Thus the beloved difciple teftifies very emphatically, in his first epiftle, where he gives us a relation of the apoftolical miffion: "This then is the message " which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness << at all. If we fay, we have fellowship with him, " and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the "truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the "light, we have fellowship one with another, and "the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from "all fin.""

Here is a brief ftating of the whole great cafe of falvation. (1.) What God is; LIGHT. (2.) Who they are that can have no fellowship with him; " fuch as walk in darkness, that is fin." (3) Who they are that have fellowship with him; "fuch as walk in "the light, as he is in the light." (4.) The reason, why, is given; because fuch as walk in the light, are therein fure to feel the virtue of Chrift's blood to cleanse them from all unrighteousness. Where obferve, that the light's leading us out of darkness (that is, unrighteoufnefs) is the fame with the Blood of "Jefus Christ, cleansing from all fin.". Sin and darknefs, and to be cleanfed from the one, and to be tranflated from the other, are in the text equivalent: otherwise a man might be delivered from darkness, and walk in the light, and not be cleanfed from fin, which is that darkness: a thing abfurd and impoffible. In fhort, they go together.

By this it is evident, that the light being walked in, doth directly lead to God, and fellowship with him, who is the saving light and health of all nations; and confequently, that the light leads to falvation; for that is falvation.

Many are the denominations that are given in scripture to one and the fame thing: Chrift is called, the Word, the Light, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the quickening Spirit, the faving Health, the Saviour; Em

manuel, a Rock, a Door, a Vine, a Shepherd, &c. A ftate of fin is fometimes called darknefs, death, difobedience, barrennefs, rebellion, ftiff-neckednefs, eating of four grapes; and wicked men, briars, thorns, thiftles, tares, dead trees, wolves, goats, &c. On the contrary, a state of converfion is fometimes expreffed by fuch words, as purged, refined, washed, cleansed, fanctified, juftified, led by the Spirit, baptized by one fpirit into one body, made circumcifion without hands; regenerated, redeemed, faved, bought with a price, &c. And perfons fo qualified, the children of God, children of light, children of the kingdom, heirs of glory, lambs, fheep, wheat, &c. And that by which they became or continued thus, light, fpirit, grace, word, fire, fword, hammer, power, feed, truth, way, life, blood, water, bread, unction that leadeth into all truth. All which, refpectively, is but one and the fame in nature, notwithstanding the great variety of epithets, or names given in fcripture. So fin, or a finful ftate, is variously denominated, from the divers operations and difcoveries of the nature of it in wicked men. The like may be faid of the feveral virtues in good and holy men, as of that one divine principle, which fo qualifies and preserves them. For as the primitive faints felt the operation of the one holy principle, fo they denominated it: to men in darkness they called it light; to fuch as believed and obeyed, it became a leader: and those who had witneffed their fins conquered, their lufts cut down, their hearts broken, and their fouls washed, redeemed, and daily nourished up in the truth, they called this divine principle a fword, a fire, an hammer, water, flesh, blood, and bread, and feed of life. In fhort, the fame heavenly principle became light, wisdom, power, counsel, redemption, fanctification, and eternal falvation unto those who believed in it. So that the variety of expreffions in the fcriptures, muft not be taken for fo many diftinct things in kind, no, nor fometimes in operation.

