become children of the light: and it is clear by Christ's words, there are none children of the light, but by believing in the light.

So the rest are children of darkness, though they may make a profession of Christ in the flesh, and after the flesh.

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And not to believe in the light (which is the life in Christ, the word, which was in the beginning) what does this differ from the devil's believing and trembling? I say, those who do not believe in the divine light of Christ, as he is God, which light is the life in the word, which is God, (that is called life in him, and the light as it is in people that be in darkness.)

And you say, this divine, spiritual, heavenly light of Christ is not saving: then why does Christ say, 'believe in the light, that ye may become children of the light; and he that believes, is saved, and he that does not, is condemned already; and I will give him for a covenant of light, and he shall be my salvation to the ends of the earth, said God?' so this covenant of light is saving then.

Now the Jews, and the Turk, and heathen, and Indians, that do not nor will not profess and own Christ in the flesh, to be the Saviour; if one come to speak to them of their evil deeds and words, and ask them, if there is not something in them that tells them, they should not speak and do so, or so wickedly? (for the light of Christ troubles and condemns them if they do evil,) here they will confess to the light of Christ, though they know not what it is which is the life in the word, and light in them, that shines in their darkness, and their darkness comprehends it not, and so do not obey it, nor believe in it, but hate it (many of them,) because it will reprove them, and because their deeds are evil; and this is according to Christ's words, 'this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.'

For, every one that doth evil, [mark,] it is not some, but every one that doth, (that is,) acteth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, least his deeds should be reproved: now he cannot say, 'it is not there, nor within him, nor that he hath it not,' when he will not come to it; but men will not come to this divine and spiritual light, least that they should be reproved by it.

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Now, Christ makes a distinction betwixt him that loves, and him that hates it; for he that doth truth,' saith he, cometh to the light, that his deeds may be manifest that they are wrought in God.'

Now, they that hate the light, and will not come to it, they are such as do not the truth, then they do the evil, yet make a profession of Christ in the flesh, that he is come, as the Jews did he was to come; and so with your darkness, you cannot comprehend the light, though it shines there, yea, in your darkness.

But the darkness (you say) is within you: yet you will not have this divine, heavenly light of Christ to be within you: Oh! can such gross darkness comprehend this divine, heavenly light, which is the life in the word, and the true light, that enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world; and the prophet saith, whom God hath given for a covenant of light, and to be his salvation to the ends of the earth;' believe in the light.

And now, the children of darkness, that cannot comprehend the light, (which is the life, in Christ the word,) but hate the light, whose deeds be evil, and will not come to the light, because it will reprove them; this is their condemnation, (Turks, Jews, heathen and apostate christians,) that believe not in the light (which is the life in the word,) as Christ commands.

And now mind this, you professors that be in darkness, and therein cannot comprehend this divine, spiritual, saving, heavenly light, which is the life in the spiritual word, but with your darkness are wrangling and jangling, and are raging like the waves of the sea, foaming out your shame against it; consider that some of you call this divine, spiritual light, (which is the life in the word,) natural, carnal, and of the devil, the light of nature, the Quakers' idol, a will o' the wisp,' and a new Christ; and many such blasphemous speeches you have published against the true light, 'which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world,' which light is the life in the word Christ; for in him was life,' speaking of the word which was in the beginning, and the life was the light of men.'

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Now, by this true light, all false lights, false christs, and you, are comprehended, and seen, and judged, even by this divine, heavenly light, which is the life in the word, which Christ, the Saviour, and heavenly, spiritual man, enlightens every man that cometh into the world withal, and says, believe in the light.' And so now, you that cannot comprehend this light, which is the life, and make a profession of Christ in the flesh, and yet deny his divine light, and blaspheme against it, and will not own it, but hate it, and spit at it, and call it the light of the devil ;' you are like the pharisees and chief priests, and the Jews, that cried out, 'the temple of the Lord,' and yet persecuted Christ's spiritual worship: you make a profession of Christ in his flesh, and will not own his light, which enlightens every man, which is the life in him, you are as bad or worse than the Jews, Turks, or Indians; for they will confess to that light which does condemn evil in them, but you make a profession of Christ in the flesh, yet deny his light, which is life in him; and the Jews, Turks, and Indians, will confess to the light that does reprove them, though they will not obey it; yet this divine, heavenly light will make every tongue to confess, though you that do make a profession of

