Spirit now And a pretence of honouring God thereby will not excuse men to him The Jews when they had made a Calf in the Wilderness and Sacrificed to it and Feasted with those Sacrifices this was done in pretence to the Lord who had brought them out of Egypt Therefore when Aaron proclaimed a Day to do Sacrifice to the Calf he proclaimed it thus To morrow is a Feast to the Lord Exod. 32.5 You see this was pretended to be done to the Lord the people came upon that Proclamation as keeping a Feast to the Lord and did Eat and Drink and make merry and in their Sacrifice câ—lebrated their deliverance out of Egypt But they would have that Calf to represent their Deliverer and therefore attributed that Title to the thing repesenting which was due only to the Lord whom they would represent For we cannot imagine that they who so lately had seen the wonders of the Lord in bringing them out with a high hand and went before them in a Pillar of a Cloud and Fire could believe that Calf to be their Deliverer both because it was made after they were delivered and also because it was made of their own Ear-Rings and Gold which they gave to Aaron to make it of but they put Signum pro re significata the sign for the thing signified which the Lord will not approve of in such case And therefore in this place and to this Innovation I may here add their Idolatry used in their Sacrifice of the Mass worshipping the Sign for the thing signified Namely their worshipping of that which their own hands have made which was always counted Idolatry in Scripture Their Land saith the Prophet Isaiah is full of Idols they worship the Work of their own hands that which their own Fingers have made And the mean Man boweth down and the Great Man humbleth himself therefore forgive them not Isa 2.8 9. And again in the New Testament it s said The rest of men which were not killed with these Plagues yet repented not of the Works of their Hands that they should not worship Devils and Idols of Gold and Silver and Brass and Stone and Wood which neither can see nor hear nor walk Rev. 9.20 Now consider is not this the Work of their own hands that which their own Fingers have made Is it not a God of their own making Do they not first make the Bread or Wasers and then make it a God by speaking a few words And is it not such a God as can neither see nor hear nor walk nor speak By which Characters Idols are frequently described and will you have Christ Jesus to come under the description of Idols and make him like them The Idols of the Heathen have Mouths but they speak not Eyes but they see not Ears but they hear not They are known to be Idols because they can neither speak nor see nor hear and will you make him like one of them Read and consider Psal 135.15 16. and Psal 115.3 4 5 6 7. Where you may plainly see not to hear not to speak not to see not to smell not to handle not to walk are made notes of an Idol to know them by And will you now make our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the World was made like a Dumb Idol Will you make that to be he which was only left for a Memorial of him Do this as often as ye do it in remembrance of me saith he He makes it but a Sign for a Memorial of him I do believe that many may be verily perswaded that the Bread and Wine are really the Body and Blood of Christ and so use it with great reverence as if it were he and that they think they do honour him thereby But it is great dishonour done to him if you well consider the thing For first it brings him under the Circumstances of the Idols of the Heathen as hath been shewed 2. To offer him up again invalidates that one Sacrifice of himself upon the Cross once for all by which he hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified But I know you stand upon the literal words of Christ This is my Body And therein I can bear with you a little because many may think that they verily obey Christ therein But if you well weigh it you will find that those words are not to be taken literally but figuratively as many other of his expressions were as for instance I am the Door I am the true Vine my Father is the Husbandman Take one more which comes near to that saying This is my Body namely this Except ye Eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and Drink his Blood ye have no life in you John 6.53 Some took that in a literal sense as you do those words This is my Body But let us mind his own exposition of them for that comes near to the Case in hand The words that I speak unto you they are Spirit and they are Life What do you talk of the Flesh The Flesh profiteth nothing It s the Spirit that quickeneth John 6.63 Whereby he shews plainly that this Eating of his Flesh he spake of was the receiving and nourishing of his Spirit in our Hearts which gives us life a Spiritual Life in him A like expression to this he used to the Woman of Samaria John 4.14 where he compares the receiving and embracing of his Spirit to drinking of Water the words are these But whosoever drinketh of the Water that I shall give him shall never Thirst but the Water that I shall give him shall be in him a Well of Water springing up into