Roger Crab, that feeds on herbs and Root 〈…〉  
But I believe Diogenes had better Cheer.  
Deep things more I have to tell▪ but I shall now forbear:  
Lest some in wrath against me swell, and do my body tear,    

THE ENGLISH hermit, OR, Wonder of this AGE.  
Being a relation of the life of ROGER CRAB, living near Vxbridg, taken from his own mouth, showing his strange reserved and unparalleled kind of life, who counteth it a sin against his body and soul to eat any sort of Flesh, Fish, or living Creature, or to drink any Wine, Ale, or beer. He can live with three farthings a week.  
His constant food is Roots and herbs, as Cabbage, turnips, carrots, Dock-leaves, and grass; also Bread and Bran, without Butter or Cheese: His clothing is sackcloth.  
He left the Army, and kept a Shop at CHESHAM, and hath now left off that, and sold a considerable Estate to give to the poor, showing his reasons from the Scripture, Mark. 10. 21. Jer. 35.  
Wherefore if meat make my brother to offend, I will never eat flesh while the world stands, 1 Cor. 8. 13.  
LONDON, Printed, and are to be sold in Popes-head Alley, and at the Exchange, 1655.   

The Publisher to the Reader.  
Honest Reader,  
BEfore you come to the Authors own Epistle, and Narration, I shall mention some remarkable passages, which I had from his own mouth, and find them not mentioned in his writing; and I can assure thee this Relation is no feigned story, or fable, but thou hast it presented to thy view, as I received it from the Author himself, with all the Verses of his own composing.  
This Roger Crab is well known to many in this City and the Country; and while this book was printing, he stayed purposely here in the City till it was published, and I think is in town still; he lodged at the Golden Anchor in white cross Street, at one Mr. Carters house a Glover, where divers people resorted to see him, where such as doubt of it may be satisfied. I am informed by himself and others, how that three years since: he was a Haberdasher of Hats, and kept a Shop at Chesham, in Buckingamshire; and hath since given over his Trade, and sold his Estate, and given it to the poor, reserving a small matter to himself, being a single man, and now liveth at Icknam, near Uxbridge, one a small rood of ground, for which he payeth fifty shillings a year and hath a mean Cottage of hiis own building to it; but that which is most strange and most to be admired, is his strange reserved, and hermetical kind of life, in refusing to eat any sort of flesh, and saith it is a sin against his body and soul to eat flesh, or to drink any Beer, Ale, or Wine; his diet is only such poor homely food as his own Rood of ground beareth, as corn, Bread, and bran, herbs, Roots, Dock-leaves, mallows, and grass, his drink is water, his apparel is as mean also, he wears a sackcloth frock, and no band on his neck: and this he saith is out of conscience, and in obedience to that command of Christ, to the young man in the gospel, and in imitation of the Prophets, and the Recabites in Jer. 35. who neither planted vineyards, nor builded houses, nor drank wine, and were highly commended by the Lord for it: I reasoned the case with him, & told him that I conceived Christ's meaning when he bade the young man sell all he had and give to the poor, was, that he should part with all his dearest sins, that were as dear to him as his possessions, or else to try him for his covetousness; he answered, how can a man give that money to the poor which he selleth his sins for: I perceive he is well read in the Scriptures, he hath argued strongly with several Ministers in the Country, about this and other straying opinions which he holds; but I will not be so tedious to the reader as to mention them all; he approves of civil Magistracy, and is neither for the Levelers, nor Quakers, nor Shakers, nor Ranters, but above Ordinances. He was seven years in the wars for the Parliament; he is the more to be admired that he is alone in this opinion of eating, which though it be an error, it is an harmless error. I have heard since this was in the press that Cap. Norwood was acquainted with Roger Crab, and being inclining to his opinion, began to follow the same poor diet till it cost him his life; Felix quam facit alienem pericula cautem. In the Primitive times we read of such persons that were weak, who did eat herbs, and made a great scruple of eating flesh; but the Apostle saith, That every creature of God is good, if it be received with thankfulness, 1 Tim. 4. 4. And in 1 Cor. 8. 13. saith he, If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat none while the world stands. And in Rom. 4. 2, 3, 4. One believeth that he may eat all things, another who is weak eateth herbs, let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not, &c. The reason why this man betook himself to this hermits reserved life, he saith was, that he might be more free from sin, as lust, pride; and because of the many lies, swearing, and deceiving that is too too frequently used by most shopkeepers & Tradesmen, as the Prophet complains in Hos. 4. 1, 2, 3. For the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the Land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God, but by swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and whoring, they break out, and blood toucheth blood; therefore shall the land mourn, &c. But however, we may see how apt men are to err, both on the right hand and on the left, and to run into extremes, yet of the two extremes this is the better, and more tolerable which this English hermit hath chosen, rather than that of our English antics, and prodigals, who give themselves over to run into all excess of riot and uncleanness, committing all sorts of wickedness with greediness; Some given up to drunkenness, others to whoredom, and a third sort to gluttony, as of late days it was reported of one Wood, called the great Eater of Kent, who could eat a whole sheep at a meal, besides other victuals; Also Mr. Marriot, the great Eater of Gray's inn, was such another glutton. Eusebius reports of one Domitius, who receiving more meat at supper than his stomach could digest, or his belly contain, died suddenly sitting at the Table: and Doctor Tailor, that famous Preacher of Aldermanburic, in his book of the Theatre of God's judgements, makes mention of Maximinus the Emperor, who was given to such excess and gluttony, that every day for his allowance he had forty pound of flesh and bread answerable, and five gallons of wine for his drink, which he constantly devoured, besides fallets and made dishes.  
