thee the everlasting true and living God O thou most clear and shining splendour enlighten throughly our hearts that the holy seeming Devill and the deceitfull selfnesse and arrogancie may be truly expelled O thou sole inward Teacher and outward True witnesse of the Divine Truth teach all men inwardly aright to know Christ Jesus and in thy power to call him Father in truth O thou Director to the true path and onely Way to salvation which is Christ Jesus the Son of the All-praised God in his Body namely the Church of the Saints Ah lead us we beseech thee in the right union to him forasmuch as we are alas by the instigation of the spirit of error so far seperated and so miserably disjoynted from one another that out of the scattered multitude that true and promised One may in right unitie and sincere brotherly love again arise O thou onely Apprehender lay hold upon us to day with the hand of thy grace and bring us again into the essentiall heavenly paternall countrey of Grace that we may there altogether spend the remainder of our earthly life with fear and trembling and serve thee the eternall God unblameably in holinesse and righteousnesse from our whole heart Ah thou onely Looser loose and untie to day poore mankinde from the hideous snares bonds and chains of the holy-seeming Devill and all his instruments which change themselves into Angels of Light and thereby violently ruine and destroy poore Mankind O thou the true Destroyer destroy the kingdom of sin in us wholly quench the lust rising in the flesh conquer the world with its deceitfull Treasures kill and crucifie the flesh refrain and stay all that which exalteth it self against the inward essentiall knowledge and from thence-springing open confession O open the eyes of our soul that she may lift up her self to the Mountain from whence the quickning and for ever refreshing delight joy and comfort doth spring and flow that she alwayes may long after the same O loose the inward spirituall eare that it may truly hear Christs word and voice that it may stand open to all the works wonders and deeds of God and alwayes stopt and close to all vain talk unprofitable words and jests unmeet for Christians to hear Untie the tongue that she may be thy holy pen and no instrument of the seducing and with the old Adam flattering devil any more O untie our hands that they may in right true and unfained love give to the right and truly poore and needie of the right blessing of God and not of that Mammon which by covetousnesse exaction extortion and under the colour of righteousnesse is hoorded up which doth at this present time tye fast the hearts and hands of men in all states with such a powerfull dominion that they are not able truly to lift up themselves to God being they are full of the blood of Lazarus O thou onely Renewer amend thou and renew in us all in all that we may even at this day while there yet remaineth time for Repentance which will quickly even very quickly be past run out that we so may become new living creatures and children of God brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ and a living Church and dwelling of thine O God thou holy blessed Spirit and not any more deceive our selves with our outward accustomed assembling in the stony Churches in which the stony hearts and so one stone goeth to another as though that were the Comminalty of the Saints and but gather our selves in the true and living fellowship of thee O Spirit of God in truth and the sincere bond of Divine Love and out of one Spirit soul and heart truly honour praise and magnifie thee O onely God Ah thou holy and for ever blessed Trinitie one onely eternall God for ever be again mercifull unto us and spare us according to thy righteousnesse for the dear Merits sake of Jesus Christ Ah out of thy meer grace renew in us the Covenant of Grace that we may again become thy people and thou our God and gracious Father O manifest such a Covenant out of grace in all Teachers Princes and Rulers and in the souls of all the people and shew unto them thy wonderfull goodnesse O thou Saviour of such as hope in thee O God let thy countenance shine again in us that we may be revived and enlivened in right living power O God encline thine eare unto us and heat us for we are become very small O open the eyes of thy mercie upon poore Germanie and Ireland and behold how lamentably it is destroyed wasted overflowne made desolate and even wholly ruinated O look upon