Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A82019
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The grand impostor examined: or, The life, tryal, and examination of James Nayler, the seduced and seducing Quaker with the manner of his riding into Bristol. Whereunto is added, the sentence passed upon him by the High Court of Parliament.
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Deacon, John, 17th cent.
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1657
(1657)
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Wing D485; ESTC R231373
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14,961
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53
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peace oh how my soule travelleth to see this day which Abraham did and was glad and so shall all that are of faithfull Abraham O suffer me to speake what the Lord hath moved There is one temptation neere the like unto the first and is like the wisdome of God but it is not and therefore it must be destroyed Oh it desileth and hateth the innocent I beseech thee wait my soule travelleth to see a pure Image brought forth and the enemy strive to destroy it that he may keep me alwaies sorrowing and ever seeking and never satisfied nor never rejoycing But he in whom I have believed will shortly tread satan under our feet and then shalt thou and thine return to Zion with everlasting rejoycings and praises But till then better is the house of mourning then rejoycing for he that was made a perfect example when he had fasted the appointed time of his father vvas tempted to eate and to shew a miracle to prove himselfe to be the Sonne of God But man lives not by bread said he and now no more by that vvisdom shall he live on vvhich he hath long fed as on bread and as his food hath been so must his fast be and then at the end temptation to as low a thing as a stone that if it vvere possible the humility and the miracles vvould deceive the elect innocent and righteous branch of holiness But be his vvils never so many the time comes he shall leave thee for he is faithfull vvho hath promised he vvill not leave the Throne of David vvithout a man to sit thereon vvhich shall judge the poore vvith righteousnesse and the World vvith equity This shall shortly come to passe and then shall the vision speak and not lie O let innocency be thy beloved and righteousnesse thy Spouse that thy fathers lambs may rejoyce in thy pure and cleare unspotted image of holinesse and purity vvhich my soul believeth I shall see and so in the faith rest I am in patience vvait and the power vvill preserve from subtilty though under never so zealous a pretence of innocent vvisdom it be yet shall the Lord not suffer his holy one to see corruption nor his soule to lie in Hell but will cause the mountain to melt at his presence and the little hills to bring him peace O I am ready to fear as a servant and to obey as a child If I have spoken words too high love hath constrained me which is as strong as death and with the same spirit cover them as they are spoken with and then shall the spirit of David be witnessed who refused not words though from his servants mouth if they were in the fear I am his servant and he my Master whom I love and fear and trust I shall do unto the end Hannah Stranger From London 16. day of the 7th month Hereafter followeth the Letter wherein John Stranger calleth James Naylor Jesus Another from the same OH thou fairest of ten thousand thou onely begotten Son of God how my heart panteth after thee O stay me with flagons and comfort me with Wine My well beloved thou art like a Roe or young Hart upon the mountains of Spices where thy beloved Spouse hath long been calling thee to come away but hath been but lately heard of thee Now it lies something upon me that thou mindst to see her for the spirit and power of God is with her And there is given to her much of excellent and innocent wisedome arissen and arising in her which will make all the honest-hearted to praise the Lord alone and no more set up self And therefore let not my Lord and Master have any jealousie again of her for she is highly beloved of the Lord and that shall all see who come to know the Lord And now he doth blesse them that blesse his and curse them that curse his for this hath the Lord shewed me That her portion is exceeding large in the Lord and as her sorrow hath been much so shall her joy be much more which rejoyceth my heart to see her walke so valiantly and faithfully in the work of the Lord in this time of so great tryals as hath been laid upon her especially And I am Hannah Stranger The Postscript Remember my dear love to thy Master Thy name is no more to be called James but Jesus John Stranger This John Stranger is Husband to this Hannah Stranger and this was added as a Postscript by him to his Wives Letter as is acknowledged Remember my love to those friends withthee The seventeenth day of the eighth month superscribed this to the hands of James Naylor We shall now return to his examination Q. Art thou the only Son of God A. I am the Son of God but I have many Brethren Q. Have any called thee by the name of Jesus A. Not as unto the visible but as Jesus the Christ that is in me Q. Dost thou own the name of the King of Israel A. Not as a creature but if they give it Christ within I own it and have a Kingdom but not of this world my Kingdome is of another world of which thou watst not Q. Whether or no art thou the Prophet of the most high A. Thou hast said I am a Prophet Q. Dost thou own that attribute the Judge of Israel A. The Judge is but one and is witnessed in me and is the Christ there must not be any joyned with him if they speak of the spirit in me I own it only as God is manifest in the flesh according as God dwelleth in me and judgeth there himself Q. By whom wert thou sent A. By him who hath sent the spirit of his Son in me to try not as to carnal matters but belonging to the Kingdome of God by the indwelling of the Father and the Son the judge of all spirits to be guided by none Q. Is not the written word of God the guide A. The written word declares of it and what is not according to that is not true Q. Whether art thou more sent then others or whether others be not sent in that measure A. As to that I have nothing at present given me of my Father to answer Q. Was your birth mortal or immortal A. Not according to the Natural birth but according to the Spiritual birth born of the immortal seed Q. Wert thou ever called the Lambe of God A. I look not back to things behind but there might be some such thing in the letter I am a lamb and have sought it long before I could witnesse it Q. Who is thy mother or whether or no is she a virgin A. Nay according to the naturall birth Q. Who is thy mother according to thy spirituall birth A. No carnall creature Q. Who â—â—…n A. To this he refused to answer Q. Is the hope of Israel in thee A. The hope is in Christ and as Christ is in me so far the hope of Israel stands Christ is in me
