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cause_n death_n life_n sin_n 9,880 5 5.5192 4 true
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A89843 Love to the lost: and a hand held forth to the helpless, to lead out of the dark. Wherein is plainly held out divers perticular things, as they are learned of Christ; and are most needfull to be known of all who profess godliness. Set forth chiefly for the directing the simple into the living way of truth, as it is in Christ Jesus, the Righteous, that therein they may come to the life and power of that which the world hath in words; which being received, satisfies the weary soul, and makes the creature wel-pleasing to his maker. Wherein also there is some reproofs to the dark world. / By one that seeks the redemption of Sions seed, and a lover of the creation of God, who is called James Naylor. Naylor, James, 1617?-1660. 1656 (1656) Wing N294; Thomason E866_2; ESTC R207630 74,213 79

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the hidden man of the heart must you look to find it which is not Corruptible Concerning Light and Life GOd is the life of every Creature though few there be that know it for the darknesse sees him not nor his life though the Children of Darknesse have got words in the Scripture which were given forth from the light to talk of yet God such know not present for the first beginning of God in the world is lighr God said let there he light and it was so And this light God saw that it was good This is that which was in the beginning with God the Word by which all things were made and seen and without this was nothing made that was made nor any thing seen to be good and darknesse was over the face of all the waters till the light which from the Word came who is the Life which life is the light of men So none can see the life but with the light which from the life comes which to the life leads all that follow it So this that was in the beginning is given to keep in order all the Creation That is good but the darknesse comprehends it not though it shine in it so all that abide in the darknesse are destroyed not discerning the life to order and govern the Creation in the light So all that go out of the light go into the darknesse and there the life and Image of God is lost and there is the Fall and all who there abide are reserved in Chaines of darknesse not knowing the life which breaks the Bonds and Chains of Iniquity and opens the Grave and Prison door And here the Soul being in death breathing after the Life but Darknesse got above In the darknesse is the Creature led into Sects Opinions and Errours after the Imaginations to seek life but further it runs here to the sensuall Wisdome further into Death and Darknesse till the Creature be so blinded in the understanding that he thinks and imagins he doth God service when he is acting against the life of God both in himself and others so comes the Creature of God and his Life wherewith God did furnish him to do his Will wholly to be lost and the Gospel hid that should recover him again the God of this World having so blinded the mind and thereby so farre alienated him from the life of God that he neither hath power and life to do the will of God nor light to know where to have it yet in this condition of death and darknesse and without the life of God shall the Creature never be without profession or some conceit or other to keep in a vain hope of salvation And here is the sole ground and cause why we have so many sorts of formes and opinions and wayes of worship but none that doth good nor lives in what they say because all have lost the life of God which onely is able to bri●g forth the righteousnesse of God And selfe having got the form into the Imagination above the life cannot receive the light that l●es under that condemns it So all the world lies in darkensse yea thick darknesse is upon all the seas and great depths is covered with grosse darknesse and from thence is the Imagination spread over all so that none can witnesse the work of God neither knows the beginning nor end thereof And this is the cause of condemnation and it rests upon all who are out of the life of God And no other way there is appointed of the Father to come out of this condition but Christ Jesus the light and life of men who is the light that is in the world though the world know him not which light shines in darknesse but cannot therewith be comprehended which light is the revealer of darknesse and manifests the deeds thereof and the first appearance of this in the Creature shews the darknesse and captivity that is in the darknesse till which the Creature never comes to see the wretched condition that man is in who is without God the life nor till then will the Creature be willing to stand still to see Gods salvation but is full with vain hopes conceits and Imaginations and the vaile is over the heart and what God hath there written is not seen and so being whole needs not the physitian And with this blind heart the creature reads the Scriptures and steals the promises that the Children of light spoke of who had the life whereby the seed was raised out of the grave to which the promise is but neither knowes law nor Gospel neither came so far as Moses yet boasting of Christ But when the light is minded the Creature comes to see death raigning and self alive without the law with that light which was given to keep out of the pollution and defilements and so to keep the life clear and unspotted With that light that is seen and judged which hath passed over the life and defiled it and that which hath gendered to bondage is seen and the hardnesse of heart comes to be felt and the cause seen even the great transgression of the pure law so comes the fear of the God to take hold of the man that hath lived out of the life of God and taketh pleasure in unrighteousnesse and the Creature then finds trouble within even where the strong man did keep the house in peace and abiding in the light the cause and end of it is seen and d welling in the fear Wisdom is received from above to depart from the iniquity and in departing from the iniquity there is a coming nearer to God so the light growes and springs as there is a comming nearer of the just paths of life And as the light ariseth the Creation is seene and how the enmity hath spread over and how the lust hath defiled it and how that which was planted as a vineyard is become as a wildernesse for barrenness growne over with thornes and bryars sturdy Oaks and tall Cedars for want of the Vinedresser and where the Lilly should grow it s growne over with Weeds Thistles and Nettles so that God walks not there because of the great abomination and that is the cause of all your woe even his absence And when you see this the lamentation begins in the house of laughter even after him from whom you have fallen and as you follow the light and come nearer to the Lord from whence it comes you will see that it is onely your own wills and wayes that hath separated you from the holy one And with the light you will come to see how often you have beene moved by the spirit of light from your evill wayes and that the cause why you have beene thus long in the Fall hath beene in selfe-will and worldly pleasures whereby the life hath suffered never till then comes any to see him whom you have peirced nor to lament over him nor to see what it is that oppresseth the just
