Now goeth ye Iudgment ouer this world now is ye prince of this world cast out Iohn â—2 Now is ye Saluation ye porâ—â—â— and ye Kingdom becom our gods and ye Might his Christs Revet â—2 D. Mirabilia opera Dei Certaine wonderfull Works of God which hapned to H. N. even from his youth and how the God of Heaven hath united himself with him and raised up his gracious Word in him and how he hath chosen and sent him to be a Minister of his gracious Word Published by Tobias a Fellow Elder with H. N. in the Houshold of Love Translated out of Base Almain Now come hither and behold the works of the Lord Ps. 46 66. Know ye that the Lord leadeth his Saints wonderfully Ps. 4. a. And take heed that ye do not despise the works of the Lord lest there come upon you that which is said in the Prophets Behold ye despisers and wonder and perish for I do a work in your days which you will in no wise believe though a man declare it unto you Hab. 1. a. Acts 13. b. THE PREFACE Tobias with H. N. a fellow Minister of the gracious Word of the Lord wisheth to all lovers of Truth Salvation and Peace in Jesus Christ our Lord Amen FOrasmuch as I Tobias a fellow Elder with the Oldest Elders in the Houshold of Love have alwayes been present with H. N. in all what the Lord hath revealed unto him and now in this day of the Love of Iesus Christ am impulsed of the Holy Ghost to declare and to publish among the children of men under the obedience of the love of the Truth of certain wonderful works of God which befell H. N. and us the oldest Elders in the house of Love and that I also know that H. N. Gods chosen Minister and his ministration of the gracious Word of the Lord hath been disorderly rejected and censured with several false judgements by many false hearts and good-thinking wise-ones by many false Christians and unsent Teachers or Preachers and by some unfaithfull and opinionated self-seekers who are turned away from us And that the Godly Testimonies of the holy Spirit of the Love of Iesus Christ published by H. N. were by many disgracefully contemned and reproached as if God had neither chosen nor sent H. N. to be a Minister of his holy and gracious Word and as if the holy Spirit of the Love of Iesus Christ were an unclean thing So have I for Gods cause and in regard of the Love which I bear and have to all mens salvation I could not omit to declare to all God-fearing-understandings and Lovers of the Truth That they may believe the Truth understand the Godly Testimonies of the holy Spirit of Love and may be preserved in these dangerous times and to witnesse the Truth before them how and in what manner the Lord the living God of Heaven hath chosen H. N. from his youth to the ministration of his holy and gracious word and hath sent him thereunto in his old age of the holy and godly understanding through the holy Spirit of his Love 2 For the holy Spirit of the Truth of God and of the Love of Iesus Christ was alwayes powerfully abiding upon H. N. in all his ministrations after that the Lord had anointed him a with the same spirit and hath through the same spirit raised and sent him for to declare to all people the true b repentance for their sinnes and to draw and bring in through his ministration of the holy and gracious Word all those that love Gods Truth and the accomplishment of the Godlinesse in Iesus Christ and hunger and thirst after righteousnesse c to the peaceable Love and his Godly service for the preservation of them all in the Godlinesse that all they which H. N. and our fellowship may have their communion in Iesus Christ and may not be seduced in these dangerous times in which if it were possible the very elect d should be seduced with the unprofitable prating of the false hearts and unsent Teachers or Preachers which alwayes oppose the Truth of God e and blaspheme against the holy Spirit nor through any depraved hearts and Apostates who continually accuse with falshood the true Ministers of the gracious word and endeavour with all their power to abolish the same ministration nor should be kept of or held back from our most holy Service of the gracious word under the obedience of the Love to their condemnation 3 And therefore and for the Truth of Gods cause and for to declare the knowledge that the Promises of God the Father and of the Lord Iesus Christ g be fullfilled and established in the Love So is there also now presently in this same day of the Love in plain words to all understanding and before all good-willing hearts unto the righteousnesse through H. N. testified and published what that very thing which the Gracious Word of the Lord which the Lord now hath raised up according to his Promises doth require of all men 4 And for to witness and publish the truth that the Lord hath