of Jesus Christ even by this false woman which rides on the beast by whose power and strength she overcomes the Saints She sets up a way of doctrine a way of worship in a Nation and gets laws made for the defence of it and against them that will not submit to it and here she is too hard for the Saints by this means she overcomes the Martyrs and Witnesses and keeps the truth down and keeps up her way of deceit which without this prop would soon fall This whorish spirit scents the Spirit of the Lord she knows it will soon be her death if she cannot make it appear odious and suppresse it Therefore she hunts this spirit she hunts the life and power of what she her self professes especially if it appear vigorous and strong in any she seeks advantages against the servants of the living God representing them to the earthly powers as persons of dangerous principles and bad practises inventing all manner of what can be called evil against them and spreading it among the people that the truth may start up no where in the earth but every where be knocked down by the violence of the multitude or by the sword of the offended Magistrate Now what is the matter of all this great noise and fury Why this A Lamb is risen up in the innocency the pure harmless spirit is appearing in the earth the true life which discovers the hypocrisie and dead forms and wayes of the whorish spirit is breaking forth Therefore she makes a great out cry awakpeople awak the church is in danger arise Magistrates Magistracy and Ministry wil down if this Lamb-like spirit be suffered Nay nay These shall stand but Babylon shall fall and her mistery of iniquity be discovered and her deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse made manifest and the true life and Spirit shall arise and take possession of the hearts of people and make them a clean and fit habitation for God and people that are subject hereto shall feel it and enjoy it though the Merchants of Babylon say men shall never be made cleane while they live but must stil have a body of sin and death hanging about them But how shall they put on Christ who have not put off the body of sin Shall those who are made Kings and Priests to God here on earth minister in their filthy garments These are some of the sins of Babylon that painted harlot which is subtle in heart and lyes in wait to deceive in the absence of the true Church whose cloathing and resemblance she takes up and appears in And when she hath done all this When like Aegypt she hath kept the seed in bondage in all her Territories and Dominions in every Church she hath set up and by all her Ministries and Ordinances When like Sodom she hath filled the whole world with filthinesse uncleanesse and all manner of spiritual abominations When like old Jerusalem the bond-woman she and her children have scoffed at the Spirit in every appearance all the time of her reigne and have trampled upon and domineered over them who have but spoken of the coming of the just one in his people sporting her self in her own deceivings Yet after all this She wipes her mouth and saith she hath done no harm She hath been for the Gospel and Church and Ministry and Ordinances and the saith once delivered to the Saints and only against deceivers seducers blasphemers and hereticks But the Spirit of the Lord cannot be thus deceived nor shall the Nations be allwayes thus deceived and suffer her to sit as a Queen upon their consciences but she shall see sorrow and they shall taste joy at the sound of the everlasting Gospel when once again it cometh to their ears Rev 14. 6. Chap 19. 6 7. The judgement of Babylon BAbylon the great this great City of abominations which hath reigned over the whole earth which hath bewitched all sorts of professors with the golden cup of her fornications which hath subtilly led from the life and held all sorts captive in the witchery of her deceit and hath triumphed over the holy seed making Sion their mother desolate who sat in the dust and was trampled upon by her This great City this glorious City this rich City this mighty powerful City this Queen of the earth which knows not what belongs to Sions misery sorrow poverty and desolation with Antichrist her King and husband who hath cloathed himself with the garments of light and appeared in the likenesse of the King of Sion and hath long been so acknowledged and worshipped is to be judged by the Spirit of life which ariseth up out of the dust of Sion And though Babylon the great whore who in all her transformings hath still remained an enemy to the life hath great power and great wisdom and can shift very subtilly to save her self by both yet strong is the Lord God who judgeth her and he also is wise and she shall not escape his hand but he will pursue her with his voices with his thunderings with his hail-stones with his earth-quakes with his woes with his plagues with his cups of indignation till he hath made her manifest till he hath broken her in peeces till he hath crumbled and laid her in the dust till he hath brought her down to the very pit where the feet of Sion shall trample upon her for ever Sing sing O inhabitant of Sion dost thou not behold the Crown of pride going down apace The decree is sealed against her she cannot escape yea she is fallen she is fallen she is already taken in the snare the eye of my life seeth it and rejoyceth over her in the living power The plagues of God Allmighty from the fiercenesse of his indignation are visiting her whole Territories and passing over all her Land Nothing can help her to avoid his stroak no paint will serve no cover will hide no profession no practise no