Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	church_n	invisible_a	visible_a	3,670	5	9.2967	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90388	Babylon the Great described. The city of confusion. In every part whereof Antichrist reigns. Which knoweth not the order and unity of the spirit, but striveth to set up an order and uniformity according to the wisdom of the flesh, in all her territories atd [sic] dominions. Her sins, her judgements. With some plain queries further to discover her, and some considerations to help out of her suburbs, that her inward building may lye the more open to the breath and spirit of the Lord, from which it is to receiv [sic] its consumption and overthrow. Also, an exhortation to the powers of the earth. By Isaac Penington, the younger.	Penington, Isaac, 1616-1679.	1659 (1659)	Wing P1153; Thomason E770_2; ESTC R203128	52,975	64

assaulted her and from whence she fled into a desolate place and state Secondly What spirit entred into these when she fled out of them Were not these the Conquerors spoils did not Antichrist get possession of the form did not the whore get the Spouses attire did not the Wolves gather up the sheeps cloathing and cloath themselves therewith Was not the outward Court what is the outward Court under the Gospel but the visible Church-state with the visible Ordinances thereof given to the Gentiles who trod under foot the holy City all the while they were worshipping in the outward Court Rev 11. 2. Thirdly What spirit is it directs men to these since the true Church hath been fled out of them and to what intent Is it not that spirit which would keep men from the life that they might not be born of the barren womb in the wildernesse but be born of some of the fruitful wombs of the visible Churches while the true Church is invisible and hath no visible place in the earth but remains in that place in the wildernesse which God prepared for her and where she receiveth her food all the 42 Months Rev 12. ver 6. 14. I have smarted deeply for these things and have been taught by the bryars and thorns of the wildernesse whereby my ears came to be opened to hear the sound of the everlasting Gospel to which they were before through ignorance stopped For I also did beleeve and expect great things in a Church state and way of worship and in simplicity of heart did I enter into it and walke in it and was not without knowledge warmth and experiences there But all this the Lord broke down by a strong hand in one moment and hath taught me since to throw away all my gains here and elsewhere and to count them but drosse and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord And having tasted having seen having felt having handled I cannot but commend the life and disswade all men from all knowledge all worship all Religion all wayes and practises though never so taking pleasant and promising out of the life And this is to know Christ namely to know the life and this is to obey Christ to obey the life and this is the kingdom of Christ which is to come to have the life reign in power and great glory But the knowing or beleeving of an History concerning Christ this is not the knowledge or the faith Antichrist all along the apostacy in all his various forms and dresses hath known and beleeved thus and this kind of knowledge must passe away further then it can find a place and service in the life Be not angry at my testimony it flows from pure love and comes forth in great good will to your souls Yea if it be possible that I might be a little serviceable to you for my soul travels for the redemption of professors from the witchery of the whorish spirit even of such as are ready to revile that which alone can redeem them in the meekness and coolness of your spirits out of the fiery false zeal consider yet a little further these few things following 1. The state of the Gospel is an invisible state a state consisting of invisible things as the Law was a visible state or a state consisting of visible things The light invisible the life invisible the power invisible that which converts invisible that which is converted invisible that which it is converted to invisible and the whole course ofspiritual life lyes in the invisible 2. This invisible state hath a visible way of appearance to the world by garments which it wears by motions and exercises which the life chooseth for itto appear in 3. These garments are subject to corrupt and to be worn by that which is corruptible and corrupted That which hath not the life may put on the garment and that which hath lost the life may stil keep the garment 4. The preservation of the life lyes not in the garment or in the observation of any thing wherein the life did once appeare but the preservation of the garment lyes in the life And the life may change it's garment at it's pleasure and may refuse to wear those any more which the whore hath worn but as the life again leadeth 5. When the life is at any time lost the only way of recovery is by retiring to the invisible and keeping there and growing up there and not coming forth in the visible further then the life leads nor staying there any longer then the life stayes Now this is the mistake of persons generally they look for the finding the invisible life in visibles They run to corrupted ordinances and wayes of devotion and think to find God there but do not wait to feel him in their hearts and to be led by him into what he pleaseth and to stay no where any longer then while he stayeth there but to follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth Some others mistake in running to that and waiting there where they once felt life but do not know the way to wait on the life it selfe and so they are running to an image waiting at an image worshipping of an image and the living God will not meet them there But throw away your images let Ephraim the dear child say to his idols get you hence thrust away your adulteries which provoke the eye of Gods jealousie receive the forerunner the severe purifyer into your bosoms and let the fire of his jealousie cleanse your hearts and the pure will soon come after and lodge again between your breasts Can ye hear this sound That which is born of the same wisdome cannot but hear it but the other birth must have it's ear stopped Now hearken to this advice When the invisible life is felt and known doe not disdain to follow it into what ever visible thing it leads Let not thy wisdom be judge what the life will lead into or what the life is to be followed in but let the life it selfe be judge and let the child which is born of the life follow it singly without murmuring without disputing The life hath foolish wayes to the eye of thy wisdom of breaking the wisdom in thee which is contrary to it which thy wisdom will be reasoning and disputing against and if that wisdom be hearkned to the life is overturned in its course and the head of the Serpent remains sound in thee which the foolish and weak things which the wisdom of God chooseth to crosse and disturb it by would help to break and crush An Exhortation to the present Powers BAbylon the great the mistery of iniquity which hath deceived and held captive the whole Christian world for these many generations under forms and appearances of Godliness and devotion is at length come into remembrance before God who is arisen to judge her and overturn her seat The Army hath been preparing and many Souldiers have

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 glori●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 li●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 thē 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