is Christ the true Light according as they are Taught not understanding the Difference between Natural Light and Spiritual Light no more than their Teachers and so it passeth for a currant Doctrine amongst them though it be most Absurd and false and manifestly contrary to the Scriptures Do ye not know that there is a Conscience in every Man and Woman Conscience is a Natural Light and that it is a Light according to its Nature it hath so much Light as not onely to see and know Earthly things according to Reason and Humane Vnderstanding but also some things according to the Law of God Rom. 1. to see and to reprove for some gross evils and sins As Murder Theft Drunkenness Bestiality Deceitful dealings and such like things against the Light of Nature which also the Law of God forbids And this Light within every one does move unto some things that are Morally good and Honest Reproving and Troubling for the one and Excusing for the other But this Light can never lead to Christ without the Spirit of God and the Word of the Gospel which Reveals Christ fully Therefore give unto Caesar the things that are Caesars and unto God the things that are Gods Ascribe unto Conscience the things that belong to Conscience and unto Christ that which is his own Set not a Creature in the Throne of the Creator and by Worshipping an Idol forsake the Living and true God It is true Christ the true Light is really in Believers and in none else and a glorious Truth indeed a precious Priviledge of the Saints and peculiar People of God that Christ dwells in them and this is a great and Glorious Mystery made known unto the Saints onely Believers as we see Col. 1.16 17. Even the Mystery which hath been hid from Ages and from Generations but now is made manifest to his Saints ver 17. To whom God would make known what is the Riches of the Glory of this Mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in you the Hope of Glory Here is a glorious Mystery revealed to the Gentiles that they should now come in and be of the Church of Christ the poor Gentiles that never were call'd before that time the Gentiles who were formerly Excluded in all the Generations before those dayes they are now made fellow-heirs with the Believing Jews And this Rich and Glorious Priviledge is also revealed to them Christ dwelling in them by Faith by his Spirit and all his graces and operations communicating his Nature to them that they are as really partakers of the Image of the second Adam in righteousness and true holiness as they were of the Image of the first Adam in sin and darkness But what is this Priviledge to the wicked and unregenerate world that lye in sin and darkness what Communion hath light with darkness what fellowship hath Christ with Belial Will Christ Dwell in the Soul where the Devil Dwells and Reigns Nay verily If Christ come to dwell and abide in any Soul and be a light unto it he will surely cast out Sathan that Strong man Armed that keeps the house as Sathan does in all wicked men and Sathan shall Reign nor keep house no longer but Christ will remove him and come in his place and Reign and Rule and Dwell there and by his Presence and Dwelling in the Soul will give to such a believing Soul sure grounds of hope of Eternal Glory according to this word Christ in you the hope of Glory And seeing the Teachers among the Quakers The Scriptures are the Word of God do slight and undervalue the Scriptures and deny them to be the Word of God and to be a Rule for Christians in Faith and Practice and prefer their own Fansies and vain imaginations moved often by seducing Spirits before the written Word of God let us consider the tendency of this strong delusion The Apostle Paul writes to the Romans Chap. 15.4 Whatsoever things were written aforehand were written for our Learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope The Church of God was for a long time without the Scriptures God teaching his People immediately by his Spirit or by Angels mixed with some Providential dispensations but when he had gathered his Church and People out of Egypt he was graciously pleased to instruct them by a plain written Word to be a perfect standing Rule both for Faith and Practice And required upon divers sore Penalties on the one hand and Rewards and Promises on the other that they should observe them And those that were Godly amongst them took diligent heed thereunto and great delight therein How did the holy Prophet David a man after Gods own heart prize and value the written Word of God though he had but a small part of the Scriptures to what we now have as we see in all his Psalms more especially in the 119. Psal almost in every verse of that long Psalme he makes mention of the Law of God his Statutes Ordinances Judgments Precepts and Commandments how he loved them delighted in them meditated in them O how I love thy Law it is my meditation continually he aimed at the keeping and practice of them as at a mark and tells us it is the nature and property of all good men so to do Psal 1. The godly man meditates in the Law of God Day and night But now these Teachers and Leaders of the Quakers they express no love to the Scriptures but the quite contrary they Slight and Undervalue them and teach others to do so too and deny them to be a Christians Rule of Faith and Practice though spoken by Christ himself in his own Person a great part of them who is truly God as well as Man and the rest inspired by the Holy Ghost who also is God Yet these Unreasonable and Unthankful men deny them to be the Word of God though spoken by God himself We have much of the Scripture spoken by Christs own mouth and all was given by inspiration of God Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost and is not the Holy Ghost God How then are not the Scriptures the Word of God Are not these men infatuated that will not own these things When the believing Thessalonians had heard the Word of God spoken by Paul and received it effectually he thankes God for it for this cause thank we God without ceasing because when ye received the Word of God which ye heard of us ye received it not as the word of men but as it is in Truth the Word of God And when any one would draw us to hearken to any Private Spirit as of old they did and so now we are commanded by God not to hearken to them Isaiah 8.20 but we are directed to the Scriptures To the Law and to the Testimony if they speake not according to this Word it is because there is no light in them And Isa 8.9 Lo they
