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<DATE>2011-02-25</DATE>
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<NAME>Megan Marion</NAME>
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<P>THE LYING SPIRIT In the Mouth of the Fal&s;e Prophet Made manife&s;t, Who &s;eeks to pervert the right way of the LORD, and openeth his mouth again&s;t the Lord of Life, and denies his Light within, as appea|reth in a Book, Entituled, <HI>The Doctrine of the Light with|in, the Natural Man, leading to eternal life, examined by Scripture-Light:</HI> Set forth by <HI>H. H.</HI> which is owned by <HI>HENOCH HOVVEY,</HI> called a <HI>BAPTIST</HI> in <HI>Lincolne,</HI> for whom it is printed, and by him di&s;per&s;ed abroad.</P>
<P>Some things therein being here an&s;wered in the Light of the LORD.</P>
<P>With the Spirits Te&s;timony 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 Scri|ptures.</P>
<P>Declared in the movings of the Lord for the <HI>Truths</HI> &s;ake, and that all deceit might be made manife&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>Now will I ari&s;e &s;aith the Lord; now will I be exalted in the earth: Who &s;hall &s;et Briars and Thorns before the Lord in Battel.</HI></P>
<P>By one who is a lover of all tho&s;e who love truth in the inward part. W. S.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for <HI>Thomas Simmons</HI> at the <HI>Bull</HI> and <HI>Mouth</HI> near <HI>Alder&s;gate,</HI> 1658.</P>
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<HEAD>The Lying &s;pirit in the mouth of the fal&s;e Prophet made manife&s;t &amp;c.</HEAD>
<P>IN the beginning was all things created very good, in the wi&s;dom of God, and he took plea&s;ure in the works of his hands, and man was made Lord over them all, &s;tanding in communion with the life in God; he had au|thority to govern the Creation in the wi&s;dom of God, un|till the &s;ubtiltie of the Serpent overcame him, and prevail|ed over him, to turn his mind from the wi&s;dom and life of God, into the earth, to feed upon that which the Lord had forbidden, where he entred into the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, and fell from the wi&s;dom and life from which he received power and authority to govern and rule, and &s;o the cur&s;e came over him, having lo&s;t his innocency, being &s;ubject to the Serpents &s;ubtilty, which he yeilded him&s;elf unto, to be guided by, and &s;o was driven out from his place of excel|lency into the earth, to eat his bread in &s;orrow all the dayes of his life. <HI>He that can read this, let him;</HI> For that &s;ubtile Serpent which led into the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, leadeth &s;till in the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion all that yeild them&s;elves to his enticements, and are taken Captives by him at his will, and &s;o are led by him to oppo&s;e that in which Gods love is made ma|nife&s;t, to break his head, and to recover out of his &s;nares: This being the great de&s;ign 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 &s;eed of God in all its appearances, through ages and gene|rations unto this day, as is manife&s;t in this generation of wicked and ungodly men, who in the envious &s;pirit, &s;ets their faces to do mi&s;chiefe, as <HI>Henoch Howet</HI> hath done, as his own words do manife&s;t, who &s;aith, <HI>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 Chri&s;t or his Apo&s;tles did,</HI> and to prove this by Scrip|ture
<PB N="3" REF="2" MS="y">light, as he calleth it, he names 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4.23. but here he is not in the light of the Scripture, (his own lan|guage) for there is not &s;uch a ver&s;e as he hath named; and &s;o he is here &s;hut up, and let his mouth be for ever &s;topped in his ignorance, and blindne&s;s, who is charging a genera|tion of men with holding forth &s;ome &s;trange doctrine con|trary to Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles, and hath no te&s;timony to what he &s;aith; and yet he tells us he is a labourer in a good Vineyard, and that he knowes the enemy now rageth more by delu&s;ions, then by open per&s;ecutions; the&s;e being the dayes (in which if it were po&s;&s;ible) to deceive the very Elect.