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Show 5'78 Tbe Chrill:ian-Quaker and his VoL. I. z6·f3. Buufir, upon the Light, Life and Sfirit Revealed and \Vicn~ffcd in every ~ Particular Perfon, yer in that Genera Appearance there was a General Be~ Ch. XVIII. ne6r juftly to be attributed unto rhe B/(iod of tb.tt vay BoJy of Chrift which he offered up through the F.remal Spirit, to wir, that it did Propi- . tittte. For, however it might draw Stupendious Judgments upon the Heads of rhofe who were Authors of that Difmal Tragedy and Bloody Murder of the Son of God, and dyed Impen,itenr, yet doubtlefs it is rhus far turned to very great Account, in that it W:Js a mofl PrccioTJJ Offtri71 , in the Sight of the Lord, and drew God's Love the more eminently unro Mankind? at leaft fuch as fhould believe in his NJme, as hi~ Solemn Prayer to his Father at his leaving the World, gi\·en us by his beloved Difciple doth plainly witncfs. For how can it otherwife be, but that it fhould render God molt Propitioul to all fuch as believe in Chrift, rhe Light of the Wotld, whenir was bur placing of his only begotten Son's SufFerings uuly on their Accounr that.fhou~d ever believe and obey him. Yea doubdefs, greatly did tha~ Sacnfice mfiuence to fame fingular Tendernefs, and peculiar Reg:nd wnto all fuch who fhould believe in his Name, being thC laft and greareit of all his External Ails, ":'iz. The refifl~n_t ~nro Blood, or the Spiritual Good of rh~ World, thereby offering up his Life, upon the Crojs, through the Power of the Ererna~ Spi~it, rh11t RemiJ!ion.of Sm, God's Bounty to the World mighr be Preacht m bu Name, and m hts very Blood too, tU tbat, which was the mafi ratifying of alJ his Bodily SJifferings. And indeed, therefore might i~ feem meet to the Holy Ghoft, that Redemption, Propitiation and Remt}fion Rom. 3· 2~. fhould be declared, and held forth, in the Blood of Chrift umo all that Ephcf. 1·7· have right Faith therein, 3£ faich the Apofile to the Romans, Whom God barb fa forth to be a Propitiation tbr~ugb Faitb in ~is Blood: And to the Epbefi~ ns; ln wbom we .b~ve ~edempt10n t~rougb btt B(ood, tbe Forgiven¢ of . Sms, &c. becaufe It 1mphes a fir~? Behef, ~b111 Chr_if! fi!ttt come in the Flejb, and tha.t none could then have h1m as the1r Propmauon or Redemption, who wn~ftood the Acknow~edgment of, and Belief in his Vijible Appearance, whK.h Jobn tells us, iome denyed. 2. That he came in orderro the Remij}ion, ReJe111ption and Salv11tion of the World. 3· That his fo Dying was both an evident Token of his Love, and lhong Argument of Confirmatio' 1 of his Meffage and Work. 4· That it might the better c:nd rhc _Jew' Shadowy Services, by an Allufion ro rhe Way of their Temporary .:~nd Typical Sa~rifi.ees, as the .whole Epiftle. to t~e H(brtw~ Cheweth. 5· And that by bnngmg (through rh.e I;Ioly L1ght 10 every Particular) into the Acknowledgment of, and B;hef .m the Blood, which was ratifying of . that whole Appearance, ¥~~ m1ght be brou&ht unto the knowing Chrifi: afrer a mere Inward and Spmtual Manner, futtable ro Chrift's own Words • .Jt is r.he Spirit r.hat ~uich'!s.; and the f\po~le avers, that rbe Lord from H6a~ ven 1s that q_uuR.mRg SptrJt; by whtch Eternal Spirit he offered up himfelf witho~t S~ot: Nor can any ~eafonably fuppofe, that when Chrift fo fpoke to ~IS Dlfc1ples, explantttonly of what he had obfcurely and in PJ.ta~ l~ Eud to the Jews, that he meant not fomething man: hidden and D1vme than what they and the Jews faw; Yet that which hindrcd rhofe J~ws from the Knowledge or Benefit thereof, was their Stumbling at him, . Without a Confeffing of whom they could never come into the Beholding or Experiencing of his Dhine Life in them. To conclude, That Body was the Divine Life's; a Body bajltboJJ prepared nu; t~erefore all that was done by that Body, towards the Redemplion of Mankind, was Eminently the Divine Life's: Yet becaute often-times Aftions are denominated from, (II appropriated to the Inftrument as rhe next Caufe, though not the Efficient, or moft Eminent Caufe · therefore the Scripture. fpeaks forth (as. indeed is the Propriety of both the Hebrew and Gruk Tongues (Par?bobca1ly, Hyberbolically, Metaphorically) the Inward ~ubftance and H1dden Life of Things, by Things more f1xre.riour a(1d Qb,nous to the· Senfe, to the En~ ~hat. fuch Myfteries