Chap. XI. fort or Happiness, Favor or Protection, in, to, or amongst Men. But what will this advantage our Adverfaries? Certainly God or Chrift may in this fense enlighten Men, or be a light to them, altho' there be no fuch thing as what the Quakers mean by the Universal Light within. For will any Man conclude, that becaufe God is a light to Man, or enlightens him, when he yields him Comfort, Protection, &c. or because Chrift is a light to lighten the Gentiles, that is, a Teacher to inftruct others befides thofe of the Jewish Nation; that therefore, I fay, there is a certain fubftance or principle, in which God, as Father, Son, and Spirit, dwells?

Secondly, Thofe Texts wherein Man is faid to be, 1. enlightened, 2. to have light, or to have a light in him, 3. to be light, do afford us no proof of what the Quakers mean by the Univerfal Light within.

1. Those Texts wherein Man is faid to be enlightened, do not afford us any proof of it. For if Man be therein faid to be enlightned by God or Chrift; then, in the fame fenfe that God or Chrift gives or yields light to Man, in the fame fenfe is Man enlightened by God or Chrift. And confequently, because when God or Chrift is faid to give or yield light to Man, 'tis meant that God or Chrift gives him inftruction, comfort, or the like; therefore, when Man is faid to be enlightned by God or Chrift, 'tis meant that Man is comforted, inftructed, or fomething of that Nature, by God or Christ. And furely a Man may be inftructed, comforted, or the like, by God or Chrift, altho' there be no fuch thing as what the Quakers call the Universal Light within.

There

There are, I confefs, fome other Texts, which fpeak of Man's being enlightned after a different manner. Thus Elihu faies, Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with Man, to bring back his foul from the pit, to be enlightened with the Light of the Living, Job 33. 29, 30. in which paffage to be enlightened with the Light of the Living, plainly fignifies to enjoy life. The Eyes of Jonathan alfo were enlightned, that is, he was refreshed, after he had eaten a little honey, 1 Sam. 14. 27. But I am perfuaded, our Adverfaries will never pretend to prove what they mean by the Universal Light within, from thefe and the like paffages, wherein the light enlightning Man is not God or Chrift; and therefore I fhall not enlarge upon them.

2. Thofe Texts wherein Man is faid to have light, or to have light in him, do not afford us any proof of it. For instance, our Savior faies, Matth. 6. 22, 23. the light of the body is the eye. If therefore thine eye be fingle, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body fhall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness? In thefe Words our Lord calls the bodily eye the light that is in Man. Our Savior faies alfo, If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not; because he seeth the light of this World. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth; because there is no light in him, John 11.9, 10. that is, he ftumbleth, because he has not the light of the Sun to fhew him the way. That light therefore which he hath not in him, and confequently that light which he that walks in the day hath in him, is the light of the Sun which is that of this World. The Wifeman alfo faies, the Spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, fearching all the inward parts of the belly, Prov. 20. 27. The Rational

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Rational Soul therefore is compared to a lighted Candle in the midst of a Man's body, and confequently is a light in Man. But it appears from what has been faid in the foregoing Chapter, that none of thefe, viz. neither the bodily Eye, nor the Sun, nor the Rational Soul, is what our Adverfaries mean by the Universal Light with

in.

And as for thofe other Texts, in which 'tis faid that Man hath light, or light in him, they do only import his being enlightned, or enjoying light. For that to have light, does in Scripture-phrafe fometimes fignity to be enlightened or to enjoy light, appears from If. 50. 10. that walketh in darknefs, and hath no light; in which words to have no light, is the fame thing as to walk in darkness; and confequently to have light, is not to be in the dark, but enlightned, or to enjoy light. It appears alfo from the Words of our Savior already mention'd, If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, becaufe he feeth the light of this World. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is na light in him, John 11.9, 10. For 'tis evident, that a man's having light in him, is his feeing the light, that is, his being enlightned therewith, or enjoying it. And accordingly, when Isaiah faies, ch.8. v. 2c. To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them; he means, they are not enlightned, or do not enjoy light. Now, if thofe Texts, where, in Man is faid to be enlightned, do afford us no proof of what the Quakers mean by the Universal Light within; then neither do thofe Texts, wherein Man is faid to have light, or to have light in him, prove the fame,

3. When

1

3. When Man is faid to be light, that phrase allo imports his being enlightned. Thus, Eph. 5.8. for ye were fometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord, that is, ye were fometimes in darkness, but now are light in (or rather by) the Lord. And if Man's being faid to be enlightned by God is, as I have fhewn, no proof of the Quakers pretended Universal Light within; then neither is his being light in, or by, the Lord, a proof thereof.

Thirdly, Thofe Texts wherein God, Chrift, or the Spirit, is faid to be in Man, do afford us no proof of it. For those phrafes do import no more than the favorable Prefence of God, Chrift or the Spirit, to protect, affift, and blefs Men. And this may certainly be done, altho' there be no fuch thing as what the Quakers mean by their Univerfal Light within. Nay, tho' thofe phrafes did import more than the favorable Prefence of God, Christ or the Spirit, to protect, affift, and bless Men; yet they will never prove what our Adverfaries call the Univerfal Light within. For whatsoever be meant thereby, God, Chrift, or the Spirit may be in Man, altho' there be no Univerfal Light within. Nor can any perfon argue thus, God, Chrift, or the Spirit is in Man; and therefore there is a certain principle or fubftance, in which God, as Father, Son, and Spirit dwells.

From what has been faid it appears, that those words in particular of the Apoftle, which is Chrift in you, the hope of glory, Col. 1. 27. do by no means prove the pretended Univerfal Light within. Tho' indeed the Original ought to be tranflated thus, which is Chrift ( ) among you, the hope of glory; for fo the word ufually fignifies,

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when

1

when it governs a word betokening Multitude, as μ does; and accordingly 'tis translated in the very next words going before, To whom God would make known, what is the riches of the glory of this mystery (c) among the Gentiles, which (myftery) is Chrift among you, the hope of glory.

Fourthly, As for all thofe other Texts, which our Adverfaries alledge to prove their pretended Univerfal Light within, I fhall fhew that they make nothing for it, by a particular Examination of them in the following Chapter.

CHA P. XII,

Diverfe Texts explained.

"Hey alledge Gen. 6.3. And the Lord said, My Spirit fhall not alwaies ftrive with man. But will it follow from thence, that there is a certain fubftance or principle, in which God, as Father, Son, and Spirit dwells? or is not the Spirit able to ftrive with Man, unless there be an imaginary Universal Light within to affift him?

2. They alledge Eph.5.13. For all things that are reproved, are manifeft by the light: for whatsoever. doth make manifeft, is light. I fhall not inquire, whether these words are rightly tranflated; becaufe, altho' we allow the prefent Translation of them to be never fo exact, they cannot favor the Doctrine of our Adverfaries. For I have already.. fhewn, that Doctrine, particularly that of the Go fpel, is called Light. This then being premifed,

let