let the stone Walls and iron grates convince him for we dare not meete him in the plaine feild in a publick dispute though he be but an unlearned youth And if it be possible keepe him in darknesse and obscuritie And if you can doe it handsomely that the World can take no notice of it starve him for we command you to let nothing be brought unto him Oh! you Satyrs Vultars Owles and Scritch-Owles for so the Holy Ghost calls you Esay 13. two last verses Esay 34.14.15 Rev 18.2 The Roman spirituall State being that Cage of filthinesse that holds you who are as the Holy Ghost there speakes a Company of Dragons Devils and foule Spirits Oh! you Night-Owles and Birds of Darknesse and uncleanes that dare not come to show your crooked faces in the bright Sun-shining light and cleare Crystall glasse of Gods sacred and unspotted Truth It sheweth demonstrateth to all the World that you are a Company of deformed Creatures and Sonnes of Darknesse impiety wickednesse ungodlinesse Or else you would lay aside your Cowardly Clubb-Arguments and come into the face of the open Sunne that there you may be seene whether you be rotten or sound or whether you be true gold or nothing but durt drosse which is good for nothing but the dunghill or whether your Kingdome be the Kingdome of Christ or the Kingdome of the Divell for of necessity it must be one of these for there is no more spirituall Kingdomes in the world but these two Or whether you your selves be servants of Christ or the servants and true subjects of the Divell But your hating of the truth and blaspheaming of it calling it the Refuge of Heritickes as you did in your open Court at the Censure of that worthy Doctour Doctour Iohn Bastwicke And also your hating and bloody persecuting of them that loue it doth vndenyably declare and manifest what you are and of whom your Kingdom doth depend For Christ saith every one that doth evill hates the sight neither cometh to the light least his deedes should be reproved Iohn 3.20 Truely you plainelie shew that you are men of darknesse and workers of wickednes and iniquitie for you cannot endure the light for it is too cleare too bright for you to come nakedlie and openlie and shew your selues before it because you are men of darknesse and evill doers and therefore you hate the light but if you were men that were workers of righteousnesse and walked in the waies of truth you would not be affraide to be tried by the light of it but would desire to be brought vnto it And in the former place Christ saith he that doth truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God and therefore to conclude this point I will say no more then Christ saith you may know the tree by the fruit for a bad tree doth not bring forth good fruit nor a good tree corpupt fruit Math. 7.18 Luke 6.43 But to goe backe againe to Iohn 8. In the second place Christ saith The Divell abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him when he speaketh a ly he speakth it of his owne for he is a lyar and the father of it Here Christ shewes that the Children of the Divell abide not in the truth but haue their soules filled with lyes And whether you the Prelates be not such I appeale even to your owne writings sayings doeings the most of whose writings are stuffed with many vntruths having almost as many lies in them as pages And for the vntruths delivered in your Court Sermons Worthy Doctour Bastwicke in the third part of his Letany hath painted out in there colours yea what damnable Doctrines are there taught saving some few agreeing with the Filthy Whore Strumpet of Rome as that forenamed Doctour doth proue in the second part of his Letany with which he doth most truely paralel you that you are in a manner both of one corruption yea among all the rest he there proues that you hold and maintaine that monstrous and horrable Doctrine of Transubstantiation that is to say That the Body of Christ is reallie corperallie and essentiallie in the Sacrament of his Supper And this also may be proved out of the great Prelats speech made before the honorable Lords at the Censure of the three late worthies Yea whole Vollumes may be made of those damnable Doctrins that you hold are not ashamd to publish them to the view of the whole world Cum Privilegio especialy in your late printed Bookes By all which you proue make good this portion of Scripture that you are of your father the Divell because you do not abide in the truth but speake preach write and maintaine false lies wicked and damnable Doctrines Thus haue I by the strēgth of my God a litle deciphered you in a brief way But it may be you will be like a nest of Wasps which being stirred will flie about my eares with your Scorpion stings but if you do it will manifest you to be part of those Locusts as you are indeede and in truth that came out of the bottomlesse pitt Revel 9.2.3 of whom the Hoy Ghost saith that they had tailes like Scorpions and there were stings in there tailes and they had power to hurt men verse 10. But be it known vnto you that I am not in the least affraid of you for I neither feare an Axe at Tower hill nor a Stake in Smithfield nor a-Halter at Tyburne nor Whipping at a Carts-arfe nor a Pillary in the Pallice-yard nor Gagging nor Cutting of eares and nose nor Burning in the forehead or cheeks nor yet Banishment with Iohn to Pathmos For I verilie beleeve if you should send me thither I shall there finde Christ which by his spirit will vnfold the Revelation vnto me and then J would write it and send it abroad into the world and it would vex you as ill