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Show ss~ ~ <;:hap.XIX. TheChrifiian-Quaker And bii VoL. f. poor ~uaktr, for only Believing, on pure ConviE\ion, thi~ one_ weighty Paf· fage, Tbat walt be True Light wbicb Enligbum aiJAimtkznd coming into tb: World. I bave fo throughly handled this Marter, in a late Bookt entituled, Tbt Spirit of Tnab Vindicnred, that I need the lefs to eolargc at this Time, to which 1 refer the Reader for Satisfa8ion. conteroing fame Objections raifcd againft the Place. Howev~r, I will briefly_ c.o!Jflde~ it here, ~nd th~t our be· lieving Chrift to be an Un1verfaland SuffiCICJlt L1ght, and thatL1gbt t& be Chrift, rn:~y ftand in the View of the World, upon fo good Foundation, as the Teftimony of that Divine and Well-beloved Apoftle, I !hall obferve tll;lt Two Things ate commonly urg'd againft. out Undetftanding of the fir!\ Nine Verfes of John, as they refpefl the Llght. 1 1 , . Some fay, that the Light here fpoken of, is not a Supernatural, and confequently no saving Light, but the Light of common Reafon: Others call it of Nature, decay'd by the Fall ; and what Convi8:ion ariferh thence, is only the imperfea Req1ains of that Natural Light, which thefe Men, who rhus fpcak, grant All have, as well before as after Chrifi's coming in the fle!h. '· Others fay, that this is indeed an Univerf.1l and Saving Light, but they rcfi:rain it to Cbrijl's l"ifible .Appearnnu, ~:tnd make the AjJ, to be :1ll thofe only that fhall believe; and the World to be the New Spiritual World ChrHt orne to create, by Sa\'ing Knowledge, which Believers came into. I will briefly anfwet both, and therein as wei! all Thofe who hold the former, as rhofe who maintain the latter. It is Jgteed by the Firjl Sort, that, in the Beginnin~ of this Chapter, Chri.ft's Eternal Divinity is declared by the l!Vangeiift, fmce fome of them tell us our of Eufehiut, that it was written on tbat very Occafion; one Cerintbut then ~enying any fuch Thing. John 1. 1. 2, The Word which was with God, tmd wat and it God: This God, the f3mt 3, s. 9• ferfon tells us in his firft Epiftle. is Light: Thtzt by Him aU Tbi11gt art made, among. the reft Mankind. He then tells us, That tbit Word b11d Life-, and from thence defcends to inform us, what the Word was wjth refpcfi to Man: In Hi11l, tbe HTord, wat Life, and the Life tb1 Light of' JUcn: And that, as fuch, He was that True li,gbt (and not John, who only came to bear Witnefs of that Ttue Light) tobitb lithtetb aU Mankind <Pming imrbt World. ..~. ' . That this Light is Divine, and no orherwife Natural, than as it is Cbrifl's Narure, or Natural to the Word, I {hall rhus prove. Man is here fuppofed to be before he was lighted, therefore whatever was proper and Natural to Man, as Man, he had before he w:~s e[\,lightned \ that is, be b11d a Reafonable Soul, indued with imeUigepr Facultiet, 1md tbat d.rbtd with a Body fitted with Jtnjible Ortans: The /a(ttr dijfer'd him fro!J Inanimate, t!Je former from Irralional Crenturet. But ftill the Light, with which this Soul is lighted, in reference to God, and "Things appertaining t.o it's Eternal Well·being, belongs not to Man, as Man: Surely then, thts Light mufi be ful?eradded, that is, over and above Man's Compofition, zs a rneer UnderflnndtngCreature; and confequently, it muft defcend hom above-, and in this Senfe be Supernatural. Tb11t the WoFd crcaud all Tbingr, oml. among them, made J11nn, And lighted Man witb a Supernatural Ligbt. That this Light was not only over and above Man's Nature, but i~ft of a Divine and Saving One, in it felf:; 1 prove from ic's being the L1,Ce'of ~be Word; For if the Life of the Wotd be the Light of Men, here lS no fuch Thing :~s defcending to an Effeel, to prove the Light Divine; as ~hat the Life fhould bring forrh a Lighr, and therefore this Light is Divin~ be<caufe the· Life of the Word, that produced it, is fo; I fay, without gomg ~Q an EfFeE\: for a Proof of the Light'li Dh•inity, I rhus undeniably prove ~t from tlie Life it felf; for thatvuy Divine Life is the Light : N,ot thJt ~t createrh a Light, or brings forth a Light as a Caufe doth an Effe8, but 15 that very Light it felf; fo that unlefs they will make that Life Nat~ra~, I mean as they