to deceive that all may be warned by what I have learned in Sufferings and they that will not may be left without excuse JAMES NAYLOR Written in Bridewell about the Beginning of 1658. FINIS LONDON Printed in the Year 1659. TRUTH Cleared from Scandals Being James Naylor's Answer and Declaration Touching some things Charged upon him in the Lancashire PETITION HAVING heard of divers Untruths cast upon me by some of the Priests in their High Places though I stand only to the Lord in respect of my self yet least any that love the Truth should be led to speak Evil of the things they know not I shall lay open the Truth as it is in me Revealed touching those things Jude 10. Re. 19. 13 1 Joh. 1. 1 2 3 4 5. 1 Pet. 1. 25. John 1. 14. Eph. 5. 30. 1. 21 22. Joh. 8. 12. 2 Thes 2. 8 2 Cor. 6. 16. 1 Cor. 3. 16 17. whereof I have been Falsly Accused 1. Concerning Jesus Christ who is the Eternal Word of God by whom all things were made and are upholden which was before all Time but manifested in Time for the Recovery of Lost Man which Word became Flesh and dwelt amongst the Saints who is the same Yesterday and to Day and for Ever who did and doth dwell in the Saints who Suffered and Rose again and Ascended into Heaven and is set at the Right Hand of God to whom all Power is given in Heaven and in Earth who filleth all Places is the Light of the World but known to none but those who Receive and Follow him and those he leads up to God out of all the Ways Works and Worships of the World by his pure Light in them whereby he Reveals the Man of Sin and by his Power casts him out and so prepares the Bodies of the Saints a fir Temple for the pure God to dwell in with whom dwells no Unclean thing and thus he Reconciles God and Man and the Image of God 2 Cor. 5. 18 19. which in Purity and Holiness is renewed and the Image of Satan which is all Sin and Uncleanness is defaced and none Col. 3. 10. can Witness Redemption further than Christ is thus Revealed in them to set them Free from Sin Which Christ I Witness John 8. 34 36. to be Revealed in me in Measure Gal. 1. 16. 2 Cor. 13. 5. Col. 1. 27. 2. Concerning the Scriptures That they are a true Declaration 1 John 1. 3 5. 2 Pet. 1. 21 22. Deut. 4. 2. Rev. 22. 18. Tim. 3. 16 17. of that Word which was in them that gave or spake them forth and are of no Private Interpretation but were given forth to be Read and Fulfilled in the Saints as they were given forth by the Holy Ghost without adding or diminishing and was not given forth for Men to make a Trade upon to get Mony by but as they are they are Profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness that the Man of God may be Perfect throughly furnished unto every good Work But they who tread in the Letter and are Ignorant of the Mystery deny all Perfection and none can rightly 1 Cor. 2. 14 15. Joh. 3. 11. Acts 1. 5. 1 Cor. 12. 13. 1 Pet. 3. 2. Col. 2. 12. Gal. 3. 27. Rom. 6. 3. Mat. 26. 26 28. John 6. 51 53 54 55 56. 1 Cor. 10. 16. 1 Cor. 11. 24 25. Col. 2. 10. Acts 4. 32. 1 Cor. 11. 27 28 29 Joh. 5. 20. understand the Scriptures but they who Read them with the same Spirit that gave them forth For the Natural Man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are Spiritually discerned 3. Concerning Baptism the true Baptism is that of the Spirit with the Holy Ghost and with Fire Baptized by one Spirit into one Body not the washing away of the Filth of the Flesh but the answer of a good Conscience towards God by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ without which no other Baptism can Save us they being but Figures or Shadows but this Baptism of Christ is the Substance whereby we are Baptized into his Death and those who are Baptized into Christ have put on Christ 4. Concerning the Lord's Supper the true Supper of the Lord is the Spiritual Eating and Drinking of the Flesh and Blood of Christ Spiritually which the Spiritual Man only Eateth and is thereby nourished up unto Eternal Life without which Eating there can be no Life in the Creature profess what you will and all who Eat of this Bread and Drink of this Cup have real Communion with Christ the Head and also one with another as Members and are all of one Heart and one Mind a Compleat Body in Christ Now the World who take only the Outward Signs and are not brought into a discerning of the Lords Body Eat and Drink Damnation to themselves and so become guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ and calls this a Communion but Lives in Envy Strife and Debate Fighting and going to Law one with another for Earthly things 5. Concerning the Resurrection That all shall arise to give 1 Cor. 15. 