so ignorant that they do not know that at this very day Babylon would father all their Power and Jurisdiction they exercise even to Idolatry and Murder upon the Scriptures and Divine Authority from God and yet are Babylon for all that yea and because of that Now where do men raise their different perswasions but from different taking or mistaking the true and right sense of the Scriptures all is fathered there and so they make the Scripture speak what their Reason or Understandings judge to be the minde of the Spirit and so they close and doth not Babylon the same and hath as good Warrant as these Secondly That these several Sects and Divisions in and about the Worship of God and Government do arise and grow out of the Wits and Wills of Men as Men is clear and undeniable upon this ground That however persons in their present perswasions seem high and fixt in their way pretending the light and leading of the Spirit strongly and therefore separate from all other forms and deeply judge and censure all differing from them yet after this supposing they have received better light these very persons fall into some other Form and sometimes into the same Form they a little before separated from as Antichristian and Babylonish and the utmost they can say for their change is They were then perswaded in their Judgements that was the Truth then and this is the Truth now and doth not Babylon say the same Good Lord what a deep Mystery is Babylon yet to most Saints and what dreadful sins are the sins of Babylon that makes the holy God the holy Spirit and the holy Scriptures to be their Authority and Warrant to sin at this rate and yet all this while cry Come out of Babylon Thirdly That these People and Sects are onely formed and founded in the VVits VVills and humane Reason of Men also is very manifest from the Fruits and Effects following them VVhat carnal and sinful prejudice divisions and censuring is there in these Parties of their Brethren who cannot come up to their present thoughts and perswasions However poor souls deceive themselves and are hurried by blind zeal yet for certain the fruits most appearing in them are fruits of the Flesh and not of the Spirit for Saints to be divided in heart and into Parties about Teachers and Forms so as to envy revile and separate so as to break the Bond of Christian Love and Order this discovers such to be very Babes in the School of Christ and to be more carnal than spiritual This is not mine but Paul's reasoning 1 Cor. 3.3 4. and the Argument is not the weaker because it is old Ye are yet carnal for whereas there is among you envyings and strife and divisions or factions are ye not carnal and walk as men or according to man While one saith I am of Paul and another I am of Apollos are ye not carnal I hope a word to the wise is enough therefore I would onely leave this to consideration That hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies and envyings Gal. 5.19 20 21. among Saints in and about the Wayes and Worship of God are really the fruits of the flesh as well as Adultery Idolatry and Murder And is it not then high time that the Lord should awaken dreaming deluded Saints and indeed call them out of Babylon that they lose not the Light of the Lamb in his Appearing and Glory with his holy Host and they outwardly fall and perish with Babylon while they think they are in Mount Sion Secondly I shall in the next place demonstrate the foresaid Position negatively that these Forms and Factions are not from the Spirit of God but arise in Peoples own deceived spirits and as hurried by Satan in such ignorant zeal the very same which stirred up Saul after Paul to persecute the true Christians and the true Church of Christ Act. 22.3 4 c. Act. 26.1 2 3 c. Act. 21.20 21. and thought he did well and his duty yea it is the same spirit which stirred up the Christian Jews to persecute Paul from mistaken zeal for the Law My Brethren I beseech you hear me patiently examine and then judge I assure you my Bowels yern towards you and Christian Compassion moves me onely in the Lord to use this plainness for the good and comfort of your Souls and that you may no longer deceive your selves and that when our Lord shall come whom I hope ye look for he may not find you in Babylon smiting your fellow-servants with heart tongue or hand but that you may be ready to enter into your Lords Joy Therefore consider First These sinful Sects and Divisions among Saints are carnal fleshly and from mens own spirits and not from the Spirit of God for the Spirit of God is but one there is but one God one Christ one Spirit and one Way of true spiritual Worship of God and not many This the Apostle lays down Ephes 4.4 5 6. as a general Principle There is one Body of Christ and one Spirit one Lord Jesus one Faith one Baptism or Form of true Worship one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all