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Show The Rife and Progrefs VoL. I. condemns Sin in all it's Appearances, and thews how to overcome it, if mil)ded and obeyed in it's Holy Manifdt:uions and ConviEHons: Giving Power to fuch to avo!d and retlit rhofe Things that do nor ple::~fe God, and to grow il:rong in Lo\'e, Faith. and Good Works. That 10 Man, whom Sin harh made :Is a Wi!dernefs, over-run with Briars and Thorns, might become as rhe GtzrJcn of God, cuhiv:ned ~y his Divine Power, Jnd replenifh'd with the moft Virruous and Be:1Ut1ful Plants of God's own RitfJt Hand Planting, to his Eternal Praife. Bur rhefe Experimental Pre:1chers of Glad Tydings Q[ God's Truth and KingdoM, could not run when they Lift, or Pray or PreJch when they Pleafed, Bur at Chrijl their Redeemer prepared and maved them by IJir own Blelfed Spirit, for which they waited in their Services and Meetings, and Spoke aJtbar gave them Uuerance; and which was as thofe having Au rho· rity, and not like the Dreaming, Dr,y and Formal Pharifees. And fo it plainly appeared to the Serious-minded, whofe Spirirual Eye the Lord Jefus had in any Meafure opened : So that to one was given rhe Word of l!"xbortation, to another the Word of Reproof, to anorher the Word of Confo· /arion, :z.nd all by the fame Spirit, and in the good Order thereof: to the Convincing and Edifying of many. And truly they waxed Strong and Bold through Faithfulncfs; and by the Power and Spirit of the Lord Jefus became very Fruitful ; Thoufands, in a fhort Time, being turned to the Truth in the Inward Parrs, through their Teftimony, in JHinijlry and Sufferings: l nfomuch as in moft Counties, and many of the confiderable Towns of England, Meetings were fertied, and daily there were added fuch aS' fhould be favcd. For they were Diligent to Plnnt and to Water, and the Lord blelfed their Labours with an Exuding gre11t lncreafe; notwithftanding all the Oppofition made to their Bleffed Progrefs, by falfe Rumours, Cal11mnics and bitter PerfrCJttions l not only from the Powers of the Earth, but from every one that liired to injure and abufe them: So that they feemed indeed to be as poor Sbtep appointed to t!Je Slaugbttr, and'" II Peop_lc killed an the Day long. It were fitter for a Vol11me than a Preface, but {o much as to repeat the Contents of their cruel Sufferings from Profdfors as well as from Profane, and from Magif1rates as well as the Rt~bble: That it may be faid o( this Abufed and Defpifed People, they went forth Weeping and fowed in Tears, bearing Tefiimony to the PrecioM SuJ, even the Sud oft be Kingdom, which ftands not in Words; the Fineft, the Higheft that Man's Wit can ufe, but in pgwer: The Power of Chrift Jefus, to whom God the Father hath given nU Power in Heaven and in Earth, that he might rule A11gds above, and Men below. Who impow'red them, as their VI ork witneffe rh, by the many that were turned, through their Miniftry,from Darint:fs to tbe Light, and out of the Brottd into the Narrow Way of Life and Peace ; bringing People to a Weighty, Serious and God·like Converfation; the Prafliu of th:at Do8:rine which they taught. And as without this Secret Dil'ine Power there is no Quickening and Regenerating of dead Souls, fo the Want of this Gmerating and Begetting Power and Life, is the Caufe of the little Fruit' that the many Miniftries that h:n•e been and arc in the lVorld, bring forth. 0 that both Minifiers :md People were fenfible of this I My Soul is often troubled for them, and Sorrow and Mourning Compafs me about for their S:~kes. 0 that they were wife! 0 that they would confider, and lay to Heart the Things that truly aml fubftantially make for their Jailing Peace! Two Things are to be confidered, the Doctrine they taught, and the Exttmple they led among all People. I have already touch'd upon their F~~_ndamenral Principle, which is as the Corner Stone of their Fa brick: And 1n~ deed, to fpcak eminently and properly, their Charaflerijlick. or main difiinguilhing })oint or Principle, viz. the Ligbt of Cbrifl wi1bin, a• God"s Gift for Man's Salvation. This, I fa,y, is as the Root of the goodly Tree of Dolhines that grew and.. branched out from it, which I 'hall now men• tion in their Natural and Experimental Order. Fir!! VoL. It Of the 'People call'dQuakers. • Firft, Repentance from Dead 11',. k ' combrehends rhree Operations. Ficft.r J\ //hve f~ Living GoJ. Which an~ odly Sorrow for Sin. Thirdly An .d. '& J 0 m. Secondly, A Senfe Thts was rhe Repentance they prea'ch d den menr for the Time to come from the Principle they turned all Pe el an prelfed, and a Natural Reful~ and of Sigh~ came SenJe and$. cp e unto. For of Light came Sight. mendmem of Life. Which noa:rrow} R.nd of Senfe and Sorrow came ..d.