loueth hee the Darknes And That is the Mans n Iohn â— â— Condemnation / when hee loueth the Darknes / more then the Light It is very â–ª true The XI Chapiter A cleere Demonstration / that the Seruice of the Lawe after the Letter / and the Seruice of Christ after the Fleash / haue both one 〈◊〉 Ministration to the Death of y â— Sinne and that then the new Birth in Iesu Christ after the Spirit / springeth therout IF anye Ministers of the holye Woorde should saye Wee publish the Lawe / and minister and teach thesame / to a Mortifying of the Sinne / and to a Death and Burying of thesame / seeing that thesame Seruice / is the right Priestes-office of the Lawe Or-els if they should saye Wee publish Christ after the Fleash / vnto the Beleeuers of Christ / to an Entraunce â with Christ into a Rom. 6. the lyke Death of his Crosse to-wit / into the Obedience of the Beleef of Christ and to mortifie and burie the Sinne / So is-it both right / and well saide / if the Lawe of the Lorde and his Christ haue a Shape in thesame Minister and it is both one-maner of Seruice / vnto the Beleeuers of y e Woord to a Righteousnes of Life 2. For / to administer Christ after the Fleash / is a Seruice / which also â life-as the Seruice of the Lawe reacheth to b Rom. â— b. the Death of the Sinne and so then fourth / to the Making-aliue of y â— Inward-man of God / in Iesus Christ after the Spirit 3. Therfore saith Peter thus Christ hath suffered for vs / and c 1. Pet. 2. c. left vs such an Example / to th end that wee should followe his Foote-steppes 4. Christ himself saith also Whosoeuer will be my Disciple / let him d Math. 10. 16 Mark. â— Luk. â— 14. forsake himself / and take-vpp his Crosse on him / and followe after mee And That is the right Imitacion of Christ that wee should followe-after him â in the Doctrine of his Requiring obedientlie / euen vnto his e Rom. 6. Death and Burying / and vnto his Resurrection from the Death And This is the Inheriting of the eternall Life / in the heauenlie Beeing / wherin Christ after the Spirit / liueth and triumpheth â with his Father and all his Sainctes perpetuallie 5. Therfore / to th ende that hys Disciples / mought inherit the eternall Life with Him / they must first followe-after Him â in the Fore-going of his Doctrine and Requiring obedientlie / till into his lyke Death / and then euenso out of thesame Death / obtaine the new Birth in Iesu Christ after the Spirit / and inherit the eternall Life 6. For-that-cause / men ought to consider rightlie / on both these Sayinges / of the Lawe and of Christ after the Fleash For in themselues they haue both / one Minde or Sence and leade both to one Entraunce of the Mortifying and Depriuation of all vngodlie Beeing For all that which goeth-before out of God / before the new Birth in Iesu Christ after the Spirit / and hath his Ministration to the true Righteousnes / doth point or direct the Man to the Death and Laying-away of the Sinne in the Fleash And That is it wherof Paule speaketh / saying The Letter f 2. Cor. 3. â— slayeth namelie / the Ministration of the Lawe after the Letter / or the Ministration of Christ after the Fleash And That is nothing-els / but that the Letter / according to the Requiring of the Lawe / and according to the Requiring of Christ / pointeth and leadeth vs g Rom. 6. to the Death of the Sinne / and withdraweth euenso our Mindes and Thoughtes / from all that which is vngodlie· and vayne and consumeable on the Earth / for that wee mought euenso attaine to the euerlasting Vnconsumeablenes / in the eternall Life / wherin all Vnderstandinges of pure Heartes do liue and dwell 7. BEholde / in such-sort and to such a Fulfilling of the Lawe and the Propheates / is the Seruice of the holie Woorde / in the Letter / with the Letter / and through the Letter For the Ministration of those-same soundeth euenso / and requireth thesame For when-as wee perceaue anything in vs / that tendeth to the Lust of the Sinne / ther-against doth the seruiceable Woord teach vs / to mortifie and burie thatsame for-as-much as the same is his Requiring 8. And when-as wee then do humble ourselues obedientlie / vnder the Lawe or vnder the seruiceable Woord / for to accomplish thesame in his