THE SMOKE OF THE Bottomless Pit. OR, A More true and fuller Discovery of the Doctrine of those men which call themselves RANTERS: OR, The Mad Crew.  
By John Holland Porter, an eye and ear witness.  2 Tim. 3.1. 
This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come.  2 Pet. 2.1. 
But there were false Prophets also amongst the people, even as there shall be false teachers amongst you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.  Phil. 3.2. 
Beware of Dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.  
Licenced and entered according to Order.  
LONDON, Printed for John Wright, at the King's Head in the Old-Baylie. 1651.   

The Doctrine of the RANTERS, viz.  

FIrst concerning God.  
Secondly concerning Christ.  
Thirdly concerning the Spirit.  
Fourthly concerning the Scriptures,  
Fifthly concerning the Creation.  
Sixthly concerning Marriage.  
Seventhly concerning the Commandments of God.  
Eightly concerning Ordinances.  
Ninthly concerning Sin.  
Tenthly concerning Man.  
Eleventh concerning the Devil.  
Twelfth concerning Heaven and Hell.  
Thirteenth concerning Death and Resurrection.  
Fourteenth concerning the last Judgement.    

A word to the Christian READER.  
AT the earnest request of divers of my friends, to whom I am much engaged, I was unwillingly willing to publish to the world, the more and worse than Atheistical blasphemies of these men, not with any intent (the Lord knoweth) to make their persons odious unto any, much less to stir up any to persecute them barely for their judgements; for when I consider what the Scripture saith, I find it is not God's method to deal with Spiritual enemies with carnal weapons; the way that God took to overpower those men that were against the re-building of the Temple, you may read Zach. 4.6. not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit saith the Lord; and this was Paul's practice, for saith he, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God for the pulling down of strong holds, 2 Cor. 10.4, 5. and this Paul gave for a rule to the Saints, that if a brother be overtaken in a fault, you that are spiritual, restore such a one with the spirit of meekness, considering thyself lest thou also be tempted, Gal. 6.1. Paul doth not say if a man hold an error, imprison or banish him, or take away his life: again Paul Prophesieth that the greatest enemies that ever Christ had in the world, should be destroyed, namely by the spirit of Christ's mouth, and the brightness of his coming, 2 Thes. 2.8. and this truth was revealed to John in the Revelation, who tells us that the weapon that Christ fights with against his enemies, is the sword that goeth out of his mouth, Rev. 19.15. and we may see what this sword is, if we read, Eph. 6.17. but I shall say no more on this subject, lest I make my porch too big for this house: Only I wish that thou and I may imitate our heavenly Father, who always hath and still doth bring light out of darkness, and good out of evil; and not forget the poor Bee, who can suck honey out of the most stinking weed, so do thou when thou readest this Pamphlet, farewell.  
J. HOLLAND.   

The doctrine of the RANTERS.  

First concerning GOD.  
THey maintain that God is essentially in every creature, and that there is as much of God in one creature, as in another, though he doth not manifest himself so much in one as in another: I saw this expression in a Book of theirs, that the essence of God was as much in the Ivy leaf, as in the most glorious Angel; I heard another say, that the essence of God was in that board, as much as it was in heaven; he then laying his hand on a Deal board. They all say there is no other God but what is in them, and also in the whole Creation, and that men ought to pray and seek to no other God but what was in them.  
The titles they give God are these: They call him the Being, the Fullness, the Great motion, Reason, the Immensity: I heard a man swear that if there was any God at all he was one, I said to him that God knew all things, and was able to do whatsoever he pleased, but you cannot, therefore you are not God, but a blasphemer: Another made answer, he was not The GOD, but he was God, because God was in him and in every creature in the world: I replied, If God were in every creature, how then came it to pass, there was such a difference amongst the creatures, as there are some good and some bad, and some Godly men, and some wicked, and all such good and bad are divided one against another, but God is undivided and at unity with himself, therefore God essentially is not in every creature.   

