77. The bride of the beast saith: I am your God, set me upon you, ride on how you will: I will cry aloud and say, The fatness of the earth is yours, and men shall worship you in me; fear and horror be upon all those that disesteem us; thus I ride over the bended knees, and over the souls of men. Where can there be such a kingdom as we have? [For we are exalted more than princes and kings, and we are honoured and reverenced by them, and placed above them.]
78. But the spirit Mercurius, which goeth forth out of the burning torches, (which is the spirit of God's bride), declareth in the Apocalypse, that when the seventh seal shall be opened, then shall the hidden Mystery of the kingdom of God be accomplished.
79. For the Lamb which was slain, did (at the time of the seven seals) take the Book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne, and opened the seals thereof: and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, and said, Thou hast opened the Book, and broken open the seals: Praise and honour and glory to God and the Lamb, which was worthy to take the Book, and break open the seals thereof; and the whore, together with the dragon, was cast into the lake of fire. If you understand not this, you are under the seals.
80. Behold! when the seventh seal shall be opened, then the Arch-Shepherd will feed his sheep himself, in his green pasture: he leadeth them to the springing waters, and refresheth their souls, and bringeth them into his right path, and is a good Shepherd, and the sheep follow him, and he giveth them eternal life.
81. At that time, Babel, that great city on earth, breaketh in the wonders; and all the souls of those that are written in the Book of Life, in the glassy sea [or angelical world], all those that are born of God, go out from her: and that is the tabernacle [habitation] of God with men; for he that seduced them is sealed up, the light driveth him away.
82. Therefore hearken, you that are drowsy, and awake, the day breaketh, it is high time; that you may not be captivated by the anger in Babel; there is great earnestness [or severity] at hand: leave off your contention about the Cup of Christ, else you will be found to be but fools in the presence of God: your decrees avail nothing, when you assemble together, and make results and conclusions, saying, Thus we will have it, this is the Confession of Faith, thus we will believe, and then the Church of God will be upheld. And another party gainsayeth; and they call one another heretics, and so you lead the blind laity captive in your devilish contention, in your pride.
83. You bind the true meaning [of the Scriptures]
to your art: he that hath not been a student, or scholar, in that, can have no understanding in the hidden mysteries of God, you say.
O you proud blind men, how you suffer yourselves to be seduced, by human traditions
[your own conventions and conceits], without the spirit of God ! How will you stand in the Day of the Judgment of God, with your confounded sheep, which you have thus led along in blindness? You have filled them full of reproach, and blasphemies;
and have ridden up and down upon the dragon, in mere hypocrisy, covetousness, high-mindedness, and false teaching: outwardly you have made a fair show, and inwardly you have been full of the devil.
84. Where is your apostolical heart? Have you Christ [in you]? Wherefore then do you dispute and contend about him? And make the common lay-people contend also, who know not what they do; they play upon your music, [and dance after your pipe], and would rather lose their lives, than leave your follies, and enter into the life of Christ.
85. O simple devotion! Wherefore do you not take Christ (your true Shepherd) to be your Shepherd, and let the wolves go? You need not be contentious about the kingdom of Christ; neither have the wolves any power to give it you, or take it away from you: you need not ask, Where is Christ, is he in the Baptism, or is he in the Supper? Is he in the hearing of the preacher, or ministry (as is so hard pressed upon people nowadays)?
77. The bride of the beast says: I am your God, set me upon you, ride on how you will: I will cry aloud and say, The fatness of the earth is yours, and men shall worship you in me; fear and horror be upon all those that disesteem us; thus I ride over the bended knees, and over the souls of men. Where can there be such a kingdom as we have? [For we are exalted more than princes and kings, and we are honoured and reverenced by them, and placed above them.]
78. But the spirit Mercurius, which goes forth out of the burning torches, (which is the spirit of God's bride), declares in the Apocalypse, that when the seventh seal shall be opened, then shall the hidden Mystery of the kingdom of God be accomplished.
79. For the Lamb which was slain, did (at the time of the seven seals) take the Book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne, and opened the seals thereof: and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, and said, You have opened the Book, and broken open the seals: Praise and honour and glory to God and the Lamb, which was worthy to take the Book, and break open the seals thereof; and the whore, together with the dragon, was cast into the lake of fire. If you understand not this, you are under the seals.
80. Behold! when the seventh seal shall be opened, then the Arch-Shepherd will feed his sheep himself, in his green pasture: he leads them to the springing waters, and refreshes their souls, and brings them into his right path, and is a good Shepherd, and the sheep follow him, and he gives them eternal life.
81. At that time, Babel, that great city on earth, breaks in the wonders; and all the souls of those that are written in the Book of Life, in the glassy sea [or angelical world], all those that are born of God, go out from her: and that is the tabernacle [habitation] of God with men; for he that seduced them is sealed up, the light drivs him away.
82. Therefore hearken, you that are drowsy, and awake, the day breaks, it is high time; that you may not be captivated by the anger in Babel; there is great earnestness [or severity] at hand: leave off your contention about the Cup of Christ, else you will be found to be but fools in the presence of God: your decrees avail nothing, when you assemble together, and make results and conclusions, saying, Thus we will have it, this is the Confession of Faith, thus we will believe, and then the Church of God will be upheld. And another party gainsays; and they call one another heretics, and so you lead the blind laity captive in your devilish contention, in your pride.
83. You bind the true meaning [of the Scriptures]
to your art: he that has not been a student, or scholar, in that, can have no understanding in the hidden mysteries of God, you say.
O you proud blind men, how you suffer yourselves to be seduced, by human traditions
[your own conventions and conceits], without the spirit of God ! How will you stand in the Day of the Judgment of God, with your confounded sheep, which you have thus led along in blindness? You have filled them full of reproach, and blasphemies;
and have ridden up and down upon the dragon, in mere hypocrisy, covetousness, high-mindedness, and false teaching: outwardly you have made a fair show, and inwardly you have been full of the devil.
84. Where is your apostolical heart? Have you Christ [in you]? Wherefore then do you dispute and contend about him? And make the common lay-people contend also, who know not what they do; they play upon your music, [and dance after your pipe], and would rather lose their lives, than leave your follies, and enter into the life of Christ.
85. O simple devotion! Wherefore do you not take Christ (your true Shepherd) to be your Shepherd, and let the wolves go? You need not be contentious about the kingdom of Christ; neither have the wolves any power to give it you, or take it away from you: you need not ask, Where is Christ, is he in the Baptism, or is he in the Supper? Is he in the hearing of the preacher, or ministry (as is so hard pressed upon people nowadays)?
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