Also the Emperor Bonesus would drink healths, and eat excessively; both these came to miserable ends, this Emperor was hanged, and the former cut in pieces by his soldiers, see more at large in the second part of that book, page 102. I will add but one more Relation he mentions, which had I not so good an Author for, I should not give credit to it: A rich citizen's son having left him by his Father thirty thousand pounds in ready money besides Jewels, Plate, and Houses richly furnished, was so prodigal as to consume all his whole estate in three years, and he had a great longing to please all his five senses at once, and did accomplish it, allowing to each sense a several hundred pound, it would be too tedious to mention all the story; he grew at last to all debauchedness that could be named, and was forced shamefully to beg of his acquaintance, and was after pressed for a common soldier, see path last of that book above mentioned. I shall no longer detain the Reader from the hermit's relation; these things I thought would be most pertinent to impart to thee, hoping thou wilt make this good use of it, by avoiding these two extremes, and walking in the golden mean of rtue godliness, which hath the promise of this life, and of that which is to come. Vale.  
One more remarkable thing he told me: That when he was in Clarken-well Prison, the 17. of this January, 1654. His Keeper having a prejudice against him, and ordered the Prisoners not to let him have bread with his water, and shut him down in the hole all night. The next morning, being something hungry, walking in the Prisonyard, there came a spaniel and walked after him three or four turns, with a piece of bread in his mouth: He looked upon him, and wondered why the Dog walked (as he thought) with a Chip in his mouth: He looked at the dog, and he laid it down: and perceiving it was bread, he walked away again, and the Dog walked after him with it again: then he stooped, and the Dog laid it down to his hand, than he took and wiped it, and eat it.  
Epist. l. 18. leave out 50. s. a year  
TO Mr. Godbold, Preacher at Uxbridge in Middlesex, I Dedicate this my Discourse, Because he was my friend to help conquer my old man, by informing my friends of Chesham, That I was a Witch, and was run away, and would never come again. You being a public Preacher, may do me greater service in helping me to dishonour him; for I have been almost 3. years conquering my old man by dishonour. Therefore if you can stir up any more to forward this work, pray do, if it be not hurtful to yourself, and they that do so. I rest,  
Your reserved friend, Roger Crab..   

To the Impartial Reader.  
IN whom malicious envy delights, to be for birds of a feather, draw together: But such a Constitution is not to be condemned, lest we should condemn the work of God in the flesh, but rather to be instructed with the light of the Scriptures, that thereby he may know himself, and judge himself to be undone and empty, that love and zeal may take possession, and then he will be more valiant, and bold for God and the Scripture, than he that is moderately constituted: Then let us labour for a single eye which maketh the whole body light; I mean a single heart in single designs, which cannot stand with lindsey-woolsey garments, nor with double tongues, nor varieties of fancies after meats and drinks; for Christ himself was to eat butter and honey till he came to knowledge to choose the good, and refuse the evil, Isa. 7. 15. And if natural Adam had kept to his single natural fruits of God's appointment, namely fruits and herbs, we had not been corrupted. Thus we see that by eating and drinking we are swallowed up in corruption; for ever since Noah came out of the ark, the world being drowned, and no fruits nor hearbss-on the earth, man was ordered to eat the flesh of the Creature which came out of the ark, so that by that means our desires were made strong after flesh; That when the herbs & innocent food was come forth, we slighted it, calling it trash in comparison of a Beast, or beastly flesh; so that by that means the flesh-destroying Spirits and Angels draweth near us, and frequently attendeth man kind. This you may see by the Angels that came to Abraham to destroy the flesh of the Sodomites: Abraham knowing their design, killed them a calf, and made them a fleshly feast, so that we may see God hath all sorts of creatures for all sorts of designs, and for all sorts of food both in heaven and in earth; Innocent creatures for innocent food, and beastly creatures for beastly and fleshly food.  
