an Enemy to him tho' the Creature may not know it but may think it is doing God service it being got above the suffering Seed in themselves would scatter and devour it in others And this Spirit the Lord hath shewed me and its end and hath redeemed me from it by the Spirit of the Lamb and I shall never join as Head or Tail therewith but shall earnestly pray to the Father that a deep Search of Truth may seriously pass through the Hearts and Reins of all Contenders that all that are guilty herein may speedily come to Repentance left they be hardned therein and there come a time when they would give whatever is dear to them for one Hour's Society with the People of God and cannot obtain it then with lamentable Wo shall the Wrath of that be known that is now trampled on without the true Fear of God or Life of his Love And having at length received this Favour of the Lord I have taken this time in the tender Bowels of Love as one wounded therewith to warn you hereof Beseeching you all for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake that you all search low for the Bowels of him who loved you and suffered for you when you were his Enemies and put them on towards all Men but especially towards one another who have been called by one Spirit into one Truth that so the holy Spirit be no more grieved nor Satan get any more advantage whose Work is to sow Dissention even among Brethren And the Lord God of Love give us all to see that whatever our Gifts or Powers be yet if we have not the Life and Power of Love it avails not with God though Men may esteem of us never so high For only he that dwells in Love knows God and lives in him the rest knows not what Spirit they are of And this I feelingly declare from that dear Love of God in me begotten to all his People whereby I am so far from taking delight in troubling the People of God that their growth in Peace and Truth upon the Foundation laid already was never so much desired and my Love to them is daily increased beyond what I can here express yet the Lord knows it and whence it is whether it be receiv'd by Men or no yet the Seed snall feel it in God's time to which it is and in whose Peace only I have Peace and I hope in the Power of that Love God will so strengthen me that nothing of Shame Loss or Reproach shall ever be too hard to take up for the advancement thereof as God shall shew and lead me therein without whom I dare do nothing lest I deny his Work or confound it with my own And concerning you the tender Plants of my Father who have suffered through me or with me in what the Lord hath done with me in this time of great Tryal and Temptation the Almighty God of Love who hath numbred every Sigh and put every Tear in his Bottle Reward it a Thousand-fold into your Bosoms in the Day of your need when you shall come to be tryed and tempted and in the mean time fulfil your Joy with his Love which you seek after The Lord knows it was never in my Heart to cause you to mourn whose Sufferings is my greatest Sorrow that ever yet came upon me for you are innocent herein But the Envious One hath taken his advantage which the Lord will turn to his disadvantage and utter ruine in many Souls and in this believing is all my rest in my great trouble of heart concerning you or my self and in Patience I wait to see it when the Man of Sin hath had his time to be revealed For I have seen the good Hand of God all along working in it whose End is good to all that love him else had I been destroy'd e're this such hath been the Violence of the Enemy of my Soul But he hath numbred my Hairs and not left me in the Fire or Water when none else was with me thou wert my Comforter O that I may never hide thy Praise by covering my Sin or Shame God forbid By a way unexpected did the Lord open a way to declare these Words all other means of writing being taken from me Blessed be He on whom I wait further to see his Will that I may do or suffer it The Presence and Peace of the Almighty comfort his People whom I salute in the Bowels of Love James Naylor I beseech you all that can to receive it even as you would be received of the Lord and for the rest the Lord give me Patience to suffer till the Lord make up the Breach A Testimony to Christ Jesus delivered to the Parliament who Persecuted him as a Blasphemer written in the time of his Imprisonment in Bridewell CHrist Jesus the Immanuel of whose Sufferings the Scriptures declare him alone I confess before Men for whose sake I have denied whatever was dear to me in this World that I might win him and be found in him and not in my self whose Life and Virtue I find daily manifest in my mortal Body which is my Eternal Joy and Hope of Glory whom alone I seek to serve in Spirit Soul and Body Night and Day according to the measure of Grace working in me that in me he may be glorified whether by Life or Death and for his sake I suffer all things that he alone may have the Glory of my Change whose Work alone it is in me Even to that Eternal Spirit be Glory and to the Lamb for ever But to ascribe this Name Power and Virtue to James Naylor or to that which had a beginning and must return to Dust or for that to be exalted or worshipped to me is great Idolatry and with the Spirit of Christ Jesus in me it is condemned which Spirit leads to Lowliness Meekness and Long-suffering So having an opportunity given with readiness I am willing in the Fear of God the Father in Honour to Christ Jesus and to take off all Offences from every simple Heart