of the Indignation of the Lords Judgment If Iudgment first begin at the house of God what will become of them that obey not the Gospel of God for if the Righteous scarcely be saved where shall the Wicked and Ungodly appear Now for some help and light for the understanding of them that do not know the Mystery of Iniquity and that spirit that doth generate it here as aforesaid the spirit of Antichrist is that spirit in every one that doth profess Christ Jesus in words but doth not possess him in life and power and such are they that are making Images and forms and likenesses without and call it by Christ's Name and say it doth represent Christ when none can make his Likeness nor bear his Image but those that are created anew in Christ Jesus and born of the same Spirit The righteous Image or Form of Christ is the perfect Life of Innocency and the pure Spirit of Meekness and an upright heart of true Humility as it is written Upon whomsoever you shall see the Spirit of the Lord descend like a Dove and abide upon him this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased You all know a Dove is an innocent harmless creature and so are all God's Children which are sanctified in the undefiled womb of God's second creation where the first Heaven and the first Earth is passed away and new Heavens and a new Earth are witnessed wherein dwelleth Righteousness for evermore and he that is called the Son of Perdition is the Man of Sin in every particular that steals away the heart and draws out the mind from the true invisible God and sets it upon earthly objects and visible appearances The glory of the world that doth fade and vanish away as the smoak in the eye and the painted harlot is the fallen wisdom that is comprehended in the earthly mind carnal understanding and airy spirit inventing and devising how to deck and beautifie her self with the glory of this world and outside shews to get her self a name over all the Earth and calls her self holy pure and spiritual that all people may fall down and worship her painted image and so the wind of her spirit goeth forth and overchargeth the hearts of the people and corrupts them and when the heart is corrupted it conceiveth lust and when lust is conceived it bringeth forth sin and when sin is finished it bringeth forth death The wages of sin is death and the Scarlet-coloured Beast that doth uphold the adulterous woman with all her allurements upon whom she sits is that beast-like will of or in man that is not subject to the Will of God but hath received power to exalt his horn even to the Host of Heaven for the cleansing of the Sanctuary and purifying of the Temple and for the tryal of the Faith of God's Elect that the power of God may rest upon them and so they come to be approved in the sight of all and herein our God is glorified honoured and renowned over all in purchasing to himself a holy Kingdom through the blood of the everlasting Covenant in the faithful-hearted that do follow the Lamb through great tribulations according to the Scriptures Every man out of the Covenant of God is bruitish and that spirit which doth exalt it self over the consciences of any people to compel them by a tymnnous Law to worship according to his will and in his way without any Commandment or Precept from the Lord that is Lucifer which the Lord God will cast down to the bottom of Infamy and will do unto him as he did to proud and lofty Haman as the Spirit of the Lord hath manifested for God and his Word are one and his way to the Kingdom is but one and he never compelled any with camal weapons or any visible thing to worship him And whereas it is said he sent forth his servants to compel them that were in the streets and in the high-wayes to come in by the powerful preaching of his Word of Life and Truth that did limit and bind that in them that did rebel against him and so he drawed them after him in love and so he doth at this day Praises praises to his holy and blessed Name for evermore Amen And the false Prophet is he that cryeth Lo here is Christ and Lo there but Christ foretold of them saying Many false Christs would come saying Lo here and Lo there but believe them not go not forth by their fruits you shall know them And these are they that for advantage will cry Peace peace while ye are unsaved from your sins and so with good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple and smoothly draws them after him in the broad way that leads to the chambers of death and destruction and in their high places they will tell you you must not be drunk nor lust nor envy nor covet nor live in pride nor any such evil things when they themselves are wholly guided and led by that same spirit which is the very rise author yea as I may safely say the father of all manner of uncleanness and evil concupiscence and so though they do speak good words it is but in imitation because it was the practice of the Servants of the living God so to do yet being out of their Life they can never convert any into the Truth but their spirit doth beget the same form in the Hearers as is in the Teachers for such Seed as they sow such Fruits they do reap of all manner of unrighteousness and these be they that will go about to limit the Spirit of God and make the people believe none ought to speak in the Name of Christ but the Wise and the Learned and them that have received Gifts of Men to Preach but Christ doth ordain his Ministers and gives them Gifts both Male and Female yet they say Paul