Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	light_a	light_n	shine_v	1,940	5	9.1283	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81048	Unrighteousness no plea for truth, nor ignorance a lover of it. Being an answer to a book called A plea for truth, in love to truth, subscribed by James Pope, wherein is contained his answer to several queries (sent to him by Thomas White) which are tried and found unsatisfactory, and James Popes Ten queries to the people (called) Quakers fully answered. : Also the doctrine and practise of the people (called Baptists) ... With a full discussion of their principles ... / By a true lover of all their souls and eternal welfare. John Crook.	Crook, John, 1617-1699.	1659 (1659)	Wing C7225A; ESTC R171617	50,094	60

any time troubled in our Consciences we presently called some Promise or other to mind in the Scripture or thought of some comfortable Text and so slighted the light in our Consciences as not to be heeded or regarded as to receive and witness Justification from all sin and trouble in and by it but looked upon our selves as Elected in Christ before the world and that we had known a time when he called us by his Grace in the use of Ordinances and spake peace to us afterward by his Spirit in the Scripture applying some Promise to us and having learned and known these things we believe we can never fall totally for once in Christ and ever in Christ and the Elect cannot be deceived and we believe our selves Elected and Justified by Christ without us before we had committed one sin in our own persons for Justification is but one intire act and is perfect but our Sanctification is gradual and imperfect and Salvation is not works least any man should boast but of grace freely and so we never mind much what is in us we know there is enough in Christ and for our sins they cannot separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus and our holiness or righteousness though we be never so strict commends us not to God for if we be Elected our sins shall not destroy or damne us and if we be reprobated by God our righteousness or strictness in holiness cannot help us or save us and so all our comfort is in a Christ without us and in what he hath done for us already but for any thing in us that is spiritual or for Christ to be in us formed there and to dwell and inhabit there and we to feel him and know his voice and to be silent until he speak in us and to be justified by his Spirit in us and for him to work all our works in us and for us and we to be justified by him who works in us and not for our works is that which we looked upon as legal and dangerous to be led and guided and justified and sanctified by Christ in us the Hope of all our Glory this we thought not spiritual enough nor our carnal minds liked not to have all within but rather to have sin within and Christ without and lusts within but righteousness without and Hell within but Heaven without and vanity and filthiness present but happiness and blessedness to come hereafter but the light which shined in our hearts and lets us see the thoughts and intents thereof we believed not in for that to give us the knowledge of the light of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ but looked to get knowledge faster then that would give us it and surer then the knowledge that came that way by our running to the Scriptures and other good books by reading of them and by setting ourselves to observe what we read there looking upon the Scriptures to be the foundation of Faith and the rule of Life and what we get out there we account true knowledge and by reading of that we can be rich quickly and wise to dispute and to answer gain-sayers and our building is according to that and built upon that foundation but for the light that shines in our hearts to wait upon God in that to be taught by him and to hear his voice and to see his shape is a tedious painful flow and uncertain way of getting knowledge and that which hath no delight in it but is a narrow way and a strait gate to walk in and enter by and takes up the whole minds of those that are guided by it and walk in it that they can mind nothing else and makes them such fools that all wise men scoff at them to see how they walk up and down as if they cared for nothing and were grown strangers to the world and had no fellowship with it but kept out of all its customs and wayes and fashions as if they were redeemed out of it while they walk up and down in it but this way we like not but rather a zeal for outward Ordinances and outward Observances and to be somewhat strict in them we like pritty well so that we may be kept in our wisdoms and understandings which are natural and not have them confounded nor brought to nothing but still remain in that nature in which we can live at ease in the flesh and have felowship with the world and conform to their customs and be made partakers of their honours and flattering titles and have our thoughts at liberty and our tongues our own and this Religion we like well but for to have all within like those foolish bewitched people called Quakers we like not and for their wayes had we thought them to have been spiritual enough and conformable enough to the Scriptures of truth we would not have despised them but we account them fools for being so strict and our selves wise for taking our ease and pleasure while we may have it and yet go to Heaven when we dye before them and for to enjoy any great matter in our hearts in this life we look not for it if we can but keep our Consciences quiet it is enough for us when the Messias comes which is called Christ he will tell us all things and we look for his personal coming and then it shall be glorious times then we shall known all things And so by what I have said thou maist know an answer to thy Query and also to that which thou saist may seem a digression but craves to be favoured in it onely to thy last words of Exhortation in which thou exhorts all to hearken to the voice of Christ in the Gospel in this day of Grace c. I have this to say Christs voice is not heard but in the light nor the Gospel is not known but in the light though Matthew Mark Luke and John's writings may be read and remembred by him or them that are in darkness and yet the Gospel hid and here they may be lost because their minds are blinded in them by the god of this world who hath the glory of this world to give unto men that so he might keep the eye of their minds shut least with it they should see the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ the Image of God and it should shine into them and they be converted and then the Gospel which once was hid becomes the Gospel of their Salvation and Christ Gods Image such comes to know and bear in the world and such Preach not themselves but Christ Jesus the Lord and themselves servants for Jesus sake for God who commanded light to shine out of darkness hath shined into their hearts to give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in Christ Jesus 2 Cor. 4.4 5 6. And such know how they come by their knowledge for the light gave it them and they

