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the Bleffed of the Lord, both in Soul and Body to Eternity: But faid he, I do verily believe that you are a falfe Prophet, and that it was the Devil that fpake unto you three Mornings together, that gave you that Power to Blefs and Curfe Men to Eternity. Thefe were all the Words he fpake.

27. So I came to him, and faid, Barker, Thou haft acted the part of a Hypocrite, both with God and Man, and with thy own Soul.

28. Thou lyedft against thy own Heart, when thou faidft to John Reeve thou didft believe it was the Voice of God that spake to him, and that he had Power to give a Bleffing to whoever believed; whereupon thou didst ask him to Bless thee? He faid, If thou doft truly believe what I have faid, thou replyedst, Thou didft believe, and faid, elfe why thould I afk a Bleffing of you.

29. Whereupon he gave this Bleffing both of Soul and Body to Eternity: And this I fay, though thou, out of thy Diffimulation and Hypocrify of thy Heart, hath got the Bleffing of John Reeve, fo that lie cannot Curfe thee again.

30. But I gave not my Confent unto it. Therefore for this thy Hypocrify of thy Heart, I do pronounce thee Curfed and Damned both in Soul and Body, from the Prefence of God; elect Men and Angels, to Eternity.

31. And not only fo, But thou art Curfed in thy Eftate in this World; for Sins of this Nature are to be punished with a double Curfe.

32. He was exceeding Wrath and Angry at me, more for curfing his Eftate, than for his eternal Damnation, he was fo mad at that, fo that he knew not whether he had beft Fight me, or take the Law of me as a Witch, if he did not profper.

33. But my Words and Curfe came to pafs upon him, even in this Life, as many can witnefs; even a poor, miferable, beggarly Fellow.

35. Notwithstanding he was as cunning a fubtil Serpent as moft Men in the World: But at last a Lawyer which he had cheated, followed the Law fo clofe upon him, that he fiezed

upon

upon all his Goods, and took them away, and put him into Prison befides; and there he lay fome Years, and Died there miferably Poor, which was the last End of him.

35. Thus I faw the Effects of that Curfe upon him, even in this Life; and in the Life to come I am fure he shall endure those eternal Torments, for that Act of Hypocrify.

CHAP. VI.

What the Ranters God was.

1.

Damn'd by this Commission.

******

And bow them and their God was
And of the Refolution of Three of the

most defperatest to Curje the Prophet Reeve and Mugleton's God.

A

FTER this it came to pafs, at another Meeting of the Ranters in Ader/gate-Street, Lenion

2. There was many Ranters that heard what was done by James Barker; fo they confulted among themselves why they might not Damn us, as we did them.

3. Now thofe that were to Damn us, were three of the moft desperateft, atheistical Ranters, that had ever been in our Company as yet.

4. And they thought nothing too hard for them; but two of thofe Ranters which had been often in our Company, and had seen the Paffages that paffed with, and upon those we had Condemn'd: That their God they worshipped was Damn'd with them; for they had no other God but a Spirit without a Body, which they said was the Life of every thing.

5. So that the Life of a Dog, Cat, Toad, or any venomous Beaft, was the Life of God: Nay, That God was in a TableChair, or Stool.

6. This was the Ranters God, and they thought there was. no better God at all.

7. This God did we Damn with their Perfons, these two Men that had feen many Condemn'd by us: The one,

his

Name

Name was Proudlove, à notable Ranter, the other his Name was Remington.

8. So this Proudlove he confulted with thofe three defperate Men which knew nothing of us: So they afked him what they must do, he said, this you must do.

9.

You must curfe them and their God, and perhaps you may bring down their Power.

10. They faid they were willing to do that, and that was but a fmall Matter to Curfe them and their God,; they made nothing of that.

So the time appointed came, and there was prepared a good Dinner of Pork, and the three came ready prepared to Curfe us, and our God.

12. So Proudio and Remington went from us to those Men, and Remington faid unto them, If you Three will go up and Curfe them and their God, you shall have a good Dinner of Pork.