Mark it there is but one true Mystical Body of Christ but one Spirit of Truth but one Faith to Salvation but one true Form of Gospel-Worship but one Lord Jesus and but one God and Father of all the Elect by Jesus Christ Therefore all wayes and forms of Worship but one revealed by the Spirit of Truth in the Scripture of Truth are false erroneous Babylonish and by the wits and wills of carnal deceived men and not from the Spirit of God Secondly These sad and sinful Factions and Forms among Saints are not from the Spirit of Truth but from their own deceived spirits is thus manifested The Spirit of Truth teacheth other things and better things than these Paul saith The fruits of the flesh are manifest Adultery Idolatry Murder Hatred Variance Emulation Wrath Strife But the fruit of the Spirit is Love Joy Peace Long-suffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness Gal. 5.22 23. I may not enlarge here upon the particular Graces of the Spirit as they put forth themselves in Saints but I may say this in general That the Spirit in Saints can distinguish between Saint and Saint strong and weak enlightened or dark Saints at liberty and Saints under temptations and so only the breach is made up and the wound healed O Brethren if we were all acted more by the Spirit of Grace and less by our own carnal selfish spirits we should be more like Jesus Christ more full of bowels and compassion to the ignorant and such as are out of the way I shall end this in that healing Exhortation of the Apostle Gal. 6.1 Brethren if a man be over-taken in a fault ye which are spiritual restore such a one in the Spirit of Meekness considering thy self lest thou also be tempted
AN Awakening Word TO THE CHURCHES SAINTS AND PROFESSORS In this Slumbring and Sleepy Day Printed at London in the year 1664 A Brother in Tribulation and in the Kingdom and Patience of Jesus Christ To the Elect according to the fore-knowledge of God the Father called to sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus Together with those yet uncalled or however distinguished or scattered greeting My Brethren and dearly loved in Jesus the Christ I Say the Truth in Christ I lie not my Conscience also bearing me witness in the holy Ghost that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow for you in my heart out of an earnest and true Christian-affection to you and an uncessant desire that you may prosper in soul and body and may be made fit and accounted worthy to stand with the Lamb at his appearing upon the Mount Sion But though I have very strong perswasions upon my heart that this Day of the Lord is very very very near even at the door yet I have a holy jealousie upon many and fear that multitudes whose Names are written in the Lambs Book of Life are wonderfully unfit and unprepared to meet their Lord. I am hereupon greatly pressed in my spirit to write in love to such as a Brother and beseech you in the bowels of Jesus Christ to accept it I have cause out of deep sence and sad experience in my self greatly to mourn over the sin and punishment of old Adam as it is manifest in me to this very day which exceedingly darkens the Glory of the New-Creation in me So that by that Old-man's abiding still with me I am greatly hindered from being so serviceable to Jesus Christ as I would be and much detained from those Comforts in Divine Injoyments through the Spirit which I desire I cannot indeed terminate the evil of the flesh in a person regenerate nor am I able to discover the wills of the natural heart or the advantages Satan hath by this Old man in the Saints But this I can say of my self through Grace That though I delight in the Law of God after the inward man yet I see another Law in my Members warring against the Law of my Mind and worse also bringing me into captivity to the Law of sin which is in my Members So that here here I am driven out of self my best self and only by faith in the Promise and Covenant flee to the Mercy-Seat as sprinkled with the Blood of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world and so I can say with Paul I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord I say Our Lord and not only my Lord for he is Jesus to save all his People from their sins If this were only my particular state and case thus to be burdened with Corruption hindering me from good and inclining me to evil this humble Acknowledgement layes a bond upon you as Brethren joyntly to pray for me that I might be delivered from this body of death But alas I may I may say of you all what Paul writ to the Churches of Galatia The Flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would but in many in many things we offend all I have the Lord knows tender bowels to all yet am I humbly bold to say That such Persons if any such be as dream of a Perfection in the flesh in this world are under dreadful