ALthough many thousands, of us poor mortals can­not perceive with our bodily eyes, or by our dark­nesse of Reason and dulnesse of Understanding, see or know any Visible Church Militant upon Earth, yet Christ hath a Spouse, which he knows and pro­tects, assists and preserves; and is with her always to the end of the world, which the gates of Hell shall never pre­vaile against. This Church hath always been opposed, oppressed, and molested by Heretiques, who with their cursed opinions have done their uttermost endevors to rend and tear her in peeces, with swarmes of Sects, Sectarians and dangerous blasphemous opini­ons and divisions.

All these Heretiques, Schismaticks, and Sectarians (by reason of their multiplicities of opinions, and diversities in their irreli­gious Religions) did hate one another with a most inveterate and deadly hatred, insomuch as they scorned and despised to converse, eat or drink together, they would never meet or congregate to­gether, at any of their publique or private exercises of their blind zealous devotions. Yet notwithstanding all these severall and va­rious disagreements, they always concurred and agreed together, to ruine the race, and Rebell against the Lord and his Anoynted; The Devill would permit them to joyn in league against God and [Page 2]his Church, Edomites, Moabites, Ishmalites, Ammonites, Amalekites Gebabites, The Philistians, Tirenians, and Assyrians. Ephraim against Manasses, Manasses against Ephraim, Herod against Pilate, Pilate against Herod, Sadduces, Pharisees, Herodians, Libertines, Cillicians, Cerenians, Astans, and Alexandrians. All those did hate one another and yet they agreed together, as the 83 Psalm specifies, and the whole relation of our Saviours life and death doth expresse it by the pens of the Evangelists, and Acts of the Apostles.

I have a Recitall of the Names and Opinions of many wicked and detestable Heretiques, Heresies, and blasphemous wretches, but that I will not hold my Reader in too long and tedious su­spence, Therefore I will now proceed to the matter intended, and promised in the Front and Title of this Book.

About the tenth or twelfth of May 1651. there were apprehen­ded and taken in an unlawfull Assembly these persons following:

• Thomas Kerbye,
• Thomas Tidford,
• Anne Burrell,
• Elizabeth Sorrell Widdow,
• Elizabeth Sorrell junior.
• Mary Vanlopp.

These were brought before the Right Worshipful Laurence Whi­taker Esq (a judiciall Justice of the Peace and Quorum, for the County of Middlesex) he did examine the said parties, and found their opinions to be so blasphemous, and damnable Heretical, that it amazeth me with horrour to write them, and I am sure it will strike terrour and astonishment into the hearts of any true Christi­an, either to read or hear it. They are tearmed, or called by the name of Ranters, and their Opinions they affirmed to bee as fol­loweth.

They said that they did beleeve that one John Robins is God the Father, and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that the Childe which is yet unborn, and now in the womb of Joan Robins, (the wife of the aforesaid John) shall bee the Saviour of all those that shal be saved, both in this world and in the world to come; And that Cain (who murthered his Brother Abel) was the third person in the Trinity. And that all those that do deny it, do deny their own salvation.

They beleeve also that the said John Robius had power to raise the dead.

This was all which they acknowledged to be the grounds and principles of their Faith and Religion, for the which de­testable and execrable Blasphemies, they were all six committed Prisoners to the Gate-house at Westminster, and there they doe remaine till some course of Law and Justice may order them according to their demerits.

Also here followeth a true Relation of seven others of the said Crew, (whereof John Robins (their supposed ungodly God is one) their Names are as followeth; and they are all in the New-Prison (or Bridewell) at Clerken-well.

• John Robins.
• Rich: King.
• Joshua Garment.
• Joane Garment.
• Joane Robins.
• Margaret Hollis,
• Eliz: Haygood.

To give a further Testimony of the truth of what is before written, I desire the Reader to take notice of the Coppy of their commitment by a Warrant or Mittimus, from the Right Wor­shipfull Tho: Hubbert Esquire, one of the Justices for the Peace in the aforesaid County of Middlesex.

Thus the Devil shewes by his raging, that his raigning draws towards an end, sometimes his Malice workes upon particular [Page 4]persons, as upon Noah in Drink, Lot with Incest, David with A­dultery, &c. But his whole and maine generall drift ever hath bin, and ever will be, to disturbe and destroy the Church of God, to sow his mischievous tares of damnable Errours, and mingle his hellish seed of Sects and Schismes, with the pure and all-saving Word of God; of which not onely the sacred Scrip­tures doe mention frequently. But amongst all Nations in all ages they are declared in Histories, as in Eussebius, Socrates. St. Augustine, and all the ancient Fathers doe testifie; and for the present, the proofes of these miseries are most plain and too la­mentable apparent.

