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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29317	The rise, spring and foundation of the Anabaptists, or re-baptized of our time vvritten in French by Guy de Brez, 1565 ... ; and translated for the use of his countrymen, by J.S.; Racine, source et fondement des anabaptistes ou rebaptisez de nostre temps. Book 1. English	Brès, Guy de, 1522-1567.; Scottow, Joshua, 1618-1698.	1668 (1668)	Wing B4381; ESTC R62	47,994	64

babish and childish thing They say It is the Spirit of God but it is plain mockery so to speak For they must needs grant us that the Apostles and the faithful in the P●●mitive Church were inspired by the Spirit of Christ yet none of them durst contemn the Word of God and the holy Scriptures but rather each of them had them in very great reverence as we may see it by their writings which are furnished with many testimonies from the Old Testament and certainly thus was it promised by God through the mouth of the Prophet Isa 59.21 where we see that the Lord joyned these two together his Word and his Spirit wherefore should we separate what God hath by an inviolable bond conjoyned Moreover Paul who was rapt up into the third heaven 2 Cor. 12.4 and there heard things unlawful for man to utter notwithstanding gave not over diligent reading nor profiting by the Books of the Old Testament Commanding Timothy to bring with him the Books which he had left at Troas with Carpus 2 Tim. 4.13 2 Tim. 3.15 1 Tim. 4.13 Yea he exhorts Timothy who though he was an excellent Teacher and well instructed in the holy Scriptures to give himself to reading and what praise doth he put upon the Scripture 2 Tim. 3.16 I would ask these men whether they have received another Spirit then our Saviour promised to give his Disciples they will not dare to vaunt of another spirit now what Spirit our Saviour promised to send unto his Disciples he sheweth plainly when he saith John 14.26 This Spirit shall not speak of himself but should bring to their remembrance what they had formerly heard of him It is not the Office of the holy Spirit that which Christ promised to dream of dreams of new and unknown Revelations or to hold forth new Doctrine but it is the work of the Spirit of God to confirm us in that which he hath already spoken by the Prophets and Apostles seeing also that the Lord promiseth not to send us another Doctrine saying Hold fast that which thou hast untill I come Revel 2.24 Gal. 1.8 9. whereby it appeareth that we ought diligently to travel as well in hearing as in the reading of the holy Scripture if we will feel the benefit and fruit of the Spirit of God Luke acknowledgeth the diligence of those of Berea in searching the Scriptures Acts 17.11 To this purpose tend these Scriptures 2 Pet. 1.19 John 5.39 Luke 4.21 Matth. 4.4 Eph. 6.16 Mat. 22.19 Luke 24.27 John 2.22 And Paul would have a Bishop to hold fast the faithful word Titus 1.9 c. Apollos was mighty in the Scriptures c. Acts 14.24 28. If it were otherwise how could we take heed to the deceits of Satan who daily transformeth himself into an Angel of light whereupon should our faith rest we should be carried to and fro without any stability Object But they do alledge It were a great absurdity to subject the holy Spirit unto the Scriptures to whom all things are to be subjected Answ As if it were a shame and ignominy to the holy Ghost to be alway like unto himself and to be constant in the same word without wavering at all If any should reduce the Spirit to an Humane or any other Rule it were debased yea brought into servitude but when we say That the holy Ghost having once spoken is not mutable and changeth not discourse now speaking one thing and then another as men are wont to do who will say that we offer any injury to the holy Ghost Object But they say He is by this means examined which belongeth not unto men to do Answ It is very clear that it is such an examination as he hath pleased to establish in the Church that we may not receive the spirit of Satan instead of him wherefore it must needs be that the Spirit abide for ever such as once he hath revealed and manifested himself to be in the holy Scriptures It is no shame nor opprobry to the Spirit for any to say of him That it is no dishonour for him not to be mutable nor to renounce himself As for that which they tax the Ministers to be Ministers of the dead letter one may plainly see the Lords taking vengeance upon the outrage offered unto his holy Word smiting them with a spirit of giddiness for having despised the true and only means of coming unto God which is the Scripture and the Word of God In the passage of the Corinthians where Paul saith The letter killeth and the Spirit quickeneth let any closely consider against whom the Apostle disputeth 2 Cor. 3 6. and they will understand his drift It is very evident that Paul in this place had to do with false Apostles who preached and extolled the Law without Christ and caused the people to recoil from Salvation purchased by Christ and the grace of the new Covenant whereunto the Lord had promised to write his Law in the heart of the faithful Jer 31.33 Ezek. 11 19. Ezek 36. Heb 8.10 the Law then being separated from Christ as a body without a soul and nothing cometh from it but death to those that are under it it doth nothing but beat and strike