (1624 - 1691). English Dissenter, founder of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), born in Drayton-in-the-Clay, Leicestershire. Apprenticed as a shoemaker, he left home at 19, seeking spiritual truth amid Puritan and Anglican tensions. In 1647, after visions and direct experiences of God, he began preaching an “inner light” accessible to all, rejecting clergy and formal worship. By 1652, he gathered followers in northern England, forming the Quakers, known for pacifism and simplicity. Fox traveled across England, Ireland, the Netherlands, and America, enduring eight imprisonments for his beliefs, including at Lancaster Castle. He wrote Journal (1694) and numerous letters, shaping Quaker theology with calls for equality and justice. Married to Margaret Fell in 1669, a key Quaker leader, they had no children, but she had eight from her prior marriage. His 1660 Declaration rejected violence, influencing conscientious objection. Fox’s emphasis on personal revelation transformed Protestantism, and his writings remain central to Quaker thought.
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Sermon Summary
George Fox encourages believers to find comfort in the presence of the Lord during their trials and afflictions, reminding them that their sufferings are shared with Christ. He emphasizes that Christ experiences their pain and persecution, assuring them that they will not be tested beyond their strength. Fox calls for courage and faithfulness in standing for the truth, as Christ reigns and will ultimately overcome all adversities. He reassures the faithful that they are not alone in their struggles, as the Lord is always with them.
Scriptures
Epistle 237
My dear Friends and brethren,—The Lord is with you all every where, who suffer for his name and truth's sake, in all your bonds and afflictions [Acts 20:23] be of good comfort, for the Lord is with you; neither be dismayed at your sufferings, for if you suffer, Christ suffereth; and if you be persecuted, it is Christ that is persecuted; and if you be not visited, it is Christ that is not visited; and if you be oppressed, it is he that is oppressed [Mat 25:42-45]. And he will lay no more upon you than you are able to <259> bear [1 Cor 10:13]. And the angel of his presence [Isa 63:9] suffered with the outward Jew, and Christ suffereth with the inward Jew in the spirit: and so hath a fellow-feeling with you all, in all your bonds and afflictions; and Christ who suffereth, will overcome all his enemies. He reigns, and they must be his footstool [Heb 10:13] to stand upon. And so, be of good faith, and be valiant for the truth upon the earth [Jer 9:3]. G. F.
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George Fox (1624 - 1691). English Dissenter, founder of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), born in Drayton-in-the-Clay, Leicestershire. Apprenticed as a shoemaker, he left home at 19, seeking spiritual truth amid Puritan and Anglican tensions. In 1647, after visions and direct experiences of God, he began preaching an “inner light” accessible to all, rejecting clergy and formal worship. By 1652, he gathered followers in northern England, forming the Quakers, known for pacifism and simplicity. Fox traveled across England, Ireland, the Netherlands, and America, enduring eight imprisonments for his beliefs, including at Lancaster Castle. He wrote Journal (1694) and numerous letters, shaping Quaker theology with calls for equality and justice. Married to Margaret Fell in 1669, a key Quaker leader, they had no children, but she had eight from her prior marriage. His 1660 Declaration rejected violence, influencing conscientious objection. Fox’s emphasis on personal revelation transformed Protestantism, and his writings remain central to Quaker thought.