GReat stones are not laid in the building, without some time and great labour, because of their weight; but once placed, remain long: Charles King of Naples was surn [...]med Cun­ctator, Delayer, because he stayed till oppor­ [...]y [...]as past; But Fabius the Shield of Rome, was so cal­le [...] [...]cause he only staid till opportunity was come. But I sha [...]l n [...]w come to a m [...]re parti [...]ular Discovery, viz. Till I [...]w their Manifestation, I could not well tell, nor hardly gu [...]sse, what (for men) in many things they would have the world think them to be. There (indeed) they professe, that [Page 2]they believe there is one eternall and omnipotent God, the Author and preserver of all things in the world: and deny to be either Atheists or Antiscripturists. But what Atheists for advantage and to serve his own turne. Whether there be not Hypocrifie here in their speech; Let these things be noted from those called Levellers.

• 1. It is asserted by them, that Reason is God, and out of this reason came the whole creation.
• 2. The immortality of the soul they flatly deny, and scoff at such people as believe the souls imortallity.
• 3. In the Levellers creed, there is no Jesus Christ no con­ception, birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, or exaltation of such a one; no heaven nor hell, no Angel, good not bad; no resurrection of the flesh; for to take it so in the letter (they say) in a dream of our Preachers.
• 4. All that we call the history of the Scripture is an idol for there is no other Adam, or Christ, Cain or Abel, Abra­ham, Jsaac, Jacob. Moses, Canaanites, Amalekites, Philistins: but what is seen and felt within every man. Hence they say, the publique preachers have cheated the whole world, by telling us of a single man, called Adam, that kil'd us by ea­ting a single fruit.

• 5. By their principles men must leave of all teaching and instructing each other. There is no use of sermons, Sacra­ments, or prayer, Preachers are the curse, and the spreaders of the curse, standing ponds of stinking water; yea the zea­lous preachers, are no other then Judas, Traitors, Witches, Sorcerers, Deceivers, they and the people joyning together in publick worship is an abomination, gathering Congrega­tions Church-fellow-ship, and all other outward forms this (say the Levellers is to betray Christ into the hands of flesh, a [...]eceit of the Divell, the government of the beast, Antichristian captivity, and 'tis to be under the the tyrant [Page 3]flesh, a new bondage, a wrapping men in confusion, the my­stery of iniquity, and only to hinder Christ the great Pro­phet fr [...]m rising.

  It hath formerly been held, that religion, and the true wor­ship of God, is much for the safety & prosperity of a Com­mon-wealth, and mens departure from the practice thereof and falling to hereticall, atheisticall, and blasphemous ways brings Gods curse and plagus upon a nation: and indeed the Heathen thought so too, when God is neglected, the land is corrected.

  There is a City called Zaiton, in India, where they bring hot meats to their Idols, feeding their dumbe Gods with the smoake, and eating the meat shemselves. Whatsoever these men professe concerning One eternal and omnipotent God, yet, they serve him just as the heathens do their Idols, give him no meat, no worship, service or Religious duty; all that he hath from them is only smoake, and fitly may it be named smoake, for in truth their principles are nothing else but the smoak of the bottomlesse pit.

• 6. That they are Atheists and Antiscripturists, or little better: men who regard not God, neither the Scriptures, nor any religion; it may be clearly seen by the argument of the people, which they call, the standard and ultimate scope of their designs. Amongst all their Proposals and Article (whic are thirty at least) there is not one thing proposed, for the holding forth and furtherance of Gods publick worship and service.

Now who knoweth not and beleeves except an Atheist, That Religion and the feare of God preserves the society of men among themselve. It is the speech of the Phi­losopher in his Politiques, when he giveth a rule of Policy: First, there must be a care of divine things, and that is the best Policy; for God loves such most, who are carefull to serve him best.

that there is a Levelling design carrying on, dangerous to the Common-wealth, it is too apparent, and howbeit, but sew are acquainted with the bottome of the work, yet ma­ny are, much use of women as well as men: some to dig, others to dream, some to raise sedition and hurliburlies, in City, Town, and Country, others to cry out against Ty­rannie, and for liberty. And all this is to effect-one thing, which is as they say themselves, thus.

1. They will have no man to call any thing his: for it is tyranny that a man should have any proper Land; particu­lar propriety is devillish, the mystery of Egyptian bondage a destroying of the creation, a lifter up of the proud cove­tous flesh; a bringer in of the curse ag [...]in, a mo [...]tall ene­my to the Spirit, and that which hath brought in all misery upon the creature. 2. Labourers and such as are called poor people, they ought not to work for any Land lord, or for any that is lifted up above others. He that works for another, either for wages, or to pay his rent, workes unrigh­teously lifts up the curse, and by his labours brings the cre­ation under bondage, and the hand of the Lord shall be a­gainst such labourers. Again, they say, it is a tyrannicall u­surpation, an incroachment of Lords of Mannors, to lay Fines and other services upon their Tenants. When as by right they are as free as themselves. 3. Levellers do not allow, neither will they have any buying or selling no mar­kets to be kept, nor any civill trading at all: for to do so it is to take the beasts mark: when a man hath need of any corn or catle, he is to take the same from the next store house he meets with. 4. It is another doctrine of theirs, contrary to the Law o [...] God, of Nature, and nations, that no man is to be put to death for murder, or any unrighteous crime whatsoever: nor to be imprisoned or punnished any way; onely such as are to work and eat their own bread; and he [Page 5]or they that shall inflict any other punnishment upon fel­low creatures, is an unrighteous actor in the creation: for it is a mighty dishonour to our maker, that one part of the creation should destroy another. Again, he that will rule o­ver, imprison, oppresse, and kill his fellow creatures under whatsoever pretence, is a destroyer of the Creation, and an actor of the curse, and walkes contrary to the rule of righ­teousnesse. 5, If their design hold, they will so Levell the nation, that there shalbe no corporations, patents, Charters throughout the Realm, in any city or Town, as some to be free, others not: There shall not be Mayors, Bayliffs, Alder­men, Common-councell men, nor any Judge or Justice of Peace left amongst us. These as the reliques of conquest and Tyranny, they will pluck up by the roots. 6. For our Tearms and Lawyers (whom they term the Vermine and Caterpillers of this Common-wealth:) hear what they say; would it not be a notable booty to the Souldiers, when so many cheating Lawyers are together at the term, to drive them out, or else strip their long taild gowns over the ears: O Souldiers, you could never do a better piece of service then to put down all the Lawyers and all their Courts, with all Patents, Grants, Records, &c. and suffer not one Term more; and we in the Country will assist you with what power we can: so that let us acquit our selves like men and bee no more slaves: this were an excellent worke in­deed.

To these therefore are their Emissaries specially sent; to raise the servant against the master; The Tenant against the Land-lord; the buyer against the seller; the borrower a­ganist the lender, the poor against the rich, and for encou­ragement every begger shall be set on Horse-back.

And this was no other but what the German Levellers did, and by publishing so much, such as had little means of [Page 6]their own, and all their hope was upon others, most readily received it.

But you heard them say, they approvd not of this Level­ling, unlesse there did proceed an assent from all the people: Here is a cloak so thin that a man may see thorow it; As if these men did not know and love Figures, though they are ignorant of other learning, and generally hate it. All must be understood most restrictively, that is the poor Commo­ner for rich men, and such as have Lands, and estates, and claim a propriety in things, they do declare and protest a­gainst; for having exercised Tranny oppression and cruelty, upon their fellow brethren, and free Commoners of this na­tion. Now who makes question but this ALL, will assent to the equalling mens estates, and taking away the right and title that every man hath to what is his own. And then as the law sayth; Fundamento desiciente omne rerum. And Eng­land may say with the Poet.

In our discovery we shall now in the next place take no­tice, what these men say of themselves, for their peaceable­nesse, as to reconcile differences and to heal all breaches on all sides, we bless God (say they) our consciences are clear adding affliction to affliction, having ever labored from the beginning of our distractions to compose & reconcile them and should esteem it as the crown of all our temporal felicity, that yet we might be instruments in procuring the peace of this Common-wealth, the Land of our nativity. Besides their agreement is tendred as a Peace-off [...]ring; and this Scripture especial they assume to themselvs, and apply t to their practice, blessed are the peace-makers.