WHereas I Daniel Scargill, late Batchelour of Arts, and Fellow of Corpus Christi Col­ledg, in the University of Cambridg, being through the instigation of the Devil pos­sessed with a foolish proud conceit of my own wit, and not having the fear of God before my eyes: Have lately vented and publickly asserted in the said Uni­versity, divers wicked, blasphemous, and Atheistical positions, (particularly, That all right of Dominion is founded only in Power: That if the Devil were Omnipotent, he ought to be obeyed: That all moral Righteousness is founded only in the positive Law of the Civil Magistrate: That the Scriptures of God are not Law further than they are enjoyned by the Civil Magistrate: That the Civil Magistrate is to be obeyed, though he should forbid the Worship of God, or command Theft, Murder, and Adultery) professing that I gloried to be an Hobbist and an Atheist; and vaunt­ing, that Hobbs should be maintained by Daniel that is by me. Agreeably unto which principles and positions, I have lived in great licentiousness, swearing rashly, drinking intemperately, boasting my self insolently, [Page 4] corrupting others by my pernicious principles and ex­ample, to the high Dishonour of God, the Reproach of the University, the Scandal of Christianity, and the just offence of mankind. And whereas the Vicechan­cellour and Heads of the said University, upon notice of these my foul enormities, upon a ful examination and clear conviction of these premised offences, after su­spension from my Degree, did expel me out of the said University: Now I the said Daniel Scargill, after fre­quent consideration, strict examination, and serious re­view of the said Positions, do find by the grace of that God whom I had deny'd, that they are not only of dangerous and mischievous consequence, inconsistent with the Being of God, and destructive to human so­ciety; but that they are utterly false, the suggestions of a lying spirit, wholly against my own judgment resol­ved upon better consideration, as well as against the common sense of mankind. And I do freely acknow­ledg the proceedings and sentence of my Governors, the Vicechancellor and Heads of the University, to be just and equal, agreeable to the duty of their place, and the Trust reposed in them: That they could not have done less to vindicate the Divine Honour and suppress that Mischief growing up in this Age, which no former hath known.

And now I adore and bless the highest Majesty of God in his infinite mercy to me, that he hath not suffered me to go on unreclaimed in my enormous principles and practices, but hath made my face to be ashamed, that I may seek his Name. Righteousness belongeth unto thee, O Lord; but unto me, and to those who have seduced me, and to those who have been seduced by me, shame and confusion of face. Oh what height of wickedness had I [Page 5] arrived unto! For I must confess my self guilty of im­pleading the Divine Majesty at the Tribunal of human Wit, making man judg whether God should be God or no. Nay, whereas the Devil, my tempter, to whom I had hearkned, doth believe and tremble, I vile wretch have been void of the Faith and fear of God, in the ma­nifold manifestations of him. Wherefore I humbly ask pardon of God above all, whom I have blasphemed of my Governors in the University, whom I have disturb­ed; of all Christians, and all men, for the great offence I have given unto all: more especially of so many as have been misled into any error or vice by me. And I do also humbly and earnestly beseech all men, especially so many of the younger Scholars as have been seduced by me (who now abhor what I formerly boasted to assert) that they beware, by my example, of the most subtile insinuations of the Devil, in the vain ostentation of their own wit. That they lean not to their own understan­ding, but consult the holy Scriptures, the lively Oracles of God, That from thence they may learn [...] to be wise unto sobriety: as the holy Apostle with great wisdom requires. And now I humbly hope, and trust in the infinite mercy of that God against whom I had audaciously opened my unhallowed mouth, that He who hath promised that all sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men (excepting only that resolved malicious blasphemy against the Holy Ghost) will be graciously pleased to glorifie his mercy in the forgive­ness of my most detestable errors, and abominable sins. And I thank God that he hath awakened me in good measure to a just detestation of the accursed Positions asserted by me, and of all other like wicked principles.

Wherefore, I do here in the presence of God, Angels [Page 6] and men, cast my self down in a deep dread of the just judgments and vengeance of God upon the accursed Atheism of this age, acknowledging my self to be high­ly guilty of the growth and spreading thereof; having contributed what my profane wit could devise, or my foul mouth express, to instill it into others, to confirm them therein. And I do profess, I believe (and judg it most reasonable so to believe) that the openly profes­sed Atheism of some, and the secret Atheism of others, is the accursed root of all that abounding wickedness, perjury, sacriledg, debauchery, and uncleanness, in this present age: That in a deep sense of that wretched part I have acted in the propagating thereof, I do now abhor my self in dust and ashes, and that from the bot­tom of my heart, I do disclaim, renounce, detest, and abhor those execrable Positions asserted by me or any other: particularly,

• 1. That all right of Dominion is founded only in Power.
• 2. That all moral Righteousness is founded only in the Law of the Civil Magistrate.
• 3. That the Holy Scriptures are made Law only by Ci­vil Authority.
• 4. That whatsoever the Civil Magistrate commands, is to be obeyed, notwithstanding contrary to Divine Moral Laws.
• 5. That there is a desirable glory in being, and being re­puted an Atheist: which I implied when I expresly af­firmed that I gloried to be an Hobbist and an Atheist.

For these unhallowed assertions and expressions, I now find such inward contrition and remorse, that I [Page 7] pray God his mercy may withhold me from relapse, or his Judgments prevent it. But do I think that a bare Recantation can satisfie for my prodigious offences? No, Let me do penance all my days, submitting my self to Gods will, and the charity of pious minds; and whatsoever my portion may be in this world, Let me live and dye in the fear of God, and the faith of Christ, Amen.

Now lest any one should mistake or suspect this con­fession and unfeigned renunciation of my sinful and ac­cursed errors, for an act of civil obedience or submissi­on in me, performed according to my former princi­ples, at the command of my Superiors, in outward ex­pression of words, though contrary to my judgment and inward thoughts of my heart; or that I have not now expressed the most sincere and secret sense of my soul: I call the Searcher of all hearts to witness, that I loath and abhor such practices as the basest and most damnable hypocrisie: That from my heart and soul I detest such principles in all persons, as worse than the basest villanies and reservations, which the Jesuits are said to practise or allow. And I openly avow, that I do acknowledg, that all persons so principled, ought to be held by all mankind as the most dangerous and declared Enemies of the common Faith amongst men. That they are not to be trusted upon any obligation of their Faith, or pretensions to Piety, Loyalty, or com­mon Honesty, in any Corporation, Colledg, Universi­ty, City, Common-wealth, or Kingdom: but, that by those Principles, destructive to all Society and Com­merce amongst men, they may and do delude and defeat all Oaths and Protestations, all Faith given to God or man: They may and will comply, if their own Interest [Page 8] or Advantage prompt them to it, with any Invader or Usurper: with any Faction or growing Sect, however destructive to all Order, and the very being of human Society in the world. I believe also, and openly avouch, That no Power upon earth, no perswasion or imagina­tion about natural Right; no opinion in pretended Philosophy, concerning self-preservation, can free me from the obligation that is now upon me, in this my open profession of Repentance for my accursed errors and grievous sins, to speak the truth in sincerity before God and man.

This Recantation, and sincere Profession, I make willingly and freely of my own mind and choice: not in compliance with the command or will of any other, not upon design to gain a better opinion amongst men in the world; not for any worldly advantage, profit, or self-end of my own: but out of a hearty detestati­on of my foul errors and sins: and I am glad of this opportunity to disburden my soul, oppressed with the weight of the same.