The law of freedom in a platform: or, True magistracy restored Humbly presented to Oliver Cromwel, General of the Common-wealths army in England. And to all English-men my brethren whether in church-fellowship, or not in church-fellowship, both sorts walking as they conceive according to the order of the Gospel: and from them to all the nations in the world. Wherein is declared, what is kingly government, and what is Commonwealths government. By Jerrard Winstanley.

Let us now examin your Divinity.

Which you call heavenly, and spiritual things, for herein speeches are made not to advance knowledge, but to destroy the true knowledge of God; for Divinity does not speak the truth, as it is hid in every body, but it leaves the motional knowledge of a thing as it is. And imagins, stu∣dies, or thinks what may be, and so runs the hazzard true or false: And this Divinity is always speaking words to deceive the simple, that he may make them work for him, and maintain him, but he never comes to action himself to do as he would be done by; for he is a monster who is all tongue and no hand.

This divining Doctrine, which you call spiritual and heavenly things, is the thief and the robber he comes to spoile the Vinyard of a mans peace, and does not enter in at the door, but he climbes up another way: And this Doctrine is two fold.

First he takes upon him to tell you the meaning of other mens words, and writing by his studying or imagining what another mans knowledge might be, and by thus doing darkens knowledge, and wrongs the spirit of the Authors who did write and speak those things which he takes upon him to interpret.

Secondly he takes upon him, to foretell what shall befall a man after he is dead, and what that world is beyond the Sun, and beyond the Moon, &c. And if any man tell him there is no reason for what you say, he answers you must not judge of heavenly and spiritual things by reason, but you must be∣leive what is told you, whether it be reason or no: There is a three-fold dis∣covery of falsehood in this Doctrine.

For first it is a Doctrine of a sickly and weak spirit, who hath lost his un∣derstanding in the knowledge of the Creation, and of the temper of his own Heart and Nature, and so runs into fancies, either of joy or sorrow.

And if the passion of joy predominate, then he fancies to himself a perso∣nal God, personal Angels, and a local place of glory which he saith, he, and all who beleives what he hath, shall go to, after they are dead.

And if sorrow predominate, then he fancies to himself a personal Devil, and a locall place of torment, that he shall go to after he is dead, and this he speaks with great confidence.

Or Secondly, this is the Doctrine of a subtle running spirit, to make an un∣grounded wise man mad. That he might be called the more excellent man 〈◊〉〈◊〉 knowledge; for many times when a wise understanding heart is assaulted with this Doctrine of a God, a Devil, a Heaven, and a Hell, Salvation and Damnation after a man is dead, his spirit being not strongly grounded in the knowledge of the Creation, nor in the temper of his own heart.

He strives and stretches his brains to find out the depth of that doctrine and cannot attain to it; for indeed it is not knowledge, but imagination: and so by poring and puzling himself in it, loses that wisdom he had, and becomes distracted and mad: and if the passion of joy predominate, then he is merty, and sings, and laughs, and is ripe in the expressions of his words, and will speak strange things; but all by imagination. But if the passion of sorrow predominate, then he is heavy and sad, crying out, He is damned, God hath for saken him, and he must go to Hell when he dys, he cannot make his calling and election sure: And in that distemper many times a man doth hang, kil or drown himself: so that this divining Doctrine, which you call spiritual and heavenly things, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 people always when they are weak, sickly, and under any distemper; therefore it cannot be the Doc∣trine of Christ the Saviour.

For my own part, my spirit hath waded deep to finde the bottom of this divining spiritual Doctrine: and the more I searched, the more I was at a loss; and I never came to quiet rest, and to know God in my spirit, till I came to the knowledg of the things in this Book: And let me tell you, They who preach this divining Doctrine are the murtherers of many a poor heart, who is bashful and simple, and that cannot speak for himself, but that keeps his thoughts to himself.