the ears without any quickening the soul until by faith we are sent from it unto Christ as from the Usher unto the Master and then the Law will be found such as David sings it The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul Psal 19 8. the testimony of the Lord is faithful making wise the simple the commandments of the Lord are right rejoycing the heart c. Thus must we understand how it is said The Letter killeth Paul calleth the Law The killing Letter and saith The Spirit quickneth i. e. The Ministry of the Gospel which he opposeth unto the naked Law and he himself calleth his preaching The Ministry of the Spirit we must not understand this place as those dreamers who as often as they meet with an obscure place that maketh against them say The Letter killeth i. e. According as they say to understand the meaning of this Scripture this killeth but we must come to the Spirit i. e. to forge Allegories Paul never thought of such fopperies Luk. 24 27. as we may see in reading the same Chapter 2 Cor. 3.8 It is then wretchedly and wickedly done to cast off the Scripture upon such pretence of the Spirit seeing our Lord giveth us his Spirit to understand his word as we see Christ opened the understanding of the two Disciples not by making them wise in themselves nor setting them to look for a new kinde of word or natural and innate in them in rejecting the Scriptures but that they might understand the Scriptures After this manner the Apostle Paul exhorteth the Thessalonians not to quench the Spirit he would not have them fly in the air after vain and unprofitable speculations without the word of God but consequently

THE RISE SPRING AND FOUNDATION OF THE Anabaptists Or RE-BAPTIZED of our Time VVritten in French by Guy de Brez 1565. Minister of the Word and MARTYR And Translated for the use of his Countrymen by J.S. Eccles 1.9 The thing that hath been it is that which shall be and that which is done is that which shall be done and there is no new thing under the Sun CAMBRIDGE Printed and to be Sold by Marmaduke Johnson 1668. To the Reader AS the reviving of this Root of Bitterness in the Quaker after its being dead above an hundred years caused the Translation and first Impression of this small Book under another Title so the sprouting forth of its fruits of gall and wormwood and the issuings from this corrupt fountain of those streams which make sad the City of God have occasioned its second Impression under the Name and Title put upon it by its Author Guy de Brez whose praise in the Churches by his laborious planting and faithful watering of them by his blood is largely set forth in the famous Book of Martyrs the third Volume in the Continuation of the History by Dr. Edward Bulkly pag. 37 38 41 42 43. where he is described to be not onely an eminent Witness of Christs Truth unto the death but his Labours Prayers and Sufferings are there recorded to posterity his rejoycing in God when hands and feet were so laden with Iron Chains as they eat through his Flesh to the very bones his glorying in their ratling more then if they had been Chains of Gold his fulness of God when shut up in the Dungeon which for its darkness was called Brunain where he had no more air but at one little hole where drunkards vented their urine even then his heart leaped for joy provoking his wife to comfort in that God had not onely given her a Husband who was a Minister of Christs Gospel but to be honoured with Martyrdome A Dignity said he which the Angels of Heaven are not capable of All which declare him a more then ordinary Man of God and how worthy of credence th●se Relations by him held forth are There also is mention made of this Book he being engaged in an holy Conflict as the Author calleth it against the pestilent Sect of the Anabaptists which as Cockle mingle themselves among the good Corn. This Translation is a small part of the Book the rest is Doctrinal and a solid Conviction of their Tenents which whosoever shall intelligently reade and compare his Reasons with those of our Worthies in these our dayes he will finde that as Satan is the old Serpent so Christ Jesus is the same yesterday and to day and for ever A threefold Character he giveth of them in his Epistle to his Book 1. That they multiplied quotations of Scripture against their true sense and meaning to gain applause of the weak and unstable 2. That they gloried in their specious Holiness of Conversation 3. That they professed their readiness to suffer unto death Of these he warneth Christs Flock scattered in Flanders Brabant c. being his own Country If by any thing the faithful then might be preserved from the scandal which hereby is cast upon the Gospel and that they might be provoked to a more affectionate inquiry and cordiall closing with the truth of Faith and Order of the Gospel which as then was his so now is the weak desire of him who is Thine in Christian duty J. S. The Rise Spring and Foundation OF THE ANABAPTISTS IN the year 1521 and the year insuing there arose a certain number of mutinous and seditious persons who secretly made Factions they chiefly dwelt in the quarters of Saxony which bordered upon the River Salah among whom their chief was Nicholas Stork They dreamed dreams and said Nicholas Stork and his accomplices they preached dreams That they spake familiarly with God by Visions they preached