AN INTRODUCTION TO The holy Understanding of the Glasse of RIGHTEOUSNESSE Wherein are uttered many notable admonitions and exhortations to the good Life Also sundry discreet warnings to beware of destruction and of wrong-conceiving and misunderstanding or censuring of any Sentences Set forth by H. N. and by him perused anew and expressed more plainly Pro. 1. VVho so is wise he will be counselled to the end he may understand the parables and their interpretations also the doctrine of the wise and their darke sayings Pro. 4. He will be guided in the strait path to the holy understanding that when he goeth the way be not tedious unto him and when he runneth that he do not stumble LONDON Printed for George Whittington at the blue Anchor neer the Royall Exchange in Corn-hill 1649. The Counsell of the Wisdome STrive not so for the death by your error and wrastle not so for the destruction through the work of your hands For God hath not made the death nor destruction neither rejoyceth he in the destruction of the living for he created all things that they should have their being likewise he made all people of the earth that it should go well with them and that there should be no destruction in them and that moreover the Kingdom of hel should not be on the earth for righteousnesse is everlasting and immortall but unrighteousnesse is the procuring of death Sap. 1. Go not in the path of the ungodly and walk not in the way of the wicked let it pass and go not therein turn from it and pass by c. keep thine heart with all diligence for thereout goeth the life put away from thee a froward mouth and let reproaching lips be far from thee Psal 1. Prov. 4. Who so among you is wise and expert let him shew by his good conversation his works fruits in the meekness of wisdome c. for where envy and strife is there is sedition and every evill work but the wisdom which cometh from above or out of the height is first chast after that peaceable modest constant gentle full of mercy and good works or fruits For righteousness is sowne in peace by them that maintain peace Jam. 3. Be ye all like-minded pitifull brotherly merciful friendly recompence not evil with evil nor rebuke with rebuke but contrariwise bless and know that ye are thereto called even that ye should inherit the blessing 1 Pet. 3. But above all things put on the love for the love is the band of perfection And the peace of God keep the preeminence in your hearts Col. 3. AN INTRODUCTION TO The holy Understanding of the Glasse of Righteousnesse CHAP. I. 1. Amidst the variety of opinions H. N. is granted to see and appointed to shew unto all men which is the elect and holy Congregation 7. And the same he affirmeth as an eye-witnesse to be with the Family of Love 10. Without which all mans worke is but a bondage 11. And where it is not there is all error and misery 13. The cause of error 14. Which is not without the fore-telling of God 16. Neither can it nor any mans fault frustrate Gods promises 20. An Exhortation to rest upon the promises of God and to prove our selves whereby to amend our selves and to win others 27. For God will now manifest his owne work of the Love 30. And unto that his Grace the holy Minister perswadeth to be obedient FOrasmuch as we now find sundry sorts of communalties Religion-urgers Tongues and Peoples and that with different Religions God services conceivings and understandings each laboureth to defend his own cause to be the very best by means whereof the whole world is every where a Infra 4. in great division and discord and all against one another And whilst that I H. N. concerning the divisions and discords and other causes which I find to be among them in great reviling strife and hatred am impartiall towards them all and do contend with none of them and that b 1 Tim. 1. mercy is now in these dangerous times extended on me from the highest God namely through the manifestation of his upright Righteousnesse therefore could I not hide the understanding of the upright Righteousnesse by Gods grace c Eph. 3. Col. 1. 2 Tim. 1. revealed unto me 2. For the most holiest being which is the upright righteousnesse and holinesse it selfe and wherein the true Saints of God and Christ do live and are comprehended is out of Gods heavenly Revelation and his grace d Mat. 11. Rom. 16. Eph. 1.3 Col. 1. 