he never saw before, and put him upon his came in, and pretty many Friends from Salis proof in that and several other things, in bury, Jamaica and Amesbury, and the Lord which he had overshot himself, in the appre- was with us. Many things were opened, and hension of most of the people who heard him. Truth came over all; yet several of us had I observed to the people, who did not gene- felt a hard inward trouble and exercise: and rally understand the meaning of the word as soon as I sat down I observed a man emissary, that it was unduly applied by him; in the entrance of the door, who, looking at it imported a very high, as well as false charge, me, said, "You have spoken several true and as such I returned it upon him. Then things, but by what authority did you speak?" he began to charge Jonathan Taylor, then in I answered, "By the authority of Truth;" England, with being a Jesuit, he having been and then told him our meeting was not ended, in that country seven years before, and in- and bid him be silent till it was; and then strumental to convince many in those parts, if he had any thing to say, he might be and thereby had greatly enraged the priests heard. Upon which he was silent, and soon and their envious company against him, which after Lydia Norton stood up, and several of they had not forgot. There stood up likewise the people went out in contempt of her sex, another man, and said the charge was true. though she had a ministry as affecting and But I opposed them, telling the people, I very satisfactory as most women or men either; well knew Jonathan Taylor, and that he was and when she had done I concluded the meetno Jesuit, nor any thing like one in any re- in prayer, and Truth was over all contrary spect; putting the priest in mind of what spirits, though I felt some further exercise and dangerous consequence it might be to him- opposition hatching; but saw likewise that the self to charge me, or any other innocent end would be to the honour of God and his person, in that manner, since, by law, it all-conquering Truth. touched the life of the accused, and was highly punishable in the accuser, if not legally proved. Then wheeling his horse about, he said he could not stay any longer, but rode hastily out of the crowd and went off.

The opposition this priest and the others made being for the most part notoriously false assertions and charges, without any proof, exposed him and themselves to the just censure of the people, and rather confirmed them in the truth of what we had delivered, than hurt the cause of Truth; which we, in some measure of the wisdom and power of it, had defended against them.

The meeting being ended, a man began to cavil against several things I had said concerning the Scriptures and the light of Christ; but the Lord being with me, I came over him, and it settled in my mind, that he had been convinced of the Truth in his heart, and had rebelled against it. I went to him where he sat upon a form, many people being in the room, and looking in his face, said to him in that bold. ness which truth gave me, That he had been convinced of the Truth of God in his heart, and had resisted and rejected it, and therefore was now become an open enemy and opposer of the Truth in others also, and that therefore God would reject him for ever if he did not cease from his wicked practice, and turn to the Lord by speedy humiliation and repentance unfeigned.

It was now near night, and began to rain, and I took horse and rode to Henry Dow's, being well satisfied that there had not happened any further contest, which might have unsettled the minds of the people from the This sunk in him as the stone in the face effect of those truths, so largely and plainly of Goliah, and silenced him at once, and he delivered among them; and from that sense remained as a man amazed all the time he of the divine power of the Word of life, of staid in the room after that, which was above which some of them had, in measure, tasted. an hour, whilst I was answering other adver On the 5th, in the morning, we had a meet-saries, and opening things, as the Lord assist ing of ministering Friends at Henry Dow's, ed me, to several sober inquirers; and when at which most of the ministers in those parts he went away I renewed the matter openly to were present; and the presence and power him in the audience of all; but he made no of the Lord was eminently with us, to the answer, but went off as one deeply smitten in glory of his own name; and many things his conscience. were brought to remembrance, and opened to The next day proving rainy, and several our mutual edification and consolation; for of us staying there till the evening, we were they being for the most part young in that divinely comforted in the love of God; in exercise, things opened in me to my own admi- which we had many tender seasons together, ration, so that it was one of the best meetings as at other times and places, to the praise I had been at in those parts. That evening of his great name, who is God worthy for I went again to Haverhill, and on the 6th ever.

had a meeting there, where some of the people I went, at the request of John Keeser, a young

man who had not been long convinced, to the priest of that town, a most imbittered enemy to the way of Truth, and all that walk therein in this dispensation, who had desired to speak with him about his dissenting from him and the common Presbyterian way.

At our first entrance into the house this priest looked very haughty and ill natured, and bid us sit down, which we did. John Keeser told him, he had heard he desired to speak with him, and was now come to know the matter. Then he began and said, "John, I have had a mind to speak with you a long time, to know your reasons for neglecting the public worship, and deserting me who have charge over you, to follow the errors of the Quakers, who deny salvation by Jesus Christ, and follow their light within: but I could not meet you, though I came to your house on purpose.

John Keeser replied, "I heard of it, and am now come to hear what thou hast to say." Then said the priest, "You are a perverse fellow; I wanted to speak with you alone, in order to reclaim you from the pernicious errors of the Quakers, who deny justification by Christ; affirming, that to expect to be justified by the works of Christ without us, is a doctrine of devils."

