The doctrine of the RANTERS.
Firſt concerning GOD.
THey maintain that God is eſſentially in every creature, and that there is as much of God in one creature, as in another, though he doth not manifeſt himſelf ſo much in one as in another: I ſaw this expreſſion in a Book of theirs, that the eſſence of God was as much in the Ivie leaf, as in the moſt glorious Angel; I heard another ſay, that the eſſence of God was in that board, as much as it was in heaven; he then laying his hand on a Deal board. They all ſay there is no other God but what is in them, and alſo in the whole Creation, and that men ought to pray and ſeek to no other God but what was in them.
The titles they give God are theſe: They call him the Being, the Fulneſſe, the Great motion, Reaſon, the Immenſity: I heard a man ſwear that if there was any God at all he was one, I ſaid to him that God knew all things, and was able to do whatſoever he pleaſed, but you cannot, therefore you are not God, but a blaſphemer: Another made anſwer, he was not The GOD, but he was God, becauſe God was in him and in every creature in the world: I replyed, If God were in every creature, how then came it to paſſe, there was ſuch a difference amongſt the creatures, as there are ſome good and ſome bad, and ſome Godly men, and ſome wicked, and all ſuch good and bad are divided one againſt another, but God is undivided and at unity with himſelf, therefore God eſſentially is not in every creature.
Secondly concerning Chriſt.
THey ſay that Chriſt was only a form, or a ſhadow, or a fleſhly apparition of God and no more, and that what he did in way of ſuffering, was for himſelf, for none had, or ever ſhould have any benefit by his ſuffering but himſelf. That the Miniſtry of Chriſt either by himſelf, or by his Apoſtles as it is held forth in the Scriptures is ceaſed, as well as the Miniſtry of Aaron; others of them3 ſay, that what Chriſt did in the fleſh, is now made over to us in the ſpirit, and that we are no more to eye or mind Chriſt that died at Jeruſalem, but we are to mind Chriſt in our ſelves; others of them ſay, that what Chriſt did in his own perſon, was onely a figure or a type of what ſhould be done and acted in every man, and that every man muſt do and ſuffer as much as Chriſt did; this is the beſt they ſay of Chriſt: I have heard ſome ſay, that if Chriſt were on earth now, he would be aſhamed of what he did before; I heard one of them ſay, it was a queſtion whether Chriſt was born of a Virgin, nay, ſaith another, he was a baſtard ſure enough, for the letter, ſaith he, (meaning the Scripture) ſaith that Mary was betrothed to Joſeph before Jeſus was conceived in the womb. At which words I was much inraged, and began to ſpeak, intending to reprove them, but was interrupted by one of them that ſate by, who ſwore abloudy oath, and told me I doted on a ſilly boy which was at Jeruſalem, and he alſo ſwore he knew the Lad very well, for, ſaid he, I was his Godfather; one of them met me, and ſaid he was told that I had as much wiſdome as Chriſt, I anſwered, that none but blaſphemers would ſay ſo; then he anſwered, if I had not ſo much wiſdome, he had. There was one of them did affirm to Doctor Chamberlaine, in my hearing, that every man was God as much as Chriſt, for, ſaith he, there is as much of the God-head in every man, as was in Chriſt.
Thirdly, concerning the Spirit.
THey all affirme that there is but one ſpirit in the world, and thoſe names of good ſpirit, and bad ſpirit, are meere imaginations and ſcarcrowes to feare men withall, that they are taught and are onely under teaching of this ſpirit, and that all other teachings either by Scripture or otherwiſe are of no uſe to them. There was one of them ſaid in my hearing that he need not read the Scripture, nor heare Sermons, for the Father, the Son, and the Spirit were all three in him; and this he ſaid he could prove, but his beſt arguments were of no force in my opinion.
Fourthly, concerning the Scriptures.
THe beſt they ſay of the Scripture is; That it is a Tale, a Hiſtory, a Letter, and a dead Letter, and more, the fleſhly Hiſtory; they call it a bundle of contradictions. I heard one ſweare it was the archeſt peece of Witchcraft that ever was〈◊〉. Another ſaid it was the greateſt curſe that ever came〈…〉ld, for ſai•…4he, the Scripture hath been the cauſe of all our miſery, and diviſions both in Religion and civill affaires, and hath been the cauſe of all the blood, that hath been ſhed in the world; and that there would never be peace in the world, till all the Bibles in the world were burned. I heard one reaſon thus, Paul had the ſpirit of God, by which ſpirit he wrote the Scriptures; and ſaith he, I have the ſpirit, why may not I write the Scripture as well as Paul? and what I write be as binding and as infallible as that which Paul writ: Againe ſaith he, all the books of the Old and New Teſtament were directed to ſome particular Nation, or Church, or Perſons; but ſaith he, none of the Scriptures are directed, either to the Nation, or to any Church in England, or any man in England; therefore the Scriptures belong not to us, neither are they any rule for us to walk by, or to live after.
Fifthly, concerning the Creation.
THey ſay that the world was created long before the time the Scripture ſpeakes of; for ſay they when Cain fled from the preſence of the Lord, he went into the Land of Nod, and there he built a City, he could not build a City himſelfe, and it was needleſſe for him to build a City for his own houſhold, one houſe or tent would have ſerved him; therefore they argue that there were at that time more people in the world then Adam and Cain, though we read of no more.
Sixthly, concerning marriage.