chosen and sent H. N. therefore have I through the holy Spirit of the Love of Iesus Christ plainly testified and declared the sending of H. N. also certaine wonderfull workes of God which from his youth hapned unto him from the living God That all those which read or hear all the Godly Testimonies of our writings may believe the Truth with a single heart to have a right regard to the true Promises of the Father and of the Sonne our Lord Iesus Christ and of the accomplishing of the same and may hope upon the fulfilling of the requiring of the gracious word and of his service of Love and rightly and in Truth follow and imitate our Lord Iesus Christ in the saving word of his holy Spirit of Love h and might be of one mind with us and our communialtie of the Saints i in the Love of our Lord Iesus k into all unity and peace 5 And likewise that through the same declaration the enemies of H. N. together with all the opposers and reprochers of the Truth and of the holy Spirit of the Love of Iesus Christ may see and know That they have villified and contemned not onely H. N. a choseu servannt of God but also God the Father the builder of our house of Love and the Lord Iesus Christ our Phisician and Saviour and the holy Ghost the inheritance of our spiritual and heavenly goods l and have pulled upon their own necks the wrath and judgement of their condemnation That they with humble hearts might bring forth real fruits of repentance 6 For it is not unknown or uncertaine to us that H. N. doth testifie out of the Truth of God and his gracious word and that the office of the ministration of the gracious Word is imposed and intrusted to him through m God's grace to administer for the Lord
hath chosen him thereunto from his youth to witness the same Testimonies of the Truth of God And to administer Gods holy and gracious word and to manifest his heavenly works and to declare upon the earth now in these last times under the obedience of the love of Iesus Christ Gods Truth and upright being and the acomplishment of the Godlinesse in Iesus Christ 7 Thus in this election by the living God H. N. hath declared on earth to this present day from the n uncovered face of God and of Christ Gods real Truth and the requiring of his upright righteousnesse together with his righteous Judgement and the fulfilling of the Godlinesse in Iesus Christ 8 Now whether this be believed or not believed however he hath revealed the the same out of Gods true light eternal life in manifest declaration brought it to light in this holy day of the love of God and Christ 9 And the same day of the love of God and of Christ which is come unto us from Gods grace is the newest or last day of which long agoe the Prophets of God and the Evangelists of Iesus Christ have foretold and published and is the day o which God hath appointed or ordained for to judge on the same the whole circuit of the Earth with righâ—eousnesse 10 For on the same day of the Love of God and of Christ p shall all unbelievers and disobedient ones to the gracious Word of the Lord and all evil surmisers towards the Ministers thereof together with all opposers of H. N. and blasphemers of the holy Spirit of the Love of Iesus Christ be q revealed and r judged and according to their works shall receive their reward 11 Therefore take warning by this declaration of mine all ye people which love the truth of Iesus Christ that you in no wise oppose neither the gracious Word of God nor his chosen servant H. N. because God the Father with his Son Iesus Christ dwelleth and liveth perfectly * in H. N. in the heavenly being and hath anointed him with the holy Spirit of God and of s Iesus Christ and that no man without the fellowship of H. N. or without the obedience of the requiring of his doctrine can be brought or gathered to the true living God nor to his Sonne Iesus Christ nor united with the same good being 12 Behold out of a very hearty love which I have to all your preservations in the godlinesse am I presently in this day of the Love impulsed and forced through the holy Spirit of the love of Iesus Christ to make the same known before all your understandings and to declare unto you how the calling H. N. came to passe by the living God and how he was chosen of the same God to Administration of his holy and and gracious word under the obedience of the love of Iesus Christ 13 And also to testifie unto you some mysteries t of the Kingdome of the God of heavens and of the heavenly revelations and workings of God which were revealed and shewed to H. N. by the living God out of his heavenly being even from the youth of H. N. 14 The Lord grant unto you all mercy and his Graee that in the hearing of these Testimonies your hearts may not be offended nor be hardened