Then said I, "Friend, if thou hast any thing to say to the young man relating to any thing he hath done or said, I am here, at his request, to hear it; but if thou goest on thus to reflect against, and falsely accuse that people, I am one of them, and shall oppose thee. I return upon thee thy false accusations already uttered, in which thou hast shown thy great injustice, unworthiness and ill nature. For we do not expect salvation by any other than the Lord Jesus Christ and the Father; and I challenge thee to produce any author approved by us, that denies the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, done without us, and its efficacy, for its proper end and purpose, in the redemption and salvation of mankind."

Then the priest said, "William Penn, in one of his books, called the doctrine of justification, by the coming of Christ without, in the flesh, the doctrine of devils." I asked him if he had ever seen that book? and he confessed he had not. Then I asked him how he could charge William Penn with such a position? He replied, he had seen it quoted out of the book by Mr. Bugg and Mr. Keith. "Francis Bugg and George Keith," said I, "once knew the Truth in some degree, and made profession of it with us, but took of fences, first against some particular persons, and then against the whole body, and became apostates, open enemies, filled with envy implacable. It is neither safe nor wise in thee

to take any thing upon trust from them against us, they having been, and still are notorious false accusers, perverters, and misrepresenters of us, our books, doctrines, and principles. But I know William Penn, and his sentiments on that subject, and have read the passage aimed at; which, to the best of my remembrance, not having the book here, is to this effect: To teach that men are justified before God, by the righteousness of Christ, as wholly without us, whilst sin is yet reigning in us, is a doctrine of devils.'"

This the priest did not deny, but asked me how we hold it? I said, "I shall first premise some things by way of introduction, before I proceed to a direct answer to the question, intending thereby to make it more plain in the conclusion. I begin then with the purpose of God to make man; when he was perfected as man, God breathed into him the breath of life from himself; whereby man became spiritually minded; alive in God who is a spirit; like unto God in his mind or inner man; the image of him who created him in righteousness and true holiness. In which state God gave him a positive commandment, not of action, but abstinence, annexing death and disobedience together.

“Man, in the beginning, by the voice of God, knew the command of God, and his duty to him thereby, and believed the Word of God for a time, which is the divine, eternal, essential Truth; and as long as man continued in the faith of the Word, he lived in the divine light and life of it; stood and remained in the moral image of God, righteous, holy, uncorrupted and undefiled.

"But when the mind of man, through temptation, disbelieved the Word of God, in which he at first believed, and adhered unto another voice, which was false and a lie, the mind of man thereby became corrupted and incapacitated to enjoy the life and light of the divine Word any longer, according to the word of God, which saith, 'In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.'

"Thus the fall of man being his departure from the divine life and light of the eternal Word of God, his wisdom and power, the redemption of man is his restoration, and more than restoration, to the knowledge of it, and being re-united with it.

"And as the love, mercy, and compassion. of God was still towards man, he gave him a promise by the same Word, That the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head,' or that subtle spirit which had betrayed her, so that in the fulness of time the woman should be instrumental in the restoration; which accordingly is mercifully fulfilled. For when the angel of God was sent to Mary, the holy Virgin, he said, 'Hail, thou that art highly favour

ed, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.'

"And as the Father hath promised and offered his Son as he is that Light, and as his new and everlasting covenant with mankind, in order to their restoration and establishment, not of works, but of life; so, whoever will enter into this covenant with God, must first believe in him whom God hath sent, and in the way and manner in which he hath sent him, according to his promises.

"But Mary did not at first believe the angel; "Now a covenant is not on one side only, 'And the angel answered and said unto her, but two at the least; and therefore God, who The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and is divine eternal love, infinite in goodness and the power of the Highest shall overshadow mercy, is pleased of his own nature and love thee therefore also that holy thing which to mankind thus to send his Son, the Lord shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son Jesus Christ, into the world, who, by a volunGod. And Mary said, Behold the hand-tary death upon the tree of the cross, accordmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according ing to the fore-determined council and purpose to thy word. And the angel departed from her.' of the Father, declared his mercy and free "And that it might be certainly known, pardon of the sins of the whole world, upon in the fulness of time, unto all mankind, who terms suiting the state, reason, and underthis sacred person is, and what is the manner of his coming and appearance, both to Jew and Gentile, he was to be made manifest unto the Jews first, under the name and character of Jesus, a Saviour, and being anointed of God, with all the divine in-dwelling fulness, is thereby called Christ; and under both, is called Jesus Christ, the anointed Saviour, proposed as the object of faith unto all nations. First unto the Jews in the flesh, as born of the Virgin; and secondly, unto the Gentiles, as the true Light, who lighteth every man who cometh into the world.'

"1st; The testimony of good old Simeon concerning him, through the Holy Ghost, is, that he is a Light to lighten the Gentiles, and in that respect, their light and salvation, according to the promise of the covenant of God aforegoing.

"2ndly; The evidence of John, where he is full and express, saying, 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. That was the true light which lighteth every man who cometh into the world. And the Word was made (or assumed) flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.'

standing of mankind: that is to say, upon faith in God the Father of all, and in Jesus Christ the Son of God, and repentance from dead works, as the reasonable and necessary terms required of mankind, on our side or part of this covenant, that we may be restored to the knowledge of God, and the Lord Jesus Christ his Son, and made capable of being united unto God, through Christ the Mediator between God and man in this covenant, by and through whom we are brought into it, and stand therein steadfast and immoveable for ever.