~ t~~t i.s, Forgivenefi of the Sins tha~ca~t :~ntance leads .to y~~.}fifi(lltioll i_ prtlatlon, and the SanOiji(aJion or Plt P rjf~/hroMgh Chrijlthe 11lone ProNature and Habits of Sin Prefi rgatton °J r~~ So11!, from the defilit~ Which is Jufiification in the (071J ~nt; ~y the Sp111t of Chrift jn the Sou) J both Jufiification from the Guri e~f th nrg.of t~at Word: Comprehending nevci been committed through the L e 105 t at are p:dt, as if they had and the Creatures bei~& made inwardtvJe ftd Mercy of God in Cbrift Jefus. Oifying Power and Spirit of Chrift y u I Jh.rough the Cleanjing and san: rno~ly called Sanfli}i(ation. Bur thatevea e tn the Soul; which is comth~ tr Sacrifice that rejea him as their gn~~n comTe to know ChrHt to be bemg to fave his People from theN. i an 1 er. he End of his Coming Sin ;_and that therefore thofe tha/r=fift 3ht Dt'lb"'ent, as l!e.IJ as GuHc of Commg and Offering of none Effect to th s Ig t and Spmr, make his From hence fprang a Second Doari em. Mark of the Price of the Hi<b CttUin ;e they were !e~ to de~lare, as the from Sm, a~c~rding to the ScripturJ of T~~~~u.c cg!dhana.. VI~. Perfellio1t End of Cbsift a Coming and the N '! w. tch teftify 1t to be the his Spirit was and is _Bi~en viz to t/ej{ .f~ hts Ktngdom, and for which /ell, and Holy becauje God is itot "tr,e _as OMr .HeawR/y Father il PtrThat tht OJri}liant jhould be SanflJ;d ·A"d thiS the Apo!lles laboured for, But th~y never. h.eld a PerfeBion in Wifdo';~~~0{Jl 111 f!ody,. SoN_/ ani Spirit, ]llarura/ bt}irmuus, or De,ub as forne ha . h Pry tnkthJs .L1fe, or from gined_ and infinuated again1t :hem. ve, wu 3 wea or Ill Mind, ima~ Th1s they called a Redeemed State Re • Teac~iflg every where according to :hei;g;.ne~to!', or the ~ew-Binh; Wn~ ~ere :h?1n, dthere was ng inheriting rh:ib~~d:~t~frG:dthour this nifhm~nr~' as :~e~ h!v~0 a~Jc~nowledgment of l!Je1'11111 Reward~ and p11• they muft be the moP MJerab!e. ea;h"c,1 f~r 3b!{e, 0: all ieople, certainly exceediqg great Su&rers for their Prof~ffion . vde . Qrfo ears, have been t»o~Je than the worjl of Men; yea as the Jl}~r.' md o0me Cafe~, treated Tb.m~s. ' eJ 11J 1 an 'f!.J(o11rmg of all Thts was .the Purpoflt of their DoElrine and Miniftr . . moft Part, ti what other Profe.ffors of Ch ·a· . Y' Which, for the Words and Forms, .but not in the Power f G_ 13~ 11Y prete~d to hold in fpeaking, has been long loft b M , ? odlmefs; Which, generally of Life rhat is in Man and ~ic:Mde~artmg from rhatPrincipleaud Seed of ; and in and by which he can on! ~ as. no; reg~rde?, b~t loft the Senfe Living God.in Jo.'ewnefs of Life. ?or as ';~~t~ed }nrf1f.l':i1nd to ferve the the G~eralitf liv'd .and worfhipJ d God fi 1 e 0 • e Jgton ~as loft, and afrer rhe Wil of God, nor rhe ~d of ci:·a thh_r ~fi" od~J!Is, and nor :and Fruits of the Holy Spirit ~ fo that which ih w IC 0 In the Works but Experien(e; no Formality, hut Godlinifs. ey ~~ft, ~a~ nor.Notion, felves, through the Work of God's Ri hteo s J' as tng enudle. m them• line.fs no Man j!MY ever fa the Lo d g. h C u ftudgmeots, that rAifbQwt Jfu. Bcfides thefe General Do8:rin;s ' WH om ort. forrh feveral particular Doltrines, ;h~~ ~~d !~;~~/.:~ranc~es} t~~re fpra~g the Truth and Efficacy f h G l r 1JY an Jllrlrxr txplt~rn Lives and Examplf.S. As~ t e enera Doflrine before obftrv'd, in their ol~~~~~["p~nd [oving one _anoth6r. This is a noted Mark in the Mouth fl . .f op e co.ncerntn~ them. They CfiU 111ut They will btlp 11nJ u ont to tmorher, Whence it IS common to .hear_fom~ fay, Loo.f how tht 5 S 2 !(,_uakm, |
