ouershot my selfe and if you can prooue it to me I shall gladly receiue it and will be redie to recant and cal backe all my wordes and aske mercie in like fourme as you haue prescribed but hitherto as I am persuaded and as my conscience beareth me witnesse I haue not in any point slandered you nor of malice spokeÌ„ any thing against you for if I did know any nerer way to saluatioÌ„ then y which our sauiour Christ hath taught in his Gospell I woulde with all gréedenesse imbrace it And if I can vnderstand that euer this your doctrin was taught publikly since christ our Lord his assention by any godly writer in Christs Church I will ceasse and subscribe vnto you otherwise blame me not though I continue in that minde which the Lorde in mercie by his Christ hath made manifest to me to my comforte The God of mercie and consolation giue you a right spirite to depend vpon the puritie of his worde written by the holy Ghoste and not to depend vpon the vncertainetie of man giuing testimonie to him selfe so shall both you and I bee brought to sée rightly into our weakenesse shall heare y ioyful voyce y Paule heard My grace is sufficient for thee For y Lords power loue is manifested made kno wen vnto the worlde through our weakenesse and all our righteousnesse is Sicut pannus menstrualis God in mercie giue vs all his grace that in séeking the true way that ledeth to life euerlasting we be not led into y by paths of errour but leade vs and guide vs O Lorde so shall we knowe thy ways aright imbrace our sauing health in Christ declared to all nations If it please you to reply I shall receiue it thankfully London the 12. of Februarie Your friend I. R. A Letter of the Familie to I. R. written by E. R. M. Rogers these are to signifie vntd you that I haue perused a booke wherof you are the authour In your preface you say you haue vsed this order to set downe the authors owne speach not adding or diminishing any thing with the name of the booke Chapter or folio I do wish that your word and deede had agreed therein I call to minde that I haue read many authours bookes within this 35. or 36. yeares and among them all I haue not found any writer that hath taken such an order as you haue done for who so euer will write to confute an Authour he should set downe the Authours owne wordes as they stande written in his bookes and so to confute them by the Scriptures orderly and not to take out here some and there some and of diuers sentences and part of diuers sentences to make one sentence You haue added and diminished in diuers places and to inlarge your booke withall you haue set downe the most part of the sentences in two places as y readers may perceiue if they do confer your booke with the Authours bookes wâ—y them with indifferencie I am fully persuaded that the sober discreet wise and godly learned do ne wil not allowe of it that any Authour should be so abused as you haue abused this Authour in wresting belying and peruerting his writings Salonton saith A false record wil make a lye A false witnesse shall not remaine vnpunished and hee that speaketh lyes shall not escape I pray God open the eyes of your heart that you may see your ignorance and repent You do ground one point of your matter vpon Adrian Gisling a man of credite as you say y he did read in a Duche booke intituled the Glasse of righteousnesse wherein the Authour doth certifie his Familie of Loue that they must passe foure most terrible castels full of combersome enimies before they come to the house of Loue the first is Iohn Caluine the second the Papistes the third Martine Luther the fourth the Anabaptistes howe good of credite so euer Adrian Gisling is of he hath not at any time read any such matter in any of that Authours bookes he might perhaps read of such matter in some other booke hauing that title I my self haue read ouer diuers of the bookes and also the booke called the Glasse of righteousnesse of that Authours writing that you take your occasion against and there is no such Castles written in any of his bookes therfore Adrian Gisling is therein vtterly deceiued and I do beleeue no lesse but those other thinges that you haue written vpon reporte against â— Author to make him odious vnto the people is as contrarie I suppose you should haue done well if you had not come in with a flourish to attempt battell and beginne a skirmish against those that haue no pleasure or delight in warre or battell but much rather doe desire peace vnitie It is not reckoned for a manly part that an armed souldier should take vp weapon and fight with a naked childe It is written Let not him that putteth on his harnesse boast him selfe as he that putteth it off If the little vnarmed childe Dauid doe come to battell with his sling and stones one of the stones may happen to hit Golias in the forhed be he neuer so well appointed for battell and trusteth in his owne strength But what you haue done you can not vndo it is too farre past your hands And where you call in doubt that the familie will carpe as you terme it at your booke and do offer if they do answere it a speedie replie will be performed I for my parte I giue GOD thankes am not ignoraunt of the Lande of strife and contention that ye walke