Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
enemy_n	able_a	lord_n	zion_n	59	3	9.5212	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

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

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

unclean that the pure life may receive you into unity with it selfe but the spirit that is unpurged from its Babylonish worships and practises the Lord will not suffer to come neer him Therefore search what is Babylon and of Babylon in all your wayes and worships and wait on the Spirit of the Lord to be redeemed out of it and separated from it or ye must remain separated from the Lord and not partake of his life and vertue from which that City with all her inhabitants is shut out for ever The Lord hath had a sore controversie with this Nation with her Rulers her teachers and people for his seeds sake which he hath been begetting to himself and calling forth to worship him according to the pure Law of his spirit of life out of the wayes worships and Heathenish customs of the earthly spirit Israel is his first born whom he will not have any longer kept in bondage They are his own of his own begetting and forming of his own nourishing and bringing up the plants of his own right hand whom he watereth with the dews of Heaven and with the showrs of his everlasting mercy and loving kindness whom he hath gathered by the arm of his power and whom he leadeth and defendeth by his cloud and pillar of fire over whom he is tender as of the apple of his eye They are his anointed ones whom he will not have touched but rebuketh Kings and Parliaments Armyes and Councils for their sakes saying Touch not mine anointed and do my Prophets no harm Have ye not seen how no strength nor Council hath been able to prevail against them They have had no fence but the arm which hath gathered them What plottings and contrivings hath there been against them How are they as sheep appointed for the slaughter destinated to be devoured crushed and trodden under foot what divinations and inchantments have been used against them even to blot out their name and remembrance from the earth But why do ye strive and contend thus with the God of Jacob can ye prosper He that made the earth will not ye let him have room therein for his people Must they be subject to your wils Must they bow to your image shall not the God of the spirits of all flesh have the command of the spirits of his own people can ye stop the Spirit of God from breathing upon them or will ye fal foul upon them if they be obedient to the breathings and movings of his Spirit May it not suffice that they are innocent and harmless among you in their conversations and practises but will ye still Lord it over their consciences will ye put the Lord to it to the very last to try it out with you whether he can defend his people and make way for their liberty Wel If peace be taken from you if your rulers laws and governments be broken in peices if his hand be stretched forth against you if he curse your very blessings whom can ye blame Why do you provoke him against your own souls are ye stronger then he If ye be stronger and wiser ye may prevail but if he be stronger and will put forth his arm his people shall be saved and find a shelter in him in the midst of all that wrath which is powring down upon you Your peace hath been lengthned out for their sakes If it had not been for their sakes for the remnant which the Lord hath had to gather ye had ere this been as Sodom and like unto Gomorrah The Land is ful of filthinesse which the Lords soul loaths and instead of drawing forth the sword against it ye draw it forth against his witnesses There is liberty enough for sin and vanity for excess and riotousnesse for images and idols but to worship God in Spirit to obey his pure movings this kindles your rage and these are the people who are a burthen to you Ah how fain would ye ease you of this people Sion is indeed a burthensome stone and will fall heavy on all that meddle with her But the Lord will ease himselfe of the adversaries of his life and Spirit and he will bring forth his righteousness which he hath prepared and set it up in the earth and none shall be able to stop him Therefore gather your selves together in battel associate your selves that ye may be broken in peices take council together it shall come to nought speak the word it shall not stand but the Lords council shall stand and he will fulfil all his pleasure and will delight himselfe in his people and raise them up by the fall of their enemies and then ye shall see against whom ye have plotted and contended and what ye have helped to bring about by all your secret plots and designs If the Lord had not been on our side now may Israel say if the Lord had not been on our side what had become of his poor people Ah poor worm Jacob how often would the foot of pride have trampled thee down again and again had not the everlasting arm been stretched out for thee But fear not worm Jacob nor be not sollicitous for thy preservation but trust that arm which delighteth to preserve thee Ah foolish people and unwise who strive against your own mercy who see not upon what hinge all your mercies hang but make it your work to break down the Wall that defends you Jerusalem is the City of the great King which is coming down from heaven and Israel is his people and both must have a place in the earth the Lord hath determined it and who can withstand it what prejudice can Jerusalem or the inhabitants thereof bring unto you They are enemies indeed to this earthly state of things and would have all brought in subjection to the life and power of their King and all that stands in opposition to God brought down and made pliable to his spirit and this the unyoked earthly spirit cannot bear But this is the interest of your souls and the way to unity with that life which is their happiness peace and rest for ever for if ye could pass through the fire and bear the burning up of your dross ye also might become vessels for the Finer and might dwell with them in their everlasting habitation The Saints formerly had an entrance ministred to them into the everlasting Kingdom and came to mount Sion which cannot be removed and to Jerusalem the City of the living God Heb. 12. 22. where the blood of sprinkling the peace that passeth understanding the everlasting righteousness and the joy unspeakable and full of glory was witnessed in the renewed spirit which receiveth the Kingdom which cannot be shaken and entreth into the everlasting rest And this is again revealed and the 〈…〉 nesses shall ascend into heaven in the sight of their enemies even into the new heaven and the new earth where righteousness dwells and the old heaven and old earth withal its inhabitants shall be burnt up and then shall it be seen that righteousness becomes and belongs to the house of God for ever And his City shall be a quiet habitation free from all the noise and hurry of Babylon where the pure river of life runs clear free from all the mud and mixtures of Babylon and the Lord God of infinite fulness will not disdain communion with his creatures but will tabernacle among them dwell with them sup with them walk in them and take them into his holy habitation and they shall dwell with him sup with him and walk in him But who shall abide in his tabetnacle who shall dwell in his holy hill He that walketh uprightly and worketh righteousness and speaketh the truth in his heart c. he who contemns the vile person how great and high soever but honoreth them that fear the Lord be they otherwise what they will This man shall dwell on high above the reach of all low creeping dark spirits even in that holy habitation of life and power which nothing can touch or annoy I shall now conclude with a few words concerning the present estate of this poor distracted Nation This Nation hath long lain wounded and sick She hath had many Physicians on whom she hath spent much who have promised her fair but have not effected her cure Of late her wound hath been much enlarged yea she is become sick at her very heart and in great danger Many are spending their judgement upon her some thinking a King would help all some a Parliament and some hoping for good from the Army but every eye sees her case to be very desperate Ah England England Thou strivest with thy Maker and he overturns thy strength and councils The life and wisdom which thou despisest is that which alone can heal thee Thou strivest to keep off the strokes from the enemies of God and smitest his dear ones how can he spare thee Hand stils joyn in hand to keep the Lords stroke from reaching Babylon which he hath directed at her heart and will not miss her but will peirce through every thing that stands in his way Though the cry hath long been Hurt not the tender conscience it is that on which God works and wherein he chuseth to appear and with which he is pleased and pitties Many promises have been touching liberty of conscience yet still the meek of the earth the innocent lambs of Christ those that are faithful to the light of God in their consciences are persecuted and suffer What canst thou plead O England why the Lord should not break thee all in peices and save his people himself by and in the midst of thy ruins The Lord will have the victory over thee in this particular about which he hath so long striven with thee It would be better and easier for thee to yield unto then be forced by his hand Therefore at length hear his voice which hath so often and so loud cryed unto thee Let my people go that they may serve me The End