I rest your friend as you please, Roger Crab.. From my poor Cottage near Uxbridg, Jan. 1654.   

THE ENGLISH hermit AT ICKNAM near Uxbridge.  
SEeing I am become a gazing stock to the Nation, & a wonderment to many friends in this my reserved life, I shall therefore indite a few lines as the most high shall direct me, wherein I shall give an account of this my undoing, owning Christ and the Prophets to be exemplary both in prophesying and practising, as far as God shall give power to any man; I having truly examined it, and often disputed it with all Sexes and Ministers in most Counties in England, and most of them grants me that the practice of Christ and the Prophets is written for our Learning: and if this be granted, that we ought to be imitators of their righteousness, hereby the judgement of God may be seen to a Sodomite generation, living now upon English ground; but first I shall begin with myself, who have transgressed the commands of God, and so found guilty of the whole Law, living in pride, drunkenness, and gluttony, which I upheld by dissembling and lying, cheating and cozening my neighbours: But now that light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world, according to John's writing, hath discovered the love of God to my understanding, which causeth me to withdraw from what I have done; and instead of strong drinks and wines, I give the old man a cup of water; and instead of roast Mutton, and rabbits, and other dainty dishes, I gave him broth thickened with bran, and pudding made with bran, & turnip leaves chop't together, and grass; at which the Old man (meaning my body) being moved, would know what he had done, that I used him so hardly; then I showed him his transgression as aforesaid: so the wars began, The law of the old man in my fleshly members rebelled against the law of my mind, and had a shrewd skirmish; but the mind being well enlightened, held it, so that the old man grew sick and weak with the flux, like to fall to the dust; but the wonderful love of God well pleased with the Battle, raised him up again, and filled him full of love, peace, and content in mind, and is now become more humble; for now he will eat Dock-leaves, Mallows, or grass, and yields that he ought to give God more thanks for it, then formerly for roast flesh and wines; and certainly concludes that this must be of God, if it be done out of love, and not out of self-ends; for before the old man fought with his steel sword, with his fleshly power against old men, and that envy in him begat envy in them, and both of the devil, in pretence of liberty and peace, it is easily judged of by the event; for our fighting to regulate government in the Old men, we see it still as bad, if not worse than it was before: Therefore let us put off the old man with his fleshly Laws, which reached no farther than the government of earthly bodies, so that every one for their obedience to God in this fleshly Law, receiveth a reward to uphold his fleshly body here upon Earth, and would go no further than reason could reach in the organs of flesh: Therefore this Law could never give life in the spiritual Christ, but the practificers thereof were the greatest enemies to Christ, as you shall see fully in their calling of Christ devil, and putting of him to death, Mat. 10. Luke 23. Far worse than bloody Butchers, for they destroy their fellow creatures for gain, and to feed their bodies; but these destroyed that innocent Lamb of God, merely out of devilish zeal and envy against innocency; this moves the Butcher to the question to know why I would forbear eating of flesh: To which I answer,  
First, I do it exemplary from the Prophet Daniel, Chap. 1. which saith, The King's meat defileth his body, and beseecheth that he might eat pulse, and drink water. This first we ought to believe, because the Scripture saith so. 2. I believe it from experience. 3. From reason.  
1. I have experience that God hath enlightened my understanding in a great measure more than before I took this course: So that all the Tithe-mongers and self-ended people professing Religion, are afraid to meet me in any public dispute; but lest I should judge myself wiser in my own conceit then my understanding will bear me out, I am here ready to be tried by any person or persons whatsoever, and so much for Experience: Now I shall show some reasons.  
