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
professed by you witnesses against me that I have not so done I say by that truth of which thou speakest I denie thy words and that from whence thy words came and this is a Standard from the Lord in defence against thee and the depth of thy back-sliding work also and now shall the people mourn because of thee who hath so much appeared in defence of the truth and yet art found thy self smothered in such filth as thou hast here appeared in a man of unclean lips and defiled tongue shall not all in whom there is the least measure of truth bear witness against thee Yea surelie they shall so if they appear for truth as I have said without partialitie And now is it that it is thy self who hath sought thy own and not the good of that whereof thou speakest but hath brought a ten-fold greater reproach upon that truth professed by thy self then can be witnessed I have and for that thou sayest I consulted with the greatest enemies of truth in the Nation I denie thee thou bodie of deceit how is it as I have said thou darest to speak what thou neither saw nor heard yet not so alone but also foretold and as I have said witnessed to thy face when privilie thou wentest about to enquire of one if the Anabaptist or any other had not a confederacie with me in what I have done Is this the work of simplicitie Nay surelie it is not I say I did not consult with any neither was there any addition or exchange of one word but what is my own all which I yet own and am fully satisfied in being witnessed therein by truth onlie for that I was perswaded to ingage those Ministers and so have brought them under the reach of thy Snare when in truth as to them were it not for that mistake they stood free in what they have there done and also for that I was overcome in such a great mistake and carried aside by vanitie in that deed of engaging them I say onlie for these things I have much been disquieted and it doth repent me that I have appeared therein but for the rest it was not mine but anothers whose work shall abide and for this to prevent thy former lying spirit I declare that not one of those Ministers or any other person who would have stored me up herein I say not one of them have the least knowledge of what I have here done neither shall it be known to any one of them until it be published to the sight of the world and now for that evil thou hast declared to come upon me fear possesseth me not but I bear with thy weakness therein yet for the reproach it is thy own and for that thou sayest I gainsayed and turned into fables and believed lies it is true great was my follie I did so yet in thy meaning thou art denied for they were not peremptorie acts on purpose to oppose the spirit of God but I was guided therein through mistake in much love towards God the manner of which mistake I have plainlie laid open and let all be warned thereby for truth changeth not and for the Priests making me their refuge there was no such thing for I was guided of my self to go unto them and being wel known to some of them they gave credit to my words as touching those things whereof their names were intended though they saw not my work which was one and the same as though they had seen it for the thing it selfe being onlie a Relation and no discoverie of judgment Did I make known in few words what I had declared in many words and were those few believed then was there as good faith in believing the truth of the one as the truth of the other but that thy contentious mind must be at work Thou goest forwards saying Was I brought to see my sin and yet I heard nothing of the Gospel I say I have not spoken that I heard nothing of the Gospel but if thou here meanest that I did not hear any thing of the Gospel then hast thou spoken thou knowest not what for I have heard and seen the Ministrie of the Gospel and the power thereof but for my believing of lies and gainsaying the truth I say by the Spirit of truth is that Spirit from whence thou hast so spoken denied and had I dealt with Abel my Brother like Cain or turned back into Aegypt like Câ—re then would their judgment have rested upon me but as I have before spoken fear possesseth me not my conscience beaâ—ing me witness in the sight of God but were it so I had dealt with Abel like as did Cain yet neverthelesse the day of my visitation had not been over neither had the Law power over me any longer then I had been a servant unto corruption for when Cain had killed his brother there was yet mercie if that he encreased not in his uncleanness as the spirit saith unto him If thou doest well thou shalt have thy reward if otherwise then sin lyeth at the doore Now where either of us are found in ungodlie deeds the Lord rebuke us but for thy railing Accusation and turning truth into lables and so making lies thy refuge thou art come up for proof before the Lord by whose spirit thy spirit it is which is savoured and tried unto whom thy voice is known and witnessed against as being the voice of a roaring Lyon and a ravenous Bear and not from the spirit of the Lord and now is it that thou art the man who hath ensnared thy self and brought a prejudice