Requiring and to becom euenso â with the Lawe / or with Christ after the Fleash / and with his Faith to Iustification k Rom. 6. implanted into Christ with lyke Death· baptised in his Death· and washed with his Bloud / So cometh-ther then vnto vs / the Spirit of the Lawe / or the Rom. â— b. Making-aliue in Iesuâ— Christ after the Spirit It is very-true The XII Chapiter A cleere Demonstration / that the Man hath not any-Good of himself but receaueth it all of the Lorde and his Grace O Yee goodwilling Heartes to the Seruice of the Loue / suffer-pacientlie and beare-with a Rom. 15. a. Gal. 6. a. 1. Tess. 5. b. each-other in your Weatnes and infourme each-other with the Coadiuuation or Hand-reaching of the seruiceable Woord of the holie Spirit of Loue. And if any-man chaunce to fall / so help-vpp then each-other againe and hee that bydeth standing / let him laude the Lord / for his Strength For y â— Strength â or the Power so much as thesame remayneth with vs / to the Good / is onlie the Lordes / out of his Grace and not out of our-selues 2. for-that-For-that-cause / think or haue alwayes before your Eyes / in your Fourth-going to y â— good Beeing of God / that yee haue receaued all your Lust / Loue / and Stabilitie or Faithfulnes â which yee shewe to the Lorde and his Woord of the Lorde and his Grace 3. For what haue yee â I pray you to serue the Lorde with all / but that yee haue b 1. Par. 19. c. 1. Cor. 4. b. Iam. 1. a. receaued it of the Lorde or the Lorde must first bring thesame vnto you / by his Grace and Mightynes both all that wherwith yee serue your-selues another also 4. Therfore ought the Man alwayes to holde himself â in the Obedience of the seruiceable Woord humble or lowlie of Heart / and also to feare the Lorde continuallie and euenso â in the Feare of the Lorde alwayes to thinke O Lorde How should I out of myself / haue perceaued or knowen my Sinnes / Except that they had ben made-knowen vnto mee / through thy seruiceable Woord / and that it were graunted mee to perceaue them by thy Grace and that thou euenso â through thy Power or Mightynes releasedst mee therfrom For if I â O Lorde haue any Loue to thee
obedientlie thervnto / haue their communion with Christ after the Fleash 5. For euenso / among the Beleeuers of the Woorde / the Woorde became Fleash / and h Iohn 1. b. dwelled among them and Iesus Christ was also in such-sort borne vnto them of the Virgin Marie / out of the i Rom. 1. â— 2. Tim. 2. b. Seede of Dauid after the Fleash that is / of the pure Doctrine / out of the Seede of the Loue. which beareth euenso without woo or greef And whosoeuer then receaueth or feedeth-of the outflowen Woord and his Life â beleeuinglie in his Soule / Hee k Iohn 6. eateth trulie the Fleash of Christ drinketh his Bloud and is raysed-vp by Christ / in the last Day / to the eternall Life and becometh euenso in his new Birth / consubstanciated with Christ after the Spirit And Those that l Iohn 3. c. 6. f beleeue euen-so in Christ / haue the eternall Life 6. IF wee now â with whole Heart beleeue thus in Christ and becom m Rom. 6. implanted into Him / so feele wee then also most-trulie / that ChristØ›the Woorde of Life n 1. Pet. 2. d. beareth in vs our Sinnes / and suffereth for our Sinnes cause wherthrough wee also are inclyned for to suffer with Him / and â to the o Rom. 6. a. Col. 2. b. Burying of our Sinnes to follow-after Him / euen vnto his Buryall and so wee becom Part-takers of the Passion of Christ as also after thesame / of his p Phil. 3. b. Resurrection euerlasting Life 7. In such-sort verelie / wee knowe or vnderstand in the Beleef and Obedience of the Woord / how that the Woord or Christ / q Iohn 1. c. beareth our Sinnes / together with all our Frailtie and Ignoraunce and how that likewise for that cause / the Elders in thesame Woord / take-vpp in Grace or Mercie / all the Sinnes / Weaknes / and Ignoraunce of the Beleeuers of the Woord / and couer thesame with their Loue / vnder the Obedience of the same Woorde and his Doctrine For in such-sort do the Elders and Ministers of the Woord â in their Seruice prepare and kindle the trespas r Ier. 33. â— Offeriâ—g of the Beleeuers of the Woorde / on the Altar in the Holie of Christ â ether Beleef of the Woord to a Burnt-offering of a sweete Sauour / before the Lorde 8. And the Accomplishing of thesame Offering / is the Puriâ—ying of our Heartes / from all sinfull Beeing And thatsame is the true Gods-seruice in the Spirit / wherin wee s 1. Pet. 2. 