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A47156 The light of truth triumphing over darkness and ignorance, error and envy manifested in Robert Gordoun's late pretended testimony to the true Saviour : wherein every one whose eye is open may see his seat, and who have salt in themselves may favour his words, work and spirit and discern his deceitful dealing by smitting the innocent in secret, yet not with that subtilty which is able to cover in this day wherein light is manifesting the works of darkness : so, the Devil was here deficient but envy slays the foolish man : given forth in the 2 moneth 1670 / by George Keith, & G. White-head. Keith, George, 1639?-1716.; Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723.; Gordon, Robert, fl. 1669-1675. Testimony to the true Saviour. 1670 (1670) Wing K179; ESTC R2048 34,830 44

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all through him might believe and in believing might all aim unto eternall life and salvation R. G I have seen and considered thy book or paper entitled A T●stim●ny to the true Saviou● and I find somewhat in me from the Lord to answer thee in Love to thy soul and in a zeal for God and his truth and people whom the spirit that hath set thee on work to write this book hath laboured to vail and cloud that the light of the glory thereof might not shine forth but its work is in vain for the truth shineth forth in brightness over all that confusion mist and darkness by which it seeks to hinder it and indeed the youngest child of truth may see thy weakness and confusion herein and how thou figh test as one beating the air against that precious people and their testimony whom though thou doest not expressly design yet any who reads thy book and are acquainted with us and our principle wi●l see that thy book is levelled mostly against us and our principle its very design being to cast mire and durt upon us and to marre the visage and beauty of that precious truth the Universal light which is within but it is returned upon thee and this stone which thou rejects and seeks to perswade others to reject is set over thee and will be too b●rthensome for thee if in time thou repent not I finde not my self concerned to take a particular notice of all thy words so as to give a particular answer to them onely so far as thou manifests both thy own confusion and self contradiction on the one hand and thy opposition to the sound and wholesome words of truth together with thy disingenious stating and wresting of that pure do●ctrine affirmed and declared by us on the other In the second and third page thou writes of two snares wherewith some are intangled which are summed up in this to wit the dividing these two great Gospell Misteries and setting the one in opposite terms against the other contrary to the tenden●y of the Holy Scripture● and what these Snares are thou more particularly expresses pag. 5. But there are some upon the one hand so zealous for Christ thou says and what he did for u●●n his Crucified body without us that they n●glect in themselves and ●ppose in others the mistery of Christ within as a matter of no co●cernment at all to them c. and this thou reckons the first snare and indeed a snare i● is and that very dangerous and dreadfull but for all thy work to discover this snare to others thou art found intangled in it thy sel● and intangling others with thee as much as thou can ●s I may afterwards make appear The second snare thou mentions is that some on the other hand pretend so much zeal for this mistery Christ within the opperations a●d acting of the Spirit of God in themselves that they deny the mistery of God in the flesh of Christ as a matter of any necessity to them as to redemp●ion reconc●liation and justifica●●on c which charge thou plainly directs against us ca●led in d●rision Quakers as may appear by the import of thy discourse though th●u does not expre●ly name us to which I say it is a fa●se charge nor are we guilty of it as also thou false●y alleadges tha● we recko● to accomplish this in our own bodies each for himself throu●h obedience to the Law or Light in his Conscience which Light they call Christ Redeemer a●d onely Saviour without r●spect to the ●rue Christ and ou● onely Saviour Jesus Christ of Nazareth I say this is false for ●hough we say Reco●ciliation and justification and Redemption is wrought in us by Christ yet not without respect to Christ even as outwardly manifest born and crucified c. for our justification c hath a true and real and certain respect to Christ both as inwardly manife●●ed in us and also as manifested in that body of flesh which was crucified in 〈◊〉 c for we do believe that he took upon him the form of a servant ev●● in the outward and died even in the outward and offered up even his very flesh through the eternal Spirit in the outward as a sacrifice of a sweet smell and atonem●nt unto God in order to our justifica●ion and reconciliation with God so as thereby he prepared or made