The reviler rebuked: or, A re-inforcement of the charge against the Quakers, (so called) for their contradictions to the Scriptures of God, and to their own scriblings,: which Richard Farnworth attempted to answer in his pretended Vindication of the Scriptures; but is farther discovered, with his fellow-contradictors and revilers, and their doctrine, to be anti-Scriptural, anti-Christian, and anti-spiritual. By John Stalham, a servant of the great bishop and shepherd of souls, appointed to watch his little flock at Terling in Essex.

Section 11.

I Noted how from John 1. 4. and 9. they (dreaming of a Christ and Saviour in all) deny the sense to respect the natural light of every man, and yet speak of their own living in a natural condition for several years: And R. F. both blindly and boldly answereth, If we do, we have war∣rant for it, for it is the light supernatural, John 8. 12.* 1.1

Rep. What if Christ speaks of supernatural light given to believers, and his followers; John 8. 12. doth it follow that

he speaks of such a light John 1. 4. 9. a blind and bold con∣sequence, it is, neither modest nor true. The Evangelist in∣deed speaks of him chap. 1. 4. 9. as the Author of light which is given to every man; and He, of himself, chap. 8. 1••. as the fountain of light which is given to some men; but although the giver of light be the same, the light given, and way of giving is different in its proper form, and kinde.

First, the light given to all men, John 1. 4. and 9. is a dim* 1.2 light, (and as the light of the Moon) cold, and insufficient to salvation, unable to make discovery of the true Saviour: the light given to some men, is the light of life, a quickning light (as the light of the Sun) a saving light.

Secondly, for the way of giving; Christ, as God, (as hath been shewed in the first part of this Reply) gives rea∣son, and common judgement about some things, to all men; but, as Mediator, he gives onely to some men, that saving supernatural light, or light of supernatural things in a sa∣ving way, which effectually brings them into a gracious life, and unto a glorious life.

R. F. goes on, * 1.3 If one of them did say he lived in a natural condition before his conversion, is that such a strange thing? and then he instanceth in Paul, Gal. 1. and others with him, 2 Cor. 4. 6. who had given them the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus &c. which is a mystery, Col. 1. 27. But tels me, I am minded to cavil on purpose against the work of God, &c.

Rep. 1. All this doth not salve the contradiction, viz. of every mans having a supernatural light from his coming in∣to the world, a light of life which is saving, and yet yield his (as others) living in a natural state at that time when he hath such a light.

2. It is not strange to me, that unconverted men should live, as they are, natural and carnal; but it was and is strange that men will grant a natural life and condition lived in for several years, and yet imagine a saving supernatural light in every such man, as if every man brought a Saviour with him into the world, at his first birth. That every man hath a Pope in his belly, I have heard, and believe that he hath roots and seeds of all Antichristian doctrine, of all heresie and sin in him, from and by his first birth of men, as men

sinning in Adam; this is not strange: But that every mans light should be accounted supernatural, and saving light, and nature accounted grace, though it be not strange to Pelagi∣ans, yet it is strange to me that professors of the Gospel for many years, should now interfere, and halt, and limp, as they do, and be bewitched with this notion. If the Apostle Paul, and others (as R. F. granteth) were natural before they were spiritual, what a contradiction is it to their doctrine of every mans light, as they state it and account it in a degree spiritual? while the best Saint upon earth is no more but spiritual in some degrees of light and holiness.

3. This is neither my cavilling against Gods work, nor envy at the breakings forth of light (as he would make men believe) but a naked representation of his and others fallacies. R. F. thinks he had, in the words before, laid in a sure proof of my cavilling and envy, for thus he wraps up his argu∣ment, * 1.4 He commanded the light to shine out of darkness, &c. and if it had not been there in a mystery, Col. 1. 27 how could it in them have been so after manifested (in them) but that thou art mindeful to cavil on purpose, &c.

Rep. 1. Here is a piece of the mystery of Iniquity, as subtle as* 1.5 any the Antichrist of Rome hath in his budget, viz. The light of Christ for salvation (which the Apostle speaks of 2 Cor. 4. 6. and Gal. 1. 16. Gods son revealed in him, and Col. 1. 27. Christ in you) was [there] and [in them] (twice repeated by R. F. for emphasis sake) that is, it was in the hearts of Paul, and the Gentiles (as of every natural man) before their conversion; for as my Antagonist reasoneth, If it had not been there, &c. how could it in them have been so after manifested? but if he will have patience to hear, I will tell him. A thing may be manifest at the very com∣ing in to a place that was not there before. A Sun-beam makes it self manifest at its first breaking into a dark room where it never shone before. Christ, for salvation, was not in the heart of Paul till God revealed him to him, and in him. Christ, by his Spirit of grace was not in the Gentiles before their conversion, Ephes. 2. 12. They were all at that time without Christ, and without hope; Christ therefore was not in them while they were in a natural state, as he was

when they were sanctified, viz. the hope of their glory. Were it as this man imagineth,

* 1.6"The grace of the Gospel is but a manifestation of natures light: A natural state is but grace under an eclipse. The light in every man is their little Savior, and at their conversion, it becomes their great Savior; for now the Sun is come out of the eclipse.

