OCR Text |
Show Tbe Rjfe al!lf Progrefs, ll1c. VoJJ I. (Hall ~nd what Pilate wanted to know, viz. Truth. Truth in the Ina:ttri Parts fo valuable in the Sight of God. . Th'e Light of Chril\ within, who ts the L1ght of the World, (and fo a Light to you, that tells you the Truth of Y,our Condmon~ leads all, ~hat rake Heed unto it, out of Darknefs unto God t ~arvtDD!H Li~bt • . For Light grows upon the Obedient: It is joumfor the Rtgbteo~H>, and tbttr Way u 4 jhining L·igbt, that jhines forth '!'ore and n:ore to the per{efl D11y; • • Wherefore, 0 Friends, Turn In, Turn m, 1 befe~ch you : n btu IS the Poifon There is the Antidote. There you want Chnit, ami Tbtre you muft find hi~ ; and, bletTed be God, Tbtre you may find him . . Seek . a~td JOII jhaH }i'Rd I t<'ftlfy for God . But then you mull feek artghr, with your fiJhole H;art, aS Men that feek fortheir Lives, yea, for their Eternal J..ives: Diligently, Humbly, Patiently, as thofe that can t~ ltc no Pleafure, Comfort, or Satisf.Iaion in any Thing elfe, u~l~fs you fin~ him w~<_>m your So_uls defire ro know and lO\•e above ttU. 0 It IS a Travail, a Spzrztual Travazl! Let tbe Carnal, Profane World, think and fay as it will. And throu_gh Th_n Path you rnuH walk to the City of God, that has Eternal Foundauons, 1f ever you will come there. Well! And what doesthis Bleffed Light do for ~ou 1 ~hy, 1. I~ fets, a11 your Sins in order before you : It dcte8:s the Spmt of this World 10 all it'a Baits and Allurements, and thews how Man came to fall f~om God, and the fallen Eftate he is in. 2. h begets a Scnfe and So~row,, 1~ fuch 3\.be .. }ieve in it, for this fearful Lapfe. You wilf then fee htm dtfttn8:.ly wh~m you have pierced, and all the Blows and Wou_Rds you ha~e gtven ~1m Dy your Difob~dience, and how you. have made htm to fer~eWJth your Stns; and you will Weep and Mourn for tt, and your Sorrow Will be a GodljSorrow. ~· Afrer this it will bring you ro the Holy_Watch, to take .Care thae you do fo no more and that the Enemy furpnze you not agatn. Then Thoughts, as well as Words and Works, will come to Judgment, which is the Way of Holinefs, in which the Redeemed of t~e. Lord do walk. Here you will come to love God above a,ll, and your l\e~gbbourr _tU your fdves. Nothing burrs, nothing harms, notha~g makes afrauL on t~1~ H~ly Moun• tain. Now _you come to be Chrift's mdeed: for you ar~ h,llm 1\ature. an_d ~it·it and not your own. And when you are thus Chnlts, then Chnft lS yo11rs,' and not before. And here Communion with the Father, and with the Son you will know, and the Effiea~y of the Blood o~ Cleanfing, even the Blood of Je[us Chri/l that bnmaculnre Lamb, wbtch fpeaks better Things than the Blood o( Abel; and which cleanfeth from all. Sin iheCo~ ... fciences of thofe rhat throUgh ,the living Faith come to befprm!Ued with lt from dead Works tof~rv~ the living God. To conclude, Behold the T~flimony ~n~ J?oOrin~ of the People call'd §uaR.~rs! Behold their ProOice and DiJC1plzne! And behold the bldfed ::AI.:tn and Men (at leaft tnany of them) that werefom ef God in this E~ceJ .. lent Work 4nd Service ! All which is more panicitlarly exprrjfeJ in rhe .Annal. s of that Man of God: Which I do heartily ruommend to my Readtrs mollferiom Ptrufnl·, and bifmh AlmighiJ God, that his Bl</fing' may ~;o along with both, to the C'Dnvmcem~n~ oj ~any, as Y,et Strange~s to thts Holy Difpenfation, and alfo to the EJi~atum of Gods Cb11~tb tn G~nel'a!