2 Tim. 1. revealed unto me through the love of God the Father for to witnesse the same again and out of the inclination of love to declare it unto the people on earth to the end all mouths might be stopped all understandings satisfied all hearts well affected to the Righteousnesse contented and all strife ended so to draw all people to the peace and to the unity of heart in Jesu Christ under the obedience of the love the most holiest God service and that they might so be lead to the holy understanding of the Glasse of Righteousnesse 3. Under which most holiest God service we witnesse and set forth the wonderfull Acts of God which are revealed and manifested unto us in these last daies according to the e Isa 44.60.61.62.65.66 Jer. 23.30.33 Ezek. 36 7. Joel 2. Act. 1. foretelling of the Prophets 4. Wherefore seeing that the Providence of God and all what he in former times hath spoken by the mouth of his holy Prophets cannot fail nor lie and that moreover he cannot f Joh. 14. leave his people like Orphans God doth now according to his promises manifest and make known by his righteous judgement in this last day of the love which is his Elect and holy Congregation 5. For to the intent there may be an end of contending he himself as the true glorious God who is g Joh. 11. the Resurrection and the Life revealeth his Saints out of his bosom where since the time they h Esa 26. 1 Thes 4. fell asleep they have rested untill this day of the love because they should now in these last times in the Resurrection of the Righteous be manifested i 1 Cor. 15. 1 Thes 4. with Christ in glory to k 2. Thes 1.6 a righteous judgement of God on the earth 6. Inasmuch then as this righteous judgement of God hath his manifestation in us now in the end of the world through the l 2 Tim. 1. Act 1. appearing of the glorious coming of Jesu Christ and will break thorow and appear to Righteousnesse on the earth over all the world according to the Scripture therefore are we also out of the same judgement of God to speak and to write of the upright communalty of the Saints of God and Christ and to witnesse and declare the same on the earth to the end that she likewise may be manifested to the world
and the world may know that she is worthy to inhabite the earth and that the will of God the everlasting Father may be done m Mat. 6. Lu. 11.2 on the earth as it is in heaven 7. Therefore behold that which we with our n Joh. 1. 2 Pet. 1. 1 Joh. 1. eyes do see The right communalty of the Saints of God and Christ is of one mind with us and we with her as of one accord with each other stand under the lovâ— obediently subject unto her requiring and the love is to us all a o Col. 3. band of perfection to an heritable peace for evermore 8. Wherefore the right of service of love is among us the little ones and chosen of God in as much as we bring into the world the p Esa 43.65.66 Eph. 1. 1 Pet. 3. 1 Cor. 13. renewing of life in Jesu Christ through the same and it shall never cease but have his course among us for eevermore for God is with us he bringeth unto us in the obeying of the requiring of the same service of love his blessing and encrease for a fruitfulnesse to his service of love 9. And the holy spirit of love sheweth likewise his power and effect among us namely that God himself is the Lord and the Manifester and Worker of his Work in the service of his love among us the communalty of his holy ones For he as a God of Life doth now through us and his service of love reveal and bring to light r Esa 33. Amos 9. Mic. 7. Act. 15. his building the holy City Jerusalem prepared by Å¿ Heb. 12. Apo. 21. him for an holy adorning well-pleasing unto him even as a bride is trimmed for delighting of her husband 10. Without this building of the Lord and without our holy communalty of God and Christ and without this blessing or increase out of the power of the Almighty and without this our most holiest God service of the love and of the gracious word appeared unto us according to the promises t Esa 44.45.46.47 Jer. 10. truly all the mans work and all his God services Wisdome and Doctrine are nothing els but a very blinding of the heart or a tying and bewitching of the senses and thoughts how skilfull u 1 Cor. 1. how learned in the Scriptures or Languages how eloquent how wise or how glorious and rich of spirit soever the man can be 11. Where God therefore doth not buy us his chosen holinesse execute his office of the Love according to his promises or where men have no regard unto his promises according to the foretelling of the Prophets neither do endeavour to the obeying of the love and whilst the man goeth on no otherwise but according to his own mind or after the instigation of his owne spirit x Esa 8. there cometh the man into nothing but sorrow and into erring blindnesse and miseries whereby many do either become faint-hearted and y Esa 13. hopelesse or els find themselves as vain and z Esa 59. Sap. 5. without understanding as aforetimes they were whereof in the end ariseth among them that are without understanding a bondage unto men under mens imaginations Likewise divers sorts of chosen Holinesses bewitching of the heart a Col. 2. 2 Thes 2. 