ready the way for our justification though our justification was not s●●ply and absolutely thereby wrought as if no more were to be done by him and his Spirit in us or as if his outward body flesh blood and life were the onely sacrifi●● and propitiation exc●uding the inward And now if I should stop here and proceed no furthe● I give a sufficient testimo●y ●gainst thy f●lse charge upon us yet I must say somewhat f●rther for the clearing this matter for whereas thou not onely affirms that Salvation and justification hath a necessary respect to Christ his taking on him the form of a Servant or man in the outward and ●umbling himself therein even to the outward death which we also grant God having so ordained it to be but also thou seems to affirm that the express knowledge and b●li●f of his taking on him the form of man and his ob●d●en●● and sufferings therein is of a●s●lute necessity unto all and every one for salvation so as none could be saved without that express knowledge though it was never revealed to them This I deny how canst thou prove this by Scripture for may not the benefit of Christ his taking on him the form of a man redound unto many who do not expresly know it they having a true light within them even as a diseased person may receive benefit of a cure applyed to him thou●h he has not an express knowledge of all the names and ways ●ow from first to last it hath been prepared and even as many have s●ffered hurt through the disobedience of the first man to wit Adam who have not known expresly that ever such a man was or the manner of his disobedience So why may not even many receive benefit through the obedience of Christ in the outward who have not known expresly his outward coming and sufferings otherwise Adams disobedience were more effectual for mans destruction then the obedience of Christ were for his Salvation As for what thou writes against those who pretend to the imputed righteousness of Christ c. but under all this retaining and indeed entertaining the Serpents nature in their souls c. as in pages 6 7 8 9 10 11 it toucheth not us for we have no such principle not beliefe and thou hast need to examine thy own heart lea●t thou be found in this snare thy self does thou retain or entertain nothing of the Serpents nature in thee yea art thou ●ot of such a belief that sin doth of necessity live in thy soul and thou cannot be freed so from it but that it must live in some measure
you by any light whatsoever p. 42. o The work of Redemption is already 〈◊〉 at once in the Crucified b●dy without us p. 21. 23. The Ope●●●ion of the Spirit of Christ within us 〈…〉 Redeem 〈◊〉 p. 23. Thus far R. G. hath shewn himself one while like a Quaker so called having gotten many of their words another while like a Presbyterian or Independant shewing his self-contradiction and instability And what may the Reader think of him but that he hath gathered and learned something from the Quakers or out of their Books though he was never of us However like a perverse Apostate he chiefly smites at them in his enmity chiefly to the injury of his own Soul and Conscience who for all his opposition cannot wholly forget and drive the Quakers principles out of his mind but is forced to confess to the truth of them to his own confusion and overthrow And it 's remarkable that the most of his Pamphlet is confu●ed But where he acts the part of a Quaker so called whom he further imitates in this wise viz. R. G. Christ's Death and Sufferings his Resurrection and Righteousness will not avail thee thou remaining in thy self wholly unchanged unsanctified by and through the operation of the Spirit of Christ within thee whereby they may become of use to thee Thou wast dead in Sins and Trespasses and remains so still thou wast a child of wrath as well as others and thou art so still c. And in his 35 page he goes on thus viz What will an Historical faith ●s of things altogether without avail thee while thou hast not the evidence within thy self by a lively faith of thy being redeemed through the Redemption that is in him A ●●attering hypocritical extolling of Christ in his Offices as King Priest and Prophet without thee while thou deniest him in the exercise of these Offices within thee by the Operation of his Spirit c. And this is thy own condition R. G. as appears by many passages in thy Book contrary to what here thou hast confessed as may plainly be seen in comparing thy contradictions before and who but one presumptious and impudent would have appeared thus publick as thou h●●t done to confute others and to undervalue and oppose the sufficiency of the Light Power and Operation of Christ within as to Redemption Salvation and Justification c. with such a heap of darkness and confusion as thou hast vented who yet otherwhiles art made to confess to the Operation of the Power and Spirit of Christ within whose Light is set over the head of all thy Darkness Deceipt and Enmity and over all such Backs●iders as are in the same spirit of Enmity