as Sampson did the Philistims proue as fatall to your decaying tottering spirituall Babilonian Antichristian Kingdome as his Foxes with fire-brands at their tailes were to the Philistims Corne. And therefore as you loue your almost ruinated Kingdome looke to it and knowe that the faster you kicke the harder I will spurre you the more you fling the closer will I sticke cleave fast vnto you for you are plants which I groundedly know the Lord never planted therfore vndoubtedly he will plucke you up Mat. 15.13 And therefore by the might power and strength of my God Psal 118.14 Esa 12.2 who is the worker of all my works in mee and for mee Esa 26.12 For I am resolved come life come death seeing you by force crueltie haue called me to it to shewe my selfe valiant for the truth of God Ier. 9.3 I alreadie made three Challenges to dispute with you but you are so Cowardlie that you dare not to come into the plaine and open field but you fight with tyrant-like weapons namelie with crueltie And therefore to see whether you haue any manhoode in you or noe J make send forth this fourth Challenge to you Bishops Prelates which is this That I will if you please dispute with you all face to face before the King and State for life and libertie vpon these ensueing Propositions First To proue that the Popes Power is from the Divell Secondly That your Calling Power Authoritie Iurisdiction is from the Pope Thirdly That all Gods people are bound vnder paine of eternall damnation to withdraw their spirituall obedience and subjection from your spirituall law and Kingdome Now vnpon these propositions will I dispute with you all and venter life for life before the King and State vpon these tearmes First That you shall lay aside Club-Arguments which is take him Iaylour and lay him in Irons and locke him up close Prisoner and keep him in safe custodie Secondly That the Booke of God which is an infallible truth shall be the sole Iudge of the Controversie Thirdly That J may haue libertie without being Gagged to speake my minde freelie and boldlie Fourthly That J may haue the vse of some books which I shall chuse And if you dare grāt me these 4 things if I be not able to proue all the fore said Positions by demonstrable and vndeniable arguments that you shall not be able in the words of truth to gainsay or deny thē I wil be willing to lose my head and life therefore take notice of what J haue now the fourth time said and challenged you to your faces for I intend to send you this that in the presence of the King and Nobles you will make it good and therefore if you be not Cowards fitt yourselues to come into the open pitched field face to face Also be it knowne vnto you that I will at Pauls Crosse dispute with all your Priests and Deacons vpon these Propositions First That they are all of them Servants Ministers of Antichrist Secondly That in the place and standing they are now in at this present they haue no authority from God to preach his word nor administer any of his sacred ordinances to the peole nor the people any ground or warrant out of the word of God to heare the word from or pertake with them Thirdly That the Church of England as at this day it stands is Antichristian both in Power in Matter in Ministrie in Forme and in Woshirppe Fourrhly That all Gods people are bound in duty conscience to separate away from it to haue no communion with it All which things if J be not able to proue against them all laying aside as I said before all Club law and letting the word of God be the sole Judge of the controversie I will be bound to preach a Recanting Sermon in every Citty in the Kingdome JOHN LILBURNE FINIS
hands and from your Tyrannising crueltie But if he doe not be it knowne unto you Oh ye Prelates that I will not serve you nor worship you nor yeeld nor submit in any spirituall things unto you And if I were at liberty I would professe those Truths of God surely without feare which he himselfe hath made knowne unto me And if J were at any time taken by any of their Officers I would not goe to prison with them unlesse they carried me by force Yet if it were the meanest Officer in the Kingdome that tooke me that were made an Officer by vertue of the Kings Authority and power I would submit unto him and goe with him whether he would have me for I know the Kings Authority is from God And if I should disobey it I should disobey God and sinne against God and breake his Command Rom. 13. And therefore I will obey him his Lawes and all those that beare his Authority in all things they command or enjoyne me without any the least resistance at all heartily from my heart either actively or passively for if they command me any thing that is not contrary to the Word of God I will obey them actively But if they command me any thing that is dishonourable to God or his Truth I dare not in the least obey them actively but say with the Apostle whether it be fitt to obey God or Men judge ye for we ought to obey God rather then Men Acts 5.29 Yet I will submit my body to them and suffer cheerfully without any grudging any thing they shall inflict upon me for I doe hold it unlawfull for any of Gods people in their greatest Oppression by the Majestrate to rebell or to take up any Temporal armes against them whether the Oppression be in Spirituall or Temporall things but only to pray and make use of Gods two edged Sword Heb. 4.12 Rev. 19.15 and waite upon with patience for redresse and deliverance and to seeke unto him for strength that they may willingly and couragiously suffer any Terrours or Torments