THE DISplaying of an horrible secte of grosse and wicked Heretiques naming themselues the Family of Loue with the liues of their Authours and what doctrine they teach in corners Newly set foorth by I. R. Wherevnto is added certeine letters sent from the same Family mainteyning their opinions which Letters are aunswered by the same J. R. IMPRINTED AT London for George Bishop 1579. ¶ The Preface of the Authour to the Reader WHEN I began to write of this doctrine of the Familie of Loue I minded in deed to haue sent it to a friende of mine which is entered into that errour and so to haue made it as a priuate matter betweene vs But when I had shewed the same to certeine of my friendes to haue their iudgement in certeine pointes their importunate suite was that this small treatise might be published in print which request I was loth to grant for diuers causes The chiefe whereof was that Bookes whiche are set foorth vnto the eyes of all the world had need to be circumspectly and diligently examined before thei be made as á glasse for all men to looke vpon For when as there are many beholders there are also many fault finders And in this simple work there are many faultes through ignorance and want of skill committed which I coÌ„fesse not to be done of malice or negligence but in trueth my simple vnlearned capacitie could doe no better The faults are these The rough and harsh stile being rudely and without any good methode set downe because I want the help of those artes which comly aptly couch sentences together whereby the Reader might take the more delectatioÌ„ in reading and perusing of books The order shoud haue bene amended if time would haue suffred but since it is otherwise I beseech thee accept my good will. If any of the familie carpe at this booke because of the rudenesse thereof let them answer it and a reply will speedily be perfourmed wherin their expectation shal be satisfied I dout not by men of godly knowledge and learning In the meane time I wil declare the cause that made me more willing to satisfie my friendes request There are many diligent godly teachers whiche in places conuenient do inuey impugne the doctrine of y Family of Loue yet are not throughly acquainted therwith whereby many in the same family take occasion to exclame against them as slaunderers of their doctrine many also of Gods children hearing the Family of loue spoken against are desirous to know what opinions and doctrine they hold professe Therefore I thought it my dutie which I owe vnto Christes Church as a member thereof to vtter and make manifest vnto all persons what I know touching the Authours and doctrine of the same family And seeing that wee liue amongst so many enimies of Christs Gospell which obiect against vs varietie in opinions it is very requisite that euerie member in Christes Church put too his helping hand to cleanse and purge the Church from such errours and false doctrine as through the malice of Satan daily creepeth in For if we hearing Christe Iesus his death and passion which is our only comfort blemished and darkned by the subtile fetches and persuasions of erronious and wicked men possessed with fantasticall spirites shall not be moued with zeale howe appeareth any loue of God or Christ Iesus in vs or where is become the fruites that should shew a iustifying faith Many that are at case liue securely thinke that this errour will of it selfe vanish decay without stir or gainsaying which saying bewraieth too much their want of y true feare loue of god For if we shall daily heare but our friend euill spoken of and bee still and silent â—hereat what loue or friendship appeareth in vs How much more ought we to bee zealously affected when the glorie of our GOD and the office of Christe Iesus our Lord shal be shadowed and impaired wee sleeping securely without touch or motioÌ„ of true zeale or loue And if we looke into the daily increase of this errour we shall then behold our slouth negligence For in many shires of this our countrie there are meetings conuenticles of this familie of loue and into what number they are grown my heart reweth to speake that which one of the same societie did auouch to me for trueth Therfore it is time to withstand their impious opinions and euerie one according to his charge and office in the Church of Christ to purge and cleanse the same from the dregges and blasphemies of H. N. and his familie And although many errours much false doctrine is taught in the family more then is here expressed which to touch al would require a longer discouerie and a more learned author yet I haue set down for a tast or shew some of their doctrine that the children of God may be armed afore hande and take heede of such impious blasphemies as H. N. teacheth Many Bokes are abrode which I haue not seene and many I haue seene which I could not haue the vse off to reade For except one will be pliant to their doctrine and shew good will thereto he shal hardly get any of their bookes no nor they will not conferre nor talke of any points of their doctrine with any except it be to such as they finde inclined and as they tearme it willingly minded thereto And here I protest that what my pen shall vtter either touching the person of H. N. or his doctrine I malice him not nor his familie I rather pittie theÌ„ their case that so many simple people are by his doctrine seduced and deceiued neither will I auouch any thing which I haue not suffient warrant to proue As touching his person and behauiour I haue the testimonie of diuers ancient persons of good credite of the Dutch church who haue bene acquainted with y same H. N. and haue dwelt together in one citie and in one streete being neere neighbours familiar friendes who haue declared and testified the certeintie of his behauiour demeanour And touching his doctrine I haue vsed this order to set downe the authours owne speech not adding or diminishing any thing with the name of the Book Chapter or follio And whereas I haue directed much speech vnto the Familie the cause is this I haue ben familiar with some of them of long time haue had large discourses and conference with many of theÌ„ therfore if my simple speech vttred by pen may do any of them good I haue that I desire And this hath bene an other cause why more willingly I condescended vnto my friendes request And because H. N. and his family haue protested that the trueth hath no where beene taught in the worlde since the Apostles time but now by the family how vaine this their assertion is in it self appeareth For if truth hath ben hid and buried this 1500. yeares where is become Christes promise
slacke You once did abhorre the Pope as Antichrist and nowe doe imbrace an Authour a right chicken of the Church of Rome who hath opened the mysteries of the Masse and euery trifling toy therein at large in his booke intituled A declaration of the Masse Alas brethren is your faith which once you had in the mercifull promises of Christe Iesus come to this that an obscâ—re man whose person you knowe not and whose books you did neuer vnderstand aright hath stopped that liuely fountaine that did once flow in you Assuredly it is the malice of sathan that hath brought this to passe y you being led out of the way into the bypathes of mans deuices might perish in the same But my hope is that as many of you as pertaine vnto our Lord and sauiour Christ Iesus and are members of the holy communion of Saints shall at the last be brought to sée howe déepe you are fallen and how sore ye haue ben wounded eueÌ„ to death by that deceiuer Christopher Vittell a man borne as it were of purpose for that intent whose erronious spirit the Church of God hath tasted many ways And marke this thing well that man that once is entred into heresies not wel reclaynied is subiect to manifold temptatioÌ„s of our enimie which is well proued in your instructer Vittel who teaching the monstruous opinion of Arrius many yeares together now is possessed with infinite moe errours and is the childe of destruction tenne folde worse then before It is a wonder to sée that men hauing once knowne Christ Iesus do now notwithstanding denie the effect of his office which the doctrine of Henrie Nicholas doth in many pointes and yet is beléeued and imbraced very gréedily of you