Or thirdly, This Doctrine is made a cloke of policy by the subtil el∣der Brother, to cheat his simple younger Brother of the Freedoms of the Earth: For saith the elder Brother, The Earth is mine, and not yours, Brother; and you must not work upon it, unless you will hire it of me: and you must not take the fruits of it, unless you will buy them of me, by that which I pay you for your Labor: for if you should do otherwise, God will not love you, and you shall not go to Heaven when you dye, but the Devil will have you, and you must be damned in Hell,

If the younger reply, and say, The Earth is my Birth-Right, as well as yours, and God who made us both, is no Respecter of per∣sons: Therefore there is no Reason but I should enjoy the Freedoms of the Earth for my comfortable Livelyhood, as well as you, Bro∣ther.

I, but saith the elder Brother, You must not trust to your own Reason and Vnderstanding, but you must 〈◊〉〈◊〉 what is written and what is told you; and if you will not beleeve, your Damnation will be the greater.

I cannot beleeve, saith the younger Brother, that our righteous Creator should be so partial in his Dispensations of the Earth, seeing our bodies can∣not live upon Earth without the use of the Earth.

The elder brother replies, What, will you be an Atheist, and a factious man, will you not believe God?

Yes, saith the younger brother, if I knew God said so I should believe, for I desire to serve him.

Why, saith the elder brother, this is his Word, and if you will not believe it, you must be damned; but if you will believe it, you must go to Heaven.

Well, the younger brother being weak in spirit, and having not a ground∣ed knowledg of the Creation, nor of himself, is terrified, and lets go his hold in the Earth, and submits himself to be a slave to his brother, for fear of dam∣nation in Hell after death, and in hopes to get Heaven thereby after he is dead; and so his eyes are put out, and his Reason is blinded.

So that this divining spiritual Doctrine is a cheat; for while men are gazing up to Heaven, imagining after a happiness, or fearing a Hell after they are dead, their eyes are put out, that they see not what is their birth∣rights, and what is to be done by them here on Earth while they are living: This is the filthy Dreamer, and the Cloud without rain.

And indeed the subtle Clergy do know, that if they can but charm the people by this their divining Doctrine, to look after riches, Heaven and Glo∣ry when they are dead, that then they shall easily be the Inheritors of the Earth, and have the deceived people to be their servants.

This divining Doctrine, which you call spiritual and heavenly, was not the Doctrine of Christ, for his words were pure knowledg, they were words of life; for he said, He spoke what he had seen with his Father, for he had the knowledg of the Creation, and spake as every thing was.

And this Divinity came in after Christ to darken his Knowledg; and it is the language of the Mystery of Iniquity and Antichrist, whereby the covet∣ous, ambitious and serpentine spirit cozens the plain-hearted of his portions in the Earth.

And Divinity cozens a plain heart two ways: First, If a man have an Estate, according to the Kings Laws, he is made by this charm to give it, or bazle it away to the Priests, or to religious uses, in hopes to get Heaven when he is dead.

Or secondly, A man by running to hear Divinity Sermons, and dancing after his charming pipe, neglects his labour, and so runs into debt, and then his 〈◊〉〈◊〉 professors will cast him into prison, and starve him there, and there Divinity will call him a hypocrite and wicked man, and become a De∣vil to torment him in that 〈◊〉〈◊〉.

But surely Light is so broke out, that it will cover the Earth, so that the Divinity Charmers, shall say, The people will 〈◊〉〈◊〉 bear the voyce of our charm∣ing, charm we never so wisely: And all the Priests, and Clergy, and Preach∣ers

of these spiritual and heavenly things, as they call them, shall take up the lamentation, which is their portion, Alas, alas, that great City Babylon, that mighty City Divinity, which hath filled the whole Earth with her for∣cery, and deceived all people, so that the whole world wondered after this Beast; how is it faln, and how is her Judgment come upon her in one hour? And further, as you may read, Rev. 18. 10.