do, CretJted, ,tho' very improperly1 (for a_ Divinel\~t,':J VoL. I. Teftlmony Stated and Y.ndicateJ. Nd~u:alto Chl'ijl) t~ey cannot conclude he Li h . . Life 11 fdf, to be a mur ]\.Tat ural Lighr .. / g t, wb1ch H t hat verj flmie Jf rhen rhe very Life of the Wotd betheL' ,Lt_l~ of rhe War~ be ~atural, the 'u ht of 1L~nofMen, then unlefs the DlVIOe and Infinite, as Jt becomes' the Life f h wmufi be S~per~atU:ral, <0 he. . O t e Otd (Whtch lS 0Pd) The Life of the Word being then the L' h fM a.nY Deicenr, and confequenrly Divine I h 1g t 0 en, and tha~ without ul_l our Oppofers have divided Savi~ 1:ve 'E· n.eed to prove 1t Savin~, brtefty fay, that it being a Meafure or t om IVI'!t· However, ler me of Excellency, fat tran!Cending Job (h he T/,uh f:rght, fo called by Way the E;'Jlighrner) and rhar h was th:ougo~ Job:c 11 ~ He prefen-ld,. who is :~:nd lafUy, thar to thofe who received h' h aU .auld beheve In him; True Light, He gave Power 10 become tb;Soas t e mv:rfa~ Enlighrner, or follow, thJt the Light is Saving. And. /'!.~God, ".wtll unanfwerably gumems and Te!timonies made a m ee .have With mulnphed Ar~ erfaliry and Sufficicn~y' of that Pl)~3~ froL· S~npture and S~ory, the Uni .. decayed, becaufe they are fo themfettne lg .r. Such theo that fay it is who being under S:til fancy the Sh ves, methu~s,. tefemblc thofe at Sea blinded by _the God ~f rhe World ~r~ move~. he Fault is in the Eye:' fh.ines u~profirably upon the Bli~d ~hr~~t hrn ~h.at BlefT'e~ Light, which D1fobedtence. Let them by unfe' 'd R g t eu own Bhndnefs got by will give Proof of it's Light. oaii~eeE ep,:tance he unfcaled, and the Sun ir felt~ that it fees nor. Son'te oonfefssJ%~;~r not t~ charge the Light, but Sufficiency thereof; yet refufe to be 1 d be ~nlJ~lrtQed, but deny the them firft obey ir, before the defi if:~ e :Y ft, lnd !ive· up to it. Let before they throw it fo far bel~w a th -fi~ and /ho.ve tnemfetves above it · 'tO blame the Light as impotent or im C1 rcan: ey may be then allowed l ive uncoudemned of ir and that E per. eft, w~en they outlive it, or can W~ll-Living: _'Tis v.ain ~0 undervalu~;~r~~~hi th 1\ us u•s Itt.fuffi~iency to omu red, and Sm commiued. c c argech tft:>th With DutJ Howe\'er, this ftands fure that the L"fi f h Men, and confequemly Divlne· and thel e} t.Ij !Word i! the Light of Men, and their fruidefs Oppofition. re WI eave thlf firft Sort 'Of To the Second Interpretation given d ft n· Text h:~s, I return rhus much. ' e ru"~11'.e of that Scope we fay th~ That becaufe the Light of Me h L'£. f . was ~od, by whom all Things w~r:~;~t~ .t eo rhe Word, which Word o.ned.m that Place controverted which ~ and that all Men are ~enti .... !ton m order ro have this Lighr' than J.reiuCpoferh no farther Q.ualifica..; 1nto this VVorld; I conclude that it .5 Jog orn (One of that All Men) Notion, ro afrert rhe Comm~ncement' 0~J: ?nly { ~oft fife, but injurious to he .ftom the Coming of Chrift in the Fle'ibg 0 t at 1ght to Men only. Befldes, fince this relates to the ll'bok Ma. . Adant, and ends with thelaftof Man's Ra ni whrch Word hegihs wit!f Expofition can be valid: For then ]obn 'id h cannb!e conceave how_ that !lead ofChrill's being befotc JJ!J,.ba., . Wou ave n he~ore Chrill, into be that Light hecaufe that T : hereas, tlrerefore lS John denyed Enlighrnet of Att .i!len yea of tj, l'g~.t, ~lfWay of Excellency, Was the Tr".r. Light, that is, tb; Fou~tain o/ :a L~~ e ii h"d. ther!fefore caU'd, Th~tr J(nve, but H~ deriVtl [rom ntmt. 'g t, rs l ll fel' from whom .All And to fay nothing at this Time of the ·r. bl n. ~ind muft labour under, anrecedenrl mt.era- e Et~ate. thofe of Man.; "oe .confirlered, that thefe firft Nin! Vto fl Chn~tshCommg m the Flclh, let to h1s Flefhly A e:tr f Cf es tn .10 n, relate not Jn the leaft' Original, and M!f.r J!11":zf;n ~om. whente thofe .Men would dare both his Proofs of His Divinity tha/'o" , ~uh are 3: conunued Series of rbe h.igheft Re cam!!, as when He did co:'e.migd r hs well know what He '!as before Other Naithcr is ir fai fi e · an t e One was an IntroduUton· to thd vinit)< and ) 'tl dtnj lit a:v ';,:hefe Men to A!lt.fOJ"i::e Chrifl out of His .Di .. , egory to prorJe u. 1£ they deny Meamn~t elk.; 58'3 167J. ~ John 1o .,.~ |
