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out of the grave, and from under their stony hearts and rocks, whereby
the new covenant of light is known, and the new heart which is pure,
with which God is seen. And the light which every man that cometh
into the world is enlightened with, will prick them that persecute the
anointed ones, and act against the Lord, though they kick against it.
P. He saith, To what purpose should Christ be preached dead and
risen, to be believed on for life, if the light be in every one.'

A. Mankind being in the fall, Christ was made manifest to witness that he should come, and made manifest to many witnesses when he was come; and John came to bear witness to the true light, which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world. Then these witnesses that did believe that Christ was come, were to go into all the world, to all nations, Jews, and Gentiles, and preach the everlasting covenant of God to them, which was promised, and were witnesses of his resurrection: and to turn people from darkness to light, and from the power of satan to God;' and then told them, the light that shined in their hearts would give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God.' And the law was in their hearts, and the word was within them, and the anointing; and such had the gifts for the work of the ministry, for perfecting the saints, for the edifying the body of Christ, till they all came to the knowledge of the glory of God, and to a perfect man in Christ Jesus.'

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P. He saith, Christ is without his saints in respect of his bodily presence.'

A. How then are they of his flesh and of his bone, and eat his flesh, and drink his blood? And how have the saints his mind and spirit, and he with them, and they with him, and sit with him in heavenly places? And he is the head of the church, how then is he absent? Ye poor apostates from him, who feel not Christ with you! but he is with the saints, and they feel him.

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P. He saith, Salvation and faith are the gifts of God distinct from Christ.'

A. They are all of him, and from him, and with him: and how is he the author of faith, in whom it ends, from whence it comes?

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P. He saith, The light which discovers sin and iniquity in man's heart, is not Christ the light, the door.'

A. The first Adam was the door where all sin and transgression entered. Christ, the second Adam, 'the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world,' saith, I am the door, the way, and the life; which finisheth sin and transgression, and brings in everlasting righteousness, and the way of life out of death, which light dis

covers sin.

P. He saith, To call Christ the light, the gift, the door, the way, is to take the gardener for Christ, as Mary did.'

A. We do not put Christ, the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, for the gardener. We know him, and as many as receive him, he gives them power to become the sons of God; and this thou sayst is not used power, but prerogative authority, and thus thou art wresting scripture. So thou shouldst have been more meek and low in thy heart, and then thou wouldst have bridled thy tongue, and have learned of Christ, and so have come to the light, the sure foundation, out of the error of thy ways, and have kept in the footsteps of the flock. And if thy tongue had been shorter, and thy bridle straiter, then wouldst thou not have mixed the covenant of God with man's spirit, and have compared it to the law of works, which Christ the light which doth enlighten every one that comes into the world,' is the end of. And man's spirit in the fall is polluted, and his body; but as the light is believed in, and the mind changed, his spirit and body are sanctified, and so he comes to be a child of the light, and his spirit witnesseth with our spirits that we are the sons of God.' And none own the door, the mediator, the life, the way, but with the light which Christ doth enlighten every man that comes into the world withal, which light is the door, the way, and the life.

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Ellis Bradshaw's book, called The Quakers' quaking principles,' which he directs to the protector. His principles follow.

P. HE saith, That Christ who doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, doth it not by an immediate illumination, not the elect themselves, to bring them to salvation.'

A. Doth not Christ say, 'I am the way, the truth, and life?' And he is the door, and 'no man cometh to the Father but by him, and we are to learn of him. This is my beloved son: hear ye him,' said God. And is not he the new covenant in the heart, by which men need not say, 'Know the Lord?' And there is no other name by which men can be saved, but by the name of Christ, who doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, that all through him might believe. And he that believes in the light, abides not in darkness, but hath the light of life; and they that believe not in it, but hate it, the light is their condemnation; and the light that doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world,' is the salvation, though men neglect it, which the elect walk in, which condemns the unbeliever, which is immediate; and no man sees salvation but who comes to the light.

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P. He saith, "The word that was made flesh is visible, and the word is the letter, and they never received the spirit of life from it, and that is the Quakers' error.'

A. Such as had the scriptures, which were the words of God to them in old time, and the ordinances, the apostle calls carnal, which the Jews stuck in, and would not come to him that they might have life, would not come to Christ. And so if men have all the scriptures, and have not Christ, they have not life. For the devil may have the scripture, and hath he therefore life? And the power of God, Christ, his name is called the word of God.' The word of God lives and endures for ever, and the spirit is not in the letter, and the letter is not the word which was made flesh; and they are in the error that think so, for the word is invisible.

P. Paul adviseth not only to the light within, but is bidding them bring his cloak, books, and parchments, and give attendance to reading.'

A. The apostle told the saints, that the light that shined in their hearts would give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, and bids them walk in the light. And Christ bids them believe in the light, and they should not walk in darkness; and there is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved, but by the name of Christ. And none see the substance of the scriptures, nor the fulfilling of them, but who walk in the light, whom God speaks to by his son, who is the end of the prophets, and there is the true reading and knowing of all books and parchments; for none know the scriptures, but by the light which comes from Christ, in whom they end.

