unto them double what they have done to the poore and innocent so will we for it praise Thee with united hearts everlastingly that thou in the midst of thy wrath hast yet remembred thy infinite goodnesse and mercy and turned thy self from thy wrath and our well deserved punishments and hast again mercy upon poore mankind and raised up a Saviour unto them O heavenly God and Father grant this our Prayer unto us for Christ his bitter death and suffering to a true Ninivitish Repentance and conversion that the day of thy promised Redemption may break in as a Lightning and that the Jews and Heathen may be gathered together in and to the Truth Amen Allelu-jah Amen The Barres which the Devill and the darkned Reason do set before the Souls that Christ cannot begin to work therein Ob. 1 1. That it is impossible that a Man through Repentance wrought by God can wholly die from sin that it henceforth should have no ruling power Ans Hereby is Gods omnipotencie Christs merit and the Holy Spirits inhabitation wholly made void and greater power ascribed to the Devill in our destruction then to Christ in our Renovation contrary to the tenor of the holy Scripture Rom. 5. 6 7 8. 14. 1. Cor. 2. v. 16. Cap. 3. v. 17. 2. Cor. 3. v. 17. 18. Gal. 2. v. 20. Ephes 2. v. 5. 6. Epqes 5. v. 27. c. Now as long as this Barre of doubt remaineth in thee so long is Christs kingdom shut up in thee and the kingdom of sin manifest varnish it over outwardly how thou wilt it will nothing at all avail 2 Barre Ob. 2 That God is mercifull and winketh at the sins of Men for Christs merits sake Answ Verily hereby is Christ made a Minister of sin contrary to the testimonies of the holy Scripture Gal. 2. v. 17 18. 1 Cor. 1. v. 30 31. 2 Tim. 3. 17. Colos 4. v. 12. Ca. 1. v. 28 Cap. 2. v. 10. and the Righteousnesse of God slandered and blasphemed Deut. 27. v. 26. Psal 5. v. 6. 1 Joh. 3. v. 10. and his Grace wrested or drawn by licentiousnesse into a most damnable abuse Epist Jud. v. 4. 14. seq 2 Pet. 2. v. 14. 1. Joh. 5. v. 2 3. 1 Joh. 2. v. 6. 3 Barre Ob. 3 Although man live not so blamelesse and fear not God with all his heart yet he may and can convert himself and obtain of God forgivenesse of his sin Ans Hereby is Repentance which is meerly Gods work and is not within the comqasse of mans abilitie Jer. 31. v. 18. 19. 2 Tim. 2. v. 25 26. ascribed to our naturall powers and by that meanes idolatry committed And in the like manner it is also with Prayer for it is the onely work of the holy Spirit Zach. 12. v. 10. Rom. 8. v. 15. 26. 27. Joh. 14. 15. Now God heareth not sinners for they pray without the Spirit which dwelleth in no soul that is subject to sin Wisd 1. ver 3 4 5. 4. Barre Ob. 4 Hereby men may be brought to desperation when all grace is denied to sinful evil doers and a man would have altogether a pure Church Ans O happy desperation which worketh a spirituall sorrow 1 Cor. 7. v. 9 10 11. killeth the old Adam wholly Rom. 6. v. 6. siq Rom. 8. v. 4. 19. Gal. 5. v. 24. maketh the world with all its doings to a bitter Crosse Gal. 6. v. 14. Phil. 3. v. 8. 1 Joh. 2. v. 15 16. Matth. 10. Luk. 14. taketh captive the Reason 2 Cor. 10. v. 5. maketh a man become a child Joh. 3. v. 3. a beast and a fool Psal 73. v. 22. yea a meer nothing Gal. 6. v. 3. for a reasonlesse naturelesse creaturelesse worldlesse man and freed from all vanity is fit for the kingdom of God and that is then the pure soul wherein God dwelleth 2. Cor. 6. v. 14. seq Psal 18. v. 27. Psal 24. verse 4. 5 Barre Ob. Such men as these it is impossible to find in the world therfore is it foolishnesse yea madnesse to require this of any man Ans He that is fleshly minded must judge fleshly and calumniate Gods work and truth for he is an enemie of the true Regeneration out of the Spirit 1 Cor. 2. v. 10 11. seq Rom. 8. v. 5 6 7 8 9. Psal 73. v. 89. Gal. 4. v. 29. There is but a narrow way to Lise wherein for even very few and not many walk Matth. 7. v. 13. 14. Luk. 13. v. 23. The summe of Christianitie is this That the old Man with his lusts and desires must perish 2 Cor. 4. v. 16. be killed destroyed and drowned by Regeneration 1 Tit. 3. v. 5 6. Rom. 6. v. 6. and all become new 2. Cor. 5. v. 17. that Christ may be all in all Colos 3. v. 11. fill all in all Ephe. 1. v. 23. and present every one perfect to the Father Colos 1. v. 28. Cap. 2. v. 6. 10. Colos 3. v. 34. Colos 4. v. 12. 