Christ in the flesh, will not confess to this divine light of Christ, so far as Jew, Turk, and heathens; and they will not give this heavenly light, which is life in Christ, such blasphemous names as you do.

So you, in your profession of Christ in the flesh, are darker to his light than the Jews, Turks, Indians or heathens, yea, such as do not profess him come in the flesh but you and they all must be made to confess to this heavenly, divine light (which is life in him,) to your condemnation that hate it, and blaspheme against it, and will not come to it, because ye do not the truth, and so will not turn at the reproofs of it, and believe in it, that ye might become children of the light. And now, they that are turned at the reproofs of it, and are turned from the evil, and come to do the truth, they believe in the light, as Christ commands, and love the light, and bring their deeds to the light, that with the light they may see their deeds wrought in God; and so, believing in the light, become children of the light: but all you that hate the light, 'you hate the life in Christ, and you do not see how your works are wrought.'

And all you, that be the haters of this light and life, and have given so many blasphemous names to it; though you make a profession of Christ in the flesh, and call him Lord, and say, you have preached him in the streets;' I must tell you, 'you are not grafted into Christ; for none are grafted into Christ, but by believing in the light;' for you do hate the light which Christ commands you to believe in, which is the life in himself.

And I tell you, they that believe in the light, (which is the life in him,) as Christ commands, are grafted into Christ, their way, their truth, their life, their rock and foundation, their shepherd, their bishop, and their priest, who is made higher than the heavens, who is first and last.

And all you that are the haters of this divine, spiritual light, which is the life in Christ, and will not come to it, are the doers of evil, and not of truth; and calling this light, which is the life in Christ, the Quakers' new christ, and their idol, and a natural created light, and of the devil, you do wickedly.

I tell you, you are persecuting the life of Christ Jesus, though ye are the professors of him in the flesh; for you are the persecutors of him in his light, and life, and spirit now in our age; you will not behold his glory.

Like as the Jews were blind, and stopped their eyes and ears against the light of Christ, and persecuted him in their day in the flesh, and put him to death in the flesh, and crucified him without the gates of Jerusalem, yet he arose again the third day, and is ascended above all principalities, thrones and dominions, and remains in the heavens until the restitution of all things; him, I say, you cannot crucify any more, nor put to death in the flesh any more; but you may and do crucify him to yourVOL. V.-26

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selves afresh, and persecute him in his members, yet death has no more dominion over him; for he is ascended far above the reach of all the powers of the earth, who was dead, and is alive, and lives for evermore.

But as the Jews persecuted him, and cried, crucify him, crucify him,' in the flesh; so you professors of Christ in the flesh, persecute Christ in the spirit, in his light, and in his life, who cannot reach to crucify him in his flesh any more, but to yourselves and in his members.

And now, as the Jews cried, crucify him, away with him,' in the flesh; so you that do profess him in the flesh, do not you cry, 'away with the light which enlightens every man that cometh into the world,' which is the life of Christ? and you spit at the life and light of Christ, as the Jews spit at him in the flesh, and cry, away with this light, away with this life,' which is in the word:' so you professors of Christ in the flesh, do fight against Christ in his light and life, as the Jews did against him in his flesh.'

Again, as the Jews hated Christ in the flesh, you that profess him in the flesh hate this divine light, which is the life in him; and cry, away with this light; and call it natural, and of the devil, and the Quakers' idol, and new christ, which is the life in Christ, and this you cry 'away withal;' and some of you have cursed it, and in your darkness have called it a dark light,' and 'dim light,' and 'beggarly scrap,' and ye make a profession of him in the flesh.