that they will inflict upon them for standing close to God and his naked Truth and cause But to the Kingdome of the Beast these members of which the Prelates are will I never stoope by the might of the Lord of Hosts nor have any spirituall communion with them for the Lord hath expresly commanded me and all his people to have nothing to doe with Idols nor with Idolaters 1 Cor. 10.14 1 Iohn 5.21 Exod. 23.32 Deut. 7.1.2.3.4.5 and 12.3 Now they are the greatest Idolaters that euer were in rhe world and the most pernitious Idols that are upon the Earth Rev. 9.20 cap 17. for they haue a golden Cup put in their hands it is full of abomination filthines with it they dazle the eyes of the world make it to cōmit close hiddē fornication Idolatrie which is the greatest and most dangerous Idolatrie that is for they couer their wickednesse and deceiveablenesse over with the Name of the Lamb but for all that doe the deeds of the Dragon Rev. 13.11 Iohn 8.44 But if they professed Idolatry openly to the eyes of the World the people would detest them but they doe it closely and covertly and therefore are not so easily discerned but deceive very many Math. 24.5 And therefore the Beasts Kingdome is called as it is indeed the Misterie of iniquitie 2 Thess 2.7 Now J will maintaine it that the Kingdome of the Beast is the greatest Idol that ever was in the World and the greatest plague that ever God sent into the World as the Revelation of Saint Iohn doth declare and as appeares by the expressions of the Spirit of God in the 8. Chapter where we may read that when the 4. First Angels had sounded their Trumpets mighty and horrible plagues then followed them worse and more great were to come after as appeares by the vehement expressions and calling out of the Holy Ghost with a loud voice Verse the last Saying Woe Woe Woe to the inhabitants of the Earth reitterating 3 times together by reason of the other voices of the Trumpet of the three Angels which are yet to sound For why the fifth Angell in the first Verse of the next Chapter sounded then followed a mighty horrible plague to all the inhabitants of the world The like whereof was never heard off before and that is the smoake that came out of the bottomlesse pitt which was that horrible darkenesse and spirituall blindnesse and sottish ignorance that seazed upon the World dureing the time of the Beasts Kingdome which was so great that the visible face of a Church of Christ could not be found upon the Earth for the heavens departed as a scroll together Rev. 6.14 And out of this smoake or darknesse came the Locusts the beasts officers or Clergy which are a multitude in number there being in the Kingdome of Antichrist at this day above an hundred severall Officers Whereas in the Kingdome of Christ there is but 5. Namely Pastor Teacher Elder Deacon and Widdow Rom. 12.7.1 Ephes 4.11 Phil. 1.1 1 Tim. 3.1.2 and 5. Titus 1.5.7 Againe the Spirit of God pronounceth another woe to the inhabitants of the Earth and of the Sea for the Devill is turned downe unto you having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time the like expression we read not of in the whole Booke of God nor that there were any such plagues since the beginning of the World As those were which came along with the Kingdome of the Roman Beast as the Stories of all ages since his beginning is able to witnesse and prove for men worshipped the Devill and committed such horrible wickednesse for which God sent such mighty plagues upon them as the like before was never heard off before in the world as the whole Booke of the Revelation doth witnesse Therefore of all Idols that ever were in the World Gods people have most cause of all to detest abhorre and abominate the Idolaters and the Idols in the Kingdom of the Beast whosoever the Lord loves he will deliver frō them Rev. 20.4 But those that are his enemies and hated of him shall continue in subjection to it Rev 9.4 and 13.8 and 14.9.10.11 and 19.20 Pro. 2.18.19 and 5.5 and 7.27 and 9.18 Now the time of the raigne and durance of the Kingdome of the Beast in the 11. Rev. 2. is said to be 42 moneths and in the 12. Rev. 14. it is called a time times and halfe a time which is three yeares and a halfe And in the first Verse of this Chapter it is tearmed to be 1260 dayes which is just 42 moneths reckoning 30 dayes to every moneth and it makes also three yeares and a halfe accounting 12 Moneths to every yeare and this is the time of the Raigne of the Beast or the durance of Antichrists Kingdome Which if we reckon each day for a yeare as the Lord himselfe in Scripture
are no better then scandalous factious and seditious when as indeed they were the words of nothing but the naked Truths of God and did not in the least meddle with the persons of any or with any temporall state matters with which I have nothing to doe and say unto And therefore they could neither factious nor seditious unlesse the Booke of God be faction and sedition which were blasphemy once to thinke But indeed with the Prelates every thing that is said or written against their spirituall Babilonian wicked Kingdome is counted faction and sedition for indeed they have no other arguments to maintaine their tottering and languishing Kingdome but Clubb Law that is to say tyranny blood-thirstinesse and cruelty But take that Argument and Weapon away and then a Child will disarme them and beare them and take away their Weapons from them And then to ruine and destruction will their decaying Kingdome come and also the Weapons that J exhorted and perswaded the people of