under the enjoyment of the lesser manifestation of light, suited to the then childish state of the Jews, God was pleased to allure them after an expectation of higher things, by types and prophe. sies of that far more excellent and exceeding glorious dispensation of the light and love of God in after ages.

The end of God's giving the Israelites that outward prophet and leader Moses, was, to bring to the inward leader, Christ Jesus. And though they through carnality and weakness, were not then sensible of him, so as to stay their minds upon him, yet Moses prophesied of him. And indeed, all the external dealings of God with men, have been to bring to Christ, the seed within, which is able to bruise the serpent's head," and did so, in some measure, through all ages. So that with good reason and truth we may assert, Christ the light was the rock that followed Israel in the wilderness, (who is the rock of ages, and foundation of all generations, and who ever lighted all mankind, the same yesterday, to day, and for ever,) yet a greater manifestation of that Divine light, might be typically preached forth under the enjoyment of the lesser.

And that we herein are not without the suffrage of the scriptures to our defence, I would fain know, if notwithstanding all those outward washings of those times, God did not frequently press the very substance itself, namely, a clean heart, and a new spirit;" accounting all worship short thereof, but as the "cutting off a dog's neck, and offering swine's blood:" and whether Christ himself did not with his own hands give the bread and wine to his disciples, and yet bid them do it till he came ?" Whence it is easy to observe, that unless those contenders say with the Papists, the bread and wine are the very Christ, and so make Christ giving Christ, thereby destroying the nature of a sacrament, and instead of doing it till he come, that he should come whenever they receive it, which ignorance I will not suppose them guilty of: I say, unless then they are of one mind with the Romanists in the matter of the supper, it must be granted to us, that Cbrist present gave them a figure of Christ to come. Therefore to figure out Christ to come, destroys not Christ's being come; especially taking our distinction of the lesser manifestation from the greater, which nevertheless divides not the light, but that it remains in itself One pure eternal Being of light, and Sun of righteousness through every dispensation. And thus much that passage I have already observed from the apostle Paul, in answer to the second part of the objection, plainly clears to us. For if Christ, typified out, was their rock, or the rock of that age, even when the brazen serpent, the type, was in being, I cannot see but the type and the thing typified might be at one and the same time, not as to degree, but nature; for so I would be understood.

Before I conclude, take this notable saying of Christ to the Jews, and what may be collected from it to our purpose: “Before Abraham was, I am―Abraham saw my day and rejoiced' (John viii. 56, 57, 58.) which affords us briefly thus much: that though he was not so visibly come, yet it was the very same he that came above one thousand six hundred years ago, who was with the fathers of old, and that Abraham, who lived one thousand nine hundred years before that outward appearance, saw him, and his day -Helv. Chron. If this be not the import of the place I know none; for the Jews not believing him to be the Messiah, thought it high presumption for him to compare with Abraham. "Art thou greater than our father Abraham, who is dead, and the prophets are dead? Who makest thou thyself?" said that unbelieving people. To which he answered, (that he might prove himself to be the true Messiah, the Christ of God,) Abraham saw my day, and rejoiced." They still harping upon that visible body, or outward man, not thirty three years old, replied, "Thou art not yet fifty, and hast thou seen Abraham" Taking that to be the Messiah, the Christ of God, and Saviour of the world, he meant, which they saw with their carnal eyes. To which he rejoined with a "Verily, verily I say unto you, before Abraham was I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him," &c. By all which it is most clear, that unless our adversaries will deny him that so spoke to be Christ, who singled and distinguished himself, as the Messiah, the Christ of God, and Saviour of the world, from that visible body, not fifty years old indeed, both Christ that then spoke must needs have been long before Abraham's time, and that such holy ancients were not without a sight and prospect of him, and the day of his glorious appearance, or that most signal manifestation of himself in the body prepared for that great and holy purpose, witness the exceeding clear and heavenly prophecies in the scriptures of truth, that were as so many forerunners, or introducers of the evangelical state.

And this is unquestionably confirmed to us, by that known and weighty expression of the apostle Paul to the Romans : "Whose are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen." Rom. ix. 5-Since here both Christ is distinguished from the body he took, and also made one with God, who is over all blessed for ever. Amen. As much as to say: "Of whose flesh Christ took," therefore Christ was before he took it; or, his taking it did not only constitute him Christ, which Christ is God. And if God, (which cannot be said of mere flesh, or any corporal lineage,) then must he have been from all everlasting.

To conclude, as Abraham outward and natural, was the great father of the Jews outward and natural, whose seed God pro

mised to bless with earthly blessings, as Canaan, &c. and that they were figurative of the one seed Christ, and such as he should beget to a lively hope, through the power of his spiritual resurrection, it will consequently follow, that this seed must be inward and spiritual; since one outward thing cannot be the proper figure or representation of another. Nor is it the way of holy scripture so to teach us. The outward lamb shows forth the inward lamb; the Jew outward, the Jew inward. As God attended the one with many singular outward mercies, (to say no more,) above other nations, so doth he benefit the Jew in spirit, above all other people.

I have these two short arguments farther to prove what I believe and assert, as to the spirituality of the true seed, and a clearer overthrow it is to the opinion of our adversaries concerning the true Christ. First, every thing begets its like. What is simply natural produces not a spiritual being. Material things bring not forth things that are immaterial. Now because the nature or image begotten in the hearts of true believers is spiritual, it will follow, that the seed, which so begets and brings forth that birth, must be the same in nature with that which is begotten, therefore spiritual. Then Christ's body, or what he had from the virgin, strictly considered as such, was not the seed.