2 Tim. 3.4 and strong errors whereof alas there are now every where to be found many and many sorts among the children of men 12. Oh how do many erre and fail in their opinion and vain conceiving and how do many turn them from us whilst they walk b Esa 53. their own way and have no right regard to the promises of God nor to the service of his love and therefore understand not the requiring thereof 13. But this doeth the gloriousnesse of their knowledge cause deceiving them in their disobedience Neverthelesse because of the Shine c Col. 2. of the spirituall humblenesse which they behold by it they suppose that it cannot possibly beguile nor deceive them and so they go on some in a vaine conceited knowledge and some in a chosen holinesse which God hath never required nor willed 14. Many others forsake all Religions and Ceremoniall services and even Gods promises also insomuch that they give no credit to God in his promises nor yet expect his Salvation in such manner as he aforetimes through his Prophets hath so spoken and promised the same and so cleaving to the world or to their own imagination they wax distrustfull of God because in many they have found the word of unregenerate men and their own word also to be lying not considering nor understanding that the Scripture and Prophecies given forth of God aforetimes must thus be fulfilled upon all unregenerate and opinionish or vaine-conceited men Yea it shall now all be fulfilled Evill and Good and Strife and Peace Lies and Truth Destruction and Salvation in such sort as it is written thereof It is the Lords Testimony He himself hath by the mouth oâ— his holy Prophets fore-spoken that it shaâ—l so come to passe and his wil it is that now in this last time it shall all be fulfilled d Rom. 9. then who is he that can let it 15 For in the rising up of unregenerate men wâ—â—h their deceivings imaginations and lies and â—hat in shew of the name of the Lord e Lev. 10. Num. 16. Deut. 13.18 Esa 33.34.35.42.43 c. Jer. 4.5 6.7.8.23.26.27.28.29.30 c. Mat 24. 2 Tim. 3. 2 Pet. 2.3 Jude 1. to contention confusion blindnesse and â—rrupting of the Gentiles or People there is the Scripture and the Prophets as wâ—ll fulfilled as in the setting up of Israel â—o a Salvation of the People of the Lord or so it was foretold to come to passe and it is written thereof Read Moses and tâ—â— Prophets together with the testimonies of Jesu Christ and of his Apostles and there shal ye find the same manifoldly declared 16. For albeit that many vaine-conceited men and unsent Prophets or Preachers have been found lying and might yet daily be found so or that we through any ignorance do any way misdemeane our selves yet shall God in his promises and in the mouth of his Prophets be found true 17. He will f Gen. 17.22 never forget his Covenant which he hath made with Abraham and his seed but in due time will remember his Covenant and shew that he is the God of Abraham and a God of his seed for evermore 18. In whom or through whom he hath heretofore made his name notable and glorious among all people and will yet againe through the same make his name great and glorious in the last time shewing therein that the God of Israel is only the Lord Israel his chosen people that his purpose and wisdom is stedfast and that the world by her wisdome g 1 Cor. 1.2 knoweth not the wisdom of God 19. Therefore it hath pleased God also that his elect people should
of miseries and the infelicity of unbelieving men come hard by even at the door 10. Whosoever therefore rejoyceth him with the unbelieving wicked world and o Jer. 6.8 Ezek. 13. promiseth or pronounceth happinesse peace and prosperity unto her or to her Adherents the same man speaketh lies who so boasteth him of grace and yet abideth in his ungodly being he blasphemeth God in his righteous judgement p Esa 52. Ezek. 36. Rom. 2. and with blasphemy dishonoreth his holy Name For God is a God that loveth Righteousnesse and hateth all yea all q Psal 5. Prov. 3. ungodly being 11. He is holy r Lev. 19. 1 Pet. 1. and will have us to be holy also and that we to the laud and praise of his glory should Å¿ 1 Cor. 15. Eph. 4. Col. 3. carry or bear his image and like being and not the image of the devill nor the vaine being of the world wherein we do mock and reproach him 12. We are called through Jesus Christ and his service of love unto God and his upright Righteousnesse t Joh. 15. Phil. 1. because we should bring forth the fruits of God and not to the devill through the Antichrist the devills child by whom we joyne to the world u Sap. 1.2 Joh. 8. 1 Joh. 3. and bring forth the fruits of the devill whose end or recompence is the everlasting condemnation x Mat. 25. Heb. 10. 