Arrows Against Babylon, Title page 1 – Letter 1
ARROWES AGAINST BABYLON. OR Certaine Quaeries ſerving to a cleere Diſcovery of the Mystery of Iniquity. Whereunto are added Endeavours for Reformation in Saints apparrell. With ſome Quaeries for the people called Quakers.
By JOHN PENDARVES a well wiſher to Sion.
Put your ſelves in array againſt Babylon round about, ſhoote at her, ſpare no arrowes, &c. Jerem. 50.14. v.
Flee out of the midſt of Babylon, and deliver every man his ſoule, be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the Lords vengeance, hee will render unto her recompence, Jere. 51.6. v.
And I heard another voyce from heaven, ſaying, Come out of her my people, that yet pertake not of her ſins, and that yee receive not of her plagues, Rev. 18.41 v.
O Daughter of Babylon, who art to be deſtroyed, happy ſhall he be that rewardeth thee, as thou haſt ſerved us. Pſal. 137.8. v.
LONDON; Printed by M. S. for Livewell Chapman, at the Crowne in Popes-head-Alley. 1656.
The Epiſtle Dedicatory. To the precious Sonnes of Sion, who minde the work of their generation; and to all the faithfull, and beloved Servants of God, ſmall and great.
THe fall of Babylon being decreed in Heaven, and declared on Earth, and the time ſaid to be neare at hand aThis is one of the things of which John ſaith, They muſt ſhortly come to paſſe, Rev: 1.1.8., ſo many hundred yeares agoe, as have paſt ſince the revelation was given to John bMuch neerer now.; Why ſhould it be thought beſide the work of this day, to ſeek her down-fall? and to cry aloud unto Gods people to come out of her? Hath not God, and man of late yeares, appeared againſt her oppreſſing powers, ſpirituall, and civill, in theſe Nations? Her maine Pillars, the Archbiſhops, Biſhops, &c. with their grand ſupporter, where are they? Did not the ſure word of Prophecy againſt Babylon, take hold of them? ſince thoſe Pillars have been removed, hath not that unhappy building, been as a falling houſe, out of which many thouſands of Gods people have haſted forth? the Lord going before them by many wonderfull, ſignall providences, opening a wide doore unto them. If the remnant of old, who preferr'd Jeruſalem above their cheife joy (which holds forth a true Character of Sions lovers) were ſo bold in her behalfe, to tell the daughter of Babylon to her face, Thou art to be deſtroyed, calling them happy who ſhould be the Inſtruments to reward her cruelties to Gods people, Pſal. 137. If they ſpeak thus, whilſt yet remaining captives, let it not ſeeme ſtrange, if we, who are in ſo great a meaſure delivered, doe in the ſame ſpirit of faith, declare openly the approaching fall of the daughter of myſticall Babylon; which (that wee may not ſhoote at rovers) I have in the enſuing Quaeries laboured to diſcover, the mother, and her daughter, the mark at which thoſe arrows are ſhott. The mother being more notorious for her bloody perſecutions, and filthy abominations, may ſoone be diſcovered; her daughter, having putt on a new dreſſe, appeares freſh coloured, and well-liking, and hath her lovers amongſt great, if not good men. They who drinke of her wine, and eate of her dainties, praiſe her beauty, as ſhee is now reformed. Shee hath (it ſeemes) painted her face with more art, and better ſucceſſe, then Jezebell, or elſe ſome have had leſſe zeale then Jehu, who having no great power on his ſide, yet commanded (that) painted Jezebel to be thrown downe. With this Jezebel the daughter of Babylon, men formerly of great note for zeale, and piety, (preferring peace before puritycThe wiſdome that is from above preferres purity before peace, Jam: 3.17. Its firſt pure, then peaceable; the wiſdome from beneath is quite contrary, oppoſing truth under a pretence of peace: in that true wiſdome, they who have acted of old, and of late, are accounted troublers of Iſrael.) become confederate to oppoſe a thorow reformation, who ſeeme well content with the old garment, ſome new peices put to it, which (as our Saviour ſaith) makes the rent worſe; they cannot beare to have the axe laid at the roote. How doe many in our dayes, like Herod, heare good men gladly, till their luſts and wills be croſt? their hearts cleave to ſome worldly intereſt, which, (being as the right eye) they will not part with. Such can take Law and Covenant in their mouth, pray and preach well, with much excellency of ſpeech, but their ſpirits may be diſcerned by this one thing, They like not to reform, or to be reformed, with a thorow reformation, which is the onelyonly right reformation according to the word of God; to which our ſolemn Covenant binds us, as alſo (with ſubordination thereunto) to the example of the beſt reformed Churches; which are ſuch undoubtedly, as ſtand at greateſt diſtance from Antichriſtian pollutions. Is the Religion of this Nation ſo reformed? if not, why doe they not preſſe forward? Nay, doe not many ſit downe, and take up their reſt, as if they had attained, and as if the worke were perfected? Hath myſticall Babylon been raſed to the foundation thereof? If not, ought not that remnant of Gods people, who retaine their firſt zeale againſt Babylon to proceed to pray againſt her, as the remnant of the faithfull of old againſt the Children of Edom dIs it not the duty of Gods elect to cry day and night for vengeance upon Babylon, ſee Luk. 18.1.7. and 8 verſes., Pſal. 137.7. Remember, O Lord, the Children of Edom, in the day of Jeruſalem: who ſaid, raſe it, raſe it, even to the foundation thereof; Let us take heede of concluding ſuch prayers, though