this thou great God how through the instigation of the three unclean prophetical spirits men afflict torment marter kill slay and devoure one another insomuch that the wilde beasts in their nature and race abhor such inhumain outrages O thou Archshepherd of Israel awake behold how thy poore sheep are scattered and torn and they that fear thee are also scattred and rushed away Ah God and Lord let the blood of the poore and innocent sheep and lambs which do not know wherefore they thus are torn by the spirituall and bodily woolves move thine angrie heart and once stir thee up to a mercifull deliverance O let we beseech thee the promised help come out of Zion Ah shorten the dayes of the inward and outward desolation O let we beseech thee the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah roare in power against the bloodthirstie and treacherous whom thou O righteous God hast in abomination that they may be inwardly and outwardly terrified and astonied and may so with horrour perish according to thy Judgement O thou righteous God crucifie the Crucifiers of thy dearly beloved Son Ah recompense to them that afflict and torment him Anguish and Torment and give to the Refractary-ones the thunder and lightning the brimstone and fire of Hell for their reward O God stand up in thy power Ah Lord lift up thy self we beseech thee in thy strength Wherefore shall the ungodly exercise their worse then diabolicall malitiousnesse and insolence upon the poore and afflicted any further and say in their hearts and confirm and shew it with their deeds as though there were no God no deliverer no more any Helper of the poore and afflicted Oh appear thou righteous Judge of the earth unsheath thy sword of Vengeance and let it fully reach the blasphemers and extortioners that the abominable scorners may once perceive that thou art yet the righteous Judge upon earth and hast not yeelded thy judgements to mortall men to exercise them according to their own revenge fulnesse but hast in thy wrath by reason of our unbelief unrighteousnesse and wickednesse wherewith we have offended Thee suffered them to passe over us as a flood of water to mollifie us to Repentance untill thine anger be fulfilled Therefore O God convert us to day and turn thy self against the vessels of thy wrath repay
and distressed worme therefore I have no reason at all to exalt my self for what my Head and Husband CHRIST bestoweth on me are of meere Grace which ought to work in me Humility and acknowledgement of mine unworthinesse that I am not worthie of them and in no wise work in me Pride nor any Proprietie or puffing-up Therefore avaunt Satan with thy subtiltie and deceit for thou art a Theef and a Robber of the due honour of my LORD JESUS CHRIST to whom onely is due all honour and not to me and for that reason whosoever will honour me is and shall be mine enemie O beloved Man in this manner thy repentant enlightned soul considered thou art as yet in an evill Inne or Lodging where no good dayes do shine but strife upon strife battell upon battell storme upon storme of which state the Scripture cleerly testifies that no man should be secure but continually examining and proving of himself and encountring with and couragiously resisting his enemies lest he be sifted deceived foyled and overthrown by the Devill stirred up to unprofitable words and works by his flesh and blood and ensnared by the Love of the World for if any of these Images possesse thy soul then Christ is expelled and hath in thee no form Perform O Man what actions soever thou wilt outwardly yet it is but as the Scripture termeth it untempered morter Let every man after this manner trie and search himself now whether his hitherto practised Repentance hath been divine and true namely so that the old Adam is thereby truly disturbed crucified mortified and Christ really conceived formed born grown and become perfect in his soul all which O Man thou must in power feel and find in thee and not know it according to thy Reason out of the holy Scriptures or mouth preaching for that is but a knowledge without feeling a Historie without experience and a word without power 3. Therefore in the third place I earnestly exhort every man in particular in the name of God to examine duely and to look narrowly to himself in these times of the righteous and burning wrath of God whether he be a sincere Christian such a one as in the Love of God is powerfull and active or else a meere verball