Secondly concerning Christ.  
THey say that Christ was only a form, or a shadow, or a fleshly apparition of God and no more, and that what he did in way of suffering, was for himself, for none had, or ever should have any benefit by his suffering but himself. That the Ministry of Christ either by himself, or by his Apostles as it is held forth in the Scriptures is ceased, as well as the Ministry of Aaron; others of them say, that what Christ did in the flesh, is now made over to us in the spirit, and that we are no more to eye or mind Christ that died at Jerusalem, but we are to mind Christ in ourselves; others of them say, that what Christ did in his own person, was only a figure or a type of what should be done and acted in every man, and that every man must do and suffer as much as Christ did; this is the best they say of Christ: I have heard some say, that if Christ were on earth now, he would be ashamed of what he did before; I heard one of them say, it was a question whether Christ was born of a Virgin, nay, saith another, he was a bastard sure enough, for the letter, saith he, (meaning the Scripture) saith that Mary was betrothed to Joseph before Jesus was conceived in the womb. At which words I was much enraged, and began to speak, intending to reprove them, but was interrupted by one of them that sat by, who swore abloudy oath, and told me I doted on a silly boy which was at Jerusalem, and he also swore he knew the Lad very well, for, said he, I was his Godfather; one of them met me, and said he was told that I had as much wisdom as Christ, I answered, that none but blasphemers would say so; then he answered, if I had not so much wisdom, he had. There was one of them did affirm to Doctor Chamberlain, in my hearing, that every man was God as much as Christ, for, saith he, there is as much of the Godhead in every man, as was in Christ.   

Thirdly, concerning the Spirit.  
THey all affirm that there is but one spirit in the world, and those names of good spirit, and bad spirit, are mere imaginations and scarecrows to fear men withal, that they are taught and are only under teaching of this spirit, and that all other teachings either by Scripture or otherwise are of no use to them. There was one of them said in my hearing that he need not read the Scripture, nor hear Sermons, for the Father, the Son, and the Spirit were all three in him; and this he said he could prove, but his best arguments were of no force in my opinion.   

Fourthly, concerning the Scriptures.  
THe best they say of the Scripture is; That it is a Tale, a History, a Letter, and a dead Letter, and more, the fleshly History; they call it a bundle of contradictions. I heard one swear it was the archest piece of Witchcraft that ever was 〈◊〉. Another said it was the greatest curse that ever came 〈…〉 l, for sai●… he, the Scripture hath been the cause of all our misery, and divisions both in Religion and civil affairs, and hath been the cause of all the blood, that hath been shed in the world; and that there would never be peace in the world, till all the Bibles in the world were burned. I heard one reason thus, Paul had the spirit of God, by which spirit he wrote the Scriptures; and saith he, I have the spirit, why may not I write the Scripture as well as Paul? and what I writ be as binding and as infallible as that which Paul writ: Again saith he, all the books of the Old and New Testament were directed to some particular Nation, or Church, or Persons; but saith he, none of the Scriptures are directed, either to the Nation, or to any Church in England, or any man in England; therefore the Scriptures belong not to us, neither are they any rule for us to walk by, or to live after.   

Fifthly, concerning the Creation.  
THey say that the world was created long before the time the Scripture speaks of; for say they when Cain fled from the presence of the Lord, he went into the Land of Nod, and there he built a City, he could not build a City himself, and it was needless for him to build a City for his own household, one house or tent would have served him; therefore they argue that there were at that time more people in the world than Adam and Cain, though we read of no more.   

Sixthly, concerning marriage.  
THey say that for one man to be tied to one woman, or one woman to be tied to one man, is a fruit of the curse; but they say, we are freed from the curse; therefore it is our liberty to make use of whom we please: I did intent to ask them how we came be freed from the curse, but I was prevented; this opinion they infer from those words of the Lord to Eve, Thy desire shall be to thy husband.   

Seventhly, concerning the Commandments of God.  
THey say that all the Commandments of God, both in the Old and New Testaments, are fruits of the curse, and that all men being freed from the curse, are also free from the Commandments. Others say, that all the Commandments are to bring men up to live in God, and God in them; and they say that we living in God, and God in us, therefore we are above all Commands whatso●… and forth 〈…〉 say God's will is our will, and our will is God's will; and they say Gods will is his law, for sometimes he commands men to kill, to steal, and to lie; and at other times he commands the contrary, hereon they infer that we living in God, and God in us, why may not we do the like? and if it be a sin to kill, to steal, or lie, God is the Author; for say they, it is his will these things should be done, and it is by his power they are done.   