duties no ordinances no Church no Ministry can avail to conceal her but that spirit is pursued by the Spirit of the Lord and found out every where and plagues are prepared and powring out upon her Nay though she leave all her forms and pretend to wait and seek for the Lord yet she is found out there also Now what is her judgement Destruction and utter desolation from the hand of the Lord to be an hissing and reproach throughout all generations to be brought down by powrings forth of the wrath and vengeance of the Allmighty into the pit and there to drink the fulnesse of his wrath for ever Sion shal be exalted Sion shall drink the cup of life the cup of blessing the cup of love the cup of salvation for ever but Babylon the cup of fury the cup of indignation for ever and ever Sion shall sing but Babylon shall howl and all that saw any beauty or took any pleasure in her shall mourn over her Alas alas for her she who hath so many ages gone for the
reasoning part which the Lord hath been long battering and had laid very low gathered strength in me and I began to grow wise again and able to judge of the things of God and to hope and wait for some great appearance wherein at length I might be visited and meet with that which I so vehemently desired and stood in such need of Thereby the enemy deeply deceived me pleasing me herewith and keeping me hereby from unity with that which alone was able to give me the sight of him when ever he should appear And in this fleshly wisdome I judged and despised the true life in others as weak and low and not able to bring them to that which I stood in need of and waited for Yea the more I considred and reasoned in my mind and the more I conversed with them hoping thereby to find some clear ground either of owning or turning from them the further off still was I till at length the Lord powerfully touched and raised up the life in me which by all these reasonings and consultations all this while I slew and then by degrees waiting upon that I saw I felt I tasted I handled as the Lord pleased to open to me here that which was shut out from me in my narrowest search and closest reasonings Thus the Jew in me was cast off and the Gentile called but who can read this I am sure the eye of mans religious wisdom cannot Hereby my eyes have been opened and I have seen the fetters whereby I have been held captive from my life all my dayes yea many of the streets and chambers of Babylon hath my eye beheld in the pure life wherein the Witch dwels which inchanteth from the life yea I have heard the tongue of the false Prophet which speaketh so like the true Prophet as no flesh can discern or distinguish between them yea I have seen the Dragon in the Temple worshipped there for God by the strictest sort of Professors And now in tender bowels in the true light of life from the pure movings of the eternal Spirit as the Lord pleaseth to guid and direct do I come forth to visit my poorfellow creatures and captives in Babylon And what I have seen and known I testifie for the relief of others that if it be possible by the mercy good hand of God they may escape that misery wherewith my poor soul hath been overwhelmed and may come out of that filthy abominable City which God is making desolate where the pure life the conquering faith the suffering love the purifying hope the putting off of the body of sin the putting on the living garment is not nor cannot be witnessed but men are only dreaming of these things in Babylon where all the satisfaction they have is from the pleasure of their dream but when they awake they will find leannesse and penury and nakedness upon their souls A Description of Babylon for the sake of the Daughter of Sion which at present dwelleth in the midest thereof Now though the world be deaf and blind even all sorts of worldly professors from the highest to the lowest yet open your ears and hear the joyful sound open your eyes and see the City of desolations and of all the abominations of the earth both of flesh and Spirit and feel in your selves what it is which is to be led out and what is to lead you that your feet may be guided to and set firm upon Mount Sion where the life rules over all her enemies BABYLON is the spiritual fabrick of iniquity the Mystical great City of the great King of dark ess built in imitation of Sion painted just like Sion that it might be taeken for Sion and he worshipped there instead of the true eternall ever-living God and King of Sion This is the seat of the man of sin Where there is a building framed in any heart or in any society of men like Sion there he lodges there he lives there he sits as God there he reigns there he is worshipped there he is exalted above all that can truly be called God in that heart or in that society 1. It is a City This is a proper parable to discover the Mystery of iniquity by in this state it is just like a City in its kind it is a City In a City there are several streets in the streets houses in the houses several rooms to which familyes and persons appertain and to all these there are Laws and Governments Thus it is here there are many streets in this City Babylon many houses in every street many rooms in every house and the houses and rooms have their several familyes and persons appertaining to them and they have their Laws and Governments their knowledge of God and Christ their order their worship their discipline in which they walke and by which they order themselves in their several services places offices and imployments under the King of Babylon 2. It is a spirituall or mysticall City It is not an outward building of earthly materials but an inward