thou from all those which do seeke only the earthly Things Heer-vppon let vs alwayes think / in thissame euell and perrilous Tyme The V. Chap. THou wrytest also vnto me / that thy Sight is / that thou doest not so knowe God / as that He shoulde still deale rygorously with his People likeas He hath don in the olde Testament euen as ther standeth written 2. I haue not doutles written vnto thee / that God hath dealt rygorously with mee but that his Enemyes as is also before rehearsed haue dealt rygorously with me / with Crueltee and Accusation euen as they haue likewyse shewed in a Psal. 42.44 b. 69 b â— 102 b. 109. e. Math 26.27 Act 22 23. tymes-past / on Christ and his Saincts 3. These woulde gladly haue satisfyed their Lust on me / to my Destruction Of whom I had written vnto thee / that I hoped to see my Desyre on myne Enemyes and Accusers namely that they / all those that accused me and woulde gladly haue seene my Destruction shoulde be iudged into the Condemnation themselues 4. Looke into the matter rightly For euenso soundeth the Letter that I haue written vnto thee and not that God dealeth rygorously with his People / neither hath He also at any tyme â as neither now presently nor-yet in the olde Testament dealt rygorously· but alwayes graciously with them but I haue bin constrayned by myne Enemyes â for my Sinnes cause to suffer my Punishment for a certen-tyme / like as the Lordes People also / in the olde Testament / were constrayned by their Enemyes â of whom they were captiued to suffer-out their Punishment / for their Sinnes cause For for their Sinnes cause / the holy Citee Ierusalem b 4. Reg. 2â— 2. Par. 36. Ier. 5â— and the Temple of the Lorde were layd-waste / and they lead-away captiue and very-sore punished / vnder the Power of Babel 5. But after thatt / when they obtayned the Grace agayne before their God c Ier. 32. Zach. 8. and that their Harts were cleansed / both from the Sinne and the sinfull Desyres / they were brought agayne out of the strainge Nations / to their owne Lande and Heritage and to the holy Citee Ierusalem / the which â and also the Temple of the Lorde was buylded d 1 Esd. 3. Ezech. 40. Agg. 1.2 Zach. 2.4.6 agayne anew / in thesame Tyme for to offer holy Gifts and Offerings euen-thear vnto their God / that are delytfull vnto Him the which they coulde not doo among the strainge People nor in forrayne Landes neither coulde they likewyse sing e Psal. 137. a. their Songs of Sion / in their Captiuitee in Babilon but they must thear beare their Contempt / for their Sinnes cause 6. Consider well of the Mynde and looke into the Images of the olde Testament / according to the Spirit and according to the Trueth and how that it shall all now that is set-foorth f Ezo 25. c. Act 7. c. Heb. 8. a. image-lyke in the Olde-testament / be g Math. 5. b. accomplished in the true Beeing Besydes-this / so consider also / how that God hath neuer dealt rygorously with his People and h Psal. 13.6 how that his Goodnes endureth for euer The VI. Chap. BUt thou wrytest Hath He not taken on him the manly Nature and therin geeuen vs a Promyse in such-sort / as that his Sonne shoulde performe or satisfy all for vs And for those that rightly vnderstande it / He hath performed it all / according as thou Vnderstandest the matter 2. OH Heer-vpon mought I take occasion to wryte much / because ther is so much and many-kyndes of Misunderstanding risen-vpp out of such Sentences or Iudgments But I hope well of the best Vnderstanding / in thee Neuerthelesse / with doubt 3. It is true Hee which is all that is Ø›the God of Glory hath â in Christ taken on him the a Phil. 2. a. Heb. 2. b. manly Nature and geeuen vs a Promyse therin but thatsame is don with Difference 4. Therfore looke into the Scripture / according to the Mynde of the Wisdom and not according to the Vnderstanding of the earthly and fleshly Myndes 5. For God taketh not on him / the Seede of the Heathen nor the Nature of the Vncircumcisedones but / b Heb. 2. b. the Seede of Abraham which beareth in him / the Couenant of Gods Circumcision and in thatt Seede c Gen. 12.21 b 22. b. 26. a Act. 3. c. Gal. 3. a. b is the Promyse of Saluation or the Blessing of all Generations of the Earth / geeuen 6. And euenthus hath the Seede of Abraham the Promyse / to possesse the d Gen. 12.17 Psal. 105. b. Lande of Canaan namely the Kurnell or the Heart of the Heathen as an Heritage / for euer For inasmuch as Abraham beleeued / therfore is he likewyse chosen of God / e Gen. 17. a. Rom. 4. b. to be a Father of Fayth and called out of the Heathen or Vncircumcision / into the Couenant of Gods Circumcision and euenthus in his Fayth and in his Seede / is the Promyse made to the Blessing of all Generations of the Earth 7. Which Promyse standeth-firme for euer / in the Woord of Lyfe and in the Fathers of the Couenant Wherout also all Gods Prophets haue had their cleere Sight and Testymony of the Trueth and f Esa. 40.60.62 Ier. 13. a. 30. a. 31.33 so haue prophecied g Luk. 1.8 1. Pet 1. b. on the Establishing of the Promyses 8. Beholde this Promyse euen as God had spoken to the Fathers of the Couenant· h Act. 30. and by the Mouth of all his holy Prophets is sealed confirmed or established on the Stock of Iuda i Math. 1. Luk. .1.2 b. the Sonne of Iacob / wherout Dauid is borne From whom / k Gen. 49. b. the Rodd is not taken nor a Master from his Feete / till that the Iust com For to Him shall the People inclyne and obtayne their Saluation in Him according to the Promyses 9. This Iustone consider wel of the Vnderstanding is the l Sap. 7. c. â— Cor. 4. a. Col 1. b. very-lyke Beeing of God the almighty Father And Hee â in his Birth out of the liueing Godhead according to the Spirit m Rom 1. a. 1. Tim. 3. c â–ª and out of the Seede of Dauid according to the Flesh is verytruly the Sonne of God and Man and the true Sauiour n Luk. 2. b. Phil. 3. c. 1. Tim. 4. c. of Men / to the Blessing of all Generations of the Earth according to the Promyses 10. Therfore also hath the Power of God named o Luk. 1. â— 2. c Him Iesus and He is by his Disciples / published among all People / p Act. 2.3 4.5 c. to be a Christ which saueth 11. Beholde this vpright and true Beeing of God the Father which according to the Flesh / is q Esa. 53. a b. Sap.
that thou only art very true God and Him whom thou hast sent / Iesus Christ. Iohn 17. Ther was demaunded by a Louer of the Trueth and an Instruction desyered / touching the Difference betwixt God / the Father and his Sonne / the Lorde Iesus Christ. And ther-vppon is answered by HN / in wryting â according to the Declaring of the spirituall and heauenly Trueth this Instruction heeraftter following The First Chapter I Haue thus-long deferred forto answer thee thy Demaunde in wryting â which thou Beloued Brother desyredst of mee / when I was last with thee because of certen Matters that were needfull for me first-of-al to further Wher-through I â by that occasion haue not â hetherto had conuenient tyme to accomplish thesame 2. But I haue not for-al-that / forgotten thy Demaunde nor through Slothfulnes / neglected to wryte vnto thee neither do I desyre in any-wyse / to deny thee thy Request but am alwayes wel-willing to witnes thesame vnto thee â according to that Vnderstanding which the Lorde giueth vnto mee so much as it is profitable for thee to Edification Notwithstanding I am burdened in my Heart / because I haue promysed â vppon thy Demaunde to wryte thee an Answere 3. But not that the Grounde of the Matter â about the which thou hast questyoned with mee· and desyred of mee / to answer thesame in wryting is so hard or profound-of-vnderstanding / to answere O No but because that the Vnderstanding of thesame Mynde / is so vtterly vnknowe a Math. 11. c 13. b Iohn 14. b. Ephe. 3. a. before all Sence of the Flesh. 4. Yea how naked and bare soeuer the Scripture sheweth it / according to the Mynde of the Spirit / yet can it not for-al-that / be vnderstood b 1. Cor. 2. b. nor conceaued by Flesh and Blood / Vnles the Man must first â according to the Counsayle of the Scripture be turned into another Mynde 5. SEing now that the Scripture of the Apostles of Christ / is spirituall c Iohn 5. â— 6. g. and witnesseth of Spirit and Lyfe and that the Man â which readeth y e Testymonyes therof / in the Letter standeth captiued with a Fleshly Mynde / vnder d Rom. 7. â— the Sinne and his owne Good-thinking and so taketh vppon Him â out of thesame Mynde of the Flesh and his owne Good-thinking to vnderstande the Mynde of God out of the Letter / e 1. Cor. 2. b. So can He not doutles bring it to-pas For his Fleshly Sences and good-thinking Thoughts / do surely stretch no farder / but likewyse to such an Intelligence or Knowledg of the Fleshly Vnderstanding 6. For-that-cause also / the Mynde of Man doth not â out of the Letter of the Scripture vnderstand nor comprehende the Mynde of God / rightly By-meanes-wherof / ther is likewyse now at this present daye like as cam-to-pas also in tymes-past / among f Ier. 26. b. 28. a. b. 29. c. d. Math. 12. c. 23. b. c. d. 26.27 the worldly Wyse and Scriptur-learnedones much Contention Variance and Controuersie / founde among the Children of Men / who do contende about Thatt which they themselues vnderstaÌ„d not and wil seeme to knowe Thatt / which according to the Mynde of their Vnderstanding â wherin they are comprehended is not to be knowen nor Vnderstood 7. THe whilst now that the ritch bountifull God â out of the Loue of his Grace / vndeserued giueth vnto Vs â in g 1. Cor. 2. b. our inward Mynde another Spirit for to discerne and to vnderstand with-al / h 1 Cor. 1.2 b which is nor of Flesh and Blood nor-yet mynded according to the earthly and fleshly Wisdom of this Worlde nor according to y e Prudence of y e Ingeniousnes of y e worldly Wyse and of the coÌ„tentions Scriptur-learned or those of famous Schooles / Therfore do we perceaue / that it is perillous to wryt-ouer vnto any man / of the Secretnes of God i Ephe. 3. a. and Christ And that therfore / we do dayly beare a Care or a Suspicion / whether Those that aske after the Vnderstanding of the godly Trueth / do not desyre to knowe thesame k Act. 17. c. out of Curyousnes or Sensualitee or l Iohn 8. b. to iudg it according to their Good-thinking 8. Therfore it is daungerous in this perillous Tyme / to discouer or to wryt-ouer the groundly Depthes m Rom. 11. d. of the godly Wisdom / vnto anyman / because that we do now fynde many Men that do aske / to th end to knowe much / Yea they seeke many Knowledges / wherby to vnderstand and to iudg the godly Things / out of their Sharpwitednes or Industry And thatt lyketh all those well / which haue no Lust to doo the Lordes Will. For therin lyeth the olde Roote n Gen. 3. b. Rom 5. b. of Adam wherout the disobedient Knowledg springeth or cometh-foorth 9. But to o Iohn 8 c. submitt themselues obediently to the Requyring of the gracious Woord of the godly Wisdom· and to the right Seruice of the Loue of Iesu Christ / also to cleaue vnto y e liueing God / in his godly Nature or Beeing / p Exo. 20. â— Deut. 5. a. and to serue to prayse and to honour Him / as He is a God / in his Christ / thatt lyketh fewe or none Yet is thesame the newe Fruit of the Planting of Iesu Christ wher-vnto the Scripture poynteth vs / which neither the q Math. 11. c. Iohn 14 c. 1. Cor 1.2 b Worlde nor her Wyse or Scriptur-learnedones do vnderstand nor-yet conceaue the Mynde For they knowe not thesame 10. ALthough I do thus rehearse these things / my Beloued and that my Carefulnes standeth to such a Suspicion towards Many / Yet do I notwithstanding hope and trust somwhat better of thee / as that thou art more inclyned to vnderstand the Will and Mynde of God / to the intent to r 1. Pet. 5. a. submitt thyself obediently ther-vnto / to thy Saluation and to the s Ephe. 1. b. Laude and Prayse of the godly Glory and so to beleeue the liueing God and his Christ· to inclyne vnto Him· and to becom t 2. Pet. 1. a. partaker of his Beeing / then for to knowe much therof / according to the Pleasure of thyne owne-Owne-mynde 11. Therfore also I wil not think it tedious vnto me to answer thy Demaunde / with Dilligence / out of feruent Loue / If haply God would vouchsafe â through my small Seruice to open u EPhe. 1. c. thyne Vnderstanding and â through his Increase or Blessing to endow thee in thy Spirit / with his Grace and to stirr-vp thy Heart to a pure Mynde towards God and towards his Loue in Iesu Christ. The II. Chap. THus was then thy saying vnto me â as I remember that the Woord which y e Apostles of Christ do wryte / was darke or incomprehensible for thee to
the One vndeuided c Rom. 12. a. Ephe. 4. b. Body of Christ with whom we haue our fellowshipp d 1. Iohn 1. a. with God the Father / the Headd of thesame Christ. 2. To thatt God which â through the Spirit e 1. Pet. 5. b. of his Loue hath chosen vs to such a Maiestee of his Glory / be Laude Honour f Apo. 4.5 b Prayse and Thanks / for euer Amen 3. BEholde my beloued Freendes in the Loue This Loue of God the Father â wherin God hath gloryfyed Vs is the bounttyfull Mercy of the highest God with the which He hath taken-pitie on vs now in these last perillous Tymes and elected vs to Saluacion g Eâ—he 4. a. to the Lande of his Glory In which perillous Tymes / al-maner of venimous h Ephe. 4. b. Wyndes false Knowledges deceiptfull Witts contrary Sightes i Math. 24. b. 2. Timo. 4. a 2. Pet. 2. a. with many erring Spirits and all wrong Iudgers or False-sentence-giuers â to the Hurt of the Soule do flourish 4. Seing then that all false Spirits do now â in many Controuersies ryse-vp out of the wicked Worlde and out of those Wyscones that cleaue vnto her and do make-vp themselues agaynst the Trueth / for to take k 2. Timo 3. a captiue in their contencious Knowledges â with their Craftynes and deceitfull Witt those that loue the Trueth / So is-ther likewyse in this perillious Tyme / l 1. Timo. 1. b. greate Grace shewed on vs / against all false Spirits and deuided Knowledges For to that ende haue we obtayned the mostholy Office or Seruice of Loue but not from ourselues nor from Men. but from m Gal. 1. b. Ephe. 3. a â–ª the liueing God himself / by his Woord of Lyfe / because that wee â like faythfull Ministers of thesame shoulde â through the Woord of Lyfe warne all goodwilling Hearts â that loue y e Trueth of Christ of all n Math. 24. b Act. 20. c. false and contencious Spirits of the Knowledg· reache them the Hande seruiceably / with the Woord of Lyfe· and gyde them into our holy Comunialtee vnder the Obedience of the Loue / wherby to drawe them out of the Perills of Destruction which proceed out of the wicked Worlde / that is reserued o 2. Tess. 1. a. 2. Pet. 3. a. vnto Fyre and to defende them therfrom 5. Ouer which wicked Worlde and ouer all Guydes / that â—yse-vp ther-out with their false Spirits and contencious Knowledges and ouer all those that cleaue vnto thesame / the Iudgment of God goeth righteously to the Confusion of them all and p Math. 25. to their Condemnacion in the hellish Fyer For God wil now in his Daye of Loue / condemne the wicked Worlde with all her Wyseones Adherents and Louers 6. Yea assuredly now cometh the Lorde â out of his holy Heauen q Esa. 29 a. Ecâ—li 13. b. Luk. 17. Apo. 4. a. 8 a. with Lightenings and Thunders and with a forsible Noyze of Wyndes wherat the Earth shall r Psal. 77 b. Esa. 13. b. Agg. 2. a. feare and tremble and thatsame shall fall vppon all false Spirits and wicked Hearts / to their Destruction Yea now in thissame Daye of Loue / the Lorde wil mooue the s Heb. 12. d. Earth and it shall be forced to quake at his Thunders And so the Lorde wil then make an t Esa 10. c. Ende of all y e Falshod of the Earth 7. For now in thissame Daye of Loue / the v Eccli 16. b. 2. Pet. 3. b. Elements shall melt with the Heate of his Lightening and the Lordes Thunder-boltes shall fall very greeuously vppon the Pate of all arrogaÌ„t Heartes Self-wyseones and all false Witnesses Yea all those that be touched therwith / shall nodout make-manifest themselues and let it appeere / that they are touched and are not of the Loues Nature 8. But Saluation and Peace / cometh to the Lowely and Humble of Heart / x Rom. 12. b. 1. â—or 3. b. which are not wyse in themselues but do submitt them humbly vnder the Loue and her Seruice also do take-heede to the Doctrine and Informacion of thesame and indeuour them obediently therunto and do seeke no Pleasure nor Ioye without God and his Seruice of Loue nor-yet in the Worlde nor in the Flesh but only y Esa. 61. b. Luk. 2. c. in God their Saluacion For it shall go-well with them and in the Iudgment of God / they shall obtayne their Preseruacion or Saluacion 9. For in the Iudgment of God when the Thunder-clapps do fall vppon the Arrogant and Self-wyseones / to their Destruction / then shall the holy Spirit of Lyfe / fall vppon the Littleones and the Electedones of God / that haue humbly submitted them vnder the Obedience of the Loue / to their Preseruacion and shal be z Num 11. c. Esa. 44. o. Eze 36 c. Ioel 2 c. Act 2. b. poored-forth vppon them â with all Louelynes out of the euerlasting Lyfe and heauenly Beeing / a Iohn 4.7 b like floweing Waters of Lyfe and so shall then likewyse / b Ioel. 3. c. Milke and Hony and liueing Water of the holy Spirit of Loue / flowe among them 10. Haue you all a regarde heerunto / ye good-willing Hearts and Louers of the Trueth For Gods Iudgment / c Esa. 11. a. Iohn 7.8 b is not according to the Sight of Mens Eyes nor according to their Knowledg although notwithstanding they do perswade themselues somtymes / that they knowe it well and are assured of the Mattier of it but only according to the Trueth The II. Chap. FOrasmuch then as such a Day-light â the which is the true Iudgment of God is â by Gods Grace appeered vnto vs out of Heauen· and the gracious Woord of Lyfe vnder the Obedience of the Loue / geeuen vs to minister in thesame Light / to the Saluacion of the People / Therfore were it also very right and conuenient / that they shoulde giue eare vnto vs therin and that noman shoulde so peruersly looke-into or construe the Workes of the Lorde / which He bringeth to light by vs Little and Electedones of God For veryly / thatt which wee speake and wryte and bring-foorth or set-out â— vnder the Obedience of the Loue to the serueing of all Louers of the Trueth / is not our owne Worke nor-yet our Indighting nor Wryting but the a Ier. 31 d. Ezech. 36. c 1 Cor. 2. a. 2. Tess. 1.2 b. Worke of the Lorde / which He himself wryteth according to his owne Mynd Spirit and Will / and with his owne Finger 2. And whatsoeuerthen the Lorde himself bringeth-foorth / thatt do wee acknowledg to be good and vpright And although it be looked-on and iudged for Ignorance or to be foolish / before the Children of Men or before all those that account themselues wyse / Yet do wee confesse and shewe ther-against / that
EPISTOLAE HN. The Principall Epistles of HN / which he hath set-foorth through the holy Spirit of Loue· and written and sent them â most-cheefly vnto the Louers of y e Trueth and his Acquaintance And are by him newly perused and more-playnly declared Translated out of Base-almaine All Scripture geeuen by the Inspiration of God â–ª is profitable to Teache to Rebuke to Amendment and to Information in Righteousnes for that the Man of God may be perfect prepared to all good vvorkes 2. Timo. 3. No Prophecie in the Scripture / cometh-to-pas by priuate Interpritacion For ther vvas yet neuer any Prophecie brought-forth out of manly VVill but the holy Men of God haue sproken it / being mooued by the holy Goste 2. Pet. 1. Now goeth the Iudgment ouer the World â–ª Now is the Prince of this World cast-out Iohn 12. Now is the Saluation the Power and the Kingdom / becom our Gods and the Might his Christes Apoc. 2. THE PREFACE LYke as an Apotecary doth â by his apotecaries Arte prepare many-kinde of Medecineâ— / to the Health of the naturall Bodyes of sick Men and diuers delightfull Tastes and also sundery sweete Sauors of Spices / to the Delighting of the Children of Men Euen so doth likewyse a Man of God / prepare â by the Wisdom of y e godly Vnderstanding many-kinde of godly Medecines which he â in the Ministration of the godly Testimonyes of the holy Spirit of Loue bringeth vnto the falne Man â who is captiued thorough the Sinne / with sundry Sicknesses and Infirmities in the Soule to the Health of his Soule â–ª and many sweete Tastes of the spirituall and heauenly Foode to the Refreshing and Delighting of his Mynde and to the great Ioye of his Spirit in y e secret hauenly Goodes Lyke as one may euidently perceaue in the many and sundry-sorts of distinct and groundy Instructions / touching the true Godlynes and euerlasting Ioye in Iesu Christ / which are witnessed and set-forth by HN Ø›Gods elected Minister in these his Epistles and in all the Testimonyes of his Wrytings / to a perpetuall Health and Lyfe of the Soule and to the Welfare of the Children of Men. 2. To the which true Godlynes and euerlasting Ioye / all Louers of the Trueth and all hungery and thirstye Soules after the Righteousnes as likewyse all People / be â by the godly Testimonyes of these Epistles called and bidden to th end to leade them all namely those which vnder the Obedience of the Loue / do beleeue the Godlynes into the Howse of Loue and to nourish and bring-them-vp in all Godlynes 3. For-that-cause / these Epistles are likewyse to a Teaching and Edifying of all Beleeuers of the godly Testimonyes of the holy Spirit of Loue and of the Comunialtee or Church of Christ and are also very profitable and seruiceable vnto all Men / to giue an vpright Knowledg Wherunto the Man is created of God and called or bidden through Christ To th end that all those â which haue a Lust or Will to God and his Righteousnes mought â vnder the Obedience of the Loue giue themselues vprightly to their Calling through Christ· and so becom godly mynded / according to the Requyring of the holy Scriptures· and well exercised or prepared to all good workes Take it to heart A TABLE Contayning the Matter â and Redie finding of the begining of eueri-one of these Epistles The First Epistle A Crying-voyce of the holy Spirit of Loue where-with all People are called / to repentance for their Sinnes Fol. 1. The Second Epistle A Short and pithie Instruction contayning the Misterie of the Loue. Fol. 10. The Thirde Epistle A Groundlie Instruction Declaring the difference betwixt God the Father and his Sonne / the Lorde Iesu Christ. Fol. 19. The Fourth Epistle Of the Mediation of Iesu Christ / in the Spirit for a Reconciliation betwixt God / and the Man Fol. 39. The Fifth Epistle A Stirring-vp of the hearte to the Immitation of Christ in the tyme of suffering and affliction Fol. 65. The Sixt Epistle A Groundlie Instruction / and a Difference of the vnderstandings according to the Truith / of the holy Scriptures Fol. 79. The Seuenth Epistle A True Iudgment or Sentence / out of the Seruice of Loue agaynst the false Iudgment out of the fleshe Fol. 137. The Eight Epistle A Distinction of the Submission / and Vnsubmission in the Spirit Fol. 159. The Nineth Epistle Of the Seruices and Ceremonies / of the Christians / and of the vnchristians and of the right and false vce of them Fol. 189. The Tenth Epistle A pure Instruction / howe one shal be obedient to the woorde of Lyfe and Trueth in the Seruice of Loue. Fol. 205. The Eleuenth Epistle A Rebuke and Exhortation seruing to a Reformation / and to a Repentance for their Sinnes vnto all those that thincke them selues to bee wyse and Therfore blaspheame / and iudge falslye our Seruice / and Comunialtie in the Loue also a warning to the Simple Hearts Fol. 223. The Tvvelueth Epistle A Reproouing Instruction / and exhortation â out of hartie loue to the vnitee of harte / in the Loue. Fol. 251. The Thirteenth Epistle Loueing Informations vnto a Louer of the Trueth which before-tyme had bine a Blaspheamer of the Seruice of the Loue / and of the Ministers ther-of Fol. 265. The Fourteenth Epistle A Breefe Exhortation / vnto a Disciple in the Seruice of the Loue wher-with he is exhorted / to keepe a sharpe watch towards the Spirits / that make-vp themselues in him Fol 287. The Fifteentb Epistle An hartie Exhortation / vnto all Louers of the Trueth To awarning Touching all false Spirits / that make-vp themselues and Iudge falsly agaynst the Trueth Fol. 293. The Sixteenth Epistle An Instructionable Exhortation to the good-willingous whearin is Distinguished the vpright Obedience and the Godlie / and ongodlie beeing Fol. 314. The Seuenteenth Epistle Of the Mans Lordelines / in the beginning of his affall Death and Condamnation and of his restoring agayne vnto his former Lordelines Fol. 337. The Eighteenth Epistle A loueing Exhortation vnto an house-holde / that haue ioyned themselues to the Familie of Loue to be obedient to the Trueth Fol. 352. The Nyneteenth Epistle An hartie Exhortation / to the mooste-zealous good-willing hearts to the Righteousnes also to the Elders and Ministers of the woorde for a warning vnto them of all deceayt that maye chance vnto them / by the an-commers Fol. 365. The Tvventith Epistle Reproouinge of the VVhoordom with good Doctrine / and groundelye Instructions howe one shall turne hym self / to Iesu Christ and the woord of his holie Spirit of Loue and Trueth Fol. 386. FINIS The First Epistle A Crying-voyce of the holy Spirit of Loue / wherwith all People are â out of meere Grace called and bidden by HN / to the true Repentance for thier Sinnes· to the Entrance into the vpright christian Lyfe· and to the Howse of the Loue of Iesu Christ.
