Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A64913
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Truth and innocency defended being a sober reply to some excesses in a treatise written by John Norris, concerning the divine light, wherein his personal reflections and misrepresentations of the Quakers about their principle of the light are further considered.
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Vickris, Richard, d. 1700.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing V341; ESTC R22212
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75,043
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73
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blessed Name viz. Christ Iesus signifying the anointed Saviour having relation to his Heavenly Manhood which he took upon is distinguished from the Word or Logos as 't is God himself in the abstract or as precisely taken yet we do not thereby divide him from his intire Immediate Union and Being as God in himself blessed for ever more Phil. 2.6 7. No more then the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 11.3 And the Head of every man is Christ and the Head of Christ is God Paul in this place must needs intend the Man Christ and this agrees with what Christ said of himself My Father is greater then I John 14.28 And this also agrees with the Confession of the Christian Faith set forth in the Lithurgy of the Church of England viz. The right Faith is that we believe and confess that the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God is God and Man equal to the Father as touching his Godhead and inferiour to the Father as touching his Manhood who although he be God and Man yet he is not two but one Christ one not by conversion of the Godhead into Flesh but taking of the Manhood into God c. I have been the more perticular in reciting this Confession foreseeing I may have occasion to make use of it before I finish this Reply Having made this digression and thus truly stated our Faith and perswasion concerning this Divine Principle of the Light within what it is I shall consider I. N's objections against it grounded upon the aforementioned quotation out of R. B's Apol. 133. By these words of R. B's Position viz. By the Seed Grace Word of God and Light we understand not the proper Essence and Nature of God precisely taken and he gives the Reasons which I need not repeatâ— but we understand a Spiritual Heavenly and Invisible Principle in which God as Father Son and Spirit dwells That which Iohn Norris infers from hence is that R. B. makes the Light though a Substance not the same with but really distinct from the Substance or Essence of God This Consequence as so laid down I deny as being injurious to R. B's sence for though he says the Light c. wherewith every man is enlightned and hath a measure of it c. is not the proper Essence and Nature of God Precisely taken as in its own intire fulness It is manifest by his following words he understands or intends the Deity or Godhead it self in the abstract as he was and is everlastingly in himself a most pure simple Being void of all Composition or Division as he well observes I may add incomprehensible dwelling in the Light which no man can approach unto whom no man hath seen or can see 1 Tim. 6.16 And again No man hath seen God at any time the only begotten Son which is in the Bosom of the Father he hath declared him John 1.18 and 6.46 And God it said to be in the Light 1 John 1.7 And therefore God as so considered and precisely taken in his proper Essence Nature and Fulness dwelling in himself cannot be properly said to be mans Light otherwise than in and through the Mediator he being so inapproachable as before For the same Divine Being which covereth himself with Light as with a Garment Psal. 104.2 dwells in the Light dwells in his Son our blessed Lord Christ Jesus who is in the Father and the Father in him whom the Father hath sent and who in Gods divine Light is come a Light into the World that whosoever believeth on him should not abide in Darkness John 12.46 Here God is in Christ reconciling the World unto himself 2 Cor. 5.19 And Christ is Light Approachable and Communicable in measure to the Children of men To him God hath not given the Spirit or Light thereof by measure John 3.33 But unto every one of us is given Grace according to the measure of the Gift of Christ Ephes. 4.7 Thus God in Christ as with relation to his manifestation to us and in us is distinguished but not divided from the proper Essence and Nature of God himself precisely taken But R. B's supposing the measure of the Light or Seed of God as in man not the Essence of God precisely taken implies it may be in some sence taken to be the Essence and Nature of God And this is doubtless what R. B. intended and is all that can be fairly deduced from his Words and not what I. N. infers that he makes the Light not the same but a distinct Substance from the Substance or Essence of God and this is manifest in R. B's explanation of this Spiritual Heavenly and Invisible Principle in which God as Father Son and Spirit dwells that he understands Christ the Heavenly Man by Vehiculum Dei and the Spiritual Body of Christ the Flesh and Blood of Christ which came down from Heaven which is all one thing and represent Christ of which all the Saints do feed and are thereby nourished unto Eternal Life as may be read at large in the 6 th of Iohn the Evangelist where Christ perceiving his Disciples to murmur at this as a hard saying which they understood not he explains what he meant by his Flesh and Blood viz. It is the Spirit that quickneth the Flesh profiteth nothing the Words that I speak unto you they are Spirit and they are Life John 6.63 From whence it follows that R. B. makes the Spiritual and Heavenly Principle to be Christ Who was and is that true Light which lighteth every one that cometh into the World Iohn 1.9 Again I am the Light of the World he that followeth me shall not abide in Darkness but have the Light of Life Joh. 8.12 Now if this Light be Christ and if Christ be both God and Man and as such that true Light as is most certainly true it inevitably follows that he has a two-fold Nature yet but one Christ and one Light one undivided divine Substance according to the aforementioned Confession of Faith One not by Conversion of the Godhead into Flesh but by taking of the Manhood into God This is plain Now by taking the Manhood into God Christ hath not made void his Union in Substance with the Father nor is he a divided Substance from the Substance of the Father and Essence of God nor do R. B's words infer such a thing But that by means of his Heavenly Manhood he appears as in a middle Nature subject as with respect to Man to the Condescention of a Mediator and therefore may be resisted hurt wounded crucified or slain as to man and in man as in a Seed by the Stubbornness and Wickedness of man's will though as God dwelling in himself he is not nor cannot be subject to any of these things But Christ our High-Priest was and is and such a High-Priest became us For we have not a High-Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our Infirmities But was in all points tempted like as we are
