given that your lives might shew forth the life and death of him by whom you were called to the praise and glorie of his grace and for which end he have given his Light that with it ye might see all what is darkness all what loveth and maketh a lie all what is falne from God that ye might comprehend the depth of Satan and all the secret bonds of iniquitie and here is the Rock Christ before whom all shall fall and this Rock this Light is your defence in whom abiding the false Prophet the Beast and the Deceiver is seen and rejected and not onlie in your selves but also in the persons of those in whom he doth appear wherefore stand fast in that libertie whereunto you are called that your obedience being wrought in that faith which giveth life ye might in the end obtain the Crown To the second sort Those who in their hearts are convinced of the way of truth but finding it straight to their carnall pleasures and profits not loving the truth more then the world but taking pleasure in unrighteousness and serving and loving the creature more then the Creator to you I say watch while as yet ye have time and please not your selves with vanitie and the work of lies that ye stumble not in the way which leadeth to life and so he swallowed up of corruption for if while you seek to be justified by Christ you are found in the transgression and so frustrate the Grace of God there remains no more sacrifice for sin wherefore call to mind your former condition when you were strangers to the true Faith and so kept in bondage under the Law and learn from him who is true to receive the love and grace made known that ye might walk worthie of that calling whereunto you are called and shew forth the praise of him who hath opened your eyes and give you to see that darkness by which in times past you were sold under sin wherefore in love receive admonition that so being redeemed out of the world ye might grow up in him who is the Fountain of eternal life and be brought to see the glory of the Fathers love This then is the message that we have heard of him and declare unto you that God is light in him is no darknesse at all If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darknesse we lye and do not the truth John 1.5.6 To the third sort such who have a simplicity in them and a love to the truth and the way thereof and would walk in it did they know it but are yet kept in blindnesse and darknesse by their blind Guides who take advantage by these works of the devil lies and slanders to thicken the Vail and strengthen the bonds thereby to keep them from the light of life and the way of peace and so in the way of destruction for their corrupt ends I say for you who are in this case out of the knowledg of God his light and life which is salvation for you have I much been disquieted being sensible of your condition but as I have already endeavoured to remove that prejudice which may attend you by those false conclusions which have appeared in enmity to what I have done though I may not say directly in enmity to you And as I have discovered the truth of that cause and end for which I have appeared to the world which thing is not that thereby ye should be affrighted from the truth but when received that ye might give heed to abide in that by which you were convinced that so ye may not run into the same excesse so also that ye may not be overcome with that spirit of deceit and stablished in that corrupt mind in which you have been kept and guided out of the wayes of truth I say that ye may not be overcome by any work of mine to abide in this darknesse That God who is a Spirit is not divided but his Name is one and this God cannot be known by any wayes of worship or practise amongst men but by his Son who is that Spirit and Life by which the Election of God are redeemed out of all corruption out of all wayes and works of the flesh into a spiritual Union with that God who is the Father of Spirits and cannot be worshipped but by and in the Spirit and therefore is it spoken in Scripture concerning Christ That for this purpose was he made manifest to destroy the works of the devil John 3.8 Now where is this manifestation of Christ to be found for the destruction of the works of the flesh or of the devil but in faln man where the works of the unclean spirit are wrought and from whence they do proceed and for which cause was that promise given That the Seed of the Woman should break the head of the Serpent which Seed is Christ he was born under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law he was brought forth into the world and made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in it he suffered in his body the death of the Crosse and after that time appointed of his Father he was raised out of the grave cloathed with immortality and received up into glory and now he hath given gifts unto men he hath dispersed his seed he hath given of his spirit he hath made known his light in and unto all the children of men that by and with this his manifestation and discovery of himself his eternal love and grace I say that by and with this men might see and understand and receive power for the destruction of the body of corruption and for the service and worship of God in spirit in obedience to a living faith and now let men professe what they will and assemble themselves in what way and under what manner soever yet if they