this to declare to all the World as the Truth of Christ is in me without Guile or Deceit daily finding it to be my Work to seek Peace in Truth with all Men in that Spirit James Naylor J. N's ANSWER to the FANATICK HISTORY In Relation to himself AS for thy Charge against J. N. through the Everlasting Mercy of my God I have yet a Being amongst the Living and breathe to answer for my self though against the Intents of many Bloody Cruel Spirits who pursued my Soul unto Death as much as in them lay in that Day of my Calamity when my Adversary was above and wherein I was made as a Sign to a Backsliding Generation who then would not see nor hear what now is coming upon them but rejoiced against this piece of Dust and had little pity towards him that was fallen into their Hands wherein God was just in giving me up for my
Scattered IN the Fear of God and Love to his Truth and People do I declare in the Spirit of Meekness what hath long oppressed my Soul concerning those Unclean Spirits gone out from the Unity of the Truth and Light by which we have been called and gathered into one in Christ Jesus the Head over all his Blessed for ever whose Name hath been greatly dishonoured through many wild Actings and his Innocent Spirit grieved and many simple Souls deceived many opressed and many offended against the Truth because of those Spirits gone out from the Truth and now secretly under a pretence seeks dayly to make it odious to all For which Work my Soul hath been much troubled Who to this Day raven about from Place to Place amongst the People of God seeking to enter where they can and so to strengthen themselves into Parties to trouble such as they cannot enter seeking to spoil the peaceable Pasture of the Lambs that they should not Feed in Peace And for that end hunt after the Meetings of the People of God All which Practises and Pretences I deny in my Soul and that Spirit that acts therein And the more it lies upon me from the Lord to warn the simple innocent ones of his thereof openly in that through me these Spirits have got much Head and Entrance into the Minds of some who were simple towards God's Truth And this the Envious One hath done in the Night of my Tryal and Hour of Darkness and Temptation taking Advantage at my Sufferings in the Day when my Judgment was taken away and I led Captive under the Power of Darkness which all along hath sought my Life had not the Father hid it and with his Hand upon me staved me in those great Temptations to whom alone I give the Glory of my Deliverance from that great Destruction as his Promise was to me before I came into that Tryal who hath now brought me up again and hath given me to see those Evil Spirits and that the Work of the Murtherer and Devourer is therein against the Life of God in his Temple Which though they seek Entrance under pretence of Humility promising some great things and more Holiness in that way to steal into simple Minds but being got in exalts themselves above the Seed of God and Tramples the Meek Spirit under Foot and so darkens the Vessels and being exalted in the Openings of the Imaginations leads the Creature as God above that of God and so against that of God he warrs in others where God is above And this Mystery of deep Iniquity hath the Lord God in the Spirit of the Lamb revealed unto me whose powerful working I have found working in me above the pure Measure and Unspotted Life of God And though in the Simplicity of Christ Jesus I had given up my Body all along a Free Offering to the Will of God in Life or in Death for the Seeds sake yet ungathered in the World as God knoweth I lye not yet could I often feel that exalted One above secretly tempting to Envy against the People of God already gathered pretending a greater thing to come another Way but this with the Life of God was ever Judged Though often I was buffeted therewith sometimes so strongly as to force Words from me above the meek and lowly Principle All which Words were soon judged with the sufferer which lay under and with his Life be they Condemned for ever And this lyes upon me to declare openly which God hath revealed to me for the sake of the simple Ones who may be deceived therewith but would not did they know his Subtilty And by this shall you all perceive that Spirit whatever it pretends it will secretly withdraw your entire Love from the Flock of God already gathered and cool your Affections and Zeal towards their present Meetings and if you judge it not there it will grow on with an Evil Eye to spy out their Failings and delight to hear of them and talk of them with an hidden Joy whispering them to others and adding thereunto with a desire to see them broken and their Nakedness laid open if any thing be amiss And thus it hath wrought in a Mystery of Wickedness in some Unjudged until it be seated in the Throne of open Enmity and Strife against the Lambs of Christ preferring the Society of the Prophane before them and taking Part therewith against them joining with any who seek to scatter them And what ever pretence this Spirit seeks to cover it self with this I declare of it having been kept by the good Hand of God to see it reveal'd in its Ground and End that it is the Old Spirit of the Ranters which now in a new Way makes Head against the Light of Christ and Life of his Cross which is the only thing that stands in its Way by condemning its Filthiness in every Conscience And so they in whom this is Entered being exalted above the Living Witness in themselves