THE LYING SPIRIT In the Mouth of the False Prophet Made manifest Who seeks to pervert the right way of the LORD and openeth his mouth against the Lord of Life and denies his Light within as appeareth in a Book Entituled The Doctrine of the Light within the Natural Man leading to eternal life examined by Scripture-Light Set forth by H. H. which is owned by HENOCH HOVVEY called a BAPTIST in Lincolne for whom it is printed and by him dispersed abroad Some things therein being here answered in the Light of the LORD With the Spirits Testimony to the true Light which every man that cometh into the world is enlightened withall leading to eternal life which hath unity with that Light and Spirit that gave forth the Scriptures Declared in the movings of the Lord for the Truths sake and that all deceit might be made manifest Now will I arise saith the Lord now will I be exalted in the earth Who shall set Briars and Thorns before the Lord in Battel By one who is a lover of all those who love truth in the inward part W. S. LONDON Printed for Thomas Simmons at the Bull and Mouth near Aldersgate 1658. The Lying spirit in the mouth of the false Prophet made manifest c. IN the beginning was all things created very good in the wisdom of God and he took pleasure in the works of his hands and man was made Lord over them all standing in communion with the life in God he had authority to govern the Creation in the wisdom of God untill the subtiltie of the Serpent overcame him and prevailed over him to turn his mind from the wisdom and life of God into the earth to feed upon that which the Lord had forbidden where he entred into the transgression and fell from the wisdom and life from which he received power and authority to govern and rule and so the curse came over him having lost his innocency being subject to the Serpents subtilty which he yeilded himself unto to be guided by and so was driven out from his place of excellency into the earth to eat his bread in sorrow all the dayes of his life He that can read this let him For that subtile Serpent which led into the transgression leadeth still in the transgression all that yeild themselves to his enticements and are taken Captives by him at his will and so are led by him to oppose that in which Gods love is made manifest to break his head and to recover out of his snares This being the great design of that roaring Lyon to keep people in that which he hath led them into and from that which is to recover them from under his dominion and this is that which was and is an enemy to the righteous seed of God in all its appearances through ages and generations unto this day as is manifest in this generation of wicked and ungodly men who in the envious spirit sets their faces to do mischiefe as Henoch Howet hath done as his own words do manifest who saith he having had much to do with a generation of men that held forth another doctrine of converting or another means of convincing of men in their naturall condition then ever Christ or his Apostles did and to prove this by Scripture light as he calleth it he names 2 Tim. 4.23 but here he is not in the light of the Scripture his own language for there is not such a verse as he hath named and so he is here shut up and let his mouth be for ever stopped in his ignorance and blindness who is charging a generation of men with holding forth some strange doctrine contrary to Christ and his Apostles and hath no testimony to what he saith and yet he tells us he is a labourer in a good Vineyard and that he knowes the enemy now rageth more by delusions then by open persecutions these being the dayes in which if it were possible to deceive the very Elect. Ans John saw many deceivers entred into the World in his time which was those that Christ Jesus said should come to deceive the very Elect if it were possible and hast thou been a professor so many years and hast not seen them before these dayes If thou hadst not opposed that by which all deceivers are made manifest and in which John saw them thou mightest have seen them many years ago and thy self to be one of them who speakes a vision of thy own brain and not from the mouth of the Lord and this is the doctrine which is contrary to Christ and his Apostles and the enemy which now rageth both by delusions and open persecution for the spirit of delusion never ceased from persecution against all who bear forth a living testimony to the Gospel and the power of it but was alwayes an enemy to it and laboured against it as thou dost though thy labour be to no purpose Then thou sayest thou hast taken it upon thee as thy duty to forewarn all men of that doctrine that teacheth men to look to the light within them for directions from their naturall condition all along untill they come to that estate they call their perfection Ans It is manifest from thy own mouth that thy work was not wrought in God nor thy duty in obedience to his movings but taken upon thee in thy own will and performed in thy own wisdom which is contrary to all that are sent of God labours in his Vineyard who do not take upon them any thing in their own wills and call it their duty but waits on the Lord to be obedient to his movings to receive from him what is their duty to perform unto him