Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	according_a	spirit_n	true_a	2,352	5	4.6188	4	true

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

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

life and from the Spirit then she blasphemes the life and the holy pure power and movings of the Spirit The woman which sate upon the scarlet coloured beast with whom the Kings of the earth committed fornication and the inhabitants of the earth were made dru●k with the wine of her fornication was full of names of blasphemy Rev 17. 2 3. Yea the beast which carried her which had many heads horns and crowns he also had on his heads names of blasphemy Rev 13. 1. And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies ver 5. And he with the whore together for he did it by her spirit and instigation by vertue of the wine he had drunk out of her cup opened his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle and them that dwel in Heaven ver 6. This hath been the work of the tongue in every head of the beast namely to blaspheme the life to blaspheme the true living power in all ages and generations since the apostacy from the life and spirit of the Apostles Now there is a twofold blasphemy which the whore and the powers of the earth that serve her are guilty of 1. There is a speaking well of the wayes of their own invention or the wayes which they have imitated without the life to call these the wayes of God the true wayes of life is blasphemy I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not but a Synagogue of Satan Rev 2. 9. There were even in the Apostles dayes persons who pretended to be Christians and pretended still to be of the Church though they had lost the life and this the Spirit of the Lord saith was blasphemy And what is their gathering into a Church who were never gathered into the life and setting up Ordinances and pastors what is this what is it for him to call himself a Christian or inward Jew who never had the fore-skin of his flesh cut off by the circumcising knife of the Spirit what will the Lord say this is when he comes to judge 2. There is a speaking evil of the truths of God The true knowledge the true fear the true worship the true Saints the true God the true Tabernacle the true Temple the true Heaven all which is in the Spirit and is alone revealed and seen there there are reproached these are mis-represented and the true sight and acknowledgement of them called error heresie and sectarism by all the blasphemers of Babylon Israel who had the Law and the Prophets the true Ordinances and the true Priests yet they called evill good and good evil they put darknesse for light and light for darknesse they put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter Isa 5. 20. They were so wise in their own eyes and so prudent in their own sight they were so mighty to drink wine and men of such strength to mingle strong drink justifying the wicked for reward and taking away the righteousness of the righteous from him that there was no convincing of them by the light of God shining from the Prophets of their casting away of the Law of the Lord and despising the word of the holy one of Israel ver 21. to 25. Nay they were observers of the law and bearkned to the Prophets and Priests of the Lord Jer 5. 31. Therefore when the overflowing scourge came it should not come neer them Yea when the true Prophets of the Lord threatnedthē with his coming with dreadful vengeance and his strange worke they in the height and confidence of their spirits could reply Let him make speed and hasten his worke that we may see it Isa 5. 20. How blind were they from seeing their blasphemies their calling of evil good and good evil c Yea in the very dayes of the Apostles The way of truth was evil spoken of and Synagogues of Satan setting up and blasphemies growing up apace from those which held the true form but denyed the power even while the powrings forth of the Spirit and revelations from the Spirit did abound How can it be expected it should be otherwise now when the Spirit is grown such a strange thing that to mention such a thing as being moved by the Spirit or acted by the Spirit is become ridiculous and the very teachers of the Nation who must speak by the Spirit if they speak the word of God cry revelation is ceased and count it a reproach for a man so much as to pretend to speak by the movings and in the power of the Spirit Now this double blasphemy necessarily follows the fornication Whoever is fornicated from the life he blasphemes the the life in all his knowledg in all his worship in all his Religion He calls that prayer which is not prayer that an ordinance which is not an ordinance that a Church which is not a Church 〈◊〉 a Minister which is not a Minister and that which is indeed the prayer the ordinance the Church the Minister he denyes and blasphemes and cannot do otherwise until the righteous judgements of the Lord purge the whores wine out of him and he be led back to that life and Spirit again from which in all these wayes of worship inventions and imitations he is gone a whoring The whore for these many ages hath been laying blasphemy to the charge of such as in any degree have been led by the Spirit of the Lord from her whoredomes but now the Lord is taking it off from them who have long been unjustly charged therewith and charging it upon her and she cannot escape his judgement for though she put on never so fine dresses and appearances like the Spouse and Church of Christ yet the Lord can distinguish and find out his Spouse though naked in the wilderness and without her attire and can also espy the whorish spirit though cloathed with the Churches attire and can charge her blasphemies against him his Tabernacle and them that dwell in Heaven upon her 3. Grosse or more refined idolatries Little children said John keep your selves from Idols 1 John 5. 21. He saw Antichristianism breaking in apace many Antichrists being already come and now saith he keep to the anointing and keep from Idols Without a very strict watch without a mighty preservatiō by the anointing he saw idolatry would even creep in upon them who had tasted of the true power and vertue of life But how shall they keep from Idols who know not the anointing but think the revelations thereof are ceased He that buyeth not the tried gold of Christ Rev 3. 18. How can he avoid buying untried gold of Antichrist or silver or brasse or wood or stone which his Merchants traffique for and make idols of Rev 9. 20. If thine eyes be anointed with the true eye-salve thou mayest see and read the parable Idolatry is the worshipping of God without his Spirit that is the plain naked truth of the thing to invent things from the

