plain Proof to make it appear if they can which I know they are no more able to do than to hinder the Sun from shining nor the Wind from Blowing And therefore the Teachers amongst the People called Quakers exhort People to mind love and receive to believe and walk in this divine Light that will do that for them which no other can it will shew them their Thoughts discover their Conditions let them see they are Sinners and that they cannot save themselves And as they believe in this Light are truly sorry for their Sins and unfeignedly repent of them and come to walk in this Light they will have the Benefit of the Death and Sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ that dyed for our Sins and rose again for our Justification and experience his Blood to cleanse them from ALL Unrighteousness and may come to find Peace be fitted for God's Kingdom and know Salvation to their immortal and never-dying Souls But those that rebel against it do evil and hate it and will not receive nor believe in it nor bring their Deeds to it if they were as wise as Achitophel as learned as Gamaliel and could live to the Age of Methusalem they can never know true Peace nor enter into God's Kingdom But will be punished with everlasting Destruction from the Presence of the Lord and from the Glory of his Power 2 Thess 1.9 and will be turned into outter Darkness where the Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth is Mat. 8.12 Therefore let all have a care they do not hate it nor rebel against it nor continue in any thing that this Light manifests to them to be contrary to the Will of God but believe in it that they may receive Power to do that which it shews them they ought to do and become the Sons of God And if B. Bird will but diligently and reverently read the Gospel in the Common-Prayer which is to be read on Christmas-day he may find this Doctrine throughly proved and this Exhorration in the Commination viz. Let us while we have the Light believe in the Light and walk as the Children of the Light that we be not cast into utter Darkness where is Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth The next thing I observe is his quarrelling about the Scriptures concerning which he saith page 5. which was p. 9. of my former viz. That Christ's Light is to be preferred because it was before the Scriptures Answer Yes so it is and so doth B. Bird confess for he saith they were given us by Christ then Christ was before them and is worthy to be preferred above the Scriptures which B. B. saith were given us by Christ See p. 6. and will he prefer the Gift before the giver And in p. 6. he saith I charge those that take the Scriptures for their only Rule of Faith and Obedience as if they did set them above the Spirit and above Christ But he quotes no page of my Book However B. Bird saith This is a false Charge for they are given us by Christ Answer Then Christ was before the Scriptures as aforesaid and B. Bird grants it Where then is the Falsness of the Charge And why is he Angry if he prefers the Spirit of God for the first great or supreme Rule of his Children I 'll grant him that the Holy Scriptures that were wrote by Holy Men as they were moved by the Holy Spirit are the secondary and subordinate Rule What false Doctrine is there in this And in p. 6. B. B. saith Christ sends us to the Holy Scripture to search for him and not to the Light that is within and therefore we have reason to hearken to him and not to those that would draw us from them to something better in our own Hearts and Consciences which we should keep close to Answer The first part relating to what Christ said John 5.39,40 I grant that Christ's Words Search or ye search c. do not carry any Reproof in them for their Searching the Scriptures but for their not coming to him the true Light and thinking to have Eternal Life in the Scriptures For said he They are they that testifie of me and then blamed them that they would not come to him that they might have life so that he did principally desire they might come to him the true Light that shines in their Hearts and Consciences and which is something better than the Scriptures that testifie of him altho' B. Bird is not willing to hearken to them that would draw him to something better than the Scriptures O strange is this the Man that saith we should keep to John 5.39,40 and yet will not come to Christ which is something better than the Scriptures for altho' they he spoke to thought to have Eternal Life they were mistaken And if B. B. thinks so he is mistaken for he cannot have Eternal Life till he comes to Christ the true Light and believes and walks therein which is the some thing better than the Scriptures which B. B. saith he hath more Reason to hearken to And I heartily wish B. B. did so and that all People did practise and believe according to Holy Scriptures And in p. 7 he saith He i. e. John Feild finds Fault with many saying we cannot tell whether we have the Spirit of God in us but by the Scripture but can he or any one else tell how we shall know the Spirit of Truth to be in us but by the Scriptures of Truth Answer Yes by its own Evidence and Work in our Hearts because that is not wanting to do that in us which Christ who is the Truth promised it should see John 16 7-13 He did not say the Scriptures should convince of Sin c. but the Spirit of Truth which those that wrote Scriptures were moved by and by this Spirit and the Light thereof those that never see or hear the Scriptures may know Good and Evil see Rom. yea God and the Things of God as well as those did that were before the Scriptures were as Adam Enoch Abraham and Moses who my Antagonists grant to have had immediate Converse with God And sure that must be by the Spirit and as God and his Spirit changeth not so he can and doth by his Spirit let us know we are of God as Primitive Christians did and that the whole World lies in Wickedness In p. 6. he saith I asked what damnable Errors the Quakers hold And B. B. saith Let him read John Faldo's Book called Quakerism no Christianity and Thomas Danson's The Quaker's Folly and his Synopsis of Quakerism Answer Observe how he recommends me to our Adversaries Books for Proof would he have me refer him to those Books that Papists or Presbyterians have writ against the Church of England for proof that their Doctrines are Erroneous and Damnable This shews his Folly as well as Enmity and that he is not wise but otherwise in that he would have Judgment against us by false Accusations