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;. John</HI> &s;aw many deceivers entred into the World in his time, which was tho&s;e that Chri&s;t Je&s;us &s;aid &s;hould come to deceive the very Elect, if it were po&s;&s;ible; and ha&s;t thou been a profe&s;&s;or &s;o many years, and ha&s;t not &s;een them before the&s;e dayes? If thou had&s;t not op|po&s;ed that by which all deceivers are made manife&s;t, and in which <HI>John</HI> &s;aw them, thou mighte&s;t have &s;een them ma|ny years ago, and thy &s;elf to be one of them, who &s;peakes a vi&s;ion of thy own brain, and not from the mouth of the Lord; and this is the doctrine which is contrary to <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and his <HI>Apo&s;tles,</HI> and the enemy which now rageth both by delu&s;ions, and open per&s;ecution; for the &s;pirit of delu&s;ion never cea&s;ed from per&s;ecution again&s;t all who bear forth a living te&s;timony to the Go&s;pel and the power of it, but was alwayes an enemy to it, and laboured again&s;t it, as thou do&s;t, though thy labour be to no purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>Then thou &s;aye&s;t, thou ha&s;t taken it upon thee as thy du|ty 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 e|&s;tate they call their perfection.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> It is manife&s;t 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 per|formed in thy own wi&s;dom, which is contrary to all that are &s;ent of God, &amp; labours in his Vineyard, who do not take up|on them any thing in their own wills, and call it their duty,
<PB N="4" REF="3">but waits on the Lord, to be obedient to his movings, to receive from him what is their duty to perform unto him; &s;o the Lord gives forth his word, and it is declared in righ|teou&s;ne&s;s; but that which thou ha&s;t taken upon thee at thy own will and plea&s;ure 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 &s;pirits te&s;timony therein, and thereunto; for <HI>David</HI> bare forth his te&s;timony in the &s;pirit of the Lord, <HI>That the light of Chri&s;t enlightned the world, and in his light they &s;aw light.</HI> John <HI>te&s;tified that Chri&s;t was the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world. Chri&s;t &s;aid he was the light of the world;</HI> and if this thou wilt owne, which thou &s;aye&s;t thou art examining by, then &s;hew who they are, and what &s;ort of people that Chri&s;t doth not enlighten, and whether he doth enlighten people with|in, or without them, and where is his light to be looked for, and walked in, and prove thy &s;elf a labourer in Gods Vine|yard; for all that were &s;ent of God, and laboured for him, exhorted all people unto the ends of the earth, to look un|to Chri&s;t and be &s;aved, and to turn from the darkne&s;s to the light; therefore repent and be converted, that thy &s;ins may be blotted out, thou who art in the Antichri&s;tian &s;tate.</P>
<P>Then thou &s;aye&s;t, thou wilt endeavor to &s;hew what the enemy (which thou &s;aye&s;t is the light within) drawes peo|ple to, which is, to take coun&s;el at a corrupt heart; and &s;aith, It is evident, if they look to that which they call the light within, two things being in communion, a di&s;obedi|ent natural man, they are like to &s;ee nothing but ayrie notions, with &s;pirituall working powers to delude within them.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> Ha&s;t thou not made it evident, that the &s;pirit of God liveth not in thee, and that thy body is not the Tem|ple of the Holy Gho&s;t, who knows nothing within thee to take coun&s;el at, but a corrupt heart? Ha&s;t thou been &s;o long looked at to be a teacher of others, and now brought to confe&s;s, that man hath nothing to look at within him but a corrupt heart? Ha&s;t thou then mini&s;tered from any
<PB N="5" REF="3" MS="y">other principle, then from a corrupt heart? For &s;hame give over deceiving people, and tell them plainly what it is thou takes coun&s;ell at, for &s;ome have &s;een thee, and with|drawn from thee, becau&s;e a corrupt heart is thy coun&s;ellor, which leads thee into all confu&s;ion; for thou here talks of a di&s;obedient natural man, and that he cannot &s;ee him&s;elf otherwi&s;e, if he look to the light within, and yet thou talks of obedience to Chri&s;ts commands and ordinan|ces in another place; What is thy obedience performed in to Chri&s;ts commands and ordinances, &s;eeing thou &s;aye&s;t that man is naturally di&s;obedient, and his heart corrupted, and nothing el&s;e 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 di&s;obedience? Con&s;ider thy own words, and &s;ee if there be any thing in them be&s;ides Airie notions.</P>
