far reconciled: that is, he ceafeth to be angry, or at a distance from them, as when they went on in a state of disobedience to the light. Yet for ever we must affirm, that no man or woman can be made a child of God, but as the new birth, regeneration, and the divine and heavenly image comes to be witnessed, through the putting off the old man and his deeds, and being baptized, by the Holy Ghoft and fire, into the one holy body, of which Chrift, the immaculate Lamb of God, is Head and Lord. So that all those who apply to themselves, or others, the promises due to this state, unto that before mentioned, heal themfelves or others deceitfully; and God will judge for thofe things. So let all people confider with fobriety and moderation, if the things we affert are not most agreeable to the fcripture, and that light of truth which is in their own confciences, unto which we most of all defire to be made manifest.

IX. Nor is this all the good the coming and fufferings of that bleffed manhood brought unto the world: for having been enabled fo effectually to perform the will of God, living; and having fo patiently fuffered the will of wicked men, dying; therein freely offering up his most innocent life for the world; he certainly

obtained exceeding great and precious gifts;" which, as every man comes to believe in the light wherewith Chrift Jefus hath enlightened him, and to be led by it, he fhall affuredly feel a particular benefit to himself, accruing from that general one procured by Christ, who so laid down his life for the world.

In short, as we cannot but acknowledge him a Saviour in that very manifestation, or coming in that prepared body, who appeared fo extraordinarily to vifit the world with his marvellous light and truth, and to turn their minds from error and darkness, and who actually converted and reclaimed many, and endued his followers with his own heavenly light, life, and power, whereby to fupply his exterior abfence with a moft lively, piercing and effectual ministry, for the completing of the reft from generation to ge

neration;

neration; fo muft we needs attribute this, chiefly, to the divine light, life, and power, that through the manhood, of both Lord and servants, fhined forth and revealed itself to the falvation of the world.

Nor are we yet, as hath been often hinted (to speak ftrictly) to afcribe the particular falvation of every man's foul to the appearance of that fame light in nature, in either lord or fervant (albeit many were reached into their very hearts and confciences at that time, and great and mighty things were generally procured, and Chrift in that manifeftation became the Author of falvation unto many); but rather, as he is the light of men individually, he both then did, and now doth, appear in the hearts and confciences of men, unto the awakening of them, and turning their minds from the darkness of tradition, formality, and fin, which had, and doth, overcaft and darken the foul, unto that bleffed light in men, that thereby (as to them) fuffered, and doth yet fuffer, fo great and tedious an eclipfe: I fay, this is the efficient cause of falvation; and all other exterior vifitations, and ministries of affistance, though from the fame light, are, in refpect of the light in every single man or woman, but inftrumental and fecondary.

In this fenfe then, man is only a faviour inftrumentally; but Chrift, both with reference to his bodily appearance, and in the miniftry of his fervants, is the most excellent means, and the only efficient caufe, of falvation, as revealed and obeyed in the confciences of men. So that the queftion is not, Whether Quakers deny any benefit to redound by Chrift's bodily fufferings? but, Whether the profeffors allow and acknowledge the main of the work to the divine life and light?

In short, he was a general Saviour in that eminent appearance at Jerufalem, in which he did fo many great and good things for mankind; and he is an effectual Saviour to every particular perfon, as we find him in our hearts, an holy light, fhewing fin, reproving for it, nd converting from it, into the holy nature of

the

the light, Chrift Jefus, to be flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone.

Thus have I declared, according to my understanding, grounded upon my experience, and that illumination God has given me, in love and moderation, the very truth, weight and tendency of the outward coming of Chrift, and his deep fufferings by and for the world: and also the nature of his inward coming into the fouls of men, to expel the darkness that lodged there, and give unto them the "Light of life." In both which refpects I confefs him to be the Saviour of the world in general, and the Saviour of each man in particular; but that the benefit accruing to men from him as the general Saviour, is only known and received by fuch as witnefs him a particular Saviour; and this I will abide by: for "Christ in man becom"eth the hope of glory," and man's being "changed "into the fame image, from glory to glory, even as " by the Spirit of the Lord, " is the falvation and perfection of every true Chriftian.