Religion and one of which they serve therein He that is led by the Spirit of God he serves God he worships God He that is led by the spirit of Satan he serves not God but that spirit which appeares in the Temple of God like God and gives such demonstrations that he is God as no flesh can deny 2 Thess 2. 4. Here now is the great deceivableness of unrighteousness In prophanesse in manifest wickednesse Satan is easily seen and men that are found here it is granted that they are serving the Devil but that he should sit as King in gathered Churches in dutyes in ordinances in wayes of self-denyal and mortification and be worshipped here this is hard to be seene yet any of these which the Spirit of the Lord leads not into or which are performed at any time without his Spirit he is worshiped in Consider this ye that are wise in Religion and are dilligently reading the Scriptures and gathering knowledge and rules of worship and applying promises c. Do ye this in the life and Spirit of God or in your own wisdom and according to your owne understanding Doth not the wisdom of that spirit which is out of the truth guid you in your searchings after truth O do not serve that spirit which the Lord hates but come backe to that from which in all this ye erre and which in all this ye cannot serve and worship And let not your Religion any longer consist in meer practising what the Saints formerly practised for that ye may do without the same spirit but in yeelding up to that life power and pure spirit that they were led by And when ye are joyned to this then do not prescribe the Lamb the way that he shall go but follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth Do not tell the Shepheard by your gathered wisdom the way that he must lead you in but know the voice and follow For this I can truly testifie that if once ye come in faithfulnesse and true light to follow the Lamb he will lead you in paths ye have not known and out of the paths ye have known 7. Compelling of others to worship Rev 13. 15 16. The false woman and the beast set up a worship in the will and they do not know why any in the will also may not subject and submit to it They can give them reasons they can give them arguments from Scripture and if they will not yeeld to these they are to be looked upon as stubborn and refractory and to be compelled by outward force This hath been the course generally throughout the Land of Babylon But these shew hereby that they themselves are erred from the truth and therefore very unfit and unlikely to teach it others For that which God works upon is the conscience which he convinceth by the light of his Spirit and no other light can truly convince it That therefore which would have a man yeeld to any practise or way of worship till he be truly convinced is of the Devil My son give me thy heart saith Christ the wisdom of God Come not to me with oblations and sactifices but give me thy heart My son give me thy knee give me thy obedience to the wayes I have set up give me thy conformity saith Antichrist saith the adulterated wisdom and if any refuse she endeavours to compel them Thus like Jeroboam the son of Nebat she makes that which she calls Israel to sin or like Nebuchadnezzar she sets up an Idol and causeth all her children to bow to it Thus the load of the iniquity of multitudes lies upon that scarlet whore who forces her cup of abominations and filthiness upon all she can Rev 17. 4. causing all both smal and great in all her Territories to receive her marke and worship her Image The work of the Minister of Christ is to keep the conscience tender that the voice of Christ may be heard and the Law of his Spirit of life which makes obedient to the God of life spring up there but this is the Image here is the way bow conform say the Ministers of Antichrist But we are not convinced in the sight of God that this is the way say poor souls It is your own fault ye may be convinif ye will say the Ministers of Antichrist we are ready to give you arguments and Scriptures to convince you how is it ye are not convinced Ye must be convinced otherwise the Magistrate must deale with you Thus they endeavour to harden the conscience that they may set upon it and ride it and terrifie it from it's subjection to it's only true and lawful King O the havock that hath been made of souls by this means the Lord is requiring it of this generation But let me ask this question to all the learned and wise in all the Regions of Babylon under what painted form or way of worship soever Can any worship God aright before they be truly convinced of his will and way can any be convinced without his light and Spirit were it good and acceptable in the sight of God for any persons to run into that way whereof thou sayest thou art convinced that it is the way before they themselves are convinced If it be not good or acceptable what is that that goes about to compel them Away with thy carnal weapons and if thou wilt draw to God draw by that which is spiritual but if thou wilt still be using outward force running to the laws of men and power of the Magistrate the Lord hath opened an eye which discovers thy nakednesse herein and is able to make it manifest in the sight of all people and thou shalt not long cover thy shame The Lotds people shall be a willing people to follow him in the day of his power but all the Lords people have been unwilling to follow thee in the day of thy power which is neer an end and the very fountain of thy deceit and tyranny over the conscience is opening and making manifest 8. Persecution of such as she cannot compell to her worship She sets up her form of knowledg she sets up her way of worship and those that will not be drawn to own the one and practise the other she sets her brand upon them for erroneous persons Schismaticks Hereticks they must not buy or sel Rev 13. 17. They must be banished or imprisoned or perhaps put to death for she is hardly satisfied til she hath drunk the blood of those who in any eminent degree are the witnesses of Christ against her Rev 17. 6. This was a thing wondered at by John with great admiration to see this woman this great City out of which all the venomous darts are shor against the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus under a pretence of zeal for the Church and ordinances of Christ For this is the engine whereby the Dragon makes war with the true womans seed which keep the commandements of God and have the testimony