2 Tim. 3. v. 17. THE SUMME OF THE TRVE AND LIVING FAITH and of all the Articles of the Belief The true and living Faith O beloved Man consisteth not in the knowledge of the holy Scripture which Moses the Prophets and Apostles have left behind them nor in such Articles which men have according to their reason collected out of the holy Scripture which a man can learn by heart and fasten in his memory and then out of his naturall power say and confesse this I beleeve for this truly is but the meet imaginarie faith wherewith all the world is at this day bewitched deceived and befooled yea so farre that men go on to defend this their saith wrought by their own power by wrangling contentions and disputes yea even by the sword with the shedding of the blood of the poore and murthering of many innocent souls which imaginary faith is the very true inward abomination of desolation from whence is also sprung the outward desolation of Countreys and people in the righteous wrath of God which shall continue break forth and make desolate so long as this unbeleef with its manifest power of unrighteousnesse and cold LOVE beareth sway The true Faith O dear Man is a divine work or power of God in man which changeth and regenerateth him out of God truly killeth the old Adam and maketh a whole new man from the heart minde and all his powers and bringeth with it the holy Spirit wherethrough man becometh without sin and keepeth and fulfilleth Gods Commandements which to the beleevers are not heavie For the righteousnesse of Faith maketh a man without sin fully righteous before God so that he feareth God honoureth him as a Father and loveth him as a Lord from his heart whole soul and all his powers and his neighbour as himself as Luther described the true but at this day very much unknown Faith Now he that findeth such power in truth in himself and thereby doth the will of God he is a true member of the
and distressed worme therefore I have no reason at all to exalt my self for what my Head and Husband CHRIST bestoweth on me are of meere Grace which ought to work in me Humility and acknowledgement of mine unworthinesse that I am not worthie of them and in no wise work in me Pride nor any Proprietie or puffing-up Therefore avaunt Satan with thy subtiltie and deceit for thou art a Theef and a Robber of the due honour of my LORD JESUS CHRIST to whom onely is due all honour and not to me and for that reason whosoever will honour me is and shall be mine enemie O beloved Man in this manner thy repentant enlightned soul considered thou art as yet in an evill Inne or Lodging where no good dayes do shine but strife upon strife battell upon battell storme upon storme of which state the Scripture cleerly testifies that no man should be secure but continually examining and proving of himself and encountring with and couragiously resisting his enemies lest he be sifted deceived foyled and overthrown by the Devill stirred up to unprofitable words and works by his flesh and blood and ensnared by the Love of the World for if any of these Images possesse thy soul then Christ is expelled and hath in thee no form Perform O Man what actions soever thou wilt outwardly yet it is but as the Scripture termeth it untempered morter Let every man after this manner trie and search himself now whether his hitherto practised Repentance hath been divine and true namely so that the old Adam is thereby truly disturbed crucified mortified and Christ really conceived formed born grown and become perfect in his soul all which O Man thou must in power feel and find in thee and not know it according to thy Reason out of the holy Scriptures or mouth preaching for that is but a knowledge without feeling a Historie without experience and a word without power 3. Therefore in the third place I earnestly exhort every man in particular in the name of God to examine duely and to look narrowly to himself in these times of the righteous and burning wrath of God whether he be a sincere Christian such a one as in the Love of God is powerfull and active or else a meere verball or mouth-Christian a knower talker and no doer as alas alas the generall custome of most men is For O babling Babel thou art according to thy imaginarie Faith not spiritually rich though thou knowest the holy Scriptures and its naturall or rationall exposition and art able to speak thereof eloquently and after a Philosophicall manner wittily to argue and dispute Thou art not thereby spiritually fed nor refreshed although thou usest the outward Sacraments after thy accustomed manner Truly thou perswadest thy self in vain as if nothing else were requisite to accomplish thy Christianitie then an imputation of the merits of Jesus Christ and that in thine open transgressions sinfull courses Adulterie Sorcerie and Idolatrie For it is evident that thou in this thy worship or Religion art very wretched blinde poore and wholly bare or naked of the Righteousnesse which God approveth yea it is evident to thee by the Plagues of Gods righteous wrath and the consuming punishments which never have missed but alwayes have followed upon a false and before God frivelous Religion which punishments also even for that cause now adayes bear full sway For the true Religion hath never from the beginning of the world stirred up Rods of wrath but worketh Patience in the fatherly chastisements and outward persecutions for Christs holy Names sake and hearty Thanksgiving for the Conformity with Christs Crosse therefore if the world suffered in a good conscience for the confession of Jesus then were her case and condition good Therefore O thou Babell rise up from thy