The Digger Movement in the Days of the Commonwealth Part 4

[47:1] _The Saint's Paradise._

[47:2] "That which the people called Quakers lay down as a main fundamental in religion, is this, that G.o.d, through Christ, hath placed a principle in every man, to inform him of his duty, and to enable him to do it; and that those who live up to this principle, are the people of G.o.d; and that those who live in disobedience to it, are not G.o.d's people, whatever name they bear, or profession they may make of religion.... By this principle they understand something that is Divine, and though in man, not of man, but of G.o.d; it came from Him and leads to Him all those who will be led by it ... it is the spirit given to every man to profit withal."--William Penn, _Primitive Christianity Revived_ (1696). Quoted from J. S. Rowntree's _The Society of Friends; its Faith and Practice_.

[48:1] Speaking of the early Quakers, Cotton Mather, after attributing the origin of this sect "to some fanatics here in our town of Salem,"

describes the principles of "the old Foxian Quakerism" as follows: "There is in every man a certain excusing and condemning _principle_, which indeed is nothing but some _remainder_ of the Divine Image left by the compa.s.sion of G.o.d upon the conscience of man after his fall.... They scoffed at our imagined G.o.d beyond the stars." He also contends that "the new turn such ingenuous men as Mr. Penn" had given to Quakerism, had made of it "quite a new thing." See his _History of New England_, book vii. chap. iv.

[49:1] The Rev. Thos. Bennet, on p. 4 of _An Answer to the Dissenters'

Pleas for Separation_, published in 1711, referring to the origin of the various sorts of dissenters, speaks of the time "when Winstanley published the principles of Quakerism, and enthusiasm broke out." In a footnote he mentions _The Saint's Paradise_.

[49:2] Gerard Croese in _The General History of the Quakers_, published 1696, says, "The Quakers themselves date their first rise from the forty-ninth year of the present century."

[49:3] See _An account of what pa.s.sed between the King and Richard Hubberthorne, after the delivery of George Fox his letter to the King_, which is to be found amongst Thoma.s.son's Pamphlets, British Museum.

[50:1] As our readers will notice, all Winstanley's theological writings were written and published in 1648-1649. The Preface to _Truth Lifting up its Head above Scandals_ is dated October 16th, 1648; _The Saint's Paradise_ bears no date, but was certainly written before _The New Law of Righteousness_, the Preface to which is dated January 26th, 1648 (1649). (At that time the New Year commenced on March 26th.)

[50:2] Coomber had already pointed out that Quakerism arose in the North of England, and mainly in Winstanley's native county of Lancashire. His reference to Giles Calvert, the printer, is also most suggestive; for Calvert published almost all Winstanley's pamphlets, and later was one of the first authorised publishers of the official publications of the Society of Friends. Calvert's establishment seems to have been the source, as well as the depository, of much of the advanced literature of his times. In his _Protest against Toleration of Printing Pamphlets against Non-Conformists_, Baxter refers to it as follows: "Let all the Apothecaries of London have liberty to keep open shop. But O do not under that pretence let a man keep an open shop of poisons for all that will destroy themselves freely, as Giles Calvert doth for Soul-poisons."

Calvert was suspected of having provided the funds for one of the later risings of the Fifth Monarchy Men. He subsequently joined the Quakers.

CHAPTER VI

WINSTANLEY'S EXPOSITION OF THE QUAKER DOCTRINES (1648-1649)

"There is nothing more sweet and satisfactory to a man than this, to know and feel that spiritual power of righteousness to rule in him which he calls G.o.d.... Wait upon the Lord for teaching. You will never have rest in your soul till He speaks in you. Run after men for teaching, follow your forms with strictness, you will still be at a loss, and be more and more wrapped up in confusion and sorrow of heart. But when once your heart is made subject to Christ, the Law of Righteousness, looking up to Him for instruction, waiting with a meek and quiet spirit till He appear in you: then you shall have peace; then you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."--_The New Law of Righteousness_.