carnal mind or to imitate things which others who had the Spirit did in the Spirit by the command of the Spirit for thee to imitate and practice this without the Spirit is idolatry An invented Church an invented Ministry an invented worship an imitated Church an imitated Ministry an imitated worship without the life without the Spirit all these are the work of mens hands and are idols and all that is performed herein is idolatry Rev 9 20. This is a Religion without life a worship without life a fabrick for idolatry and the whole course of worship and service in it is idolatry For the living God the Lord God of endless life and power is alone worshipped by his Spirit and in the truth of that life which he begets in the heart and all other worship though never so seemingly spiritual is idolatrous Ah professors professors if ye knew how many idol-prayers and services ye have loaded the Lord with and how ye have been whoring from him while ye have seemed to be drawing nigh to him ye would hang down your heads and mou●n For what ever ye have done in the worship of God without the leading and presence of his Spirit it hath been idolatry For the worship of God under the Gospel is in the Spirit and in the truth and required of them who are in the Spirit and in the truth and not of others John 4. 23. for them alone the Lord seeketh to worship and the Lord will admit of none to his worship but such as he seeks And if any else will thrust themselves into his worship it is not accepted nor do they worship the true God but they worship they know not what and their whole state and course here is a state and course of idolatry 4. Sorceryes witcherafts divinations and inchantments I do not mean outward sorceryes or witchcrafts they are but the shadow or figure of the inward mistery of deceit of this black dark spirit which appears as an Angel of light that he migh bewitch and deceive Neither repented they of their sorcer yes Rev 9 21. This false Church this adulterous woman she hath her golden cup and her wine mingled and with this cup she bewitches the eye with this wine she inflames the heart and intoxicates the brain She invents wayes and worships like to the true or she imitates the true wayes and appearances of life and when the poor simple young man is singly seeking after God from some true touches of his life before he comes to know the Spirit of life before he can come to be marryed to the Lamb she comes with her golden cup and with her tempting wine and bewitches the poor heart therewith and so leads it aside into her painted bed Wouldst thou enjoy God saith she wouldst thou worship him aright wouldst thou have fellowship with him Lo here 's the way here 's the Church here are the Ordinances here 's the Ministry here are the means Thou must wait upon God in the use of the means and these are them Did not the Saints formerly do thus did not they meet with God here did not they serve and worship God thus Come thou hither also do what they did enjoy what they enjoyed Yea but thou whorish woman did ever God appoint means wi●hout his Spirit Thou leavest the main yea indeed the only thing behind thee which it selfe alone is accepted and without which nothing is accepted And this is the course of the whore in all her transformings in all her baits in all her temptings she stil leaves the Spirit behind her She may perhaps speak of the Spirit to hide her self the more because the letter of the Scripture is so expresse therein and teach people to look and wait for the Spirit but so as is never to be obtained For he that begins in Religion either to pray or worship or seek the knowledge of God without the Spirit shall never meet with the Spirit so but that way of knowledge religion and worship of his must first be broken down and he become a fool and recieve the Spirit as a fool out of all his religious knowledge and wisdom which he had gathered before and afterwards following the Spirit which is thus received he shall be led into the true wisdom Now mark that which follows ye that have a desire to understand This spirit of deceit this whorish spirit this spirit of divination and witchcraft which by her sorceryes deceived all Nations Rev 18. 23. came forth curiously decked at first with all manner of deceiveableness of unrighteousness It had the exact form of life the true form of Godliness and a lively spirit in it it had the form of knowledge and the form of worship and with these it came to tempt and draw away them from the life and from the power who were in the life and in the power and it did prevail upon such as kept not close to the anointing But after it had overcome and gained the Churches territories then it might safely corrupt the form and so it did and went into multitudes of inventions and fopperies as at this day may be seen amongst the Papists Now these are easily discovered and seen through by any simple plain honest eye upon a little breaking forth of the light Therefore the whorish spirit when she perceives her self found out here she changes her shape and attire and comes back back again by degrees as need requires to the forms of knowledge and worship wherewith she was arrayed when she deceived at first yet stil she is the same and doth this to keep poor simple hearts still in her bands from the life and from the Spirit And thus painted thus decked thus holding forth Scripture-knowledge and Scripture-wayes of worship she is the more subtil witch the more subtil sorceresse and is able to deceive any eye but that which is opened in the light With her Lo here Christ lo there Christ she would deceive the very elect if it were possible but it is not possible for they are taught by the Spirit not to go forth and the anointing within preserves them And he that knoweth not this preservation is bewitched by her and his fear of God is such as may be taught by the precepts of men and practised without the knowledge of the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus which is the Saints rule guide and preservation For as the Apostles were able Ministers not of the letter but of the spirit of the New Testament 3 Cor 3. 6. So they that received their Ministry or that which they ministred received not the letter only but the Spirit and were preserved not by the letter but by the Spirit and were made able to try words things and Spirits not by the letter but by the Spirit But this the whorish spirit is departed from and bewitcheth others from first possessing them that the Spirit is not to be looked for and then perswading them to make