in and as it appeareth ye haue a pleasure therein I haue wandered vppe and downe there ouerlong and consumed much time there about to my greate greefe and sorrowe for those that doe loue strife and contention would haue other like to them selues S. Paule saith The seruants of the Lord must not striue And Saint Iames saith If ye haue bitter enuying and strife in you hearts reioyce not neither be lyars against the trueth and then following where enuie and strife is there is vnstablenes all maner of euill workes In the Homilie for whitsunday the second part ye may read this sentence But to conclude and make an end ye shall briefly take this short lesson where so euer ye finde the spirit of arrogancie and pride the spirit of enuie hatred contention crueltie murther extortion witchcraft Necromancie c. assure your selues that there is the spirite of the diuell and not of GOD albeit they pretend outwardly to the worlde neuer so much holinesse I haue no desire pleasure nor delight to carpe at your booke nor to striue or contend with you or any one neyther is there any other who doe desire peace and vnitie that will haue any delight or pleasure in strife and contention but leaue euery one to the Lorde Salomon saith The sinne of the wicked is his owne snare Saint
sufficient to answer for him were they weyed in the balance of equitie You terme the saide Familie simple howe much are they bound to laude the Lorde and to giue him most high thankes and praise that they are simple Moses saith Would God that all the Lordes people could prophesie and that the Lord would put his spirite vpon them So doe I wish from the bottome of my heart that all the Lordes people were simple concerning euill and malice then strife contention enuying backbiting lying persecuting for coÌ„scieÌ„ce cause theft â–ª murder whoredome dronkennesse Idolatrie and such like should not beare so great dominioÌ„ as it doth Is it an odious matter in your eyes to be simple I pray you peruse well these few sentences of Scripture here following The testimonie of the Lorde is pure and giueth wisedome to the simple God thou knowest my simplenesse my faultes are not hid from thee He taketh vp the simple out of the dust lifteth the poore out of the mire The Lorde preserueth the simple When thy worde goeth foorth it giueth light and vnderstanding euen vnto the simple A simple mans wisdome is despised and his wordes are not heard Timely in the morning do they arise to murder the simple and poore Reioyce thou greatly O daughter Sion be glad O daughter Hierusalem for loe thy King commeth vnto thee euen the righteous and Sauiour lowly and simple is he The poore simple sheepe that had a respect vnto me knewe thereby that it was the word of the Lord. You say the zeale of the Lordes house carried you so farre that you could not stay till you had published suche matter as came to your handes I for my part can not so conceiue that it was the Lordes zeale for there coulde not any one deale in such sort vse such spenches in writing as you haue done if he were carried by the zeale that the lord doth require It may rather be gathered that you had such a zeale as Iesus the sonne of Syrach writeth of where he saith Zeale and anger shorten the dayes of life and also There is nothing but wrath zeale fearefulnesse vnquietnesse feare of death ' rigours anger and strife c. But my desire is of the Lorde that he would plant the true zeale in vs all and then the loue v3 to loue God aboue all and our neighbour as our selues shoulde not be so despised and had in contempt with many as it is nowe in these dayes You say that Syr William Moore a worthy Iustice in Surrie had the examination of one or two of the Familie who vttered much matter which you are loth to write and yet in the end of your booke you haue set downe the Articles that were confessed before Syr William Moore the 28. of May 1561. by two of the Familie of loue You would haue it appeare to the readers as though there wer two at one time before a worshipfull Iustice of Peace and one or two at an other time before Syr William Moore and all those confessours were but two parties and one matter as you well knowe for you haue or haue had the written copie of the Articles with the names of those two parties that as it is said were the confessours of the saide Articles before Syr William Moore who was not at that time v3 the 28 of May. 1561. knowne or called by the name of Syr William Moore for he was but an Esquire What false and forged matter is set downe in the saide Articles and that the confessours of them are nor neuer were of the Familie of Loue I leaue to the iudgement of the same two parties and of all those that haue had haue or shall haue the cause in question and will consider of it with indifferencie Concerning the citizen your neighbour whome you doe so often name in your booke to discredit him as much as in you lyeth although you haue nâ— iust cause so to doe I leaue to the iudgement of all those discreet wise sober and honest citizens his neighbors who haue had at any time to deale with him there or else where and also to the discreete wise sober vertuous and godly learned that haue had at any time conference with him I hope you will