The immediate power of life in itself in the thing itself.

From Isaac Penington

Take not up a rest in openings of things, though by the true key. Take heed of overvaluing that kind of knowledge; for that part which overvalues that knowledge will presently be puffed up with it: but there is a more excellent and safer kind of knowledge to be pressed after, which is a knowledge of things by receiving of them. There is a knowledge of things by the Spirit's opening the words which speak of them, or by inward, immediate prophecies from the word of life in the heart. This is an excellent knowledge, and not to be found in the earthly part of man : yet the earthly part (when this knowledge is given) is very apt to be swelled and exalted with it; but then there is also a knowledge which ariseth from the gift of the thing itself. This knowledge is very precious, and much more full and certain than the other, having the nature and immediate power of life in itself, and so is perfectly able to preserve. As for instance, to make it more plain: there may be a knowledge of justification, by the Spirit's opening the words written in scripture concerning justification, and the blood of sprinkling; and this is a good knowledge, where there is a true opening of it from the Spirit : but then there is a knowledge by feeling of the blood of sprinkling in the heart, and by seeing with the new eye the way of its justification; and in this knowledge is the power and the cleansing of the life received, which in the other was but spoken of. Therefore rest not in opening of prophecies, or true meanings of these things (though this kind of knowledge is very excellent, and hath been very rare), but wait to feel the thing itself which the words speak of, and to be united by the living Spirit to that, and then thou hast a knowledge from the nature of the thing itself; and this is more deep and inward than all the knowledge that can be had from words concerning the thing.
Pages 322, 324

The Works of Issac Peningtion Vol. 1

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Comment by Howard Brod on 7th mo. 27, 2016 at 11:33pm

Anne Strathie was born in 1930 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania to an “ancient” Quaker family going all the way back to the time of William Penn.  Now, as a cherished member of Midlothian (VA) Friends Meeting, she shares with us her wisdom from living life.

 

What is Good?

What is Bad?

What is Right?

What is Wrong?

What is God?!!

 

I know what I know about MY GOD!

All the talk about God and Evil, Good and Bad is just that – TALK.

It is what man says it is!

 

YOU created those words that you use.

YOU decided what they mean.

YOU decided to tell me what God is.

How am I to know what YOUR God is?

What makes your perception of God more true than mine?

 

My God is a personal God. 

Those religions that have many gods give leave to the adherents

to choose among those gods which ones are important to them,

which ones are “clones” of another of the ones named (named BY HUMANKIND!) 

Maybe they want to choose just one!  Be MONOTHEISTIC! 

Does that make the god that person has chosen for his own, also my GOD? 

I’ll bet you don’t think so!

 

What does my God tell me?

What does my God do for me?

Where is my God?

My God does not tell me anything!

My God does not do anything for me!

My God is nowhere!

But --- my God tells me everything I need (“need,” not “want,”) God to tell me.

My God does everything that I need God to do for me.

My God is EVERYWHERE!

 

I will not explain my God to you because it would require words - HUMAN WORDS.

It would require definitions of those words that some other PERSON has given them. 

You may tell me what YOU SAY your God has told you;

but until I have those words from MY GOD, they are meaningless in speaking of God.

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