would devour it in others And this in the Presence and Fear of God I declare without the least Prejudice against the Person of any Man or Woman but in Obedience to God and for the Seeds sake lest any more of the simple should be deceived and that such as are deceived already might recover themselves out of Satan's Snares no selfish End have I in it God knoweth And long time hath my Soul been in travail e'er I could obtain Power herein so strongly hath he that letteth withstood my Way Therefore in the Bowels of tender Love I warn you all to take heed how you ever come under that Spirit under any pretence whatsoever but let the Fear of God and sound Judgment in the Spirit of Meekness you all preserve above it for wheresoever it enters by consent it is hardly got out again And if it be it is not without much Sorrow And this I have found in the Depth which for your sakes I declare in Plainness and Truth as I have learned of the Lord labouring with him without ceasing that the rest of the People of God every where may be saved from this Devourer who goeth dayly about to deceive and whosoever he takes he casts into the Earth or into the Sea for Wickedness is with him wheresoever he goeth Even the Lord God Almighty arm you all against his Wiles being warned thereof in his Love and the Eternal Power of Holiness you all preserve clean to Himself who are dearer unto me than ever and that in no other thing but in that Innocent Principle in which you are kept free from all the Pollutions of the World and Fleshly Liberty and stand Witnesses for God against it before all Men and in no other thing have I fellowship with any which is that I seek to set up above all And this was I moved to give forth to go every where as a Witness against that unclean Spirit where-ever it goes felling its Work is to run to and fro
Condition you are my joy in the Lord let my bowels be refreshed to hear of your Stedfastness and Growth in the Truth Take heed of propounding ends to your selves in any thing for that leads out of the way of God and gives way to your own Wisdom and so you seek to preserve that Alive which is appointed for Death and so you maintain War against God and know it not and in this condition you can have no Peace while the Enemies are in Arms against your Peace Oh! dear Friends you are in my Heart my Prayer to God for you is that you may be kept blameless to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ blessed for Ever My fellow Prisoner and dear Companion in the Lord Salutes you F. H. all Cease not to Pray for us that we may be kept to his Praise who hath counted us worthy to Suffer for his Name we are well and in great Peace kept in our Father's Love above all we are often brought to stand and wonder how we are kept in the midst of the Fire and not Consumed and the more that the Enemy Rages the more are we kept in Peace within Here are strange Devices used to insnare us to get ought against us true or false but all is ordered by a power the World knows not God is our Strength Rejoice with us all dear Friends and Praise his Name for Evermore for he is worthy for his Mercy endures for Ever JAMES NAYLOR A Prisoner at Appleby in Westmoreland for the Truths sake 1653. To all Dear BRETHREN and FRIENDS in Holderness and in the East Parts of Yorkshire DEAR Friends I Rejoice in you as you are entred into the Love of the Truth and have owned the Voice that calls out of the Darkness that is over all the Earth to set your Faces towards Sion the City of Everlasting Light And now mind your Way and the Light that is given to Guide you in the Way to keep your Eye to the Light that it may lead you through all the Visible things of the World and as you pass through you may stand single in the Mind unto God not turning to the right or left Hand where lies the Temptation nor looking back which lays you open to be Assaulted afresh by those Evils you had once escaped from but keeping the Eye towards the Mark pass on leaving and forgetting what is behind and Treading and Trampling under your Feet what the Enemy shall lay as stumbling blocks in your way which your Carnal Eyes or Ears or Hearts would be closing with for the Temptation lies in the Carnal things and there is the Bondage of the Creature to things that are Corrupt from which Bondage from Sin and Corruption the Lord is now Appeared that in the Light he may Redeem and lead out of it all that will own and follow him and this Light and Redemption is in his Son whom he is about to Exalt in which Exaltation a strange and mighty Work is to be brought to pass whereat all that stand not in his Counsel and Fear and to whom he shall not Reveal his Secrets shall be offended for all that is exalted shall be laid low and debased the Wisdom of the Wise shall come to nought and the Understanding of the Prudent ones shall be hid Riches and Honours shall fall to Dust from whence they came and the Worship of the World shall become Filthiness the Gods of the Heathens shall be Famished with looking for Worship but shall get none and the strongest of them shall not be able to deliver himself for the Lord will bring down all Heights and Mountains into the Valleys for in the Valley of Jehosaphat he will plead with all Flesh which hath scattered the Seed of the Covenant And now dear Friends here is your Peace and Blessedness that you Silence all Flesh and cease from your own Wisdom and give over your Imaginations about the things of God come out of the Love of the World and arise out