Eightly, concerning Ordinances.  
THat Ordinances are ceased to them, and that they are above all such weak and beggarly things as they are; that Ordinances are made for weak Christians, such as are under the teaching of the letter, meaning the Scripture.   

Ninthly, concerning sin.  
THat there is no such thing as that which men call sin, that sin and holiness are all one to God, and that God delights as much in the one as in the other; and this they say they can prove by the Scripture, as from these words in the Prophet Esay 42.16. I will make darkness light before them, and Esay 45.7. I form the light, and create darkness, I make peace, and create evil; and in another place, he made darkness his secret place, yea his pavilion round about him.   

Tenthly, concerning man.  
THat man cannot either know God, or believe in God, or pray to God, but it is God in man that knoweth himself, believes in himself, and prayeth to himself; and this they infer from Gal. 2.20. Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, etc. hence they allege, that man differeth in nothing from the bruit beast, but only that God doth manifest himself more in man, than he doth in the beast; that man lives and feeds on nothing but his own excrements, for thus they reason, that man's excrements dung the ground, which causeth the ground to bring forth Corn and Grass, and the beasts eat the grass, and we eat the Corn and the Beast.   

Eleventh, concerning the Devil.  
THey say that the Devil is the left hand of God, or the back part of God, or the dark part of God; that the Devil could do no evil at all, if God did not give him a power to do it, and therefore the Devil is not so much in the fault, as men think he is. Nay saith one of them, God seemeth to complain much of the Devil and wicked men, then why doth not God take away that power he hath given them, and then there will be no body to trouble him; these words made me tremble, one of them said he hoped to see the poor Devil cleared of a great many slanders that had been cast on him.   

Twelfth, concerning heaven and earth.  
THey teach that there is neither heaven nor hell but what is in man, and that those men that do see God to be in all things, and his will to be done by all men, though they do never so wickedly, and not apprehend any wrath to be in God, and can quietly without any check of Conscience commit any sin as we call it, and can see themselves to be above all Ordinances, and all Commands, and that these men are in heaven, and heaven is in them; but those men that cannot see and believe these things are in hell, and hell in them. I saw a Letter that one of them writ to a friend of his, but it never came to his hand, and at the bottom of the Letter he writ thus, From Heaven and Hell, or from Detford in the first year of my reconciliation to myself, at the beginning of the Letter, he saluteth his friend thus, (which I am sorry my pen should write, or my tongue speak) but that I saw it, the words were, My pretty God, and Devil, by God's hart and wounds I love thee and if thou wilt not believe me, the Devil confound thee; this Letter was written by a Frenchman then living at Detford, to one esteemed in former times a Saint, though now one of them; when I heard the Letter, I was much troubled and spoke in dislike of it, but was told that there were spiritual truths couched in those lines which I discerned not.   

Thirteenth, concerning death and resurrection.  
THat when men die their spirits go into God, as the small Rivers go into the Sea, and as the Sea sends bacl the same water again, sometimes into one spring, and sometime into another; so doth the spirits of men after they are gone into God, they return and appear sometimes in one form or shape, and sometimes in another, one wished that his spirit might never be in the shape of a horse, for saith he, a horse hath the most toilsome life of any Creature that is. One told me that I had been in a hundred shapes or forms for aught he knew, and that I should be so again, though I was such a fool I would not believe it.   

Fourteenth, concerning the last Judgement.  
THat there is no such thing as a day of judgement, but that it is only an invented thing, to serve for a bugbear to keep men in awe, yet I hear one of them say, the day of Judgement was begun already, and that the world had been made many thousand millions of years before we read of its creation, and that it shall continue many millions longer than we expect, but I say the Lord knoweth his appointed time and none else, to him be all glory.    

Postscript.  
REader, I have not followed that orderly method I might have done, but have written the judgements of these men, in a confused manner, but I do profess in the presence of the Lord, who is the searcher of all hearts, I have done them no wrong in the matter of their judgement, except it be in forbearing to repeat their bloody swearing and cursing, and for this offence I hope those that truly fear God will excuse me. Farewell.  
FINIS.