their dreams for truths and Divine Oracles and because that there should come a new world wherein should dwell righteousness Therefore they ought to exterminate all the wicked with all the Princes and unbelieving Magistrates oppose Magistrates from off the earth they called all those unbelievers which were not of their Sect and Faction From out of this School came Thomas Muntzer Dr. Balthazar Hubmore Melchior Rink John Hutt John Deuter Lodovike Hetzer c. All these boasted that they familiarly conferred with the Lord. In their teachings they with heat of affection did defame and detract from the Ministers of the Gospel and Ministers afterward with the like violence fell upon the Magistrate thinking that if they could make void these two Orders unto the Church the wolves might safely fall upon and dismember the Flock wherefore these wolves i. e. these false Teachers have alwayes principally set themselves against the Ministers of the Church and the Magistrates to see if they could drive them out from the Flock or at least disgust some of the sheep against their Pastors that so estranging them from them they might undo them Th●ir Doctrine spreads Rebaptize thousands Their Doctrine suddenly spread throughout all the Country and in a little space they gathered much people after them and Rebaptized many thousands insomuch as many simple people were led by a zeal without knowledge being by their fair appearance insnared They tyed themselves unto the only simple and naked Letter of the Scripture They varnish over their soul intentions with fair pretences without regard to the sence thereof they carried it very fairly before all men for they had alwayes in their mouths the love faith and the fear of God the mortification of the flesh and the cross which were the garnish wherewith that they might be of value to the simple they painted and adorned themselves but inasmuch as such colours were false they lasted not long but they soon began to fade and without fraud to appear what they were Muntzers Doctrine Thomas Muntzer of whom we formerly spake said That whosoever would be saved must firstly flye all manifest vices Murders Blasphemies against the Name of God that he must chastise and macerate his body by fastings and mean apparel that he must hold forth an austere visage speak little c. he called these things the Cross the Mortification of the Flesh and Discipline after that he had so fashioned his people he said That they must withdraw from the multitude and conversation of men and often to think upon God who he is and whether he hath care of us whether Christ suffered death for us and whether our Religion were to be preferred before that of the Turks moreover that we ought to ask a sign from God to be assured whether he hath care of us and whether we owned the true Religion if instantly he gave not a sign that we ought to persist and pursue in prayers yea lively to complain of him as of one that doth us wrong for seeing the Scripture promises

the calling wherein he is called 1 Cor. 12.29 He asketh also Are all Apostles are all Prophets are all Teachers Every Christian may or ought to reade and discourse of Scripture it followeth not therefore that all Christians are Preachers and Ministers of the Churches but onely those which are lawfully called nor doth the calling cease for any failing that may be found in the life of the Called which is not spoken to give occasion to make Ministers negligent God forbid but the exhortation of the Apostle Paul is alwayes necessary to the Ministers no more then Peter ceased to be a true and lawful Apostle Acts 6 6. Acts 13.3 1 Tim. 5.22 1 Tim. 4.14 2 Tim. 1.6 when he so grosly failed Gal. 2.11 12. It is well known our Ministers are called to Office by the voice and common consent of all the Church and that after fasting and calling upon the Name of God according to Apostolical institution and are confirmed in their Office by imposition of hands what reason is there for these Sectaries to say That their Ministers are called of God but ours onely by the world and men if their Ministers have a special calling as the Apostles had let them prove it by signs miracles gifts of tongues and Apostolical Doctrine as they did The Church hath no need of your Ministers for the Doctrine of Repentance Amendment of life and of Remission of sins in the Name of Christ is abundantly declared in the Church of Christ to teach the same thing is superfluous if you teach any other Doctrine then you and your Doctrine is accursed and not to be heard I shall say no other thing then what the Apostle Paul before spake to the like glorious Ministers as theirs be Gal. 1.18 If their spirit be so full of knowledge and light so as they cannot contain themselves from preaching without calling why do they not preach where the Gospel was never yet declared they insinuate themselves into such places where the Gospel hath been preached to the people with great labour and hazard of life unto the poor Ministers It is a marvel how they will vouchsafe to enjoy and partake of the labours of those Ministers whom they so much hate they secretly by fraud and deceit seduce and disturb in such places the poor sheep of Jesus Christ which ought not to be withdrawn from their true Pastors I pray all the Flock of Christ not to give heed to such strangers but rather hearken to