yea aboue measure It should appear that Christ was not surely fixed in your mindes for if he had no blast of H. N. Vittell nor any could haue separated you from the loue of Christ Iesus Such wandering errours are they subiect vnto that perfectly doe not imbrace our Lord Christ according to his promises manifested and declared in his worde but féede themselues with fantasies and deuices of men yea such men as neuer lerned Christ Iesus truly Such are verified in the scripture Exiére à nobis sed â—on erant de nobis They went out froÌ„ vs but they were not of vs. Euery errour that hath bene in the worlde hath had some patrones and defenders learned and skilfull men in science and arte but this errour of the Familâ—e hath neither Authour nor disciple which are indued with true knowledge or learning For H. N. doth despise such as bring foorth any doctrine out of the learnednesse of the Scripture he saith it is all seducing and lyes that such doe preach or teach yea and it is further auouched by H. N. that none of vs in the Church of God â—an teach the truth of Christ Iesus but only he and such Illuminate Elders as are brought vp in his Familie But as I haue before procéeded it is â—â—uenient that their Authour speak himselfe that the Familie may iudge that I deale indifferently His wordes be these In the prophesie Chap. 8. verse 6. Strangers which walke not with the Familie of Loue or deale falsly therwith tast not of the louely beeing for earthly are all their mindes and thoughtes The Scripturely learned man hath no knowledge of Gods matters hee can not vnderstand any tittle much lesse expounde or interprete the same to others All Scripture appeare to such couered secret in signes and parables neither comprehende they what the same according to the trueth is It is giuen onely to the Familie of Loue to vnderstande the sesecretes thereof Hereby it is manifest that H. N. doeth signifie vnto his Familie that none can speak the truth but he his Elders nor none can vnderstande the scripture but they Upon this persuasion it coÌ„meth to passe y few or none in the Familie doth credite or beléeue any other that teach except H. N. or his Elders How pernitious this matter is if you credite his speach shal appeare And if truth be tied except he be sent If H. N. can proue vnto vs that he is sent of God as he boasteth then he is to be credited but we haue shewed that his voyces are not the voyce of God reuealed to vs by Christe Iesus but méere contrarie therefore by no meanes to be credited For none that is sent by God will teach any doctrine contrarie to that whiche is reuealed in the scripture For we are not to beléeue him although he be an Angel from heauen For H. N. teacheth not Christ but himself extolling him selfe his doctrine and his wisdome which is a token and marke that he is not led by the spirite of God but is puffed vp with the arrogant pride of his minde in boasting maner whiche Gods children did neuer follow For the holie spirite doeth promise to dwell in the man that hath a lowly and humble heart and not in the proud and arrogant person that boasteth himselfe The spirit of God is neuer boasting but in humilitie méekenesse and patience doth set foorth the glory of God christ And because we may better take a â—â—ll vewe of H. N. and his spirite I will set downe his owne words wherby it may be the better discerned of what spirit he is His wordes are these In the preface to his crying voyce Although our cause for a time bee condemned and dispised yet the iust and vpright vnderstanding ones doe prayse and commende our godlie wisedome In the first exhortation Chapter 16. My children and you Familie of Loue giue â—are to me your father liue according to my doctrine that it may goe wel with you take heede to my doctrine and what I doe set foorth and teach that it may be a seale of life a witnes of truth in our heartes For it is your life Eodem libro capitulo If you humble your selues vnto the schoole of grace wherevnto you are called by me H. N. in the house of life and forsake your ignorant knowledge and good thinking then shall yee liue and inherite the peace In the Prophesie Chapter 4. O Ye Caynish ceremonie ministers and ye persecuters murtherers of the Abellishe vpright heartes ye haue falsely iudged the vpright harts as men worthy to be rooted out of the earth If therefore thou ceasse not from thy wicked workes and from thy iudging of God his matters whiche doubtlesse thou vnderstandest not therefore iudgest falsely if thou repent not all the curses of the Lawe shall be executed against thee In the last time the glorious Lordlinesse of the Lorde God shall in vs become manifested and declared in vs fulfilled Here mayst thou discerne H. N. and his boasting spirite howe he commendeth his godly wisedome then how he extolleth his doctrine saying that his doctrine is their life then he promiseth that his Family shall if they giue eare vnto him and his doctrine liue
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
Diuers men haue diuers heartes that is Gods woorke to reuenge or redresse the same according to his owne will and pleasure and not to mans To the which kingdome the Lorde bring vs all for his sonne our Lorde Iesus Christes sake Amen Dat. decimo quinto die Decembris An. Domi. 1578. Per me E. R. The aunswere of I. R. to the letter of the Familie of loue written by E. R. I Receiued a letter from you touching my booke wherein you séeme to bée offended for diuers matters For aunswere wherof I refer your in many thinges to my letter sent ad amatorem charitatis You say that I take vp weapon to fight with a naked childe and so sporte your selfe in amplifying the example of Dauid and Goliath but to any article of doctrin which I haue charged you with all there is no mention It were conuenient that you would proue vnto vs such points of doctrine as you hold contrary to vs and not to dally in friuolus and néedelesse matter I haue saide that your author H. N. doth not speake nor write by the spirite of God that your illumined elders are not without sinne that the lawe of God is not possible to be kept c. Unto these matters you aunswere nothing but blott much paper in néedeles probations You giue vs a note that wher the spirite of enuy pride contention crueltie murther c is there is the diuell and not god If I should nowe inlarge this matter and put it ouer vnto you you would thinke me vncharitable For I graunt it to be true and the holy scripture is our grounde our lyne our square without any mans mixture and if H. N. had neuer writ the scriptures are sufficient to vs and the church of Christ hath tasted sufficiently his mercy without him and you had béene in much better case if he had neuer beene borne For alas what doctrine do you hold but that which many heretikes haue helde and haue béene condempned by the Church for the same It is not Christianlike that one man should persecute an other for conscience sake you say but doth it followe that heresies and blasphemyes may be mainteined and no man manifest the same Let vs leaue wrangling and come to the trueth if you holde a truth as I haue often saide why is it hidden and kept secrete If we be in error why do you not through loue charitie manifest the same plainly vnto vs your authors darke and ranging stile which you estéeme misticall doth not sufficiently declare any false doctrine we teach If you striue for a godly and regenerate life certeinly we will with our whole hearts ioyne with you For we acknowledge y our bare confession of Christ with our mouthes is not sufficient Not euery one that saith Lorde Lord c. Yet may the diuell vnder the outwarde cloke of holynesse nourish in our harts many false suggestions there fore the Godly euermore haue had an eye to sathans deceite and in humilitie of spirite haue still bewayled the greatnesse of their sinnes and acknowledged the same which H. N. doth not in any bookes that I haue reade For many standing vppon the securitie of kéeping Gods lawes haue vtterly deceiued themselues The Pharisies boasted of their holynesse and the obseruation of the lawe but Christ reproued them as ypocrits the Manachits the Donatists the Marcionits the Montanists c haue outwardly sought and prescribed to them selues straict rules and seuere obseruances