and Opposition with thee such as R● Cobbet Elizabeth Atkins and Rob. Rich who is of a Ranting Principle to whom we may add Muggleton or his railing against us who have spread abroad their confused malitious P●mphlets with their lies and slanders against us wherein they do but gratifie malitious spirits Apostates and Ranters And seeing that Michael Stantcliff who came some years amongst us professing the Truth with us and owning the light within and to some yet doth formally seem as if he were a Quaker which appea●ance no doubt he hath found to make for his Interest yet is turned into so much dimness darkness and enmity again●● the People called Quakers as to opprove of this Rob. Go●don his Pamphlet ●iled A Testimony to the true Saviour as being an Ingenious clear Piece and that which we could never get through c. As also to help to convey or spread them abroad against those that Preach the true light that enlighten● every man that cometh into the world to be Christ c. R. G intending chiefly the people called Quakers against whom he hath insinuated divers forgeries and slanders Wherefore we say to thee M. Stantcliff be ashamed and repent of thy approving and countenancing such a bundle of Confusion against the truth and against an innocent People whom thou once own●d●t remember from whence thou art fallen and how thou persistest in enmity and prejudice against Truth and us least the Lord cut thee off and thou end thy days in trouble and anguish we have desired and sought thy good though thou hast rewarded us evil for good And now we wish thy Repentance and pray the Lord forgive thee that thou mayest not end thy days and perish in thy Perverseness and gain-saying Here follows a brief account of some places of Scripture sent to Robert Gordon by Gawin Longworth R. G. his Answer to them Ioh. 1. from 1. verse forward in the beginning was the Word 12. chap. ver 46 I am come a light into the world 15. chap. ver 5. I am the vine ye are the branches Rom. 8. 10. If Christ be in you c. 1. Cor. 1. 24. Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God 2. Cor. 13. 3● Seeing you seek experience of Christ speaking in me Tit●● 2. 14. Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity c. 1. Ioh. 5. 12. He that hath the Son hath life Chap. 4. v●r 4. Greater is h● that is in you then he that is in the world Robert Gordons Answer to these Scriptures viz. I Have considered the Scriptures thou mentioned and I find that in none of them it is testified who the true Christ our only Saviour is but what he is through the operations of his spirit in Believers called therefore the Anointing within or Christ within but these operations of his spirit within are no where in Scripture called the Lord's Christ our only Saviour And if thou own no other Mediator Christ or Saviour then what is described in these Scriptures thou mentions then necessarily thou disowns the Lord Iesus Christ of Nazareth a man approved of God c. Thus far R. G. telling us of the writings of that enlightned man Iacob Behm Observe Here the ●enour and tendency of R. G's Answer how Antichristian it is he appears here plainly as owning another Mediator Christ or Saviour then that Christ that said I am come a light into the world I am the vine c. and we ask was not he Jesus of Nazareth and of whom it is testified in Scripture Christ in you Christ the power and wisdom of God He that hath the Son hath life who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity c. But R. G. doth not own this Christ to be the Lord 's Christ or Jesus Christ of Nazareth but he must have some other Christ then this Christ that is described in those Scriptures before but dare he say that Iacob Behm owns his doctrine herein for this Christ who is the Word the Light the Christ in Believers the power and wisdom of God speaking in Sain●s R. G. deems but as operations of the Spirit and not Christ the Operator Saviour or Redeemer wherein he is greatly mistaken and has out-run himself
one without 〈◊〉 of the Virgi● Mary and another within formed within but it is one and the same Lord Iesus Christ who in the fulness of time took upon him the form of ● servant and was found in the true form of a Man born of the Virgin Mary who was also in the beginning with God and was the Gift of the Fathers love unto man from the begi●ning to be in them and unto them Light and Life to enlighten ●nd quicken them unto God But now let us a little weigh the weight of those arguments which thou 〈◊〉 against th●s Doctrine of the Light within being the Saviour and saving them who become joined a●d obedient thereunto First thou s●ys this Doctrine is of no less consequence then to establish agai● the Covenant of wor●● which speaketh thus do this and live thereby making void the Righteousness which is of Faith in Christ which speaketh on this wise believe and thou shalt be saved To which I say nay this Doctrine doth not est●blish the Covenant of the works of the Law mentioned by the Apostle by which no flesh can