dispute wee have ought against our Brother and so remaine but I hope that at other times they will shew their zeale to maintaine the truth some feare had fezed them seeing the rigor that was used towards those which did maintaine it untill now I remaine oblidged unto the command of the Apostle which I have spoken in the beginning to wit I direct my speach unto women and doe Intreate them not to reject my Instruction seeing the Apostle doeth command me O women have you never read the 4 Chapter of the Gospel of S. Iohn I pray you to read it heedfully and you shall find a marvellous consolation from the sacred mouth of our Lord speaking unto the woman that was a Samaritane and all others that shall beleeve in him you doe not find that the Lord misuseth this woman because shee tooke pleasure in his word but to the contrary he takes occasion to aske drinke of her because he would give unto this woman the water of life o good God who would beleeve such a thing of thine owne word should not say so that thou shouldest conferre so friendly with a woman a woman that was not of his people shee was of a meane condition for shee came to draw water shee was a great sinner for the Lord said unto her thou hast had five husbands and him whom thou now hast is not thy husband but above all to be noted that the Lord said unto her woman beleeve me the woman then ought to beleeve shee ought then to speake when one will wrong her faith at the 10 Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans the Apostle saith that one beleeveth of heart unto righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation the woman alsoe ought to write in such an occasion It is the practice of a true martyre and also of the feminine sect those pore and weakest vesels having bine sustained and strengthend by him that hath made unto them all that promise that their enemies are often fled all ashamed and confused O women seeing then that at this present one will for bid what the word of God doeth command Mat. c. 25. v. 9. one will put out our light or lampe let us not suffer it for at the comming of our spouse wee should be without light let us remember that there is nothing more exalted in the word of God then the womans faith for Jesus Christ speaking unto the woman of Canaan said unto her Mat. c. 15. v. 28. O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt O what a maruellous thing it is that the Sonne of God suffered him selfe to be overcome by the faith of a woman for he hath granted her request wee ought not to find it strange that the Sonne of God loveth so much that faith let us rather Worship that infinite love with joy and comfort let us not be affraid of the greatnesse of the combats for the victory shall be so much the more glorious let us remember that this combat had his beginning ever since the world began witnes that lamentable shipwrack of our first Mother do you know where this Auncient serpent made his enterance to begin this warre he entered in Eden that place was the celestiall Paradis there was in that place but Justice and all hollynesse Gen 3.2.6 shall wee marvell now that this serpent is entered in our Eden that is to say in the Church where there is but sinne that reighneth if one will doe you any shame it is is because you desire to live in the feare of God I know one doeth make som signe as if they would follow the Discipline the same they doe among the Scribes and Pharisees that Renouned consistory did not crucifie Christ alone but crucified 2 theeves with him Mat. c. 2.9 v. 38. this hath som colour towards the Ill advised and brutall world this is the subtilty of the Divel to cause more reproach to be done unto the faithfull they will find out an evill liver causing them to have like punishment it is easie to know in what forme Sathan made his entrance into the Church it is in a humaine forme according as I have perceived but the worst I can perceive is that he will have his Raigne there not onely in a Corner but in the Chaire seeing hereseis are to be established it is now more then time that the faithfull should make a crye like unto the crye of the Prophets sonnes according as wee read in the fourth Chapter of the second booke of Kings o man of God death is in the Cauldron but wee must say o God death is entered in thy Church o my God may not I say death seeing that by my condemnation I should have deffamed a doctrine but my writing sheweth faithfully that I have but onely spoken against eronious Doctrine but not against the true Doctrine Never the lesse it is from thence that my condemnation was drawne then may I very well say death seeing one must beleeve in hereseis to remaine in the Church for him that doeth beleeve in Heresies can hope nothing but death O lamentable thing to understand o if that holy woman hath had so much occasion to lament and crie