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Friend, John Norris,
ON the serious perusal of the Controversie, 1. I do not find, that thou hast exalted the Divine Light of God, and his dear Son, more than the People called Quakers, yet am glad thou hast exalted it so much as thou hast done, beyond many (if not most) of thy Brethren; and I tru∣ly wish thy mind may be turned into it, and kept in it, out of all fleshly Wisdom and Imaginations,
that thou mayest feel true Divine Life, Power and Wisdom in it, as well as have a Notion of it.
2. I do not see but our Friends exalt Jesus Christ, as Mediator betwixt God and Men, more than thy self: For which please to consider,
1. Thy supposing the very Essence and Substance of the Deity to be so intimately united to our Minds, as that there can be no Medium between God and the Crea∣ture, p. 22. Treat. 1. p. 8. Treat. 2.
2. Thy supposing the Light within to be a Man's natural and ordinary way of Vnderstanding, and say∣ing, This is Reason, this is Conscience, (speaking of the Light) p. 22. & 55. Tr. 1. [This I think contradicts the foregoing Supposition. Only it seems to be qualified with thy meaning no more than that this (the Light) is that whereby I perform acts of Reason and acts of Conscience. May not R. B. be as easily reconciled about the Light, and the Spiri∣tual Body of Christ, thinkest thou?]
3. Thy supposing, that neither the Soul of Je∣sus Christ, nor his Spiritual Body, can ever be a Light to the Mind of Man, p. 23. Tr. 2.
In these three Suppositions, may not I suppose thou leavest no room for Jesus Christ as Media∣tor, in any degree in Men? Or hast thou not on∣ly said as much herein, as one called a Deist may say, without relation to Jesus Christ, as manifest in several degrees, appearances and operations in Man, as we truly feel him and confess him?
Yet I still confess thou hast suppos'd and pro∣fest many general Truths in thy Books in respect to the Divine Light within; As,
That to be actually enlighten'd by this Light, is the Universal Benefit of all Men, yea, of all the Intelligent Creation, p. 23.
That 'tis the Essential Truth of God,—yet that it does not formally enlighten or instruct
[Thus far thou J. N.] with much more of the same im∣port.me, but when I attend to it, and consult it, &c. p. 24.
That in thy account, it (the Divine Light) is the very Essence and Substance of the Deity, exhibitive of All Truth, p. 36.
On Joh. 1. 4. In him was Life, and the Life was the Light of Men; that if the Proposition be understood formally, then it proves, that 'tis not only a Substance, but also a Divine Sub∣stance, strictly speaking even the very Essence of the Deity, &c. p. 40.
Not that I would be thought to deny the Di∣vine Light to be Grace, as to the certain de∣grees of it; so far from that, that I think it to be the greatest Grace of God, that is with re∣spect to the degrees of it, &c. p. 46.
I in this very Book—as well as in the whole course of my other Writings upon this occasion, do all along earnestly contend, that this internal Light is no other than the very Essence and Substance of God, &c. p. 53, 54.
Now, Friend, (J. N.) Hadst thou only in∣sisted on these Truths, and let the People of God called Quakers alone, and not reproacht them with Grossness, Confusion, &c. it had saved both thy self and us farther trouble: I would not have thee reproach or vilifie us any further, but seri∣ously with the Light of Truth consult and consi∣sider what will make most for thy own inward Peace and quiet Life, and if thou art reflected on by any of thy Brethren or Society for confessing the true Light, let not that be a Temptation to thee to evade Truth or reproach us. Many of thy Brethren of the Clergy might see and confess more of the Divine Light in Man than they do, if Avarice, Preaching for Hire, Filthy Lucre,
Great Livings, and Worldly Preferments did not blind their Eyes, cloud their Understandings and choak the Good Seed in them; therefore have a care thereof.
Our Testimony for the Divine Light, may be farther seen in many of our ancient Friends Writings, as Samuel Fisher's large Book, Enti∣tuled, Rustious ad Academicos, and many of Geo. Fox's Books, and William Dewsbery's Works, (with divers others) to which I refer thee; but chiefly to the Divine Light (confess'd) in thy self, for Information and a right Understanding: Which I desire the Lord to give thee; Who am
A real Friend to thy Soul, and a Well-wisher to thee, and all Men, G. Whitehead.
London, the 22d 7 Mo. 1692.