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
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
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
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
vnderstande namely a Rom. 1. a. 1 Cor. 1. a. 2. Cor. 1. a. Gal. 1. Ephe. 1. God our Father and the Lorde Iesu Christ. And that in certen Places / Christ â in steed of the Sonne is also vttered-forth for a Father and God 2. Forasmuch as thy Vnderstanding supposed that ther-was nomore but b Deut. 32. d. Esa. 44. a. 4â— b. 46. b. 1. Cor. 8. a. One God as it is also true therfore was thy Demaunde thus vnto mee / wherof thou requyredst an Answer in Wryting Seing now that ther-is nomore but One God / wherfore is He then pronouced-forth in two-maner of States The which seemeth â according to the sounde of the Scripture as though the Apostles published Two Gods 3. Veryly the Difference of this Matter â wherof thou desyerest the Instruction could not likewyse c Iohn 6. d. c. 7. c. 8. b. c. certen Iewes in tymes-past conceaue according to their Vnderstanding out of the Flesh / Yea thesame is yet also rightly vnderstood of Feawe Yet do many perswade them selues notwithstanding â because that they in historical-maner / are mynded after the New-testament that they haue thorowly-well conceaued the Vnderstanding of this Mattier and do for-that-cause perswade themselues / that they do farr exceede and excell the Iewes supposeing that they haue the Fayth and the Saluation and that the Iewes remayne by the Workes of the Lawe Now this passed-ouer we wil proceede to further the Intent of our Matter 4. VEryly as we haue spoken before / of God / the Father / and the Lorde / Iesu Christ these are hard things before the Man / for to search-out the Vnderstanding of them / in his Knowledg if he do not knowe God and Christ and the true Righteousnes of the godly Beeing / in Himself / but imagineth of God and Christ / without Him / and so goeth-on according to his owne Good-thinking / without the Administration of the true Light and his Loue. Yea it is d Math. 11. c. 13 b. 19. c. Iohn 14. â— vnpossible â after that maner to vnderstand the right Mynde cleerly And although likewyse / He woulde search-out all the Knowledg of the Worlde yet is it all in vayne / for to vnderstande thesame 5. Although the Man shoulde imagine of thesame Mynde / in the deepest-grounde of his Reason yet can he not doutles â with any-maner of Prudence of the Flesh conceaue that Vnderstanding For it is an Vnderstanding / e Esa. 57.66 b Sap 1 a. Math. 11. d. that ryseth not vpp in the Knowledg· but to the Lowely and Poore of Spirit â–ª namely in the Beleefe of the holy and gracious Woord / vnder the Obedience of the Loue. 6. For God / the Father the Lorde / Iesus Christ nor-yet the true Light of the godly Wysdom / shall f Sap. 1. a. â— Cor. 2. b. not be knowen / out of the Blood or Will of Man nor out of any deepe Searching with the Knowledg For God is a g Iohn 4 c. Spirit a verytrue Light h Iohn 1. a. 8. b. 9. a. 11. c. 12. c. 14. a. and an euerlasting Lyfe which God also / is not knowen â–ª seene nor vnderstood / but in his owne Spirit and in his true Light and godly Beeing 7. SEing then that the only God / is 1. Iohn 1. a. a verytrue Light / that no Darknesses do knowe nor beholde and is not to be knowen nor behealde / but in his k Psal. 36. Light / therfore is not Hee knowen likewyse / but by Those that do Heare and beleeue his gracious Woord and that submitt them obediently l Iohn â— d. vnder the Requyring of thesame Woord and Will and so do carry the Image m 1. Cor. 15. c Ephe. 4. c. of his godly Beeing or do beholde thesame n 2. Pet. 1. c. in their Spirit / as a Pattern of God and hope theron / through Fayth And the Spirit of thosesame obedient Humbleones / is the Spirit that giueth respect to the seruiceable Testimonyes of the holy Spirit of Loue / to th end to be o Ioh. 15.17 â— Ephe. 3. c. incorporated to the lyke Beeing of God namely the Brightnes of the Cleernes of the godly Beeing / the vpright Righteousnes p Ephe. 4. c. and Holynes that God esteemeth and then to knowe God the Father and his Sonne Iesu Christ / rightly and according to the Trueth / and to vnderstand the q Iohn 17. a. Math. 13. b. Secretnes of the Kingdom of God and Christ. 8. But seing now that the Man is gon-back or falne-away r Gen. 3. a. Deut. 32. c. from his God and from this pure Beawty and Cleernes of the godly Beeing· and s Rom. 1. c. Ephe 4. b. estrainged from the Vnderstanding of the Wysdom of Iesu Christ / therfore is he also becom disinherited of this Cleernes or Brightnes of the godly Light / and hath neither knowen the Father nor his Sonne Ø›the Lorde Iesus Christ By meanes of which Estrainginâ— / He hath not borne or carryed in his Spirit / t 1. Cor. 15. g. Ephe. 4. c. the Image or Like-being of his God â–ª namely / Iesus Christ / to which effect / the Gospel u Math. 28. d. Mar. 16. b or ioyfull Message / is published wherby to bring the Man agayne to Christ and to establish him in Him But x Gen. 3. â— the Man is â vp the Self-wisdom of the Flesh and by his owne Opinion quyt lead-away from the vpright Mynde or Vnderstanding of the Gospel and from the Incorporating or Establishing in Iesu Christ / and brought to the Corruption and hath â with Smart and Calamitee borne the vngodly Beeing or the Contrary-nature vnto his God / y Sap. 1. b. to the which / he is neither created nor called 9. This Contrary-nature vnto God or Darknes / hath captiued z Mar 6. f. 8. b Rom 1. c. â— Cor 4. a. his Sences and Thoughts and stolne-away his Heart and Vnderstanding / so that he can conceaue or vnderstand very-little / of the true Light or Christ of God and that only / because he is so vtterly estrainged * Ephe. 4. b. Col. 1.3 from the Beeing of God and hath grounded him on the Knowledg The III. Chap. NOw for to discouer the Mynde a-little / How or in what Beeing or Foorme / the Woord â God our Father and the Lorde Iesus Christ is witnessed by the Apostles of Christ / So must I rehearse a-little of Adam / to what ende he was created / wherby men may vnderstand the Intent / wher-to Christ is preached 2. WHen the almighty God â who is full of Wisdom and Righteousnes had finished a Gen. 1. a Heauen and Earth and all their Garnishing / then did He also create Him a Man / b Gen. 1. c. 2. a. Sap 3. a. Eccli 17. a. according to the Likenes of his Godhead / who shoulde carry or beare
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
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 Blood Ø›that earthly Beeing is in his right Ordinance / the h Esa. 66. a Act 7. c. Bench for the Lordes Feete ouer the which / the Kingdom of God beareth his Dominion and Christ / his Glory 9. Of which Glory / the Members of Christ haue spoken in tymes-past when-as the Lyfe of God or Christ was com vnto them / for to possesse them and to be incorporated with them saying and testifying i Iohn 1. b The Woord is incarnated or becom Flesh and dwelt among vs. Wherthrough they sawe his Glory euen a Glory of the only borne Sonne of the Father / full of Grace and Trueth 10. Beholde This Glory of Christ / was the Kingdom k Luk. 17. c. of God inwardly in them the which had inherited them for a Possession / as his Heritage and their Spirit also / thatsame and not / Flesh and Blood 11. Consider well of the Mynde that I wryte vnto thee and vnderstande the Resolution of my Vnderstanding and l Iohn 7. â— iudg with a right Iudgment The X. Chap. THou sayest likewyse / out of the Wryting of Ecclesiastes a Eccle. 12. a how that euery Thing must returne agayne / from whence it is com Thatt which is out of God / shall returne thether agayne and thatt which is of the Earth / shall be Earth agayne 2. Oh â alas heer-out is much Misunderstanding taken-on and many do runne-on in that sort / with this one Sentence and haue no Discerning nor Consideration / to what ende the Sentence soundeth nor wherto the whole Scripture stretcheth And wil nodout â out of ther owne Good-thinking include the Mynde of God â which they vnderstand not in this one Sentence of the Scripture And out of thesame they iudg euenthus Let them liue how they wil liue when they dye / their Spirit shall com agayne to God and thâ—â—r Body to the Earth 3. Heerwithall do the lightmynded Hearts deceaue themselues who haue no Lust to Gods Righteousnes and yet for-al-that do rest perswaded / that their Spirit â which is vngodded or not of God shall com to God 4. No â Beloued No. God wil none of the wicked Spirits but He putteth them away and poynteth them from Him / b Math. 25. â— into the Condemnation of the hellish Fyer which is prepared for the Deuill and all wicked Spirits 5. FOr-that-cause â thou Beloued looke rightly into the Alteration of the Man and in what maner / the Spirit of God which God hath formed in the Man cometh to God 6. For if it were so / that the Spirit of God â which God hath formed in the Man shoulde alwayes vppon the Earth / remayne estrainged or seperated from God and from the Mans Beeing and that the Man shoulde not â vppon the Earth be incorporated to thesame / for an euerlasting Assurance c Rom. 8. b of the Inheritance of Christ and of the Kingdom of the God of Heauens / in the eternall Lyfe and so â without Vniting d Eqhe. 4. c. with the Mans Beeing / in Righteousnes shoulde go to the Incorporating vnto his God first / when-as the Creature were passed-thorow the naturall Death / Who coulde then I pray thee / witnes and publish vppon the Earth / the Glory of God and the Powers of his Goodnes / to the Blessing and Sâ—luation of the Man· and be seruiceable to the Man / to an Incorporating to thesame Goodnes of God 7. Therfore haue now in consideration / how and wherin the Fulnes of the Mynde of the Scriptures concisteth and whether that the Vnderstanding of God be wholly declared in the Man / when-as he so taketh vnto him one Sentence out of the Scripture / according to his Good-thinking and so goeth-on therwith / without Discerning of the godly Wisdom and doth not once consider / wherto that one Sentence serueth from whence it proceedeth nor to what ende it stretcheth 8. Euenthus â thou Beloued let vs consider rightly on the Mynde of the Scriptures Standeth-ther not written also / e Sap. 1. â— that the Wisdom dwelleth not in a Body that is subiect vnto Sinne Therfore cannot likewyse an vngodded Man· nor-yet one that remayneth without the Comunialtee of the Family of Loue / iudg one Sentence of the holy Scripture / rightly according to the Trueth nor-yet out of the Wisdom 9. But wheras Ecclesiastes speaketh f Eccle. 12. a. of the Earth and of God as that each-one that is Earthly and of God / goeth to his owne Incorporating / Therof I wil aske thee somwhat 10. When now this Alteration cometh-to-pas with the Man shall then the Nature of the Iniquite haue his Possession with the Man or be mingled with him as an Heyre Or shall he be thrust-out with the Vnfreeone g Gen. 21. b Gal. 4. â— I do veryly suppose / Yea according to the Promyses For beholde 11. Wil not God inhabite his Tabernacle h 2. Cor. 6. b or Temple alone and dryue-out of it / all i Esa. 35.52 a. Apoc. 21. c. that is vncleane or that defyleth the Howse of the Lorde Is not the Heauen also / his Seate and k Esa 66 â— Act. 7. c. the Earth / the Bench for his Feete 12. BEholde to this Glory of God and for that thesame shoulde raigne ouer the Man / is the Man chosen and likewyse in his Fall / called and bidden therunto agayne / by Christ / Because that he shoulde serue and liue-vnto his God only / in all l Luk. 1.8 Righteousnes and not cleaue-vnto the wicked Spirit â–ª nor-yet iudg thesame for the Spirit of God through the which / he keepeth God as also his good Spirit / out of his Dwelling 13. And whosoeuer then / through his Good-thinking and through his wicked Spirit or vngodly Beeing / keepeth the God of Lyfe out of his Dwelling and with a false Opinionâ— or with an Enuyousnes towards any Man / doth comfort or quyet himself therin / Hee doth willingly giue-ouer himself to the Curssing and perpetuall Condemnation 14. For what other Dwelling for God / wil anyman imagine I pray thee or what other Tabernacle or Temple of God / wil anyman make m 2. Paâ— 6. d Esa. 66. a Act. 7. e. â wherin God wil dwell but the Man / n Iob. 14. b. Psal. 138. a. that Worke of his Hande For thatt is the Lordes Lust o Pro. 8. d. Iohn 14. d. for to dwell therin / with his vpright Beeing or Christ. But most-tymes when the Lorde mooueth the Man ther-to / by his Ministers the Man remayneth captiued vnto his owne Knowledg and so denyeth to yeelde himself p Ier. 7. c 16 b 27.29 b â— Act 7. c. 17 c to thesame Grace of the Lorde so that most-tymes / ther-are Feawe that suffer themselues to be prepared for an Habitation of God the which is greatly to be lamented 15. THerfore I saye vnto thee veryly like as all Gods
Prophets and Holyones haue also witnessed God dwelleth not in Tabernacles or Temples q Act. 7.17 â— that are made with Mens Handes but in the Worke of his owne Hande For looke into the matter 16. Wherin hath God â I pray thee euer had a Pleasure to dwell â for to be aswell vppon Earth as in Heauen r Leuit 26 Pro. 8. d. 2. Cor. 6 b Apo. 21. a but in the Man whom He himself hath made And to what Temple or Tabernacle hath He had a Lust to haue it cleansed from the Idoles· and from all vngodly Beeing but to the Man / wherby to be God and the Lorde alone / in him 17. Consider Are not these the s Esa. 4â— a 6â— 61. b 62. a 2. Pet 3. b. Apo. 21. â— Promyses / that God wil inhabite the Earth â or the Man of the Earth in Righteousnes 18. Yea euen in the Man / wil Hee â through his gracious Woord and Seruice of Loue distinct and deuid-a sunder / the Earthly / from the Heauenly / To th end that euenso in the Mans Inwardnes / Thatt which is of God / may com to t Eccle. 12. â— God / in the heauenly Beeing and the Earthly / to his earthly Beeing And He himself Ø›the God of Heauen v Esa. 60. â— c Apo. 2â— â— wil in this sort haue his Dwelling 〈◊〉 in the Mans Inwardnes / with his godly Beeing and shyne in him euerlastingly with his Cleernes / as a Day-light from Heauen and euenso lighten the Earth with Righteousnes And thatt is the Newe Heauen x Esa. 65.66 b 2 Pet. 3. b. Apo. 21. a and the Newe Earth / in which the Righteousnes dwelleth and they are now coming to all Beleeuers of Christ / which do submitt them obediently vnder the Loue and her Seruice / to the Cleansing from their Sinnes according to the Promyses The XI Chap. THou wrytest moreouer boldly vnto me / that thou hast no God whom thou needest still to feare y t He shoulde vse Rygorousnes with thee neither doest thou also â as thou wrytest desyre to haue any such Lorde 2. I knowe not wel what I shall saye heervpon but my Conceaueing is / that thou vnderstandest not rightly the Feare of God nor-yet his Rygorousnes nor his Kyndnes 3. For / to feare God / a Psal. 111. b. Pro. 1. a. 9. b Eccli 1. b is a costly Treasure / because that therout springeth the holy Wisdom For the Feare of God b Pro. 16. a Eccli 7. c dryueth-out the Sinne. 4. She is a Worke full of all Vertue / a Foresightfulnes / to a good Protection from the Destruction and begetteth in the Man / a good Vnderstanding / to a Guyding-in of him to the vpright Lyfe 5. But to knowe and to loue God in his godly Nature and Beeing / c Sap. 15. a thatt is perfect Righteousnes and this Perfection in the Loue / d 1 Iohn 4. b dryueth-out Feare wherthrough the Man doth euenso then / fulfill the Requyring of the Lawe of Moses and of the Fayth of Iesu Christ and loueth God with all his Heart and all Men as himself 6. Therfore ther-is likewyse no Feare of God anymore needfull to such a Man / which hath inherited the Perfection in the Loue. For God dwelleth in him and thesame Gods Spirit e Iohn 16. b. leadeth him into all Trueth and declareth all things vnto him 7. The Man now being a Dwelling for God / in all his Inwardnes f 1. Cor. 3.6 b 2 Cor. 6. b. â in whom / God with his Christ and Spirit / liueth and worketh he hath no cause to be afrayde of God nor of his Rygorousnes For g Col. 3 b the Loue is the Bande of their Vnitee namely the Godhead with the Manhod Therfore also the Man needeth not to feare For all his Nature Beeing and Disposition / is like vnto God himself / who suffereth his h Math. 5. d. Sunne of Righteousnes to shyne ouer Good and Badd 8. And if now it be so with thee likewyse then hast thou wonne the Crowne i 4. Esd 2. c. Iam 1. a. Apo. 2. b. of Lyfe and all Ignorance is swallowed-vp in thee 9. But now it appeereth by thy Woords â according to the sounde of thy wryting that thou art not yet com heerunto For thou desyrest yet Releasment from thy former Ignorance and wishest that it had his Going-vnder in thee or that it were quyt out of thee that thou moughtest then reioyce thee aright 10. Thou Beloued looke once rightly into thyself and let thy Bosting be accordingly For consider So long as the Man beholdeth his Ignorance and his Enemyes / which do raigne ouer him besydes God and his Doctrine or Requyring / so is it meete doutles / that the Man shoulde feare God· inclyne vnto Him and his Requyring· and submitt him obediently vnder the Ministration of his gracious Woord and Seruice of Loue / to th end that God may be his Headd k Psa 27 47. a 96. a b 97. a 99. a. and King· and his Protecter and Helper / against his Enemyes and that his Enemyes mought euenso â thorough the Power of his God go-vnder or com-to-nothing and that l Math. 25. d. God only mought â with his Wisdom or Vnderstanding heare the Dominion in him or obtayne thesame against them The XII Chap. FArdermore / thou sayest â by thy wryting that thou must yet suffer thy Brother Esau seing he is still to-mighty for thee 2. I knowe not whether I do well vnderstande thy Mynde in this Matter / or no / because that thou hast heer-to-fore written so franckly vnto me / of thy Deliuerance and Freedom And yet now thou wrytest of the Power of Esau / ouer thee and that thou must yet suffer him / seing he is to-mighty for thee 3. Ah â Beloued looke rightly into the matter I pray thee / whether the Procreation of Esau and Iacob / be also com-to-pas with thee / according to the Trueth For I saye vnto thee veryly With whomsoeuer Esau and Iacob are brought-foorth out of Isaac / the Sâ—ede of Promyse / thear cannot Esau doo anything against Iacob For Iacob is much-to-prudent for him 4. Howbeit whear Esau and Iacob are not brought-foorth / thear are they not present likewyse and the Man also is vtterly vnacquaynted with the Vnderstanding therof For-that-cause ther is likewyse no Power vsed with him / neither by Esau nor-yet by Iacob but they are all vayne Things / whatsoeuer he perswadeth himself to knowe or to feele therof 5. For both these namely Esau and Iacob are of one Father a Gen. 25. â— and of one Moother and are also conceaued both at-once in their Moothers Wombe But the Birth â wherin they make-manifest themselues and seperate themselues asunder cometh-to-pas / the One before the Other of the which now Esau hath the Fore-going and after-that / Iacob / who is made b Gen.
Man â in his Ignorance is thus vtterly k Gen. 6. a. â— Rom. 1. â— Eph. 4. b. corrupted / through the Bewitching of the sinfull Flesh and hath geeuen a great Respect vnto his owne good-thinking Knowledg / so hath he likewyse turned all his Dilligence towards thesame / to l Rom. 10. a. set-vp his owne Righteousnes / according to the Goodthinking of his Knowledg and hath generally had a pleasure in his owne Workes 8. But thatt God which liueth for euer and is my God / shall now in thissame Daye m Math. 24. d 25. d. 26. g. 2. Timo. 1. b â through the Appeering of Christ in his Glory bring all Flesh of Sinne n 1. Cor 1. c. to shame / in his owne Wisdom and made Holynes In which Daye of the gloryous Cleernes of God / God wil iudg o Psal. 96. b. Act. 17. d. the Circuit of the Earth / with Righteousnes 9. Therfore shall now likewyse in thissame Daye / all Generacions of the Earth â which sett their Confidence vppon their owne Wisdom Righteousnes and Holynes of the sinfull Flesh p Esa. 13. a. Ioel. 1.2 Sap. 5. a. Luâ— 21. c Apo. 18. b. c howle and weepe For Gods Doctrine / serueing to the Entrance into the true christian Lyfe / shall appeere vnto them / to an Offenciuenes· his Righteousnes / to Sinne· his Lyfe / to a Death· and his Saluacion / to a Condemnacion 10. Although I wryte thus vnto thee / thou Beloued and do not regarde any Flesh of Sinne / in his owne Righteousnes / yet do I account this of great value / that all Flesh with all his earthly Beeing / do lay-downe itself on his right Place namely q Psal. 110. a. Heb. 1.10 b. to be a Bench for the Lordes Feete and so submitt itself to the Requyring of the Spirit of the Loue of Christ / to th end that the God of Lyfe may gett the Dominion r Esa 24. c. Sap. 3. b. ouer him / with his vpright Righteousnes 11. I do also wel vouchsafe vnto thee with all my Heart / to haue obtayned all that thou louest / out of the vertuous Nature s 1. Cor. 13. of the Loue and do likewyse hope that thy Heart standeth-mynded / euen according as thou wrytest Wherby also it shall not be greeuous vnto me / to conceaue the Best of thee and that thy Wryting proceedeth not out of thyself nor out of any prudent Counsayle of the Flesh. but out of a t Sap 1. a. Ephe. 6. a. Col 3. c. single Heart / through the Mercy of God wherwith God hath pittied thee / to the Lande of his Glory and to our Ioye in the Vnitee of Heart / for that we may lyue together in the vpright and louely Beeing of Iesu Christ. 12. But if now it be Flesh or if it proceede out of the fleshly Beeing / then shall it surely v Iob 14. a. chainge and be vnconstant and vanish-away vnder the Hande and my Spirit â which is the Lordes shall not bynde itself vnto the Fleshes Beeing 13. And if it be Spirit or if it proceede out of the Beeing of the true Spirit of Loue / then shall it likewyse continue and remayne constant with thee and all myne Inclynacion / shall stande affected to thy godly Will For thatt be farre from me / that my Heart Mynde and Soule / shoulde mynde or affect anything-els / but only the spirituall and true heauenly Good and those that with mee / do loue only the Heauenly and are godly of will 14. Therfore also perswade thyself thorowly â thou Beloued that my Mynde and all the Inclynacion of my Will although I do conuersate myself with Many outwardly is inclyned only to Those that are wel-mynded to the Spirituall and Heauenly and are godly of Will and that my Heart and Spirit desyreth to haue Fellowship with none other / but those that with all their Hearts and Soules / do giue-ouer themselues to all Obedience of the Loue and so do stande wel-mynded to all Concorde with the Spirit of Loue and our Comunialtee 15. For to that ende / hath the Lorde illuminated me with his Light and endowed me with his x Sap 7. a. Wisdom and chosen me to be a y Col 1. c. 1 Timo. 1. b. Minister of his holy Woord / wherby to assist eueryone that â for y e Vnitees sake in the Loue do forsake z Math. 16. â— themselues· follow the Loue / in her Seruice and vertuous Nature· and are mynded with all their Hearts / to learne the a Math. â—1 d. Humilitee and Meeknes / of the Loue and her Seruice and to proceed-on after thesame â without Murmuring or imagining any euell till that the Meeknes of the Loue / haue a b Iam 1. c. Shape in them 16. Consider well heeron / thou Beloued For we are all created to the Vnitee c Ephe. 4. a. in the Loue / for to liue peaceably with each-other in all Loue and â through the Seruice of Loue called and chosen therunto / by God / to th end that we shoulde laude God / in y e Loue· and â like loueing Children of Peace liue and walke together / d Eph. 4.5 a. in all Loue. The III. Chap. BVt albeit now that many Multitudes of the People of this Worlde or almost all those that wil vse God-seruices â out of their owne Enterprises do not a Math. 13. b. 1. Cor. 2. b. 2 Cor. 4. â— vnderstand nor conceaue thissame / by reason of their Vnbeleefe and Blyndnes of Heart and are altogether Straingers therfrom or b Rom. 1. c. Ephe. 4. b. ignorant therof / Yet doth not thatt concerne vs as to trouble ourselues therwith For what doth the Blyndnes or the Ignorance of the Vnbeleeuers touch vs but this concerneth vs That we haue to laude and thanke our God â who is the eternall and liueing God for his great Grace and Mercy / which He hath shewed so aboundantly on vs Little c Esa. 66. a. Math. 11. d. and Pooreones â in these last perillous Tymes from all the Thowsandes in this Worlde namely for that He hath â through the holy Spirit of his Loue illuminated Vs in our d 1. Cor. 4. a. 2 Pet. 1. c. Hearts / as his Elect and giueth Vs dayly more-and-more / to see-into and e Math. 11. d. 13 â— 1. Cor. 2. b. Eph. 1.2.3 a vnderstande the Secretnes of his vpright and louely Lyfe so that wee / through Gods Mercy towards vs â aboue all the Wyse and Vnderstandingones in this Worlde are neerest to the heauenly Trueth and do euenso knowe in the Spirit / that we are made f Iohn 8. c. free / through thesame Trueth 2. For all wee / which â through the true Spirit are g 1. Cor. 4. b. Cal. 4. b. 1. pet 1. c. begotten to be Children of God / out of the Loue and her
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
Gods Ignorance and his Foolishnes / is b 1. Cor. 1.3 b wyser and procureth more Fruits of Righteousnes vppon the Earth / then all the Ingenious-witt of Mens Prudencie 3. Therfore we regarde not how Men â out of the Knowledg of their corrupt Vnderstanding do c 1. Cor. 4 a. iudg Vs and the Seruice of Loue / which we minister For it is well knowen vnto vs doutles / that all the Iudgments that the Man â out of his Ingenious-witt iudgeth of the Wisdom and Workes of God / are false and Lyes d Psal. 116. b. Rom. 3. a. and that God with his Saintes / is only true / in his Iudgment 4. And forasmuch as wee now in thissame Daye of Loue / are appeered before the Iudgment-seate of Christ and do carry the righteous Iudgment of God in our Hearts / therfore can no outlandish Men nor any Estraingedones or Fallers from the Seruice of Loue / iudg vs / although they woulde neuer-so-fayne For how shoulde they â I pray you be able to iudg vs rightly / inasmuch as they cannot see vs 5. Forasmuch then as they do e Exo. 33. c. Iohn 5.14 b. 1. Iohn 3.4 b not see the liueing God / in the Maiestee of his Glory / therfore can they not likewyse see Vs. For Wee together with all the Holyones of God / do liue and tryumph vniformly with God / in his Glory f Esa. 3. b. Sap. 3. b. Math. 19 c. 25. d. 1. Cor. 6. a. Iude. â— b. and do with Him / iudg the Worlde / with Righteousnes and Trueth / vnder the Obedience of his Loue. 6. Therfore also the Children of Men â that are without our Comunialtee or without the Famyly of Loue do vnderstande nothing-at-al â according to their Iudgment of our holy Vnderstanding / which we suck out of the Breastes of the Loue. 7. Veryly / therin do we acknowledg the Goodnes of God towards vs / that none of the foremencioned Men can ether see or iudg vs. But He himself / g 1. Cor. 4. a. the true God of the Liueing â who is a God with vs iudgeth euery thing by Vs and his heauenly and spirituall Wisdom and we vnderstande that his Iudgment is true 8. If anyman then haue a Lust to doo the Will of the Lorde also to be a Disciple of the Loue / in y e Schoole of Christ and to vnderstande the secret Iudgment of God / let him go-out or seperate his Heart / h 1. Cor. 3. b. from all the Wisdom of the Worlde and so com to our Comunialtee and to the Wisdom that we shall showe him / vnder the Obedience of the Loue. 9. He being com to our Comunialtee vnder the Obedience of the Loue / so let him â for the Loue and her holy Vnderstandings cause forsake i Math. 10. d. 16. c. Mark 8. d. Lud. 9.14 c himself and all his Industry Wisdom and Knowledg and so haue regarde to y e Seruice of Loue / what it requyreth 10. Now when-as he forsaketh himself for the Loues cause and hath wholly geeuen-ouer himself to the Wisdom and to the holy Vnderstanding of the Loue / for to be obedient to thesame and so taketh-heede to the Doctrine of the Loue / in our Schoole of the christian Doctrine not as a Iudg of thesame Doctrine but as a Disciple / which is content to be informed and taught by the Doctrine of the holy Spirit of Loue Then shall he k Math. 13. b. well vnderstande the right Mynde of the Secretnes of the Loue and the secret Iudgment of God as also well perceaue / that God hath distincted and declared euery-thing wysely and vnderstandably / with vs. and shall in-nowyse be able to see nor fynde / that-ther-is any Fault in our Wrytings and Ministracion of the Woord as likewyse very-easely perceaue / that we do apparantly shewe the Submission the Trueth and the Patience / each-one in his right Place and according to his right Order in like-maner / the Beleefe the Loue and euery-thing â each-one in his whatsoeuer serueth the Man to his Saluacion 11. For how shoulde wee possible shewe anything contrary or vnrightly / out of the Testimonyes of God inasmuch as they stande so cleere and vpright before vs / in our Sight and that God is l Deu. 8 b. Phil 2. b. Ephe. 3. c. Heb 13 c. the Worker and the Bringer-foorth of thosame Testimonyes himself The III. Chap. BVt Albeit now that anyone of the vnrenewed Men / do yet for-the-present-tyme â by reason of his Ingenious-witt or Blyndnes of Heart looke peruersly into the Loueing-kyndnes of God and the vpright Vnderstanding â witnessed out of Gods mostholy Seruice of Loue or construe it to the worst / yet is not the Worke of God nor the vpright Vnderstanding â which we bring-foorth out of God peruerse for-al-that neither-yet is God nor Wee â his Ministers to be blamed / for such a peruerse Sight but hee which â out of his peruerse a Math. 5.6 c 18. a. Sight Iudgeth falsly 2. For if the Earth â which doutles is altogether blynde and ignorant in the Arte or Worke of the Potter do iudg a b Esa. 2â— 45 b. Rom. 9. c. Potters Worke wrong / then is it no-dout greatly to be blamed because that it knoweth not the Honorablest / from the Dishonorablest nor the Foremost / from the Hindmost nor-yet any of the Workmasters Tooles For-that-cause also / it knoweth not how to distinct them rightly 3. Euenso is likewyse the earthly Man to be blamed / that iudgeth the Worke of the Lorde peruersly / because that he seeth so purblyndly and therfore he c Esa. 59. a. 2. Pet. 1. b. gropeth or coniectereth after it / like a Blynd-body or-els â out of the Purblyndnes of his Sight he iudgeth the Hindmost / for the Foremost and the Foremost / for the Hindmost the Wagon / for the Horsses and the Horsses / for y e Wagon and Men / for Trees And so through his Ignorance / he also nameth the Carpenters Tooles contraryly For like as the Sight and Discerning of the Man is peruerse euenso is also his Iudgment 4. Seing then that his Eyes are not cleere and d Ier. 4. a. â— b Math. 6. â— 7. a. Luk. 6. c. 11. d. Act. 7. f. 1. Iohn 2. b that his Eares are thick and that his Body is yet darke and that therfore he beholdeth not the Sunne of Righteousnes neither-yet standeth in thatt Place whear she giueeth her Cleernes but is altogether a Straunger therfrom / Therfore doth he neither knowe nor vnderstand anything-at-all of the Cleernes of the Sunne For-that-cause he cannot also iudg in the Light nor according to the Trueth 5. Now when an illuminated Man â with the Cleernes of his Eyes seeth into the Trueth of God and that he likewyse witnesseth of the Beawtyfulnes of the Daye-light of y e Sunne also giueth such high Honour and Prayse vnto thesame
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
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
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
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·
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.
Ther shal be more Ioye in Heauen ouer one Sinner that repenteth / then ouer nyntie-and-nyne-Iust-persons / that neede no Repentance Luk. 15. b. O how louely are the Feere of the Messengers that publish the Peace preache the Good and witnes or declare the Saluation Esa. 52. b. Rom. 10. c. Beholde I wil sende myne Angel or Messenger / which shall prepare the waye· or pathe the Streete / before Mee Mala. 3. a 4. a. Math. 11.17 Mar. 1. Luk. 7. To-daye if ye heare his Voyce / then harden not your Hearts that ye byde not without the Rest of y e People of God Psal. 95. a. Heb. 3.4 a. The First Chapter THis is the Crying or Voyce / which cometh-to-pas and is heard now in this present Daye / through the holy Spirit of the Loue of Iesu Christ and wherwith all People â–ª are â by HN called and bidden to the Repentance for their Sinnes and to the Howse of the Loue of Iesu ChristØ›the a Esa. 32. â— Heb. 3. b. 4. c. Rest of all the Saincts or Children of God / And not alone with this Calling but also with all the Scriptures· heauenly Testimonyes· and spirituall Voyces of the eternall Trueth / which are gon-forth from the holy Spirit of Loue and brought-to-light by HN like as y e holy Gost hath sproken therof and warned all People / y t they in thatt present Daye â when they heare his Voyce shoulde in no-wyse harden b Psal. 95 b. Heb. 3. a. their Hearts namely that they shoulde not c 2. Cor 6. a. refuse nor resist thesame proffered Grace· Heb 12. b. but humbly indeuour them therunto to th end they mought enter into the godly Rest / which â till vnto thissame Daye of Loue is reserued for the People of God / for to rest them therin 2. The Mosthighest hath also â after such a long tyme that He had promysed the d Psal. 95. b. Heb. 3. b. Rest to the People of God yet once-more appoynted a Daye / on the e Act. 17. â— which / the vniuersall Earth shoulde be iudged with Righteousnes 3. Therfore â as the holy Gost sayeth f Psal. 95. b. Heb. 3 b. Todaye if ye shall heare his Voyce that is when the Tyme now is fulfilled / that the Daye of Loue â which the mosthighest hath appoynted to be a Rest for the People of God declareth itself / then shall ye heare / that yee â g Esa. 42.51 a O all ye People are called and bidden to thesame Grace and Mercie then harden not your Heartes 4. Let eueryone h 2. Cor 6. a. Heb. 12. b. take-heede to thissame gracious Tyme / that he may liue· and rest him in thissame Daye / from his Workes Trauayle and i Apo. 14. b. Labour 5. Seing then that ther is yet a Rest k Psa. 32 â— Heb 4 â—· at-hande / for the People of God / which is made-many-fest and inherited in the Family of Loue and that without thesame or without his Seruice / ther is nothing but all l Deut. â—â— a. Good-thinking m Esa 59. a. Tedious-trauayle Labour and Misery / Therfore doth not the holy Spirit of Loue ceasse this Daye â by his Minister HN to call and bidd all People to thesame Family of Loue / n Psal 16. b. 84. a. Ecclâ— 24. c. Apo. 2â— a. full of all louely Beeing and to his safe-makeing Seruice / to the Preseruation of them all in the Godlynes And to warne them eueryone / of the o Esa. 13. a. 3â— c 47. b. Dan. 12. b. Math. 24 b â–ª Wo and Misery and of the Plagues of Good-thinking that shall com vppon them / that remayne without thesame or that wil not suffer themselues to be leadd into thesame / through the Seruice of thesayde Family of Loue / To th end that they moughâ—all now â in y e Seruice of Loue and in the Obeying of his Requyring doo vpright Repentance p Math 3. a Luk. 3 a. 13. a. Act. 2. f. 3. c. for thier Sinnes· and enter into y e Rest of y e Lorde The Second Chap. BEare Sorrow for your Sinnes and a Eze. 1â— c Math 3. a. shewe vpright Fruits of Repentance the great b Esa. 13. a. b. Ioel. 2 a. c. Abel 1. c. Daye of the Lorde is com hard-by and wil now â as a righteous c Ier. 46. c. Soph 1.2 a Iudgment of God appeere ouer the whole Earth 2. Let eueryone now turne him away from the wicked Worlde and from the Abhomynation d Dan 9 c. Math 24 b. of her Desolation / and make his Repaire hether / to the e Esa 2 a. Mich 4. a. Hill of the Loue wheron the Lordes Howse is buylded / that he may be preserued in thissame Daye of the righteous Iudgment of God 3. Yea turne you hether betymes / to the Howse of the Loue of Iesu Christ and to his safe-making Seruice beare Sorrow rightly for your Sinnes f Math. 3. a. Luk 3 a. 13 a. Act 2. f 3. c. and shewforth vpright Repentance or Amendment for thesame â O ye strayed People er-euer the g Soph. 2. a. Mal. 4. a. Daye of the Lorde fall vppon you / to the Recompencing of your Wickednes 4. COm now all hether / whear the heauenly Day-light Ø› h Esa 60. d. Sap 5 a the Sunne of Righteousnes shyneth and whear the Waters i Eze. 36. c. Apo. â—2 d. of Lyfe flowe-forth out of y e FoÌ„ntayne of the liueing Godhead / to the Purging of your Sinnes 5. Let eueryone now forsake his owne Woord Doctrine and taken-on Knowledg / and also the Woord Doctrine and Knowledg of all k Ier. 23 d. 2â— 29.32 c. Eze 13 a. b. Mich. 3. b. vnsent Preachers and Good-thinking-wyseones / wher-through ye be seduced· blynded from y e true Fruits of Repentance· and estranged from the true Sainctification of your Spirit and Mynde and com now all to thissame l Ier. 19. b. 31. f. Mich. 1. a. Sainctuary of God out of the which / the Lordes liueing m Esa. 2. a. Woord is witnessed· the true Repentance for the Sinne / made-knowen· and the vpright n Ephe. 4. c. Col. 3. a. Righteousnes and Holynes of Iesu Christâ— / taught / wherthrough ye be brought to the right Quyeting of your Consciences· to the o Math. 11. c. Health of your Soules· and to the Sainctifycation or p Rom. 12. a. Ephe. 4. c. Renewing of your Spirit and Mynde 6. For-that-cause com now all to thissame q Esa. 2 a. Hill or Howse of Loue and in his out-flowing Water / r Eze. 16.36 clense and amende or hallow your Beeing / vnder the Obedience of y e Loue of Iesu Christ / that your Sinnes may be s Act. 3. c. wyped-out and yeâ— becom lead euenso into the t Esa. 32. c. Heb. 3.4 b. Rest of all y e
which the whole Earth shal be iudged with Righteousnes ther shall no v Apo. 10. a. Daye of Grace appeere anymore vppon the Earth but a seuere or harde x Heb. 10. c. Pet. 3. b. Iudgment ouer all Vngodlyones as is before sayde Take it to heart The Ende of the first Epistle The Second Epistle Ashort and pithy Instruction of the Mistery of the Loue. Labour for Loue Earnestly couet spirituall Gifts but cheefly / that ye may prophecye 1. Cor. 14. The Ende of the Commaundement and the Cheef-summe of Fayth / is Loue with a pure Heart and with a good Conscience and with vnfayned Fayth 1. Timo. 1. Ther was demaunded· and an Instruction requyred ther-vpon in Wryting / which is the Secretnes or Mistery of the Loue. And ther-vpon is answered by HN / in Wryting â according to the Declaration of the spirituall and heauenly Trueth this Instruction Heer-following Hee that hath Eares to heare / * Math. 13. a. Luk. 8. a. b. Apo. â— a. 3. a. let him heare Hee that hath Wisdom / let him conceiue Vnderstanding The First Chapter WIth whom shall I a Pâ—o. 8. â— speake sayth the Wisdom that shall vnderstande my Woordes 2. To whom shall I reueale the Mistery of the Loue / that shall conceaue or knowe it 3. Who are those that giue-eare vnto my Doctrine and haue founde my Wayes 4. Who hath marked whear my Dwelling is and followed-after Mee / in my Out-going and In-going 5. Who hath borne y e Contempt Blaspheamy and Shame / with Mee when I laye in the b Pro. 1. a. Esa. 59. b. Streete / whear the People shaked their Heades at c Psal 22. a. 109. c. Mee as at a d Esa. 53. a. Sap. 2. b. filthy thing / that is worthy to be cast-awaye / and as madd and frantick Men / ranne ouer Mee with Feete 6. Who hath had his Pleasure in Mee / when I was so e Esa. 53. a. Sap. 2. b. filthy and so lothsom to looke-vppon or to beholde / before all Wisdom of the Flesh and of the Vnrepentantones 7. Who hath denyed f Math. 10. â— 16. c. Mark 1. d. Luk. 9.14 c â–ª himself and is â for the Loues sake gon-out-of Himself with Mee / when I did â in the Loue requyre the Mans Saluation and was condempned to y e Death g Math. 26.27 Mar. 15. Luk. 22. Iohn 1â— â—â— of the Crosse· and killed with thesame Death / by the Wyseones of the Earth / as a Dispised-one or an Outcast vppon the Earth 8. Who hath borne such a Death h Rom. 6. a phil 2. a of the Crosse with Mee / in all Shame Dispiscing Blaspheaming and wicked Defamation / and shewed Patience therin / euen vnto the Death 9. Who hath suffered himself to be buryed in the Hart of the Earth with Mee / like One that is deadd 10. Who hath beleeued my Ryseing i Iob. 19. c. Dan 12. b. 1. Cor. 15. b. c 1. Tess. 4. b. from the Death or trusted theron / for to ryse also with Mee / with his Bodye 11. Who hath seene myne k Math. 16. b. Luk 24. f. Act. 1. a. Ascension to God my Father / vnto his Right-hande in y e heauenly Beeing and wayted my Coming l Esa. 25.30 b Mich. 7. b. Phil. 3. d. from thence / to a Righteousnes vppon the Earth 12. Who hath marked that I liue and raigne with m Eccli 24 b. God / and that my Greatnes is more then n 3. Reg. 8. c. â— Paâ— 2.6 b. all Heauens can comprehende whear also no o 1. Cor. 2. b. earthly Vnderstanding· nor all whatsoeuer is borne out of the earthly Blood / can knowe Mee 13· ANd if now ther be anyman that is passed-thorow all these things with Mee or that doth now presently / go-thorow this narrow p 4. Esd. 7. a. Math. 7. b. Luk. 13. Waye with Mee / to the Lyfe / Hee shall vnderstande and knowe the Misterye of the Loue. 14. Hee shall likewyse taste and feele the Pèrfection of all Goodnes and approch to the Loue / in her vertuous Nature and becom of one-beeing therwith 15. Beholde and consider / Thatt is the Grounde of the holy and godly Vnderstanding / touching the Mistery or Secretnes of the vpright Loue. The II. Chap. DYe lustfull Soules to the Mistery of Loue gather out the a 4. Esd. 8. â— Mynde and search no farder For doutles y e Loue suffereth not herself to be approched-vnto vnderstoode nor knowen / neither for this nor thatt / nor through any-maner of Cause let it be by what Meanes soeuer it wil nor thorough any-maner of Mynde or Will but only / by her owne vertuous Nature and louley Beeing / as through herself or through her Seruice For shee Ø›the euerlasting Good excelleth it all farr-away 2. Also / she receaueth nothing of anyman but Shee herself â out of her almighty and vertuous Nature and Spirit is a plentifull Distributrix of her owne aboundant Ritches / as an infinite flowing Ryuer of all godly Goodes alwayes b Gen. 2. b. refreshing the Paradise of the Lorde 3. The Loue is herself / a Nourice vnto her Children and a sure Bande / vnto all those that are incorporated to the euerlasting Lyfe and a mighty Strength which is able to suffer and to endure c 1. Cor. 13. a. althings 4. The Loue is also an d Exo. 3. â— 19. b. 20. b. holy Mountayne the which noman being vnhallowed or vnprepared / may touch or com-neere For whosoeuer toucheth thesame Mountayne / and is not of her Part to him is she a consumeing Fyre â–ª Whose burning Heate e â—sa 33. b. noman can endure / but he which is of her lyke Nature or Seede Whoso resisteth her and submitteth not himself vnder Her and her Seruice / Hee shal be broken and battered to-peeces / like f Psal. 2. â— Esa. 30. b. Ier. 1â— a. â—9 b. a Potters Vessell 5. THe Loue in her Seruice / is an Originall or Begining of all good and vpright Lyfe For through her Seruice / She draweth the Myndes and Thoughts of the Heart away from all that is vayne corruptible and euell 6. She vnbyndeth or looseth the euerlasting Perfection for to com into the Lyfe of the eternall Vncreatednes / in the Kingdom of the God of Heauens / full of all pure Beawty / wherin all earthly and corrupt selfmynded Thoughts / do ceasse / and whear the corruptible Mortalitee / is not beholden 7. For in the Loue / is nothing-els but all Good and Lyfe as also the heauenly and endles Kingdom of Iesu Christ / in full vndisturbable Power / wherin the Myndes of the pure Hearts do dwell free without care or feare / with all g Esa. 35.51 a. Apo. 21. a. Glory and Ioye and with christian Tryumph 8. Which Freedom of the Children of God / which Fulnes of the godly Delytes and of the godly
Lyfe / noman can obtayne / that hangeth his Delyte Will and Lyfe· and tyeth or byndeth himself / on the earthly visible or corruptible Beeing But they remayne vaynly-mynded / in y e Darknes of the vnbeleeueing Myndes â–ª whose h Rom. â— â—â— Epâ—e 4. â—â— Hearts are blynded / with the vayne Comfort of this Worlde and of the good-thinking Wyseones For which Ignorances cause / they cannot vnderstaÌ„de y e right Grounde of the secret Loue. 9. BVt Saluation and i Luk. â— Peaâ—e / be vnto all those that are good of Will and that take-heede to the Tyme of k 1. Cor 6. â—â— Heb. 12. â—â— Grace that giue thier Vnderstanding captiue vnder the Obedience of the Loue and that do euenso with Humble and obedient Hearts / beleeue or trust the Loue in her Seruice 10. Happy are they / whose Deuotion of Heart / God stirreth-vp ther-to· For through the Loue of God the Father / it shall all be l Act. â—â— â— restored-agayne / whatsoeuer is estrainged or turned-away from God / from the Begining of the Worlde· and that is wel-mynded to the Conuertion vnto his God / To th end that it may all â through the Loue stande firme in his vpright Estate / for euer 11. Euenthus it shall all be accomplished in the Loue / whatsoeuer God hath spoken in m Act. 3. â— â–ª tymes-past / by the Mouth of all his holy Prophets For all what is gon-forth n Math. 22. â— â–ª Maâ— 12. c. Luk. 10. â—â— from God in tymes-past â euen from Adam / till vnto Christ reacheth to the Loue / Because that the Loue may in the last tyme â as an euerlasting Remnant growe and blowe and bring-forth her Fruit aboundantly For the Loue / is the Inheritance of the euerlasting Kingdom as an endles safe-makeing Seruice according to the Promyses vnto all and ouer all those that beleeue theron 12. THesame veryly is the o Gen. 12. a. 13. b. 15. a. 17. c. 22. b. Blessing / whicâ— the God of Heauen hath promysed tâ— Abraham and his Seede / to the Blessing· oâ— all Generations of the Earth 13. Of thesame Blessing and vpright Beeing of the Loue / we haue witnessed and set-forth it wryting â with more and fuller Instruction or larger Deâ—laration in the Glasse of Righteousnes / to th end that eueryone â which with our Comunialtee / giueth himself to the Loue â–ª and to the Requyring of her Seruice mought be satisfyed in his Vnderstanding And likewyse to the Peace and Ioye of all Louers of the Trueth which are furthersom to the Seruice of Loue / to the Saluation of many Men / Because that euenso â through p Esa. 32.6 a. b the Loue the Peace may be prepared vppon the Earth / which hath long lyne q Esa. 24. a. waste 13. For the Ende r Rom. 13. b Gâ—l 5. b. â— Timo. 1. a or the Perfection of all Things namely / the Cheef-somme of all Good or all what one can name for Righteousnes and Trueth thatt is the Loue Yea / all what is to be knowen or vnderstood of the godly Things s Cor. 13. a. b. â— Iohn 2. b. 3. b. 4. a. b. thatt is the Loue and her Mistery / is the euerlasting Lyfe The III. Chap. BEholde and consider To that ende hath the Trueth her Flowing-foorth like-as thesame is ymage-lyke or figuratiuely set-foorth or patterned-out â a Exo. 25. â— c. Act. 7. c. Heb â— a. by Moses in the foremer Example for to drawe it all vnder the Loue / euen as thesame is now likewyse â by the holy Spirit of the Loue of Iesu Christ openly and nakedly declared vnto Vs / in the true Beeing But not by Figures Images nor out of the Letter but by the Cleernes and Appeering of the b Mal. 3 a. 4 a Math. 16. c. 24. d. 25. d. Mar. 1â— c. 2 Tess. 1. b. Act. 1. b. Apo. 1. a. Coming of our Lorde Iesu Christ / in his Glory In which Daye or Cleernes of the Coming of Christ in his Glory / the Resurrection of his c Dan. 12. b. Iohn 5. c. 1. Cor. 15. f. 1. Tess. 4. b. Apo. 20. b. Deadd cometh-to-pas who do also liue with Christ / in Glory / and do keepe the Iudgment with Him / against all Vngodlyones 2. This veryly is the true d Esa. 3. b. Sap. 3. a. Math. 19. c. 1. Cor. 6. a. Iudae 1.6 Coming of Iesu Christ who appeereth and cometh now vnto vs / from the Right-hande of God the Father â who is almighty to keepe a righteous Iudgment vppon Earth / euen as is written therof 3. In which Righteousnes / the true Loue of God the Father standeth comprehended or grounded and out of thesame Righteousnes / hath the Loue her Seruice vppon the Earth / to a perpetuall Bannishment of all wicked and euel-willing Nature and to an euerlasting Implanting of the Holyones of God / into his Loue / To th end that the Earth may euenso â through the Loue and her Seruice be renewed· and cleansed from all her Vnrighteousnes 4. But all those that are vnbeleeueing touching the e Rom. 2. a. Trueth· and vngodly or euell of Will / shall also be iudged in thissame Daye / through the Loue and her Seruice 5. Ther shall noman likewyse remayne standing in thesame Iudgment / that resisteth the Loue and dispeth her Seruice For the f Esa. 40. a. 60.62 a. Glory of God is reuealed / through y e Reuealing of y e Coming of Iesu Christ / in the Obedience of the Loue / for that the Earth may be full of the g Num. 14. c. Psal 72. b. Glory of God according to the Promyses / and that all People may walke in the Loue and that the Loue in her Seruice / may euenso â as a Light of Lyfe flourish for euermore / among the Children of Men and gett the h Col. 3. b. Superioritee in their Hearts / to an euerlasting Thanks-giueing vnto God / for their Saluation of Lyfe in the Peace which â by Gods Grace is com vnto them vppon the Earth / through the Loue. 6. Thissame euen as we haue heere witnessed and declared it is assuredly the right Mistery of the Loue. It is also the true Laude of the Lorde â–ª and the Tryumph of Christ with all his Saincts / to an euerlasting Establishing of the Promyses of God the Father and that altogether / through the i 1. Cor. 13. Loue and her Seruice Which Loue and her Seruice / shall â according to the Promyses of God the Father and his Christ continewe from euerlasting to euerlasting It is verytrue The Ende of the second Epistle The Third Epistle A groundly Instruction wherin the Difference betwixt God / the Father and his Sonne / the Lorde Iesus Christ is declared / according to the spirituall and heauenly Vnderstanding Holy Father this is the euerlasting Lyfe That they knowe Thee /
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-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
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
59. a. which seperateth the Man from his God and it is the n Ephe 2 b Middle-wal / as an Enimitee betwixt God and the Man By meanes of which Middle-wall / both God and the Man / are growen into two Parts and are partially-mynded against eaâ—hother Yet ought they both â God and the Man to be o Iohn 17. â—â— Ephe. 5. d One like as it was p Gen. â— â— in the Begining 4. SEing now therfore that they are deuided â either of them in his owne Mynde q Gal. 5. b. against each-other / so is God â r Iohn 4. c. 2 Cor. 3. b. who is a Spirit spirituall and mynded to all vpright Righteousnes / against the Mynde of the Man and the Man â who is s Gen. 6. â— Flesh and Blood· and not yet circumcised t Gen. 10. b. Ier 4. a. 9. c. on the Foreskinne of his Heart / to a Laying-away of the Sinne v Rom. 8. a. is fleshly and vngodly mynded / against the Mynde of God 5. Now doth Gods Loue and Mercie extende towards the Man / as alluring x Iohn â— c. and drawing him dayly â by his gracious Woord and Seruice of Loue and by his Ministers vnto Him and to his spirituall Mynde of vpright Righteousnes But seing that the Darknes / the sinfull Flesh or vngodly Beeing / is growen betwixt God and the Man / as a Foreskinne y Esa. 59. â— Ephe. 2. or Middle-wall and as an Enimitee and that God / is spiritually mynded and the vncircumcised Man / fleshly mynded / according to the Mynde of his Foreskinne of the sinfull Flesh / Therfore doth not the z Rom â— 1 Cor â–ª â—â— Man vnderstande the spirituall Mynde of God the Father neither-yet knowe the good Will of God / that loueth him to Saluation and he beleeueth not God in his Woord nor Seruice but he beleeueth the Darknesses which haue inclosed him and following thosesame Lustes a Ephe. 4. b of Errour / he goeth-back and so sinneth dayly against the Father And thatt is the Sinne that is b Math 12. d. forgeeuen the Man / in his Repentance for the Sinne because of his Ignorance / through Vnbeleefe The III. Chap. NOw moughtest thou demaunde What Spirit or Beeing is this God / of whom the Scripture witnesseth or vnto whom / we ought to turne vs in the Spirit the Answer Of thesame haue we rehearsed in the a Intro 22.23 Introduction to the holy Vnderstanding of the Glasse of Righteousnes But now for to com to the Knowledg of ourselues and to a good Knowledg of our God and his Righteousnes / So wil we to a larger Declaring of our Vnderstanding / touching thatt wherof we speake and to a Distincting of the true Light / y e liueing God / who b Heb. 13. a. was and is and continueth for euer rehearse and testifye heere in this place also / of the Beeing of the only God 2. This God Ø›the Liueing and Verytruone is the true c 〈◊〉 3.1 God of Abraham through whom the d 〈◊〉 12. a Rom. 4. a b Promyses of the Mans Saluation or Blessing do com-to-pas / in his Fayth the true God e Math. 22. d. of Isaac in whom the f Gen. 21. b. Heb. â—1 Promyses be inherited and in whom the Seede of Blessing / is named and the true God of g Act. 7. g. Iacob or Israel in whom the Promyses of the Glory h Num. 14. Esa. 40 a. of God and of the Mans Saluation or i Ier 23 33. â— Blessing / becom established· and k Luk. 1. g. Gods true Righteousnes erected This self-same God / l Sap 5. a. Eccli 24. a. 1. Pet. 2. b. Ieam 1. c. is a verytrue vnchaingable Light a cleere m Ephe. 1.4 b. Apo. 21.22 Daye and a glistering delytfull Beawty 3. This Light / is the n Iohn 14 a. euerlasting· Lyfe of the vpright Righteousnes / an ouerflowing o Psal 42. a. Ier. 2. c. Iohn 4. b. Fountayne of liueing Waters / full of Ioye full of all Sweetnes full of Loue and full of Peace / abounding with Plenty of Grace and Mercie 4. This Lyfe / is the p Iohd 1. a. euerlasting firmestanding essenciall Woord / q 1. Cor 2. a. Heb. 4. b. full of Power and Possibillitee 5. This Woord / is the r Iohn 6. g. Ephe. 1.6 4 d. Intro 23. true Spirit with full Power of Sealing or to an euerlasting Establishing of the liueing Godhead / with the Manhod And thatt is vnto the Man / the Certentee of the Trueth / that Hee Ø›thesame God is only s Psal. 116. b. Iohn 3. d. Rom. 3. a. a very true God 6. This Spirit / is t Sap. 7. c. the holy Wisdom and the vpright Vnderstanding / full of all spirituall heauenly Goodes 7. This holy Wisdom and vpright Vnderstanding / is u Eccli 1. â— the Prouidence which foreseeth euery-thing / that is good and discerneth Lyfe and Death / and giueth Knowledg of the Good / x Pro. 2. â— to a Warning from the Euell 8. This Prouidence / is the Will y Sap. 1. b. which willeth that all thatt which is good / shoulde bee and com-to-light 9. In thissame good Will / is z Heb. 11. a. the Beleefe grounded as a sure and firme Confydence / that all thatt which is good and foreseene to the Good / shal be performed or com-to-light the which the good Will desyreth / that all thatt which is good / may bee becom manifest and liue 10. The Beleefe / a 1. Cor. 2. a. Ephe. 1. c. 3. c Phil. 3. c. is the Power as mighty to bring-to-light all Good / ther-through 11. This Power / is the Deede or the Worke of all Good and b Phil 2. b. the Accomplishment of all the Workes of God 12. BEholde Such a Spirit or Beeing / is the true God / of whom the Scripture speaketh and vnto whom the Man ought to turne him For Hee Ø›thesame God is the right Father who â out of himself and through the like Beeing of his Godhead hath made c â—en 1. a. Psal. 3â— a. Iohn 1. a. Ephe. 3. a. all that is anything And all his d Psal. 19. a. â—9 a. 97. a. Rom. 1 c. Workes do testifye of Him / that Hee Ø›thesame God is an euerlasting liueing and true God / To th end that Hee only / shoulde be e Deu. 6.10 b serued honoured and worshiped in all his Workes / as a great gloryous God f Psal. 10.29 b who only is the Lorde and King 13. This euerlasting God seing that He hath made g Pro. 8. b. Iohn 1. â— all that is anything / through his like Beeing for that thesame like Beeing / shoulde he h Heb. 1. â— an Heire in all Things hath also in the Begining / foormed i Gen. â— c. Sap. 2. c. Thatsame
desyre likewyse of thee / that the Comunialte which is with thee / may also reade this Letter and salute them all in my behalf / e Rom. 16. b. 2. Cor. 13. b. with a Salutacion of the Loue. And if ther be any among you / that are acquaynted with Any-people / whom they knowe to seeke God with Heart or that are no vndiscreet Blaspheamers but stande wel-mynded to the Vnitee of Heart in the Loue / let them also freely reade-ouer this Wryting and loue alwayes the Vnitee of Heart in the Loue to an Increasing of the holy Knowledg and reioyce you among each-other in the Loue / through the spirituall f Ephe. 1. a. heauenly Goodes which do com vnto vs in the Spirit / out of the godly Loue. 4. The Loue of God the Father / g Col. 3. b. gett the Victory in all your Hearts Amen 5. Pray for me / that the Lord wil strengthen me in my Spirit / with his Loue / To th end that I may be strengthened in Him / without Feare and so may stand-fast against all mynâ— Enemyes and that the Concord of Peace may be prepared vppon Earth / through the Loue and her Seruice according to the Promyses The Ende of the Fowrth 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 Fift Epistle A Stirring-vp of the Heart to the Immitation or Following of Christ / in the Suffering of his Crosse Written and sent by HN in the tyme of his Suffering and Affliction / vnto his Freende Wherwith he informeth him / with Vnderstanding and Woordes of Humilitee / because that he shoulde not growe-offended in any thing· but alwayes hope on the Goodnes of the Lorde My Freends hast thou â O Lorde put farr from me thou hast made me loathsom vnto them I lye captiued and cannot com-foorth Myne Eye is sadd with Misery Lorde / I call dayly vnto thee and I stretch-out my Hande to thee Psal. 88. Health and Saluation / be vnto thee my Freende whom I loue to the Righteousnes The First Chapter FOrasmuch â thou Beloued as I haue had certeÌ„ Woordes with thee / touching myne AfflictioÌ„ and Wofulnes of Heart in the Spirit and touching the a Psal. 18. a. 2. Tess. 2. a. Breaking-thorow the sinfull Beeing / for to com to the Kingdom of God and that thou as farr as I coulde perceaue hadst little Sight or Discerning therof and that me thought also / that thou â vp reason of myne Affliction didst more estrainge thyself from me / then gett an Hearty-affection towards me / So is therfore my Spirit becom inclyned to wryte a little vnto thee Wherwith I do shewe / that I rest still in hope that God woulde lighten thyne Heart a little / with the holy Light of his godly Beeing b Ephe. 1. c. and graunt thee to see or to discerne / the right Meaning of my Wordes that I haue spoken with thee 2. For I am very certayne and sure of this / if the Lorde open the Doore of Vnderstanding vnto thee â wherby to see-into the vpright godly Beeing / c Gal. 4. a. Ephe. 4. a. Apo. 21. a. that ought to haue a liueing Foorme in vs that thou likewyse / shalt knowe thesame wheruÌ„to I am inclyned with Desyre and with all my Heart and after the which / I â in the Hope do carry a Zeale or apply my Dilligence / for to obteyne thesame of the God of the Liueing if Hee Ø›the Almighty vouchsafe the Grace vnto Mee Vnworthyone 3. But now am I in many Mens Eyes â as also haply in thyne very ougly and loathsom and therfore d 1. Câ—â— 4. b. contemnable and reiectable with Many But all this cometh vppon mee / because that I am so exceeding weake e Psal. 6. a. 2. Cor. 12. b Apo. 3. c. and feeble and of myne-owne-part / haue no Righteousnes with me nor any Esteemation / according to the outward Man of the Flesh. 4. ALthough â my Beloued that I seeme thus loathsom as also of myne-owne-part / am so altogether weake and voyde of strength and am contemned by all Goodthinking-wyseones false Setters-forth-of-religion and Hipocrites· and defamed f 2. Cor. 6. â— by them / with many false Bruits / Yet wonder not thou neither be offended at thesame as y t thou shouldest therfore turne thy Heart from the Seruice of Loue and from Mee 5. For truly / in that all this cometh-vppon me or in that I am a little whyle g Psal. 8. â— forsaken by the Power of my God and do fynde myself â of myne-owne-part h 2. Cor. 3. â—2 so vnmighty to the Righteousnes of God and am contemned blaspheamed and falsly defamed or accused by Many / it hapneth because that I shoulde not in-any-wyse be stout in my Heart· nor boast myself vppon myne owne Knowledg and Workes nor-yet vppon any i Tess. 2. a. Gal. 1. b. Prayse or Comendation of Men· but highly esteeme of the Grace of God / to th end that the Lorde â and not I mought euen so haue k Psal. 114 b. all Laude Honour and Prayse For Hee only is the Lorde to whom only / all Honour doth likewyse appertayne 6. FOr-that-cause / be not thou offended at the Workes of God / with his Saincts nor-yet at the Contempt which I suffer and beare at the handes of many false Hearts and good-thinking Wyseones and Scriptur-learned But note that the Lorde l Psal 4 a. leadeth his Holyones wonderfully and how that God m Psal. 129. b. Apo. 15. a. is wonderfull in his Workes 7. For n 1 Reg. 2. a. Psal. 113. a. Luk. 2. f. He maketh ritch and poore agayne and then He maketh ritch agayne / because that men shoulde euenso knowe his Ritches rightly and loue them according to their Value 8. He bringeth the Man into a wyde o Psal. 18. c. 31. a. 119. c. Roome and agayne into great Straightnes and Contempt and out of the Straightnes and Contempt / into a wyde Roome agayne / because y t he shoulde rightly knowe his wyde Roome· and liue therin vprightly The II. Chap. THis wryte I vnto thee out of hearty Loue / my Beloued / for that thou shouldest not be discouraged in any thing nor offended in mee neither-yet dismayed in thy Heart in any-wyse / because of my Mysery and Contempt which I do endure or suffer in the like a Rom. 6 a. Phil. 3. b. Death of the Crosse of Christ wherin I follow-after b Math. 16. c. 1. Pet. 2. c. 4. a Christ. But trust firmly vpon him that is the only God 2. Therfore let not thy Heart be mooued for any-maner of thing that thou seest or hearest outwardly but submitt thyself â c 1. Pet. 5. b. with all Humilitee vnder the mighty Hande of God and giue-ouer
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.