everlasting Life You see by Water he understood Spirit and by Flesh and Blood he understood Spirit which were Metaphorical expressions And so here in these words This is my Body he spake after the same manner For when as he saith The Flesh profiteth nothing to what end should we imagine that he left his Flesh to be eaten But then as for the Offering of him up by a Priest This is an intrusion into the Mediatorship of Christ who only could offer up himself to God He being both the Sacrifice and the Priest set apart by God for that work whom all the Priests under the Law typifyed And he did this himself Once for all And there remains no more Sacrifice for Sin. For by one Offering he hath perfected for ever them that are Sanctified You may read that word Once expressed many times in the 9th and 10th Chapters of the Epistle to the Hebrews whereby is shewed the Difference between the Sacrifices of the Law which were types and that one Sacrifice of Christ which was the substance How they were offered often because they could not make the Comers thereunto perfect as pertaining to the Conscience but this Sacrifice of Christ was offered but Once because it is of Efficacy at once offering to make the comers to it perfect as pertaining to the Conscience that is to clear
Christ Jesus came to put an end to They fell short of the Grace and Glory that was revealed and came by Jesus Christ altho they continue a People still So Babylon the House of Captivity shall fall Innovations or Inventions of men after which they have gone a Whoring and under which the Seed of God hath been held in great bondage these shall have thei◠〈…〉 the hearts of men they shall understandingly see them 〈…〉 hated of the Lord and to 〈…〉 to the Spirit of God 〈…〉 the Truth revealed by 〈…〉 and witnessed by 〈…〉 Aâ—â—stles and Prophe◠〈…〉 so they shall 〈◊〉 in the 〈…〉 being seen and fallen 〈…〉 they shall strongly be called out of them them by the Spirit of God. For observe after it is said Babylon the Great is fallen is fallen that Voice is uttered Come out of her my People For after the great fall of Babylon there shall yet be a Continuing in or upholding of her Innovations by some But Gods people are called out they that fear God and love his truth shall be called out and so the rest that remain in them shall be captivaâ—ed themselves thereby as a Bird in a Cage For those Inventions and Innovations of men shall become a Habitation of Devils and a hold of every foul Spirit and a Cage of every unclean and hatefull â—â—â—d and that after Babylons great 〈◊〉 Rev. 18.2 This fall of Baylon the Great that is the fall of mens Innovations shall be no small matter for it will carry along with it Plagues and Death and Famine and Mourning The Scarlet coloured Whore that hath been decked with Gold and precious Stones and Pearls anp lived deliciously and Reigned in great Pomp by by the Merchandize of her Innovations she shall have torment and sorrow and be pinched of her Deliciousness when men begin to see the cheat of her Merchandize and will buy it no more when they begin to see the Vanity and wickedness of her Innovations and will no more buy any of them then comes her Plagues and Torment and Sorrow and Famine and Mourning For what is it that hath upheld the Great Whore but the Merchandize of her Innovations And these things men shall come to see and Kings shall see And when they see it they shall hate the Whore and make her Desolate and Naked and shall Eat her Flesh and burn her with Fire Her Innovations are as her very Flesh and Blood which give her Comeliness and Vigour if you consume them you put her to torment and even eat her Flesh as it were and burn her with Fire and this even those Kings shall do who have given their power unto the Beast that carries her and whom she hath drawn in to commit Fornication with her Rev. 17.16 17. And blessed be God who hath put it into the hearts of some Rulers of the Earth to make void one great Innovation of the Mystery of Iniquity for the deliverance of Gods people that is to oppose that persecuting of one another for Conscience sake or worshipping God according to their Conscience This is a great step of Reformation and the King of Kings make them successfull therein and bless their good Endeavours and open their eyes yet further and the eyes of all that are honest hearted to see still further and further into the Mysteries of his Kingdom and to embrace them and also into the Mysteries of Iniquity to turn from them Oh! What rejoycing will there be in the Earth among all that fear God and love his truth when the Inventions and Innovations of men are cast out and the simplicity of the Gospel shall be free for all men to walk in When those Innovations of men that have caused so much bloodshed shall come to an end and like a great Milstone shall be cast into the Sea and be found no more then will follow the Marriage of the Bride the Lambs Wife and Alâ—eluâ—â— For the Lord God omnipotent signeth Rev. 19.6 7. A POST-SCRIPT to those that are Members or Vpholders of the Great Whore. THE Lord seeks not the Destruction of people but that they shou'd repent of the evil of their ways and be preserved