THE RANTERS RECANTATION; And their SERMON Delivered At a Meeting on Tuesday last, in white-chapel, being the 17 of this instant DECEMBER. WITH Their Resolution, Advice, and Proposals; the manner of the vanishing away of one of their false gods in a flamme of fire; a more further discovery of their dangerous opinions, lives, and actions; their blasphemous Decree, and detestable Commandements.  
LIKEWISE, The apprehending of some of them; their trial, and Sentence; their Speech and Confessions at the place of execution; their strange and blasphemous Cries upon the Ladder; and the executing two Justices of Peace: Recited as a Warning-piece to the English Nation.  
London, Printed for G. H. MDCL.   

The Ranters Recantation, &c. To the English Nation.  
THere is no sight so lovely, and taking to the eyes of all ingenuous and sincere hearts, as naked Truth: Those which know its excellency will study to find it out. Truth is a jewel which lies out of sight, men must search for it that will find it out; And therefore, considering that this present Age hath produced sundry Papers, in relation to a discovery of the new Generation called Ranters; but finding they have been onely bearing about the Bush, and have not discovered the bide in its own nature, I shall here present you with a more full and infallible Discovery, of their prodigious pranks, and unparallelled deportments, which are as followeth.  
ON Tuesday last, being the 17th of this instant December, a great company of Ranters had a meeting near the Horns in white-chapel, where they began to put in practise several Christmas Gambols, and amongst the rest, one Mrs. Hull, lead them a dance, saying, She would show them a new way to be merry: And calling to one of her fellow creatures to sit on her knee, she bid him take up her coats and smock, which he did: Then, said she, Now prithee kiss me round; He answered, Dear fister, It is my duty: After which greeting, he was to set her on her head, to go about the room on her hands, with her coats about her ears, in performance of which uncivil action, another fellow-creature began to peep, which she perceiving, said, Sir, You shall pay for your peeping: and so immediately, in the presence of about 60 persons, entred into venial exercise. After this, one Arthingworth, a notorious Ranter, stood up, belching forth these blasphemous and detestable words, assuming to this height of impudence, That he was both King, Priest, and Prophet; as appears by this infernal Speech, rendered in his own verbis.  

