pierced then oh my soul learn to make this use of thy feet the feet of thy body or thy affections the feet of thy soul oh be thou one of them that follow the Lamb this Lamb whither ever he goeth step by step oh my Soul be thou ready at his call as that righteous man Abraham was in all obedience to come up to his foot And now Soul Behold his 12th and last bleeding when lifted up upon the Crosse and his sacred side was pierced causing him to bleed to purpose to the finishing of his own life and accomplishing of thy salvation Oh therefore let him have thy heart in service for thou hast his blood in sacrifice and his heart blood might forthwith as in the text come out well enough for this also the Souldier did Now soul look up and hear what thy Jesus said It is finished And behold what thy Jesus did saith the Text He bowed his head and gave up the Ghost The people hearing what was to be done came together saith the Text to see that sight And all the people that came together to that sight beholding the things which were done smote their breasts and returned Oh for an eye of Faith to see thy Saviour this blessed sight indeed thy Jesus thus bowing down his bleeding head and finishing the great work of Redemption for us May we not smite upon our hearts and say what have we done What a bloudy sight have my sins made And cry out what shall I render to this my Lord for all the benefits I have gained by all these his sufferings oh let us lay a charge upon our souls and say Blesse the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me blesse his holy name Blesse the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits Who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy Diseases who redeemeth thy life from destruction who crowneth thee not with thorns but with loving kindness and tender mercies And all this gained to us by this his bleeding and that unto death Thus oh Soul thou hast seen Christ's love sealed with his blood who when we were enemies thus bled and died for us Oh then let the love of Christ constrain us to mourn over him that was thus for us pierced that is amongst us thus blasphemed Let it constrain us to love him again to love his Word all his Ordinances Saints especially his Ministers and the more them because by Impostors and Seducers so much maligned now let their feet be more beautiful than ever and that for their tidings sake as the Prophet faith And that we may see its a Gospel-text and duty the Apostle makes use of it from the Prophet to be our duty thus to love and honour those Teachers that are sent that have Commission for it s confined to them How shall they preach except they be sent As it is written How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things Now the Apostle speaking that in the last dayes perilous times shall come amongst other sinners brings in Blasphemers and they have also their form of godliness But the precept is from such turn away not turn unto And the Apostle gives them this Character They creep into Houses and lead captive silly * women and men too but laden with sin And we shall see the Apostle Jude directing his Epistle not only to them that are sanctified by God the Father but to the preserved in Jesus Christ and called tells them though yet preserved it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the Saints Why all this what 's the matter The Reason is for there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old ordained to this condemnation ungodly men turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ Now doth not this Text set forth this Impostor Nailor being so exceeding vicious and erronious Ah poor Bristol that thou must for indeed thou can'st witness this more then any Thou mayest say indeed this is a day of trouble and rebuke and of Blasphemy it may be the Lord our God will hear the words of Rabshekah this Nailor and will reprove the words which the Lord our God hath heard wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left What Hezekiah said to the Prophet Isaiah do we that remnant that is yet left say to you all you despised contemned opposed Prophets For though these Seducers and their Proselytes deal so with you yet unto us that fear the Lord you are in our account the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God therefore for the Lords sake lift up your prayers for us do not only preach to us but make conscience in your private devotions of praying for us for that Text is an everlasting truth He is a Prophet and shall pray for thee If you ask why we are so earnest I 'le tell you That remnant that is left is but a remnant out of a remnant and even in them and me are the seeds of Apostasie for Heresie is a work of the flesh therefore pray for us pray that we also may perform our duty which is to pray for you And oh that the Spirit of prayer were recovered again in us I do somewhat remember when the Sword was first drawn in Ireland how we were affected considering our Brethren and their leading the way to our own troubles how this stir'd up a spirit of prayer when we considered the Concomitants of Warre and those destroying instruments which as one saith made many times a harvest for the Devil as glittering Swords roaring Cannons Skul-dividing Holberts murdering Muskets that while one is discharging his Gun another discharges him of his life and that it may be one Brother another This did then so put us a weeping and praying that it could not be said as the Prophet Isaiah there is none that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee O you Teachers pray your hearers into a praying posture But it will be said this is over now I would it were suppose it be is there no cause of weeping and praying Consider When the Question was put to Mary Woman why weepest thou Oh saith she speaking as a woman undon they have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him Now though Warre be gone and what the Souldiers have not taken away we yet keep yet do not men Devils incarnate seek to take away Sabbaths Scriptures Ordinances Ministers yea our Lord Jesus his person were he within their reach and we know not where they would lay him And may not we say again these things the Souldiers did And one of the Souldiers pierced his side and was