Sinne and Death / through his Death of the Crosse / and hath made himself manifest vnto his Freendes / that loued Him and were his Disciples and renewing them in the Woord of his Doctrine / He q Luk. 24 c shewed them â through his Suffering and Death of the Crosse the Victory r 1 Cor. 15 g. against the Sinne Death Deuill and Hell 5. Now when-as these his Disciples were renewed and established in the Woord of his Doctrine· and armed s 1 Pet 4 a with thesame Mynde of the Suffering of Iesu Christ / t Mar 16. b Luk 24 f Act 1. a then was He taken-vp from them to the Right-hande of God his Father / in the heauenly Beeing From thence hath He comforted his Disciples and comprysed his Shape in them / out of the heauenly Beeing powring-foorth v Act. 1 â— 2 â— his holy Spirit into them as a newe and true x Apo. 21 a Ierusalem which is not prepared by Men / but by God like a garnished Bryde for her Husbande And euenthus became God the Father / thorough his only-borne Sonne Ø› Christ of one-substance agayne y Act â— with the manly Creatures And to that ende also because that all manly Creatures / shoulde â through Christ be z Iohn 17 c one-substance with God the Father / is Christ preached And in such a State doth God requyre to haue his People or the Congregation of Iesu Christ. 6. BEholde These Disciples of Iesu Christ â who through Christ / were sealed with the holy a Act. 2. a Rom 8 b 2 Cor 5 a Spirit of Christ / from the Right-hande of God· b Math. 13. f taught to the Kingdom of the God of Heauens· and established in God the Father and in the Lorde Iesu Christ were the right Christians / not out of the Letter or Flesh / c Math. 26. c. Luk. 22 c Iohn 6. f. 1 Cor. 11. c wherwith they had bin serued till vnto the Coming of thesame Clernes of Christ but out of the Power of God / d Luk 24. c Act 1. a. 2. a 1 Cor. 2 a b in the Spirit and did beare euenthus e 2. Cor. 4. a a costly Treasure / in earthen Vessels namely the very-like Beeing of God the Almighty 7. Which Beeing of God / f 2. Cor. 4. a. Phil. 2. a. Col. 1. b. Heb 1. a is the true Christ himself / according to the Spirit with whom they had their Fellowship And through Him â seing He was One with God their g 1. Iohn 1. a. Fellowship was also with God the Father Wherby they vsed that Woord God our Father and the LordeØ›his Sonne Iesu Christ. The which also Many nodout / do speake or witnes in-that-maner / out of the Letter and out of the Imagination of the good-thinking Knowledg but they are wyde of it / according to the Trueth But These â who h Act 2.3 1 Cor 2 a b 1 Iohn 1. a. witnessed that Woord / out of the Spirit and Trueth haue witnessed the Grace from God the Father and from the Lorde Iesu Christ / in the Trueth of God And yet notwithstanding / haue confessed nomore but one God but haue witnessed the Wonderful-acts of God / shewed on them through Iesus Christ. And i Ioel 2. d. Act. 2 â–ª b. it shall com-to-pas â sayeth God in the last Dayes 8. THis Grace of Saluation / that was k Luk. 1. f. g 2. a b. c Act. 2.3.4 c. apeered to the Iewes â which Many of them in that tyme refused is published to the Heathen / l Math. 3. a. Luk. 2. d Act. 13. c to a Repentance for their Sinnes / to th end that they shoulde m Iohn 1. c. beleeue on the like Beeing of God the Almighty / that was appeered vnto them· and so becom partakers likewyse of the Gifts of the holy Gost â through Iesus Christ out of the fatherly Grace and that their Fellowship mought be one n 1. Iohn 1. a. with God the Father and his Sonne Iesu Christ / in one-maner of Fayth 9. And to that ende was the Seruice of Christ ministred o 2 Cor. 10. a vnder y e Obedience of Fayth â by the Apostles of Christ to the vnbeleeueing Heathen namely in the Woord of the Preaching of the Disciples and Apostles of Christ / To the intent that thesame Lyfe of Righteousnes â that was refused p Act. 3. c. by the Iewes shoulde be set-vpp among y e Heathen / through Fayth and so they sought to confirme y e Lawe among y e Heathen / through Fayth and to bring forth the Righteousnes ther-by / q Rom. 3. c. Gal. 2 b. 3 b Phil. 3. b. that is requyred by y e Lawe The V. Chap. BEholde euenthus / for a a Luk. 2. â— Light and Saluation of the Heathen / is thissame â only out of Grace / vndeserued published vnto the Heathen / for a Gospel / to a Mortifying of their vayne Vnderstanding b Rom 1.6.8 1 Cor 5.6 Gal. 5 6. and of the corrupt vngodly Beeing and to an Incorporating to the newe Man whom the Apostles of Christ did publish namely ChristØ›the Like-beeing of God c Luk. 1. g. Ephe. 4. c. in vpright Righteousnes and Holynes In whom â and in none Other standeth d Act. 4.10 c the Forgiuenes of Sinnes 2. These Publishers of the holy Woord or Gospel of the Kingdom of God seing now that Iesus Christ had a Shape in them / as a verytrue Light and Lyfe of God and that Gods Shape / was in Christ wher-thorough they lykewyse were in Christ â–ª and God in them haue published that Woord Ø› Grace and Peace from â—od our Father and y e Lorde Iesu Christ in the Trueth 3. But although the Apostles did publih this after-this-maner / yet haue they notwithstanding / spoken no otherwyse then of One God / who had shewed his Procreation or Generation in them / as a e Iohn 1. c Glory of the only-borne Sonne of y e Father / full of Grace and Trueth namely that God the Father had begotten and declared in them / his like f Iohn 1. a 1. Iohn 1. a Lyfe of God / out of his Lyfe and his like Light / out of his Light 4. Seing then that they did beare this like Beeing of the Godhead / in them / therfore haue they â through thesame knowen the liueing God / who was their Saluation namely through the Lyfe of God / Iesu Christ being appeered vnto them g Ephe. 3. â— in the Spirit Wherthrough they also published the Lyfe that is euerlasting and so witnessed likewyse that Those which had h â— Iohn 5. b. not the Sonne of God / coulde not also haue the Father / and that they were without i Ephe. 2 b. God / in this Worlde For the like Lyfe of God / k Iohn 1. a 1 Iohn 1. a 5
b. is the only-borne Sonne of God himself And whosoeuer refused Him / mought not obtayne the Grace before God For it is so concluded by God for euer / that in the Sonne / is the Lyfe of Saluation l Iohn 10.14 a. and that it shall also be obtayned in Him 5. THis is veryly the Grace of God the Father â which was published in tymes-past / vnto the Children of Men / vnder the Obedience of Fayth and which is also published now in the last tyme / vnder the Obedience of the Loue that the Lyfe of the liueing Godhead / is appeered vppon Earth and that â through thesame the Vnitee in the Peace with God the Father / is to be obtayned / wherby to m Iohn 8. c 14. b. 17. b. knowe Him / in his Glory and his Vniformnes with the Manhod / through the Lorde Iesus Christ. Reade Iohn 17. 6. Beholde This is the Difference â with a breefe Instruction betwixt God the Father / and the Lorde Iesus Christ. Take it to heart 7. MY Seruice / to content thee â my Beloued vouchsafe to take in good part / with a Regard to y e God of the Liueing And this my Wryting â to the Answering of thy Request haue I reharsed in this maner seing other wyse no Meane / for to open the Vnderstanding of the Godhead of Christ and to content thee or to satisfy thy Demaunde 8. Beholde I haue heere witnessed y e Mynde vnto thee / in Ful maner so that in this Instruction â so far-forth as the Lorde n Ephe. 1. c. do illuminate thyne Vnderstanding ther shal be sufficient / to answer thy Request And thy Intent of Heart in the Spirit / shall likewyse through the Beleefe of the Trueth â if thou hast a right regarde heerunto o Pro 4. a and takest thissame to heart be wel-mynded to our mostholy Seruice of Loue. The almighty God leade the into his Righteousnes Amen The Ende of the Third Epistle The Fowrth Epistle A cleere Instruction of the Mediation of Iesu Christ that cometh-to-pas in the Spirit / for a Reconciliation betwixt God and the Man Iesus speaketh to his Disciples I am the Waye the Trueth and the Lyfe Noman cometh to the Father / but thorow Mee Iohn 14. a. If any man enter in thorow Mee â–ª hee shal be saued Iohn 10 b. I am the Light of the Worlde Whoso followeth after Mee / walketh not in Darknes but he shall haue the Light of Lyfe Iohn 8. b. If any man wil follow-after Mee let him forsake himself and take-vp his Crosse on him / and follow after Mee Math. 16. c. Luk. 9 c. He that taketh not vp his Crosse on him and followeth after Mee hee is not worthy of Mee or he may not be my Disciple Math. 10. d. Luk. 14. c Ther was demaunded by a Louer of the Trueth and an Instruction in wryting / desyred theruppon / how the Mediation of Iesu Christ â according to the Spirit or spiritually cometh-to-pas in vs / a Rom. â— a. b. to our Reconciliation with God the Father and how Christ is an b Heb. 1. a Heire of all Things and how c 1. Cor. 15. c. God is all in all Wher-vpon this present Letter is written by HN / out of an Inclynation of the Loue very profitable and needfull to the Vnderstanding therof / for all those that hope vpon God· vpon Christ· and vpon their Saluation / To th end that they may vnderstand which is the right Grounde of the Beleefe in Iesu Christ / wherthrough one is iustifyed from the Sinne / for to be in-that-sort / reconciled with God in a newe Lyfe according to the Scripture The First Chap. FOrasmuch as I haue alwayes founde my self willingly-bent to do thee Seruice / my beloued Brother so do I also still fynde my self redy-prepared therto namely in thatt wherin I may be seruiceable vnto thee / to a Guyding into the holy Vnderstanding / To th end y t thou â if God vouchsafe thesame moughtest â through my small Seruice be a little furthered to the good Knowledg in God and his Christ. 2. But seing I am alwayes carefull and do stand in feare to wryte much of the deepe Groundes of the a Rom. 11. â— â–ª secret Knowledges of God and Christ / so am I alwayes carefull / lest that thesame if we should wryte boldly therof mought thrust-back anyone from Vs and our godly Doctrine or offende him therby or that anyone shoulde desyre to glory or to boste therin / as in a Knowledg of the Flesh. and not before althings or with his whole Heart / to be partaker in the Spirit / b 2 Pet. 1. a. of the Beeing wherof we do wryte or witnes 3. For albeit that we do knowe well â according to the Comprehention of our Natural-reason that ther is a God a Christ and a holy Gost / and so do talke of Them and yet do not â through that Knowledg beleeue serue nor loue thesame God / as He is a God and his Christ / as He is a Christ and the holy Gost / as He is an holy Gost / nor-yet desyre to becom partakers of his Beeing but to liue in a c Rom. 1. â— Ephe. 4. b. strainge Beeing / which is none of Gods Beeing and to cleaue-vnto thesame / So is then the Knowledg of the holy Secretnes of God / more hurtfull then furdersom vnto vs. For if we knowe in what Foorme or Beeing / that ther is a God and yet do not honour nor serue Him / as He is a God but haue a Lust to the Contrary-beeing vnto God / Then is thatsame to a d Mat. 25. c. Luk. 12. c more-greeuous Condemnation vnto vs. 4. SEing now that I â through the Light do beholde these Perills / so am I likewyse carefull therin / to wryte of the Secrets of God / before Many And if thou lookest with me into the Perils / then knowe I well / that thou wilt not disalow me in my Carefulnes For I haue much-more delyte in the Obeying of the Requyring of the Seruice of Loue / and whear Gods Beeing Light or vpright Righteousnes / doth euenso then ryse-vp in Esa. 58. b. Power / in the inward Man / then whear as men do with Speakable-woords â out of the Knowledg talke much of the Secretnes of God / according to the outward Maner 5. Thou also knowest partly my Conuersation / in what sort it was with thee and how fearfully touching many Woords / I haue behaued myself with thee shewing thee / that the f Math. 13. Secretnes of the Kingdom of God or Christ / consisteth not g 1 Cor. 2 a. in the Multitude of Woords nor in the Ritches of the Knowledg / Because that thou shouldest not suffer thyself to be bewitched by Anyman with outward or strainge Woords or Sayings of plentiful-store of Languages / as to let thyne Heart committ Whordom therwith But
that thou moughtest haue a much-more regard vnto the Power of God and vnto the vpright Righteousnes that God worketh through the Ministration of his gracious Woord and Seruice of Loue / in y e Spirit of the inward Man / to th end for to liue vprightly therin / with a meeke-mynded Spirit For a meekemynded h Psal. â— b Esa. 57. b 61. a. 66. a Spirit â which hath his Proceeding obediently / according to the Requyring of the Lords Woord is very precious and acceptable before God 6. And although that we do â in thesame Spirit go-on in Scilence / as touching the outward Maner and are poore of Spirit in Tongues or Languages / Yet is not for-al-that / the Ritchnes of the spirituall and heauenly Knowledg of God â–ª euer-the-lesse among Vs. but rather the greater And thesame and all Thatt which is of God and Christ / do we esteeme very i Iob. 28. b. Psal. 19 b. Pro. 3 b 8 b Sap. 7. b. precious / Yea much worthyer then all the Ritches or costly Treasures of this Worlde for thatsame â of worthynes-part excelleth it all For which Occasion / we let our Woordes be feawe / because that thesame which we speake / may not proceede out of the Knowledg but out of the k 1. Cor 2. a. b Power of God and out of the Trueth of Iesu Christ. 7. And in thesame Speech of y e godly Things / we do also take-heede with Foresightfulnes â so much as we may therin of the Looseones of Heart / to th end that ther be not one godly Saying of the precious secret Wisdom / spoken-out in Vayne O / how l Eccli 14.25 Ieam 5 a happy is hee / that falleth not in his Tongue and whose Woordes m Col. 4. a. are tempered with Salt 8. NOw this being omitted I reioyce me doutles / of the and of the Communialte that is with thee and I hope to reioyce me yet more with the / with greater Ioye by meanes of the Answere vnto mee / that I haue hearde from thee / As that yee altogether / are wel-mynded to Thatt which is the Beeing itself / wherof the Scripture witnesseth â as personally of God of Christ and of the holy Gost. Which Beeing â for those that be partakers therof are the secret Treasures and n Math. 13 c heauenly Ritches of God / wherof the Worlde· the ritch Scriptur-learnedones· nor the Good-thinking-wyse â with all their deep-groundly Knowledg do neither knowe nor vnderstand o Math. 11 c 1. Cor. 2. a. anything-at-al 9. It is true they haue the Scripture of the godly Witnesses wher-through they suppose to be wyse and vnderstanding But seing they giue not their Vnderstanding captiue vnder the Obedience of the Loue of Iesu Christ and com p Iohn 5. not euenso to the Beeing / wherof the Scripture speaketh nor-yet beleeue theron / q Iohn 7. d as the Scripture sayth / So is-ther likewyse no Light nor Trueth nor-yet Spirit nor Beeing of God / among them / and they also do neither knowe nor r Math. 22 c. 1. Tim 1. a vnderstande Thatt which they themselues speake therof 10. But the God of Lyfe â s Ephe. 2 a who is ritch of Mercie hath â out of his harty Loue t Ephe. 1. a 2. a 3. a. Col. 1. d. reuealed the Beeing of his Glory vnto vs· renewed our ignorant Vnderstanding â vnder the Obedience of his Loue to a spirituall Mynde of the vpright Righteousnes· and â when we were full of Infirmitees v Rom. 5. a. b. Ephe. 2. a. Col. 1. c. 2. b and deadd / for the Sinnes cause begotten vs agayne / out of his Loue / x Tit. 1. a. 5. a â–ª to a sure Hope of his Lyfe 11. Seing then that y Heb. 12. â— such a Clowde of holy Deawe / is â by Gods Grace appeered in our Sight / according to the Spirit· and com from Gods Right-hande / as an heauenly Blessing / and wherout also the right Beeing of God â wherof we speake a 2. Cor. 4. â— aryseth vnto vs / as a Light and Cleernes Therfore haue wee â although the Scripture witnesseth theron and that we do heare many speake therof more regarde vnto Thatt which is the vpright Beeing itself â wherin our Ioye standeth then vnto Thatt which witnesseth theron 12. For thesame Light that shyneth now vnto Vs / out of the heauenly Trueth / b 1. Iohâ— 1. a. is the euerlasting Lyfe which was with the Father / in the Begining and it is c Psal. 45. a Heb. 1. a. the Mercie-seate of the godly Maiestee which continueth from euerlasting to euerlasting Euen-as I likewyse haue talked with thee of thesame / when I was last with thee The II. Chap FOrasmuch then as thy Request was vnto me at that tyme / to wryte thee an Instruction of the Mediation of Iesu Christ after the Spirit and how thesame cometh-to-pas in vs / a Rom. 3. â— 2. Cor. 5. b. Ephe. 2. b. 1. Iohn 2.4 â— for a Reconciliation betwixt God and vs and how Christ is b Heb. 1. a an Heire of all Things and how c 1. Cor. 15. c God is all in all / Therfore wil I open a little of thesame vnto thee and I hope also to satisfy the well with this Instruction 2. Inasmuch then as I haue partly marked thyne Inclynation to the holy and spirituall Vnderstanding of the vpright Righteousnes / therfore can I not of Natures-part omitt / but must witnes vnto the of thatt which thou desyrest at my handes / also reueale the d Ephe 3. a Mistery of Christ / and make-knowen vnto thee / thatt which is hidden c Rom. 15. c Ephe. 1 a 3 a Col. 1. c. before the Worlde and all her Wyseones / and discribe it vnto thee in wryting / accordingly as the Lorde illuminateth myne Vnderstanding therto and as it may be profitable for thee to Edifycation 3. THer is testifyed in the Scripture â the which according to the Spirit / is also verytrue that God is f Iohn 4. c. 2 Cor. 3. b. a Spirit â–ª and a g 1 Iohn 1. a verytrue Light / with whom no Darknesses or Sinnes are mingled But seeing that the Man is falne h Gen. 3. a Esa. 59. b. into a strainge Contrary-beeing vnto God and goeth-on and liueth therin / So is he likewyse i Ephe. 4 b. Col. 1. c estrainged from God and from his Light and walketh according to the Flesh or Outward and according to the Requyring and Desyres of the Foreskinne of his vncircumcised Heart / and not according to the Spirit or according to the Requyring of the godly Beeing and so He k Psal. 82. a Ephe. 5. a walketh in the vngodly Beeing of the Darknesses and thatsame vngodly Beeing of the Darknesses l Rom. 1. c. Ephe 4. b. hath blynded his Heart And thatt veryly is the Sinne m Esa.