building of inward materials As the outward Sion the outward Jerusalem is passed away in it's use and service so the outward Babylon is out of date too Ye need not look so far for it And as God hath built up an inward City a spiritual building so hath the King of darkness likewise He could never have tempted from the City of the living God from the City of the mystery of life but by the City of the mistery of deceit And as God builds his City of hewen stones of squared stones of living stones so also hath the King of darkness his hewings his squarings his preparations his qualifications for his buildings If the light break forth and make it appear too grosse to have the whole Nation a Church or to admit an whole Parish to Ordinances he will gather a Church out of the Nation and select some of his choicer stones out of the Parish yea he may grasp in some of the stones of the true Temple if they come within his reach and circle that is if they look abroad if they step forth and keep not close to the anointing within which is the great and only Ordinance of the Saints preservation from Antichrists power for if they step forth but so much as into a prayer against Antichrist out of this they are caught in his snare and are serving him in that very prayer which they may seem with great earnestness and zeale to put up against him 3. It is a great City an overspreading City a City that over-spreads the earth As Sion was a vast City a City that did overspread the Nations How did the faith of the Gospel over-run the world in the Apostles dayes so this City hath also over-run the world Indeed it hath taken up the whole Territories and Dominions of the other City and hath enlarged it self further and Sion hath been laid in the dust and trodden under foot And
though many Witnesses Prophets and Martyrs have mourned over her yet none have been able to raise up the Tabernacle of David which hath fallen down nor to recover Sion to this day but Babylon hath had the power over her Look with the true eye and behold how all Nations Kindreds Tongues and Languages have been drunk with some or other of the mixtures of this false womans cup some of them over and over and over again and have been Inhabitants of this City crying her up though not all in her grosse habit but some in her more refined shapes and transformings for the true Church for Sion whereas alas she hath only Sions dresse Sions shape Sions outward garment which is the likeness wherein she lies in wait to deceive but not Sions spirit 4. It is a City of iniquity of hidden iniquity That which is hid in this City it is not the life it is not the righteousness the holiness of the Saints but iniquity sin transgression of the life Look into any of the streets of Babylon into any of the houses any of the rooms any of the chambers of darkness there 's sin there there 's unrighteousnes there there 's not one cleansed heart to be found there not one pure eye to behold the God of life is to be found there but in every heart sin in a mistery iniquity in a mistery unrighteousness in a mistery They seem to be for God and Christ and to be cleansed by them but uncleaness lodges in them and sin rules in them against God and against his Christ in a mistery which their eye cannot see and so must needs mistake their state Yet this is the true state of Babylon in all the parcels of it it is the unclean City where purity of heart and life cannot be known but though it be washed and transformed never so often outwardly yet still it remains inwardly polluted that which defileth keeping possession and dominion there in a mistery The living water the living blood runs not in any of the streets of this City so that there can be no true cleansing there Nay such strangers are the choicest Inhabitants of Babylon to the Fountain of life in Sion to the river that cleanseth and healeth that they cannot so much as beleeve that there is a possibility of cleansing and perfect healing and making sound and whole here while on earth There is great talk of these things of the water the blood the cleansing in all the Regions of Babylon which hath heard of the fame and forms to it self a likeness but the thing it self is not to be found there and so the vertue which comes from the thing it self alone cannot be felt there And here in this there is a great difference between the vessels of Sion and the vessels of Babylon The vessels of Sion they are weak earthen foolish contemptible to the eye of mans wisdome which cannot look for any great matter of excellency there but the treasure the liquor of life in them is precious The vessels of Babylon make a great shew appear very holy very heavenly very zealous for God and Christ and for the setting up of his Church and Ordinances all over the world Thus they appear without but they are Sepulchers there 's rottenness within under all this there lodgeth an unclean an unsanctified heart an heart unsubdued to the spirit and power of the Gospel while it makes such a great shew of subjection and obedience to the letter 5. It is the City of the King of darknesse of the great King of darkness of the Prince of the power of the ayre who rules universally in the darknesse in the mistery of iniquiry throughout even in every heart Where ever is sin there is Satans throne and there he hath his Laws his Government his power in every heart of his dominion And where there is the least subjection to him he is yet a Prince his building is not as yet there wholly thrown down he is not there as yet dispossessed and cast out As long as there is any thing left wherein he may dwell he knows his owne and keeps his hold of