· Who for his manifold and r~ptnted M~rcrts and B!~ffings to his Peuplt m tb'! Daycf his gr~ar Love. is worthy ever to have the Glory, Honwr, Tbankfg,.. ving and Renown~ and be it r~ndrtd and ofcribeJ, with Ftar and RevtrtRce, throUgh him in whom he is well pltaf~J, his beloved Son and. Lamb. our Light and Life, that firs with him upon the Throne, World Without End. AS~;; one rbat God hm lo11g fince mercifully favoured .w;t~ hU Fat.herly Viji~ ration, anti who wm not difobtdi~nr to the H~avtnly Jl)jion and U/1; to whom tbl' Way of Tr11th H mort Lovdy and Preciom than ever, and tbat lmofl1;ng rbt Beauty and Brne.fit of it nbov~ all TVorldly T~ttifJJrts, bat chof~n it for hU Cbi~Jtft Joy 1 and tftcr~fore rceDmmNtds ." to thy Love nnd Choice, btcauft he ~M with great Sinctrity and .Affelhon. . Thy Soul's Friend, W. PEl\N. V'O.&.. I. THE. A D v I c E 0 F William Penn to his C. HILDREN. Relating to tbek CIVIL and RELIGious CONDt.TCT. CHAP. I. My DEAR CHILDREN, §. '·NOTknowingh~w long it may pl~feGod to conrinue me amongft . you, I am w11lmg to embrace thts Op~rrunicy of leaving you my; Advu~ and C.unftl, with Refped to your Chrillian and Civil Capacity and I!uty In t~ls World: And I both befeech you and charge you, by 'the Rel~uon you h~ve to me, and the AfFe£t:ion I have always (hewn to you, and tndeed rece1v'd from you, that you lay np the fame in your Hearts as well as you.r Head.s, w.ith a wife a!ld r~ligious Care. ' §. 2. I ~tll begm wuh that whtch IS the Beginning of aU true Wifdom and Happ10efS, the Holy Fear of God. Cbildrtn, Fear God ; That is to fay, have an holy Awe upon your Minds to ~voi~ that which is Evil, and a ftrift Care to embrace and do that wh1ch .lS Goo~. The. M~afure and Standard of which Knowledge and Duty, IS the Ltght ·of Chnfi tn.,our Confciences, by which, as in John~. 20, 21. you may clearly f~e 1 your Deeds,. ay and your Words and T~ughts too, ar~ wrought In Go~ or not : (for they are the Deeds of rbe Mmd, ~nd for Which rou mull be JUdged) I fay, with this Divine Light of Chnfi: In your Con~ctences, you may bring your 'J'houghrs, Wurds, and '\Y'orks to Judgment m your felves, and have a right true Souna and uner~ nng Senfe of your Duty towards God and Man. And as you come to obey this b~etTed Light in it's holy Convitlio,ns, it will lead you out of ibe Worlds da~k and degenerate Ways and Works, and bring you unto Chriftis Way :tnd Llfe, and to he of the Number of his true felf~denying Followers to take_ up your Crofs for his Sake, that bore his for yours; and to becom~ the Children of the L1tht, putting it on, as your holy Armour; by which tf~ i'nai1fe:i:A~~~.t e fiery Darts of Sa tan's Temptations, and ov.ercomc §. 3· I would a little explain this Principle to you, It is call'd Li~ht John r. 9, c. 3· 19, :20, ~~.and c. 8. I2, Eph. ;. 8, 13, 14. 1 !je;. ;~ 5: ~ Ep. of John t. ;, 6, 7· R~v. 21. 23. becaufe it gives Mao a S1ght of h1sSm. AQd 'tis alfo ca1led the quickening Spirit; for fo he is called.; and. the ~rd from Heaven, as 1 Cor. t;. 4), 57, who it call'd and calls himfe(f the L1ghr of the World, Job• 8. 12, and why is he called the Spirid Betaufe be gives Man Spiritual Life. ·And John 16, 8. Chrill promifed to fend Chap. I. |