_The Mystery of G.o.d concerning the whole Creation, Mankind_, is the t.i.tle of Winstanley's first published pamphlet, to which we have already referred, and which was written early in the year 1648, probably in April or May. As already mentioned, it opens with a Dedicatory Epistle to "My beloved countrymen of the County of Lancaster," in which he first apologises for venturing into print in the following suggestive words: "Dear countrymen, when some of you see my name subscribed to this ensuing discourse, you may wonder at it, and it may be despise me in your hearts ... but know that G.o.d's works are not like men's; He does not always take the wise, the learned, the rich of the world to manifest Himself in, and through them to others, but He chooses the despised, the unlearned, the poor, the nothings of the world, and fills them with the good tidings of Himself, whereas He sends the others empty away." He further apprehends that his view, that "the curse that was declared to Adam was temporary," and that ultimately the curse shall be removed off the whole Creation, and the whole of mankind shall be saved, will not be favourably received by those whom he is specially addressing. But he avows it a necessary truth, and concludes his appeal by saying that since the pamphlet was written he had met with "more Scripture to confirm it, so that it is not a spirit of private fancy, but it is agreeable to the Written Word."

The pamphlet opens with Winstanley's interpretation of the story of the fall of Adam, the outline of which we have already given. Subsequently he describes his own experiences: how he lay under bondage to the serpent self-love, and saw not his bondage; how G.o.d had manifested His love to him by causing him to see that the things in which he did take pleasure were, in truth, his death and his shame. He again repeats his contention that in due time G.o.d will not lose any of His work, but redeem "His own whole Creation to Himself." Though this, he holds, will not be done all at once, but in several dispensations, "some whereof are pa.s.sed, some in being, and some yet to come." He quotes largely from the Scriptures, more especially from Revelation, in support of this view; and argues most vehemently against the objection that if this were true, if eventually all will be saved, then men need not trouble about their own individual salvation. He also protests against the doctrine of an everlasting h.e.l.l, as unconfirmed by the Holy Scriptures, as destructive of G.o.d's work, and as incompatible with His great goodness.

The prevalence of the belief in dispensations, past, present, and future, may be gathered from the following extract from one of Cromwell's speeches to the Army Council, November 1st, 1647: "Truly, as Lieut. Col. Goffe said, G.o.d hath in several ages used several dispensations, and yet some dispensations more eminently in one age than another. I am one of those whose heart G.o.d hath drawn out to wait for some extraordinary dispensations, according to those promises He hath set forth of things to be accomplished in the latter time, and I cannot but think that G.o.d is beginning of them."[53:1]

The same idea reappears, in fact influences the whole of Winstanley's second pamphlet, of some 127 closely printed duodecimo pages, as might almost be inferred from its t.i.tle, _The Breaking of the Day of G.o.d_,[54:1] which is in itself a revelation of its main contents. The Dedicatory Epistle, which is dated May 20th, 1648, some twelve months prior to the outbreak of the Digger Movement, already recorded, is the most interesting and suggestive portion of this long, wearisome, and almost unreadable volume. It is addressed to--"The Despised Sons and Daughters of Zion, scattered up and down the Kingdom of England." He first reminds them that "they are the object of the world's hatred and reproach," "branded as wicked ones," "threatened with ruin and death,"

"the object of every one's laughter and reproach," "sentenced to be put to death under the name of round-heads," and so on. That they "are counted the troublers of Kingdoms and Parishes where they dwell, though the truth is that they are the only peaceable men in the Kingdom, who love the People's peace, the Magistrate's peace, and the Kingdom's peace." He continues--"But what's the reason the world doth so storm at you, but because you are not of this world, nor cannot walk in the dark ways of the world. They hated your Lord Jesus Christ, and they hate you.

They knew not Him, and they know not you. For if they had known Him, they would not have crucified Him; and if they did truly know the power of the G.o.d that dwells in you, they would not so despise you." "But, well," he goes on to say, "these things must be. It is your Father's will that it shall be so; the world must lie under darkness for a time; that is G.o.d's dispensation to them. And you that are the Children of Light must lie under the reproach and oppression of the world;[54:2]

that is G.o.d's dispensation to you. But it shall be but for a little time. What I have here to say is to bring you glad tidings that your redemption draws near."