be justified no● doth it make void the Righteousness which is of Faith Chri●t for the Righteousness which is of Faith in Christ doth well consist 〈◊〉 stand with obedience to Christ the seed and with works which are wrought in the vertue and strength of him the seed formed within raised within living ●ithin ye● their consistence is so necessary that they cannot be divided for ●aith without works i● dead but thou art ignorant of the Nature of the New Covenant or Righteousness of faith as if it excluded works and doing and as if doing were prop●● only to the Old or first Covenant in order to justification which is false for both th● first and the second Covenant require●h doing and works but after a different manner the first Covenant putt●th man upon doing without giving unto him that grace and life which ●s sufficient to make his works acceptable unto God perfectly and ●hroughly which i● o●ly ●dministred in the incorr●ptible seed of ●ife in its arisings and springings up in the heart and so the first Covenant or Law comes before the seed be raised or brought forth and requires man to do such things in th● state ●ut man can giv● no prefect obedience to this law for it onely condemns him and g●ves him the knowledge of sin but gives him no spiritual life for the life is in the ne● Covenant and springeth up in the seed thereof and so the first Covenant or Law is called in Scripture the Carnal Commandment and it● seed and birth is Carnal o● accor●ing to the flesh which cannot give unto man to perform perfect obedience unto God for the Law makes nothi●g perfect but the bringing in of a better hope which is the power of an endless l●fe in the incorruptible immortal spiritual and heavenly seed not onely requireth p●rfection and perfect obedience but bringeth to it and giveth power to answer and perform it for the new Covena●t ●ath a se●d and birth that is not carnal and weak but spiritual and powerful and requireth obedience and works of and from men in this even in the virtue power and life of this spiritual seed and of this Ishmael and Isa●ck Esa● and Jacob were figures as the Apostle declares in the Epistles to the Galla●ians and Romans Ishmael and Esau sig●ifie the chi●dren of the ●lesh or fleshl● seed who are the child●en of the old or first Covenant who cannot attain unto the blessing of full and perfect justification and acceptance with God through all they can do but the ●lection attaineth it the elect seed and the children thereof who are born not of the flesh but of the ●pirit not of a fleshly seed but a sp●rit●●l not of the first Adam but of the second who are the children of Abraham according to the spirit of whom Is●●ck and Jacob were figures and though the new Covenant requireth faith or beli●ving yet it requireth not onely faith but works also in order to a full and perfect justification with God for Abraham was justified by works and not by ●aith only so Rachab so Phir●ha● and the Apostle saith R●m 8. 13. If ye thro●gh the spirit do mortif●e the the deeds of th● body yee shall liv● so th● new Covenant requireth both ●aith and works too believing and doing but believing is the first thing it requireth men not simply to do without respect to ●aith in Christ the seed but requireth each in their order as ●hat men should believe and do for its faith which draw● life from Christ and expresseth it in works which render them living and acc●ptable unto God otherwise they are dead so people must first believe and then to their faith they must adde vir●ue c. and this believi●g is a winni●g of the very heart and soul of man unto the Light and ●pirit and power of Christ within manifest in the ●eed through which strength is rece●ved to give perfect obedience to God Moreover that the new Covenant requireth doing is plain from D●ut 30. 14. But the word is very near unto thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart for to do it which word the Apo●tle Paul expounds to be the wo●d of Faith and ●ighteousnes● of Faith Rom. 10. 8 which ●e preached and that was the new Covenant I have been the more large in ope●i●g this matter because it will give occasion unto me to return a clear and full answer in very few words to all thy other ca●nal and unlearned objections and reasonings against the Truth in this particular as in that thou brings for a second Argument that Paul said b● the works of the L●w 〈…〉 c. And here thou adds by way of exposi●ion that is by our obedience to the Law either written in Tables of stone or to the Law or Light in the Conscience but this exposition has ●o ground from Scripture and it s but a figment of thy own invention of darkness for its clear by the works of the Law Paul understands the law of the first Covenant as the Jews imitation of the Letter are outward●y administred before the spiritual seed of Lif● be raised which hath in it the Law of the Spirit of Lif● in Christ Jesus for the justification is in the seed and these works only are j●stified which are done in the Life and vertue thereof nor is thy third objection of any more weight as wh●re the Apostle saith Had there been a Law given wh●ch co●ld hav● given life ve●ily right●ousn●ss should have been by the Law for it is manifest he understands the Law of the first Covenant which was the ministration of death and no● of Life but the Law of Christ or the Law of the spirit of Life in Christ Jesus giveth life and so justification is by this Law and yet fai●h is not made void nor the promise made of none effect 〈◊〉 the reward reckoned not of Grace