4. â— followe-after Christ in the like Passion t Rom. 6. a. or Death of his Crosse that is / in his like Contempt or Dispising the which is the true Furnace of Humiliation / wherthrough our Sinnes are consumed-to-nothing 9. When now the Seruice of the Woord and the Obedience of thesame / hath had in such-sort â in the Beleef Crosse of Christ his full Course with vs / so departeth then the v 2. Cor. 3. d. Heb. 10. d. Vayle â which is the Fleash of Christ from our Heartes and Christ after the Spirit / cometh vnto vs in Glorie And Hee is â euen as the right High-priest a x Heb. 3. 4. 7. Minister of the spirituall and heauenlie Goods / in vs and wee inherit euenso all thosesame / through Iesus Christ after the Spirit 10. But till vnto thesame Tyme of the Coming of Christ after the Spirit / in his Glorie / so is vnto vs Christ after the Fleash / a Minister of the Circumcision â that is / in the Laying-away of the Synne for Gods Trueth-his cause / and for to establish y Rom. 15. b. the Promises made to the Fathers / and so to procreate in vs â out of the Beleef the euerlasâ—ing and true Heyre / in the Establishing of the Promises of God the Father and also-for that the Seruantship of the Lawe / should be no a Gal. 3. c. Heyre with the Beleeuers 11. And That was the Complaint of Abraham which hee â ereuer hee had a Sonne or an Heyre complayned before the Lorde / that hee had obtayned no b Gen. 15. a. Seede out of the Beleef / and supposed euenso / that his Seruant that is / the Seruantship out of the Lawe should be his Heyre But the Lorde said vnto him Not so / thy Seruant shall not be thyne Heyre but the Sonne which shall be borne out of thee That is / out of the Faith of Abraham 12. But so-long as the Heyre is yeat c â—al 4. a. younge / or first new borne by the Beleeuers of the Woord / and that also the Beleeuers are yeat younge or small in the heauenlie Vnderstanding / by Him and euenso â as goodwilling Seruantes to the Obedience of their Lorde haue a Lust â according to the Requiring of the seruiceable Woord to doo the Will of the Lorde / So is-ther not any difference made / betwixt the Heyre and the Seruant but they stand both-alike vnder the Seruices of the gratious Woorde of y â— Lorde â as vnder Tutours till vnto the d Gal. 4. â— appointed Time of the Father In such like-sort is it also with all them / which beleeue the gratious Woord in his Seruice of Loue / and haue a Lust â according to the Requiring of the seruiceable Woord to doo the Lord-his Will For as long as the Beleeuers of the Woord / are yeat younge or childish in the Procreation of the Seede of the Promise / that becometh borne in them / out of the Beleef of the Woorde and are not yeat growen-vpp to the e Ephe. 4. b. â—lderdom of the perfect Beeing of the Woord which is the appointed f Gal. 4. a. Time of the Father / ouer all Beleeuers of the Woord so stand they yeat although they beleeue vnder the Ordinaunce of the Lorde or his Woord Not therfore that they should alwayes remaine / as subiect thervnder but vnto the appointed Time / to-wit / til-vnto the manlie Olde-aige in the godlie Vnderstanding of y â— holie Woord / as ther is said That is / till that the Sinnes be subdued and that they euenso â through the Lawe be g Rom. 7. â— Gal. 2. d. dead vnto the Lawe· and taught to the Kingdom of Heauen / and haue attayned â in the Life of the Woord to the appointed Time of the h Ephâ— 4. b. manlie Olde-aige 13. And euenso on the Promise of y â— euerlasting Life â out of the Ministration of the holie gratious Woord vnder the Obedience of the Loue may well all the Beleeuers of y â— Woord â with Ioye / in the Hope of the euerlasting Life geeue-ouer themselues whollie in the i Rom. â— Death of Christ and so let themselues be baptised or wasshed â with the out-flowing safe-making Waters of Christ in the Death of Christ For euenso â in thesame Death