receive not their Ministery from this Spirit Christ Jesus revealed in all and follow him who is the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin that they may receive power from him to be redeemed out of sin I say if they receive not their testimony from this Spirit of Jesus to live therein they shall not neither can they ever come to see that eternal love that peace and union which is in God through Christ Jesus the portion of the faithful in him who is perfect Wherefore I say unto you all who take pleasure in your uncleanness and sport your selves with your secret abominations now in the day time and yet boast of your Redeemer I say unto you repent lest that day come upon you unawares in which there is no time or space for repentance and look unto him who is the light of Israel and is given for a light to the Gentiles that they might see and return unto him who is the Redeemer out of all sin who restoreth the breaches and buildeth up the walls of Jerusalem and giveth life unto his two Witnesses who have lain slain in the streets thereof that they might go forth and declare the everlasting Gospel of peace FINIS
THE SNARE BROKEN OR LIGHT discovering DARKNESSE Being an answer to a Book entituled FOOT yet in the SNARE Published by JAMES NAYLOR Wherein his treachery and back-sliding from the true Faith is brought to Light and his untrodden PATHS discovered With some of his divided Language and deceitful Lyes in short laid open and his Spirit proved to be the same which appeared in all the false Prophets who say the Lord saith when he spake not unto them plainly to be seen by the impartial eye in all those whose eyes are in their head least the Wolfe should devoure the Lamb under a shadow of love to the TRUTH By a lover of Truth and Peace called John Toldervy Isaiah 58.1.4 Shew my people their transgressions and the house of Jacob their sins Behold ye fast for strife and debate and to smite with the fist of wickeknesse ye shall not fast as ye do this day to make your voice to be heard on high James 2.1 My Brethren have not the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of Glory with respect of persons In vain is the Snare laid in the sight of any Bird. London Printed for N. Brooks and are to be sold at the Angel in Cornhil and at the three Bibles neer the West end of Pauls 1656. The Snare broken OR Light discovering Darknesse GOOD is the Word of the Lord who by his Spirit hath foretold of the Heathen raging and the people fancying and imagining to themselves vaine things thereby to subdue the true appearance and exaltation of the King of Righteousnesse in every age of his coming into the world who hath also foretold of such whose coming should appear as the Angels of Light being transformed in the outward shape or discovery of the Image of God and in this his appearance as a special end for the effecting of his bewitched design he intrudes into the comprehension of words even words that are sound and perfect words of Life and Power which came forth from the Spirit whose way is truth and whose end is life but being ignorant of that Spirit from whence they came they change them into fables and so are become blasphemers of that Immortal Seed by which they were brought to light As also for the maintaining of their corrupt practise being not possessors of the perfect truth they desire to make a fair show in the flesh and to that end they seek to give place to some Self-humility that they may be distinguished by men that therein they may glory as though in the sufferings of Christ but from that spirit and light in which there is no deceit but the perfection of truth let such learne reproof and suffer rebuke who boast of the Light to be their Guide and yet are found in the Pit of Waâ—ps watching to afflict the children of my people saith the Lord and are searching secretly for a stumbling stone to cast for a Rock of Offence in the streets of the Holy Jerusalem even for a shelter for the accursed seed not only in those who are brought into the way which guides to Salvation and that have received in their knowledg a measure of the infallible truth but also in such who have something of the simplicity arising to life in them by which they are guided in love to seek after the way of truth if that for Sions sake they might come to know where they might find the sufferings of the Crosse for the restoration of the Righteous Seed which maketh free the City of God But the Word of Scripture hath foretold that such Heresies and Schismes must be in the Church that the approved of the Lord might be made manifest and now it will plainly appear to those who are in any measure of the Light and Faith of Christ such a one hath been found in that blasphemous work the Answer of that Book set forth by me entituled The Foot out of the Snare for that from the root of bitterness and envy there is brought to light a bundle of unclean venomous things and filthy deceitful lies confusion and rashness in evil speaking against the truth yet notwithstanding are they all sought to be justified in the deepest subtilty of the Serpent by going about to intrap the simple mind with much using those words which were spoken from the simplicity in such a life for such an end that he which abides in a lye knoweth not Now unto such who for a perswasion have and do satisfie themselves in things which those that are by them judged