upon the truth for that thou hast consulted with the Beast and the false Prophet and so thou art become the devourer and here is Judas and the chief Priests and their false Witnesses and here are the lies and the confusions least simple mindes should be led with a lie through the some of the Frogs And now art thou made manifest in this thy work as one who is gone astray out of the plain way of the true shepherd and so art become a stranger to the flocks of his Companions wherefore learn hence to stay at home and receive teachings from that true shepherd that thou mayest know his voice and follow him who gives to his chosen eternal life who is the Light of the world and â—nlightneth everie one that cometh into the world whose judgment is true upon his enemies and whose condemnation abideth for ever Wherefore a Word to those three sorts of people of whom thou speakest who may be concerned in what I have done To the first sort Those who have received the Light of Christ whose eye is in their head who are come to any measure of the Annointing who are joyned in the Election to you I say is this deliverance from the bonds of iniquitie and from that Captivitie wherein you were carried aside from the peaceable union and enjoyment of the eternal love to you is this deliverance
then thy words are not for that what they speak cannot be but now witnessed by thy self we are not slanderers nor backbiters neither doth that person deserve admonition which spake the words yet if thou wouldst know his name from me though I judg thou art not ignorant who it was it was Simon Dring who meeting with me in the street at the head of Bartlemy-Lane behinde the Exchange had some conference with me the effects whereof as could remember I have declared In thy 14. page thou sayest I seem to reproach you in that I say some of you fasted 30. or 40. daies I say the words themselves speak no such thing neither is it my mind but-as such a work was this discovered for a sign according as thy self hath applied Thou goest further in this page telling of those two spirits which was in me one contrary to the other by which I did many things in my will against my wil and then thou skippest to the end of my book where I say before I was perswaded to comply with you I had a right Knowledge of your belief and practise and then sayest thou here is another piece of my confusion manifested and for a proof thereof thou goest to the end of that relation which declares of what delusions I was in where I have said that I was judged by you and when thou hast thus blinded the truth by this thy own work of despight and so the confusion thy own thou callest us falfe Witnesses which cannot agree together in our Work but who is there that may not see thy vain mind and the false Witness of which thou speakest which cannot agree in one to be in thy self cease for shame cease from disturbing the truth and perverting the right minde of the Lord have I in simplicity declared the way by which I came to be lost and so ensnared by the deceiver that his Way and Works being laid open it might answer to the benefit of others and yet goest thou about to make use thereof for by-ends and to cast a stumbling block before what good might otherwise be learned thereby look upon thy work and behold thy end I say as I have declared before I had a right knowledge of your belief and practise but when coming to be guided by what I had learned in my understanding that fiery zeal of which I spake being in my will brought in darkness upon my spirit by which darkness I was overcome to do many things in my will against my will and for reproof from any of you I received none until that time I have before mentioned and here as to what thou hast spoken thou art left without excuse being witnessed against by the Light of Christ which thou sayest we have accused and the unsavoury stuff it is thy own which thy slandering spirit have cast forth of the bottomeless pit In thy 15. page thou sayest I tell of my believing that what was manifested of God in man was the Light of life and one with himself and that man was the cause of all his distractions and confusions in himself and that man having lost the Kernall and Substance he feedeth on dry husks and being not refreshed with Bread and Water of Life he remaineth alwaies seeking and never satisfied and that eternall life living in us there needs no more thirsts c. And having thus done thou confessest they and many more which thou hast not mentioned are precious truths and sayest thou these being things which the devill most envie we speaking in a lye have mixed with them some of our ovvn deceits thereby the better to make people believe they are errors to which I say why didst not thou declare those errors that so I might have seen my weakness and the people have learned Knowledge but here thou exclaimest against the truth and stayest at home to cover thy deceit but this is to carry on thy designe amongst those who say as thou sayest discovered in those words We strike at the whole foundation at once after which subtile designe thou repeatest a part of my Words which speaks another thing and relates to another end then vvhat is