have rejected the word of the Lord and what wisdome is in them So then here we see plainly they that speak not and write not according to the Scriptures they have neither wisdome nor Light in them Consider this ye deluded People among the Quakers that give more heed to a dim natural light within darkned also by deluding spirits than to the Light of the Scriptures though the Sun of Righteousness shine Bright and Gloriously in them The Apostle John hath marked out such men for wicked men 1 John 4.6 We are of God he that knoweth God heareth us he that is not of God heareth not us hereby know we the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of Error What can be more plain hereby then it is Evident what sort of men these are in this Generation who will not hear the Prophets and Apostles speaking by the Spirit in the Scriptures he that will not hear Vs is not of God but on the contrary he that heareth us that is obeyeth us and is ruled and guided by that which we have spoken and written he is of God and is guided and taught by the Spirit of God which God hath also given to them that believe And farther This truth is also spoken by our blessed Lord and Savionr Christ himself even from his own mouth Joh. 8.47 when the Proud unbelieving Jewes such another proud self-conceited People as are now in our dayes would not receive his doctrine he tells them plainly what they are ver 47. he that is of God heareth Gods words ye therefore heard them not because ye are not of God Tremble and Quake at this Dreadful word ye seduced People of the Quakers who will not hear nor be guided by the Scriptures the written and declared word of God Ye are here pronounced by Christs own mouth his Prophets and Apostles that ye are not of God That is ye are not born of God ye are not born of the Spirit for that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit ye are not regenerate ye are not believers ye are no members of Christ ye are not taught of God nor led by his Spirit but by a false Spirit When Paul wrote to Timothy he commended him for that he had known the Scriptures from a child which were able to make him wise unto salvation 2 Tim. 3.15 And sayes that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness ver 17. That the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good workes But these men are so farr from being furnished to all good workes that they are reprobate to every good work they having cast-aside the Scriptures they can never be furnished any other way to any good Work Let us consider how great a favour it is from God that we have the Scriptures The Scriptures are Gods Love-letters to Mankind which are Gods Love-letters to Mankind indited by his own Spirit and written by his own servants to woo them and win them to accept of his own and only beloved Son in marriage that there may be a Contract and an everlasting Vnion between them and so they may become the Spouse of Christ the Lambs Wife And that although they have no Beauty nor Comeliness upon them yet that he will accept of them notwithstanding their Deformity if they will but but consent to the motion And Oh who would not consent to such a wonderfull condiscension in the Great and Holy God to such poor miserable creatures as we are blind and deaf deformed foul and filthy poor and needy wanting all things that might make us acceptable in his eyes But though it be so yet he hath promised that he will make us Comely and Beautiful and Rich with Ornaments and a Crown of Glory and no good thing shall be wanting to them that love him Therefore all these things considered let us have the Scriptures in high esteem and walk by them for we shall be judged by them at the last day But what a sad case are they in then who deny them as a Rule to walk by and disown them And if so great a curse shall be the portion of those who take away any part of the Scriptures as that God will take away their part out of the Book of Life and out of the holy City and from the things that are written therein Rev. 22. what shall we think will be the Portion and Punishment of those who take away all the Scripture at once and make it as a void thing and deny them to be a perfect Rule to Christians of Faith and Obedience and do instead thereof direct men to a blind guide that had need of a guide it self for that it sees nothing of the true way the truth and the life without the Scriptures Now because the spirit of God who indited the Scriptures Characters of false Prophets whereby they are known and spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets and Apostles and Christ himself also in his own person hath told us That false Prophets and Teachers should be in the later dayes and should seduce and deceive many And so subtle shall their carriage and their Doctrine be like their Teacher that they shall deceive if it were possible the very Elect And because also we know that these are the last times the last