and his Ordinances to say I was seduced by false Teachers Anabaptists and Quakers Fox and Nailor c. I confesse it will add to the number of the Seducers stripes but not take off theirs who are seduced When those poor deluded and seduced Souls shall crie to Christ their Judge for mercie may he not then say to them Did I not command that you should take heed what and how and whom you hear Did not I command you to hear my Servants whom I sent Did not my Servant the Apostle Paul give you a plain Scripture How can they preach savingly except they be sent May not Christ say Did I send or bid you hear Jesuites Seducers false Teachers Impostors Fox and Nailor and such like Friends look to it we shall be all in earnest then at that great day of account a Christian must have his why for his wherefore Walk therefore by rule yea and hear by rule too To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this word it s because there is no light in them And am I not to hear then as well as they to speak according to this word And now Friends being called by the Magistrates of this City as you will see in the ensuing discourse to bear witness against an unheard of Blasphemer James Nailor I shall not only give you an account of him and his Blasphemies his Examinations Sentence and deserved sufferings both at London and Bristol but of some of my own thoughts in my Journey to London Westminster where I witnest against him which thoughts though they somewhat sadden'd my Journey yet much sweetned my Soul and caused it to rejoyce That which much sadded me and oh that my heart could be more serious in bewailing it was that all which you will read of spoke or done by this Blasphemer and his Disciples was against the Lord Jesus Christ That which sweetned and much comforted my Soul was That though unworthy and the least of all Saints I can in some measure say It was against him who is my Lord Jesus my Lord and my God all against him that is mine that hath dearly bought me to be his THE EPISTLE Friends WHen I had composed the ensuing Narrative and had fairly transcribed it for the use of my self and Relations as some very well know Some Christian Friends who perused it know that I never intended the publishing of it and indeed being conscious to my own weakness and disability for such a work I need not be ambitious to be seen in the Presse It being also contrary to my judgement that men under the notion of gifted Brethren having not a call to nor indeed ability for it should so oft be seen in Presse and Pulpit considering what the Apostle speaks Who is sufficient for these things But the practice of this present age saith such is the high conceipt that impudence and ignorance hath of it self Who is not sufficient for these things And truly Brethren That which I shall speak to in reference to the occasion of this Narrative will not be by way of teaching for I dare not but only helping my self and others to lament the sad effects of Toleration falsly call'd liberty of Conscience which indeed long since was moved for by many and of late years too much yielded unto and in a Book called The Compassionate Samaritan it was desired That the Parliament would provide that private Congregations might have protection as well as publick And that all Statutes against Separatists might be repealed and that the Presse might be free for any that writes so he writes nothing scandalous or dangerous to the State you have in it never a So if they write any thing dangerous to Religion and scandalous to the Gospel Ah Brethren This liberty hath not been I suppose and he that speaks by supposition may sometimes speak truth Luk. 7.43 the least cause of all our divisions nay of all our blasphemies errors and heresies nay of all our loose principles and practices suitable thereunto at present amongst us all which is sadly to be bewailed and lamented by all that fear the Lord For although a rebaptized man is pleased in print to say They do but dream that say these are sad times So he speaking to the Presbyterian Ministers yet truly by his good leave there cannot be a Soul to whom Christ hath said in the voice of the Gospel Awake thou that sleepest but he being thus awakned must say That since England was delivered from Paganism and Popery there were never sadder times If Judgements and that spiritual upon a Nation may be a cause of sadness God now dealing with us as with Pharaoh who being not humbled but hardned under those plagues that were upon him and his people God threatens to send them all the worst and saddest plague of all upon his heart For I will at this time saith the Lord send all my plagues upon thine heart And as that godly discerning Divine Mr. Baxter certainly saith he such spiritual plagues as our eyes now behold are as evident notes of Gods heavy displeasure as men can expect to see on earth Brethren is not this sad And is it not sad that men should be so Jesuited as to take up such principles that unlesse God do mercifully step in and prevent will undermine and overthrow the Gospel Religion Reformation and all that is or should be dearer to us then our lives Are not these sad times and doth it not call for mourning and that if it were possible with teares of blood And is it not sad when some that were and would now be looked upon as high Professors above their Brethren and yet now receive that for a glorious light and true Doctrine which before they would have abhorr'd as heathenish as indeed it is insomuch that if a Christian should have said some years agoe that they would embrace such Doctrine they would have answered as Hazael did in another case What thinkest thou thy servant a Dogge And is it not sad then to consider how many packs there are in the Nation of these Creatures Yea see one thing more my Brethren which to me is very sad That many of those who enjoy ordinances in a reformation way walk no more holy and humble under them and thankfully for them then they do Truly all these are sad things But hath it not been our gifted Brethren whose pride to say no more hath led them to that boldness in Presse and Pulpit who have occasioned most of all this And good Friends Do not all that fear the Lord think and that truly that England will have cause to bewail the Toleration given and the liberty taken in this kind Alasse Brethren Is it enough to make a man a Minister that he can two or three houres in a week discourse well if it be well and speak Scripture-Language in which time many