but of debt for this law is of Grace and of promise and the whole obedience giv●n to it is all of the free Grace of God in Christ Jesus and the same answer may serve to that other Scripture cited by thee ● man is ju●●●fied by ●aith without the deeds of the law and to him that worketh not c. Which excludes the deeds and works of the law of the first Covenant or the works of any law from justification which is not given forth and administred in the E●ect noble and royal and ●●mortal and incorruptible ●eed of life for before this seed be raised all are under transgre●●ion 〈…〉 further says Th●t the Apo●●le concludes them ign●rant of and not submi●●i●g to the r●ght●ousness of God who go about to establish th●ir own righteousn●ss by the works of the Law so say we also but the r●ghteousness which is in the elect seed and the works thereof are not that self righteousness but the righ●●ousness of God and is our righteousness as Christ is ours ev●n by the free grace gift of the Fat●er So having thus cut the 〈…〉 seeming strength thy carnal objections may have with weak people I shall not ne●d further to answer particularly thy other words hereab●ut seeing they contain no force of Arguments but are only thy bare assertions and positions which wanting a sufficient foundation fall of themselves Thou further alleadges page 15. That to affirm just●f●cation to b● in obed●ence to the Light 〈◊〉 is to make him who is indeed the good Samarita●e to be no better th●n the Priest and ●he Levite who looked upon the w●●●ded man and so passed by but hast thou not here gross●ly manifested thy weakness and shallowness does he not the part of ●he good Samarita●● in coming i●to our wounded souls in powring in the Wine and Oyl of his blessed spirit life and vertue to cleanse and 〈◊〉 them yea if he did not appear in us and justifie 〈◊〉 within work Redempt●●on ●nd Salva●●on from sin in our hearts he might ●e said rather to pass by us as the Priest and th● Levite But that both here and oft elsewhere thou insin●ates as if we had no respect to his outward coming and sufferings in order to justification is a ●●lfe and disi●genious alleadg●nce of thin● we dearly own and respect him in bot● the way● of his coming an● do not set the one in opposition to the other nor divide them for they are in Unity and work together according to the Eterna● pu●pos● of God for the full and per●ect deliverance and Sa●vation of Man and who receive him in his inward coming and become subj●ct to him receive the ●enefit of his ou●ward coming receive the ben●fit of his sufferings and death his suffering and death is thei●s and they who witness him to live in them may 〈◊〉 it is Christ who dyed who can cond●mn who have hi● Lif● in them have any interest in his death and his blood cleanseth them from all sin but who seeks to rely upon his outward coming and suffering● and deny and crucifi● his appearance of Light and Life in their heart● have no p●rt in him But thou altogether excludes his inward coming by his Life and Spirit in mens hearts from havi●g any share in mens Redemp●ion and Salvation whereas the Apostle speaks of being sav●d by his Life and mentions ● day of Redemption that was yet to come after his outward sufferings u●to which those who first believed in him were 〈◊〉 and though the Apo●●le says if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by 〈◊〉 death of his Son yet he adds much more shall we besaved by his Life and though thou use● thi● Scripture to prove that men are fully and perfectly reconciled with God sing●y and solely upon the account of what Christ did suffered without us in his cru●ified body excluding so much as any inward quallification wrought by him in u● ●et it is but an abuse of the place ●nd a wresting the word● beyond the true int●nt and sence of the spirit nor need I go any further then thy own confession to alleadg● a more safe way of understa●ding that Scripture as whe●e thou says page 13. Al●h●ugh in the day● of Isaiah Ch●ist was not 〈◊〉 come in our flesh y●t the prop●●● spe●ks ●f ●t as a 〈◊〉 al●eady done it being so i● the purpose of God and so why 〈…〉 said that 〈◊〉 speak● of being reconcil'd after this manner it being so in the purpose of God to reconcile them fully unto him not as they remain in enmity to him but turned from it and so become friends and love●s of him and we do willingly acknowledge the full and perfect Redemption was in Christ while we were enemies yet we did not receive it while we