so the Lord gives forth his word and it is declared in righteousness but that which thou hast taken upon thee at thy own will and pleasure is all denyed not being received from the mouth of the Lord for thou who denyes the light within and art forewarning people for looking to it thou denies the Scriptures and the spirits testimony therein and thereunto for David bare forth his testimony in the spirit of the Lord That the light of Christ enlightned the world and in his light they saw light John testified that Christ was the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world Christ said he was the light of the world and if this thou wilt owne which thou sayest thou art examining by then shew who they are and what sort of people that Christ doth not enlighten and whether he doth enlighten people within or without them and where is his light to be looked for and walked in and prove thy self a labourer in Gods Vineyard for all that were sent of God and laboured for him exhorted all people unto the ends of the earth to look unto Christ and be saved and to turn from the darkness to the light therefore repent and be converted that thy sins may be blotted out thou who art in the
Antichristian state Then thou sayest thou wilt endeavor to shew what the enemy which thou sayest is the light within drawes people to which is to take counsel at a corrupt heart and saith It is evident if they look to that which they call the light within two things being in communion a disobedient natural man they are like to see nothing but ayrie notions with spirituall working powers to delude within them Ans Hast thou not made it evident that the spirit of God liveth not in thee and that thy body is not the Temple of the Holy Ghost who knows nothing within thee to take counsel at but a corrupt heart Hast thou been so long looked at to be a teacher of others and now brought to confess that man hath nothing to look at within him but a corrupt heart Hast thou then ministered from any other principle then from a corrupt heart For shame give over deceiving people and tell them plainly what it is thou takes counsell at for some have seen thee and withdrawn from thee because a corrupt heart is thy counsellor which leads thee into all confusion for thou here talks of a disobedient natural man and that he cannot see himself otherwise if he look to the light within and yet thou talks of obedience to Christs commands and ordinances in another place What is thy obedience performed in to Christs commands and ordinances seeing thou sayest that man is naturally disobedient and his heart corrupted and nothing else to be looked at within him Then hath not the Prince of the power of the Aire dominion over thee who ruleth in all the children of disobedience Consider thy own words and see if there be any thing in them besides Airie notions Then thou sayest But if they will say they have no communion with the Devill or Prince of the Aire then thou sayest his design must needs be to bring them to consultation in a heart that is deceitful and desperately wicked and being deceitful it will offer darkness for light and so unavoidably put them in danger of being deceived Ans Thou hast unvailed thy self to all the children of light who reads thee sees what thou art consulting with who denies the light and hates to be reformed by it and despisest the counsell of it though it stand a faithful witness in thy conscience to reprove thee of all thy ungodly deeds which in the darkness is brought forth by thee from thy wicked and deceitful heart which thou art consulting with being alienated from the life in God thy foolish heart being blinded by the Prince of darkness who hath dominion over thee receive thy own words which thou hast layd down and then consider what that is which makes the heart manifest by which thou comes to see the heart to be corrupted and the desperate wickedness of it and the danger of consulting with it and what it offers in that state submit to that of God in thee and own plainness of speech and thou canst not deny but it is the light that makes all things manifest for whatsoever doth make manifest is light Eph. 5.13 so the heart being within people the light which makes it manifest is there also and searcheth the heart thorow all the corruption deceit of it for all things are naked and bare before it and this is so plain that all people may know that there is that in them which stands a witness against all the deceit of their own hearts and never doth consent to sin but reproveth for it in the conscience of every man which is the light that Christ Jesus doth enlighten every man withall therefore be not stiff-necked and rebellious but turn to the Lord God of Life and Power and wait in the light which he hath enlightened thee withall that thou may come to the knowledge of the glory of God and to feel his living Power mortifying sin in thee and creating a clean heart within thee before thou talk of obedience to Christs Commands and the Apostles practice for until thou obey the reproof of the light of Christ within and turn at the reproof of it to be guided by it thou knowest not the first Principle of the pure Religion though thou hast made a profession many years nor hast not set one foot into