SubGenius Sources #5
Fifth in an occasional series
Exerpt from A FIERY FLYING ROLL
[Originally published in 1649, this broadside by Abiezer Coppe,
founder of the English sect now called the Ranters, was
sufficiently incendiary to earn this reaction from the English
Parliament in 1651:
"The Parliament voted that a Book written by one Coppe,
intituled [sic] a fiery flying Roll, &c. contained many horrid
blasphemies, and damnable Opinions, and that the Book and all
Copies of it that can be found, shall be burnt by the hands of
the Hangman."
All this because Coppe and his followers located God exclusively
in the individual, and not in the secular System. For SubGenii,
the following rant indicates by its breathless intensity that
the illuminating power of "Bob" is a constant from age to age,
and serves as a reminder that the Con has always been around to
suck Slack from the marrow of the howling Bone.]
[SubGenius Sources is a series of textfiles designed for those
who wish to explore, or expand their knowledge of, the Church of
the SubGenius. Shampoo, rinse, repeat.]
A FIERY FLYING ROLL:
A WORD FROM THE LORD TO ALL THE GREAT ONES OF THE EARTH,
WHOM THIS MAY CONCERN:
BEING THE LAST WARNING PIECE AT THE DREADFUL DAY OF JUDGEMENT,
FOR NOW THE LORD IS COME
to (1) informe (2) advise and warne (3) charge (4) judge and
sentence the Great Ones.
As also most compassionately informing, and most lovingly and
pathetically advising and warning London.
With a terrible Word, and fatall Blow from the LORD, upon the
gathered CHURCHES.
And all by his most excellent MAJESTY, dwelling in, and shining
through, AUXILIUM PATRIS, alias Coppe.
With another FLYING ROLL ensuing (to all the inhabitants of the
Earth.) The Contents of both following.
Imprinted at London, in the beginning of that notable day,
wherein the secrets of all hearts are laid open; and wherein the
worst and foulest of villanies, are discovered, under the best
and fairest outsides. 1649.
THE PREFACE
{An inlet into the Land of Promise, the new Hierusalem, and a
gate into the ensuing Discourse, worthy of serious
consideration.}
My Deare One.
All or None.
Every one under the Sunne.
Mine own.
My most excellent Majesty (in me) hath strangely and variously
transformed this forme.
And beholde, by mine owne Almightinesse (in me) I have been
changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of
the Trump.
And now the Lord is descended from Heaven, with a shout, with
the voyce of the Arch-angell, and with the Trump of God.
And the sea, the earth, yea all things are now giving up their
dead. And all things that ever were, are, or shall be visible
-are the Grave wherein the King of Glory (the eternall,
invisible Almightinesse, hath lain as it were) dead and buried.
But behold, behold, he is now risen with a witnesse, to save
Zion with vengeance, or to confound and plague all things into
himself; who by his mighty Angell is proclaiming (with a loud
voyce) that Sin and Transgression is finished and ended; and
everlasting righteousnesse be brought in with most terrible
earth-quakes, and heaven-quakes, and with signes and wonders
following. Amen.
And it hath pleased my most excellent Majesty (who is universall
love, and whose service is perfecte freedom) to set this forme
(the Writer of this Roll) as no small signe and wonder in
fleshly Israel; as you may partly see in the ensuing Discourse.
And now (my deare ones!) every one under the Sun, I will onely
point at the gate; thorow which I was led into that new City,
new Hierusalem, and to the Spirits of just men, made perfect,
and to God the Judge of all.
First, all my strength, my forces were utterly routed, my house
I dwelt in fired; my father and mother forsook me, the wife of
my bosome loathed me, mine old name was rotted, perished; and I
was utterly plagued, consumed, damned, rammed, and sunke into
nothing, into the bowels of the still Eternity (my mother's
womb) out of which I came naked, and whetherto I returned again
naked. And lying a while there, rapt up in silence, at length
(the body or outward forme being awake all this while) I heard
with my outward eare (to my apprehension) a most terrible
thunder-clap, and after that a second. And upon the second
thunder-clap, which was exceeding terrible, I saw a great body
of light, like the light of the Sun, and red as fire, in the
forme of a drum (as it were) whereupon with exceeding trembling
and amazement on the flesh, and with joy unspeakable in the
spirit, I clapt my hands, and cryed out, Amen, Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, Amen. And so lay trembling, sweating, and smoaking
(for the space of halfe an hour) at length with a loud voyce (I
inwardly) cryed out, Lord, what wilt thou do with me; my most
excellent majesty and eternal glory (in me) answered & sayd,
Fear Not, I will take thee up into mine everlasting Kingdom. But
thou shalt (first) drink a bitter cup, a bitter cup, a bitter
cup; whereupon (being filled with exceeding amazement) I was
throwne into the belly of hell (and take what you can of it in
these expressions, though the matter is beyond expression) I was
among all the Devils in hell, even in their most hideous hew.
