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Show 'An A 'P 'P E N <JJ I X to VoL. I. tSS · b · h · D ds to him love him and obey him ; whom God No. XVII. ~~~~c~~dat~~ga tL~~f,, toe~igbttn t!Je '9-entilu_, and for his Salvation to the ~ Ends of the Earth. Light and Salvation are ]Oyned ~ogether, and n_one can Morn e to Salvation, but as they come fir~ to ~he Ltght, and ..f u~mlt to the '[i ft · f ·r which leadeth ro Salvation. For the l\attom of them th:;~~e j~~eJ,0.foaU walk in the Light of the Lamb, ~hrifi J~fus. Light and Juflification are alfo joy ned rage~ her:· If flit wa!/l. m t1Je Lt.[ht, a1 G.od is in the Light, the Blood Of Jej/IJ Cbrijl bn Son ckanfli!J IK }rom aU Sm. And Light and Life Eternal are joyned together: For m tbeJVord (rh:a was with God in the Beginning, and was God, by wh~m all Thmgs were m~d~, that were made) rotU Life, and the L_ife was tbe Ltgbt of Men. And thts IS the Tefiimony of Jefus, I am the Ltgbt of ~be TVorld.; be tbat [oli?weth me, jhaU not abide in Darknefs, bur have the !---tgbt of Life; Yea, H IS Eternal Life, to believe in him, in Chrift the. Ltgbr~ to receiVe, embrace, .an~ co follow him. And that was the true Ltgbt (faah the fame beloved Dif<Iple) abicb ligbtelh every .Man, that cometh tn/0 tbe rv?.rld. ~ow thiS Ltght ~tneth in Dark:nefs, in the Children of Darknefs,, m ~heu dark Hearts, m their black Souls, and defiled Confciences, but 10 t~IS Dnr)mefs they COI!J"' prebend it not. Neither can Man kn~w the :Nature and Be!'~fi~ of It, whilft he rebelleth againft it; For the Vmue and Excellency of It IS ~me up and hid from the .Children of Difobedienc~. To as many as recetved him of old, gave he Power to become the Cbtidren of God ; and thet that did his Will, knew his Do£trine to be of God, and of Power and Efficacy to their Salvation. . But this is the great Condemnation of the World at thts Day, that though God hath fent his Son a Lig1Jt into the Hearts of aU Men and Women, to manifeft and reprove their evil Deeds, and to fave them ; yet they love Darknefs, they love the Lufis and Imaginations of their vain ~earts, bet· ter than this holy Li,gbt, that is given unto them for Salvatton: '!hey chufe Barabbas rather than Jefu!· Yea. they have fet up othe~ Lzght!, than Chrift Jefus, God's great L1ght ; and other Proph~t 1 th~n Cbrifi, Gods great Prapbtt; and othet Priefir than !ft.' rn, the li1gh Pmfi of the New Covenant: But theyar~ dark l:iglus, fa!~ Propbeu, and blznd Pnefls . .All t hat came before me, fatth Chrtft, are tcves and R?bbcrs : And. ~11 that Pray, Preach, Sing, Worfhip, f.!! c. and no.r by the Ltght ana Sptrrt ofJe· fus, they go before Chrift, ~ef~re C~nfi: cometh, befor: he prepareth their Hearts, and toucheth thetr Ltps wtth a Coal, from h1s Heavenly Altar; and perform Worfhip in their own Will, Time ~nd Po~er, and ftay not for his Leadings. And therefore all fuch rob Cbrijl of hiS Office, who is the Leader of the true Chri/lians; their Heavenly Htgh-Prttft, ·to anoint them and ofFer up their Sacrilice to God for them; and Prophet, to les them' fee and know by his Lighr, in their Hearts, what they' ought to do according to the New and Everlafting Covenant ; I will write my Law in their Hearts, and gut my Spirit in their inward Paru, and tbty lhoU be all taught of me, fait the Lord. · Now this is the Qpellion to the whole Wotld called Chrillians: Do ycu fee with this Divine Light? Have JOUjtarcht your Hearts with it? J1nd are you anointed by this Higb-Priefl wit~ his holy Unflion, that leadeth tnfo all Truth? Doth this Heavenly Prophet gtve you Vijion, and revral the fa· thtf to )'M? ls be your Eye, your !lead, your TilifJom? Do yo/4 live, '11U1Vt, and have your Life and Being in him, in Praying, Preac1Jing, and Singing, yea, in your whole Converfarion? .Are you renewed into his Life mtd Inutp? And have you beard bis Voice, andfeen his Shape? Are JOU rffitneife.t of hi~ boly Re~uRu, his pure Judgments, tbe Shame a11d Death of his Crofs? Ts be zhe Fountain of your Knowledge? Tbe Author of your }(tith? 0 confider I Are you of rbofe, that have. Spoke with Jejin? that have bceptnught in rhe School of his holy Crofs? Students in his Heavenly Academy ? 0 bat•e you. drunk Of his Cup, and been baptized with his Baptifm? Tell me in the Fear of the Lord God, you that call your fel ves Cbriflians, doth he go before you, and lead you, as a Mafler teacheth .his Difciples, and a Captain lead-eib VoL.