<P>Then thou &s;aye&s;t, But if they will &s;ay, they have no com|munion with the Devill, or Prince of the Aire, then thou &s;aye&s;t his de&s;ign mu&s;t needs be to bring them to con&s;ulta|tion in a heart that is deceitful and de&s;perately wicked; and being deceitful, it will offer darkne&s;s for light, and &s;o una|voidably put them in danger of being deceived.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> Thou ha&s;t unvailed thy &s;elf to all the children of light, who reads thee, &amp; &s;ees what thou art con&s;ulting with, who denies the light and hates to be reformed by it, and de&s;pi&s;e&s;t the coun&s;ell of it, though it &s;tand a faithful wit|ne&s;s in thy con&s;cience to reprove thee of all thy ungodly deeds, which in the darkne&s;s is brought forth by thee, from thy wicked and deceitful heart which thou art con&s;ulting with, being alienated from the life in God, thy fooli&s;h heart being blinded by the Prince of darkne&s;s, who hath dominion over thee; receive thy own words which thou ha&s;t layd down, and then con&s;ider what that is which makes the heart manife&s;t, by which thou comes to &s;ee the heart to be corrupted, and the de&s;perate wickedne&s;s of it, and the danger of con&s;ulting with it, and what it offers in that &s;tate; &s;ubmit to that of God in thee, and own plainne&s;s of &s;peech, and thou can&s;t not deny but it is the light that makes all things manife&s;t; for what&s;oever doth make mani|fe&s;t,
<PB N="6" REF="4">is light, <HI>Eph.</HI> 5.13. &s;o the heart being within people, the light which makes it manife&s;t is there al&s;o, and &s;earcheth the heart thorow all the corruption &amp; deceit of it; for all things are naked and bare before it; and this is &s;o plain that all peo|ple may know that there is that in them which &s;tands a wit|ne&s;s again&s;t all the deceit of their own hearts, and never doth con&s;ent to &s;in, but reproveth for it in the con&s;cience of every man, which is the light that Chri&s;t Je&s;us doth enligh|ten every man withall; therefore be not &s;tiff-necked and re|bellious, 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 &s;in in thee, and crea|ting a clean heart within thee, before thou talk of obedience to Chri&s;ts Commands, and the Apo&s;tles practice; for until thou obey the reproof of the light of Chri&s;t within, and turn at the reproof of it, to be guided by it, thou knowe&s;t not the fir&s;t Principle of the pure Religion, though thou ha&s;t made a profe&s;&s;ion many years, nor ha&s;t not &s;et one foot into the way of Chri&s;t, though thou imagine a long travel in it, &amp; that thou art come to the end of it. So &s;ome of thy folly is here fully an&s;wered in few words and plainne&s;s, therefore &s;ilence fle&s;h, and contend no longer again&s;t that in which the love of God is made manife&s;t to &s;inners; and this I am made to te&s;ti|fie in the power of the Lord for the &s;eeds &s;ake; and he that can receive it, let him.</P>
<P>Then thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>If they would yet excu&s;e them&s;elves, and &s;ay they do not take coun&s;el at their own heart,</HI> then thou &s;ai&s;t <HI>it can|not be evaded; but if they look to the light within for coun&s;el, they mu&s;t needs look to their own &s;ouls.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> If thou wert not altogether in darkne&s;s, thou migh|te&s;t here &s;ee thy confu&s;ion, who art endeavouring to fore|warn people, and knows not of what, neither can &s;hew di|&s;tinctly what it is, but &s;ai&s;t, <HI>If it be not a corrupt heart, then it is a deceived heart; and if not a deceived heart, then it is their own &s;oul:</HI> How blindly art thou led from all light and truth! for if thou wert guided by the light of Chri&s;t, thou migh|te&s;t have &s;hewed in what a corrupt heart, and a deceitful heart differs, (if any difference be) and what the &s;oul is,
<PB N="7" REF="4" MS="y">and in what part of man it is placed; for if thou knowe&s;t not this, then art thou wholly ignorant of all that which thou ha&s;t been charging a generation of men withall; and all thy imaginations is denied, and thy confu&s;ion and &s;tan|ders is returned again unto thee, as dung upon thy face.</P>