would not permit of a Woman to speak in the Church it is true Paul would not permit of a woman to speak in the Church no more do not the Quakers neither do they permit a Woman to speak in the Church nor a Man that is born of a woman but he that is born of God whether in Male or in Female let him speak freely as his Father giveth him Utterance Let him that doth not understand come into Christ's School and learn Paul said That if a Woman did pray or prophesie with her Head uncovered she did dishonour her Head if a woman might pray or prophesie with her head covered it 's very like she might do it in the Church assoon as in another place But Paul nor John neither would not permit that Jezabel that painted Harlot should speak in the Church who hath painted her self with the Saints Words but out of their life she must keep silence in the Church yea verily the Power is made manifest in this the Lord 's present day that will shortly stop her mouth and all her
spiritual Wickedness in High Places So one of them that stands in the Power of God out of the Power of the Prince of the Air is able to chase ten and ten a thousand according to the righteous Prophesie of the Holy Man of God Those that dwell in the Fear of the Lord and truly dread his pure Name at all times every word that proceedeth out of their mouths is as the Words of God's own mouth which cannot be altered nor changed to all eternity for such are the Vessels that hold the heavenly Treasures Gods free Gifts and eternal Graces and everlasting Mercies and divine Vertues spiritual Blessings which God doth not reveale in any earthly-minded Man whose mind is wandring after earthly Glory Honour Riches and Treasures but he reveals his eternal Riches in the Earthen-vessel whose mind and soul is quickned raised and changed by the Power of the Almighty God and joyned to the Light the measure of his own Spirit to convert them and bear them up into the same state and image wherein God created the soul and mind of man at the first In the beginning of his Creation God did not create the outward Form of mankind in his own Similitude and Likeness No for then all men would bear the similitude and likeness of God throughout all Generations which thing could never be for wicked and ungodly men whose thoughts and imaginations are evil continually and are of their father the Devil and his works they do and his image and likeness they bear God is a perfect Spirit of divine Light and immortal Glory and his Son Jesus Christ is the express Image of his everlasting Fathers eternal Brightness and none can ever liken nor fashion any thing like him And them that bear the image of the Devil they live in spiritual pride and are haughty minded and will not be reformed nor hearken to the Counsel of God nor imbrace his gracious Invitations nor receive his tender Mercies nor be warned by his favourable Judgements nor gentle Corrections but in obstinacy and perverse rashness alwayes resist it and cast it behind their backs and trample it under their feet till the Lord is even forced to be a swift Witness against them and to sweep them away with the beesom of destruction and so here their end is woful and their torment is eternal and the Lord is clear of their blood and they must confess their destruction is of themselves They that are of the Image and Likeness of Christ are created anew in Christ Jesus to every good work and have received and do live in and are guided by the pure Spirit of perfect Peace and Patience perfect Love and bowels of tenderness mercy and pitty towards every one without respect of persons and they have alwayes a holy fear true humility and a heart of uprightness and such persons do bear the true image and similitude of God the Father and the form and likeness of his Son Jesus Christ after the inward man and they are patterns of good works and good examples to all whereever they come and it is their meat and drink to do the will of God wheresoever he shall call them or command them to follow the Lamb from Sea to Sea and from Island to Island and from Country to Country to bear his holy Name and to witness forth his eternal Truth to all people that live in darkness and blindness according to the righteous examples of his Saints and Servants that were guided by the same Spirit and walked in the perfect way of God in the antient dayes and are as willing and do suffer for our honourable Testimony that our pure holy and just God whose right it is may have the Glory Praise and Renown to the ends of the Earth throughout all Generations Amen Amen saith the Spirit 19th of the 8th month 1662. Written at Malta by me the Lord's Servant Katherine Evans ALthough that they my Bible keep from me That I the holy Scriptnres cannot see The Precepts pure which are upon record That were giv'n forth by 'th Spirit of the Lord Yet a small Book hid in a secret place Have I where I can reade the words of grace And in the same I can discern The bastard from the perfect born For unto us a Child is born who 'l break to pieces that great Horn Which hath lift up himself on hie Upon the Throne of Majestie He shall be brought down under all Where he shall lie and cry and call To 's Idol-gods which alwayes he Hath worshipped with heart and knee But no Salvation he shall find Among his gods that are so blind Both dumb and deaf like unto he They cannot speak nor hear nor see His Pictures and his painted walls His Altars and his Temple-Vails His golden Images every one Shall soon be brought