Secondly, it is clear from hence. The serpent is a spirit. Now nothing bruises the head of the serpent in man, but something that is also internal and spiritual, as the serpent is. But if that body of Christ were only the seed, then could he not bruise the serpent's head in all, because the body of Christ is not so much as in any one, (though too many have weakly concluded it upon us, from a perversion or mistake of our doctrine of Christ in man, by his light and spirit,) and consequently the seed of the promise is an holy and Spiritual Principle of light, life, and power, that being received into the heart, bruiseth the serpent's head. And because the seed, (which in this sense, cannot be that body,) is Christ, as testify the scriptures, the seed is one, and that seed Christ, and Christ God over all, blessed for ever. (Gal. iii. xvi.) we do conclude that Christ was, and is, the Divine Word of light and life, that was in the beginning with God, and was and is God over all blessed for ever.

And that this may yet more evidently appear, let it but be seriously weighed, that antecedent to that visible appearance, the seed bruised, in good measure, the serpent's head. in the holy men and women of all generations; otherwise they had not been holy, but serpentine and wicked. And if the seed was before, and that seed be Christ, because there is but one Christ, as well as but one seed, it doth clearly follow that Christ was Christ, before that outward appearance, and conse

quently, it could but be a more excellent and free manifestation of his truth, righteousness, salvation, wisdom, power, glory, and dominion, as indeed it was.

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For notwithstanding that this heavenly seed was in some measure known, and what was wrought of inward deliverance, in that day, was by and through the power and virtue of it, as the minds of people were retired to the word of God nigh in the heart, to cleanse and redeem; and though particular persons might arrive at great attainments, even to a beholding the day of the seed's complete redemption, and conquest over all its oppressors, when what was but in the condition of a seed, or newborn child, should become the only Son," the "wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace, of the increase of whose government there shall be no end," as speaks the prophet, (Isa. v. 6,) yet it is granted, through that good understanding the Lord hath given us in these weighty things, that the generality were but weak, dark, and embondaged, as saith the apostle, under carnal and beggarly elements, not clearly seeing through those outward services, by which, if I may so speak, God held them in hand, condescending to their weakness, that he might both keep them from gadding after the pompous invention, and idolatrous worship of other nations, and point out to them, under their great carnality, that more hidden glory and spiritual dispensation, which should afterwards be revealed, to wit, the complete redemption of the soul, and reign of the Holy Seed, from the child born, and the son given, to the wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and Prince of peace, of the increase of whose government there shall be no end.

So that then we ought, and we do, by absolute force of truth, conclude: 1. That the seed, which is Christ, was in all ages, with Abraham, with the Israelites, with the prophets, therefore he was as well before he came in that prepared body, as then and since. 2. Yet it is confessed, that he was not so clearly revealed, perfectly brought forth, and generally known before his so coming as then and since, but more darkly figured out by types and shadowy services; which though they cleansed not, saved not, redeemed not, yet did they show forth a more hidden and spiritual substance, that was able to cleanse, save, and redeem, and did actually all that received it, and were truly subject to it, and that both from sin and wrath. 3. That it therefore is not at all absurd, that the more excellent manifestation of truth, should be typified and prophesied of under the enjoyment of the lesser, since the reason of the thing, and the testimonies of the scripture are so express for it; which ends our answer to this particular.

CHAPTER XVII.

The fourth part of the objection stated and considered. Christ's death and sufferings confessed to, and respected: they were beneficial to salvation. The light of Christ within is the efficient cause to salvation completely taken.

Having considered the third part of this great objection, I am now come to what chiefly stumbles the people, with respect to the light within, at least, as I apprehend; and that is this fourth and last particular, viz. "But if the light in every man be Christ, how doth it bear our sins, and are our iniquities laid upon it? and how can we be said to be justified, redeemed, or saved by its blood, since all those things are spoken by the holy pen-men of the man Christ, or Jesus born at Bethlehem? Surely you wholly invalidate his life, death, resurrection, ascension, and mediation, by this belief of yours in the light within."

This I take to be the very stress of the matter, collected out of the most forcible writings of our adversaries; to which I answer, and let him that reads understand.

It must be considered, in this last part of the objection, how those questions can be applicable to the light, and yet be reconcilable with those scriptures that seem to attribute all to his bodily sufferings. I hope to make appear, that as we exalt the first, so we dare not by any means slight the last.

The Light, or rather He that is light in man, for so I have always desired to be understood, (light being a metaphor, or a word taken from the outward day, and chiefly so termed, because of man's darkness, which is thereby discovered,) hath been, according to scripture, as a "lamb slain since the foundation of the world." That is, the world had not been long created, before man being envied by Lucifer the fallen angel, was betrayed of his innocency by him; and sin, by disobedience, prevailing, the Light or Principle of Life, under whose holy leadings man was placed, became resisted, grieved, and as it were slain, which word slain is also metaphorical. That is to say, the innocent pure life, was, as it were, wounded unto death, through disobedience; and that lamb-like image, in which Adam was created, by him through rebellion lost. Thus that holy Principle, which God placed in the heart of Adam, in which was true light, life, and power, bore the sin, was pressed under it, as a cart under sheaves, grieved exceedingly, and as it were, quenched with iniquity.

This hath been the condition of that precious and elect seed, spirit, light, life, truth, or whatever name, equivalent, any may please to give it, ever since that first rebellion to this very