The secret shooting of the wicked, reproved or, A word to the namelesse publisher of that he calls strength in weaknesse, or the burning bush. Naylor, James, 1617?-1660. This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription A89852 of text R211508 in the English Short Title Catalog (Thomason 669.f.20[8]). Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 9 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-IV TIFF page image. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2017 A89852 Wing N315 Thomason 669.f.20[8] ESTC R211508 99870229 99870229 163425 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A89852) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 163425) Images scanned from microfilm: (Thomason Tracts ; 247:669f20[8]) The secret shooting of the wicked, reproved or, A word to the namelesse publisher of that he calls strength in weaknesse, or the burning bush. Naylor, James, 1617?-1660. 1 sheet ([1] p.) s.n., [London : 1655] Imprint from Wing. Signed at end: James Naylor. Annotation on Thomason copy: "July 2d. 1655". Reproduction of the original in the British Library. eng Christian literature -- Early works to 1800. Christian life -- Early works to 1800. A89852 R211508 (Thomason 669.f.20[8]). civilwar no The secret shooting of the wicked, reproved; or, A word to the namelesse publisher of that he calls strength in weaknesse, or the burning bu Naylor, James 1655 1759 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 A This text has no known defects that were recorded as gap elements at the time of transcription. 2007-07 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2007-08 Apex CoVantage Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2009-01 Judith Siefring Sampled and proofread 2009-01 Judith Siefring Text and markup reviewed and edited 2009-02 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion The Secret Shooting of the Wicked , reproved ; Or , A word to the namelesse Publisher of that he calls Strength in Weaknesse , Or the burning Bush . NOw is the living God visiting his people , and gathering his seed out of Babylon and Egypt , and hath called out his servants , and sent them to these strange Kings with his Message , to bring out to light that which hath been kept in prison , whereat Pharaoh is exceedingly troubled , and the King of Babylon's Posts meet one another with this Cry , Our Kingdome is taken at one end , the Sea rages , and all that have treasures in Ships are gathered to stand up for their God , and their King , to keep in bondage . But , from him that sits upon the seat of iniquity , to the Magitians that use the inchantments to deceive withall ; yea , and upon all that believe them ; shall the hand of the Lord be , to make Babylon desolate , and to dash her Children against the stones which lie in the streets thereof , which all the builders refuse . This is the Lords doing , and woe to him that doth resist him , who hath sent his Word to strange Nations , and to people of dark understandings , whether they will hear or forbear . And thou amongst the rest , who calls thy self the publisher of what I writ to James Nowell's Wife , but conceales thy name , as one ashamed of his vision , saying , ( in thy practice ) Smite him secretly , as the backbiters and whisperers of old ever did , stirring up prejudice in the minds of people , and making them evil affected against the truth , so dost thou against the movings and Messages of the living God in his servants , rendring them under the names of sore Temptations , terrible Adversaries , bitter Assaults of the enemy , and such like corrupt words thou uses to inform the Reader withall , before he read the Letters : and when thou hast cast out thy venome against the truth of the Lord , then thou covers thy self with feigned words , saying , I leave it to the most wise and holy God to direct the wise in heart to consider them : Oh thou full of all subtilty , was not God able to direct the wise without thy forestalling slanderous opinions ? how hast thou helped God , or any wise man herein ? hadst thou printed them both , and been silent , then thou hadst left it to God indeed , and I should have been silent also ; hast thou dealt moderately herein , or as thou would be done unto ? shall not the least of wise men Judge thee , and thy spirit ? nay , hast thou not helped on the Devils Kingdome with lies , as I shall bring no other witnesse against thee herein , but her whom thou so highly Commends ; for , sayes thou , her temptations , afflictions , and conflict , was repeated and renewed so often as opportunity was given by her new visiters ; ( which visiters are these letters which thou hast published ) but saith she , I am no way troubled at such continued charges ; Now how must this be divided betwixt you , seeing the one at least must be the Liar , both in this and divers other things I might instance : but I delight not to rake into such filth , onely I shall let thee see in a few words what a body of Confusion is in this daughter thou art boasting of ; which shame might have been hid , had it not been for your glorying against the truth : and though to