or mouth-Christian a knower talker and no doer as alas alas the generall custome of most men is For O babling Babel thou art according to thy imaginarie Faith not spiritually rich though thou knowest the holy Scriptures and its naturall or rationall exposition and art able to speak thereof eloquently and after a Philosophicall manner wittily to argue and dispute Thou art not thereby spiritually fed nor refreshed although thou usest the outward Sacraments after thy accustomed manner Truly thou perswadest thy self in vain as if nothing else were requisite to accomplish thy Christianitie then an imputation of the merits of Jesus Christ and that in thine open transgressions sinfull courses Adulterie Sorcerie and Idolatrie For it is evident that thou in this thy worship or Religion art very wretched blinde poore and wholly bare or naked of the Righteousnesse which God approveth yea it is evident to thee by the Plagues of Gods righteous wrath and the consuming punishments which never have missed but alwayes have followed upon a false and before God frivelous Religion which punishments also even for that cause now adayes bear full sway For the true Religion hath never from the beginning of the world stirred up Rods of wrath but worketh Patience in the fatherly chastisements and outward persecutions for Christs holy Names sake and hearty Thanksgiving for the Conformity with Christs Crosse therefore if the world suffered in a good conscience for the confession of Jesus then were her case and condition good Therefore O thou Babell rise up from thy false foundation leave thy spirituall Pride wherein thou imaginest as if thou wert a true pure and sin free unspotted Spouse of Christ and stoodst in the power of the New birth and Regeneration of the holy Spirit in holinesse and righteousnesse in an obedient faithfull service with due fear and trembling as unalterablie or of necessitie becometh the Spouse of Christ before God the heavenly Fathers presence Ah thou sinfull stinking and loathsome Whore lay down and submit thy self with Nineveh before God in humilitie of Heart with acknowledgement of all thy committed whoredomes and pollutions with the Creatures and thy strange Lovers lye down in the sackcloth and ashes of deepest and lowest unworthy that God may no further uncover thy shame and ignominie in the Judgement of his wrath but out of his grace may work in thee true Repentance And then thereupon shall follow a right and true worship of God proceeding from the living Faith divine Love and Righteousnesse a holy Christian-like and blamelesse Life for these two are so linked together that that cannot severally consist and confequently the inward Peace and outward quietnesse even grace goodnesse mercie happinesse life and blessing as upon unbelief unrighteousnesse voidnesse of Love feigned Repentance and outward false worship of God whilest the true internall foundation whereout the externall worship ought and must issue is rejected and forsaken as John Arnt in his third Book of true Christianitie plainly layes open and thereby are practised the Heathenish yea worse then Devillish life and conversation c. Warre Plague Famine and other punishments and afflictions threatned by God are sprung up in all places among that people which call themselves the people of GOD and carrie themselves also outwardly as if they were such indeed boasting themselves highly to be Christians by their imaginarie Faith which they themselves have learned by their own power and also by the outward Religion which flows from the former and all this in a fiery Zeal or Heat yet altogether without the moving or driving Power of GOD to it in their Churches Prayers Singings Sermons Communions or Almes-givings c. and yet are altogether estranged from the Life of Christ according to the Power and Truth of it both inwardly and outwardly as by comparison will evidently appear to every one when he will make it without the flatterie and adulation of the old man in a right due and Christian-like triall and examination of himself Therefore this conceited world might well begin betimes duely and otherwise then hitherto hath been done to examine its customarie Religion it s pretended Christian faith communion in the Spirit especially by this burning wrath of GOD and yeerly encreasing terrible Destruction from their heart even from their very heart stirring up themselves to turn to God in the right way and manner of Nineveh not imaginary as if those Villages Cities and Countreys in Germany and elsewhere that have perished alreadie in Gods wrath were more wicked then those which are yet in a tolerable state and condition in respect of their outward prosperitie No verily no For if the remaining Towns Cities Countreys and Dominions do not soon even very soon
