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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 don the armor of light and the shield of truth to stand firm against spiritual adversaries. He emphasizes the importance of being led by the Spirit and producing works that reflect God's image, urging the faithful to sow generously and remain vigilant in their spiritual journey. Fox calls for understanding and wisdom from God to navigate the challenges of the world, reminding his listeners of their role in manifesting God's glory through their actions.
Scriptures
Epistle 135
Dear friends and lambs, put on the armour of light [Rom 13:12], and the shield of truth [Psa 91:4], and the breast-plate of righteousness [Eph 6:14], that ye may stand in battle against all the Philistines, and the enemies of God, being led and guided with the spirit up to God, the Father of spirits [Heb 12:9]; that what ye do beget may be to him and into his image, and that which ye do present, it may be perfect [Col 1:28?]. And so mind this. Sow not sparingly [2 Cor 9:6], for the <132> Lord hath a seed that-aways. So the Lord God Almighty preserve you! And stir abroad whilst the door is open, and the light shineth; and so go on in that which letteth you see the world, to comprehend it, and to see what is imprisoned by it and suffereth by it. So the Lord give you an understanding in all things, and his arm go along with you, that ye may be to his glory. And the blessing of the Lord be with you! Dear Francis and Edward, in the life of God wait, that ye may be with it led and kept to receive wisdom from God, that ye may order all things [Wis 8:1] there with it, and be manifest to the witness of God in all [1 Jn 5:9f] that ye may beget to God; that as good ploughmen, and good threshermen [1 Cor 9:10] ye may be, to bring out the wheat. So the Lord God Almighty keep and preserve you. 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.