George Fox's Works
In 1831, defending themselves against charges that they had strayed from Quakerism, Hicksite publishers assembled and printed an 8-volume collection of The Works of George Fox. That collection was reprinted in 1975 by AMS for libraries, and again in 1990 for the George Fox Fund and the New Foundation Fellowship. Its contents are also available through Earlham School of Religion's Digital Quaker Collection.
(The easiest way for me to navigate through Fox's works in the DQC and elsewhere is through the Quaker Heritage Press's catalog entry for Fox.)
The eight volumes break down as follows:
Volumes I-II are George Fox's Journal, in the version edited by Thomas Ellwood, including the preface by William Penn.
Volume III, a book responding to a vast number of critics of Quakerism, is usually referred to as The Great Mystery, but the full title and explanation is The Great Mystery of the Great Whore Unfolded; and Antichrist's Kingdom Revealed Unto Destruction, with another two paragraphs of similarly contentious description on the title page. Fox definitely expressed his opinions strongly!
Volumes IV-VI are the "Doctrinal Books", containing a wide variety of publications Fox wrote. It lacks a Table of Contents, but the catalog entry for Fox breaks out individual titles of pieces included here.
Volumes VII-VIII are Epistles of George Fox, letters organized chronologically. It's a wonderful volume to open to random pages and read for inspiration, though I'm also trying to read it in sequence.
The collection isn't quite complete, as, for example, A New England Fire-brand Quenched isn't in it. (I've tracked that down on microfilm.) Still it's a vast set of George Fox's writings that goes well beyond the Journal, and which provides endless material for contemplation.
Comments
What Fox understood:
LIVING WATER AND RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD THROUGH FAITH
In Mt 6:31-33, Jesus Christ commanded everyone to seek first God's Kingdom and His righteousness. Paul repeatedly expounded this command, most clearly in Ro 1:16-21, when he perfectly summarized his epistle to the Romans. A careful study of the words "righteous" and "righteousness" in the entire Holy Bible should reveal the perfect righteousness of God and His Word, God’s righteous requirements for mankind, God’s gift of righteousness and God’s righteous judgment against the unrighteous. Under the New Covenant, God’s gift of righteousness is available to everyone who believes that Jesus Christ, the Word of God, has perfectly fulfilled all of the Old Testament Law, including "all righteousness" at His water baptism in the Jordan River, Mt 3; Ro 1-3; Gal 2:15-4:31.
When John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ, the Old Testament Law was still in effect, Mt 5:17-20; Mt 11:1-15; Mt 23; Lk 1:17; Lk 16:15-17; Ro 10:3-4. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance but Jesus Christ had no sin, He had nothing to repent of, Mt 3. Jesus Christ did not need John’s baptism for Himself and it was not an example for anyone under the New Covenant. Jesus Christ’s symbolic example for true Christians is found in Jn 13. Anyone, who continues with the physical “ceremonial washings? from the Old Testament Law, must keep the entire Old Covenant Law of Sin and Death for rejecting redemption through Jesus Christ, Lk 9-12; Ro 9-11; Gal 1-6; Heb 9.
God’s Kingdom of Heaven is spiritual; it is within true believers, Mt 4; Lk 17:20-37; Jn 18:28-37. Six times, in the Gospels and in Acts, we read: John baptized with physical water but Jesus Christ will baptize with God's Holy Spirit, Mt 3; Mk 1:1-15; Lk 3:1-22; Jn 1:1-34; Ac 1:1-8; Ac 11:1-18. God, the Father, is Spirit and He seeks worshipers who will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, Mt 10:19-20; Jn 4:4-26. Unbelievers will never receive God’s saving Breath of Eternal Life through His Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, Isa 11-12; Jn 6:62-63; Jn 20:19-23; 1Th 5:12-24; 2Ti 3:16-17.
Abraham, God’s friend, is referenced throughout the New Testament, Jas 2. Read Ro 4 for a detailed example. Believers, who have “the faith of Abraham,? become the “offspring? of Abraham. Like Abraham, true Christians will be credited with righteousness from God when they simply believe God's Word. After Abraham was credited with righteousness from God, he received the sign of physical circumcision that symbolized the spiritual circumcisions of the New Covenant Law of the Spirit of Life, Ro 1-8; Ro 12. Was Abraham ever baptized with physical water?
Where did Jesus Christ teach about spiritual circumcisions? He did but unbelievers, who remain under the Law of Sin and Death, will not be allowed to fully understand the Law of the Spirit of Life, God’s Grace and Truth or the New Testament baptism Scriptures, Mt 13; Jn 1:1-18; Ro 8:1-17; 1Pe 2:1-8. Unbelievers will remain spiritually blind, Jn 8-10. They have called God a liar by rejecting the testimony God has given about His Son—the Source of Living Water for all who believe in His Name, Jer 2:11-13; Jer 17:5-13; Jn 1-7; Ac 1-5; Jn 11-17; 1Jn 5:1-13; Rev 19:13.
In Jn 7:37, Jesus Christ called everyone who thirsts for His righteousness to go to Him and drink His Words of Living Water, Mt 5:1-12; Jn 2:1-11; Jn 3:1-21; Jn 6:16-69; Eph 5:22-33; Jas 1:18; 1Pe 1:23. Paul expounded this Teaching every time he taught about God’s one and only Holy Spirit baptism, Ro 1-8; 1Co 1-3; 1Co 12; Gal 1-6; Eph 1-6; Col 1-4; etc. True Christians have been baptized by God’s One Spirit and are given His One Spirit to drink, 1Co 12:12-13. Who drinks their physical water baptism? “One baptism? in Eph 4:4-7 always means one, not two!
