The Old Serpent's Voice; or, Antichrist Discovered, Opposing Christ in his Kingdom

The Old Serpent's Voice; or, Antichrist Discovered, Opposing Christ in His Kingdom

by James Naylor (1616-1660)


I am the light of the world, saith Christ; he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life; that is the true light which enlighteneth everyone that cometh into the world.

Saith antichrist, Christ is not the light of the world, nor doth he enlighten every one that cometh into the world, for that light which lighteth every one that cometh into the world is not the light of Christ but is a natural light, and is not sufficient to lead out of darkness into the light of life.

Saith God, I give thee for a covenant to the people, for a light to the Gentiles, and to them that sit in darkness, that thou mayest be my salvation to the ends of the earth.

Saith antichrist, the Gentiles and they that sit in darkness have not the light of Christ given to them, nor doth this light reach for salvation to the ends of the earth, but only to such as have heard the gospel (which is the letter), and whom I have taught to understand the meaning of it by my study and learning.

Saith John, he that commits sin is of the devil, and for this purpose was the son of God manifest, to destroy the works of the devil.

Saith antichrist, you may commit sin and be of God, for sin (which is the work of the devil) is not to be destroyed in this world, but in the world to come, for all must have their failings while they are here.

Saith Paul, Christ gave himself for his church, that he might sanctify and cleanse it, and present it to himself a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, and that it should be holy without blemish.

Saith antichrist, that's blasphemy for any to witness to such attainments in this world, that any should be holy, glorious, sanctified, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, for all must be subject to sin while they are here, and be made holy and glorious after death.

Saith Paul, Christ hath by one offering forever perfected them that are sanctified, and that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus; and for that end did Christ begift and send out his ministers for the perfecting the saints, and to bring them up to his measure and fullness.

Saith antichrist, Christ hath perfected none, nor ever shall any be made perfect while they live, for perfection cannot be attained to till after death in another world.

Saith John, he that saith he abideth in Christ ought himself also to walk even as he walked; herein we may have boldness in the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world; and as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.

Saith antichrist, that's blasphemy for any to witness that holiness that was in Christ in any measure; for it's sufficient that he was holy in his own person before he ascended, and if you can but believe in that holiness and profess it, though you never come to possess it, yet it's sufficient to cover all your sins past, present, and to come; and it were high presumption for any to seek to be partakers of that holiness that was in Christ, or to be like him, for he was the son of God; and do you look to become sons of God, that were high presumption, for you must bear the image of the first Adam while you live in this world, and you must be conformable to the image of Christ in another world after death.

Saith Christ, God is a spirit, and he will be worshipped in Spirit and in truth, for he seeks such to worship him. And you (that contend about places and forms) worship you know not what. And saith Paul, the word is nigh in the heart within, and God, whom you are to worship, is within; and Christ, the ordinance whom the Father ordained for the way to his worship, and of whom all the outward ordinances were types, is within, and is the substance of all ordinances.

Saith antichrist, you must come to the house of God to worship, which is the church, for it's convenient and was builded for that purpose; and the letter is the word in the Bible, and not in the heart; and expounding and preaching this letter, by the help of learning, and sprinkling infants, and singing David's conditions in rhyme and meter, putting off your hats when you sing, these are the ordinances, and this is the worship, which is without, in forms and customs, and not that which is within in Spirit.

Saith Paul, you may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be comforted; and if anything be revealed to one that sits by, let the first hold his peace, for God is not the author of confusion but of peace; and the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets, as in all the churches of the saints.

