wherein the harlot had been dressed, and wherein she had long appeared (even all the time of the apostasy), the Lord would be inquired of, and waited on to know. Now to help the tender and upright hearts towards the true sense of these things, the Propositions and Considerations following are given forth, which he that sincerely waiteth on the Lord, from him may receive the true understanding and right acknowledgment of.

1. That upon the coming of Christ, and the change of that outward covenant, the distinction between the outward Jew and Gentile fell, they becoming all one, as in relation to Christ; and then another distinction arose in relation to the faith, believers becoming Jews now, and unbelievers Gentiles.

2. That these true and inward Jews had not only the inward faith, the life, the power, the Spirit; but also a ministry, ordinances, and gifts of the Spirit relating to their present state.

3. That there was a time, after a long and sharp fight between the true ministers, who appeared in the true light and power of the true Spirit, and the false ministers, who also appeared as ministers of righteousness, and as in the power of the Spirit, but were not such indeed, but instructed by Satan to transform themselves into a resemblance and likeness of ministers of righteousness: for though they said they were apostles, and seemed so in appearance; yet their spirit, being tried, was found not to be the Spirit of the apostles :-say, there was a time, when there was a division (or separation) made, between the inward temple and the outward court.

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4. That when this division was made, the outward court was given to the Gentiles; not any longer reserved by God for the true worshippers, who worship in Spirit and truth; but given to the unbelievers, the worshippers out of the true faith, the worshippers out of the Spirit, and out of the life.

5. That henceforward, since this separation, the believers, or true Jews, are not to be expected in the outward court, in the worship thereof, wherein they were found before this

separation, but the unbelievers, the Gentiles, who have not the true nature, but at best but the appearance of the Jew, are to be expected there, and the true Jew is to be looked for and found more inward.

6. That, therefore, which allureth to look for God there, and to wait for him in the ways and worships of this time of the separation, is not the true Spirit (which rightly guideth the simple heart to the place where God appears, and where he is to be waited for), but the wrong spirit, who, when he cannot stifle the simplicity, and hinder it from breathing and seeking after God, waits to draw aside and mislead it.

7. That the great way of that spirit's misguiding and misleading the honest heart, in its breathing and longing state, is not by a direct taking it off from seeking after God; but rather by pointing it to a way to seek him in, wherein he once appeared and was enjoyed, but is now withdrawn from.

8. He that will keep close to God, and not be withdrawn from him, must watch to his Spirit, and know the leadings of it, else he will not follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes; but stay behind in some observation or practice which the Lamb is gone out of; and so miss of his leader, and meet, instead thereof, with another leader, even the spirit of antichrist, who enters into the outward court, and outward practices, so soon as ever the Spirit of God hath left them.

9. That God's people, since his withdrawing inward, and giving the outward court to the Gentiles, have been much deceived by the antichristian spirit, and led captive into Babylon; insomuch as God, when he cometh to overthrow antichrist, with the Babylon of his building, finds them there, and calls them out from thence. For the light growing low, and the deceit great, and the spirit subtle; how can the poor, weak, innocent babe espy that spirit, and escape his snares, when he tempts to those very paths and ways of worship wherein the saints had walked, and met

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with God, before the Spirit of the Lord departed out of them, and gave them up to the Gentiles?

10. That there is danger to the people of God of not understanding his call out of Babylon, but abiding there, through the subtle entanglements of the false spirit, who bewitcheth with the cup of fornication, to make Babylon appear as Zion, her doctrines as the truths of the gospel, her ordinances and ways of worship as the true ordinances and ways of worship. For the deceit is exceeding deep, and the mystery of iniquity very great, following the heart close which the Lord is drawing to depart therefrom; and if the Lord God is not strong and vigilant, who judgeth the whore, she would still keep her hold of the heart; and if the heart be not kept very close to the Lord in the judgment, it cannot come out of Babylon, but will still be entangled and held in some part or other of the mystery of its deceit.