2 Pet. 3. and the judgement of the raging fire which cometh upon the wicked world and all wretched men that despise the Salvation of God and believe not that vve ought to live the righteousnesse of God with whole heart soul and body 13. Now this passed over I hope there are yet many good of will and contrite of heart which have a desire to do the will of the Lord and which do stedfastly believe Gods promises and hope thereon and y Rom. 8. 1 Cor. 1. Tit. 2. 1 Pet. 1. so vvith patience wait for the coming of Jesu Christ to their justifying and delivering from their sins z Luk. 11. whereby they might serve God without feare all their life long in such holinesse and righteousnesse as are pleasing unto him 14. Hereunto vve are to have regard to the intent Gods promises may be to our salvation a Mat. 5. Rom. 2. and not to a rigorous judgement on us as they are threatned to be to the ungodly 15. If any man therefore count the everlasting God true in his promises let him not look back on that which is past b Luk. 9. Phil. 3. but have regard to that which is to come and believe God that he will not neglect but openly shew his Salvation 16. He will remember his holy Covenant and c Esa 40.42.60.61.62 Jer. 23 31.33 Ezek. 36.37 be gracious unto his people and set them up again according as he hath spoken it heretofore d Luk. 1. by the mouth of his holy Prophets 17. Let no man reckon these things vain or as though nothing shall come or grow of them that he be not intangled by his blindnesse as it came to passe heretofore with many vvhen the Lord would punish the ungodly 18. At which time alwaies the most part of people were blinded e Gen. 6.7.18.19 Esa 6. Sap. 2. and had no regard hereunto before it fell upon them in such sort that they could no way escape the vengeance of the wrath of God 19. Which punishment God in sundry sorts caused to come upon the ungodly and are all set before us for example f 1 Cor. 10. that we being mindfull of the things to come should exercise our selves in the most holiest belief of godlinesse to the end we might g Heb. 5. find grace before God and so be preserved from the plagues of the ungodly h Lu. 21. and from the terrible malediction and horrible end of the last wicked world 20. Which plagues i Dan. 12. Mat. 24. shall be divers and more horrible then aforetime because the time is otherwise as being much wickeder and more manifoldly k 4. Esd 14. Mat. 24. increased in wickednesse 21. For behold it was another time and a different punishment upon the maliciousnesse of men when the Lord l Gen. 11. confounded and scattered the workmen at Babel after which time of punishment Abraham m Gen. 12. found grace before the Lord then that time was when the Lord n Gen. 6.7 2 Pet. 2. punished the world with the floud before which time of that punishment Noe with his family found grace to be a Remnant before the Lord. 22. In like manner it was also another time and punishment upon Sodoma and Gomorra o Gen. 19. 2 Pet. 2. when Lot the righteous was lead out thence and found grace before God to his preservation 23. Furthermore consider the different punishments also of Jerusalem and her Inheritants how that God punished them for their sins cause p Vide Libros Reg. Proph. in locis plurimis neverthelesse they alwaies which were upright of heart and turned them from the iniquity found grace before God 24. Now all this aforegoing being set behind and having regard unto that which is to come let every one turn him to the Lord the God of Israel who hath made heaven and earth q Jer. 18.25.35 Ezek. 14.18 4 Esd 14. and put away the abominations of idolatrous phantasies farre from his heart and so amend his course of life 25. Let every one love the good out of his whole heart mind and thoughts and take heed of the perversity of the wicked world wherein all impiety and the most horrible abominations doe bear sway r Mat. 11. Lu. 10.11 whose plagues and punishments shall now in the last time be out of measure much more horrible then any aforementioned according to the Scripture 26. Wherefore let every one labour for an upright heart before God and towards his neighbour Å¿ Esa 55. Jer. 29. Heb. 5. and seek of the Lord to find grace in his sight whereby to inherite now in this day the bountifull mercy of God in the preservation of the righteous that he perish not in the blind errours of the abominable and wicked world CHAP. IIII. 1. He willeth the wise to regard how the unbelievers do proceed in the evill 2. and the Lovers of Righteousnesse in the good 6. It is now no time to sleepe 8. But to labour for an upright heart 11. It is wisdome to buy the good things whiles they are best cheape 13. The World esteemeth not the true Vertues 15. The Beliefe 17. Hope 20. and Love 22. But the God fearing wise are to take the more heed that their Lamps be not without oyle 26. The world contendeth for the knowledge more then for the godlinesse it selfe 29. Many that know not the mans fall from God will yet speak much of Repentance c. 31. but it is all unprofitable 33.