unto them double what they have done to the poore and innocent so will we for it praise Thee with united hearts everlastingly that thou in the midst of thy wrath hast yet remembred thy infinite goodnesse and mercy and turned thy self from thy wrath and our well deserved punishments and hast again mercy upon poore mankind and raised up a Saviour unto them O heavenly God and Father grant this our Prayer unto us for Christ his bitter death and suffering to a true Ninivitish Repentance and conversion that the day of thy promised Redemption may break in as a Lightning and that the Jews and Heathen may be gathered together in and to the Truth Amen Allelu-jah Amen The Barres which the Devill and the darkned Reason do set before the Souls that Christ cannot begin to work therein Ob. 1 1. That it is impossible that a Man through Repentance wrought by God can wholly die from sin that it henceforth should have no ruling power Ans Hereby is Gods omnipotencie Christs merit and the Holy Spirits inhabitation wholly made void and greater power ascribed to the Devill in our destruction then to Christ in our Renovation contrary to the tenor of the holy Scripture Rom. 5. 6 7 8. 14. 1. Cor. 2. v. 16. Cap. 3. v. 17. 2. Cor. 3. v. 17. 18. Gal. 2. v. 20. Ephes 2. v. 5. 6. Epqes 5. v. 27. c. Now as long as this Barre of doubt remaineth in thee so long is Christs kingdom shut up in thee and the kingdom of sin manifest varnish it over outwardly how thou wilt it will nothing at all avail 2 Barre Ob. 2 That God is mercifull and winketh at the sins of Men for Christs merits sake Answ Verily hereby is Christ made a Minister of sin contrary to the testimonies of the holy Scripture Gal. 2. v. 17 18. 1 Cor. 1. v. 30 31. 2 Tim. 3. 17. Colos 4. v. 12. Ca. 1. v. 28 Cap. 2. v. 10. and the Righteousnesse of God slandered and blasphemed Deut. 27. v. 26. Psal 5. v. 6. 1 Joh. 3. v. 10. and his Grace wrested or drawn by licentiousnesse into a most damnable abuse Epist Jud. v. 4. 14. seq 2 Pet. 2. v. 14. 1. Joh. 5. v. 2 3. 1 Joh. 2. v. 6. 3 Barre Ob. 3 Although man live not so blamelesse and fear not God with all his heart yet he may and can convert himself and obtain of God forgivenesse of his sin Ans Hereby is Repentance which is meerly Gods work and is not within the comqasse of mans abilitie Jer. 31. v. 18. 19. 2 Tim. 2. v. 25 26. ascribed to our naturall powers and by that meanes idolatry committed And in the like manner it is also with Prayer for it is the onely work of the holy Spirit Zach. 12. v. 10. Rom. 8. v. 15. 26. 27. Joh. 14. 15. Now God heareth not sinners for they pray without the Spirit which dwelleth in no soul that is subject to sin Wisd 1. ver 3 4 5. 4. Barre Ob. 4 Hereby men may be brought to desperation when all grace is denied to sinful evil doers and a man would have altogether a pure Church Ans O happy desperation which worketh a spirituall sorrow 1 Cor. 7. v. 9 10 11. killeth the old Adam wholly Rom. 6. v. 6. siq Rom. 8. v. 4. 19. Gal. 5. v. 24. maketh the world with all its doings to a bitter Crosse Gal. 6. v. 14. Phil. 3. v. 8. 1 Joh. 2. v. 15 16. Matth. 10. Luk. 14. taketh captive the Reason 2 Cor. 10. v. 5. maketh a man become a child Joh. 3. v. 3. a beast and a fool Psal 73. v. 22. yea a meer nothing Gal. 6. v. 3. for a reasonlesse naturelesse creaturelesse worldlesse man and freed from all vanity is fit for the kingdom of God and that is then the pure soul wherein God dwelleth 2. Cor. 6. v. 14. seq Psal 18. v. 27. Psal 24. verse 4. 5 Barre Ob. Such men as these it is impossible to find in the world therfore is it foolishnesse yea madnesse to require this of any man Ans He that is fleshly minded must judge fleshly and calumniate Gods work and truth for he is an enemie of the true Regeneration out of the Spirit 1 Cor. 2. v. 10 11. seq Rom. 8. v. 5 6 7 8 9. Psal 73. v. 89. Gal. 4. v. 29. There is but a narrow way to Lise wherein for even very few and not many walk Matth. 7. v. 13. 