and that 's the desire of him who hath writ these things Therefore his advice to them that find themselves included in humane Innovations is this to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God and lay down what they find to be contrary to his Counsels left they suffer in upholding that which God will consume and destroy For tho single persons cannot reform the degenerated State of things yet they may reform themselves The Pope may reform himself a Cardinal may reform himself by withdrawing himself from that he sees evil and in humility of Spirit submitting himself to the Counsels of God and simplicity of the Gospel laying aside the Innovations of men The Lords pleasure is that man should rather be preserved than destroyed I wrold have healed Babylon saith he Then if she be not healed where lies the fault Is not her Destruction of her self Oh! that you could see the evils that are introduced into the profession of Christianity by the Wisdom of men and despise the World and the Glory thereof and exaltation in the Earth in comparison of an immortal Crown of Glory which fadeth not as Earthly glory doth How much better a purchase would you obtain than the earthly fading transitory momentany glory of this world And no man hath run himself so far from the Lord but that there may be a returning except he deny the Lord that bought him They that were the greatest Transgressors in the Churches of Asia were advised to repent and threatned if they did not which implies that the mercies of God were ready to receive them if they did repent O return return to the purity and simplicity of the Gospel as it was in the Primitive times of the Apostles and lay aside all these separating Inventions and Innovations of men which divide between Christians and Christians that we may come into Unity as at the first What! is Christ divided No certainly he is One and his Doctrine is One. It s the Device and Doctrines of men that diviâ—e O what Acclamatiâ—â—s of Jâ—w will there be among all that love the Lord Jesus Christ in truth when the separating Inventions and traditions of man are cast forth This is the great fall of Babylon over which the Saints and Servants of God shall sing Alelujah But the Spirit of God seems to speak prophetically of Babylon that she will not be healed saying of Babylon of old we would have healed Babylon but she is not healed And I think there is little ground to expect that so great a Society of men so strongly conjoyned in a Mystery of Innovations can make a publique Reformation of themselves together because it s most likely that the greater number of them will be for maintaining their earthly Interest and worldly Glory that they have in their Kingdom of Innovations therefore the Lord calls to particular persons to withdraw saying Come out of her my People that ye be not partakers of her Sins and that ye receive not of her Plagues Rev. 18.4 For let her be as strong as she can yet she hath to deal with one that is stronger Strong is the Lord God who judgeth her so that she cannot avoid his Stroke Therefore let all that fear the Lord come out of her come out of the Inventions Innovations or Traditions of men into the simplicity and sincerity of truth where you shall find the Comfortable presence and power of the Lord going before you and as a Lamp enlightning your paths that you may follow him in safety and satisfaction to your Souls as he leads and goes before you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 FINIS Books Printed and Sold by Thomas Northcott in George-Yard in Lumbard-street Folio ISaac Penington's works price 12. s. 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are led out from her by the Spirit into a solitary Wilderness condition shall best see her And indeed they shall best see the Innovations of lesser Whores who are not in the Whoredom or involved in the Innovations Now what did John see I saw saith he a Woman sit upon a scarlet coloured Beast full of Names of Blasphemy having seven heads and ten Horns Here she is described by that which supports her and over which she ruleth as one rules over the Beast they sit upon The Great Whore is a pompous Whore and sits upon a pompous Beast a scarlet coloured Beast that is an earthly pompous Power not upon the power of the Spirit by which the Apostles of Christ were supported but upon an earthly power full of blasphemous names against the true power and the faithful servants of Christ who abhor the Innovations of men This is a Beast sutable to the great Whore and of one Spirit with her and fortified to uphold her in her large Dominion over Peoples Multitudes Nations and Tongues having seven Heads and ten Horns and what those are the Angel unfolds afterwards To go on with the Characters of the Woman vers 4. And the Woman was arrayed in Purple and scarlet colour and decked with Gold and precious Stones and Pearls having a Golded Cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her Fornication Here she is described by her Ornaments and by her Cup which contains her Fornication Her Ornaments are such as are used by Kings and Potentates of the World Purple and Scarlet and Gold