daies even these dayes wherein we live in which dayes these false Teachers foretold should come it is our duty therefore and it highly concerns every Christian to try the Spirits because even Now many false Prophets are in the world among us Let us consider and examine than who these false Prophets and Teachers are how they may be known What Marks and Characters there are set down in the Scriptures whereby these men may be known for the Spirit of God hath marked them out whereby they may be discerned from other men even whereby they may be known to be the very men foretold that should come in these last dayes Our Lord Christ hath bid us take heed of them Luk. 13.23 Behold saith he I have foretold you of these things Let us therefore consider some particulars as marks of these men First then that in the Epistle of Paul to Tim. 1 Tim. 4.1 Now the spirit speaketh expresly that in the later times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Devils 1. Some shall depart from the Faith 1. Departing from the Faith Now what kind of Faith is here meant it is not a true and justifying faith for that none can depart from but it is a Temporary Faith some shaddows and fancies resembling faith such a faith as our Lord Christ speakes of Mat. 10. They believed for a while but in time of Temptation fell away 2. They also cast off and departed from Historical Faith for they regard not what is written in the Scriptures either concerning Faith or Practice
left off to be a Parish Priest yea and after that hast left off from being a Teacher among the Independents and hast disowned and forsaken the Congregations and Assemblies of the Independents and art now come and joyned with the People called Quakers And thou tellest us That these are the onely Holy People of God upon Earth and that all other Churches Assemblies and Congregations Naming the Presbyterians Independents Baptists and others are out of the way and that though they differ in Forms or Perswasions yet they agree in the same Faith Foundation and Root Answ For Answer hereunto briefly I shall not speak to Reproach thee or rail upon thee or any of thy way as thou hast done against many of the Precious Saints in the Churches of Christ saying of the Independents whose Assemblies thou hast forsaken That there was sufficient ground for thee to separate from the Tents of those ungodly Men Strong Man Armed p. 8. their Teachers who are no better than Filthy Dreamers Blind Guids and Belly-gods which belch out nothing but Lies Slanders Blasphemies and evil speeches against Christ his Ways Truths and People and this thou sayest thou seest and declarest against them in the Light I say I will not bring against thee Railing Accusations as thou dost against others but the Lord Rebuke thee and that Lying Spirit in thee and Convince thy Spirit of the Truth Concerning thy leaving off to continue a Parish Priest thou didst well but thou hadst done better if thou hadst never undertaken it for there are too many such Priests like the Priests of Old the Sons of Eli who by reason of their wickedness made the Sacrifices of the Lord to be Abhorred There are many in these Days of the same Tribe who make the Gospel of Christ his Ways Truths and People to be evil spoken of yea they make the Name of Christ to be Blasphemed and his People Reproached even through them and by their means And making others who are the true and Faithful Ministers and Ambassadors of Christ to be evil spoken of Reviled and Disowned for their sakes and because of them yea more They Occasion Separations in all parts of the Land Wo unto them for they have gone in the way of Cain and run greedily after the Error of Balaam for a Reward and get into the Priests Office that they may eat a piece of Bread that they may get a Living by it Many of them more sit for the Cart or the Plough than the Pulpit having neither Gifts of Nature nor of Grace fit for the Ministry Men that never learned Christ were never taught of God and how then can they Teach others Nay instead of Instructing others in the ways of Life and Salvation they by their wicked Examples draw them down to Hell they are the worst of Men upon Earth I have Indignation against such and am greatly grieved for the Misery of those poor Ignorant Souls of their Parishes who are like to perish for lack of Knowledge the Blind leading the Blind both will fall into the Ditch The Lord Remove them or Reform them and give Pastors after his own heart according to his Promise And for this I Commend thee James Jackson that thou didst leave off thy Profaneness and also deceiving the People as a Parish Priest But now take heed The Strong Hold of Hypocrisie is stronger than that of Profaneness lest thou art not yet deceived in the state and condition thou art now in lest the false spirit be not too subtill for thee lest Satan that strong Man Armed having quit one strong hold be not got into another that is stronger than the former for certain it is the Devil's power and policy in a way of Gross wickedness and profaneness is not half so strong a hold as the strong hold of Hypocrisie Where Reason Natural Conscience all outward Occurrences Moral Civilized Persons all can readily Reprove and help to draw a Man out of such an Estate but the strong hold of Hypocrisie and Erroneous perswasions and Practices in a way of Religion is more Dangerous and a stronger Hold where nothing but the spirit of God and an enlightned Vnderstanding to discern the Truth of the word of the Gospel can Instruct a Man especially when a Man hath passed through many or divers States Forms Opinions and perswasions and at last hath pitched upon one that he Judges and Concludes doth Exceed all the former if yet this be