Libeller and charges him with Blasphemy against the Light within which he saith is no other than the Light of Christ Jesus But this had need be well proved Answer I hope those that read my Answer will find in p. 5 6 7 8. I have proved by Scripture-Testimony That the Life in the Word by which all things were made is the true Light that lighteth every Man that cometh into the World or as it may be read the true Light that enligtneth every Man that cometh into the World And it was this Light within or the Light of Christ within that Jos Nott whom he quotes exhorted his Reader to mind or believe in And I hope he is excusable for this it being according to Christ's Doctrine and to what is said in the Common-Prayer for this Priest himself at the Celebration of the Communion is directed to say to the Communicants That we dwell in Christ and Christ in us we are one with Christ and Christ is one with us And if Christ be in us then the Light is in us for he is the Light of the World And this I shewed in my former But if B. Bird had not my Book by him when he wrote it and did it on Memory he might forget And in p. 2. he confesses I have not the Book by me at present but to the best of my remembrance c. But Benj. Bird saith this had need be well proved and adds 'T is not enough for Men to say 't is the Light of Christ But let me ask this learned Doctor If he hath obtained that Title what need I have to prove it when he hath not taken the Confidence here to deny it but quotes Luke 16.15 If the Light that is in thee be darkness how great is that darkness And then saith This may be your Case Answer And it may not for that which may be may not be and I may return Prov. 18.7 and say If a fools lips enter into contention and his mouth calleth for Stroaks This may be thy Case 3. p. 3. B. Bird saith I charge the Dissenters with coming to Church to save their 20 l per Month. Answer The occasion I mentioned this was because the Libeller said thus That since they i. e. Quakers felt the warmth of Toleration they swarmed among us which savoured so much of Enmity and a Persecuting Spirit That I told him we also had felt the Lashes and Severity of his Brethren the Heat of their Anger for it was fierce the Warmth of their Wrath for it was cruel who did both Whip Brand cut off Ears and Hanged in New England when Power was in their Hands And how their Meeting-houses were empty and shut up their Preachers absconded their Flocks scattered in time of Persecution And then Paul's Basket was remembred then their Christian Policy was us'd then to Church for fear of 20 l per Month or lest they should be excommunicated and suffer Imprisoment But this officious Advocate seems offended at this and saith p. 3. The most learned of the Dissenters hold it lawful to joyn with us in our publick Worship tho' they count it their Duty to improve their Talents and not hide them in a Napkin now they have the Countenance of Authority to preach the Gospel in licensed Houses Answer Observe first the account this Man gives of the Presbyterian Preachers and how he renders them like that unfaithful Servant the Lord judged See Matt. 25.25 and Luke 19.24 for hiding his Talent for he grants that when they had not the Countenance of Authority they hid their Talents in a Napkin but now they have it preach the Gospel in licensed Houses Secondly Observe he grants they Preach the Gospel and then what are those and their Portion that at any time Persecute such for that Cause surely the Men of this Man's Coat will not thank him for this for if the Church of England have imprisoned Persons for Preaching of the Gospel what doth this less than render them Persecutors So his Officiousness in this Case with these Notes I shall leave to the Determination of the unprejudiced Concerning what this Author saith of the Light within which we believe in and profess viz. Jesus Christ the true light and only begotten Son of the Eternal God I shall next take notice of Page 4. he saith This Light the Eunuch had not and therefore Philip did not send him to it 2. And when Christ was risen from the Dead and travelled with the two Disciples towards Emmaus he did not send them to the Light in their own Hearts and Consciences to know him by 3. Page 5. The Jews were directed by the Light within to kill the Disciples of our Lord and thought they did God good Service in doing it 4. Men may follow such a Light within into the Land of Darkness 5. there are many things needful for Men to know which we cannot attain unto by the Light within 6. That Light which is in him i. e. John Feild was not before the Scriptures for if it be worthy the Name of Light it came from the Scriptures Answer I deny all this and if B. Bird intends all these Exceptions against that Divine Light which the People called Quakers profess to believe in and which their Teachers are sent of God to turn People's Minds unto and which they exhort People to mind and believe in he is as blasphemous as the Libeller he writes in Defence of whom I in my former blamed for scoffing at the Light of Jesus Christ See page 4. And seeing in page 4. of B. Bird's he saith I should have so much Charity as to think that the Author doth not think it to be the Light of Christ I farther say if that Author did not nor this Author doth not intend the Light of Jesus Christ which lighteth every Man that cometh into the World and which God sent Paul to turn People to See Acts 26.18 And which Christ preach'd John 12.46 and which he exhorted to believe in see John 12.36 For it is he that we Preach Believe in and expect Salvation by and by no other Name nor Light and if this Author means not this Light the means not the Light we believe in and profess but if he means and intends this Light i. e. Jesus Christ I absolutely deny every one of them as aforesaid and hereby charge him to be a Blasphemer and return on him what he saith to me about this Light in p. 3. 'T is not enough for Men to say 't is not the Light of Christ that we have within or that shines in ours and all Men's Hearts and manifest to all reprovable things and shews what is Good and what is Evil that doth that for every Man that the Scriptures of themselves nor no Man can do for another I say it s not enough to say this is not the Light of Christ or Christ the true Light that lighteth every Man that cometh into the World but by