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Show 524 J67l· i../v""-...J Chap. II. Chap. Ill. ~ 'I be Chrifrian-Quaker and hi4 C H A 'f.'· ll. , . fl. d . P4rcicularly wh.tll is meant hy Light. It H II T/J<P rSinectoipnled tQhpate ldhifocno verast< t 1'J·e St aI t J lllan and /<ads to BleJfednefs. "J ' T "·· tr n runs thus: What is that Light which lea<leth HE Seco~d "Jooe rg doth it lead to Salv:uion? 1 to Salvation, and, ow the Meta horical Ufe of the Word; as when Jly Light, I u~d0~andi ~0\, are tb/ Ligbtt of tbe World; or, as the A· Cbriit faid to h1s 1 clp e i.. bt in rbe Urd . nor yet the meer Spirit or potlle fpeaks, Now i" 'chri;l rhar Gloriou~ Sun of" Righttoufnefs, and Reafon of Man. j't h Inreheetual or Invifible World; reprefented, of Heavenly Lumma?e; 0 t e molt exaEUy by the Great Sun of this Senft .. all Outwarfid 1 RWeml~~nT~~t as his Natural Light arifeth upon All, and ble and Vttb e or ~ th Affairs of this Life. fo that Dtvme L1ght gives Light to1 All, da . ut L~ght to All that will re~eive the Manifefiations ari~es u~n Al , an on~~;: of the or her Life. Such a Light I mean by ofbtt,La. but b~b ~gbterbevery A!att that co"!etb into the World, and that T. at tg 1 w b ·r ro Eternal Salvanon. leadeth thofe that 0 ey \~rs John 1 4 9 In JbeTI'ord of God, war Lifr, andT thhea tS c(rvieprtuy) reLi~jaey sW nIUo the Li.•:. bt o'J~ '.Jlim'' t1Jat enligbtnetb every Man tbat comet!J into tbe World. 't the moft obvioufly that I can, to the lowefi Ca~ B.u! to 1d~~t\"e~i~~~c~ the Nature and Vinueof thia.Principle,. Lig~t,bby pacmcs, . h. h 's the How or the W'htch Way zt leaaet to th~ H~ly Eff~~s ?: /c:'nc~etf~r/ in order r~ expficare the ot~er, that. as thlfe Sa varzon. I 1 . , p, . :fi is the True Saviour by Hts Salvauon. ~~d,~Rtc~~o~::: {: 3s1pu·~~r~,;~f~~~~a~~~~tAU5 ~~i{'~i~1da~~i:~eDi~~;~;i~ an equmngs, u 'JJI· thi ~~l~tt~ei~h~;· the Properriet of this Light, prove it _Saving: I~ Sdbr tf which, I fit~ begin. wi~~~~~:{sftisS~f~e~o:'sab~s.JbJL~~~gtn~;~b~~' the1~c~i;. ~~~eci:J~:ty Pl=i~:~~~nhich is the great R~cord of Saving Truth, and of that Blelfed Tetlimony Chrift has left to hts Flotk. CHAP. III. VoL. I. Te!Hmony Stated «nd Pindicated. the Light moft needs have been, and be in all .Men, in order to fuch Mani- 1673. fcftation and Conviction, or Man could not have known Sin. ~ It is as much •• if the Apotlle h~d. faid, ' •· Sin is that which Damns all Chap. Ill. ' Men; now it could not Damn, if Jt were nor Jtcproveable, and it could .c ne\•er be Reproveable, if th~ Light di? not Mani.fefi: and Condemn it as ~;:;:.• th: ' Sacb. So that our Adverfanes affirmmg the L1ght nor to ~e Sufficieqt ro Difcern all Sin, is a flat Repugnancy, and a down-right giving of the Lie to the Apoftle. For, f:~ys the Apoille, .All Things that 11rc Reproved, are mademanifefl bl_the Light. Bur fay they, all Things that are reproved, are not made m:lRifeft by the Light. Sober Readert~dwell here a while, and after a litrle Paufe, tell me, Wbo deals molt unwonhily with the Jipoflle, and the Holy Scriptures of Tnab, They or the !lt~akers? Obj. But .it is Objell:ed, If there be that Light in ttfl JJ.Jen, how comes ir, that aU .A1en are not C011villed of tbeir Difobedienre and D11.ty, tU the He<!