and verytrue Light and as the right Father of his like Beeing and e Ieam 1. â— Light for euer and his Will and Requyring â as a fatherly Loue / to the Mans Preseruation in the Godlynes is administred / in the Ministration of his gracious Woord vnder the Obedience of the Loue of whose Beeing and vpright Forme / we haue witnessed before and that then likewyse in thesame Administration / Beleefe and Obedience is shewed by the Man / in thesame Will and Requyring of God / euen-thear â in the Beleefe is thesame liueing God seene and knowe / like as Hee â according to the Spirit is an vpright Beeing f Ioh. 1. â— â— b. 1. Iohn 1. â— and verytrue Light / for a Lyfe of Men· and the right Father of his like Beeing and Light thear is also seene and knowen that thesame Gods Procreation or Seede / is likewyse his vpright Beeing and verytrue Light / and is euenso â in the Beleeueing and Obeying of thesame Administration proceeding from thesame Father / and that thesame is wholly and altogether of one-mynde and g Iohn 17. c. Col. 8. â— of one-substance with the Father / and is the true Christ himself / and geteth in-that-sort / his Foorme in the Man 4. To whomsoeuer now thesame Christ doth com thus in the Spirit / essentially / h 1. Iohn 1 â— to those is He also seene and knowen rightly in the Spirit and He is likewyse of i Iohn 17. c. one-substance with them / in all Loue and vpright Righteousnes 5. This self-same Christ / the true Sonne and like k Col. 1. b. Heb. 1. a. Beeing of God his Father although Hee â from eternitee be the l 1. Cor. 15. c. Col. 1. b. First-borne of all Creatures· and the m Math. 16. b Luk. â— c. Iohn 6. g. only-borne Sonne of God is also â according to his Birth of the Seede of Dauid after the Flesh named the Sonne n Math. 8 12. c Luk. 6. a. â— 21. of Man / because that Hee â as the true Seede of the Promyses of God the Father is sowne or planted in our Manhod / through the Ministration of the gracious Woord of the Lorde and through the Beleef and Obedience to thesame Woord also manned with our Manhod and so â after our Passing-ouer his like Death of the Crosse / vnto the o Iohn 3. a. Rom. 12. a. â— Ephe. 4. b. c. second Birth from the Death borne agayne out of our Manhod 6. And thatt is the verytrue Seede of God from Heauen / which is sowen in our p Math. 13. b Mar. 4. b. Luk. 8. b. Manhod / through the Administration of the holy and gracious Word / vnder the Obedience of the Loue· and â at the appoynted tyme borne agayne by vs and out of vs / as a q Iohn 15. a. b Fruit of the ouerflowing good Lyfe and of the vpright Righteousnes and Holynes and wherthrough wee are then likewyse â according to the Woord of our Lorde Iesu Christ the r Math. 12. .c Luk. 8. c. Moother Brothers and Sisters of Christ / which doo the Will of his heauenly Father 7. Thissame Man of God from Heauen according to the Spirit and the Sonne of Man s Math. 1. c. Rom 1. a. of the Seede of Dauid according to the Flesh / is in all poynts mynded t Math. 26. d. Iohn 4. d. 6 d. 8. c. according to the Will of God his Father and his Will is / that all what is good / shoulde bee and He beareth in vs / the u Phil. 2. a. Heb. 2. b. 5. a Image of the earthly Man and suffereth with vs for our Sinnes 8. But now when the Beleeuer of his gracious Woord / hath x 2. Pet. 1. b. regarde obediently vnto his gracious Woord / according to the Requyring of his Seruice of Loue and that euenso â in his Beleefe and Obedience thesame Woord beginneth to appeere or breake-thorow / as a verytrue y Iohn â— a. 2. Cor. 4. a. Light of the vpright Lyfe and like Beeing of the perfect Cleernes of God· and as a z 2. Cor. 5. b. Gal. 6. b. new Creature from Heauen / Then hath God the Father his Pleasure a Esa. 42. a. Math 12.17 b 2. Pet. 1. b. only in thesame Light and Lyfe of his lyke Cleernes and vpright Righteousnes For thatt is his beloued Sonne Ø›his spirituall heauenly Beeing whom He hath geeuen vnto vs for an euerlasting b Heb. 1. a. Heyre to th end that we shoulde liue through Him 9. SEing now that the Lorde Ø›the God of Heauen is spirituall· and mynded to the vpright Righteousnes / and that the Man of the Earth is fleshly c Gen. 6. a. Rom. 7. b· â— and mynded to the Sinne· and vnbeleeueing and disobedient to the Requyring of God in the Ministration of his gracious Woord and Seruice of Loue / Therfore hath God â according to such a Mynde of the Man no d Rom. â— a. pleasure in the earthly Man / nor-yet the earthly Man / in God nor in his Requyring 10. But seing now that the only-borne e Math. 16. b. Luk. 9. c. Iohn 6. g. Sonne of God the Father according to the Spirit namely Christ / the like f Sap 7. c. Col. â— b. Heb. 1. a. Beeing of God is also the only-borne Sonne / out of the g Math. 1. a. Rom. 1. a. Manhod / of the Seede of Dauid according to the Flesh and beareth in vs the Image of the earthly Manhod / as-wel as the Image of y e heauenly Godhead / Therfore it is not his Will that the Man â whom He hath created h Saâ— 1. b. 2. c. Eccli 17. a. to be an Image of his like Beeing shoulde perish in the Disobedience of the earthly Man· i Eze. 18 3â— â— 2. Pet. 3. a. nor in the Sinnes of the earthly Beeing but shoulde liue for euer and euer / with Him and with his Spirit / in the vpright Righteousnes of his heauenly Beeing / and that all Men likewyse â which loue God and his Righteousnes shoulde be assembled into thesame Beeing and be saued both in Soule and Bodye 11. Beholde thesame forementioned Christ and Sonne of God â who for our Sinnes cause / hath suffered in vs the Death k Rom. 6. a. Phil. 2. a. of the Crosse and armeth vs l 1. Pet. 4. a. with thesame Mynde of his Suffering and Death maketh knowen vnto vs as is before sayde through his Seruice of Loue / his vpright Beeing of Righteousnes And in our good Will to thesame / He bringeth his Beleef vnto vs and so in the Beleef / He himself m Esa. 53. b. 2. Pet. 2. beareth our Sinnes and iustifyeth n Rom. 3.8 â— Gal. 2. b. vs from thesame / through the Beleef And so takeing our Sinnes vppon him / in Patience He o 1 Iohn 1.4 reconcileth vs before
doubt in the Grace of God nor-yet iudg or condemne ourselues i 1. Iohn 3. c. by the euell Conscience but with penitent Hearts / ryse-vp agayne out of the Fall of the Sinne so oft as it chanceth / and coÌ„fesse our k Psal. 6. a. 32.38 a. Pro. 28. a. Sinnes and Weaknes and pray vnto God / that He wil be our Strength and so confesseing our Vnablenes and Weaknes / in our Assaulting or Temptation let vs still continue in l Rom. 12. b 1. Tess. 5. c. Prayer / till that the Lorde leade vs ther-out and m Math. 6. b. deliuer vs from the euell and contrary beeing that is against Him Thatt graunt vs the Lorde / who liueth for euermore Amen 6. HEer-with-al â thou Beloued I committ thee to the Lorde and pray thou for Mee likeas I also do still remember thee / in my Prayers Fear-well and behaue thyself valyantly The Lorde giue thee Health in Soule and Bodye 7. My Salutation in the Loue / is alwayes vnto thee and vnto all those that loue the Trueth in Christ. 8. The Lorde which is the n Iohn 1. a. 8. b. 9. a. 12. c Light of the Trueth o 1. Iohn 4. a. the Loue and the p Ioh. 1.14 a. euerlasting Lyfe itself / nourish vs all vpp in his Righteousnes Amen The Ende of the Fift Epistle The Sixt Epistle A groundly Instruction and a Distinction of Vnderstandings / according to the Trueth of the holy Scriptures Wher-with HN answereth a Letter written vnto hym Beholde I wil vtter-foorth my Spirit vnto you and cause you to vnderstand my Woord Pro. 1. I wil not hyde the Secrets of God from you â–ª but search-out the Wisdom / from the begining of Generations and wil giue her foorth apparantly to be knowen and not keepe scilence of the Trueth Sap. 6. God hath graunted me to speake wysely and to think right / of those Things that He hath graciously geeuen Mee Sap. 7. The First Chapter THe God of Heauen â which is Israels God and liueth for euer be a Light a Esa. 6â— c. Apo. â—2 a. and Lyfe of the Trueth vnto thee and a Wisdom and Foresightfulnes to thy Vnderstanding / my Beloued / to th end that the right Distinction of the Lyfe b Eccli â—5 a. and of the Death / may be knowen vnto thee and that thou mayest euenso â with a cleere Sight looke-into the Preseruation of Men / in thissame horrible and daingerous Tyme 2. In which horrible c 1 Tim. 4. a. 2. Tim. 3. a. 2. Pet 2. a. 3. a. and daingerous Tyme / all Errours Misunderstandings and all Spirits of the false Light / do now exceedingly beare-swaye Wherthrough ther-is now also verytruly knowen vnto mee / the manyfolde Ignoraunce and the ignorant Confidence of the Children of Men / vpon the vayne or vnprofitable Wisdom and how vtterly the Vnderstanding of Man / hath corrupted d Gen. 6. a. his Waye / in the Knowledg The Ende of which corrupt ignorant Knowledg â which is an Horrour to think vpon is com before the Lorde 3. Seing then that all manly Vnderstanding is so vtterly corrupted / with so many-maner of false Knowledges / therfore is-ther likewyse nothing but all Wo and Misery at-hande For therfore is the Wisdom hidden· the true Light / darkened· e Esa. 5. d. 8. b 13. b. 24. c Ezech. 32. a. Ioel. 2. b. 3. b Math. 24 c. and the Moone of Vnderstanding / couered but the strainge Lights â which are deuided against eachother are becom many 4. Which strainge Lights or Starrs of the darke f Math. 24. c. Apo. 6. b Heauen / do now fall by many Multitudes vppon the Earth namely euen after that maner / g Esa. 34. a. as the Figgs do fall vppon the Earth / when their Stock or Tree is shaken or mooued by y e Wynde and each strainge Light / walketh in his owne Light 5. But now when h Esa. 60. Apo. 22. the Light of the Lambe / spreadeth-foorth itself â with his cleere Heauen ouer the Earth and that the Sunne shyneth out of the Heigth / then do men nomore see the Starrs of the darke HeaueÌ„ / vppon the Earth neither do they giue anymore Schimmering of Cleernes vppon the Earth For the Light of the cleere Heauen / is much to forcible for them all / with his Light and Cleernes and doth farr excell them eueryone / in Cleernes 6. Now â thatt being omitted I wil â in breefe-maner answer thy Letter / like-as thou doest Request / euen according to thatt Sight wherwith I looke into it Consider thou on the Mynde of the Vnderstanding The II. Chap. THou wrytest vnto me / that thy desyre and Longing hath bin to talke with me by Woord-of-mouth and that partly / because ther was a Man at thy Howse / that shoulde seeme to haue tolde thee wonderful-things of Mee That is to saye / that I was quitt of thaâ—t which is Myne and had geeuen it all ouer and that I â acknowledging all thesame to be as Dirt sought Grace Help and Comfort / in the Outward-things and desyred to be subiect ther-vnto â–ª The which â as thou wrytest was an Admiration vnto thee and that thou couldest not beleeue it 2. Thou Beloued looke rightly into the Trueth of this Matter For whear no Distinction is witnessed / as that one distincteth not the Things wherof he speaketh / with Sensiblenes of Woords but speaketh them foorth only with Boasting and Pryde and out of Partiaâ—â—tee or Dispyte / So is theare likewyse / the right Difference hardly to be conceaued / by those that heare thesame 3. It is true nodout / that it hath gon wonderfully with Mee For thatt which is happened vnto mee / is also wonderfull to myself a Psal. 118. c. in myne owne Eyes But to be quitt of all thatt which was Myne â which was myne owne / and not the Lordes and had captiued me / after thatt haue I doutles had a great Longing and haue alwayes â seing I haue loued the Righteousnes bent my self goodwillingly / to giue-ouer b Math. 16. b. 19. c. and to forsake it all / so farr-foorth as I coulde knowe it· and obtayne the Grace before God therto but not the holy Vnderstanding / which is com vnto me out of the liueing Godhead / vnder the Obedience of the Loue. Of the which as I suppose hee happly that hath tolde thee of this Matter / hath not distinctly vnderstood the Grounde therof / in his Secretnes and therfore hath not tolde thesame rightly vnto thee but as his good-thinking Mynde did iudg it / according to his owne Conceaueing 4. Because of this wrong Iudgment and of the false Reporte I am partly constrayned to witnes thatsame apparantly vnto thee / which is happened vnto mee and do confesse before thee and before all those that loue the Trueth / that I â from that Tyme-foorth that I sought Gods Righteousnes
27. â— a Lorde ouer Esau and an Heyre in the Promyses of his Fathers Therfore consider now of the Vnderstanding touching Esau and Iacob 6. Must not Esau â—eare the Yoke of Iacob â–ª and not Iacob / the Yoke of Esau 7. Hath not Esau also the Promyse â to com-to-pas at his tyme c Gen. 27. c. that he shall lay-off the Yoke of his Brother and shake it from his Nerk Esau hath not deceaued or begyled Iacob but Iacob / Esau. d Gen. 25· d. 27. d. And so are the Promyses of God established on Iacob / who is likewyse named e Gen. 32. â— Israel and he became a Lorde ouer Esau who was also named Edom. 8. Therfore is Esau likewyse / figured-foorth or figuratiuely resembled vnto vs / f 4. Esd. 6. b. for the first or fore-going Worlde / in like-maner g Rom. 5. b. Adam also and Iacob / for thatt which is to-com / and so likewyse / Christ. 9. Because now this Secreat is great / therfore heare a cleere Similitude wherwith the Birth of Esau and Iacob is vttered-foorth 10. IN y e Begining / God created h Gen. 1. Heauen and Earth at-once but when the Heauen and the Earth were seperated a-sunder / then went the Heauen / aboue the Earth And then did God sett a great Light and Cleernes / in the Heauen and it was also hanged with Clowdes Deawe and Rayne / wherthrough Hee â to the Welfare of the Earth garnished the Earth and made it fruitfull / to bring-foorth all good Fruits 11. Thatsame now which hath the Foregoing with the Man / out of the Begetting of the Seede of Promyse and is first seene / thatt is a naturall Bodye but thatt which is to Com or thatt which is last seene / is a spirituall Bodye Yet out of one Conception or Begetting 12. For if we haue out of God / i 1. Cor. 15. â— a naturall Bodye / then haue we likewyse out of Him / a spirituall Bodye But the Naturall / which hath the Fore-going to thatt which the Seede of Promyse requyreth / is the Image of y e Spirituall or of the seconde Generation according to the Spirit which accomplisheth the Requyring of the Seede of Promyse 13. If wee now / haue euenso likewyse / borne the Image of the earthly or naturall Man / k 1. Cor. 15. â— then shall we also veryly / beare the right Image of the heauenly or spirituall Man 14. Gather-out the Mynde and comprehende Vnderstanding The fore-going Kingdom / is the Image of the Beawty and Louelynes of Thatt which is to com 15. Thatt which goeth before / hath procured to itself / the Death or the Mortalitee it shoulde also haue remayned deadly or mortall / if Thatt which is following / had not â to a Safemaking appeered ouer it 16. In which true Beeing / the Death with her Destruction / passeth-away wherin then likewyse / her Death or Mortalitee / is losened or rent and her Destruction / swallowed-vpp / euen-as the Prophet Ozeas hath forespoken thesame l Oze 13. b. O Death I was thy Death O Hell I was thy Sting Wherof also Paul hath sayde When m 1. Rom. 15 f the Corruptible / shall put-on the Incorruptible and the Mortall / the Immortalitee / Then is the fore-mencioned Woord fulfilled as that the Death is swallowed-vpp in Victory O Death / whear is now thy Sting or thy deadly Worke O Hell / whear is now thy Victory For the n Esa. 25 a. Death is swallowed-vpp by the Lyfe wher-through / the Hell loseth her Victory 17. Euenthus is likewyse the Enimitee risen-vp in Esau but swallowed-vpp by Iacob by Adam is the Death com into the Worlde o Rom. 5. b 1. Cor. 15. b but by Christ / the Lyfe to the Conquering of the Death 18. In the first Creation or Generation / the Earth was waste and empty and it was darke vppon the Deepe p Gen. 1. and after y e God sayd Let it be Light and it was Light And God behealde the Light for Good And by thesame Light / the Garnishing and the Beawty of the Kingdom was seene to a gloryous Name of the almighty God who hath prepared him all thesame The XIII Chap. EArdermore thou sayest Oh think I somtymes â–ª how earnestly is the lost Sheepe of the Howse of Israel sought-for Notwithstanding of the Meaning therof as thou wrytest thou knowest not whether thou hast a right Discerning / or no. And therfore thou desyrest of mee that I would wryte somwhat vnto thee of that Matter / according to my Discerning 2. O Thou Beloued the Secret of this Matter is very great / according to my Discerning Neuertheles / I wil â according to thy Request disclose a little vnto thee of my Sight touching the Meaning therof For I cannot hyde it from thee Haue thou a regard on the Meaning 3. The Howse of Israel / is the Stock of Iacob which Iacob / is the Second Kingdom of the former Beawty which surmounteth all Power and Glory Beholde and consider of thatt which is rehearsed before of a Supra 1â— Adam and Christ of the Earthly and Heauenly and of Esau and Iacob So marke then 4. When now Esau and Iacob were borne and a little growen-vpp together in Vnderstanding / then did Iacob â–ª ouercom Esau â his Brother with Prudence and with Deceipt b Gen. 27. c. d and so with Prudence / he gott the Kingdom of Promyse and became an Elder and a Father in the Couenant of the God of his Fathers / Isaac and Abraham 5. Heerin he also deceaued Isaac his Father / through the Counsayle of Rebecca his Moother c Gen. 27 a. b and so is becom an Heyre in the Promyses of his Fathers Therfore he is rightly called Iacob d Gen. 27. d. which Name signifyeth vnto vs / A Deceauer or a Suppresser 6. Now when Iacob was becom a Lorde ouer his Brother Esau and had receaued the Blessing of the Promyses of his Fathers / Then did he not only loue the Inheritance of the Promyses but much-more the God of his Fathers And God e Mal. 1. a. Rom. 9. b had likewyse a Pleasure in Iacob Which God of his Fathers / appeered also vnto him and hath sealed or established the Promyses vppon Iacob so f Gen. 28. b. c that Iacob sawe nothing-els vppon the Place / but the Howse of God 7. After-that / Iacob wrestled g Gen. 32. c. with God and leaft Him not although the Daye came-on before He had blessed him and so he ouercame God likewyse / to his Will 8. Now when Iacob was com to such Power and Lordshipp with God / God asked him his Name He answered God and sayde / that he was called Iacob But God gaue him the Name / that he shoulde be called Israel / h Gen 32. c. Because that he had strouen with God and Man and kept the Victory
and the Seruices of the holy Woord and to shewe Obedience therin â wherwith the Man is assisted to the godly Knowledg are as though they had no Signifycation which thing I commend not 17. For my Heart hath much-more Affection to those that with Ignorance / do seeke God and his Righteousnes and that shewe Obedience therin / then to those that with Vnderstanding / do estrainge them from God and his Seruice and are strainge and disobedient vnto all Righteousnes / according to the Requyring of the holy Woord of the holy Spirit and Seruice of Loue and so do liue after ther owne Mynde l Ier 7. c. 23. b. 18. b and Good-thinking The XVI Chap. FOr this cause / my Beloued â as is before sayde and for that I do now fynde Many / which â according to their owne Good-thinking do liue in all Disobedience / against the Requyring of the holy Woord and which bost them falsly of the Vnderstanding of the spirituall and heauenly Things and so â â—leaueing-vnto or loueing the Worlde and the corruptible Things· or the Following of the false Libertynes desyre to conuersate or to haue fellowshipp with mee and for more such-like things cause and for that I do neither seeke nor desyre any such matter / I haue indeuoured myself to be conuersant with certen zealous Hearts To th end that I in my Zeale / mought not haue my Course with the Vnwillingones â which take-on a false Freedom / to seperate themselues from the Requyring of the Seruice of Loue and cleaue to the earthly corruptible Things but with the Good-willingones to the Righteousnes and that the Vnderstanding of the godly Trueth and of the peaceable Loue / mought â by that Meanes beare-swaye among the Louers of the vpright Vnderstanding / which do loue the Treasures of Wisdom and the Obedience to the Requyring of the Seruice of Loue / aboue Golde and Siluer a Pâ—o. 8. â— Sap. 7 a. and aboue all what is in the Worlde 2. For whosoeuer loueth the Wisdom or the holy Vnderstanding and the Obedience to the Requyring of her Seruice of Loue / aboue all earthly Things / and doth not contemne enuye nor blaspheame anyone / that also laboureth ther-after with Ignorance / To him b Pro. 8 â— Sap. 6 b. 7. â— Math. 7. â— wil likewyse the Wisdom or holy Vnderstanding / appeere But whosâ— loueth anything aboue the Wisdom / or whoso contemneth and blaspheameth anyman / in his Zeale to the Righteousnes and seperateth himself from him / is not wyse neither shall hee also fynde vnderstande nor inherite the Wisdom For the Wisdom is much-to-noble to-honorable of Lynage c Pro. 8. a. b. Sap 7 a. b. Ecclâ— 24. b. and to-precious / for to ioyne or shewe herself vnto those / y t do not loue her with all their Hearts / aboue all Things 3. Oh â alas I fynde too-feawe of those which loue the Wisdom aboue all things But let it go how it will / with the Wysdom and the vpright Righteousnes the Man doth in-any-case take good heede to the earthly Things / which doutles are nomore to be esteemed then as d Phil. 3. b. Dirt / in comparyson to the Preciousnes or Worthynes of the Wisdom and Righteousnes of God 4. Vnderstande now â thou Beloued wherfore I haue indeuoured myself to haue my Conuersation in Freedom / with those whom thou wel knowest and also with others more namely for the Wisdom and the Righteousnes sake as is before rehearsed and as I wil yet partly rehearse vnto thee / because that thy Heart shoulde in-nowyse doubt that I haue sought or liked anything-els / but the Vertues of the vpright and true inuisible Beeing 5. For in all Things and Dealings that I haue has with them / this hath bin all my Grounde and Intent / for to heare-ouer their Vnderstanding and Wisdom / vnder the Obedience of the Loue· to question with them· and to answere agayne / To th end that we mought therby becom agreeable or concordable e 1 â—or 1. a Phil. 2. a. mynded / in the Loue and in the Vnderstanding and to the vpright Righteousnes / and that we shoulde not take or construe anything of each-other / to the worst but I haue not yet vsed thesame Course among them nor-yet the Speeche that tendeth therunto 6. I haue not yet lykewyse bin in any Communialtee among them / wherby to deale boldly with them But the Lorde do with vs according to his Will and thatt which serueth most vnto Peace and to the Vnitee of Heart in the Loue. 7. O Thou Beloued / Although I haue â out of Loue submitted myself heerunto among Somme wherby to informe the Louers of the Trueth / to all Vnitee in the Loue and so haue not contemned nor blaspheamed the Outward / Yet am I not therfore outwardly mynded but this do I veryly acknowledg that it is much-more Pleasure vnto mee / to deale with the Loue of the Wisdom and to talke therof / among those that loue the Loue and the Wisdom / because that the Righteousnes appeereth vnto Such then to inherit all the Ritches and Pleasures of this Worlde or to deale among those which loue the earthly Things or their owne Good-thinking / aboue the Wisdom and aboue the Vnitee of Heart in the Loue / and so to dissemble with Men / as though all were inward and heauenly Things that they loue / wher-with they deceaue both themselues and other moe / which heare them and do seduce them from the true Seruices that leade to the Lyfe 8. And like-as thou wrytest / that it is vnpossible for thee to cause thyne Eyes and thy Heart to hope / as to waight for Deliuerance through any outward Things euenso is thesame likewyse vnpossible for mee Yea although it were so that I woulde do it / yet coulde I not For the Light of the heauenly Trueth â wherwith God hath illuminated f 1. Cor. 4 a. my Heart / out of his holy Heauen is an Against-shyning vnto mee / against thesame But the Ministration of the Good / by the godded Men or Olde-fathers in the Famyly of Loue / is awayes very profitable and a good Preparation to the Deliuering of the Man from his g Rom. 7. c Bandes of the Sinne. and that men haue familyer brotherly Conuersation together to that ende / is also very louely and likewyse greatly edyfying to the Vnitee of Heart in the Loue. 9. Beholde â thou Beloued like-as I haue heere written vnto thee in naked and bare maner / Euenso standeth my Mynde and I hope not to forsake thesame / till I haue founde or gotten all what I seek-for and desyre among the Louers of the Trueth The Lorde graunt me Mercy and doowith mee / according to his Will Amen Fare-well and behaue thyself vprightly Heere-with I do thee heartly greete In the Lyfe of the Loue most-sweete The Ende of the Sixt Epistle Our Heart / is the