<P>Then thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>To look to the light within, leads men to look at a Judgment here in this life, and &s;o takes off mans expectati<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">n from eternal Judgement; and this</HI> (thou &s;ai&s;t) <HI>gives licence for lu&s;t to rule, and is an invitation for the world to lye &s;till in wickedne&s;s, and for the Epicure to &s;ing a delightful &s;ong to his &s;oul, Soul, take thine ea&s;e.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> The Saints witne&s;&s;ed the Lord come near to judge|ment, and every tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion and di&s;obedience to receive a ju&s;t recompence of reward; Doth not the Scripture &s;tand a witne&s;s again&s;t thee? Did not <HI>David</HI> witne&s;s the Judge|ments of the Lord to be true? and <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> witne&s;&s;ed 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 de|part from evil, and to &s;tand in awe, and not to &s;in? And doth this deny eternal Judgement? or give liberty for lu&s;t or wickedne&s;s to rule? Or brings it not tho&s;e to cea&s;e 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 Lord afar off, and &s;it down at ea&s;e in the fle&s;h, and makes their belly their god, minding earthly things, devouring Gods Creation to &s;atisfie a lu&s;tful appe|tite, and &s;o trea&s;uring up Wrath again&s;t the day of Wrath, and revelation of the righteous Judgement of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds, when the Workers of iniquity will not be known by him, but mu&s;t all depart from him into the everla&s;ting fire, there to abide un|der the eternal Judgement: Therefore I &s;ay unto thee, Re|pent, and &s;ink down under the Judgement in this life, that all &s;in and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion may be judged out of thy heart by the light and power of Chri&s;t, that eternal Judgement be not thy portion.</P>
<P>Then thou &s;aye&s;t, <HI>That to look al the light within carries a deceived people for a &s;elf-loving heart, and to an imagination of perfection, and that their mouths are full of cur&s;ing and bitterne&s;s,
<PB N="8" REF="5">and proud; and that their tongues proves them perver&s;e.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> And here thou &s;peaks as if thou wert not to be con|trolled, but as if thy tongue were thy own, and there was no Lord to be over it: But that which thou &s;landers the truth with, is denyed, (that is to &s;ay) That any who are guided by Chri&s;t the Light of the World, do bring forth any of the&s;e things which thou fal&s;ly accu&s;es them of, but thou art &s;een and read in that which is eternal, to &s;lander the truth with that which hath Dominion over thee; yet is the Truth pure, and all thy dirt cannot &s;tain it, and all who live in it have a &s;ure defence and a refuge from this &s;tormy tem|pe&s;t which the Devil hath rai&s;ed up, even to &s;hake the foun|dation of the righteous; but it is a Rock higher then all, and above all, which the righteous are &s;et upon, and there &s;tand in &s;afety; therefore either prove thy words, that &s;uch fruits are brought forth by tho&s;e who look to the light within, and are guided by it, or el&s;e own thy confu&s;ion, and in it thy &s;hame.</P>
<P>Then thou brings thy Rea&s;ons why men are carryed head|long to the&s;e delu&s;ions, and mixeth the Scripture with thy rea&s;on, &s;aying, <HI>It is evident from the Apo&s;tles Doctrine to the Corinthians,</HI> 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11.3. <HI>evidently &s;hewing the cau&s;e to be Satans transforming him&s;elf into an Angel of Light,</HI> and &s;ayes, <HI>The word</HI> Transforming <HI>imports the carrying of him&s;elf through all forms as an angel or me&s;&s;enger of light.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> The Apo&s;tles Words I own, and they &s;hall &s;tand a Witne&s;s again&s;t thee who denies the light by which he was guided, and &s;o art gathering his words into thy Rea&s;on, but cannot thereby come into the life; and &s;o thou re&s;ts in the form, (out of the power) where Satan is transforming him|&s;elf, as from thy own words, who &s;aith he carries him&s;elf through all forms, then how can&s;t thou exclude him from thine? Therefore I &s;ay unto thee, and all who abide in forms with thee, Come out from him, for I deny both him and thy forms, that &s;o it is plain from thy own mouth, that thou re&s;ts in that into which Satan can transform him&s;elf, having the likene&s;s, but is not the &s;ub&s;tance; and the&s;e are his Mini&s;ters who are thus transformed by his deceitful working, as Mini&s;ters of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, though they be fal&s;e Apo&s;tles,
