THE RANTERS LAST SERMON.
WITH The manner of their Meetings, Ceremonies and Actions; alſo their Damnable, Blaſphemous and Diabolicall TENENTS; delivered in an EXERCISE neer Piſſing-Conduit.
The third day of the Week, being the 2 of Auguſt. 1654. With their Mock-PSALME. ALSO GOD'S wonderfull JUDGEMENTS Shewed upon Ranters, Quakers and Shakers, and other wicked and Profane Perſons at their Meetings and Exerciſes in London and other Places.
Written by J.M. (a deluded Brother) lately eſcaped out of their Snare.
LONDON, Printed by J. C. in the Year .1654.
ON Monday the ſecond of this inſtant Aug. a Company of People (called Ranters) meeting in a Houſe neer Piſſing-Conduit in Cheap-ſide, taught many Diabolical & Blaſphemous TENENTS; the very recital of which, makes both my Heart & Hand to tremble; Yet for the ſatisfaction of many Godly People, that know not the d•ſpoſitions of theſe men; and other ſimple Novices that they ſeek to draw in to be of their Atheiſtical Opininions (as once I was my ſelf, though by Gods Gracious goodneſs to my ſoul, I am now reclaimed from their Errors) I have adventured to lay open to the World their licentious lives, and moſt blaſphemous doctrines of Devils; which you may well perceive, if you caſt but your eye upon their TENENTS which they hold and Teach.
1 They taught, That they could neither ſce Evill, know Evil, nor Act Evill, and that whatever they did was Cood, and not Evil, there being no ſuch thing as ſin in the World: Whereupon4 Miſtris E. B. ſtriking fire at a Tinder-box lights up a Candle, ſeeks under the Bed, Table, and ſtooles, and at laſt comming to one of the men, ſhee offers to unbutton his Cod-piece; who demanding of her what ſhe ſought for? ſhe anſweth, For ſin: whereupon he blows out her Candle, leads her to the Bed, where in the ſight of all the reſt, they commit Fornication.
2. They taught, That it was quite contrary to the end of the Creation, to Appropriate any thing to any Man or Woman; but that there ought to be a Community of all things.
3. That to Feaſt, Revell, Drinke, Sing, Roare, and to ſweare great Oathes, and to lye with a Whore, though in the Market-place, was as good Actions, as to Pray, Preach, or perform other Duties of Chriſtian Religion.
4. That there was neither God, nor Devill, Heaven nor Hell, Angel nor Feind; but that all things were by Providence.
5. That our Ever bleſſed Saviour, was a Baſtard, and an Impoſtor and deceiver of the Chriſtians, as Moſes was of the Jews, and Mahumet of the Heathens.
6. That the Sacred BIBLE was but a meer Romance, and Contradictory to it ſelf; only invented by the Witts of Former Ages, to keep People in ſubjection, and (as they term it) in Egyptian ſlavery; likewiſe, That there was as much truth in the Hiſtory of Tom Thumb, or The Knight of the SUN, as there was in that Book.
¶ After they had diſcuſſed upon theſe Diabolicall Errors and Atheiſticall Blaſphemies for the ſpace of two5 hours; in the mock and deriſion of ſinging of Pſalmes, one of them read this lacivious, and Bawdy Sonnet following; all the reſt ſinging after her.
Oh damnable Impieties! oh Monſterous Wickedneſs! oh curſed Blaſphemies! How can the glorious Eye of heaven behold theſe miſcreants without melting into tears, to cauſe a ſecond Deluge over the face of the whole Earth? Muſt they needs (like flies) burn themſelves in that flame that ſhould light them? A ſad race, to run through all Religions, into al wickedneſs, and conſequently, into eternall deſtruction; Never, Never, Never, to behold the face of God: Tell mee O Atheist, Who made thoſe gloriou•Lamps of Heaven, the Sun and Moon, the twinkling Starres, the Windes, the Hale, the Rain, the froſt and ſnow, the Rain-bow, Thunder & Lightning, the Night & Day, Winter & Summer, the Earth, the Sea, and all that in them is? Certainly, none but the LORD GOD could do this?
