Who are no more Twain, but One.

 

Chapter VII.

A further discovery of the subtlety of the well-favoured harlot, with a parley between her and the spirit, as also the horrid villainy (that lies hid under her smooth words in pleading against the letter and history, and for the spirit and mystery, and all for her own ends) detected. Also upon what account the spirit is put, and upon what account the letter. Also what the true communion, and what the true breaking of bread is.

1.

But now methinks

(by this time)

I see a brisk, spruce, neat
self-seeking,
fine-finicking fellow

(who scorns to be either 
Papist, Protestant, Presbyterian
Independent or Anabaptist)

I mean
the man of sin who works 
with all deceiveableness of unrighteousness
2 Thes. 2

crying down

(down they must
but no thanks to him)

carnal ordinances

(up it must
but no thanks to him)

the spirit
cunningly seeking
and setting him up himself
thereby

I say
I see him
and have ripped up
the very secrets of his heart

(saith the Lord)

as also of that mother of mischief
that well-favoured harlot
who both agree in one
and say on this wise to me

Ah!
poor deluded man
thou hast spoken of the wisdom of God
in a mystery
and thou hast seen all the history of the bible
mysteriz'd

O fool! 
who hath bewitched thee
art thou so foolish 
as to begin in the spirit
and wilt thou now be made perfect in the flesh?
keep thee to the spirit
go not back to the history

What?
why dost talk so much of James 5
and Hosea 2?
those words are to be taken in the mystery
not in the history
they are to be taken in the spirit
not as they lie in the letter

thus have you a hint of the neat young man's
and of the well-favoured harlot's language

3.

But now
behold
I am filled with the Holy Ghost
and am resolv'd
Acts 13.8, 9 &c
to set mine eyes on her and him

(who are no more twain but one)

and say

O full of all subtlety
thou child of the Devil
thou enemy of all righteousness
wily thou not cease to pervert 
the right ways of the Lord?

be it known to thee
o thou deceitful tongue
that I have begun in the spirit
and will end in the spirit
I am join'd to the Lord
and am one spirit
the spirit's my joy
my life
my strength
I will not let it go
it's my delight

the mystery is mine

(mostly)

that which I most delight in
that's the jewel
the history's mine also
that's the cabinet
for the jewel's sake 
I will not leave the cabinet
though indeed it's nothing to me
but when thou for thine own ends
stands in competition with me for it

strength is mine
so is weakness also

4.

I came by water and blood
not by blood only
but by blood and water also

the inwardness is mostly mine
my prime delight is there
the outwardness is mine also
when thou for thine own ends
stands in competition with me about it
or when I would confound thee by it

5.

I know there's no communion
to the communion of saints
to the inward communion
to communion with the spirits of just men made perfect
and with God the judge of all
no other communion of saints do I know
and this is blood-life-spirit communion

6.

But another communion also do I know
which is water and but water
which I will not be without
my spirit dwells with God
the judge of all
dwells in him
sups with him
in him
feeds on him
with him
in him
my humanity
shall dwell with
sup with
eat with humanity
and why not

(for a need)

with publicans
and harlots?

why should 
I turn away my eyes
from mine own flesh?

why should
I not break bread
my bread
to the hungry
whoever they be?

it is written
the Lord takes care of oxen
and when I am at home
I take a great care of my horse
to feed him
dress him
water him
and provide for him

and is not poor Maul of Dedington
and the worst rogue in Newgate
or the arrantest thief or cutpurse
far better than a hundred oxen
or a thousand such horses as mine?

7.

Do I take care of my horse
and doth the Lord take care of oxen?

and shall I hear poor rogues 
in Newgate
Ludgate
cry

bread
bread
for the Lord's sake

and shall I not pity them
and relieve them?

howl
howl
ye nobles
howl
honourable
howl
ye rich men
for the miseries
that are coming upon you

for our parts
we that hear the APOSTLE preach
will also have all things common
neither will we call anything
that we have our own

do you

(if you please)

till the plague of God
rot and consume what you have
we will not
we'll eat our bread together
in singleness of heart
we'll break bread from house to house

Chapter VIII.

The well-favoured harlot's clothes stripped off, her nakedness uncovered, her nose slit, her hunting after the young man void of understanding from corner to corner, from religion to religion, and the spirit pursuing, overtaking and destroying her with a terrible thunderclap in the close &c

1,

And will strip off thy clothes
who have bewitch'd us
and slit thy nose
thou well-favoured harlot
who has

(as in many things
so in this)

made the nations of the earth drunk
with the cup of thy fornications

as thus

thou have come to a poor 
irreligious wretch
and told him
he must be of the same religion
as his neighbours
he must go to church
hear the minister
&c
and at least once a year
put on his best clothes
and receive the communion

he must eat a bit of bread
and drink a sip of wine

and then he has received
&c
he has been at the communion

2.

