THE CHARACTER OF A FANATIC:  
By a Person of Quality.  
ICH ◆ DIEN   printer's or publisher's device 
LONDON, Printed in the Year 1675.   

THE CHARACTER OF A FANATIC.  
HE is a person of a more exercised faith than understanding; one governed by Instinct, not Intellect; and who (like those of old) never thinks he has enough of the Deity; till beside himself: You may call him if you please, a perpetual motion, or a restless whirligig, ever Turning from bad to worse; or the Ignis fatuus of Divinity, carried about with every wind; lest considering whence it cometh, or whether it goeth; as even such likewise, is every one that is born of him: It may be thought, the Prophet had somewhat like him in his eye, in that wheel (of his) within a wheel; for of himself he never was, but ill-split from another; like those imperfect, dough-baked Creatures produced by the Sun on the banks of Nile; so that his generation is founded in Corruption, and his extraction of the same Parentage with Monsters, not intended, but produced. His Principles are like the Chaos; a confused lump of every thing and nothing; or a Gallimofry of negatives; nor this, nor that, nor t'other, but what he is no man knows, no, not the Angels in Heaven, nor himself to boot; this only excepted, that he is more party coloured than Joseph's Coat, and patched together of more pieces than a tailor's Cushion; Nor is his practice much unsuitable to his principles; he puts on Religion as a Cloak, not a Garment, and varnishes his Impostures with Holiness to the Lord: Thus Absalon pretends a Sacrifice, when his business is Rebellion; and Herod a Worship▪ when his design is Murder; not with much wonder Machiavelli the Florentine hath taught him, he that would gain by deceit, must first acquire a credit, by (at least) a show of integrity; and he that would practise upon the people, must follow the old rule of Finge Deum— such Influence have solemn looks, and verily, verily, upon the multitude, who have little else to pass them for men, but speech and figure: Hence it is that he puts off his Tinsel for Standard, and the Maggots of his own brain for divine Inspiration; That he obtruces his Enthusiasms for Visions, and justifies Homer, that even such dreams are of God. That he takes a holy pride to himself, and says to the rest of the world, stand off; that he calls the common infirmities of Mankind, Crying sins, National sins; Bow-dyed sins, and his own Mormo's, but slips, and failings; that he can see no sin in Jacob, nor iniquity ●n his Israel of God. That he ca●ls them the only Holy, only Chosen, only Godly, only precious, only spiri●ually-discerning people. That he puts a discriminating Schibolleth on others; as Formalists, Carnalists, dry-Moralists, withered Figtrees, outside men, negative-Holiness-men, Opus-operatum-men, will worshippers, Laodiceans, and what not. That he talks of nothing but new light, and Prophesy, spiritual Incomes, Indwellings, Emanations, Manifestations, Sealing, and the like gibberish and canting. To which also the zealous twang of the Nose, adds no small efficacy. That he runs Counter to all things in power, and treads the▪ Antipodes to every thing commanded, and for no other reason, but because commanded: for it may be observed, that the Lords Prayer, was not so absolutely thrown out of the Kirk, till recommended by its own directory: In short, That he calls subjection in matters of Religion, a tying up the spirit, and all Injunctions, even in things indifferent, a manifest invading the Sanctum sanctorum: And now the ●reat cry is persecution for Conscience; nothing in his mouth, but destitute, afflicted; and (the common Corollary) but not forsaken. Alas, alas, the habitations of Jacob are swallowed, and the places of the Assembly taken away: A bow is bend against the daughter of Judah, and the breach of the Virgin of Zion is like a great Sea, whereas on the other hand, let him be but as in the years past: and that Sun once more shine on his Tabernacle. This success new modess his Conscience, and like (Aaron's rod) he swallows up every thing that lies in his way: Even Princes must lay their hands on their mouths, and the Nobles not speak again to his words: The Poor distressed is become Hogan Mogan, and the Servus servorum, Dominus dominantium: The little flock claims a Kingdom in condigno, and the chosen generation sets up for a Royal Priesthood. In short, this little Horn takes a mouth to himself speaking mighty things, and his language is, Overturn, Overturn, Overturn. And now he makes his Doctrine suitable to his Text, and owns above-board, that Dominion is founded in Grace, not Nature: That the goods of this world, are properly the Elects: That himself and his Hyperdolins, are the only Israelites, and all the rest Egyptians: That the new Jerusalem must be propagated, as the second Temple was built, with the Sword in one hand, and the Trowel in tother; or as the Abbot (in Hen. 3ds time) gave it in absolution to the Earl of Leicester, Gladium spiritualem sine gladio materiali nihil posse. What shall I add? He declares that quis suscitabit eum? was personally meant of his Tribe: And yet this man has his followers, and these of the honourable Women too, not a few; for (to say truth) his conversation is much after the rate of that before the Flood, the sons of God among the daughters of men: Devotion in all places, whether true or false, being most natural to that Sex: 'Twas the Devil's policy to our first Parents, for well he knew that to beguile Eve, was the ready way to hook in Adam. And thus he proves a stumbling block to the Wives; and a rock of offence to the Husbands. In brief, like the Dragon in the Apocalypse, his tail draws a third part of the stars, and casts them to the Earth, the reason is obvious, Fortitudo ejus in lumbis ejus, & virtus umbilico ventris: But to proceed, his profession is like his Allegiance, a mere (Fucus) yet, so well laid on, one (at first sight) could not but swear 'twere natural: His Common-place, Polyanthea, and Concordance, and the height of his School-Divinity, the Assemblies Catechism: His Prayer, a Rhapsody of holy hickops, sanctified barkings, illuminated goggles, sighs, sobs, yexes, gasps, and groans, not more intelligible than nauseous: However (to give him his due) he Prays most heartily for the King, but with more distinctions and mental reservations, than an honest man would have taken the Covenant: From hence (as out of the third Heaven) he falls by head and shoulders into his preachment; which what other is it, than a wild career over hill and dale, till the afternoon Chimes stop him; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉; Thump upon thump, yelp upon yelp, doctrine upon doctrine, rule upon rule, reason upon reason, text upon text, proof upon proof, direction upon direction, motive upon motive, sign upon sign, token upon token, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little: effect upon effect, and uses more than innumerable; and here likewise he cries up obedience to Magistrates, but with such a Salva gloria Dei, that he had better let it alone: as also that they ought to be defended by their Subjects, in defence nevertheless of the true Religion, of which himself must be Judge. And for his Grace at meat, what can I better compare it too, than a Canterbury rack, half pace, half gallop; so his, an odd hobbling shuffle, between a Grace and a Prayer, and a Prayer and a Grace: Lastly, as to his virtues, (for it cannot be denied, but he has somewhat of that which Tully calls, adumbrata virtutum specimina) I wish it might be said of them, that they were other than masked hypocrisy, the Poet hit it: 
Da justum sanctumque videri,  
Noctem peccatis, & fraudibus objice nubem:  And like an apt Scholar, he has gotten his lesson by heart, and can wrap the Philistin's sword in a holy Ephod; from whence else is it▪ that he can crave a blessing to the design, though never so ungodly; and give thanks for the success be it never so wicked: That he will not swear, but can dispense with the profitable sin of lying: That he will not be drunk (to be seen of men) but yet can take a brotherly rouse in a corner: That he walks as though he had made a Covenant with his eyes, and yet si uxor non vult aut non si possit, veniat ancilla, is wholesome Doctrine with him: That he is a zealous observer of the Sabbath, and yet can make less Conscience of schism than a surplice: That he cries, Vae mihi si non Evangeliza vero: and yet allows no imposition of hands, but broken pates: That he abhors Idols, and yet can commit Sacrilege, which, what is it? than to burn the Idol with a coal from the Altar: That he exhorts (his beloved) to constancy under persecution, and yet, come wh●● will he can lick himself so whole, 'Twill be hard to tell where he had been hurt. In short, that he is a perfect Samaritan, for let the Gentiles prevail, and he is of the race of Ishmael; and let the Jews get the upper hand, he had Abraham to his Father: To conclude, he is a gloworm that shines best in the night of ignorance, one whose Faith has eaten up his Charity: One that has torn the seamless Coat into rags, and tacked them together to cover his nakedness: one that having forsaken, the fountain, has hewed to himself but broken cisterns: one that swallows all things unchewed, and brings them up again as raw and undigested: one whose eyes are at the end of the earth, and yet would be thought not to mistake his way. In short, one that has an excuse for every thing that he ●●●ld not do, and a (salvo) for every thing he should do: 〈…〉 this by Scripture: Adeo nihil est quod S. Scriptura Torqueri non possis, modo Torqueatur▪ In a word, he is one of whom it may be said, as Heraclius of the bow, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉; and but that I find him so well cut out by Horace, I had not yet taken off my hand from so everlasting an Argument, 
Malaquem scabies, aut morbus Regius urget  
Aut Fanaticus error▪ aut Iracunda Diana;  
Vesanum tetigissetiment, fugiuntque—  
Qui sapiunt—  And not without reason; for though his distemper lies not in too much learning, yet to my unenlightned understanding, he speaks not the words, either of soberness or truth, but darkeneth Counsel by words without knowledge.