of pietie but yet mainteyned vnder the same blasphemous doctrine and euery heresie set out their holynesse commended their patrons as men hauing the spirit of God mightely working with power And doe not you in like sort affirme H. N. to haue the spirite of God and to haue published his doctrine with much more power then any in these latter dayes Let vs not striue for vaine glory heaping applications of holy scripture without conclusion and so farre from the purpose Let vs content our selues with the glorious name to be called christians and let this tearme Family of Loue goe as a new deuised thing without warrant in holy scripture The householde of faith is mencioned of but not loue Touching this point of doctrine of the possiblitie of kéeping the commaundements I knowe those places of scripture very well and what God requireth but our weakenesse in performing the same appeareth Gen. 6. chapter verse 5. Iob. 25. chapt 5. vers 4. Romanes 4. chapter 20 verse but I delight not in many cotations but how to purpose the holy scriptures are applyed therefore onely I will giue you to consider two places the one of saint Paule in 11. Romaines 32. verse For God hath shutte vp all in vnbeliefe that he might haue mercie on all Galathians 3. chapt verse 22. but the scripture hath concluded all vnder sinne that the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ should be giuen to them that belieue But before faith came we were vnder the lawe vntill the faith shoulde after be reuealed Wherefore y lawe was our schoolemaister to bring vs to Christ that we might be made righteous by faith but after that faith is come we are no longer vnder a schoolemaister I pray you note howe the holy Ghoste teacheth vs not to trust in the perfourmaunce of the lawe For it is such a burthen as wenor our fathers were euer able to beare but includeth vs vnder sinne and the curse of the lawe that the blessinges which by Christes death we obteine through faith we might notably become heires by promise and not by the lawe The Lawe therefore doeth shewe our weakenesse and sendeth vs to Christe who fulfilled it for vs and all his obedience and righteousnesse is ours by imputation we by grace through faith are made heires and not by the déedes of the law yet we reiect it not but with reuerence and feare indeuour our selues to perfourme in euerie pointe what it requireth but still we féele our weakenesse in perfourming the same and therefore flée vnto Christe Iesus in whome we finde rest to our conscience confessing our vnablenesse and infirmitie finding in him strength and habilitie whiche still by faith we apply to our troubled mindes when the iustice of God or the lawe doth by any meanes threaten vs And this is our anchor hold of faith manifested to vs by the scriptures of God to our euerlasting comforte We are taught to say when wee haue done our best Luk. 17. That we are vnprofitable seruaunts Christ is said Act. 13. vers 3. to deliuer vs from all thinges which we could not be iustified by the lawe of Moyses By him euery one that beléeueth is iustified for if saluatiō come by the law Christe died in vaine For it standeth not with the glorie of Christ Iesus that any such perfection shoulde be giuen vs to kéepe the lawe For if by our infirmitie the strength of Christe be made perfecte Cor. Chap. 12. so contrary wise by our perfection Christes death
that he would be euer with his to the end * of y world â–ª to what purpose haue so many notable men suffered Martyrdome both in the primatiue Church vnder heatheÌ„ Emperors daily do suffer vnder the persecuting and cruell Papists If these haue not suffered for the trueth where shall wee seeke for trueth at thâ— handes of H. N whose doctrine so farre disagreeth from truth as light from darknesse This is a true saying Truth loueth no corners if the doctrine of H. N. be a truth why is it taught in corners Why dare none sâ—ep forth to mainteine the doctrine of H. N. being euery wher spokeÌ„ against why dare none of y Illuâ—inâ—t Elders whiche can not erre nor sinne come before the simple ones in Christes schoole and proue their authours doctrine good by the holy Scripture Their answere is that feare of death doth cause them to bee silent Did Christe or his Apostles so If we perteine vnto Christe Iesus wee must * be like vnto him in suffering that wee may reigne with him beeing called to witnesse the trueth And this is a thing also to be wondred at amongest the Familie that if conference be vrged at their hands they denie it vtterly if disputation be offered they flee from it egerly the reason is their doctrine dareth not abide the light nor the triall of the touchstone If there were nothing else to proue their doctrine false this were sufficient I coulde declare of discentions that are amongst theÌ„ how many of their great Rabbines or Illuminate Elders haue beene plaine Arrians haue recanted at Paules Crosse Also how often they haue altered their opinions as well touching communitie of thinges as diuers other points But because they will lay to my charge that I seeke onely to make them odious to the world I ceasse to speake any further bycause I rest hoping in their conuersion which I beseech the Lorde our God to graunt for his Christes sake There is one other thing which as they affirm moueth them to be silent â–ª because there is no publique Magistrate that will mainteine their doctrine therefore they are constrayned to be still If this be a cause sufficient let the reader iudge Shall a trueth be hidden because no Magistrate will giue it maintenance Certainely if the Apostles had ceassed to preach Christe vntill they had warrant from the Magistrate I thinke many nations had bene yet vnconuerted But I will not let to put them in memorie where they had maintenance of a Magistrate Euen in Munster a citie of Westphalia where Iohn Leyden and Knipper Dolling shewed the fruites and effectes of their doctrine Nothing they taught nor published but that which they affirmed to receiue from God by reuelatioÌ„ What murders â–ª what abhominations they exercised during their reigne and gouernment Iohn Sleydan a man liuing at that time and of good credit hath manifestly published declared And these men were Hollanders and schollers of Dauid George whose disciple your authour H. N. was at that time although now he publish his doctrine in his owne name and saith y he hath receyued the same not by mans ministerie but at y mouth of God whose sound voice he saith he hath heard The Scriptures do teach vs to flie from such men as boast of such vanities that they are taught by reuelation For * Paul when he was conuerted was sent by Christ to Anâ—niâ—s to be instructed * Cornelius was seÌ„t to Peter Almightie God to teach his children vseth always the office ministery of man The Israelits had their Prophets men instructed by God I grant but they had their testimonie of their calling ioyned with their office as a seaâ— badge which was a bold publicatioÌ„ of their message without feare because it was a truth and there was ioyned commonly therewith the working of myracles whiche seales your authour wanteth For neither H. N. nor any that followe that doctrine dare boldly speake what they beleeue * nor render a reason of their faith and hope as the apostle Peter hath written although H. N. calleth himselfe a Prophet and hath intituled a booke called The Prophefie of the spirite of loue in which booke his manifest follie is openly declared as by reading this small treatise thou shalt find The Lord God for his Christes sake open their eies and mollifie their hard and stonie hearts that they may beholde the suttleties conteined in the doctrine of the family and imbrace the ioyfull promises which Christ our Lorde hath set forth to vs in his Gospel and that his Gospel y his Church may be free from such deprauers of Christ Iesus his death and passion so shall we his children reioyce ouer their conuersion and magnifie the name of the Lord our God to whom be praise and dominion now and euer Stephan Bateman to the gentle Reader CHristian Reader consider I pray thee howe from the beginning there hath euer bene such discordaunce founde as hath bred great dissention among the creatures of the worlde for by the wicked the death of the godly hath euer bene