My first Reason is, That God never accepted of any Creature for a Sacrifice of flesh, that would destroy a body of flesh to feed on; and also forbid his people the Jews to feed on them; for it is a practice of Dogs and Wolves, Bears and lions, Hogs and Ravens, Kites and Hawks, and many such like devourers of flesh; and all or any of these have no need to fear their lives, but from, or of some of that same kind; no innocent creature need never fear his life from an innocent creature: If all birds would take the Dove for an example, and all beasts take the Lamb for their example, and all men take Christ for their example, than Mars and Saturn, the two chief devils would be trampled under feet. Such a time is promised, but not yet; but God waiteth with long patience upon the vessels of wrath, whilst they prepare themselves by thirsting after flesh and blood, which are thereby made fit to destroy each other: Therefore harken to the Doctrine of Christ, in Matth. Chap. 5. 6. Deny yourselves, humble yourselves, undo yourselves of all righteousness of the flesh. Become as little children, like Lambs, like Doves, than Christ is ours, and we are his: Few words to the wise is sufficient. I shall return to the reasonable part of the Law in this Nation, which excludes Butchers from being jurymen of life and death: Surely if they are judged uncapable of being of a Jury, because they kill the creatures, they that buy it with their money to devour it, cannot be clear, for we always count the Receiver more subtle and worse than the thief; so that the buyer is worse than the Butcher; but Mars being the god of War, is the governor of these destroyers: and while he can get flesh to feed on, he will increase his desires to destroy flesh: so that Mars being servant to the most high God, breeds them up with flesh, until they are full of corruption. Then he raiseth up Trangressor against Transgressor to destroy each other, as you have it in Isa. 21. 2. where it saith, Agrievous vision was showed unto me, the transgressor against the transgressor, and the destroyer against the destroyer. Go up flame, besiege Media, &c. Had my parents been so innocent as to have taught me this Doctrine in the time of my youth, I had saved my skull from being cloven to the brain in the late War for the Parliament against the King, and also saved myself from the Parliaments two years' imprisonment which they gave me for my pains, and from my sentence to death in the Field by my Lord Protector; but all those things wrought together for the best to me, and in my estimation are of more value than an office of five hundred pounds a year, for I in some measure know myself, and before I neither knew God nor devil, nor myself: but now having found out that my body was governed by the inclination of my Constitution from the starry heavens, having tried it with many sorts of food, and with much fasting and praying according to the scripture, which gave me light to the constitutions of others, and enabled me to administer physic to others; so that I have had a hundred or sixscore Patients at once, this gave me a great light of the evil that came by eating of flesh: If my Patients were any of them wounded or feverish, I said, eating flesh, or drinking strong beer would inflame their blood, venom their wounds, and increase their disease, so there is no proof like experience: So that eating of flesh is an absolute enemy to pure nature; pure nature being the workmanship of a pure God, and corrupt nature under the custody of the devil: Now for the objection in 1 Tim. 4. v. 3. where it saith thus; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats which God hath created, to be received with giving thanks of them which believe and know the truth: And vers. 4. it saith; For every creature of God is good, and nothing ought to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving. This Scripture being very useful for the purpose, and will give much light to the adhearers to this opinion, and conform them of sound principles within themselves; for whosoever shall forbear marrying, or abstain from meat, from the commandment of men which pretends his commands to be of God, all that are obedient hereunto will serve the devil, and must needs be without the spirit of sanctification; neither are they believers, neither obey the Truth; so that if they should eat of every creature, there would a hundred be poisoned at a meal for want of the spirit of power and sanctification which Paul and others had by the promise, which promised them, if they drank any deadly poison, it should not hurt them, and could take away Serpents: and if they laid their hands on the sick, they should recover, as you may see in Mar. 16. vers. 18. Another Objection is alleged from that Scripture in Matth. 15. 11. where he saith these words: That which goeth into the mouth defileth not the man, but that which cometh out of the mouth, that defileth the man, which is murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies, slanders, &c. If this be meant that any thing put into the mouth cannot defile the body, than no man can can be poisoned: but there hath been many a man poisoned by taking things into the mouth: If so, than nothing ought to be taken but that which is nourishable to pure nature, except they have faith and power of sanctification to exclude the venom: so in short, my judgement is of every place of Scripture which speaks any thing of this nature, that to him that believeth all things are lawful, as in relation to Christ in the Spirit, but some things not expedient. Now to those that will not unlick themselves from the world, as to deny father and mother, wife, children, lands and livings, and all for Christ's sake in the spiritual essence, but will rather serve him according to the flesh in the ten commandments. Now this is the wonderful and admirable love of God, that he will give them a reward also according to that dispensation they are under; for he hath promised them a blessing in basket, and in store, their children long life in the Land for their obedience to their Parents in the flesh: but no more than fleshly rewards can be given for fleshly obedience; for he that dyeth with fleshly desires, fleshly inclinations, and fleshly satisfactions; this being a composure of the spirits of darkness in this body, must rise again in the same nature, and must be taken into the centre of Mars, the god of flesh, blood, and fire, so that every man shall receive the things which are done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or evil, 2 Cor. 5. 10.  