the deep things of God different in its mode and manner of its operation with respect to the different nature of the knowledge and subjects it works upon making use in each of its proper Organ viz. the Spiritual Sences of the Soul which have their root Life and being in a measure of this divine Light for the divine Knowledge of heavenly things and the inferiour faculty of the Soul viz. the rational and intellectual Power for the Knowledge of human and natural things Though I do not hereby deny but God has and may supernaturally convey to some men the certain knowledge of some necessary human Arts and Sciences and such their Knowledge is divine and extraordinary But J. N. takes a great deal of pains to improve this his mistaken Proposition and would needs have the Quakers principle naturally to lead them to it because they conceive and represent this Divine Light to be that very Grace of Christ whereby men are converted and saved quoting R. B. again in the 5th and 6th Propositions pag. 317. where reckoning up the ends and purposes for which this saving and spiritual Light was given by God Makes them consist in making manifest all things that are reprovable in teaching all Repentance Righteousness and Godliness and in general enlightning the hearts of all in order to Salvation I think this is a very good account of the Light But what would J. N. infer from this why he says it seems this Light then is purely in order to Salvation by the word purely I take him to intend onely and consequently he says That it ought to be confined to divine and spiritual Truths in order to the direction of Life and Manners But how can he make this to be the consequence of R. B's Proposition does he not herein as well as in his former quotations manifestly abuse his Ingenious Author prevaricating and straining his sence to a Remote consequence his words do no ways reach But for want of proof he presumes and says At they do thus confine their Light to spiritual things so they ought thus to confine it for what has Grace to do with the things of Nature a fine way of argument to which there needs not be more said then reverting of it viz. As the Quakers do not confine the Divine Light purely or onely to spiritual things so they ought not thus to confine itâ— for Grace has to do with things of Nature The Spirit searcheth all things and is that Wisdom that knoweth and understandeth all things when the Earth was drowned with the Flood who directed the course of the Righteous in a piece of Wood of smal value It may be read at large how Solomon ascribes all Knowledge to this Wisdom Book of Wisdom cap. 7. What though as J. N. expresses himself he does not conceive this internal Light as any thing superadded to the ordinary way of mans understanding nor after the manner of Grace neither as to its Being betwixt God and man inferring that Though the Spirit of Truth be really and truly God that they testifie against themselves and declare contradictions in making the Light to be one and the same with the Spirit of Truth and that then he says 't is no great matter what they testifie and declare To which I answer this is a general Reflection and charge upon his own mistaken consequence concerning Christ the Light as he is a Middle Nature or Being supposing this middle nature or Being to be a distinct or divided Substance from Christ consequently not of the proper substance or nature of God but some created or material substance wherein he injuriously infers in his Appendix that the Quakers Light is a Creature and a Material Creature He may as well say that Christ is so too because the Quakers most firmly believe he is that true Light which Lightneth every Man that cometh into the world Iohn 1.9 I have already shewed that though Christ has a Two-fold Nature united in Substance by taking the Manhood into God whereby he became a middle nature and mediator betwixt God and man His substance is not thereby divided but remains united with the proper substance and essence of God But though Christ be not divided in substance from the Godhead he hath proportioned himself through his heavenly Manhood and hath given to every man a measure of Light and a measure of Grace a measure of the Spirit Ephes. 4.7 which is the Seed of the Kingdom sown in all sorts of Ground of mens Hearts and Christ Jesus is that great and heavenly Seeds-man or sower that went forth to sow Luke 8. Now this measure of Light Grace and Spirit and Seed though proportioned to us and in us is not divided from Christ as Christ is not divided from God And though it be not the very Essence and Substance of the Deity strictly speaking or the Godhead it self precisely taken yet it is a degree consequently a part and portion of him and for that reason of his proper Substance not divided but inseperably united with him and in him as the Beams of the Sun are with the intire Body of the Sun This Divine Light being thus manifested and acknowledged by the Quakers to be Christ measureably conveyed and given to men and of his proper Substance It must needs be one and the same with the Spirit of Truth because Christ is so revealed in Spirit as plainly appears Ioh. 16. consequently no Creature or Material Creature as J. N. represents it but a divine and immaterial Substance wherein he is guilty of a most hainous presumption and defamation of the Quakers Principle of the Divine Light to the great dishonour of God And seeing J. N. confesses the Quakers make their Light to be the Spiritual Body of Christ the Flesh and Blood that came down from Heaven of which all the Saints feed and are nourished up unto Eternal Life quoting these words out of R. B. And seeing he also confesses that there may be such a thing as the Spiritual Body of Christ distinct from the Natural according to the 6th of Iohn which he says favours it not a little Appendix pag. 16 and 17 and farther seeing it is plain by the same Scripture from vers 48 to 63 that the Bread of Life which came down from Heaven and the spiritual Body or Flesh and Blood of Christ is Christ and that it is Spirit and Life surely then it must needs be granted to be an Immaterial or Increated substance hence it is the Quakers make the Light and Spirit of Truth one and the same in Being consequently J. N. in making the Quakers principle of the Light thus considered and by him acknowledged to be held by the Quakers to be a Creature and a material Creature is to make Christ his Spirit and Life so too which is not only a wilful abuse of the Quakers but a gross piece of Blasphemy and this is that monstrous Birth he hath brought forth and recommended