and asked him Who art thou He confessed and denyed not but confessed I am not the Christ And they asked him What then Art thou Elias And he saith I am not Art thou that Prophet And he answered No Also you may consider that of Peter his practice Acts 10.25 16. But my work will not be Confutation but desire lamentation Now John answering No though I would not be critical upon words yet considering this Blasphemer and his Disciples are so singular and do so tye themselves to Yea and Nay as if Yes and No were not sometimes translated in Scripture as well as the other For as John answers No so Peter answers Yes Matth. 17.24 25. And the Apostle Paul Rom. 10.18 c. I would not quarrel with words but leave it as one evil mark of Seducers strifes of words But because they make so much of it and place much of their Religion in it I offer to consideration that in 1 Kings 3d Chapter from the 16th verse to the end where we have a Relation of two Women that came to Solomon about a Child and both lay claim to it but to the thing in hand in ver. 22. you have both words Nay and No and it is observable it s the false Mother hath her Nay Now you know that Scripture-Proverb As is the Mother so is her Daughter and this you shall see made good by an instance in the New Testament like Mother like Daughter Saphira who was privy to that hypocrisie of her Husband in keeping back part of the price they sold their possession for when the Apostle asked her Tell me saith he whether ye sold the Land for so much And she said Yea for so much So then here you have a fit pair of hypocrites to make Quakers and seeing the Scripture doth thus match them let them go together Well here you see something about words but in my Narrative you will see something bad enough in practice Therefore Friends keep to hearing as before was advised And beloved seeing you know these things before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastnesse but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ And so I commend you to God and to the Word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an Inheritance among all them which are sanctified and the very God of peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole Spirit and Soul and Body be preserved blamelesse unto the comming of our Lord Jesus Christ Amen and Amen The Quaker's JESVS The Lord is known by the Judgement which he executeth the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands Psal. 9.16 * BEfore I come to the Narrative it self I think it good to put down some opinions and positions this Blasphemer held which I have gleaned out of that honest and sober confutation of them in a Book entituled The Perfect Pharisee and out of a Book of his own lent me by * Dennis Hollister he telling me that Nailer had answered that pack of lies meaning The perfect Pharisee When I had read his Book I return'd it to him being in his Shop walking with * Thomas Gouldney saith he Now you have read some truths after your lies set forth by the Priests I answered That was truth before but now I had read a pack of lies He told me that some would believe nothing but lies I answered that there was a generation of men that made lies their refuge and they were Quakers and so left them I heartily wish for old acquaintance sake that this man D. H. may have repentance given him and turn again to his old puritanical principles from whence he is deeply fallen that he may not go on to this Blasphemer's height lest he deservedly meet with this blasphemers doom from men or from God with worse Some few of Nailer's erroneous opinions and Doctrines follow Quest Whether any could be as holy just and good as God himself Answ. That he did witness himself that he himself was as holy just and good as God Nailer being in conference with a godly Minister said that he wonder'd God should reveal any thing to him and he not know it Nailer did affirm that Christ is in every man and in the Reprobate he is held under corruption and so extended the indwellings of Christ to Indians that never heard the Gospel In a letter wrote by Nailer were these two horrid blaphemies 1. That Christ in the flesh with all he did and suffered therein was but a figure and nothing but an example 2. That he that expecteth to be saved by him that died at Jerusalem should be deceived As to this last it was spoken by another of them to a solid godly Christian of this City and also delivered here by another at their publick meeting place where was neer two hundred people this was sworn before the Magistrates by a man of Mr. Walter Stephen's Quest Whether the Scriptures be the Word of God Ans. That the Scriptures are not the Word of God but a declaration of the conditions of them that speak them forth Nailer bids all people turn from their outside lights and turn to the light of God within you for every man in the world had a light within him sufficient to guide him to salvation Nailer saith That men are justified by an inherent holiness and that we are not reconciled to God till we be perfectly holy and able to stand so in our own power and that no man that commits sin or that is not perfectly holy can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven unless there be a Purgatory and that there is no real Saint but he that is perfectly holy in this life and doth not sin Thus we have seen some of his erronious and damnable opinions He is also reported to be one vicious in his life it being offer'd to be proved that he hath been seen often lasciviously to kisse and dance upon his knee one Mrs. Roper and that he had a child by her But to leave this and set forth his higher impudence then all before which was enough and too much viz. his personating of the Lord Jesus Christ when upon the 24. day of Octob. 1656. he came into Bristol The manner of the riding of James Nailor into Bristol 24. Octob. 1656. He rode on Horseback in at Redcliff-gate with one bare before him namely Timothy Wedlock of the County of Devon and two Women leading his Horse with the Reyns in their hands one on each side * Martha Symonds the wife of Thomas Symonds of London and Hannah Stanger the wife of John Stanger of London these came before him singing Holy holy holy Lord God of Israel Thus he rode to the high Crosse of the City and to the White heart in Broadstreet being