And Christ Jesus is not known as he is God in his divinity, nor in his flesh, as he was manifest, but by this his divine heavenly light, which we own and believe in, as he commands, who are children of the light; which name or title Christ bestowed upon us before you professors nicknamed us with the name of Quakers, in the year 1650, which name one Bennet, at Darby, gave us, when he cast us into prison: and as it is said, 'young men, you are strong, you have overcome the wicked one; fathers, you have known him from the beginning; that is, you have known him in his divinity, you have known him in the promise, and in the prophets, you have known him in his birth and conception by the Holy Ghost,' ye have known him in his life, preaching, and miracles,' and the 'contradiction and blasphemies of sinners against him;' so you have known him in his sufferings, and have fellowship with him; you have known him in his death and passion, as he was crucified without the gates at Jerusalem, and buried, (who saw the travail of his soul, and was satisfied;") you have known him in his death, burial, and suffering, who lay three days and nights in the sepulchre, (or heart of the earth. Matt. xii. 40.) you have known him again in his resurrection, who is ascended above all principalities, powers, thrones, and dominions, and remains in the heavens till all things be restored; and restoring, by his light, power, spirit, grace, and faith, who is before all, and above all, first and last,

and has made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, where our bread is sure, and our water is sure, whose flesh is meat indeed, and whose blood is drink indeed. And we that do believe in the light of Christ, which is the life in him, cannot deny the flesh of Christ, our heavenly bread, who remains in the heavens. I say, that Jesus Christ that died without the gates of Jerusalem above sixteen hundred years since, who hath enlightened us with his heavenly divine light, which is the life in himself, through which light we are grafted into Christ, the heavenly spiritual man, who hath saved, redeemed, and purchased and bought us with his precious blood, the blood of the heavenly man, the second Adam, who does cleanse and sanctify us with his blood, the blood of the new covenant, Christ Jesus: so I say, he that bought us, and purchased us, and hath given a price for us, to wit, his heavenly and precious blood, we believing in the light, as he has commanded, which is the life in him, and he hath sealed us, Christ, the heavenly man hath set his heavenly seal upon us: so here is his heavenly mark upon us, his sheep, and we are his that has purchased us, and given a price for us, to wit, his heavenly blood; we are not our own, and are not to live to ourselves, nor to order ourselves, but to live unto him, and be ordered, ruled, and governed by him, of the increase of whose government there is no end; and so to be counselled by him, and led by him, and taught by him, as he is our heavenly prophet, and to be fed by him, our heavenly shepherd,' in his heavenly pasture and fold; and to be overseen by him, as he is our heavenly bishop,' that we his sheep do not go astray out of his heavenly pasture, that are come in by him, the 'heavenly door;' who is our heavenly priest,' that offered up himself for us, and ends all the outward typical offerings, that were offered up for sin, as well as the other; and he offered himself up to God once for all, for our sins, a sweet-smelling sacrifice; wherefore the offerings of bulls and goats thou wouldst not, but a body hast thou prepared me to do thy will, O God;' so God prepared him a body to do his will, and with his body he did fulfil his will, according to all his prophets and promises, whose flesh saw no corruption, which is the heavenly bread, and his blood, which purchases, which is not corruptible; for the blood of bulls and goats was corruptible, but this precious blood of Christ is incorruptible, that cleanseth from corruption: so, by his precious blood are we cleansed from all sin; he is a priest, made higher than the heavens, a 'heavenly priest,' and a 'heavenly spiritual man,' offered up himself first for us, and offers us, and cleanses, and washes, and sanctifies us with his blood, he who is without spot or wrinkle, to make us without spot or wrinkle, that he may present us pure and clean, without spot or wrinkle, up to the eternal, pure, holy, uncorruptible, infinite God, who is a consuming fire to the wicked, who dwells in glory, and inhabits eternity.

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