hastened And I gather it to be for this cause onely that the absence of suche godly mighte seeme to the froward a peaceable being when not rebuked for their wicked and vngodly liuing they might as it seemed vnto them liue secure to doe what in their eyes and mindes seemed best This subtile engine had Sathan in the beginning when hee stirred Caine to sâ—ay his brother Abell And why because his brothers sacrifice was good and his euill c. Likewise as from a corrupt tree there hath sprong foorth suche sappe by the instigation of Sathan in the members of the vngodly as ambition hypocrisie false religion and suche like that to haue a place of gouernement according to their natures they haue driuen the Churche of Christe by many extremities into out Isles of the world and when by Gods mightie assistaunce they haue for a time inioyed quietnesse yet suchâ— hath bene the malicâ— of the olâ— serâ—â—â—t and his members to beginne againe with â—ew deuised torments to disqviet the peaceable seruice of Christes Church which notwithstanding in spite of that furie hath euer hâ—d stay in one place or other And for the yet hoped time after many attempts they migâ—t get the victorie the diuell to the intent that bâ— domesticall discorde the church of Christ might be throughly shaken as a lâ—ing spirit begate errour errour begate heresie hoâ— euen vnder the visard of hypocrisie to feigne the pure religion by outward resemblance and so in time to bring in his maâ—e Idolatrie that then betwixt theÌ„ both they might in short space hatch superstition practising the Church insteade of the creator to worship not onely the creatures but also idolâ— made by themselues which as soone as euer the true Churche espied beganne to separate themselues from that sâ—lthie broode then came discorde and with him diuision which
our simple people out of the plame wayes of the Lorde our God and hath put so many toyes of this authour H. N. into their heades that I feare me they will not easily be remoued What trauell he hath taken howe he hath trudged from countrie to countrie and howe he will not once moue his speach if any learned or godly persons that hath any true knowledge of the worde be present is very wel known but among the simple he is péerelesse and in déede the oldest Elder of our English Familie amongst whome he hath his maintenance His wife is resident in London with whom as is supposed he hath not bene these two-yeares In corners doth this man créepe and dare not shewe his head nor maintaine that doctrine which he hath taught but certaine of his pupils haue béene imprisoned who in the end haue subscribed against thâ— doctrine of H. N. which Vittel doth teach Euerie doctrin whiche is true dare abide the light but the doctrin of H. N is kept in corners dare not abide the light a certeine Argument that it is a counterfet doctrine For no one man dare once open his mouth or put penne to paper to defende their Author in England but amongst the simple whose capacitie is like vnto waxe which will easily receiue euerie seale or print among such will he sound his trumpe He saith the last trumpe shall blowe by which he vnderstandeth the last doctrine which shal be published vpon earth â–ª which is as he saith this doctrine of H. N. How he miserably doeth expound the holie scripture vnto the simple people in corners my heart doth lament how he driueth the true sense of the holie Ghost into allegories it pitieth me to heare and other wise to interpret the holie scripture is to sticke in the letter as he vntruly affirmeth But woe be vnto those simple people which doe giue eare vnto such false teachers they can not with the Lorde our God pleade simplicitie and ignorance by no meanes can excuse them If the blinde leade the blinde they both fall into the ditche The greatest gréefe that I conceiue against y Nouices of y Family is that some of them haue béene prosessours of Christ Iesus Gospel according to the brightnesse thereof which by his good will and pleasure he hath reuealed in this latter age most plentiously and now by the doctrine of this Vittell are declined so farre that the true sense of the Gospel they despise and followe the baine and fantasticall humor of Vittels allegories a man vtterly vnlearned more fitte to be a scholler in Christes schoole then an Illuminat Elder in the Familie and so a teacher He that neuer learned Christe Iesus truely â–ª howe caÌ„ he teach Christ Iesus to others And in déede if he taught Christe Iesus he were to be borne withall but that is not the marke they shoote at To set vp H. N. as a Prophet to aduance his preceptes to credite his spéeche to beléeue that he is Godded with God and cannot erre is their whole indeâ—our But amongst the rest in déede they insinuate a good life which they pretende to followe which is as the visard and cloake to hide al the rest of their grosse and absurde doctrine and the hooke and baite whereby the simple are altogether deceiued And this is the subtiltie of Sathan who otherwise could not preuaile with such bewitched doctrine except it were shadowed vnder the cloake of outward holinesse For there is no sound argument a good life is all that is required for vs to do with this the Familie doe séeme to presse Gods children often in conference For if y will serue to saluation I sée not how the Iewe or Turke can be excluded whose workes outwardly if they be viewed shall condemne vs. Howe close vnto the letter of the lawe doeth the Iewe sticke How willingly doe they abide as vagrant and banished men in euerie countrie How pitifully doe they reléeue their brethren whiche want so that none is found to want that which another is not ready to supply which are notes markes of charitie or loue and truely in my opinion we come not néere the Iewe in this point But I pray you what doeth all this auaile without a true and a righte fayth in Christ Iesus the sonne of God The Turke likewise is a great diligeÌ„t obseruer of his Alcaron a great faster or absteiner a great giuer of almes diligent in prayer seuere in kéeping his worde and promise verie charie in kéeping his Sabbathes verie obedient to Princes and Magistrates and to speak truth in many outward vertues doth farre excell vs Christians to our shame it may be spoken but what doth all this auayle For so much as they blaspheme Christ the sonne of God and denie his Godhed and resurrection they haue no part nor fellowship with vs of the promise of God touching Christ our Lord neither are partakers of his mercie which through Christe we féele in our heartes to our great consolation comfort Without faith it is vnpossible to please God. Therefore aright faith in Christe our Lord is cheefely to be required and sought after and then our workes will of necessitie follow For it is the proper fruite of that excellent trée a true faith can neuer be without his works which sticke so close together that they are inseparable A faithfull man can neuer be without good-workes no more then fire can be without heate and yet a faithful man is not without sinne as H. N. doth auouche of his regenerate man We haue many examples to proue that a faithfull man or a regenerat man doth sinne often and to vse the wordes of the Prophet Dauid Septies in die cadit iustus seuen times a day doth the righteous fal This caÌ„not be vnderstood but of a faithfull and regenerat man Dauid was regenerate when he fell into whoredome and murther Peter was regenerat wheÌ„ he denied with cursing Christ our lord Paule was regenerate when he solemnly pronounced those wordes Christe Iesus came into the world to saue sinners of the which number I am the greatest And I am persuaded that we are neuer so néere vnto God our Lorde as when we féele sinne moste heauie God calleth not such as be emptie or féele not the loade of sinne but Come vnto mee all ye that are loaden with sinne I wil refresh you I speake not of the reprobate who in déede féele in this life a hell in their conscience and do dispaire but GODS children do féele themselues wounded with sinne euen to death but by grace giuen from aboue they doe apply that souereigne salue that wholsome medicine Christe Iesus whose passion hath purchased whose bloud hath cleansed whose death hath cured all our diseases and maladies This comfort doth H. N. take away from his Family and placeth in stéed thereof his owne preceptes without comfort to a troubled minde For his doctrine is That wee must growe vp vnto the manly oldnesse