But when he finds this religion too course for him
and he would fain make after another
and will therefore hie thee to another
to wit
to Independency
and from thence perhaps to Anabaptism
so-called

and thither
the well-favoured harlot will follow thee
and say thou must be very holy
very righteous
very religious

all other religions are vain

and all in the parish
all in the country
yea, all in the kingdom
and all in the world

(who are not of thine opinion)

are without
are of the world

thou and thy comrades are saints

(O proud devil!
O devil of devils!
O Belzebub!)

Well!

(saith she)

thou being a saint must be very holy
and walk in gospel ordinances

(saith the well-favour'd harlot)

aye, and in envy
malice
pride
covetousness
evil-surmising
censoriness
&c
also

and on the first day of the week
when the saints meet together to break bread
do not thou omit it upon pain of damnation
by no means omit it
because thou have gospel ordinances
in the purity of them

Papists
they give wafers

Protestants
give to all i'th' parish tag-rag
and his fellow if they come

but we are called out of the world
none shall break bread with us
but ourselves

(the saints together
who are in gospel order)

besides
the priests of England
cut their bread into little square bits
but we break our bread

(according to the apostolical practice)

and this is the right breaking of bread

(saith the well-favour'd harlot)

who has stepped into this holy righteous gospel
religious way

(gospel ordinances
so-called)

on purpose to dash to pieces
the right breaking of bread
and in the room thereof thrusting 
in this vain religion

7.

A religion wherein Lucifer reigns
more than in any

and next to this in the Independents

(so-called)

both which damn to the pit of hell
those that are a hundred times nearer 
the kingdom of heaven
than themselves
flattering themselves
up in this their vain religion

but take this hint
before I leave thee

he that has this world's goods
and sees his brother in want
and shuts up the bowels of compassion from him
the love of God dwells not in him
this man's religion is vain

his religion is in vain
that sees his brother in want
&c

his brother
a beggar
a lazar
a cripple
yea, a cutpurse
a thief i'th' gaol
&c

he that sees such a brother
flesh of his flesh

(in want)

and shuts up the bowels of his compassion from him
the love of God dwells not in him
his religion is in vain
and he never yet broke bread
that has not forgot his

(meum)

9.

The true breaking of bread
is from house to house
&c

neighbours

(in singleness of heart)

saying
if I have any bread
&c
it's thine
I will not call it mine
it's common

these are true communicants
and this is the true breaking of bread
among men

10.

And what the Lord's supper is
none know
but those that are continually

(not weekly)

but daily at it

and that the true communicants is
those and those only know
who are come to the spirits of just men made perfect
and to God the judge of all
all other religion is vain

aye
saith the well-favour'd harlot

(in the young man void of understand)

I see Protestantism
Presbytery
Independency
Anabaptism
are all vain
these coverings are too short
too narrow
too course
for me
the finest of these are but harden sheets
and very narrow ones also
I'll get me some flax
and make me both fine and large sheets
&c

I'll scorn carnal ordinances
and walk in the spirit

aye, do

(saith the well-favour'd harlot)

speak nothing but mystery
drink nothing but wine
but blood
thou need not eat flesh
&c

11.

And so my young man starts up into 
the notion of spirituals
and wraps up a deal of hypocrisy
malice
envy
deceit
dissimulation
covetousness
self-seeking
in this fine linen

being a hundredfold worse
devils than before

but now thy villainy
hypocrisy and self-seeking
is discovering
yea, discovered
to many with a witness

and though the true and pure levelling
is the eternal God's levelling
the mountains
&c
in man
which is

blood-life-spirit levelling

yet the water
or weak levelling
which is base and foolish
shall confound thee

and hereby
as also by several other strange ways
which thou art least of all acquainted withal
I'll discover thy lewdness
and show the rottenness of thy heart

I'll call for all to a mite
to be cast into the outward treasury
and will bid thee lay down all at my feet
the apostle
the Lord
and this is a way
that I am now again setting up to try
judge and damn the well'favour'd harlot by
cast all into the treasury
&c
account nothing thine own
have all things in common

the young man goes away very sorrowful
&c

the well-favour'd harlot shrugs 
at this

12.

When this comes to pass
a poor wretch whose very bones
are gnawn with hunger
shall not go about 13 or 14 miles
about thy business
and thou for a reward
when thou have hundreds lying by thee

I will give thee but one hint more
and so will leave thee

the dreadful day of judgement is stealing on thee
within these few hours

thou have secretly and cunningly lain in wait
thou have craftily numbered me amongst transgressors
who to thy exceeding torment
am indeed a friend of publicans and harlots

thou have accounted me a devil
saith the Lord

and I will rot thy name
and make it stink above ground
and make they folly manifest to all men

and because thou have judged me
I will judge thee

(with a witness)

expect it suddenly
saith the Lord

per AUXILIUM PATRIS כף