Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n
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A65862
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The divine light of Christ in man, and his mediation truly confessed by the people called Quakers. In a brief and gentle examination of John Norris his two treatises concerning the divine light. Intended to wipe off his undue reflection of grossness and confusion on the Quakers notion of the light within. With a postscript to J. N. By G. W. a servant of Christ.
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Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing W1924; ESTC R220968
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14,045
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25
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truly as the Saints be the light of the World instrumentally or Light in the Lord who enlightens them Is not Christ intirely in all respects a Light as well as all other Spiritual Good to the Soul For Christ is not divided Ans. 2. 'T is certain that God is Light even the Fountain and Fulness of all true Divine Light and in him is no darkness at all and he hath shined in our hearts to give us the light of the Knowledge of his Glory in the Face of Christ Jesus our Mediator and Way to the Father God is our Light and Salvation in Christ. Therefore for any to suppose R. B. or the Quakers to hold or intend that the Divine Logos Word or true Light which enlightens all Men Joh. 1. is not the Divine Essence or not of the Being or Substance of God is wrongfully to suppose that they oppose or deny the plain Testimony of John the Evangelist which expresly saith In the Beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and that Word was God the same was in the Beginning with God and that In it was Life and the Life was the Light of Men Joh. 1. Which Light therefore was of the very Essence and Substance of the Deity 'T is certain that Jesus Christ as God enlightens all Men and as he is God and the heavenly Man he enlivens and quickens the true Believers and regenerates them into his own heavenly Image 1 Cor. 15. 45. Psal. 119. 25 37 40 50 88 93 147 154 Verses And I am sure R. B. and the People called Quakers are so far from opposing or denying this Gospel-truth that both they and he do sincerely own believe and confess it See R. B.'s own Testimony in his Works quoted fol. 11. where he expresly saith Christ is near unto every one for in him we live and move and have our being and this nearness of his unto all Men in a day is more i. e. to them than the general presence in respect whereof he abides with all the works of his hands forasmuch as he is in them to enlighten them that they may believe John 1. 9 c. Whence 't is plain that here he owns Christ and even as God also to be that true Light in all Men. And likewise in fol. 63. R. B. owns even what his opposer grants namely That the Light is in all Men and that Christ is in all Men in so far as his Light is in all Men confessing Christ's Light to be in all Men even in such as are not in Union with him adding That where the Light is there is Christ the Donator of it which is all we say Thus far R. B. And in fol. 64. he confesseth An universal manifestation of the Holy Spirit in every one and that he that believeth in the Light believeth in Christ for where the Light of Christ is there is Christ himself compared with fol. 66. Thus far R. B. Wherein I hope J. N. and he are agreed viz. That this Divine Light in Man is of the very Nature Substance and Essence of God and his dear and only begotten Son Jesus Christ. And therefore I wish J. N. would be so charitable and tender as not to study either to make or widen Differences or Breaches in point of Judgment where they are not in reality if Matters be impartially and truly lookt into and compared 3. But R. B. supposes a Spiritual Body of Christ or Principle which says he we call Vehiculum Dei wherein God as Father Son and Spirit dwells or appear in Man as he understands and what then is this either to deny God or a Light of his Divine Essence to be in Man when it grants God both as Father Son and Spirit to be in such a Divine Principle as is in Man yea that Christ the Eternal Word which was with God and was God thus dwells in us fol. 334. which R. B. adds to the words before cited by J. N. against him wherein he truly supposes that Christ as in a Seed or in such a Love or Mediatory appearance in Men may be pressed crucified and slain as to them who are said to crucifie the Lord of Life afresh unto themselves yet not as to his own intire Existence or Being nor as he is the Omnipotent God for tho' Christ be a Lamb and aspersed and crucified to many by their Iniquities he is also a Lion and hath power to stir up his strength even in Man when he pleases And for the Seed of Eternal Life to be sown in us and that the Lord would raise up his Power in us these are not new nor uncouth Expressions but prayed for even in the Liturgy of the Church of England As to his words which we call Vehiculum Dei speaking of the Spiritual Body of Christ I conceive he speaks in condescention in the Person of some of the learned Writers or Philosophers who have used those Terms and not in the Person of the People called Quakers who are not only esteem'd an illiterate People but are a plain simple innocent People who most affect plain Scripture-Language without any School Glosses or Nice Distinctions to deck adorn or illustrate their Christian Profession of Christ or of his Divine Light within and many Thousands may not understand the terms Vehiculum Dei Intermediate Being nor the word Idea's so much used by J. N. Nor is Jesus Christ Preacht among us under those terms but in Scripture-terms both as he is truly God and as he is the one Mediator between God and Men even the Man Christ Jesus as having an inward sight sense and knowledge of him by his Divine Light Spirit Life and Power so as we shall not need to fall out about the Names thereof but prize the Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord above all the World's Wisdom natural and acquired Knowledge and Learning for in him are all the hidden Treasures of true Wisdom and Knowledge We who are a plain simple-hearted People who are content with what God has bestowed upon us are not willing to trouble our heads with curious Notions nor with intricate school Definitions and Distinctions about Words and Names having an inward feeling of the principal thing the root of the matter intended 5. Concerning R. B.'s speaking of the Spiritual Body of Christ as a heavenly invisible and Divine Principle and believing God as Father Son and Spirit dwells therein and are to be known and received therein I think J. N. has no great reason to differ with him therein much less to suppose thence that he or we conclude the Divine Light or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mention'd Joh. 1. but a meer Creature And considering that Doctrin of the Spiritual Body of Christ is that which R. B. intends in all his Discourse of that Subject J. Norris himself cannot oppose but rather grants the probability thereof and then where 's the Controversie For which take a view of his own words p.