in the loue which in playne tearmes is to growe to perfection and to be without sinne which they affirme in this life to be brought to passe If this be good doctrine then the holie Scripture is contrarie 1. Iohn first Chapter If we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues and there is no truth in vs. Likewise Paule Rom. 8. verse 20. The creature is subiect to vanity not of his owne will but by reason of him that subdued it vnder sinne To the Galathi Chapter 5. verse 17. The flesh Iusteth against the spirite and the spirite against the fleshe continually These are contraries the one to the other so that ye cannot doe the same thinges that ye would And Almightie God did pronounce vpoÌ„ man at the beginning this saying God sawe that the wickednes of mans heart was great and all the imaginations and thoughtes of his heart were euill continually Gen. Chapter 6. verse 5. The whole scope of the holie Scripture doth proue that God hath shut vp all vnder sinne Now if H. N. or his Il luminate Elders will still auouch that they are without sinne then may I as truly aledge y they are without christ Let the terrible example of Sharpe and Allin moue you to coÌ„sider how desperat a doctrine you imbrace whose souden deaths without any comfort in Christ may remaine as an example to all posteritie For the Author of this errour is Satan who in a desperate state leaueth his pupils For it was pride that caused almightie GOD to execute his iudgement vpon him his state béeing angelical so likewise he séeketh to bring man into the same destruction by the same meanes through pride and presumption that we are pure without sinne and so exalting our selues we might haue the swifter damnation For Almightie God hath cast our condition state so lowe that without his mercie set foorth by Christe we all perishe as is witnessed by Paule * God hath included vs vnder sinne * Also both Iewes and Gentiles are vnder sinne as it is writteÌ„ There is none righteous no not one c. We are neuer so néere vnto our God as when we féele our sinne as a burthen or heauie loade lying vppon our conscience nor neuer further off then when we féele or testifie that we are without sinne which persuasion Sathan doth féede our humours withall contrarie to the holie Scripture Therfore I conclude that this principle to liue in this life without sinne is méerely the suggestion of Sathan and not of the spirite of god Christ Iesus came into the worlde to saue sinners And againe I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentaunce If Henrie Nicholas and his Illuminate Elders be now without sinn Christe came not for to saue them * For there is none other name vnder heauen giuen to men by which we shal be saued but Christ Iesus Therefore manifestly it appeareth that H. N. and his Illuminat Elders are clean excluded and haue no néede of Christe for his office and death doeth properly belong to sinners then consequently not to them Therefore ye nouices of the Family which sée not into what daunger Christopher Vittell H. N. doeth miserably bring your troubled mindes looke wel betimes espye their subtiltie leaue the doctrine which is without comfort and hath no warrant in the holie scripture forsake those péeuish and darke riddles of H. N. and cleaue vnto the holie scripture leaue the phantasies of H. N. and his scholler Vittell and by little and little ye shall espie their craft and subtiltie how they set vp them selues and not Christ Iesus how they teach false doctrine which dare not abide the light nor they are not able to defend and yet persuade you in corners that it is the spirite of God by whiche they speake How gréeuous ye are vnto the Church of GOD may appeare by the trauell which is taken for your sakes what offence ye giue what stumbling blockes ye are vnto the simple whome ye ought not to offend no not the least let your conscience beare witnesse * It is necessarie that offences come but woe bee vnto them by whome they come Know this for certeine without the Arke there is no saluation except ye abide in the vine Christe ye bring foorth no fruite ye cannot serue two maisters béeing so contrarie If ye cleaue to H. N. and his doctrine ye haue no parte nor fellowshippe with Christe Iesus for H. N. destroyeth the office of Christe our Lorde and taketh away the comfort of his Gospel in stéede whereof he placeth his vpright fréedome with a perfection in this life suche as the holie Scripture alloweth not For our battell is continuall and shall neuer haue end vntill our flesh be dissolued and we at rest in Christe If we must atteine to suche perfection in this life as H. N. sheweth then our Sauiour Christe did in vaine teache vs to pray continually Forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue c. Also Leade vs not into temptation Which petitions are without effect if his doctrine be true Therefore as ye loue your own soules beware of his doctrine examine it better acknowledge Christ Iesus and his Gospell and leaue the drowsie dreames of a doting Dutchman and the erronious spirite of Christopher Vittell arude and vnlearned Ioyner And although they boast neuer so much of the spirite yet vse the counsell of the holie Ghost Beleeue not euerie spirite but trie y spirit whether he be of God. Think not within your selues that they cannot erre it is a priuiledge not giuen to mortal man but only to our immortall God. God is true and all men are liers Beléeue not that his Bookes are written by the spirite of God for God is not contrarie to himselfe the doctrine of H. N. is manifest contrarie to God the doctrine published by Christ in his gospel If ye continue in the Family of H. N. ye denie Christ. We may not hold of Paule or Apollo for they were not crucified for vs we are counted Christs friendes if we doe those things that he commaundth What haue we to dâ—e with H. N. or his commaundementes â–ª Deceiue not â—our selues with your pretenced the we of a holie life but confesse with the Prophet Dauid Psalme 130. If thou Lorde shouldest looke straightly vpon sinnes Lorde who should abide it â–ª Euen the holâ—est y euer were being â—arthly men haue néede to call vppon God in this manner with the beloued Prophet Dauid If you imagine that your workes do helpe or profite you to saluation ye are with the Pelagians and Papistes demers of the grace of God in Christe our Lord in which doctrine of merite there is no comfort nor consolation If ye continue still in the Family of H. N. there is neither hope nor helpe for you Christes sacraments you conteâ—ine which are to vs the seales and cognisances of our redemption and tokens of his couenant and promise Ye haue forsaken the
knowen the way of righteousnesse then after they haue knowen it to turne from the holy commaundement giuen vnto them Also the Epistle of Iude verse 4. For there are certeine men crept in whiche were of olde ordeined to this condemnation vngodly men they are whiche turne the grace of GOD into wantonnesse which denie God the onely Lord and our Lord Iesus Christ. Thus hath the holy Ghost decyphered all false teachers and giuen warning to his children to beware of them It is necessarie that heresies be saith S. Paul that those that are perfect may be manifested And surely Gods children haue thereby great triall and exercise of their faith and the Lorde our God can make such heretiques to serue his purpose euen to his owne glory that his childreÌ„ being strengthened by him may not be ouer taken in the sleightes and subtilties of Satan nor his impes but in the great temptation and seas of errours may abide stedfast in the Lorde Iesus and in his promises maugre the malice of the diuell If euer there were disturbers of the Church whereby these scriptures and prophesies may be fulfilled I thinke that nowe is the time For what with the bloudie Papistes with their fire and fagot continuall warre with horrible murders on the one side and the Anabaptistes Free will men Arrians Pelagians and the Familie of Loue on the other side Christes Church hath little rest and small fauour in the sight of man but spurned at on euery side But blessed be