false foundation leave thy spirituall Pride wherein thou imaginest as if thou wert a true pure and sin free unspotted Spouse of Christ and stoodst in the power of the New birth and Regeneration of the holy Spirit in holinesse and righteousnesse in an obedient faithfull service with due fear and trembling as unalterablie or of necessitie becometh the Spouse of Christ before God the heavenly Fathers presence Ah thou sinfull stinking and loathsome Whore lay down and submit thy self with Nineveh before God in humilitie of Heart with acknowledgement of all thy committed whoredomes and pollutions with the Creatures and thy strange Lovers lye down in the sackcloth and ashes of deepest and lowest unworthy that God may no further uncover thy shame and ignominie in the Judgement of his wrath but out of his grace may work in thee true Repentance And then thereupon shall follow a right and true worship of God proceeding from the living Faith divine Love and Righteousnesse a holy Christian-like and blamelesse Life for these two are so linked together that that cannot severally consist and confequently the inward Peace and outward quietnesse even grace goodnesse mercie happinesse life and blessing as upon unbelief unrighteousnesse voidnesse of Love feigned Repentance and outward false worship of God whilest the true internall foundation whereout the externall worship ought and must issue is rejected and forsaken as John Arnt in his third Book of true Christianitie plainly layes open and thereby are practised the Heathenish yea worse then Devillish life and conversation c. Warre Plague Famine and other punishments and afflictions threatned by God are sprung up in all places among that people which call themselves the people of GOD and carrie themselves also outwardly as if they were such indeed boasting themselves highly to be Christians by their imaginarie Faith which they themselves have learned by their own power and also by the outward Religion which flows from the former and all this in a fiery Zeal or Heat yet altogether without the moving or driving Power of GOD to it in their Churches Prayers Singings Sermons Communions or Almes-givings c. and yet are altogether estranged from the Life of Christ according to the Power and Truth of it both inwardly and outwardly as by comparison will evidently appear to every one when he will make it without the flatterie and adulation of the old man in a right due and Christian-like triall and examination of himself Therefore this conceited world might well begin betimes duely and otherwise then hitherto hath been done to examine its customarie Religion it s pretended Christian faith communion in the Spirit especially by this burning wrath of GOD and yeerly encreasing terrible Destruction from their heart even from their very heart stirring up themselves to turn to God in the right way and manner of Nineveh not imaginary as if those Villages Cities and Countreys in Germany and elsewhere that have perished alreadie in Gods wrath were more wicked then those which are yet in a tolerable state and condition in respect of their outward prosperitie No verily no For if the remaining Towns Cities Countreys and Dominions do not soon even very soon
for the time of Life to Repentance passeth and hasteth with greatest speed to an end bring forth true and upright fruits of Repentance for with false and seeming fruits God will not be baffled off nor appeased and with Nineveh humble your selves from your very Heart unfeignedly and prostrate your selves down before the highly displeased God or else you shall perish in a more terrible manner for the slowlier the sharper and severer the Judgement of God will break forth which no going to Church Preaching or hearing of Sermons shall divert though ye should use and practise them daily according to your accustomed manner as other Nations in other places have done and yet for all that are ruined but bring upon you the like judgement as other confumed Countreys and Regions have felt nay draw and hasten upon your selves a farre heavier judgement Therefore he that yet will be advised and take counsell let him arise and go forth out of his own private little and fleshly Babell and consequently also out of the great and publick Babel lest he perish in them in body and soul For the wrath of the Lambe shall soon shew it self in a right Lion-like property against his mockers and despisers Therefore let him kisse with true and heartie penitentiall tears him that may be kissed lest he perish in his own vain Way and be thrown from bodily into everlasting Destruction O thou blinded Babel be I beseech thee intreated for Gods sake and for thine own salvations sake to relinquish that damnable Imaginarie-Belief being but an opinion prated into thee as if thou sufferest as a right and pure Spouse of Christ for the true Religion and right fear of God for were 't thou the Spouse of Christ and practised the right and true Fear of God without all doubt God would be thy mercifull