the Lyfe t Iohn 1. â— which is for a verytrue Light / vnto all those that beleeue theron 8. Therfore let vs take-heede u 2. Cor. 6. a to the acceptable Tyme / wherin God doth illuminate vs. For in extending Mercy / He x Exo. â—3 b Rom. 9. b. sheweth Mercy on vs and leadeth vs from the Death / y Psa. 56. b. 116. a. to the Lyfe euen to the Sheapherd z 1. Pet. 2. c of our Soules 9. HEer-with â my Beloued I do hartely salute thee / with a Salutation of the Loue and see that thou â with an humble Heart do giue a regarde vnto thatt which I wryte vnto thee and ponder well the Sentences therof For they do poynt thee a Pro. 4. a. to the Lyfe 10 And if thou doest yet desyre larger Instruction at my hands / then wryte ouer vnto me I do alwayes â for the Loues sake proffer myself willingly to doo thee Seruice / in all what I may in the Lorde / to thy Edifying 11. Farewell and sett thy Comfort wholly and altogether / on the Loue. And salute me with a Salutation b Rom. 16. b 1. Cor. 16. c â–ª of the Loue / to the Bretheren and Sisters that are with thee which do submitt them with humble Hearts / vnder the Obedience of the Loue. And the Comunialtee in the Loue / that is heere with Vs / doth likewyse salute you all hartely with the Loue. 12. The Vnitee of Peace c 2. Cor. 13. b. Ephe 4 a. Col. 3. b. be alwayes among you all And the Loue of God the Father / take the Victory in all your Hearts Amen The Ende of the Eigth Epistle The Nynth Epistle Of the Seruices and Ceremonyes of the Christians and of the Vnchristians and of the right and false Vce of them with certen groundly Informations and edifying Instructions Written and sent vnto a Louer of the Trueth / at his Request Exercise thyself in Godlynes For bodely Exercise which stretcheth to the Outward / that concerneth the Nature profiteth little But the God-seruice which stretcheth to the Inward and Spirituall and to the true Godlynes is profitable to all things and hath the Promyse both of this Lyfe and of thatt to com 1. Timo. 4. The First Chapter THe Loue of God the Father â through the Reuealing of the Coming of our Lorde Iesu Christ be with thee / my Beloued and a Ephe. 1. b. 3 b. illuminate thy Spirit to a true Knowledg of the Lyfe / in the Spirit / wherby thou mayest â with a right Discerning see-into and knowe liueingly â according to the Spirit the secret b Sap. 9. b Rom. 11. â—2 2 Counsayle and Will of God / To th end that thou mayest iudg c Iohn 7. c according to the Trueth / with a right Iudgment Thaâ—t graunt vs the almighty Lorde / through his Loue. Amen 2. My Beloued Our Fauour out of the Seruice of Loue â to thy Saluation standeth alwayes willingly-bent towards thee for to be seruiceable vnto thee / to thy Edifying and to a good Knowledg of the true Light For that thou mayest be illuminated with the Illumination of the Cleernes of God which â out of the Grace of his Loue is reuealed d Rom. 16. c Ephe. 1.3 a Col. 1. c 2. Tim. 1. b and appeered vnto vs in the Spirit according to the Promyses of God the Father and with Wryting / to reaâ—he thee the Hande to thesame / according to thy Request to a Gyding of thee into our holy Comunialtee / vnder the Obedience of the Loue. 3. In which Comunialtee / wee haue our Fellowshipp e 1. Iohn 1. a with God the Father and the Lorde Iesu Christ / in the euerlasting Immortalitee wher-through all f 1 Cor. 15. f Corruption and all g Esa. 25. a. 2 Cor. 3. b. Couerings Middle-walles h Esa 59. a Ephe. 2. b. and i Psal. 146. b Bandes / be taken-awaye wher-in all Patterns Images Shadowes and Figures / do k Col 2. b Heb. 9.10 ceasse and wher-in ther is nothing-els behealde / but the euerlasting l Heb. 12. c vndisturbable Kingdom / full of all Power of God / full of Lyfe Loue and Peace / full of Cleernesses m Math. 24. d 25. d. 2. Tess. 1. a. of all the Holyons and Children of God / and full of all heauenly Treasures n Col. 2. a. and godly Ritches / euen-as God hath in tymes-past / promysed to com in Glory for a righteous Iudgment vppon the Earth 4. O thou Beloued Forasmuch as we haue shewed our Fauour of Loue on thee â with Seruice and Assistance to these heauenly o Ephe. 1. b 2. a. 3. a Col. 1. â— 2. a. Ritches in the eternall Beeing of Immortalitee / So haue we now the second-tyme / receaued Wrytings from thee and haueing perused-ouer and considered of them â so much as we can we do vnderstand therby â according to the Mencioning of thy Wrytings that thy Opinion or Conceaueing standeth towards vs or thou shouldest seeme to haue vnderstood so by Others / that we shoulde not vse the Christian Ceremonyes or shoulde account them to be vnprofitable 5. No â my Beloued we are not so presumptuous / that we shoulde not acknowledg all Gods Ordinances â in their right Foorme or Vâ—e to be good p Eccli 39. c and profitable / being ministred in their due tyme. Yea we esteeme them very worthy and commendable in their Seruice so farr-forth or to such an ende as their Seruice reacheth the which we haue sufficiently witnessed â with sencible Distinction before all Vnderstandings / in the Glasse of Righteousnes 6. But â my Beloued if thy Heart shoulde yet stande captiued vnto anything of thatt which hath had his Fore-going the which also had the Ministration of his q 2. â—or 3 a. Cleernes to the to-coming Daye of the Reuealing of the Coming of Christ that is till that the Refreshing shoulde appeer r Act. 3. c â–ª from the vncouered Face of God / for a gloryous Kingdom of God and for a Ioye and Peace of all the Saincts of God / in the euerlasting Lyfe so consider then / by Whom and out of what Spirit / the Christian-ceremonyes are ministred / by the Illuminated or by the Vnilluminatedones out of the Letter of the Scripture or out of the Woord of Lyfe The II. Chap. SEing now then that many Instituters of Ceremonyes / do minister y e Office of Ceremonyes / out of the Prudence of their owne Vndersâ—anding or out of â—he Knowledg of the Letter / altogether to Controuersie and haue not receaued the Office of their Ministration / through the Woord of Lyfe / Veryly so is likewyse their Office of Ceremonyes / no a Ier. 23. b. 27. a. 29 a. Commaundement of God nor-yet their Seruices / any christian Ceremonyes For those Scriptur-learnedones do setfoorth the Ceremonyes â which they administer for
christian Ceremonyes out of their owne Opinion and b Ier. 23. b. Good-thinking and therfore is also their Office against Gods Commaundement For they are vnmeete to the Seruice of the Lorde / which God esteemeth-of for they knowe not his c Psal. 95. a Sap. 5 a â—eb 3. b. Wayes neither do they knowe the Waye of d Psal. 14. a Psa 59 b Rom. 3. b Peace but they are blynde dumme and deafe / thouching the Lyfe that proceedeth out of God and so in their Seruices / are e Math. 15. b â–ª 23 b Luk â— d Blyndeguydes and do likewyse leade the People into Captiuitee / with the Bandes of their Blyndnes 2. They breake not the f Iohn 6. c. Bread of Lyfe vnto the People they baptise not also in the g Math. 28. b Name of the Father â who is the liueing God nor in the Name of the Sonne of God â who is the true Light and Lyfe of his Father nor-yet in the Name of the holy Gost who is the heritable h Ephe. 1 b Paune of the Godlynes 3. Forasmuch now veryly / as these holy spirituall Ritches are not among them / therfore do they not likewyse keepe i 1. Cor. 11. c the Supper of Christ / according to the Trueth For the Bread k Iohn 6. d from Heauen / is not with them For-that-cause also / they knowe not the Woord of Lyfe nor the Spirit of Agednes l Ephe 4. c. or of the Man Christ nor they m Esa 40. b Sap. 9 b Rom. â—â— â— 1. Cor 2. b vnderstand not his Death n Rom. 6. a Phil. 3. b. nor his Resurrection nor the Counsayle of God nor-yet the Wisdom nor the Christianitee 4. Seing then that they haue not receaued the Bread of Lyfe froâ— Heauen neither are o Ier. 14.23 c sent by God nor by Christ and are Straingers from the secret Counsayle of God and vnderstande p Sap. 9. b 1. Cor â— b. nothing-at-all of the godly Things / How shoulde they then be able rightly to minister the Beginings q Heb. 6. a of the christian Doctrine or the Christian-ceremonyes / wherwith the vpright Righteousnes is requyred 5. Veryly they haue not the louely Feete of the r Esa. 25. b. Nahu 1. b. Rom 10. b Messengers / which com from the Hill of the Lorde they bring also no good Message they publish not the Peace neither do they likewyse make-manifest the Saluation that auayleth before God but they are quyte darkened in their Vnderstanding / through s Rom. 1. c. Ephe. 4. c. the Blyndnes of their Hearts and through the Vnbeleefe that is in them Therfore are they all likewyse / Ianglers Stryuers and Contenders against one-another / for the Ceremonyes and for the litterall Scriptures cause and do make among each other / Disturbance and captiued Consciences chooseing priuate t Rom. 10. a Col. 2. c. Righteousnesses vnto themselues / according to the Good-thinking of their owne Hearts The III. Chap. FOrasmuch then / as that the Kingdom of Peace / is â out of Grace a Math. 11. c 13. c. 1. Cor. 2. b. Ephe. 1. b. Col. 1. c. reuealed and geeuen Vs to see-into in the Woord of Lyfe / through the Loue of God the Father / Therfore is not the Counsayle of God vnto vs now / to take-in-hand nor to vse anything of thatt which is past / according to Mens Imagination 2. Yet do we well perceaue this / that the former Seruices â at that tyme when they were ministred through the Woord of Lyfe and vsed out of the Trueth were profitable nodout / vnto Saluation and serued for an Hand-reaching b Gal 3. c. Heb. 6. a. 7. b or Gyding-in of the Little or Youngones of Vnderstanding / to the Woord of Lyfe Howbeit / now it is also well knowen vnto vs / that many Scriptur-learnedones do now striue and conteÌ„de their-about / in their good-thingking Knowledg / and vse much Disputing and Arguing about them And thatt woulde not God haue c 1. Cor. 7. b. For we are called vnto Peace 3. If wee then shoulde likewyse bring-in and vse the former Seruices â which are passed-thorow according to the Order and Opinion of the contentious Setters-foorth of Ceremonyes or Scriptur-learnedones and shoulde not declare the Requyring of the right Seruices and Ceremonyes / So shoulde wee haue then to stryue to contende and to dispute with Them 4. But no thatt is not our Seruice Wee haue all our Regard / to note what a louely Beeing in the Peace / the Word of Lyfe holdeth before vs / as a Light and do follow his Commaundement d Iohn 6. d. 1. Tess 4. a and Will and do labour after the attayning to thatt which the Ceremonyes do requyre or thatt wherunto they were ministred in tymes-past / To th end that our Seruice wherunto God hath called vs in these last Dayes / through the e 2. Timo. 1. b Tit. 1. a. Reuealing of the Coming of the Lorde Iesu Christ shoulde not be darkened f 2. Cor. 6. â— with any Intanglement 5. For God woulde not y t anyman shoulde stryue or contende for Seruices nor-yet for Ceremonyes but that eueryone shoulde bow g 1. Pet. 5. a. and submitt himself vnder the Obedience of the Loue / our mostholy God-seruice and shoulde receaue the Administration of the Counsayle of God / for a Lyfe of Saluation follow-after h Pro 4. b. 5 a 2 Timo. 3. b. thesame Counsayle and so shoulde â out of the Beginings of his simple Chyldhod increase in the christian Doctrine or Ministration of the Loue â–ª or grow-vp therin i Ephe. 4. c. to the Age of the Mâ—n Christ that is till that the Loue haue a liueing Foorme in him not looking-about after thatt which is past but haueing regard k Phil. 3. b. vnto thatt which is to com that is to the Inheritance of the Peace / to the Saluation of the Soule 6. But if anyman be mynded heer-against or resteth self-wyse and wil alledg much out of the Scripture / with his darke Vnderstanding / hee shall burthen his owne Conscience intangle his Senses and Thoughts and not fynde the Refreshing of his Mynde nor the l Act. 3. â— Comfort of his Soule The IIII. Chap. FArdermore thou testifyest / that thou vnderstandest not certen Sentences which are rehearsed in the Testimony of the Mediation of Christ and seemest to affirme ther-out / that thatt which the Prophet Esaias a Esa. 7â— 11 hath spoken of Christ / shoulde be only of Christ / that was to com b Math. 1. â— Rom. 1. a. 1. Tim. 2. â— in the Flesh. 2. Thatt is suerly very-right But not as thy Mynd conceaueth it Therfore consider of the Meaning and vnderstand what I wryt vnto thee For this do I testifye vnto thee as a Secret of God that the Woord of Esai / is a liueing Woord
couer their owne wicked or euell Hearts 11. Seing then that my God â who only is the Lorde giueth nothing-els into my Heart / but Wisdom x Sap. 7. â— â— and holy Vnderstanding and sheweth and teacheth me nothing-els but all Dooing-of-good / Therfore cannot I forbeare / through the Nature y 1. Cor 3. a. of his Loue / but I must shewe vnto myne Enemyes / Freendship / for Enimitee and Loue / z Math 5. c. Rom. 12. b. for Hate declare vnto them the SaluacioÌ„ and Blessing / for Blaspheamy and Curssing / and figure-foorth before them / the Vniformnes of Heart in the Loue / for the Seperation and so to proffer the Grace of my God / vnto myne Aduersaryes / which do hate blaspheame and cursse me and to reache them the Hande / for to drawe them to the Loue of my Lorde and God and to shewe all Faythfulnes and Loue / towards those that haue smitteÌ„ me priuâ—ly or trayterously· spewed-out many Lyes and false Testimonyes / after me· and shewed all Vnfaythfulnes towards me and the Seruice of Loue / informing them a 2. Timo. 2. c 3. b. 4. a. with Rebuke Doctrine and Exhortation / for that they mought b Act. 17. d. repent be set-vpp from their Fall of the Sinne and mought liue with Mee / in the Vnitee of the Loue / wherby to serue c Luk. 1. b. 1. Tess. 1. a. the leueing God and to vse all Concorde and Peace among each-other The III. Chap. FOrasmuch then as the open Rebuke / is alwayes better a Pro. 27. a. then secret Loue the chastenable Information / muchmore blessed / theÌ„ for one to smyte anyman priuily and the Seruice of the holy Woord vnder y e Obedience of the Loue / much-more edifying and profitable / then the Backbyting / Therfore is likewyse all my Desyre in our Seruice of Loue / to further b 2. Cor. 13. b. Phil. â— â— thatt which is most-edifying and Most-godly 2. Wherfore â O ye Resisters of our mostholy Seruice of Loue as also ye ignorant People consider once rightly I pray you / of the Loue and Kyndnes shewed on you / out of our mostholy Seruice of Loue Receaue you my Rebuke and ExhortatioÌ„ and take-heede vnto my chastenable c Pro. 4. â— â— Information Com hether and harkeÌ„ after the right Knowledg and learne d Pro. 1.2 a. 3.4.5 a. Vnderstanding and holy Knowledg and e Eccli 6. c. â—ow your Backs vnder the Rodd of the Lorde For the Strypes or the sharpe Woords of Louers / are much meeter f Psal. 141. â— Pro. 27. â— then the Kisses or the Flattering-woords of Enuyers 3 For-that-cause com now all hether / into the Howse of Informacion g Eâ—cli 6.8 â— Math. 11. c and learne to humble your Hearts vnder the Obedience of the Loue and to open them nakedly before the Elders / To th end that ye may be cleansed from the Wickednes or Euel of your Heartes 4. Suffer yourselues now to be h Deut 1â— c. Ier. 4. â— circumcised on the Fore-skinne of your Heartes / in this holy Daye of Loue which is y e Eigth or Newe Daye / to the Renewâ—ng i Esa. 65.66 c. Ephe 1. b 2. Pâ—t 3. b. Apo. 21. â–ª of the Worlde with Righteousnes and so â–ª through the Light of Loue and his Seruice â put-awaye the k Ier. 4. a. Fore-skinne namely the Darknesses from your Hearts / Or-els ye shall not com to the Glory of God nor to his Sainctuary For no l Esa. 35.52 â— Eze. 44. â— Vncircumcisedone / shall enter into the Sainctuary of God 5. BVt Many of you do refuse this Grace / which is proffered vnto you and do bitter and harden your Hearts against thesame Therfore is also my Complaynt against you / vnto my God for that ye are yet so vtterly m Ier 6. b. 9. c Act. 7. f vncircumcised on your Eares Lipps and Hearts as likewyse for that ye sett yourselues so presumpteously in Iudgment and wil seeme to iudg Gods n Esa. 30. b. Mich. 2.3 b Matters / out of your vncleane Hearts / according to y e Imagination of your owne Knowledg 6. I woulde aske you / on the behalfe of my Lorde and God / who hath prouoked you therunto or what Spirit hath mooued you to iudg such Matters The Cause I haue cheefly to demaunde of those that conuersate themselues dayly with vs / in Hipocrisie and that shewe towards vs or ours â in our Beholding a laughing o Psa. 28. a. 37. b. Ier. 9. a. Mouth or fauourable Countenance and in secret / speake all Euell of vs. 7. Ah-beloued speake it out boldly I pray you / yee which are so wyse now p Pro. 3. a. Esa 5. c. Rom. 12. b. in your owne conceites With whose Spirit and with what Toungs / do ye thus smyte vs priuily and slaunder and blaspheame vs behynd our backs / where we haue None to reply against you Out of what Nature haue ye thatsame I pray you Or out of whose Brestes do ye suck such Venom of corrupt Milke And wherout do many of you frame such a false Freedom / that ye haue shewed vs a fayer Face / before our Eyes also haue flattered vs with your Toungs / whilst ye were present / and do now with such a false Heart / mock vs priuily or behynde our backs / among those that do gladly giue eare vnto you and so boldly smyte and blaspheame vs / with your false Spirit and Blaspheamous-toungs Noâ— Vs only q Luk. 10. b. â— Tess. 4. â— 2 peâ— 2. b. but also the godly Wisdom and holy Vnderstanding / wherwith God hath â through his hearty Loue r Ephe. 1 a. 2 pet 1. a endowed vs and so in blaspheaming s Heb. 10. d. the holy Spirit of the Loue of God and Christ / ye dispise the precious Treasures of the spirituall heauenly Ritches as likewyse y e highest Cleernes of God 8. Which gloryous Light or godly Cleernes â wherin t 2 Cor. 4 â— a the Mosthighest hath comprehended vs / vnder the Obedience of his Loue doth ouershadow or farr exceede all the Lightes of this Worlde Yea all Vnderstandings of this Worlde / v Psa. 37.46 b Esa â—0 b. Aba c. â— b Sâ—ph 1. a. Zach. 2. b. must be dombe before thesame and â—ow them eueryone vnder thesame gloryous Cleernes of God / which is made-manifest vnto vs. And all those that loue the vpright Righteousnes / must saye Thatt Light is verytrue The IIII. Chap. O Ye foolish People Do ye dispise the precious Pearle / because thesame is a Math. â—3 c founde in an earthen Feelde / wherin it was hidden or for that it is by God / layde in an earthen Vessell / b Rom. 9. c. 2 Tess. 2. c. that seemeth before you to be too-dishonourable and for that Hee also / declareth thesame ther-out 2. Do ye dispise the
