Light which reproves for sin and believe in it and it will certainly take away my sins and therefore you caution me not to open my mouth at any time against the true Light which lightneth every man that cometh into the world O my Sister how doth it grieve me to think how blind and deceived thou art to believe that the Light which is in all men even in the natural hearts of Heathens and Infidels is the true Christ and Saviour of the World and that there is not another nor need of another and that men ought to hearken to it as that which doth not only reprove for sin and so condemn but is also able of it self to cleanse from sin save and redeem them who walk up to it without respect to the glorious Redemption purchased by another viz. Jesus of Nazareth Now how false this is may appear to thee by what followeth for though I do not deny but really believe and alwayes did that the Lord Jesus as the Eternal Word and Creator of the World hath given Light or enlightneth all Men and Women that come into the World yet do I utterly deny that this Light which all men have from the glorious Creator is the true Saviour or is a saving Light and the alone and only Teacher which thou seemest to affirm The Light which is in the hearts of all men Paul sheweth clearly is but the substance of the Law of the first Covenant God hath given man a Spirit or formed a Spirit in him Zach. 12. 1. which is called the Candle of the Lord by the means of which Law Candle or Conscience in Man and help of the visible Creation mankind may come to understand there is a God and it will teach them also their Duty in some respects as he is their Creator and they his Creatures and convince them of divers sins and teach them to do unto all men as they themselves would be done unto If Heathens and wicked men do mind and follow the light of this Candle or the Teachings of their own Conscience they would notwithstanding they are void of the saving knowledge of the true Saviour shine forth in the Principles of Morality or just living between man and man as I do judge many of the Quakers do civil honesty being the greatest glory of the best of those of that Religion if I may call it so Now you with others judge because that this Light doth convince of sin and shews man his evil thoughts it will also cleanse and take away his sins and eternally save his Soul it being a Light flowing from Christ you judge it cannot be weak nor insufficient in any respects whatsoever Which is my Sister your great ignorance Did you instead of hearkning to these Seducers with care and diligence search the Scriptures you would find that that holy Law which God gave to Israel which was written and ingraved in two Tables of Stone was a Light and precious Law flowing from God and a more glorious Ministration than this which is in every man or else what advantage had the Jews above the Gentiles Rom. 3. 1 2. That Law dear Sister was a Light of Christ and did convince of Sin more clearly than the Light doth which is in every man yet the Apostle sheweth plainly Gal. 2. it would not give life nor take away sin For what the Law could not do saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 3. in that it was weak through the Flesh God sent his own Son c. This Doctrine of yours concerning the Light within brings in again and seems plainly to establish the Covenant of Works Do this and live be obedient to the Law or Light in the heart and thou shalt be saved This agrees with the expressions of one of your Teachers and he no mean one neither speaking of Rom. 2. 13. Not the Hearers of the Law are just before God but the Doers of the Law shall be justified From whence saith * See Pen's Sandy Foundation shaken Page 26. he how unanswerably may I observe that unless we become doers of that Law which Christ came not to destroy but as our Example to fulfil we can never be justified before God nor let any fancy that Christ hath so fulfilled it for them as to exclude their Obedience from being requisite to their acceptance but only as their Pattern We do not say Christ fulfilled the Law so as to exclude our obedience yet was his Obedience and Suffering Meritorious and more than a Pattern or Exemplary Doth not this Doctrine of yours make void the Righteousness which is of Faith which speaks on this wise Believe and thou shalt be saved By the deeds of the Law shall no Flesh be justified The Law and Light in all which is one in substance gives man the knowledge of his sins it convances him that he is a sinner but leaves him like the Priest and Levite in his blood and wounds without any help or healing until the Lord Jesus that good Samaritan takes compassion on him for we are justified freely by God's Grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ Rom. 3. 24. Whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood to declare his Righteousness mark for the Remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God vers 25. We grant and believe that holiness and obedience is required and they are the effects and fruits of saving Faith but it is not our obedience nor holiness which doth redeem us or is the meritorious efficient and procuring cause of our Salvation and acceptation with God muchless our obedience to the Law or Light in our Consciences as those of your mind affirm Oh! take heed therefore and beware of that poysonous Doctrine the tenor of which clearly holdeth forth That Jesus Christ our Saviour and Mediatour died in vain For I pray consider If by works of Righteousness done in our own persons by walking up to the Law or Light within we may be led out of all sin cleansed from it and eternally saved what need was there then of the Man Christ Jesus to fulfil the Righteousness of the Law and to shed his precious Blood to atone and make peace and appease the wrath of God for us May I not say with Paul Gal. 2. 21. If Righteousness came by the Law Christ is dead in vain The Jews as I shewed you before had the advantage of the Gentiles every way Rom. 3 1 2. they had more light than the Heathen Gentiles had having the Oracles of God committed to them yet it left them in their sins and under Wrath and the Curse that Law nor the Light which is in every man that cometh into the World cannot give life For if there had been a Law given which could have given life verily Righteousness should have been by the Law Gal. 3. 21. Therefore all such whether Jews or Gentiles who seek for Righteousness and Acceptance with God through their
Obedience either to the Law without or Law or Light within they are like to fall short of it because they seek it not by Faith they stumble at that stumbling stone viz. the Lord Jesus Christ and thereby miss of that glorious Redemption once purchased for us by the Sacrifice of the Cross Do not let any so grievously beguile thee as to cause thee to conclude That the Sacrifice of our blessed Saviour's Crucified Body once offered to bear the Sins of many was but only as a pattern or figure of things which must be wrought again and done over in us and so conclude that this Light and Teacher within which you say you know is the true Christ and that there is not another and that thou must by the Power and Means of it attain to the same degree of Holiness and Perfection which was in our blessed Mediatour and so by that inherent Holiness alone wrought in thee place thy hope and confidence fixing thy Faith on a mysterious Sacrifice and Offering within and not having a dependency on that glorious Sacrifice of Christ's Crucified Body without which was once offered to take away sin Heb. 9. 26. By which one Offering he hath perfected for ever those that are sanctified Heb. 10. 14. The Atonement is already made Redemption Reconciliation and Justification hath been fully compleated and finished in and by our Lord Jesus for us once for all The Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all Isa 53. 6. He was made sin for us that knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5. 21. The Debt is paid and Satisfaction made yet I fear notwithstanding the Teacher which is so near thee of which thou speakest thou still remainest in Prison and Darkness not knowing the way out of thy captivated state which is by the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant How doth Ignorance and Unbelief as chains and fetters bind many in Satans kingdom notwithstanding the glorious Freedom purchased by the Lord Jesus The Price may be laid down for the Captive and yet the Prisoner remain bound the work of Faith with power I have cause to doubt you are yet a stranger to though you speak of very high Attainments your judgment is corrupt notwithstanding your confidence as further may appear Thou sayest That to be a Convert in the way I do approve of will do thee no good at all for there is nothing of the Cross of Christ in it and thou sayest thou seest it vanity Now to convince you of your great mistake and to make appear that I am acquainted with the power of true Conversion and that it is the same that Christ approves of Consider that I do own and approve of that Conversion that is taught by Christ and his Apostles in the holy Scriptures that a man must Repent that true Repentance is a through change of the mind and that it consisteth in these three things A clear sight and sense of sin and of the woful state and condition of lost and fallen Man upon the account of transgression And Secondly Godly sorrow contrition and brokenness of heart in the true sense of the heavy weight and burden of it And Thirdly an utter abhorrence turning away from and forsaking of it And also I do hold and maintain that Faith is required and must be wrought with power in the hearts of the Penitent whereby the Creature turns to Christ and applyes the vertue of his Merits Blood and Righteousness to his own Soul and hereby the Soul is translated out of daakness into light and so cometh to experience the in-dwelling of Christ's Spirit in his heart by which he comes to hate that which formerly he loved and loveth that which once he hated for notwithstanding I do plead for the imputed Righteousness of Christ Faith and Interest in the Satisfaction and Atonement made once and not again to be made by his blood yet do I also plead for spiritual Conformity to him both in his Death and Resurrection and that a man must die to sin