true Jesus as these are and those Titles that belong unto him to be attributed to such a blasphemous wretch as this is who upon Fryday night lying at the Lamb without Lawfords gate being the night he came thither Jan. 16. had a woman in bed with him I say in bed by this circumstance in the Oath taken before the Maior The Maid and Tapster saw a woman at 10. of the Clock at night on the farther side of the bed and covered lying with her arms over the rug and though they would not swear she was naked and in the bed yet the Maid did swear that about 5 of the Clock the next morning this whorish woman was lying in the same place and manner One such action you have before in the third page offer'd to be sworn but enough and too much After this the Sheriffs of Bristol sent him up to the Governour of Bridewell London who had received this Order as followeth Whereas James Nailor is by Parliament adjudged to be guilty of horrid blasphemy and a grand Impostor and a great Seducer of the People whereupon Judgement was this day given and in that Judgement it is amongst other things adjudged That the said James Nailor be sent from Bristol to London and committed to prison in Bridewel there and restrained there from the society of all people and kept to hard labour till he shall be released by Parliament And during that time be debarred from the use of pen ink and paper and shall have no relief but what he earnes by daily labour These are therefore by vertue of an Order of Parliament to require you or your Deputy to receive from the Sheriffs of Bristol or their Deputies the said James Nailor and that you do execute or cause the said Judgement in all and every the particulars aforesaid to be duly executed and performed Whereof you are not to fail for doing whereof this shall be your Warrant in that behalf Dated the 16th of Decemb. 1656. Tho. Widrington Speaker To the Governour of Bridewel-London Now some mercy it is in these evil times wherein every man almost doth what is right in his own eyes that there are some Magistrates who have endeavoured though in Parliament and you see else-where with great opposition to put offendors to open shame But though Justice and Justices here may be mock'd God is not and men shall one day know will not be mockt What answer will these wretches make when God shall put this Quest O ye Sons of men how long will ye turn my glory into shame For God himself hath said I am the Lord that is my name and my glory will I not give to another And though wretches would take it yet they must stand off they shall not have it nay they cannot have it For upon all the glory shall be a defence If upon the Church the body much more on Christ the Head I have now done as to this Impostor and his deluded ones And shall say as the Apostle did to that Sorcerer so to him Thy heart is not right in the sight of God Repent therefore of this thy wickedness and pray God if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee for I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity See Mat. 12.31 32. Here you have had a sad but a true account of Blasphemy in the highest and though Nailor himself and some of the others did juggle in their answers yet Dorcas Erbury speaks the sense of them all Now though the times may be such as to question whether there be any Blasphemy or no yet God will one day say I know the Blasphemy of them which say they are Jewes and are not but are the Synagogue of Satan Will he not much more say it of this wretch that saith he is Jesus c. This is a Blasphemy to be bewailed if possible with teares of blood for it reacheth to the Heavens nay to him that is exalted above the Heavens I suppose in dignity And that my heart may be the more affected with him my dear Lord and Saviour against whom all this is I shall desire to call to mind two things 1. His Relation to me 2. His sufferings for me and both upon the account of free grace And oh that my heart might not only be affected with but my soul afflicted for it That all this should be said and done against him who is my head the Lord my Righteousness my Advocate my Mediator my Saviour my Christ my Jesus my continual Intercessor my Wisdom Sanctification and Redemption my All in all Now considering our Relation methinks it should soften the hardest heart to wear it self out with melting teares What is all this against my elder Brother yea my Lord and my God What all done against my loving and lovely Jesus But that it may if possible be more affected as I am sure it ought to be let us consider And methinks Christ is now speaking from Heaven to us in these apostatizing dayes as he did to his Disciples Will ye also go away And may not Christ say as the Lord doth wherein have I wearied you testifie against me He can say to us I have unthroned my self of my glory with my Father and took upon me your nature and so came in it nearer to you then others and will ye go away What you If I had done no more this had been enough to have kept you to me for ever and not look after another I took your nature upon me not for any pleasure I had in it or ease by it but that by suffering in it you might be preserved What had I done might our dear Jesus say who can charge me with sin the Devil himself cannot do it the Prince of this world commeth and hath nothing in me If all I did suffer was for you standing in your room so to suffer will you thus requite me May not Christ say as the Lord doth by Moses Do ye thus requite the Lord Oh foolish people and unwise Is not he thy Father Saviour that hath bought thee Hath he not made thee and established thee Surely we may say as in the verse before Their spot is not the spot of his children that thus blaspheme him or as it is more emphatical in the Margin That they are not his children that is their blot But now say some of these spotted and blotted ones what is Christ what did this Christ at Jerusalem We have an answer at hand out of the word of truth if you had grace to believe it As to what he is I answer He is the only begotten Son of God and yet the Son of man in this one Scripture both And the Word is made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth
Brethren I shall to this close with desiring a judicious reading of a letter of that eminent Christian and godly Martyr of the Lord Mr. John Philpot who sealed amongst other truths this truth also of Infant Baptism The Letter is an Answer to a young man that seemed to stumble at Infant Baptism where you have in short Arguments sufficient against all the Adversaries of this truth And in this Letter he proveth the Baptism of Infants from the Apostles practice and tells us of one Auxentius who was one of the Arian Sect that first deny'd the Baptism of Infants and next after him Pelagius the Heretick and in our dayes saith he the Anabaptists be not offended it s the words of this Saint and Martyr of the Lord Mr. Philpot who are an inordinate kind of men stirred up by the Devil to the destruction of the Gospel His letter is thus subscribed Your yoak-fellow in Captivity for the verity of Christs Gospel to live and die with you in the unity of faith John Philpot. Brethren I do not undertake disputation but I desire lamentation blessed be God that is done already to our hands and this truth maintained and defended by grave able and godly men yea Martyrs let us then put it to heart and bewail this also with Rivers of teares that an Ordinance of Jesus Christ to wit Infant Baptism should be thus justled out by such immodest action in Rivers of water Friends keep to hearing as before advised and take that counsel that the