migbt be th.e better accommodated to vulgar Capacmes. Confider what I f!lY, .with th~ Quali- VoL.I. Tell:i.mony Stated and Vindicated. QJJalification, that ultimately and chiefly, not wholly and exclufively the Didne Life in rhar Body was th~ Redeemer: For the Sufferings of' that H9ly ~~dy of Jefus had an Enga~mg and Procuring Virtue in them, though the Dt\'lllC L1fe was th:J.t Fountam from whence originally it came. And as the Life declared and preached forth it felf through that Holy Body fo wh? d1d .then come to the Benefit proc~rad by the Divine Life, could ~niY do It through an Hearty Confeffion ro It, as appearing in that Body and thar from a Senfe, firfi begotten, by a Mcafure of the tltme in rhemf~lves Thi~ i.s t~e main ~mporr of thofe Places , whom God hath fer forrb to b; IJ Propllt~IJOn~ and tn whom rvc have Redemption tbrougb Faith in hH Bloor}. For who tS this He, whom God bath fent . forth, and in whom is Redemption? CeHainly the fame H~, that was before /fbrttbm, the Rock of the Fathers, that ~ryed, Lo, I come to do tby Will (0 GoJ) a Body ba/l thou prepared me: whtch wa~ Io_ng before. the Body was concei\•ed and born. But may fome fay, How IS It then h1s Blood? \Vhy, juft as rhe· Body is his Body. _ Thofe who had Faith in that Blood, believed his vifible Appear3nce, 1nafinuch as they acknowledged that gre:u: Se:1l and Ratification of ir to wir, the Shedd.ing oft he ~~o~d of his Body~ who came to fare the wdrtd, and who alooe lS the Propm.nwn, Redemption and Sahoation of all who bad and ha\'e Right Faith in that'> Appearance, and Me£fage fo Confirmed "' and t~erefore fo often exprcil by it, as including an his WlJOle Life and Suffenng~ befides. And this is my Reafon for it, that itwls impollible fot ;:~.~~Man .tn that Day, .to confefs to, and believe in the divine Light and L•fe, which appe~red m that P.repared. Body, but from the inward Difco· venesand Operarwns of the diVIne L1ght, with which Chrift the Word .. God, who took Fle(h, had enlightened him. · However, though the Apoltles migh~ then fo exprefs themfelYes, thereby t? affer.t and recommend unto the 'Faith of all, that eminent and bleffed Mamfeftatton, ~nd the great Love of Chrift therein, as the VHiration of the fleavenly L1fe, through that prepared Body, and the deep Su£Ferin~1 of both for the World, being true and fpiritual Witnelfes thereof. yet It was never intended, that any fhould barely reft there but prefs after the ~now~edge of Chrifl, by Fairh, in fo.mething farther, and beyond that Body, 1n wh1ch .he appeared, not excludmg our Belief, in that roo: They who knew Chnft after the Flefh, were to prcfs after fome more fpiritual DU.: CO\'ery of hi~ ~ an~ it was expedient that they who almoft doted upo.A his ou~ward Ma~1feftauon rho~ld be wea~ed from. it, to th~ End his more in· tenour, and indeed beneficial Revelation of hm1felf, might be witnefi'ed by the Soul. Faith in' his Blood was requifite, that they might confefs him whofe Body and.Blood it was, to be th.e Chri.ft, who is God over all, bl~ffed for ever; .whtc:h ~as the great Quelhon wah the Jews, wherher God wm trii! Jnumi{e{lcd m that E;ody.ofFie/h, f!Jbichlhqfaw? So that the Srre1S l1es ln_con(effing to the Dtvintry come tn t~e Fle!h, otherwife they would have tejeded not only the moit fignal Suffermg of the whole Manifeftation, but confequcnrly,, that it fel~. . '_fo conclude, ~c c9nfefs, be who rben appea~ red, was and IS the Propitiation, f!lc. And m htm was Redemption obtain,. ed., by all thofe who had fuch true Faith in his Blood: But !till ic is to be un~~rftood, that there muft be. a Wimeffing pf a Meafure of the fame Light, Span and Power, to appear for Redemption of rhe Soul from the POlludorl bf Sin, in each. particular. VIII. That Jujlifo:ation came by Faith in bis Blood is dear in a Senfe! ior by the Law could no F!efh be ju!tified ' That is, ;he Law beiog added bec,aufe of Tranfgreffion, d:rraihly th~ Traofg:effor could nor be jultified, mhtlfl .fvch, by that La~ which condemned him, for being flub. Which. p~rs· ?ne upon diilingui{h.ing het~xr Juftification, as it is fometimes taken ;tJt:::. for Remiffion, Pttrdon or Forgivcnr:fs of Sin pcl{lapon Repentance; and that Juftification, which implies an Acuptance wit!l, and :tn Accefs to God, Eeec2 as 579 J6]l. ~ Ch.XVlll. , Heb. t o. ~ ~ 7• |
