Closing pages of Fox’s Journal “The Seed Reigns over Death”
Considering the hurries that were in the nation, it came upon me at the close of this meeting to write a few lines to Friends, to caution all to keep out of the spirit of the world, in which trouble is, and to dwell in the peaceable Truth.
I came back to London in the First month, 1686, and set myself with all diligence to look after Friends’ sufferings, from which we had now some hopes of getting relief. The sessions came on in the Second month at Hicks’s-Hall, where many Friends had appeals to be tried. I was with these from day to day, to advise them, and to see that no opportunity was slipped nor advantage lost; and they generally succeeded well.
Soon after the King was pleased, upon our often laying our sufferings before him, to give order for the releasing of all prisoners for conscience’ sake that were in his power to discharge. Thereby the prison-doors were opened, and many hundreds of Friends, some of whom had been long in prison, were set at liberty.
Some of those who had for many years been restrained in bonds, came now up to the yearly meeting, which was in the Third month this year. This caused great joy to Friends, to see our ancient, faithful brethren again at liberty in the Lord’s work, after their long confinement. And indeed a precious meeting we had; the refreshing presence of the Lord appearing plentifully with us and amongst us.
[Gradually Fox was growing physically weaker, and though his pen was busy with documents and letters, he records almost nothing in his Journal.]
In the Seventh month I returned to London, having been near three months in the country for my health’s sake, which was very much impaired; so that I was hardly able to stay in a meeting the whole time; and often after a meeting had to lie down on a bed. Yet did not my weakness of body take me off from the service of the Lord, but I continued to labour in and out of meetings, in His work, as He gave me opportunity and ability.
I had not been long in London before a great weight came upon me, and the Lord gave me a sight of the great bustles and troubles, revolution and change, which soon after came to pass. In the sense thereof, and in the movings of the Spirit of the Lord, I wrote “A general epistle to Friends, to forewarn them of the approaching storm, that they might all retire to the Lord, in whom is safety.”
About this time great exercises and weights came upon me (as they had usually done before the great revolutions and changes of government), and my strength departed from me; so that I reeled, and was ready to fall, as I went along the streets. At length I could not go abroad at all, I was so weak, for some time, till I felt the power of the Lord to spring over all, and had received an assurance from Him, that He would preserve His faithful people to Himself through all.
About the middle of the First month, 1688-9, I went to London, the Parliament then sitting, and engaged about the bill for indulgence. Though I was weak in body, and not well able to stir about, yet so great a concern was upon my spirit on behalf of Truth and Friends, that I attended continually for many days, with other Friends, at the Parliament-House, labouring with the members, that the thing might be done comprehensively and effectually.
I remained at London till the beginning of the Ninth month, being continually exercised in the work of the Lord, either in public meetings, opening the way of Truth to people, and building up and establishing Friends therein, or in other services relating to the Church of God. For the Parliament now sitting, and having a bill before them concerning oaths, and another concerning clandestine marriages, several Friends attended the House, to get those bills so worded that they might not be hurtful to Friends. In this service I also assisted, attending on the Parliament, and discoursing the matter with several of the members.
[Here follows (January 10th, 1691) the last entry in the Journal, with the letter written to the Irish Friends who were enduring almost indescribable sufferings, occasioned by the civil war in Ireland.]
Not long after I returned to London, and was almost daily with Friends at meetings. When I had been near two weeks in town, the sense of the great hardships and sore sufferings that Friends had been and were under in Ireland, coming with great weight upon me, I was moved to write an epistle, as a word of consolation unto them.
This epistle, the last he ever wrote, closes with a triumphant note and an optimistic outlook on the world:
Christ the Seed reigns; and His power is over all, who bruises the serpent’s head, and destroys the devil and his works, and was before he was. So all of you live and walk in Christ Jesus; that nothing may be between you and God, but Christ, in whom ye have salvation, life, rest and peace with God.
As for the affairs of truth in this land and abroad, I hear that in Holland and Germany, and thereaway, Friends are in love, unity, and peace: and in Jamaica, Barbadoes, Nevis, Antigua, Maryland, and New-England, I hear nothing, but Friends are in unity and peace. The Lord preserve them all out of the world (in which there is trouble) in Christ Jesus, in whom there is peace, life, love, and unity. Amen. My love in the Lord Jesus Christ to all Friends everywhere in your land, as though I named them.
