London. Printed for Thomas Pasham, in Fleet Lane. 1679.
This book is ascribed by the compilers of the Catalogue of the Museum Library to William Petyt; and there are several other productions of Johannes Philangus; but it does not appear upon what authority Petyt is considered the author. A copy is preserved in the British Museum Library. It is in folio, and contains six pages.
For printing this work a prosecution was instituted against James Cottrell, a printer of the parish of St. Sepulchre in London. The information charges that he, being a pernicious person, and contriving and maliciously intending to create discord and scandal between the King and his people, and the nobles of the kingdom, did on the twenty sixth day of March in the thirty second year of the reign of King Charles the Second, at the parish of St. Sepulchre in the City of London publish and cause to be published a false scandalous and malicious libel intituled England's Alarm, &c. (as in title), containing among other things as follows: Remember, England, if thou art not mad drunk with the Whores Charms how that thy preaching Ministers are turn'd into dumb Dogs and ravening Wolves. And they bear rule by thy means, and thou lovest to have it so.[235]
285.
The Neck of the Quakers broken; or cut in sunder by the two-edged sword of the Spirit which is put into my Mouth. First, in a Letter to Edward Bourne a Quaker. Secondly, in answer to a letter to Samuel Hooton and W. S. Thirdly, in a letter to Richard Farnsworth, Quaker. Fourthly, in answer to a printed pamphlet of the said Richard Farnsworth, entituled, Truth Ascended: or, The Anointed and Sealed of the Lord defended, &c. Written by Lodowick Muggleton, one of the two last Prophets and Witnesses unto the High and Mighty God, the Man Christ Jesus in Glory. Amsterdam: Printed in the year of our Lord God, 1663. And are to be had in Great Trinity Lane, over against the Lyon and the Lamb.
The author of this book was founder of the sect called Muggletonians. He was born in 1609, and was bred up to be a tailor. Abandoning his trade in 1651, he set up himself and his companion John Reeves as the "two last witnesses" mentioned in the apocalypse as having power to prophesy, and to smite mankind with plagues. They began to fulfil their "commission" by denouncing all religious sects, and especially the Ranters and the Quakers. An exposition of their doctrines, was published in "The Divine Looking-Glass." In this work, among other wild vagaries, were propounded the views that the Trinity are merely the three different names, and not the three distinct persons, of one God; that God has a real human body; and that he left Elias as his vicegerent in heaven when he came down to the earth to die on the cross. These profane heresies provoked much opposition. They were attacked by William Penn, the Quaker, in a book entitled The New Witnesses proved Old Hereticks. 1672.
For writing this book Muggleton was prosecuted; and was tried at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, the 17th of January, 1676/7; he was found guilty, and sentenced by the Court to stand three days in the Pillory, one day in Cornhill near the Royal Exchange; the next day in Fleet Street near the end of Chancery Lane; and the third day in West Smithfield, from eleven to one o'clock each day, with a paper over his head describing his offence in large letters, and his books to be seized, and divided into three parts, to be burnt before his face near the Pillory by the Common Hangman; and besides, to be fined £500, and to continue in gaol till payment, and afterwards for his life, unless he procured good bail, "such as the Court should accept of, and not of his own gang, faction or sect," for being of good behaviour. Full particulars of his trial will be found in a little book, entituled, A true narrative of the Proceedings at the Sessions-house in the Old Baily, at a Sessions there held on Wednesday the 17th of January 1676/7, giving a full account of the true tryal and sentence of Lodowick Muggleton for blasphemous words and books. London. 1676/7.
