George Fox preaches about the significance of being in Christ as new creatures, contrasting them with the old creatures in Adam who cling to old ways, religions, and worships. He emphasizes the need to worship God in spirit and truth, following the example set by Christ, the heavenly and spiritual second Adam. Fox highlights the importance of being renewed into the image of God, worshipping Him with a pure heart and living according to His will, rather than being entangled in the traditions and rudiments of the world.

And, dear friends, my love to you all in the seed of life and peace, which floweth as a river [Isa 66:12], and bruiseth the head of the serpent [Gen 3:15], that hath brought death and darkness, wo, misery, and imperfection upon and in man; and in this seed Christ is all nations blessed [Gal 3:8] and elected; and out of it is the curse and reprobation. And out of this seed are all the false religions, false ways, false worships, and false churches, or bodies without heads, like so many monsters, which the seed of the serpent hath brought forth since the apostles' days, and then they have made them heads, out of their bodies, or churches, and when one head is fallen off, then another they make, and set it upon their body or church, having lost and gone from the true head, Christ [Col 1:18]. And sometimes the members do fall out about making a head for their body, so that the members do destroy one another about it. Now this monstrous body is brought in by this evil seed in such as are gone from the light, grace, truth, power, and spirit, that cometh from Christ, the heavenly head, in whom dwelleth the fulness of divinity [Col 2:9f]. And they are never like to come to the true head, Christ, but by coming to the light, grace, truth, power, faith, and spirit of Jesus, which cometh from him, and turneth to him again, (the head,) and so to hold him their head, by which all the members are coupled together by joints and bands, which do receive their nourishment from him their head [Col 2:19], who doth supply every member with life everlasting from him that is alive, and liveth for evermore [Rev 1:18]. . . . And my desires are, that all may be in their services for Christ, men and women, in his grace, truth, light, power, and spirit, that from him <157> they may all have their penny [Mat 20:9], who doth reward every man and woman according to their works [Mat 16:27], and not stand idle chaffering in the market-place [Mat 20:3]. So with my love in the Lord, the Creator of all, and in the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom was all, who is over all, the first and last, a living rock and foundation for all the living to build upon, that are quickened by him, and do believe in his light, which is the life in Christ, the word, by whom all things were made [John 1:3]; and so are grafted into Christ, the living tree [Rom 11:24], that never withereth [Psa 1:3]; and so from him the green tree [Luke 23:31] every graft doth receive its nourishment, that is grafted into him; and so the living root doth bear every living branch, and nourishes it, that it may bring forth fruit to the praise of God over all, blessed for ever. And this is the tree whose leaf never fadeth, nor fruit faileth [Ezek 47:12]; but its fruit feedeth all the living, and the leaves thereof heal the nations [Rev 22:2]. And this tree stands in the midst of God's garden, who saith, in the midst of thy church will I sing praise [Heb 2:12], which are living stones, a spiritual household of faith [1 Pet 2:5/Gal 6:10], elect and precious, the church of the living God, written in heaven [1 Tim 3:15/Heb 2:22f]; so holiness becomes the house of the Lord [Psa 93:5]. And therefore the Lord doth require more from Friends than all other people, because he hath given more to them [Luke 12:48]; and so all people do expect more from Friends than all other people, in answering that of God in them all in truth and in righteousness, and holiness and godliness; for ye are the lights of the world, and the salt of the earth to season it [Mat 5:13f]. So all must glorify the Lord God in their lives and conversations, with their bodies, spirits, and souls, which are Christ's, who has bought them and cleansed them with his blood and the pure water of his word [1 Jn 1:7/Eph 5:36], who makes them sanctified vessels of his mercy for his glory [Rom 9:23]; therefore none must dishonour the Lord [Rom 2:23]. . . . The apostle saith, ‘If any man be in Christ he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold all things are become new [2 Cor 5:17].’ 2 Cor. v. 17. So they that are in Christ are new creatures; and they that are in old Adam are old creatures; and are in their old things, old ways, <158> old worships, and old religions, and have the old garments [Mat 9:16], and the old bottles, that hold the old wine, and cannot endure the new [Mat 9:17]; and have the old, rusty, moth-eaten treasure [Mat 6:19]. And they that are in Christ, the heavenly and spiritual second Adam [1 Cor 15:45/47], who maketh all things new [Rev 21:5], are new creatures, and spiritual men, and are heavenly-minded [Rom 8:6?], and are new bottles, that hold the new wine and the new heavenly treasure, and have the new clothing, the fine linen, the righteousness of Christ [Rev 19:8], and are the new and living way [Heb 10:20], over all the dead ways. And they are in the new worship, which Christ set up above six hundred years ago, which is in the spirit and in the truth [John 4:24]; in which holy spirit and holy truth the holy God is worshipped: and this was new to both Jews and Gentiles, and is new to all the apostate Christians, who are not in the holy spirit and truth that the apostles were in. And this new creature in Christ hath a new religion, which pure and undefiled, and keepeth from the spots of the world [James 1:27]: and this religion is new to the Jews and Gentiles, and all the apostatized Christians that plead for a body of death and sin [Rom 7:24, 6:6] to the grave, and a purgatory when they are dead. And they that be in Christ are new creatures, and they have a new head, who is the head of all things, the first-born of every creature [Col 1:15], and the first-begotten from the dead [Rev 1:5], who is alive, and liveth for evermore [Rev 1:18], who bruiseth the serpent's head [Gen 3:15], who hath made things old, but Christ maketh all things new; and they that be in him, are new creatures; and they that be out of Christ, are the old creatures in old Adam; and these old creatures are doting about their old things, and their old bottles, old wine, old garments, and are doting about their old ways, old religions, and old worships, and persecuting one another with their old carnal weapons [2 Cor 10:4], these old creatures, which dote about their old worships, religions, and ways; so that one old creature falleth out with another old creature, so that these old doting creatures in old Adam, out of Christ the second Adam, do wrestle with flesh and blood [Eph 6:12] about their old ways, religions, and worships: and these old doting creatures (which be out of Christ the saviour) do destroy one another about their old ways, worships, religions, and churches. . . <159> . . . And they that are in Christ are new creatures, their weapons and armour are spiritual, and they do not wrestle with flesh and blood, but spiritual wickedness and rulers of darkness in high places [Eph 6:11f], and bring down imaginations and high thoughts [2 Cor 10:5], as Christ (whom those new creatures are in) teacheth them, who saith, that ‘he came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them [Luke 9:56];’ and rebuked such as would have had men's lives destroyed, and told them, that ‘they did not know what spirit they were of [Luke 9:54f].’ So it is clear, that the old creatures, that are out of Christ, (who destroy men's lives about their old ways, churches, religions, and their old worships,) do not know what spirit they are of; . . . And therefore, were not those doctrines, ordinances, traditions, and rudiments of the world [Col 2:20,22] the old creatures (who are in old Adam) which they did and do dote after, which the new creatures in Christ Jesus, the second Adam, were not to taste, touch, nor handle, for they did perish with the using [Col 2:21f]? And are not all the will-worships [Col 2:23], and the beast's and the dragon's worships [Rev 13:4], of the old creatures, that are out of Christ, bearing the mark of the beast in their hand or forehead [Rev 14:9]? And they that are in Christ, who are new creatures, have their Father's mark or name in their foreheads [Rev 14:1], and worship the holy, pure and living God in spirit and in truth. And it was the old creatures that made images and idols; and such make them now, and worship them: but they that are in Christ, are new creatures, and are renewed up into the image of God [Col 3:10], and worship him in his holy spirit and truth, that liveth for ever. Amen. And these cannot touch, taste, nor handle the old creature's images, idols, doctrines, ordinances, traditions or rudiments of the world, which are the old creature's, in old Adam, which doth touch, taste, and handle them: but the new creature cannot, who is in Christ, the express image of the Father [Heb 1:3]; and he maketh his new creatures like himself. Moses appointed servants for God in the law [Num 4] or Old Testament; but Christ made sons in the New Testament; for ‘as many as received Christ, he gave them power to become the sons of God [John 1:12].’ G. F.