/ in our Seruice of Loue but do / out of the Cleernes of God â g 2. Cor. 4. a. which hath shyned about vs shewe vnto eueryone sufficiently / in Plentiful-store of Instructions were it rightly vnderstoode the h 4 Esa. â— a. Mat 7. b Luk. 13. c. Waye or Course that leadeth to the Lâ—fe wherof thou wilâ— seeme to saye much with Misunderstanding / as being vnexpert in the Matter 7. But if now it be vnknowen or to-darke before anyman as that our Gospel â which we publish vnder the Obedience of the Loue / out of the highest Cleernes of God / i 2. Cor. 3. b. from the vncouered Face of Christ be to-couered or to-secret for him / k 2 Cor. 4. a Then veryly is it hidden to those / which with the vnbeleeueing Mynde of this Worlde / do not beleeue nor vnderstande the Trueth of God also before all those / which perswade l Pro. 3 b. Esa. â— c. themselues that they 〈◊〉 wyse and for-that-cause / are not subiect to the sincere Doctrine of the Loue. The III. Chap. FOrasmuch now then / as that the Seruice of Gods Loue / is â by Gods Grace com vnto Mee and comitted a Gal. 1. d. 1. Timo 1. b vnto me to minister / wherby to declare vnto the Man / with good Instruction â through thesame Seruice the true Tabernacle or Temple of the Lorde â b Leuit 26 b Eze 37.43 a. Apo. 21 a wherin God wil dwell liue and walke and the true God-seruice in thesame namely for to distinct the Forefrunt of the true Tabernacle of God â wherin the vpright Circumcision cometh-to-pas / which is c Ier. 4. a. Rom 2. c. Phil. 3. a. Col. 2. b. according to the Requyring of the Obedience of the Lawe of the Lorde from the Heaâ—thenshipp or Vncircumcision the Holy â wherein the vpright Baptisme cometh-to-pas / which is d Rom. 6. a. Col. 2. b. according to the Requyring of the Obedience of the Fayth of Iesu Christ from the Forefrunt and the Mostholy â wherin the vpright Fulfilling e Heb. 9.10 b. and Establishing of the Promyses cometh-to-pas / which is according to the Requyring of the Obedience of the Loue of the holy Gost from the Holy as also eachones Seruice Office and Order / So am I likewyse obediently inclyned therto / to th end to shewe euenso vnto the Man / the true God-seruice in the Spirit / which he oweth vnto God and which is profitable to his Saluation 2. But first-of-al / the Man ought to take-heede what the gracious Seruice of Loue and of the holy and gracious Woord requyreth of him / in his Heathenshipp or Vncircumcision / to his Saluacion For by thesame Seruice of the gracious Woord in the Vncircumcision / God calleth or requyreth the Man â with his true Promyses of Saluacion and assured Graunt of eternall Lyfe out of the f Gen. 22. a. Heathenshipp or Vncircumcision / to the Good-willingnes to the Entrance into his Sainctuary and so then the Man if he becom good-willing to the Obeying of the Calling of y e Lorde and hath a regarde vnto y e gracious g 2 Pet. 1. c. Woord is drawen or leadd out of the Heathenshipp / into the Forefrunt of the true Sainctuary or Tabernacle of God and to the Departure out of the Sinne and to the Entrance into the godly Lyfe And thesame Departure out of the Heathenshipp and Entrance into the Sainctuary / is the Seruice or the Requyring of the holy Woorde / in the Heathenshipp or Vncircumcision 3. But the Seruice or the Requyring of the holy Woord / in the Forefrunt or Entrance into the godly Lyfe is the h Rom. 2. c. Phil. 3. a. Col. 2. b. Circumcision of the Heart / in the Feare of God namely i Col. 2. b. the Laying-away of the Sinne in the Flesh. Which Forefrunts Entrance â and to shewe Obedience therin / according to the Lawe of the Lorde is the right k Math. 7. b. Luk. 13. c. Waye and the first Stepp / that leadeth the Man â out of the Heathenshipp to the Entrance into the Sainctuary of God and into the godly Lyfe of Christ. And so out of the Forefrunt of the Tabernacle of God and the Seruice of thesame / the Man is leadd into the true Holy of the Tabernacle of God or vpright Beleefe of Iesu Christ. 4. The Seruice or the Requyring of the holy Woord in the Holy or Beleefe of Iesu Christ / is the Putting-on or l Iohn 6. f. Receaueing of the Body of Iesu Chrst and so to dye vnto the Sinne / m 1 Pet. 2. c. 4. a. in the Following of Christ in his Death of the Crosse and n Rom. 6. a. Col. 2. b. euenso to be baptised in thesame Death of Christ and to drinke his Blood / out of thesame o Luk. 22. Cupp / to the Forgiueing and Burying of the Sinne and to shewe Obedience and to continue p Math. 10. c. 24. b. stedfast therin â according to the Woord of Iesu Christ till vnto the q Iohn 3. a. Rom. 6. a. seconde Birth from the Death And thatt is the right r Math. 19. d. 26 c Passe-ouer with Christ / vnto his Resurrection and it is the right Fulfilling of the dayly Offering and God-seruice in the Holy / to an euerlasting s Heb. 10. b. Forgiuenes and Burying of the Sinne and to an euerlasting t Rom. 5. a. Heb. 9. b. Reconcilment with God the Father 5. Which vpright Offering and his Fulfilling in the Following of Christ in the holy and so to lay-away and to buâ—y the Sinne / through the Death of the Crosse of Christ as to be planted into Christ / with the like Death in the Holy or to be baptised v Rom. 6. a. Col. 2. b. in-that-maner / in his Death the Man oweth vnto God the Father For thatt is the right x Rom. 3. c. Ephe 1. â— Heb. 9.6 Forgiuenes of Sinnes the true Conquering of the Death the godly Iustifycation y Rom. 8. a Heb. 9.10 b. and the Satisfaction of Christ with the Manhod / through his Suffering and Death of the Crosse wherthrough the Vayle z Math. 27. betwixt the Holy and y e Mostholy / is put-away from the Man And so he is leadd out of the Holy of the Tabernacle of God and his Seruice of the true Offering / into the Mostholy of the Tabernacle of God or into y e vpright a 1. Cor. 13. b Col. 3. b. Loue of God the Father namely into the Perfection or Accomplishment of all the Workes of God and into the Fulnes of all y e spirituall and heauenly Goodes 6. But the Seruice or the Requyring of the holy Woord in the Mostholy namely in the Loue of God the Father or Perfection of all the Workes of God is / to declare the true Resurrection with Christ and to
publish thesame for a Gospel or ioyfull Message of the Kingdom of God and Christ and that the euerlasting Lyfe / is to be inherited b Eph. 1.2 â— Col. 1.2.3 a therin as also y e spirituall and heauenly Goodes of Christ and of his Father / in the heauenly Beeing And thatt is the true Seting-vp of the Perfection and the Declaring of the Kingdom of the God of Heauens / in his Glory for a righteous Iudgment of God vppon the Earth 7. In thesame Mostholy and to shewe Obedience therin / according to the true Beeing of the holy Spirit of Loue or to liue c Iohn 17. d. vniforme with God and Christ obediently / is the Declaring of the d Math 24. a. 25. d 2. Tess. 2. Tit. 2. b. gloryous and true Coming of our Lorde Iesu Christ / from the Right-hande of God the Father / in the Resurrection of the Righteous and the great e Esa. 2. c. 13. â— Ier 46. Mal. 4. 2. Pet. 3. b. and tirrible Daye of the Lorde / of the righteous Iudgment 8. Seing now that thesame Howse of the Lorde or this true Tabernacle of God â wherin God together with all his Saincts / wil dwell for euermore is declared vnto mee â in his Glory and with the Fulnes of the Ritches of his Garnishing in the Seruice of Loue· and thesame Seruice committed f Eph. 3. a. vnto me to minister / out of the heauenly Trueth / So do not I also desyre anything-els God is my Witnes but to assist thee â if thou bist good-willing to the Loue and likewyse eueryone / to thesame Seruice / To th end that the Seruice of Loue mought be furthered and spread-abroade among all People / to their Saluacion and to the Peace and Vnitee of Heart· the g Ephe. 2. b. 2. Pet. 2. a. Apo. â—1 â— Howse of Loue or the Tabernacle of the Lorde and his vpright Seruice / declared euerywheare· and so all Fayle and Discord / layd-downe or taken-away / among the Louers of the Trueth and that we mought concordably together â vnder the Obedience of the Loue take-heede-vnto and declare the foremencioned h â— â—oâ— 1. â— Phil 3. c. Tiâ— â— b. Daye of the Coming of the Lorde Iesu Christ and the Resurrection of the righteous Dead-ones to an euerlasting Tryumph of the Glory of God ouer vs according to the Promyses The IIII. Chap. BEholde â my Beloued to this Vnitee of Heart in the Loue and to assemble thee with Vs / to thesame gloryous Maiestee of God Ø›the Mostholy of his true Tabernacle art thou likewyse loued / out of Grace vndeserued And this write I also vnto thee / out of harty Loue for to assist thee to this Louelynes of God and to the Comunialtee of his Saintes / for that our Fellowshipp mought be one with each-other / in the Concord a Iohn 17. b. 1. Iohn 1. a. of the Loue. 2. O thou Beloued b 2. Cor. 6 a. disdayne not this proffered Grace / which is presented vnto thee / to an Vnitee of Heart For veryly / if thou doest â vnder the Obedience of the Loue c Pro. 1.2 â–ª 3. a. 4. a. 5. a. Eccli 6. c. giue-eare with vs Littleones and Elected of God / to the Woord of Trueth and submittest thyself therunder / Then shalt thou also with vs Little and Simpleones / vnderstande d Mat. 11. d. 13. b. and inherite the secret Treasures and heauenly Ritches But in-nowyse without our Comunialtee of Loue. 3. For in our Comunialtee of Loue / ther is vncouered e 1. Cor. 2. c. 2. Cor 4 a. opened and aboundantly brought vnto vs / out of Gods Grace â for an euerlasting Heritage of God the Fulnes of the Wisdom of God f Ephe. 1. b. Col. 1 c. 2. a and the perfect Vnderstanding of the holy Spirit of Christ. and not vnto any that are without thesame 4. Which Secrets of God â with ther full Cleernes God hath geeuen vnto Vs before any other / as his elected Saints g Rom. 16 c. Eph â— a. 3. â— Col. 1. c. 2. Timo. 1. b and beloued Children / To th end that thesame heauenly Trueth and thesame Saluacion in Christ / shoulde â now in the last tyme be declared by vs / h Esa. 49. a. 60. a 66. b. Act. 9. b. 13. a. Rom. 1. a. among all People to the Laude and Prayse of the Glory of God and of his holy Name 5. To thesame God of Glory / who hath prepared such a great Name vnto himself / in the last tyme· and â through his Loue chosen vs to the holy Vnderstanding / for to lighten many Mens Vnderstanding / be Laude Honour and Thanks / for euermore Amen 6. Heerwithall / thou Beloued â wherwith thou art bidden and assisted to our holy Comunialtee of Loue I commit thee to the Lorde and his Grace and salute me â with a Salutation of Loue vnto all thyne Acquayntance / that are wel-mynded to the Loue and to the Obeying of her Seruice The Goodnes of the supreame God / be with you all Amen The Ende of the Twelueth Epistle Our Heart / is the Minde of God most-hie Our Beeing amiable / as the sweete Lillie Our Faithfulnes / Loue / and Trueth vpright / Is Gods Light / Life / and Cleernes bright The Thirtenth Epistle Loueing Informacions vnto a Louer of the Trueth / which before-tyme was a Blaspheamer of the Seruice of Loue and the Ministers therof and afterward â with great Sorrow for his Sinne turned him to thesame Seruice / for to shewe Obedience therin Ther shal be a Ioye in Heauen and before the Angels of God / ouer one Sinner that repenteth Luk. 15. To him whose Soule loueth my Soule / in all Loue / be Health and Saluation The First Chapter FOrasmuch â thou Beloued as I haue receaued thy Salutacion and Wryting / written vnto mee wherin thou doest expresse / y t thou hast wholly turned thy self to y e Good / with all thy Sences and Thoughts and art wel-mynded with Mee / to the a Ephe. 4. a. Vnitee of Heart in the Loue to the Peace and to the Righteousnes So haue I indeuoured me with Dilligence of my Heart / for to perceaue to what ende thy Mynde and Intent mought stretch in thissame or which is the Cheefest-thing that thou seekest or intendest therwith 2. If-so-be now that I do fynde in the Deede and Trueth / that thy whole Heart Intent and Mynde / doth as thou wrytest stande-mynded with Mee / to the Loue / that euerlasting and inuisible heauenly Good Then wil I not also be mistrustfull towards thee nor-yet conceaue otherwyse of thee / then thou wrytest but wil hope all good of thee 3. But forasmuch now as that almost all Flesh of the earthly Manhod is captiued with secret Craftynes / which itself oftentymes seeth not also / that it seeketh in althings / himself or his owne b Phil. 2.
vnto the Spirit or inwarde Manhod of thy Mynde Consider or search out what is ingendered or borne thear within thee / as Spirit and spirituall / n Rom 8. a. Gal. 5. b. or as Knowledg and o 1. Iohn 4. a prooue or trye whether y e Spirits and Birthes of the Knowledges â which be borne in thee be of God or no and do bring the heauenly Powers of the holy Gost and godly Vnderstanding / with them p Rom 8. a. Gal. 5. b. Ephe 5. b. or-els / whether they be false Spirits and deceitfull Knowledges which proceede out of the Flesh / and so do kindle prouoke or mooue thee / with earthly and fleshly Desyres The II. Chap. O Thou Beloued Consider effectually of this Mattier and beleeue not euery Spirit or Imagination of the Knowledg / that presenteth itself vnto thee For many false Spirits and deceitfull Knowledges / a Math 24 a. 1. Iohn 4. a 2. Iohn 1. a. 2. Pet. 2. a. do now go-foorth / for to deceaue all Hearts of Men / that stande mynded on the earthly and fleshly Things 2. For-that-cause haue a Discerning heerin For if the Spirit or the Imaginacion of the Knowledg which is borne or brought-foorth in thee / be spirituall and that thesame do proceede out of the godly Wisdom of the true Light / b Rom. 8. a Gal 5. b. Then wil it veryly be altogether against the Flesh and the Workes of the Flesh. and wil chasten crucify and kill the Flesh c Rom. 13. b. Gal. 5. c. Col. 3. a. 2 Pet. 2. b. with his Lusts and Desyres 3. But if the Spirit and Fruit or the Imaginacion of the Knowledg / be fleshly and that it proceede out of the Wisdom of the Flesh / then wil thesame likewyse make-manifest itself with the Workes of the Flesh / to the Lusts of Errour / d Gal. 6. b. that stretch to Destruction also be vtterly e 2. Timo. 3. a against the Spirit of Godlynes and the Counsayle of the Wisdom and wil likewyse desyre to suppresse and to kill or destroye / all what cometh before her in her Heart and Thoughts / touching the godly Wisdom of the Seruice of Loue. 4. For whearsoeuer the Flesh with his Wisdom or Imaginacion of the Knowledg Ø›that false Light hath the Superyoryte / theare is the false Freedom / f Sap. 2.14 b. Cal. 5. b. according to the Lusts and Desyres of the Fleshly Men for to cause the Man to liue euenso in his perdicionable Lusts and Desyres 5. But whearsoeuer the Spirit of the Wisdom of God Ø›that true Light getteth the Superyorytee / theare is the vpright Freedom of the spirituall Men vnder g Rom 8. b. whose Power / the Flesh or the naturall Man is subiect and is sustayned therin / to all Seemlynes and Resonablnes 6. BEholde â my Beloued because I knowe not now how it may go with thee / whear thou dwellest / therfore haue I â out of harty Loue written this little porcion vnto thee / to th end that thou shouldest alwayes be myndfull of the vpright Beeing of the Loue· and not â through any deceitfull Meanes / which may com before thee out of the Flesh and his Wisdom neglect the godly Grace / which is com vnto vs in thissame h 1 Timo 4. b 2. Timo 3. a. 2 per. 2. a. perillous Tyme nor estrainge thy self ther-from but to haue the more-dilligent regard â with all Subiection to the Loue vnto the Seruice of the holy Woord / for to consider with Vnderstanding what an vpright Beeing thesame Seruice requyreth and in what maner or to what an vpright â–ª Effect of the godly Lyfe / all former Seruices â which are gon-out from God euen hetherto do leade i Math. 22. d. Mark 12. d Rom 13 b. Gal. 5. b 1 Timo. 1. a. to thissame Seruice of Loue. namely for that we shoulde now in this Daye of Loue â with Fulnes of the holy Gost and with pure Hearts liue vprightly in k Ephe. 1. a. all Loue / according to the Trueth of Christ. 7. If wee now therfore do looke into thissame rightly / theÌ„ shall wee likewyse exercise ourselues therin / to all Sainctifycation l 2. Tess â–ª 2. b. 1. Pet. 3. b. in the Spirit according to the Promyses of God the Father and not m 2. Cor. 6. b touch or receaue anything / that mought make our Hearts vncleane· or drawe vs to any false n Sâ—p 14. b. Rom. 1. c. 2. Pet. 2. b. or disordered Freedom 8. Therfore is also myne Exhortacion vnto thee / out of harty Loue / that thou wilt dayly exercise thyself in our mostholy Seruice of Loue â with all Humilitee o 〈◊〉 1. b. and Obedience in the Feare of the Lorde 9. And if now thou indeuourest thyself heerunto / then shalt thou nodout p Ephe. 4. b. Col. 1. b. 1 Pet 2. a. grow-vp likewyse in all holy Vnderstanding and be well preserued from the false Desyres of the Flesh and from all inconstant Spirits and false Freedoms / which bring the Man to the Disobeying of the Loue and to all Confusion 10. The Lorde vouchsafe to strengthen q Col. 1. b. 2. Tess. 2 b. 1. Pet 5. b. thee in his Righteousnes and to leade thee â with his Wisdom into all Trueth and vpright Righteousnes Amen 11. Heerwith â my Beloued I do hartely salute thee in the Loue / wherthrough God hath shewed Mercy on vs and salute me also in thesame Loue / vnto our good Freendes namely all the Acquayntance / that loue the vpright Beeing in Iesu Christ. The Loue of the supreame God / gett the Victory in all your Hearts Amen The Ende of the Fourtenth Epistle The Fiftenth Epistle An harty ExhortacioÌ„ vnto all Louers of the Trueth and vnto all those that submitt them vnder the Obedience of the Loue To a Warning of them touching all contrary Sights and false Spirits / which make-vp them selues out of the wicked Worlde / in these last perillous Tymes also iudg falsly / against the Trueth and against the Seruice of Loue and so do bring-in or cause Discord and Offence / contrary to the peaceable Famyly of Loue. I admonish you â beloued Bretheren that ye wil marke those that cause Discorde and Offence / contrary to the Doctrine which ye haue learned and auoyde from them Rom. 16. The First Chapter THrough the Loue of God the Father / which â out of Grace is a Rom. 16. â— Eph. 1. a 3. a Col. 1. c. declared vnto vs / by the Reuealing b 2. Timo 1. b of the gloryous Coming of our Lorde Iesu Christ / we wish a good Peace and Concorde vnto all Louers of the Trueth / which â out of an Inclynacion of Loue and of a pure Heart haue their fellowshipp with our Comunialtee vnder the Obedience of the Loue. For They â yea thosame shal be founde happy For our Comunialtee is
Light and therfore testifyeth / that no vncleere Eyes e Math. 6. c. nor darke Bodyes / haue f Iohn 5. d. euer seene or knowen such a gloryous Light / in his Cleernes and that then thosame Testimonyes do com before the Eyes and Eares of the earthly Man g Pro. 3. a. Esa. 5 c. Rom. 1.12 b. 1. Cor. 3. b. who thinketh himself to be wyse or to be illuminated / through his Knowledg / So doth then thatt earthly or self-wyse Man suppose â according to the Imaginacion of the Knowledg or false Light that the illuminated Man / doth not testify rightly of the Cleernes of the true Light of God 6. Therfore because that the vnilluminated Man / seeth so poreblyndly and cannot see nor endure Gods Light / in his Eyes he iudgeth â out of the false Light / that hath captiued his Heart the illuminated Vnderstanding / to be wrong 7. Then when an illuminated Man / testifyeth of the Loue of God and of the Spirit of thesame â–ª and that eueryone ought to submitt them obediently ther-vnder and then when thosame Testimonies do com before the Eares of those â–ª that looke vppon the Flesh and not vppon the Spirit / Then do they iudg the Loue â–ª and the Loues Spirit and Requyring / vppon an outward Man euen as though the outward Man himself / requyred the Obedience and Loue and â according to the Flesh â–ª named himself / the Spirit of Loue or tooke Gods Dignitee vpon him 8. Therfore veryly a fleshly or earthly Man â that liueth without the Seruice of Loue / according to his owne Goodthinking is altogether false h Psal. 116. b. Rom. 3. a. lying and ignorant namely / in godly Things in all his Sightes Knowledges and Iudgments The IIII. Chap. BEholde my beloued Hearts in the Loue This coulde I not hyde from you / To th end that ye may beware of the false Iudgments of the deuided Men. and for that ye shoulde not ouer-reache yourselues / in iudging anything rashly For-that-cause let eueryone let the Iudgment alone and gett first a a Apo 3. c. cleere Sight and a pure Soule / in the Loue / That he be not iudged before the Iudgment-seate of Christ before the which we stande for a false Iudg. 2. Oh! How well is he mynded / that iudgeth not and that construeth and accepteth all in good part / that is witnessed or spoken to him / vnto good and so walketh in stillnes and keepeth his Mouth / b Psal. 3◠〈…〉 as if ther hung a Lock before it that he lye not and which falleth not c through his Tongue 3. Therfore canst thou not excuse thyself / â— Man d Ro◠〈…〉 whosoeuer thou bist that iudgest For wherin thou iudgest another / therin condemnest thou thy self inasmuch as thou thyself act gilty in thatt / wherin thou iudgest another 4. By diuers of these false Iudgers / am I greatly impugned so that I haue had great cause geeuen me by Many / to wryte against them but thatt haue I not vsed hetherto â as against any Person or Company perticulerly nor named them by Name but haue witnessed generally / the Ignorance of the Blaspheamers and Resisters of the Loue â–ª and made it knowen to the Vnderstandingones 5. Forasmuch then as our Seruice hath his Ministracion vnpartially / through the Loue / therfore is it not also our Vce / to wryte against anyman perticulerly â as by any name of Person and Company nor-yet to disprayse or to prayse them / by their Names but to shewe generally â according as the vnpartiall Seruice of Loue requyreth it what is Good or Euell for eueryone and wherin the Man hath Right or Wrong and that altogether out of God e 2. Cor. 3. a. and not out of ourselues 6. For the Lorde himself â as a righteous and vnpartiall God hath â according to his Promyses made his Iudgment / f Esa 28. b. a Measure-lyne and his Righteousnes / a Ballance / among vs. Therfore wee do neither receaue nor-yet giue-foorth anything / vnles we do measure it all vnpartially / with the Measure-lyne of the Iudgment of God and weigh it all likewyse according to his Value / g Eccl. 21. c. 28. d. in the Ballance of the Righteousnes of God 7. Oh! That yee all did so likewyse and according to thesame maner / stoode concordably and vnpartially mynded with vs / vnder the Obedience of the Loue and that euen so eueryone did first learne â vnder the Obedience of the Loue to keepe-scilence and then to speake rightly also learned first to suffer Wrong and so to knowe therby / thatt which is Right / er-euer he gaue any Sentence of the Right / to th end that he mought speake according to the Trueth and iudg h Iohn 7. c. rightly As likewyse learned first / to endure i 2. Cor. 6. a. Shame Dishonour and Dispising / with Christ and therby to knowe Gods Honour / er-euer he tooke-vpon-him to defende Gods honour and to alow himseâ—f to be right in his Iudgment Consider effectually heeron 8. SEing then that the many-maner of Perills â growing by the Iudgments of Men are knowne vnto vs / therfore do wee â with this small Instruction exhort all Louers of the Trueth / that noman vndertake or set-forward himself to iudg / k 1. Coâ— 4. â— â–ª before the tyme nor-yet speake to-soone but that eueryone do first â vnder the Obedience of the Loue becom l Luk. 14. c. a Distiple of Christ and so m Ephe. 4. b. Col. 1. b. 1. Pet. 2. a. growe-vp in the holy Woord of the Spirit of y e Loue of Christ / to the Age of the holy Vnderstanding of Christ. 9. Then when he is becom a Christian or an Elder of Christ / in y e holy Vnderstanding / so can he then likewyse â through his new Birth iudg rightly / n Sap. 3. a. Math. 19. â— 1. Cor. 6. a. with Christ and with all the Saintes of God / but otherwyse / all his Iudgments are false 10. If anyman be now as is before sayde becom a Disciple in the holy Vnderstanding of Christ / vnder the Obedience of the Loue and so â euen vnto the Regeneracion be growen an Elder therin / Hee shall then well vnderstande the Elders in the holy Vnderstanding or the Ministers of the holy Woord in the Famyly of Loue / in their secret Wisdom and in no-wyse stryue nor contende â with his Vnderstanding against the Elders in the Loue of Iesu Christ / which do minister the Woord of Lyfe vnder the Obedience of the Loue but shall likewyse himself â as an vnderstanding Elder with the auncient Elders informe the Disciples of the holy and gracious Woord or Christ â in the christian Schoole of Loue o 1. Tim. 4. b. 2. Tim. 1.2.3 with holy Vnderstanding and with Lessons of Wisdom / to all Concorde in the Famyly of Loue
