opression The Wallons CONSISTORIE AND EXCOMMUNICATION HAveing spoken untill now upon their threatnings and upon my condemnation now it shall onely be upon my Excommunication the first newes I heard of was uttered unto me with griefe and dolour but their desolation was not for the deed of my cause which they did know to be very just but upon him which hath pronounced that unjust condemnation never the lesse when I understood those words proceeding from a heart pierced with griefe saying it is done it is done and seeing their pale colur as persons strucken by death I was taken with an inward qualme but outwardly joyfull umwilling to adde more griefe unto their Infirmitie but I had alsoe great weaknesse withim me in somuch that I found my selfe like unto that woman which wee read of in the second booke of Kings the 4 Chapter This womans hunamite being in agony for the death of her Sonne shee said unto the Prophet did I desire a Sonne of my Lord did I not say doe not deceive me I was in that case at that time it seemed unto me that God had deceived me but the Lord by his mercy did not suffer me long thus for I recovered an other shee mate which is hope of an other woman at the 13 Chapter of the booke of Iudges it is Manoahs wife Mother of Samson her husband being frighted seeing the Angell to ascend with the flame he said we shall surely die because wee have seene God his wife said unto him if the Lord weare pleased to kill us he would not have received a burnt offring and a meat offring at our hands neither would he have shewed us all these things nor would he at this time have told us such things as these so having received new hope I have revoked my vicious thoughts and submitted my selfe unto the will of God assuring my selfe that he hath not deceived me but hath caused mee to see great things when he hath received the offrings of my soule this makes me remember an other woman The reason I shall speake of her is because chastety was soo much oppressed by the elders judges of the people This woman is Susanna as wee read it in her History altough it is not Cannonicall yet from thence may be drawne comparisons sit for my cause for they were elders and judges and the People was subject to obey them altough theise Elders weare very wicked touching this woman But this must be noted that her combate was upon her corporall chastety and my cause is for my spirituall chastety can one say where this woman was when shee was thus assaulted her History tels us shee was in her husbands garden a like place was I in according as the spouse of our soule had commanded me at the 5 Chapter of Salomons song come into my Garden my sister my spouse I have gathered my myrrhe with my spice it is most certaine that all the time I have bine persecuted by this kind of folke the which I have spoken of by my meditations I did enjoy the pleasure of that Garden we will leave now the wrongs done unto women by reason our perticulas hindrance is light unto us but the wrong done unto the disadvantage of the truth is in supportable unto us yet noe remedy heere we should have a miraculous work for the salt hath lost his savour how can wee shalt any body may see unlesse he be quite blind that there is heere a represensation of what our Lord Jesus Christ hath fore told us in the 24 Chapter of S. Mathew when he spake that before the great and terrible day of this second comming The Sunne shall be darkened and the Moone shall not give her light and the Starres shall fall from heaven now I pray you tell me if that Sunne of righteousnesse as Malachy calls him in his 4 Chapter with healing In his wings could it be more darkned when the truth is taken for an untruth and the untruth for the truth the Moone canne get light unlesse it be borrowed from that Sunne then must it be darkened and touching the Starres must wee not say to our great griefe that wee see them sall from heaven as wee have seene som yeares agoe when our Ministers with the elders have offered our children unto Baal without the consent of their Father and Mother and since occasion are carried worse and worse seeing they will offer the Fathers and Mothers and this they carry in forme and manner of Inquisition in forbidding them to maintaine the true Gospell by Excommunications and it is for that purpose that there are none of Christs Disciples among us and if there be any it is as Nicodemus by night or secretly for they thinke there is too much danger it was in the same manner of the crucifying of our Lord Jesus Christ the men were amazed and afrighted but theire were poore woman that followed him weeping and lamenting and also at the sepulchre Christ being risen directs his speech unto a woman for there weare no men to be found O what an honour is this for us that a woman should be the first messenger of the glorious resurrection of our Lord they are set by him in such an honorable degree that hee makes them to be has if it were the Apostle of the Apostles one may say unto me why should one speake at this time of the death of Christ and of his sepulchre for he is in his glory it is certaine but let us see if his truth is not in such a place O you conductours of this Church it is you which have placed a great stone at that sepulchres doore