take beed of being deceived Yea take heed you are not deceived in your Ordinan●es in your Church fellowship yea and in your Christ too seeing one Christ is your very light and life and another light that is unapproachable is he leading you in the way to And be not angry because Thomas White exhorts you to look to your building least it be pulled down to your loss neither call it judging of the hearts of Gods people any more seeing thou hast made thy heart and what is in it so manifest And for those Invectives which thou saist are so frequent in our papers thou shouldest have named some of them and who were their Authours otherwise now canst thou expect an answer but doth not fear surprize the hypocrite and are not the hypocrites in Sion afraid and cry out do not judge least you be judged not knowing to whom that was spoken Luke 6.37 to whom he spake a parable and said Can the blind lead the blind shall they not both fall into the ditch The blind are forbidden to judge but not the spiritual man who judgeth all things nor he whose eyes are opened to see good and evil and he that judgeth any thing in another that he hath not first judged in himself is a transgressor but he that judges that in another which hath been first judged in himself is no mans enemy though in the time of mans love to his lust he may count him his enemy because he tells him the truth but when he comes to be awakened he will count him his brother because he would not suffer sin to lye upon him nor the Sun to go down in his wrath And thou saist That which you call Church-fellowship you do not miscal it for it is true Church-fellowship according to the Order of our blessed Lord Jesus which he himself hath instituted and his holy Apostles and Primitive Saints practised in which fellowship though contemned by you do we walk sweetly together having his presence with us and his blessing upon us c. And many other words thou useth and applieth to thy self and brethren which are the words of others and the conditions of others and thou appliest them to thy self and thy brethren thou shouldest first have proved thy self and brethren born of the same spirit that they were and led into those things in which they walked by the same spirit that they were and not in the imitation without the same command that they had and leading which they were well acquainted withal as many as were the sons of God for they spake as they were moved by the Spirit and in it did they worship and by it were they guided to know when to go and when to stand still and by it they knew well their own spirits when self spake at any time and in it had they fellowship together and by the same Rule did they walk according to their several attainments but were not of many Sects neither did they cry up their own inventions for Christs Commands neither did thy differ about what were his appointments some crying one thing and some another like Babylons builders insomuch that their languages are confounded and they cannot understand one another what was the Primitive Order and what are now those appointments believers are to be found Practitioners of But one cryes this and another that but all in errour from the Spirit of the Lord who knows not the movings of his Spirit in them nor knows not that Christ the Leader and Christ the Way and Christ that dwells in the light unapproachable and is the light of the world all is but one Christ neither knows Election nor Reprobation but differs in their understandings about them all such are out of the Appointments and Commands of Christ and as yet knows not the Way of his worship as it was performed in the dayes of the Apostles therefore say not Christs Institutions are contemned because mens Traditions and carnal Imitations are not followed all which must tumble down when Babylon the great the Mother of Harlots falls and when that comes to pass it will be no wonder to those that behold her downfal that are come out of her to see many pleasant Pictures spoiled and lofty Cities laid low and Master builders that have rejected the light bewailing the fall of their Towers which they thought had been so high and built upon such a foundation as could not be shaken and of such materials as they thought had been living stones and formed in all things like the Primitive Churches but their attire will be found to be the attire of the Harlot and not of the true Spouse neither her comeliness that which Christ hath put upon her but a paint like Jezabel and a Harlot though welfavoured and though her garments be purple and scarlet-coloured yet not washed with the blood of the Lamb and therefore follows him not wheresoever he goeth And whereas thou saist you walk sweetly together How can that be seeing you differ in so many things and main things too as Election and Reprobation For how can two walk together except they be agreed and yet thou confesses you walk sweetly together and also confesses you are not agreed in Election c. Therefore may I not say there is no light in thee because thou walks not according to this Rule which saith Can two walk together except they be agreed Amos 3.3 Thousaist Thomas White is deceived in that he cautions you of being deceived your selves while you cry out others are deluded you who are joyned in that which you call fellowship by the outward form of washing c. Is not the mistake on thy own part Are you not so joyned If thou canst plead not guilty who else can seeing thou seems to justifie all that are called Baptists For Tho. Whites paper is directed in general to those people called Baptists and what is both spoken in general and to some in particular thou applies to thy self and brethren as either being guilty of all or else taking thy self to be united to all that are dipped in water and so by the tendency of thy discourse thou pleads for all the people called Baptists though they be such as differ from thee in the understanding of the great business of Election and Reprobation as if thou wert especially concerned in that name though there be many others who are not so called and yet do not differ in such weighty matters from thee and thy brethren as many of those people who are called Baptists do all which being put together spels little less then that you are joyned in your fellowship by your outward form of washing because thou pleads for and takes thy self to be especially concerned in all things charged against the washed or baptists which imports no less then that you are joyned in your fellowship by outward washing otherwise why dost thou not deny some of those people called Baptists seeing by your own confession