Nor were people ever growne to such an impudent height of impiety, as they are at this day; for in King Davids time, hee wrote that The Foole said in his HEART there was no God, wher­by I note that though that Foole were an Hypocrite, yet he was ashamed to speake with his mouth, the blasphemous Atheisme which he said in his heart.

But now, in these times we have amongst us the hardned hearts and shamelesse impudence of Pharaoh, and cursed Rabshecka, too many there are that say in their hearts, and speake with their tongues, Who is the Lord?

It is no new work of Satan, to sow Heresies, and breede He­retickes, but they never came up so thick as in these latter times: They were wont to peep up by one and one, but now they sprout out by huddles and clusters (like locusts out of the bottomelesse pit) They now come thronging upon us in swarmes, as the Ca­terpillers of Aegypt. They have turned our Bethell to Babell, (the house of God out of all Order, into all disorderly confusi­on) The Church of Christ hath more then one Enemy to cope withall, she hath many new adversaries, that it is hard to finde names for them,

We have more then a good many of such as are called, Ada­mites, Novatians, Annabaptists, Brownists, Nicholaitans, and counterfiet Catholiques, Arminians, Antinomians, Newtralists, Familists, Lutherans, Independents, Round-heads, Dippers, Seekers, Shakers, Ranters, with many others not worth the naming: these are all professors to be Protestants, every one pretending to be in the right, and not any of them but are contrary one to another; [Page 5]So that it were a hard task to make search for the Protestant Reli­gion, or to find a Congregation of Religious Protestants.

There is not any one of these fore-recited Sects that do agree in opinion with other Sectaries, or with themselves; As I have read in a Germaine History, that when Luther had first opposed the Pope, and the Lutheran doctrine was newly revived (or newly hatched) then presently, several strange Opinions and Religi­ons, began to increase, and multiply. Some hot-brain'd preach­ers, said that the Catholique or Romish Religion was too loose, and full of liberty, and that Luthers was too strict and harsh, therefore they would have a middle way between two Religions, to extract one (or none) and because these people were so giddy pated that nothing could please them, they were called Caput Rotundi (or Round-heads;) which shews that the name of Round­head is near of a 150 years antiquity. These mad people molest­ed Germany much, they had one amongst them whom they cal­led Joseph, and his Wife they said was the Virgine Mary, and she being with child, they said, that the child in her womb was the Messiah, and Saviour of the World. Germany could not suppresse them, insomuch that after many Battells and bloody Bickerings, with the losse of 50000 mens lives, the womans time of delivery came, and she was fairely brought to bed with a Girle, where­upon all the seduced Rabble fled and dispersed themselves severall ways, and the counterfeit Joseph and Mary, were both burnt for a warning.

The like stir was kept in Westphalia, by one John, a Cobler of Leyden, he had three Prophets (as good men as himselfe) named Knipper Dolling, John Matthew, and one Rottman, They preach'd mad delicate Doctrine, and they crowned the Cobler (John of Leyden) King of Munster, at last the Bishop (who was lawful Lord of the Province, and City of Munster) made war upon the Cob­ling King, and after he had begirt the Town with a streight siege some few weeks, provision so much failed, that the Streets were full bestrewed with famished karcasses, the City was taken by as­sault, and the King was surprised, and pulled in peeces with hot Iron Pincers, his Prophets, and Associates had also their rewards according to their Merits.

And it is not yet 50 years past since one William Hacket of Own­dell [Page 6]in Northamptonshire a Wheele-wright, did affirm himselfe to be Jesus Christ, he had seduced two Gentlemen so far that they did beleeve him to be their Saviour, and they proclaimed him to be so, they ran crying out in the streets of London, that Iesus Christ, was come with his Fan in his hand to purge his floore, and that he was at Iohn Walkers house at Broken Wharfe. This noise and outcry, raised a great hurly burly in the City, till in the end Hacket was taken, drawn, and hanged in Cheapside, for his odious blasphe­mies against God, and high Treason against Queen Elizabeth; Copinger, and Arthington (his two prophets) were imprisoned, one in the Compter in Woodstreet, the other in Bridewel, where they dyed miserably.

Also in the year of our Lord 1611. the 9th of King Iames, one Bartholmew Legate (an Arian Hereticke) did deny Christ to be God, for the which he was burned in Smithfield on the 18th. of March, in the year aforesaid. And on the 11 of Aprill following, was burned one Edward Wightman for the same blasphemous opi­nions, Wightman suffered at Litchfield. The King did offer them both mercy if they would recant, but they refused mercy, and dyed ob­stinate.

Concerning these 13 Wretches, whom I have taken occasion to write this short Relation of, All that I can say for them, is to desire God to grant his blessed spirit to cast out the accursed spi­rit out of them, and that all Heresies, Sects, and Divisions may be expelled from the true Church, that through, in, and for Jesus Christ (all that do professe to be Christians) may be the faithfull sheep of the true shepheard, and eternally, happily of his one and onely blessed sheepfold.