A VINDICATION OF THOSE, Whose endeavors is only to make the Earth a common treasury, called DIGGERS.
OR, Some Reasons given by them against the immoderate use of creatures, or the excessive community of women, called Ranting; or rather Renting.
FIrst, those that are called Diggers; doe looke upon the Ranting Practise, to be a Kingdome without the man; which moth and rust doe, may, and will corrupt; and which thieves may break through and steale away; It is Kingdome that lies in objects; As in the outward enjoyment of meat, drinke, pleasures, and women; so that the man within can have [Page]no quiet rest, unlesse he enjoy those outward objects in excesse; all which are vanishable. Therefore it is the Devills Kingdome of darknesse, and not the Kingdome of heaven nor true peace within.
Secondly, this outward life, in the abundant eating and drinking, and actuall community with variety of women is the onely life of the five sences which is the life of the Beast, or living flesh; And fights against reason, who is the seed or tree of life, or the righteous man that is within. For when the sensitive power, which is the sonne of bondage rules, then Reason which is the sonne of freedome, is trod under foot, and in the absence thereof the whole body, whole Families, nay, whole Nations are distempered; But when Reason rules in the house or heart, not suffering the sences to runne into excesse in any action: then the whole body enjoyes quiet rest and peace. Therefore that immoderate ranting practise of the Sences, is not the true life of peace.
Thirdly, the Ranting practise is the proper Kingdome of Covetousnesse, or King Lust of the flesh, which is the Kingdome of darknesse, full of unreasonablenesse, madnesse and confusion; it is the land of darknesse, bringing forth nothing but miserie to the Inhabitants thereof, for,
Fourthly, it is destructive to the body, house, or Temple, wherein Reason, or the spirituall power dwells; it brings diseases, infirmenesse, weaknesses and rottennesse upon the body, and so ruines the house about the mans eares, that he cannot live in quiet peace; for diseases of body causes sorrow of [Page]mind. And as moderation in any action brings peace, so excesse brings diseases and death. Therefore the unrationall ranting practise, is not the life of rightnesse, nor peace.
Fifthly it brings vexation to the mind or man within▪ for when you want your delight in the excessive copolation with Women, and in the super abundant eating and drinking, which is the wastfull spending of the Treasures of the Earth. As the Ranting practise is, Then Angar, rage and varietie of vexations possesses the mind, and inflames their harts to quarrelling, killing, burning houses or Corne, or to such like distructivenesse.
Sixtly, The Ranting practise is a peace breaker; it breaks the peace in Families, and rents in peeces mankind, for where true Love hath united a man and woman to be Husband and Wife, and they live in peace, when this Ranting power or king lust of the flesh comes in, he seperates those very friends, causing both sides to run into the Sea of confusion, madnesse and distruction, to leave each other, to leave their Children, and to live in discontent each with other.
It pretends love to all men and women. But yet he is a beast that respects persons; for the richest and fairest must be his associate.
Seaventhly, This excesse of Feminine society, hinders the pure and naturall Generation of man, and spills the seed in vaine, and instead of a healthfull groth of mankind it produces weaknesse and much infirmnesse, through immoderate heat; so [Page]that either the Mother hath much more paine in child bearing, or els the child is fild with such infirmnesse, that it proves a burden to the Mother or nurse, or through deseases he brings with him into the world he proves either not long lived, or a foole, or else a sickly, weakly thing that is a burden to himselfe: So that this moderat Ranting, is not a health full builder up of the creation man, but a violent waster and destroyer of the health and strength of man. This false generating fire, is the foundation of much lamentation for children begotten through this forced immoderat heat of lust, proves, furious, and full of rage, it is a breeder of much distemper, Warres, and quarrells; It is one cause if not the chief of the rising up of the hairie man, which is a destroyer of himselfe and others. And the mother and child begotten in this manner, is like to have the worst of it, for the m [...]n will be gone and leave them; and regard them no more then other woemen, like a Bull that begets a Calfe, that never takes care neither for Cow nor Calfe, after he hath had his pleasure. Therefore you women beware, for this ranting practise is not the restoring, but the destroying power of the creation.
