George Fox and others.
This Document is on The Quaker Writings Home Page.
A note, from the friendly webmeister: Excerpts from the Letter of George Fox and others to the
Governor of Barbados remain a standard feature in the Faith and Practices of most Yearly
Meetings in the United States. In this document I'm trying to go a step further, in producing, first,
the entire text of this letter, and second, highlighting what is and is not included from the full text
in the extracts usually reproduced. The extracts are identified by being indented, set in italics, and
flagged.
This material is taken from the 8th and Bicentenary Edition of the Journal of George Fox,
published in two volumes 1891 by Friends' Tract Association of London. It has been compared to
the American two volume edition of the Journal included in the eight volume Works published in
1831 in Philadelphia by Marcus T.C. Gould in Philadelphia and in New York by Isaac T. Hopper.
Current versions of Yearly Meeting Disciplines consulted for the edited versions include Indiana, Western, North Carolina, (FUM) Northwest and Southwestern (EFI.).
PART ONE: THE FULL TEXT.
"For the Governor of Barbadoes, with his Council and Assembly, and all others in power, both
civil and military, in this lsland ; from the people called Quakers.
"WHEREAS many scandalous lies and slanders have been cast upon us, to render us odious; as
that 'We deny God, and Christ Jesus, and the Scriptures of truth,' etc. This is to inform you, that
all our books and declarations, which for these many years have been published to the world,
clearly testify the contrary. Yet, for your satisfaction, we now plainly and sincerely declare, 'that
we do own and believe in God, the only wise, omnipotent, and everlasting God, the Creator of all
things both in heaven and in earth, and the preserver of all that he hath made; who is God over all,
blessed for ever; to whom be all honour and glory, dominion, praise, and thanksgiving, both now
and for evermore!'
"And we own and believe in Jesus Christ, his beloved and only begotten Son, in whom he is well
pleased; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary; in whom we have
redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins; who is the express image of the
Invisible God, the first-born of every creature, by whom were all things created that are in heaven,
and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, principalities, or
powers, al l things were created by him. And we do own and believe that He was made a sacrifice
for sin, who knew no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth; that he was crucified for us in the
flesh, without the gates of Jerusalem; and that he was buried, and ro se again the third day by the
power of his Father, for our justification; and that he ascended up into heaven, and now sitteth at
the right hand of God. This Jesus, who was the foundation of the holy prophets and apostles, is
our foundation; and we belie ve that there is no other foundation to be laid than that which is laid,
even Christ Jesus; who tasted death for every man, shed his blood for all men, and is the
propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world; according
as John the Baptist testified of him, when he said, ' Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the
sin of the world.' John i. 29. We believe that he alone is our Redeemer and Saviour, even the
Captain of our Salvation, who saves us from sin, a s well as from hell, and the wrath to come, and
destroys the devil and his works; he is the Seed of the woman, that bruises the serpent's head, to
wit, Christ Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. He is (as the Scriptures of truth
say of hi m,) our wisdom and righteousness, justification and redemption; neither is there salvation
in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we may be
saved. It is he alone, who is the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls; He is o ur Prophet, whom
Moses long since testified of, saying, 'A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of
your brethren, like unto me; Him shall ye hear in all things, whatsoever he shall say unto you; and
it shall come to pass, that every soul that will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from
among the people.' Acts iii. 22, 23.
"He it is that is now come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is
true. He rules in our hearts by his law of love and of life, and makes us free from the law of sin
and death. We have no life but by him; for he i s the quickening Spirit, the second Adam, the Lord
from heaven; by whose blood we are cleansed, and our consciences sprinkled from dead works to
serve the living God. He is our Mediator, that makes peace and reconciliation between God
offended and us off ending, He being the oath of God, the new covenant of light, life, grace, and
peace; the author and finisher of our faith. This Lord Jesus Christ, the heavenly Man, the
Emmanuel, God with us, we all own and believe in; him whom the high- priest raged aga inst, and
said, he had spoken blasphemy; whom the priests and the elders of the Jews took counsel together
against, and put to death; the same whom Judas betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, which the
priests gave him as a reward for his treason, who al so gave large money to the soldiers to broach
a horrible lie, namely, ' that his disciples came and stole him away by night, whilst they slept.'
After he was risen from the dead, the history of the Acts of the Apostles sets forth, how the chief
priests and elders persecuted the disciples of this Jesus, for preaching Christ and his resurrection.
This, we say, is that Lord Jesus Christ, whom we own to be our life and salvation.