it It is his right and he will not loose it All sin all darkness is properly his it is his seat and he hath the Government there Man is the Land where these two Kings fight and what ever is good and holy belongs to the one King and what ever is evill and unclean belongs to the other and there is no communion or peace between them but each keep their own and gather of their own unto themselves And where the fight is once begun between these there is no quietness in that Land till one of these be dispossessed but then there is either the peace of Babylon most commonly under a form of holinesse or the peace of Sion in the spirit life and power 6. This City was built and is daily built in imitation of Sion painted just like Sion The intent of it's building was to eat out Sion to suppresse Sion to withdraw from the truth by a false Image and to keep her Inhabitants in peace and satisfaction under a beliefe and hope that it is the true Sion and therefore it must needs be made like Sion else it could no way suite these ends Every street must be like the streets of Sion every house like the houses of Sion every Tribe and family like the Tribes and familyes of Sion every person like the persons in Sion all the Laws Ordinances c. like the Laws and Ordinances of Sion the worship like the worship in Sion the faith like the faith of Sion the painted Christ like the Christ of Sion all that go for truths like the truths of Sion they would not deceive else City Babylon would be soon seen through else and become quickly desolate and forsaken did she not lay her paint very thick and with great art and skil Now here 's the wisdome here 's the true eye tried to see through al the paints of this city in al the shapes and forms of it to turn from every street every house every chamber every image and false appearance of truth every false appearance of ordinances and wayes of worship every likenes of things which this spirit forms from the letter every duty that it thus cals for every promise of Scripture which it endeavours to apply to that to which it belongs not that it might lull the soule asleep and cosen and deceive it of the thing promised here I say is the true eye tried to turn from all this and to waite for the raising and redeeming of the true seed of Sion and for the springing up of the true life and power in it and from it For as long as this spirit can deceive you with any likenes ye shal never know the truth nor come to the worship of the true living God which alone is in the spirit and in the truth 7. The end of al this
of Satans building up this city this great city thus accurately in the power of deceit and in the very likenes of Sion was and is that it might be taken for Sion and he worshipped there as God and that without jealousie or suspition And he hath attained his end his city hath deceived and doth deceive it passeth currant for Sion among al the inhabitants of Babylon almost every sort of people cry it up for Sion in one appearance or other though al do not cry up the same appearance but their own image way and worship every one extolls their own image of the truth for the truth their own way of worship for the way their own church and family for the church and family of God And worshipping here they worship him and not the Lord for the Lord cannot be worshipped in any part of Babylon but the King of Babylon is worshipped in Babylon and the King of Sion alone in Sion Ah how deeply do men deceive their souls they think they beleeve in God they think they pray to God and hope to be owned at length by God and yet are so far from coming out of Mystery Babylon that it was never yet so much as discovered to them but they have either walked in the way of religion and worship they were brought up in in the apostacy or perhaps have removed out of one or two of the broad streets of it and so thereby think they have left Babylon when as the same spirit hath sit down in another street of the same city building up another house by the direction of the King thereof and there worshipping the same spirit as they did before but their souls never knew the fire in Sion and the furnace in Jerusalem by which the very inwards of their spirits must be cleansed before the pure ey of life be opened which can see Sion Now because ye are more able to receive things from Scripture-expressions then from the nature of the thing it self spoken as it is felt in the heart concerning which much more might be said were ye able to bear it consider a few Scriptures Babylon is called a great city Rev. 16. 19. and a great and mighty city chap. 18. 10. O the power of deceit in that city to bewitch from the life O the multitude of lying wonders that are there shewn in the heart to make a man beleeve that he is in the life to perswade men that the King thereof is the King of Sion and that the laws and ordinances of worship there are the laws and ordinances oi Sion that the prayer there is the prayer of the true child that the beleeving there is the true faith the love there the true love the hope there the true hope c. Some parts of Babylon some likenesses of truth there are so taking that none but the elect by the opening of the eternal eye can espy the deceit And it is a spiritual city a mystical city a city built by the working of the mystery of iniquity 2 Thes. 2. 7. whereupon she is called Mystery Rev. 17. 5. It is not a city of plain wickedness but a city of sin hid of sin keeping its life under a covering under a form of godlines of sin reigning in the heart under zeal under devotion under praying beleeving worshipping hoping waiting c. Where sin lies hid within under these there 's Babylon there 's the mystery of witchcraft there 's the painted throne of Satan there 's spiritual Egypt and Sodom where the Lord of life is daily crucified This is the city the mystical city the spiritual city Rev. 11. 