seruiceable to the Peace and Vnitee of Heart in the Loue For by her almighty and vertuous Nature / she begetteth o Rom. 13. a. Gal. 5. b. 1. Timo. 1. a. or bringeth-foorth the perfect Righteousnes of the Beleefe of Christ. 12. The p Iohn 4.7 d Water of Lyfe that floweth from her Body / is the vpright Doctrine in the Wisdom wherwith she q Gen. 2. b. watereth the whole Paradise of the Lorde and refresheth his Planting 13. Her Fruit which the Righteous do bring-foorth out of her Doctrine / r Gen 2. a. Pro. 3. b. 4. Esd 8. f. Apo 2. a. is a Tree of Lyfe whose Leaues do s Psal. 1. a. Ier 17. a. Ezâ— 47. b. Apo. 22 a. not wither neither is her Rooting-out founde Of which Loue and the Seruice of her Doctrine / we haue rehearsed more-at-large in the t 3. Glas 31. c d. Glasse of Righteousnes 14. The Lorde bring vs all to thesame vpright Beeing of the Loue / To th end that we may enioye the Fruiâ—s of the heauenly Kyndnes / in all Loue. Amen The V. Chap. MOreouer â my beloued Freendes in the Loue of Iesu Christ I must yet wryte a little-more vnto you and disclose or declare vnto you / the two-maner of Kingdoms namely of God and of the Deuill which do make-manifest themselues in our Inwardnes as spirituall or inuisible / Because that yee may also learne to knowe them with Distinction / according to the Spirit / wherby you may with an vpright Discerning when they make-manifest themselues against eachother / in you cleaue vnto thatt â with your Spirit which is godly heauenly and true / and which saueth you and may forsake and leaue thatt / which is deuilish deceitfull and false / and which bringeth to the Condemnacion 2. For-that-cause inasmuch as it is Spirit / a Iohn 3. â— that condemneth and saueth vs / therfore haue now a regarde with good Discerning / vnto Spirit and Spirits and learne to knowe those well / b Iohn 4. a. that are of God and true and those that are deuillish and false or lying 3. But if ye wil descerne them rightly according to the Trueth / then becom first-of-all circumcised to the Lorde / c Deut. 10. â— Ier. 4. a. Col. 2 b. on the Fore-skinne of your Hearts the which is the Laying-away of the Flesh of Sinne and so then becom d Rom. 8. a. spiritually mynded / in all your Vnderstanding of the godly Knowledges and continue stedfast in the Obedience to the Woord / till vnto y e seconde Birth like-as ye be taught by the Seruice of Loue / according to the Trueth of Christ. 4. If-so-be now that ye continue in the Woord of the Loue of Iesu Christ and do not turne-away neither to the left nor to the right syde / e Iohan. â— d. then shall ye knowe the Trueth and the Trueth shall make you free 5. Therfore giue-eare now and vnderstande / what the Spirit of Loue and Trueth sayth 6. Knowe in your Spirit â O ye goodwilling Hearts to the Righteousnes how that God Ø›the true Father is f Iam 1. c. an euerlasting vnchaingable Spirit a stedfast Power a g Gen. 1. a. Creator of Heauen and Earth and of euerything that shall continue for euer h Heb. 1. a. also an Vpholder of his Workes / with the i Sap. 7 c. Woord of his Beeing a cleere Light and liueing Fountayne wherout all Vertues and Righteousnesses do flowe 7. Euenthus according to thesame like Beeing of God the Father / so knowe likewyse â according to the Spirit his Sonne / our Lorde Iesus Christ k Gen. 1. a. Psal 33. a. Pro 8 c. through whom / God hath made all his Workes and He is out of God the Father published vnto vs â by the l Rom 10. a. 1 Pet. 1. c. Woord of Preaching of the holy Gospel m Iohn 1. a. to be a true Light / that lighteth all Men through the Coming of his Appeering and is set-before vs / for an euerlasting Sauiour n Math. 1. c. Rom 3. c. 2. Cor. 5. b. Col. 1. c. â— Iohn 2.4 b and a Reconciler for our Sinnes namely for all those Sinnes o Math. 12. d. Luk. 12. b. that are committed against the Father and the Sonne 8. Knowe also the holy Gost p Iohn 14. c. 15. c. â—6 b. which cometh vnto vs / out of the Father and the Sonne â as a Spirit of Trueth and Loue in the Obeying of the Woord of God and Christ which establisheth vs therin and declareth the Kingdom of the God of Heauens vnto vs and in what Foorme and Beeing / that the Father and the Sonne and the holy Gost / is one true God 9. Beholde thatt is veryly the true Kingdom of God / q Luk â–ª 17. c. inwardly with in vs and his Righteousnes is / that the Man shoulde â with his Spirit be incorporated to thesame Godhead and liue therin for euer The VI. Chap. VNderstand now according to the Trueth â ye Deerly-beloued which is the Kingdom of God and his Righteousnes / a Math. 6. d that we ought first or before-al / to seeke 2. But seing that the Man doth now generally / seeke the Kingdom of God and his Righteousnes / contraryly and not rightly b Ier. 19 d. Iohn 7 d. and for-that-cause cannot fynde thesame / through his owne Vnderstanding / Therfore hath the Goodnes of God / looked vpon our Ignorance and declared his Kingdom and the Righteousnes therof / vnto Vs / through his Loue. 3. To which Kingdom of God and his Righteousnes / and godly Maiestee of the euerlasting spirituall and heauenly Beeing / and to all his Holynes Beawty Ritches and to his euer-liueing Ioyfulnes / Wee be all now called and bidden / by the holy Spirit of the Loue of God the Father / to the Preseruacion of vs all / in thissame last and perillous Tyme For Hee / thesame God Ø›y e Father the Sonne the holy Gost presenteth vs now with his Loue and wil c Leui. 26. b. Eze. 37. c. 2. Gor. 6. b. Apo. 21. a. â— dwell liue and worke in vs. Let eueryone take-heede to thissame gracious Tyme 4. The Father draweth d Iohn 6. â— â–ª g or allureth vs to him / by his gracious Woord and Seruice of Loue and whosoeuer yeeldeth himself to be drawen by the Father / cometh to the Sonne / the out-flowen gracious Woord of the Father 5. And whosoeuer cometh to the Sonne and e Iohn 3.6 c. beleeueing Him / remayneth f Iohn 8 1â— a in Him / He saueth 6. And Whom the Sonne saueth / g Iohn 3.6 f. hee hath the euerlasting Lyfe and is h Act. 1. a. 2. b. annoynted with the holy Gost. 7. And whosoeuer is annoynted with the holy Gost / hee is established i Rom. 8. b. Ephe. 1. b. c. â—ol 1. b. â— or altogether
godded in the euerlasting liueing Godhead and is vniforme with all what concerneth the Godhead or is of God and inheriteth the Kingdom of the God of Heauens and all the Ritches of Christ of the heauenly Goodes 8. Beholde euenthus doth the holy Gost â which is the Spirit of Loue confirme the Kingdom of the God of Heauens and the Promyses of God the Father and of Christ and k Iohn 16. b leadeth the godly Man into all Trueth and declareth euery-thing vnto him that is in Heauen and vppon the Earth 9. But whosoeuer hath bin negligent in the l Iohn 6. c. â— Drawing of the Father· and â through his Ignorance contemned or bin disobedient vnto Him and his Lawe or seruiceable Woord and whoso likewyse hath not taken-heede to the Saluation in Iesu Christ / through the Beleeâ—eâ— but â through the Blyndnes m Rom. 1. c. Ephe. 4. b. of the Vnbeleefe resisted or blaspheamed thesame / Hee doth yet in thissame Daye / through the Ministracion of the godly Testimonyes of the holy Spirit of Loue â the which is the Office of the holy Gost fynde Grace and Forgiuenes of Sinnes / if he submitt n 1. Pet. 5. b. Iam. 4. â— himself o Math 3. a. Luk. 3. b. penitently vnder the Obedience of the Loue. 10. But whoso neglecteth him in the holy Spirit of Loue and resisteth and blaspheameth thesame or his mostholy Seruice of the spirituall and heauenly Goodes / p Math. 12. d. Heb. 6.10 c Hee continueth in Indignation and shall neuer q Iohn â— a. see the Kingdom of God â–ª For the Spirit of the Loue of God and Christ or holy Gost â who is the Perfection of all the Workes of God hath and vseeth his Seruice â the which is the last Seruice of Grace now in thissame last gracious Tyme or Daye of Loue. After which gracious Daye of Loue / ther-is r Apo. 10. a. no Daye of Grace more for to com but s Heb. 10. c. the righteous Iudgment of God to the Condemnacion t Math. 25. d. of all Vngodlyones / that haue refused the Godlynes through the holy Spirit of Loue and the Ministracion of his godly Testimonyes· and euenso contemned and blaspheamed his most holy Seruice 11. THerfore â all ye good-willing Hearts take-heede now â according to the Counsayle of the Testimonyes of the holy Spirit of Loue to the Kingdom of God v Luk. 17. c. inwardly within you / To th end that ye may be incorporated to thesame / with your Spirit For thatt is the Righteousnes which auayleth before God 12. But take you good heede of the Kingdom of the Deuill which also sheweth itself inwardly â before the Eyes and Thoughts / that are earthly x Rom. â— a. and fleshly mynded as a Kingdom of God and deceaueth the Fleshly-myndedones / with his false y Esa. 59. a. Light and â— Good-thinking and with his false z Ier 7. b. Sap. 2. 2. Pet 2. b. Iâ—de 1. b. Freedom / which it bringeth to the Flesh / according to his Fleshly Lusts and Disyres and seduceth the Hearts of Men. The VII Chap. KNowe likewyse thatsame Kingdom of the Deuill / inwardly / according to the Spirit For his Generacion is also inwarde / but not out of any Beeing or Lyfe that is spirituall and heauenly but out of thatt which is nothing and earthly or corruptible and therfore is likewyse the Generacion of thesame / earthly and not heauenly / fleshly / and not spiritually mynded / according to Gods Spirit / therfore doth it also growe offended alwayes / at those things that are against their Myndes or Thoughtes and maketh-vp itself a 2. Tess. 2. against thatt which is of God and of his Seruice of Loue. 2. Thesame Generacion of the Deuill / wil not also stande submitted vnder the Obedience of the Loue nor of the holy Woord but refuseth the Requyring therof / and so wil liue according b Ier. 7 â—â— a. 13. b. 18 b to their owne Will and Good-thinking and wrest c 2. Pet. 3. b. and construe the Scripture / according to their false and Fleshly Mynde / and so wil liue vnto themselues and loue themselues / according as the Knowledg imagineth in them 3. Therfore is the Deuill / in his Kingdom although he appeere before all fleshly Myndes / as if he were a d 2 Tess. 2 a. God of Light not els-what but a Nothingnes of the Lye and is likewyse for-that-cause / a e Iohn 8. a. Father of all secreet or inward Wickednes and a Render or Parter-asunder of all Concorde / whearas he is harkened-vnto and beleeued and accepted as good and true 4. Beholde thesame Father of Wickednes Ø›the God of the f 2. Cor. 4.2 wicked Worlde and of all Vngodly or impenitent Men is / in all his Beeing / a g 2. Tess. 2. b. Contrary-beeing vnto God â–ª and his Sonne / a Contrary-beeing vnto Christ a Destroyer h Iohn 17. b. 2. Tess. 2. a. a Childe of Wickednes which maketh the Hearts of Men / stout vppon their Knowledg and bringeth also a false Freedom vnto Many / for to sinne boldly and to continue in the worldly Abhomynacions and Foolishnes / with vnaccused Consciences and to make-vp themselues i Dan. 22. a. resistant against the Trueth and the godly Loue of God the holy Father 5. And their Spirit namely of the Father of Wickednes and of his Sonne or Childe of Wickednes is a wicked Spirit k 2. Tess. 2. a. of Lyes which confirmeth the Man â being in his Vnrepentance and in his Disobedience to the Requyring of the gracious Woord of the Lorde and his Seruice of Loue in the Beeing of Lyes and leadeth him into all Lye and Errour â–ª 6. Thesame false God and Father of Wickednes / doth also â with his wicked Self-willednes allure l 2. Tess. 2. a. b or drawe vs vnto him / through the priuate Loue of ourselues and whosoeuer doth yeelde himself to be so drawen by him / cometh to his Sonne Ø›his Childe or Being of Wickednes the false Christ or m 1 Iohn 2. c 4. a. Antichrist the Destroyer which is the Christ of the wicked Worlde and of all Vngodlyones and worketh in his People an inwarde or n â— Tess. 2. b. secret Wickednes / which they themselues cannot wel perceaue 7. And whoÌ„soeuer then cometh so to the Sonne of the Deuill as also becometh incorporated to thesame Beeing of Wickednes and bydeth therin / hee is quyte and cleane corrupted / in all his Mynde / by the Wickednes and by the priuate Loue of himself and by the Disobedience and Resistance to the Loue and her right Seruice Yea so quyte corrupted / that he is inclyned to nothing-els / in all his Mynde / but to his Self-wilednes and to all Destructionablenes and to destroye the Family of Loue / wherin the liueing God of Heauen
Act. 3. c. what He hath spoken and promysed in the former Tymes namely reward n Math. 25. c. Iohn 5. c. Rom. 2. a. y e Good / their Goodnes / with the Rewarde of all Good / in the euerlasting Lyfe and recompence the Euell / their Euelnes / with the Reward of all Euell / in the euerlasting Death and Condemnacion For the Daye â wherin eueryone shall receaue o Ier. 17 b. Math. 16. c Rom. 2. a. 14. b. 2. Cor 5. b. Apo. 2. â— his Reward / that he hath deserued doth now spread-foorth itself ouer the whole Worlde and his Cleernes ceasseth not / before all this be accomplished 6. THerfore â my beloued Hearts in the Loue take-heede to thissame Daye p 1. â—or 15. c f Ephe. 5 b. 1. Tess. 4. b. of the Makeing-alyue from the Death Yea take-heede also sayth the holy Spirit of Loue to the Gospel of the Kingdom / that is now in thissame Daye / published q Math. 24. b in all y e Worlde / for a Witnes of the Resurrection of the Deadd 7. For in this Daye of the Publishing of this Gospel / shall now all the Members of Christ â which r Eze. 37. a. as Deadones and dismembered Bones / are broken and deuided into many peeces from each-other be ioyned-together â by that only Man Iesu Christ s Rom â–ª 12. a. 1. Cor. 12 c Ephe. 4. b. 5. c. as one true Body of Christ and Man of God· couered-ouer t Iob. 19 c. Eze 37. a. with Sinowes and Flesh· made-alyue with the liueing v Gen. 2. a. Eze 37. a. Iohn 20. c. Wynde or Breath of Christ· and assembled eueryone into the holy Spirit of Loue wherthrough all wee now likewyse â x 1. Tess. 4. b. which are remayned-ouer and do beleeue the Coming of Christ and the y 1 Cor. 15. b. Resurrection of the Deadd / and hope theron do ioyne vs to thesame one Man of God / z Ephe. 4. b. in that one Body of Christ. 8. Beholde euenthus is the Man â which beleeueth in Iesu Christ set-vp Math. 24. â— Act. 1. a. agayne in his former Dignitee / now in thesame Daye of Loue and the Worke of God is declared / that it is euen-lyke as it was in the Beginning One God / and one Man and thatt altogether / in the one Body of Iesu Christ. The IIII. Chap. O Ye Beloued Looke now into this gracious Tyme and consider well theron For the Tyme is now fulfilled and the a Iohn 12. â— Apo. 14. a. Daye of the righteous Iudgment of God / declared among vs In the which / God doth now â through the Coming of the Kingdom of Christ set-vp the former Kingdom full of all pure Beawty and the falne Man â who is broken and deuided into many peeces doth He now also ioyne-together / b Ephe. 2. â— 4. b. to the Incorporating to the only Body of Christ. 2. Beholde euenthus doth God bring the Man agayne to his Dignitee namely to the gloryous Maiestee of his leueing God head / wherby to c Num 14. â— Psal. 72. b. Esa 6 a. Aba â— b. 4. a. fill the whole Earth with his Glory and Righteousnes according to the Promyses 3. YEe good-willing Heartes in the Loue / take-heede I beseech you to thatt which I wryte vnto you and exhorte you vnto Be not in-any-case d Pro. 3. a. Rom self-wyse in your owne Conceits but remember and consider / what the Seruice of Loue requyreth of vs / in thissame newe Daye of the Coming of Christ. namely that eueryone shall haue regarde / in whom Christ hath manned himself â–ª and out of whom He shyneth / as a Day-light to the Lighting of the whole Vniuersal-earth with Righteousnes For theare â in thesame godded Man or e Leuit. 26. b Eze 37. c 43. a. 1 Cor. 3.6 b 2 Cor. 6. b. Apo. 21. a. Habitacion of God is the Maiestee of God and Christ / vnto whom God willeth that eueryone â which seeketh or desyreth Gods Freendship shall submitt himself and â in Concord assemble him therunto / to be one Man of God in Iesu Christ / wherby to becom one Heart or Mynde with him / in all Loue. 4. Beholde and consider Heeron and seeke not y e Freendship of this Worlde f Iam. 4. a. wherthrough ye geet the Enimitee of God and the Enimitee of his Saintes 5. Therfore yeeld-ouer yourselues to the Maiestee of God and com all now to the Temple of the liueing God / the g Psal 122. a Esa. 2. a. Ier. 31. a. Zach. 8. c. Howse of his Dwelling / To th end that ye may be all assembled to the h Math 24. d Ephe. 2. c. 4. b one Body of Christ and may heare the Woord of the Lorde â out of the holy Temple of his Dwelling and doo therafter / for that your i Iohn 15. b. Ioye may be perfect To which Saluacion of Soule and Body / we be all now called and bidden / vnder the Obedience of the Loue. 6. According to thesame maner / so consider likewyse on the loueing peaceable Heart / wherin God hath sett his Heart â full of all Grace and Christ / his holy Spirit â full of all Loue and assemble you with all your Hearts / k Act. 4. d. to thatsame one Heart and so it shal be one l Ephe. 2. b. God one Man one Heart one Fayth m 1. Cor. 12. a Ephe. 4. a. one Spirit and one true euerlasting Lyfe / to be one true and vpright Righteousnes vppon the Earth according to the Promyses O Yea / that com-to-pas euenso 7. HEer-with / my beloued Freendes â which loue the Trueth in Christ I do hartely salute you / with a Salutacion of the Loue and a Kisse of Peace n Rom. 16. b. 1. Cor. 16. c Salute you also one-another with thesame Salutacion â–ª namely all yee that are Fellow-companyons of the louely and peaceable Howse of Loue. 8. The Lorde graunte vnto you all / Grace and Mercy / to be incorporated â with Heart Spirit and Body to the only and true Body of Christ. The Loue of God the Father / take the Victory in all your Heartes Amen Take it to heart The Ende of the Seuententh Epistle The Eightenth Epistle A loueing Exhortation / written and sent vnto an Howsholde / that are ioyned to the Famyly of Loue and agreeable or concordably mynded to the Seruice of the holy Woord of the Spirit of Loue / for to be obedient to the Trueth Beholde / how sweete and louely it is / that Bretheren dwell to gether concordably Psal. 133. How deere or precious is thy Kyndnes â O God that the Children of Men seeke Protecton vnder the Shadow of thy Wings They shal be satisfyed or filled with the Fattnes or Plenty of thy Howse and thou giuest them drink with the Ryuer or Fountayne of thy Delyte
Ephe. 1.4 b Renewing of our Lyfe and Mynde and to an euerlasting x 2. Pet. 3. b. Righteousnes vppon Earth euen-as is written of Him The II. Chap. FOrasmuch now â O ye beloued Heartes as this pure and spirituall· and this heauenly and true louely Beeing / is a Eph. 3 a. 2. Timo. 1. b appeered vnto vs Poore and Littleones / among so many Thowsandes in this Worlde and is â out of Gods Mercy and his Loue administred and presented vnto vs / by ChristØ›the true Minister b Heb. 8.9 b. of the spirituall and heauenly Goodes in his Coming / Therfore let vs take-heede with all our Heartes / to the Seruice of thesame Grace / to our Amendment and to the c Rom. 12. a. Ephe. 4. b. Renewing of our Hearts and Myndes and euenso therthrough / lay-away d 2. Cor. 7. a. Ephe. 4. c. Col. 3. a. 1. Pet 2.4 a. Heb. 12. a. all earthly and fleshly Pollution and all vncleane Thoughts / which in tymes-past â when we walked yet in Ignorance haue drawen and leadd our Hearts to the Flesh and Blood of Sinne and to many-maner of Errours and also to many-sorts of Bewitching with visible and corruptible Things 2. From all these and from all what is not agreeable to the Woord of Trueth and his Requyring / let our Hearts be e Eâ—e 36. c. cleansed / thorough the Seruices Doctrines or f Iohn 4.7 b Waters of Lyfe / which do now flowe from the Body of Christ and his holy Spirit of Loue / To th end that we may with pure Hearts / cleaue to the Loue and her louely Beeing· becom incorporated therunto· and so may be heauenly and spiritually mynded / with all our Myndes and Thoughts 3. THerfore submitt yourselues eueryone / g 1. Pet. 5 b. Iam. 4. a. vnder the mighty Hande of God and indeuour you moreouer / for h Heb. 3. b. to heare â with meeke Hearts now in this present Daye / the Voyce of the holy Spirit of Loue which doth now giue-foorth her Sounde and speaketh vnto you / out of Heauen / with a spirituall Tongue and which likewyse despereth to drawe you all with your inward Man / to the spirituall heauenly and true Being / for that yee mought in like-maner / haue your fellowshipp with our Comunialtee For our Comunialtee is vniforme i 1. Iohn 1. a. with the spirituall Comunialtee of the Saints of God namely with the louely heauenly Company / which walke with vs in all Loue and so wee do all one-with another / eate the true k Iohn 6. e. heauenly Breade with Christ Ø›our Headd and King in the l Luk 22. d. Kingdom of God our Father and so drinking with Ioye / of the new Fruit of the true Vyne / we are ioyfull in the euerlasting Lyfe To which louely Beeing â for to liue all therin / with one Heart Mynd and Delyte we are eueryone created· and called therunto â out of Grace by m Rom. 10. b 1. Pet. 1. b. the Preaching of the holy Gospel of Christ. 4. If yee now â O ye Beloued do see into thissame / according to the Trueth and that ye do consider / to what an excellent Maiestee ye be called and bidden now in thissame last Daye / through the Seruice of Loue wherby to n 1. Esd. â—0 3. Esd. 9 renew you eueryone / through the Woord of Lyfe and to confirme you in your Calling wherunto ye are chosen by Iesu Christ / So consider then likewyse / how o 2. Pet 3. b. pure or cleane your Heartes ought to bee from all earthly and corruptible Things / wherin p Leuit. 26. b. Apo. 21. a. the liueing God of Heauen will dwell liue and walke / with such a Glory of God and heauenly Kingdom of Christ euen-as is witnessed vnto you by the Seruice of Loue and as is now heald-foorth before you / with this loueing Exhortacion 5. When-as we now do consider and perceaue thissame / how pure and cleere our Heart or inward Mynde ought to bee and that we contrary therunto / do fynde ourselues still defyled and that we likewyse for-that-cause / do not yet for the present tyme / fynde thesame Cleernes· nor the vpright Being of the louely Beawty of God / perfectly in vs but that the vncleane Being and the q 2. Tess. 2. a Contrary-nature vnto God / doth yet generally dwell in vs and doth yet dayly r Rom. 7. c. Gal. 5. b. mooue our Myndes and Thoughts / with euell Inclynacions / So let vs then â to y e Purifying of our Hearts and mynds submitt ourselues with all our Hearts / before s Eze. 43. a Heb. 5. a. the Seate of the Maiestee of God and before the Tabernacle t Apo. 21. a of his holy Dwelling / out of the which / He doth now let his Woord of Trueth and his holy Will / be hearde vppon the Earth and so in Humilite â with the t Math. 1â— â— Luâ— 14. c Forsaking of all our Selfnes and Self-wisdom let vs take-heede â with Beleefe and firme Confidence to the Seruice of y e holy Spirit of Loue and his Requyring / proceeding out of thesame and giue-eaxe and with whole Heart v 1. Pet. 1. e. be obedient to the Woord of Trueth / that is administred ther-out x Act. â— c 1 Cor. 9. breake destribut and feed-vpon thesame Woord â the which is y Iohn 6 c the heauenly Breade among eachother / for a Foode of our Soules and as often as we doo this / let vs publish the Death z 1 Cor. 11. c of Christ namely of thissame holy Beeing of God or Woord of the heauenly Father / that ought to liue and to raigne or gouerne in our Inwardnes and yet notwithstaÌ„ding / is as deadd or killed with the Death of the Crosse / For our Sinnes cause and a Math. 3 a. Luk 3. c. confesse our Sinnes till that our sinfull Members together with ther euell Lusts and Desyres / be b Rom. 6. a Gal 6. a Phil. 3. b Col. 3. a. crucifyed and killed with thesame or the lyke Death of the Crosse of Christ and that we be in that sort / planted into Christ / with the lyke Death c Rom. 6. a. Col. 2. b. and buryed with Him passe-ouer and suffer-out thesame Passe-ouer of his Crosse Death and Buryall / in that maner with Him / till that the heauenly Beeing of God or Christ according to the Spirit / do com vnto vs â liueingly and mightely to the d Rom. 16. c. Treading-downe and Rooting-out of all vngodly Beeing and that we do euen so through the second Birth from the Death / e Rom. 6. â— 1. Cor. 15. c f. Col. 3. â— ryse with Him in a new Lyfe / out of our Buryall â–ª to be an holy f Iohn 14. â— Apo. 21. â— Dwelling of God and Christ the which is
