First concerning GOD.

THey maintain that God is essentially in every creature, and that there is as much of God in one creature, as in another, though he doth not manifest himself so much in one as in another: I saw this expression in a Book of theirs, that the essence of God was as much in the Ivie leaf, as in the most glorious Angel; I heard another say, that the essence of God was in that board, as much as it was in heaven; he then laying his hand on a Deal board. They all say there is no other God but what is in them, and also in the whole Creation, and that men ought to pray and seek to no other God but what was in them.

The titles they give God are these: They call him the Being, the Fulnesse, the Great motion, Reason, the Immensity: I heard a man swear that if there was any God at all he was one, I said to him that God knew all things, and was able to do whatsoever he pleased, but you cannot, therefore you are not God, but a blasphemer: Another made answer, he was not The GOD, but he was God, because God was in him and in every creature in the world: I replyed, If God were in every creature, how then came it to passe, there was such a difference amongst the creatures, as there are some good and some bad, and some Godly men, and some wicked, and all such good and bad are divided one against another, but God is undivi­ded and at unity with himself, therefore God essentially is not in every creature.

Secondly concerning Christ.

THey say that Christ was only a form, or a shadow, or a fleshly apparition of God and no more, and that what he did in way of suffering, was for himself, for none had, or ever should have any benefit by his suffering but himself. That the Ministry of Christ ei­ther by himself, or by his Apostles as it is held forth in the Scri­ptures is ceased, as well as the Ministry of Aaron; others of them [Page 3]say, that what Christ did in the flesh, is now made over to us in the spirit, and that we are no more to eye or mind Christ that died at Jerusalem, but we are to mind Christ in our selves; others of them say, that what Christ did in his own person, was onely a figure or a type of what should be done and acted in every man, and that every man must do and suffer as much as Christ did; this is the best they say of Christ: I have heard some say, that if Christ were on earth now, he would be ashamed of what he did before; I heard one of them say, it was a question whether Christ was born of a Virgin, nay, saith another, he was a bastard sure enough, for the letter, saith he, (meaning the Scripture) saith that Mary was betro­thed to Joseph before Jesus was conceived in the womb. At which words I was much inraged, and began to speak, intending to re­prove them, but was interrupted by one of them that sate by, who swore abloudy oath, and told me I doted on a silly boy which was at Jerusalem, and he also swore he knew the Lad very well, for, said he, I was his Godfather; one of them met me, and said he was told that I had as much wisdome as Christ, I answered, that none but blasphemers would say so; then he answered, if I had not so much wisdome, he had. There was one of them did affirm to Doctor Chamberlaine, in my hearing, that every man was God as much as Christ, for, saith he, there is as much of the God-head in every man, as was in Christ.

Thirdly, concerning the Spirit.

THey all affirme that there is but one spirit in the world, and those names of good spirit, and bad spirit, are meere imagi­nations and scarcrowes to feare men withall, that they are taught and are onely under teaching of this spirit, and that all other tea­chings either by Scripture or otherwise are of no use to them. There was one of them said in my hearing that he need not read the Scri­pture, nor heare Sermons, for the Father, the Son, and the Spirit were all three in him; and this he said he could prove, but his best arguments were of no force in my opinion.

Fourthly, concerning the Scriptures.

THe best they say of the Scripture is; That it is a Tale, a Histo­ry, a Letter, and a dead Letter, and more, the fleshly History; they call it a bundle of contradictions. I heard one sweare it was the archest peece of Witchcraft that ever was [...]. Another said it was the greatest curse that ever came [...]ld, for sai [...] [Page 4]he, the Scripture hath been the cause of all our misery, and divisi­ons both in Religion and civill affaires, and hath been the cause of all the blood, that hath been shed in the world; and that there would never be peace in the world, till all the Bibles in the world were burned. I heard one reason thus, Paul had the spirit of God, by which spirit he wrote the Scriptures; and saith he, I have the spirit, why may not I write the Scripture as well as Paul? and what I write be as binding and as infallible as that which Paul writ: Againe saith he, all the books of the Old and New Testament were directed to some particular Nation, or Church, or Persons; but saith he, none of the Scriptures are directed, either to the Nation, or to any Church in England, or any man in England; therefore the Scriptures belong not to us, neither are they any rule for us to walk by, or to live after.

Fifthly, concerning the Creation.

THey say that the world was created long before the time the Scripture speakes of; for say they when Cain fled from the pre­sence of the Lord, he went into the Land of Nod, and there he built a City, he could not build a City himselfe, and it was needlesse for him to build a City for his own houshold, one house or tent would have served him; therefore they argue that there were at that time more people in the world then Adam and Cain, though we read of no more.

Sixthly, concerning marriage.

