The great and sole troubler of the times represented in a mapp of miserie, or, A glimpse of the heart of man which is the fountain from whence all misery flows, and the source into which it runs back. Drawn with a dark pencill, by a dark hand, in the midst of darkness.

To the Reader.

READER,

BEhold (if thou be'st able to bear the sight) a few specks of thine own black dark Self, some broken frag∣ments of that filthiness which every man thinks he is free from, and yet the heart of every man is ful of. Who is there that looks not on the more hideous part of Evil, at least, as at a distance from himself? Little does man think, while he cries out against it, and seems very zealous to have it purged out of the whol world (if it were possible) that it lodgeth so close in his own bosome, that he doth not, nay cannot discern it there. I the Lord search the heart, and try the reins, but no man knows what is in his heart, or in his reins.

Abundance of wickedness hath broken forth in these few years, and every eye sees

it in the spreading, in the budding forth of it, but who sees it in the root? It appears in the Kings party, in the Parliaments party, in the Armies party; among the Episcopal sort, Presbyterians, Independents, &c. All these see it plainly enough in one another, and strengthen themselves in accusations against one another; but who suspects it at home? Who imagines, while he cries out against Pride, Covetousness, Cruelty, Treason, Here∣sie, Blasphemy, &c. that he himself is the spring whence these issue, and where they would live and flourish, if all the outward appearances of them were cut off?

What Moses once said to the people of Israel neer the time of his death, That they had seen great works & wonders of God, both in Egypt and in the Wilderness, yet God had not given them an heart to perceive, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear, unto that very day, Deut. 29. 3, 4. The same may be applied to me, and every man, in the sence in hand. We have seen great and strange breakings forth of wickedness; Man hath been stripped almost naked, turned inside out; this have we all seen, but we have not seen our selves in this sight; our own nakedness is not understood by us: It is the

Kings party that is so unjust, so prophane, so tyrannical, so cruel, so self-ish, not the Parli∣aments: 'tis the Parliaments party, not the Armies: 'tis the Armies, not the Levellers: So in Religion, 'Tis the Episcopal party that is so loose, so formal, so oppressive in matters of Religion, not the Presbyterians: 'Tis the Presbyterians, not the Independents; or if some of all these, yet not I, not such as are of my stamp, of my practise. Ah subtle, whorish Self! who can finde thee in thy cun∣ing shifts, who canst lodg wickednes so secret∣ly in thy heart, that thou thy self knowest it not to be there? Well, shall I tell thee what I think? Surely Condemnation is written in every mans forehead: Every man, in finding fault with others, pronounceth judgment a∣gainst himself dayly. When thy heart shall be opened by the Searcher of it, and the quin∣tessence of that discovered to be in thee, whereof thou hast condemned but some ex∣tracts in others, what wilt thou be able to plead why that judgment should not pass upon thee, that thou hast passed upon others. Doubtless thou must be forced to confess, that how unrighteous soever thy Judgment hath been concerning others, (as most of our Judg∣ments

passed upon others are, though we think otherwise,) yet the Judgment of God, con∣cerning thee, is just: And it is a righteous thing, that thou thy self shouldst undergo that sentence, which thou thy self hast pronoun∣ced against others, in a case far short of thine, especially seeing thy Saviour (who can be thy onely hope of reserve) bids thee expect it; for he positively told his Disciples, That with what Judgment they did judg they should be judged, Mat. 7. 2. Thou hast here presented to thee a little taste of a parcel of thy Self, how thou wilt rellish it, I know not: Thou mayst think thy self injured because it is layd some∣what close to thee, without such limitations and exceptions as thou mightest have crept out at. Well, be it so, but know withall, that when thou comest to be searched by the Candle of the Lord, thou must be forced to own these yet farther, and perhaps far more deeper, and greater abominations then these. However take this as kindly as thou canst from him, who waits, in some measure, as he is enabled, for the destruction of this whorish Self, both in himself and in thee. Who then shall become entirely Thine.

Isaac Penington.