against the Truth u of the same Testimonies but that yee may hear them humbly receive and accept of them in all thanksgiving to God for his grace be well minded to the holy and gracious word of the Lord and his service of the Love to your preservation in the Godlinesse and may enter into the requiring of the same obediently Amen So be it Take it to heart Certaine wonderfull Workes of God which befel H N. from his youth CHAP. I. IN the eighth year of the age of H. N. in the days of Maximilian the first being made Roman Emperour by vertue or power of the Electoral Princes of the Roman Empire and the German Nation it fell out on an Evening in a Winter season That the Father of H. N. exhorted his Family and instructing them with many words That they should fear God a and to give praise and thanks unto him for the grace he bestowed on man 2 The same time The Lord opened the mouth of the childe H. N. and touched his lips and tongue and with this the childe spake to his Father and said Instruct me O my Father what is that singular Grace bestowed on us for which we ought to give praise and thanks to God 3 When the child had asked this questiof his Father The Father looked on the child and wondered that the child should aske him so earnestly and answearing the child said to him 4 O my sonne doest thou aske what that especial grace is which God hath bestowed on us and for which we are bound to give praise and thanks to him The same you read daily in the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ and is set forth unto us dayly in the service of the Masse and often also and abundantly is attested by Preaching how that God the Father by reason of Adams sinne whereby we all became the children b of death and damnation caused his deare Sonne Jesus Christ to suffer the ignominious c death on the Crosse and that thus Jesus Christ hath born the sins of Adam satisfied for the same on the Crosse and delivered us from that sinne into which Adam did fall hath reconciled us to his Father d and hath set up again the sincere righteoness and the true e life of Godliness and so all is found and restored againe that was lost by Adam that same is joyned again f made whole which through Adam was broken and wounded And this is that singular Grace which God bestowed on us to the laud and praise of his great Power 5 Then said the child O my Father I doe read indeed of the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ and I heare it daily testified in Sermons that God the Father hath bestowed on us his great mercy and that his beloved Sonne Jesus Christ hath suffered the ignominious death of the Crosse by reason of sinne g but I finde not according to Truth that the sinne is amended in us nor that the true righteousness h wherein Adam was created and placed is restored in us or set up again 6 Then said the Father Oh my sonne what I have told you about the grace of God shewed to us through Jesus Christ you need not to doubt of it beleeve the same in simpleness of heart and that it all is come to passe as I have told you 7 Then said the child O my Father I make no question of the mercy of God which is come unto us through Jesus Christ and all that which is preached to us of Christ and his satisfaction for the sinne as that he through the death on the Crosse
as he of old had promised to a raise up the same through his holy Prophets and with the same word and out of the same word the Lord b poured upon H. N. his holy Spirit of the of the Love of Jesus Christ 4 With this heavenly glory and out-flowing of the same holy Spirit of the true Love of Jesus Christ upon H. N. the Lord chose him to be a Minister of his holy and gracious word which He the Lord had excited and revealed in him 5 And the Lord prepared or ordained to H. N. for his assistance in the same ministration Daniel Elidad Tobias which continued allwayes with him and assisted him in all his ministration of the the gracious word of the Lord 6 And at that time also through the power of God and impulse of the holy Spirit of the Love of Jesus Christ H. N. was driven in his whole spirit mind for to administer on t of the holy and gracious word and holy spirit of the Love of Jesus Christ the most holy Office of the Love according to the command of God and to attest and set down in writing the godly truth of God and of Christ and the c upright way of the through-going or Passe-over which reacheth to the npright righteousnesse and to the eternalllife and to publish and express writingly in letters before all eyes of understanding 7 H. N. being thus chosen of the God of life to the ministration of his gracious word and was impulsed by the holy spirit of the Love of Jesus Christ to set * forth the manefestatton of the Truth of God and of the