thy soul and behold and see how opposite thy fleshy wisdome is to any thing that is good or goodness what meanes those often resistings of the Spirit in thee O man Seest thou not how the whore deceives thee What conception bringing forth or appearance of God is there in thee but the wisdome of the flesh seeks to devour it by violent attempts oppositions therefore the text saith ver 17.6 That the whore was drunk with the bloud of the Saints and Martyres of Jesus How hath this mysticall whore the wisdome of the flesh martyred the appearances of Christ in thee so that indeed she is drunk with the bloud of many a sanctified motion of the Spirit in thee The wisdome â—f the flesh is that mysticall Saul that hunts sf ter the bloud of David which is the tender â—ppearance of God in the soul this it is that sucifieth the Lamb a fresh and puts him to oâ—â—n shame and all this is done by that blouâ—â— whore that harboureth in thy bosome The wisdome of the flesh is that bond-slave â—â—at alwaies presents wisdomes Children and the â—â—ildren of the free Woman which are the bringâ—â—gs forth of Jesus in thee In a word this is â—â—at great Red Dragon spoken of in Rev. 12.3 〈◊〉 who stands before the Woman which is a â—â—ristian under the panges of the new birth â—ady to be delivered of the blessed child Jesus whose hart God is begetting himself in 〈◊〉 own forme and Image this I say is that â—â—agon even the wisdone of the fiesh which is â—â—dy to devour the sweet Babe even Jesus with 〈◊〉 forme and feature in the soule and endeaâ—â—rs to make it an obhortive â—â—is is that misticall Heroad that seekes the ruâ—â—of the appearance of God in our flesh and â—s you see what the opposing nature of the â—ore is who for her bloudy opposition asnst the manifestations of God in his peo 〈◊〉 shall have blood to drinke when shee shall â—ound worthy â— We now proceed to the other qualificaâ—n of the Nature of this whore which is a High Proud Lofty asspiring Nature beinâ— manifested by two things 1. In that she will get into Gods TempleÌ„ 〈◊〉 Thes 2.4 2. In that she will therein exaâ— her self above all that is called God and shâ— will be a god to her self Behold O man aâ— it were in a glass the true Viseognime anâ— perfect Portrature of thy fleshly wisdome First then consider that thy heart is thaâ— Temple of God where this great Whore siteth therefore minde the Apostle 1. Cor. 3.16 Knoâ— yee not that yee are the Temple of God as also Châ—â— 6.19 Now thou being this Temple of Goâ— thy fleshly wisdome is that Antichrist thaâ— Whore that sits in thine hart thou art thâ—â— Beast that this Whore rides upon Rev. 17. 〈◊〉 for the Psalmist saith Psal 49.12 that Mâ— being in honour abideth not but is like the heast thâ— perisheth here mayest thou see O man the priâ— of the wisdome of the flesh that no plac wiâ—â— serve her but Gods Temple the hart of maâ— that God hath set apart for the praise of his glorâ— doth this Whore make her Beast by bringiâ—â— it to be subject to her dominion this Teâ—ple of God tobe that den of the every whiâ—â— God hath made for his own honour and diâ—nity Secondly the exalting Nature of the who is seen not only by her climing up into Goâ— Temple and so becomes that Lucifer that fell down to hell but also by her behaviour in Gods Temple She exalts her self above all that is called God She sits as God in Gods Temple in a place where She hath no right to Rule and governe Behold here O Christian another proper Emblem of the wisdome of the flesh in thee How doth this Whore this Misticall Babylon exalt her self above every appearance of God in thee in so much as her Tayle drawes the third part of the Stars of Heaven and casts them down to the Earth which is in me That Reason Will Affections and Judgement which are as the civill powers lights of the soule all these are drawn after this beast so that indeed Shee now is the Lady of the Kingdomes Jsa 47.7 nay ver 8. I am and there is non else besides mee this wisdome of the flesh is that which will not alow the Child Jesus any room in the Inne of thy heart but thrusts him into the Manger which is under the meanest thoughts poorest respects and lowest love of thy soule but in the mean time this whore her self takes the largest rooms and highest chambers that is She is most supreame in thy affections with the greatest love honour and respect that may bee thus doth this whore the wisdome of the flesh exalt her self as God yea and that in Gods Temple where She hath no right to rule and govern for the Apostle tels us that wee ar not our owne but are bought with a Price that is wee are to owne no Lord but hee that hath bought us to render no obedience or servitude to any but to that God who in our flesh hath Redeemed us according to the Commandement Thou shalt have none other gods butâ—e but self flesh and creature will bee God in Gods Kingdome which causeth