In the pamphlet itself Winstanley attempts to prove that the coming reign of Righteousness, and the overthrow of the Covetous, Self-Seeking Power, are entirely in accordance with the prophesies of the Scriptures, more especially with Revelation and John. In its final pages he vehemently protests against the continued union of Church and State, or rather against the continued upholding of the persecuting power of the Church by the secular authorities. "The misery of the age" he attributes to the fact that men are still striving "to uphold the usurped Ecclesiastical Power, which G.o.d never made," and that in upholding this they are "so mad and ignorant" as "to count Magistracie no government unless the Beast reign cheek by chaw with it, as formerly in the days of ignorance." This, however, he contends, should not be so, "for Magistracie in the Commonwealth must stand, it's G.o.d's ordinance. But this Ecclesiastical power in and over the Saints must fall." "This Ecclesiastical power," he contends, "hath been a great troubler of Magistracie ever since the deceived Magistracie set it up." The function of Magistracie, "which is G.o.d's Ordinance," is "to be a terror to the wicked, and to protect them that do well; whereas by this Ecclesiastical power, established by deceived Magistracie, the sincere in heart that worship G.o.d in spirit and truth, according as G.o.d hath taught them and they understand, these are and have been troubled in Sessions, in Courts, and punished by fine and prisons. But the loose-hearted that will be of any religion that the most is of, these have their liberty without restraint. And so Magistracie hath acted quite backward, in punishing them that do well, and protecting in a hypocritical liberty them that do evil. O that our Magistrates would let Church-work alone to Christ, upon whose shoulders they shall find the government lies, and not upon theirs. And then, in the wisdom and strength of Christ, they would govern Commonwealths in justice, love, and righteousness more peaceably."[55:1]

This pamphlet concludes with the following wise and beautiful thought:

"All that I shall say in conclusion is this: Wait patiently upon the Lord; let every man that loves G.o.d endeavour by the spirit of wisdom, meekness, and love to dry up Euphrates, even this spirit of bitterness, that like a great river hath overflowed the earth of mankind. For it is not revenge, prisons, fines, fightings, that will subdue a tumultuous spirit; but a soft answer, love and meekness, tenderness and justice, to do as we would be done unto: this will appease wrath. When this Sun of Righteousness and Love arises in Magistrates and people, one to another, then these tumultuous national storms will cease, and not till then. This Sun is risen in some; this Sun will rise higher, and must rise higher; and the bright shining of it will be England's liberty."

The next fruit of Winstanley's prolific pen is a volume of some 134 closely printed pages, ent.i.tled _The Saint's Paradise: Or the Father's Teaching the only Satisfaction to Waiting Souls_,[56:1] from which in the previous chapter we have already quoted somewhat freely. The words on its t.i.tle-page, "The inward testimony is the Soul's strength,"

indicate the characteristic teachings of this remarkable book, which are also admirably suggested by the two biblical quotations that also appear thereon. "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, saith the Lord"

(Jer. x.x.xi. 34). "But the annointing which ye have received of him abideth in you; and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same annointing teacheth you all things, and is truth" (1 John ii. 27).

As was his usual custom, Winstanley opens with a Dedicatory letter, addressed this time "To my Beloved Friends whose Souls hunger after sincere milk," in which he relates his experience of the insufficiency of mere traditional, or book, or imparted knowledge, in the following words:

"I myself have known nothing but what I received in tradition from the mouths and pen of others. I worshipped a G.o.d, but I neither knew who he was nor where he was, so that I lived in the dark, being blinded by the imagination of my flesh.... I spoke of the name of G.o.d, and Lord, and Christ, but I knew not this Lord, G.o.d, and Christ. I prayed to a G.o.d, but I knew not where he was nor what he was, and so walking by imagination I worshipped the devil, and called him G.o.d. By reason whereof my comforts were often shaken to pieces, and at last it was shown to me, that while I builded upon any words or writings of other men, or while I looked after a G.o.d without me, I did but build upon the sand, and as yet I knew not the Rock."

He then admonishes his friends that, though they may not as yet be aware of it, and though they will probably be offended with him for saying so, yet that, in reality, "this ignorant, unsettled condition is yours at this time." However, he protests that nevertheless:

"I do not write anything as to be a teacher of you, for I know you have a teacher within yourselves (which is the Spirit) and when your flesh is made subject to him, he will teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, so that you shall not need to run after men for instruction, for, your eyes being opened, you shall see the King of Righteousness sit upon the throne within yourselves, judging and condemning the unrighteousness of the flesh, filling your face with shame, and your soul with horror, though no man see or be acquainted with your actions or thoughts but yourselves, and justifying your righteous thoughts and actions, and leading you into all ways of truth."