· thcns of Old, n"4 many Infidels nt tbis Dt'}? Did tbe Lig~t in Saul rt'prove him for Perftc~tttng rbe Ch~trch? I An{f11tr, That this Objeaion does no way impugn or Lelfen the Efficacy ot the Light, although it greatly aggrav.ne3 their Evil that fo Re· bell'd againft ir. But that there were Heorhens, who became a Law unto themfelves, through the Degree of Light they had, by whi<h thry did rb: 17Jii1!J conlttined in the Law, ttnd were prefeued [nr llffqre tbe Cir&lllll&i/i4n tbat kept not the'Lnw, the Apofile Pazt! himfelf, is very exprcfs in that known Paffage to the Romttns, Ch. 2. Nor are other Hifrories filent, but loud in their Acknowledgment of \'ery Divine Attainments, which, by this Light, U:vcral Famous Gnttiles arrived at; who, for their Belief of 01te tlernal Being, his Communication of Divine Light to Men, the Neceffity of Holy Living, and of an Immorrality, with their Stria Manners, are left with Honour upon Rec:ord by credible Writers, and their Praifes not a little augmented by Aft\:r·Ages, even of thofe called Chriftians tooo Such were, PytbagortU, Timttrii1 Solon, BitU, Chi/on, .AnaxagordJ, Socrates, Plato, Plotin, Anriflbenes. Xenocrates, Zeno, Antipater, Seneca, Epifle111I' ) PlJttarcb, MttrCIIJ Aurelitii .tlntonimn, and others. But what if Jews and Gentilrs at any Time did Apoftatize; and, patti· cularly, what if Saulperferuted the Church of God, purringDifobedience for Duty, Murder for Service, Will it fo11ow, that [he Light was infuffi.:. dent? By no Means, but rather that Saul was Rebellious, Sri:fF-necked, Refilling the Holy Ghoft, as did his Fathets, fo did he: And thus much· the Words themfelves !hew; for 'tis faid by the Text, He kich againjlrbr PricAs. Then it feems there were Pricks: And where were they, if not in his Confcience: And what ·were they, if not the ConviEUons of the Light of Chrift within him, which Manifefts Evil, and Reproves the Deeds thereof? Otherwiie called the Son of God, which to the Galatians, he faid. Gal. 11 1i. It btt4 pltaJed God to reveal to biJn: Though Paul knew him not, nor his Voice of :1 long Time, his Eye being darkened, and Ear ftopt by the God of this World, who had crept into the outward Forms of J{eligiqn, rheJ4.. as now, and therein employ'd many EmHT'aries to decry that Pure, Hea· venly and Invifible Life of Truth and Righteoufnefs, which was theo, 31;Jd is now begotten in the Hearts of many, not only to confound the Idola~ tries of the Gent'ilcs~ but to end the Formllity and Our.ward Services of {loth Jews and Carnal Chril!ians. And I affirm on God's Behalf, and with the ,Reafon of a Man, That it is moft abfurd for any to Charge the Rebellion of Men, to che Infufficien.:. cy of the Light: For -if Men are Wicked., is it not againft Knowledge? And if it be; where is ~he Fault ? Elfe, if Meb are fa, not becaufe they would not be becter; but betaufe they neirher fee nor .kao.-, nor4re abJ¢ to do better, how Heavy, how Hl:lck, and flow .Sbf~hemous a CharaCt~r doth the Coni"CQuence of fuch an Opinion fallen upon the Good ao4 Righteous God of Heaven and Earth; fincc It fuJ?pofcs hirn, not to ~:1\'e I GIYCll |