false and he know it not he is then in greater Danger than ever seeing his own Natural Reason and his Ignorant dim-sighted Conscience confirmed by the strong delusions of Satan that spirit that worketh and Ruleth in the Children of Disobedience do all concurre and joyn together and hold the poor soul in Bondage under Darkness which is by many taken for the true Light of Christ I say Take heed of being deceived in these things thou and thy Friends for I say the strong hold of the Devil in a way of Profaneness is not so strong as his strong hold in a way of Hypocrisie or false Worship this is Evident both by Scripture and Experience Christ told the Pharisees who were Zealous in a way of Hypocrisie That Publicans and Haâ—lots great and gross sinners in a way of Profaneness should enter into the Kingdom of Heaven before them Mat. 21.31 And that I may shew my true Love to your souls whether you will Accept it or no I will Endeavour to shew unto thee and them things in a clearer Light than yet shines in you Thou sayest the strong Man Armed the Devil is cast out of thee and Christ a stronger than he is come in and now keeps the House How is this made manifest Thy saying so does not prove it but thy Sayings and thy Doings prove the contrary and this I shall make good both by positive Scripture and by Example If any Man be in Christ The New Creature doth Evidence it self where it is he is a New Creature 2 Cor. 5.17 He that is Converted and changed from the state of Nature to the state of Grace out of whom Satan is cast and Christ come in he is New in his Vnderstanding Will Affections yea New in his whole Life and Conversation But now it appears plainly that thy Vnderstanding is still Old the same Ignorance Blindness Darkness remains upon it as is in all Natural Men and this is seen and manifest by thy false Interpretations of Scriptures and Secondly by thy false applications of them in Applying those Scriptures to the Saints true Believers Members of Christ as do belong only to the unregenerate World such as are yet in the state of Nature neither art thou changed in thy Will and Affections they are not yet New but according to the Old Nature in all unregenerate Persons as plainly appears in that thou shewest forth no true Love to the Lords precious People Members of the Body of Christ but contrariwise disownest them and
Experience in their Measure as might be made evident in particulars It would as it does in all true Believers purifie the Heart and work by Love to God to his People to his Word and Ordinances to all the things that are of God But fine Words and Professions will not prove or evidence true Faith This Author does plainly manifest to a Spiritual Eye that that which he calls Faith in himself and in such as are like him is but presumption wrought by the great Deceiver the seducing spirit in weak Ignorant Proud Hearts and Minds for it hath not purified their Hearts neither doth it work by Love but on the contrary their Hearts are yet Dark Blind Ignorant of God of themselves of the Truths of God of the People of God they know not the Difference between Nature and Grace They call Natural Conscience and Reason which is in every Man and Woman by Nature God Christ his Spirit the true Light which will Save and Justisie whosoever hearkens to it and believes in it I say Faith hath not Purified their Hearts from this Blindness and Ignorance nor from Pride Self-love and many other Corruptions Manifest and Evident in and amongst them as any gross sins or Abominations are in the Profanest Persons in the World Neither does this Faith of theirs which they boast of work by Love Love to God Love to all his People to the Law and Word of God as it did in David O how I love thy Law it is my Meditation continually Psal 119. but they Love not the Scriptures neither are they led by the spirit speaking in them but by a false spirit speaking in themselves contrary to the spirit in the Scriptures And as for their Love it is but a self-love it confines it self to their own party that say as they say and do even as they do that are one with them in the same things and in the Pride of their Hearts reject all others though the most eminent Saints upon the Earth How far then is this Faith of theirs which they boast of accounting it far better than all others from purifying their Heart perfectly as he there says that hath not yet purified it from these groâ—â— and apparent Corruptions and sins as Ignoranâ— Pride in a high Degree Self-love Hatred Despising Disowning Scandalizing and Separating from the Lords People of all perswasions though Select Congregations and Precious in the sight of the Lord and dear as the Apple of his Eye O the subtil strong seducing spirit is got into a strong Hold indeed and Fortified himself therein that can make them Speak and Declare these Lyes in Hypocrisie and these Doctrines of Devils as the Apostle calls them 2 Tim. 3.1 Thirdly This Author of the Strong Man Armed cast out goes on 3. The Quakers Knowledge and tells us what Knowledge the People the Quakers have attained unto above all others and saith it is Spiritual and Experimental from the immediate Vnction of the Holy Ghost and proceeds not from hear-say but Divine Revelation this is Life Eternal to know God which is Light yea the Father of Lights and that the Light within is the Son of God This is that Mystery that is hid from the Wise and Prudent and Revealed unto Babes They know him not but say it is the Devil or at best but the Light of Nature and so they know not whence it is and yet he hath enlightned Thousands and it was never known that the Devil or the Light of Nature Converted any to the Lord. For Answer hereunto Quakers put Light for Darkness and