And indeed, notwithstanding the light fome would lodge in the bare fcriptures, exclufive of the Spirit, all the wife men of the world, met together, would be confounded to give a right account of the matter therein contained, if they were not living, experimental witneffes of the work of the Holy Spirit therein expreffed. For as he is not an evidence fufficient by laws human, that was not an eye or ear-witness, neither are they the right evidences for God and Christ, who have not been eye and ear-witneffes of the light, fpirit, grace, and word of God in their hearts; and I can with boldness affirm, they have no more title to the glorious promises declared in fcripture, than a man has to a large deed of gift, where he is not at all named or intended. It is time then for fuch to look about them, left the midnight-cry overtake them, and their lamp be found without oil: for I must needs tell them, in the beloved difciple's language, "He that "faith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is "in the darkness, even until now." And in my own language, that I take it to be their ftate, who fhew fo much envious difpleasure against an harmless fuffering people, that never yet offended, much less justly provoked them. But would they bring their thoughts, words and deeds to this light of JESUS, in their own confciences, and let true judgment pafs upon evil thoughts, words and deeds, and patiently undergo the heavenly chastisements thereof, for their disobedience to it, and vilifying of it, they would come to witness a converfion from darkness to light, and continuing to walk therein, as that holy way in which the ranfomed of the Lord always did, do, and fhall walk through all generations, and which leads to the enjoyment of eternal peace. And fuch is the excellency of Chrift, the true light of the foul, that as he was the first, fo fhall he be the laft; yea, when all outward performances, writings, and worships, and the whole world fhall be at an end, the use and excellency of this light will remain for ever, as faith John the Divine; “And "they fhall fee his face; and his name fhall be written

" in their foreheads; and there fhall be no night "there; and they need no candle, neither light of the "fun, for the Lord God giveth them light, and they "shall reign for ever and ever.. Amen.”

CHAP. V.

An objection against the light's antecedency to Chrift's coming. The light faving from Adam's day, through the holy patriarchs and prophets time, down to Chrift's, proved from scripture.

H

AVING then plainly fhewn from the fcripture, (1.) That the light is faving fince the time of Chrift; beginning with its first appearance in man, as manifefting of fin; (2.) Condemning of it; (3.) Redeeming those from fin that obey it; and that the fame principle which is called light, is the feed, grace, truth, word, fpirit, power, unction, water, way, life, flesh and blood mystical; and therefore not another being than that which all that own plain fcripture must confess doth fave; I call it the Light of falvation, or that leads to falvation.y'

But there remain yet feveral objections to be anfwered; which done, we fhall immediately proceed to give judgment upon the question, who, or what, this light is, with respect to all our adverfaries cavils.

Object. Though the univerfality of a faving light, from the fcriptures, fince Chrift's life, death, refur<rection and afcenfion, be proved and allowed; yet • the pinch of the controverfy will be this, Where was this light before? Had any this faving light, (they • bad a light) before the coming of Chrift in the • flesh? as they must, if your doctrine of the light be

'true.'

* Rev. xxii. 4, 5.

* Tit. ii. John xiv. 6. John i. 1, z, iii, 4. 9. 1 Cor. xv. 45, 47. & i. 24. 1 John ii. 27. and v. 6, , 8. John vi. 51, 52, 53.

To which I fhall give my answer, both from fcripture, history and reafon.

I.. The firft fcripture I fhall quote, is in the firft of Genefis: "So God created man in his own image; in "the image of God created he him.""

From whence I draw this argument, That if man was made in God's image, then, because God is light, Adam must neceffarily have had of the divine light in him, and have been the image of this light, fo long as he walked in it; because no man walks in the light, but he becomes the child of light. And as the apoftle Paul expreffeth it of fuch as were converted to that light they had once erred from, "Ye were darkness; "but now are ye light in the Lord." That is, through obedience to the light of the Lord Jefus, with which he hath lighted you, you are become Light in the • Lord, and lights in your generation.' For any man then to fay, Adam had not light, were to fuppofe his innocent ftate to be that of darknefs; and inftead of being God's image, who is, and ever was, and always will be, light, he would have been wholly ignorant of him, in whofe image he is faid to have been created.

II. This Mofes directed the children of Ifrael to, when he, in God's ftead, recommended, and earnestly preffed the keeping of the commandment and word in the heart, as we read in Deuteronomy. "For this "commandment which I command thee this day, is "not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not "in heaven, that thou shouldft fay, who fhall go up "for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh " unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that See, I have fet before thee this and death and evil."

"thou mayeft do it. day, life and good,

From whence I cannot but observe thefe three things:

* Gen. i. 27. a Deut. xxx, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.

1. That