God to take up a complaint against his people of old Have I beene a barren wilderness unto thee or a Land of darkness whersore then say my people we are Lords wee are Lords and we will come no more after thee Now the creature running astray from the Lord commits fornication with the great Whore the wisdome of the flesh attributing all Power Glory Salvation and happinesse to selfish wisdome and therefore Babylon saith on this wise Jsa 14.13 I will ascend into Heaven I will exalt my throne above the Stars of God which is when the wisdome of the flesh is exalted above the highest sphere of divine light in the soule nay ver 17. I will be like the most High Behold O man the aspiring exalting nature of thy carnall wisdome The wisdome of the Serpent would needs have Adam to be as God and to see by his own eyes and to walk by his own light which Serpent is nothing in the Mystery but the wisdome of the flesh carrying the soul above that centre that God hath seated it in causing thee to walke by her blaze and not in Gods light to see light to hate scorn and put a meane estimation upon any motion of God or goodnesse always thinking thy way the best and thy councell the safest and thus doth this Whore thy fleshly wisdome exalt her self above all that is called God in thee and sits as God in thy soule which is Gods Temple So much for answer to the first question namly what this great whore is Now thou having attained some spirituall discovery of this whore both by her Names and Nature it remains that we proceede in answer to the second question which is Namely How this Whore workes and what pretences Shee
sees She is indeed in truth Babylon the great the great confused Whore which breeds all that confusion of spirit in a Christian all that commotion disturbance and out-cryes that are in the heart of man all those heavie sad and disconsolate thoughts that man is possesed with all all that disorder that many a time is in the soul every hard thought of God every dispairing Imagination all the gnawings of conscience in the Creature so that I say hee now sees her to be that great Babel or confused Whore who is the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth 5. But then lastly John saw the Woman drunke with the bloud of the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus Truly this is the very phisiognome Portraiture of the whore to a Christian that is carriepaway in the Spirit hee now comes to behold her a drunken bloud-thirsty Whore he now seeth how the whore hath martyred the bringings forth of Christ slain and crucified that Man Jesus afresh he sees how the Whore is drunk with the bloud of the Lamb in him In a word the Saint truly spirituallized beholds self and flesh to be the most hatefull detestable loathsome thing in the world to him looke how loathsome and injurous a mans vomit is to his stomack even so loathsome is self to that Christian from whose stomack God hath fetched up all the corrupt flesh by bringing the soule to be love-sick of Christ with the operative Pils of his blessed Spirit O how hatefull now is the golden Cup sweet Wine of the whore to a spirituallized man in so much that he now loathes and abhors himself in dust and ashes nay indeed he begins now to wonder at himselfe in his own shame and folly as the Text saith ver 5. that when John saw the Whore he wondered with great admiration truly the same is the condition of every Christian who by the carryings away of the spirit comes to a spirituall sight of this whore the wisdome of the flesh he now wonders that hee should bee drawne to commit folly by so filthy a Harlot hee now wonders that such a bulk of filthynesse such a Mountain of wickednesse and spring of bitternesse should be in him and he never till now able to discerne it he now wonders that ever the lenity and Mercy of God should so long beare with him in all his Adulteries with this swinish whore he now wonders that God at last hath brought him to such a sight and disocvery he admires to see where he is and where hee was that God hath brought him from flesh to live in spirit from darknesse into his marvellous light from the wayes of sorow to that high way the Lord Jesus And thus you see briefly how and in what manner the Soul beholdes this Mysticall Whore the wisdome of the flesh And so much shall suffice for the third question Namely how the creature comes to attaine to the sight of her Wee proceed now in order to the fourth question which is Namely When and how She shall be destroyed Now in brief to Answer to this and so draw to a conclusion of the matter I thus reply Ans If then O man thou desirest to know how and when this spirituall Whore shall be destroyed It shall be done in the day and by the coming and appearance of Jesus in Thee this day is the last day and this coming is the second coming of Jesus Now as concerning this last day know this O man that it s nothing for thee to reade the History of the last day in Scripture and there to see what shall be done in that day that God will glorifie himself in the Saints and bee admired in all them that believe that then God will throughly purge his floore and the Saints shall be like him for they shall see him as he is Now I say it is nothing to know this in the History except wee know it in the Mysterie of it Thou art therefore to expect Jesus to come to Judgment in Thee and the end of the world to bee in Thee thou art to waite for the return of this Jesus in spirit which shall come to thee as he did to John and shew Thee the Judgement of the great Whore in Thee for there is nothing that shall happen or fall out to thee in relation to the day of Judgement which shall not bee verified in thee in this life though it may bee not in the same manifestative measure or fulness as it shall be hereafter As first One sign of this last day is that there shall be wars and rumors of warres Nation shall rise against Nation Kingdome against Kingdome now here Christian thou mayest behold the last day to be at hand here is God and Magog at battell with the Lamb what is it that makes all that envy variance strife sedition emulation in the world but the second or spiritual appearance of Je us in his People the comming of Christ in his Saints is not to bring peace but a sword amongst us I confidently say that this last day this spirituall appearance of Christ in men and women is the very originall of all these commotions that are amongst us insomuch that now here is the Father hating the appearance of Christ in the Son and the Son likewise in the Father the Mother in the Daughter the Daughter in the Mother one Brother sheathing the sword in the bowels of another because the last Day dawnes and the Star of glory is risen more in one then in another her 's Cain killing Abel because his sacrifice is accepted of the Lord and the other is not I tell thee Christian the more the whore will bestir her self shee will not only raise outward but inward warre against thee which inward insurrection and rebellion is a symptome that the day of Judgement is at hand in thee John tells us Revel 17 14. That the kings of the earrh shall make war against the Lambe which Kings in the mystery are but the Kingly governing powers of thy Soul which are assembled together in thee to this Spirituall battell of Gog and Magog to gage warre against the innocent Lamb Christ Jesus in Spirit but the Lamb shall over come them for he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords all the power and policy of the flesh shall at last yield their power to Christ and shall consent to the just Judgement of the whore thy fleshly wisdome but till this strong man the flesh be cast out by that stronger then he Christ Jesus there will be nothing but war and confusion in thee so that indeed now the Serpent is come down with great rage in thee knowing that he hath but a short time the more nigh the comming of Christ is the more this Serpent spits out his venome this Antichrist this whore will the more earnestly bestirre her selfe knowing that it is but a short time to her judgement St. John tells us Revel
the new light of God manifested in them O Christian I tell thee thou art a thrice happy man whom the Lord hath made the Lamb a light unto thee this Lamb light is an innocent light a righteous light a pure light a discovering light it is this light that discovers the hidden and obscure whore unto thee it is the light of Christ that uncovers and strips the whore starke naked before thee of all her glory and excellency so that now thou beholdest her out of her purple and scarlet colour even in her very nakednesse and shame And thus you see how Christ in his day in a Christian does first of all discover the whore to him But Secondly in this last day or Sun rising of Christ in a Christian it is the worke of Christ to destroy as well as to discover this whore in us as it is the property of light to destroy darknesse so it is the property of Christ to destroy antichrist in the day of his appearance it will be the worke of Christ by his comming in thee to roote out that spirit of antichrist head and tayle root and branch insomuch that there shall not be left one hoof of the beast in thee when John saw the Angell come downe from heaven endued with great power Revel 18.1 Who inlightned the earth with his glory immediatly he heard this voyce Babylon is fallen is fallen and is become the habitation of divels the hould of every foule spirit and a cage of every uncleane and hatefull bird all which teacheth me thus much that when that Angell of the everlasting lasting covenant Christ Jesus is by the Father sent down into the hearts of his Saints who comes by the power of his Spirit and enlightens the earth or earthly man with his glory when the earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord when the glory of this Sun comes to enlighten and beautifie our earthy hearts then is the time of Babylons downfall now is the season of the whores destruction now is the Saints time of Halelujah now rejoyce over her thou Heaven and all the holy Apostles and Prophets for God hath avenged you on her vers 20. The Prophet Malachy tells us chap. 4. That the day comes that shall burne as an Oven this day is Christ Jesus who indeed shall so baptize us with the holy Ghost and Fire as that he shall consume and burne up waste and destroy all the appearances of the Whore the wisdome of the flesh and therefore the same prophet tells us Chap. 3.34 That he shall sit as a Refiners fire and as Fullers Soape and he shall purifie the Sons of Levi that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousnesse this day must burne in us this Jesus must be a refiners fire to us before we shal see the downefall of mysticall Babylon the worke that Christ hath to doe in us is to destroy mortallity and to cloath us with immortality to destroy this corruption and to cloath us with the incorruptible righteousnesse of himselfe After the downfall of the whore Revel 19. John tells us vers 8. That there was granted to the Lambs wife that she should be arrayed in fine linnen cleare and white c. In which I observe first the love of Christ to the Soul Christ did first of all by his blood and passion purchase the Soul to himselfe to the end that she should be a constant Spouse unto him but she hath adulterized from her husband committed harlotry from her first lover and hath taken part with antichrist against him upon which adultery the jealousie of the Lord arises in himselfe and as jealousie is said to be the rage of a man so the Lord as I may say in the rage of this jealousie comes and destroyes this antichrist kils sin in the Christian sheaths the sword of the spirit in the bowels of this spiritual antichrist breakes the head of this serpent in us but yet notwithstanding entertaines this adulterized creature into his love and favour does yet once more espouse her to himselfe by a fresh act and manifestation of love and favour you may see an embleme of this love in Hos 3.1 where God commands the Prophet to go with a message of love to the woman that had played the harlot with him Goe yet love a woman beloved of her friend yet an adultresse though she an adultresse yet I am her friend though she an harlot yet I send love greetings towards her though she hath been unconstant towards me yet I will owne her to be my wife my Spouse my beloved and therefore the text saies that it was granted to the Lambs wife that shee should bee arrayed in linnen clean white which likewise dictates to me 2. In the Second place the purity that this day of burning Christ Jesus in Spirit works in the heart of his People he doth not only take from it the garment spotted with the flesh but likewise Cloathes it with the shinning Robe of righteousnesse he doth not only empty a Soul of its owne corruption but likewise fills it with his glory beautifies it with his own adornings O Faire beautifull amiable creature whose beauty and excellency consists in Christ that divine centre of briâ—htnesse and glory this will send a Saint to the depth of admiration behold what manner of love hath the Father bestowed upon us that we should be called the Sons of God that God should thus by the power of the Spirit consume all this dross and coruption in us and bring us by that divine light to see our vnion with the Father in the Son and to see the glory of our Adoption in Jesus and to behold our selves in the flesh of our elder Brother at the Right-hand of the Father this is mercy past discerning and worth admiration Thus will God in the power of his Spirit Judge this spirituall Whore in us and ease us of the vassallage and servitude we were in to our owne selves thus shall the brats of this spirituall Babylon the wisdome of the flesh be destroyed by that happy man Christ Jesus God saith Jsa 17.12 concerning this destruction of Babylon That hee will make a man more precious then fine Gold or the Golden wedge of Opher this man is Christ who in the day of his power and in the confounding of this Spirituall Babell in us shall be made unto us more precious then the highest creature excellency never till now will the Saints come to value and to prize Christ till they see what he doth in them Now how beautifull upon the mountains are the feete of them that bring glad tidings of good things that publisheth Salvation that saith unto Zion thy God raineth Thy Messenger upon the Mountaines is Christ Jesus who comes Leaping over the mountaines and skiping over the hils of difficulty that lies in the way and appeares in glory to his Spouse or beloved Christian and declares the message of glad tidings to him