we bidden through the service of the doctrines and writings of the Apostles of Christ i 1 Pet. 1. 1 Joh. 1. vvho have published in the world such a life as is everlasting 36. If then we believe in Christ so as the Scripture saith then shall not the upright wisdome remain separated from us but have her form in us and k Joh. 4.7 flow from our body as a river of living waters 37. But now is this upright wisdome l Mat. 11. 1 Cor. 1.2 hidden or unknown before all flesh also before the devill before the world and before all her wise and letter-learned ones 38. Also she is not to be learned in any schools through any study in the knowledges not found by any manner tongues or languages but she riseth as a light upon those who in the Doctrine of Wisdom of her service of Love are low and humble of heart m Esa 57.66 poor of Spirit willing to the good n Sap. 1.7 and not subject to the lustfulnesse of the sin 39. Therefore speaketh the mouth of the Wisdome saying o Mat. 11. I thank thee O Father of heaven and earth that thou hast hidden this same from the wise and learned in the Letter and hast made it knowne to the little and lowly 40. Yea it hath alwaies so pleased the Father to make the lowly contrite hearts partakers of the gifts of his holy wisdome CHAP. VII 2. In the off-fallen estate there is none truly wise though many boast 3. The Glasse of Righteousnesse is set forth to try every ones cause by it 8. Though the Author be moved at the misunderstanding of others 9. Yet would he not have men to think that his owne humane waies had been alwaies right 11. But through the Lords mercy he hath been inlightned 12. Which illumination and gifts he respected not in regard of the Love 13. And exhorteth all others to despise their gifts likewise in respect thereof 19. He bewaileth mens uncertaine knowledge 22. Yea even of them that are fore-goers unto others 25. How to walke in the Service of the Love 29. The written word is not the word it selfe 31. Yet mens misunderstanding perceiveth it not 39. But God can reveale the difference INasmuch as I now have perceived the fall or estranging of men from this holy wisdome and what a wicked nature and crafty heart they have or in what spirituall bewitching they stand that account themselves for wise and yet are strangers to the godly wisdome which is according to the Love and the requiring of her Service therefore could I not give credit unto any of them as true wise ones or upright Christians although they boasted them of Gods wisdome or gave our themselves for a Christian Congregation 2. For through mistrustfulnesse the fear of my heart was that the Christianity was not so good or upright among the Children of men as they made boast of or that it might yet not be for all that the right Christianity or that her Ministration was not yet proceeded out of the right stock of the Love 3. Whilest then that they were yet unknowne unto me in such sort that I could credit no man for his boasting fair speaking nor profoundnesse or deep knowledge and that out of Gods grace and his heavenly revelation there was granted me to see the good being of the Christianity and that the same stood before me in the sight of my spirit whereafter my hope and longing was as also we have said before therefore out of the inclination of love am I occasioned to shew openly and to set forth a Glasse of Righteousness whereby to make knowne before all eyes of understanding that glasse themselves therein the good and upright being of the true Christianity and what our calling is through Jesus Christ by the Word of the preaching of the Apostles of Christ and whereby also to lay open the understanding a Eph. 3. whereon we are to set our hope what manner life the Prophecies doe stretch unto wherein Gods promises are to be established and what manner ones they be or ought to be that are the upright Congregation of the Christianity 4. This verily have I through Gods grace b Rom. 12. 1 Cor. 3. which is given unto me plainly expressed in Letters according to the life of the upright Christianity namely according to the upright forme even as I behold the same in the vision of the truth through Gods heavenly Revelation which is c Rom. 16. Eph. 1.3 Col. 1. 2 Tim. 1. appeared and revealed unto me d Eccl. 24.33 seeking therein the salvation of all men and not mine owne only for therefore to the end that all controversie might now be ended and that it might be knowne what the true Christianity is I have impartially noted or described in Letters the upright being of the Christianity and also in like manner the true teaching-office of the Ministration of the holy Word in the obedience of the love of Jesu Christ. 