Godlinesse of Jesus Christ and let the Sonnes of men to know their errours that they repenting of their sins d may turn from their errour and sincerely endeavour to keep the truth of God and the godliness of Jesus Christ So he gave himself obediently at that time to that service and work of the Lord and carefully endeavoured to set down all that the Lord revealed and commanded him and that should be most profitable and necessary for the Sonnes of men to their Salvation and Peace and to the entrance of the upright life 8 But in his beginning of the same service and writings the word of the Lord came to him and said H. N. stay thy hand from writing in this place and get thee up and travel out of this land wherein now thou livest that thy soul may be preserved alive in my service and worke and be not devoured by bloud-thirsty men and in thy going out from this land take thy journey Eastward and dwell there till I my selfe by the hand of my Angel bring thee from thence 9 For whilest thou livest there thou shalt apply thy selfe for the most part to be in the land Pietas that thou mayest be diligent there rightly and according to the truth to manifest my honour and Love and to reveal the same to those who are worthy of love 10 For there in the manifesting of mine honour and Love thou shalt testifie and figure forth in writing the godly and heavenly things which I do reveal and make known unto thee and that profitable for the children of men unto Godliness 11 To thee shall also from henceforth many mysteries of my heavenly Kingdome which hitherto have been kept and concealed from the e world and her wise and letter-learned be revealed and made known for to bring the same to light 12 At the time according to the word and command of the Lord H. N. instantly took his journey Eastward and became an Inhabitant in the land of the East and was for the most time iu Pietas even as the Lord had commanded him ae3 And the Lord the God of heaven revealed to him in Pietas many godly mysteries and in these revealed mysteries H. N. excereised himselfe in Gods holy understanding to the serviceable benefit or utility of the children of men and to all their good knowledge of their Salvation and peace in Jesus Christ 14 There were revealed unto him also many wonderfull Acts or Workes of God many of which are testified and brought to light in the writings of H. N. to the knowledge of the upright Godliness in Jesus Christ 15 But in all this which the Lord hath revealed to H. N. he was rejoyced too exceedingly insomuch that he forgot all the sore wayes which he in great sadnesse had passed through 16 And the Lord afflicted him heavily through his enemies for the Lord suffered him to fall into the hands of the wicked his enemies whose ungodly being is the false destruction which hath brought on the Earth death or f mortality namely the Kingdome of the Devil and of hell which God hath not willed that it should be in the Earth but be condemned in the g bottomlesse pit and the everlasting darknesse from whence it also came And that the h Glory of Jesus Christ should be revealed on the earth and raigne over it eternally 17 Yea the same wicked Beeing must be abolished in the condemnaâ—ion at the appearing of Jesus Christ in his glory for that same is the i envious man against God and his righteousnesse and against all that is Godly and * God-service k and wherewith the man practiseth his whoredome and adultery to the disobeying and resisting his God so that thereby the man every where l turneth or inclineth to himselfe and to things which are vaine and unprofitable whereby also the same ungodly being in the false light of the mans disobedient knowledge is become predominant 18 Behold into this Abysse or Depth the Lord let fall his chosen servant H. N and suffered him to tast and feel the condemnation of all ungodly ones in the hellish fire the most horrible perdition and the most ugly abomination of desolation 19 But when now H. N. found himself thus captived in misery wherein hee was sorely vexed by his enemies so there came on him a great and mighty sadnesse and he could find no comfort at all insomuch that by reason of his great heavinesse of mind he wringed his hands and exceedingly bewailed his sinnes and cryed aloud to God and besought him for his Grace and continued therein day and night And in this his misery he composed these Psalmes of mourning and lamentation and did not hide his sinnes and thus calling on and praying to the Lord he spake forth his mourning Psalmes with weeping and lamentation Here follow the Psalmes of H. N. and the declaration of his weeping and praying in his chastisement The Rod and punishment giveth wisdome Pro. 29. For whom the Lord loveth he chastiseth and delighteth in him as a Father doth in his sonne Pro. 3. Therefore shall the eare which barkeneth to the correction of the Lord dwell among the wise but he that letteth go the chastising Instrâ—ction or turneth away from it he rejecteth his own â—oul Pro. 2. CAAP. VI Psalme I. 1 O My