continued enemies but now since we believed and were turned to him in our hearts we have received it as said the Apostle by whom we have now received the attonement or reconciliation so mark the word 〈◊〉 we have now received the reconciliation now since we believed and were turned to him in our hearts but not before In the 17 page whereas thou accuses us With denying the true Christ and asserting another ye● thou art found in the same guiltiness thy self which we are free of for we believe and acknowledge him who was manifest in that body of flesh to be the true and only Christ and Saviour and yet we believe him also to be the only true Christ and Saviour as manifest ●n us for he is not two Christs but one though he has had two manners or ways of coming as without us and within us both useful and needful yea both concurring unto our full and perfect deliverance and sa●vation from sin and the consequences thereof in soul and body and we believe that his outward coming was not a bare and naked example but hath a real influence and service in its place in and upon all who are saved though all have not that express knowledge thereof yea will thou not confess that infants are saved by Christ who yet have not this express know●edge of him But that I may make it appear that thou denyes the true Christ I shall bring th● own words page 17. Where thou expressly denyes that this light which enlightens every man tha● comes into the world is Christ and what is this to deny Christ and to deny the Scriptures Testimony of him for said he himself I am the light of the World and said John of him he was the true light that enlightens every man that comes into the world that all through 〈…〉 believe and if all through him might believe which was Johns Testimony then all through him might be saved But thou wilt have this light not to be in Christ but some other light which remained in Ad●m after his transgression and before the promise of the M●ssiah and stands in every man as a witness for God whe●●by he shall be left without
the Christ to whom John came to bear witness and there is not another he is the word made slesh pag. 31 32. the word was not converted into flesh but remain'd the word still pag. 22. Observation This man preacheth up that in one place to be the Christ which in another place he preaches down or denies it to be For that Christ that Iohn came to bear witness to that was the word that became flesh and tabernacled in them was the true light that enlightens every man that comes into the world mentioned before Ioh. 1. But this R. G. Further shews his Self-confutation Enmity and Anti-christian spirit against the true Christ who is the light See here R. G. his Anti-christian doctrines against the universal light and power of God and his Son Io. 1. ch Viz. 1. That the spirit that publisheth that the light that enlighteneth every man that comes into the world is the true Christ is a snare carrying death in the bosom of it pag. 10. 2. That the light that enlightens every man that comes into the world is not he to wit Christ pag. 20. 3. That the worker of redemption could not be the light and power pag. 21. 4. That the bearer away of iniquity cannot be a meer spiritual Christ altogether light and power within pag. 22. 5. That the true Christ man's only Saviour and Redeemer and the light and salvation of the Gentiles prophesied of Esa. 49. 6. is not the light that enlightens every man that comes into the world pag. 26. 27. 6. That the unbelieving Iew who rejected Christ yet had a clearer sight of him then they have who assert that the light that enlighteneth every man that comes into the world is he and that such are wholly ignorant pag. 29. 7. That none of the Prophets ever witnessed the light that enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world to be the true Christ pag. 32 33. 8. That they deny the Lord that bought them who set the light that enlightens every man to be the true Christ and Saviour pag 40. 9. That such are miserably beguiled who preach up the light enlightening every man that comes into the world for the true Christ pag. 37. R. Gs. Contradictions to his Principles before cited He is Iesus Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever without beginning or end of dayes he is the word by which the world is made yea of the Son it is said thou Lord in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth and thus he is the wisdom and power of God pag. 23. This is the Christ to whom John came to bear witness and not another he is the word pag. 31 32. Redemption is see● by the light of the glorious Gospel shining in our hearts pag. 25. Old Simeon was a devout man obedient to the light in his conscience he waited for the consolation of Israel and it was revealed to him by the holy Ghost Luk. 2. 17. through it in himself he waited the appointed time c. Observation Christ said I am the light of the world Io. 8. 12. ch 12. 46. and ch 3. 19. and that was the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world Io. 1. 