5. If now any man have right in his matter concerning the Christianity or if any man minister the office of the holy Word rightly in the obedience of the love of Jesu Christ according to the promises he will also keep it and will likewise very willingly unite himselfe with us in the obedience of the Love of Jesu Christ for I desire not with my writing to bereave any man of the true being of the Christianity nor of the upright Office of the Ministration of the holy Word but much rather to point him to it and to be serviceable unto him therewith 6. But they that are wrong and stand in a conceit or imagination shall also very easily perceive wherein they mistake or are wrong if so be they read these writings and doe glasse themselves in the Glasse of Righteousnesse and have regard unto these testimonies 7. Let every one know himselfe and turn him to the Communalty of the love that he may be inlightned in his e Eph. 1. understanding and be delivered and unburthened of the f Rom. 1. vaine bewitched being and so with thanksgiving laud God 8. Oh what shall I say of the vaine understanding of the children of men and of all their conceits and imaginations whereunto they are subject Oh how much experience have I of this their ignorance and conceitednesse I have examined it very much I have had regard unto the judgement of many men and made my selfe common with every one howbeit I have found many things vaine or senselesse 9. But although I do thus write yet let no man therefore thinke that my humane waies have been still in the true understanding O no! but concerning my humane disposition and weak nature I have found my selfe in much sin and ignorance above many others 10. I have also passed thorow many g Sap. 5. tedious waies struggled much stumbled often and fallen many times yea I have been even the chiefe among
therefore ye beloved give no regard to the unbelief that saith it is impossible but contrariwise with belief and hope enter ye in for the beliefe is strong and mighty f Mat. 17.21 Luk. 17. she removeth mountains out of their places vanquisheth the enemies g Heb. 11. and is a certain assurance of that which is hoped for 12. Look then what ye out of belief and according to the truth do desire in God to obtain that love ye with vvhole heart for the love vvhich in her service holdeth the heart fast with earnest love is yet stronger then the belief h 1 Cor. 13. and goeth far beyond it all and not regarding any difficulty she overcometh it all for the things sake which she loveth for the love maketh that light which appeareth heavy and bringeth life out of that which seemeth to be death 13. Therefore the love is not wearied with any thing for that which a man loveth is precious in his sight and he esteemeth it of great value i Rom. 8. moreover he regardeth neither losse nor trouble to get or to come by that vvhich he loveth best 14. And therefore men are to k 1 Cor. 14. Col. 3. seek for the most best that they may obtain the same and not to respect any of those things that would oppose themselves or be hindersome there-against for who so seeketh not obtaineth not vvho so tasteth not of the sowre shall not partake of the sweet 15. If any man fall let him rise again if ye be hurt or wounded believe so shall ye be made whole yea though ye were already dead or were as dead in your minds yet if ye believe the gracious word and Salvation in the obedience of his service of love and put your trust in the power of God l Joh. 5. ye shall surely live and not abide dead for the saving from death m Joh. 11. is the Resurrection and eternall life 16. Though ye find your selves even damned in the hell and taken captive of sin and devill yet fear not but believe n Psal 18.23.33.116 ye shall be delivered and saved from thence 17. For the belief and hope towards the Salvation and the love to righteousnesse in the grace of God neither can nor may abide in the sinne death devill or hell but they must prevail vanquish and bring to nought or destroy all that is not of God 18. Therefore have neither the o Mat. 16. gates of hell nor the bands of the devill nor the p Rom. 8. pangs of death nor the strength of sin nor the lusts of the world nor the mind of the flesh any power over such believers either to hold or to raign over them q 1 Cor. 15. but they bring them all under them to a victory 19. But if at any time through the slendernesse of our understanding we be plucked away from our good mind or be after the nature of the Serpent r Gen. 3. Sap. 2. 2 Cor. 11. beguiled by the wisdom of the flesh and thereby through weaknesse fall and be made so senselesse that we cannot discern the life from the death yea become so feeble and faint-hearted that we have scarcely any desire at all to the good but do daily Å¿ Rom. 7. suffer and feel the sting of death yet let us not therefore be dismayed nor despair in mind but rather so much the more cheer up our selves in the belief and through the serviceable word of truth take unto us a new stomack and fresh courage again to a stouter going forwards keep so much the sharper watch and still have diligent regard on the thing that may annoy us to the entrance of the life whereby we may through the belief and obedience of the Word t Eph. 6. 