8. And here is building up and throwing down continually She builds the spirit of the Lord confounds then down goes her building then up with another then down again This is her course without end when the Spirit of the Lord disturbs her for otherwise she can settle in any form of knowledg or worship though in her ordinary course she hath also many changes and turnings One while this or that being a truth another while not One while this or that being the sence or meaning of such a Scripture another while not Babylon is hardly ever without this kind of building up and throwing down And this city is a great city a city spread over all the earth she made all nations drink of the wine of the cup of her fornication Rev. 14. 8. The woman which is this city Rev. 17. 18. sate upon peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues Rev. 17. 15. She sate upon them as Queen as Princess guiding them in their knowledg and worship of the King of Babylon And those that once hated her and made war with her and burnt her flesh with fire she cosoned them with a new paint got them into her new bed of fornication and made them worship the King of Babylon again Rev. 17. 12 13. v. 16 17. and there they lay committing whoredom with her til the time of her last burning and utter desolation but then they forsook her for fear of her torment when they saw the smoke of her burning Rev. 18. 9 10. In the Temples of this city for in al the streets thereof yea in every house there are Temples Antichrist sits as God and is worshipped 2 Thess. 2. 4. He as God sitteth in the temple of God shewing himself that he is God He hath clothed himself like God he appears like God like the holy pure Spirit of life and power he appears in the temple of God he sits there he rules there he gives forth laws and ordinances of worship and devotion Yea if any one wil question his godhead or his right to do thus he wil prove it he wil make it manifest in the very temple of God that he is God He as God sitteth in the temple of God shewing himself that he is God He hath exalted himself into the throne above al that is called God he hath got into the temple he sitteth there as God and there he maketh it manifest to al his worshippers that he is the God in so much as among al the inhabitants of Babylon he is acknowledged and worshipped and the true Spirit of life is hid from their eyes and denied and crucified He shews himself that he is God he gives demonstrations of his godhead which that eye which is out of the life cannot but acknowledg and take to be true There is none can see and acknowledg the true God the true Christ but those that have the true ey the true anointing no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the holy Spirit 1 Cor. 12. 3. and yet how many can speak great words of God and of Christ who know not what belongs to the anointing Alas alas Al nations and sorts of professors out of the life are coâ—oned with the devils demonstrations with Antichrists demonstrations with the whores demonstrations with the false Prophets demonstrations which are undeniable to
that wisdome wherein they stand and to that eye wherewith they look to see Now mark this Antichrists coming when he first deceived was very mighty exceeding strong 2 Thess. 2. 9 10. Whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders and with al deceivableness of unrighteousness c. Weigh the thing wel Satan used al his art and al his strength to conceive and bring forth this mystery of iniquity so like the mystery of godlines that it might pass for currant in the world and he rule as God in in i◠With all power c. no power of deceit wanting he did not spare for signs and lying wonders yea 〈◊〉 gave power to the beast to do wonders and miracles even to make s 〈…〉 e come downe from heaven on the earth in the sight of men which was the sign and wonder whereby the God of Israel was distinguished from Baal power to work this very sign Satan gives to the Beast to confirm the godhead of the Dragon and Antichrist with Rev. 13. v. 13 14. These are the things men look for see but great power signs miracles they are satisfied the whole world stands ready to be deceived with this Yea and if the eye be not opened in persons which can distinguish of power they must needs be deceived Signs wonders and miracles had their place in the first covenant and were to that part to which the first covenant was not to them that beleeve but to them that beleeve not Now after the full demonstration of the truth by signs and miracles the power of Satan riseth up and by lying signs wonders and miracles overturneth the truth Now the unbeleeving part in man expects and cals for signs and miracles and says that wil determine the controversie and settle the state of the Church again but that part is not to prescribe God his way yea he wil steal as a theif upon thee whose ey is abroad and lookest for demonstrations without And as Antichrist got up thus so Antichrist wil go out thus he wil raise up this power and what lying signs wonders and miracles he can to defend himself with now the Spirit of the Lord is risen up to dispossess him and cast him out of the house which he hath long lodged in And he that can be cosened with power with signs with lying wonders which are lying because they come from the spirit of deceit with an intent to deceive though they may come to pass and appear true to mans eye Deut. 13. 