<PB N="9" REF="5" MS="y">deceitful Workers, transforming them&s;elves as the Apo&s;tles of Chri&s;t; if thou ha&s;t an ear open, thou maye&s;t hear if the&s;e be not they who are labouring to uphold vi&s;ible things, as thou ha&s;t done in thy Book, crying, The Ordinances of Chri&s;t, the practi&s;e of the Apo&s;tles, the&s;e are to be walked in, and &s;o the imitation is taken up, and the vi&s;ible thing is pra|cti&s;ed, as the Apo&s;tles of Chri&s;t, but the light, life, and pow|er of God is denyed, in which they enjoyed the &s;ub&s;tance, which was &s;weet to their ta&s;te, who felt that the Lord was good; and this was not a thing vi&s;ible without them, but en|joyed within them, which was the Bread of Life, and Water of Life, into which Satan cannot transform him&s;elf; and this I own, and in my mea&s;ure witne&s;s to be ordained of God from the beginning, who &s;atisfieth the hungry with the fat|ne&s;s of his Hou&s;e, and refre&s;heth the thir&s;ty with the Rivers of his good plea&s;ure; and this thou art a &s;tranger to, who denies Chri&s;t the light of the World, who is the Fountain where living Mercies are witne&s;&s;ed: And &s;o thou erres, not knowing the Scripture nor the power of God, though thou ha&s;t made a long profe&s;&s;ion of them, and can &s;peak much of them, as the <HI>Phari&s;ees</HI> could do, and as the Devil can do; yet while&s;t thou denies that by which they were given forth, they are as Weapons formed again&s;t thee.</P>
<P>The &s;econd Rea&s;on (thou &s;aye&s;t) <HI>is Natures darkne&s;s; for</HI> (thou &s;aye&s;t) <HI>if the Ephe&s;ians were &s;ometimes darkne&s;s, then in that &s;tate they had nothing but darkne&s;s [&s;uppo&s;ed Light] to look unto.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> All who are in the light, &s;ees thy darkne&s;s, vvho knows not Chri&s;t from Natures darkne&s;s, and calls him a <HI>&s;up|po&s;ed Light;</HI> for Chri&s;t was in the <HI>Ephe&s;ians</HI> in that &s;tate of darkne&s;s, though by them unregarded, as he is by thee; Wherefore he &s;aith, <HI>Awake thou that &s;leepe&s;t, and ari&s;e from the dead, and Chri&s;t &s;hall give thee light;</HI> by the reproof of the light were they awakened, and did ari&s;e from their dead &s;tate of darkne&s;s, and were made light in the Lord. And here was &s;omething to be looked unto be&s;ides the da<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">kne&s;s, which re|proved them in the darkne&s;s, as it doth thee and all the World, who refu&s;e to be guided by it, and rejects Gods vi&s;i|tation; therefore thou art darkne&s;s, and abides in darkne&s;s,
<PB N="10" REF="6">and knowe&s;t not whither thou goe&s;t, becau&s;e that darkne&s;s hath blinded thy mind.</P>
<P>Then thou &s;aye&s;t, <HI>Having &s;hewed what this delu&s;ion is a means to draw people to,</HI> thou wilt <HI>now &s;hew what it is a means to draw them from.</HI></P>
<P>And this thy Wi&s;dom lays down in many particulars; &s;ay|ing, <HI>Fir&s;t, it keeps us from &s;eeking a City that hath foundations, the Doctrine of the Apostles &amp; Prophets, and that the&s;e people have a Chri&s;t they account more &s;piritual then the Carpenters Son, and that they will not have that man to reign over them.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> The City is witne&s;&s;ed, into which no unclean thing can enter, but mu&s;t abide without among&s;t the Dogs and Sorcerers; and the Doctrine of the Apo&s;tles and Prophets is owned and enjoyed, and Chri&s;t is received who is King of Saints; but all thy inventions and imaginations is denyed, who knows Chri&s;t no otherwi&s;e then as the Carpenters Son, and &s;o would have him to reign; if this be thy Faith, then prove by plain Scripture that Je&s;us Chri&s;t is the Carpenters Son, or that his Dominion is exerci&s;ed in that nature, el&s;e own delu&s;ion to be upon thee, and thy &s;pirit to be a &s;pirit of error.</P>
<P>Thou ha&s;t made &s;uch a mixture of thy own inventions with the Scriptures, that it is hard to draw the Wine from the Lees, for thou ha&s;t altogether &s;et Chri&s;t in oppo&s;ition to the Light within, which the Saints never did; and yet thou &s;aye&s;t, <HI>They that look to Chri&s;t, and are enlightened, their faces &s;hall not be a&s;hamed:</HI> So here thou ha&s;t confe&s;t none can be en|lightened but &s;uch who look to Chri&s;t, and thou ha&s;t owned Chri&s;t to be the light which doth enlighten, therefore now it is laid upon thee, either to confe&s;s, or deny in plainne&s;s, Whether Chri&s;t doth enlighten people within, yea, or nay? if yea, then he is the light within which people are to look unto, and be &s;aved, which thou art fore-warning people from as a dangerous delu&s;ion. 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; &s;o the Work will be &s;hort, and many Words needs not be multiplyed to manife&s;t truth, for it &s;tands not in