CHAP. XIX.

That Chrift is the light, or the light is Chrift, proved from fcripture, and fo concluded; notwithstanding two objections, which are fully anfwered.

HAT which remains to complete our feriptural

Tdifcourfe of the divine light, is to pronounce it

that which our enemies defpife to call it, and do not a little undervalue both us and it, because we do; I mean Christ. Not that the manifeftation of light in every conscience is the intire Chrift, but that Chrift, the Word-God, is that "Light of righteousness, "which lighteth all men;" for which the fcripture is most express in that fo well-known (but little believed) paffage, delivered to us by the beloved difciple, who

2 Cor. iii. 18.

best

best knew what his Lord was, and stood in no need of any of their information how to denominate or rightly characterize him; although they and others implicitly accufe him of weakness, obfcurity, nay, error, if not blafphemy too; who make it all this (and if it were poffible more) in a poor Quaker, for only believing, on pure conviction, this one weighty paffage, "That was the true light, which enlightens all mankind "coming into the world."

I have fo thoroughly handled this matter, in a late book, intituled, "The Spirit of Truth Vindicated," that I need the lefs to enlarge at this time, to which I refer the reader for, fatisfaction, concerning fome objections raised againft the place. However, I will briefly confider it here; and that our believing Christ to be an univerfal and fufficient light, and that light to be Christ, may stand in the view of the world upon fo good a foundation as the teftimony of that divine and well-beloved apoftle, I fhall obferve that two things are commonly urged against our understanding of the first nine verfes of John, as they respect the light.

1. Some fay, That the light here spoken of is not a fupernatural, and confequently no faving light, but the light of common reason: others call it of nature, decayed by the fall; and what conviction arifeth thence, is only the imperfect remains of that natural light, which thefe men, who thus fpeak, grant all have, as well before, as after Chrift's coming in the flesh.

2. Others fay, That this is indeed an universal and faving light, but they restrain it to Chrift's vifible appearance; and make the all to be all those only that hall believe; and the world to be the new Spiritual world Chrift came to create, by faving knowledge, which believers come into.

I will briefly answer both, and therein as well all those who hold the former, as thofe who maintain the latter.

It is agreed by the first fort, that in the beginning of this chapter Chrift's eternal divinity is declared by the evangelift; fince fome of them tell us out of Eufebius, that it was written on that very occafion; one Cerinthus then denying any fuch thing.

"The Word which was with God, and was and is "God." This God, the fame perfon tells us in his first epistle," is light:" that " by him all things were "made;" among the reft, mankind. He then tells us, that "this Word had life;" and from thence defcends to inform us what the Word was with respect to man: "in Him," the Word, " was life, and the "life was the light of men:" and that, as fuch, He was "that true light (and not John, who only came to bear witness of that true light) which lighteth "all mankind coming into the world.""

That this light is divine, and no otherwife natural than as it is Chrift's nature, or natural to the world, I fhall thus 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 was enlightened; that is, He ⚫ had a reasonable soul, endued with intelligent faculties, and that cloathed with a body fitted with fenfible organs: the latter differed him from inanimate, the former from irrational creatures.' But ftill the light, with which this foul is lighted, in reference to God, and things appertaining to its eternal well-be-ing, belongs not to man, as man. Surely, then, this light must be fuperadded; that is, over and above man's compofition as a mere understanding creature; and confequently, it must defcend from above, and in this fenfe be fupernatural. Thus the Word created all things; and among them, made man, and lighted man with a fupernatural light.'

That this light was not only over and above man's nature, but is alfo of a divine and faving one in itself, prove from its being the LIFE of the WORD. For

I

d John i. 1, 2, 3, 5, 9.

if