therunto / to th end that he shoulde euenso haue all his Ioye Delyte and Lyfe / in thesame Godhead· and remayne incorporated to the d Sap. 1. b. Immortalitee of the euerlasting Lyfe 9. To liue in thissame godly Nature and Kynde / is the vpright Nature and Kynde of the Man as is sayde And thatt is the Commaundement of God and the Lawe of the Lorde / which is geeuen or appoynted Him and it is likewyse Gods e Math. 3. â— 17. a. 2. Pet. 1. b. Pleasure that the Man shoulde liue therin for euer 10. This Commaundement Lawe Will Nature and Kynde / can noman â of his Natures-part breake but he may I graunt â according to the Lusts of his owne Thoughtes and according to the Lusts of his Transgression of the Ordinance of the Lorde stepp out of f Gen. 3. a it and fall from thesame or estrainge himself ther-from euen-as we now do euidently or apparantly fynde that it is so com-to-pas with the Man / and that he perisheth therin / if he repent not 11. For he hath forsaken the g Ier. 2. b. Fountayne of his Lyfe and is becom subiect to the deadly Things and so hath mingled himself with the corruptible Mortalitee By which meanes / all Destruction raigneth ouer the vnrepentant Man and the vnmeasurable lying Beeing hath corrupted his Vnderstanding / with the Knowledg and so hath stolen from him the vpright Mynde of his God in such-sort that hee for-that-cause knoweth or vnderstandeth too-to-little of his godly Nature and Kynde Thissame is the Mans Fall and his Deepe-sinking vnder the Sinne and thatt is the vngodly Nature / against Gods Loue and Nature and agaynst the Loue and Nature of the Man 12. In which vngodly Nature and corrupt Beeing / the Man cannot h 1. Cor. 2. b taste the Ioye of the euerlasting Lyfe / which is godly heauenly and spirituall For in the vngodly Nature / he is generally i Iohn 8. e nothing but deuilish and fleshly k Rom. 8. a. mynded and euenso tasteth only the Earthly and not the Heauenly / and so â out of his Good-thinking taketh on Him thatt which is one with his l Rom. 1. c. Ephe. 4. b owne Sensualitee and not thatt which is one with the Outflowing of the Trueth of God / vnder the Obedience of the Loue. The VIII Chap. BVt according as thou wrytest / thou knowest not what thou shalt saye of y e outward Man But it seemeth / y t thou demaunding of mee / sayest Is not hee likewyse a seruiceable InstrumeÌ„t to his God / in thatt Nature wherunto he is created 2. It is true Hee is likewyse a seruiceable Instrument to his God â–ª namely in thatt Nature â whether it be then the godly or the vngodly to the which he is subiect like-as thesame is sufficiently rehearsed and distincted vnto thee before 3. Therfore haue regarde vnto the Woord and vse a Difference betwixt the inwarde and the outward Man and in what an vpright Estate / the outward Man is likewyse a seruiceable Instrument to his God namely in his vpright Foorme or Estate / as is sayde 4. But without his vpright Foorme or Estate / the Man â for his Sinnes cause is like vnto a marred Instrument a Sap. 2. c. Iohn â— c which is subiect and seruiceable to the Deuill or to the Enimite towards God 5. Thissame hath the kingly Prophet Dauid rightly looked-into / when he saw-into the Mans Fall b Psal. 51. a and acknowledged his Sinnes or Transgression wher-through he lamented his Sinnes and Corruption / in many Afflictions and Sorrowes and that he was like vnto a marred Instrument 6. Euenso haue likewyse the Prophets and Men of God / lamented thissame eueryone / c Esa. 33.59 a Ier 10 a 14 c Dan. 9. a. b when they saw-into the Fall of Men. namely the Fall from their God The IX Chap. FArdermore thou wrytest vnto mee / that thy Vnderstanding or Conâ—eaueing is / that Christ is the Headd of vs all and so must haue many Members and that euery Member is seruiceable to his Headd / in his Kynde 2. Erre not heerin in-any-wyse / thou Beloued Many do saye indeede / out of a lying and vngodly Beeing / Christ is our Headd wheras doutles the deuilish Nature Ø›that Antichrist or Childe of the Deuill is their Headd and they / his Members but not / out of the Creation of God but out of the false Beeing a Iohn 8. Ephe â— a. of the Deuill the which they haue take-on willingly â according to their owne Pleasure as a Contrary-beeing vnto God and do carry or beare thesame / as a Contrary-nature to their vpright Nature or Kynde 3. Veryly such are swallowed-vpp by the earthly Corruptiblenes in whom all Blyndnes and Vnbeleef b Ephe. 2. â— hath is Worke. 4. Therfore also / they are all mynded according to the comon Course of the wicked Worlde and not according to the Nature of the Loue / the heauenly Trueth of God 5. NOw seemeth it likewyse â according to thy wryting that thou wilt not excuse the Flesh of his Sinne / Because that much innocent Blood is sheadd â through thesame with his Knowledg and misunderstanding Wisdom 6. Ah looke-into the matter of fellowship / according to the Trueth How shoulde I pray thee / the innocent Blood be sheadd and liue so wholly in all Wrong and Contrarynes / thorough the Flesh and his Wisdom Vnles that it were estrainged from his right Headd· subiect to the Contrary-nature vnto God / wherof the Deuill is the Headd· and incorporated and seruiceable to thesame / as a Fellow-member of Antichrist / the Deuils Childe and that euenso the Deuill gouerned ouer him who vseth the Flesh â as his seruiceable Instrument to the Iniquitee / according to his Will 7. So long then as any Flesh / is â with his Will inclyned to the Iniquitee and doth not beleeue to be iustifâ—ed or released c Rom. 3 8. a Gal. 2. b. from the Sinne / through Christ / So hath it not Christ to be his Headd nor he is not in all his Nature Beeing and Kynde / natured nor mynded d Rom. â— a according to Gods Beeing and Nature vnles it were so that the Man had â with Good willingnes turned him to God and his Righteousnes and did vpright e Math. 3. a. Luk. 3.13 a Fruits of Repentance / in the Obedience of the Requyring of the Seruice of Loue and that Christ did in that maner / get f Cal. 4. c. his Foorme in Him / wherby to vse the Creature â as his Instrument to all good and profitable Workes / according to his vpright Nature 8. BVt / that Flesh and Blood may not possesse g 1. Cor. 25. f. the Kingdom of God as thou wrytest thatt is right nodout Flesh and Blood hath no Inheritance nor Dominion or Lordshipp in the Kingdom of God For Flesh
And Israel signifyeth vnto vs / A Gods Lorder or One that lordeth with God or preuayleth 9. According to this-very Name hath God also named his owne Name For like as God named himself after the Name of Abraham and Isaac / his Fathers euenso did He likewyse name himself a God of Israel that is / a God of those that lorde or preuayle with God / vnder whom Esau standeth seruiceably submitted and yet is no Heyre in the Testaments of God 10. Beholde Thissame / which is the second Birth or Procreation after Esau and which â in his Ouercoming is by God / named Israel is veryly the true and right Howse of Israel And all that be borne ther-out / are the Lambes and Sheepe of the Howse of Israel 11. Veryly thesame Sheepe that is lost or strayed from this Howse vnderstande the Meaning rightly is the Sheepe i Math. 10. â— 18. b. Luk. 15. a. that is sought with earnest Loue / to th end that the Promyses that are made to the Fathers / shoulde be established on thesame For God wil also be a God and Sheapheard of y e lost strayed Sheepe of the Howse of Israel and bringing thesame agayne to his k Esa. 56. a Eze. 37. c. Iohn 10. b Folde / He wil likewyse be a God and a Sheapheard vnto his Seede / euen for euermore 12. And if thou now hast rightly vnderstood thissame / then looke-vpon the whole Generation of Iuda and the Remnant of the People of Iacob and how that thosesame together with the Generations of Men inasmuch as they are estrainged from their right Stock namely from the Fellow-lording with God are the right lost or erring Sheepe of the Howse oâ— Israel Then agayne looke-vpon the Testament l Esa. 4â— 41 c. Ier 30.31.32 33. Eze. 34.35.36.37 of Promyse / that is promysed to the Howse of Israel and to the Howse of Iuda and how God hath sworne vnto them / that Hee is their Heritage also m Deut. 4. c 32. a Psal. 28.47 a how that they all / are Gods Heritage 13. Beholde â thou Beloued Thesesame / Israel and Iuda that are heere rehearsed vnto thee / are the right Heyres and n Act. 3. c. Children of the Testament in the Promyses of their Fathers wherin God wil establish them / in the last Tyme 14. To which Heritage â according to the Promyses the Heathen are â by Gods Grace o â—sa 42. a 49. ◠〈◊〉 1 d. Iohn 8 b. Act 13. c called and bidden / To th end that they â as Fellow-heyres of the Howse of Israel shoulde liue and raigne with Israel and Israels God / in the true Circumcision / which God hath feâ—t or ordayned betwixt Him and Abraham and his Seede / p Gen. 17. a for an euerlasting Couenant and that-ther shoulde be nomore but one God namely among the Iewes and Heathen 15. Beholde this Grace is chaunced to the Heathen howbeit / not as those that are borne of the Howse of Israel but that are called therto by Gods Grace / because that the Heathen shoulde euenso â by Gods Grace / out of the Beleefe in Iesus Christ be likewyse the Seede of Abraham / in Righteousnes and Holynes q Luk. 1. â—â—phe 4. c. that pleaseth God and shoulde possesse the Citizenshipp in Ierusalem / according to the Promyses 16. Lo heer-vnto is the Man â which is so wholly lost or estrainged from this Dominion with God or Howse of Israel sought and called with earnest Loue / for that he shoulde com to the Heritage of God and Christ which is the Health and Saluation of his Soule as also liue with God and that the God of Israel / shoulde likewyse be his God 17. Consider now / thou Beloued Heer-vppon as I haue rehearsed vnto thee standeth my Sight / touching the lost Sheepe of the Howse of Isarel / that is sought with great Dilligence / by the Lorde and his Ministers / for to bring him r Math. 10. a. 1â— b. Luâ— 15 a. Iohn 10 b. agayne to his right Sheepefolde The XIIII Chap. MOreouer thou wrytest vnto me / how that thou hadst wel hoped that the whole Worlde shoulde once be cleansed from all her Blyndnes and Ignorance so that the Song Allelu-ia / mought â with Ioye be soung heere generally 2. Thatsame is still all my Hope and Longing but the a Esa. 65. b. 2 Pet. 3 b. Cleansing of the Worlde and the Reioycing b Apo. 19 a of the godly Men / cometh not to pas according to Mans Good-thinking but according to the Lords Woord and his Promyses / namely / through the Crosse of Christ wherthrough the Man â in the Cleansing of his Sinnes becometh altogether humbled and abased· and begotten c Iohn â— a. Rom. a. Tit. 3. a agayne or a-newe / out of thesame Death of the Crosse· and made alyue d Rom. 5. â— a. 1. Cor. 15. c. in Christ. 3. For like as the Golde is purifyed in the Furnace of the Golde-smith or thorowly-tryed to fyne Golde / Sap. 3. a. Eccli 2. a. so is the Man likewyse cleansed in the Furnace of the Humiliation of the Crosse of Christ. 4. Out of which Humiliation / the Man cometh to the Obedience of God and Christ of whom he learneth the Humilitee f Math. 11. d. and Meeknes of Heart 5. In which Humilitee and Meeknes of Heart / the Man is blessed and anoynted with the Oyle of Loue That is with the holy Gost / in all Goodnes and Louelynes 6. Beholde this goeth first ouer the Howsholde of God who in their Cleansing from the Sinne / do g Rom. 6. b. 1. Pet. 2. follow-after Christ / in his Death of the Crosse / vnder the Obedience of the Loue and after-that â in their Makeing-alyue in Iesu Christ cometh the Ende h 1. Cor. 15. c. ouer the Worlde For so hath it pleased God / to cleanse the Worlde i Ephe. 2. b. Col. â— c through the Crosse and to saue the Man according to the Scripture 7. Whosoeuer now therfore taketh k Math. 16. c. Luk. 14. c. his Crosse vppon him / in the Obedience to the gracious Woord and his Requyring also â in the Beleefe followeth-after ChristØ›the Godlynes vnder the Obedience of the Loue and so learneth the Humilitee and the Vertue to the l Math. 11. c. Meeknes / Hee likewyse ouercometh the Worlde and the Saluation cometh vnto him with Ioye 8. And a Man that is altogether cleansed from the Worlde and from all vnprofitable and corruptible Things namely by the Baptisme m Rom. 6. â— Col. 2. b. in the Death of Christ which is the right Fount n T it 3. b. of Regeneration hee singeth in his right tyme â according to the Trueâ—h that o Tob. 13. â— Song / Allelu-ia Which signifyeth vnto vs / Laude the Lorde 9. Beholde thatsame as I haue heere rehearsed vnto thee is my Sight / touching the
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
a. Apo 19. a b. is righteous in his Iudgment 4. Thus sayth the holy Spirit of Loue I haue to deale with thee / O all thou Flesh / that art borne of the falne Adam â–ª and likewyse with you all that wil excuse or defende thatsame For this is the righteous Iudgment of my God / ouer you that ye all are i Rom. 2. a. resistant against the Kyndnes of the highest God Who wil now I pray you / iustify or excuse himself against thesame For according to your owne inclyned Mynde / ye haue all doutles fleshed yourselues with the Deuill and so are incorporated to all Euell and Wickednes wherthrough ye haue eueryone â how prudent-wyse soeuer ye be k Apo. 17. b. fought against God and the Lambe / with your owne Wisdom or Good-thinking and â—o haue troden-downe the Loueing-kyndnes of God in yourselues / with Feete· shedd the Blood of the Righteous· and accounted the holy Blood of the true Testament of the Lorde Iesu Christ / for l Heb. 10. f. vncleane shutt y e Glory of God quyt out of your Hearts and so are becom replenished m Math. 23. c with all Vnrighteousnes Wickednes Maliciousnes Mocking and Blaspheamy 5. Ouer-and-aboue this / ye haue couered your euell Deedes / with Hypocrisie wherby to hyde your Vncleannes and Craftynes And in this Falshod / ye haue also sought n Ioh. 5.12 d· Prayse and Honour / on-of-another â–ª sâ—â—t yourselues in Iudgment / which belongeth o Esa. 3. c. Sap. 3. a. Math. 19. c. 1. Cor. 6. a. Iude. â— b only to God with his Saincts· and dealt coueredly trayterously and deceitfully / in your Counsayle of priuy Conspiracies / for to accuse and defame the p Esa. 53 b. Sap. 2 b. Vpright of Heart therby / with wicked Deedes and so wil haue right / in your owne Wickednes and Lyes 6. But in all this your Vnrighteousnes / ye haue loued and defended the Creatures / aboue God attributed the Honour vnto the q Iohn 5. c. Creatures / which only belongeth vnto God and so haue among-each-other / ascrybed the Vertues of God / vnto the Flesh â–ª and drawen the gloryous r Iohn 8. Rom. 6. c 8. b. c Freedom of the Children of God / vnto yourselues so that all your Iudgment is false / and proceedeth out of the Lye and not out of the Trueth 7. Beholde This false Iudgment proceeding out of the Wisdom of the Flesh and out of the crafty and wicked Sight / is com before the Eares of the supreame God s Gen. 6. a. and thesame hath greeued Him For-that-cause hath He now in the last tyme â or in this Oldnes of the tyme taken the righteous Iudgment vnto himself / against all lying Flesh t Psal. 96.98 a. for to iudg with Righteousnes vppon the Earth namely vnto the Good / to a Reward of all Good v Rom. 2. a. but vnto the Euell / to a Reward of all Euell and Wickednes And thatsame is the Light of Trueth and the true x Iohn â— c. Iudgment that God hath now in the last tyme / sent into the Worlde / through his Loue / to the Declaring of y e Righteousnes / for to iudg y Psal 96. b Act. 1â— d. Iude. â— b the Circuit of the Earth with Righteousnes / through thatsame Light / vnder the Obedience of y â— Loue and so to make-manifest the Self-wyseones / with their owne Wisdom· the wicked crafty Sights / with their Wickednes and Craftynes· and y e Prudent and Subtilones / with their PrudeÌ„ce and Subtiltee The III. Chap. COm all hether therfore to the righteous Iudgment of my God / O all ye Flesh of the falne Adam Com and let yourselues be seene in the Light But what auayleth it / ye shall all now be made-manifest before thesame Iudgment / what ye are For all your Nakednes â although ye think to couer yourselues becometh theare layd-bare and ye cannot also with all your owne Power / a Psal. 76.130 Mala. 3. a. Apo. 6. b byde-standing against the vertuous Nature of the Loue. 2. Beholde such a Glistering of Cleernes hath the Loue in her Beawty and Righteousnes / that no Vncleaneone can â with Ioye endure with her nor with her Comunialtee For his Wickednes or Craftynes is manifest ther-against euen-like as it doth also appeere with Many now in this present Daye Therfore hath likewyse no Flesh of the falne Adam / any pleasure therin Wherby it is knowen and manifest / b Esa. 40. a 1. Pet. 1. c. how vayne all Flesh of Adam is / in all his Knowledg Sight and Wisdom 3. Who wil now I pray you / defende the sinfull Flesh any longer / to a Couering of his crafty Nature Who wil â–ª I saye excuse it / in his Subtil-wylynes For ther dwelleth c Gen. 6 a 8. c Ier. 17. b. Math 15.23 b Rom. 7. c no Good-thing in it but nodout / all Hypocrisie and Deceit 4. Truly / it shall not be excused / before the Spirit of Lyfe neither-yet can men also excuse thesame before Mee / wherby I shoulde alow it in any Thing let it then appeere as good or holy as it will but that it is d Rom. 3. d. false and lying / in euery-poynt and can witnes no Trueth / of any godly Things 5. Seing now that the Deceit of the sinfull Flesh with all his Inclynacion according to his owne Sensualitee / is â euen in Experience by the Deede and Trueth becom knowe vnto Mee / through the Light / So cannot I likewyse for-that-cause / trust any Flesh of Sinne neither-yet beleeue nor alow any Iudgment e Deut. 1. b. Iohn 7. c 8. b that it iudgeth according to the Sight of his owne Eyes or according to the Hearing of his owne Eares but am altogether against thesame as that it is wrong in all his Iudgments that are according to the Sight of the Eyes or Hearing of the Eares / and iudgeth Gods Trueth falsly and out of the Lye and I do also testifye against all Iudgment of the sinfull Flesh / that it vseth all his Industry and Prudence / f Phil. 2. c. to the preferment of his Selfnes and euenso iudgeth to his Self-seeking· 6. Beholde / so false lying and deceitfull· and so full of Dissimulation and Hypocrisie / it is in all his Dooing and Leaueing Not only in that â which hath an euell showe but cheefly in thatt wherwith it wil showe itself â with a Shyne of holy Speeches to be holy and vpright and wherin it wil be alowed 7. To conclude ther is nothing but g Psal. 14. a. 58. a. 116. b. Rom. 3. a. b. Lyes and Falshod / in all Flesh of the falne Adam and in all what is borne out of the sinfull Flesh and that hath no Lust to performe the Requyring of the gracious Woord of the Lorde and whatsoeuer it witnesseth affirmeth or speaketh /