to destruction All Praises to the God of might Which hath preserv'd us day and night Mongst Lions Wolves that are so strong Although they make us suffer long Yet the Diviners do run mad And lying Prophets they are sad Th' exalted Beast in his renown Triumphs that he shall gain the Crown Because that Pharoah's on his side And lofty Haman in his pride And bloody Herod with his Sword All fighters are against the Lord. But th'God of Pow'r which is so strong Will soon reward them every one According unto Heavens decree For their Rebellion Blasphemy Then some shall howl and some shall mourn The rest shall wish they 'd ne're been born For pain and torment day and night Because they have despis'd the Light WHen dear Daniel Baker was at Malta I had a very small Token to present him in a Paper with these lines The thing is little receive my love It cometh from a harmless dove Within whose breast doth still remain God's perfect praises to maintain I have not time nor place to show The love that from my soul doth flow The Cristal streams so pure and bright That do arise both day and night My love to Truth doth me constrain In Prison ever to remain If it be so I cannot be In Truth and Righteousness set free My dear Redeemers face so bright Doth shine upon me day and night His Countenance doth exceed all Captivity and bondage thrall Though my mortal body be bolted fast yet my immortal soul hath room to pass by Sea and Land and cannot be prevented by an Enemy Lord teach me in thy Wayes that I may walk therein And lead me in thy Paths and cleanse me from all sin Before I knew the Lord my God to be so near to me I walked in the way so broad thinking he did not see But when my wayes directed were and paths the Lord did guide I walked alwayes in his fear and did not go aside HEavens Glory is appearing And his Brightness shineth forth O're all Nations for the clearing Of the Lord's Eternal Truth Now ev'ry one that sits in darkness Under the shade of Death doth lye May come forth unto the Brightness Out of gross obscurity For now a Fountain is set open He that will may freely come in Unto the everlasting Ocean And be cleansed from his sin And ev'ry one that is in bondage And in deep Captivity Under Pharoah and his Army Shall be set at liberty If that they will seek their Freedom At the hand of God alone They shall be Heirs of his Kingdom And wear the victorious Crown It is not all the pain and labour That ever mortal men can take Which can bring them into favour With the Lord that did them make But they that stand in self-denial Taking up their Cross daily Thorow many a fiery tryal For God's Truth most valiantly 'T is them alone shall be preserved By the Pow'r of God most hie And none but them shall be received Into glorious Liberty The Candles of the Lord are lighted For to search Jerusalem And all Nations are invited To the Marr'age of the Lamb. Blessed are they that keep their Armour And in their Wedding-Garments drest Ready to enter the Brides Chamber They are counted with the Guests Now the Lord will purge all Nations Out of gross obscurity Destroying all the deeds of Darkness Deceit and Hypocrisy Th'Trumpets are struck up in Sion And do give a dreadful sound For the razing down of Babel With her glory to the ground And Antichrist with all his Fashions And Delusions which are strong Shall suddenly be dash'd to pieces Christ alone shall wear the Crown Katherine Evans THE END
many of his equals but he did not know him and so he persecuted him in his Saints as thousands do at this day and yet they will be called Christians When Paul had received Christ Jesus the Spirit of Truth he denyed himself and became a true Christian through the Sanctification of the Spirit of Christ and belief of the Truth and took up the Cross to his own will daily and followed Christ the Light through great tribulations in newness of life for as he did partake of the fellowship of his Death and Sufferings so likewise he did partake of the fellowship of his powerful Resurrection and his Glory I am the Resurrection and the Life saith Christ. And not only Paul but every one also in whom Christ is risen do partake of the same Sufferings and the same Joy according to the measure and proportion of Faith of God's free Grace dispensed to each one by his own Eternal Spirit And this is the way and the alone way which God hath ordained and appointed to make Christians or as I may safely say to recover lost men out of the fall and to redeem their souls and minds from all inward pollution and defilement and wholly to ransom them out of the inward invisible transgression and corruption and so to raise up the blessed Seed of his own tender bowels and restore his pure Image that hath been so long defaced through the subtilty of the Serpent and regain his Glory Honour and Renown among the sons and daughters of men and will have the preheminency over all people upon the face of the Earth in the measure of himself in the Consciences of all either in their eternal Salvation or their just and everlasting Condemnation for God hath not left himself without a Witness in every ones Conscience and a measure of the free Grace of him who is the Fulness For the natural man cannot receive the gift of the Spirit but as the Apostle said And we saw his Glory as the Glory of the only begotten of the Father full of Grace and Might And of his Fulness have we all received and Grace for Grace Hence it is that the True and Living God who respecteth no mans person hath given to