God to draw out against the Prelates those Spirituall Adversaries of the Kingdome of the Lord Iesus Christ was not any temporall sword or Weapon but only the two edged sword of Gods Word spoken off Hebrews 4 12. And they are more described in the sixth of the Ephes Also the next day after my sufferings by Mr. Ingram the Warden of the Fleete I sent this Challeng in particular to the Bishop of Canterbury and earnestly intreated him to deliver is to himselfe that I would dispute with him before all the Nobles and Peeres of this Kingdome And if I were not able to prove that his calling and power is from the Devill I would be willing to lose my head But I pray you take notice of his great learned Arguments which he used to confute me and defend himselfe which were these Let him be lockt up close prisoner in the basest place in the Wards of the Fleete for so runne the words of the Order and let none come at him least he should infect any of the people with his errours and so be a meanes to bring ruine and destruction upon his spirituall Kingdome Oh! Scholasticall Arguments indeed Alas poore man are your eyes so sore that they cannot endure to looke upon the Sunne or your back so gawled that you cannot endure to be touched it seemes they are or else you would never have been affrayde to have met a younge man in the open feild to have tryed out the goodnesse of your cause who desires no other Weapons against you but the Bible the Word of Life and infallible judge of all Controversies and the Liberty of my Tongue to speake freely without any gagging And yet you are affrayde and dare not meere me in a publicke dispute As poore weake and feeble men let me speake in the words of the spirit of God unto you Ier 12. if you have runne with Foote-men and they wearied you then how can you contend with Horses And if in the Land of peace wherein you trust they have wearied you how will you then doe in the swellings of Jordan That is to say if you be affrayde of me a younge beginner in the wayes of God Or if you dare not venture in the Land of peace where you have the Temporall power and sword at command to incounter with me a stripling that never studied Philosophy Logick Rhetorick nor euer was at any Vniversity to learne any Lattin Greeke or Hebrew How will you doe in the swelling of Iordan when your temporall power shall be taken away from you and strange men of great parts fall upon you and make open spirituall warre against you Surely you will never be able to stand for already your Pillars that hold up your Kingdome are growne so rotten that they cannot endure to be roughly handled or touched And therefore without doubt ere long your building must needs fall and therefore looke to your heads and take notice that I have given you warning of it least you repent when it is to late Againe upon Thursday the 17. or 18 of May last I was had before Sir Iohn Bancks and Mr. Littleton the Kings Attourney and Soliciter Generall to be examined what J said at the Pillory before whom I expressed my minde so freely that they were willing and desirous that J should hold my peace and laboured with me by fleshly Arguments as Peter did with Christ to save my selfe But before them I made this challenge and desired them to tell it to the Bishops that I would dispute with them all before my Dread Soveraigne whose faithfull loyall and humble subject I am to prove their calling so farre from being of God as they affirme it is that is is from the Devill And if I were not able to prove it or if I delivered any thing in the proofe of it that deserved death I would not refuse to dye or if J held any errours if they could by the Authority of the Scripture confute me I would publickly recant them But their Argumēts replicatiō to this my challeng was Lay him fast in Irō chains Armes and Leggs coupled together And let him lye in them night and day And let neither gold nor money nor bookes nor writings nor any other thing be brought unto him from his freinds And let none come to him to speake with him And if any come to aske for him take notice of their name and place of habitation that so we may overcome him with crueltie and Tyrannie and make him submit for if we doe it not by these meanes he will hardly be brought unto it And therefore Warden of the Fleete looke to it have a speciall care of him that none come to have any talke with him or give him any thing that so we may by Tyrannie Crueltie and Torments overcome him for he leads away a multitude of people and causes them to follow him And he is of such a lofty high spirit that if he goe on in the way he will spoyle our tottering Kingdome And therefore put to your best assistance to see if by any meanes you can overcome him to get him to submit This was the effect of their speech Oh! Brave Episcopall Arguments indeed But J pray you did ever Christ or his Apostles or any of his Servants use any such Arguments to overcome or convince those that were opposite to them in judgement No verily in the whole New Testament we doe not read that any of Christs servants for spirituall things used any such Weapons or Clubb Arguments as these for they used nothing but spirituall Weapons to overcome ther enemies And with the sharpe two edged sword of Gods Word Heb. 4.12 Rev 19.15 they fought against their Adversaries by this and by this alone they did overcome them And Peter with this one Weapon did strike downe three thousand of them at a blow and made them yeeld subjection to the Kingdome of Christ Acts 2. And we never reade of any temporall Weapon that they made