9 For why should the wicked rule over thy Sanctuary and drive out thy beloved ones 10 Yea let themselves be cursed g which intend me evil and let them with thee O God find no mercy 11 Let them be totally rooted out with root and branch for they fall on me very heavily and bring an evil report on me among the people 12 Yea they are such which appeared as friends h did eat bread with me daily and are become secret Traytors to me 13 For those which somtimes praysed me and were friendly when I was in prosperity now reproach hate me most of all 14 Yea my wife i which lyeth in my arms who is one flesh and bone with me where all my heart delight comfort and mind was fixed bringeth also all wicked out-cryes against me with all accusations for to condemn me 15 Now when I consider all this and that all things are averse and fall contrary to me which formerly I loved so it afflicteth me much more then the rebuking of God 16 But seeing all my love is thus requited with malice therefore all my oppression misery and anxiety is a heavy burthen above measure 17 Now when I out of my heavy burthen call on God then mine enemies which sometimes were my friends k rise up against me 18 They reproved and l contested with me why I was so bold and presumptuous as to call to God for mercy 19 They all cryed against me with one voice Thou hast neither help nor m comfort with the Almighty for he hath poured forth his wrath on thee everlastingly 20 There stood my soul before the Tribunal and I was very much perplexed in my heart and strongly bound with the cords of sinne and was heavily accused of the enemies of life 21 I look't up to the highest and down again to the lowest and round about me far and near whether any one did take to heart my cause for to defend me n but I found none 22 But my enemies which sought my life and were against me o stood in great multitudes even as grass in the field round about me to condemn me 23 And my wayes which sometimes they commended for good they presented before me as evil to a great accusation and I beheld them all as an p abomination of desolation 24 This same grieved me exceedingly and I suffered great great sadness with heavy oppression in my heart 25 Where-ever I did go or stand q there was I surrounded with my enemies and they speak nothing but evil against me 26 And I was full of wo in my soul sadness and out of great anguish I called on the Lord for help or else I had perished CHAP. XV Psalme X. 1 O God a hearken to my crying and sighing let my lamentation come into thine eares and let me not b remain ashamed 2 I am now faln in the sin c and am estranged from thy light and go up and down as one that is condemned and lost 3 I am as the weakest among the children of men d for there is no strength of any vertue in me 4 Those that look on me according to the judgement of mine enemies abhor me e for my enemies cry all shame and disgrace upon me 5 But thou O Lord in whom I hope let me not perish in the darkness but f inlighten me with thy light and take away my shame and reproach 6 For my sins and transgressions are a loathing to me and to do any thing which thou hast prohibited or is against thy will is no pleasure to my soul 7 But I remember thee in my anguish and take a g delight in thy righteousness 8 Therefore O Lord take not the rod of thy correction from me until that I love thy law and forget not that which thou hast commanded 9 O God my mouth is made dumbe h to speak of thy truth through shamefastness of my sin 10 For they stand as an abomination in my sight and have made me dismaid in my mind 11 The ungodly reigned over me and would draw me from thy law that I O God should no more think on thee and thy law 12 They have presented lies before me as a snare and had honey in their lips i wherewith they kissed me friendly 13 But k poison was under their tongue and they mingled that same in my soul and they O God stirred up thy wrath against me 14 For those which were friendly in their falshood and made a shew as if they loved me have brought me to shame 15 But they themselves must fall into the pit l and perish in the destruction which they have prepared for my soul CHAP. XVI Psalme XI 1 O God a make hast to come unto me that my enemies which wait to destroy my soul may be destroyed that I may highly b praise thy Name in the land c of the living 2 Root out the ungodly make thy salvation break forth and let thy Name be glorious over all thine enemies 3 O Lord thou Eternal and Almighty