the way of Christ though thou imagine a long travel in it that thou art come to the end of it So some of thy folly is here fully answered in few words and plainness therefore silence flesh and contend no longer against that in which the love of God is made manifest to sinners and this I am made to testifie in the power of the Lord for the seeds sake and he that can receive it let him Then thou saist If they would yet excuse themselves and say they do not take counsel at their own heart then thou saist it cannot be evaded but if they look to the light within for counsel they must needs look to their own souls Ans If thou wert not altogether in darkness thou mightest here see thy confusion who art endeavouring to forewarn people and knows not of what neither can shew distinctly what it is but saist If it be not a corrupt heart then it is a deceived heart and if not a deceived heart then it is their own soul How blindly art thou led from all light and truth for if thou wert guided by the light of Christ thou mightest have shewed in what a corrupt heart and a deceitful heart differs if any difference be and what the soul is and in what part of man it is placed for if thou knowest not this then art thou wholly ignorant of all that which thou hast been charging a generation of men withall and all thy imaginations is denied and thy confusion and standers is returned again unto thee as dung upon thy face Then thou saist To look to the light within leads men to look at a Judgment here in this life and so takes off mans expectatiâ—n from eternal Judgement and this thou saist gives licence for lust to rule and is an invitation for the world to lye still in wickedness and for the Epicure to sing a delightful song to his soul Soul take thine ease Ans The Saints witnessed the Lord come near to judgement and every transgression and disobedience to receive a just recompence of reward Doth not the Scripture stand a witness against thee Did not David witness the Judgements of the Lord to be true and Moses witnessed all his ways to be judgement and was not this known by them in this life which brought them to fear the Lord and to depart from evil and to stand in awe and not to sin And doth this deny eternal Judgement or give liberty for lust or wickedness to rule Or brings it not those to cease from the evil whom the righteous Judgements of God takes hold upon Therefore wo be unto all the Epicures who put the Judgement of the
They that look to Christ and are enlightened their faces shall not be ashamed So here thou hast confest none can be enlightened but such who look to Christ and thou hast owned Christ to be the light which doth enlighten therefore now it is laid upon thee either to confess or deny in plainness Whether Christ doth enlighten people within yea or nay if yea then he is the light within which people are to look unto and be saved which thou art fore-warning people from as a dangerous delusion If nay then it is laid upon thee to prove by plain Scripture where he is how he doth enlighten and how people may come to him and receive him and be baptized into him and put him on and be led by him so the Work will be short and many Words needs not be multiplyed to manifest truth for it stands not in word but in power though much thou hast laid together in thy Book as if truth did consist or stand in many inventions I am moved of the Lord to tell thee and all people That the Lord is risen to overturn all the inventions and imaginations of man and all false wayes and worships which are not in spirit and truth and they shall fall and come to nought though never so strongly contended for but that which is of God shall stand Thy other particulars I shall here lay down as in thy Wisdom thou hast drawn them forth 1. Thou saidst the Light within draws people from Christ appearing in conversion 2. From confirming in assurance and working of us up to follow on to know the Lord by several visitations 3. From the Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets 4. From the blood of the Covenant 5. From the experience of the creating Word 6. From waiting for commands of Gods loving kindnesse And then thou concludes That watching in the light within to bring us to perfection will be a vain watch I shall here wait for thy Answer to be published as to what is laid upon thee for I have born my Testimony in the spirit of the Lord against all that which thou sayest the Light within leads people to so in general I do deny that it leadeth any or draws them from any one of these particulars which thou hast laid down for I am made to stand a Witness against thee in the power of the Lord knowing that Christ Jesus the Light of the World who lighteth every one that cometh into the World doth lead all that are guided by him from all that which thou sayest the Light within leads people to and unto that which thou sayest it draws people from that so thou art calling the light darkness and darkness light And for what thou hast said in thy considerations upon Baxters Papers which thou saidst was against the Quakers thou hast there considered nothing but what is carnal and visible saying your Water is in Fountains and Rivers visible and that the natural Tongue of the godly can shew the Way of