to be before them in the faith doth believe and declare for truth unto such I say read and see your vanity for herein is the Deceiver greatly upheld you being not eye-witnesses to what you believe in your selves and though the Leaders and you people are both joyned in one to speak against imitation yet in your hearts are you both confederate in this whoredome and birth of fornication in that the one imagines and frames in his mind a certain belief that what is spoken from the other must be true rooted and grounded in him from a perswasion in himself that his Leader is in the enjoyment of the Covenants in the Redemption and purchased possession of the Blood of the Lamb a spiritual man moved and guided to speak in by and from the Spirit and the other which is the leader concludes in himself that such a belief in a weak Brother who is not yet come to that measure of Spirit or Resurrection of Life with himself is in the faith and power of truth but for this cause many are sick and weak and many sleep Who is there in whom there is any knowledg that will not condemn this Faith the Truth in this practise of taking things upon trust being sold for Usury The Spirit of God saith Follow us as we follow Christ but it doth not say Follow us because we believe or do so but herein thou who art in this practise art witnessed to be in the corrupt nature in self-worship where all the blind guides in the world are leading silly people who know not the perfect wayes of truth to say as they say and do as they do though the end of such a worship is death And for thee James Naylor thy madnesse and folly is made manifest in what thou hast done and thy vain deceit discovered yet not unto the Adulteresse eye but unto that light which is of God the witnesse of Truth against Deceit in all consciences and thy Troops of Lyes which are sheltered under thy great swelling words of vanity are here laid open before thee and turned back again to their own habitation even into thy own bosome and though thy envy had a respect to what scandal and reproach thou couldest cast upon me on purpose that thou mightest make me to appear odious yet do I not value thy deceit therein neither am I in the least dissatisfied as to my person yet sorrow and a lamentation there hath been because
thy reproof with a lye so far as it is known to me saying That we seek to defend our selves in that deceit which the Spirit of God in you have witnessed against and so hath made thy selfe manifest to be one of those who have abused the truth of which thou sayest It is thy Guide And whereas thou goest on saying That the devil had never such a design on foot for the incensing of people against you as my book I say thou art found herein witnessed to be the Liar from thy own words in that thou dost acknowledge in thy 23. and 27. pages and in other places of thy paper that I have oftentimes in my book cleared you from prejudice Again thou reprovest us that we are not ashamed in that we say the subject matter doth relate principally to you which thou sayest was acted amongst us who are joyned on in it against that Spirit of God in the Quakers by which it was denied in the persons of them both root and branch thereof as thou sayest is confessed and witnessed by us To which I say for the Ministers they are not concerned therein and for what I have so spoken I am not ashamed for it doth and may concerne them and also others besides them for hath God made knowne his judgments and shewed his power upon me for that I departed from the truth and gave heed unto lying vanities by which sorrow and miserie did befall me and the seed of the righteous became desolate and did this evill befall me while I was amongst you and have I now plainly as from the Lord discovered the nature thereof he having shewed unto me the cause and the end thereof and have I now shewed unto you and to the world the true cause and the end that so such who are of you unsetled in their minds or unfaithful in their work towards the Lord might thereby learn to feare and to be kept stayed in the love and faith which is professed which end thou makest of what I have writ unto them thy self nay did'st thou ever see any thing that might serve more for causion or reproof to such who are of your selves then this are you here accused then understand wherein and wherein you are accused I say see if you may not therein learn reproof but you are not only accused but you are excused where it is yours and where truth abides there it is seen and also thy deceit hath confessed the same as from what I have spoken in many places of my book though other things in the same deceit thou hast changed into lyes but that is for thy design So in thine own words I say let all now judge who have the spirit of truth if thou art not one of those misguided spirits who stand up in defence of deceit against the Spirit of Truth that thereby thou mightest cast a stumbling block in the plain way of the Lord that so his people might be stayed in the midst thereof and let your work judge you who have taken part with your deceit acted between your selves in despite to the Spirit of God Thou goest further saying that Judas and the Chief Priests might as truly charge what they did in combination together against Christ upon the eleven Disciples as we charge our act and combination upon the persons of you or the Spirit of God in you unto