of all Visible things and prepare to meet the Lord cast off all your Idols that have had your Hearts and put off the stumbling blocks of your Iniquities from before your Faces and give up all that will not that he should Reign over them that his Enemies may be your Enemies for in Judgment and Righteousness is he come out to be Avenged upon the Unrighteous Seed and now stand in the Light that a seperation may be made in you the Precious from the Vile that a true savour may arise that you may know your Calling and Election what is called and what you are to come out of lest you stay in any of that to which the Plagues is for this is the cause of your Suffering not discerning in the pure Wisdom what that Antichrist or exalted Spirit is that is got into the Seat of God and shews himself to be as God whose Kingdom stands in the Wisdom Glory and Riches of the World whereat all that knows not the true God in Spirit ask Counsel therefore dear Friends look not out into the Visible things for there he is ready to present to you false Voices and Visions Lying-wonders to lead out the vain Mind into the Liberty and Boasting of high things in Words without Power but while such speak of Liberty they are in Bondage in Mind to Corrupt and Fading things and while these are Head in the Creature there is not Redemption For the Bonds of Iniquity are unloosed and the pure seed is oppressed and the Plagues must pass upon that Nature therefore sink down into the Sufferings and Death that you may find the Door whereat to Enter for there is a Vale of Tears to pass thorow you shall find your Well-springs in him where you shall drink of the Water of Life and find Refreshment and grow from Strength to Strength till you come up to Sion Stand fast take heed of Words without Life spoken from the Comprehensions for that Feeds not the pure Seed but Feeds the Wisdom which is above and the Itching Ears and so the pure is covered with Earth and the Fowls of the Air is fed and no Fruit is brought forth to Perfection and take heed of that Nature that would know more than God is willing to Reveal for you shall find that unwilling to obey what it knows and take heed of that which desires to appear before Men to be commended for that seldom deserves Praise of God and let a Godly Conversation declare what is within and know one another in Spirit and not in Word and meet often together and wait upon God for his Teaching alone in a Cross to your own Wills for therein is the Secrets of God Revealed Let Love abound in you one towards another without being Partial and I beseech you by the Love of God that you halt not between God and the World but as you Profess that you are not of the World so let your Conversation be out of its Fashions Customs and Traditions and Covetous Practises that it may appear you are marked out for the Lord's and that you are not ashamed to own that which differs and so walk as not to cast an offence on the Gospel that you become not a scorn to Fools but let Wisdom be justified of her Children and take heed of that which would be exalted above others Teaching and Talking of things without Life and you that would be counted somebody let such first learn to wash the Feet of them they would be above and he that would be Greatest let him be Servant to all for it is the Humble and not the High Spirits that are Taught of God and such so walk as their Lives and Practises Teach and Judge all Vain Light and Heighty Spirits and mind how you grow out of the Earth and out of that which is in the Enmity and until you be brought out of the Love of all Visible things and wholly infolded into the Love of God you cannot witness Redemption nor receive the true Joy that ariseth in the Manifestation of the Love for it is only he that is brought up out of the Death to Reign over it whose Heart is come out of the Unrighteous Mammon who is entred into the Kingdom of Righteousness Joy and Peace and as you arise out of the Earthly Bondage you shall witness the glorious Liberty and so come to know your own Measures every one in particular to improve it and not to boast above it in another Man's Line and so you will come to see by what Power you stand in your Warfare how far you are Conquerors and who is your Enemy at present and so be able to give an Account in your selves of your Faith and how you grow from Faith to Faith And dear Friends watch over one another Exâ—ort Reprieve Admonish in pure Love and Meekness of Spirit least you also be Tempted and all know that you are set as a City on a Hill as Signs to this Generation therefore lift up your Light to all the World that all Mouths may be Stopped and Hearts Convinced so that all that see you may see you to be Children of Light and being Judged by you may be ashamed of their deeds of Darkness for great is the work of the Lord and Blessed are they that are found Faithful in it in what is committed to them Farewel dear Hearts and the Lord God Almighty Bless Prosper and Preserve you Pure and Clear unto his Kingdom Amen My Love in the Lord Salutes you all and if my Father please I shall be glad to see your Faces in the Flesh but his Will is my Peace who is Blessed for Evermore Written from Nuby the last Day of the Seventh Month 1653. A Lover of your Souls JAMES NAYLOR The Work of the Lord is great in those Parts and he carries it on with a High Hand having got himself the Victory Praise the Lord with us all that know him who is worthy even him alone for Ever FINIS Printed in the YEAR 1654.