so that the truth cannot come out that stone is your Excommunication and the waight of it is your tyrannicall act teare out that Article and cause no more to lament for your poore gouvernment take againe your Discipline which you have put in oblivion and it doeth give you power enough it commands you to open heaven and to shut it againe by it alsoe may you cast out of your Church the evill livers and those also which continue in their vices but yet not those whom God hath given his feare do not cause the uncircumcised Philistines to rejoyce do not cause the beast to live againe for you must know that such sort of excommunications comes neere unto hers Remember what happened unto those elders in Susannas just cause which I have spoken of comparing the spirituall unto the corpotall I hope God will give you the grace to looke after these things Amen The woman hath written theise things chifely because the good English people those who have the feare of God should not take her to be Excommunicated but if they should happen to see her receive the holy Sacrament among them that they should not say unto her as Naomy sayd unto her Daughter in law according as wee read in the first Chapter of the booke of Ruth My Daughter returne unto thy people the woman would then answer humbly in in mildnesse as Ruth did my People is your People and my God is your God therefore send me not unto the People of my nation for they have forgotten the truth This hath bin done to the great griefe of the Wife of Michael le Clercq FINIS
dispute wee have ought against our Brother and so remaine but I hope that at other times they will shew their zeale to maintaine the truth some feare had fezed them seeing the rigor that was used towards those which did maintaine it untill now I remaine oblidged unto the command of the Apostle which I have spoken in the beginning to wit I direct my speach unto women and doe Intreate them not to reject my Instruction seeing the Apostle doeth command me O women have you never read the 4 Chapter of the Gospel of S. Iohn I pray you to read it heedfully and you shall find a marvellous consolation from the sacred mouth of our Lord speaking unto the woman that was a Samaritane and all others that shall beleeve in him you doe not find that the Lord misuseth this woman because shee tooke pleasure in his word but to the contrary he takes occasion to aske drinke of her because he would give unto this woman the water of life o good God who would beleeve such a thing of thine owne word should not say so that thou shouldest conferre so friendly with a woman a woman that was not of his people shee was of a meane condition for shee came to draw water shee was a great sinner for the Lord said unto her thou hast had five husbands and him whom thou now hast is not thy husband but above all to be noted that the Lord said unto her woman beleeve me the woman then ought to beleeve shee ought then to speake when one will wrong her faith at the 10 Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans the Apostle saith that one beleeveth of heart unto righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation the woman alsoe ought to write in such an occasion It is the practice of a true martyre and also of the feminine sect those pore and weakest vesels having bine sustained and strengthend by him that hath made unto them all that promise that their enemies are often fled all ashamed and confused O women seeing then that at this present one will for bid what the word of God doeth command Mat. c. 25. v. 9. one will put out our light or lampe let us not suffer it for at the comming of our spouse wee should be without light let us remember that there is nothing more exalted in the word of God then the womans faith for Jesus Christ speaking unto the woman of Canaan said unto her Mat. c. 15. v. 28. O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt O what a maruellous thing it is that the Sonne of God suffered him selfe to be overcome by the faith of a woman for he hath granted her request wee ought not to find it strange that the Sonne of God loveth so much that faith let us rather Worship that infinite love with joy and comfort let us not be affraid of the greatnesse of the combats for the victory shall be so much the more glorious let us remember that this combat had his beginning ever since the world began witnes that lamentable shipwrack of our first Mother do you know where this Auncient serpent made his enterance to begin this warre he entered in Eden that place was the celestiall Paradis there was in that place but Justice and all hollynesse Gen 3.2.6 shall wee marvell now that this serpent is entered in our Eden that is to say in the Church where there is but sinne that reighneth if one will doe you any shame it is is because you desire to live in the feare of God I know one doeth make som signe as if they would follow the Discipline the same they doe among the Scribes and Pharisees that Renouned consistory did not crucifie Christ alone but crucified 2 theeves with him Mat. c. 2.9 v. 38. this hath som colour towards the Ill advised and brutall world this is the subtilty of the Divel to cause more reproach to be done unto the faithfull they will find out an evill liver