Darkness for Light I say it is a very dreadful thing for any Man to put Darkness for Light and Light for Darkness as this Man does a Dreadful Woe is Denounced against such Isa 5.20 Woe to them that call Evil Good and Good Evil that put Darkness for Light and Light for Darkness If therefore the Light in thee be Darkness how great is that Darkness Mat. 6.23 But the Light in Thee James Jackson is Darkness That is to say Thy Vnderstanding is Darkned and Blinded not onely by Corrupt Nature as all Unregenerate Men and Women are but Darkned also by the Prince of Darkness as is Manifest by all thy Writings that thou put'st Darkness for Light For the Minds of all natural Men are dark yea darkness it self they cannot see Spiritual things no more than a Blind Man can Distinguish Colours or than a Man that hath his sight in a dark Dungeon can Discern or Distinguish of Objects The Natural Man perceiveth not the things of God neither can he know them because they are Spiritually Discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 Such an understanding and knowledge hast thou and others of thy Principles and Ways Thou and they it seems have attained to this Knowledge which others though the most Wise of other Perswasions have not attained to That the Light within is the Son of God whom he hath sent and that this is in every Man and Woman and to know and abide in this Light is Life Eternal I am grieved for this thine and their Ignorance though thou callest it Knowledge Now if ye will Hearken to the true Light indeed he will drive away and dispell this Darkness and shine into the Heart and give the Light of the Knowledge of God in the Face of Jesus Christ Thou despisest the Knowledge of all others that comes by hear-say meaning the Scriptures as it plainly appears thine thou sayest is by Immediate Revelation But let me ask thee and them how comes any one to know Christ and to Believe in him but by the Scriptures How shall they Believe in him of whom they have not heard but by the Word of the Gospel Rom. 10 As for Immediate Revelations we are not to Believe any of them further than as they are Consonant and Agreeable to the Scriptures which the Holy Spirit of God hath already spoken else we may believe a Lye from a false Spirit Witness thy own Case with many others also who have listned to Immediate Revelations and prefer them before the Revelations of the Spirit of God in the Scriptures which undoubtedly will be your undoing except ye Repent and see your Error for in thus doing ye prefer the Devils Doctrine before the Doctrine of Christ Yea ye shut out the sayings of Christ and take in the sayings of Satan If we have no way to try the Spirits Three Spirits speak in Men. how shall we know what Spirit it is that speaketh in us for there are three distinct Spirits that speak in Men at certain times Sometimes the Spirit of God moves and works in Meâ— he dwells and abides in his People but not in his Enemies he sometimes Reproves wicked Men the World of sin Righteousness and Judgment Secondly There is the seducing spirit he also moves in the Minds of Men both in the Godly and Vngodly He moved David and prevailed with him to his hurt This spirit all are to Watch
win Christ Ver. 9. And he found in him not having mine own Righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ the Righteousness which is of God by Faith We can hear no such Doctrine as this amongst the Quakers nay the very contrary slighting the Person of Christ and the Righteousness of Christ Imputed to Believers who of God is made Righteousness to them And setting up their own Righteousness and the Perfection of it which may be made appear by their Books And yet they tell and so deceive their simple silly Hearers that they do Declare Christ unto them the Light within every Man and Woman that is God and Christ the Saviour of the World But will this serve their turn to put the Name Christ upon one of his Creatures Will Christ allow any to take away his Name and his Glory and cloath an Idol with it and then say they Declare and set forth Christ This is the way to divert and draw off the minds of poor Ignorant People from Christ as he is Revealed in the Gospel This is the great Fundamental Doctrine of the Devil The Devil 's Fundamental Doctrine The chief point of Doctrine that he Teacheth his Disciples That is to say To Deny Christ Eo disown him according as the Gospel hath Revealed him and then to set up something else in his stead Let them call it Christ if they will that 's no Matter to give it the Name so it be not Christ he knows it will deceive Ignorant Minds the sooner the more easily For thereby he knows they do but Mock Christ and disown him the more and also the more provoke him that Men should give his Name and Title to any thing and disown himself as these Men do They call the Light within Christ but deny Christ himself as the Gospel sets him forth Now this the Devil knows is enough to serve his turn and destroy them and therefore he still keeps the Eye of their Mind upon this and makes them look upon it through a Multiplying Glass and shuts the Eyes of their Mind against Christ as he is Revealed in the Scriptures The God of this wicked World hath Blinded the Minds of them that believe not lest the Light of the glorious Gospel of Christ should shine unto them And if the Gospel be hid from them it is hid to them that are lost We see in all their Declarings in all their Books and Pamphlets this is the Main and Chief point to Teach their Hearers to take heed to the Light within to the Witness of God within with variety of Expressions to that purpose But what do we hear in all their Books and Teachings concerning Christ that was Promised long before he came