the voice of the Apostle 1 Thess 5.12 13. Heb. 13.17 These Sectaries do defame and reproach the Ministers and speak all evil of them but it is because they touch them at the quick because they cry out upon these Wolves and pluck the sheep-skins from off their backs that none might be surprized by their fair appearance Seeing the Gospel-Ministers are styled Salt of the earth none must think strange that the Salt biteth and pricketh and maketh it self to be Salt the Salt biteth not where there is no wound but it is felt where there is a raw place It will appear then that they have lost their spiritual senses who say That our Ministers are not called of God God hath put singular honour upon the Ministers yea what greater could he put upon them then by saying He that heareth you heareth me and he that rejecteth you rejecteth me the Lord not only by words hath recommended the Ministers unto the Church but also by example hath shewn what honour and reverence all ought to have them in The holy Ghost could have taught the Ethiopian Eunuch without the Ministry of man Acts 8. but he would maintain this order So Cornelius God could have taught him by the Angel Acts 10.5 but he is bid to send for Peter When our Lord called Paul he could have instructed him himself yet he is sent to a mortal man to receive the Doctrine of Salvation and Baptism behold a case which fell not out by rashness that an Angel of God should withdraw from entring upon the Ministry Acts 9.6 and should send him to a man a Minister to preach unto him Who with a good Conscience dare then despise the true Ministry so highly honoured of God and to disgust men from the same and to cause men to run after those which were not lawful Ministers but thieves robbers and grievous Wolves which spare not the flock of our Lord Jesus Christ Let us now come to the second Point Muntzer after he had spued out his poison against the poor Ministers of Christ he falls upon the word of the eternal God and there that he may leave nothing intire with open throat he spits out his blasphemies It is no marvel if he fall upon the Ministers of the Word to speak evil of them seeing he dareth so outragiously to set himself against the very mouth of God Behold his own words Object That the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament and the external preaching of the word is not the word of God and that we must search for the word in the internal part in the heart and that the Ministers are much deceived thinking that faith cometh by reading of the Scriptures or by hearing them preached seeing all the Scripture saith that they shall be taught of God These are his own words Answ We plainly confess and are not so ignorant thanks be to God and who knoweth not that the external word i. e. that the Letters written with ink upon paper by the hand of the Writer and that the voice sounding out of the mouth is not the Word of God inasmuch as it is written and spoken by man yet we do notwithstanding affirm that the sense of these words written and spoken by the mouth of the Minister is the true and indubitable Word of God as it more plainly appeareth Jer. 36.4 6 8. where the Prophet Jeremiah commandeth Baruch to write from his mouth all the words of the Lord. The words of Jeremiah written with ink in a Book are called the Word of the Lord. How often do we hear in the Prophets Thus saith the Lord reade these Scriptures Jer. 25.15 Jer. 20.33 1 Pet. 1.23 Isa 40.6 1 Thess 2.13 Deut. 10.18 Acts 4.31 Acts 6.2 Acts 8.14 25. Acts 11.1 Acts 13.5 7 25. Acts 17.13 Acts 18.11 Heb. 13.7 Ephes 1.13 We ought rather to give credit to so many evident Testimonies of Scripture then unto such Ravers who do nothing but rave and dream Muntzer careth not for that but dareth give the Apostle Peter the lye Now they which leave the Scriptures finding out another means to come unto God through pride they are deprived of their senses They pretend unto Revelations of the Spirit and despising all reading they mock at the simpleness of those which yet follow the dead and killing Letter as they call it By what spirit is it by inspiration whereof they are so highly rapt as that they dare reject all the Doctrine of the Scriptures as a

that God would manifest himself to small and great and that the Church should have children instructed and taught of God as was promised by Isaiah This passage then is very clear behold the Prophet saith They shall no more teach every man his neighbour saying Know the Lord and why because saith he I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their inward parts he doth not reject the external Ministry of the Word but he sheweth that the knowledge of God cometh not properly by the labour and travel of men but it is because the Lord engraveth the Law of his Word in the understanding Ministers by their preaching strike upon mens ears and God by engraving his Law worketh upon and teacheth their hearts as he dealt with Lydia at Pauls preaching Act. 16.14 Therefore it is that Jesus Christ John 6.45 seeing the Jews to murmure and storm against the external Ministry of the Word saith None can come unto me except the Father who hath sent me draw him It is written in the Prophets And they shall all be taught of God whosoever then hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me Christ thereby sheweth that those who have