evil that with one consent they reject this Light for saith he it checks the Wisest of them all and the Learnedst of them all in secret it reproves them neither can all their Logick silence it nor can the securest among them stop its voice from crying and reproving them within for all their consilence in the outward knowledge of Christ or of what he hath suffered outwardly for them for as hath been often said in a day it strives with all wrestles with all and it 's the unmortified Nature in the Wisest in the Learnedest c. that denies this that despises it that shuts it out to their own condemnation they come all under this description Every one that doth Evil hateth the Light neither cometh to the Light lest his deeds should be reproved Joh. 3. 20. Apology f. 355. Thus far R. Barclay with much more of this kind in his Works which I forbear farther to recite here being I think sufficient to evince to any rational and intelligent person that he did not nor do any of us confine the Light of Christ within in reference to the Act of Illumination or Enlightening to certain Men or to ourselves only but the knowledge and experience of its more powerful operation unto salvation and deliverance of Man from Sin and Satan is only effectually receiv'd and experienc'd in them who return inward unto and obey this Divine Light of Christ within when it unavoidably convicts and reproves them of Sin and Transgression Christ being the Author of Eternal Salvation to them that obey him tho' he actually enlightens all he saves only them that believe and obey him And that R. Barclay did not believe this Divine and Saving-Light to be a Creature as is inferred upon him and the Quakers for his sake pray observe his own Testimony Apology fol. 798. viz. That the Quakers exhort People to believe in a meer Creature is a meer Calumny saith R. B. But now what ground has J. N. to charge the Quakers with confining the Light within as to the Act of Illumination as aforesaid For I find no real cause he has thus to charge us from R. B. his speaking of the natural condition of Man as fallen degenerate dead and deprived of the sensation or feeling of this inward Testimony of the Seed of God and as subject to the power nature and seed of the Serpent and that Man as he is in this state can know nothing a right and that his thoughts and conceptions concerning God and things spiritual are unprofitable to himself and others until he be dis-joined from this Evil Seed and united to the Divine Light P. 8. Apol. fol. 310. And that this holy substantial Seed many times lyes in Man's Heart as a naked Grain in stony Ground Apol. fol. 334. Observe Whence it does not follow That wicked Men who have the Light really and truly in them yet are not actually enlighten'd by it nor yet that it lyes dormant in them as is inferred p. 83. For tho' natural degenerate Man dead in sins and wicked hard-hearted Men have not the true sense and knowledge of the Divine Light it self it follows not that they are not at all or in any sense actually enlightened by it for when they are at any time convicted and reproved of evil judged and condemned in themselves for their wickedness and evil deeds and excited to the contrary they are thereby so far actually enlightened tho' they know not that Light it self nor what it is that doth so convict reprove and condemn them the Spirit of Truth reproves the World of Sin c. yet they neither accept nor see it as they ought to do and the Spirit many times blows or breaths upon them yet they know not whence it comes nor whither it goes nor really what it is tho' it does actually visit and enlighten them the Sun shines and the Rain falls actually upon the stony and barren Ground so the Lord causeth his Sun actually to arise upon the evil and the good and the Rain to fall upon the just and unjust And some grow past feeling and become judicially harden'd through their rebellion and presumptuous sinning against the Light How often is the Candle of the wicked put out how oft is destruction upon him 'T is therefore often lighted Concerning what J. N. is pleased to impute to the Quakers in general viz. That they do not hold their Light to be the very Substance and Essence of the Deity p. 39. Herein he is mistaken of the People call'd Quakers who profess God to be our Light and Salvation And I think his particular Instance from Robert Barclay impartially considered and compared with other Instances of his will fall so far short of proving the Charge upon the Quakers that the contrary will appear for him and the Quakers in this case His Instance for proof is viz. That Mr. Barclay saith By this Seed Grace and Word of God and Light wherewith we say every Man is enlightened and hath a measure of it which strives with them in order to save them and which may by the stubbornness and wickedness of Man's will be quenched bruised wounded pressed down slain and crucified We understand not the proper Essence and Nature of God precisely taken but a spiritual heavenly and invisible Principle in which God as Father Son and Holy Ghost dwells a measure of which divine and glorious life is in all Men as a Seed c. and this we call Vehiculum Dei or the Spiritual Body of Christ the Flesh and Blood of Christ which came down from Heaven p. 37 38. On which J. N. observes thus viz. I think 't is plain from this account Mr. Barclay gives of the Light that tho' it be a Substance yet 't is not the same with but really distinct from the substance of God for 't is not Deus but Vehiculum Dei Thus far J. N. Ans. 1. By the way being sensible where the stress of his Objection lyes and what Words it most here pinches upon I do sincerely propose That the Divine Light 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Word of God cannot be confined to those or any such Explications here objected in a strict or literal sense neither shall I insist upon the same If J. N. should write another Book or more thereof I shall not contest with him about varieties of Words and Terms which he may have and know far more of than I but for Things and Substance knowing that the Light is very comprehensive and large in its extent and signification 'T is said that God is Light and Christ is the Light and the Law is Light and the Commandment a Lamp and the Word both a Light and Lanthorn By which manner of speaking it may then be said the Word is both the Light and its own Vehicle And then why may not Christ's Spiritual Body which came down from Heaven as well be a Light as Life Aliment or Food to the Soul or as