God forsake me not d for my ignorance remember not O God for ever mine errours in the time of my youth 4 But teach e in thy truth that I may praise thy goodness and may highly esteem of thy correction and not forget thy righteousness 5 I rejoyce me in my soul when as thy hand of correction hūbleth me under thee 6 And that I endure my punishment for the folly and ignorance of my youth 7 That I might have my walking among the f Elders in Israel and have my habitation among the Citizens of Jerusalem 8 Therefore O God circumcise g the fore-skin of my heart to me and take away from me the fore-skin of my evil thoughts 9 That I may come up to worship with thy people h into thy holy Temple or Tabernacle and with i offerings and gifts which may be acceptable and well pleasing unto thee for an eternal joy upon mount Sion 10 O Lord help yea O God Iesu help and draw my spirit to thee in thy holy heaven in thy appearing to me in glory CHAP. XVII Psalme XII 1 HOw long shall I O God want thy goodness or when shall I be delivered from the sin 2 Have I hoped in thee in vain or hidest a thou thy goodness for a while from me 3 Let me intreat thee O God b strengthen me and lead me aright O God lead me aright otherwayes must I perish by reason of my sin 4 O Lord hear thy servant who is full of sorrow and misery 5 Ah how long shall I be deaf before I shall hear how long shall I yet be blind before I shall see how long shall I be dying before that I live 6 Is there then c no remnant unto righteousness left for me O God must I then perish in my sins 7 O God
Praising the Lord the Word of the Lord came to H. N. and said 27 Hast thou H. N well observed in thy journey into this my holy inheritable land of the living That the most part of the people despise thy ministration of my holy gracious Word and blaspheme my holy Spirit of Love And also that they despising or contemning the offerings of my Grace bring upon themselves my t wrath and displeasure and the judgement of their eternal condemnation 28 Besides hast thou also well observed that the many Godly Testimonies of thy Writings which thou with great diligence and care out of my holy Word and Spirit of Love hast written brought to light are come among many Whoremongers forsworn or unfaithful ones among many enemies reprochers of my House of Love how falsly they do judge the same and how disorderly shamefully that they * handle and deal with the same For with the same they commit their Whoredoms prophane my holy Name and break the mariage of fidelity of the Covenant of my * Wedlock and so after the nature of Harlots and of impudent adulterous ones They manifest against me and my holy Word and Spirit of Love all unfaithfulness So that they wholy contemn my upright Righteousness and Love and make a mock at it and so continually procure upon themselves the horrible vengeance of the hellish fire CHAP. XXXIII 1 AGain the Lord spake to H. N. Forasmuch as thy writings of my holy and godly Testimonies which thou hitherto with great care and diligence hast written and published are now come into so many hands of the Enemies of my house or Family of Love and into so many hands of Whoremongers unfaithful-ones And also that some impure hearts which for a time have * medled therewith have mingled therewith their impure sense and good-thinking knowledge also many to the covering of their selfishness and to their own destruction have therewith defended and covered the unclean minds of their wicked justs and desires and have not believed the a upright Righteousness of my Love according to the requiring of the Godly Testimonies of thy Writings So shalt thou now the Godly Testimonies of thy Writings which thou broughtest of each one with thee with the twenty four ancient * Elders carefully peruse have a sharp regard upon all sayings with careful consideration 2 I the Lord will enlighten thy heart and the heart of the four and twenty Elders who are with thee and who are to perform the laborious Service with thee with my Godly Wisdom and with the true light of my Godly cleerness more more with my abounding b Illumination 3 And after the same perfect Illumination of my Godly cleerness ye shall then also renew all the same Testimonies of thy Writings to a more plain * declaration and witness all the same in a more perfect * cleerness and write them more plainly then they have been and likewise that the Whoremongers remain c without the mystery thereof and also without the marriage of my unity or conjunction 4 For now is the time nigh at hand that all whoremongers and all unfaithful ones in the covenant of my we dlock or matrimony and all such who delight in whoredome and adultery and are enemies of my Family of Love and who with their prudence out of the flesh