THey say that for one man to be tyed to one woman, or one woman to be tyed to one man, is a fruit of the curse; but they say, we are freed from the curse; therefore it is our liberty to make use of whom we please: I did intend to aske them how we came be freed from the curse, but I was prevented; this opinion they infer from those words of the Lord to Eve, Thy desire shall be to thy hus­band.

Seventhly, concerning the Commandements of God.

THey say that all the Commandements of God, both in the Old and New Testaments, are fruits of the curse, and that all men being freed from the curse, are also free from the Commandments. Others say, that all the Commandments are to bring men up to live in God, and God in them; and they say that we living in God, and God in us, therefore we are above all Commands whatso­ [...] and furth [...] say Gods will is our will, and our will is [Page 5]Gods will; and they say Gods will is his law, for sometimes he commands men to kill, to steale, and to lye; and at other times he commands the contrary, hereon they infer that we living in God, and God in us, why may not we do the like? and if it be a sin to kil, to steale, or lye, God is the Author; for say they, it is his will these things should be done, and it is by his power they are done.

Eightly, concerning Ordinances.

THat Ordinances are ceased to them, and that they are above all such weak and beggerly things as they are; that Ordinan­ces are made for weake Christians, such as are under the teaching of the letter, meaning the Scripture.

Ninthly, concerning sinne.

THat there is no such thing as that which men call sin, that sin and holinesse are all one to God, and that God delights as much in the one as in the other; and this they say they can prove by the Scripture, as from these words in the Prophet Esay 42.16. I will make darknesse light before them, and Esay 45.7. I forme the light, and creat darknesse, I make peace, and create evill; and in another place, he made darknesse his secret place, yea his pavilion round about him.

Tenthly, concerning man.

THat man cannot either know God, or beleeve in God, or pray to God, but it is God in man that knoweth himself, believes in himself, and prayeth to himself; and this they infer from Gal. 2.20. Neverthelesse I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, &c. hence they alledge, that man differeth in nothing from the bruit beast, but onely that God doth manifest himself more in man, then he doth in the beast; that man lives and feeds on nothing but his own ex­crements, for thus they reason, that mans excrements dung the ground, which causeth the ground to bring forth Corne and Grass, and the beasts eat the grasse, and we eat the Corn and the Beast.

Eleventh, concerning the Devill.

THey say that the Devill is the left hand of God, or the backe part of God, or the dark part of God; that the Devil could do no evill at all, if God did not give him a power to do it, and there­fore the Devil is not so much in the fault, as men think he is. Nay saith one of them, God seemeth to complain much of the Devil and wicked men, then why doth not God take away that power he hath given them, and then there will be no body to trouble him; these [Page 6]words made me tremble, one of them said he hoped to see the poor Devill cleared of a great many slanders that had been cast on him.

Twelfth, concerning heaven and earth.

THey teach that there is neither heaven nor hell but what is in man, and that those men that do see God to be in all things, and his will to be done by all men, though they do never so wicked­ly, and not apprehend any wrath to be in God, and can quietly without any check of Conscience commit any sin as we call it, and can see themselves to be above all Ordinances, and all Commands, and that these men are in heaven, and heaven is in them; but those men that cannot see and beleeve these things are in hell, and hell in them. I saw a Letter that one of them writ to a friend of his, but it never came to his hand, and at the bottom of the Letter he writ thus, From Heaven and Hell, or from Detford in the first yeare of my reconciliation to my selfe, at the beginning of the Letter, he saluteth his friend thus, (which I am sorry my pen should write, or my tongue speake) but that I saw it, the words were, My pretty God, and Devill, by Gods hart and wounds I love thee and if thou wilt not beleeve me, the Devill confound thee; this Letter was written by a Frenchman then living at Detford, to one esteemed in former times a Saint, though now one of them; when I heard the Letter, I was much troubled and spake in dislike of it, but was told that there were spiritual truths couched in those lines which I discerned not.

Thirteenth, concerning death and resurrection.

THat when men dye their spirits go into God, as the small Rivers go into the Sea, and as the Sea sends backe the same water again, sometimes into one spring, and sometime into another; so doth the spirits of men after they are gone into God, they return and appear sometimes in one form or shape, and sometimes in another, one wished that his spirit might never be in the shape of a horse, for saith he, a horse hath the most toylesome life of any Creature that is. One told me that I had been in a hundred shapes or formes for ought he knew, and that I should be so again, though I was such a foole I would not beleeve it.

Fourteenth, concerning the last Judgement.

THat there is no such thing as a day of judgement, but that it is onely an invented thing, to serve for a bugbeare to keep men in awe, yet I hear one of them say, the day of Judgement was begun already, and that the world had been made ma­ny thousand millions of yeares before we read of its creation, and that it shall con­tinue many millions longer then we expect, but I say the Lord knoweth his ap­pointed time and none else, to him be all glory.