delusions and give little testimony of the in-being of the Spirit in them though they pretend so much for it I judge if such an estate in this life in the estate of the flesh were attainable surely God would have magnified that degree of grace to some persons more or less at one time or other But I find it only recorded of Jesus Christ the only begotten of the Father who had no sin and in whose mouth was found no guile for he was God-man in whom the divine and humane Natures were united in one Person to make him a fit Mediator Jesus Christ must have the true Nature of sinful man to pay the price of sin and yet he must not have the sin of that Nature for then he had justly suffered for his own sin and had not been a competent Surety for sinners who must be himself harmless and holy Bear with me though I mention these first Principles of Religion in this day for though according to that Light of the Gospel which hath shined amongst us we might all have been Preachers yet by our corruptions together with Satans delusions we have sadly overslipped the day of the Gospel-Liberty and have gained little true spiritual Light God knows that most Saints I fear are babes and but babes in Christ at this day It will not now recal the day of Gospel-Liberty abused to recount Saints failings but I hope the smart of mis-spent time will help the Lord's People better to improve the day of mercy when mercy again restores them But the Lord knows well might Saints be overcome with heat of an unwonted if not unknown prosperity while they cannot keep close to God under the Rod. I intend not to stay upon this subject but if I mistake not greatly I discover some Professors and well it were if there were but some to be in danger by letting out their hearts too much in lawful things so called at least I mean in the cares and pleasures of this life O Friends I cannot but mourn deeply to see at this day so many formerly persons full of life and zeal for Christ now marry themselves to and indeed are buried in the world so that the day of Christ is like to come upon them unawares and I fear they will be found foolish virgins at last I do but hint this by the way but who knows to what ears and hearts the Lord may direct this holy jealousie by his Spirit and give some poor souls that awakening with sight and sorrow for this sin never more to be sorrowed for My Brethren if in the Apostles times those were looked upon and called the last times what then may we judge of these times we are cast into who live 1600 years after most of the Apostles and first Saints after Christ Surely if those were the last times then our times must be the last part of the last times and the very dregs of evil and sinful dayes O! at what a high rate do men sin now one or other who slight or oppose the glorious Gospel of Free-Grace and the remission of sin in the Blood of the Lamb Jesus Christ after this Gospel hath been so eminently preached and witnessed to by the Father the Son the Spirit and the Saints for above 1600 years The whole time of the Gentiles Tyranny was at first limitted to 42 Monthes and the Witnesses sackcloth-state to 1260 dayes and if that time prophetically shall
know no Form of People pretending Religious Worship but they look upon themselves as the onely true Worshippers of God and their Way the onely true Way of Worship and esteem all other Wayes false and Antichristian and therefore call upon People in other Forms to separate Come out of Babylon and come to them Did I not speak this knowingly from the mouths of Leaders and Teachers and I believe is known to you all I should not have dared to to have laid such a charge upon Saints and what is all this but Babel and Babylon Darkness and Confusion This is the very spring and rise of Persecution where the stronger Party carries it against the weaker or lesser like Heathens or meer men and is not this Babylon Look well into old Babylon or new Babylon and what were the one or what are the other but Models and Forms of Civil and Ecclesiastical Governments framed and compiled by such as they took to be the wisest and most able men in their times in great Councils neither seeing nor seeking further than humane Reason and the greater Vote and Laws or Canons thus constituted by the Sword and Power of Flesh to force and compel Obedience thereunto And certainly this is Babylon My Brethren I confess I have a very narrow path to walk in to deal faithfully between God and his People and not offend one Party but I can say if it were the will of God I would neither provoke the One nor offend the Other yet if I become an Enemy to any because I tell them the Truth which they do not know neither are willing to know I shall beg that the Lord would both discover and pardon that sin also that nothing may keep them from seeing the Lord in the Beauties of Holiness in the approaching day