and rise to newness of life For though Christ paid the Debt and laid down a Price which the Father accepted of yet till the coming of his Spirit and Grace with power into my heart for the binding of the strong man Satan and killing of my Corruptions my Soul was not brought out of the horrible Pit This blessed Change I through the Grace of God in my measure do experience and this is the conversion I approve of by the power and means of which I am laid at Christ's feet wholly exalting Him and Free-grace who did not only work Salvation for me but hath helped me to apply it having wrought this glorious work of Regeneration in me by which I am made willing to follow and obey him as my King and Sovereign And this is not to be less or more Righteous than what God accepteth and approveth of and it is my trouble and grief thou dost not Is here nothing of the Cross of Christ appearing to you and is this vanity Surely you would otherwise conclude were not your Light Darkness But to proceed Thou tellest me thou dost not say the keeping of the Commandments of Christ is vanity God forbid but to strain the Commandments of Christ to a form of Worship which is not according to the Spirit to Bread Wine and Water which was to be held in practice but till Christ come and Christ is come the second time c. Answ I shall answer thee in this And first if you mean and conclude we strain the Commands of Christ so to the Ordinances of the Lord's Supper and Baptism that we own no other Ordinances and Commands you falsly accuse us for those things you mention which Christ requires we also own namely Love your Enemies bless them that curse you and pray for them that persecute you c. We plead dear Sister for universal Obedience these things ought to be done and the other ought not to be left undone But again who of us go about to strain the Commands of God to a form of Worship which is not according to the Spirit that form of Worship or Doctrine that the Apostle commended the Saints for obeying Rom. 6. and abiding in was not contrary but according to the Spirit of God if you own the Holy Scriptures to be indited by the Spirit of which Form of Doctrine those Ordinances were part which you hint at as these Scriptures prove Acts 2. 38 41 42. Acts 10. 47. Rom. 6. 3 4. Heb. 6. 1 2. And if it be contrary to the Spirit you are led by to own those Commands of Christ which the Primitive Saints did own and were commended for holding as they were delivered you have cause to conclude the Spirit you are led by is not the Spirit of God for God's Spirit doth not guide contrary to the Word and Doctrine of his Son Joh. 16. 13 14. To the Law and
when all Jabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul vers 12. they arose all the valiant men and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his Sons and brought them to Jabesh and buried their bones under the Oak c. What they speak of Christ they may as well affirm concerning Saul and his Sons the case is the same Saul was not flesh they may as well conclude but something which did dwell in that body that the men of Jabesh Gilead buried under an Oak after his overthrow because that body is not called Saul but the body of Saul The same we also reade concerning Moses as may be seen Jude vers 9. Michael the Archangel when contending with the Devil he disputed about the body of Moses durst not bring a railing accusation against him c. That Moses was a man consisting of flesh and bone they may deny by the same Argument or say assuredly that that body was not him because it is called his body as so to affirm and speak concerning our Lord Jesus 'T is not said saith one of your Teachers that Joseph of Arimathea begged the Jesus of Jesus but the body of * See G. Whitehead's Book called The Light of Christ within p. 62. Jesus As if it must needs have been so said if that Man called Jesus had been the Christ What Nonsense would this man have writ if he had penned the story concerning the body of Saul he must have writ the men of Jabesh took up the Saul of Saul And what a strange Epitaph would this man write upon a Grave or Tombstone he can't write by this Argument Here lies the body of Thomas or William c. but rather thus Here lies the Thomas of Thomas And by this all persons may see how ridiculous these men render themselves while they scrape up such silly Arguments to deny and oppose the Truth But to proceed You tell me That flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God and so from those words of the Apostle conclude That our Saviour is not ascended with the same body into Heaven above which he took in the Womb of the Virgin Answ I understand to my trouble that many poor Souls in these last and evil days are carried away so far by the Spirit of Dâ—â—sion that they do deny the Resurrection the dead and this place of Scripture 〈◊〉 you mention I find is commonly made use of as a proof and confirmation of this their evil opinion but how exceedingly you and others do wrest the words of the Apostle in 1 Cor. 15. I might abundantly make appear It seems strange to me that you should father such a Principle upon the Apostle Paul who doth so clearly in the