THE

ANCIENT PRINCIPLE OF TRUTH, &C.

QUESTION I

WHAT is this light which we so earnestly testify of, and whereof we affirm, That all men are, or have been, in some measure, enlightened by it? And what is the nature of it?

ANSWER.

It is that which shineth from God in the heart, wherein God is near to men; and wherein and whereby men may seek after God, and find him.

men.

God is a spirit; and his Spirit and presence is near to all "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?" Psal. cxxxix. 7. &c. It is impossible for any so to do. For God, who is a Spirit (and the Father of spirits), is nigh to every spirit. Every spirit depends upon him, the fountain of spirits; and hath its being, life, and motion from him, and in him, after a sense; though not after such a sense, as they who are quickened by him experience.

Now God, who is light, being so near every man, doth he never shine upon them? They are darkness; but doth he never appear in the darkness? He who is light, loveth mankind; doth he never visit them with his love? He knoweth what and how great inward and spiritual enemies mankind have; doth he never make any discoveries of their enemies to them? Yes; the light is near all mankind, to discover to them, and help them against the darkness; and the love is near to help them against the enmity which destroyeth, and so to save them. For whosoever joineth to the light of God's Spirit, cannot but witness salvation thereby; for it is of a saving nature, and bringeth salvation with it to all that

receive it. Christ is in it, and is known by it (inwardly, spiritually, livingly known), and he is not, nor can be, known without it. He that knoweth the light of God's Spirit knoweth Christ; and he that believeth in it believeth in him; and he that knoweth not, nor believeth therein, neither knoweth nor believeth in Christ. So that as the Jews' circumcision outward, and their knowledge and thinking to be justified by the righteousness and works of the law (which most of them brake, and were transgressors of; though Paul said, he was, "touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless"),-I say, as this was disowned, and denied by Christ and his apostles; and the circumcision, and work of God on the hearts of the Gentiles set over it, and exalted above it, as Rom. ii. so is it now also. The knowledge of those, and belief of those, who own the light, and believe in the light, is owned by God's Spirit (in this our day (for the true believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, and for that knowledge which is life eternal; and the knowing and believing on him, as men account it, according to their apprehensions of the letter, without this, is reckoned with God for ignorance and unbelief.

So that in this is God known, in this is Christ believed in. Here God draws nigh to every man, and is a God not afar off, but nigh at hand; and his salvation is nigh, and his righteousness ready to be revealed here; and here every man may seek after and obtain the knowledge of him, the saving knowledge, the knowledge of the grace, of the gift of grace which brings salvation. In this is the Son kissed, in this is he drawn nigh to, and come to by the soul, and not out of it. Here are the drawings of the Father felt. Let any man feel this, he feels that which begets to God; he feels that which comes from the Son, is of the nature of the Son, wherein the Father draws the heart of the child whom he begets, to the Son. And in this as the soul comes, it comes out of the darkness wherein Christ is not nor dwells, into the light wherein Christ is with the Father; and so in this the soul is ever near, and out of it still afar off. In this is the holy root witnessed, and the ingrafting

thereinto; out of this the holy root is not known, nor can men understand what it is to be ingrafted into him, and how he is an Olive-tree, a Vine, a Door, a Shepherd, a Leader, a Captain, a Redeemer. Nor can men possibly know the voice of the true Shepherd from the voice of a stranger, till they come hither; nor how the true Shepherd walks before his sheep, and what it is to follow him out of that which destroys, into that which regenerates, makes new and living, till they come hither.

Now this inward light is abundantly testified of in the Scriptures.

As first by Moses, who speaking of the other covenant, the new covenant, the covenant of circumcising the heart, turneth or directeth the mind to this word or commandment nigh, whereby alone it can be done, as Deut. xxx. And this was the reason why God so often commanded the Jews to circumcise their hearts, and to wash them and make them clean from their wicked ways and vain thoughts; because Moses had directed their minds to that, and that was near to them, wherein and whereby it might be done. In another place, he bids them make them a new heart. Ezek. xviii. 31. How could that be done? Why, by turning to God's Spirit which strove with them, his power would effect it in them; and men are said to purify their hearts, through the Spirit, in loving and obeying the truth which doth it. 1 Peter i. 22. John xvii. 17.

Secondly, By Job, who speaks of God's candle shining upon his head, and of walking through darkness by his light, chap. xxix. 30. He speaks likewise of those that rebel against the light, that know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof, chap. xxiv. 13.

Thirdly, By David, who by it saw through the types and shadows to the substance, and grew wiser than his teachers, he knowing the word within, and having his candle lighted by it, so that he knew the inward law which converts the soul, and was led by God's light and truth shining in his inward parts. Psal. xliii. 3.

Fourthly, By Solomon, "The commandment is a lamp, Vol. III.-23

and the law light, and the reproofs of instruction the way of life." Prov. vi. 23. Every one that experienceth the light, the law, the commandment within, knoweth it to be thus. Again, saith he, "The path of the just is a shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day," chap. iv. 18. Just as a light, which shines outwardly, is to the outward man; such is the inward light to the inward man; yea more: for inwardly the light and the way is all one. Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, which are three names of one and the same thing. And he that walks in the light, walks in the way of life and holiness; which he that walks in the darkness walks out of. I shall mention but one place more, which is very differently rendered, it is chap. xx. 27. The new translation renders it thus: "The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly." The old thus, "The light of the Lord is the breath of man, and searcheth all the bowels of the belly." The heart of man (the unregener ate mind, the unregenerate spirit) is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; that whereby God searcheth it, is his light, his candle, his own Holy Spirit.

Fifthly, By the prophets, as Isaiah, Jeremy, Ezekiel, Micah, &c. who said, "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good. And what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy; and to humble thyself to walk with thy God?" chap. vi. 8. How doth God show this to mankind, but by the inward light of his Spirit?

Sixthly, By John Baptist, who was the forerunner, and testified of Christ as of the inward and spiritual baptizer, who had his fan in his hand. What is that? What doth Christ fan with? What doth he fan, and with what? The light within is a fan, the Spirit within is a spirit of judgment and burning; it scatters the darkness; yea, it consumes and burns up the dross and stubble there.

Seventhly, By Christ himself, who said, "This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." John iii. 19. Mark how Christ preached the light

(the seed, the kingdom, the leaven), and bid men bring their deeds to it, and blamed them that did not, ver. 20, 21. How can there be an inward Jew, an inward circumcision, without an inward law, inward light, and inward testimony? And to this inward law and testimony, must the inward Jew daily have recourse, and bring his deeds thither, to be judged and scanned there.

Again, Christ saith, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life," chap. viii. 12. How is Christ the light of the world? Or how was Christ the light of the world? Was he only so, as he appeared in that body of flesh? Is he not so in his inward and spiritual appearance? Is he not the universal light, the Sun of righteousness, which enlighteneth the whole dark world? Yet again he saith: "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 the light believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light," chap. xii. 35, 36. This is Christ's direction to men how they may become true believers; to wit, by believing in the light. The light shines in the darkness ("ye were darkness"), and by believing in it, men become children of it.

Eighthly, By the apostles and evangelists. They were sent to turn men from darkness to light, Acts xxvi. 18. and they testified of the light they were to turn men to; delivered their message that God was light, and that in him was no darkness at all. They preached Christ, the light, the life, the way, the truth: they turned men from Satan's spirit, which is darkness, to God's Spirit, which is light.

John the evangelist testified of "the Word which was in the beginning," and said, "In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not," chap. i. 4, 5. And again saith, speaking of him, "That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world,"

ver. 9.

Paul saith, "Whatsoever doth make manifest is light."