every one a Talent to improve and a measure of Light and also hath commanded that this Everlasting Gospel of Peace and Reconciliation should be preached to every Creature that they may receive grace for grace that do believe in his Name And they that do not beleive nor receive him who doth tender salvation to them the Light of God which God gave them coming into the world will eternally condemn them and leave them without any excuse in the presence of the Lord God because of their disobedience and resisting the gift of the holy Ghost There is something of God in every one that would receive Gods truth if it should but all that is not of God in every one doth strive and fight against it and doth persecute and imprison till death Gods Messengers which he hath endued with power from on high and hath given them gifts and graces and spiritual mercies of divine vertue to preach to the Poor and to the captives to the exiled and banished and to sow the seed of Righteousness that God might receive the fruits of holiness among his People They that sow to the flesh do of the flesh reap corruption but they that sow to the Spirit do of the Spirit reap Life everlasting They that have not received the Spirit they cannot sow to the Spirit but they that have rceived they sow to the Spirit and do profit the people where they come to be received and they do bring forth fruits of God-like lives and righteous conversations and heavenly behaviour and their fruits do manifest what ministry they are under as St. Paul said You are our Epistles written in our hearts seen and read of all men A pure life and a holy conversation is a sure evidence of a true Christian and a perfect witness that they have received the Spirit of Christ which maketh a Christian and generateth into his body Christ the Head and Christians the Members and he will not have any deformed member in his body but they must be all compleat in Christ Pure as he is Pure Holy as he is Holy Undefiled as he is Undefiled even so as he is so must his be in this present world He that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all one as saith the Scriptures But I say in the Name and Power of the pure and perfect Lord God That whosoever or whatsoever he is in this world that taketh upon himself or goeth about to make Christians or convert Souls any other way than by preaching the immediate Word of God as he doth receive it by the Inspiration of the eternal Spirit of Life and Power he is in the highest degree of Presumption and guilty of the great Transgression and shall assuredly receive the greatest Condemnation from the Lord God of Power if they or he do not speedily repent and forsake those great Abominations Me thinks that every rational and sober-minded Man must needs rightly understand that God Almighty who created all them at the beginning in Heaven Earth and Sea without the help or advice of any and doth uphold the Works of his own Creation by the Word of his Power and as he created the Souls and Minds of men in a pure State of Innocency from whence man fell through Disobedience So he it is alone that can and will and doth quicken the Souls of men and women again and create them anew in Christ Jesus the Lord from heaven the second Adam a quickening Spirit the Immanuel of Eternal Life of the Word of his Power and need not the Assistance or Counsel of any besides himself to raise up Souls to life and immortality for our God is an invisible eternal and immortal Spirit perfect holy wise and powerful and every reasonable man must needs know and believe That there is not any thing but only a Spirit that can so much as touch a Soul as to cleanse it or to defile it so it is the unrighteous spirit of Darkness the Prince of the Power of the Air that doth rule in the Children of Disobedience and polluteth the Souls and defileth the whole Minds and causeth them to yield up the fleshly Members to commit sins of all kinds in Thought Word and Action and so the Springs of Life and Salvation are dammed up and the pure Spirit of the Lord is covered and the Eye of Innocency blinded so that man cannot behold his Maker because Sin hath made a separation as saith the Prophet Behold the Lord's hand is not shortned that it cannot save neither is his eare heavy that he cannot hear but it is your iniquities that have separated between you and your God and your sins have caused his face to be hid from you And as it is the unclean Spirit that doth
in the disobedient nature out from God and his Truth in the earthly mind and carnal will comprehending this thing and that in the fallen wisdom inventing devising and imagining things that never were nor is nor never will be So your Prophets they prophesie lies and the Priests bear rule by their means and the People love to have it so but what will they do in the end thereof in the day when the Lord shall require the Talent that he gave to every one to profit withal Now where is the Talent with the Improvement is it not lost is it not hid in the barren wilderness and in the desolate places of the earth Oh try and examine search and consider where is that good and faithful Servant and just Steward that hath improved his Talent for his Masters use and is ready to give up his Accounts with joy before the Tribunal of the Majesty of the Most High having his Garment washed in the Blood of the Lamb and his heart sprinkled from an evil Conscience and the Body washed with pure water I do not say nor mean external water to wash the out-side