is all to the Couering of his Craftynes and false Selfnes let it iustifye or cleere itself then / somuch as it will let it transforme his Countenance to be so woful-hearted / as it will let it sobb let it sigh or lament then / somuch as it will let it speake then so sweete or flatteringly / as it will let it testify then his Sight and Hearing / so perfectly as it will let it also be then so vnderstanding or skilfull / touching y e new Birth· the Loue· the Trueth· and y e Secretnes of God or of the heauenly Things / as it will â if it be not obediently mynded to the Requyring of the gracious Woord and his Seruice So is it doutles all false and nothing but Poyson that it speweth-foorth against the vpright Lyfe of the Soule / wherby to h Iohn 10. a. kill and to spoyle the Peace of the Soule i Rom. 16. b. and to rende y e Concord of the Goodwillingones towwards the Loue. The IIII. Chap. THerfore / O ye young Children / which are borne out of the Seruice of Loue and out of her Spirit / to the God of Lyfe / to the Lande of his Glory / together with ye Disciples and on-coming Men / in the holy Vnderstanding of the gracious Woord of the Lorde / Beware of all sinfull and lying Flesh of Adam and of all Myndes that take-part with thesame a Rom. â—â— â— Gal. â— â— Col â— â— or which do excuse defende or alow thesame in his Vanitee and Falshod / To th end that ye do not committ Whordom therwith nor-yet becom spoyled of the Peace / which ye do inherit vnder the Obedience of the Loue. 2. For all sinfull Flesh / dealeth in Couerednes and Craftynes / with his Lyes and Deceit and those that cleaue-vnto thesame and defende or excuse it for anything that is Vpright / b Act. 7. f. are all Traytors and Imaginers-of-euell towards the vpright vncorrupt Good / which cometh-forth or is witnessed out of the Loue / to an Vnitee of Heart / in the Loue. 3. Therfore be mistrustfull towards all sinfull Flesh / as also towards all vnregenerated Men / which turne them away from the Obedience to the Requyring of the Seruice of Loue / beleeue not the Very-best of them / much-lesse / those whom ye knowe to turne-away themselues from vs and our Doctrine vnder the Obedience of the Loue c 1. Iohn 2. â— and to stand-vpp against the Loue and her Seruice and to vse their Hypocrisie / towards the Comunialtee of Saincts in the Loue. For no Flesh â—that is borne of the falne Adam d Psal. 143. a â–ª Rom. 3 â— shal be â—ounde righteous / when it is iudged according to the Trueth 4. For-that-cause let noman com-before mee with any Mynde of the Flesh for to excuse the sinfull Flesh / how lamentable or wofull soeuer it maketh itself or how holy and vnderstanding soeuer it appeereth 5. Oh let noman tell me any good or vertue / of the lying Flesh nor-yet of the vnregenerated Man / which seperateth himself from the Loue and her Seruice but let eueryone take-heede in the Spirit / to the true spirituall e Iohn 3. b. Birth of the Children of God which cometh out of Heauen / to the Beleeuers of the holy Woord of the Spirit of Loue / vnder the Obedience of the Loue which spirituall heauenly Children of God / are full of all Goodnes and Vertue· and of-one-mynde with Vs / to all Concorde in the Seruice of Loue. 6. Therfore f Math. 24. c. Mark 13. c. Luk. 17. c. beleeue no Men of the Earth / which com vnto you out of y t Flesh and Blood of Sinne and are without the Famyly of Loue but beleeue the Men of God / which com vnto you out of the Seruice of Loue and which descend-doune to you g Iohn 1.3 d. 2. Pet. 1. b. 1. Iohn 1. a. from Heauen / who / are Spirit and Lyfe and haue had their Rest in the Bosom of the Almighty Father / till vnto this last Tyme And from thence do they â in the Obedience of the Loue com agayne now with their God / in Glory h Esa. 3. b. Iude. 1. b for to bring the Iudgment â with Righteousnes ouer the Worlde 7. Beholde thatsame i Iohn 12. d. Iudgment is now kept against all sinfull Flesh. For Hee which iudgeth righteously / hath sett himself vppon his gloryous Iudgment-seate k Math. 24. d 25. d. 2. Tess. 1. a. Iude. 1. b And all his Saincts com with Him / in great multytudes of Hosts for to possesse the Earth with Righteousnes For it is geeuen vnto them l Math. 11. c. 28 b Luâ— 10. d. Iohn â— d by that God / who hath made it all 8. For the Prayer m Apo. 6. b of the Saincts is now hearde and their God cometh to take Vengeance / to a Righteousnes n Psa 96.98 a Apo. 19. a vppon the Earth euen-as is written therof / because that the Will of God the Father / may be don vppon o Math. 6.26 c. the Earth likeas it is in Heauen and that his vpright Beeing with his Saincts / may also beare-swaye thear· the Scripture p Math. 26. f. Luk. 24. e becom fulfilled· and that God may bee all q 1. Cor. 15. â— in all according to the Promyses 9. Beholde Thatt is Gods Glory and the righteous Iudgment of my God Who wil open his Mouth / to speake against thesame lest he com to shame / in his Tongue 10. Therfore shut-too your Mouth / with a Bitt r Psal. 39. a. Luk. 3. a. that ye fall not through your Tongue but s Esa. 30. b. in Stilnes / take-heede vnto God who appeereth and cometh t Iude. 1. b. on the Earth with all his Saincts / in great Glory euen-as is written therof The V. Chap. WHat hath God to doo with you or what careth Hee for your Wayling and Lamenting / O ye flattering Tongues or all yee that wil excuse or defende the Flesh of Sinne For beholde the Lorde shall in thissame Light of the Loue / shame you all in a Psal. 5â— a Math. 25. d. his Beholding and his mighty Hande of Iustice / shall stand ouer you / to a Suppressing of you / till that ye be confounded and remayne confounded for euermore 2. True it is I haue heard a mighty Crye with a great Lamentation and Waylling / vppon the Earth / wher-through / I was almost mooued to Compassion But I went alittle neerer to that Howling and Lamenting And lo / when I considered theron It was the Flesh of Sinne / that wayled and lamented excedingly / b Apo. 18. b because that his Worthynes mought be nomore of Value and for that it was nomore esteemed nor coulde gett any Prayse or Honour anymore and that God with his Saincts / did only gett the Glory 3. But when
vertuous Nature which floweth out of the Loue and her Seruice / as an vncorrupt Milke For with the Loue and her Seruice / ther-is nothing false f 1. Cor. 13. b. euell nor wicked / neither-yet anything deadly nor condemnable but the Fulnes of Lyfe and Peace And whosoeuer is in the Loue and standeth submitted to her Seruice / to shewe Obedience / in him ther-is no Euell Wickednes nor Craftynes 4. But if anyman do imagine any Wickednes or Euell therof and that the Wickednes doth euenso gett place in his Heart / against the Loue and her Seruice / Hee veryly is an Adulterer g Math. 5. â— and committeth Adultry with the Euell against the pure Wedlock of the vpright Loue. 5. Thosame Adulterers and Adultrisses / must beare h Gal. 6. â— their owne Burden or Fault / for their Adultry and Whordom and be afflicted with Greefs / in thosame Workes of their Whordom till that they do acknowledg and confesse their Fault / in the Comunialtee of Saincts / among the Children of Loue and so do submitt them vnder the Obedience of the Loue / to a i Rom. 6.12 a Ephe. 4. e. Renewing of their Hearts or Spirits / To th end that they may euenso be washed and puryfyed / through the Floodd or k Iohn 3 a Tit. 3. a. Water-fountayne of the Loue / to the Forgiuenes of their Sinnes· and turned-about in their Spirit / to be innocent Children / that imagine neither Euell nor Craftynes And whosoeuer then turneth him about in that sort l Math. 18.19 b Mark 10. b. to him cometh the Kingdom of Heauens and the euerlasting Lyfe 6. Therfore let our Conuersation m Eph 4. a. b be vpright in the Loue and let noman knowe nor imagine any Euell nor any Guyle or Wickednes but becom in that maner altogether playne or innocent n 1. Cor. 14. c in Euell / so shal-ther no Euell nor Deceit be founde among you 7. Growe-vp in o 2 Pet 3. c the Vertue and in the godly Wisdom and becom prudent and vnderstanding therin â–ª as also Men and Elders with graye Heare For among those that are growne olde or aged therin / p Eccli 8.9 is the Wisdom and the Concordablenes with the Elders in the holy Vnderstanding Therfore be ye alwayes agreably q Rom. 12. b. â—5 a 1. Cor. 1. a 2. Cor. 12. b. Phil. 2. a. mynded to all Vnitee of Heart in the Loue and take ye all therin your Delyte of Lyfe 8. Also couer not r Pro. 28. b. your Hearts before the Elders in the Famyly of Loue and let noman deale priuily in anything nor hyde anything in secret but let eueryone make-manifest himself as he is and of all what God hath foreseene s Gen. 1. c. 9. a 1. Tim. 4. a. for good and vpright / from the Begining and is edifying towards the Righteousnes / let noman be ashamed / in the Comuniattee of Saincts / whose Hearts stande submitted vnder the Obedience of the Loue. 9. But let not any Contention t Ephe. 4.5 a. 1. Pet. 2. a. â— â— Euell Subtiltee to Wickednes nor any Deceit or Craftynes / be harkened-vnto by you but let it all be layd-doune among you / vnder the Loue. And the Loue of God the Father / get the Victory in that sort in all your Hearts Amen The VII Chap. THese Testymonyes euen-as they are reuealed vnto me in Heauen / by the holy Spirit of Loue / according to the Sentence of the righteous Iudgment haue I â out of inclyned Loue written to the Seruice of you all / my beloued Hearts and to a Declaring of y e righteous Iudgment / wherby to reueale and make-knowen before you all / that no Flesh of the falne Adam / is vngilty a Iob. 4. b 9 a 2â— a Psal. 143. a. before God neither-yet hath it any right in his Iudgment / To th end that it may all becom submitted vnder the Loue and her Seruice and that it may all euenso â thorough the Loue and her Seruice be b Esa. 65 b. 2 Pet. â— b renewed according to Gods Trueth / to an vpright Knowledg and Vnderstanding and to the Amendment and Makeing-wholl of all thatt which is marred or made-euell and that likewyse through the Loue and her Seruice / all Offenciuenes or Euel-conceaueing of the Flesh / mought be c Ephe 4. c. Col. 3. b. layd-doune· and all thatt which is of God and Christ / restored or brought-to-right and that all People mought â through the Loue and her Seruice acknowledg the Goodnes of God and his Merry to an euerlasting godly Tryumph of our God and to the Blessing of all Generations of the Earth according to the Promyses made to the Fathers 2. HEer-with I do salute you eueryone / with a Salutacion of the Loue yee which haue your fellowshipp with vs / to the Obedience in the Loue and euenso with Exhortacion to the Good / salute you all one-another likewyse / with a Salutacion of the Loue. 3. Receaue one-another in-like-maner / with Lessons and Exhortacions to the Loue and her Concord and let your Hearts be set-at-quyet / through the Loue and think vpon no other Righteousnes nor Holynes / but vpon thatt which is requyred by the Seruice of Loue and which bringeth all Loue with it And all whatsoeuer ye doo and leaue all d 1. Gor. 10 d. 16. b Col 3. b. thatsame / doo and leaue / in the Name of the Loue or for the Loues sake 4. Heer-vnto / becom you all agreeably mynded as loueing Children in the Loue / then can-ther no Discord nor any Euell nor Offenciuenes / gett any place among you But your Course-of-lyfe shal be in the Loue and in Peace and God shall be with you and ye shall vnderstand e Math. 13. the Iudgments of God and their Secrets And noman shal be able to spoyle you of the right Freedom / which we haue in the Loue of Iesu Christ. With which Lyfe of the vpright Beeing of the Loue / God hath shewed Mercy on vs / to the end that we shoulde liue loueingly sweetheartedly and peaceably therin / vnder the Obedience of the Loue. To the which God of Loue only / belongeth f 1. Tim. â— b. 6. b. the Honour and all Laude and Prayse for euermore Amen The Ende of the Seuenth Epistle The Eigth Epistle A cleere Distinction of the Submission and Vnsubmission in the Spirit With certen groundly Informations and Instructions SeÌ„t vnto a Louer of the Trueth / at his hearty Request Very profitable and seruiceable / to the Knowledg of the Godlynes Beholde how that I haue not laboured for myself only but also for those that desyre Information Ecclesi 33. Heer-with be vnto the my Beloued LW / Health and Saluation The First Chapter FOrasmuch as Mercy is chaunced vnto mee / thorough the Loue of God the Father / therfore is also my Spirit inclyned
of God 3. So consider then â thou Beloued y t Gods liueing Woord / is an euerlasting Beeing / which was c Heb. 13. â— in the Begining which is now and which shall com 4. Whersoeuer or vnto Whomsoeuer Gods liueing Woord hath a Breaking-thorow / thear doth then thesame Woord / witnes of Christ / according to the Trueth And whatsoeuer it doth then speake of ChristØ› d Iohn 3. â— the euerlasting Day-light / thatt doth it not speake / that thesame Christ is then begining nor-yet then ending but thatt Christ of whom it then speaketh / Hee was in e Iohn â— a. the Begining and is likewyse then present f Iohn 9. c. euen-as y e Woord speaketh of Him And vnto all Those / which haue not yet receaued the Woord neither that it is g Iohn â— e. declared vnto them Christ is likewyse for to com And not otherwyse It is verytrue 5. All what Esaias speaketh of Christ thatt speaketh hee h Esa. 7.9.11 as present / who notwithstanding / was in the Begining who likewyse hath i Esa. 53. â— 1 Pet. 2. c suffered for the Sinne of Adam Who was euenso k Iohn 1.2 b Act 2 c. 10. e 1. Cor. 15. a reuealed likewyse after-that / in the Tyme that was to com 6. Euenthus is Christ in all poynts / l 1. Cor. 15. c. the First and also the Last who in his Coming / is manifested m 2. Tess. 1. b 1. Timo 3. b 1. Pet. 1. b. gloryously in Power according to the Promyses The V. Chap. ALso thou desyrest a Resolusion of mee Whether y t yee likewyse among yourselues / may â with Speakable-woords informe one-another to the Knowledg â thewhyles ye are not yet com to the Beeing that is spoken-of and may admonish each other therunto with Reuerence and so may exhort-one-another for to com to the vertuous Disposition and Nature of God 2. I can but meruell that thou demaundest that Question of me For all our Doctrine Hearts-lust Will and Desyre is like-as I haue also talked with thee therof that all Bretheren and Sisters which are comprehended with vs vnder the Obedience of y e Loue / in one Fayth· and entred into the first Schoole-rule of the christian Doctrine of y e Seruice of Loue or which submitt them ther-vnder / shoulde â with Dilligence and Affection to y e good Beeing assist a Rom. 15. b. 1 Tess. 5. b. Heb. 10. c. and exhort one-another to thesame as-likewyse to the Knowledg that is the right Knowledg / which stretcheth to the Loue and to the Obedience of her Seruice and so with Reuerence b Rom. 12. b. Phil. 2. a. 1. Pet. 5. a. to admonish each-other giueing the Honour to the Elders in the holy Vnderstanding as Fore-goers of the Congregation / to the good Beeing c Phhil 2. c. 1. Tâ—ss 5. b. 1. Tim. 5. b. Heb. 13. b. vnto whose Woord or Exhortation / ye shall also â to a Seruiceablenes of the Loue and to the Saluation and Peace of the Congregration giue-eare / with Deuotion to the Good and with Longsufferance / to th end that noman speake rashly but d 1. Cor. 14. â— orderly and peaceably to the Edifying of each-other 3. Beholde thatsame â as is sayde is our Will and Counsayle vnto all those y t heare vs and submitt them vnder the Seruice of Loue. 4. If-so-be then that thy Heart and the Heart of those that are with thee / haue a Lust to the good Beeing / then deale in this maner among eath-other and tarry one for another and let your Woords be loueing e Rom. 12. b. Col. 4. a. 1. Pet 3. â— and talke dayly with each-other / of the Peace and so increase in the vertuous Nature of the Loue. 5. Thus doing the christian Ceremonyes shall haue their right Ministration among you according to the Trueth / to an f Iohn 17. b. Ephe. 4. a. Vnitee in the Loue. For thatt is it which God requyreth And so shall ye increase from the g Math. 18. a. simple Childhod of the spirituall Generation and grow-vp to the Age of Christ h Ephe. 4. â— or to the Perfection But i Gal. 1. a. 5. b. intangle not your Consciences / among each-other 6. Let the Eldest in the holy Vnderstanding / informe the Youngones and serue them with Foode k Math. 24. c. Ephe. 6. a. 1. Pet. 5. a. of Nourishment / ther-after as they can beare it 7. Let the Strong go-before l Rom. 15. a. 1. Cor. 9. c. Gal. 6. a. 1. Tess. 5 6. the Weakones and help to beare their Burden / in their Greefe 8. The Good-willingones to the Loue / ye shall not greeue with any Burdening but shall holde-foorth all Loue and Peace before them 9. To the Vnwilling and m 2. Tess. 3. Slothfulones to the Obedience of the Woord and his Trueth / ye shall holde-foorth the right Obedience of the Trueth / shewing them that they are not n Rom 8. b. Debtors to the Euell nor to the slothfull Idlenes· but vnto God If they then becom good-willing to the Loue and her Seruice / with all Dilligence then are their o Iam. 5. c. Soules wonne 10. But the Blaspheamers p 1 Timo 6. a 2 Timo. 2 c. â—he Contenders with the Scripture and all q Pro â— b. Esa. 5 c. Self-conceited-wyseones together with those that turne them away r 1. Iohn 2. b. from Vs and our Doctrine and besydes thesame / bring-in or cause Offence and so do make s Rom. 16. c. Breache or Diuision / ye shall let-passe and not deale â–ª anything-at-al with them till that they do see or / knowe their Fault and haue gotten a conuerting Heart to our godly Doctrine· and to the vertuous Nature of the Loue and so are wel-mynded with Vs / t Iohn 17. c. Ephe. 4. a. to the Vnitee of Heart in the Loue and do submitt them vnder the Loue and her Seruice / to shewe concordable Obedience 11. According to all this maner / let vs dayly â vnder the Obedience of the Loue obserue and vse such things to the Prayse of our God and to our Peace and Saluation / and let vs comfort the 1. Tess. 5. b. Feeble-mynded and Sorrowfulones / with godly Exhortacions For thatt is the Loue which we ought to haue one towards another / through the Loue of God the Father wherwith He hath shewed Mercy on vs. The VI. Chap. HEerwithal my Beloued â as with this small Instruction be thou therin content for this tyme. I hope that thou shalt also be well satisfyed therwith 2. And if thou doest â with Deuotion towards God looke into this Instruction / according to the Trueth / then knowe I well / that our Loue and Fauour shewed vnto thee / shall breede in thee no Dispiseing or Contrary-sight against thesame that is ministered vnto thee and thou shalt likewyse wel
Trueth with Heart· take-heede â with Lust and Dilligence to the godly Seruice of Loue and the Requyring therof / wheron we witnes· and shewe good-willing Obedience to the Loue and that they wil not slenderley nor lightmyndedly esteeme of y e proffered Grace / r 2. Cor. 6. a. in thissame precious Tyme / which is full of Perills The III. Chap. MOreouer Ye do all of you with one-accorde / seeme â by your wryting to request at our Brothers hande / that he wil procure mee to wryte a small Exhortation vnto you / according to the Requyring of your Letter the which is so performed by our Brother and to doo thesame / hath also bin my Good-will euen from my Heart 2. But when I looke-into your Wryting or do consider therof / ye Beloued / so is the Cheefest-thing that ye wryt of and wherin you do likewyse complayne / that ther are no auncient Elders nor Fathers among you / that mought exercise the Woord of Exhortation / to the Edifying a Ephe. 2.4 b Tinno 3. b of the Howse of God 3. Oh! to heare this Complaynt made by you â ye Beloued goeth somwhat neere my Heart And most-of-al / for that the Vnderstanding and the Experience in the Woord which is b 1 Tess 1. a. 2 Pet. â— b. administred vnto you by the holy Spirit of Loue· and heald-foorth before you / vnder the Obedience of thesame Loue is yet so little fruitfull among you or for that ye are yet so c 1. Cor. 3. a â–ª Heb. 5. c young and chyldish therin 4. Ah-beloued How remayne ye â I pray you thus young or of smal-vnderstanding in this our Ministration of the holy Woord / y t ye take not thesame to heart â with Dilligence and Feruencie to a d Ephe. 4. b Col. 1. b. Growing-vp in the holy Vnderstanding / wherby to becom auncient Elders and vnderstanding Fathers yourselues / in thesame holy Vnderstanding and Woord of Grace / which is ministred vnto you out of the liueing Godhead and out of the Seruice of his Loue and heauenly Trueth 5. Beloued looke â of-fellowship rightly into to the Woord that is ministred vnto you and consider / Whether is-ther anything wanting or withhealde from you / of any of that which is needfull for you / for to be nourished-vp therin to becom Elders and Fathers 6. Is not the Woord ministred vnto you / with full Instruction Is-it not all groundly and cleerly discouered vnto you in Wryting / whatsoeuer is profitable for you to knowe to your Saluation Or is-ther noman among the Congregation / growen so bolde in the Woord / to exhort the others for to be e Math. 7 c. Luâ— 6. c. Iam. â— c. obedient to thesame Woord / in thatt which it requyreth wher through he mought edify f i. Timo. 4 b and teach both the Congregation and also himself / to the Obeying of the Woord to th end to obtayne in that maner / g Rom. 12. b. 15 a. 2 Cor 13. b. an vpright Mynde and a louely Beeing with eachother The which is the Principallest-thing wherunto the holy and gracious Woord of the Lorde is administred / out of the Loue and through thesame Spirit Or woulde ye much-rather haue the Elders in the Woord / alwayes among you / outwardly according to the Flesh for to haue Instruction of all Things / according to the Desyres of your Knowledg 7. O no â ye Beloued Sett not the Desyres of your Hearts / only to the Knowledg but much-more to h IaÌ„hn 13. b 1. Pet 1. b c. the Obeying of the Requyring of the Woord For the Instruction tending to the Knowledg although the vayne-mynded People haue almost eueryone a Lust ther-vnto / at the hands of their Wyseones is not the Cheefest-poynt of our Seruice But the Cheefest-thing that the Woord and our Seruice requyreth / is i 1 Reg. 15. b. Oze 6. b. Obedience / to th end to enter euenso â in Obedience into the vpright Lyfe through the Death k Rom. 6. and Suffering of Christ / like-as we haue rehearsed before in many Places and also in the Glasse of Righteousnes 8. Heer-unto exhort l Rom. 15. b. 1 â–ª Tess. 5 b. Heb. 10. c. you one-another and let the Eldest or he that is Most-obedient in the Woord or y e Boldest / haue the Preheminence for to speake of the Woord / with all Humilite â like-as thesame is m 2. Pet. 1. c. ministred vnto you through the holy Spirit of Loue and of thatt which the Woord requyreth and so to exhort the Congregation / to the Obeying of the Requyring of thesame Woord 9. Whatsoeuer now the woord requyreth â–ª therin shewe you then Obedience / good-willingly and concordably to gether / like obedient 1 Pet. 1. b. Children and like right Disciples of the Woord and so indeuour you toward the Age of the holy Vnderstanding and to grow-up c Ephe. 4. b. therin / simplely / To th end that yee when ye do attayne to the Dayes of Agednes may with like Ioye / reioyce you with Vs / and wee with you / in the louely Beeing of God and vertuous Nature of the Loue / which is heald-foorth before you / out of Fauour / vndeserued The IIII. Chap. Euen-thus veryly â ye Beloued like-as I do heere rehearse vnto you / out of Loue and exhort you therunto / a Ephe. 4.6 Col. 1. b 1. Pet. 2. a. so growe-up in the Woord of Trueth of the holy Spirit of Loue. namely / out of the Youngnes or Weaknes of your Beeing / into the Age b Ephe. 4. b of the manly Beeing of Christ that is to be incorporated to God / according to the inward Man· and herited with Christ / in the Kingdom of the God of Heauens To th end that yee / as Fathers in the Famyly of Loue â who are taught to the Kingdom of God c Math. 13. â— .. may bring-foorth out of the Treasure of your Hearts / the Newe and the Olde namely the True and the Figuratiue But thatt altogether to the Seruice of the Congregation of the Howse of God 2. Beholde if ye growe-up thus Heerin / then shall ye alwayes haue auncient Elders and Fathers among you / which shall minister the Woord of Exhortation vnto you / with holy Vnderstanding and you shall not also fayle nor want anything d Math. 6. c. of all what is needfull for you 3. Therfore â ye Beloued be you one-with-another wel satisfyed Heerin and proceed-on e Phil 4. a. concordably in the Woord of the Doctrine of the holy Spirit of Loue. 4. Exhort likewyse one-another dayly to Quyetnes and Vnitee of Heart For any of all thatt what is profitable for you to knowe / we desyre not to withholde from you but to bring vnto you / all that is needfull for you and that your Vnderstanding can reache For the Tyme cometh and is now alredye com /
that the Foode or the Bread of Lyfe shal be f Math. 24. d ministred and heald-foorth open-ly in Cleernes / vnto eueryone that beleeueth the Woord of the Seruice of Loue and that sheweth faythfull Obedience therunto To the Young Children / g 1. Cor. 3. c. 1 Pet. 2 c. a according to their Youngnes / to the Weake / h Rom. 14.15 a. Gal 5. a. according to thier Weaknes / to the Strong-youngmen / i Heb. 5. b. according to their Abillitee or Strength / and to the Elders / according to their Auncientee or Oldenes 5. Euenthus shall now in thissame Daye of Loue / the right Foode Ø› k Iohn 6. f. the Woord of Lyfe be ministred l Math. 24. c. 2. Timo. 2. b. in the right tyme· also prepared for eueryone / according to his Stomack· and distributed for a Nourishment of his Soule And thissame Bread or Woord of Lyfe that is com-downe out of Heauen / vnto vs Littleones and Elected of God â for a Foode of Lyfe m Exo. 16. a. Psal. 78. b. Sap. 16. c. Iohn 6. f. shall likewyse be for a Taste of Foode vnto eueryone / according as he would willingly eate 6. Happy are those which now in thissame Daye / haue sounde and strong Stomacks â–ª and can beare the Foode howsoeuer it be prepared or in what maner it is ministred / out of the Woord of Lyfe and can receaue or eate thesame to a Nourishment of their Soules and so can indeuour them n 1. Cor. 14. a. Col. 5. b. to the Loue. 7. Yea thosame â if they growe vp o Ephe. 4 b. therin obediently / till vnto the Age of the holy and godly Vnderstanding shal be founde the auncient Elders and Fathers in the Family of Loue who also shall vnderstande p Math. 11. c. 13. b. Ephe. 3. a. Col. 1. c. the Secretnes of the Woord· and minister q Math. 24 â–ª b or bring the woord of Lyfe â out of the Testimonyes of the holy Spirit of Loue vnto the Disciples of the Woord / in the right or conuenient tyme / according to eueryones Nature or Estate namely to the Youngones or to the New-borne Babes / r 1. Cor. 3. a. the Milke of the woord / to the Sick or Weakeones / s Rom. 14. a. the Medecinable-broth of the Woord / and to the Youngmen or Strong-ones / t Heb. 5 b. the Bread and strong Foode of the Woord And that altogether / to a Growing-vp v 1. Cor. 13. b. Ephe. 4. b. into the manly Age of Christ. 8 O Ye Beloued according to this Pattern euen-as I do Heere prescribe thesame vnto you in Wryting / see that you indeuour yourselues among each-other in the Loue and haue a good regard vnto thatt which is heald-foorth before you / to a Consolation of your Soules 9. Turne your Hearing therunto and comprehend or coÌ„ceaue thesame in your Thoughts and so out of the goodwilling Obedience to the Requyring of the Woord and his Seruice of Loue / learne to knowe in the Spirit of your Inwardnes / the right Oldestone the right Father and the true Sheapherd x 1. Pet. 2. c. or Bisshopp of your Soules / which is the y Iohn 17. b. spirituall Woord of the heauenly Trueth the holy Spirit of Loue the Light or the Daye of Loue z Iohn 14. a. and the euerlasting Lyfe itself / wheron we do witnes and poynt 10. For wee are nomore but a Iohn 1. a. witnesses of the true Beeing of the Loue / which we minister vnto you / and b 1. Cor. 4. â— 2. Cor. 6. a. Ministers of the holy and gracious Woord / for to declare â vnder the Obedience of the Loue the godly Cleernes and heauenly Ritches of God the Father â which out of Grace / are appeered and brought vnto vs out of Heauen / by the Father of Light among the Children c Ephe. 3. a. of Men. 11 Which Grace Light or Cleernes â–ª and thosame heauenly Goodes / all they d Ephe. 3. a. 2. Pet. â— a. likewyse do enioye and be Co-partakers therof / which submitt them with vs vnder the Obedience of the Loue and haue their Fellowshipp with our Fellowshipp / in all Loue. The V. Chap. MY intyrely beloued Freendes and Bretheren in the Loue of Iesu Christ Vouchsafe for this tyme / to be content with this my harty Exhortation and small Seruice and ensue or performe first-of-al / thatt which is heald-foorth before you a Math â— a. Luk. 3 13. a A â–ª 2 â— c for a Begining of the christian Lyfe and so then growe-vp ther-out / b Ephe. 4. b. to the Perfection of the christian Lyfe and to the Oldnes of the holâ— and godly Vnderstanding and minister you dayly the Woord of Trueth vnto eachother euen-as thesame like-as it is also before sayd is ministred vnto you through the holy Spirit of Loue and as it is yet dayly heald-foorth vnto you 2 Add not any Prudence of Natural-reason therto Defend nor couer not likewyse c Gen. 3. â— Math. 25 â–ª c y e Craftynes of the Flesh / with the Natural-reason as that ye shoulde â with the Industry of your Good-thinking drawe-awaye d Deut 4.12 d or take-out anything or any Sentence therfrom / tending to anâ— Pleasure vnto the Desyres of your Flesh but receaue or accept it all e Ephe 6 a Col 5. c. wiâ—h simple Hearts / to your Edifying and to the f Ier 7. a. 25. a 35. b. Amendment of your Lyfe and Beeing and remember vs alwayes to the Good Wee wil not also forgett the Ministring of the Woord / vnto you all 3. But although ye coulde quyte forgett Vs / yet cannot wee forgett You. For we haue borne you in our Hearts and ye haue druncke g Cant. â— â— Esa. 66. b. of the Milke of our Breasts and eaten of one Bread with vs. 4. Therfore are wee likewyse dayly carefull ouer you like vnto a naturall Moother that alwayes beareth a Care ouer her Children / for to prouide thatt with Dilligence / which is needfull for them 5. If now the naturall Moothers haue such a Care ouer their naturall Children / shall not then the spirituall Moothers / now in these perillous Tymes / beare much-more a godly Care dayly ouer their spirituall Children of Sion / h Esa. 66. a. which they beare to the God of Lyfe / for to bring-them-up in all Health and Godlynes / to their full Age / vnhindered Yes nodout For veryly / the spirituall Procreation and the spirituall or inward Mootherly-loue / doth farr exceede the naturall It is verytrue 6. For-that-cause â ye Beloued inclyne not to the earthly and i Rom. 6.12 â— corruptible Beeing but suffer yourselues to be nourished and taught by the Seruice of Loue â–ª and through thesame / drawe-away k Rom. 13. b Gal. 5. b. 1. Pet. 2. b. your Myndes
and Thoughts / from the earthly fleshly and corruptible Beeing / and incorporate or ymplant them to y e heauenly and spirituall vncorruptible Beeing / for to bring-foorth l Iohn 15. b. Fruits of Lyfe / like m Psal. 144. c Esa. 17.60 louely Plants of Righteousnes 7. Heer-vnto exhort one-another in-anywyse and let all your Myndes and Thoughts stand alwayes submitted to the heauenly Trueth and n Col. 3 a. taste euenso in the Spirit of your Mynde / the spirituall heauenly and euerlasting Good and take therin your Ioye among each-other The VI. Chap. THe Lorde which is the a Iohn 1 8 b 1 Iohn 1 a. Iam. 1 b. Light of the euerlasting Vncorruptiblenes giue vnto you all / Eyes of Cleernes / that ye may see and perceaue b Math. 13 b. Luâ— 8 10 c and Hearts of Vnderstanding / that ye may vnderstande and comprehend the great Acts and wonderfull Workes of God which God worketh in these last Dayes 2. For now â out of the Power of God the c 4. Eâ—â— 6. â— Apo 5 a Prophecies â which haue bin shutt d Esa 29 b Dan 22 b or sealed-too a long tyme becom opened / through the Seruice of his holy Spirit of Loue and their Secretnes / playnly declared e Rom. 16 c. Ephe 1 3. a Col. 1. c 2. Timo. 1. b. also nakedly seene into and knowen in the Trueth and euenso published likewyse 3 The Booke of the Lambe â that is written within and without is also seene and read and his seaueÌ„ Seales â f Apo. 5.6 â— b wherwith it was shutt or sealed-too opened Through which Opening of his seauen Seales / g Apo. 14. a. the Iudgment of God is appeered and com ouer the Worlde / for to iudg thesame with h Act. 17. b. Righteousnes 4. And after the Opening of the seaueÌ„ Seales / the seauen Angels of God namely from the First Angeel foorth / till vnto the Seauenth haue all likewyse sounded with i Apo. 8 9.1â— their Trumpets And wee haue heard with our Eares / that the seauenth Angell hath sounded the seauenth Trumpet 5. For after the Sounde of the seauen Trumpets / the greate Voyces in Heauen became saying k Apo. 12. â— The Kingdoms of this Worlde / are becom our Lordes and his Christs and they shall raigne for euer and euer 6. Haue a good regard theron and Vnderstand the righteous Iudgment of God / l Iohn 12. c. which now in thissame last Daye goeth ouer the Worlde 7. HEer-with â ye Beloued I salute you eueryone / with a Salutation of the Loue. Imbrace and kisse you likewyse one-another to all m 1. Pet. 5. b. Concord and Peace / in thesame Loue n Col. 3. b. forbeare also one-another in the Loue haue Compassion likewyse with o Rom. 13.14 1. Cor. 9. c. Gal 6. a. eueryones Ignorance and informe eueryone also p Rom. 12. b. with Reuerence and that altogether / in the Loue. 8. And when any speciall Matters com before you / wherthrough ye are burthened or wherwith ye are combered / then be bolde therin in-anywyse / to wryte-ouer thosame vnto mee I proffer my self alwayes to doo you seruice 9. Also when ye haue attayned vnto the Tyme that it is needfull that the Seruice of Loue be more-lardgly declared vnto you / then ye haue yet heard / then shal-ther nothing be with-heald from you but be all brought vnto you / out of Loue. 10. Fare-well and be you valyant The Loue of God the Father keepe the q Phil. 4. b. Col. 3. b. Victory in all your Hearts Amen The ende of the Tenth Epistle The Eleuenth Epistle A Rebuke and Exhortacion out of harty Loue / serueing to a Reformation vnder the Obedience of the Loue and to a Repentance for their Sinnes / vnto al those that think themselues to be wyse and do therfore blaspheame our Seruice and our Comunialtee in the Loue and iudg vs falsly Also for a Warning vnto all simple Hearts / that submitt them obediently with vs / vnder the Loue and her Seruice An open Rebuke / is better then secret Loue. Prou. 27. Curssed be hee that smyteth his Neighbour priuily or trayterously and all the People shall saye / Amen Deut. 27. e. A Backbyter / bewrayeth all what he knoweth in secret but who so is of a faythfull Heart / hee hydeth thesame Pro. 11. The Woordes of the Backbyter are lyke vnto Strypes and they enter into the innermost-part of the Heart A venomous Mouth and a wicked Heart / is lyke vnto an Earthen-pott / couered-ouer with Siluer-drosse Psal. 101. Pro. 26. Iam. 4. Health and Saluation / be vnto all those that submitt them with vs / vnder the Obedience of the Loue. The First Chapter WHERfore do the People rage or a Psal 2.59 a. Act 4. â— murmur why do they constreu our Woordes to y e worst / wherwith they be exhorted to the b 2 Pet 1. b. Entraunce into the good Lyfe Why do they think c Math. â— a. Euell of vs in their Hearts Why do they d Deut 27 â— Ier 18. c. smyte vs priuily / with their Backbyting Why shoote they out their venemous e Psal. 11.57 a Arrowes after vs / behynde our backs And wherfore do many mock at Vs as though the God of Israel / were not our God· and the Lorde Iesus Christ / our Sauiour 2. O ye Backbyters with your false Tonges and ye Declyners from the true Doctrine of the Seruice of the Loue of Iesu Christ as also ye ignorant People / which do now make-vp yourselues against Vs and against our Loue shewed on you / f Ioel. 2. b. Act. 3. c. Turne you about and repent and torment not yourselues so-much I aduise you / with your Ignorrance least ye g Gal. 5. b. consume your owne Hearts Keepe your venemous Arrowes in your Quyuers hardly and your false Seede / in your Basketts 3. For doutles ther are more then too-many of the venemous Arrowes shott-foorth anâ— ther is more then enough of the contencious euell h 4. Esd. 4. c. Seede sowen Let it once suffyâ—e I pray you / to spit-out your Venom and naughty Seede / against God and his holy Maiestee / the Howse of his Loue. 4. Wherfore â I praye you wil ye murmur against God and his Holyones· dispyse Gods Maiestee Ø›the Habitacion of his Loue and â through the Wickednes or Enuye of your Hearts i Rom. 8. d. blame his chosen Ministers seing y t ther is no euell happened vnto you by them 5. Looke into yourselues I beseeche you Is-it not your owne Euell y t seperateth you from vs and from our Loue which we beare towards you and which falleth vppon you / thorough your owne Opinions or Good-thinking and which likewyse bringeth all Trouble Sorrow Payne k Sap. 11.12 â— and Greefe vppon you· and all peruerse Opinions or euell Imaginations