me both thou and she is known without words ; yet before others who yet judge things according to the outward appearance , I shall take but a word or two out of her own mouth , whereby her foundation might be discovered , to the least of those who know the Kingdom . She sayes , she knowes her self assuredly to be in the Kingdom of God ; yet still kept groaning for Adoption : I say , the Kingdom of God consists rot in groaning for Adoption , but in righteousnesse , peace , and joy in that which is holy , and none are there but sons who are adopted ; no farther in the Kingdom then newborn , and self denyed , though she say her self is in the Kingdome , which never came so far as a disciple where self is standing , much lesse not into the Kingdome . Further , she confesses her own deceivings yet within her , unjudged , which are yet to try ; and the yoke of sinfull Covenant in her , yet unbroken ; all which and much more may be taken from her own pen without wronging her , as her letters ( by thee ) published may witnesse ; yet withall this she sayes , She knowes her self to be in the Kingdom of God , when it is no other but exalted into the Chambers of your own imaginary : for all who knowes the Kingdom of God can witnesse against you , that no such unclean stuffe comes there , no self nor self-deceivings ; no sin , nor sinful Covenant comes there : all this is in the Kingdom of Satan , and not of God , never was : or ever shall be ; blessed be God who hath condemned out all that filth and Confusion , and all that lives in it , that he may keep his Kingdom pure , therefore do the Virgins love him : And had she known the Kingdom of God in her , she had never wondered how I durst adventure to write to one vvhose face I had not seen , as she doth in her paper ; and ( sayes she ) consider whether ever the Apostles or Prophets thou art like herein : I say , did not God command his servants to write his Message to strange Lands , and strange persons ? and did he first send them to look upon their faces to knovv what to write to them , or doth that adde to his Word ? Oh shame with your blindnesse herein ; is God become as blind as you , who cannot judge but by carnal appearance , and will you limit him to your selves ? that eye never savv ? Prophets nor Prophesies , Christ nor Apostles : but this is all you knovv of God or his Word , his Judgments and Kingdom , who are blindand deaf , as to the invisible : and so the visible and carnal Judges , judging God to be like your selves , imagines self to be in the Kingdom ; but the blind and deaf comes not there in that state . Had God no other servants but such as you , it might be long ere the obedience of Christ and his sufferings should be manifest in flesh , for the gathering his seed into the light , as ever he did send them to strange people who declared his Word to them whose faces they had not seen , to open their blind eyes , and so bring them out of darknesse into the Light to be seen , which to her is a wonder . And this is thy daughter thou boasts on , and calls her a daughter of Abraham , who is a daughter of disobedience , strengthening her self against the Word of the Lord , because the instrument had not seen her face , resisting in her own will the tender of eternal love , and this thou calls Strength in weaknesse , which is obstinate wickednesse , and that both she and thou must know , when you have finished your measure ; and of her blood I am clear for ever . And this is the bush thou boasts of which is not consumed though fire be in it : I say , there is a time when the fire is in the bush , and the bush unconsumed ; then is the seed of God in Egypt under Pharaoh and the Magitians , and in that state death raignes from Adam till Moses : Also there is a time when the light of Israel doth burn up the bush , and devour the Briars and thorns in one day , then is that God known who is a consuming fire to all that choakes his seed ; go learn what this means , then shalt thou see whereof thou art glorying ; and under that glory a fire shall be kindled . Who would set Briars and Thornes against me in battle ; I will go through them and burn them together . Thy murmuring against the Northern people is come before the Lord ; thus saith the Lord , I have raised one from the North , from the rising of the Sun is he come , upon you as upon morter and clay ; who declares from the beginning knowes him , and who is before time can say that he is righteous , but thou canst not hear him nor declare him , who consumes the bushes , and makes plain before him , that he may plant in the Wildernesse , and make it a Land of springs , for the poor and needy to drink at , where shall come no more fear of Briars and Thorns , but the little ones shall feed safely ; this , death , knowes not onely the fame you have got . Woe to you brambles and bushes who tears the lambs on every side ; Josephs bough you know not , nor its fruit , ( though you have got it to talk of ) you are the fruit of the cursed ground , your end is at hand : yet a lamentation there is , ( that doth not Change ) for the seeds sake , By a lover of your soules , James Naylor .