To professors of religion of all sorts, and likewise to prophane, in and about this city of Chester [by] Richard Smith. Smith, Richard, of Chester. 1675 Approx. 8 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-IV TIFF page image. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2008-09 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A93391 Wing S4161 ESTC R184322 42475197 ocm 42475197 151352 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A93391) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 151352) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 2256:9) To professors of religion of all sorts, and likewise to prophane, in and about this city of Chester [by] Richard Smith. Smith, Richard, of Chester. 1 sheet ([1] p.). s.n., [London : 1675?] Reproduction of original in: Friends' Library (London, England) Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Society of Friends -- Apologetic works. Inner Light. 2007-07 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2007-07 Aptara Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2007-08 Jonathan Blaney Sampled and proofread 2007-08 Jonathan Blaney Text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion TO PROFESSORS OF RELIGION Of all Sorts , and likewise to PROPHANE , In and About this CITY of CHESTER . THis is in my Heart to you , in Defence of that Glorious Truth , which the Lord hath brought to Light in this our Day , and which shall never more be extinguished , though many Wicked and Ungodly Men have opened their Mouths against us , to destroy us , for bearing Witness to the same ; and which hitherto we have believed , born , and still do bear Witness to , That he that believes in the Son of God , hath ( Life , and ) the Witness in himself , which Life is the Light of Men , which lighteth every Man that cometh into the World , that whosoever believes in it , follows it , and obeyes it , shall not abide in Darkness , but shall have the Light of Life ; yea , it shall take Root , grow , bring forth Fruit , and prosper , to the Honour of him , who forth of his Rich Love to Mankind hath so manifested it . Now by Reason of some in and about this City , which have made a large Profession of this Truth , and have by their erring from it opened many Mouths , who are saying , We see the same Things among you , which you have counted Evil amongst us , and denyed and judged us for , and which you once denyed your selves ; and yet talk of Perfection , and plead for the Light : In Answer to which , I , with those People scornfully called Quakers , do say , We have not only denyed you , because of your bad Fruits , but as being out from that ( not believing in the true Light which lighteth every one that cometh into the World ) which would make you bring forth good Fruits ; For make the Tree good , and the Fruit will be good , saith Christ , the Light : And we do judge our selves ( first ) and espy the Beam in our own Eye ; for being turn'd to the Light , which makes manifest the least thing that appeareth in us contrary thereto , is as a Beam , which ( whilest standing ) cloudeth and overspreadeth the pure Presence of God ; wherefore we are not at Rest Day or Night , till the Beam be pluckt out : And so do we espy and reprove the Faults of others , who either plead for Sin as long as they live , or excuse their own Iniquity by others Failings , and yet think themselves safe . And this I would have none to be ignorant of , that although we believe Perfection to be attainable in this World ; yet we are very sensible , that it is not alwayes the Work of a Day , Month or Year ; but that there must be much waiting , many a Sigh , Groan and Tear ; a great spiritual Combate with the Dragon and his Angels within ; a diligent and expert Exercising of the whole Armour of Light , ere such a State be witnessed : But this is our Comfort , that we are truly turned to the true Light , which gives the Victory in the End ; and so are not faithless , but believing ; as also that the Lamb's War is truly begun in us , who fights our Battails for us , while we stand still , and behold his Salvation : But we never did assert our selves such , because there was such a Principle in us , by no means ; but that all who are led by it , are so far perfect and infallible , and no Jot farther : So that in Plainness , what bad Fruit hath appeared in any gone from us , and once of us , or yet may appear in or amongst some of us , I would have all to know , that such Fruit is not from the Light , but from the Enemy of the Light and of the Soul too ; and all who give Way to the Temptations must bear their own Burthen : And this I must say , not only for my self , but in the Behalf of other Brethren and Friends ( in whose Defence I have been made willing to write these Lines , to stop all perverse Tongues whatever , and those of all Sorts , who wait over us with an Eye to spy Evil ) That there is never an one among us , who are truly and sincerely come to the Light of Christ Jesus , but do love Judgment ; yea , wait for his Judgments to be brought forth to Victory , even as the VVatchman waits for the Morning ; and so far are any such from pleading for any one Sin in Thought , VVord or Deed , that it is their Meat and Drink to do the VVill of the Father ; and like Gall and Wormwood to that of God in them , when it is not answered ; neither can they be ( in the least ) content to shroud themselves under a Profession of Truth , so as the more freely to act Deceit thereby , but both desire and witness a Growth in Truth and Righteousness , as knowing , that not to go forward , is to go backward : And as for any that have ( or still do ) come among us , and seem to walk with us , that are otherwise minded and conditioned , then I have declared , by the Light they are judged , and by the Truth denyed , and by the Fan winnowed , and in themselves condemned : wherefore stumble not at the Light and Truth , because of Offences ; for it causeth not the Offence , but by Degrees gathereth all that believe in it and follow it into its own Nature , and maketh Fearfulness in due Time to surprize the Hypocrite : So God is glorified , & his Truth vindicated thereby : Thus the Foundation of God standeth sure , notwithstanding all perverse Tongues and deceitful Spirits against the Truth , and us for the Truth 's sake . And further , to undeceive the simple-hearted , who through Lyes , Slanders , and Forgeries , have been made to believe , that we deny the Bodily Appearance of Christ , his Transactions at Jerusalem , the shedding of his Blood to be beneficial to us ; it is the Light within only ( sayes the false Accuser ) we expect to be saved by ; and likewise , that we deny the Scriptures of Truth . To these do I ( on the Behalf of Truth ) testifie , that the Appearance of the second Adam , the Lord from Heaven , the quickning Spirit , in that holy Body prepared of the Father for him , was for the Salvation of the VVorld , who had fallen in the first , that whatever he then did both living and dying had a great Influence for God upon all that believed , and hath still for all that now believe in him , as he manifests himself to us by his Light in the Conscience , for we do affirm , that to come to that is the readyest , nay , the only right VVay to come to true Faith in Christ , as he then appeared , and to receive any Benefit by him : And it is not another then that Blessed Light , Power , VVisdom and Eternal Righteousness , who then appeared , by whom we have received any true spiritual Benefit ; how then can our asscribing particular Salvation in this Age to him , who thus now appears to our Souls , render him no Saviour in that , or invalidate his then Appearance , whose Doctrine pierc'd , whose Life preach'd , whose Miracles astonish'd , whose Blood atton'd , and whose Death and Resurrection confirm'd his then Manifestation to be no less then God ( who is Light ) manifested in the Flesh ? For the Scriptures . VVe own them as they own themselves , A Declaration of those Things most truly believed , given forth in all Ages by the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit ; that they are profitable for Reading , for Exhortation , for Reproof in Righteousness , that the Man of God may be perfectly furnished ; they are the Form of sound VVords ; and we believe they ought to be read , believed , honoured and fulfilled , as that by which God has , doth and may yet reach by his Spirit to the Hearts and Consciences of People : And the earnest Desire of our Souls to Almighty God is , that we may witness the fulfilling of them , that God's will may be done in Earth , as it is in Heaven : And so to the Righteous Lord God of Heaven and Earth do we make our Appeal in these Matters ( against all the Unrighteous Dealing both of Professor and Prophane ) who is the Searcher of the Hearts of all Men. By one scornfully called Quaker , an Inhabitant of this City , whose Love is to all , and desires the Good of all , my Peace and Satisfaction being with and from the Lord. Richard Smith .