# A Beacon to the Society of Friends/Sermon I

EXTRACTS
FROM SERMONS OF ELIAS HICKS.
SERMON I.
EXTRACT I.
Attempt to supersede the Gospel.
"When we speak to the natives [Indians] of our country, we have reason to suppose that they have a higher sense of this divine light of God in the soul, than the professors of Christianity generally have. They appeal to it in all cases respecting the soul. They appeal to it abundantly, as I have witnessed among those with whom I have had converse; especially those who have never had intercourse with any, except their own nation.—The religion of Christ and the Gospel is one in all the nations of the earth. And I have no doubt, that there are those in every nation of the earth, who have the religion of Jesus,—the religion of truth and righteousness,—and that they are saved by it, and by nothing else." p. 6.
By this insidious doctrine, both the preaching of the Gospel, according to the command of our Lord to his Apostles, "Go ye into all the world, preach the Gospel to every creature," &c., and also the teaching of the Holy Spirit by the Scriptures, are rendered useless. ​The foundation of the Christian's hope consists in believing, that God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, who offered up himself a ransom for us, whereby we have an unfailing assurance of the love of God. And truly believing this, our hearts, by the power of the Spirit, are melted with love to him, and in that love really desire to do his will. But this truth, that God so loved the world, is no where declared to us, but by the revelation of the Spirit in the Holy Scriptures. And so vast is the difference between Christianity, and any knowledge of God as possessed by the Heathen, that the attempt to prove the similarity ought to be accounted a delusion.
EXTRACT II.
Atonement and Reconciliation.
"Some will set up a particular system, and tell much about old things, the prophets under the law, and about Jesus Christ in that outward body, asserting that his death made atonement for our sins.—What astonishing ignorance it must be, to suppose that material blood, made of the dust of the earth, can be considered a satisfactory offering for a spiritual being, that is all spirit, and no flesh! I say what astonishing ignorance!" p. 15, 17.
Atonement for sin, and reconciliation to God, through the death of his Son our Lord Jesus Christ, is the cardinal doctrine of Christianity; it runs through the whole of the sacred volume. It was intimated immediately after the fall of our first parents: it was prefigured by types under the Patriarchial, and more ​fully under the Mosaic dispensation; and it was the "theme of prophecy," until "the fulness of the time was come, when God sent forth his Son, made of a woman" into this lower world. It has, with different degrees of light, been the object of the saints' faith in every age; and it is the only ground of hope to man, whether saint or sinner. And therefore the denial, or disregard of the doctrine of the Atonement, constitutes a man an enemy of the cross of Christ.
What saith the Scripture? The testimony of the Spirit by Prophets and Apostles.
Observe, it was through the grace, and by the appointment of the Father.
It was also through the ineffable grace of the Son, our adorable Redeemer.
His own Testimony.
The Testimony of the Spirit again, through Apostles and Prophets.
It is obvious that the words or phrases, flesh, blood, death, died, laid down life, delivered up, lifted up, ​gave himself, offered himself, are but different modes of expressing the same thing. This variety, however, irrefragably proves that atonement for sin and reconciliation to God, is through the death of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
See also under Ser. III. Extr. 2;—Ser. IV. Extr. 2.
EXTRACT III.
On counting the Blood of the Covenant unholy.
"Instead of being spiritually minded, they are resting in a carnal mind; they are looking to outward blood, as having a tendency to cleanse the soul, when it is no more related to the soul than the dust of the earth; it has no part with it, nor can it take from, or add any part to it. It never gave it any life, nurture, or succour, whatever." p. 10.
What is the Testimony of the Spirit?
EXTRACT IV.
Perverting the Scripture.—Setting Scripture in its right place.
"There is no other way for them to act, without they would be willing to turn to the light, and gather into it. But for want of this the Scriptures are a sealed Book. And instead of being useful, it becomes a curse to them, while they are determined to put their own construction upon them, it keeps them in darkness. And there are those who assert that I disbelieve the Scriptures, and that I undervalue them! But there is not a greater falsehood expressed among mankind! And I will assure you, my friends, that what I say is truth; I have loved the Scriptures from my youth, and I have delighted in reading them. And I presume, according to my knowledge, no man has received more advantage than I have, and continue to have, from reading them. And I am at this time convinced, that wherever I have been called to be a mouth for the Lord, in the line of the Gospel ministry, I need not make this apology or declaration. No individual ever brought forth more Scripture to prove their doctrines than I have, when under the influence of divine love and truth, that gave forth the Scriptures. Divine Wisdom knowing the state of the people, that they would hardly receive my doctrines unless confirmed by Scripture testimony, here immediately, without the necessity of seeking for it, a passage would rise up in consonance with my assertion or declaration. And I appeal to the people, where my lot has been cast, if it has not been the case. Then what infatuation, to say that I undervalue the Scriptures of truth. No, my friends, I do not undervalue the Scriptures, but I feel it a duty to set them in the right place, and I dare not set them above it" p. 19.
* ↑ Some persons go to the Scriptures, not for the purpose of being taught by Scripture, but for the purpose of building up their own theories. "A desire to have Scripture on our side," says an eminent writer, "is one thing, and a sincere desire to be on the side of Scripture is another." With what force does the warning against the danger of putting our own construction upon Scripture, attach to those who thus awfully pervert the divine Word; and instead of interpreting Scripture by Scripture, and accepting what is given by inspiration of God in its most obvious sense, distort and becloud it with mysticism!
* ↑ Who is the man that admits that he undervalues the Scriptures? The veriest infidel thinks he sets them in their right place. The foregoing extract is a sufficient proof, that a declaration of high esteem for the Scriptures, is entitled to little regard, when it comes from those who account what our Lord Jesus Christ has spoken, and what the Holy Spirit has revealed to prophets and apostles, and has given for our instruction, inferior as a rule, to those impressions on their own minds, which they believe to be from the Holy Spirit.