the Lorde our God who in the middest of all calamitie and miserie which his children daily suffer yet can not be driuen back by any torment to denie the Lord Iesus nor his known truth manifested to all the world and the Lord raiseth vp stil some of his children to withstand Sathan and all his rable which striue against grace And surely these and like errours are great exercises of our saith how constant we will abide in the day of triall Therfore though the world rage neuer so much yet our graund captaine biddeth vs to be of good chéere saying Ego vici munduÌ„ I haue ouercome the worlde In whose coÌ„fortable promises we stay our selues and assuredly beléeue that although the ship of Christ be tossed vp downe with boistrous winds yet perish it caÌ„not nor the lest y pertaine to him No dout many of Gods déere children fal into many snares of errors but they by grace are called backe againe if not willingly yet forceably so that they can not perish in those wayes For as our sauiour saith that such times should come that if it were possible the elect should be deceiued But it is not possible to be deceiued and perish though our God doth many ways trie vs and maketh vs examples and patterns one of vs to an other that his louing kindnes might appéere more notable in our preseruatioÌ„ we be prouoked thereby to shewe a thankful hart in obedience to his will also be occasioned to craue at his hands continually a perfect perseueraÌ„ce of our faith in him euen to y end Which we shal be sure to obtaine so that no false doctrine of H. N. Vittel nor any other shall preuaile once to touch vs bicause our hope resteth in the Lord Iesus And I verily beléeue y although some of Christes houshold be entered into those steps of H. N. yet I dout not but the Lord in mercy wil cal theÌ„ if they wil not come he wil forceably compel them if they be his Therefore you that are entered into the Familie through the swéete sugred persuasions of Vittell or any others I beséech you euen for y Lord Christes sake consider from whome you are departed euen from our Lorde Iesus who hath bought you whose armes are stretched abroade ready to receiue you againe with the reioycing of Angels ouer your conuersion How acceptable you should be vnto Christ his Church by proofe shal be perceiued but especially how beneficiall you shall be thereby to your owne souls and what rest to your conscience none can expresse but such as taste the same are partakers of the same grace of God in Christ Iesus For this is vndoubtedly true that to wander astray is a propertie belonging as well vnto Gods chidren as vnto others and their often falling is by many examples of the Scriptures made manifest but that they continue streying and neuer returne home or that by falling they willingly wallowe in the myre is a certaine note and mark that they pertaine not vnto the Lorde Iesus nor are partakers of his death Therefore if ye willingly perseuere and continue followers of H. N. Vittell or any such you are strangers in Christes schoole and it will be sayde vnto you Depart I knowe you not Auoyde therefore the daunger ye be in acknowledge that your teachers may erre and are mortall men For since the Apostles times there haue bene none so priuiledged but that he might erre The olde writers did euer giue that title vnto the holy Scripture and desired to be beléeued no further theÌ„ they agréed with the same but your teachers will néedes haue their doctrine to be credited and beléeued without examination or triall Assuredly if you did discerne them aright by the holy historie you should easily perceiue theÌ„ deceiuers and your selfe deceiued For if it be a trueth they teach vnto you why teach they in corners which trueth loueth not Euery truth is able to defend it selfe especially the truth of God and it is of that courage boldnesse y there is no power be it neuer so mightie but it dare stand fast and abide the triall so inuincible a vertue is truth Did Christe or his Apostles being threatened not to publish a truth câ—â—ceale the same for feare of life No verily to the losse of life and limme they stoode in the quarell of God against the tyrants of the world and preuailed But Christopher Vittell your teacher thinketh it sufficient to seduce you in corners and suffer you to be imprisoned but for him selfe he is safe ynough A good sheepeheard saith Christ will giue his life for his sheepe but your shepheards wil not hurte their fingers for their Familie but lurke in corners and delude and deceiue greatly your simplicitie Alas why are you so bewitched or so berest of sense so to imagine that a mortall man an obscure Authour whome you neuer sawe nor knewe hath onely the truth and all the world else seduced and deceiued for so he him selfe confesseth and that any other truth then the scriptures teach is of necessitie to be beléeued or that his Glasse of righteousnes which you neuer sawe hath in it the wisedome â–ª of God fully made knowne or his Euangelium regni Gospell of thâ— kingdome is that testament sealed by Christes bloud Surely beware I aduise you betimes prouoke not the Lord our God so vengeance with these absiâ—rde blasphemies For it is witnessed He will hasten his comming and will not be
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
and passion is impaired and lessened Looke therfore into Christes office with a right spirite and you shall sée plainely in him the Lawe to be fulfilled for vs so y what he hath fulfilled y haue we full filled for it is made ours by grace otherwise we caÌ„not kéep the law but by Christ neither are you able to shewe vs any example that any Patriarches Prophetes or Apostles that euer were did euer kéepe the lawe of God in euery point as good requireth Nowe touching the authoritie of S. Ierome I aunswere by Ierome who writing against Pellagius doth shew two maner of perfections the one to be agreable to the vertues of God whiche is voyde of all sinne and here one earth declared in the person of Christ the other which agreth with our frailtie is not pure froÌ„ sin which argueth an impossibilitie to fulfill the lawe otherwise then in the person of christ And in déed almightie God did not coÌ„mand impossible things for somuch as Christ being perfect maÌ„ fulfilled y law for vs which vtterly declareth our weakenes inhabilitie to perfourme the same For if by any other means y wrath of God could haue bene pacified or his lawe satisfied Christ his onely sonne our blessed sauiour and redemer had not neded to haue ben incarnat to become man to work this great effect for vs And surely they the acknowledge our habilitie in perfourming the law do mightilie shake the office death of Christ our Lord leaue in our conscience such a clog as is hardly remoued Dauid demandeth Who can say my hart is cleane again God looked down froÌ„ heauen amoÌ„g the sons of men and ther was not one righteous no not one Many of the fathers did sée our impossibilitie in perfourming the lawe therfore Austen saith al the commauÌ„dements of God are accoÌ„pted to be don when y is pardoned which is vndone To coÌ„clude almighti god neuer giueth such grace to any his childreÌ„ absolutely to fulfill his law but only to Christ by him is that performed It is no derogation to our God in giuing a lawe which we cannot performe but coÌ„mendation in sauing deliuering vs from y law notwithstaÌ„ding our weakenes in performing y same And if we did right ly examine our selues our own conscience doth wel verifie the same but sathaÌ„ is an enemy heretoo the he might by pride puffe vp our minds with a vain imagination the we are able to do performe y which God in his law requireth so to perswade our minds thereby the Christs death doth smally auaile or help vs here in But of this argument this is sufficient y Godly learned are able to say much more if you require herein to be satisfied The Lord direct our minds into the way of truth let thy people O-Lord not be ledde into error by sathans practise Then Lord giue vs al humble minds Amen This aunswere is to E. R. Your friend I. R. An other letter of the familie conteyning a Reply to the aunswer of I. R. to their first letter WE haue receiued a Letter from you maister Rogers dated the 29 of Ianuarie as an aunswer to a former letter which came to your handes wherein