Friends, dwell in the life and power of God, which doth teach you to deny yourselves, which keeps you from all strife, and from all deceit, that nothing may appear, but by the pure spirit it may be judged; and that by the spirit of God ye may all be kept up to him, who is a God of order, and not of confusion [1 Cor 14:33] . For all who are in confusion, are in that nature that is contrary to the light, who are with it to be condemned. And so the God of life be with you all, that the fear of the Lord may be set in all your hearts, that the dread, terror, and fear of the Lord amongst you may remain, and faith from him ye may all come to receive, and love. And let love proceed one towards another, from the faith which purifies [Acts 15:9], that all actions may be brought to the light, that all deeds contrary to the light, may with it be condemned [John 3:19-21]; that in peace and righteousness ye may all grow up in that which is eternal, guided to him who is eternal, taking all heed to the measure of God's grace [Eph 4:7], that with it your minds may be guided up to God, the Father <65> of life, and all your minds with the eternal kept to him, who is eternal. That the kingdom of God ye may all come to see, waiting in the light, taking heed to it, which calls to repentance, which informs your minds towards the kingdom of God, where there is no end [Luke 1:33], but love, joy, and peace for evermore. And wait in the light for power to remove the earthly part, that ye may all witness the kingdom, and joy in the holy ghost [Rom 14:17]; that with the light your minds may be kept up to God, who is pure, and in it ye may all have unity, who in the light of life do walk. For who act contrary to the light, this is their condemnation. And let no unsavoury speeches, nor profaneness, nor looseness, nor idleness, nor filthiness be amongst you, but be diligent, serving the Lord in the light; for all that which is contrary to the light, with the light is to be condemned. And to you this is the word of the Lord, that with the spirit of the Lord, that comes from the Father of spirits [Heb 12:9], ye may all come to witness the spirit of promise, and set to your seals [Eph 1:13] that God the Father of spirits is true. So in the name and power of the Lord Jesus Christ be ye all kept and preserved; and keep together, and meet together, that ye may grow in the measure of God's grace.
G. F.
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George Fox (1624 - 1691)
Was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends. This was a group the Lord started through the ministry of George Fox. God called him apart from all other forms of Christendom in his day because of the lack of Biblical obedience and holiness.The emphasis in George Fox's ministry was firstly prophetic. He called out the people of God to show them that they had the Holy Spirit of God and could be taught of Him and not to solely rely on the teachings of ecclesiastical leaders. Secondly, he spoke directly to many ministers in his day to show them they were hirelings and did not have a true shepherds heart for the people of God rather they were seeking after financial gain.
Founder of the Society of Friends (Quakers). George Fox was born in Drayton-in-the-Clay, Leicestershire, England, the son of Puritan parents. Little is known of his early life, apart from what he wrote in his journal: "In my very young years, I had a gravity and stayedness of mind and spirit not usual in young children. Insomuch that, when I saw old men behave lightly and wantonly toward each other, I had a dislike thereof raise in my heart, and I said within myself, `If ever I come to be a man, surely I shall not do so, nor be so wanton.'"
At the age of 19, he gained deep, personal assurance of his salvation and began to travel as an itinerant preacher, seeking a return to the simple practices of the New Testament. He abhorred technical theology, and preached a faith borne of experience, freshly fed and guided by the immediate presence of the Holy Spirit.
Fox was persecuted almost daily, yet his power of endurance was phenomenal. He was beaten with dogwhips, knocked down with fists and stones, brutally struck with pikestaves, hard beset by mobs, incarcerated eight times in the pestilential jails, prisons, castles and dungeons--yet he went straightforward with his mission as though he had discovered some fresh courage which made him impervious to man's inhumanity.
He undertook as far as possible to let the new life in Christ take its own free course of development in his ministry. He shunned rigid forms and static systems, and for that reason he refused to head a new sect or to start a new denomination, or to begin a new church. He would not build an organization of any kind. His followers at first called themselves "Children of the Light," and later adopted the name "The Society (or Fellowship) of Friends."
Fox preached and traveled for 40 years throughout England, Scotland, Holland, and America. His life demonstrated the truth of his famous saying, "One man raised by God's power to stand and live in the same spirit the apostle and prophets were in, can shake the country for ten miles around."