<PB N="11" REF="6" MS="y">word, but in power, though much thou ha&s;t laid together in thy Book, as if truth did con&s;i&s;t or &s;tand in many inventions; I am moved of the Lord to tell thee and all people, That the Lord is ri&s;en to overturn all the inventions and imaginations of man, and all fal&s;e wayes and wor&s;hips, which are not in &s;pirit and truth, and they &s;hall fall and come to nought, though never &s;o &s;trongly contended for; but that which is of God &s;hall &s;tand.</P>
<P>Thy other particulars I &s;hall here lay down, as in thy Wi&s;|dom thou ha&s;t drawn them forth.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Thou &s;aid&s;t <HI>the Light within, draws people from Chri&s;t appea|ring in conver&s;ion.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>From confirming in a&s;&s;urance, and working of us up to follow on to know the Lord by &s;everal vi&s;itations.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. <HI>From the Doctrine of the Apo&s;tles and Prophets.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>4. <HI>From the blood of the Covenant.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>5. <HI>From the experience of the creating Word.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>6. <HI>From waiting for commands of Gods loving kindne&s;&s;e.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>And then thou concludes, <HI>That watching in the light within to bring us to perfection, will be a vain watch.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>I &s;hall here wait for thy An&s;wer to be publi&s;hed, as to what is laid upon thee, for I have born my Te&s;timony in the &s;pirit of the Lord, again&s;t all that which thou &s;aye&s;t the Light within leads people to; &s;o in general I do deny that it leadeth any, or draws them from any one of the&s;e particulars which thou ha&s;t laid down; for I am made to &s;tand a Witne&s;s again&s;t thee in the power of the Lord, knowing that Chri&s;t Je&s;us 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 &s;aye&s;t the Light within leads people to, and unto that which thou &s;aye&s;t it draws people from, that &s;o thou art calling the light darkne&s;s, and darkne&s;s light: And for what thou ha&s;t &s;aid in thy con&s;iderations upon <HI>Baxters</HI> Papers which thou &s;aid&s;t was again&s;t the <HI>Quakers,</HI> thou ha&s;t there con&s;idered nothing but what is carnal and vi&s;ible, &s;aying your Water is in Fountains and Rivers vi&s;ible, and that the natural Tongue of the godly can &s;hew the Way of Life to the natural ear and eye, and &s;o to the under&s;tanding of the natural man; and much more &s;uch like as this thou ha&s;t con&s;idered of, which are all to peri&s;h, as all other
<PB N="12" REF="7">vi&s;ible things mu&s;t; and &s;o thy hope will peri&s;h with them, who knows not a life above them; but tho&s;e whom thou ha&s;t &s;et thy &s;elf again&s;t, knows their life to be in that which is eternal, and will abide for ever, and are made to deny all thy vi&s;ible and carnal things, as rudiments of the World; and this I have al&s;o ob&s;erved in thy Con&s;iderations, <HI>Herod</HI> and <HI>Pilate</HI> made friends.</P>
<P>I am moved of the Lord to tell thee, That who&s;oever wat|cheth in that Light which thou &s;aye&s;t will be a vain watch, they &s;hall be defended from the Enemies Power, for there doth the Lord pre&s;erve his people, and keep them from the Heathens rage, though thou ha&s;t bent thy bow, and &s;hot thy Arrows at the upright in heart, they &s;hall return again upon thee, for no harm &s;hall come nigh the dwelling-place of the Saints of the mo&s;t High; for who dwel in the Light are compa&s;&s;ed about with mercies, and there are made to &s;ing &s;ongs of Deliverance; &s;o thou art now to an&s;wer to what is laid upon thee, and expected from thee, that is, To confe&s;s, or deny plainly, Whether Chri&s;t doth enlighten people within, yea or nay? and to di&s;tingui&s;h be|twixt Chri&s;t and the light within; for until thou ha&s;t done that, all thy Work is but confu&s;ion; which if thou refu&s;e, let thy mouth be for ever &s;topped, as a mouth full of iniquity and per|ver&s;ne&s;s.</P>
