there is prophecy before the son is born, and openings from the Lord, and those are things of God.

P. No man can ever see God, who is invisible, with the light by which all things were made,' and calls it 'a little light.'

A. This is contrary to John, who saith, he that walks in the light shall have fellowship with the son and with the Father, and so sees him; and it is not a little light by which all things were made and created. P. The unction in every man is not the light.'

A. It is far from the apostle, to say that the unction in men is not the light. If the unction be Christ in man, it is the light; and every man that comes into the world must receive the light that Christ hath enlightened him with, before he can receive the unction, and he that hath the unction, hath the light of life.

P. The sure word of prophecy the apostle speaks of, is the prophecy of scripture, or scriptures.'

A. Doth the scripture shine in a dark place until the day dawn? Are they that which must be taken heed unto, as unto a light? Can any see the scripture, and know the scripture, but with the light within? Cannot a Cain, a Balaam, or a Core, that is gone from the spirit of prophecy within, bring scripture, and then put the letter for the spirit?

P. They know not absolute perfection, that are admitting of measures and degrees; nor come to the day, nor is the bright morning star risen.'

A. Did not the apostle say that they were children of the day, and the night was over? and he knew the whole body, and yet said he would not go beyond his measure. And doth he not speak of the stature, and measure, and fulness of Christ? And were not they come to perfection? and did they not speak wisdom amongst them that were perfect?

P. He saith, The evil done, can never appear to be evil by the light.'

A. Doth not the light make it manifest, and reprove the evil done, and condemn it?

P. He saith, It is not in the power of the light to call any thing that is done, good or evil.'

A. This is contrary to scripture, that saith, whatsoever doth make manifest and reprove, is light;' and there is power in that which doth make manifest and reprove, to call that which is evil, evil, and that which is good, good.

6

P. He saith, The light convinceth man not, for not believing in Christ.'

A. It condemns him, and convinceth him, and reproves him.

P. He saith,

The light, or law, as he calls it, will convince a man

of sin, and there leave him inexcusable before God.'

A. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness' sake, to every one that believes in the light, and so comes to witness the law of faith and of life; the hope and the promise of this bring from under the schoolmaster to the sonship, and to know and see salvation, which none do but with the light.

P. He saith, That scripture in John is misapplied, which saith, that Christ doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world.' And saith, It meddles with none but the children of the new covenant.'

A. This is contrary to scripture, that saith, one loves the light that doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world, and the other hates it. He that hates it, it condemns him, and so he hath it; but to the other it is the light of life. And he is a covenant, a light to the Gentiles and to the Jews, whether they own it, or believe in it, or receive it or not; he is so nevertheless, according to the promise of God. And to every man that believes in it, it is the covenant of light, and he shall not need to say, Know the Lord;' for he shall find the law in his mind, and the law in his heart. And the saints witnessed the light shining in their hearts, and that gave them the knowledge of the glory of God, and they were passed from death to life, and from darkness to light; and the unbeliever abides in darkness, and in the death, and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doth not comprehend it; and there thou art; and such know nothing as they ought to know, but naturally as brute beasts.

P. He saith, The light in every man which cometh into the world, will not open all scripture, nor lead men out of the fall to God the Father, and to eternal life.'

A. The light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, is the substance of all scriptures, and the way out of the fall up to eternal life, out of the first Adam; and is the life that opens all scriptures, and that all scriptures end in. Man being in the fall, in the first Adam driven from God, in the sin and transgression, Christ the second Adam, which doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world, who is the way again to God, is he who bringeth in righteousness, life, and immortality, and finisheth sin and transgression, and ends the prophets, types, figures, and shadows, and opens all scriptures.

P. He saith, The light tumbles men into the grave, and rolls a stone upon them, and tumbles them in transgression, and he shall act against the anointed ones of God, and against the Lord.'

A. Nay, the light leads men out of transgression, and from wallowing in their blood, and is that whereby they have life; and leads them

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.'

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.

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?

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 discovers 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.

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.

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