causing them to have like punishment it is easie to know in what forme Sathan made his entrance into the Church it is in a humaine forme according as I have perceived but the worst I can perceive is that he will have his Raigne there not onely in a Corner but in the Chaire seeing hereseis are to be established it is now more then time that the faithfull should make a crye like unto the crye of the Prophets sonnes according as wee read in the fourth Chapter of the second booke of Kings o man of God death is in the Cauldron but wee must say o God death is entered in thy Church o my God may not I say death seeing that by my condemnation I should have deffamed a doctrine but my writing sheweth faithfully that I have but onely spoken against eronious Doctrine but not against the true Doctrine Never the lesse it is from thence that my condemnation was drawne then may I very well say death seeing one must beleeve in hereseis to remaine in the Church for him that doeth beleeve in Heresies can hope nothing but death O lamentable thing to understand o if that holy woman hath had so much occasion to lament and crie for the taking of the Arke 1. Sam 4. v 19. and for this thing she demanded where is the Glory o that we have at this day a great deale more occasion to crye O Lord for thy Glory is goeing into Captivitie O Hanna Mother of Samuell wherefore didst thou weep so much to have a Sonne 1. Sam c. 1. v. 19. if thou wert in theise present times and that one would hinder thee to be the Mother of the Sonne of Glory weare it not to say I am descended into the Gulfe and never the lesse we are brought unto that extreanuty that Some sayes him selfe at the 3 Chapter of the Gospell of S. Marke and at the 12 Chapter of the Gospell of S. Mathew whosoever shall doe the will of my Father the same is my Brother and my Sister and my Mother to doe thee will of God to be Mother of Christ now all that which is done without faith is sinne then it must befaith which must worke this conception Let us then pray the Lord that he may give us the grace to the end wee may heare that gratious word the which he hath pronounced him selfe unto that poore woman which was Diseased with an issue of Bloud thy faith hath made the whole O that the Mother of Samuel had occasion to Answer mildly unto the high Priest for he spake upon her Person but here the truth is oppressed o what greefe it is unto me to heare the gowne spoken of for I feare that it will be found in this perticular full of sinne I hope I shall make it appeare in time I pray unto the Lord he may please to be judge and witnes altogether By me the Wife of MICHAEL le CLERCQ in my
The Wallons CONSISTORY AND EXCOMMUNICATION Printed in the Yeare of God 1646. THE EPISTLE DEDICATORIE IT will seeme all together monsterous and unheard of that a poore woman of a low condition shee being also a stranger should dare present a petition unto your worships the Illustrous and renowned Magistrats and Governours of this Citty but having understood the Pious and Charitable Answers which have beene given unto those that have addressed themselves unto your worships and how ready alwaies you are to administer Iustice with Iudgment have taken upon mee bouldnesse to do it also knowing that great Monnarchs among which wee reade of an Emperour being on Horsbacke ready to goe to warres allighted from his horse to heare the complaint of a poore woman the which wee reade of in a booke called Dorte of Marcus Aurelius Chapter 47. This Emperour although he were a Pagan being neere his death called his Sonne unto him admonishing him unto speedy Iustice towards all especially unto women recommending unto him the cause of a poore woman a widdow named Drusia which had a great suit against one of the senat by reason that at the last distrations her husband was banished I have great pitty of her said he unto his Sonne for there are three months past since she presented unto me her petition but by reason of my great affaires for warre I could not declare her Iustice and now right worshipfull seeing that by the will of God theise mournefull and unnaturall warres are neere to an end I hope your worships will be pleased to vouchsafe so much time as to consider my just cause for it is against a senat or consistory and this buissinesse is upon the cause of the banishment of my spouse I say spiritualli neverthelesse their power cannot reach further then the signe but in regard of the thing signified this spouse is entered by faith into my heart Ephesians Chapter 3 now my humble petition unto your worships is to desire your worships to grunt unto me that I may receive the communion among your people to the end I may not be deprived of that visible signe as by the grace of God I am not of the thing signified Shee most humbly prayeth that your worships would excuse her for her boldnes in presenting this her most humble and obedient petition where by shee Demonstrates the Sinister proceedings of her elders in their Consistory against her Jacquemine the wife of M. L. C. To the Right worshipfull the Magistrates of the Citty of Canterbury whoe are lovers of righteous Iudgement and dayly Carefull to execute true Iustice and to all reverend professors of Divinity and true Preachers of the