"Concerning the Holy Scriptures, we do believe that they were given forth by the Holy Spirit of
God, through the holy men of God, who (as the Scripture itself declares, 2 Pet. i. 21.) 'spake as
they were moved by the Holy Ghost.' We believe they are to be read, believed, and fulfilled (He
that fulfills them, is Christ ;) and they are 'profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and
for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto al
l good works,' 2 Titus iii. 16, and are 'able to make wise unto salvation, through faith in Christ
Jesus.' We believe that the Holy Scriptures are the words of God; for it is said, in Ex. xx. 1, 'God
spake all these words, saying,' etc., meaning the ten commandments given forth upon Mount
Sinai. And in Rev. xxii. 18, saith John, 'I testify to every man that heareth the words of the
prophecy of this book: if any man addeth unto these, and if any man shall take away from the
words of the book of this prophecy' (not the word,) etc. So in Luke i. 20, 'Because thou
believedst not my words.' And in John v. 47; xv. 7; xiv. 23; and xii. 47. So that we call the Holy
Scriptures, as Christ and the apostles called them, and holy men of God called them, viz., the
words of God.
"Another slander which they have cast upon us is, 'that we teach the negroes to rebel;' a thing we
utterly abhor in our hearts; the Lord knows it, who is the searcher of all hearts, and knows all
things, and can testify for us, that this i s a most abominable untruth. For that which we have
spoken to them is, 'to exhort and admonish them to be sober, and to fear God; to love their
masters and mistresses, and to be faithful and diligent in their masters' service and business; and
then their masters and overseers would love them, and deal kindly and gently with them; also, that
they should not beat their wives, nor the wives their husbands, neither should the men have many
wives; that they should not steal, or be drunk,-- should not commit adultery, or
fornication,--should not curse, swear, lie, or give bad words to one another, or to any one else:
for there is something in them that tells them, they should not practice these or any other evils.
But if, notwithstanding, they should do them , then we let them know there are but two ways, the
one that leads to heaven, where the righteous go; and the other that leads to hell, where the
wicked and debauched, whore mongers and adulterers, murderers and liars go. To the one the
Lord will say, 'Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world;' but to the other he will say, 'Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,
prepared for the devil and his angels:' so 'the wicked go into everlasting punishment, but the
righteous into life eternal.' Matt. xxv.
"Consider, Friends, it is no transgression for a master of a family to instruct his family himself, or
for some others to do it in his behalf; but rather it is a very great duty incumbent upon them.
Abraham and Joshua did so: of the first the Lord said, Gen. xviii. 19, 'I know that Abraham will
command his children and his household after him; and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do
justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham the things that he hath spoken of
him.' And the latter said, Josh. xxiv. 15, 'Choose ye this day whom ye will serve; but as for me and
my house, we will serve the Lord.' We declare that we esteem it a duty incumbent on us to pray
with and for those in and belonging to our families, and to teach , instruct, and admonish them;
this being a command of the Lord, disobedience whereunto will provoke his displeasure; as may
be seen, Jer. x. 25, 'Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families
that call not upon thy name.' Now Negroes, Tawnies, Indians, make up a very great part of the
families in this island; for whom an account will be required by him who comes to judge both
quick and dead, at the great day of judgment, when everyone shall be 'rewarded according to the
d eeds done in the body, whether they be good or whether they be evil:" at that day, we say, of
the resurrection both of the good and of the bad, of the just and of the unjust, when 'the Lord
Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on
them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished
with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, when
he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe in that day.' 2
Thess. i. 8, e also 2 Pet. iii. 3,
PART TWO: EXTRACTS VS. FULL TEXT.
[Omitted from the "Extracts:] "For the Governor of Barbadoes, with his Council and Assembly, and all others in power, both civil and military, in this lsland ; from the people called Quakers.
"WHEREAS many scandalous lies and slanders have been cast upon us, to render us odious; as that 'We deny God, and Christ Jesus, and the Scriptures of truth,' etc. This is to inform you, that all our books and declarations, which for these many years have been published to the world, clearly testify the contrary. Yet, for your satisfaction, we now plainly and sincerely declare, 'that we do own and believe in God, the only wise, omnipotent, and everlasting God, the Creator of all things both in heaven and in earth, and the preserver of all that he hath made; who is God over all, blessed for ever; to whom be all honour and glory, dominion, praise, and thanksgiving, both now and for evermore!'
[Included in the "Extracts:] "And we own and believe in Jesus Christ, his beloved and only
begotten Son, in whom he is well pleased; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the
Virgin Mary; in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins; who
is the express image of the Invisible God, the first-born of every creature, by whom were all
things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they b e
thrones, or dominions, principalities, or powers, all things were created by him. And we do own
and believe that He was made a sacrifice for sin, who knew no sin, neither was guile found in his
mouth; that he was crucified for us in the flesh, without the gates of Jerusalem; and that he was
buried, and rose again the third day by the power of his Father, for our justification; and that he
ascended up into heaven, and now sitteth at the right hand of God. This Jesus, who was the
foundation of the holy prophets and apostles, is our foundation; and we believe that there is no
other foundation to be laid than that which is laid, even Christ Jesus; who tasted death for every
man, shed his blood for all men, and is the propitiation for our sins, and not fo r ours only, but
also for the sins of the whole world; according as John the Baptist testified of him, when he said,
' Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.' John i. 29. We believe that he
alone is our Redeemer and Saviour, even the Captain of our Salvation, who saves us from sin,
as well as from hell, and the wrath to come, and destroys the devil and his works; he is the Seed
of the woman, that bruises the serpent's head, to wit, Christ Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, the
First and the Last. He is (as the Scriptures of truth say of him,) our wisdom and righteousness,
justification and redemption; neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name
under heaven given among men whereby we may be saved. It is he alone , who is the Shepherd
and Bishop of our souls; He is our Prophet, whom Moses long since testified of, saying, 'A
prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; Him shall ye
hear in all things, whatsoever he shall say un to you; and it shall come to pass, that every soul
that will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.' Acts iii. 22, 23.