11. Such of the people of God as do not wait to understand and receive the full call, and so do not follow the Lord perfectly out of that city of abominations; but by her subtleties, and inward and outward witchcrafts, are held captive therein, and found in any part thereof, when the Lord cometh to judge her; such must partake of the plagues from the hand of the Lord, who will not spare her, nor the spirits of his dearest people who are found there, in the day of his visitation and righteous judgments.

Therefore come out of her, come out of her, O ye that love your souls, and the pure presence and fresh light of God's countenance! Ye that know what it is to provoke him to jealousy, and fear the weight of his hand upon your spirits; ye that love the holy land, the holy city, and temple of the living God, oh! come out of that impure building, that fleshly building, those fleshly ways and worships, which that spirit adorneth, to make them appear as if they were spiritual. Oh! depart ye, depart ye, out of your new removes; for they are also polluted, and not your rest; but short of that wherein the rest, the peace, the presence, of the Lord of life is felt by others, and to be found by you.

And consider this, if ever ye will come to the holy city, which was once built in the days of the apostles, but, since the division of it from the outward court, hath been trodden down, and trampled under the feet of the unbelievers, even while they have been worshipping in the outward court (which God once built and chose, but afterwards withdrew his Spirit from, and gave up to the unbelievers),— I say, if ever you will come to this holy city, the holy land wherein it is built, and the holy hill whereon it was founded, ye must pass through the wilderness, be exercised in the wilderness, even till ye are fitted for it; and not strive to raise up a building yourselves in the likeness of it; but wait till God hath hewn and prepared the stones by his Spirit, and then, by the skill of the Spirit, build up his Zion again.

Therefore, in the fear of the Lord, consider seriously, meekly, humbly, and brokenly, that the Lord may manifest your present state and condition unto you, whether ye have not erred in these things as well as others, and have not cause to repent of your forwardness herein, and to acknowledge that your buildings have been raised in the forwardness of your own spirits, and in the confidence of your reasoning upon scripture words, without feeling the presence (guidance and holy power) of God's Spirit raising up the foundation of many generations, and rearing his own pure house upon his own holy mountain.

In the Lord's hand is the time and season of building his own house. David, though his desire was approved, yet might not build the outward temple in the time of his choice; but God's time and season was to be waited for, both for the first building, and for the rebuilding of it. There is likewise a season for the rebuilding of spiritual Zion, after the long captivity of it in mystery Babylon. Now he that is forward, building before the time and season of the Spirit, buildeth without the Spirit, and his building is not of the Spirit, but of the nature of Babylon, which is wholly to be departed from, and left behind, in the soul's travel and progress towards Zion: and whatever is of the

nature of Babylon must at length fall with Babylon, in the day of her terrible judgment, if the Lord in mercy do not shake it, and cause it to fall before.

Therefore, O all professors! awake out of the flesh, and all fleshly reasonings, into the Spirit of life; and examine there both your inward and outward buildings, that your loss be not great, and your anguish unutterable, in the day of the Lord, when all those buildings, which are raised and preserved in the pure life and power, shall shine in the beauty and glory of God's Spirit, and the greatest glory of flesh and fleshly buildings fade and wither.

THE SOUNDING OF BOWELS TOWARDS THEE, O ENGLAND!

EARLY in the morning, on the 26th day of the Sixth month, 1660, this, in the freshness and quick sense of life, sprang up in my heart again and again: 0 England, England, England! how good had it been for thee, that thou hadst known and walked in the way of peace!

There is a way of peace for persons and nations to know and walk in; but every person and nation doth not know and walk in this way, but rather in the way of trouble. Quest. What is the way of peace?

Ans. It is the way of the pure wisdom, the way of the light and guidance of God's Spirit, from whom the creature came, and by whom alone it can be rightly ordered. He that waiteth on him for counsel, he that subjecteth to, and walketh in, his counsel, he walketh in the way of peace. Quest. What is the way of trouble?

Ans. The way of man's own wisdom and counsel. For a man or nation to do that which is right in their own eyes. This is the way of man, whereby he thinks to establish himself, and put an end to his troubles; but he errs therein, as in the end he still finds to his woe.

Now, O England! consider; hast thou the guidance of God? Hath the light which hath guided thy steps been lighted by him, or by his and thy soul's enemy? For there