"We must then receive the Saviour in the way in which he is sent and proposed unto us; not only as he is offered upon the cross, for the expiation of the sins that are past, but also as he is the divine Light, enlightening our minds and understandings, as directed by Christ himself, where he saith, While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light;' that is, children of God, who is that light. So that as Adam fell from the true knowledge of God, and sense of his divine love, presence, goodness, and other attributes, through unbelief; we, his posterity after the flesh, may all arise and be restored by faith in Christ, the second Adam, the Lord from heaven, that quickening Spirit; not into the animal life, which by nature we already have, and in which we are averse to God and all his ways, but unto life eternal, that we may all know what that Word meaneth, 'As

"3rdly; The witness of Christ himself, where he saith, 'I am the light of the world; he that followeth me, shall not walk in dark-in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be ness, but shall have the light of life.' Again, Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you; walk, while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.' While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may the children of the light.'

made alive.' And, as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation: even so, by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.'

Again, as to the plain indication and character which the Holy Scripture hath put

upon this divine light, whereby we may know it, even as natural men, by its effects, the evangelist saith, that the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Christ, who is that light, when he is come, (or made manifest) he will reprove, or convince, the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.' And saith the apostle, All things which are reproved, are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.' Again, This is the condemnation, (of the world) that light (even this light) is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.'

and the world was made by the Bible, and the world knew not the Bible. And the Bible was made (or assumed) flesh, and dwelt among them, full of grace and truth. The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by the Bible,' according to thy doctrine.

"But to return to the true doctrine in the Scripture, seeing that God is the Word, and the Word is God, and the same is the 'true Light, which lighteth every man who cometh into the world,' and assumed flesh, it followeth that God, who is omnipresent, is in all mankind, and Christ, the light of the Father, as inseparable from him in that respect, is in all men."

"This is he, that divine eternal Light, to whom John the Baptist and the apostles of About this time rushed in several of the Christ bore testimony; and in an especial priest's rude company, who we thought had manner the apostle Paul, who was sent by been sent for by his wife; and at the sight of Christ to the Gentiles, to open their eyes, this company the priest fell into a sudden and turn them from darkness to light, (even transport of rage, and starting up, said, "That unto himself who is that Light) and from the is blasphemy, O horrid blasphemy!" appealpower of satan unto God;' that being so turn-ing, by his mock gestures of admiration, to ed, they might receive forgiveness of sins, his dark ignorant crew. and an inheritance among them who are sanctified by faith, in him, the Lord."

I being a little moved at this sudden charge before such witnesses, who might swear any thing against me which their enraged teacher might dictate, I replied, "What dost thou call blasphemy?" "What you said is blasphemy." "What did I say?" "You said, that the light which is in all the heathens, is God."

I replied, "I despise thy wicked attempt, and witnesses too, and retort thy false charge justly upon thy own head." Then I repeated some of my own words, "That the Word is God; that the same lighteth every man that cometh into the world; and that all heathens being men, have in them the same light; but though this light shineth in that darkness, it is not comprehended thereby: and the saints and faithful in Christ had once been darkness, and yet became light in the Lord, and walked in that light as children of it, though some of them had been heathens before this light was revealed in them; and they were called out of darkness into this marvellous light, and thereby became the light of the world. Now, thou denying this, must needs hold the contrary, that this Light and Word is not God; which is directly against the Scripture, and plain blasphemy."

During all this time the priest gave me many interruptions, so that I perceived he was not worthy to know these things, neither could he, being deeply prepossessed against the Truth, and the light of it. What I said therefore was principally for the sake of the young man with me, who had not been long convinced of Truth, and to leave the priest without excuse. But I having mentioned this Light according to the evangelist, as the true manifester of sin in mankind, he opposed that as a great error, and said, "That light which is in every man gives no knowledge of divine things, but only of natural, as to distinguish between one plant and another, and that five is more than three, and the like; and that there is no knowledge of sin, or of God, or of Christ, or of any divine things, but by the Bible." I replied, "The Bible itself saith otherwise, and that is, No man knoweth the Son but the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.' But read some verses of this first chapter of John the evangelist, so as to put the Bible in the place of the Father and Son, as thou dost, and see how it will read; thus, In the beginning was the Bible, and the Bible was with God, and the Bible was God. The same (Bible) was in the beginning with God. All things were made by the Bible, and without the Bible was not any thing made that was made. In the Bible was life, and the life of the Bible was the light of men. The Bible was the true I replied, "I am not speaking of the illulight which lighteth every man who cometh mination, which is an act of the Illuminator, into the world. The Bible was in the world, but of the Illuminator himself. For there is

Upon this the priest grew a little more calm, and his company seeming surprised, stood silent, looking seriously upon him and me; and then he replied, that the light wherewith every man is enlightened is a creature, as much as a house or a tree is a creature: and added, that the illumination wherewith every man is illuminated is a creature.