THey ſay that for one man to be tyed to one woman, or one woman to be tyed to one man, is a fruit of the curſe; but they ſay, we are freed from the curſe; therefore it is our liberty to make uſe of whom we pleaſe: I did intend to aske them how we came be freed from the curſe, but I was prevented; this opinion they infer from thoſe words of the Lord to Eve, Thy deſire ſhall be to thy huſband.
Seventhly, concerning the Commandements of God.
THey ſay that all the Commandements of God, both in the Old and New Teſtaments, are fruits of the curſe, and that all men being freed from the curſe, are alſo free from the Commandments. Others ſay, that all the Commandments are to bring men up to live in God, and God in them; and they ſay that we living in God, and God in us, therefore we are above all Commands whatſo•…and furth〈…〉ſay Gods will is our will, and our will is5 Gods will; and they ſay Gods will is his law, for ſometimes he commands men to kill, to ſteale, and to lye; and at other times he commands the contrary, hereon they infer that we living in God, and God in us, why may not we do the like? and if it be a ſin to kil, to ſteale, or lye, God is the Author; for ſay they, it is his will theſe things ſhould be done, and it is by his power they are done.
Eightly, concerning Ordinances.
THat Ordinances are ceaſed to them, and that they are above all ſuch weak and beggerly things as they are; that Ordinances are made for weake Chriſtians, ſuch as are under the teaching of the letter, meaning the Scripture.
Ninthly, concerning ſinne.
THat there is no ſuch thing as that which men call ſin, that ſin and holineſſe are all one to God, and that God delights as much in the one as in the other; and this they ſay they can prove by the Scripture, as from theſe words in the Prophet Eſay 42.16. I will make darkneſſe light before them, and Eſay 45.7. I forme the light, and creat darkneſſe, I make peace, and create evill; and in another place, he made darkneſſe his ſecret place, yea his pavilion round about him.
Tenthly, concerning man.
THat man cannot either know God, or beleeve in God, or pray to God, but it is God in man that knoweth himſelf, believes in himſelf, and prayeth to himſelf; and this they infer from Gal. 2.20. Nevertheleſſe I live, yet not I, but Chriſt liveth in me, &c. hence they alledge, that man differeth in nothing from the bruit beaſt, but onely that God doth manifeſt himſelf more in man, then he doth in the beaſt; that man lives and feeds on nothing but his own excrements, for thus they reaſon, that mans excrements dung the ground, which cauſeth the ground to bring forth Corne and Graſs, and the beaſts eat the graſſe, and we eat the Corn and the Beaſt.
Eleventh, concerning the Devill.
THey ſay that the Devill is the left hand of God, or the backe part of God, or the dark part of God; that the Devil could do no evill at all, if God did not give him a power to do it, and therefore the Devil is not ſo much in the fault, as men think he is. Nay ſaith one of them, God ſeemeth to complain much of the Devil and wicked men, then why doth not God take away that power he hath given them, and then there will be no body to trouble him; theſe6 words made me tremble, one of them ſaid he hoped to ſee the poor Devill cleared of a great many ſlanders that had been caſt on him.
Twelfth, concerning heaven and earth.
THey teach that there is neither heaven nor hell but what is in man, and that thoſe men that do ſee God to be in all things, and his will to be done by all men, though they do never ſo wickedly, and not apprehend any wrath to be in God, and can quietly without any check of Conſcience commit any ſin as we call it, and can ſee themſelves to be above all Ordinances, and all Commands, and that theſe men are in heaven, and heaven is in them; but thoſe men that cannot ſee and beleeve theſe things are in hell, and hell in them. I ſaw a Letter that one of them writ to a friend of his, but it never came to his hand, and at the bottom of the Letter he writ thus, From Heaven and Hell, or from Detford in the firſt yeare of my reconciliation to my ſelfe, at the beginning of the Letter, he ſaluteth his friend thus, (which I am ſorry my pen ſhould write, or my tongue ſpeake) but that I ſaw it, the words were, My pretty God, and Devill, by Gods hart and wounds I love thee and if thou wilt not beleeve me, the Devill confound thee; this Letter was written by a Frenchman then living at Detford, to one eſteemed in former times a Saint, though now one of them; when I heard the Letter, I was much troubled and ſpake in diſlike of it, but was told that there were ſpiritual truths couched in thoſe lines which I diſcerned not.
Thirteenth, concerning death and reſurrection.
THat when men dye their ſpirits go into God, as the ſmall Rivers go into the Sea, and as the Sea ſends backe the ſame water again, ſometimes into one ſpring, and ſometime into another; ſo doth the ſpirits of men after they are gone into God, they return and appear ſometimes in one form or ſhape, and ſometimes in another, one wiſhed that his ſpirit might never be in the ſhape of a horſe, for ſaith he, a horſe hath the moſt toyleſome life of any Creature that is. One told me that I had been in a hundred ſhapes or formes for ought he knew, and that I ſhould be ſo again, though I was ſuch a foole I would not beleeve it.
Fourteenth, concerning the laſt Judgement.
THat there is no ſuch thing as a day of judgement, but that it is onely an invented thing, to ſerve for a bugbeare to keep men in awe, yet I hear one of them ſay, the day of Judgement was begun already, and that the world had been made many thouſand millions of yeares before we read of its creation, and that it ſhall continue many millions longer then we expect, but I ſay the Lord knoweth his appointed time and none elſe, to him be all glory.