1 2 3. or with any of the deceivablenes of unrighteousnes shal never come out of Babylon but only be translated into some of the more refined chābers of it fed with somemore fresh likenesses of truth where he shall stil remain an Inhabitant and worshipper in some Image perhaps of universal love life and liberty and yet be out of the life out of the love out of the liberty of the truth which stands in the power and presence of the Spirit of God and not in the most refined Image or likeness All the world wondred after the beast and they worshipped the Dragon which gave power unto the beast and they worshipped the beast Rev 13. 3 4. The Dragon is the Devil the beast is that spirit of the earth which he raiseth up and feeds in men with a form and appearance of truth to which he gives his power and his seat and his authority and every man hath a measure of this according to his state condition place and service in Babylon And now what a man doth here in Religion be he never so devout and zealous and frequent in Ordinances and duties is the worship of this spirit and of the Dragon who sits and rules in this spirit I am run into hard expressions very hard because the nature of these things is hid from mens eyes and they are in the mist of Antichrists raising in the smoak which comes from the pit where there is no opening of the true eye nor no true sight of things but truly if ever ye espy the Dragon the beast Antichrist the whore the false Prophet ye must look at home and read within and there having found the thing and seen it in the true light ye will be able to read it certainly abroad also Now do not go about to distinguish these things in the notion of the understanding but come to feel the life to unite with the life and the eye will open which can see into the nature of things and will behold all in it's season for that eye which is so eager to see shall never see these things but that eye alone which waits in stilnesse and quietnesse on the pleasure and good will of the opener Now all this time while Babylon stands while Antichrist sits in the Temple while Satan reigns over all the Antichristian world the true and living God hath not been known feared nor glorified but mens knowledge hath been of a false God they have set up and him they have feared and given the glory to in their worship nay the Gospel hath not been preached the true Gospel the everlasting Gospel the Gospel wherein is the light and power of eternal life to turn men from all Antichristian forms of knowledge and worship to the true life and power But when Babylon falls and Mount Sion begins to appear again then this Gospel is to be preached again even by an Angel who receiveth it from God himselfe Rev 14. 6 7. for man could never recover it again it requires a new inspiration The law is to go forth out of Sion the word of the Lord from Jerusalem And this Gospel is to be preached to every Nation and Kindred and Tongue and people v 6. mark There was not one Nation not one kindred not one tongue not one people that kept the everlasting Gospel but it was laid up in Sion it was carried with the Church into the Wildernes and there it hath been hid all the time of the apostacy since the dayes of the Apostles But now Sion is redeeming the true woman bringing back again out of the Wilderness she brings back the true everlasting Gospel with her and there is an Angel chosen in the power of the Lord even in the same power and Spirit that first preached it to preach it again to every Nation Kindred Tongue and people And the Lord hath so ordered it that he will have the voice of this Angel as despicable to the wise in Religion to the zealous in devotion of all sorts of this backsliding age as the former preaching was to the wise and devout both among the Jews and Greeks So that whosoever is wise in Religion according to the flesh whosoever is wise in expectation and waiting for the kingdome whosoever is wise in reasoning about it and can tel the foregoing signs of it c. shall not know the voice but he that can shut his eyes by
the leadings of the pure life and enter into the hidden womb of wisdom where the light of life is sown he shall be new formed and come forth a child out of the womb of wisdom with the new eye the new ear the new heart the new understanding and sences and keeping in the childish simplicity out of the wisdome zeal and devotion which deceived him before he shall receive and enter into the everlasting kingdome Therefore all people wait humbly for the candle of the Lord that therewith ye may search out Babylon and may come to see what of her treasures ye have gathered that ye may throw them away speedily and give up your ships and vessels wherewith ye have traffiqued for these kind of wares to the fire of the Lords jealousie that ye may receive the durable riches that ye may hear the joyful sound of the everlasting Gospel and know the true Christ which it alone reveals and come to fear and worship and gloriâ—e the true God and not go down into the pit or lake with the Dragon the beast the whore and false Prophet which will be the portion of the most zealous false worshippers And when your eyes come once to be opened in the true light ye will bless the Lord for giving you these warnings and not be so angry at us who have paid dear for them for our willingnesse if it be possible to save you some of the charges they have cost us however at least to preserve your souls from that ruine and dreadful destruction which all the paths of Babylon lead to The sins of Babylon Although in the foregoing description some of the sins of Babylon have been touched at yet I find my spirit