1. read on and that light which brings to see Redemption and revealed the consolation of Israel to wit salvation by Christ was his light within wherein Simeon and others of the holy men of God waited and this was a light of the glorious Gospel or power of God shining in the hearts c. R. Gs. Principle That the light in our consciences that shews good and evil is not given for righteousness nor able to reveal or give life any more then the law writte● in Tables of Stone p. 11. R. G's Contradiction Yet Old Simeon was obedient to the light in his conscience c. Redemption is seen by the light shining in our hearts c. as before Observation Then the light in the conscience is given for righteousness if to be obeyed for it manifests evil and leads out of darkness and sin where it is obeyed and every one that doth truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be manifest that they are wrought in God Io. 3. wherefore the light in the conscience is given for righteousness and the path of the Just is a shining light and the life that was the light of men is above and before the Letter or Law writen in tables of stone as to giving of life R. G. God said to Adam in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die it could not be revoked who could fulfil the requirings of Wrath and satisfie not Light and Power c. But he who trod the Wine Press of his Fathers wrath alone P. 19. 20. R. G's Contradiction The Chastisements of our Peace were upon him c. p. 21. Observation Mark here Wrath and Chast●sements are two differing things and differ in the execution as Chastisement is in love to Gods People who receive the Attonement but Wrath and Vengeance due to Rebellion and is to come upon them whom he will tread down in his anger and trample in his fury even in the Wine-press of his wrath as Isai. 63. Now it appears this R. G. takes this as Christs stopping or treading down the Fathers wrath as his words import wherein he is greatly mistaken for it is rather an executing of his wrath and revenge upon the wicked or Persecutors whom he will trample in his fury for the deliverance of his own Seed and ransomed ones And this Christ who is both the wisdom light and power of God can and will do by whose power also salvation for sin and death is witnessed in them that believes in the Divine Light and Power which is able to give us all things pertaining to life and godliness 2. Pet. 1. 3. R. G. Redemption is a Mystery which by the Principles of right reason cannot be discerned Contradiction But is seen by the light of the glorious Gospel shining in our hearts p. 25. Answer Right reason doth spring from the true light that shineth in the heart and the good that this light teacheth and sheweth is reasonable or consistent with right reason however this man seems to decrie right reason in some degree therein resembling Lod. Muggleton the false witness who saith Reason is the Devil But this R. G. again in Contradiction to himself seems to set up right reason to justifie his Principle as where he saith p. 2● concerning Mary that the light in her Conscience is not the Son called Jesus conceived in her Womb Surely that agreeth not to right reason ●aith he But surely if he denie the light of the Son of God to be in her Conscience because of his Conception or taking on him Flesh in the Virgins womb he might as well denie and oppose his Divinity for 〈◊〉 was not limited into that comp●ss as not to be in her Conscience nor was the Son of God and his
The Light of Truth Triumphing Over Darkness an●●gnorance Error and envy Manifested in Robert Gordouns late pretended testimony to the true Saviour Wherein every one whose eye is open may see his Seat And who have Salt in themselves may favour his words work and Spirit and discern his deceitful dealing by smitting the innocent in secret yet not with that subtilty which is able to cover in this day wherein Light is manifesting the works of darkness SO The Devil was here deficient BUT Envy siays the foolish man Given forth in the 2 Moneth 1670. By George Keith G. White-head Printed in the year 1670 R. G. Having had knowledge of thee from the beginning and acquantance with thee through many years and a love for the● ●nd regard to thee I found a readiness in 〈◊〉 to signifie My sense of thee and sorrow for thee in that spirit and mind which could d●light to do thee a service in Love But indeed thou appearest before me as one very uncapable in that spirit and state wherein thou stands of a return to the Lord or of a steady Conductor to thy bewildred minde the traversing of which without a guide hath centred it in a Whirle pool And in thy reelings thou art now resolved thou wilt fight neither with great no● small but with the King of Israel The Light of 〈◊〉 I have often wisht thee to come under its banner that it might have become thy covering then had not darkne●s covered thy understanding nor the Fogs of lirror so confounded thee but that thou might have