Life to the natural ear and eye and so to the understanding of the natural man and much more such like as this thou hast considered of which are all to perish as all other visible things must and so thy hope will perish with them who knows not a life above them but those whom thou hast set thy self against knows their life to be in that which is eternal and will abide for ever and are made to deny all thy visible and carnal things as rudiments of the World and this I have also observed in thy Considerations Herod and Pilate made friends I am moved of the Lord to tell thee That whosoever watcheth in that Light which thou sayest will be a vain watch they shall be defended from the Enemies Power for there doth the Lord preserve his people and keep them from the Heathens rage though thou hast bent thy bow and shot thy Arrows at the upright in heart they shall return again upon thee for no harm shall come nigh the dwelling-place of the Saints of the most High for who dwel in the Light are compassed about with mercies and there are made to sing songs of Deliverance so thou art now to answer to what is laid upon thee and expected from thee that is To confess or deny plainly Whether Christ doth enlighten people within yea or nay and to distinguish betwixt Christ and the light within for until thou hast done that all thy Work is but confusion which if thou refuse let thy mouth be for ever stopped as a mouth full of iniquity and perversness Let all flesh be silent The Spirits Testimony to the true Light which every man that cometh into the world is enlightened withall c. THe Lord God of Life and Power hath in this his day made manifest to his Saints that which the World cannot believe who have eyes and see not ears and hear not neither do they understand with their hearts the things that God hath prepared for them that love him but God hath revealed them unto his Babes whom he hath gathered out of the World and hath opened their eye to see and their ear to hear and given them a heart to perceive the things that belong to their peace which confounds all the wise men of the World who are searching into the things of God in their fallen Wisdom in which they can neither see nor perceive the mysterie of the glorious Gospel of Christ and therefore they take counsel together against it and against the Lord and his annointed crying Heresie and Delusion Deceivers Antichrists false Prophets are now come beware of them that you be not deceived with them who talk of a Light within people to guide them by And this is the cry both of Priests and Professors at this day and though they be at enmity in many things and oppose one another yet do they all join together and take counsel to smite the upright and make war with the Lamb therefore in the movings of the Lord it is laid upon me to bear forth my Testimony for the Truths sake that none might abide in darkness and be deceived by the Serpents subtilty but that all might be turned from the darkness to the light where pardoning mercy is felt and witnesnessed and in love to all in whom the living Witness is raised that you may not be soon shaken nor your desires after the Truth be cooled nor the pure be quenched but that all who are breathing after God may follow on to know him for as the Day-spring from on high doth visite you all Clouds will vanish away and you will come to see above them and so in the light of Christ waiting you will come to see things that differ and discern the precious from the vile and so come to know what is of man and what is of God therefore believe not every spirit but try the spirits whether they be of God because many false Prophets are in the World who are
covered with sheeps clothing therefore try them inwardly the light makes them manifest and the Wolfe is seen within therefore try all things in the Light and hold fast that which is good for these are perilous dayes men are lovers of themselves covetous proud boasters cursed speakers lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God who have a shew of godliness but deny the power thereof from such turn away for they resist the truth and are men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith but now are they made manifest in the light and their madness shall proceed no further for the day hath declared them and wolves they do appear to be their work is tryed of what sort it is and their foundation proves sandy and their building hey and stubble Therefore be not tossed up and down with every wind of Doctrine for form without power will not save you nor can the Letter without the life give you peace therefore let no man deceive you with vain Words in crying up the Kingdom of God without you as if it came with observations but every one wait to know the Kingdom of God within you for Christ preached it there which every one is to look unto from whence all good cometh and the Lords love is freely opened and his good and perfect gift is given a measure to every one by which they are enlightened and made to know good from evil for God so loved the World that he gave his onely begotten Son who is the light of the World and lighteth every man that cometh into the World that all men through him might believe and this wil be the condemnation of all