Saith antichrist, that was the order in the primitive times, but that prophesying is now ceased, and none shall now prophesy but such as are men of learning and have been at the university, and have tongues, and study to fit them for that purpose, and have received orders either from the bishop, or are approved by some appointed by authority: and these shall be masters and bear rule in every parish, and none shall reprove or contradict what they say in public, nor speak anything till they have done (notwithstanding whatever be revealed to any that sit by), for we have a law, and by that law all that do shall be imprisoned and proceeded against as disturbers of the peace. And though it was the manner of Christ and his apostles to go into the temple and synagogues, disputing and alleging against them who held up outward forms of worship and idols' temples, and thereby gathered people out from them into the inward worship in Spirit; proving that to be the worship of God and denying all other worships, yet these times are not as those were; for now people are all baptized and believers and do profess Christ to be come, suffered and ascended, and what need any further? and we do not believe that any now have the same Spirit that Christ and his apostles had, nor the same commands; for they had an immediate call from God, which none now have; and though they have never such a call, yet let them not trouble us in our devotion, but keep them with their own disciples; for we care for no such company; and we do not come at them, and therefore why should they trouble us and come to draw our hearers from us and from the manner of worship we and our fathers have lived in these many years; and they are ill suffered in the nation to sow division between the people and their ministers by telling of our tithes and set maintenance, and that we ought to preach freely as the apostles did; and thus they seek not only our undoing but our wives and children after we be dead.

Saith God, I will make a new covenant with you, and you shall not teach one another, saying know the Lord; for all shall know me from the least to the greatest, for I will write my law in their hearts and put it in their inward parts, and they shall be all taught of God.

Saith antichrist, your law is the letter without and not in the heart, neither shall any know God or his will but by this rule without in the letter, of which I am a teacher, and by my meanings and expositions of it shall you come to know all that is to be known of God and his will in this world, for the immediate teachings of God are ceased, and never any heard the voice of God since the apostles, nor need any to look for it any more, for this teaching of mine is all the teachings that ever shall be, and it is to continue to the end of the world; and all that deny it, or to be ordered by it, are heretics, and are not to be suffered to live in the world.

Saith Christ, call no man master upon earth, neither be ye called master; for one is your master, even Christ, and you are all brethren; and if any man will be greatest among you let him be servant to all; for it is the heathen that exercise authority, but with you it shall not be so.

Saith antichrist, that was spoken concerning the pride of the Pharisees; but you may call me master, for I do not delight in it in pride, yet it is fit there should be distinctions of persons amongst men, for thereby are people governed; and it's the fashion of the country, and hereby you show your breeding and manners; and though God did forbid us to bow to or worship any but himself alone, or to have the faith of Christ in respect of persons for their pride or riches; yet this is not as theirs was, for this is but a civil respect in our bowing and worshipping, and it's but to differ them that are rich from the poor; and how can they bear rule without it? and it's decent and of a good report in the world, and the custom of the nation; and it's a reproach for any to deny it; and as for religion and obedience to God, it consists not in such trivial things as these are, that may be done or undone.

Saith God, thou shalt not covet; and covetousness let it not be once named amongst you, as becometh saints, for it is idolatry; and let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have, for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.

Saith antichrist, thou must live by thy wits that God hath given thee, and this is not covetousness, but a provident care; and he that will not provide for his family is worse than an infidel; and if thou stand to wait upon God and dost not help thyself by thy wits, both thou and thine may be poor enough; therefore first lay up for thyself and children that you need not fear want, and then take thy rest, and thou mayest have time to serve God, and thy riches need not hinder thee, but further thee in his service.

Saith Christ, no man knows the Father but the Son, and he to whom the son reveals him; and I thank thee, O Father, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.

Saith antichrist, that was in the time of Christ and his apostles, and then none knew the Father nor the things of the kingdom of God but by revelation, but now all revelations are come to an end, and none need to look for them any more; for it is now only they that have wisdom, prudence, and learning that know God and the things of his kingdom, as much as is to be known in these days. And all that would be wise or religious or would know any more than their neighbors must come to them to learn; for they have books and studies and the judgment of ancient fathers and philosophers, how they came to know the things of God; and these are more like to know God and his secrets than babes and fools.

Saith Christ, the harvest is great, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the vineyard that he may send forth laborers into his vineyard.

