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Show s6; 1671· ~ Chap. XII. 'lbt Chriftian-Quaker and hi6 l" VoL. I. C H A 1'. ·XII. That tl>< Heatbe~s b,,J a Sigbr of tbe Coming of ChiiR. Tbat and tbtir Re· fullng IO Swm, prove the su.fficiimcy hf rbe Light. OVER and above what I promifed, being rather wi11il~g tb err on th:a Hartd, If ytt it be errirtg ;_ I !hall brle!ly obferve tw<:> Things greatly importing oul Defence of the Ltght, and. the Satisfatbon cf our Ad Verfa-ri'es if it be tfue- that rhey feek to be fansfied . , 1: Th:n the Teftimony of.-Socrare.r and Ximkrates abour1' S1tt'i'1ring fuffiCiently prove t,; us! that·by the 1.ig~t they had they taw a State above Swearing, or a Rtghteo~fnels excelh~g t~lt of the legal ]wu, which manifeftly correfponds wnh wh:tt Chrtft fatd .; who, above Fou r Hundred Years after them, taught, as what prbperly became the Evangelkil Righreoufnefs, Sv:ear not at ttll. 2 • That though their Light -did not tell. them the exprefs Natnes Chlift !hould be called by, yet they fore·faw and prophefied of his Coming, and how he fhould come of a Virgin, and both what he was, and the Work he came to do, which the Names ~iven of the Holy Gbojl did plainly im· port. Neither is it the meer knowing of fo m~ny Letters, Syllables, or Words that gives ~he tru~ Knowledge, or Sal~uon, but t~e Experiencing him to be that whtch he IS, and wherefore he IS fo denommared: For to that End came He into the World. Chrift fignifies linoinrcd, eminemly wid~ Refpe8: to that peculiar Manifeftation. ]ej11s a Saviour, for he {hould fave his People from their Sins. Emmmtue!, which is to far, God with 111 &c. that in this Scnfe he was Propbuically held forrh by the Gen. tiler, through that Meafure of Light they .had : Hear Plato and Virgil. Jrlarcil. Ficinr~r, who writ the Life of Plt1to, th<ft Great Gentile, tells us among many other Thin~, .that, JJei!lg v~ry Juio'!fl! mild hy fome rb1t vijiud him tU rbe lufl Thing they bad a .Mmd to he utjonneJ aho11r, How long Men {hould anend to his Writings? Of wbicb be frem'd fo chary, Living and Dying in rbe Belief of what be ruommended to the Wcrld, He folemnly tJnjwer'd, 'TILL THAT MORE HoLY AND DIVINE PERSON SHALii APPEAR TO VISIT THE Wo-RLD, WHOM ALL Mi:N OUGHT TO FOLLOW. At once, both be.l,icving fuch an one to appear, ~nd then (or· bidding all to prefer that leifer Difcovery he had given the \Vorld, rhro' the ImprO\'ement of ~i~ Talent of Lighr, .befor~ tha.t gr.eater Manifefta· rion, which that D~vmc Perfon would b~1ng wuh hLm Into the World : As if h<>had faid, M1ne may help you wah Refpe£\ to that Knowledge which is yodr Duty in this Generation, and fo point at him that afterwards fhall come ; but I am not He, neither do I believe this the moft excellent Difcovery that can be made: But as the Le.ffu Light m.lf lead to the Greater, and is at laft fwallow'd up of it; fo can I only point at him and when he is come, all I have done muft Teild to him : For I de<clar~ that All' ought to follow him; . becaufe, in following of him, They will obtain F.ternal Ble!fcdnefs. · See Conft. Let us now fee what Virgil will add to this Matter, as uanflated in Eu· Or.n. in Euf. jebi11.r .• Virg. 'Bucol. Sicdidei MJJftt paulo majora 'ana11Uis. F.clog. 4· Ye Mufes, with a lofty Wing, Let us of higher Matters fmg. And what be they? Ultima Cum~i venit j11m CtrminH .ttt/1. Who Vo;.d. Who lives this Age, will clearly fee C11m-ta's Verfe accompJifh'd be. ' ' L:m.~ This Cunua (fo called of her tity) was a 5ybil, who·~li\'a ~bout 6co ctMpJNTif Yc:.~rs ~for; Chnft, and Propbejied of him. ,, .?!l.i,1t VIrg~lwm thefe Verfes about · Forty Years before Chrift was Born. 1 ·. 1101 ,f,!' 9ucry 1f rhe ]ewz themfelves ba~ fo pofitive a Senfe of rlte .llleffiah'~ c . , , · rl~ lAg. ·But to Proceed; ,, .om • .I _._q.~ ,.t Magnus _ab inttg.:o jec/orum nafcir.Kr Qn/o ': Jam red11 f:f Vug~, redeunt Saturi114 Rft1ia.\ Jam nova Progemu Ctelo demirrit11r llito. ·\ Th' ln~egrity of Times (hall now renew again;' A Virgm_ alfo !hall btillg bock Old Saturlls Reign. Now l5 from Heaven high Defcended a new Progeny, u ! .',· This is a Dire8. Prophecy of the Marvellous Conception, •rhat he fhould he Born of a Virgm, and the Good that would,rtdo1111d to the WClidd ·rhereby, as he farther addeth ; Tu modo nifcenri Puero, quo ftrrctJ pri11111111 Definer, oc toto f~trgu Gens A11rea Mundo Ca/la /4Ve Lucina- · ' Jfo~ Duce, Ji gua ma1unt fieleris vefliti• noflri lrnta perpetuJ foivem formitlint ternu. , The Birth of that moft happy Cbita, by whom The Iron Age !hall end, and Golden come Chait L#cina favou r- • He jhaU the Pow'r of Wi<htdntfz Dtjlroy, And Free tbt World [rom Fear and aU Annay: Yet :again: lpf~ laOe doJIIUm re/erNtt dijlenta Cape'!lte rfbera: nee magnos mUIIN!t armenttJ Le1mer. .\\I ',,,d"i lr .. •. ll: . t.1li:l4 ~~t.:r~~:~ ~:. ~;~ur: :21, 22, 2), 24, 2~ . lla.2. 2;3"l <fd.( ~~.~!"" 1,6. . The Goau !hall bring their Udders Mil~-}i1rd ITo~ And rh' gentle Flocks gr_e:n Lyons flialf not fhun. ' • _,J icai.u.6,7,~ ') 9. to,·!~ Yet farther : Ipf~ tibi blandos fundent cunab11la jloru, Ckculet et Serpent, f.!! faU.ax berba veneni Occider : Atryrium VM/go nifcet"Mr amomum! 'I Thy Grad I< fairefl F!ow'rz fball fend fotth frill, Which fhall have Pow'r, the Po1s'nom llerlu to kiD, The Serpent be jhaU to Dtjfl'tiEium brint, .A_{fjrian .AmomMm !hall each where fpring. Hinc ubi jam firmata virum te fecerit "tat. When thou fualt attain at length To Years of Manhood and firm Strength. .Ill r. .~ ' lJW • ,rr!!;) J II H l, ~::fN y-l J ' Now let an_y tell me, if this ~ not a moft PazberictJi Account of tfi~ ~ ~; Virt11e and Power of Chri/l, and the very End of his Coming intO the f:: 9~~6; 1; W1 o.rld, as, by· a Compari(on ef it with the Scriptutos in the Margin, wi6:l Chap .• r. q. P :unly appear. 2, ;, o;, 9t · |
