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Show s~s J67l· ~ Chap. IV. Eph.s. s. l'rov.6.23. Jehn s.n. The Chriftian-Quaker and his VoL I The Light then is not infufficient, though it does not tell. me aJ1at one Time, which may bel Duty to the Enr! of the World, efJ:CCla1ly In exrra~ ordinary Cafes, whilfi it inrorms me, or any Man, of Dally Duty. Yea,: the Light is fuffi.cient in Point of Difcovery, w'hilft ic fhews People much more than they do, and yet what they oug~r to perform. If fuch will fay1 and can prove that they are come to the Upfoot of the Light's Teo:chings, and that they' have learnt whatever it b poffible for the Light of Chrift to teach them, and yet are able to make appear, that there is fomething fur .. ther wanting, they will prove tbemfclves, not only aho\'e Men, bur God alfo who is the Fomttain of all Light, tbnt /(ttrcbnh the Heart, anil Trinh the Rei11J· of lUen by tbe Injhinings of bH manifefling Light! and which, tU obejd, lead 10 God, who ir the Fulneji of aU Light and Life. But indeed, this Light is the .savour of peath, the Wages of San, to a!l that ~ebel a .. gaiuft it, and the: Savour ofL1fe to thofe only, ~ho :ue ob.edJc:nt to 1t: For fuch {hJU not walk in Darknefs, but have the Ltght of Ltfe. To conclndt, if the Li~ht be a\lowed to manifeft all Things that are re .. proveahle, then by the JUit Reafon of Contraries, fhould ic be fufficienr co difcover all Things that are approveable, with refpeEt to Man's Faith, Sll· vation and Duty. If the Light tells us, it is Evil not to Believe in God, it follows, that to Believe in God, is according to ·the Conviltions of the Light Within. And if it repro\•es a Man for not being, it contequently teacheth him that he ought to be. If the Light condemns Theft, does it not necef.. f:nily infhuCl to Honefty? If it reproves me for d!Jing my own Will, it im· plies, I ought to do his Will to whom I owe all: And if it checks a Man for Sin, it infiruCleth him thereby to Holinefs, wisbout wbieh none jh.zllfee God. In fhorr, if it manifeft reprovC3ble Things to be fuch, at the fame Time it condemns them, and te:Icheth Things quite contrary : The Unfruir~ ful Works of Dlrknefs are judg'd by the Light, thJt the Holy Fruits of the Light may appeJr: Ye were Darkneft, but now are ye Light ilube Lord ; and The Rcprooft of InjlruOion are the Way of Life. He that comes out of the rep_roved Darkncfs, w:1lks in the "/proved Light; and who fo anfwets the Holy Reproof, untofueb ir Seale up tbe InJ!ruOion of the Wtty of Li[(. And this brings me to the third Property of the Light, with refpell: to Men, and that is, it doth not only manifeft and condemn Sin, and difcover and incline to Purity, but as adhered to (or rather thlt Prin~ ciple which is this Light) it is able, in Point of Power and Efficacy, tore· deem from Sin, and lead to a Srate of higheft.Felicity. I am the Lit,ht of the Tl'orld, (faid Jefus himfelf) be that foOowr me, jhaU not walk in Dark· nefs, but jhaU have the L ight of Life. In which it is very evident, That the fame Light, which manifc:fts Darknefs, redeems from it, and brings to a State of Life: That is to fJy, Thofe, who confidently believe in Chtift, as he tnlnifefi:s himfelf a Light in their Confciences, to condemn Sin in every MJn's Flefh (whom he hath therefore illuminated) and that obedient~ follow the Holy Requirings of it\ (relinquifhing the Pleafures of Sin, which laft but for a Seafon, and taking U\) the Dttily Crofs to their own Lulls .1nd Wills) fhall moft a£ruredly find th1s Divine Principl(, which, in Rc:fere1.1ce to the dark State of Men, and the Difcemin~ and Convil\ion it brings wnh it, iuightly denominated Light, to have aUo Power and Efficacy, ro fave from that which it manifefts and condemns Men for, and to bring rhem un· to that Glory, of which it gives a True Revelation and Hope. Forth~ fame Word of God, who is called the True Light thattnlightnetb all ilia~· kitrd, is n!fo rbe Life. Porctr, Wifdom, and Righreoufnefs of the Fatbtr, t.n uhom are hiJ ali the Tr(ajures of Wi(Jom, and unto whom aU Porur, botb .m Heaven and Eanh H commiued, w!Jo U Heir of alJ Things: Who alfo fa1~, when in the World, While yt have the Light, rbalk in the Light, (for thelt Day of Vifitation was almofi: ove:r} or, as fome Tranflations more truly have it) rVhile you 1urve a liulc Lght in you, believ·e in the Light, t f!at )'t may be t he Children of the Ligh1. Again, I am come a Light into