which I say a lye speaks for our act and combination it was not neither have I charged what is spoken upon you or the spirit of God in you but where any thing that I have writ doth gainsay the evil spirit that is in any of you that is yours and good is it that you have seen a visitation thereby Again thou sayest that in our Epistle we tell of expressing tendernesse towards our Brethren yea and I do so say tendernesse towards my Brethren who are misguided in their spirits subjected under Laws and Traditions c. which stands in the invention by which they are covered in deceit and through their weaknesse they are led forth denying themselves what is just and lawful in the sight of God and this they do through fear in flaverie to the Prince of deceit Thou goest on directing thy false mind in a confused manner to us all whereas thy scope by what I can understand reflects upon the Ministers and then in thy 9. page thou sayest as for the denying our selves liberty lawful or unlawful we are little guiltie of that crime sayest thou so then thy accusation is ceased for if we deny not lawful liberty then are we in the Redemption in which Faith our work shall abide but I plead not to justifie the flesh yet for my own part am I free or not free it is far short of thy knowledge But here thou manifestest thy confusion and contradictions for if any part of what the Law requireth be overcome by that which is without Law then is the requirings of Law denied or if any part of what is without Law be subdued by the requiring of the Law then is it that what is without Law is denied but if thou sayest in thy follie that we denie not the requiring of the Law as thy words must speak otherwise they must speak perfectly on the contrarie then I say thy whole book was spoke in and from a lie and there is nothing more but confusions so thou goest forwards in thy own by-way and then thou speakest of changeable fashions and foolish childish toys in our habits which thou sayest we are pleading for whereas there is no such matter in any one word contained in my whole book In thy 10. page thou demandest what libertie you are charged to denie I say that libertie denied by you of which I spake may plainly be seen by what I have alreadie spoken in my former You tell again of what I spake in that I would give an accompt of my separation from you which thou deniest but that lie thou here spokest on is already returned whence it came for I first did separate from you as I have said the manner of which is discovered in my former book Thou goest forwards doting in thy lie speaking to the Ministers saying that in their causion to the Reader they confesse that my errors from what was written in the Scripture and in my self was that by which I deeply suffered and sayest thou that before we have cast it on the persons of the Quakers whereas as before is witnessed there is no such thing but here thou art found with that deceit in thy own mouth which thou castest upon us In thy 14. page thou repeatest my words which speaks that I have been for divers years full of zeal after the things of God seeking after the knowledg of Christ and then for the answering of thy end thou skippest over divers lines leaving the scope and true meaning of what is related contained in those words I was perswaded and so thou bringest my words spoken
in another place with purpose to shew a contradiction in me When thus thou hast confounded thy selfe in leaving out those words which speaks the truth of my mind Then in the close of the same page for thy purpose thou repeatest these words Wayes most useful but leaves out the word perswaded And having thus done thou requirest of us to tell thee if all that cousider of it may not see us start blind and drunk with abomination and confusion To which I answer no they may not for having here considered and tried thy spirit they may see plainlie that the blinde and drank with abomination and confusion is thy selfe Then thou makest thy Application upon this thy own confusion unto us saying Can wayes most usefull leaving out the word perswaded for clearing my Conscience in order to my upright and close walking with God c. and resting in much fleshlie wisdome and glorying in being covered with deceit stand together in one person To which I answer the perverter of truth no neither have I said any such thing as thou here charge us with for if thou believest my saying that I was covered over with deceit and rested in much fleshlie wisdome then thou mayest clearlie see that it is thy work and not ours which cannot stand together For was not Paul led forth verie strict in zeal and as touching the Law blamelesse and was he not perswaded that therein he was the servant of God for the clearing of his conscience but yet notwithstanding this when he came trulie to see his condition he saw his strictnesse of zeal his service of the Law and his perswasion therein to be all fleshlie and carnal which kind of worship we have too much amongst us and these things are not unknown to thee yet thou gainsayest this testimonie and thou reprovest the Ministers for their tendernesse in saying some of them read it all over In thy 12. page thou repeatest apart of my words in thy owne way and leavest out others as thou did'st before speaking of a spirit which I said was infused in me by the opperation whereof together with what I apprehended of my selfe