38. an Account and receive at the Last Day according to their Works done in the Flesh whether Good or Evil these Bodies that are Dust shall turn to Dust but God shall give a Body as pleaseth him that which is sown in Corruption shall be raised 1 Cor. 15. 42 43 44 46 50 51. in Incorruption it is sown a Natural Body it is raised a Spiritual Body and as we have born the Image of the Earthly so we shall bear the Image of the Heavenly But Flesh and Blood Rev. 20. 6. Phil. 3. 21. 1 Cor. 15. 20. cannot Inherit the Kingdom of Heaven neither doth Corruption Inherit Incorruption for we shall all be changed But they who cannot witness the first Resurrection within themselves know nothing of the second but by hear-say And therefore say 1 Cor. 15. 47. Col. 1. 15. some of your Teachers that Christ is in Heaven with a Carnal Body now that Christ who is the first Fruits should be there with a Carnal Body and the Saints with a Spiritual Body is not proportionable 6. Concerning Magistracy That it is an Ordinance of God Ordained for the Punishment of Evil doers and an Encouragement Rom. 13. 3. to them that do Well Where Justice and Righteousness is the Head and Ruleth without Partiality that Land is kept in Peace and those who Judge for the Lord I Honour as my Jude 16. own Life not with a Flattering Honour of putting off the Hat and bowing of the Knee which is the Honour of the World having Mens Persons in Admiration because of Advantage for Self-ends but from my Heart for Conscience sake Rom. 13. 5. as to the Power which is of God and not to Mens Persons For the Scripture saith He that Respects Persons commits Sin and is Convinced of the Law as are Transgressors And
Practises and so still serve that Evil Spirit that hath all along betrayed you of your Obedience to God but wait to feel that Spirit which calls you to mourn a part every one for the Evils of his own Heart against his God and let that be minded which leads to Repentance towards God first that if by any means you may find a place for Repentance which will be hard for many of you to do you have so long Dissembled with God and betrayed his Witness in you through Deceit for this is the Truth to you all If you find that from the Lord in Spirit that will let you see the Evils of Provocation and give you Power to put it off whatever it be you will find favour with God therein for your Souls but if you find not that Spirit you will find small Peace with God and then that which Men can do for you will be little available for it is for want of Hearing and Obedience towards God that all this Evil is come upon you which must be turned to e'er it can be taken Everlastingly off for if you had harkned to his Light in your Consciences and his Word had had a Place in your Hearts to Obedience when you was yet tender then would it have kept you in his Fear so that you durst not have coveted that Cursed thing with which you hid and covered that Just Principle in you and blinded your Eyes with the Riches and Spoil of your Enemies nor durst you have set up what you had cast down and got into their Estates and so into their Pride by unrighteous Gain whom God had cast out Then had you not provoked God by these things to your utter Ruining Or if after this was entred upon you you had hearkned to his Reproof and put this off your selves with his Spirit then had he not brought this Terrible Besom to sweep it away from off you and from within you who hath left you no Place to hide your Glory or your Riches where his Hand shall not reach and his Eye find them out And there is now no hope for Agreement with God in yâ—â—r selves nor that he will cease his Anger against you till you return to that from which you departed that the same Spirit may be confessed and Glory given thereto by putting off in his Counsel and Motion that which was put on in your Counsels against that Spirit and his Light in your own Consciences and also in many others whose Souls were troubled and grieved for you in that Day and this the Lord God looks for that Glory be given to the just in his sight and in the sight of all before whom his name hath been Blasphemed And this is now the Work of this your Day while you have a little time and for this he waits and forbears that he may be Gracious to your Souls for his Names's sake And it is not a time for you to sleep and sit at ease nor spend your time in Vanity nor seek to hide that which God is resolved to declare openly nor with fleshly Counsel seek to save that which God will destroy It 's time now at last to see what that selfish Spirit and its Counsel hath done for you and Repent of it by following whereof all this Evil is come upon you for your Authority hath vomited you out your Glory hath left you naked and your Riches cannot profit you in this Day of Wrath from the Almighty This was I moved of the Lord to write to you J. N. Oh! KING