And this misery the poor people have brought upon themselves by
lifting up particular interest by their labors."
This long but most interesting chapter concludes with indicating the
three steps Winstanley deemed essential for both individual and social
salvation, with which our notice of this pamphlet may fittingly close:
"There are yet three doors of hope for England to escape destroying
plagues.
"First, Let everyone leave off running after others for knowledge
and comfort, and wait upon the Spirit, Reason, till he break forth
out of the clouds of your heart and manifest himself within you.
This is to cast off the shadow of learning, to reject covetous,
subtile, proud flesh that deceives all by the hearsay and
traditional preaching of words, letters, and syllables without the
Spirit, and to make choice of the Lord, the true teacher of
everyone in their own inward experience.
"Secondly, Let everyone open his bags and barns, that all may feed
upon the crops of the Earth, that the burden of poverty may be
removed. Leave off this buying and selling of land, or of the
fruits of the Earth, and, as it was in the light of Reason first
made, so let it be in action amongst all, a Common Treasury, none
enclosing or hedging in any part of the Earth, saying, _This is
mine_, which is rebellion and high treason against the King of
Righteousness.
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