1 Pet. 5. keep of and vanquish it every whit and so with a good will have our passage towards God in the spirit untill the love abide firm in us and that we have such a free heart and mind as may be subject to nothing but to the high Majesty of the living Godhead only 20. Now to come hereunto we must renounce our selves and all created visible things not only outwardly after the flesh but quite and clean inwardly with the heart according to the spirit and so give over our selves obediently under the service of love unto the God of life and his gracious word u Rom. 6.8 to a dying in the spirit from every thing whereunto our will and mind according to the flesh or outward fashion is tyed and keep our selves diligently from all holy appearances and worldly fashions that so then x 1 Pet. 1. in the obeying of the gracious word and his service of love our inward mind for to come to a submitted being may be made tender soft and lowly and we in like manner with humble hearts find our selves y Psal 57. ready to do the Lords will a Rom. 6. the end whereof is eternall life It is true 21. Which way to the life few do b Mat. 7. find because it is unknown c Mat. 11. 1 Cor. 1.2 and hidden unto all understandings of the flesh and unto all wise ones of the world and her Scripture learned 22. Who is there now rightly inclined to the life and peace but those that indure all deadly things dissention and whatsoever cometh upon them thereby untill it d Rom. 6.8 2 Cor. 4. wholly vanish and come to nought in them and which have the life and peace alwaies before their eyes and do pray with great fervency unto God in the spirit that he will be their povver and strength 23. After this manner ought vve vvith humble hearts to be minded in every thing that cometh upon us against the good for the evill must by the good be e Rom. 12. overcomed in patience 24. Yet not out of our vvorks or ovvn povver f Rom. 3.4 Eph. 2. O no but through the belief in affiance towards God and so abiding Gods leisure in his work we are daily to pray unto God in the spirit that he will destroy and take avvay or root out the evill out of our hearts and choose and set up the good again therein 25. Hereunto are we to g 1 Pet. 5. humble our hearts before God in his service of love that we may find such healthfull grace before his eyes in the coming of Jesu Christ who now to the Salvation of all those that hope in Christ h 2 Pet. 3. and long for his coming cometh to a righteous judgement over the world with equity 26. Oh hereof there is surely much written shewed and testified were it but observed and understood aright but there is great negligence and much misunderstanding among the children of men for we find many lamentable errours not only in the erring world but also in those that perswade themselves to be wise and to love the good 27. Awake once
O thou precious man and consider that the eternall God i Ezek. 18. 1 Tim. 2. 2 Pet. 3. hath no pleasure in such unprofitable living as is mixed with contrariety unto God 28. But if so be Oye children of men ye have pleasure in the destruction according to the course of the blind world and do k Sap. 2. Rom. 1. Eph. 4. 2 Pet. 3. Iude. 1. delight in the strange life of the ungodly being go on thus boldly in the same and do shew no l Rom. 2. upright obedience to the word m Mat. 3. Lu. 3.13 nor amendment from sinne then hardly think also that ye are certainly minded n Joh. 8. against God even like the devill himself and incorporated with the child of perdition or of the devill that extolleth himself in the desire of his errours by means of the pleasure or reward of unrighteousnesse against God and against all that men vvorship God in saying in his heart or essentiall mind that he himself is the Lord o 2 Thes 2. and exalteth himself in like manner in the hearts of the unbelieving and disobedient men to a ruling above God and above the godly nature and so setting himself in the Temple of God that is in mans heart p Dan. 8.9.12 Mat. 24. he utterly laieth wast the House of the Lord and in like manner worketh in the man a secret wickednesse which is not soon to be perceived 29. Truly who so with the desires of their souls do cleave unto this pernicious nature they are very abominable in their doings for there is none of them that doth good no not one 30. Their best vertue is a covered sin and an abominable hypocrisie before God and his Saints 31. Their throat is an q Psal 5. Rom. 3. open Sepulcher their tongue flattereth their mouth speaketh arrogancy and they deal with unprofitable and false things 32. Their lurking is r Psal 10. Pro. 1. how to beguile the simple and to oppresse the poor and innocent with tyranny not once thinking that there is a God which will revenge such things and recompense it all unto them O yes he will certainly find them out and render them their just reward 33. For if God spared not the old world but Å¿ Gen. 7. 