for the taking of the Arke 1. Sam 4. v 19. and for this thing she demanded where is the Glory o that we have at this day a great deale more occasion to crye O Lord for thy Glory is goeing into Captivitie O Hanna Mother of Samuell wherefore didst thou weep so much to have a Sonne 1. Sam c. 1. v. 19. if thou wert in theise present times and that one would hinder thee to be the Mother of the Sonne of Glory weare it not to say I am descended into the Gulfe and never the lesse we are brought unto that extreanuty that Some sayes him selfe at the 3 Chapter of the Gospell of S. Marke and at the 12 Chapter of the Gospell of S. Mathew whosoever shall doe the will of my Father the same is my Brother and my Sister and my Mother to doe thee will of God to be Mother of Christ now all that which is done without faith is sinne then it must befaith which must worke this conception Let us then pray the Lord that he may give us the grace to the end wee may heare that gratious word the which he hath pronounced him selfe unto that poore woman which was Diseased with an issue of Bloud thy faith hath made the whole O that the Mother of Samuel had occasion to Answer mildly unto the high Priest for he spake upon her Person but here the truth is oppressed o what greefe it is unto me to heare the gowne spoken of for I feare that it will be found in this perticular full of sinne I hope I shall make it appeare in time I pray unto the Lord he may please to be judge and witnes altogether By me the Wife of MICHAEL le CLERCQ in my
the second booke of Samuel when the Citty Abel was besieged by Ioab a woman of the sayd Citty demanded of him if he would destroy a Mother in Israel som will wonder that a woman speaketh heere Chap 20.19 vers but seeing that it concerneth not onely a mother but a daughter and a mother together I call faith and charity soe for the faith is the mother and charity is the Daughter but the daughter is oblidged and bound to keepe and entertaine the mother and this entertainment cannot be done but by forgetting ones selfe following as St. John speaketh in his first epistle hereby perceive wee the Charity or Love of the sonne who layd downe his life for us Chap 3.16 v. and wee ought to lay downe our Lives for the bretheren hereby we see that it stould be distroying the mother and the daughter to cause Charity to begin at ones selfe as one will make us beleeve this is the first point yet hath he others that are very dangerous and strange as when he doth preach that wee must beare with the wicked untill such time that God gives him repentance wholly contrary unto the Doctrine of St. Paul who commandeth expresty to put away from among you the wicked person Corrintians first epistle Chap 5.13 verse is it not a lamentable thing when he doth preach unto us that God was anger'd against his Sonne altogether against the section of the 10 Sunday al 's Sabbath of our Catechisme if Father had beene anger'd against the Sonne it must follow that the Sonne must have bin a sinner Isaih 53. c. v. 4. a doctrine contrary and Erronious against the stay of our faith our God was anger'd against the charge that his Sonne hath taken upon him to witt our sinnes I speake now of the 4 point upon the Natures of our saviour Jesus Christ he hath preached unto us two natures but not three and being assembled with the people to examine those which were to answer touching their faith they were warned to keepe them selves from them which attribute 3 natures unto the Sonne of God as if it had beene an execrable thing this happened by reason Another Minister through his greate prudence and knowledge for the safegard and salvation of the people had made a distinction and difference touching the nature of the soule and that of the body I speake not touching the divinity for I beleeve there is not such an Athiest among us which would deny it but I speake of the nature of the dying body and of the nature of the soule scuffleing and striving without Dying those that will either deny th' one or th' other put them selves in great danger of their salvation for wee must have had the one and the other to be fully redeemed he doth preach unto us alsoe that one must confesse all kind of truth altough it should be against ones owne honour upon paine of eternall damnation yet Gods word doth give us knowledge what kinde of truth wee must confesse a truth for the advancement of his Glory and the good of our neighbour alsoe when charity doeth require it but there is such truth that would be hurtfull if it weare knowne and also the word of God doth forbid it this commeth neere the Oricullar confession we have understood in one of his prayers that our sinnes do offend God but they do not endanger the king Chap 12.25 verse against which wee read in the first booke of Samuel the Prophet warneth the people saying but if ye shall