word of God Jacquemine the wife of Michaell the Clercq wisheth all felicitie in this world and perpetuall happines in the world to come THe Complaint of a woman hapning unto her as it did unto him which was borne blind in the 9 Chapter of S. Iohn this man being inlightened by Jesus Christ would not blame him but spoke well of him for which cause he was cast out of the sinnagogue in the same maner this woman aknowledgeth to have beene blind a long time I meane of a spirituall blindnesse but after shee was Illuminated she could not endure to heare that Doctrine ill spoken of by the which shee was inlightened whereof shee advised many simple folkes fearing they should be deceiued by false and erronious Doctrine for this thing shee is thereatned to be cast out of the sinagogue which is to say excommunicated therefore shee sheweth the cause why they would do her this reproach and sets forth divers points which have beene preached falsely with hope that God will enable her to maintaine them unto her last drop of Blood Cantorbury Anno Dom 1645. The Wallons CONSISTORI AND EXCOMMUNICATION One Cannot write too much Read English French or Duth That to God's Lawes belong By learning to be able And understanding Stable To follow it in Faith strong THe Evangelist shewes us that a woman with great zeale and boldnesse came into the house of Simon where Christ was with his Disciples Ioh. 12. c. and powred out her box of pretions oyntment for the which the Disciples tooke occasion to murmure but our Lord Jesus although his sacred body had no need of such unction tooke his share there in and said unto his Disciples Mark 14. c why trouble yee the woman for shee hath wrought a good worke upon me for in that this woman cast this oyntment on my body shee did it to bury me Math 26. c 10. 12. v. now wee that know that our Lord God enlargeth his giâ—tes to whom he pleaseth Luk 10. c. v. 21. Mat 11. c. v. 25. it Lies in his power And liberty to be served by a womans meanes or els by a Childe if it be his blessed will buth not with that sort of oyntment but with a spirituall oyntment not serving for burialls but serving for new borne and renewing the poore Christian which is as yet ignorant among us one may say unto mee it is a ministers charge it is true but every one must know that he is bound to endeavour him selfe to advance the Glory of God without regard of sex age or condition Our Lord Jesus Christ doth give us that instruction at the 7. Chap. of the Gospell of St. John as is said in the last and great day of the feast Jesus stood and cried 37.38 v. saying if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink hee that beleeveth in me as the scripture saith out of his belly shall flow Rivers of living water but this spake he of the spirit which they that beleeve on him should receive Can any man excuse himselfe can we say I beleeve in Christ and it is enough no this Living water must drop from us or els we are not true beleevers in this wee may see the charge which our Lord gives unto those which have received gifts from him to share them unto others I speake not heere of those which have charge or governement over the Church but of the duty of those which are peculiar or private for touching the governement of the Church none ought to insinuate himselfe therein unlesse he be called there unto nor yet speake against it unlesse it be with a good and sound judgement to know if Gods word gives leave at the Galatians S. Paul 1. Chap 8. vers doth command us that if hee himselfe or an Angell from heaven preach any other Gospell then that which wee have preached unto you let him be accursed St. Paul speakes not heere of him selfe onely but of all the Apostles when he sayth which we have Preached unto you having Read or perused what the Apostles have written I finde that there is preached among us an other Doctrine by one of our Preachers or Ministers upon Divers points but before I come to prove my saying I will produce the example of a woman at
the second booke of Samuel when the Citty Abel was besieged by Ioab a woman of the sayd Citty demanded of him if he would destroy a Mother in Israel som will wonder that a woman speaketh heere Chap 20.19 vers but seeing that it concerneth not onely a mother but a daughter and a mother together I call faith and charity soe for the faith is the mother and charity is the Daughter but the daughter is oblidged and bound to keepe and entertaine the mother and this entertainment cannot be done but by forgetting ones selfe following as St. John speaketh in his first epistle hereby perceive wee the Charity or Love of the sonne who layd downe his life for us Chap 3.16 v. and wee ought to lay downe our Lives for the bretheren hereby we see that it stould be distroying the mother and the daughter to cause Charity to begin at ones selfe as one will make us beleeve this is the first point yet hath he others that are very dangerous and strange as when he doth preach that wee must beare with the wicked untill such time that God gives him repentance wholly contrary unto the Doctrine of St. Paul who commandeth expresty to put away from among you the wicked person Corrintians first epistle Chap 5.13 verse is it not a lamentable thing when he doth preach unto us