d Act 1. b. 7. g Ephe. 1. c. Col. 3. a. Heb. 1. a. 10. â— 11. â— out of Heauen according to y e Scripture / On which Daye / the Circuit of the Earth namely eueryone in thatt which he is the Liueing and Dead the Good and Euell the Lightes and Darknesses the Trueth and Lye the vpright Vnderstanding and the Ignorances of Men shal be iudged e Act. 17. d· with Rightousnes For in thesame shall eueryone receaue his Rewarde / according to his Nature f Ier. 17 b. Math. 16 c. Rom. 2.14 b. 2 Cor. 5.6 Apo. 2. c. or fruiâ—t of his Workes 3. Happy is hee that submitteth himself humbly and obediently vnder thissame Daye of Loue also giueth g Pro 1. a. 2. a 3. a. 4. a. 5. a. Eccli 6. c. eare to y e Seruice of Loue and to thesame holy Woord that is ministred therout and setteth not himselfe to be a â–ª Iudg ouer the Workes of God nor ouer the Testimonyes of the holy Spirit of Loue neither-yet is wyse h Pro. 3. a. Esa. 5. c. Rom. 12. b. in his owne conceit but giueth God the Honour / that He himself is the very-true Lorde and Iudg / in his Daye and in the Seruice of his Loue and so taketh-heede to the Loue of God the Father / to his Preseruation Amen 4. MY Beloued as I haue vnderstoode by the Mouth of thy Freende / when I was with him in Friesland / thy Request was vnto mee / that I woulde wryte a little vnto thee But I coulde not wel comprehend nor perceaue by his Woordes / what mought be thy Seeking or Desyre therwith As whether thou didst desyre to be taught or edifyed by the holy Woord / which we minister vnder the Obedience of the Loue or-els whether thou desyeredst to iudg thesame / according to thyne owne Good-thinking 5. Seing then that many Heartes do com before vs now / with Deceipt notwithstanding / I hope otherwyse of thee and that wee by-that-occasion / do not willingly wryte vnaduisedly or vnforesightfully vnto anyman that desyereth it of vs / Therfore woulde we gladly at the first / heare to what ende Those that seeke any Seruice at our Handes / do desyre our Seruice / i 2. Cor. 5. â— 1. Tess. â— b. which proceedeth out of Gods Counsayle and Wisdom 6. And besydes thatt / because I coulde not vnderstande thy Mynde or Intent / by the Message that was don vnto me by Mouth / therfore haue I refrayned from wryting vnto thee at that tyme but did by him returne Message vnto thee / by woord-of-mouth / that I woulde com to thee about Sainte Martines-tyde / for to talke with thee myself by Mouth 7. But because ther is now somwhat-els com vnto me / which hath hindered me from coming to thee / therfore haue I heere now by this Bearer / written the Cause vnto thee / why I did omitt to wryte vnto thee at that tyme. 8. But I hope that thou wilt not be offended heerby nor-yet think / that my Will is therfore to forsake the Seruice of the holy Woord / wherunto the God of Lyfe hath k Gal. 1 b. Ephe 1. b 3. â— 1 Timo. 1. a. elected Mee / through his Loue / for to assist and to be seruiceable vnto my Neighbour / toward thesame Loue of God the Father namely to the Needy l Esa â–ª 58. a. or Poore of Spirit and to the Broken or m Psalm 34 b 51. b. 147 a Esa. 57. b. Striken of Heart Or-yet thaâ— I woulde not vouchsafe to wryte vnto thee 9. O No â thou Beloued my Heart or Mynde standeth not so bent / as to forsake the Good and his Seruice or that I shoulde not vouchsafe to serue eueryone ther-with but I stande alwayes good-willingly bent therto For I do not serue nor labour for myself only n Eccli 24. d. 33. c. but likewyse for all Those that loue and desyre Informacion The II. Chap. HOwbeit â my Beloued I woulde doutles very-gladly haue spoken with thee by Mouth myself / if the tyme woulde haue serued therto / Because that I haue heard by Somme / that thou art not well content or satisfied with the sincere Wisdom or Vnderstanding / which is com vnto vs Littleones and Lowely-hearts / a Sap. 6. b. Iam 3. b. out of Heauen / from the Right-hande of God and which we do minister vnto the Children of Men / to their Saluacion but makest many Woordes vpon it / for that thou wouldest iudg the godly Wisdom and holy Vnderstanding / according to thyne owne Imaginacion and so to withstande thesame / according to thy good-thinking Iudgment wherwith thou b Rom. 16. b. 2 Cor. 11. a. stealest-away the Simplicitee in Christ as also the true Obedience to the Loue and to the Requyring of her Seruice / from the Hearts of the Simple and â euen in Contempt towards the Trueth of God gloryest and commendest thyself therin 2. O thou Beloued if thou perseuerest heerin / then wil it fal-out greeuous vnto the / to withstande the Mouth of God and the Grace of his Loue / wherwith God presenteth thee and all Men / c Luk. 24. c. Rom. 2 a. Act. 17. d. to a Repentance for their Sinnes 3. Therfore do I exhort thee â out of the bounteous Loue of God to thy Preseruacion and Saluacion / sett not thyself against the Trueth of God nor apply not thy Natural-reason and Prudence therunto but turne thee from the euell Acts of thy Lipps and Toung and submitt thyself humbly with vs â euen d 1. Pet. 5 a. Iam. 4 a. with a simple Heart vnder the Obedience of the Loue / so shalt thou fynde Grace before God 4. But if-so-be thou desyrest larger Instruction of anything / then thâ—se Wrytings which proceede-out from vs / do witnes vnto thee or if Those that com vnto thee from Vs / do not satisfy thee / in thyne Vndeâ—standing / Yet do not therfore reiect anything but aske after the right Distinction And when thou hast inquyred after the right Grounde of the Trueth of our godly Testimonyes / then vnderstande likewyse the Mattier first rightly â according to the Trueth er-euer thou dispise or speak-against anything of the holy Testimonyes of the Trueth 5. If then ther be any Sentence to-secret before thee or if thou want anything / then wryte-ouer thesame boldly vnto mee / as one that loueth e Eccli 6. d. 8. a. the Informacion and desyereth the cleere Instruction of the f Math 13 â–ª b. Secretnes of the Trueth I hope thou shalt alwayes fynde me seruiceable / for to assist thee to the Vnitee in the Loue and to liue concordably with thee / in the vpright Vnderstanding 6. If now thou giue thyself heerunto and doest euenso / then wil I â through the Grace that is shewed on mee most-groundly instruct thee and also shewe thee with Sensible-reason / that we haue no want of anything
7. b. Sorrow and Amendment be shewed and that men may be of one-mynde with each-other / e Rom. 12. b. 15. a. 1. Cor. 1. a. 2 Cor. 13. b. Phil. 2 a. in the Loue / wherby to liue peaceably in all Loue / to laude and thanke the God of Lyfe / for all his Goodnes / and to giue the Honour only vnto Him 3. Beholde heerunto do all wee â which stande submitted vnder the Obedience of the Loue / the mostholy God-seruice stand concordably inclyned and in-that-sort â to the f Iohn 17 d. Ephe. 4 a. Vnitee in the Loue loueingly to receaue into our Armes of the Spirit of Loue / our Enemyes which turne them to the Loue and her Seruice / to a Reconciliation with each-other / To th end that they mought escape g Math. 3. a. Luk. 3. b. the Vengance of God· and be kept from the h Luk. 21. b. Apo. 18. a. Plagues which shall now in thissame Daye / fall vppon all Vngodlyones Ø›our Enemyes 4. Thissame is all our Lust and Desyre / for to shewe Mercy likewyse vnto eueryone / out of Loue inasmuch as Mercy is shewed on Vs and not to remember anymaÌ„s former Sinnes but cheefly towards those / that giue themselues penetently to our Comunialtee vnder the Obedience of the Loue / for to bring-foorth good i Mat 13. a. Luk. â— a. Iohn 15. b Fruits of Lyfe 5. Oh That it mought once com-to-light· and gett the k 1. Cor 3. b. Prehemynence in the Heart of Man / that hath so long-tyme remayned in secret namely the vpright Beeing of the Loue / 6. To thatt God now / l Ephe. 3. b. who hath thesame in his Hande and bringeth it bountifully vnto eueryone that turneth vnto Him / be Laude Honour and Thankes / for euermore Amen 7. This Letter â thou Beloued with more other Wrytings which thou desyerest / do I sende vnto thee to thy Edifying and my Desyre is / that thou â through the Goodnes of the Loue of God wilt m 1. Tim. â— b. exercise thyself therin / with an humble Heart and haue a regarde vnto the Trueth for to vnderstande this our holy Mynde rightly Thatt graunte vnto thee / the God of Lyfe and thesame God establish thee in his Loue. Amen The Ende of the Thirtenth Epistle The Fourtenth Epistle A breefe Exhortacion vnto a Disciple in the Seruice of Loue Wherwith he is exhorted â in the Lande where he dwelt to keepe a sharpe watch towards the Spirits that make-vp themselues in him or that be borne in him And also that he shoulde learne to descerne with good Vnderstanding / the euell Hearbe â which is destroying and deadly from the good Hearbe of Lyfe and the false Spirits â which aryse out of the Flesh from the good Spirits / that are of God / to th end that he mought therby growe-vp in the good Beeing of the Loue / without any Harme Ye Beloued Beleeue not euery Spirit but proue the Spirits / Whether they be of God or no 1. Iohn 4. Health and Saluacion be vnto Him / who â in his Spirit hath intended Loue and Peace / with our Spirit The First Chapter THE God of Heauen who out of his bountefull Mercy / hath herited mee in the a Ephe 4. b Olde-age of the holy Vnderstanding of Christ and in the spirituall b Ephe. 1. b. 2. a. 3. a Col. 1. c 2. a Ritches of his heauenly Goodes / for a good Confession c Math. 10. d. Luk. 12. a. before all Men / that in the Loue / is an vpright Beeing be vnto thee â my Beloued a Light vnto thy Waye a Lyfe vnto thy Spirit and Mynde and a Cleernes vnto thy Vnderstanding / That thou mayest â in thissame Daye of his Loue vnderstande â according to his heauenly Trueth and not according to the Mynde of the Flesh the ouerflowing Vertues and godly Wisdoms / which He hath declared d 2. Cor. 4. a. Ephe 1. b. 3 a. Col. 1. c. and brought vnto vs· also giue-ouer thyself with all thy Heart / to thosame and their Requyring / for to liue therin· and laude and thanke thesame God / in an vpright Beeing Amen 2. O my Beloued I haue a long tyme â out of a fatherly Heart that I beare towards thee had a greate longing to knowe how it may go with thee / in the Lande where thou dwellest and that for because thou hast neuer written vnto me / how it standeth with thee or wherin thou hast thy Mayntenance or wherby thou liuest 3. For if thou hadst written anything heerof vnto mee / then mought I haue vnderstoode or perceaued therby / Whether that thy young e 1. Cor. 3. a. Heb. 5. d. Manhod / did yet liue or no Whether it were succoured or nourished-vp with the vpright f Math 24. c. Iohn 6. f. Foode of Lyfe and whether that thou also didst in-like-maner growe-vp to the manly Age g Ephe 4. b. in the godly Vnderstanding or-els / whether thou hadst bin choked with any Poyson or deadly Hearbes / that do growe out of thesame Earth where thou dwellest or bin weakened or vtterly dead / in the Lyfe which proceedeth out of God For it is certaynly well knowen vnto mee / that the Earth and all Countryes of the Kingdom-of-the-earth / are h Gen. 3. b. Heb. 6. a. of themselues â for the Vnrighteousnes cause full of Poyson deadly Hearbes and naughty Fruites 4. SEing then that all Disciples of the Loue that be nourished-vp in the holy Vnderstanding of the Spirit of Loue must passe-thorow many Perills vppon the Earth / which is i Gen. 3. b. 5. c curssed for the Wickednes cause of her Inhabitours / So do I therfore beare so-much-the-more a greate Care for thosame Disciples / thewhyles they are yet young and cannot discerne the deadly Hearbes / k 4 Reg. 4. Math 13 d from the right Foode of Lyfe 5. Wherby nodout â if they shoulde be suffered to go-on in their Youngnes / according to their owne Goodthinking they woulde rashly or vnforesightfully â out of their owne Affection or Lust of their Hearts receaue the one or the other of the deadly Hearbes· and swallow them in / in steade of the Foode of Lyfe wherthrough then likewyse / the precious Manhod mought be strangled and such Disciples of the Woord / which â following their owne Counsayle are vnexpert heerin / mought most lamentably betraye spoyle or kill themselues / and disenherit themselues of the Lyfe that proceedeth out of God 6. Wherfore â my Beloued inasmuch as it is now a perillous Tyme / to nourish-vp the Youngnes of Vnderstanding / to the vpright Ephe 4. b. Agednes of the holy Vnderstanding / so is this my Exhortation and Counsayle out of the liueing God / vnto thee to thy Preseruacion that thou wilt dayly vse Foresightfulnes m Ephe. 5. b. or dilligent Heede and haue a sharp regarde
/ To th end that thosame Disciples / mought also attayne to the Dayes of their Agednes· and so be nourished-vp â–ª in the godly Wisdom of the Loue to the full Age of the Man Christ. 11. Therfore it is sayde to the Elders / that they shall execute the Iudgment / according to the Trueth p Exo. 21. c. Leuit. 24. b. Deut. 19 c. Math. 5 b. Eye / for Eye Tooth / for Tooth But to the Disciples it is sayde q Math. 7. a. Luâ— 6. d. Iudg not and resist r Math. 5. d. Mom 12. b. 1. Tess. 5. b. not also the Wicked 12. Therfore sayth the Age of the Man Christ / to the Disciples s Math. 11. c. Learne of Mee for I am humble and meeke of Heart The V. Chap. TAke this effectually to heart all yee that perswade yourselues / that ye are com to the Age of the Man Christ / by meanes of the Knowledg and looke well into yourselues / whether that yee likewyse / haue in maner as is before sayde bin a Luk. 14. c. Iam. 1. c. Disciples of Christ and are in that sort / com to y e humble and meeke Hearts in Iesu Christ and to his holy Vnderstanding 2. But if it haue not gon so with you / then take not vpon you also / to iudg any godly Matters nor to defende Gods Honour nor-yet to teache anyman but be content to be taught and enformed first yourselues and submitt you euenso b Eccli 6. c. Math 11. c. 1. Pet 5. a. to all Humilitee / vnder the Obedience of y e Loue / for to be rightly taught and so learne of the Loue / the holy Vnderstanding of Iesu Christ. 3. And let not him likewyse that is yet young in this Doctrine of the godly Wisdom / iudg nor reprooue but let him aske and suffer himself to be taught and so c Ephe. 4. b. Col. 1. b. 1. pet 2. a. growe-vpp in the godly Age of Christ to all Strengthening and Increasing of the Peaceable-kingdom in the Loue / So shall he then becom vnderstanding in all godly Things and the Kingdom of Peace shall increase and spread-foorth itself into farr Countryes 4. If wee now do in that maner / growe-vp peaceably in all Loue and Righteousnes / then shall the contencious and deuided d Esa. 21. a. Ier 51. a â–ª Apo. 14.18 a. Kingdom of Babel / be shutt without our Hearts and without our Comunialtee of Loue and we shall beholde the Howse or the Temple of the Lorde / in Heauen / perfectly buylt in all poynts e Amos. 9 d. Mich. 7 b. Agg. 1 a. 2 b Apo. 21. a. and furnished with all his Garnishing and that the Glory or Dignitee and the Teaching-office in the Seruice of Loue / is only the Lords according to the Promyses and not the Mans. 5. HEer-with I do heartely salute you all / yee good-willing Hearts and Louers of the Trueth / with a Salutacion of the Loue and I beseech you take this to heart which I wryte vnto you and therin haue respect to the Loue. For ther-is nothing wyser nor more prudent / then the Loue. 6. Therfore is the Loue in her Follishnes / much godlyer to heare and to beleeue / then all the Wisdom of this Worlde 7. For-that-cause it hath likewyse so pleased God / to bring-foorth his Wisdom / 1. Cor. 1. b. like Foolishnes his holy Vnderstanding like Ignorance and the Foremost / as if it were the Hindmost / before the Worlde and before all her Wyse and Scriptur-learnedones / wherby to confounde the prudent Wyseones and so the out-flowing Woord of the Lorde together with his Seruice of Loue and Gods holy Vnderstanding / to be a g Esa. â— a. 1. Pet. 2. a. Stumbling-stone vnto them wherthrough all Self-wyseones like as in the h Cen. 11. a. Buylding of Babel do intangle and scatter themselues For in-that-sort wil God now in the last tyme / bring his Kingdom vnto his Saints and Electedones and they shall raigne i Apo. 21. b. vppon the Earth 8. But all Self-wyseones and all those that growe offended at the out-flowing Woord of the Lorde and at his Seruice of Loue and wil therfore out of their euell Hearts / contende or dispute against thesame· and make k Rom. 16. c. Deuision together with all those that set-vp themselues against the Loue and her vpright Seruice / God wil shutt without his Kingdom and vtterly roote them out / to th end that the Vniuersal-earth and all what is therin / may be i Esa. 66. c. 2 Pet. 3. b. inhabited vprightly for euermore 9. Farewell and be alwayes of good-cheere in the Loue. The Loue of God the Father / keepe the Victory in all your Hearts Amen Take it to heart The Ende of the Fiftenth 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 Sixtenth Epistle An instructionable Exhortacion vnto the Good-willingones / which do wholly giue-ouer themselues to the Obedience of the Loue Wherin the vpright Obedience to the Loue and the godly and vngodly Beeing / is distincted Beloued Brethâ—ren reioyce you be perfect be of good comfort be of one Mynde and Intent and be peaceable So shall the God of Loue and Peace / be with you 2. Cor. 13. Health and Saluacion be vnto the Comunialtee in the Loue to whom I wish much Happynes in the Lorde The First Chapter TO your Seruice / ye Deerly-beloued I do alwayes â euen one of harty Loue fynde my self very willingly bent / in all what I maye out of the Power of my God and to wryte often vnto you / greeueth me not / to th end if God vouchsafe thesame / y t ye mought â through my Seruice vnderstand the Ground of the Loue / to the vpright Saluacion and that God mought establish his holy Name in vs. O Yea / that com-to-pas euenso to the Laude and Prayse of the godly Glory Amen 2. O how happy is hee / that hath the Lorde a Psal. 33. b. 144. b. to be his God or which seeketh and loueth Him with b Ier. 29. b. all his Heart and which desyreth with all his Soule / to cleaue vnto the Vertue / hee shall knowe / that the Wayes of the Lorde / are pure and cleere For the Lorde is Psal. 34. a. freendly vnto all those that loue Him also faythfull and true vnto all those that haue a Delyte and Pleasure in the Wayes of his Loue. 3. But to the Dispisers of his Loue / which do arrogantly contemne blaspheame and resist his Will / He is as Indignacion d Eccli 5. a. and Wrath. For whosoeuer disdayneth the Lorde and his e 2. Cor. 6. a â–ª Grace as also shutteth God and his Woord / f Tob. 6. b. without his Heart