Eightly, The Ranting practise, is the support of Idlenesse, for they that are, the Sons and Daughters of that unrationall power, neither can nor will work, but live idle, like wandring bussi bodies, expressing and cheating others, that are simple and of a civill flexible nature, so that by seeking their owne freedom they imbondage others which is the selfish, but not [Page]the universall Love, for true Love seeks the preservation of others as of one selfe, or else for want of food and rayment, through an inward proud sullennesse, either sterves their owne bodies, or else through an inward rage endeavours the ruine of others.
Ninthly, This Ranting power, or god, is full of sutletie to deceive others of what they can, and is a nurse of hardnesse of heart against others, when he hath deceived them, for this is his nature, to gets what he can from others, labours to eat up other and make them poore, and then to laugh and rejoyce in others poverty.
Tenthly, The Ranting power, would make this Covenant with all men, to put out their eyes, or suffer him quietly to put them out, and to s [...]e by his eyes, and to walk by his legges, and then he calls them high lighted creatures, otherwise he tells them they live belowe them, and is in the dark, and rather then proud civility would be counted ignorant, it will yeeld, and first stands looking and saying, I can say nothing against this ranting practise, and then afterwards yeelds, and then is ensnared and taken by the suitle devcaring Ranting Beast. But now he that obeyes reasons, Law of righteousnesse within, shall escape that snare.
Eleventhly, This Ranting power, is the resurtection of the uncleane doggish beastly nature, [...]t is the resurrection of the filth, unrighteouse power in all his branches, and it is high now, [Page]but will rise higher, for it must rise to the hight to shew himselfe a compleat man of darknesse, that he may come to judgement, and so be cast out of heaven, That is out of mankinde.
For as he is upon his resurrection, so the man of pure life, reason, and righteousnesse, is upon his resurrection too. Who is rising to purge and to restore the ereation, and to set it downe in peace. And these two men, one of Light, and the other of darknesse, now strives with great vehemencie; the sonnes of darknesse may live in their vanishable peace and tread the sonnes of light under feet but the sonnes of peace shall rise up, and take peace from the Earth.
There is only two things, I must speak as an Advice in Love
First, let every one that intends to live in peace, set themselves with dilligent labour to Till, Digge, and Plow, the Common and barren Land, to get their bread with righteous moderat working, among a moderat minded people, this prevents the evill of Idlenesse, and the danger of the Ranting power.
Secondly, Let none goe about, to suppresse that ranting power by their punishing hand, for it is the work of the Righteous and rationall spirit within not thy hand without that must suppresse it; But if thou wilt needs be punishing: Then see thou be without sinne thy selfe, and then cast the first Stone, at the Ranter; Let not sinners punish others for sin, but let the power of thy Reason and righteous action, shame and so beat downe their unrationall actings.
Would thou live in peace; Then look to thy own wayes, mind thy owne Kingdome within, trouble not at the unrational government of other mens kingdomes without; Let every one alone, to stand and fall to their owne Master for thou being a sinner, and strives to suppresse sinners by force, thou wilt thereby but increase their rage, and thy owne trouble: but do thou keep close to the Law of righteous reason, and thou shalt presently see a returne of the Ranters: for that spirit within must shame them, and turne them, and pull them out of darknesse.
This I was moved to write, as a Vindication of the Diggers, who are slandered with the Ranting action: And my end is only to Advance the Kingdome of peace, in and among mankinde, which is and will be torne in peeces by the Ranting power, if reason do not kill this this fine headed, or sencitive Beast.
All you that are meerly civill, and that are of a loving and flexible disposition wanting the strength of reason: and the life of universall love, leading you forth to seeke the peace and preservation of every single body, as of one's selfe; You are the People that are like to be tompted, and set upon an torne into peeces by this devouring Beast; the Ranting power.
Therefore know all yee Lasivious, feedars, or Sarvers of your own bellies, that ye are breeders of all foule filthy beastly and Abominable Children, which come into the world to preach to that Nation, where they appeare, what the first signe signe of filthy Sinne or lasivious feeding heats, begot for lasivious feeding, causeth lacivious acting which if they knew the resurrection or eternall Iudgement, they durst not act.
I am told there are some people goes up and downe in the Country among such as are friends to the Diggers gathering Monyes in their names. And they have a note wherein my name and divers others are subscribed. This is to certifie that I never subscribed my name to any such note. Neither have we that are called Diggers received any money by any such Collections, therefore to prevent this Cheat: we desire if any are willing to cast a gift in, to further our work of Digging upon the Commons, that they would send it to our owne hands by some trustie friend of their owne.