put up by godly men of like paſſions with us, to be the fruite of their paſſions, and peeviſhneſſe. If here were need of further Apology for this work, and for the Saints zealous praying and declaring againſt Babylon in a right ſpirit, ſufficient might be offered (not onelyonly to juſtifie the practiſe, but alſo to invite thereunto) from this one conſideration, that the glory of God, and the comfort of his people are ſo highly concerned in her fall, as the Scriptures largely ſhew. Oh what joyfull Hallelujahs ſhall be ſung by the Saints, when they ſhall ſee the judgements of God on the great Whore which corrupted the Earth, Rev. 19.1, 2. &c. If men of great light ſee not how this matter concernes the glory of God, Is it not becauſe they ſtudy to promote their owne intereſt more then his? have they no better inſight into the things that make for their owne glory? It is the joy of my heart, in the midſt of many cauſes of griefe, that God will forme, yea he is forming a people for himſelfe which ſhall ſhew forth his praiſeeAnd the people which ſhall be created ſhall praiſe the Lord, Pſal. 102.18. Eſay 43.21.. The naked ſingle deſigne of the people of this new Creation ſhall be that the Lord, the Lord alone, may be exalted: which (if the Author know his heart) is the one thing aymed at in ſpending thoſe Arrowes upon Babylon, as alſo in thoſe endeavours for reformation in apparell, wherein oppoſition is made againſt one (not the leaſt) of her evills. That which is added in thoſe Quaeries to the Quakers, ſerves for the diſcovery of Satan, tranſforming himſelfe into an Angel of light. It is no new thing for ſcornfull men to ſet light by plain teſtimonies againſt their abominations, and lay a ſnare for him that reprooveth in the gatefIſay 29.20, 21., making a man an offender for a word; if ſuch ſhall count mee vile for this work, I ſhall not thinke it ſtrange. If the Lord ſhall make it appeare that the leaſt of the poore of his flock receive light, and reape benefit hereby, and give the glory to him; I ſhall rejoyce therein. Although my ſervice to Chriſt in this, or any thing I can doe, be but ſmall, I am comforted in beleeving that there ſhall a time come, and that its not farre off, when God ſhall reward his ſervants, not onelyonly the great, but the ſmallgRev. 11.18.. The high eſteeme I have of the prayers of the Saints, together with a deepe ſence of my need of freſh ſupplyes of grace, put mee upon this humble ſuit to you, who are the ſeede of Jacob, that after your ſupplications to the Lord for all Saints, hee may obtaine a ſpeciall remembrance, who is unworthy to be accounted
The leaſt of thoſe who follow the Lambe. J. P.
A word of Exhortation, To the people of God in Babylon.
Deare Friends,
I Beſeech you in the bowells of Chriſt, conſider, that like as it was a ſingular act of Gods grace to warne Lott to come out of Sodom, when fire and brimſtone was ready to come downe upon that Citty: ſo is it now no leſſe but rather a more eminent act of his rich grace, to warne and wooe you to come out of Babylon, lovingly engaging you thereunto, (even as though he did beſeech you) by, and for all the intereſt he hath in you; ſaying, Come out of her my people, Rev. 18.4. The mercy to you, may appeare farre greater, the judgement of God upon Sodom being more tolerable, then the grievous torments and ſpirituall plagues belonging to Babylon, whoſe ſins reach unto Heaven, Rev. 18.5. and her judgement is lifted up unto the skies, Jerem. 51.9. Herein is his great goodneſſe to you, that he hath not onelyonly given you timely notice, before the Decree bring forth, but in this alſo, that he hath condeſcended to afford many helpes in his Word for the diſcovery of Myſticall Babylon, which with ſo much ſerpentine wiſdome transformes her ſelfe with ſuch faire pretences, that ſhee is leaſt ſuſpected to be what ſhee is, by moſt who dwell with her. That little light which the Lord hath lent me concerning this Myſtery, I here impart it to you as your right, conſidering my ſelfe as in the body of Gods people one with you; though not ſo, in reſpect of a viſible orderly Church-ſtate and worſhip, wherein the name of God is greatly concerned. Beware of that which is a common evill among the people in the broad way, whom you joyne hand withall; to ſpeake evill of the things they underſtand not.*Pet. 2.12. Yee are bought with a price, be not yee in ſuch bondage to men, as not to try their way, opinions, and ſayings by the Spirit, and the word of God, whereby David was made to underſtand more then all his teachers, and more then the ancients, Pſal. 119.99, 100. Why ſhould it be thought unlikely that God ſhould reveale unto babes and ſucklings that which he hides from the wiſe and prudent. Oh read and weigh theſe Scriptures, Mat. 11.25. 1 Cor. 1.27, 28. Pſal. 8.2. Iſa. 29.14, 15. My bowells being troubled, and my ſoule in travell for your deliverance, I have as a learner by way of Quaerie, preſented divers weighty things, backt with Scriptures, to your conſideration; whereof the meditation hath been ſweete to me, the Lord make the reading ſo to you. And whereas God doth and will by men as inſtruments call to his people to come out of Babylon, before her utter deſtruction, which is not farre off. As the day, which hath already dawned comes on upon us, wee may expect cleerer light, and better helpes. In the meane time, accept of, uſe, and improve ſuch as you have, and the Lord command his bleſſing, that his name may have glory. So prayes.
The Lords unprofitable ſervant. J. P.