The indictment charges that Lodowick Muggleton, late of London, labourer, being a pernicious, blasphemous and heretical man in his opinions, pretending and affirming that he was one of the two last prophets of the New Testament, designing and intending to disseminate his pernicious, blasphemous, seditious, heretical and monstrous opinions, and to disturb the common peace and tranquillity of this kingdom, and to deprave the true religion rightly established and exercised within this kingdom, also to move, make, and excite discords between the king and his subjects, and to bring into great hatred and contempt the king and his royal government in ecclesiastical causes, did on the thirtieth day of August in the twenty eighth year of the reign of King Charles the Second, at the parish of St. Giles without Cripplegate, London, with force and arms, falsely, unlawfully, wickedly, maliciously, scandalously, blasphemously, seditiously, schismatically, and heretically write, cause to be printed, sold, uttered and published a certain malicious, scandalous, blasphemous, seditious, and heretical book intituled The neck of the Quakers broken, &c. (setting out full title) in which book are contained these false, unlawful, blasphemous, seditious, schismatical, heretical, and scandalous sentences following, viz.:—I write these lines unto you Edward Bourne, knowing you to be of the seed of the serpent, and appointed to eternal damnation before you were born, though you know it not, I do know it by your speaking evil of that Doctrine which is declared by us the Witnesses of the Spirit, by calling of it Deceit, Confusion, and Lies, with many more wicked speeches against the purest Truth that ever was declared by Prophet or Apostle, because this is the Commission of the Spirit, and the last Witness of God on earth. Therefore for these your hard sayings against the Doctrine of this Commission of the Spirit, in obedience unto my Commission, I do pronounce you cursed and damned soul and body from the presence of God, elect men and Angels, to eternity; neither shall that light within you, nor any God deliver you from this Curse, but according to my word it shall be upon you, because you shall know that God hath given power unto man to curse you to eternity, and that there is a Prophet of the Lord now in the Land. Written by Lodowick Muggleton, one of the two last Witnesses and Prophets unto the High and Mighty God the Man Christ Jesus in Glory. Vale. And in another place of the same book are contained these false, feigned, malicious, scandalous, blasphemous, seditious and heretical sentences following, viz.:—Now in this last age God hath given me power, and discerning to determine and give judgement upon men and women according as I do discern by their words, and I thereby also know what nature and seed they are of, and accordingly I give judgment upon them, for I do go by as certain a rule as the Judges of the Land do, when they give true Judgment according to the Law. For God hath ordained me the chief Judge in the world at this day to give sentence upon men and women's spiritual and eternal estate what will become of them after death. Full of this cursing I confess my mouth is, and I do rejoice in it too, I know that God is well pleased in the damnation of those that I have cursed, and I am wonderous well satisfied in giving judgement upon them, according to the tenor of my Commission; and this is that which you call swelling words. And in another place of the same book are contained these other false, feigned, malicious, scandalous, blasphemous, unlawful, seditious and heretical sentences following, viz.:—Therefore I shall speak a few words unto you two in particular, because you two have committed that unpardonable sin that never will be forgiven in this world, nor in the world to come; for you have done despite unto the Spirit of Truth, in speaking evil of things you do not know, for you have called the Doctrine and Declaration of the Spirit, Blasphemy, Deceit, and Lies, with many other railing speeches, with high impudency, from a light within you, and from the dead letter without you, and hath presumptuously lifted up your selves with that light within you, to speak evil of the Commission of the Spirit, which we received from the true personal God without us, even the Man Christ Jesus in Glory. Therefore in obedience to my Commission, I do pronounce Samuel Hooton and W. S., for this their Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit that sent me, cursed and damned soules and bodies from the presence of God, elect men and Angels, to eternity. Your light within you, nor God without you shall deliver you from this Sentence which I have declared upon you, because you shall know that there is a true Prophet now in the last Age, as well as there hath been in former times. And this Sentence shall be the mark of your Reprobation in your foreheads to eternity, even as your great Grandfather had in his forehead, and all the Seed of Faith that shall read this Epistle and see you, shall see the mark of Reprobation in your foreheads, neither shall you scrape it out, but it will be seen by the Elect as long as you live. And when you dye, you shall pass through this first death into the second death, and in the Resurrection you shall never see the face of God, nor man, nor Angels, nor your own faces, to eternity: but you shall be in utter darkness, where is weeping, and gnashing of teeth for evermore. To the great scandal and contempt of the King, his Crown and Dignity, also of the religion rightly established in this kingdom, to the bad and pernicious example of all others in like case offending, and against the peace of the King, his Crown and Dignity.
The indictment also further charges that—Nathaniel Powell late of the parish of St. Clement Danes, London, yeoman, being a pernicious, blasphemous, impious and profane person, and not having the fear of God in his heart, but moved and seduced by the instigation of the devil, and contriving and intending to deprave, scandalize and vilify the true Christian Religion rightly established and exercised within this kingdom; also to blaspheme the wisdom, omnipotence and majesty of the Holy Trinity, and the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to strengthen, confirm and ratify the aforesaid pernicious, seditious, heretical and monstrous opinions of the said Lodowick Muggleton within the kingdom of England, did, on the first day of April, in the thirty third year of the reign of King Charles the Second, at the parish of St. Clement Danes, aforesaid, say, pronounce, and publish falsely, scandalously, maliciously, profanely, blasphemously, and heretically these false, scandalous, profane, blasphemous, and heretical words in the presence and hearing of divers liege subjects of the said lord the King, viz.—I rather believe in Muggleton that stood on the Pillory, than in Jesus Christ, I have power to damn and to save, and if thou (meaning a certain Gilbert Soper then and there present) art not damned I never desire to see the face of God. I do believe in that Muggleton, that stood on the Pillory, next to God Almighty. That Muggleton had power to damn whom he pleased, whom he damned were damned to eternity, and whom he saved, were saved. I have power to damn and to save, I believe more in Muggleton than in Jesus Christ. I thank God, never offended God in my life, I have no sin to ask God pardon for, I say drunkenness is no sin, I have had the knowledge of my own salvation these twelve months, I have the power of damning and saving, I damn thee (meaning a certain Richard Sharpe then and there present) and God cannot save thy soul. To the great scandal of the true profession of the Christian Religion, to the manifest contempt of the Holy Trinity, and blasphemy of the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the bad and most pernicious example of all others in such case offending, and against the peace of the King his Crown and dignity.[236]
286.