GOD hath in these Nations a People gathered by himself into his Light who are known to himself better than to Men and therefore have we suffered by Men under all the Powers that have risen in this Nation ever since God called us towards himself by his Eternal Light and Spirit and though we receive not our Laws from Man yet are we not without Law as to our God but have one Law-giver even Christ Jesus our Lord our Life and our Head blessed over all And from his Laws we may not depart and by his Law in our Conscience and the Power of his Spirit in our Hearts are we ordered and guided to walk Holily towards our God and Harmlessly towards Men as the Saints of Old witnessed in Scripture however they be minded towards us and by the Virtue of the Lamb and not of Flesh and Blood are we made to give our Goods to the Spoil and our Bodies to the Tortures of Cruel Men rather than defile our Consciences or Sin against any one of the least of the Commands of our Lord and Law-giver Christ Jesus who by the Light of his Eternal Spirit doth dayly lead us out of the Evils and Vanity of this present World and having begotten us into his own Guiding he doth not suffer us to subject our selves to any thing whatsoever is not set up by himself nor to Worship the god of this World nor obey him in Commands or Customs but the Exercise of our Consciences he hath redeemed wholly to himself and by his Precious Blood hath sprinkled them and made them tender and pure so that we may not Worship false gods nor the true God in a false manner nor may we Worship Men nor the true God in a false manner nor may we Worship Men nor follow the Customs of Nations Kindreds or People or Languages but the Spirit of Truth it self we must follow Nor may we break Christ's Commands in Swearing when Men Command us but must obey him who faith Swear not at all Nor may we join to or uphold any Worship whatsoever but what the Spirit of Truth it self leads us into though many have sought to force us thereto Nor may we leave the Ministry of Christ and that Maintenance which the Gospel allows of to Maintain a Priesthood with Tithes and so go back from Christ to the Law that the Apostle saith is disannulled Heb. 7. And for such things as these concerning a tender Conscience and the Law of our God have we suffered Grievous Persecution and not for any Unrighteousness done by us against any Man's Person or Estate nor have we suffered by any just Law of the Nation but by the Wills of Cruel Men and as a Prey to every Man's Lust hath been our Liberties Lives and Estates and the Rulers that have been to this Day have not sought our Deliverance but have dealt Treacherously with us and the Lord whom we serve hath seen it and reproved it and yet we are not set free but at this Day we live in the Account of the rude and envious People as a People appointed to Death and Desolation and the whole Body of Ungodliness and Rage of Wickedness is upon us daily and with Cruelty falls upon us in our Persons and Estates and our Peaceable Meetings to Worship the living God And as to all these things we are laid as the Mire in the Street for every rude Boy to run
over and we have not found help from Man as to all the Powers that have been till this Day since we were a People nor do we speak this because we look for help from Man nor indeed can we expect that from Men until Men own the same Principle of God to Rule in them to which we are subject which is the Son of Righteousness and leads all into Righteousness Truth and Peace that his Light doth follow who is known to us to be King of Kings and Judge of the Judges though Flesh and Blood sees not his Kingdom And now O King as we have been moved of the Lord in Bowels of Love and with much Plainness of Speech after the Spirit of Truth and not with vain Complements to lay these things before all the several Powers that have risen hitherto with several other Evils which our God hath sent us to testifie against both in Rulers Teachers and People so we have done and for that we have suffered also for a Witness against them as it is at this Day So the same God hath now after a while put into our Hearts to lay these things before thee O King that thou mayst not be Ignorant to what we are called and for what we suffer And in this we rejoice That we feel love to thy Soul even while we are thus doing and if many should be moved hereto of God take heed of being wearied therewith nor count it Clamour or Trouble as they that was before thee did and so let up Prejudice and Evil Thoughts in their own Hearts against the Innocent for this we say unto thee and affirm in the Name of our God that the more any are truly moved by the Eternal Spirit to warn thee of these Things or any other Evils that may