Prophet gives to the people therefore hearken not you to your Prophets nor to your Diviners nor to your filthy dreamers so Jude hath it nor to your Inchanters nor to your Sorcerers which speak unto you saying Look to the light within you you shall not serve the King of Babylon for they prophesie a lye unto you Now that you may be prevailed with to keep close to your own and known godly Ministers lest you come to be bewitched as the Gallathians then were and many poor souls now are take heed and beware of the occasions Providence having ordered my habitation in that Parish and street where the Synagogue of Satan is I mean the Quakers meeting-place I may happily observe something more than you though considering my Pastor over me and my Ordinance enjoyments I desire to blesse God and can say My lot is fallen in a goodly Heritage and though God may have his Antipas even where Satans seat is yet its sad to speak of the knowledge of such things of which we tremble to speak and that of those that promised better But oh that my head were waters and my eyes a Fountain of teares that I might weep day and night for these things that people by taking liberty to hear any should be so seduced as to hold forth such deeds of darkness instead of light What saith one Do you look to be saved by the boy that was born at Jerusalem Oh my Soul its that holy Child Jesus that these wretches who are now got up to sit in the seat of the scornful do thus jeer Others buy and sell on the Lords day and being spoken with thereabout tell you all dayes are alike Some work water Gardens dry cloathes travel and ride upon that day viz. a perfect Quaker whose Maid-Servant went some moneths with Child by him before he married her a blessed perfection among them Another eminent Quaker who had a Child by his wives Sister as appeared by his running away after she was delivered and that by her self and then the Child being put to her Sister to nurse in some few dayes died but how I know not and then he returned again And that you may see Hell broke loose upon us * mark further and if these things bring not teares from thee beg of God to soften thy heart and mourn that thou canst not mourn The 10th of July 1656. an honest young man reasoned with a perfect Quaker who told him That he did thank God he had burnt the Bible and disswaded the said young man from reading it any more or praying any more but to hearken to the light within him Oh my Soul its the blessed Book that God by his good providence hath preserved and handed over to us from one Generation to another and if thou hast any comfort here or hopes of any hereafter thou hast it thence And my soul do thou keep close to God in prayer And Friends let us be of Davids mind and tell the Lord It is time Lord for thee to work for they have made void thy Law therefore oh beg for David's heart I love thy Commandements above gold yea above fine gold therefore again I esteem all thy precepts mark concerning all things to be right and I hate every false way Why my Brethren every word of God is pure what ever men and Devils say to the contrary One thing more Consider this Examination following and then tell me what you think of Toleration mean while I shall tell you what a grave and able Divine said and preached of it when the Warre was between us and the Dutch That we like them tolerating all Religions amongst us God in his Judgement at present upon us will not suffer us to tolerate one another At the general Sessions of the Peace held in the City of Bristol the 17th of February 1656. The Examination of Thomas Peacock THis Peacock asked one that was with him this Question Dost thou believe on that Thief that was hanged at Jerusalem It is that doth delude thee and all the World and the Priests do preach up this Fellow Another deposeth that the said Peacock asked the said Informant whether he knew that there was a God and a Devil and swore several Oaths in a ranting manner and yet justified himself to be without sin Saith the Informant do you justifie God your self to be without sin To which Peacock answered That he did not sin neither could he sin Saith the Informant Is not this your swearing in this manner a sin And if you couzen and cheat or be drunk is not that sin No saith Peacock it s no sin and then the said Peacock brought a place of Scripture There is no evil in the City but God is the Authour of it And declared that God was the Authour of all sin Then the Informant told the said Peacock that he was mistaken That God did suffer sin but was not the Authour of sin Then Peacock reply'd That God and the Devil were Brothers and did act one with another And as touching swearing the said Peacock said The greater his Oath was the greater was his glory Another deposeth that he asked the said Peacock why he did not observe the Sabbath day and go to Church He replyed That he knew not the Sabbath neither would he hear Baal's Priests And the Informant at another time heard him say That there was no Devil
and that the Devil was a poor Rogue and did nothing but wash the dishes and sweep the house and run on an errant when one would send him Peter Poulston and Humphry Wall both depose as followeth That upon Whit-Tuesday 1656. This Informant Wall speaking of God and Christ The said Peacock answered What dost thou talk of a God there is no such thing as thou talkest of The Informant asked him How was then the World created To which the said Peacock answered Thou talkest of what thou knowest not Then the Informant asked him What dost thou make of our Saviour Christ I am ashamed to express the Answer in my own Language it being so filthy but it was sworn to therefore take this Beast's beastly answer of a Friend in another Tongue E podice meo Christum aeque bonum egerere possum Brethren I could further tell ye the place where the time when the parties whom but I forbear being a Company of Anabaptists and Quakers sitting together and discoursing of God and Christ c. and look as that great Blasphemer Peacock before spake so abominable filthy of our Lord Jesus Christ so one of these spake as abominable filthy of that glorious and fearful name of the Lord our God as thus one of this sweet Company when they were speaking of God to speak as modestly as I can broke wind and said there goes your God Oh Brethren whose hair is not an end and heart trembling to hear such horrid filthiness and unheard of Blasphemy that we cannot sufficiently bewail Truly if ever we had need now is the time as the Prophet speaks to call for the mourning women whose affections being tender may help as to lamentation that they may come and let them make haste and take up a wailing for