heard and learned of the Father do not disdain and reject the Ministry but they come unto it and receive profit thereby and all this sheweth that we are of our selves altogether indisposed to come unto this knowledge of God for otherwise God would not promise to cause us to walk in his statutes and if it were in our own power so to do and that neither great ones by their wisdom not little ones by reason of their ignorance can mount so high unless by the Holy Ghost they be drawn Behold the true sense of the place so wofully corrupted by these first Anabaptists and all they pretend unto tends not but after they have deprived the Church of the Ministry and the preaching of the Word to open the door unto Visions and Dreams as they already have shewn at Munster and Amsterdam as Muntzer their first father had begun unto them Was it not a pleasing thing to hear this alwayes sounding from their mouths The Spirit hath revealed it unto me The Father hath commanded me and when any brought a testimony of Scripture contrary to their dreams and visions suddenly they replied What have we to do with the dead Letter seeing we have the lively word of God imprinted in a living spirit as if the holy Ghost who is the Author of the holy Scriptures could contradict himself The Apostle Paul foreseeing that such Sects would rise up who would despise the preaching of the Word he adjureth his Disciple Timothy before God and the Lord Jesus who shall judge both quick and dead to preach the Word and to be instant in season c. Satan knoweth that he must take off men from the Ministry of the Word when he will have them at his beck to put into their heads what shall seem good unto him and therefore his labour is to bring men unto this that they might hold nothing certain but that they finally being disturbed and uncertain he might make them despair Thus in the beginning he wrought with our Mother Eve denying the express word of God the Lord had said In the day that you eat thereof you shall dye the death The Devil on the contrary denyeth it and saith No no you shall not dye so now he laboureth to take from our eyes the word of God but what may we look for afterwards but that we may be confounded not knowing what side to turn unto For if we acknowledge no more the Scriptures to be the true word of God which as the Apostle Paul saith Was before time written for us that we through patience and consolation of the Scriptures might have hope what will our estate be certainly we shall be more miserabe then the beasts and we must give up our selves to Dreams and Fables as those who have rejected this light and must perish wofully Of the Dreams of the Anabaptists and how they are condemned by the Word of God MVntzer having thus prophaned and rejected the word of God he preached dreams very goodly revelations Muntzer preacheth dreams and rev●lations which he at his pleasure forged as did the false Prophet Mahomet saying that he had seen Angels and gloried that he had talked with them by this means to cheat and deceive the poor ignorant people but all was feigned and counterfeit to make musick unto poor and inconstant fools and the Apostle Paul giveth warning of such gallants that we should take heed of them saying Col. 2.18 Let no man beguile you of your reward c. Yea the Scripture forbids us lending ear to such dreamers the Lord of Hosts speaking in the book of Jeremiah saith thus Jer. 23.16 21 22 26 27 28. Hearken not unto the words of the Prophets which prophecie unto you c. we shall have intelligence of this in these last dayes are they not in a dead sleep who will not be awakened by the noise of this strong hammer of the word of God which breaketh the stones in pieces who can be cleansed by such dung and what truth can come forth out of a lye dreams have deceived many and those have fallen who have trusted to them These words of God are true and sufficient to entangle all our dreamers and ravers with all their celestial visions whereof they do falsly and out of a certain malice vaunt Let us then reject such cheaters and follow the counsel of God in his word and we shall alwayes finde it to be a strong buckler against all assaults Prov. 30.5 Isai 8.19 20. The Lord sends us to the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no morning-light in them And when Dives desired that the living might be taught by some other means besides the word of God it was answered That they had Moses and the Prophets let them hear them Moreover Muntzer cometh from thence to grapple with the sacrifice of the Son of God to vomit out his stinking blasphemies against it saying Ministers are lyers when they say That Jesus Christ hath satisfied for us Muntzers denial of Christs satisfaction Justification by faith and that we are justified by faith alone without works thus speak these Scribes when they mince unto men These are his words as they may be read in his Books But I pray you is not this filthily to blaspheme the Son of God it will not only follow that the Ministers are only delicious and mincing and make mens Consciences drousie Act. 10.43 Jer. 11.3 but also all the Prophets For thus spake Peter in the house of Cornelius the Centurion All the Prophets bear witness unto Jesus Christ That whosoever shall believe on him shall receive remission of sins through his name Joh. 1.29 36. Yea John Baptist held up