But,

2. To assert Christ-mediator to be in natural men, is con∣trary to the Apostles sense, and to these mens plain words sometimes uttered.

First, The Apostles sense, 2 Cor. 4. 6. is, by allusion to* 1.7 Gods work in the old creation, to witness his power in the new. In the old, he commanded light to shine out of dark∣ness. He said, Let there be light, and there was light, crea∣ting it of nothing. There was a pre-existent subject before light was created, viz. darkness of the air; but no pre∣existent matter, which light was made of; much less was light there before within the darkness: (for though God commanded the light to shine out of darkness, it doth not follow that light was there before) So, God working by his Almighty power in the new creation, he hath (saith the Apostle) shined in our hearts, to give the light (which was not there before) of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ. The faculty of the natural un∣derstanding was there, as the pre-existing subject, but there was no fore-existing matter, out of which this light is pro∣duced. The Apostles sense again, in Gal. 1. 16. is not to* 1.8 favor these mens opinion, as if Christ had been in Paul vail∣ed over, before conversion, and then revealed in him, as being there, but Paul did not know it till his conversion: But God revealed his Son in Paul, when he did immediate∣ly, effectually, and experimentally shine into his heart, and gave him the knowledge of the glorious mysteries of the Gospel, in the clear knowledge of Christ given for him, given to him, and now dwelling in him; and he doth reveal his Son in others ordinarily, when, after he hath knockt at their hearts, he opens the door by his Spirit, gives faith to consent, that Christ shall come in and dwell there, Ephes. 3. 17. Before faith, Christ is kept out of the heart; but

when a soul believes, and his faith worketh by love, and love by obedience, as Christ came in and took possession from first believing, so, in his good time, he doth manifest himself unto the soul, John 14. 21. The Apostles sense, Col. 1. 27.* 1.9 is not, as if the light of Christ for salvation, had been in the Gentiles hearts, in a mystery, before their effectual calling: (The mystery of salvation by Christ, was wrapt up in the Scriptures of the old Testament, and in Types and Figures among the Jews, not in the least hinted to the Gentiles mindes before the Gospel came) But when the Apostles* 1.10 came to preach Christ crucified to their ears, through grace they believed the report for themselves, at Coloss, (as else∣where) and knew the grace of God in truth, had Christ his image stampt upon their hearts, and the Spirit of Christ dwelling in them. This was not light breaking forth from their hearts, as having been there before their union with Christ, and Christs taking up their hearts as his Temple; but the light of the glorious Gospel breaking into their hearts, which,

1. Is called the riches of the glory, and the Pronoun [which] before [is Christ in you] refers not to [mystery] (for that is of the Neuter, and the Pronoun * 1.11 of the Mascu∣line Gender) but to [riches] * 1.12 of the same Gender with [which] in the Greek. The glorious treasure and substance of the mystery, which rich glorious treasure is Christ in you: the light in every man is a poor, base, beggerly scrap, to this Gospel-pearl and treasure.

2. This riches, summ'd up in Christ, and Christ the sub∣stance of the Mystery, is confined to the Saints, ver. 26. and is onely in them, ever after their closing with Christ, reign∣ing and prevailing to the purity, peace, and joy of their souls, and evidential hope of their future glory.

Secondly, The assertion of Christs being within men be∣fore conversion, contradicts themselves, (as I discovered in my former piece) who say, In the Ages past, Christ was not revealed, every man had not that light. The Son of God is not revealed as Christ, but as he is Mediator; in the Ages past, Christ was not (so) revealed, they had not (say they) that light, viz. as he is Mediator; therefore Christ, as Me∣diator,

was not within men by the light given to every man. And here I leave them (R. F. among them) as I found them, and discovered them (in this Section) in their own darkness of Confusion and Self-contradiction, till the Lord shall con∣vince them thereof, and bring them out of it.

Notes

• * 1.1

  John 8. 12. cleared.
• * 1.2

  Difference of every mans light and the believers light.
• * 1.3

  Page 26.
• * 1.4

  Page 26.
• * 1.5

  Christ for sal∣vation not in every man.
• * 1.6

  Mysterious Absurdities.
• * 1.7

  2 Cor. 4. 6. vindicated.
• * 1.8

  Gal 1. 16. vindicated.
• * 1.9

  Col. 1. 27. vindicated.
• * 1.10

  When and how Christ is in the soul.
• * 1.11

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.12

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.