—G.F., London. the 10th of the 11th month, 1690 (=January 10th, 1691)
[The next day he went to Gracechurch Street Meeting, which was large and in which he preached a long and powerful sermon, “opening many deep and weighty things.” He then offered prayer, and the meeting closed. When some Friends came to his room in White-Hart-Court, later in the day, he told them he had “felt the cold strike to his heart, as he came out of meeting”; “yet,” he added, “I am glad I was here (i. e., in the meeting). Now I am clear, I am fully clear!” Later, when Friends were visiting him, he said: “All is well; the Seed of God reigns over all and over death itself. And though I am weak in body, yet the power of God is over all, and the Seed reigns over all disorderly spirits.”
“Lying thus in a heavenly frame of mind, his spirit wholly exercised towards the Lord,” he fell asleep in peace on the evening of January 13th, 1691. The funeral was attended by a very large concourse of people, and the body was laid in the burying-ground near Bunhill Fields, where the grave is now marked with a modest stone. Few men in the dying hour could say more truly, “I am clear.”]
by William Penn
Thus, reader, thou hast had some account of the life and travels, labours, sufferings, and manifold trials and exercises of this holy man of God, from his youth to almost the time of his death: Of which himself kept a journal; whence the foregoing sheets were transcribed. It remains, that an account be added of the time, place, and manner of his death and burial; which was thus: The next day, after he had written the foregoing epistle to friends in Ireland, he went to the meeting at Grace-church-street, which was large (it being on the first-day of the week): and the Lord enabled him to preach the truth fully and effectually, opening many deep and weighty things with great power and clearness. After which having prayed, and the meeting being ended, he went to Henry Gouldney’s (a friend’s house in White-hart Court, near the meeting-house): and some friends going with him, he told them, he thought he felt the cold strike to his heart, as he came out of the meeting; yet added, “I am glad I was here; now I am clear, I am fully clear.”
As soon as those friends were withdrawn, he laid down upon a bed as he sometimes used to do (through weariness after a meeting) but soon rose again; and in a little time laid down again, complaining still of cold. And his strength sensibly decaying, he was fain soon after to go into the bed; where he lay in much contentment and peace, and very sensible to the last. And as, in the whole course of his life, his spirit, in the universal love of God, was set and bent for the exalting of truth and righteousness, and the making known the way thereof to the nations and people afar off; so now, in the time of his outward weakness, his mind was intent upon, and wholly taken up with that: and he sent for some particular friends, to whom he expressed his mind, and desire for the spreading friends’ books, and truth thereby in the world. Divers friends came to visit him in his illness, unto some of whom he said, “All is well: the Seed of God reigns over all, and over death itself. And though,” said he, “I am weak in body: yet the power of God is over all, and the Seed reigns over all disorderly spirits.”
Thus lying in an heavenly frame of mind, his spirit wholly exercised towards the Lord, he grew weaker and weaker in his natural strength; and on the third day of that week, between the hours of nine and ten in the evening, he quietly departed this life in peace, and sweetly fell asleep in the Lord, whose blessed truth he had livingly and powerfully preached in the meeting but two days before. Thus ended he his day in his faithful testimony, in perfect love and unity with his brethren, and in peace and goodwill to all men, on the 13th of the 11th month 1690, being then in the 67th year of his age.
Upon the 16th of the same month (being the sixth of the week, and the day appointed for his funeral) a very great concourse of friends, and other people of divers sorts, assembled together at the meetinghouse in Whitehart Court near Gracechurch Street, about the middle time of the day, in order to attend his body to the grave. The meeting was held about two hours with great and heavenly solemnity, manifestly attended with the Lord’s blessed presence and glorious power; in which divers living testimonies were delivered, from a lively remembrance and sense of the blessed ministry of this dear and ancient servant of the Lord, his early entering into the Lord’s work at the breaking forth of this gospel day, his innocent life, long and great travels, and unwearied labours of love in the everlasting gospel, for the turning and gathering many thousands from darkness to the light of Christ Jesus, the foundation of true faith; the manifold sufferings, afflictions, and oppositions, which he met withal for his faithful testimony, both from his open adversaries and from false brethren; and his preservations, deliverances, and dominion in, out of, and over them all, by the power of God: to whom the glory and honour always was by him, and is and always ought to be by all ascribed.