But in vain do I ſeek to waſh theſe Blackmores white, or to charm theſe deaf Adders; Therefore I ſhall here inſert ſome few of God's direfull Judgements happening on ſome of theſe Renters, Quakers, Shakers, and the reſt of their atheiſtical Crew, as it is inſtanced by that famous and Reverend Divine, Mr. Edward Cotton.
A Crew of Ranters meeting at Hammet in Germany, after many dayes ſpent in Riotting and Revelling, Drinking,7 Swearing & Blaſpheming; ſaying, There was no God, no Devil, no Heaven, no Hell, but that the Soul was mortall, and the Scripturture a Fiction; As they were belſhing out theſe Blaſphemies, the Devil appeared amongſt them in a very High, Terrible and Monſterous ſhape, like unto an invincible Gyant, carrying away a Hundred and Thirty of their Children in a great ſmoak, and fiery Flame; that they were never ſeen again to this day.
That at Boulton in Lancaſhire, the Devil apperred to one Mr Smith a Ranter, and bid him go to an Apothecaries to buy an Ounce of Arſnick, whereupon the ſaid Smith preſently went, but could not procure the ſad Arſnick, unleſſe he brought ſufficient ſecurity. That he ſhould do no injury with the ſame, either to himſelf or any other; ſo he ſaid Smith departing, ſaid He would fetch ſecurrity, and the next day came again accompanyed by the Devil in the ſhape of a man, who ingaged he ſhould do no harm to any one; but ſo ſoon as he had received the ſaid Aſnick, a great flaſh of Fire appeared, as if it had been Lightning from the higheſt Firmament, and carried away both the Ranter and the Apothecary; neither of them being ſeen ever after that time to this very day.
That conſtantly, at their Ranting-Meetings both in this City of London, and in the Countrey, the Devil oftentimes appeares amongſt them, ſometimes in the ſhape of a man, and other times in the ſhape of a Woman, and taking them by the hands very familiarly, he leaves the print of his fowl Paws behinde him; which the Ranters can never after get out, it remaining black and Blue, they being fearfully tormented thereat, that neither Chains nor cords can hold them in their beds. Others are pluck'd out of their beds, and crrried out of their Chambers by the Haire of their heads, and toſſed up & down from one Room to another.
8Many other dreadfull Examples of Gods heavy Judgements upon ſuch Atheiſts and filthy unclean wretches, and their fleſhly fooliſhneſs, might be ſhewn at large to dehort others from their evil Inſtigations; but this may ſuffice to ſhew that theſe filthy Dreamers are ſuch, that having had ſome knowledge of the wayes of God, and his holy Word, turning his Grace into wantonneſs, wreſt the ſacred Scriptures to their own deſtruction, and like Apoſtate wretches, abandon God and all goodneſs, and being given over to all manner of filthineſs and uncleanneſs, become the very ſeed and ſpring of the Serpent, conſecrating a continual Hollyday to all licentiouſneſs of Living, committing ſin with gredineſs without the leaſt ſenſe thereof, which is moſt miſerable: But if this be the perfection of new fancied Religions, to run through all into Atheiſme, I praiſe God, that he hath given me grace to come out of Babylon, leave them in the broad way, and ſeek out the good old Way, the right Path, that leads to eternall felicity: And truly, when I was amongſt them, I ſaw no Reverence, but much Impietie, Preſumption Profanation, and ſecret wickedneſſe; which was the cauſe I left them; and ſince renouncing my own carnall wiſedom, I rather deſire to be rul'd by ſound Reaſon, then carnall ſenſe; look into my felf, and my own deceitful heart, and ſo lay my hand upon my mouth, ſtrike upon my breaſt, and humble my ſelf to the very duſt, and according to Gods holy Word, Worke out my own ſalvation with fear and trembling, love GOD above all; my Neighbour as my ſelf, and do as I would be done by; and in what I come ſhort of this, to rely upon the Al-ſufficient merits of my Lord and Saviour; To whoſe moſt holy NAME be aſcribed al Power, Glory and Thanksgiving by Angels and Men in this World, and that which is to come, AMEN.
(EEBO-TCP ; phase 2, no. A89490)
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