into the World of Christ that was born when the fulness of time was come of Christ that Lived amongst us and Preached and Taught amongst us the way of Salvation of Christ that Dyed for us and rose again and Ascended into Heaven that is now at the right Hand of God making Intercession for us of Christ that shall shortly come again in glory and yet in his Humane Nature to Judge the World in Righteousness This is the Christ that the Gospel Declares and that all true Believers know and own and Teach plainly and clearly without Equivocations and subtil Evasions as these false Teachers among the Quakers use to speak of him and whom all believers have Received by Faith who dwells in them and they in him But what do we hear of all this in the Teachings of these Men among the Quakers Nay on the contrary their Doctrines in their Books and Pamphlets that they frequently send forth do Directly Oppose these things And therefore we may safely conclude their Doctrine is the Doctrine of Devils for if all the Devils in Hell should combine together and joyn their Cursed Craft and Malice against Christ and the Souls of Men they could not bring forth a more Damning Doctrine than this is For to Deny Christ is to deny all What then shall we say to these Men or of them Surely Obstinate Quakers to be Rejected seeing these things are so That they have thus denyed the Lord that bought us and Preach up another Christ and maintain and uphold this their Idol in Opposition to Christ as the Gospel hath Declared him and slight and Despise the Scriptures we have grounds to conclude they are Men of Corrupt Minds of Seared Consciences Idolaters and Hereticks Now the Apostle by the Inspiration of God gives us a Rule 1 Tim. 3. Reject an Heretick after once or twice Admonished but these Men have been often Admonished Pleaded and Disputed with and they regard not Admonition they resist the Truth and the Spirit of Grace and Truth speaking in the Scriptures and in and by his People they will not hear they will not regard the Counsel of God But in their Ignorance and Pride they despise both God and Men and do prefer their own Idle and vain Fancies and Satans subtile false Insinuations before the Teachings of the Spirit of God If God should work a Miracle and raise up the Apostle Paul from the Dead to Declare against them and their Doctrines they would no more regard him nor his Teachings than they regard Tho. Hicks in his three Dialogues Between a Christian and a Quaker or than they regard any other Messenger of Christ who pleads with them and lays the very truths of God before them as it is Revealed by the Spirit in the Gospel We are assured of this from Luke 16.31 If they will not Hear Moses and the Prophets neither will they hear though one should rise from the Dead So if they will not hear Christ and his Apostles in the Gospel if they will not hear the Scriptures neither will they be perswaded to imbrace the Truth though one should be sent to them from the Dead Nay if Christ himself should come and speak to them in that mean state and condition that he was when he conversed among us here below these People would regard him no more than the hardned Jews did in their Day For they Reject and Deny him now his Doctrine and his Person in his Merits Righteousness Satisfaction c And so would do if he were Personally present So that my Judgment is Let them alone they be blind Leaders of the blind they talk of a Light within but the Light in them is Darkness and it is a great darkness a double darkness more than a single Natural darkness as is the state of all Mankind by Nature but also a darkness added to that even a darkness as a punishment or a Judgment a Judicial darkness Natural darkness is the sin of man but this darkness is the Judgment of God That because they regard not the Truth they will not receive it in the Love thereof therefore hath God given them up to strong delusions to believe lies That seeing they will not believe
the Truth they shall believe Lyes What Difference shall we think is there between these Men The Quakers sin is like the great sin of the hardened Jews the Teachers among the Quakers who have delivered these Damnable Doctrines afore-mentioned being the Doctrines of Devils and still maintain them What difference I say between them and those Jews who Blaspemed the Holy Ghost and ran into that sin unto death Those Jews Rejected Christ his sayings and Doctrine which he Taught among them and they told him that he had a Devil Christ tells them then after that he had often spoken unto them and Taught them and they would not hear him nor regard his sayings he then Declares unto them their dreadful state And surely the sin of these Men looks so like unto the sin of those Jews that I think it 's hard for any Man to distinguish them otherwise than by saying That the sin of these Teachers does Exceed the sin of those Jews The sin of these Men seems to be much Aggravated in that they have not onely heard all those Sayings and Doctrines of Christ which he Preached among the Jews but they have had the Truths of God Offered and tendred to them by others also the Apostles Evangelists and Disciples of Christ have spoken to them in the Scriptures which those Jews never had And also many of the Ministers Messengers and Ambassadors of Christ have spoken to them and tendred the very Truths of the Gospel to them yea many others of his Faithful Saints and Servants have from time to time spoken to them and Advised Counselled and Admonished them and yet all in vain they have Rejected all and despised all and have as Swine Trampled Pearls under their Feet and turned again and Rent those that brought them they have Reviled them and Reproached them for so doing