that God was anger'd against his Sonne altogether against the section of the 10 Sunday al 's Sabbath of our Catechisme if Father had beene anger'd against the Sonne it must follow that the Sonne must have bin a sinner Isaih 53. c. v. 4. a doctrine contrary and Erronious against the stay of our faith our God was anger'd against the charge that his Sonne hath taken upon him to witt our sinnes I speake now of the 4 point upon the Natures of our saviour Jesus Christ he hath preached unto us two natures but not three and being assembled with the people to examine those which were to answer touching their faith they were warned to keepe them selves from them which attribute 3 natures unto the Sonne of God as if it had beene an execrable thing this happened by reason Another Minister through his greate prudence and knowledge for the safegard and salvation of the people had made a distinction and difference touching the nature of the soule and that of the body I speake not touching the divinity for I beleeve there is not such an Athiest among us which would deny it but I speake of the nature of the dying body and of the nature of the soule scuffleing and striving without Dying those that will either deny th' one or th' other put them selves in great danger of their salvation for wee must have had the one and the other to be fully redeemed he doth preach unto us alsoe that one must confesse all kind of truth altough it should be against ones owne honour upon paine of eternall damnation yet Gods word doth give us knowledge what kinde of truth wee must confesse a truth for the advancement of his Glory and the good of our neighbour alsoe when charity doeth require it but there is such truth that would be hurtfull if it weare knowne and also the word of God doth forbid it this commeth neere the Oricullar confession we have understood in one of his prayers that our sinnes do offend God but they do not endanger the king Chap 12.25 verse against which wee read in the first booke of Samuel the Prophet warneth the people saying but if ye shall still doe wickedly yee shall be consumed both ye and your king I will yet set downe a thing which unto my thinking is blasphemy in saying that God is a Robber Chap 1.21 verse Job useth an other manner of speaking in saying the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord in the Proverbes the wise doth shew us that he that robbeth the poore afflicted the Lord wil pleade their cause and will spoile the soule of those that spoile them Chap. 22.23 verse by which words he doth give us to understand that the wicked shall not remaine unpunished and as such measure with he measureth he shall be like as wise measured with but shall our God be called a Robber therefore hath hee not at his command both the Robber and their Robberry without being called by that name a fearefull thing to understand these are the points which I have put forth to the end one should not mistake ownes selfe soe I will end and returne to my beginning which is unto the good deed of the woman because it derived from thence that Judas tooke occasion to commit his abominable deed if on these dayes a woman should commit or doe a good deed it should not be the cause that Christ should be betrayed Mark 14. c. v. 10. for he is no more subject unto such treason neither could that miserable Judas do it for hee is in his place it should be the woman then that should beare the punishment but what should be that punishment even the privation of the Sacrament and afterward excommunication but all this is not hurtfull unto the faithfull soule the corporall hand will find som hindrance therein but I will say with an Auncient Father wherefore makest thou thy teeth and mouth ready beleeve onely and thou shalt eat Christ it shall be the faith then which shall benifite her selfe therein I say that poore faith although weake and feeble being sustained by the spirit of fortification will be ready for this action shee wil keepe her 2 hands cleane the one to receive Christ unto her and the other to give her selfe unto him those two hands will have as much freedome as that which did write upon the wall I have heere written what I have said if one doeth say more they are false accusations but one must have patience to these things is the faithfull Christian bound these things have bin done unto the greene wood what will be done unto the dry those that doe Read this I intreate them to excuse mee untill the time of my Excommunication of the which I am threatned and then I wil write more if my God doth permit What I have written is not to dishnour the holly Ministeri to whom I am bound in dutyfull respect and obedience but I say that the word of God doeth command us not to hearken unto the Embassadour that publisheth not the message that his King hath enioyned him By me the Wife of MICHAEL le CLERCQ The Wallons CONSISTORIE and their SUSPENTION COnsidering that my opressions and greevances do increase from day to day by the furie of those that have taken me in hatred without a cause I would not faile of my promise because a while agoe I had given to understand the occasion of my troubles with promise to write more at the continuation of them but it seemeth unto som that what is written by a