<CLOSER>Let all fle&s;h be &s;ilent.</CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<HEAD>The Spirits Te&s;timony to the true Light which every man that cometh into the world is enlightened with|all, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THe Lord God of Life and Power hath in this his day made manife&s;t to his Saints that which the World cannot believe, who have eyes, and &s;ee not; ears, and hear not, nei|ther do they under&s;tand 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,
<PB N="13" REF="7" MS="y">and hath opened their eye to &s;ee, and their ear to hear, and gi|ven them a heart to perceive the things that belong to their peace, which confounds all the wi&s;e men of the World, who are &s;earching into the things of God in their fallen Wi&s;dom, in which they can neither &s;ee nor perceive the my&s;terie of the glo|rious Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t, and therefore they take coun&s;el toge|ther again&s;t it, and again&s;t the Lord and his annointed, crying Here&s;ie and Delu&s;ion, Deceivers, Antichri&s;ts, fal&s;e 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 Prie&s;ts and Profe&s;&s;ors at this day; and though they be at enmity in many things, and oppo&s;e one another, yet do they all join together, and take coun&s;el to &s;mite the upright, and make war with the Lamb; therefore in the movings of the Lord it is laid upon me to bear forth my Te&s;timony for the Truths &s;ake, that none might abide in darkne&s;s, and be deceived by the Serpents &s;ubtilty, but that all might be turned from the darkne&s;s to the light, where pardoning mercy is felt and witne&s;|ne&s;&s;ed, and in love to all in whom the living Witne&s;s is rai&s;ed, that you may not be &s;oon &s;haken, nor your de&s;ires 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-&s;pring from on high doth vi&s;ite you, all Clouds will va|ni&s;h away, and you will come to &s;ee above them; and &s;o in the light of Chri&s;t waiting, you will come to &s;ee things that differ, and di&s;cern the precious from the vile, and &s;o come to know what is of man, and what is of God; therefore believe not eve|ry &s;pirit, but try the &s;pirits whether they be of God, becau&s;e many fal&s;e Prophets are in the World, who are covered with &s;heeps clothing; therefore try them inwardly; the light makes them manife&s;t, and the Wolfe is &s;een within; therefore try all things in the Light, and hold fa&s;t that which is good; for the&s;e are perilous dayes, men are lovers of them&s;elves, covetous, proud boa&s;ters, cur&s;ed &s;peakers, lovers of plea&s;ures more then lovers of God; who have a &s;hew of godline&s;s, but deny the po|wer thereof, from &s;uch turn away, for they re&s;i&s;t the truth, and are men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith; but now are they made manife&s;t in the light, and their madne&s;s &s;hall proceed no further; for the day hath declared them, and wolves
<PB N="14" REF="8">they do appear to be, their work is tryed of what &s;ort it is, and their foundation proves &s;andy, and their building hey and &s;tubble: Therefore be not to&s;&s;ed up and down with e|very wind of Doctrine, for form without power will not &s;ave you; nor can the Letter without the life give you peace; therefore let no man deceive you with vain Words, in cry|ing up the Kingdom of God without you, as if it came with ob&s;ervations, but every one wait to know the Kingdom of God within you; for Chri&s;t 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 mea&s;ure to every one, by which they are enlighten|ed and made to know good from evil; for God &s;o 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 lea&s;t their deeds &s;hould be reproved; [mark] the evil deeds are made manife&s;t by the light in the con&s;cience of a natural man, &s;o that he &s;ees his deeds to be evil; but he hates the reproof of the light, and loves darkne&s;s rather, becau&s;e his deeds are evil. And this is the Lords tender mercy to all people, That he hath not left him&s;elf without a Witne&s;s in the con&s;cience of all the Sons and Daughters of men, which makes manife&s;t their e|vil deeds, and te&s;tifieth again&s;t them, and calls them to re|pentance; &s;o will the Lord be clear when he judgeth, who would not the death of him that dyeth. Therefore all people con&s;ider if &s;uch a Witne&s;s you have not in your con&s;ciences which te&s;tifieth again&s;t all your ungodline&s;s, and &s;earcheth you in &s;ecret, from which nothing can be hid; for it makes manife&s;t the motions of &s;in 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 &s;in manife&s;t, and reproves you in your con&s;ciences when you are in the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, either by thought, word or deed? I am made to &s;peak plainly to manife&s;t truth to the lowe&s;t capacity, that all moderate &s;pirits may con&s;ider if that be not within them which doth &s;ecretly reprove them for &s;in
