Chapter 7: Conspiracy Against Godliness

Showing how True Godliness, in his travels, chanced to fall into a certain island, where he met with a great number of cruel enemies, who conspired together to take away his life, and the life of his servants; but their grand plot failing, they contrived many sham plots, to cast the whole intrigue upon his own friends and servants; together with True Godliness's sad and grievous lamentation.

True Godliness having traveled (as you have heard) up and down in the world for many years, and suffered various hardships and grand affronts and abuses, at last came, by the gracious providence of God, into a small isle; neither did he travel alone, but like a high-born [reconstructed: Prince], though in a state of exile; he had some servants to attend and wait upon him, who loved their master as their own souls, indeed, and above their natural lives; their names were Heavenly, New-man, Innocency, Humility, Sincerity, Temperance, Sobriety, Faithful, New-obedience, Hope-well, True-love, Blessed, Experience, Excellent Knowledge, Christian Courage, Vehement Desire, Godly Zeal, with many more. Now, after he had been for some considerable time in the said island, and had through his sweet and heavenly and peaceable carriage, got himself many friends and favorites, having lived many years in good credit and esteem among them, and nobody thought or dreamed he had been in the least danger. But in process of time, on a sudden, there being a little before arrived in the same isle, a great number of outlandish men, called by some Mahometans; but their right name, it seems, was Babylonians, being natives of a great city that bears that name.

Now various strange ridiculous orders of men they had among them, and all cruel enemies to True Godliness. But one order of them proved more subtle and implacable than the rest, called Loyalatites, being as it is said, the spurious offspring of one Ignatius, who were men of such base spirits, that they were content to become mere pimps and panders to a great whore, endeavoring always to allure kings, princes, and mighty men to commit fornication with her; and if they could not effect that, then they persuade subjects to cast off their allegiance to their spiritual and temporal sovereign, and to own the usurped power and jurisdiction of their master the king of Babylon. Now these men remembering what a great enemy True Godliness had been to them in the same isle in former times, and how he had forced them to pack up their trumpery and be gone; indeed, and not only so, but also found that he had got a great number of the inhabitants of the said isle, to side with him against their beloved mistress and great goddess [reconstructed: Diana], which they feared might stand in the way of her mounting the saddle once again, they maliciously and traitorously made a devilish conspiracy to destroy True Godliness, and all those who favored him, and to set up false and counterfeit godliness in his stead; and indeed so far they had proceeded in this hellish design, that by the help of some deluded souls, they had brought over to their party, had not the all wise God (who always took care of his precious darling Godliness) by his most eminent and [reconstructed: over-ruling] providence, defeated the conspiracy and discovered the conspirators. Godliness with his servants, and all his poor friends would doubtless have had the greatest blow that he had met with for many ages before; but they being betrayed by one who seemed to adhere to their party, who was privy to their horrible, bloody and detestable intention, having (unknown to them) a kindness for True Godliness, and his despised friends and servants; whereupon the whole island was enraged against these cruel Babylonians, and called a council together to search into the bottom of their hellish design; and so it happened that various great lords who had been poisoned with their bloody and detestable principles were found in the conspiracy, and were attainted for high treason, for though their great design was to destroy True Godliness, yet they, as it seemed, consulted also to destroy the prince of the country, and all who were true favorites of Godliness. And in the conclusion, one of the lords in the conspiracy had his head cut off, and various of (the Loyalatites, or) Ignatius's offspring, were drawn, hanged and quartered. Now one would have thought this eminent hand of God's vengeance against them, might have deterred them for ever attempting the ruin and utter overthrow of True Godliness any more; but they having an implacable hatred against him, because they know he is an utter enemy to all treasons, idolatries, superstitions, murders, fornications, witchcrafts, and all other horrible crimes, and cursed abominations of their unchaste, defiled and bloody mistress, in a clandestine way endeavored to bring True Godliness, and many of his friends and favorites into contempt, and thereby set all the inhabitants of the isle against him; which designs of theirs was managed various manner of ways, and (though some of their stratagems were happily discovered, yet some others of them too far prevailed among the generality of people, who God knows naturally are adverse to him, having (as you have heard) grievous enmity in their hearts against him.

Now, True Godliness perceiving how the inhabitants of the said island were corrupted, partly by these Babylonians, and partly by other evil impostors and seducers, whose errors greatly prevailed; and how generally people of all sorts were drawn away by the subtlety of Apollyon, and the pollution and treachery of their own hearts to all manner of vice and ungodliness; he being by this means brought into great contempt, began to be very sad, considering what a brave isle for grace and holiness it had formerly been; indeed, and that which added to his trouble, was those great divisions and animosities that were among those who professed themselves to be his chiefest friends, together with the consideration of the great evils and enormities of their lives, for it was come to such a pass, that it was hard to discern the professor (as they were called) from the profane, pride, covetousness, want of love and zeal to him, abounding wonderfully among the generality of them; so that he evidently saw that he was grievously slighted, disowned, and neglected almost by all sorts whatever; and that the favor and countenance which most people showed him, was but from the teeth outwards, and that they not heartily and cordially love and delight in him. Moreover, he perceived also, that there was a grand conspiracy carrying on by Apollyon and his emissaries in many countries where he had been formerly countenanced; and that the Babylonians were in great hopes to get counterfeit godliness set up in his stead, began to make a grievous lamentation after this manner.