of the body but I do mean the spiritual Water that streams from the Fountain or Rock Christ Jesus to wash the inside and to cleanse the Soul and Spirit from all Pollution and Defilement Ye wash the outside while the inside is not cleansed the inside will defile the outside again but if the inside be cleansed and purged from all dross and tin and reprobate silver and gold then it would cleanse the outside also and keep it clean it is the corrupted Beast that is full of Lust and all manner of Deceivableness that defileth the whole body within and without So the man or woman whose heart is without Deceit whose mouth is without guile and whose tongue doth not utter falshood nor hath no flattering lips nor polluted hands nor feet swift to shed blood such are known to be cleansed every whit and they see God The pure in heart do see God but they whose hearts are daubed and slimy through deceit and hypocrisie hard-heartedness and cruelty and the like such cannot see God nor they that take honour and seek honour of one another do not believe How can you believe saith the Apostle while you take Honour one of another And all that Honour or take Honour of earthly men do rob God to whom all Honour Worship Praise and Glory doth belong and all that do honour God and obey his Voice in the Truth the Lord will make them honourable in the sight of all men but all that live in Pride and Covetousness Lust and Drunkenness are out of the Truth and all who live in Swearing Lying Deceit or Hypocrisie or Envy Hatred Malice Bloodshed Hardheartedness or Cruelty are out of the Truth or they which live in Thieving or Cozening Cheating Dissembling Flattering Whispering Backbiting Bragging or Boasting speaking great swelling Words having mens Persons in admiration because of advantage these are all out of the Truth and are Hereticks and are carried out of the Way of God with Nimrod and Judas King Herod and Pharoah and the rest of that untoward Generation not knowing the Scriptures neither the Power of God and because they do not believe them nor understand them therefore they hide them from others and do corrupt them and add to them and diminish from them not fearing the Lord God that gave them forth by his own free Spirit and for the edification of every one But I am bold to declare in the Name of the true and living God that all the Plagues which are written in them will soon come upon the back of such a People or Souls that have wrought this Wickedness in the sight of the Lord God of Power who is risen and will render Vengeance in Flames of Fire upon them that know him not and do not obey his Gospel but live in the earthly Mind and carnal Will fallen from God and compelling the People to follow their devised Wayes building of them up in Sin and Wickedness yet making them believe they may go to Heaven at the last though they live in Sin till they die Oh! that ever any People or Souls should ever be so blind and ignorant to think that though they spend all their appointed Time in Sin and Iniquity and run out the whole course of natures race in pleasure negligence and carelesness and when they cannot retain it any longer then do they offer up their sinful Souls as a Sacrifice acceptable to God who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity though it be in his beloved Jacob it shall not go unpunished Oh! methinks that no rational or sober-minded Man or Woman should once credit or believe that do know the Scriptures that there is any place appointed of God for any Creatures to be purged or cleansed after they are dead seeing the Holy Men of God as they were moved of the holy Ghost have so evidently and clearly set forth in the Scriptures of Truth That those which are Heirs of Eternal Salvation must come to be converted and to live the Life of Christ while they are here in the body Though God delighted in Mercy and that the Thief was saved upon the Cross because it was given him of the Lord to believe at last because that none should despaire yet Woe Woe from the Lord God to every one that puts off the Day of Repentance saying in their hearts The evil day is afar off In the day of ignorance the Lord winked but now he calleth every one to repent And as for such as do talk of a Purgatory it doth manifest their Ignorance of the Knowledge of God for I witness in the Life of God's Spirit such know not Heaven nor Hell God nor Devil and so they call Light Darkness and Darkness Light Good Evil and Evil Good and teach the People so to do but God is not well pleased with any of those nor with them that do boast themselves saying How great the Kingdom is and how many Countries and innumerable sight of People belongeth to their Church in all places but them that trust in the Arm of Flesh yea in the strength of Pharoah and in the Shadow of Egypt but the strength of Pharoah will be her shame and their trusting in the shadow of Egypt their confusion God's Kingdom is the least as to the visible strength but the greatest in the invisible power Fear not little Flock saith Christ it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom The Kingdom of God consists not in the arm of Flesh but it stands in his own Power and Almightiness That is Antichrists Kingdom whose power stands in outward weapons which is carnal as Locks and Bolts and Iron-bars Chains and Whips and Racks and the like Our Weapons are not carnal but spiritual saith the Apostle â—o the pulling down Strong-holds Principalities and Powers and high and lofty Looks with