so that to what purpose should any Man go about to Teach these Teachers who are not capable to Learn as being Blinded and Hardned and Sealed up as is feaâ—ed even to destruction having their Consciences seared with an hot Iron Men of Corrupt Minds Reprobate to every good work without Judgment unfit either to Teach or Learn For we know there have been many such in former days who were guilty of this great sin some such were contemporaries with the Prophet Isaiah Chap. 6.10 Make the Heart of this People fat and make their Ears heavy and shut their Eyes c So also many such were in the Time of our Lord and Saviour Mat. 13.15 This Peoples Heart is waxed gross and their Ears are dull of Hearing and their Eyes they have closed lest at any time they should See with their Eyes and Hear with their Ears and should Vnderstand with their Heart and should 〈◊〉 Converted and I should heal them In this Generation there are just such a People even those of whom we speak they shut their Ears and their Eyes and their Hearts against Christ and the Truths of the Gospel All the Advice and Councels of Men which are according to the Truth all are Rejected and Despised The Inspirations of the spirit of God are refused but the Inspirations of the spirit of Delusion are readily Received and Embraced My Judgment is therefore let them be Rejected as Hereticks having been so often Admonished as Men that are hardned to Destruction And for the Hearers among the Quakers Advice to the Hearers among the Quakers my Councel unto you is Separate your selves from the Congregations and Meetings of these ungodly Men lest ye be Consumed in all their sin Be as much afraid of them and of their Poysonous Doctrines as ye would be afraid to eat of a dish of Meat before you on the Table that had rank Poyson in it of which ye were told and fully assured of it Would ye eat of such a Dish I know ye would not Remember and consider Eternity it will be well or ill with you for ever according as ye Receive or Refuse the Truths of the Gospel now Beware of False Prophets which come to you in Sheeps clothing but inwardly they are Ravening Wolves if ye be the Sheep of Christ follow him and know his Voice in the Scriptures in your hearts and amongst his own People and follow not Strangers that bring strange false Doctrines about the Light within and in many other things which have been mentioned contrary to the Mind of Christ Revealed in the Scriptures These People the Quakers The Quakers great Idol near falling have forsaken the Fountain of Living Waters and have run to broken Cisterns And seeing they have forsaken the Living and true God the Glory of his People and set up an Idol a false Christ the Light in every Man and Woman that cometh into the World I shall therefore bring against this their false Doctrine several Arguments from Scripture to prove the Vanity and falshood of it as so many Pieces of Ordnance Planted against this great Idol which the Quakers have set up and Worship that so it may fall as Dagon before the Ark of the Lord. Whereas they say That Christ the true Light is in every Man and Woman that cometh into the World This is not a Truth because in whomsoever Christ is and dwells he does enlighten that Soul with true Light saving Light supernatural Light even by himself by his Spirit and by the Scriptures It 's true all wicked Men that come into the World have Lights of Christ's making he Created them which Enlighten all Mankind and that both Outwardly and Inwardly 1. They are Enlightned Outwardly by Lights that God hath Created and set in the Heavens the Sun and the Moon by which all are Enlightened 2. And then Secondly All Men and Women that come into the World are Enlightned with Inward Light also Reason and Natural Conscience So Christ the true Light Enlightneth all that come into the World which is all that is Intended and meant by that place John 1.9 But Christ himself is the true Light the Light of Lights who inlightneth his own People immediately by himself and by his Spirit which the wicked of the World are not Partakers of they have onely those common Lights afore-mentioned As is fully and plainly Proved by these Scripture Arguments Ten Propositions Proved by Scripture Those in whom Christ is and and dwells First Argument Prop. 1. he Inlightens them with spiritual Light But wicked Men and women are not Inlightned with spiritual Light therefore Christ is not in wicked Men and women For Proof of these Propositions both Major and Minor then the Conclusion drawn from them must needs be granted by all Rational Men See Eph. 5.8 Ye sometimes were Darkness but now are ye Light in the Lord walk as Children of Light And Paul was sent to turn Men from Darkness to Light Acts 26.18 And we see the Corinthians who sometimes were Darkness and afterwards Converted Paul says 2 Cor. 4.6 God who commanded the Light to shine out of