from hence foorth take heede how you mâ—ke any such attempts to speake or write vpon report nor belye wrest ne peruert any authours writings for lyars shall haue their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone What Authour hath written any booke if one shoulde deale therewith as you haue done with this Authours writing but there might be founde many faultes c. To me as I suppose you are vnknown but if I should write what I haue heard of you and of Maister Bateman your furtherer in this your attempt vpon report happily you nor he wold scarse take it in good part It were good and according to the rule of the holy Scripture that all fault finders wold first looke into them selues that it be not saide Hypocrite first cast out the beame out of thine own eye and then shalt thou see clearely to plucke out the moâ—e that is in thy brothers eye c. I haue presumed to be so bolde as to certifie you my minde touching a fewe pointes of your booke hoping not lesse but you will take this my simple plaine and rude hand writing in good part although it lacke good Methode and doe wish that my time of leasure woulde haue permitted me to certifie you my minde in many other paintes of your booke but for as much as my time wil not serue thereto I am constrained to hold my self coÌ„tented Thus M. Rogers I bid you farwel wishing to you as to my self althogh there be many ways paths walked in of those that do trauell in religion â—reuer the right pathway be found which is to followe Christe Iesus our Sauiour in his footsteps yet I hope our God will in the end bring vs all into the same right path and that our sinnes shall be by and through the death passion and bloudsheading of our Lord and sauiour Iesus Christ done away and be of the number of those that shall be set on the right hand to whoÌ„ our sauiour Iesus Christ when he coÌ„meth in his glory al the holy Angels with him shal say vnto Com ye blessed childreÌ„ of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you froÌ„ the beginning of the world c. to the end I might through the power of the lord be one of the number of the elect haue I had my exercise in the Scriptures And to the end that I might be furtherer in the vnderstanding of the Scriptures I haue read diuers Authors who haue set too their helping hand to the opening of the Scripture so farre foorth as the Lorde gaue them vnderstanding thereof and although some haue in diuers pointes varied in iudgement Salomon saith
what man soeuer God thus dwelleth it may be well verified God dwelleth in him if God dwell in him then the contrarie can not remaine in the same bodie God is pure and will not dwell in a corrupt vessell Two contraries can not be in one place Christ and Beliall can not dwell in one temple Light and darknes can not be together That man y hath God thus dwelling in him may be called Godded or god dwelling in him so y by this reason man is God ded with God and God Hominified in man This their Rabbynes or Illuminat Elders do teach and whatsoeuer this Godded man doth speake thinke or do it cannot be euill neither may be so iudged by any What vain doctrine this is may wel appeare euen in it self yet I was long acquainted much trauelled in y matter before I could get this great mysterie opened vnto me which y yong ones in the Familie can not explicat except he come vnto the state of an illuminate Elder And as I haue before proceeded so you shal sée the authour H. N. vtter his owne words whereby no suspicion shall arise that I haue spoken that I can not proue H. N. in the dialogue Chapter 16. diuision 16. It becommeth not that any should take in hand to teach but onely the illuminat Elders in the Familie of Loue whiche haue receiued the worde of life from the liuing GOD and are euen so through the same Godded with God or incorporated to God with whome also God in one being and power of his spirite is hominified or become man Therfore it is assuredly al false and lyes seducing and deceitfull what the vngodded or vnilluminat men out of the imagination of their knowledge and out of their learnednesse of the scriptures bring forth institute preach or teache They preache in deede the letter but noâ— the word of the liuing god Let them esteem them selues as holy as they will they are a false Christianitie and diuelishe Synagogue or schole â–ª Now maist thou perceiue how this H. N. estéemeth all preachers and teachers that are not thus Godded or thus illuminate In déede I confesse that without the spirite of GOD which his children be partakers of we can not sée nor perceiue the mysteries conteined in his worde muche lesse declare the same to others But that we must be Godded with God because the scriptures vse no such phrases neither hath any writer before vs in Gods church vsed any such proud spéeches I thinke with the Author they are to be reiected in that sence that he meaneth For béeing thus Godded or illuminate he standeth vpon his tiptoes and saith H. N. out of the prophesie Chap. 3. Although ye dissemble with me and how craftily so euer ye couer you before me yet are neuerthelesse all the counsels and falshoods of your hearts manifest before mee and so much the more naked and bare before the eyes of my heart and