of Refreshment Object But possibly a quick Retort is made That I say my Charge too deep when I charge Saints to be still in Babylon whom they defie for although the Saints are divided and distinguished into many Forms yet those Forms or Models of Discipline and Government they are under are not formed by the Wit and Wills of men but from the Word of God and most of these Separate-People are so far from Persecution that they would have none compelled against Conscience but we ought to separate from evil Persons and Things Answ Here here is the great point indeed which would require a volumn to treat fully on yet if the Lord would but give in the light of his Spirit in these things Babylon was fallen was fallen indeed Breaches among Saints were made up and the Glory of new Jerusalem would shine forth presently for nothing hinders it instrumentally but Babylonish darkness and confusion amongst Saints though yet they see it not This therefore being the main work of our day to seek and beg That Spirit of Christs mouth the Spirit that gave and reveals the Mysteries of the Gospel by which the Lord discovers Babylon and will also destroy her with the brightness of his coming as he is more manifested to the Saints I shall humbly crave leave to commend some present brief thoughts to you and the examination of them to you to improve through the blessing of God by the Spirit in Jesus First If I assert That most Models and Forms for Worship or in which God is worshipped at this day are Babylonish and formed by the Wits and Wills of Men even among Saints I can retract my Words but yet grieve and mourn that it is so and that I should have cause in the Name of Jesus Christ to lay so deep and dreadful a Charge upon Saints and Professors after so long a time of Gospel light amongst Us. That the Charge is true is too manifest For if the various Forms of professing People were directed by the Spirit of Truth and not by the Wits and Spirits of men whence then comes all this Babylonish Confusion and Divisions among Saints both in Doctrine and Order To charge this evil upon the Spirit of God is blasphe my in a high Degree and therefore the sin must lie upon Saints for so yet I would account them I shall not enlarge upon the subject but must take the boldness to say That by want of the Light and Guidance of the Spirit of Truth poor dark bewildered Saints mistake their Way and Work One taking the Scripture in one sense another in another sense and so doth a third a fourth and a fifth c. and so such persons under such a perswasion and Light as they term it which is Darkness oft times fall into Parties and Forms and is not this Babylon Yet every Party cries out of Babylon and calls Come out of Babylon O what hath sin brought that excellent Creature Man to that his Understanding should be so darkened and the Man so deceived that he verily thinks that he serves God when indeed he serves the Devil O what hath sin brought Man to To take Darkness for Light and Light for Darkness To take Errour for Truth and Truth for Errour And yet this is the state of most if not all Saints in one degree or other That I may through Grace speak home to differing Saints and clearly discover the bottom of Divisions and set upon the hearts of the Elect a deep conviction of these common and dreadful Mistakes about several Forms and Models of Divine Worship I shall fully demonstrate to them that while they are in this state they are in Babylon and that the Lord Jesus Christ hath a special respect to these Divisions in this last call to his People To come out of Babylon That I may do this Work with the more clearness to conviction I shall observe this Order First Prove that People in this state are in Babylon or that this state is Babylon where mens own Spirits are their Guides Secondly Demonstrate that people in these Forms are not led into them by the Spirit of God This is the Assertion I am to prove That those particular Forms and Models of Worship and Government into which People of several Perswasions are formed and united accounting severally that onely they in such a Form have the Spirit of Truth with them and that all other Persons and Forms are erroneous false and to be separated from as in Babylon and yet this is very Babylon I hope it needs not be put upon me to prove that amongst us there are many Forms of Separate-people under these perswasions and in this practice while both are so common but I judge it not convenient to give them by Name but proceed to make good my Charge against the Thing Therefore consider these few things seriously First That this practice is Babylonish and from Babylon is evident for thus mystical Babylon was founded and raised her building from the Scriptures as her Leaders and Rulers judged the Scriptures spake or at least as they made them to speak by corrupting and perverting the Scriptures Who are