People fat and blind their Eyes that seeing they may see and not perceive Not that God put in any more blindness into Mens minds but withholds his Grace and denies his Spirit but permits the Evil Spirit the god of this unregenerate World to blind the Minds of them that believe not lest the Light of the Glorious Gospel of Christ should shine unto them And seeing that the Light of the Gospel does shine so Gloriously in this Day and ye Reject it and Despise it we have cause to be perswaded you have in you this double Darkness and Blindness notwithstanding all your Pleading for the Light within Ye know not what ye say nor whereof ye Affirm Thou and thy Friends as thou callest them do quite mistake that Scripture This Scripture John 1.9 grossely Mistaken whereupon ye ground your Opinion and Perswasion concerning the Light within John 1.9 This is the true Light that Lighteth every Man that cometh into the World Thou and they put a meaning and sence upon it though in other Scriptures brought against you ye disown all meanings yet here ye make use of a meaning but it is a false one For it is not said that Christ the true Light is in every one that cometh into the World but that he Lighteth every one that cometh into the World Take then the very words and the genuine sence is plainly this That Christ the true Light doth Light every one that cometh into the World and That in two Respects First by an Outward Light and Secondly by an Inward Light The Outward Light is by the Sun in the Firmament with the Moon and the Stars this Outward Light all Men and Women have that come into the World in all Nations Tongues and People Secondly Christ enlightneth them by an Inward light also by the Light of Reason Humane Vnderstanding and Natural Conscience by these Lights also he Lighteth every one that cometh into the World according to that Scripture aforementioned And so much and no more is intended by it as it concerns every one that cometh into the World He is called the Father of Lights having Created divers Lights of several kinds But now as it concerns Believers the peculiar People of God the true Light Jesus Christ enlightneth them with another Light besides the former which none but they onely are partakers of The other Lights are but Darkness to this Light yea the Scripture calls them Darkness in Comparison of this true Light Jesus Christ himself the Son of Righteousness when he arises upon the Soul he makes things manifest and clear which before were hid in Darkness 2 Cor. 4.6 God who Commanded the Light to shine out of Darkness hath shined in our Hearts to give the Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ But as for the Wicked and Vngodly all Vnbelievers which are the greatest part of the World they have not this Light in them as thou James Jackson and the Teachers among the Quakers do affirm and contend earnestly for But they are of the Number of those which the Holy Ghost saith by the Mouth of his Servant Paul in 2 Cor. 4.4 The god of this World hath blinded the Minds of them that believe not lest the Light of the Glorious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God should shine unto them Look well unto it that ye be not of the Number of these blind ones blinded by the Seducing Spirit which is got into your own blind Minds and which ye call and Blasphemously say is Christ the true Light in every Man And verily this is one sad Sign that ye are indeed of that very Number even because ye disown the Gospel of Christ the Scriptures of Truth spoken by Christ himself and by the Holy Ghost Saying and Affirming they are not the Rule to Christians in Faith and Obedience neither do ye submit to have your Spirits Tryed by them but trust to the Light within which is but Darkness as to Seeing and Discerning of Spiritual things For Spiritual things are Spiritually Discerned And know and consider this That if the Gospel of Christ be not Received and submitted unto but Neglected or Rejected then it is hid from such And in such a Case the Apostle Paul saith 2 Cor. 4.3 If our Gospel be hid it is hid from them that are lost whom Satan hath blinded lest it should shine unto them Thou The Quakers Doctrine is directly contrary to the Scriptures James Jackson and other Teaching Quakers teach that Christ the true Light is in every Man and Woman in the World But this is directly contrary to plain and positive Scripture For before Conversion and Regeneration all Men and Women are in Darkness and Darkness in them yea are Darkness it self in the Abstract Eph. 5.8 Ye sometimes were Darkness but now are ye Light in the Lord Walk as Children of Light And 1 John 2.8 Darkness is past and the true Light now shineth Heb. 10.32 After ye were Illuminated ye endured a great Fight of Afflictions Paul knew that all Men were in Darkness and Darkness in them And therefore his Preaching was to turn them from Darkness to Light and from the power of Satan the Prince of Darkness to the Living God Yea our Lord Christ himself the true Light saith John 1.46 I am come a Light into the World that whosoever believeth in me should not abide in Darkness plainly implying that before Men Believe they abide in Darkness And again he saith John 12.35 Yet a little while is the Light with you Walk while ye have the Light Now if Christ had been the Light still remaining in them in every one as the Quakers Teach Christ would not have used these words Yet a little while is the Light with you walk while they have the Light It 's like these Quakers would have Answered him boldly and Ignorantly enough We have the Light within us it is always in us and with us and abides in us and in all Men and Women in the World Go whither thou wilt for we have the Light within us still continually For certainly these Men would no more have owned him nor his Doctrine had they been contemporaries with him than they own him now in these Days And we know they have Denyed him both in his Person and in his Doctrlne as appears Manifestly in their Books and Writings besides Denying of him in Denying his Members It is Evident then That the Teaching Quakers do Deceive the Poor Ignorant Simple People their Hearers with this Doctrine about the light within and speak concerning it directly contrary to the Doctrine of the Scriptures And these poor simple People silly Women as the Apostle calls them 2 Tim. 3.6 finding and perceiving there is some Light within that Discerns some things to be good and moves unto it and on the contrary denies some evil things and will not consent to known Evils They do hereupon conclude that this