Then how happy are they that takes Christ and the Prophets for their example: Christ being an innocent pattern to the whole world, exposed himself to all danger and difficulty, not for his own ends in the flesh, but for others sakes, even them that persecuted him and violated him with terms of ignomy, calling him a Glutton, and a wine-bibber, blasphemer, and a devil, and at length killed him outright, and hanged him shamefully upon the cross; the persons that did it were the Priests, councillors, Lawyers, and the rude multitude instructed by them, filled all with envy against innocency, but all this worketh together for the best to them that fear God, in humbleness and meekness, together with love and charity, where envy cannot be; but some glimpse of the spiritual light which discerneth all things, even the deep things of God, according to the Scriptures, 1 Cor. 2. 10. But reason it will discover a glimpse of God's proceedings in these our days; he hath tried almost every sort of men, and every sort of sects according to their pedigree in our Land.  
1. The King and Bishops were exalted next to Christ.  
2. The Parliament who found fault with them, not pulling the beam of covetousness out of their own eyes, and their Sects depending, were all exalted in stead of the other.  
3. The Army with their Trades and Sects depending upon the same account, became exalted; So the Gentlemen and Farmers have had their turn in Offices and dearth of Corn, and now they will try inferior Trades, as journeymen and Day-labourers, and their associates depending, even to the Orphan and almsman, and now giveth them the fullness of bread, and clothing, and silver, and all according to their respective place and capability they are in: So that now we look over all their proceedings, and judge by their fruit, and it will be a hard matter for a low capacity to judge which of all these parties hath been most just: but I being of the lowest sort, and unlearned, being amongst day-labourers and journeymen, have judged myself with them the worst of all these parties, in pride, gluttony, drunkenness, lying, dissembling, swearing, cursing, covetousness, disobedient to Parents, breeding up children to disobedience, and all other abominations: Were not the most High wonderful and merciful to us, one of these sins are enough to bring judgement and terrors upon the whole Land, namely the sin of drunkenness, being explained, will prove it; when the all-seeing eye looks into every alehouse of this Nation, and seeth of which sort are most there, and they will appear to be labouring poor men, which in times of scarcity pine and murmur for want of bread, cursing the rich behind his back; and before his face, cap and knee, and a whining countenance; and some are choleric, and discontented, and will not speak at all, neither of them considering what they did in the time of plenty, when they drank in one day as much as a bushel of barley will make, which will keep two ordinary families a whole week in bread; this two men will do twice or three times a week; and when Sunday cometh, they will hear two sermons, and have their child christened by the virtue of his faith, and receive the Sacrament at Easter, and then all is well; his conscience being feared up, he returns to his companions, and falls on as before, to drunkenness, and gluttony, spoiling, backbiting his neighbours, swearing and cursing, and reviling against the Higher powers for oppressing him; making a good construction of his fellowdrunkard which is drunk three or four days in the weak; they will say he is an honest fellow, and no foe but his own, although both he and they what so do are the greatest oppressors under the sun, and the greatest enemies to the poor fatherless orphans, widows, and strangers, which are below them; for by their drunkenness and gluttony Corn is made dear; and corn being dear, Land is made dear, so that the Farmer must give a great rent for his farm, and is constrained to hire many more Acres. By this means cattle and corn hath been at a high rate, the Farmer being covetous minded to uphold his wife and children in pomp and pride, feasting and glu●tony at christenings and banquetings, by which means surfeits and diseases drives them to the physicians, who wait for their prey, to get their money to purchase Lands and houses, that they may let it out to them again; Thus you see that the body of England is become a Monster: God hath created eyes in us that are the feet, to discover her nakedness as far as the middle; we have a little light of her arms, and her head, which keeps her pomp by sword and violence; but our sight being weak, and most work to do at home, and most convenient for every man to pull the beam out of his own eye, according to the Scriptures, Mat. 7. 3. that we may see clearer, and justly judge the tree by his fruits, we shall try the inferior and lower sort of feasting among women, called by the name of christenings, which are these. First, to exchange upon some body that is silly, or foolish, sluttish, or covetous, or an ill Husband, or a Drunkard: Others be condemned for often feasting, and wearing fine clothes, swearing and lying, so that all sorts are laughed at, and judged; but ourselves, whilst we ourselves are doing the very same things, and this is the fruit that grows upon the Tree called christening, or baptising the Child into the father's faith; which is an admirable Tree, if it be true, that the child can be in Christ by the father's faith, and no falling from Grace; then let us consider whether Adam did believe in Christ: and if it be found he did, than this baptism would have saved all the people from Adam to this day, and will do from this day forward; for the Child being baptised into the father's faith, groweth up, and begetteth children, and cannot fall away, baptising children into their