Fellow-Creatures,  
I Hope there are not any of you here, that do in the least deny, to yield all due obedience and reverence to me your anointed; but that you will in every respect, and upon all occasions, be willing to obey, and submit unto all such Orders and Decrees, that I shall both here, and for the time to come, ordain and establish; And therefore, I do will and require you, to subscribe unto these ensuing Commandements, in manner and form as followeth.  I. That you shall not aclowledge, nor yield Obedience to any other gods, but me. II. That it is lawful to drink, swear, and revel, and to lye with any woman whatsoever. III. That there is no Sabbath, no Heaven, no Hell, no Resurrection, and that both Soul and Body dies together. 
Thus do these beasts of Ephesus too frequently belch forth great imprecations & curses against the omnipotent Jehovah of Heaven, not fit to be name amongst Christians. But these are but the gnostics of former Ages; these are the same with those of old, whose description Epiphanius gives us, who hold onely certain Dictates and Positions, peremptorily affirming, That let them live as they please, they were sure to be saved, &c.   
No sooner had the aforesaid Arthingworth ended his Diabolical speech, but one Mr Gilbert, stood up, desiring free liberty to declare himself, by reason that he was exceedingly perplexed at Mr Arthingworths speech, and in order thereunto, it was generally assented to by the rest of his fellow-creatures: whereupon he began as followeth, insisting upon this ensuing Text of Scripture.  
1 Thess. Chap. 1. Ver. 3. 
Remember your effectual Faith.  
Dear Friends,  
IT hath pleased Almighty God, even in a moment of time, since our meeting here together, to change the inward man, and to recall me from those wicked and abominable ways, that I have lately walked with you in; insomuch, that I now desire to lay hold on Christ and his Word, and to join no longer with you in the ways of sin, by denying my Creator to be the true God, and refusing to walk in the way of holinesse; and, dear friends, I can assure you, that all your ways and actions are of your father the Devil; and that like a cunning Fisher-man, he endeavours to hang you with a hook baited with sensual objects; and having once gotten his book in yoar jaws, he doth not, like some unskilful Angler, presently strike to the hazard of line, hook, rod, and fish; but rather draggeth you up and down in the sea of your sensual contentment, till at last he hath drowned you in your own element, to the burying of your peace and felicity for perpetuity. But, dear friends, I humbly implore you, in the name of Jesus Christ, to walk no longer in the way of darkness, but to become children of light, and to take Fragan the Emperours resolution, That after 20 years spent in a most sinful way, he unfeignedly repented, watering his Couch 18 days, and 18 nights mith tears; and then desired a conference with religious Mr Plutark, to be reproved of his sins; and withal, That if he seemed angry, he would not have him to think that it was at him for his reproof, but at himself, for committing such sins. The like I desire from you.  
And therefore, dear friends, I earnestly entreat you to put on the armor of Fragan, and Plutark, for the withstanding of Sin and Satan; and in so doing, you need not doubt of a glorious victory over him, for the purchasing of everlasting Salvation; to evidence it more plainly, I shall give you these ensuing Considerations.  
1 That God is merciful, and that upon serious repentance, he will blot out all your iniquities, therefore you have nothing to do, but to take him.  
2 Remember, that Christ is made righteousness to us.  
3 Remember, that the pardon is great; look to the promises of the Gospel, you shal find them without exception. To us a Saviour is born, to take away the sins of the people; he came to take away sins of all sorts. Now, when God hath made no exception, why should we make any?  
4 C nsider, that we have to do with a God, who delights to show mercy, it i. a thing that he is not weary of, it is natural to him: And therefore, as the Eye is not weary of seeing, nor the Ear of hearing, because it is natural to them, no more is God weary of showing mercy: Nay, he delights in it, Mic. 7.8. Who is a God like unto thee, taking away iniquities, delighting to show mercy, &c. Why so? Because mercy pleaseth him. That is, there is no work so much pleaseth him, as in showing mercy.  
5 Consider, dear friends, all you that are in such a case; consider, I say, that Gods mercy is as large as any other attribute. We must not squdre Gods mercy according to our own thoughts; Neither should we measure his mercy according to our own apprehension. Many of you are of an Opinion, I am confident, that if a man commit one sin, it might be forgiven; but when his sins exceed, when they are grown out of measure sinful, when they are sins so circumstantiated, as we say, that they are then out of measure sinful; here a man stands at a stay: What is the rerson of this? Because we draw a scantling of Gods mercy, according to our own conceits. Whereas, if we would but consider, that his mercy were as large as any other attribute, then we would consider that it hath no limits; and if it have no limits, then whatsoemer thy sins are, it is all one. Dost thou think that Christ came from heaven, and took flesh, and suffered death, to forgive small sins? No, it was to forgive the greatest sins. These, and such like reasons, I beseech you, labour to bring to heart, and endeavour to live perfectly and thoroughly; cast off that wicked man of sin,( pointing to Arthingworth) be no longer seduced by him, but lay hold on Christ, the true and onely Saviour and Redeemer, embrace the substance, and eatch no longer at a more shadow. Now the Lord Jesus give you understanding in these things, that so you may die to sin, and live to righteousness.  
AMEN.   
Mr Gilbert having thus emphatically expressed himself, it pleased Almighty God to give a great blessing to his labours, insomuch that 59 persons were then converted, who resolved to secure the said Arthingworth; but this cunning gnostic perceiving their sudden change, with a fair pretence, went to the chamber door, and called for a Turks head; in plain English, a pissepot, and in an instant, upon a great flash of fire, vanished, and never was seen more, to the great admiration of the Spectators.  
This great judgement, or signal from heaven, hath astonished divers, in somuch that their ways begin to be odious and detestable to those that once delighted in them: yet many there are that still persist in these wicked ways, both in city and country; and one W. Smith, amongst the rest, were lately apprehended at York, for denying the Deity, Arian-like, and putting in execution several illegal practices against the Parliament; for which, upon a fair trial, he received sentence to be hanged; and being brought to the place of execution, he uttered many blasphous words upon the ladder, saying, Deliver me, O God, from the hands of these wicked persecutors, or else I'll rent the Heavens, and pull thee out of thy Throne; and so died in a very desperate and sad condition.  
Another of these mad gnostics was lately apprehended at Coventry, for proclaiming Charles Stuart King, &c. he held an opinion, that sin mas no sin, and therefore no treason to proclaim him King; but upon examination, he received sentence to be hanged, and being brought to the place of execution, confessed, That it was neither out of love, or loyalty, to his person, or dignity, but merely out of envy to the Parliament, for setting forth an Act, prohibiting their ways to be unjust, &c. and so died Reprobate-like.  
Many presidents I could instance touching the legality of the Law in punishing Offenders; but amongst the rest, be pleased to take this Observation, That Sir Richard Empson, and M. Edmond Dudley, Justices of the Peace, were both hanged in H. 8. dayes, for putting in execution several illegal practices, grounded upon an unjust law; which as honourable St Edward Cook saith, was made against, and in the face of the fundamental Law of the great Charter, &c. And just it was they should be thus dealt withall, because it is honourable, beneficial, and profitable for the Commonwealth, that guilty persons should be punished, lest by omission of the punishment of one, many men by that ill example, may be encouraged to commit more heinous offences. And excellent to this purpose is that saying of the Parliament, which I desire they may never forget, Book declare. pag. 39. which is, That they are very sensible, that it equally imports them, as well to see justice done against them that are eriminious, as to defend the just rightt and liberties of the people.  
Many of Ranting Everard's party are lunatic, and exceedingly distracted; they talk very high against the Parliament, and this present Government; for which some of them have received the last in bridewell.  

Published by Authority.   
FINIS.