<PB N="15" REF="8" MS="y">and evil, which is Chri&s;t Je&s;us the Light of the World, which the Serpentine Wi&s;dom calls Natures darkne&s;s, and would draw away peoples minds from it becau&s;e it doth di&s;cover his Kingdom, and his Works are de&s;troyed by it; for this end was the Son of God made manife&s;t, That he might de&s;troy the Works of the Devil; and herein is Gods love tendered to all people, who hath enlightened all, and by his &s;pirit &s;trives with them in this day of his patience, that his goodne&s;s might lead to repentance, and that his tender mercy might not be &s;hut up in di&s;plea&s;ure; and thus doth he wait to be gracious, and makes manife&s;t his love to &s;inners, in that he takes them not away in their &s;in, and in his &s;ore di&s;plea&s;ure, but gives them &s;everal vi&s;itations by reprovings and con|vincements in their own con&s;ciences for &s;in and di&s;obedi|ence, that they might turn unto him, and feel his love o|pened as a Fountain of living mercies: And this I am mo|ved of the Lord to bear my te&s;timony to, and there is that in all your con&s;ciences that an&s;wers to the truth of it, unto which I am made manife&s;t, which is the Witne&s;s of God in you all, and reproves you all who are in your &s;ins, for your iniquities; therefore I am made to exhort you all in the fear of the Lord God, to turn to the light which Chri&s;t hath en|lightened you withall, and obey it when it reproves you, and follow it when it leads you, and goes before you, &s;o &s;hall you not abide in darkne&s;s, but your feet &s;hall be guided into the way of peace, which leadeth to eternal life; and though the World and formal profe&s;&s;ors be crying Here&s;ie and Delu&s;i|on, yet who&s;oever waiteth in the light, &s;hall feel food mini|&s;tred to &s;atisfie the hungry, and &s;trength renewed to follow the Lord without wearine&s;s, and walk in his Way without faintne&s;s: And this is the eternal truth of the Lord God which I am made to bear forth my te&s;timony to, as I know it in the Lord; and he that can receive it, let him.</P>
<P>And now my dear Friends in the everla&s;ting truth of God, I feel my heart enlarged towards you, even to &s;tir up your minds to the Lord God, that you may all keep &s;tayed in the Light in which you are pre&s;erved in perfect peace, though the &s;eas roar, and the Waters thereof &s;well, and the Waves beat in the &s;tormy tempe&s;t, you are at re&s;t in your de&s;ired
<PB N="16" REF="9">Haven, there kept by the power of the lord God; &amp; though many Clouds ari&s;e to over&s;pread and darken your glorious day, &s;o as to make your Sun &s;et in a Cloud, yet in the light of Gods countenance do you walk as children of the Day, compa&s;&s;ed about with his living mercies; therefore all keep faithful to the Lord God, in who&s;e power you are all pre&s;er|ved, and watch in the light again&s;t your Enemy, for he wor|keth as &s;ubtilly within as he doth without, and labours to draw your minds into earthly things, but abide you in your Fathers Hou&s;e, where the Bread is &s;ure, and the Water that faileth not; wait to feel the love of God &s;hed 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 Wi&s;dom of God, that he may have the prai&s;e in it; keep your &s;elves un&s;potted from the World, that your garments may be kept pure, and no &s;tain may be upon them, having pure righteou&s;ne&s;s for your robes; Watch over one another in the meek &s;pirit, and be not ra&s;h to judge, but ready to ad|moni&s;h, that in love and unity all may grow in the mea&s;ure of God, and feel his encrea&s;e. 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, whil&s;t the Serpent feeds upon the du&s;t. 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 among&s;t you, and walk in you, and have dominion, and reign, who&s;e right it is, and no Weapon formed again&s;t you &s;hall pro&s;per: Therefore in nothing fear your adver&s;a|ries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of &s;alvation, and that of God.</P>
</DIV1>
<TRAILER>The End.</TRAILER>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