14. Luk. 13. v. 23. The summe of Christianitie is this That the old Man with his lusts and desires must perish 2 Cor. 4. v. 16. be killed destroyed and drowned by Regeneration 1 Tit. 3. v. 5 6. Rom. 6. v. 6. and all become new 2. Cor. 5. v. 17. that Christ may be all in all Colos 3. v. 11. fill all in all Ephe. 1. v. 23. and present every one perfect to the Father Colos 1. v. 28. Cap. 2. v. 6. 10. Colos 3. v. 34. Colos 4. v. 12. 2 Tim. 3. v. 17. THE SUMME OF THE TRVE AND LIVING FAITH and of all the Articles of the Belief The true and living Faith O beloved Man consisteth not in the knowledge of the holy Scripture which Moses the Prophets and Apostles have left behind them nor in such Articles which men have according to their reason collected out of the holy Scripture which a man can learn by heart and fasten in his memory and then out of his naturall power say and confesse this I beleeve for this truly is but the meet imaginarie faith wherewith all the world is at this day bewitched deceived and befooled yea so farre that men go on to defend this their saith wrought by their own power by wrangling contentions and disputes yea even by the sword with the shedding of the blood of the poore and murthering of many innocent souls which imaginary faith is the very true inward abomination of desolation from whence is also sprung the outward desolation of Countreys and people in the righteous wrath of God which shall continue break forth and make desolate so long as this unbeleef with its manifest power of unrighteousnesse and cold LOVE beareth sway The true Faith O dear Man is a divine work or power of God in man which changeth and regenerateth him out of God truly killeth the old Adam and maketh a whole new man from the heart minde and all his powers and bringeth with it the holy Spirit wherethrough man becometh without sin and keepeth and fulfilleth Gods Commandements which to the beleevers are not heavie For the righteousnesse of Faith maketh a man without sin fully righteous before God so that he feareth God honoureth him as a Father and loveth him as a Lord from his heart whole soul and all his powers and his neighbour as himself as Luther described the true but at this day very much unknown Faith Now he that findeth such power in truth in himself and thereby doth the will of God he is a true member of the
houshold of Faith a Religionist a Christian an heir and child of God but he that hath not such a Faith nor suffereth the fruits of love to grow and blossome in a right godly and not seeming-holy way or nature he knoweth neither of Faith Religion nor Christianitie yea of no God in truth though he understood all the Scriptures all mysteries and Articles of beleef and could thereof talk and dispute eloquently and rationally even as an Angel of Light yet is he in Gods sight an unbeleever a miserable and contemnable man for he hath not in him the living power of the living Faith which alwayes is fruitfull in love therefore he talketh and prateth much of Faith and its righteousnesse yet he knoweth not what either Faith or Faiths works are whiles he doth not find and feel them experimentally inwardly in spirit and truth nor outwardly sheweth his talking and knowledge in deeds and works which God and good men may approve With such unprofitable Bablers is alas at this day all the world replenished namely with such as with open mouth cry Lord Lord prophesie and do signes and wonders but fulfill and accomplish not the will of God in power all these are but external plaisterers external cryers and seekers of Christ and the Faith despisers of the inward power of God or of the living Word of Faith and the whole kingdom of God in men in whom and by whom is the fulfilling of the Commandements and also the true Christian freedome in holinesse and righteousnesse Therefore thou Faith-conceited Man beseech God that he would work this living Faith in thee and free thee from this damnable and wrath producing imaginarie faith since that thou by this faith prated into thee hast imagined to thy self a freedome to sinne to transgresse Gods Commandments relying upon Absolution according to thy accustomed manner whereby alas thou art verily free but not from sinne as Christs kingdom requireth but from God and the fulfilling of his will and the observation of his Commandements in perfect obedience and so art become truly a slave of Satan 1 Joh. 3. v. 7 8 9 10. Every one therefore that will be a master of Faith let him behave himself as a pattern unblameable inwardly by the office of the holy Spirit in doctrine and outwardly in life as a follower of Jesus Christ He that boasteth of faith let him shew