is done away and they are not under any ministration of Law but under grace and so by their faith make voyd the Law not knowing what they say herein And this is all such know either of Law or Gospel who in their wisdom and prudence read the letter and from thence imagine what is Law and what is Grace not having that spirit by which they were ministred to the Saints and by them received who had the law in their hearts and grace there also and such do know that the one of these doth not make voyd the other but establish the other for the coming of Christ was not to make voyd but to fulfill the Law and he doth not come to put the Law afatre off but to bring it neare that with his light all may see it as it is written in the heart by the living God and he is so farre from destroying or taking away the Law that he declares it in its force and purity saying That one jot or tittle should not passe till it be fulfilled And whereas it was said in the letter Thou shalt not commit adultery saith he Thou shalt not lust In the letter it was said thou shalt not sweare falsely but in the Spirit he saith Swear not at all In the letter Thou shalt not kill but in the Spirit Thou shalt not be angry and whosoever doth any of these things is guilty before God and this is farre from making it voy'd which declares it in its purity so as they who might seeme to be cleare in the letter might be found guilty in the Law of the Spirit that by Christ Jesus who is the end of that Law they may come to see their condemnation and by faith in him become set free not by the blood of Bulls and Goats and the ashes of an Heifer and carnall Sacrifices Oracle Temple or Altar or Days or Sabbaths without in the letter but by all these in Spirit which are in Christ Jesus ministred to the soule and conscience to wash away sin and purge the conscience from dead works to serve the living God which the ministration of the letter and carnall Ordinances could not do And for this cause is the ministration of the letter done away because it could not make perfect the commers thereto as pertaining to the conscience And the Ministration of the Spirit preached in its steed which gives perfect knowledge of sin and perfect redemption from it and from all things from which the Law without could not and the same Spirit doth testifie it perfectly in the conscience which the letter cannot though the letter may shew a man his condemnation yet it cannot give life it can shew the duty but not give power to performe it so the letter kils but the Spirit giveth life And hence it is that all you who read your duty in the letter but want power to performe what you read you set up your imaginations instead of performance and some say the Law is done away and none now shall be condemned by it others say Christ fulfilled it in his own person and to believe what he did sixteene hundred yeares since is all we need to do others say nay but we must do what we can of what the Scriptures commands and he will do the rest with his Father others say that what we do he makes it accepted which the Father as though we did performe all that is required but none in that state knows his commands in Spirit which gives life and power to performe what is commanded in Spirit which none knows who reads what others did but want their Spirit and power to performe the same This was the selfe righteousnesse and is the selfe righteousnesse which is by the letter of the Law taken-on without the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus And here is the weaknesse of the Law taken-on through the flesh but the power of the law to such as receive it in Spirit and life for the Law is fulfilled in Spirit and not in the letter and so in Christ and not in selfe and so by faith and not by works even by the everlasting righteousnesse of God freely given and received by faith and revealed in the creature from faith to faith in every one that beleives and not by works of the Law which the creatures see in the letter and sets themselves a doing who are carnall and sold under sin not quickened by the Spirit of righteousnesse for the letter of the Law gives the knowledge of sinne but the Law in the Spirit gives not only the knowledge of sin he knowledg of God and his righteousnesse in Christ Jesus for fulfilling the Law which is life eternall according to his promise I will write my Law in your hearts and put it in your inward parts and you shall all know me from the greatest to the least so the letter kills but the Spirit giveth life So all you who read the commands in the letter without from thence you may fetch your own Condemnation but from thence can you not fetch power for obedience to justification of life From within is the Life in Spirit and not in the letter And here is change of the Law to that which is Spirituall the Preisthood Spirituall The Temple Spiritual The Altar the Circumcision the offering the blood the Oracle the Anointing the washings and the whole worship which was without and could make nothing perfect is become Spirituall and within which is the better hope being more pure then that without could be and so more perfect even as he is perfect Now the Law was added because of transgression till the promised seed should come of whom it is prophesied in types and figures which seed is Christ the end of the Law to every one that believes without respect of persons and so it is in the spirit A Law hath God written in the heart whereby the transgressor is condemned in his own Conscience and this Law is upon the first Man who is the Transgressor and hath power over that man as long as he lives Judging reproving and condemning And prophesying of one that is to come to fulfill the Law in every one who minds the light And so is as a Scool-master to bring to Christ And till he come to fulfill it who is the end of it there is Condemnation upon the Creature because the pure Law of God is broken And this is testified by the light in the conscience a witnesse against the first Man and his deeds which is contrary to the perfect Law of God And so by that which perfect is he condemned who is imperfect where the Image of God is lost and the seed lyes in death because of trespasses and sins For God did not give a Law to condemne his own work but the work of the Devil And where the transgressor is there is the work of the Devil And the law hath power over that man as long as the transgressor lives