Spirit and Power of Christ Jesus in that very Chapter oppose and utterly detect it and sharply reproves those that did deny the Resurrection of the dead in his dayes If there be no resurrection of the dead saith he vers 13. then is not Christ risen and if Christ be not risen then is our Preaching vain yea and we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ whom he raised not up if the dead rise not For if the dead rise not then is not Christ risen vers 16. And if Christ be not raised your Faith is vain and ye are yet in your sins viz. Then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ are perished vers 18. Observe these expressions well and let all such tremble who are found this day opposing and denying this glorious Truth and great Fundamental of the Gospel Remember the words of our blessed Saviour himself Joh. 5. 28 29. Marvel not at this for the hour is coming in which all that are in the Graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth they that have done good to the Resurrection of life and they that have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation This cannot intend a rising out of the grave of sin because rising in that sense spiritually from the dead our Lord spake of that before in the same Chapter ver 25. and he plainly holds forth this rising vers 28. to be quite another thing to that he speaks of v. 25. And there are none that hear Christ's voice and are raised spiritually from the dead in that respect that do rise to condemnation The Lord Jesus alludes to the same Resurrection which Daniel speaks of Dan. 12. 2. Many of them that sleep in the dust of the Earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt Thy dead men shall live saith the Prophet Isa 26. 19. with my dead body shall they arise Abundance of clear proofs I might further urge for the clearing up of this Truth but I shall proceed and indeed should not have mentioned these Scriptures but that I find you questioning if not utterly denying the Resurrection of the body You mention Paul's expression 1 Cor. 15. flesh blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God To Answer you in this much I need not speak for it is evident to any unless such who are wofully blinded that by flesh and blood the Apostle doth intend corruption or corruptible flesh and blood and therefore he testifies that those who are alive at the coming of Jesus Christ shall be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye For saith he this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortallity he will change our vile bodies and fashion them like unto his glorious body Phil. 3. 21. But let not any conclude because the Apostle doth affirm our bodies shall be changed that therefore the same body respecting the matter substance or essence of it shall not be raised for Paul asserts that the same it which is sown in corruption that very same it riseth in incorruption and every seed shall have its own body If the same body which is buried in the Grave respecting the matter rise not then the dead rise not All the change is touching the state qualities or condition of the body the corruption and imperfection and all manner of deformity shall be done away and it shall rise more glorious than it was before To help your understanding a little further consider that true convertion is called a change the Soul of every regenerate godly Man and Woman is changed yet it t is not a change of the essence of the Soul but only of its evil qualities c. Observe a saying of Job Job 19. 25 c. I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth And though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God whom I shall see for my self and my eyes shall behold and not another although my reins be consumed in me That same body that hath sinned with the Soul shall be punished with the Soul and the same body
reconciled to God by the operation of this Light or Christ within Not only that it is a cause but the alone only chief and procuring cause without having respect to the Sacrifice of Christ's crucified Body which was nailed to the Cross and that Christ in the outward in his death and sufferings was but only a Patern or Example of that which must be wrought over again in us though some of them I do confess have been pleased to say That Christ's death and suffering without upon the Cross was more than a Patern or Exemplar for they say he did put an end thereby to the Types and Shadows of the Ceremonial Law c. but not that he reconciled us thereby and satisfied the Justice of God and that through his Righteousness and Merits imputed unto us in believing we stand acquitted and shall be saved but contrariwise it is affirmed That every one that comes to be justified must come to witness the same inherent holiness and perfection that was in our Lord Jesus Christ and in that perfect Obedience of theirs by following the teachings of the Light of their own Consciences or Christ within they place their hope faith and dependance and thus they seem not to be beholding to the Man Christ Jesus nor need his intercession who poured forth his blood without the gate of Jerusalem to wash and cleanse our Souls as the vertue thereof is applyed by Faith unto our Consciences for where the Scripture speaks of God being reconciled unto us and of our Salvation and remission of sins it is plainly held forth being done already for us by Christ's death and suffering without and as being done and compleated by that one Offering of his though I confess as I have told thee we receive not the benefit of it till by the help of the Spirit we are made able to apply it to our Souls which application of Christ's blood doth work that change in the Soul which I have mentioned already to you about Conversion That this is according to the Doctrine of the holy Apostles see these Scriptures Rom. 3. 