the TVor(tl, t bat w1Jofoever b~lieveJ in me jhould not abide in Dllrknefs. So that .a Sm· cere Faith in, and Obedience to the Light of Chrift, ~~~ it fbines HI the Hea.rt, Teftimony Stated and Vipdicated. )29 Heart, whereby to give the: Living and Experimental Knowledge of th 6 Glory of God unto the Creature, IS the Way to be redeemed ftom Dark~ ~ nefs, and robe m~de a Chtld .of Light; or thJf thc:re IS Power and Vmue Chap.lV. ' fuffic1em m the Ltght of Chnft, to Ranfom the Souls of fuch a.s d1hgently adhere wIt, from under the Power of DarknefS. For as the True Know~ ledge of God IS Ltfe Eternal, (o rvbatev(r m.IJ be known of God u m Jejl(d wubrn; WhiCh Man.tfertar~on cannot well he wnhout this Li~h~: r~:.1,:?·. whofe pecuhar Property tt IS to ~tfcover, reveal, or mamfeft the Mind and ~ Will of God to M.1nkmd :; as faith the Apoftle, For wbmfoever. doth make 11/llnifefl u L1ght.' In H~m wm Life, an~ .tbnt Life wm th( Light of Alen: ~!~~~ .s· ,1 3· But not therefo1e t~e L1f~ .of Men Spmtually a(ld Unitedly confidered. 4 Thlt was rh~ pecu~1ar Pnv1ledge of thpfe only who believ'd in it a d walk'd accordtng to u. ' n There is a great DifFer~nce, tho'. not in the Principle, yet in .it's Appear~ " ance to Man, between L1fe and Light. Such ·as truly be1ie\•e in it the r :- ,~, lVo~d·God, as he appears to illuminate the Heart :1nd Confcienc:e, a~d o~ bey I!, do really co~c to know.and enjoy a New Nature, Spirit :1nd Life: A~d In. that Senfe It mar be faid, As rhe Life in the Word became the L1ght m Man, fa the L1ght by Obedience became the Life in Man He h 8 tbnt follows me jhali not wa~k in.Dar~neJs, but bave the Light of L{e,· (faid jo 0 .t2'~ Jefus). Nor,_ t~:lt they diff~r m Kind, only in Operation, with refpefho Man : For as It 1s the v~rf L1fe of the \\:'ord (in the Word) iris the Light of ~e.n; and fo much H .IS, let t.hem reJeft rhe Virtue of it, if they will : . But ~IS no more .than fo 1.n Man, un]efs received,.a~d believed by him, and then 1t ~c:gets Ltfe, Mouon, Heat, and every Dtvme Qualification in the Soul, fuaa.ble .to .the State of the New Birth. And thus the Life of the Word, wht~h I.s L1ghc co.mmon, ~ecom~s ~he Life of every fuch Particular, by com{Tl~mcaung to, .or mgeneraung Lafe lR the Soul; fo thlt 'tis no more he th~t ltves, but. Chnft (~he Word·God, whom he hath now put on, and ~h~i~~ become ht• very Ltfe, as well as Light) thJt liveth and dwelleth Let not Men then in their dark Im:Jginations, with their borrowed Know~ l:dge frotl) the: meet ~tter of rh.e Scriptures, contend againfl the Suffi~ ~1,ency of wh~t they obey not; neuher have rryed, and fo cannot judge of .n s Power, Vtrt~e, and E~cacy; which wot:ks out Salvation for as many as are turned to lt, and ab1de therein. And indeed, fo very expre~s are the Scriptures in Defence of the Suffici· ency, an_d Neceffity of the Ltg_ht to Salvation, that it feems to have been the great. Defign o~ our Lord. jefus Chrift, in delegating his Difci les ro preach Hts Everlaftmg Gofpel, viz. That they migbr open the Eyes of~eoplt' All 6 · and 111rn them from f!arknifs. to the -!--iglu, nn4 from tbe Power of Sat•; ' 2 ' •It unto God, t fJatthey mtght receiVe Remiffion of Sms, and 4n Inb(ritance .. mong tbem tbnt are SnnOt.fied through Faith rbilt H in Me. Who is this MEa., He that U b.otb tbe Light of tb( World, and the Power of God unto Salvati;"~ N~~ certamly the Eyes that were then blind, were not the Natural, but Sptnrual Eyes of Men, (and fuch mull Jlfo be the Darknefs and Light Jlfo) blinded b~ the God of this World, who Rules in the HeartS of the Chil-dren of D1fobed1ence: No Wonder then if the Light was not comprehended of rhe Darknefs, and that Blind People did not fee the Light: But it pbmly proves, That.Light there was, though not feen. Now the Work of the Pow,crfu~ Mimft!Y of the Apofiles was, To open this Blind or Dark Eye ofMan s Mtnd, whtch the God of the World harh blinded Jnd rhen to ru.rn .them from that .Darknefs to the Light: The Darknefs' or Evil was Wuhm, fo was the L1ght alfo; 1ince tbe IUuminarion was neceffary where the Darkne,fs was predominant: Confequently, the Way to be T~nfbred f~om Satan s Power unto Ged ; and to have Remiffion of Sins and an In he· ma~ce. with them lhat are San8:ified, is, to be turned ftom' the Dlrknefs, orSm m the Heart, un:o the Muvellous Light, that bad long fhined there p~~~~f~~~~d, to Wlt~ .tPe Goj}el, which is calJed' both the Light and y y y Th~ .. |