still doe wickedly yee shall be consumed both ye and your king I will yet set downe a thing which unto my thinking is blasphemy in saying that God is a Robber Chap 1.21 verse Job useth an other manner of speaking in saying the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord in the Proverbes the wise doth shew us that he that robbeth the poore afflicted the Lord wil pleade their cause and will spoile the soule of those that spoile them Chap. 22.23 verse by which words he doth give us to understand that the wicked shall not remaine unpunished and as such measure with he measureth he shall be like as wise measured with but shall our God be called a Robber therefore hath hee not at his command both the Robber and their Robberry without being called by that name a fearefull thing to understand these are the points which I have put forth to the end one should not mistake ownes selfe soe I will end and returne to my beginning which is unto the good deed of the woman because it derived from thence that Judas tooke occasion to commit his abominable deed if on these dayes a woman should commit or doe a good deed it should not be the cause that Christ should be betrayed Mark 14. c. v. 10. for he is no more subject unto such treason neither could that miserable Judas do it for hee is in his place it should be the woman then that should beare the punishment but what should be that punishment even the privation of the Sacrament and afterward excommunication but all this is not hurtfull unto the faithfull soule the corporall hand will find som hindrance therein but I will say with an Auncient Father wherefore makest thou thy teeth and mouth ready beleeve onely and thou shalt eat Christ it shall be the faith then which shall benifite her selfe therein I say that poore faith although weake and feeble being sustained by the spirit of fortification will be ready for this action shee wil keepe her 2 hands cleane the one to receive Christ unto her and the other to give her selfe unto him those two hands will have as much freedome as that which did write upon the wall I have heere written what I have said if one doeth say more they are false accusations but one must have patience to these things is the faithfull Christian bound these things have bin done unto the greene wood what will be done unto the dry those that doe Read this I intreate them to excuse mee untill the time of my Excommunication of the which I am threatned and then I wil write more if my God doth permit What I have written is not to dishnour the holly Ministeri to whom I am bound in dutyfull respect and obedience but I say that the word of God doeth command us not to hearken unto the Embassadour that publisheth not the message that his King hath enioyned him By me the Wife of MICHAEL le CLERCQ The Wallons CONSISTORIE and their SUSPENTION COnsidering that my opressions and greevances do increase from day to day by the furie of those that have taken me in hatred without a cause I would not faile of my promise because a while agoe I had given to understand the occasion of my troubles with promise to write more at the continuation of them but it seemeth unto som that what is written by a
woman should not be of any value nor credit because the Apostle in his Epistle to the Corinth the 14 Chapter doeth not permit the woman to speake in the church the same Apostle in his Epistle to Titus the second Chapter doeth command the Aged woman to give instructions shall wee find heere any contradiction no the holy Ghost doth not contredict himselfe he will have the Aged woman to teach the Apostle by this word Aged doth not meane the woman shall have any charg or office in the Church no but we must understand it is for the age or judgement now being I am comming neere the age our poore nature can come unto I hope that God will give me the grace to follow that command as neere as I can possible but one wil asâ—ke me in what manner I could do it finding my selfe in such Ignominie and reproach I will make it appeare in manner of complaint and lamentation in the second Chapt of Salomons Song the spouse commandeth to take the foxes that spoile the vines there is a Kind of foxes which are in woods but they have fower feete t' is not of those that the spouse complaineth but she speakes of those that spoile the vines to the end it should beare noe good grapes but even wylde grapes what shall whe doe in this extremitie wee must have our recourse and refuge unto the true vine dresser as it is spoken in S. Iohn the 15 Chapter Mat. 12. â— 8. or els unto the true Heire who hath beene dryven out heere tofore by such kind of foxes to the end they might spoile the vine at their pleasure now to give more plainely to understand the occasion of my lamentation I will bring the complaint of that spouse in Solomons song the 5 Chapter shee