faith, and so forward: So that if God had been as wise as we in our own conceit, he might have saved the lives of all his Prophets, and Apostles, and people too, but the most High is now once more beginning to break through the clouds of darkness in poor innocent forms of earth, raising them up from carpenting fishing, and tentmaking, to confound the high and mighty, for the wisdom of man is foolishness, 1 Cor▪ chap. 1. Now let us compare this inferior feast called christening with the feast of Christ among the multitude, and see which was best exemplary to the people, and which produced most good to soul and body; and consider the example of Christ's birth in a Manger, with the pomp and pride of children's births in our days: Again, consider what feast there was when Christ was baptised of John, & I think we shall find none at all. Then let us see what Christ had at his feast with the people, he being able to command stones to be bread, or water to be wine, was also able to command roast Beef or pig: but he was to be exemplary to all people on earth, in all his actions and doctrine, made an innocent feast for the people with barley loaves and fishes, Mat. 14. But some will object and say, he was able to work miracles, and we are not; To which I answer; If we as he, were able to command all things, and yet would have nothing at our feast but barley loaves and fishes, what advantage would our power be to this Feast? the Feast being innocent, without hurting any creature that breathed on earth; but on the contrary, he endeavoured to preserve, and to reconcile the people to God with sound words of instructions uttered with love, peace, and meekness, with motions of healing all people that were brought to him: So that you may see a great difference betwixt his feast and the other. Again, he often went to the Feast of the Jews, and to a wedding to show forth the power of his father, in turning water into wine; but we never find that ever he was drunk, or eat bit of flesh at any of their Feasts, or Wedding: The Passeover was his own Feast, and did belong to the fulfilling of the law of the Father in his flesh, even for a disobedient people, which the Lord by Moses brought out of Egypt from their fleshpots, into the wilderness, to purify their bodies with angel's food called Manna, which they ground in mills, or beat in mortars, to make in Cakes: But they losing their grossness, grew lean and hungry, and murmured, and rebelled against the Lord, lusting after the fleshpots of Egypt: Their desires being much and strong, the Lord granted them flesh, even as he granted them a King, and his wrath and plague came with it, as you may see in Numb. 11. 33. & Psal. 78. 31. While the flesh was yet between their teeth, before it was chewed, even than the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with an exceeding great plague. Thus you see what miserable creatures we are, being bred up with flesh and blood, onions and garlic, all under Mars, who God hath made governor over that humour that lusteth after flesh and blood, which is made strong in us by feeding of it, as I myself may speak by experience; for if God had commanded me to forbear flesh before I had knowledge of this my discourse, although he had sent an Angel or a man working miracles, I doubt I should have judged all to be of the devil, for the lust I had after the sweetness of flesh; even as the rich men in these our days will deny the Scripture, wherein Christ commanded the rich man in the Gospel, to sell his goods and give to the poor: But they will say, it reached no farther, than that one rich man should; for say they, if we should believe this Scripture to extend to us, we should make the poor richer than ourselves: So it seems by this, that they had rather deny this Scripture, and many more that speak to this purpose, even Christ and all, rather than to part from their riches; this would have been my condition in ignorance:  
Therefore let not the rich men mistake me, and think that I would have them sell their goods, before God hath enlightened their understandings, & let them see the danger of keeping it, for than they would play the Hypocrites, and do as bad to themselves, as if they had kept it, although good to others; this would be the condition of every one that shall forbear flesh, or beer, as in relation to God, because it is a sin against the body, or bodies and souls of men: Except any man thinks he sins against God in eating, to him it is sin, because he is weak, and doubteth: So he ought to forbear, because of his scruple; as you shall see in Rom. 14. 8. 1 Cor. 8. 10. For if any man see thee which hath knowledge fit at table in the Idols Temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be boldened to eat those things which are sacrificed to idols? you may observe from this, that he that walketh by another man's light before he is fully convinced in himself, if he buildeth on sand, he will fall in the Tempest, because he hath lost his tender light of his scruple, which Paul endeavoured to strengthen in every one of his brethren, let them be of what opinion they would in matter of conscience: It's very plain in Rom. 14. and very few in these days believeth it; for we all cry out against many opinions, yet every one would have his own opinion justified; we may as well cry out and condemn every one his Neighbour, because they differ in physiognomy, and so condemn the work of God without us, as well as within us, but this is rebellion against our Maker; for the Scripture commandeth us not to judge one another in matter of conscience towards God, but for the sin against our brethren and neighbours; we ought to know the Tree by his fruits. So that any man or men in countries, Towns, or Cities, that shall defraud his brethren, and shall advance themselves in pride by oppression and tyranny, imitating Sodom and Gomorrah in all manner of abominations; if any see this imitated in England, it's high time for we, or they that so see, to become imitators of Christ and the Prophets; first in order of the Prophets that came before Christ, who were ordered by their practice to show Israel their transgressions, in drinking water by measure, and in making bread; for Ezekiel took of wheat, barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches, and put them in a vessel, and made bread thereof; and instead of butter and spice, he was to take cow's dung, instead of men's dung, to prepare his bread with, and he was to have his portion by weight, Ezek. 4. 