us that our eyes may run down with teares and our eye lids gush out with waters And oh that our soules could bewail these things Brethren God hath his mourners in secret though but few Oh let God see though none else do by our practice that we are of that number and then happily we may be marked in the day of the Lord's vengeance Go saith God to the Prophet set a mark upon the fore-head of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that are done in the midst of them And methinks God speaks to Prophets in these dayes as to Ezekiel Sigh therefore thou Son of man with the breaking of thy loynes and with bitterness sigh before their eyes And oh that we could see more affection in Prophets before and over their Congregations then there is such as we see Paul had Phil. 3.18 For many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping that they are the enemies of the Crosse of Christ and it shall be when they say unto thee Why sighest thou That thou shalt answer For the tydings because it commeth and every heart shall melt and all hands shall be feeble and every spirit shall faint and all knees shall be weak as water Behold it commeth and shall be brought to passe saith the Lord God You the Lords Prophets reverend Fathers and our dear Pastors over us in the Lord if your people ask you why sigh you Oh that you had not matter to answer them It was the Judgement of the Sword that was comming upon Jerusalem and in a fearful manner with such expressions from God that I am sure we seldom hear of but in this place God did lay about him to purpose and therefore saith the Lord vers. 16 17. Go thee one way or other forward or backward either on the right hand or on the left whether on the right hand or on the left whither soever thy face is set I will smite my hands together and I will cause my furie to rest mark I the Lord have said it It s true and to our comfort The Rod of the wicked shall not rest on the back of the Righteous but if the righteous transgress the Rod of God may And the Prophet tells us That the Lord will not deliver his people unto the will of his enemies but let me tell you he did deliver his Son up to their will as hath been already shewed but this by the way But do people ask Why do Ministers weep and sigh so bitterly you the Lords Prophets can tell them better than I you can tell us it s for those hideous unheard of Blasphemies not to be paralleld which are bringing upon us unknown unheard of and which is yet worse Spiritual Judgements Nay do we not read of Judgements that the Lord threatens that we never read of The Lord will bring upon thee every plague that is not written in the Book of this Law And if we should think of escaping The Text tells us that those curses shall pursue and overtake us vers. 45. Well as we are free from opposing Prophets let us take heed we do not slight their sayings Consider we that place Be ye not as your Fathers unto whom the former Prophets have cryed saying Thus saith the Lord of Hosts Turn ye now from your evil wayes and from your evil doings but they did not hear nor hearken unto me saith the Lord mark God takes our not hearkening unto his Prophets a not hearkening unto him Well your Fathers where are they and the Prophets Do they live for ever But my words and my Statutes which I commanded my Servants the Prophets did they not take hold of your Fathers And they returned and said Like as the Lord of Hosts thought to do unto us according to our wayes and according to our doings so hath he dealt with us And truly Brethren it were no hard thing to trace out how the Lord hath been and is fulfilling this Text upon us Since we let fall the first cause we ingaged in for some men have shewed themselves as skilful to deceive as to destroy I will chastize them as their Congregations have heard But Brethren I intend not Confutation of error having neither time nor ability so to do but Lamentation But blessed be God we have a considerable number of godly able Ministers that have born their Testimony to the truth of Jesus Christ and to their solemn League and Covenant As also against the Errors Heresies and Blasphemies of these times and the toleration of them which is the title of their Book printed in 1647. And that the World may see they are neither afraid nor ashamed to own what they have done it s subscribed by no lesse then 52 Ministers of Christ within the Province London And many fifties I doubt not but there are in the Nation of the same mind though they may seem caved to many of us as the prophets of God in honest Obadiah's time so covered And my Brethren what ever others do these I look upon to be to England as Elisha said of Elijah The Chariots of
seduced souls they cry up Heathen principles a light within them casting off the light the word of God without them and see how the Lord in judgement doth give them up to their Brethren the Heathens practices They changed the truth of God into a lye for this cause saith the Text God gave them up to vile affections and to a reprobate mind and to an abominable conversation being filled with all unrighteousness fornication wickedness covetousness maliciousness full of envy murder debate deceipt malignity whisperers back-biters haters of God despiteful proud boasters inventers of evil things disobedient to Parents without understanding Covenant-breakers without natural affection implacable unmerciful Here is a blessed pack of Quakers I so say because amongst them in this Synagogue of Satan so near me without wrong for I would not wrong the Devil there might be drawn out such persons in whom these black Ethiopian spots are Ah poor England ah hypocritical Nation may not God plead with us as once with his people passe over the Isses go beyond the Seas amongst the very Heathen and consider diligently and see if there be such a thing Hath a Nation changed their Gods which yet are no Gods But my People have changed their glory for that which doth not profit Have we not since this wretched Toleration changed nay lost the glory of our Gospel-profession and is not that of the Prophet Isaiah a right character upon us Ah sinful Nation a people laden with iniquity a seed of evil doers Children that are corrupters mark they have forsaken the Lord they have provoked the holy one of Israel to anger they are gone away backward And may not this provocation of the Lord cause him to say Shall not my soul be avenged on such a Nation as this that did with their hands lifted up to the most high God Covenant for Reformation who by a Toleration are become an hypocritical and false Nation Oh my Brethren my councel is still the same Take heed how you hear for we shall