after a short time there was made cleare to my understanding what followes Having thus in thy confused way spoken thy mind and meaning contrarie to mine thou goest forwards saying That we confesse this spirit from which I had those apprehensions was infused into me before I knew the Quakers After which sayest thou I became affected with those people called Seekers and afterwards met with two of those called Quakers and yet the drift of thy book is to make people believe that I received this spirit amongst the Quakers and so thou sayest we have cleared you speaking in a lye of that we intended for slander but to prove thy work my words thou mayest see speak thus with respect to you where I say by whose doctrine together with what I apprehended of my self by the opperation of a spirit infused into me after a short time c. And then I say that first I shall declare the manner of my enterance into this Belief which manner of enterance may be seen plainly as is expressed by that word first to be the door through and by which I was guided to that belief before spoken so that the infused spirit of which I spake was not before but after I knew the Quakers which snare I was caught in by their words through consulting with my self so that here thou shalt see that this piece of confusion thou hast cast upon us is thy own Again thou goest on with thy former deceit speaking part of my words and laying aside others to serve thy end saying That I tell of the Quakers that which they spake was against all sin yet they discovered nothing of the Mysterie of the Gospel of Christ which is false for what is true speak not so but as it is related it was my wisdome which word Wisdome thou hast here left out and in divers other places of thy book for others of thy false ends thou hast owned the word and made use thereof and for that I said they spake against all sin it is true they did so speak but their words were few spoken after this manner lye not deceive not let your words be yea and nay deal truly with God and man and such like expressions that are one and the same with the Scripture thou speakest on which saith Sin no more lest a worse thing come upon thee which manner of speaking as I have said I concluded in my wisdome to come short of the Mysterie of Christ so that here we which thou chargest with a lye stand free and those words which I spake withall witness that the Lie is thine own canst thou look upon thy unclean work of deceit which thou hast formed against us and not learn reproof What boldness canst thou have to appear hereen Is this from the Lord Or is it not from thy own wilful corruption when thou shalt take part of my words to carry on the design of a lye in enmity against us and leave the other part by which we are justified in the truth and thou condemned in the work of thy lie yea surely it is so and so own it as the work of thy corruption In thy 13. page speaking to the Ministers thou sayest they tell of one vvhom I knevv to be a very serious true-hearted man vvhich vvas converted to your belief vvhich gave me to understand that the person that Son of God vvhich dyed at Jerusalem vvas not the Redeemer of man from sin All which in thy meaning I denie for as before is witnessed they said not so but I said so and if thou wilt so have it they witnessed me in so speaking and not I them and for that I say he gave me to understand that the person that Son of God that dyed at Jerusalem was not the Redeemer of man from sin it is true in the words themselves but not as I say in thy meaning which thing also in the close of this Page thou hast both confessed and denied thy self saying That all which ever knew you wil bear you witness that you own no Redeemer but that Son of God which died at Ierusalem whom say you we witness in us the Light by which you see sin and by obedience thereto are led out of sin If thy words here speaking of the Son of God respects the spirit of that person which died at Ierusalem as I judge it doth then may thy saying be understood in those words We witness him a light in us c. for in him dwelleth fulness of the Godhead by which fulness of his have all those who have lived in his Light received grace for grace Now if this be thy meaning then have I witness from thy self for what is discovered touching the person of that Son of God which died at Jerusalem but if thy meaning must be taken as thou hast said
but of the devil and let such who are found in the practise of them see if the same spirit be not the ground of their practise yet do I not judge for judgement is committed to the Son whose light is in you all but for pride and excess I rest silent directing that moderation might be our guide and for a moderation in all those things I find not the spirit of God any where witness against But thou sayest I am a Judas for that I have betrayed thy Light and so I cannot see being over-shadowed with darkness Wel is it so am I a Judas then it is unto thee for that what I have betrayed is thy Light if then this thy Light be darkness my work is true yet however thy Light as touching what we have before spoken is darkness to mine and for that I have done and do my conscience beareth me witness in the sight of God which otherwise were I a Judas a burden would rest upon me but know this I have seene the end of things and have learned to cease from man and if for these things thou smitest at