seen thy way out of the mire and clay wherein thou art toyling thy self travelling in pain and bringing ●orth th● wind It did not a little astonish me upon a view of thy book to find thee whom I judged had attain'd a measure of reason setting up thy own shaddow in thy own immagination and then cudggelling it down again as though thou wert encountring an Army for where did 〈◊〉 the people called Quakers deny that body prepared of God to do his will in which suffered at Jerusalem by wicked hands which thou seems to take for granted and then labours like a man in a sweat and indeed thy labour is in the fire to prove its existence in that day of its service and its necessity as to mankind which by them was never denyed and I dare thee and all men upon the earth to prove they did or do I take notice of thy acknowledgement in the 4 pag. of thy book that the manifestation of God in the flesh of Christ was that their by way might be opened for the ministration of the other mistery 〈…〉 separating them and making the one subservient to the other and yet after runs against it ●n the whole scope of thy work which is m●nifest beyond all gain saying 〈…〉 qualification and a work to be wrought and that by a Spirit too ●ven as though the words had been expresly written to give thy words th● lyc I am really sorry for thee and my very 〈…〉 d●sir●d and doeth thy good and mark thy self that if possib●● thou might see the confusion ●hy enemy drives thee into fo● within ten lines after on the same page thou says seeing the travel of his soul rested well pl●ased that he might make it effectual within every man end yet before no work to be 〈◊〉 in any man by any light or spirit Oh Robert whether drives thou whether art thou driven I marke one thing more pag. 4. thou says He hath already subdued all made an ●nd of sin compleated the work of 〈◊〉 redem●tion dyed for Us and reconcil●d Us to God c. and as I was weighing it in my mind what or whom thou did intend by the words Our and Us That other part of thy book came before me pag. 13. where thou says he did bear Our sins in his body on the tro● Propitiation for the sins of the 〈◊〉 world past present and to come so then it appeared by the word Us thou intends the whole world Nevertheless to go round again thou pleads with a generation saying that their pleading a faith in his death and sufferings interest in the satisfaction and attonement made to God through his blood pag. 6 Will not shelter them from the wrath of the Father pag. 7. What I not shelter them and yet Christ a propitiation for their sins past present and to come what incongruous work is this which they that runs may read Several other pass●ges in thy book are observable and I do not charge thy intention with blasphemy but thy work unawares Vergeth near it for pag. 22. thou says of Christ who was never defiled having the iniquities of us all in h●s body c. how unsound are thy words and in pag. 24. thy words are Spiritual m●sticall ●l●goricall Christ light within us Spirit and po●er in the man Christ. And now does thou know what thou speakes to Catigorize a Spiritual and an Alegoricall Christ identically and so in effect mak● them both one Thou hast sometimes accused some for Alegorizing his body of flesh but now thou darest do it to his Spiri● I wish thou knew the weight of this and what tendency it hath to make void the faith converting its object into a Chimaera In the same page thou says if in every man this seed or Christ is not saved doeth it remain for ever under condemnation There is a supposition and a question from it of thy own forming and presently thou concludes it a doctrine of some others saying oh how contrary is this doctrine First it is gross confusion in thy self to call a supposition and question a doctrine and secondly it is a smitting in the dark by thy implying and raking for granted there is a people that hold it If thou meanest the people called Quakers a●cuse them openly if not then clear them of the many inconsequent implycations of thy book which many do and will understand to be against them until thou put off thy Viza●d But it is enough to me and I wish it may be serviceable to thee for good that some faith●ul friends of truth have in love to truth and to thee set thy work before thee as in a glass that happily thou may see thy self by their labour of Love which after followes else I might have found in my heart to have dealt with thy book throughout and I am satisfied in due time thy own words will become thy burden but still I wish it may be for thy good for I have a real Love to thee and regard for thee as I said at first A. Robeson Light set over Darkness In somewhat writ in answer unto a printed paper published by R. G. so far as it Concerns us the people called in deri●ion Quakers and our principle wherein he hath both difing enuously represented us and darkly and ignorantlly opposed our principle even Iesus Christ the true light w●h enlightning every man that comes into the world that