haue m 2. Pet. 1. c. a regard therunto / as being to com in the Spirit euen as wee also haue witnessed of thesame Kingdom of the God of Heauens· of his vpright Righteousnes· and of the sumptuous Garnishing of his pure Beawty / in lardge and plentifull maner â with Fulnes of Instruction in the Glasse of Righteousnes and in the spirituall Lande of Promyse 5. Take it therfore to heart and knowe in your Vnderstanding / the High-worthynes of this louely and gloryous Daye of the Loue / wherof we speake which by Gods Grace / is reuealed and com vnto vs / n Esa 60. b. Zach. 14. a. Apo 21 22. a as the most cleere Day-light from Heauen In the which also ther is geeuen vs to o Math. 11 d 13. b. Rom. 16. c. Ephe. 3. a. Col 1. c. vnderstande / all the Treasures and Riches of Gods heauenly Goodes· as likewyse the Secretnes of the Kingdom of God and brought vnto vs / for an euerlasting Inheritance 6. To thatsame God which hath prepared it all for vs / be p Apo. 5. b. Laude Prayse Honoure and Thanks / for euermore Amen The II. Chap. FArdermore â my beloued Freends in the Loue I must yer wryte a little vnto you / for the necessitees-cause of this present Tyme Which Tyme is now full of Perills / 2. Timo. 3. a 2. Peâ— 2. a. to the Hurt of the Soule and to the Hinderance of our Seruice of Loue which is the vpright and true God-seruice / that reacheth to the euerlasting Lyfe 2. Therfore looke sharply to it O Yea â ye Deerly-beloued looke sharply to it in anywyse and haue alwayes a watchfull Eye / with a cleere Sight For this saye I vnto you / out of a liueing Sight of the Trueth that it behoueth vs now to haue a sharpe Circumspection / in our mostholy Seruice of Loue and for the crafty Subtiltees cause of the Flesh which we â alas do fynde to abounde not to beleeue anyone to-simply at the first nor-yet to trust the On-commers or Disciples â which giue themselues to our Seruice of the Woord to-much at the first as to thinke that they are so altogether playne and vpright· simple and deuout / as they make showe for 3. Although likewyse that they do loueingly adioyne vnto vs and make a fayer Showe / as if all their Lust were bent towards the Woord of Lyfe / Yet do not for-al-that accept them b 1. Timo. 5. â— ouer-hastyly / for vpright Brothers or Sisters in our holy Comunialtee as to giue any such respect vnto them at thesame instant / for to talke or to deale with them â like-as with the Elders touching all the Secretnes of the heauenly Kingdom but let them â for a tyme c Col. 1. b. 1. Pet 2. a. growe-vp among you / in the Woord and shewe faythfull d 1. Pet. 1. b c Obedience in all what the Woord â vnder the Obedience of the Loue requyreth and then if thesame do appeere in theÌ„ / ye shall well perceaue therby / whether they also desyre with vs / to liue the vpright Beeing of Iesu Christ / in all Loue and Concord For in the Tryall â when-as they be chastenably informed with the holy Woord· and taught to the Obedience of the Requyring of the Woord / and must beare Reproche e 1. Cor. 6. b. Blaspheaming and Affliction / at the handes of the Wyse and Scriptur-learnedones of y e Worlde they shall thorowly becom manifest / what they are and what they loue or haue intended 4. But in all this / loue you them / to their Saluacion and Preseruacion and carry alwayes a fauourable Heart of Loue towards them and marke whether that they do also intende the vpright Beeing of the Loue / with all their Hearts / or no and so do neither seeke loue nor desyre anything-els at our handes / but to liue the vertuous Nature of the Loue to walke therin and to growe-vp f Ephe. 4. b. to be Elders in the holy Vnder standing of the gracious Woord 5. Therfore / for to marke thessame now / ye shall let them â in the Growing-vp to the Oldnes of the holy Vnderstanding conuersaâ—e theÌ„selues among you in stillnes for a certen tyme and haue a circumspect regarde vnto them / whether they likewyse are g Math. 2â— c. faythfull in the Woord and so marke what is the Cheefest-thing that they seeke and desyre at our handes / in the Seruice of the holy Woord h 1. Cor. 10. c. Phil. 2. c. whether it be their Owne-selfnes or whether that they desyre to serue the God of Lyfe / in his Loue. If you haue in-this-maner a regarde heerunto ye shall soone perceaue / whether it be Flesh / or Spirit· Earthly / or Heauenly· and Corruptible / or Euerlasting that they i Gal. 3 â— seeke or desyre at our handes 6· Seing then that the Tymes are now daingerous wherin we perceaue and fynde so many and sundry-sorts of Wylynes and Subtiltees of the Flesh / therfore be you also carefull or suspiceous at the first yet hopeing of som better whether ther mought be likewyse any Subtiltee or Deceit / in the on-coming Desciples or whether they mought not seeke or desyre anything-els besydes the gracious Woord and Seruice of Loue as namely / the Honour and k Gal. â— b. 1. Iohn 2. b Delyte of the Flesh and to haue a Loue to themselues or to their owne-priuate Good-thinking for to liue to themselues therin / according to the Pleasures of their Flesh or of their owne Sensualitee 7. Looke and consider aduisedly heeron for thesame shall ye for-the-most-parte / fynde euen so among many On-commers and that also many wicked Generacions or corrupt Natures of Men â although they talke of the Loue do meane nor thinke or intende nothing-els among vs. Therfore many likewyse wil see nothing-els / but according to the l 1. Iohn 2. b. Lust of their Eyes nor-yet heare anything / but thatt wher-after their Eares do m 2. Tim. 4 a itch / for to heare and wil not also liue anything-els / but according to the Worldly-maner namely in n 1. Iohn 2 b Pryde or Arrogancie of Lyfe desyering to serue the o 2. Ti◠〈…〉 1 Pet. 2. b. Iude. 1. b. Deuill â in the Flesh according to their owne Lustes and false Freedom and not the God of Lyfe / in the Spirit The III. Chap. HEer-with-al becom you warned / ye Auncients in the Seruice of Loue. For of these false and a 2. Timo. 3 a 2 Pet 2. b. Iude. 1. b. self-seeking Spirits and fleshly-mynded Men / haue I â in the tyme of my Ministring of y e Woâ—rd founde so many and dyuers / among the Children of Men / that they â through their deceitfull Nature haue made me mistrustfull towards all Flesh or Children of Adam / which turne them not about to the b Maâ—h 18 a.
childish Simplicitee / with all their Hearts 2. But wheare we haue founde it with Many as that the on-coming Disciples / do â with all their Hearts c 1. Pet. 5. a. Iam. 4. a. submitt them obediently vnder the Loue and her Seruice· turne them wholly and altogether about / to the childish Simplicitee· willingly d Pro. 3.4.5 a. Eccl. 6. c heare and follow the Counsayle of the Elders / in the Seruice of the Woord / vnder the Obedience of the Loue· and that their Hearts becom euenso vncouered or manyfest before vs· and so do neither seeke nor desyre anything-els / but to liue with vs in the vertuous Nature of the Loue Let vs highly laude and thanke God the Lorde / for such On-commers and for such vpright Disciples of the Woord and Louers of Vertue 3. For verryly such a Man / who doth in that sort â in the gracious Woord and Seruice of Loue seeke and intende the Nature of God / with all his Heart although he were yet laden with many Sinnes is a e Iohn 1. c. right Isralite a Sonne or Daughter of Abraham f Iohn â— â— Rom. 9. a. Col. 3. c. through Fayth â–ª according to the Promyses 4. But all what refuseth the Loue or whatsoeuer turneth vnto vs with a false and vnrepenting Heart and all what is not inclyned â with an humble Heart to the Seruice of the holy Woord / vnder the Obedience of the Loue all what conuersateth with vs / in Couerednes of Heart together with all that which doth not with whole Heart / turne itself g Gal. 5. b. 6. â— Col. 3. a. quyte and cleane awaye from all h Ier. 7. b. Good-thinking Wickednes and i Tob 3. b. Ephe. 5. a. Lightmyndednes / and from all fleshly Lustes and Desyres and all those / which â in the Desyres of their Flesh in the Lust k 1. Iohn 2. b of their Eyes and in the Pryde of Lyfe do not forsake themselues· take not vp l Math. 16 c. Luk 9.14 c their Crosse against thosame· loue not the vertuous Nature of the Loue â which is pure and peaceable with all their Heartes· nor confesse m Pro 28. b. Eccli 4. c. their Sinnes / which make-vp themselues against thesame / in their Flesh / and do not sigh n Math. 5. a. 2. Cor. 7. b. lament nor moorne ther-ouer but go-on arrogantly and carelesly with ympenitent Heartes / like those that shewe no Sorrow nor Amendment touching the Sinne and so do make no Difference betwixt the Freendshipp with the Worlde / and the Freendshipp with the Famyly of Loue All thosesame / seeke nothing-els but their Selfnes and thatt which concerneth the Flesh / o Phil. 2. c. and not the Lorde nor the Righteousnes of his gracious Woord 5. And such p Deut. 9. o. Ier. 4. b. Act 7. f. Vncircumcised of Heart which also are vncircumcised of Lippes and Toung Yea such goodthinking Spirits q 2. Timo. 3. 2. Pet 2. b. Iude. 1. b. and fleshly Myndedones / which com to vs with couered and disobedient Heartes / and do seeke loue nor desyre nothing-els / but to serue their owne Sensualitee according to the Flesh / together with all those which neither will nor desyre anything-els / but to follow their Lustes and their Owne-myndes-delyte Thosame do not you in anywyse accept in that state â as in Vnrepentance for Bretheren in the Famyly of Loue but let the Elders and Ministers of the Seruice of Loue / be against them therin and r Leuiâ— 19. b. Eccli 17. exhort them to som better thing or informe them with a better Loue to the righteous Beeing hoping if the Lorde vouchsafe thesame / that they mought once be mooued vnto Repentance for their Sinnes 6. Forthatcause reiect them not s 2. Tess. 3 b. nor hate not anyone / what Sinners soeuer they bee but t 1. Tess. 5. b. Heb. 3.10 c exhort you still one-another to Amendment and carry alwayes an Heart of Loue / for to drawe the strayed Sinners out of their Sinnes and to leade them v Pro. 3.4 b. into the Path of the vpright Lyfe / to th end that they mought obtayne a godly Lyfe / vnder the Obedience of the Loue. The IIII. Chap. BEholde and consider This is the right Seruice of Loue / which we are debtors â—o shewe vnto the Sinners and vnto all strayed a Iam. 5. b. Men / to their Saluation and not to hate to reuyle nor to blaspheame anyone / nor-also to keepe-in-mynde and to vpbrayde anyman with his Sinnes or Errours / neither-yet to reiect or to seperate anyman from vs / that giueth-eare to the chastinable Informacion 2. Forasmuch then as the Loue doth make-manifest herself so vprightly and loueingly / in her Seruice and hath no pleasure in those b 1. Cor. 13 a. that deale falsly but with her Seruice / informeth eueryone with all Discreetnes and Courtesye / by the Ministers of her holy and gracious Woord / So doth she likewyse deale generally after thesame maner â in her Seruice by the Ministers of her Seruice and passing in-that-sort / thorow c Eccli 24. â— all Nations of People / she draweth all those vnto her / that are of her Nature or Beeing and all those likewyse that loue her and haue turned all their Lust towards her and her Seruice 3. Therfore â my beloued Hearts vse likewyse â with the Loue and her Seruice a Difference betwixt those that are good of will / or euell of will and accept none for Disciples of the Woord much-les account them for Brothers or Sisters in the Loue which wil liue d Deut. 12. a. Ier. 7 b. according to their owne Good-thinking or e Sap 2.14 b. Rom. 1. c. Brutishnes and are f 2 Timo. 3. a disobedient to the Woord of Lyfe in his Seruice / yet much-lesse / those which make g Rom. 16. c Deuision and do resist the Concord in the Loue and her Seruice 4. Keepe a good watch in-any-wyse towards the Seperatedones which do alwayes bring-in much Questioning and Contencion about the Knowledg / and do not first-of-all / giue themselues to the Doctrine of the Seruice of Loue nor to h Pro. 28. Math. 3. b. Luk 3 b. confesse their Sinnes / according to the Requyring of thesame Seruice and to repent ther-fore / wherby to com to a cleane Heart and to a louely Beeing or pure Spirit Which louely Beeing / is the Head-somme of all Wisdom and Knowledg Haue a sharpe regarde heer-vnto / for that the Kingdom of Loue may increase in all Concord and be spread-abroade 5. Therfore let not your Hearts stande-affected vnto Any / but those that seeke i Ephe. 4. a. Vnitee Loueingnes and Peaceablenes among vs / for to liue therin / with vpright single Heartes and so are wel-mynded with vs / to the k Eze â—8 Reformacion of Sinne as likewyse to those /
k Iohn 14 c Apo 21. â— them and so mought â through the godly Beeing be meete to vtter-foorth and to publish the Glory of God / to the l â—phe 1 a Laude of his Maiestee and also to be seruiceable vnto their Neighboure / to thatsame Beeing / that it may all go vprightly m 1 Cor 14 d in his Course 5. Beholde thus dooing / we shall be founde n Math. 24. c 1 Cor 4 a faythfull Ministers of God also faythfull Ministers of the holy Woord which do further the Saluacion or Welfare of Men. For after that maner â as is before sayde shall the Loue alwayes continue fruitfull among vs in her Seruice / out of pure Nature and God shall sainctify his great and gloryous Name in vs· seale vs therwith to be his People· and accept vs o Ier 31. a. 2 Cor 6 b for his beloued Sonnes and Daughters also p Esa 66. b playe and dandle with vs / as with his beloued Children and keepe vs / q Psal 17 a Zach 2 a as the Apple of his Eye And He shall leade and nourish vs vp in his Pasture / like r Eze 34 b Iohn 1â— a Sheepe and Lambes 6. All our Course-of-lyfe shal be in Loue and Peace Faythfulnes s Zach 8 a b and Trueth shal be seruiceable vnto vs. Righteousnes and Holynes t Esa 58 b shal be alwayes in our Beholding and God shall alwayes go-before vs / as a Light He shal be an euerlasting King and Sheapheard vnto vs and the Loueingnes in the Peace / shall alwayes be among vs and haue no Ende according to the Promyses 7. Let all our Lyfe and all our Course-of-dealing / be heerin / my beloued Hearts ye louely Comunialtee of Saints in the Loue. For you â ye louely faythfull Comunialtee of Loue hath God chosen to be a kingly Seede vppon the Earth / according to his Promyses / for to bring-foorth by you / the Light of Lyfe / out of the heauenly Trueth to the Blessing of all Generacions of the Earth according to the Promyses 8. Take-heede v 2 Cor 6 â— Gal 6 a now all to thissame Tyme of Grace Be watchfull in y e Spirit x Esa 60 a Rom 13 b Ephe 5. â— and stand-vp in the Righteousnes The Loue of God the Father and the Glory of Christ in his Coming / take the Victory in all your Hearts Amen The Ende of the Nyntenth Epistle The Twentith Epistle A Chastising and Reproofe of Whoordom / with sondry good Lessons Informacions and groundly Instructions / how the Man shall giue-ouer himself to Iesus Christ and to the Woord of his holy Spirit of Loue and Trueth· forsake and leaue himself and all what he hath / for the Loue of Iesu Christ-his sake· and follow-after and only cleaue-vnto Iesus Christ and the Woord of his holy Spirit of Loue· and shewe all Obedience Loue and Faythfulnes / to thesame Woord Thus sath the Lorde IESVS CHRIST If any man com to Mee / and hateth not his Father Mother Wyfe Children Bretheren Sisters and also his owne Lyfe That is Whosoeuer doth not â for y e Loue of Iesus Christes sake forsake and leaue all wher-vnto he is bounde or wher-vnto he hath sett his owne Affection and Will of his Heart / without the Requyring of the holy Woord of Iesu Christ and his holy Spirit of Loue and beareth or taketh not his Crosse on him / and Followeth-after Mee / cannot be my Desciple Math. 10.16 Mark 8. Luk. 9.14 The First Chapter THIS IS THE Woord of the holy Spirit of the Loue of Iesu Christ / which HN hath witnessed â vnder the Obedience of the Loue against the Whooring of the Generacion of Men 2. O Thou Generacion of Men / How long shall I sett a psal 108 a Cant 7. c. my Loue on thee / without being loued agayne and my b 2 Cor 11 a Faythfulnes / without being shewed Faythfulnes agayne 3. When wilt thou â I pray thee turne thyself away from thy Whoordom and turne thee â—ightly â c Ier 3 a with a faythfull Heart to thy d Oâ—e 2 a 2 Cor â—1 a right Husbande 4. I haue â sayth the holy Spirit of the Loue of Iesu Christ sett all my e pro 2 c Loue towards thee / O thou Generacion of Men. But seing that I am not loued by thee agayne and do perceaue / that thou whoorest with thyne owne Imaginacion f Deut 12 a of the Knowledg and with almaner of Spirits and g Ier 2 d Eze 16 b. c. Rom 1 c elementish or naturall Things and doest not sett thy Loue and Faythfulnes / h Ier 2. d. firmly to my Loue and Faythfulnes â which I shewe towards thee to an vpright Obeying of the holy Woord / Therfore doth my Heart â for Loues-cause suffer somuch-the-greater Sorrow and I must also be captiued the-more with i 2 Cor 1â— a Mistrustfulnes towards thee 5. OH / alas Must not I alwayes â like vnto an Husband towards an k Ier 2 d 3 a 2 Cor 12. a whoorish Wyfe haue a mistrustfull Eye towards the Man which bosteth him of the Loue and of the Knowledg of the spirituall and heauenly Things and yet committeth whoordom with l Ier 2 d. Eze 16. b â— Iud. 1 b strainge Spirits / without the Famyle of Loue m 2. Cor. 11 a and not suffer thesame Mistrust to be taken-away or denyed me / before I fynde that the Man do bynde or betroth himself â with a faythfull Heart vnto the holy Woord of Grace and his Spirit of Loue and doth with an n Deut. 16. b. obedient Heart / vtterly forsake all his Whoordom whether it be with Flesh or Spirit· with any-maner of o Eze 16. b Imaginacion of the Knowledg· or with anything that is Outward or Inward· or with anything of p psal 49. c Gods Sayings and euen so goeth-thorow the Waye to the Lyfe / according to the Requyring of the holy Woord 6. Oh! How is my Heart thus greeued / by reason of greate Loue. and so perplexed / through great Mistrustfulnes 7. For like as a valyant Champyon / hath sett all his Loue and Hearts-lust towards an whoorish Wyfe and bounde it vnto her / to the intent to with-drawe her from her Whoordom and to drawe her with her Loue / into his Loue / to be an vpright Maryed-wyfe vnto him and can obtayne no Looking-on nor Harkening-vnto â or very-little at her handes and so for great Loue / suffereth such sore Greefe in his Heart and is so exceedingly combered / that he cannot at any-tyme take any rest / for shewing his Loue still towards her Euenso am I in-like-maner swallowed-vp in Loue / toward the Generacion of Men for to withdrawe thesame from his Whoordom which doth now committ-whoordom with so many-maner of Knowledges and strainge and erring q 3 Reg 22. d. Esa 18 b