further drawn forth in way of service to the Lord and his people to take a further view both of them and some other of her sins THe sins of Babylon by the Spirit of life which hath righteously measured and knoweth them are referred to these two Heads Fornications and Abominations She allureth the spirit of the creature into a strange bed and there it acts filthily and abominably with this strange spirit Now of these there are two sorts First some more open and manifest Secondly some more hid and secret hard yea utterly impossible to be discerned without the shining forth of the pure light of liâ—e All sorts of men are estranged from the life under the whole heaven is the Lord God forgotten and his holy and pure Law and way of life and filthinesse and abomination is committed every where Now all this filth even the common filth of the earth springs out of Babylon hath it's rise from her womb Were it not for her the sound of life would be heard even among he Heathen and they would not be such strangers to him that made theÌ„ nor would they act so contrary to those leadings teachings of the Spirit of God who is the God of the whole earth which the darkest parts are not without It is she which withdraws their minds from the pure glimmerings that rise up in them setting up another God in their eyes and heathenish sottish wayes of fear worship and devotion and under this she makes them filthy and polluted unclean in their minds and in their bodyes brutish in their knowledge and in their practices For she is the mother of fornications and abominations of the earth Rev 17. 5. Look what of pride of vanity of cruelty of envy of wrath of lust of covetousness of idolatry of blasphemy c. is to be found anywhere among men upon the earth she is the mother of it all All the common filth and stench of the earth springs out of this womb this secret womb this hidden womb For though in this her open visible appearance she be manifest to the eyes of many yet to those children of hers who are thus conceived brought forth and bred up by her she is a mistery of iniquity and they perceive her not so much as here and so cannot escape this her openly polluted bed Secondly The whore hath more secret fornications and abominations Where she can passe thus she need not paint either her self or her ware but where need requires she hath her paint she hath her delicates for the curious eye Rev 18. 3. she hath her Cinamon Odours Ointments and frankinsence for the nice scent she hath her fine flower and wheat c. for the fine pallace and gold precious stones pearl and vessel 's of ivory and all manner of vessel 's of most precious wood for the more stately worshipper as wel as of brass and Iron for the more common Rev 18 12 13. she can paint both her self and her ware so as to make them taking to the eye of all flesh She can so mingle her cup as shall please every palate but that which is truly living and cast such a colour upon her abominations as no eye that 's without can suspect but takes with every young man that 's hunting abroad and knows not the spring of life in himself So that all the deceits in Religion all the several forms and wayes of knowledge and worship all the ordinances duties and devotions which the spirits of most men take pleasure in are of her And herein is her pride and glory in subjecting these in ruling over these in blinding the eyes of these and opposing the true life and power by these She doth not value whole Territories of the other so much as one Congregation of these For mark The great Master-piece of the whore was to paint her self like the Lambs wife and so to withdraw from the true Church and set up a false Church which by reason of its paint and likeness to that which once was the true should passe up and down the world and be taken for the true And here lies her beauty her glory her majesty her life her heart even in the deceivableness of this appearance Therefore her great care and indeavour is to keep her possession and dominion here She often reneweth and changeth her paint neerer and neerer to the Image and former likeness of truth that she might make it pass instead of the truth and so keep that which is indeed the truth down stil under reproach contempt and persecution as she hath done these many ages Therefore she hath her sorts of paint by her her varieties of sorcery of witchery of inchantments whereof her cup is ful and wherewith her wine is made strong to make the Inhabitants of the earth drunk thereby that being thus besotted being not themselves but their spiritual sences bound up as this wine doth very effectually where ever her cup is drunk off she might lead them up and down from one thing to another from one chamber to another from one bed to another from one practice and way of worship to another and stil keep them from the true living thing which their souls seek For were it possible for persons who did