And under all this terrour, and amazement, there was a little
spark of transcendent, transplendent, unspeakable glory, which
survived, and sustained it self, triumphing, exulting, and
exalting it self above all the Fiends. And, confounding all the
blacknesse of darknesse (you must take it in these tearmes, for
it is infinitely beyond expression.) Upon this the life was
taken out of the body (for a season) and it was thus resembled,
as if a man with a great brush dipt in whiting, should with one
stroke wipe out, or sweep off a picture upon a wall, &c. after a
while, breath and life was returned into the form againe;
whereupon I saw various streames of light (in the night) which
appeared to the outward eye; and immediately I saw three hearts
(or three appearances) in the form of hearts, of exceeding
brightnesse; and immediately an innumerable company of hearts,
filling each corner of the room where I was. And methoughts
there was variety and distinction, as if there had been severall
hearts, and yet most strangely unexpressably complicated or
folded up in unity. [Ed.: a reference to the Mandelbrot set? You
heard it here first...] I clearly saw distinction, diversity,
variety, and as clearly saw all swallowed up into unity. And it
hath been my song many times since, within and without, unity,
universality, universality, unity, Eternall Majesty, &c. And at
this vision, a most strong, glorious voyce uttered these words:
The spirits of just men made perfect. The spirits, &c. with whom
I had as absolut, cleare, full communion, and in a two fold more
familiar way, than ever I had outwardly with my dearest friends,
and nearest relations. The visions and revelations of God, and
the strong hand of eternall invisible almightinesse, was
stretched out upon me, within me, for the space of foure dayes
and nights, without intermission. The time would faile if I
would tell you all, but it is not the good will and pleasure of
my most excellent Majesty in me, to declare any more (as yet)
then thus much further: That amongst those various voyces that
were then uttered within, these were some: Blood, blood,Where,
where? upon the hypocriticall holy heart &c. Another thus:
Vengeance, vengeance, vengeance, Plagues, plagues, upon the
inhabitants of the Earth; Fire, fire, fire, Sword, sword &c.
upon all that bow not down to eternall Majesty, universall love;
I'll recover, recover, my wooll, my flax, my money. Declare,
declare, fear thou not the faces of any; I am (in thee) a
munition of Rocks &c.
Go up to London, to London, that great City, write, write,
write. And behold I writ, and lo a hand was sent to me, and a
roll of a book was within, which this fleshly hand would have
put wings to, before the time. Whereupon it was snatcht out of
my hand, & the Roll thrust into my mouth, and I eat it up, and
filled my bowels with it, where it was bitter as worm-wood; and
it lay broiling, and burning in my stomack, till I brought it
forth in this forme.
And now I send it flying to thee, with my heart, And all,
per AUXILIUM PATRIS
[Fun guy, huh? If you wish to pursue the subject further, there
is an edition of Abiezer Coppe's writings published in the UK by
Aporia Press, as well as a profile of Coppe in Norman Cohn's
"The Pursuit of the Millenium." Also do yourself a favor and go
find "Rants and Incendiary Tracts" by Bob Black and Adam
Parfrey, published by Amok Press/Loompanics Unlimited in the US,
whence I excerpted this prime slice of 17th-century culture. Do,
however, ignore the bit in the Foreword where they refer to the
Church of the SubGenius as "paint-by-numbers surrealism." "Bob"
just might not understand.]
[Pnin July 1992]
--
Arch-Epopt of the Exploding Head of John F. Kennedy and Luv Priest to the Gods!
My skull is bigger on the inside than the outside! J.R. "Bob" Dobbs is my load.
Ob-Bulldada: Send $1 to SubGenius Foundation, P.O. Box 140306, Dallas TX 75214
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