spitite If these words do not proue H. N. to be a wicked deceiuer let the indifferent Reader iudge He affirmeth that the secretes of our hearts are knowen vnto him which knowledge perteineth only vnto the Lord our God For he is witnessed by the holy scripture to be the searcher of the hearte and reignes of man. Thus how H. N. teacheth his family that he is Godded with God I haue described the rather because it is one of y chéef mysteries secrets of their schoole which verie fewe do vnderstand except the illuminate Elders who also are Deified or Godded till they doe growe vnto the manly oldenesse in the loue as they vse to speake These blasphemies doe require a longer discourse then my simplicitie is able to atteine vnto but I hope Almightie GOD will rayse vppe vnto his Churche some good man who will take some paines learnedly to confute this horrible doctrine In the mean season these briefes I haue set downe mindinge to let some of the Family sée the vanitie of their Authourand his doctrine howe contrarie to the Scriptures of God they be In the Booke of H. N. intituled EuangeÌ„lium Regni The Gospell of the kingdome which is a title that none of Gods children durst euer giue vnto any of their Bookes and in déede it is another Gospell then that which is conteined in the Newe Testament of our Sauiour Christe How â–ª H. N. aduaimceth the Pope and his Cardinals doeth manâ—â—estly appeare in the 13. Chapter of the same Booke â–ª The Apostle Paule did arme Gods children a forehand to beware of suche as should bring vnto vs another gospel yea although he were an Angell it is also â—â—â—â—ifled that our aduersarie doeth transforme himselfe into an Angell of light to deceiue Gods childreÌ„ if it were possible â–ª Euen so H. N. in all his writinges how doth he transforme himself to be deified with God God in him to be Hominified Which in plain 〈◊〉 are y he is made euen as God God in him is become man â–ª which is hortiâ—â—e blasphemie For we haue the spirite of God by participation and not Deified For that belonged to Christ our Lorde who as S. Paule witnesseth thought it no robberie to be equal with god No man would suppose that in this great light where Christ Iesus and his glorious Gospell doth shine that such dotinges and dreames of men possessed with a fantasticall spirite could take any déepe roote in the heartes of men but alas we sée y there is no errour bee it neuer so absurd senselesse y hath not many fauourers this hath the more for that the Authour H. N. teacheth that an outwarde shewe of a holie life doth chéefely please God when as without faith our life and works are impietie and wickednesse and you shal neuer in all the writings of H. N. that I haue read heare him aduance or once speake of our faith in Christ Iesus but he doth raunge from matter to matter in his writings so obscurely and darkly that he thinketh neuer to be espied what his scope of doctrine is which in déed is not so plainly set forth in his smal treatises as they are in a booke intituled SpeculuÌ„ iustitiae The glasse of righteousnesse vnto which booke the authour doth still referre his reader to be fully certified of which booke they make suche bragges that all the world is not able to control the doctrine contained in the same and still their Elders do beare their pupils in hande that the booke shall be published From day to day great collections haue bene made and sent into Flanders there aboute but hitherto all in vaine Yet I haue talked with some of the Familie that hath read certain fragments of the same booke and they say no man can resist the spirite which the authour doth shewe foorth in that booke They thinke it is long lacking but I suppose it will neuer be missing Howe vainely they boast of such bookes is well verified in one of the Familie who speaking vnto a man of
and inherite the peace He threateneth the ministers of God whome he calleth Caynish persecuters and murtherers that they haue falsely iudged his Family He commandeth them to cease from iudging God his matters saying they vnderstand it not He pronounceth the heauie curses of the lawe against them if they repent noâ— Last of all he telleth that the glorious Lordlinesse of GOD shall in him be manifested declared and fulfilled If H. N. do not shew him selfe naked bare in this his pride I report me to the indifferent view of the Family especially such as are not entred into that gulfe that no truth can be taught by any other then by H. N. and his Elders whether these spéeches procéede from the spirite of God or from the spirite of pride and presumtion Let them indifferently iudge and espie the deceipt where it lurketh namely to discredite all the children of God which teach the Gospel of Christe Iesus and to plant his doctrine and teaching in stead thereof and in déede it is the marke he shooteth at but I hope in vain to al y be Gods children What is this but to take away our comfort in Christes death and promises and to be deceiued with the subtilties of a seduced and erronious spirite and to discredite the Gospel that we might depend vppon H. N. and his doctrine O subtile Satan if thou couldest bring this to passe which thou goest about in thy members then haddest thou thy desire to