that hate it who are in the evil deeds and will not come to the light least their deeds should be reproved mark the evil deeds are made manifest by the light in the conscience of a natural man so that he sees his deeds to be evil but he hates the reproof of the light and loves darkness rather because his deeds are evil And this is the Lords tender mercy to all people That he hath not left himself without a Witness in the conscience of all the Sons and Daughters of men which makes manifest their evil deeds and testifieth against them and calls them to repentance so will the Lord be clear when he judgeth who would not the death of him that dyeth Therefore all people consider if such a Witness you have not in your consciences which testifieth against all your ungodliness and searcheth you in secret from which nothing can be hid for it makes manifest the motions of sin in you and a motion is in the heart then is it not within you And is not that within you at all times and in all places which makes the motion of sin manifest and reproves you in your consciences when you are in the transgression either by thought word or deed I am made to speak plainly to manifest truth to the lowest capacity that all moderate spirits may consider if that be not within them which doth secretly reprove them for sin and evil which is Christ Jesus the Light of the World which the Serpentine Wisdom calls Natures darkness and would draw away peoples minds from it because it doth discover his Kingdom and his Works are destroyed by it for this end was the Son of God made manifest That he might destroy the Works of the Devil and herein is Gods love tendered to all people who hath enlightened all and by his spirit strives with them in this day of his patience that his goodness might lead to repentance and that his tender mercy might not be shut up in displeasure and thus doth he wait to be gracious and makes manifest his love to sinners in that he takes them not away in their sin and in his sore displeasure but gives them several visitations by reprovings and convincements in their own consciences for sin and disobedience that they might turn unto him and feel his love opened as a Fountain of living mercies And this I am moved of the Lord to bear my testimony to and there is that in all your consciences that answers to the truth of it unto which I am made manifest which is the Witness of God in you all and reproves you all who are in your sins for your iniquities therefore I am made to exhort you all in the fear of the Lord God to turn to the light which Christ hath enlightened you withall and obey it when it reproves you and follow it when it leads you and goes before you so shall you not abide in darkness but your feet shall be guided into the way of peace which leadeth to eternal life and though the World and formal professors be crying Heresie and Delusion yet whosoever waiteth in the light shall feel food ministred to satisfie the hungry and strength renewed to follow the Lord without weariness and walk in his Way without faintness And this is the eternal truth of the Lord God which I am made to bear forth my testimony to as I know it in the Lord and he that can receive it let him And now my dear Friends in the everlasting truth of God I feel my heart enlarged towards you even to stir up your minds to the Lord God that you may all keep stayed in the Light in which you are preserved in perfect peace though the seas roar and the Waters thereof swell and the Waves beat in the stormy tempest you are at rest in your desired Haven there kept by the power of the lord God though many Clouds arise to overspread and darken your glorious day so as to make your Sun set in a Cloud yet in the light of Gods countenance do you walk as children of the Day compassed about with his living mercies therefore all keep faithful to the Lord God in whose power you are all preserved and watch in the light against your Enemy for he worketh as subtilly within as he doth without and labours to draw your minds into earthly things but abide you in your Fathers House where the Bread is sure and the Water that faileth not wait to feel the love of God shed abroad in your hearts and in that love love one another and be tender-hearted one towards another let all things be done in the pure Wisdom of God that he may have the praise in it keep your selves unspotted from the World that your garments may be kept pure and no stain may be upon them having pure righteousness for your robes Watch over one another in the meek spirit and be not rash to judge but ready to admonish that in love and unity all may grow in the measure of God and feel his encrease So all feed upon that Bread which comes down from Heaven and drink of that Water which is in the living Fountain that you may feed upon that which is eternal whilst the Serpent feeds upon the dust So in the light all dwell that your hearts and minds may be kept clean and pure to the living God that he may delight to dwell amongst you and walk in you and have dominion and reign whose right it is and no Weapon formed against you shall prosper Therefore in nothing fear your adversaries which is to them an evident token of perdition but to you of salvation and that of God The End