}. eth his Soq/dim > And do you follow him in all the w'eightv Things of this Life ) And ~orh he order your Minds, and rule your Affections? 1f not, you are Th_1eves a~d I~obbers; for you rob Chrifl of his OffiCe. For God hath .tppomted lum to be the Leader and Ruler of an People· ye.:t 'tis God's Decree; and thofe that he leJdeth not in their Thoughu t.Vord; and ~orks, fhal~ never com~ ~o G?d: (or all. muft come to God'by birr, that ts, by htsLtght, and Sp1nt ruling m thc1r HeJrts which fhnfl:ifieth regenerateth, and convcrteth the Soul to God. ' ~ . And the Cau~e of th~ Confufion and Comcnrion, that is about Religion, In ~~rope, at th1s Dar, 1s, that Men have difcrtcd this true Li,ght <tnd holy Spmt, ::md fo are degenerated from the Life and Power of pure and un .. fpotted Religion, and have attempted to comprehend Chriit's Do£\rines without C~riit's .Light, and. to know the Things of God, without the Spirit of God. And hemg thus Mtferably erred by wicked Works f rom the one Spirit of Tnttl;, rhe.y have wandred into the fallible Concciu and Opinion~ of .A1en. And lfl thiS State one Party bath contended againfi :mother. From Words they have fallen to Blows, and the Strongeft hath oppreft th~ Weakeft. And not knowin~ what Sp~rit they were of, have c:J:llcd Light, Darknifs, and Dt.rrknefs, Lt,gfu; puttmg the ~beep's-Skin npon the Jllo/f. and the Wolfs·Siun u~on th.c .poor Sheep of Cbrijl, endea\'Ot!ring bv carnal Weapons to enfc;>rcc thea Oplm.ons, and to extort Conformity, by Worldly Laws and Pumjhme1zts, to their Perfwafiom. All this is out of rhe Li ht Lif~and Doftrine ofChri~ Jefus, and in the Spirit ofDarkncfs, Confuffon: Stnfe and Blood·!hed, w~tcb are of the Devil. All which B.thel mufi :~nd fhall come down by the Ltghr, Power and Spirit of Jefus now rifillg in the World; and .Hell~ Death ~nd the. Grave, 1hall not be able to hinder it: For t~e fer T1me, the lppomted T 1me of the Father is come, and the ]ildgment ts begun. 0 re, that are ~alled Ro"!a?t·Carboliclu, teB me, are you truly Catholic!:, that ts, of an UmverflJ/ Sptnt? Then you will not perfecure, but love an, and he ~ender to all. Are you truly Romatt, and Suueffors of that .Ancient, .Apojlobcttl C,h'!rcb 1 Tl!en you walk not a/rer the Flejh, but t{ter the Sptrit, yea, the Spmt of ~hnfi dwell~th in you, and you are led by the Spirit of God, an~ can call htm. Farber 10 Truth and Righteoufnefs, and the Word of qod tn the Heart IS your Teacher, and not the Traditions of Men ; For fo the Romans of old T ime were. inftruaed. 0 confider, if you· are true Succ~ffors, you muft follow them .m. the fame Nature, Spirh and Life; Form that only fiandeth the Cbrifltan Succcffion, to wit, in Chrifi: And ev_ery Br,mch, Pe!fon or Church, thJt abideth not in this great Vini, is r~JeEl:e~ for t~e Ftre. Therefore deceive not your felves, as the Jews of old ~td, With crymg, Tbc Temple of the Lord, The Temple of the Lord; and fay .. Ing, TVe have Abraham to our Father, and to fiS belong the Fathers, Covenants, L~rv, P:ieflbood, .and Chair of Mofes : For as the Apoftle faid of old, ~o by It~ yo~; liu Ser~nnts )'O:J are, to tvhom you obey, 3nd He tbnt c?mmuteth St~ u of the Lev!!· So that Cbrifrs Succr..ffors, .lre they, tnat take up hts Crofs, follow htm, and that abide in his holy Doft:rine that keep his Commandments, and themfelves unfpotted from the Worlrl' And thofe that follo~ the Ltifl of the Eyt, the Lufi of the Flcjh, and Prid; of Life, ~re not of Chrifi, nor of the Father, but of the World; Subjefts t? the Pnncc of the Power of the Air, and Succefi'ors of Sod om, Gomorrab, Et[!c'' Ttre, Sidon, and P.erfecuting Jerufait:m; and not of the barmlefs fd :denying, holy, Suffenng Spoufe of Cbrifi ]tfllr, that is ruled in all T~mgs by her H~fband, her Head, her Lord. 0 fearch and try with the Lzg!Jt of Jefus, 1f you are not d.ege~erJted from Primitive Simplicity, and Puruy > For great are the. Abommauons of all Se8s, that flow like a Deluge th~o~ghout your Counrnes! Repent, and turn to the Ancient ifpojfolical Spmr and Life, that you may enrer into the Refl of God. . 0 you that ca_ll your felves Evllnt,elicks, or GPfpeUus, are you Evongtbcal? Are you lave~ from the Lufls and Flenfures, and dead Worfhips of the World by them1ghty Pou>er of God, which is !he Gofpt!, and led by an tS9 No.XVU. "'-"-"! |