2 Pet. 2. condemned the same through the floud because of sin nor Sodoma and Gomorra t Gen. 19. 2 Pet. 2. but for their ungodlinesse sake caused fire and brimstone to fall from heaven upon them to their destruction then will he not also assuredly spare this wicked nature but recompense his vvickednesse upon his own pate 34. Seeing then the Almighty God did in times past cause so great punishment to come upon the ungodly for their unrighteousnesse sake u Mat. 11. Luk. 10. how much horribler punishment are they worthy of x 2 Pet. 2. Jude 1. that do now in this evill world commit ungodlinesse because all those former punishments upon them vvho in times past committed ungodlinesse are set forth before these for example that they should fear these last plagues of the wicked world y Mat. 25. 2 Pet. 3. which wicked world is reserved for the fire that it may perish thereby according to the promises CHAP. XV. 1. An expostulating with the man for his bold and wilfull cleaving to the abominations of the wicked world 5. The curse of such boldnesse 7. The fulfilling of the Law is the way to Christ but the man by his wisdome will have other waies by cleaving whereunto the Antichrist is brought forth in the hearts of the unbelievers 11. This embracing of Antichrist the man will deny with the mouth and contrariwise will confesse the Law of the Lord but in the deed he doth the contrary 14. An admonition against misunderstanding of certain Scriptures and sentences 24. Which sentences he explaineth And first how the righteous spirit is procreated 34. How those that are taught by the righteous Spirit are no longer the servants of the Prophets O Thou man that dost yet with thy will cleave to the obominations and vain things of the evill world wilt thou not once fear before the God of all Gods before the King of all Kings before the wisdome of all wise-ones before the righteousnesse of all righteous ones and before the highest judgement of all Judges 2. Wilt thou not indeed once remember that there is such a God a Esa 45. as requireth righteousnesse yes assuredly he b Esa 28. will make up himself with the same terrifie the earth and fall upon his enemies for they shall not be able to c Lam. 2. escape the hand of his vengeance for he will d Esa 4 Ezek. 37. Eph. 5. cleanse the earth of the uncleannesse of the ungodly being 3. Or thinkest thou O man that God is dead and thou shalt live Or that God is blind and thou seest thinkest thou still to reigne and that God shall lie down under thee and be according to thy mind as though that thou wert the head and God the feet and that he should be driven as a footstool to be put under thee and that his Law Statutes and Ordinances shall still be trodden downe and forgotten 4. Make not too much adoe thou e Esa 28 45. Rom. 9 earthen vessell against thy Creator for truly thy stoutnesse is too presumptuous and arrogant against one that is much stronger then thou art 5. Therefore look into it all that have eyes to see whether that all haughtinesse of the flesh doth not exalt it selfe above God and how gladly every one beareth dominion against Gods truth and how that there be many do cover themselves with the appearance of holinesse wherewith the eyes of many men are bewitched supposing that such haughtinesse and appearance of holinesse is of God 6. Under which covering of the show of holinesse and under the glorying f Mat. 24 of the Lords Name the man boldly forceth on his arrogant conceiving and advanceth his owne will and forsaketh or rejecteth utterly the Law of the most highest and the Statutes and Ordinances of his people Israel which God in times past gave them by Moses his servant and ratified by the mouth of his holy Prophets 7. For at the end or g Gal. 4 in the fulfilling of all the same hath God brought forth his Son the h Sap. 7. Heb. 1. like Image of his Godhead to the salvation of his people which Son of God i Mat. 5 is not come to break the Law but to accomplish the same to the intent that the Law and the Prophets may still remaine in their state and office untill Christ whereby through the same Christ men may be saved or justified k Acts 15. Rom. 3.4 Gal. 2.3 Eph. 2. from the sin by faith and not by the works of the Law Lo thus cometh the Kingdome of God and the everlasting life 8. But whilst the man hath by his wisdome set himself