owne Mindes and bydeth neuerthelesse in Captiuitie or Bondship 12. When-as wee now see-into all this / according to the Trueth / so ought wee onlie to seeke after the vpright n Iohn â— c. Freedom of the Children of God / which is required out of the Woord of the Lorde And when wee then â at any time perceaue / that wee are not â according to the Requiring of the Lord-his Woord rightlie made-free / but rest yeat bound or owned / on our Mindes or Opinions / So shall wee not then seeke any other thing ther-against / but to becom Seruantes or Ministers of the Lorde / for to serue the Lorde / and to be altogether obedient / to the Requiring of his gracious Woorde and Seruice of Loue. 13. If wee then becom in such-sort o Rom. 6. b. Seruantes or Ministers of the Lorde / so shall the Lorde likewise â in the p Iohn 8. d. Obedience of the Requiring of his Woord bring vnto vs the vpright Freedom of the Children of God Therfore ought wee not to hunt-after any Freedom / according to our owne Mindes but first to applie vs dilligentli â / to the Woorke of the Lorde / and to shewe Obedience vnto the Requiring of his Woord / for to becom euenso Seruantes of the Lorde and not to seeke els-what in the Seruice of his Woord / but to humble vs with whole Heart / vnder the Requiring of his Woorde 14. When wee then are thus the Lord-his Seruantes / so shall the Lorde also â in thesame good-willing Obedience to the Doctrine of his Woord reueale or declare the Trueth of his Christ vnto vs and thesame q Iohn â— Trueth shall make vs rightlie free / and release vs out of all Bondshipping In such-sort / that wee shall then sett ourselues / with all That which is the Lordes â as submitted vnder the Lorde· and vnder the Seruice of his holie Woorde of the godlie Loue / for to liue euenso with all the Children of God and Christ / in the vpright godlie Freedom / and to serue onlie the liuing God / in r Luk. 1. â— vpright Righteousnes and Holynes The VI. Chapiter A cleere Distinction / betweene the Heauenlie and the Earthlie and how that the Immortall / is becom mortall and how it shall putt-on the Immortalitie againe NOman ascendeth vnto Heauen / but hee which a Iohn â— b. Ephe. 4. a. cometh or descendeth from Heauen The which figureth-fourth vnto vs in Cleernes / that the earthlie Fleash and Bloud / cannot ascend to Heauen / in-as-much as it is not of the Heauen / but of the Earth But the holie Beeing of God / which God the Father â out of his holie Heauen hath grounded or setâ— â from the Begining in the Manhod / and is in vs â for our Sinnes cause becom mortall / hath the sure Promises / to risevpp againe in immortall Glorie and that thesame shall reach / from the Man on the Earth / eauen vnto God / in the Heauen / for to make-knowen â out of the Heauen vnto the Man / on the Earth / the heauenlie Goods / and to bring thesame vnto him / out of the Heauen / and therto / the eternall Life 2. And That is it wherof Paule hath also witnessed in tymes-past / wher hee sayth b 1. Cor. 15. f. When the Mortall hath putt-on the Immortalitie / then shall the Death be destroyed in Victorie 3. Verelie / the Mortall â wherof Paule witnesseth is not any Creature of the earthlie Fleash and Bloud but it is the liuing Woord or Beeing of God / which in c Gen. 1. the Begining / was immortall in the Manhod / and is in vs â for our Sinnes cause becom mortall For thatsame â so-long as the Sinne hath the Victorie in vs is in vs / as One dead And although it beareth our Sinnes / and purgeth or maketh vs safe from the Sinne / yet haue wee not so d Esa. 53. b. Act. 8. c. esteemed it but accounted it as if it were nothing The which wee may also right easelie perceaue euenso in vs / so longe as we rest subiect to the Sinne. For if yee seeke in your inward sinfull Manhod / the good and heauenlie Beeing of God / and y e vpright Vertue and Righteousnes / so finde yee not thesame e Rom. 7. c. liuing in you but rather f Gen. 6. c. all Iniquitie / and all wicked Inclinations 4. When wee then see-into thissame / so must wee needes acknowledg / that the heauenlie Beeing of God· and God-his vpright Righteousnes / is becom mortall in vs but yet not for-euer / but for a certen season / till that the Man shew-fourth vpright Frutes g Math. â— Luk. â— of Repentaunce / against his Sinnes and sinfull Lustes / and that God euenso raise-vpp his godlie Beeing / in the Man / and that his Glorie becom great eauen vnto the Heauen 5. Yea / euen than at thesame tyme / shall the Mortall putt-on againe the Immortalitie / and the Death h Esa. 25. b. 1. Cor. 15. c. shall be swallowed-vpp / in Victorie And thatsame heauenlie Beeing of God / shall ascend vnto Heauen / and yet notwithstanding remaine still conformeablie-vnyted with the Man / euenlike as it came from Heauen and the Man shall then likewise bide euerlastinglie / one Soule and one Bodie with thesame / and be alwayes with his Spirit / wher God and his Christ is It is very-true 6. OH / That the Man vnderstoode the vpright Glorie / whervnto hee is i Gen. 1. c. Sap. 1. 2. c. Eccli 17. a. created by God / and also called through Christ so should then all earthlie Thinges be esteemed of him for no worthyer / then if they were Durt Yea / although the whole Earth â eauen vnto the Heauen were couered with Golde / yet were it all no-more / to be compared to the godlie Beeing and his vpright Righteousnes / then an Handfull of Chaffe / to a great Heape of good Wheate 7. Beholde / this costlie heauenlie k 1. Cor. 4. a. Treasure / is hid in the Man / and becometh presentlie raysed-vpp in the Man / in the Obedience of the Seruice of Loue. Thesame becometh now likewise â out of the Seruice of Loue distinctlie declared and expressed among Many and yet how Fewe are-ther that rightlie meditate or seeke-after thesame 8. OH â alas How exceedinglie doth the Man oftentymes afflict himself with sorrowe / for a little Losse of the earthlie thinges / and lameÌ„teth thesame Damaige al-to-much which notwithstanding is no-more worthye / to be compared to the Damaige of the vpright Righteousnes and heauenlie Goods / then the Losse of an Handfull of Chaffe / to the Losse of an hundred Quarters of Wheate But for the most-great Losse â as that hee misseth / and findeth not in him / the vpright Righteousnes· the liuing Woorde of God the Father· and the Mercifulnes of the
be subdued and vtterlie-destroyed / That wee may then euenso bring vnto the Lorde / a Ioyful-offering· and liue with the Lorde euerlastinglie The XV. Chapiter â—her is demaunded / Who be the right Disciples of the Wâ—ord / and after what sort then stand also at what time / that anyone is a right Disciple of the Woord And thervnto is answered by HN and certen Instructions are declared theron / liâ—e as heer-after followeth VErelie / ther are very Fewe / that are right Disciples of the Woord For I say vnto you trulie / that they are not all Disciples of the Woord / which heare the Testimonies of the Woord / nor which reade thesame / and speake therof Nether-yet also com they all into the Schoole of the Loue of Iesu Christ wherin they ought whollie to geeue-ouer themselues / vnto the Woord and his Seruice of Loue for to be instructed by their Elder and Minister of the Woord / to the Requiring and Accomplishing of the Woord· and taught to the Kingdom of Heauen / which speake much good of the Woord As that the Woord and his Doctrine / is right / and that-men are directed and infourmed by thesame / to the Life of Righteousnes But Those which through the Ministration of the Woorde and his Seruice of Loue / are touched â by y â— Lordes Grace in their Inwardnes and to whom it is likewise graunted to see-into or to knowe their Sinnes and their Estraunging from God and his Christ and which also then a Math. 3. Luk. 3. beare-sorrowe for their Sinnes / confesse thesame before their Elder in the holye Vnderstanding / and whollie geeue-ouer themselues â for to be obedient vnto the Doctrine of the Woord and Seruice of Loue and euenso vtterly b 2. Cor. 6. c. depart out of all that which they â in their olde and corrupted Vnderstanding haue liued-in / and seperate themselues therfrom / for c 1. Cor. 4. d. Phil. 3. c. to insue â with all their Heart and Minde the Doctrine of the Woord / and the Ministers of thesame / obedientlie / and that they mought be d Iam. 1. c. Fulfillers of the Woord / and not Hearers alone and so then to perseuer firme therin / till vnto the new e Iohn 3. a. Birth in Iesu Christ which is in vs the Fulfilling of the Woorde· and the vpright Life itself 2. BEholde / Those or Such â which so geeue-ouer themselues whollie / to the Requiring of the gracious Woord / and are admitted thervnto / by their Elder in y â— holie Vnderstanding / and Minister of the gracious Woorde / and perseuer firmlie therin are verely the right Disciples of the Woord and looke-into the Woord a-right / according to his Excellencie And therfore seeing that y â— gracious Woord of the Lorde / is the most-best and worthyest Good they loue thesame aboue all what is on the Earth / or that cleaueth vnto them 3. For verelie / thesame Woorde / which is This-daye administred â through the holie Spirit of the Loue of Iesu Christ vnto vs / and set-fourth out of the Seruice of Loue / is well worthy to be loued / aboue all what is vpon the Earth / as also for the loves-loues-cause therof / to f Luk. 14. d. forsake all that is vpon the Earth For it is the true Christ which was preached in times-past vnto the World / to Repentaunce / and to a Safe-making of them from their Sinnes / as also to a tocoming righteous Iudge and which is also presentlie com vnto vs â to a Fulfilling of the former Preaching out of Heauen / from y â— Right-hand of God his Father / for to iudg g Act. 10. c. 2. Tim. 4. â— 1. Pet. 4. b. ouer Liuing and Dead / and h Act. 3. to restore it all / what God hath spoken â through the Mouth of his holie Propheates from the Begining of the World hetherto / euen-as ther is writen therof 4. Where now this Woord hath his Incorporating / and floweth-fourth againe seruiceablie from thesame / therin hath Christ his i Gal. 4. c. Shape / liuinglie and the perfect Godhead / in thesame Christ. Out of whom / the Ministration of the Woord cometh vprightlie to passe and they witnes in their Ministration / the appeered Grace that cometh vnto all repentant Sinners / in the Obedience of the Woord / together with the Declaring of the spirituall and heauenlie Goods / which they inherit in the euerlasting Life And That is the Daye which God k Act. 17. â— hath appointed / for to iudg in thesame / the Compasse of the Earth with Righteousnes / through his Woord / in whom / Hee hath concluded his Iudgment 5. So many now as ther are / which heare the Testimonies of the Woord / and to whom ther is graunted through the Ministration of those-same / to see-into their Estraunging from Christ and whose Sinnes are made-knowen vnto them / Among those verely / the l Tiâ— 2. b. Grace of the Lorde is appeered and they are euenso stirred-vp through the Woord / to m Act. 2. f. adioyne themselues to the Minister of the Woord / for to be instructed â by him out of the Woord / through the Woord / and in the Woord / to the vpright Frutes of n Math. 3. Luk. â— Repentaunce· taught to the Kingdom of the God of Heauen· and made Heyres in the spirituall and heauenlie Goods 6. But Those to whom the Grace of the Lorde / is in such-sort as ther is saide appeered / and yet will not make-manifest themselues before their Elder in the holie Vnderstanding / and Minister of the gracious Woord / nor shewe any Sorrowe before him / for their Sinnes nor-yet make any Confession therof / for to becom instructed â as Disciples of the Woorde to the right Frutes of Repentaunce but chuse or take-on a Life vnto themselues / according to the Goodthinking of their Knowledg and so knowe then â out of their Knowledg how to prate much of the Woord and Life Verelie / Those that so followe their Goodthinking / are no Disciples of the Woord / nether-yet do they followe the Doctrine of the Ministers of the Woord But they themselues take-on the Foregoing / with their Knowledg and Goodthinking / before the Woord / and wrest and interpret the Woord / according to their Heartes o Deu. 12. â— Goodthinking / and not according to the Requiring of thesame 7. For in dooing so / they followe not the Requiring of the Woord / nor the Doctrine of the Eldest in the Seruice of the Woord and of his Loue but they exalt themselues aboue the Woord and his Seruice and euenso presume to set-vp themselues / to Iudges of the Woord / and to Aduersaries or Invayers against the Ministers of thesame And lay or shutt-vp the Grace of the Lorde â which is appeered vnto them to Repentaunce in their Prison or Subiection / and kill