with you all 2. For / in thatt state and so long as ye do liue in your owne Wisdom / and haue not â with your Loue Myndes and Thoughts altogether intended the vpright h Matth. 32 â— Righteousnes of Iesu ChristØ›that godly Beeing of the Loue for to be all in all i 2 pet 1 a incorporated into thesame obediently and to liue-vnto and to k Deut. 6.10 d Math. 4. â— 22. d â–ª serue only the liueing God / So is all your Freedom Loue Myndes and Thoughts / and all your Appeasment of Heart which yee yourselues haue taken-on / proceeded out of the Flesh of Sinne and l Iohn 8. â— â–ª out of the Deuill Ø›the Father of Lyes wher-through the Man still hunteth-after and loueth nothing-els but his owne Destruction 3. BUt seing now that my Loue / proceedeth out of Gods Nature or Beeing and stretcheth to all Preseruacion in the Godlynes and loueth you all therunto / so cannot I â out of y e Nature of thesame Loue m pro. 27. a Iohn 1. c omitt / but I must needes figure-foorth or describe before your Eyes / your Contrarynes and Destruction 4. For I saye vnto you verely if ye com not into the Doctrine of the Seruice of Loue and so stande submitted to the Woord of the holy Spirit of Loue / to shewe Obedience / and be not n Rom. 12. a Ephe. 4. c chainged out of your eartâ—ly Loue o Rom. 6.7 Gall. 5.6 a of the Flesh / into the godly Loue of the holy Spirit of Iesu Christ nor becom vpright of Heart as also becom not incorporated to p Ephe. 3 c d 2 pet 1. a. the true Beeing of God and Christ / with your inwared Man· nor walke neither-yet be founde in all q Ephe. 4. a phil 4. a Equitee and Loueingnes / vnder the Obedience of the Loue but do in that sort â without the good Beeing apply yourselues vnto much Knowledg of high heauenly Things and to talke therof / So is-it all doutles false and Lyes / whatsoeuer ye speake and proceedeth altogether out of the r Iohn 8. e Deuill who hath 3. Reg 22. c 2 Cor. 11. c appeered vnto you / like an Angell of the heauenly Light and so hath bewitched and seduced your earthly and fleshly Hearts wherthrough ye do â in a false s Esa. 59. b. Light and false Freedom or false t Esa. 3. Appeasment of Heart proceed-on and walke in all v Ier. 8 b Arrogant-stoutnes / against the u Math. 11. b Humilitee Obedience and vpright x Iohn 8. c Freedom / which God requyreth by his holy Spirit of Loue. 5. Through which Proceeding in the false Light of the Deuill and in the false Freedom of the Flesh and in the bewitched Subtil-prudence of the y Rom 8. a b. Iam. 3 d. earthly and fleshly Myndes or false Spirits / ye shall fynde yourselues at the last / z Math. 7. d. 24. d. Luk. 13. f vtterly seperated or estrainged from the louely Beeing and Face of God· and â with all your high Vnderstandings heauenly Knowledges and wel-appeased Freedoms be-wrapped in all Confusednes Bitternes and Maliciousnes of Heart / and in the hellish a Sap. 5 a. Math. 25. d. Condemnacion 6. AH-beloued tell me I pray you / how your Heart and Mynde and al your Nature and Beeing / is setled in your high or heauenly Knowledges and wel-appeased Freedoms 7 Veryly if ye stande b Pro. 2. d. 2 Cor. 11. c Phil. 2. b. not simply and peaceably grounded therwith / in the vpright and godly Beeing of the Loue / according to the godly Testimonyes of the holy Spirit of Loue and that ye are not yet com into the first Schoole-rule c Heb. 6. a of the christian Doctrine / vnder the Obedience of the Loue nor haue obediently performed it That is to saye / if ye do not in the Schoole or Doctrine of the Seruice of Loue / dye-from all your contrary and corrupt Nature / in the Passing-thorow d Rom. 6. a Col. 2. b. the Death of Christ nor-yet out of the second Birth e Iohn 3. a. Rom. 6. a b from the Death / be not renewed in your Spirit and Mynde â in all vpright f Ephe. 4 c Righteousnes and Holynes by y e g 2. Cor. 4. b. phil 3. b. c. ResurrectioÌ„ of Iesu Christ but / being vnrenewed or â without the holy Woord of the Spirit of Loue haue of yourselues â with your olde h Ephe. 4. c corrupt Nature taken-on som high Knowledges or wel-appeased Freedoms / Then must ye nodout acknowledg / that all your high Knowledges profouÌ„de Understandings and Freedoms / are false / and are brought-foorth out of the i Iohn 8. c 2. Cor. 11 c 1 Iohn 3. b Iam. 3. c. Deuill and out of his false Light and that also ye are not worthy / in thesame false and corrupt Nature â if ye desyre to continue therin to beare the Name of a Man much-les / the Name of the Children of God or of the Loue. 8. Therfore ye shoulde of right be ashamed / all you vncleane Hearts / for that ye stande not obediently submitted to y e Woord of the Trueth of God and of the holy Spirit of Loue / to the k Rom. 12. â—â— Ephe 4. c Renewing and Cleansing of your Spirits and Myndes / and for that ye shoulde suffer yourselues â being in your wicked and corrupt or disobedient Nature to be called Men or l Luk. 16. d â— 1. Iohn 3. b Children of God and Members of the Loue or of the holy Spirit of Iesu Christ / and so shoulde â in all m Luk. 18. d Rom. 2 Disobedience grow-vp to be a Blaspheamy or Reproche to the God of Lyfe and his Christ. 9. Yea be ashamed of thatsame / ye vncleane Hearts which do so shamefully n Heb. 10. c contemne the pure and holy Testimonyes of God / and defyle or accounte them vncleane / with your polluted Knowledges and deale so disorderly with Gods o Num. 23.24 psal 49. Sayings / as with an Whoore. 10. AH consider I pray you and remember / that-ther can be no right Obedience towards God / taught nor requyred / by the Disobeyers of the holy Woord· nothing cleansed / by the p Eccli 34. a Uncleane· no Trueth spokeÌ„ / by the Lyers· nor-yet any vpright Freedom liued / by the Unfree nor by the Seperated-ones from the holy Woord of the Spirit of Loue. 11. Forasmuch then as thesame is true How wil yee then I pray you / cleanse yourselues or q Eccli 34. a. another / with your vncleane Beeing and publish the r Psal. 49. c. Lords Good and his Rytes / with your vncleane Lipps and take his Couenante in your lying Mouth if yee yourselues do s Psal. 49. c d Pro. 1. c. hate the Chastisment of the Lorde and cast his
Woord behynde you and so liue your owne Freedom Veryly it shall not vantage you to the Lyfe but all deadly Things and euell Inclynacions / shall ketch and captiue you The IIII. Chap. FOrthatcause my beloued Heartes receaue you my a pro. â— â— Chastisment / to your Preseruacion in the Godlynes Let my Warning from the Destruction / b Pro 4 a sinck into your Hearts and c Iam. 4. b. submitt yourselues betymes vnder the gracious Woord of the godly Lyfe / Lest ye lament it afterward / that ye haue let the d Sap. 5. a. b. c â–ª Tyme pas / that serueth to your Saluacion or to the Cleansing of your Hearts and e Eccli 4 â— not taken-heede to thesame / according to the Requyring of the holy Woord and Seruice of the holy Spirit of Loue and shall then fynde no Comfort in your Heartes 2. WHerfore seperate now first or before-al / your f Pro. 3. â— Hearts Myndes and Thoughtes / from all your taken-on Knowledg / also from all g Sap. 14 d. Abuce and Disorderlynes and becom h Ier. 4. b. circumcised to the Lorde / in thissame holy Daye and Seruice of Loue. 3. Giue-ouer yourselues altogether to the holy Woord of the Spirit of the Loue of Iesu Christ â to shewe Obedience therunto to your Preseruacion in the Godlynes and i Psal. 32. a. Eccli 4. d. 1 Iohn 1. b. confesse your Sinnes and Faultes / before the Seate of the Maiestee of God and k Esa. 1. d. Eze 36. c. Iohn 13. b. wash and cleanse yourselues / with the holy Water of the Loue / That ye may then in that sort â with pure Hearts vnderstande the spirituall Vnderstanding of Iesu Christ· inherit the heauenly Goodes· and so com or enter holyly into the vpright Freedom and l Heb. 4. c. Rest of the Children of God 4. If now ye stand-mynded to giue yourselues to an vpright and godly Beeing of the Loue / vnder the Obedience of the Loue and if ye woulde gladly with all what is vnder your Hande and Power / be preserued m Eccli 1. a in Righteousnes and becom fruitfull in the holy Woord of the Spirit of Loue / for to minister thesame vnto others moe â to their Preseruacion in the Godlynes who do walke yet in Darknes / So consider then / what is taught and presented vnto you â for to doo euenso first-of-al by the holy and gracious Woord in the Seruice of Loue / to your Preseruacion in Righteousnes and to your Fruitfulnes in the Woord and to a Guyding into the true and vpright heauenly Beeing and indeuour you therunto / for to accomplish or obediently to performe thesame / To th end that ye may euenso then / be founde n 2. Cor. 2.3 a 2 Tim. 2. a profitable and fitt to the Seruice of the holy Woord / and may â with all what is vnder your Hande or Power be preserued in the vpright and godly Being of the Loue. 5. If-so-be now ye consider thesame rightly and indeuour you aright therunto / then shall ye likewyse well vnderstande / that the holy Woord of Grace and the godly Seruice of Loue / calleth and requyreth you all to the Famyly of Loue o 1. pet 1. a. b. 2 Pet. 1. a together with all what is vnder your Hande and Power / to this ende namely to your â— Preseruacion in Righteousnes and to an Vniformnes with the holy and gracioâ—s Woord 6. And moreouer / forasmuch doutles as it shall all now perish / whatsoeuer bydeth without the gracious Woord and Famyly of Loue / therfore doth now the gracious Woord of the holy Spirit of Loue requyre namely of all you to whom thesame holy Woord / is this-daye administred that ye shall first or before-al / p Esa. 52. c. 2. Cor. 6. â— seperate yourselues from the q Rom. 12 a. 1. Cor. 2.5 b wicked Worlde which nodout â with all what cleaueth vnto her shall remayne without the Famyly of Loue o 1. pet 1. a. b. 2 Pet. 1. a and vtterly vanish to nothing and be condemned / and depart-out-of and forsake all her Abhomynations 7. Sett yourselues r Luk. 14. d Iohn 12. Act. 4. f. â— and all whatsoeuer ye haue· and is vnder your Hande or Power / submitted â with humble and simple Heartes vnder the gracious Woord of God the Father of the Sonne Iesu Christ and of the holy Gost / in the Famyly of the Loue of Iesu Christ / to your Preseruacion in Righteousnes and for the Loue of Iesu Christ-his sake / s Math. 10 â— 16 c Luk. 14 d. forsake and leaue it all â for clayming Propertee therin / and acknowledg t Psal. 24 a that it is all the Lordes and is Proper vnto Him Besydes thatt also / forsake â–ª v Math. 1â— c Luk. â—4 â— leaue and hate / your owne Lyfe which ye liue vnto yourselues and which ye haue taken-on / according to your owne Will Lustes and Desyres 8. Humble yourselues likewyse good-willingly and obediently â with entyre good-willing Heartes before y e x Heb. 5 a Seate of y e Maiestee of God and IudgmeÌ„t of Christ inasmuch as the holy Woord of God the Father and of Christ / is ministred ther-out· and all what assembleth itselfe therunto and loueth Righteousnes / preserued ther-vnder / and submitt you to all Obedience 9. Make-manifest yourselues y Psal. 37. a. Pro. 16 a 1 Iohn 1 b nakedly â in the Confession z Eccli 4. c 17. c of your Sinnes before thesame Seate of the Maiestee of God and Iudgment a 2. Cor. 5. b. of Christ / and so then assemble you naked or vncouered / to the Comunialtee of Saintes or to the Famyly of Loue and enter into the Doctrine of the godly Lyfe 10. And from that Tyme forward / follow and obeye â with all dutifull b Phil. 2. a. 1. Tess. 5. b. Heb. 13. c. Obedience and Concord / with the Elders of the holy Vnderstanding and Ministers of the holy Woord in the Famyly of Loue the Requyring of the godly Doctrine of the holy Woord and the c Pro. 1 2 3 a. Heb. 13. c Counsayle of the Elders in thesame vntill that ye are growen-vp to the d Ephe. 4 c Agednes of the holy and godly Vnderstanding / in all Loue and vpright Righteousnes· and euenso rightly made-free by e Iohn 8. d. the Trueth / according to the Testimony and Iudgment of the Elders· and f Act 2 d knowen for right Elders in the godly Vnderstanding· or ordayned to be Ministers of the Woord 11. For thatsame / and for to giue themselues good willingly therunto with all their Heartes and so to continue g Pro. 6. â— steadfast obediently in the gracious Woord of the holy Spirit of the Loue of Iesu Christ and in his Seruice / till vnto the h Ephe. 4 c. Agednes of the
holy Vnderstanding is the first or fore-going Schoole-rule of the christian Doctrine / in the Famyly of Loue / wherin / all good-willing Hearts to the Righteousnes and all vpright Beleeuers of the holy and gracious Woord / do shewe by the Deede / that they do i Math 22. c Iohn 24. loue the Lorde Iesus Christ with all their Hearts / and haue a good Will Lust or Desyre / to k Math 16. c Luâ— 9.14 â— follow-after Him with faythfull Hearts and for-that-cause / haue a Lust â with good-willing Hearts to fulfill or to accomplish y e Requyring of the Obedience of the first or fore-going Schoole-rule of the christian Doctrine in the Seruice and Famyly of Loue / wherby to l Ephe. 4. c growe-vp out of the nethermost Place â or out of the Turning-about to be like obedient m Math 18 a 19. b. Mar. 9.10 Children to becom right Elders in the godly Vnderstanding 12. BEholde â ye Deerly-beloued if now ye wil n Math 16 c follow-after the Lorde Iesu Christ duly and rightly / with perfect whole Hearts and o Col. 1 a 1 Pet 2. a. growe-vp in the godly Vnderstanding / according to the Trueth / then submitt yourselues obediently vnder the holy Woord of Grace and so then p Math. 16. â— Mat. 8. d. Luk. 9 14. c follow-after Iesus Christ / according to the Counsayle and Doctrine of his holy Spirit of Loue. 13. And if ye woulde gladly be delyuered q Math. 6. b. Luk. 12. g. from the Euell· incorporated to the Lorde Iesu Christ or one-substance r 2. Pet. 1. a. with Him· and so partakers with Christ â in the Kingdom of the God of Heauens of the spirituall Vnderstanding s Eâ—a 45. a. Matth. 11 d and heauenly Goodes â for to minister them rightly / and inherit y e euerlasting Lyfe / Then take this my good Doctrine t Pro. 1.2 3. Math. 19. â— Maâ— 10 c. Luk. 8. c. and godly Counsayle of the Wisdom / to heart and apply yourselues at the first therunto / in all Obedience and Faythfulnes The V. Chap. NOw when ye haue applyed yourselues heerunto· geeuen all a 1 Pâ—r. 29. c Psal 24.88 a thatt ouer â in the Seruice of Loue vnto the Lorde and his holy Woord Ø› Iesu Christ which belongeth vnto Him â to a Preseruacion in Righteousnes or sett it submitted ther-vnder and vowed and promysed your Fayth and Loue / vnto Iesu Christ / b 2. Cor. 11. a your right Lorde or Husbande / So think then also vpon nothing-els / but c Deut 6.10 a with all your Hearts / to loue your Lorde or Husbande to whom ye haue geuen-ouer your Fayth and whole Heart / for to loue Him only and bounde or marryed yourselues vnto Him / in all Faythfulnes and to shewe all Faythfulnes and d 1. Reg. 15. c. Obedience towards Him in such-sort / that it may be a e Psal. 40 a. Rom. 12. a. 1. Pâ—t 2. Delyte vnto you with all your Hearts / to doo all his Will and to follow-after Him in his Wayes 2. But first-of-al / in the f Ier. â—â— Circumcision of your Hearts â through the g Eccli 1. â— â— 19 â— Feare of God to the h â—eâ— â—2 â— Laying-away of the Sinne in the Flesh â–ª or of all i 1 Pet â— 2 vngodly Beeing and of the heathenâ—â— Misâ—urtour 3. Secondly â through y e Fayth of Iesu Christ â–ª in his Death of the Crosse or Suffering / to the Killing k Rom 〈…〉 b. Col 2. b. and Burying of the Sinne or of all vngodly Beeing 4. Thirdly â through the Loue of the holy Spirit of Iesu Christ in the second l Iohn â—â— Rom. â—â— b T it b Birth from the Death or the Resurrection of Iesu Christ / m Rom â—â—â— to the Righteousnes of Lyfe and n Rom â—â— 1 Ephâ— â— c. Renewing of your Spirits and Myndes 5. And so foorth-on vnto o Act â— a. â— the heauenly Beeing / at the Right-hande of God his heauenly Father from whence He doth now â in this Daye of his righteous Iudgment ouer p Math 1â—â— 2 â— g â—â— d. Act. 1â— f Iude â—â— Quick and Deadd appeere q â— Tess 4 d. and com vnto vs / in Power and Glory / with the many Thowsandes of his Saincts and with the aboundant Treasures r Col 2 a. or Ritches of his spirituall and heauenly Goodes / for to s Matth. 24 â— 25. d. assemble vs â–ª as Fellow-members of his Body vnto Him and his Saints / in the euerlasting Lyfe to the Inheriting of his holy t Heb. 4. c Rest and of all his spirituall and heauenly Goodes 6. FOr-that-cause â my beloued Heartes follow-after v Math 16. c 1. Pet. 2. c our Lorde Iesus Christ in such-a-maner euen like as I do heere figure-foorth thesame before you and apply you euenso at the first / to the first Schoole-rule or x Heb. 5. c. Begining of the christian Doctrine and of the godly Lyfe / in the Famyly of Loue. 7. Exercise yourselues first-of-al / thorowly and faythfully therin And so in the Following of Iesu Christ â in the Takeing-vp y Math. 16. c Mar 8. d. Luk 9. d. or Beareing of your Crosse / against all the Enemyes of the vpright Lyfe of Christ z 2 Pet. 2 c. Heb. 10. c. and Blaspheamers of the holy Spirit of Loue growe you vpp out of thesame / to the perfect a Ephe. 4. c. Age of the manly Beeing of Iesu Christ / and of his holy spirituall and heauenly Vnderstanding That is till that Iesus ChristØ›the true High-preeste / b psal 110. Heb 5 b. after the order of Melchisedech com vnto you from the c Heb. 1. b. Right-hande of God his Father and hath â with his holy Spirit of Loue and heauenly Goodes gotten d 2. Cor. 4. b. Gal. 2. d. 4. c. a liueing Shape in you· and herited you in his spirituall and heauenly e Col 2. a. Goodes and that likewyse thosame heauenly Goodes / do flowe agayne from your Bodyes / like f Iohn â— 7 d Floods of liueing Waters to the Refreshing of all thirsty Soules after the Righteousnes And so becom vpright Elders in the holy and godly Vnderstanding and Ministers of the holy Woord The VI. Chap. TAke it effectually to heart / which I wryte vnto you and thatt wherunto a Pro 1.2.4 â— I do exhorte you For it is the Lordes Woord and his Will / to your Preseruacion in the Godlynes 2. Also refuse not to assemble you with vs to the Famyly of Loue wher-vnto ye be called / by Gods Grace / to your Preseruacion in the Godlynes· and requyred on the Lordes-behalf / for to fulfill b Math. 5. c all Righteousnes 3. For I saye vnto you veryly / that all those which refuse c Math. 22. â— thesame·
the Saluacion the Ioye and the Rest of our Soules with all Gods Saintes / in the euerlasting Lyfe The III. Chap. BEholde and consider â ye Beloued This is now Gods righteous Iudgment / in thissame Daye of his Loue which is the Newe Daye of the 24. Esd. 6. b. Worlde to-com Yea a Daye / which God himself hath ordayned or appoynted / to the SaluacioÌ„ of his Saintes and to the Condemnacion of all Vngodlyones / in the which likewyse / all Saints and Righteousones do reioyce them For vpon thesame / b Act 17. d. the Circuit of the Earth is iudged with Righteousnes according to the Promyses of our God and Father It is verytrue 2. O ye beloued Hearts â which do with vs / loue the vpright Beeing of Christ haue a good regarde heerunto exercise c 1 Timo 4. b yourselues dayly in the Woord of Trueth / vnder the Obedience of the Loue exhort d 1. Tess. 5 b Heq. 3.10 c. one-another also / to the vpright Beeing of Iesu Christ and strengthen yourselues among eachother / to continue stedfast e Act. 11. c. 13. c. 14. c. in Fayth till vnto the Ende of the Suffering and Stryueing agaynst the sinfull and corrupt Nature For f Math. 10. â— 14. b. Mark 13. b. whosoeuer continueth stedfast till vnto the Ende as is written hee shal be saued 3. With thissame â for a Recreacion vnto your Hearts coÌ„fort and cherrish yourselues among eachother I hope ouer a little whyle / to com vnto you and to talke with you by Mouth / of all what is â by Gods Grace g 1. Timo. 1. b committed vnto Mee and is profitable vnto you to Edifycacion For that is doutles the Delyte and all the Desyre of my Heart 4. Heerwith â ye Beloued with Laude and Thankes-giueing vnto God / for your Zeale and Dilligent-care that ye haue to the Righteousnes of the Loue / I do salute you all very hartely namely euen the whole Howsholde of you as my beloued Bretheren and Sisters in the Loue with a Salutacion and Kisse of Loue. 5. I do also giue Thankes vnto the Lorde / for the Benefites Gifts and Beneuolence / that ye haue sent vnto mee / to an Helpfulnes and Furtherance of the Seruice of Loue. 6. The Lorde giue Strength vnto you all h Ephe. 3. b. Coâ— 1. b. 1. Pet. 5. b. and strengthen your Spirit / in his Trueth The Loue and the Goodnes of our God and Father / establish you in his louely and true Beeing Amen 7. Salute me hartely likewyse â with a Salutacion of the Loue vnto all our Freendes and Louers of the Trueth / which are adioyned to the Famyly of Loue and with whom ye haue dayly your Fellowshipp / in the Seruice of Loue. 8. Thatt God / who is the Loue and the euerlasting Lyfe / bring his godly Beeing plentifully vnto you all namely his i Ephe. 1. b. holy Spirit which is the Pawne of our Inheritance And his Loue take the Victory in all your Heaets Amen The Ende of the Eightenth Epistle Our Heart / is the Minde of God most-hie Our Beeing amiable / as the sweete Lillie Our Faithfulnes / Loue / and Trueth vpright / Is Gods Light / Life / and Cleernes bright The Nyntenth Epistle An harty Exhortacion vnto the most-zealous good-willing Hearts to the Righteousnes and vnto the Elders and Ministers of the Woord / in the Comunialtee of the Loue For a Warning vnto them all / of all Deceit that may chaunce vnto them by the new Commers-on to the mostholy Seruice of Loue. Open not your Heart vnto euery Man lest any Falshod be don vnto you by the Strainger Eccli 8.12 If a Freende ioyne vnto thee / prooue him first and beleeue him not ouersoone For ther are many false Freendes which continue not â as Freendes in the Dayes of Tribulacion but they turne them a-bout to Enimitee for to stryue against thee And if thâ—n they knowe or remember any shamefull thing by thee / thatt do they vpbrayde thee with-al Ier. 9. Mich. 7. Eccli 6.8.12 Math. 10.24 1 Iohn 4. To the Kingly Seede of the holy Comunialtee vnder the Obedience of the Loue / be Health and Saluacion The First Chapter MY BELOUed Bretheren in the Loue which are groweing-vp vnder the Obedience of the Loue â in the holy Woord of the euerlasting Trueth to the a Ephe. 4 b. Age of the manly Vnderstanding of Iesus Christ and with whom I haue had my Conuersation in speaking of the Woord b Iohn â— 6 g. 1 Iohn 1. a of Lyfe / which is com and reuealed vnto vs / by Gods Grace wherwith God hath shewed Mercy on vs / according to his Promyses 2. My Exhortacion is hartely vnto you all that ye wil also in my Absence from you / be alwayes c Iohn 15. c. myndfull of the Speeche touching the Godlynes / euen as I haue vsed thesame with you and breake d Act. 2 e. distribute and feede-vpon thesame e Iohn 6. e. Bread of Lyfe â among eachother that is geeuen vnto vs from Heauen â by God the heauenly Father and brought vnto you / for a Foode vnto all your Soules And so becom you all feedd with thesame Bread / to an vpright and louely Lyfe in the Loue. 3. Drincke all now f Math. 26. â— Luk. 22. b. 2. Cor. 11. c. out of thissame Cupp of the Loue / full of y e pure Blood of Iesus Christ out of the which / the holy Blood or Lyfe of Christ / is now â in the Passe-ouer with Christ in his Suffering and Death / till vnto the seconde g Math. 19. â— Rom. 6. a. Birth from the Death geeuen vnto vs to drincke / for a true Testament and euerlasting Forgiuenes of Sinnes and becom now all washed and cleansed â in your Inwardnes h 1. Pet. 1. a. Heb. 9.10 b c. 12. c. Apo. 7. b. with thesame pure Blood of the Loue of Iesu Christ / the true Testament which shall continue for euer Which Testament / God himself / hath â as an eternal-continuing Beeing sealed with himself / in the Seruice of his Loue. 4. O my beloued Hearts and Bretheren in the Loue of our Lorde Iesu Christ take-heede in any-wyse i Eccli 4. c. 27. b. Gal. 6. b. to this gracious Tyme and haue a good regarde vnto my Sayings of the godly Testimonyes of the holy Spirit of the Loue of Iesu Christ And in euery-poynt / according as I in tymes-past haue talked with you by mouth / of this Passe-ouer with Christ / k Rom 6. a. Phil. 3. b. Col. 2. b. in his Suffering and Death / till vnto the Kingdom of the God of Heauens and of all the Perfection l Apo. 21.2 and Garnishing of thesame Kingdoms Beawty / eueÌ„ so is likewyse his Foorme / whear it is manifest in all Loue. And according to thesame Foorme or Beeing / see that you all