being in great misery to find out him whom her heart did lone I sought him but I could not find him the watch from me they smote me and wounded me and tooke away my vaile from me shee sayes heere the watch there is much to be considered here this spouse being called by the name of a woman in the revelation of S. Iohn the 12 Chapter shee is persecuted by the Dragon but that is not strange as also so many Martirs and likewise women and maydes that God hath given them strength and grace to suffer for his name but this was done by the Babylonians by the watch those that ought to conducted her in the have seeking out of her spouse was this woman found in any evill action in seeking for her whoredome or in any other wicked or scandallous worke no but this doeth bring us unto the consideration of theise present times and well to understand the conformitie thereof we must call those watch by the name of watching aliter overseers then wee shall heare Christ speake in S. Mathew the 10 Chapter and in the Gospell of S. Marke the 13 Chapter speaking unto his Disciples and unto all true Christians in their name yee shall be brought and delivered to their Consistory and they will scourge you in their sinagogues and yee shall be hated of all for my name sake but our Lord and saviour doeth say this to give us to understand that it shall not onely be the Turkes Pagans or Idolateres that shall torment the true Christian but alsoe they which are called by the name of Consistory the furie of which folkes is yet greater for having understood the rebellion and disobidience of any childe against Father and Mother they lay hold at the same Justant of that occasion they runne they trot to have witnesses or accusations either true or falcse it is all one unto them soe they may have them o that it weare good for those children if they have received any benifite or money to carry it back againe with teares then should wee hope a better conversion of life the which I have Desired a long time this now enough spoken of that corruption for they are capable to melt our hearts with the aboundance of teares in regard they are entered unto the holly place now we will returne unto the spouse do you thinke my friends shee hath found him out whom her soule loved in this equipage and case being beataen wounded and her vaile taken away Salomons song 6. v. 1. ye shee hath found him it is heere that lyeth our comfort and consolation for all Christians may say the same chiefely those which are persecuted for rightenosnesse sake unto this present we have spoken but of the crosses and tribulation of beating and wounding but what 's all that seeing the holy Ghost calles it a light affliction at the 8 Chapter of S. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distresse or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perill or sword as it is written for thy sake wee are Killed all the day Long wee are accounted as sheepe for the slanghter nay in all theise thinges wee are more then conquerours through him that loved us will this seeme unproper to speake in this kind persecution for among us they do not persecute unto death but it is more dangerous and closely caried one doeth not close the eyes of those that weare borne blind but one will blind them spiritually in casting them out of the sinagogue they will not cut of the eares but they will stop those that are fittest to heare you shall not be excommunicated because you are a Calvinist or Protestant but you shall be suspended by reason you will maintaine the truth one shall not Barre your mouth but you shall be forbidden to speaked if your speech tend to edification you shall not be subject unto ceremonyes but it may be they will cause you to worship an Idol what I have written untill now cannot be taken but for a fore warning in regard of those which seemed among us to be the most forward touching the points of true doctrine now seems to stand backe feareing som rigorous Article but that Article is contrary unto the Ecclesiasticall Discipline for the Ecclesiasticall Discipline is contented with the Key of S. Peter but this Article will have the sword of S. Paul never the lesse S. Paul would not use it him selfe Mat c. 16.8.19 but he sayes that it belougeth unto the Magistrate for my part is seemeth unto me those folkes have not bin so Ill advised as to feare so much that Article Kings c. 13 v. 4. it is rather that they would sheuwt hem selves peaceable and that it seemeth they were called to som disputet and would not be found there and wherefore should wee dispute might theise good folkes say wee know that our Lord Jesus Christ doeth command us that if we bring our gift to the Altar and if wee remember that our Brother hath ought against us wee must leave there our gift and first be reconsiled to our Brother Mat. 10.5 v. 23. therefore if wee