and precious Stones not such Ornaments as the Apostles were adorned with and approved of in the Saints such as Humility Meekness Quietness Sincerity Truth and such as the Gospel approves of but such Ornaments as might make her of equal Splendour with the Princes of the World if not above them Doth not the Hierarchy of Rome answer this magnificence And then she is described by her Cup in her hand which contains the filthiness of her Fornication This demonstrates that her Fornication is Spiritual being contained in a Cup carried in the hand and that is the model of her Worship or composure of her Service which contains her spiritual Fornication and going a whoring after her own inventions This Cup is a very remarkable Character 1. It 's call'd a Cup because it contains her Fornication and also because out of it she pours forth the Wine of her Fornication to the inhabiters of the Earth wherewith she makes them drunk It contains their Inventions after which they go a whoring 2. This Cup is a Golden Cup. It 's golden to outward appearance Their Outward appearances of Worship are not only glorious to the outward eye being performed with great Ceremony cost and splendour but also the minds and ears of carnal earthly spirits are dazed with the seraphical expressions and golden words used therein 3. This Cup is in her hand In whose hand In the great Whores hand This shews that they that hand this Cup to the People they are the great Whore. It 's in the Womans hand the great Whores hand It 's framed already and beautified with all the art they can and carried in the hand It 's already formed to be put into the hand of every Servitor that is devoted to their Innovations Their Worship is not carried in the heart and springing from the Spirit of God administred from his Gift to the comfort and edification of people as their Worship did in the Apostles daies but this is in the hand and any wicked person can administer it or hand it forth 4 It 's full of abominations and filthiness of her Fornication It 's full of Innovations and Inventions of men which are an abomination to God. And to go after them is to go a whoring from the Spirit of God as the Israelites did They went a Whoring after their own Inventions Psal 106.39 Next we come to the Inscription upon the Forehead of the great Whore vers 5. which Couples all these together viz. The great Whore The Mystery of Iniquity and Babylon the Great So that find one and you find them all The Inscription is this Mystery Babylon the Great the Mother of Harlots and abominations of the Earth This being writ upon the forehead of the great Whore shews that she is all this in her all this is found this being as her Crime writ upon her Forehead or a proper name extant to know her by Now if you can find out the Mystery of Iniquity by him that Heads it that sits in the Temple of God the Church exalted above all Magistrates then you have the great Whore also Or if you can find the great Whore by the Characters given of her then you have the Mystery of Iniquity and Babylon the Great for they are all co-incident being concatinated in one Chain as the inscription on the great Whores Forehead shews plainly As for the Words Mystery and Babylon the Great seeing I have spoken of them before I refer to that and so pass on to the next Character of the great Whore vers 6. And I saw the Woman drunken with the blood of Saints and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus and when I saw her I wondred with great admiration Here 's a mark of a bloody die which the great Whore can never wipe off But the more she endeavours to blot it out by destroying those that see her guiltiness the deeper she sets it and the larger she makes it Here every one may see that the great Whore is a bloody Whore. She 's drunken with Blood which significantly expresses her great thirst after the blood of those she kills so that she swallows down their blood greedily without remorse and without all reason saving that they withstand her Innovations Where shall we find this bloody drunkenness so much as in the bloody raging Massacres Burnings and Cruelties which have been acted under the dominion and power of Rome and of those who have been infected with her innovations None like those And that which heightens this wickedness is that she is drunk with the Blood of Saints 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of holy men innocent persons who are of a Righteous life and good conversation and truly fear the Lord. Who are also called Martyrs or witnesses of Jesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is such as bear witness to Jesus acknowledging and owning him and his Doctrine and willing to lose their lives rather than to deny the truth delivered to us by him and his Servants Such as these she kills because they see her innovations and cannot stoop to them That 's greatly remarkable also that her bloody drunkenness is such as put John to admiration John lived in times of Persecution and saw cruelty enough no doubt being banished into the Isle of Patmos at that time But that was not it that put John to an astonishment as some would have it But it was