Saith antichrist, that was in the primitive times when there was but few believed; & then there was no Christian magistrate to take care for propagating the gospel; & then they had their immediate call from God himself, & they heard his voice and left all and followed Christ, and had their commission from God, and needed none from men; but what a vain thing were it to look for such a call now as is immediate: that were to look for a miracle; but there is a mediate call now by which all are called by commission from men; and such are called as are found fitted for that purpose and have learning, are able to answer school questions, and have logic and philosophy, and can dispute and resolve doubts and questions, and they to whom God hath given all the power now think it not fit to choose or suffer such as God and Christ did choose, as fishermen, herdsmen, and ploughmen and suchlike, who have not learning and the original tongues; for when God did choose such in old time he furnished them with his own Spirit instead of learning; but what a ridiculous thing would it be to look for such gifts now, when all are believers, & here are so many learned men in the nation to choose out of? & there is no need of such extraordinary calls or gifts in these times as was then; for when Christ ascended he gave gifts unto men and appointed officers, and left it to them to appoint others; and so one to ordain another to the end of the world: & he himself is set down at the right hand of God in heaven and meddles not with it: and so the apostles made bishops, and the bishops became popes, and the popes made cardinals, and they inferior bishops, and those became lord bishops, and they made parsons, vicars, curates, and they are now become ministers, pastors, teachers; and so my ministers can derive their ordination by succession from the apostles; & what matter is it for the errors of the pope and bishops? that's not as they were ministers, but men.

Saith Christ to his ministers, freely you have received, freely give; make no provision for your journey, neither take thought what to eat or drink or what to put on; for the life is more than food, and the body more than raiment; and your heavenly Father knows what ye stand in need of; and the workman is worthy of his meat.

Saith antichrist, it's true, they that received freely might well preach freely, but those free gifts are now ceased, and none come now to the ministry so easily, but are at great charge, they or their friends, in learning at schools and universities; and if they must when they have been at all that cost preach freely, then who will bring up any to be ministers? And now they come to the knowledge of the mystery of godliness by much study, and they must have abundance of books; and all this cannot be done with preaching freely; and besides, in those times of the apostles they must needs preach freely, for there was no believing magistrates to establish them in tithes or such benefits as is now; and if they would have had such things then, there was no law to get them by; but we have ours established by a law, and by the law of the nation do we demand them, and not from the apostles' example; and whoever denies to pay them denies the law and the magistrates and therefore deserves to suffer by the law; and though such suffer the spoiling of their goods, yea, the treble value of their tithes, yet they suffer as evildoers.

Saith God, thou shalt not add anything to the words that I command thee, neither shalt thou diminish anything there from; for every word of the Lord is pure, & he that adds thereto shall be reproved and found a liar; and he that adds to the words of this book, I will add to him all the plagues written therein; and he that takes aught therefrom, I will erase his name out of the book of life.

Saith antichrist, the Scriptures are a mystery and are given out darkly, and none can understand them as they are given out, for the Scripture is not to be taken as it speaks, but according to the meaning of it; which meanings are known to none but the learned, and is found out by comparing one Scripture with another; and by adding to them or taking from them they come to be reconciled and the meanings found out, which cannot be by any other means; and therefore they who are to expound the Scriptures must have the help of learning, books and studies; and by comparing the judgment of learned fathers one with another, the best expositions of Scripture are found out and owned, and all the rest refused. And this cannot be done but by adding or diminishing; for none can infallibly say what is truth, but everyone must declare it as he conceives and imagineth of it.

Saith Christ, in the old time it was said, thou shalt not forswear, for in the old covenant swearing in truth was an ordinance of God, but I say, swear not at all; for what is more than yea and nay cometh of evil. And the apostle, who was come into the new covenant and did witness the oath of God fulfilled, said, above all things, my brethren, swear not any oath whatsoever, lest ye fall into temptation.