you say was manie inuectiues against your booke as also verie manie contumelious and slaunderous speches touching your honestie c. wherevnto wee aunswere breefely he is honest that honestly doth But wee vse no disdainfull speeches sauouring of enuie and not of loue like as you vnrightly report of vs we charge you not but we saye your allegation concerning Christopher Vittell is vntrue as my lord of Caunterburie that now is can witnesse and therefore say wee looke well to your weightes measures and wares from henceforth The contents of your booke disquieteth not our moode your cause is surely dishonest then what honestie wee aske can proceede thereout but yet wee hope you haue done it all out of ignorance and therefore worthie of lesse reprehention And in that you haue reprehended the loue of God and Christ we haue not therein mystaken you at all for were the loue of God and Christ manifested in you like as you saye it is vnto you then could you not verely haue so impudently in the face of all the worlde â–ª belyed and slaundered your poore neighbours as you haue done who neuer did you harme You say if we were of God and Christes houshold you and we were fellowes and you would embrace vs but you call vs strangers of the housholde and as straungers lurke in corners c. we aunswere of such an houshold as you haue challenged to your selues wee are straungers and the feare of your rigorous dealings hath in deede made some of vs to flye lurke in corners we say still your foundation is against one H. N. whome you neuer knewe nor rightly vnderstood of and you answer that his doctrine is not vnknowen vnto you whose bookes ye haue to shewe Wee wish it were euen so And whereas the name of Christ is shadowed by two carecters A. O. euen so we haue heard that there is some meaning more then you or wee can well tell in these two carecters H. N. Notwithstanding if any man become so captious as to gather and report therevpon that we should therefore denye any outward man or creature he doth not onely mistake vs but also in reporting the same againe to others slaunder vs therein verie much You say you haue truely set downe the same mans life not hear-sayes but the trueth c. whome yet you confesse you neuer knewe then it can be nothing but hearesayes that you write And you saye that the reporters are honest and of Christes church To which we say againe that those of Christes church occupie not their mouthes with vntruethes albeit then they stand neuer so well liked of you or any other for wee knowe that they say not truely And wheras wee haue set downe the true principles of our faith and religion in a breefe rehersall which ye confesse to be sound and good yet because that agreeth not to your minde in that we confesse not somwhat therein whereby ye might haue your slaunders verified against vs which ye looke for by our own confession it is you say plaâ—sible and mockerie See into your disposition if we would accuse our selues albeit falsly with any matter that you accept gladly but if we in trueth simplenesse aunswere for our selues that ye reieâ—t vtterly Oh what nature that good is would so seeke to hurt his brethren And further ye saye that the auctor of those bookes termeth you a diuellish Sinagogâ—e or scoole and that you are not the churche but an harlot and if you and wee say you professe one baptisme one Christ one faith c. why are we scuered in Comunion Of this matter we will speake here following And where you saye that certeine of our familie haue been conuinced subscribed and recanted and haue promised neuermore to professe H.
authoritie is taught and preached put vp your deriding termes for they best become your selues Nowe touching the Church you alledge H. N. in diuerse places of his Prophesie to say that that fleshly and wicked nature that lying being that hath oppressed the little ones murdered the holyones and spilt innocent bloud on the earth which hath béene a wicked whore vppon earth c who woulde euer iudge H. N. by these words to mean our corrupt wicked nature not rather a congregatiō or societie of mē per secuting the iust for how can our wicked nature be said to persecute to murder to spill bloud when this is done by the whole power knowledge and consente of men The wicked nature of man can neuer bee properly tearmed or called a whore And as I haue collected it to bee spoken againste the Church of Christ which we professe and you to be those holiones persecuted So in my iudgement herein I haue not falsified corrupted nor maliciously slan dered your Authour as you haue collected of me You say wee challenge our selues to be of the persecuting Church and so your selues haue beene in times past but nowe the Lorde hath made you sée and you are ashamed of that whorishe nature and you abhorre her hope by Christes might not only in you to be disclosed but abhorred reiected for euermore If this be spoken of our wicked nature can you reiect it cā you cast it of for euer We rather by y scripturs affirme y we may kéepe it vnder not to raigne in vs or beare rule in vs or haue dominion ouer vs but vtterly to quench sinne or reiect it for euer the holy Ghost teacheth vs not Whosoeuer hath béene rightly scholed in Christes Church can by experience tell you that to kéepe vnder sinne by grace we may but to extinguishe the motions we can not and all those places of holy scripture which tende to the abolishing of sinne are rather as markes to ayme at or leuell at then to hit the pricke of perfection which shall neuer be in this life ▪ You meruel notwithstanding Touching Christs perfection we doubt not but stedfastly beléeue he was and is perfecte and hath fulfilled for vs all the law which God required of vs perfectly but we vtterly denie this to be wrought as you affirme in vs For neither doeth he worke this perfection in vs nor by vs but merely without vs in déed this is a principall difference betwéene you and vs and I doubt not but touching this argument you shall heare more hereafter It blemisheth ouer much Christes triumph ouer death and hell if wee shall also triumphe by strength in him Our triumph standeth not in doeing but in beléeuing in him which did The glorie of Christe Iesus his office and death is by this doctrins impaired darkened and shadowed as I haue often saide therefore better consider of it it sauoreth to much of presūption and pride attributing that to bee wrought in vs which is not and mightely herein you deceiue your selues and others His shape to be wrought in vs you affirme Paul. Cor. 1. 13. When that which is perfect is come thē that which is vnperfect shall bee done away but this shall not bee vntill mortalitie shall put on immortalitie and corruption incorruption In the same chapter 4. lines after the place recited ther shal you find S. Paule opening his meaning more fully when that perfection shal be wrought Saying Cor. 1. Cha ▪ 13. ver 12. For nowe we see through a glasse darkely but thē shal we see face to face nowe I knowe in parte but then shall I knowe as I am knowen c. doeth not S. Paul plainly meane that this perfection shal not be brought to passe in this life but in the life to come Who hath eyes to sée and beholdeth not these thinges You affirme vs to maintain sinne and that we are aduocates for sinne you take part with righteousnesse but with more modesty you might say that wee acknowledge with the Scriptures that sinne is still lurking in vs against which we haue dayly fight and combate notwithstanding our election and redemption and you affirme a perfection to be wrought in vs by Christe which the scriptures allowe not That christ is able to work such a work in vs we denie not for all thinges are to him possible but it is said Omnia quod voluit fecit in celo in terra He doth al things y he wil in heauen in earth but that it standeth with his wil reueiled in the scriptures we denie We are no mainteners of sinne we are humble acknowlegers of our sins imperfections You mention often y Christ must haue in vs a liuing shape by shape if you meane a perfecte fourme then wee deny any such shape or fourme to bee in vs but if you meane by shape to bee like minded to him therein we agrée with you as the scriptures teach But herein wee affirme that as it standeth with the weake condition of a mortall