P. And again thou sayst, 'There are more words than one.'

A. God is the word, and the scriptures of truth are his words, which Christ fulfils.

P. He saith, 'They have fellowship with the Father, but not in the like measure of the gifts of grace the apostles had.'

A. Then you are not likely any of you to understand the apostles' words, nor to be judges of them; but as you do come into the like measure and gifts as they were in, else, you will not be able to judge of their conditions, nor know their words.

P. He saith, There is no man justified through the faith in Christ, that owns the scriptures to be but a dead letter; but that owns them to be the word of God, in which there is spirit and spiritual life, as words of eternal life.'

A. The spirit and the life are not in the scriptures, but were in those that gave them forth, and many have the scripture, and not the spirit of life. The devil may get scripture, and therefore hath he spirit and life, who is out of it? This is like the Pharisees, that thought they

had had life in the scriptures, but would not come to Christ, the life which the scripture testified of. And the scriptures are words of God, but many have the words, and deny the word itself: and none are justified that have the scriptures, and are out of the life that gave

them forth.

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P. He saith, It is a sottish doctrine to direct people only to the light within; and what an absurd thing it is to tell our children of the light within their conscience, and to bid them obey and follow it, that light and word that is in their hearts and mouths, and so fully neglect the teaching of the scriptures.'

A. Is not this Saul's zeal, kicking against the pricks, who had scripture! And it is not to neglect to teach the scriptures, nor the apostles' doctrine, to bring people and children to the light within, and the word in their hearts and mouths, to obey and do it, which was the apostles' doctrine; and they are sottish that are out of it; and they were those that made proselytes, that brought not people to the word within, nor to the light within, but from it.

P. He saith, 'The apostle thought to do many things against the church, and thought he ought to do so, and the light within did not inform his conscience."

A. Did not Christ say it was hard for him to kick against that which pricked him? and was not that within him that pricked him?

P. And thou say st thou art 'too ignorant of the ways of God, and witnessing the meaning of his spirit.'

A. We do believe thee; therefore thou hadst better have been silent, and have hearkened to the light within thee, and the word within thee, and the word of faith and wisdom; which none hear, but who come to the light within.

P. Thou sayst thou art too much troubled with carnal thoughts and vain imaginations, and addicted to the world.'

A. Those dictates are not likely to own the light within, word within. It is not a strange thing that thy spirit should stand against the apostles' doctrine, that is, light within. Cor. ii. 4.

P. Thou sayst, It is disparaging the scriptures to direct people to the light within, rather than the scriptures, to direct them to eternal life.'

A. The scriptures many may have, and may be from the light and spirit of God that was in those that gave them forth; but none have eternal life, but who come to the light within, and the spirit that was in them that gave forth the scriptures; and to you this is the word of the Lord.

P. Thou sayst, "The light within is gross darkness, and what dark

ness and blindness is there where the scriptures are not minded and known.'

A. The apostle, who directed to the light within, did not call that gross darkness nor blindness; but turned people from darkness to light, from the power of satan to God. And Abraham and Enoch were not in gross darkness and ignorance, who had not the scripture to mind, who were in the spirit and faith that they were in that gave forth the scripture. They who come to witness the same spirit that was in them that gave forth the scriptures, shall come to witness the covenant of God written in their hearts, and shall not need to say, 'Know the Lord;' these cease from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; and they that come into this, own the scripture without, and are in Abraham's faith.

P. He saith, The elect may be deceived, and fall from their own steadfastness for a time, and come under death and the power of satan.' A. The elect seed is in the grave, which it is not possible to deceive; and the elect shall be brought from under all the deceivers, and death, and bonds, and shall come over the gates of hell, although the seed hath been in captivity. And it is not possible to deceive the elect, it is the world that is deceived; that which hath led captive shall go into captivity. Eve, and the first Adam, may be brought into transgression; but Christ the second Adam, the seed in you all, you must know, which is that which bruiseth the serpent's head, and the ground of all deceiving. And so the elect may lie under for a time, and suffer; but the election shall obtain, and not him that wills, nor him that runs, but come over to the crown of honour and glory.

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P. He saith, Satan deceives men into bringing them to a self-denying posture.'

A. It is not the devil that brings men to be humble, and to deny themselves: that which teacheth self-denial is Christ; that which keeps out of self-denial is the devil, for that he went from himself, out of the truth.

P. He says, "They can never be clear of a degree of blasphemy, that have the spirit of God in them and speak against ministry, magistrates, and ordinances, and bid people listen to the light within them, and to the spirit's teaching, and that they are all taught of God.’

A. They that witnessed the spirit and light within were taught of God, and were moved of the Lord to declare both against ministers, magistrates, and ordinances, that stood against Christ the power of God; and these were called blasphemers, who were not, the scripture declares it; but owned the power that ended all changeable things, which upon all the heads of the transgressors and blasphemers came, which power was a praise to them that did well.

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