one day give account for what we hear And that we may take the more heed consider what falseness the Book of God discovers unto us for our caution viz. A false Nation as before False Christs the occasion of my Narrative you have also false spirits seducing spirits then false Prophets and false Apostles 2 Cor. 11.13 False Teachers in the forecited place of Peter then false Brethren then you have false faith And last of all which is worst of all a false heart 1 Tim. 4.2 Speaking lies in hypocrisie having their Conscience seared with a hot Iron Now Brethren there being so much falseness in all these particulars how much doth it concern us what whom and how we hear It s said the Lord was with Jehosaphat because he walked in the first wayes of his Father David Ah Brethren the first wayes of professors when they kept close to their known Ministers then they kept close to God and Christ Sabbaths Ordinances Duties these good old wayes were the first and best wayes Let us walk couragiously in this way the Lord shall be with the good And however the Prophets of God are opposed contemned let us keep to rule we shal never else be established either Nation or Kingdom what rule mark Believe in the Lord your God so shall ye be established believe his Prophets so shall ye prosper Ah sad Toleration the Lord give repentance to England for all those abominations it hath usher'd in and protected among us The good Lord after they in power over us have repented of whom we may say as Ezra 9.2 yea the hand of the Princes and Rulers hath bin chief in this trespass give them further grace to make a Law of restraint lest the judgement of God which is justly to be feared break in upon them and us without remedy But they mocked the Messengers of God and despised his words and misused his Prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy Well however let us honour them for that is an everlasting truth He is a Prophet and shall pray for thee And had we not their prayers it would be sad with England nay God forbid they should so sin as not to pray for us well then let us make conscience of praying for them and there is this reason for it for if all estates and ranks amongst as should desert profession and despise the Gospel yet they are set for the defence of it and therefore hear them pray for them to which I shall add this prayer The good Lord be attentive to the prayer of thy Servant and the prayer of thy Servants both Prophets and People that desire to fear thy name And Brethren is not this to be bewailed that there should be such calling for Toleration the mischiefs and sad effects of it being so many and so great that they cannot be aforehand imagined besides the further disturbance of the peace by different factions and making the divisions in Families to be almost as many as persons suppose the Husband a good Protestant it may be the Wife an Independent the Children Anabaptists the Servants Quakers Oh Brethren how sad is this And moreover that there should be a conniving at those ranting opinions that tend to all manner of ungodliness which have so spread that it hath infected the Nation from head to foot Witness the great friends Blasphemy and this unparalleld Blasphemer had that put the Parliament to so much expence of time before that honourable sentence was given against him death it self being his desert This considered O that those in power over us would at last prove such happy Reformers to the Nation and shew such pitty to the souls of their poor Brethren as to put a restraint upon all soul-infecting persons and set on fire all those soul-poysoning and blaspheming Pamphlets that are abroad which would be an acceptable sacrifice For it s to be feared that Christians may have just cause to rue the liberty given to Presse and Pulpit in these dayes Now that people might have some stop when tumbling headlong into Hell being so principled that they think it their duty to do Hell service Oh! that the Parliament who had such an Impostor and Blasphemer brought before them that their Predecessors never heard of the like had made the Nation so happy as to compel people as one saith well to Ordinances though unwillingly that so if possible they might be brought to God and goodness willingly And for their incouragement they had in holy writ a very imitable pattern Josiah by name And Josiah took away all the abominations many Pamphlets abroad are abominable things out of all the Countries that pertained to the Children of Israel and made all that were present in Israel to serve made them to serve even to serve the Lord their God and all his dayes they departed
not from following the Lord the God of their Fathers And a good effect it had upon them for all his dayes they kept close to God Thus to appear and act for the good of souls will be your Crown Arise therefore and be doing and the Lord be with you Now the Lord is with you while you be with him and if you seek and act for him he will be found of you but if you forsake him he will forsake you Arise therefore for this matter belongeth unto you we also say they that fear the Lord will be with you be of good courage and do it Then arose Ezra and did it Go ye and do likewise and the Lord be with the just Amen An Epistle of Publius Lentulus found in the Romane Annals at that time President in Judea under Tiberius the Emperour written to the Senate of Rome A Copy whereof was found among other papers to the number of 21. about Nailor's Disciples at their first Examination before the Magistrates of Bristol THere appeared in these our dayes a man of great vertue named Jesus Christ who is yet living amongst us and of the Gentiles is accepted for a Prophet of truth but his own Disciples call him the Son of God He raiseth the dead and cureth all manner of Diseases A man of stature somewhat tall and comely with a very reverend countenance such as the beholders may both love and fear his hair of the colour of a Philbert full ripe and plain almost down to his eares from the eares downwards somewhat curled and more orient of colour waving about his shoulders in the midst of his Head goeth a seam or partition of his hair after the manner of the Nazarites his fore-head very plain and smooth his face without spot or wrinckle beautified with a comly red his nose and mouth so formed as nothing can be reprehended his beard somewhat thick agreeable in colour to the hair of his head not of any great length but forked in the midst of an innocent and mature look his eyes gray clear and quick in reproving he is terrible in admonishing courteous and fair spoken pleasant in speech mixed with gravity it cannot be remembred that any have seen him laugh but many have seen him weep in proportion of Body well shaped and straight his hands and arms right delectable to behold in speaking very temperate modest and wise a man for his singular beauty surpassing the Children of men To some particulars in this description that wicked Impostor James Nailor bearing some small natural resemblance viz. in shape of body and colour of hair he cunningly like himself endeavours to answer the rest whereunto he was much unlike by nature by an artificial composure of his countenance to an affected gravity parting the hair of his head wearing his beard forked and the like the better to carry on his damnable juggling and imposture among those poor deluded wretches that were given up to believe lies that so they might take him to be the person there described and be drawn the more easily to give him that honour and worship that doth of right belong to the true Jesus AN END 2 Cor. 11.13.14 15. 