any way grieve his Holy Spirit so much doth the Lord of thy Life and true and Everlasting Peace double his Love unto thee and shew his Willingness to stay thee from that which hath removed Kings and broken Kingdoms And this we know to be in God and by him in us towards thy Soul and Eternal Welfare And though we cannot Swear and Unswear Covenant and Uncovenant with every Change that comes as Men do that know not the Everlasting Covenant and Decree of God yet this hath God fealed in our Hearts To seek the Good of all Men Plot against none but study to live quietly and Exercise our Conscience faithfully towards whatever Government our God shall set up desiring that all Men in their Day may so use their Power as they may give Account to God with Joy and not leave their Names for a Curse and Reproach among Men for this we know That God is now at Hand to give a speedy Reward to every Man as shall be the Work of his Day Wherefore O King seek the Fear of the Lord and not Pleasure do Justice and Judgment in this thy Day Relieve the Helpless Oppressed and break the Yoak of Bondage that lies upon the Poor and bring Judgment into the Gates and let not Justice be sold least the Meek of the Earth Cry to God against thee Verily God is nearer this Nation to avenge than many can believe though the hath done Wonders in this Generation that many Generations have not seen and he is trying all Sorts of People with the Testimony of his Appearance Blessed are they whose Eye is open to discern the Signs of the Times for a Work is God working in the Earth and he will cut it short in Righteousness for his Elect sake which Daily hath waited upon Him that is Blessed for ever O King spend not thy time in Fleshly Pleasures neither strive after that Glory which will fade away but apply thy Heart to God and wait to feel his Spirit in thee giving thee Light and Understanding to guide thy ways before him for only Blessed is he who Rules by his power and who is taught of God shall be Established in Righteousness and be far from Oppression and only such shall be called the Blessed of God to all Generations read and remember the Righteous and the Wicked From one of those whom the World calls Quakers JAMES NAYLOR Written the 3d Day of the 4th Month 1660. FINIS LONDON Printed in the Year 1660. To all the Dearly Beloved PEOPLE of GOD Mercy and Peace THere is nothing dear and percious to me in this World but God's Truth and his Life of Righteousness for which I have forsaken all the World and whatever was dear to me therein I have hated and counted it as an Enemy that I might obtain Christ the Fountain and Spring of that Eternal Life of Truth the Beauty whereof I cannot express as I see it and feel it The Loveliness thereof to my Soul hath so dearly united my Spirit to all that bear the Image and Life of it that there can be no Separation but my Life suffers thereby and I can truly say that there is no other thing whatsoever that can unite me as one with any Creature living but this Image and Life where I see it born up or breathing to Life but in whomsoever it be without respect of Persons that I see the least appearance of this Seed of Life is I can by that Power of Love the Father hath begotten in me lay down my Life to serve for the Seed's sake And wherein I have come short of this formerly and have respected the High more than stood only in this Seed I have been judged of the Lord and my evil Thoughts therein condemned yea and I do condemn them before all the World to be of that which favours Self and not the Things of Christ And the lower God doth bring me and the nearer to himself the more doth this Love and Tenderness spring and spread towards the poor simple and despifed ones who are poor in Spirit meek and lowly Suffering Lambs and with those I choose to suffer and do suffer where-ever they are found and I bear my Testimony against that Spirit by which they suffer where-ever it is found and this lies upon me from the Lord Hearing and feeling a Spirit of Enmity having got head by what the Lord hath done with me and now doth exercise its Power against the Peaceable Meetings of the Lord's People the Burthen whereof lies heavy upon me and I suffer under it and have long waited with Prayers and Tears of Sorrow Night and Day to receive Counsel from the Lord what to do in it in that Condition I am now in at present God knows I Lye not for there is nothing of all my Hardships that hath lain and doth lie upon me like this that any of the Flock of God should be offended or suffer through me therefore I have not ceased to warn as God hath opened to me such as I could speak to to live in Peace and Love to suffer but not to act Strife and Violence and have denied that Spirit not to be of the Lamb but