24 25 26 27. Acts 4. 12. Rom. 5. 10. For when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son 2 Cor. 5. 18. Heb. 10. 14. Heb. 9. 14. vers 25 26 28. Now how contrary this Doctrine is to the principles of those People called Quakers may appear to you were you not too much given up to blindness And God forbid that ever I should own their Principle of the Light in all that doth so clearly tend to the razing out the grand Fundamentals of the Gospel You bid me Come out of my beggarly Elements and turn to the Light within and believe in it and 't will certainly take away my sins Answ Dare you call Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and Obedience to him who hath wrought Redemption and Salvation for me and revealed this by his Word and Spirit and work'd it in me beggarly Elements Shall those holy Appointments of Jesus Christ namely Baptism and the Supper of our Lord be denyed by thee and condemned as beggarly Elements Was not our Lord Jesus himself baptized in Waâ—er notwithstanding he had so much of the holy Spirit in him and was not Paul and Cornelius though they had the Spirit in such a wonderful manner baptized in Water And did not all the Primitive Saints walk in that Order and Communion that is owned by me and my Brethren of the baptized Churches And were not the Saints commended for owning and holding the Ordinances as they were once delivered unto them and would you have me leave the footsteps of the Flock to walk in your by-path God forbid Those Ordinances that you call beggarly Elements have been made rich sweet and glorious Appointments and Ordinances to my Soul Indeed 't is no marvel if you deny the Sign who do deny him who is thereby signified you denying the Substance viz. a crucified Christ I see you are naturally led to deny that which doth so clearly shadow him forth but under his shadow I have with the Spouse sate down and his fruit is and hath been sweet unto my taste And therefore do I write unto you that you might have fellowship with us for in some measure we can say through Grace our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ Praises and Halilujah to God for ever who hath given us that witness in our selves of which thou speakest that we can experience the Power of Christ's Spirit risen in us for our Sanctification and Renovation as well as Christ was raised from the dead for our Justification Thou boastest of the kernel as if thou hadst found it without the shell be not mistaken the Power and the Form the Sign and that which is thereby signified God hath joyned together I grant a Person may find the Shell and have no kernel in it have a form of Godliness but deny the Power but rare is it to find the kernel without the shell If they are ashamed of all they have done saith the Lord shew them the form of my house Ezek. 43. 11. The Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved Acts 2. 47. and they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of Bread and in Prayers vers 42. But lest I should be too large I shall hasten to the rest of your Letter in which you repeat some of my words which were in that former Letter I wrote unto you which are as followeth Thou sayest Sure I am that those Persons who deny the Man Christ Jesus to have wrought Salvation for them have no Salvation at all and if they repent not of their evil shall one day be set amongst the Goats and not amongst the Sheep of Christ That is very true Brother but art not thou one of them that deny the Man Christ Jesus whom John saw clothed with a garment down to the feet and girt about the paps with a golden girdle c. by the same Spirit the pure in heart see God for Christ is the true God and everlasting Life but to know Christ after the Flesh which thou and multitudes aim at The Apostle saith Though I have known Christ after the flesh yet from henceforth I know him so no more Indeed those that cry up carnal things for Ordinances may stand amongst the Goats Answ 'T is true I did say that such who deny the Man Christ Jesus to have wrought Salvation for them have no Salvation at all and is it any more than the Apostle Peter speaketh 2 Pet. 2. 1 2. Those false Prophets who privily bring in damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them he doth affirm do bring upon themselves swift destruction c. I charge none in particular and would to God there were none in England guilty herein but why do you conclude or think that I do deny the Man Christ Jesus that John saw who