13. Then one, the ftouteft of the three, faid unto him, pray tell me what is their God that we must Curfe?

14. Remington anfwered and faid, That the Lord Jefus Chrift is their God, and they own no other Father or God but he: And now if you will go in, they be there, and Curfe them and the Lord Jesus Christ, their God, you shall have a good Dinner of Pork.

15. When they heard this, the most stoutest Man of them fmote his Hand on his Breaft, and faid; If that be their God, I will never do it, if I might gain the whole World; and faid, That he was forry and troubled that he should conceive fuch a thing in his Heart. So faid the other two, We will do no fuch Wickednefs. So they departed without their Dinner of Pork. 16. But he that repented himself could not be at quiet in his Mind, untill fuch time he had afked us Forgiveness."

17. So we forgave him his Sin for that, and he remained very kind to John Reeve all his Days, tho' he did not believe that we were the two laft Prophets and Witneffes of the Spirit. 18. Alfo

I

18. Alfo this Remington was called to an account by John Reeve, as one in this Plot; and he told the truth, how Proualove laid the Plot, and that he did but go with him, being an old Acquaintance: So we forgave Remington, and gave Proudlove the Sentance of Condemnation to Eternity.

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Of the Difpute with Mr. Leader, a New-England Merchant ; and of the Prophet's convincing him how that God had a Body; and how God is worshipped in Spirit and Truth with Bodies; and that there is no Spirit without a Body.

1.

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FTER this in the Year 1653, there came a certain Man, a Merchant, and a great Traveller into many parts of the World; and he was a Religious Man, but had fomewhat declined the outward Forms of Worship, because he could find no Reft there.

2. So he applied his Heart more to Philofophy and the Knowledge of Nature, more than Religion, for he thought he had feen the utmost of Religion, and that there was nothing in it.

3. Indeed he was a great Philofopher, and a very wife Man in the things of Nature: His Name was Richard Leader.

4. It came to pafs when he came out of New-England, being Perfecuted there, because he could not fubmit to their Forms of Worship; and when he came into Old England again, he heard there were two Prophets now rifen up, who called themselves, The two Witneffes, &c.

5. So he enquired where he might speak with these Prophets; fo he was brought unto us, and he was very fober in his talk, and he propounded his Queftions with great Moderation.

6. The first Question was concerning God: Whether God

that

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that created all things, could admit of being any Form of

himself.

7. We anfwered and faid, That God made Man in his own Image and Likenefs: And if Man have a Form, then God muft needs have a Form himself, even in the form of Man, elfe them Words of Mojes are not true, That God made Man in his own Image, and breathed into him the Breath of Life, and he became a living Soul.

8. Mind, the form of Man was the Image and Likeness of God, before God breathed into him the Breath of Life.

9. Therefore God muft needs be in the form of a Man from Eternity; therefore it was that God faid, Let us make Man after our own Image and Likeness. This was the true Senfe and Meaning of Mofes, and it is dangerous for any Man to deny it.

10. Befides, faid we, there is no Spirit can have any Being without a Body, neither God, Angels, nor Man: And further, that God that is a Spirit without a Body, is no God at all.

II. For we that are Men that have Bodies, have Power over all Spirits whatfoever that have no Bodies: For it is the dark Imagination of Reafon in Man that hath created to itself Spirits without Bodies, which is none of God's Creation.

12. When he heard this, he confidered the things of Nature, that no Spirit could have any Being without its Body.

13. Then he marvelled, and faid, Where have we been all this while, that took God for a Spirit without a Body: Oh! how have we been in the Dark.

14. But, faid he, doth not Chrift fay, God is a Spirit, and God will be worshipped in Spirit and Truth: And Chrift faid, his Words were Spirit and Life.

15. We anfwered and faid, Can a Man worship God in Spirit and Truth without a Body? He faid, No. Then faid I, neither can God accept of any Man's Worthip, except he hath a Body of his own: For God hath a Body of his own, as Man hath a Body of his own; only God's Pody is Spiritual and

I 2.

Heavenly,

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