9 Thus the Prophet was to show them their error in matter of food; and for clothing, you may see in Isa. 20. Who was a Prophet of God, ordered not only to wear sackcloth, but to go naked, and without shoes three years: If these Scriptures are written for our learning, imitation, and practice, than we are to judge which are the Prophets of God, by this practice in Scripture; and if so, where shall we find Prophets of God: But some will say, we are to follow Christ and the Apostles in the New Testament; and if you will have it so, than we must exactly see what orders they had in their Commission, that we may know them from hirelings: We find in the Commission, that they were to go and preach without money, or scrips, or shoes on their feet, but to be shod with sandals, Mark 6. 8. So we may doubt whether we shall find any Apostles too, if we shall judge by Christ's Commission; but if you will not own these Scriptures, neither let us try them that mark out the false Apostles and Teachers, namely John 10. where he saith, the hireling is not his Shepherd: and Mat. 7. where he saith, ye shall know them by their fruits, inwardly they are ravening wolves. Many more Scriptures to this purpose there are; but if you have a mind to your hirelings still, you will believe no Scripture that is against him, neither is there any for him; so that all the true practical part of Scriptures must be laid aside, only talk of it and dispute of it a little, and pick out of it a few places to preach out off, and to write, to get some money to uphold their pride and honour in this world, to please the old man in the flesh: Surely if John the Baptist should come forth again, and call himself Leveller, and take such food as the wilderness yielded, and such clothing, and Preach up his former Doctrine, He that had two coats should give away one of them, and he that hath food should do likewise; How scornfully would our proud Gentlemen and Gallants look of him, that hath gotten three or four Coats with great gold and silver buttons, and half a score dainty dishes at his Table, besides his gallant house, and his furniture therein; therefore this Scripture must be interpreted some other way, or else denied: and this is our condition, if the Scripture will not serve for our own ends to fulfil selfish desires, to uphold the old man in his fleshly honour, which belongeth to the Magistrate only, who God hath made a Minister for thy wealth's sake, and doth not at all belong to innocency nor Christ in the Spirit; for there is small sign of the old man's dying or putting off, whilst he smites his fellows for the liberty of his fleshly desires; and this is our condition that loveth the world, in whom the love of God cannot be, 1 John 2. 15, 16. Love not the world, neither the things of the world: If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him; for all that is in the world, as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world: These Scriptures have I endeavoured formerly to interpret some other way, by absurdities and consequences; how that if we should not wear superfluous things, thousands of people would starve for want of Trading, and so by consequence bring greater evil upon us: So I being not willing to lose my pride and worldly pomp, I questioned the truth of the Scriptures, and even God himself, and all for want of some glimpse of spiritual light, which my natural eyes in reason could not discern. Therefore the most high was pleased to convince me with natural forms, namely birds of the air, which every day brought me intelligence according to my worldly occasions; for almost three years' space I have observed them, for they would foretell me of any danger or cross, or any joy from friends; I mean any danger or dishonour to my person, or loss of cattle, or corn, or any other disadvantage to my advancement in the world; and this clearly convinced me, that there was a power above man. Then I considered the wise man's saying, Eccles. 10. 10. Curse not the King, not not in thy thought, neither curse the rich in thy bed chamber, for the fouls of heaven shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings, shall declare the matter: Also I considered that God made use of a bird to feed Elias the Prophet: by this I saw that he made use of natural causes to fulfil natural desires, so I came to know God in nature. Moreover I considered the Scrptures where the Lord speaks against the soothsayers, and against Astrologers, Sorcerers, and wizards; all these I found to be the spirits of darkness, and will reach no further than the old man in the flesh, yet very necessary to be known, that we may avoid the evil thereof: Christ and the Prophets knew all these things, or else they would never have spoken against them, but we in the old man have often spoken against things that we knew not, out of blind zeal, but not according to knowledge:  