"He it is that is now come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is
true. He rules in our hearts by his law of love and of life, and makes us free from the law of sin
and death. We have no life but by him; for he i s the quickening Spirit, the second Adam, the
Lord from heaven; by whose blood we are cleansed, and our consciences sprinkled from dead
works to serve the living God. He is our Mediator, that makes peace and reconciliation between
God offended and us off ending, He being the oath of God, the new covenant of light, life, grace,
and peace; the author and finisher of our faith. This Lord Jesus Christ, the heavenly Man, the
Emmanuel, God with us, we all own and believe in; him whom the high- priest raged aga inst,
and said, he had spoken blasphemy; whom the priests and the elders of the Jews took counsel
together against, and put to death; the same whom Judas betrayed for thirty pieces of silver,
which the priests gave him as a reward for his treason, who al so gave large money to the
soldiers to broach a horrible lie, namely, ' that his disciples came and stole him away by night,
whilst they slept.' After he was risen from the dead, the history of the Acts of the Apostles sets
forth, how the chief priests a nd elders persecuted the disciples of this Jesus, for preaching
Christ and his resurrection. This, we say, is that Lord Jesus Christ, whom we own to be our life
and salvation.
"Concerning the Holy Scriptures, we do believe that they were given forth by the Holy Spirit of
God, through the holy men of God, who (as the Scripture itself declares, 2 Pet. i. 21.) 'spake as
they were moved by the Holy Ghost.' We believe they are to be read, believed, and fulfilled (He
that fulfill them, is Christ ;) and they are 'profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and
for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto
all good works,' 2 Titus iii. 16, and are 'able to make wise unto salvation, through faith in Christ
Jesus.'
[Omitted Included in the "Extracts:] "We believe that the Holy Scriptures are the words of God; for it is said, in Ex. xx. 1, 'God spake all these words, saying,' etc., meaning the ten commandments given forth upon Mount Si nai. And in Rev. xxii. 18, saith John, 'I testify to every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book: if any man addeth unto these, and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy' (not the word,) etc. So in Luke i. 20, 'Because thou believedst not my words.' And in John v. 47; xv. 7; xiv. 23; and xii. 47. So that we call the Holy Scriptures, as Christ and the apostles called them, and holy men of God called them, viz., the words of God.
"Another slander which they have cast upon us is, 'that we teach the negroes to rebel;' a thing we utterly abhor in our hearts; the Lord knows it, who is the searcher of all hearts, and knows all things, and can testify for us, that this i s a most abominable untruth. For that which we have spoken to them is, 'to exhort and admonish them to be sober, and to fear God; to love their masters and mistresses, and to be faithful and diligent in their masters' service and business; and then their masters and overseers would love them, and deal kindly and gently with them; also, that they should not beat their wives, nor the wives their husbands, neither should the men have many wives; that they should not steal, or be drunk,-- should not commit adultery, or fornication,--should not curse, swear, lie, or give bad words to one another, or to any one else: for there is something in them that tells them, they should not practise these or any other evils. But if, notwithstanding, they should do them, then we let them know there are but two ways, the one that leads to heaven, where the righteous go; and the other that leads to hell, where the wicked and debauched, whoremongers and adulterers, murderers and liars go. To the one the Lord will say, 'Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;' but to the other he will say, 'Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:' so 'the wicked go into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.' Matt. xxv.
"Consider, Friends, it is no transgression for a master of a family to instruct his family himself, or for some others to do it in his behalf; but rather it is a very great duty incumbent upon them. Abraham and Joshua did so: of the first t he Lord said, Gen. xviii. 19, 'I know that Abraham will command his children and his household after him; and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham the things that he hath spoken of him.' An d the latter said, Josh. xxiv. 15, 'Choose ye this day whom ye will serve; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.' We declare that we esteem it a duty incumbent on us to pray with and for those in and belonging to our families, and to teach, instruct, and admonish them; this being a command of the Lord, disobedience whereunto will provoke his displeasure; as may be seen, Jer. x. 25, 'Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not upon thy name.' N ow Negroes, Tawnies, Indians, make up a very great part of the families in this island; for whom an account will be required by him who comes to judge both quick and dead, at the great day of judgment, when everyone shall be 'rewarded according to the deeds done in the body, whether they be good or whether they be evil:" at that day, we say, of the resurrection both of the good and of the bad, of the just and of the unjust, when 'the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe in that day.' 2 Thess. i. 8, e also 2 Pet. iii. 3.