Father and not thy consuming fire O how heartily would Christ thy Head and thy Husband take care for thee and cover thee in motherly Love and tendernes under His Wings Ah how would the Holy Ghost intercede for thee with unspeakable Groanings so that the Just Fire of Gods Wrath could not thus consume thee yea how heartily would thou rejoyce if it should be the will of God to baptize thee with the Baptisme of the Crosse for the confession of His Son for as much as thou thereby shouldst be made like unto the Image of God But O Babell thou art neither inwardly nor outwardly fashioned and framed in the right form after Christ Jesus thy Lord and God Ah thou Arch-whore wherefore imaginest thou thy self to be a Virgin since thou art so throughly impregnated and defiled with the Diabolical seed of Sin that neither in thee nor about thee there is no appearance at all of any thing else to be seen or heard but sin sin sin O remember how by thy kingdom of sin thou shalt together with thy Paramour the Devill by whose instigation and motion thou dost plead so hard for the cursed kingdom of sin in thee and not so much as de firest once through Christ to become perfectly Righteous and without sin but wilt to the utter Contempt of His Holy Merits use thy Saviour as a daily servant of sin be cast into the pit of Hell with a double hellish torment for all thy crying and saying Lord Lord and for all thy Preaching Prophecying Signes and Wonders c. and then thou shalt rightly and really perceive and know whether as Babell saies Christ cannot chuse but love the wicked and malicious sinners whom He both threatneth and also makes to feel wo wo temporally and eternally Now he therefore that will escape the place of torment temporally and eternally let him in right earnest without any hypocrisie and simulation direct his Heart to God powring it out and all that is in it wholly and fully before him lamenting and saying for himself and for others with a broken heart and contrite spirit bitterly heartily and moanfully thus O Thou great God and terrible LORD of Hosts Ah we Men have sinned we have committed unrighteousnesse and have been ungodly we are wholly revolted from Christ Jesus our inward Living Fountain whereby we are totally departed from thy Commandments and statutes and are become sinners deserving nothing but punishment Ah Lord our Teachers Princes and Rulers and all the people have so trespassed against thee that they have forsaken thine inward Law and Testimonie transgressed thine outward Covenant neglected thy Voice nor would hear the same in them but have sought all from without and are thereby become so unprofitable that there is scarce one that doth good yea not one and yet we will not learn to be ashamed that thy beloved Son Christ Jesus is rooted out of his true inward Church Temple and Dwelling nor freely and openly confesse and acknowledge these our great sins and horrible transgressions that thereby thou mightest be again reconciled to us in and by Christ the onely Mean of Reconciliation and unition with thee the living God and turn thy countenance to us in grace through the Mercie-Seat which we by the new extirpation of him out of our souls have more horribly committed then ever the Jews did by the outward crucifying of him Nay we plaister over such our misdoings with our outward customary worship of God by which we moreover wickedly varnish over our heathenish ungodly yea altogether Diabolicall life and doings with a manifestly pernitious and damnable doctrine as though we could not chuse even in and by the New Birth otherwise but be sinners and to deserve punishment whereas by the testimony of the holy Scripture through the true and new Regeneration which is wrought by Christ Jesus in us by the effusion or imparting of his holy Spirit we must be purged from sins freed from all punishments of wrath to serve God in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life and to walk in fear and trembling before his presence which is the perfection of the true Christians in Christ Jesus their Head in this Time of Grace But whilest that we as did the Jews reject the inward Circumcision and Baptisme and relie on the outward covenant in our open sinfull courses and fleshly doings according to the first birth therefore thy just curse and hideous execration on all sides lighteth upon us O righteous God in that thou hast sent such miseries upon us that are but Name and Mouth-Christians and outward Religionists wherein many are already languished both in body and soul yea O righteous God thou art readie in thy just anger to send yet greater plagues upon us for the vials of thy wrath stand prepared to be effused upon us who are not yet right Christians but godlesse revolting children who yet still as thou according to thy righteous judgements afflictest plaguest and punishest us we adde more and more to our backslidings that so we may be destroyed from the earth and our Name be never any more remembred O God heavenly Father seeing that