been drawn forth the trumpet hath sounded the battel is begun and blood hath been shed on both sides the blood of the creature on the one side the blood of the whorish spirit on the other side The whore with the power of the beast on which she rides and by whose strength and assistance she makes war with the Lamb is mighty and dreadful and it hath long been said Who is able to make war with the beast whose strength is hers But the Lord God who hath arisen out of his holy habitation to judge and hath begun to judge her is more mighty by whose arm strength she shal fal the beast shall not be able to carry her up and down any longer nay nor to uphold her in her seat of government over the consciences of men Be wise now therefore and consider the present state of things and if ye find not hearts to help the Lord against the mighty yet take heed of helping the mighty against the Lord The vessels wherein the life arises and appears are poor and very contemptible and ye may easily trample upon them but the life which riseth up in them is very precious and too strong for the powers either of earth or of hel The Lord did not appear formerly among you or of late begin to raise you up again that ye should become enemies to him or aiders of his enemies against him but that ye might let his seed go forth to worship him in the wildernesse for in this dark Land of Egypt they cannot Therefore break the yoaks and take off the burdens an 〈…〉 er there be no new snares laid but leave the conscience where the Lord chooseth to appear which he delights to draw out of the world to himselfe free to the Lord The Lord hath kindled and is kindling the fire with which he is burning and wil burn the flesh of the whore Come not neer to help her lest ye feel the flames Stand afarre off and see her burning and at most pity her but help her not We fight not against the flesh and blood of creatures but against that evil spirit which captivates and makes them miserable nor do we fight with carnal weapons but with such weapons as are able to reach that Spirit Now if ye interpose with your carnal weapons and smite the vessel which the Lord is pleased to make use of in this warfare his hand will be upon you yea if ye endeavour to bear off the stroak from the whore it will light upon your selves and the Lords hand and his stroaks in this day of his jealousie and vengeance is very heavy Do what ye can ye shall not be able to hinder the Lords victory who will overcome even by this very people whom the wise of all sorts despise all that ye can doe in taking part with the enemy is but to bring wounds and judgements upon your selves and to shorten the dayes of your government but the worke of the Lord will go on and prosper and this painted harlot which pretends to be the Spouse of Christ and has deckt her self so pleasingly with her stollen knowledge of Scriptures and layes claim to his Ministry and Ordinances shall be stripped naked and her shame seen and every child in the life shall be able to point at her and the song of triumph over the Dragon the beast the false Churches and all the false Prophets who are not made nor prophesie not by the anointing shall be sung in righteousnes even to the Lamb who dayly getteth and will get perfect victory for to him it is given over all his enemies A Postcript THe redemption of the soul is by the Spirit of the Lord which he that would enjoy from it must know its appearance and operation in himself and not quench or limit it but universally be subject to its guidance and leadings All mans inward misery arises from mans inward rebellion which is as the sin of witchcraft springing from the spirit of witchcraft his recovery and happiness is in the faith and in the obedience to the pure power movings and operations of the Spirit in him The Lord God who made all mankind who is the Lord of all he is redeeming a people to himselfe by his Spirit And this Spirit will not be limited by the powers of the earth but will break Nations in pieces and trample upon Princes as Mortar and as the potter treadeth clay til it hath made its way through them O open the eye the inward eye which can discern the seasons It is not now the time for Antichrist to prevail or for proud flesh to rise up in its heady will to stop the outgoings of its maker This season is past and the season of the prevailing of the life and power of the Son of righteousnesse is now come Therefore lift up your heads O ye weak and faint of the flock for iniquity and oppression must fall both within and without and the tender God of everlasting love will turn back the captivity of his people and of his creatures Be not therefore affrighted at the inward power of sin in the heart nor at the outward oppressing powers of the earth for the redeemers strength is above all and he is stretching forth his mighty arm to save in the true and living faith of the elect it is felt it is felt And O ye potsheards of the earth strive not with your maker limit him not for he wil assuredly break through you Think not to subject him to your Laws but learn his Law come under his yoake and be bound by him that ye may tast of his liberty Wash your lips and kisse the Son and be not angry at his various appearances so contrary to your wisdome but fear his dreadful name and his threshing instrument which hath teeth and seek an hiding place under the shadow of his wings against the sharp season of the breaking forth of his wrath and jealous indignation for the cause of Sion which hastneth apace He hath long let the Spirit of Babylon have its liberty and his hath been silent now is the time for his Spirit to speak and for Babylous to be silent Wil ye stil force him to silence and open Babylons mouth Will ye not suffer him to speak but according to the Laws and orders of Babylon Must that counterfeit Queen stil sit on the Throne among you and the true Princesse be made her servant O let it not be grievous to you to see the Spirit of the Lord arise and make Babylon appear Babylon Her wisdom her knowledge her unity her uniformity her order her comelinesse her beauty is but folly confusion disorder and deformity before the Lord happy is the eye that sees it and the foot that turns from her Therefore awake arise and stand up from the dead come out of the thick dark Land where the pure God of life is not to be found Come out of Babylon and touch not the