the new obedience of faith by a new righteous holy and to Christ-conformable life and conversation in the Love of God and his neighbour He that vaunteth of the Articles of Faith let him shew them forth in deed and truth for God is served neither with knowledge babling nor disputation nor yet the Church of the Saints which overcometh all things with Love in Patience and consequently not with words but with power Therefore O beloved Man that sayest that thou beleevest in God or but that there is a God make thy faith appear with true fruit in the strict observation of his commandements otherwise is thy saying vain and thou in truth beleevest on no God nor that there is a God for otherwise thou wouldest tremble and shake at the breach of his Commandements Thou that sayest I beleeve that Christ is dead for me shew then by thy self in deed the death of Christ namely that thine old Adam is buried with him thy lust and desire is crucified with him and thou risen again with Christ in a new nature or life of the Spirit otherwise is thy faith of Christ an historicall knowledge without all power and propertie of Faith Thou that sayest I beleeve a Church of Saints which the holy Spirit enlightneth sanctifieth and purifieth examine thy self whether the holy Spirit doth inwardly enlighten teach chastise admonish anoint guide govern lead and direct thee and thou also hast by the power of the holy Spirit the kingdom of God revealed in thee so that thou resistest all that exalteth it self against Gods will his knowledge and confession through the office or power of the holy Spirit and that the tentation from the world flesh and blood and wicked enemie is a right hellish torment to thee so then art thou a true member of the true Church of Christ Sayest thou O Man so I am for I am a baptized Christian O beloved Man shew forth the drowning of the old Adam the mortification of his lusts and desires and the renuntiation which thou hast made to the Devill the World and the Flesh in truth so that they rule no more in thee nor move thee to sin though they entice stirre and egge thee on to it Doest thou not or findest thou not this so then art thou an unbaptized and unchristened man for thou livest in the old and not in the new birth therefore art thou a violator of the Covenant of God Sayest thou yet I partake of the flesh and blood of Christ If thou partake thereof then shew the living-making power of the flesh of Christ and that the blood of Christ hath cleansed thee from all sins in words and works so hast thou truly partaken of the flesh and blood of Christ otherwise goest thou to the Lords Supper to thy double condemnation In summe all the Articles must live sensibly in thee and outwardly demonstrate the living power of love otherwise is thy Christianitie meer hypocrisie seeming holinesse self chosen godlinesse and imaginarie faith which do but further the destruction both of body and soul as alas appeareth before our eyes and yet no man taketh it to heart or will duely examine himself Two Questions verie necessarie concerning these present and continuing Warres viz. 1. From whence Warre doth spring 2. By what meanes it ends AS the inward exterpation or rooting out of Jesus Christ with his holy and threefold office in mans soul which when she is obedient unto and receives him he then as the true and onely high-Priest perfectly reconciles sanctifies cleanses and presents her as a new creature to his heavenly Father in holy attire of Love and as the onely Master and Teacher in her sent from the heavenly Father makes her remember her miserie in penitencie chastises her instructeth teacheth guideth and preserves her from the spirit of errour and thus in her powerfully exerciseth his royall office as her Head and LORD to the utter ruine and demolishing of the Devils Sin pallace bruising the head of the subtle and holy-seeming Serpent quenching and suppressing of all that shall exalt it self against his inward kingdom of grace as also to the overcoming of all outward enemies through the Spirit of Prayer and his iron Rod or Scepter and thus killeth and crucifieth sin Death the Devill Hell the Flesh and Blood and break asunder the whole kingdom of sin so that it can no more bring under subjection or into darknesse the soul which he hath redeemed is the onely cause of unbelief and from thence springing unrighteousnesse wickednesse malice hypocrisie self-chosen godlinesse outward false worship of God or Sectarie