before discovered contained in those Words I shall declare some of those effects vvhich this change vvrought in me and having so done thou skippest to the end of my Relation confounding thy self in not observing the scope and order of my Words and there repeatest the crucifying of my self and burning my leg and pricking needles in my thumbs and such like which thy subtilty calls bewitched stuff though it is true it was as I have so called it bewitched stuff haddest not thou dealt fairlie and trulie with thy self and with me also in taking the scope and order of my writing as things were discovered have I not said those temptations overpowred me at my first entrance occasioned by the fire of my zeal and that afterwards when I came to see my folly I was restored to a right understanding of what was true which thing thou hast acknowledged in divers places of thy book in owning my words which speaks that I was guided in that obedience which was professed by you if then I make a difference between that obedience you professed and that practise I was guided in while under those temptations which I have done in many places then I say where art thou in this thy work if not drunk with new Wine and smothered in the dark Clouds of the misty day behold confusion upon confusion is Babilon overcome is Babilon ceased when so many languages voices and sounds breaks forth and discover themselves in a confederacie against the simplicitie of truth yet will not my people see these things saith the Lord but though they will not see yet will I go up to the Mountain of my holinesse and there will I plead for my Name sake that if may be the restorer might comfort Zion and Israel my glory might see their deliverer Thou goest on with my words which speaks that I was guided not to pluck off my hat to any man to speak the words Thee and Thou not to bow to any man not to direct my mind in drinking to any to pull off my points at the knees and my buttons which were unnecessary and such like things which thou sayest we would loath see go down and therefore give it as though it was the spirit of the devil which bear witnesse against them and so we would condemn the spirit of God and practise of the Saints to which I say thou art denied in what is spoken for that cause and end for which those things were discovered was to shew the rashnesse and forwardnesse of my zeal by which I was guided in all those things without the spirit of God and though the spirit of God should witnesse the deniall of all those things in another which I can yet scarce believe yet I say in that my hastie work of denying them it was not of God
witness true but if thon meanest that my words are lies then why is it that thou didst not witness any one of them so to be that so I might have seen my errors but herein is thy subtiltie seen Thou goest further uttering much words to us for what thou hast feigned in thy own imagination and then in thy 23. page thou askest Is there any in this City but they are ashamed to have a hand in such a filthy thing speaking of what thy imagination hath conceived which thou hast cast upon us to which I answer nay surely I judg there is not any but thy self and so receive these thy own words consider thy work in this thy confused thing wherein thou hast been forced so often to clear us both with thy own words and also with mine of those things thou hast so often accused us of and to the world declare thy selfe whereof all the world cannot prove us guilty of these deceits and open manifest inventions wrought by thee further then to testifie against thee and that spirit in thee and them by which thou wast helped in this thy workes of lyes and slanders which are one for the sorcerer the murtherer and the lyer is one spirit so thou who hast cast these things upon us which thy selfe doth testifie we denyed and for that cause judgment was given and a witnesse for truth hath appeared to the world let all men see by what spirit thou was led Was there ever such a thing done amongst the people of God had'st thou lived in the Apostles time wouldest not thou have slandered the truth the persons of the Saints with the act of Simon Magus though it was much better then this of thee who fell the truth for a lye wouldst not thou have charged the act of the incessious person upon the Apostles and that of Annanias and Sephira upon that spirit which appeared in them and that of Judas upon Christ and his Disciples which is the like case all these being thy own acts thou hast appeared in their spirit and then thou castest thy Work upon us and now had this been just dealeing to accuse the innocent or have you done here as you would be done unto nay wouldest thou have the false witnesses in this thy paper cast upon the innocent the abominations that is of thy selfe cast upon us this being the true case between thee and us whose persons thou hast slandered take it into consideration and let the light of Christ of which thou speakest be Judg in you whether you have kept the Royall Law Do as you would be done unto let him be witness between us and you whose spirit you have blasphemed this daie also let all the Judges of this Nation give their testimonie and all that understand Law between man and man if such a witness deserve not punishment suitable to his Slander who would dare to be a witness against others in things he never saw nor heard though I am far from desiring that any such thing should befall thee but that thou mayest come to see thy unjust dealing after the manner of men in that thou darest to act and witness such contradictions and confusions as is in this thy book and become a certain witness to that thou never saw nor heard and so speak thou knowest not what and yet notwithstanding thou hast thus discovered the vain deceit of thy own minde that thou shouldest for a cover thereof to darken the understandings of the simple dare to appear with such an appeal unto such persons of sound judgement and clear understanding in respect of those things whereof thou speakest as they are O man where art thou if not beside thy self Is thy understanding laid aside or art thou predominate in thy affections that thou mightest boast in vanitie was there ever such a thing done by any that feared God a moderate Heathen would have blushed thereat But now how art thou falne and how hath envie besotted thee in this thy work These things and much more of which I am ashamed to speak hast thou prepared a work for and they for thy work Did not Haman insult against Mordicai and so brought the evil upon himself which was designed for Mordicai and is it not so between thee and us hast thou not laid a snare before the truth to intrap us and then prepared a scourge but now thou hast brought that evil upon thy self which thou intendest for us and here is thy deceit made manifest Having thus discovered thy uncleanness and work of a lie thou goest on in thy 23. page with my words where I say that I had a clear understanding of what your Ministry held forth and a right knowledge of your belief and practise before I complied with you and then sayest thou here I adde another lie to cover the former and so I go about to clear you again to which I answer as I have cleared alreadie what I have spoken is true thy deceit being laid open thou mayest read them so to be have I all along in my book discovered the truth of things that those scandals which have passed abroad might be seen and witnessed against Nay couldst thou have done more thy self had the case been thy own and yet for all this goest thou about to reproach and revile me for that I have thus done and that by turning truth into lies and so make a scorn and derision of the work of the spirit and yet doest thou justifie thy deed as though thou wast thus guided by the spirit let all those of whom thou callest to witness between thee and me whose eyes are in their heads bear witness in truth without partialitie between us and then shall they not see thy follie yea also read thy self and thy own condemnation that so thou maist for the time to come learn more wisdome and not dare to appear in such a fair show as though in love to truth whenas thou makest thy self manifest to be a devourer of the truth In thy 26. page thou confessest thy self that I tell the occasion how I came to be lost in my understanding and so distracted and confused in mind and then thou goest on repeating my words which discovers the occasion to be another thing then your persons and yet the whole scope of thy book is intended to make people believe that I cast it upon your persons and again thou acknowledgest that what I have here discovered is for the clearing of truth and yet in thy confusion thou callest this subtiltie but if so then thou art subtiltie for that thou deniest not by these thy words but that it is for the clearing of truth was not deceit uppermost when thou appearest in this work and thy understanding covered with darkness yea surelie and so it was and here that judgment of which thou speakest is witnessed out of thy own mouth to be thy own for if it was the true spirituall Light which let me to see
my darkness as I have said it was and that it would have guided me out of the works of the flesh self-thoughts and imaginations and if the cause why I turned from that Light was my natural forward minde and resolutions as it was and so lead forth in obedience to a covenant of my own before the true light by which the Light of the Sun was darkned and a shape formed in the likeness of the true light whereby deceit got power to do those filthie things and if I was restored again by the true Light as I was and so guided in the obedience which is professed by you if these things are true as they are then let all unto whom thou appealest wherein there is the least measure of honestie judg righteouslie between us and see if that the blasphemie lies and slanders and abominable confusions which thou cast upon us be not in truth thy own who all along in thy book hath gone about to defile and slander the true Light of the spirit of God under a pretence of clearing the truth but receive thy own words as they are thine canst thou behold thy confusion and not be ashamed Dost thou scoff at me for calling my work the Foot out of the Snare and declare against it calling it the Foot in the Snare Art not thou ashamed at thy envie against the innocent Is this that innocencie of which thou boastest on hast thou not cast a stone at us but is it not falne back upon thy self Is this thy Foot in the Snare then consider thy work and see thy end for for that thou hast ensnared thy self and so receive thy own canst thou say and unsay accuse and excuse and all in one thing and yet witnesse all for truth who would have fed upon mischief like thee dost thou believe that all are so blinde as some who are led by you to believe all for truth that thou speakest without examination Or dost thou think that wisdome and light is whollie excluded as thou sayest and true judgment whollie respected then mightest thou think with thy words that thy lies and deceits might have passed without reproof and thou cover thy self therewith as with a garment but the Lord is risen and rising and the light is come and the day springing from on high is visiting his people and all works of darknesse must come to judgment and for those despised people of vvhom thou speakest vvho have none to take their part in the earth I refuse to appear in enmitie against them but for that I see you Builders have led them forth into bondage and have spoiled vvhat is their libertie have I spoken my vvord shall stand in truth But for Herod and Pilate I denie and all vvho are in their vvorship and that I ovvne vvhich is one in Spirit and Povver vvhich is no lie but that Lamb of God and his light whereof thou speakest in whom there is no sin and for the liar it is thy self witnesse the light in thy own conscience and divers thy own words which from that light thou wast constrained to speak in the justifying of that truth which appeared in me and with that light art thou comprehended by which thy ground and thy end is seen with the depth of thy own deceit and though we are strangers in spirit and enmitie is gotten in between us yet that arm of the Lord is seen whereof thou speakest gathering his sheep which have been scattered upon the mountains this cloudie dark day who restores the lame strengthens the feeble and carries the lambs in his bosome because they are his own glorie be to his Name for ever and as for worship adding to or altering from what was in his Saints by the same light in my measure which was in them I denie and also for those Vinedressers who stand up in defence of themselves against the heir who is coming to call for fruit whose Vineyard brings forth pride vain-glory and respect of persons love of the world and conformitie thereto creature worships and one which is not of God I say as for all such I denie and their worship neither have I pleaded in the least for them but for those and their fruits which are out of time out of the spirit of this world and as for greatnesse of rage in me against such whose lives are thus hid with Christ in God it hath not appeared in me neither dare I to appear in such a work for that I know there is a seed whose Name is perfection whichis risen and rising to utter his voice to the ends of the earth that he might establish his own Name for a light to his people Israel This do I see and know and for that cause do I rest silent and these are those of whom it is true they have lost their Kindred the pleasure of the earth and the delights therein is brought to their end they have seen a cessation of time and they are laid much lower then the lowest of men and for this cause are they worthy who follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth and in his life they shall live yet such there are of whom thou art not known though not altogether but for the Potters of the earth they shall be dashed in pieces therefore Oh ye Sons of men Why will ye not turn to the Rock from whence ye were hewn and to that pit out of which ye were digged that ye might draw from thence the fresh Springs of that Fountain which giveth to his people eternal life I am a Fountain set open for sin and for uncleannesse come unto me all ye who are wearie and heavie laden that ye might be watered with the dew of heaven and ye shall finde rest for your soules my yoak is easie and my burthen is light but for such who are gathering together in a confederacie against my Name when my wrath is waxed hot I will arise in my furie and recompence you according to your work Thou beginnest in thy 31. page with a word to me discovering what I said to divers friends that I did put forth what I have done to clear the truth professed by you from many scandals cast upon it through my means and then savest thou that truth by you professed is a witness against me for ever that I have not sought to clear it but I have sought my own and also that I have caused the truth to be blasphemed above all that ever was before me in this Generation since the time of his appearance who is the Light of the world and for that end I have gone to consult with the greatest enemies to that truth professed by you that are in the Nation Now as touching all what thou hast here spoken I utterlie denie for did I so speak to friends my words are true for that I have spoken in much plainness to that end witnessed and proved by all what I have before spoken And whereas thou sayest that truth