The Grand Impostor EXAMINED OR The Life Tryal and Examination OF JAMES NAYLER The Seduced and Seducing QUAKER WITH The Manner of his Riding into BRISTOL Whereunto is added The Sentence passed upon him by the High Court of Parliament JOH. 19.7 We have a law and by our law he ought to die because he made himself the Son of God LONDON Printed for Henry Brome at the Hand in S. Paul's Church-yard 1657. To the READER Courteous Reader I Do here give thee an account of what passed betweene James Nayler and his Judges as thinking it a part of my duty towards God and man that thereby thou mayst see and know there is but one onely God and one onely Jesus which is the Christ who was crucified by the Jews at Jerusalem Which whosoever denies let him be accursed It hath been the Custome in former times to Immure Stone or other wayes punish with Death such as did falsly stile themselves the onely Sons of the most High God As thou mayest see in that faithful Chronologer John Speed who affirmeth that in the Reign of King HENRY the third there appeared a Grand Impostor somewhat in wickedness resembling this of whom we are to treat this Man or rather Devil thinking himself to be some-body boasted himself to be no-body in the eyes of the World but as being sent from Heaven And having a grave and impudent aspect pretended himself to be no less then the Saviour of Mankinde And to strike a belief into the easily-seduced People he had wounded his Hands and Feet and Side Affirming these to be the Wounds which the Jews had given him at JERUSALEM For which blasphemous and horrid Doctrine he was sentenced to be starved to death between the Walls of a strong Prison Where he and his Doctrine died Even So let all thine enemies perish O Lord Thou wilt in his Examination discover some difference to be between him and George Fox but I suppose they are again reconciled I shall not trouble thee with all the many Letters which were conveyed from him to others or from them to him lest I make my Relation swell too big I shall onely give thee one or two of the chiefest Out of which if thou canst pick but a little sence and less truth thou canst do more then Thy loving friend Decemb. 16 1656. James Naylors Examination READER THinking it a very good foundation to my building to give you the manner of his progresse before you come to his confession or before his blasphemie aspires to the stoole of Repentance I shall thus begin James Naylor of Wakefield in the County of Yorke a deluded and deluding Quaker and Imposter rode October last through a Village called Bedminster about a mile from Bristol accompanied with six more one whereof was a young man whose head was bare leading his horse by the bridle and another uncovered before him thorow the durty way in which the Carts and Horses and none else usually goe And with them two men on horseback with each of them a woman behind him and one woman walking on the better way or path In this posture did they march and in such a case that one George Witherley noting their condition asked them to come in the better rode adding that God expected no such extremity but they continued on their way not answering in any other notes but what were musicall singing Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabbath c. Thus continued they till by their wandring they came to the Almsehouse within the Suburbs of Bristol where one of the women alighted and she with the other of her own sex lovingly marcht on each side of Naylor's Horse This Witherley saith he supposes they could not be lesse deep in the muddy way then to the knees and he saith they sang but sometimes with such a buzzing mel-ODIOVS noyse that he could not understand what it was This the said Witherley gave in upon his oath Thus did they reach Ratcliff-gate with Timothy Wedlock of Devon bare-headed and Martha Symonds with the bridle on one side and Hannah Stranger on the oher side of the Horse this Martha Simonds is the wife of Thomas Simonds of London Book-binder and Hannah Stranger is the Wife of John Stranger of London Combmaker who sung Holy holy holy Lord God of Israel Thus did he ride to the high Crosse in Bristol and after that to the White-hart in Broadstreet vvhere there lies two eminent Quakers by name Dennis Hollister and Henry Row of vvhich the Magistrates hearing they vvere apprehended and committed to prison Long it had not been after their consinement in the Goale at Exeter from whence passing through Wells and Glassenbury this party bestrewed the vvay vvith their garments But to be short they were searcht and Letters were found about them infinitely filled vvith profane non-sensicall language vvhich Letters I shall not trouble you with onely some of the chiefe lest your patience should be too much cloyd We shall hast now to their axaminations and because Naylor vvas the chiefe actor 't is fit he have the preheminence of leading the vvay in their Examinations we shall therefore give you a full account of vvhat passed betvven the Magistrate and him vvhich take as followeth He entred the Court with a confident resolution his Hat on which he offered not to take off but without using any civil respect to any one he Answered in this manner to these following questions The Examination of James Naylor and others BEing asked his name or whether he was not called James Naylor he replied The men of this world call me James Naylor hhy Q Art not thou the man that rid on horseback into Bristol a woman leading thy horse and others singing before thee Holy holy holy Hosannah c. A. I did ride into a Town but what its name was I know not and by the Spirit a woman was commanded to hold my horses bridle and some there were that cast down cloathes and sang praises to the Lord such songs as the Lord put into their hearts and its like it might be the Song of Holy holy holy c. Q. Whether or no didst thou reprove those women A. Nay but I bad them take heed that they sang nothing but what they were moved to of the Lord Q. Dost thou own this Letter whereupon a Letter vvas shewed him which Hannah Stranger sent unto thee A. Yea I do own that Letter Q. Art thou according to that Letter the fairest of ten thousand A. As to the visible I deny any such attribute to be due unto me but if as to that which the Father has begotten in me I shall own it But now Reader before I passe further I hold it not impertient to deliver you the vvords of the same Letter with another vvhich were these A Letter to James Naylor at Exeter by Hannah Stranger J. N. IN the pure feare and power of God my soule salutes thee Thou everlasting son of righteousnesse and Prince of