set vp thy selfe and tread downe the bloud and death of the Lambe of God which hath taken away the sinnes of the worlde But our God hath promised to kéepe vs his children euen as the apple of his eye For as a Father hath compassion on his children so hath the Lord compassion on them that feare him Psalme 103. ver 13. So that Almightie GOD doeth prouide for his childreÌ„s safty from such poisoned infection and suffereth others that willingly will wander out of the plaine wayes of Christ which the Scriptures of God doe point vnto them Of all the errours that euer the diuell did sowe to disturbe the Church of Christ none is more subtile then this y no trueth can be taught by any other then by H. N. and his Illuminate Elders it is false seducing deceiuing what any other do teache Alas why should mortal man be thus lifted vp and take vpon him Christ his office calling for this prerogatiue onely hath Christ Iesus and none other to teache all truth for it is one of his speciall titles I am trueth Whither doth H. N. thrust himselfe by this proud challenge y al truth is only taught by him and his and caÌ„ not be taught by any other sure into Christ his seat office but with Lucifer the Prince of pride he shal be thrown down headlong all such as in their puffed mindes doe exalte themselues aboue their state and condition For of all vice and sinne whiche man doth commit none is more odious in God his sight then pride especially the pride of the minde in the highest degrée as this is to place a vile man in Christ Iesus his office and calling Into suche errours doe they runne whiche content not them selues with the manifest and plaine testimonies of God to vs reuealed in his worde but curiously séeke for nouelties at the hands of mortall men yea vile men and of the worst condition and yet so close they sticke vnto this heresie by the persuasion aforesaide that no trueth can be taught but by H. N. that I feare me the disease is incurable â–ª except the Lord in mercie open their eyes that they may â—spie at the last into what miserable and vile errours and heresies they are snared which they shall neuer doe so long as they holde that principle aforesaide Yet we of the Lordes housholde will not let to do our dueties to admonishe you and shew you the greatnesse and daunger of your backslydinges in charitable manner And although this simple admonition will little preuaile to stirr vp your minds to acknowledge with vs the trueth of Christ Iesus his Gospell yet knowe this vndoubtedly that almighty God hath in his Church men of zealous minds that will not sée Christes glorie so defaced and his Gospel so despised but will in learned manner write against your Family and are able to declare your errours whiche my vnlearned head is not able to bring to passe Although thys will not moue your mindes yet my conscience is quieted in that I haue done my best for your conuersion and discharged my duetie which I owe vnto the Churche of Christ as a member thereof to open and detecte your leaders and teachers which abuse your simplicitie without measure and instruct you that conference is not good that you may professe the doctrin of Henrie Nicholas inwardly and be subiect to the doctrine of the Gospell outwardly whiche in plaine spéech is to dissemble with GOD. For you are obedient to such doctrine as is taught you communicate with vs in Christes sacramentes you heare our teachers expound the scriptures and yet you credite and beléeue onely H. N. and his doctrine taught by Vittell Is not this plaine hypocrisie will God be thus mocked If God be God followe him If Baal be he follow him In Gods trueth we must be of a single minde without halting hypocrites and dissemblers he vtterly abhorreth If Christes Gospell be a trueth as the diuels were driuen to confesse then assuredly H. N. by the same doctrine is manifested to be a lyer and hath not the spirite of God but the spirite of pride in a boasting minde Lift vp your heades and sée in time vnto your health and saluation searche the scripture more diligently and leaue the riddles of H. N. and you shal perceiue more contrariâ—tie in their teaching then I haue expressed you shal rest in the coÌ„fortable promises of Christ our Lord and as for H. N. and his promises what haue we to doe with them let them with their Authour perish in obliuion and be deceiued no more therwith then shall ye féele how swéete the Lorde is and what comfort we haue in Christ Iesus which none can expresse but such as taste thereof féele it working in them selues to immortalitie which comfort is not found in the writinges of any mortall man Knowe this for certaine Lex Domini immaculata conuertens animas The Lawe of the Lorde is a perfect Lawe and conuerteth soules â–ª The lawes preceptes and writings of men are all vnperfecte Why doe ye cleaue vnto H. N. and his Bookes and leaue this perfect lawe of righteousnes which leadeth to life euerlasting If this warning will not serue I shal sorrowe vntil God open your eyes that ye may sée your gréeâ—ous reuolte and into what grinnes and snares of the diuell you are wittingly ledde but my prayer shall not be wanting for you to desire the Lord in mercie for his Christes sake that he will at the last