creature to be like that excellent creator of heauē and earth or like minded so our humaine frailtie must striue to attaine as néere the pricke as standeth with his good wil and pleasure to graunt vs You pray vs to suffer you in rest with your folishnesse I woulde you thought as you speake but your wordes are Ironia for you accompt it high wisedome although you tearm it foolishnes Your disquietnesse I neuer sought it is your amēdment it is your cōuersiō frō H. N. to Christ Iesus y I séek to bring you to In the matter of predestination you desire not to be taken so short for you say you allow it simply and reuerently in his kinde you like not to contende therein nor desperately to séeke libertie thereby yet I will put you in mind what you your selfe haue spoken thereof in your first letter saying your lycentious doctrin of predestination and frée electiō which is the cause of the fulnesse of prisons in Englande this day Now sée how you agrée with your self if you haue better cōsidered the matter I woulde be glad and giue the Lorde hartie thanks but if herein you speake as your manner is somtime affirming sometime denying then we say you are vnstable and wauering in your wayes Nowe whereas I affirmed to be without sinne is a priuiledge belonging onely to Christ Iesus our Lorde you say if the case be so then in vaine was this written vnto the congregations Let the same minde bee in you which was in Christ Iesus c. You further say we charge you that by your owne power without Christ this is brought to passe that sinne is subdued in you but we tell you plainely that this perfection that you speake of nor such a subduing of sinne as you meane is not wrought in vs neither standeth it with Christes good will to worke the same so effectually as you imagine Sinne is kept vnder and hath not
dominion in vs it raigneth not in vs we are not seruauntes to sinne this the scripturs teach in many places but that we shall quench it vtterly or subdue if with all the motions thereof the scriptures teach vs no such doctrine being rightly vnderstoode Looke I pray you what that holy vessell saint Paul spake of himselfe after he was regenerate Romaines 7. verse 14. I am carnal sold vnder sinne for I allowe not that which I doe For what I would that doe I not but what I hate that do I. It is not I that doe it but sinne that dwelleth in me Againe verse 23. I delight in the law of God concerning the inwarde man but I see an other law in my members rebelling against the lawe of my minde and leading mee captiue vnto the lawe of sinne which is in my members When he entred farre into the consideratiō of this his frailtie he exclaymed said verse 24. A wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me frō the body of this death And in these extreame considerations and battell which we haue with sinne cōtinually euen vntil death make an end saint Paul by the spirite of God doth plainely arme Gods children and sheweth the remedie in like cōflicts saying I thank god through Iesus Christ our Lord c this is brought to passe by him that sinne is not imputed vnto vs But as Dauid saide Blessed is the man whose sinnes are couered And this is wrought only without vs not in vs as you imagine So y our battell is continual and neuer ended in vs vntill we be dissolued and at rest with Christ Iesus contrary to your assertion You sée no cause you say that we shoulde be enimies to so good a doctrine as you professe If your doctrine were good and agréeable to the holy scriptures we woulde embrace it but because it is contrarie there vnto we reiect it To forsake that false sinfull nature with you we simply agrée but with the Poet we say Naturam expellas furca tamen vsque recurret To be at defiance there with and bidde battell against it we agrée but to conquer it to kill it or subdue it vtterly in this life that we deny That God can doe this by his powre in vs we denie not but that he will do it in vs as you affirme the scriptures allowe not of For it standeth not with the glorious office of Christ Iesus that such perfection and such a conquest of sinne should be wrought in vs but that we féeling our miseries our wants our weakenesse◠might sue by peticion in earnest prayer for strength for mercy for deliuery which all the Godly in Christ his church haue euer done For we are neuer nearer vnto our God nor neuer more accepted with him then when we feele sinne as a burthen or loade lye heauely vpon vs nor neuer further of then when by illusion of sathans persuasion we imagin sinne to be quenched or conquered All such as ouercome in the battell you say shall knowe the name written in the white stone mencioned by Iohn You say further that such as haue no lust to ouercome that earthly sinfull nature but haue more lust to take part therewith knowe nothing thereof although they boast of their knowledge or fréedome neuer so much This knowledge therefore you would conclude to be in you and not in vs Your knoweledge we enuie not nor your séeking to serue the Lord vprightly For our whole care studie minde is bent to do the same and we pray you hartely to ioyne your selues to vs that you and we may serue the Lorde our God as he hath commaunded and not H. N. and his precepts Looke into the holy bookes of our God and deale not with the darke riddles of H. N. Set not vp his bookes in your mindes so highly The Scriptures are our comfort and our stay without H. N. He exerciseth a greate Popedome among you You had rather speake and vse his phrases not found in holy scripture then content your selfe with the phrases of the holy Ghost You often mencion these tearmes the lying being the vpright fréedome Godded with God the newest day the louely being of the loue c. Are these to be founde in the holy Scripture or are they not deuised by H. N. to bring admiration to his doctrine by straunge and vnaccustomed speach If the loue of God be in you as you woulde haue vs beléeue it is loue the Lorde Iesus and his holy worde and let H. N. with new tearmes and phrases goe Belieue not that God hath wrought in him any such a worke as you pretend examine his doings and sayings better you wil credit nothing that is spoken against him be it neuer so true you except it as lyes and heresies what soeuer testimony his neighbours famyliers who knewe him long vppon their oth shall affirme but according to your conceiued opinion you like him you imbrace him you onely credit his testimonies dislyking others which if you continue as you begin there is neither hope nor helpe nor conference that can doe you good vntill the Lorde shake away the mist of darknesse which ouer shadoweth your eyes through the doctrine of H. N. that you cannot beholde the bright beames of Christ his glorious gospell Your authors doctrine is not sufficiently knowen vnto some of you the fragments whereof you are but meanly acquited with the secreat part of his purpose I doubt as yet is not extant and more of his works are abroad then are come to your handes therefore for the loue of God looke better into his minde and credite not his bare sayings without warrant of holy scripture neither beléeue that almightie God hath wrought in him any such extraordinary power as is imagined The cause the moued me to write these thinges is a little booke came to my handes of late called Mans falling away his comming againe and Lordlynesse In the first section you shall finde this written worde for word H. N. his words See and marke ye beloued in the beginning when god made al things wel then was the Lorde one Lorde of his kingdome and one God of his workes there was also no more but one God and one man and they were one and had in all one order being and nature for God was all that the man was and man was all that God was Beloued when God looked on the man which he had made according to the like being of his godhed then looked he vpon him selfe as the same clerenesse of his liuing godhed Likewise when the man looked vpon his God his ientle clene vnspotted manhode in all full comlinesse in all honestie fayrenesse in all fashion and being according to the same Godhed so this was al one God the man. I pray you loke into this doctrin whiche your Authour H. N. teacheth examine it by thy holy scriptures and iudge rightly therein whether this can by any colour of