Winstanley then further explains that the Father, the Spirit of Righteousness, of Reason, pervades the whole Universe, and "dwells in every creature, but supremely in man," and then continues:

"Truly, Friends, the King of Righteousness within you is a meek, patient, and quiet spirit, and full of love and sincerity.... And when you come to know, feel, and see that the Spirit of Righteousness governs your flesh, then you begin to know your G.o.d, to fear your G.o.d, to love your G.o.d, and to walk humbly before your G.o.d, and so to rejoice in Him. Therefore if you would have the peace of G.o.d, as you call it, you must know what G.o.d it is you serve, which is not a G.o.d without you, visible among bodies, but the Spirit within you, invisible in every body to the eye of flesh, yet discernible to the eye of the spirit. And when souls shall have communion with that spirit, then they have peace, and not till then."

In the first chapter Winstanley emphasises the essential difference between the teachings of men and the teachings of G.o.d in the following words:

"The teachings of men and the teachings of G.o.d are much different.

The former being but the light of the moon, which shines not of itself, but by the means and through the help of the sun. The latter is the light of the sun, which gives light to all, not by means and helps from others, but immediately from himself.

"Men's teachings are twofold. First, when men speak to others what they have heard or read of the Scriptures, or books of other men's writings, and have seen nothing from G.o.d Himself.... Secondly, others speak from their own experience, of what they have heard and seen from G.o.d, and of what great things G.o.d hath done for their souls.... It is very possible that a man may attain to a literal knowledge of the Scriptures, of the Prophets and Apostles, and may speak largely of the history thereof, and yet both they that speak and they that hear may be not only unacquainted with, but enemies to that Spirit of truth by which the Prophets and Apostles writ.[58:1] "For it is not the Apostles' writings, but the spirit that dwelt in them, that did inspire their hearts, which gives life and peace to all."

In the second chapter Winstanley consoles those whom he is specially addressing by expressing his conviction that though their enemies may think to kill all the Saints, and though G.o.d may suffer them to kill some, yet others of them will necessarily be preserved to keep alive their beliefs and to spread abroad their teachings, of the ultimate triumph of which he never seemed to doubt. However, in view of the perplexity of the times and of the dangers by which they were surrounded, he gave them the following somewhat worldly-wise advice--"For the appearance of G.o.d now is in the Saints that they worship the Father in spirit and truth in such a secret manner as the eye of the world cannot and does not always see": a practice of which, as we have already noticed, the adherents of the Family of Love were accused in the reign of Queen Elizabeth.

It is, however, in the fourth and fifth chapters that Winstanley concisely and eloquently summarises the fundamental articles of his religious faith. In them he again emphatically warns his fellows against looking to others for knowledge of Divine revelations, and strongly advises them to look into their own hearts. In support of this view he quotes the Scripture text--"Light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil" (John iii.

19), which he then proceeds to explain as follows:

"The world is mankind; and every particular man and woman is a perfect creation of himself, a perfect created world. If a particular branch of mankind desire to know what the nature of other men and women are, let him not look abroad, but into his own heart, and he shall see. So that I say, man is the world, a perfect creation, from whose poisoned flesh proceeds the l.u.s.t of the eye, the l.u.s.t of the flesh, and the pride of life: these are not of the Father. Now _light is come into the world_; that is, the Spirit of Right Understanding hath taken up his dwelling in this flesh. Hence man is called a reasonable creature, which is a name given to no other creature but man, because the Spirit of Reason appears acting in him, which if men did submit themselves unto, they would act righteously continually: and so man would become lord of all other creatures in righteousness.... But the masculine powers of the poisoned flesh stand it out against the King of Glory till He cast them into the lake of fire, into His own spirit, by which they are tried, and, being found but chaff and not able to endure, are burned and consumed to nothing in the flame."

