bleffed purpose, can many thousands fay, Glory be to the name of the Lord for ever. For as it reached the confcience, and broke the heart, and brought many to a fenfe and fearch, fo that which people had been vainly seeking without, with much pains and coft, they by this miniftry, found within, where it was they wanted what they fought for, viz. the right way to peace with God. For they were directed to the light of Jefus Christ within them, as the feed and leaven of the kingdom of God; near all, because in all, and God's talent to all: a faithful and true witness, and just monitor in every bofom the gift and grace of God to life and falvation, that appears to all, though few regard it. were as texts to many fairer declarations: and indeed this fhewed that God fent him, that no art or parts had any share in the matter or manner of his ministry, and that fo many great and excellent truths, as he came forth to preach to mankind, had nothing of man's wit or wisdom to recommend them; nor were thefe truths notional or fpeculative, but fenfible and practical, tending to conyerfion and regeneration, and the setting up the kingdom of God in the hearts of men. He was a difcerner of other men's fpirits, and very much a master of his own: he had an extraordinary gift in opening the Scriptures; but above all, he excelled in prayer: the inwardness and weight of his fpirit, the reverence and folemnity of his address and behaviour, an the fewness and fullness of his words have often ftruck even strangers with admiration, as they used to reach others with confolation. He was an inceffant labourer both in doctrine and in discipline, the care of the churches being much upon him; and as he was unwear.ed, fo he was undaunted in his fervices or God and his people, being no more to be moved to fear than to wrath. He fuffered abundantly, not only from ftrangers, but from fome of the fame profeffion, and (which was not the least part of his honour) he was the common butt of the envy of all apostates, whose good notwithstanding he earnestly fought. He held his place in the church of God with great meekne's and a most engaging humility and moderation being on all occafions (like his bleffed Mafter,) a fervant to all, exercifing no au hority but over evil, and that every where and in all, but with love, compaffion, and long fuffering. He was found in judgment, able and ready in giving. difcreet in keeping, counsel: of an innocent life, no bu y body, nor felf-ferker, not touchy nor critical; very tender and compaflionate to all under affliction; a most mer ciful man, as ready to forgive as unapt to take or give offence; very civil, beyond all forms of breeding, in his behaviour; very temperate, eating little, and fleeping lefs. Thus he lived and fojourned among us, and as he lived, so he died; and in his last moments was fo full of affurance that he triumphed over death.*. *See Penn's Rife and Progress, &c. and Ellwood's Teftimony of George Fox prefixed to This, the traditional Christian, cor.ceited of himself, and strong in his own will and righteousness, and overcome with blind zeal and paffion, either despised as a low and common thing, or oppofed as a novelty, under many hard names, and opprobrious terms; denying in his ignorant and angry mind, any fresh manifeftation of God's power and fpirit in man, in thefe days, though never more needed to make true Christians not unlike thofe Jews of old, that rejected the Son of God, at the very fame time that they blindly profeffed to wait for the Meffiah to come; because, alas, he appeared not among them according to their carnal mind and expectation." And as it was one great and principal distinguishing bufinefs of the people called Quakers (at a time of fuch high profeffion as that was, when they made their first appearance in the world) to call men off from an acquiefcence in the mere history and letter of the Scripture, without experiencing the fpirit and mystery thereof; or in other terms, to flake hypocritical profeffors, in their vain confidence in the mere belief of what Chrift did without them in refpect to his life, doctrines, miracles, and fufferings (matters of faith, undoubtedly of great importance, and neceffary to be affented to, and moft gratefully acknowledged, but without a further work fo far from being effectual to falvation, that doubtlefs the revelation of thefe truths will aggravate the condemnation of the impenitent), and to awaken their attention to the inward appearance of the fame Chrift in their own hearts; to republish to the world faith in Christ, nor only as fitting in power and great glory at the right hand of the Majefty in heaven, according to the teftimony of holy writ, but alfo as the light of the world according to the fame teftimony, and that men "fhould believe in the light that they might be the children of the light," John xii. 36. according to the precept of Chrift; and that there is a divine efficacy in this light to make men fons of God, according to the first chapter of John the Evangelift: now I fay, as this was the diftinguishing teftimony of the people called Quakers, fo there are not wholly wanting among fome of the writers of thofe times inftances of a concurrence herewith. It fhall fuffice for this purpose to transcribe, a single inftance, being a fhort extract from two fermons preached at Allhallows in Lombard-street in the year 1654, by John Webster, viz. us; It is not holding forth the highest profeffion of Christ, in the letter, that makes us free, except Chrift come into the heart and make us free indeed. The chief thing that every foul is to mind, in reading and hearing, is to examine whether the fame thing be wrought in them. Whatever we find in the letter, if it be not made good in us what are the words to us? We muft fee how Chrift is crucified and buried in us, and how he is rifen and raifed from death in the chief thing I fay is to look into our own breafts. All generally that hold forth a profession of Christ, they fay in words, that Chrift is the deliverer, but that is not the thing; is he a deliverer to thee? is that glorious Meffiah promised and the deliverer with power, come into thy foul? hath he exalted himself there? hath he made bare his arm and been a glorious conqueror in thee? hath he taken to himfelf his great power to reign in thee? is he King of kings and Lord of lords in thee? Whatever thou talkeft of Chrift and his miracles, if thou haft no witness, no evidence of the truth of them in thine own heart, what is all that ever he did, and what is all that ever he suffered to thee? It may be thou mayest have a notion and opinion of the things of God, and thou haft them by history and by relation, or education, or example, or cuftom, or by tradition, or because moft men have received them tor truths: but if thou haft no evidence of his mighty iniracles and God-like power in thy own foul, how canft thou be a witnefs that they are the things that thou haft feen and heard? for all those outward things are but fhadows and representations, figures and patterns of the heavenly things themselves. Thou mayeft have a strong opinion, but no experience of them, viz. that Chrift hath freed and delivered thy foul.-Haft thou really feen thyself in captivity, deaf, dumb, blind, and lame? Oh that men were but come to this condition, to be fenfible of their mifery! Oh then what mourning, what hanging of their harps upon the willows, and fitting by the rivers of Babylon, and crying out, how fhall we fing the Lord's fong in a ftrange land? Till they have deliverance they cannot but mourn, and who can deliver them, but the Lion of the tribe of Judah? To fuch a foul only Chrift is precious: others may talk of him and make a great profeffion of him, but they cannot love him till he be Immanuel and Saviour in them. Forms and ordinances cannot be the rest of a Christian, because they may be used and lived in, and admired and prized, whilft thofe that use them may be carried away with divers lufts. Thus may not one be dipt and receive water-baptifm and yet be a forcerer? Was not Simon Magus fo? May not one be at breaking of bread with Chrift, and yet be a devil? Yes, for fo was Judas.' So far Webster. |