2 Tim. 2.9 Chap. 3. v. 5. 1 Thes. 5.12 Mar. 4.24 Luk. 8.18 1 Thes. 5.21 Jude 13. vers. 12. Isa. 55.3 Rom. 1.16 2 Cor. 2.16 Jer. 23.21 Mar. 4.24 Luk. 8.18 Cap. 17.23 Rom. 10.14 15. Isa. 8.20 Ephes. 3.8 John 20.28 1 Cor. 6.20 2 Cor. 2.16 pa. 75 76. R. P. pa. 66. Ephes. 5.14 Exod. 9.14 In his Epistle to the Separatists and Anabaptists prefixed to his Quakers Catechism 2 Ming 8.13 As every sound is not musick so every Sermon is not preaching Heb. 5.4 1 Tim. 3.1 Obj. Answ Mr. R. F. his Satan inthroned 1 Pet. 3.15 Heb. 12.2 His Examination before the Magistrates of Bristol Joh. 1.19 20 21. 1 Tim. 6.4 Ezek. 16.44 2 Pet. 3.17 18. Acts 20.32 1 Thes. 5.23 * A whip for the Horse a bridle for the Asse and a rod for the fools back Prov. 26.3 * A Quaker * A Quaker Isa. 28.15 Perfect Pharisee p. 1. Pag. 4. Pag. 7. Pag. 8. T. P. L. Raymond Pa. 22. His own Book pa. 2. pa. 25 26. pa. 22. * Sister to that seller of irreligious Books Giles Galvert * Tim: Wedlock Sam Carter John Stanger Rob Crab Marth. Symonds Han Stanger Doroth Erbury Among many papers and letters to the number of 21. which were found about Nailer and these his Disciples at their first examination I have inserted only one which you shall find at the latter end of my Book Isa. 28.15 Hos. 7.12 Mat. 23 15. Amos 3.7 2 Cor. 11.14 Iudg. 14 18. * Bristol * Oh the heighth of horrid blasphemy * In Broadmeddow at Bristol Job 13.7.8 Nailor's Sentence * A Quaker * The place of his first riding in * Ezek. 8.23 Sworn by John Iones Ship-wright Sworn by Tho. Jeffries and Ruth Harris Iudg. 17.6 18.7 Gal. 6.7 Psal. 4.2 Isa. 42.8 Chap. 4. v. 5. Acts 8.21 22 23. Rev. 2.9 Psal. 73.9 Ephes. 4.10 Iohn 6.67 Mica 6.3 Joh. 14.30 Deut. 32.6 vers. 5. Iohn 1.14 Heb. 10.12 Gal. 1.8 1. Bleeding Luk. 2.21 1. Bleeding Luk. 2.21 Luk 22.39 compared with 44. Mat. 26.39.42.44 2. Bleeding Gen. 32.24.28 Joh. 18.4 Luk. 22.66 Joh. 19.24 Ezek. 21.31 2 Sam. 2.14 Mat. 27.26 3. Bleeding Cant. 5.9 Luk. 23.25 Mat. 27.27 28. 4 Bleeding vers. 29. 5. Bleeding Joh. 19.3 Mat. 27.30 6. Bleeding vers. 31. 7. Bleeding I suppose the plucking off this Roab fetcht blood also because we finde v. 28. they stript him before they put it on Iohn 19.17 vers. 26.8 Bleeding 9. Bleeding 10 11 Bleeding Isa. 59.7 compared with Iohn 18.4 Isa. 41.2 12 Bleeding Iohn 19.34 vers. 30. Luk. 23.48 Psal. 116.12 Psal. 103.1 2 3 4. Rom. 5.8 10. 2 Cor. 5.14 Zach. 12.10 Isa. 52.7 Rom. 10.15 2 Tim. 3.5 vers. 6. * Silly women are easily led captive by â—ubtle men Jud. 1 3.4 Isa. 37.3 4. 1 Cor. 4.1 Gen. 20.7 Gal. 5.20 Isa. 64.7 Joh. 20.11 13. Joh. 19.24 34. Psal. 119.136 Nehem. 2.1 2 3 4. 2 Thes. 3.1 Rom. 15.30 Luk. 22.44 Joh. 12 32. * As a godly Divine observes Mat. 28.19 20 Rev. 1.2 Zech. 12.10 Chap. 1.11 Ephes. 6.24 Cap. Beal and Cap. Watson That Committee which was appointed for the hearing of Nailor vers. 3 4. 2 Tim. 4 3. Quakers Catechism their 3d Query pag. 12. pag. 122. Mr. R. H. †Not superstitiously but conveniently placed * Acts 10.22.24 33 44 47 48 compared with 11.14 with Mark 16.16 Acts 16.14 15 31 33. Chap. 18.8 1 Cor. 1.14.16 †Mr. Const. Jesup * Den Hollister now no small Quaker told a godly Minister of Iesus Christ That he had a plot that should shortly cast out Jesup and Paul both This was but a little before Mr. Jesups putting forth J. B. Wid. M. Mr. J. P. T. T. F. Y. T. A. * A short History of the Anabaptists * On a civil account women have women-guides upon a pretended sacred account women have men dippers 1 Tit. 1.12.12 13. Rev. 2.20 Jude 8. Mr. R. T. In Mr. Ewins his answer to D. Hollister p. 17. 68. Mat 16.26 1 Tim. 4.14 Rev. 14.6 Ephes. 4 5. * See Mr. Philpots letter hereafter cited * Consider that Seducers have not only a faculty to deceive us but there is in their flatteries a power to force Prov 7.21 with much fair speech she caused him to yield with the flattering of her lips she forced him * See the Parallel of Munster and Abingdon by W. H. Oxon. 1657. 1 Sam. 11.2 His last letter in Foxes Acts and Monuments Pag. 1670. or last Edition Vol. 3.606 Col. 2. Psa. 119.136 Jer. 27.9 10. Jude 8. 1 Thes. 5.12 13. Gal. 3.1 Psal. 16.6 Rev. 2.13 Jer. 5.1 J. W. Acts 4.27 Psal. 1.1 E. E. S. T. J. D. D. W. J. C. * Ezek. 8.15 T. E. J. J. Psa. 119.126 127 128. Prov. 30.5 Mr. J. K. Sworn by John Taylor Sworn by Edw. Lockstone Thomas Harding Deut. 28.58 Jer. 9.17 18. Ezek. 9.4 Chap. 21. ver 6 7. Psal. 125.3 Psal. 41.2 Deut. 28.61 Zech. 1.4 5 6 Hos. 7.12 1 King 18.4 2 King 2.12 2 Tim 3.10 Job 6.25 Mr R. F. Mr. Bernard Colos. 2 2â— 2 Pet. 2.12 Jude 10. Mr William Thomos * This man being a Scholar I heartily desire that he may not carâ—y about him his learning and parts as Vriah did Davids letters Mr. J. K. Psal. 119.105 Prov 6.23 2 King 2.34 Hos. 13.8 Dorot Erbury pa. 12. * A Quaker Rev 18.13 Isa. 55.1 2. Gen. 3.5.6 1 Cor. 8.1 Mat. 23 15. Heb. 6.4 5 6. Ezek. 19.14 Chap. 7. vers. 16. Amos 4.6 to 13. 2 Thes. 2.11 12. Rom. 2.25.26 29 30 31. Jer. 2.9 10 11 Chap. 1. vers. 4. Jer. 5.9 Isa. 10 6. Mat. 24 4 5. 1 Tim. 4.1 2 Pet. 2.1 2 Cor. 11.26 Jam. 2.19 20. 2 Chron. 17 3 Jer. 6.16 2 Chron 19.11 Chap. 20. vers. 20. Chap 36. vers. 16. Gen â—0 7 1 Sam. 12 23. Phil. 1.17 Neh. 1.11 See Doctor Cawdry his Sermon upon Joshua 24.15 pa. 28. In the Reign of Henry the third one pretending himself to be Christ was by the Magistrates then immured between two walls and there perished as being thought unworthy to dye by the hands of any man Speed's History p. 522 523. If a Nebuchad did make such a Law as to tye up the tongues of all in his Dominions not to speak a word against the God of c. Dan. 3.29 Oh how doth it concern Christian Magistrates much more This would be a compassionate compulsion Mr. W. T. 2 Chron. 34.33 1 Chron. 22.16 2 Chron. â—5 â— Ezra 10.4 5.