True Christians, who believe, repent and obey Jesus Christ, will have the One Spirit of God flow through them as Streams of Living Water, Jn 7:38-39; 2Co 3-5. Only true believers, “born of God,? can become Good Samaritans who pour God’s “Oil? and God’s “Wine? on wounded sinners, Lk 10:25-37; Php 2:12-18; 1Jn 1-5. But God’s “Oil? and God’s “Wine? will not be given to anyone who denies the righteousness of His Son, Isa 1-5; 2Co 11:1-15; 1Jn 2:29.
Read 2Pe 1-3. Who “has given us everything we need? for eternal Life through His Divine Power, His Glory and His Goodness? Why? Who are the “springs without Water?? What “Water? don’t they have? What does the “vomit? symbolize? What “water? do the “dogs? use to wash their “sows?? What does the “mud? symbolize? What did Peter call false Christians who distort the Scriptures? What is going to happen to the false teachers and their followers? How many people survived the Great Flood? How many people safely escaped from Sodom and Gomorrah?
Read all of the Psalms, the Proverbs, the Prophets and the entire New Testament. The world’s religions, including all of the so-called churches and their related institutions, are false exactly as God’s prophecies warned they would be in these Last Days, Ps 1-12; Ps 110; Isa 28; Jer 23; Mt 24; Mk 13; Lk 21; 1Ti 4; Jude; Rev 1-22. Multitudes have allowed themselves to be deceived but God’s Gospel Truth remains infinitely more powerful than any lie and any number of liars. Pr 10:11: “The mouth of the righteous is a Fountain of Life but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.? Pr 10:29: “The Way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous but it is the ruin of those who do evil.?
Serving my Lord, the Righteous Holy One, for the Glory of God the Father,
anne robare / canawedding at aol dot com / 972-612-6080 / Scripture quotes are from the NIV, not the TNIV.
PS. Ask for more free Biblical proof. There is much more detailed proof that no one will ever prove wrong, Lk 21:15.
Posted by: anne robare | May 11, 2006 3:13 AM
do you have a good salvation message from george fox?
Posted by: linda | March 24, 2007 1:52 PM
Dear Friends,
Anna says:
"John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance but Jesus Christ had no sin, He had nothing to repent of, Mt 3. Jesus Christ did not need John’s baptism for Himself and it was not an example for anyone under the New Covenant. Jesus Christ’s symbolic example for true Christians is found in Jn 13. Anyone, who continues with the physical “ceremonial washings from the Old Testament Law, must keep the entire Old Covenant Law of Sin and Death for rejecting redemption through Jesus Christ, Lk 9-12; Ro 9-11; Gal 1-6; Heb 9."
To add to Anna's principal point about the redundance of water baptism it should be noted the 'shadows and types' of law required ‘washing’ the sacrificial lamb. The OT law requiredthat the sacrificial ‘lamb’ had to be ‘spotless’ and 'washed' prior to being sacrificed.
Jesus, knowing he was the final and permanent blood sacrifice for the atonement of sin said to John regarding John’s objection to baptising him, ‘it becomeht us to fulfill all righteousness”. He was referring to obeying the law that the lamb being offered up for sacrifice for sin had to be washed first.
So when Jesus asked John to baptise and John objected saying 'no' and it is "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" and Jesus replied, "Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him."
.Jesus, the ‘perfect lamb’, provided by God had to fulfill all requirements of the ‘law’ (all righteousness). Therefore, required he, the ‘lamb of God’ had to be washed prior to being sacrificed.
If one reads the record of the conversation between John and Jesus while keeping in mind that all the shadows and types of the law were met by Christ earthly ministry the conversation between Jesus and John takes on further and deeper significance.
In the modern English version it reads, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." John then consented and baptized Jesus. As Jesus came up out of the water, heaven opened, and the Spirit of God, like a dove, descended upon him. Witnesses to the baptism heard a voice from heaven saying, "This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
This is a vast and wonderful subject which demonstrates again how completely and perfectly the law, prophecies, shadows and types of the old testament were met, fulfilled and illuminated in the new testament. And, why the OT ordinance of water baptism, being completely and perfectly fulfilled, is no longer required in NT.
Those still caught in the shadows are unable to discern the spiritual from natural, by retaining water baptism as an ordnance are saying, unwittingly to be sure, that ‘all righteousness’ was not fulfilled by Christ Jesus.
And, if that were so then those whom the Father seeks, which is “true worshippers”, would be unable to enter into the temples Holy of Holies to worship Him in Spirit and Truth.
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”
Stuart Comyn
Posted by: Stuart Comyn | January 16, 2009 11:30 AM
DEAR ANNE ROBARE. CALL ME AT 731-358-1804. PHILLIPE MOSS, 22585 HIGHWAY 114,HOLLOW ROCK, TENNESSEE.38342
Posted by: PHILLIPE MOSS | April 6, 2009 3:55 PM
Does anyone know where I can purchase a copy of George Fox's works or know somebody who has an extra set I could purchase? It would bless me tremendously to read his works as I do not have much fellowship where I am at and desire to live a life given over towards God completely.
If so, please call, My number is 804-307-5245
Thank you,
Nik Naidu
Posted by: Nikolas Naidu | November 4, 2009 5:20 PM