Therefore let the Scripture rule us, that we judge no man's heart which belongeth to God only in the Spirit, but our judgement must be external of every tree according to their fruits; For by their fruits we ought to know them: So to reprove every man his neighbour to his face, leave off backbiting and slandering one another, and making up our laughter in deriding the actions of others, which we cannot do, unless we think ourselves wiser than they; This sad thing have I observed in many Families, when they have happened in any discourse, it seldom or never ended without backbiting, or deriding one another behind their backs with their tongues, which causeth envy, and sets on fire every man that useth it against his neighbour, according to the Scripture, Jam. 3. and this cometh for want of mortifying the old man in the flesh, Rom. 8. 13. These and many other helps there are in the Scriptures, if we will believe it, to overcome the flesh; for Christ saith, Mat. 7. 8. Whosoever asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened: This Sccripure seems to reach further than the Disciples in some cases; for some that did not believe, made use of his name to cast out Devils, and it seems the power of God assisted them therein; for they could not do it by the power of the devil, for than they would not have made use of Christ's name. Again, Christ himself saith, If Satan cast out Satan, his kingdom cannot stand, Mat. 12. 26. And it's contrary to any reason, that God should cast out God, or the devil cast out the devil: So we find according to the whole tenor of Scripture, that God answereth all sorts of people according to that dispensation they are under, if their desires are fervent, whether it be for their good, or their hurt, as have proved sufficiently in my discourse concerning the flesh given to the children of Israel, 1 Sam. 8. 7. where God saith to Samuel, Hear the voice of the people in all that they shall say unto thee. So God condescended to the desires of the people for the hurt of their bodies in granting them a King; but if any out of zeal towards God in the Spirit will pray unto him, and yet would uphold the righteousness of God in the flesh; God answering them with such spirits as may dishonour them in this world, by lying or false prophesying, to destroy the honour of the old man in them, that they may be brought forth as tried in the fire, more pure in the spirit of Light: but if any shall inquire after God at the mouth of his Prophets, only to uphold the honour and ambition of the old man in this world, God will send them false spirits to preach lies, of purpose to destroy them; and this will come upon those that are for their own ambitious ends, as you may see in 1 King. 22. where the false spirits wait● on God for their message, and God sends them forth, and bids them prosper, to please Ahab in his request; Thus we see for the love of this world people are destroyed. Then let us conclude, that it is high time to cast off the old man with his rudiments, with his malice and envy, and entertain light, love, and peace, and joy in the holy Ghost; That this may be our treasure, leading us up to that throne of grace, full of unspeakable joys, where Christ sitteth in the council of his Father, with all his Angels, entertaining all with fullness of joy, that entereth in at this narrow gate, wiping away all tears, and all desires shall cease, and sorrow shall never more come near them; and instead thereof such joy, that neither tongue of men or Angels can express.  
If men and Angels do prove silent, than  
Why should not I, an inferior man:  
Now am I silent, and indite no more,  
Pray use no violence then against the poor.   

O mortal form what dost thou mean!  
To make such long delay;  
Keeping thy soul so poor and lean,  
Against the dreadful day.  
To whom we all must once appear,  
To receive our sentence deep;  
The sorrowing hearts, and terrible fears,  
Making our souls to weep.  
Two things there are to us proposed,  
Whilst we on earth do dwell,  
In choosing one, the other's lost,  
Let it be heaven or hell.  
Then must our choice be circumspect,  
Without a worldly mind:  
Lest God one day do us reject,  
And we no mercy find.  
If heaven we choose, than hell is lost,  
we cannot it embrace;  
But to the glory of joy we must,  
Swallowed be in endless grace.  
If hell we choose, the world is gained,  
Which is that flesh desires:  
Then need we nothing to refrain,  
That pride and lust requires.  
Such is our lusts and covetousness,  
The belly and back to please;  
With selling and buying, dissembling and lying,  
Yet we cannot live at ease.  
But still in discontent abide,  
Desiring after more:  
Our envy would that all had died,  
That loved not the whore.  
Her Merchants they do howl and weep,  
Their traffic none will buy:  
They wishing now to sow or reap,  
One year before they die.  
In Revelation, Chap. nineteen,  
In truth there you may read;  
Who 'tis shall bear the sceptre,  
When the old whore is dead.  
Thus to the wise in their conceit,  
As I myself have been:  
They now shall know that once they might,  
Have left the greatest sin.  
O England then repent  
For the misery thou art in!  
Which have all by consent,  
Lived on each others sin.  
If pride should banished be away,  
Then Tradesmen out would cry,  
Come let us kill, eat, and slay,  
Or else for want we die▪  
Then would the Gentry mourn,  
Without pride they cannot live:  
And staves to get them Corn,  
Whilst they themselves deceive.  
Thus pride becomes our god,  
And dear to us as life;  
Whose absence makes us sad,  
And cannot please our Wife.  
If the poor labouring men,  
Live of their own increase;  
Where are your Gentry then,  
But gone among the Beasts.  
If any would know who is the Author,  
Or ask whose lines are these:  
I answer, one that drinketh water,  
And now a liver at ease.  
In drinking cannot be drunk,  
Nor am I moved to swear:  
And from wenching am I sunk,  
My bones are kept so bare.  
For it is the grossness of the flesh  
That makes the soul to smart:  
And is the cause of his own lust,  
That commits adultery in his heart.  
FINIS.