"No man or woman, however, need be troubled at this," Winstanley contends, "for let every man cleanse himself of these wicked powers that rule in him, and there speedily will be a harmony of love in the great creation, even among all creatures. Therefore let no man look without himself, and say, other men will not obey this light that is come into mankind; but let him look into his own heart, and he shall find that the powers in his heart are those very men of the world that will not submit to that Light of Reason that is come into it."[60:1]

Winstanley then proceeds to explain his conception of the resurrection of Christ, as follows:

"Friends, do not mistake the resurrection of Christ. You expect that he shall come in one single person, as he did when he came to suffer and die, and thereby to answer the types of Moses' Law. Let me tell you that if you look for him under the notion of one single man after the flesh, to be your Saviour, you shall never, never taste salvation by him.... If you expect or look for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you must know that the Spirit within the flesh is the Jesus Christ, and you must see, feel, and know from himself his own resurrection within you, if you expect life and peace by him. For he is the Life of the World, that is, of every particular son and daughter of the Father ... for everyone hath the Light of the Father within himself, which is the mighty man Christ Jesus. And he is now rising and spreading himself in these his sons and daughters, and so rising from one to many persons till he enlighten the whole creation (mankind) in every branch of it, and cover this earth with knowledge as the waters cover the sea.... And this is to be saved by Jesus Christ; for that mighty man of spirit hath taken up his habitation within your body; and your body is his body, and now his spirit is your spirit, and so you are become one with him and with the Father. This is the faith of Christ, when your flesh is subject to the Spirit of Righteousness, as the flesh of Christ was subject. And this is to believe in Christ, when the actings and breathings of your soul are within the centre of the same spirit in which the man Jesus Christ lived, acted, and breathed."

In accordance with this profound, philosophic, and truly spiritual view, Winstanley found it inc.u.mbent upon him to warn his fellows against another generally held belief, as follows:

"So that you do not look for a G.o.d now, as formerly you did, to be a place of glory beyond the sun, moon, and stars, nor imagine a Divine Being you know not where; but you see Him ruling within you; and not only in you, but you see and know Him to be the Spirit or Power that dwells in every man and woman, yea, in every creature, according to his...o...b.. within the globe of the Creation. So that now you see and feel and taste the sweetness of the Spirit ruling in your flesh, who is the Lord and King of Glory in the whole Creation, and you have community with Him who is the Father of all things. Now you are enlightened; now you are saved, and rise higher and higher into life and peace, as this manifestation of the Father increases and spreads within you."[61:1]

As was only to be expected, the publication of the above pamphlets brought Winstanley into disrepute with the orthodox Ministers of the Church, who accused him of denying G.o.d, Christ, Scripture, and the Ordinances of G.o.d. This accusation gave rise to Winstanley's next pamphlet, of some 77 well-printed duodecimo pages, the preface to which is dated October 16th, 1648, and which bears the significant t.i.tle--_Truth lifting its Head above Scandals_.[62:1] In this volume Winstanley indignantly denies such a charge, and makes use of the opportunity to restate his views even more clearly than he had previously done. The book opens with a dedicatory letter addressed "To the Scholars of Oxford and Cambridge, and to all that call themselves Ministers of the Gospel in City or Country," in which he carries the war into his enemy's camp in a forcible and masterly manner. He reminds them that they are not the only ones who have the right to judge of the meaning of the Scriptures, "For the people, having the Scriptures, may judge by them as well as you." He then continues:

"If you say, 'No, the people cannot judge, because they know not the original:' I answer, Neither do you know the original. Though by your learning you may be able to translate a writing out of Hebrew or Greek into our mother-tongue, English, but to say this is the original Scripture you cannot: for those very copies which the Prophets and Apostles writ are not to be seen in your Universities."

He forces home his argument in the following words:

"You say you have the just copies of their writings. You do not know that but as your Fathers have told you, which may be as well false as true, if you have no other better ground than tradition.

You say that the interpretation of Scripture into our mother tongue is according to the mind of the _spirit_. You cannot tell that neither, unless you are able to say that those who did interpret those writings have had the same testimony of spirit as the pen-men of Scripture had. For it is the spirit within that must prove these copies to be true."

He then turns the tables by accusing them of being "the very men that do deny G.o.d, Scriptures, and the Ordinances of G.o.d; and that turn the truths of the Spirit into a lie, by leaving the letter, and walking in their own inferences"; and also "by holding forth spiritual things by the imagination of the flesh, and not by the law and testimony of the Spirit within." And he contends that, in truth, he and his fellows are "those men that do advance G.o.d, Christ, Scriptures, and Ordinances in the spirituality of them."

In the opening chapter of the book itself, Winstanley, with more than his usual directness, plunges into the heart of his subject in the following suggestive words: