- Home
- Speakers
- George Fox
- Epistle 297
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.
Download
Topics
Sermon Summary
George Fox emphasizes the necessity of remaining in the power of the Lord, as losing this power equates to losing the kingdom characterized by peace, righteousness, and joy. He encourages believers to maintain their connection to the grace of God, which is essential for salvation and comfort. Fox highlights that Christ is the foundation of their gatherings, who overcomes falsehood and brings forth the true gospel, empowering both men and women to fulfill their duties in faith. He reassures that through Christ, believers have dominion and stability, urging them to encourage one another in their spiritual journey.
Epistle 297
Dear friends,—Keep in the power of the Lord; for if you lose that, you lose the kingdom which stands in power [1 Cor 4:20], and peace, and righteousness, and joy in the holy ghost [Rom 14:17]; for out of the kingdom is strife, and no peace; and therefore keep in the power, and life, and love, which you did first receive; that you all may be heirs of the kingdom [Jas 2:5], and sit under your teacher the grace of God, which will bring your salvation [Tit 2:11f], that you may witness that you have a teacher from God [John 3:2], that doth bring your salvation; which salvation is your walls and bulwarks [Isa 26:1], that he may be glorified, and ye may have your comfort in your salvation. . . . For the foundation of our men's and women's meetings is Christ Jesus, who bruiseth the serpent's head [Gen 3:15], who is the head of all false orders and foundations, and the gospel, which is the power of God [Rom 16:1], which bringeth life and immortality to light [2 Tim 1:10], shines over him that did darken you; which power of God he is out of. And therefore all in the power and spirit, encourage both men and women in their duty, in the order of the gospel of Christ, in whom you have dominion, and in him who changeth not. My love is to you all. G. F.
- Bio
- Summary
- Transcript
- Download

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.