us because I call my work The Foot out of the Snare or a restoration of the Inhabitants of Zion into their place then is it that truth is ceased for it is not that Zion the Citie of the Lord was laine wast and the inhabitants thereof dispersed to the ends of the earth was not the Mountain of the house of the Lord laid low and the inhabitable parts of Jerusalem made desolate yea surelie and a great crie and lamentation there was for the desolation of her people but now the everlasting Father of love in time hath made known his power by which deliverance hath been wrought for his Name sake praises praises to his name for ever And as touching those things before spoken I have given in my witness alreadie they are no snare unto me yet do I not boast in them for that I know much temptation attends upon them therefore I direct to all as I have done before wait for a moderation for the righteous Judge is in his work and by your deeds you must be proved and not by words and your reward shall be accordinglie Thou goest forwards speaking of the restoration of that whereof I say was immutable and when thou hast so done thou sayest we condemn that spirit and way which caused the restitution and so thou goest on passing judgement upon us for what thou hast conceived with thy own feigned imaginations turn over and read once more what I have spoken and see if truth doth not speak plainlie its own meaning and for that thou sayest here are the two spirits we tell on which were contrarie to the other it is true here they are the effects of the one and the effects of the other but as touching that spirit which guided me in the denial of the spirit of meekness and so in the exalted spirit following my damned imaginations if thou canst see what plain words speak I have not cast them upon you but the waie by which I became possessed I have declared the end of which is a warning to others to speak in the spirit of truth deny me if thou canst and whereas thou sayest this thing being so speaking of my delusion I was by you denied I say as to my person thy words are not witnessed by what is before spoken but as touching the deluded spirit read my words in the close of my relation and thereby rest silent for truth hath spoken by which truth is set free In thy 19. page thou repeatest my words where I say that a short time after my compliance with that spirit which entred into me by the observation of your practise and then thou goest back to my second page and there in thy deceit thou borrowest a composed lie of thy own to witness against this truth before spoken but this lie is before laid open and for that I said the entrance of this unclean spirit was by the observation of your practise which practise you declare to be from the spirit it is true I say the entrance was so for the first entrance and work of deceit in me after I came amongst you was my taking up of divers your practises in the imitation the manner of which deceit I have in its place laid open but as touching those things thou hast related as the effects of this my saying I denie neither hast thou any ground or reason for what thou hast declared but herein thou shewest thy busie minde as one loving to pick quarrels and watching to lay a snare before the truth but now receive thy words as thy own O thou shameless man behold amongst men who would have judged like unto thee But to prove thy work of seeking to bring me into a confusion after thou hast discovered thy vain minde in thy own by-waie thou comest in thy 21. page to relate my words which speaks of my hastie forward minde and my own resolved Covenant by which in the fire of my zeal I was hastilie carried forth before the true Light c. which things are true and thy own confusion being laid open thou mayest read them so to be for this hastie forward mind and this resolved Covenant in this fire of zeal was that by which I was overcome and so took up things in the imitation by which was received in that deluded spirit of which I have spoken and so by degrees carried on as I have said for a warning to others that they also come not in the same excess and yet how is it thou canst appear in such a witness as to declare that what I have done is the work of the devil Thou goest on forwards with thy slanderous tongue in this thy false designe and then in the close of this page thou sayest I confess that when I came to the place where the Quakers were shewing the holes I made in my thumbs and telling of those Lying-Wonders which I had been acting many of the Quakers being there all of them judged me with one consent c. and then sayest thou in my 51. page I confess I was restored to a right understanding and my life became a clear light being guided in that obedience which was professed by those people And then sayest thou all this being my own confession yet I charge it upon a spirit which entred in me by the observation of your practise and so thou goest on with thy refuge of lies and then ask if ever such a heap of confusion and falshood was uttered and signed for truth c. but those things being cleared alreadie I shall let them pass onelie thou speakest here of lying-wonders which either discovers thy meaning that what I have related are lies otherwise they are the works of a lie wrought and witnessed in me by that deluded Spirit which led me forth in obedience to them now if thy meaning be thus then is thy