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
Psal. 36. To my good-willing Freendes and Loners of the Trueth / which do with mee / loue the true Beeing in one Spirit of the Loue / be Health and Saluacion The First Chapter AS I haue hearde now â my goodwilling Freendes to the Loue by our Brother / which hath bin with you / so is the Will and Request of you all vnto mee like as our loueing and faythfull Brother in the Loue / the Father of your Howsholde â who is com to me with our Brother / for thesame purpose hath also sayde and freendly requested that I woulde once com vnto you / Because that ye mought recreate yourselues alittle with Mee / in the Woord of Lyfe· and from the Bottom of your Hearts / handle and talke of thatt which is com or appeered vnto vs â out of the heauenly Trueth through the Grace and Power of the Mosthighest 2. Veryly â ye Beloued All thissame is likewyse my whole Will and Desyre Yea and all my Longing I woulde also very gladly haue com now vnto you / because that I myself likewyse / longed greatly to talke with you by mouth forasmuch as I haue hearde so much of your Good-will and Zeale that ye beare to the Loue and her Seruice The Lorde graunt vnto you eueryone / Grace and Mercy / to continue a Math 10. c. 24. b. Mar. 13. b. stedfast therin / till that the true Light of Loue b 2. Pet. 1. c. com vnto you and ryse-vp in your Hearts / as a Daye of y e perfect Beawty of God 3. But â ye Beloued as touching my Coming / I shall desyre that ye wil yet haue patience for a whyle I hope to com vnto you shortly / and to talke with you of all things / according to your Request 4. But in that I haue now deferred the tyme / it cometh-to-pas by reason of much Busynes Seruice and Laboure / wherwith I am now laden and which out of great Necessitee I haue first to further and dispatch Therfore hath not the tyme so serued / as to com vnto you now 5. Howbeit because I cannot now com vnto you and yet that all my Will hath bin bent so to doo / yet wil I not for-aâ—-that forgett you but wil alwayes remember you to the Good and to all thatt wherin your Welfare and Saluacion consisteth 6. For-that-cause â ye Beloued to th end that yee one-with-another / shoulde be the better content for this tyme / I do wryte this loueing Exhortacion â with groundly Instructions vnto you to the Edifying and good Informacion of you all With which this my Wryting / my harty Request is vnto you all / that yee â with Dilligence of your Heartes wil alwayes take-heede and â with willing Obedience c Pro. 1. a. 2 a 3. a. 4. a. 5. a Eccli 6. d. giue-eare / vnto thatt which is heald-foorth before you â out of the Loue and out of her Seruice in these last Dayes and perillous Tymes / to your Preseruacion and Saluacion Yea once-more I saye vnto you all / out of harty Loue Take-heed vnto it I pray you and take it effectually to heart and consider of it / d Eccli 6. d. search-throw or measure-ouer likewyse substancially / thatsame Spirit of this true Seruice of Loue. 7. Ponder well the heauenly Sentences / that proceed-out from thesame and prooue the Taste or the Mynde of them rightly For they do open som speciall Matter and wil also in this Tyme / tell or expounde som singuler thing vnto vs. Yea they declare and bring vnto vs / the godly Ritches of Christ and the spirituall Treasures of his heauenly Goodes e Math. 11. d. 13. b. Rom. 16. c. Ephe. 3. a. Col 1. c. which haue bin hidden till vnto thissame Daye / from the Worlde and her Wyseones and from all Eyes of the Flesh. 8. This mercy Seate / in the Mostholy this true Light with his perfect Garnishing of pure Beawty f Apo. 21. and all these costly Ritches of God with the sumptuous Royaltee and godly Tryumph of all the Saints of God and Christ / cometh now vnto vs in Glory for to liue vniforme with thosame for euermore 9. Beholde all these Beawtyes and yet many-thowsand-tymes more then men can vtter with Tongues or wryte with Penn and Incke / be declared and brought vnto vs now in thissame Daye / through the Appeering g 2. Timo. 1. b of the Coming of our Lorde Iesu ChristØ›the euerlasting and true Woord of the liueing God 10. This euerlasting and true Woord and liueing Breade / h Iohn 6. â— which cometh vnto vs from Heauen / for a Foode of Lyfe vnto all hungry Soules 11. This faythfull Sheapheard / which cometh vnto vs out of the Bosom of his heauenly Father for to seke his erred or lost Sheepe / which are strayed from the i Math 10 a. 15. c. Luk. 19. b. Howse of Ilrael and â vnder the Obedience of his Loue to bring them agayne k Esa 6 a. Ioan. 10. b. to their right Sheepfolde 12. This true Redeemer / which cometh vnto vs from the gloryous and most souereigne Maiestee of God for an euerlasting Freedom for l Psal. 130. a. Esa. 61 a. Tit. 2. b. to delyuer His / that are healde-captiue namely all those that moorne and suffer Sorrow or Greefe / for their Captiuites cause to the Sinne and because of the Bandes of the Deuell 13. This cleere and true Light of the spirituall Heauen / that cometh vnto vs in all Loue â as the m Mal 4 a. Sap. 5. a. Sunne of Righteousnes for an eternal-continuing Day-light for to n Esa. 9. a. 42 b 43. a. 49 â— Mat. 4. b. Luk. 1. h. lighten all those / which â because of the Fruits of Death dwell or walke yet in Darknes and do hope vppon thesame Light 14. This peaceable King o Esa. 9. a. Lorde and Prince / which cometh vnto vs â with full Power of the almighty God for a good and louely Gouernement namely / ouer all those that submitt them p 1. Pet. 5. a. Iam. 4. a vnder Him and â in all Obedience of his Loue do loue the Peace for that euerything shoulde be restored q Act. 3. c. agayne / in his right Order 15. This-very Iesus Christ â who also is the Wisdom of God· the vpright Righteousnes and Holynes· the heauenly Trueth· r Sap 7. c. 2. Cor. 4. a. Col. 1. b. Heb. 1. a. and the true Beeing of God Is now com vnto us in Glory / from the Right-hande of God the almighty Father / out of the heauenly Beeing s Act 10 c. 1. Pet. 4. a. to be a righteous Iudg ouer Liueing and Deadd namely to the Condemnacion of the liueing Vngodlyones and t 1. Cor. 15 c the Resurrection of the dead Righteousones vnto all of vs â which beleeue in Iesus Christ· and the Safe-makeing in his Loue to the v Rom. 12. â—
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
that seperate themselues with all their Hearts / from the wicked Worlde and from her Abhomynacions and from all those that with their Will / do cleaue l 1. Iohn 2. c. to the wicked Worlde and her Pompe or Pryde Yea although it were their Father / or Moother Husbande / or Wyfe Brother Sister or Children 6. Whosoeuer then do thus as is saydde desyre with vs / to forsake m Math. 10. d 16. e. Luk. 9.14 e. to hate and to leaue all vngodly Beeing / and all the Desyres / according to the Will of the Flesh with all the Lustes of the Eyes and Arrogancie or Pryde of Lyfe / to mortify to forgoe and to n Rom. 6. a. Col. 2. b. 3 a. kill and bury thesame / in them / to th end to be renewed o Rom. 12. a. Ephe. 4. b. in their Spirit / through the Loue· and incorporated to the true Beeing of God â–ª p Luk. 1. h. Ephe. 4 â— â—ol 3. a. the vpright Righteousnes and Holynes â the which is Christ himself in his Coming / All those that are so mynded and do proceed-on obediently after thesame / receaue into the Loue and let our fellowshipp bee with such / To th end that we mought euenso eueryone / be planted concordably into the Loue of God the Father / with cleane or pure Hearts· and so leade an vpright and vncorrupt Lyfe â like loueing ChildreÌ„ and like Sheepe and Lambes of the Famyly of Loue and like a louely q Iohn 10. b. Flock of Christ vnder the Obedience of the Loue. 7. For-that-cause / To th end that the Temple of the Lorde or the Howse of his Dwelling / may now â vnder the Obedience of the Loue be purifyed cleansed and renewed / according to the heauenly Trueth r Eze. 37. c. 43. a. and nomore s Esa. 52. defyled by the â–ª Vncleane or Vncircumcised-ones / haue therfore a good regarde â with a sharp Sight of the Loue for to perceaue what eueryone loueth or seeketh at our handes and wherunto their Hearts are most affected 8. And beware likewyse of the wicked Generacions which carry nothing but Falshod in their Heartes haueing Hony t Psal. 55. c. Psal. 5 a in their Mouth and Poyson v Psal. 140. a. Rom. 3. b. vnder their Tongue as also the Loue / in their Woordes or Speeche and the wicked Nature â against the Loue in their Heart or Inwardnes The V. Chap. BVt if any man be godly of will or if Any stand-bent to y e meeke-mynded Beeing of the Loue / with all their Sences Desyres and Thoughtes if they loue the Chastitee the patient Long-suffering and the humble Meekmyndednes if they be obedient with all their Heartes / to the a 1. Cor. 11. a. 2. Tess. 2. b. Requyring of the Seruice of Loue / in all Constance if they do willingly heare the chastinable Informacion if they be wel content to be b Pro. 3. b. Heb. 12. b. reprooued for their Vice or Misdemeanure and to be taught and exhorted to all Wel-doing if they wil likewyse good-willingly with vs / beare Shame c Math 5. b. Act. 5. c. Heb. 11. and Contempt in the Flesh / vnder the Obedience of the Loue if they do lay-away from them / d 1. Iohn 2. c. all Pompe and Pryde of the Worlde together with all Vanitee or Foolishnes e Ephe 4 c. Col. 3. a. 1. Pet. 2 a. and all Wrath and Enuy and if they be in this sort / deâ—yerous hungry and thirsty after the pure or cleane and vncorrupt Beeing of y e Loue In whomsoeuer ye finde this by y e deede and whatsoeuer on-coÌ„ing Desciples / do cleaue in that-maner to the Seruice of the Woord / vnder the Obedience of y e Loue / towards all Those / let your Inclynacion be kynde and loueing / to their Saluacion 2. Receaue all such / into your Armes of the Spirit of Loue and accounte them for your Bretheren and Sisters in the Loue as those that stande in your Comunialtee / with a lyke Fayth and none els / Lest ye be Fellow-companyons to the Euel-willingones and Fellow-witnesses to the Craftyones / like vnto all our Aduersaryes 3. For thatt be farre from vs / that wee inasmuch as we haue obtayned or gotten such a gloryous f 2. Cor. 4. a. 1. Iohn 1.3 a. Light of Lyfe and godly Seruice of the holy Woord / through the Loue of God the Father shoulde inclyne â with the Loue and our godly Seruice to the Vngodly and Impenitentones or to those that are euell of will / for to serue them therwith / according to their Will of the. sinfull Flesh or to feede them in their corrupt Nature and to nourish them vpp therin O no / ye Deerly-beloued The Grace and Mercy / which is chaunced vnto vs â in the Woord of Lyfe through y e Loue of God y e Father / is farr-to-great Yea we do also esteeme thesame much to-precious and to be more-of-value / then that we shoulde cast the holy Bread of Lyfe which is com and geeuen vnto vs / out of Heauen / as a g Math. 1â— â— Foode for the Children of God and for all h Esa. 58. b. Math. 5. a. hungry Soules after the Righteousnes before the Vnbeleeuers the Raueners of their owne Dirt and the Swyne i Math. 7. a. 15 c. and Doggs or shoulde feede and nourish such therwith / as are vngodly wicked and euell of will / according to the maner of the wicked Worlde or those that seeke nothing-els / but Ease k Rom. 16 b. Phil. 3 c. in the Flesh for to feede thesame / according to his Lustes 4. Veryly the Bread of Lyfe is not geeuen vnto them / to the Nourishing of their corrupt Nature For it belongeth only to l Math. 15. c. the Children of Loue and to all those that submitt them obediently to the Seruice of Loue which are godly of will and haue a Lust with all their Hearts / to fulfill m Math. 3. a. all Righteousnes 5. Therfore it is not meete / that the Bread shoulde be taken-away or withholden from the Children / n Math. 7. a. 15. c. and distributed to the Straingers / which are nothing-els but vngodly of will / who tread it downe so shamfully o Math 7. a. vnder their Feete / like vnto Swyne and Doggs which Straingers or Vngodlyones / are also Mockers Theeues Traytors and Murderers of the holy Woord and which do likewyse turne them vnto vs / to our Destruction 6. Wo be vnto them for that they p Iude. 1. b. go in the Waye of Cayne and for the Rewarde or Treasure of Iniquitee / they crucify q Heb. 6. â— and kill in themselues / the holy Woord or the innocent Beeing of God / with their Sensualitee of the Flesh also esteeme it for vncleane r Heb. 10. â— and as a Mockery / and do
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
be tempted / for to drawe you awaye â e Heb. 12. a. inticeingly from the Obedience of the Loue of God the Father and from the vpright and louely Beeing of Iesu Christ and that they wil in that sort / procure your consent to the Sinne or to her Ministers / then holde you fast or f Eccli 2. a Heb. 12. a constant in-any-wyse / in the Beleefe of your Saluacion and in Patience / vnder the Obedience of the Loue and shrinke not back / That yee â in the Growing-vp to the vpright Beeing of the Loue becom not lead-awaye neither to the one g Pro. 4. c. syde nor to the other but may â in the Beleefe and h 1. Tess. 5. b. Hope of your Saluacion or Delyuerance from the Euell and in the Passing-thorow the Patience / to the good Beeing of Iesu Christ growe i Ephe. 3. b. c. strong and becom still more stronger and euenthus â in the Course of your Patience / k Heb. 10.12 vnder the Obedience of the Loue walke in all Faythfulnes Loue and l Phil. 4. a. Equitee / among all Men. 3. Beware likewyse of m Exo. 23 a Eccli 7. b Ephe. 4. d. Lying one to another and of all harmfull Speeche-of-reproche and n Tit. 3. a. 1. Pet 3. c keepe your Tongues from o Eccli 23. a 27. b. Math. 5. c. Curssing For that which ye speake p Eccli 10. b priuily in eachothers Eare â in reproch and curssing maner / with Backbyting of another shall not com-to-pas so simply / without Lyes and y e q Sap. 1. b. Mouth that lyeth / killeth the Soule 4. Follow alwayes the r Iob. 12. b. Counsayle of the Elders and Wyse in the Seruice of Loue. and s Eccli 8. â— d. Heb. 13. d submitt you obedienly vnder the Woord of their Doctrine and confesse vnto them / t Eccli 4 d. what is hidden· and becometh spoken among you / in secret / Then shall ye becom v Iob. 12.32 a Eccli 6 8. b wyse and shall euenso â in your Obedience out of the Doctrine of the Elders / first learne yourselues / er-euer ye teache another first help yourselues / x Math. 7. a er-euer ye help another first rebuke y Rom. 2. a and iudg yourselues / er-euer ye rebuke and iudg another and shall fynde z 2. Cor. 11. g. Grace / in such tyme when-as others â which iudg and deale falsly / and blaspheame cursse backbyte and belye their Neighbour shal be punished 5. Therfore do nothing without a Eccli 32. d Counsayle / so shall it not repent you / after the Deede 6. Blaspheame nor resist not also b Rom. 13 a the Gouernours nor the c Eccli 8. b Preesies / in their Office but shewe them d Rom. 13 b. 1. Tim. 5. c. Honour and Obedience and for the Peaces cause / obserue all the Ordinances of the Lande 7 Indeuour not your selues likewyse / to deale with your Neighbour / in anything that is e Tob. 4. c. Math. 7. b Vniust nor hinder not also the Straingers f Exo. 23. b. in any-case 8. Offende not the Little g Math. 18. b. Rom. 14 d. 1. Cor. 8. d. or Smipleones of vnderstanding nor charge not the Weake / with any Burthens 9. Set not the Sight of your Eyes vpon any Flesh nor vpon any Outward-thing wherby to procure your lust towards anything h Exo. 20. c Pro 6 c. Eccli 18 d 25. d therof / to any Desyre for yourselues / Lest that your Hearts be kindled and defyled â with Lust of Whoordom towards thesame But set all your Sight Vnderstanding and Memory / i Pro. 3. a. Math. 22. towards the Lorde your God and towards the godly Testimonyes of his holy Spirit of Loue. 10. Let al your Lusts Desyres and Delytes be set towards their Beawty k Pro. 3. a. 4. â— b. 5. a. b and Louelynes in the Spirit / Then shall ye not be subdued vnto Whoordom 11. Haue likewyse â in all your Sight â—ealing and Walking the holy l Tob. 4. a. Pro. 1. b Feare of God before your Eyes But beware that your Feare of God / be m Sap. 1. a. no Hipocrisye and serue not God / n Eccil 2.3 d with a false Heart 12. Take-heed alwayes of the Whoordom o Tob. 4. b. 1. Cor. 6. a. 1. Tess. 4. a and remember that ye are not dettâ—â—s to serue the Whoordom nor the Vnchastitee but only the Lorde your God / in all p 1. Tess. 4. b â–ª Purenes of Heart 13 Remember also / that vnder the Obedience of the Loue / ye are called to the Godlynes in Iesu Christ / for to showe all q Phil. 4. b. 1. Tess. 4· c. Tit. 3. a. Edifying and good Order and all Righteousnes Loue and Peace / among all People and so through all Wel-dooing and good Conuersation / to stopp r 1. Pet. 2. b. the Mouth of the Gaynspeakers and Blaspheamers of the Famyly of Loue and of all those that do belye and defame vs with al-maner of Falshod and â through all Goodnes to winne the Louers of the Trueth and Righteousnes / to the Famyly of Loue / To th end that all those which loue the Trueth in Iesu Christ and which hunger and thirst after s Math. 5. a the Righteousnes / mought â through the holy and gracious Woord which God hath t Ier. 23. raysed-vp vnto vs Little and Electedones of God / according to his Promyses be delyuered from their Sinnes and becom saued 14. BEholde â ye Deerly-beloued This is our vpright Grounde of Fayth in Iesu Christ. and also our vndeceaueable Seruice of Loue / euen like as we be taught and informed / in the godly Testimonyes of the holy Spirit of Loue. 15 Therfore â my beloued Heartes in the Loue follow not in-any-wyse / your owne v Deut. 12 a Eccli 18. d. 25. d. Good-thinking Lustes and Desyres / nor-yet your Imaginacion of the Knowledg but haue a right regarde / what the holy and gracious x Deut. 4. a. b Iam. 1. b. Woord of the Spirit of the Loue of Iesu Christ â vnder the Obedience of the Loue requyreth and indeuour you therunto / So shall ye then growe-vp well and vprightly according to the Trueth / in the Sainctification of Iesu Christ and in the spirituall and y Col. 1. a. b â— heauenly Vnderstandings· walke in all godly Loue Peace and Ioye· and inherit the z Math. 19. d. 25. d. Rom. 6. d. euerlasting Lyfe It is verytrue The Ende of the twentith Epistle Take it to heart CHARITAS EXTORSIT PER HN. Our Heart / is the Minde of God most-hie Our Beeing amiable / as the sweete Lillie Our Faithfulnes / Loue / and Trueth vpright â–ª Is Gods Light / Life / and Cleernes bright â–ª