conceive themselves d to be wise shall in their whorishness unfaithfulness and envious nature before all the believes and obeyers of my gracious word and service of Love be made manifest and made known In their whoredome and enmity and in all theâ—â— good-thinking shal be wholy blinded e scattered laid waste or hardned in their hearts and also if they repent not shall be excluded from my unity and heavenly f tiches 5 And on the other side all believers and faithful obedient disciples of my gracious word and all penitent sinners together with all those who preserve in or defend the Service of my Love and wish all good and prosperity shall be illuminated in the Godly life of my Love and be made heirs g in my spiritual and heavenly riches 6 And further on the same fifteenth day of the first moneth when the Lord had spoken all these words with us we took to us the same Testimonies of our Writings which we had brought with us and so we began the same with all devoutness to God and to his Truth and upright righteousness very seriously to peruse and the same according to Gods most perfect cleerness and wisdome and the knowledge of his upright righteousness and so much necessary or profitable for the children of men to know to declare and write in the plainest manner and to set it in the best order so that the same and the requiring thereof may the better or easier in the plainest or simplest manner be understood according to the mind and will of God and according to the true ministration of his h Testaments which tend into the upright being of Jesus Christ 7 And for to observe out of it what God through the ministration of his gracious word and Testament requireth and to what end that God himself i hath created and chosen the man and to what an upright and lovely or single-minded Godliness that he in his k fall and estranging from God hath l called and invited him again through Jesus Christ and whereunto be now in these last dayes is loved through the Holy Spirit of the Love of Jesus Christ and through H. N. Gods Elect Minister 8 The Lord grant to all men who hear or read the Godly Testimouies of our Writings his Grace and mercy that they may understand rightly the requiring of the saving testimonies of God and of his Christ and of the holy Spirit of his Love and that they may endeavour themselves rightly thereafter 9 For all what God doth to the man to reduce him to his upright Righteousness and to save him cometh all out of the Grace of the mercifull Love of God for to bring the fallen and straying man againe into the m right way of Life to the Love of his God and to the Love of his neighbour And then to deliver him also from all his sinnes And to set him aright and make him faithful in all unity and Peace with God and his neighbour and to inherit him in all his spiritual and heavenly goods and also n thereunto his Kingdom of Heaven and eternal life 10 Now when we together with each other according to the word and comand of our Lord and God had begun persued and transcribed all the godly testimonies of our Writings so neglected we no time to endevour with great diligence the same Godly Testimonies of our Writings which we had brought with us to read and to transcribe and according to the requiring of the Lord out of his true light to declare it in
the envious heart of the Letter-learned who h betrayed and killed Christ and his Witnesses 6 These wicked Generations of the said wicked Fathers have not rested to i accomplish the most horrid wickedness of their Fathers but with their envious hearts have they with great diligence endevoured to resist the godly Testimonies of God and his commiserating mercy together with the love of the holy Spirit of Jesus Christ and Gods elect Servant with all false testimonies lyes and reproach So that they are most fearfully faln against Gods commiserating grace which he on the earth to the commiseration of all men through his elect Minister H. N. hath testified and published and gainst the Love of the holy Spirit of Jesus Christ into all blasphemie of God and into contempt of his Truth 7 These said false hearts likewise with the children of the Devil or the false Christians of the Devils School have also with all manner of wickedness defamed H. N. who yet was no mans enemy nor contemned any man in particular for his religion but heartily wished to all Religion urgers that they might have the true light of life in the Lanthorn of their Service hath loved all people to the godliness in Jesus Christ and behaved himself courteously to all men in all upright conversation have also secretly exclaimed against him to the Magistrate when hee was not there present for a Seducer and Malefaor when he was not heard or not at all speaking with him although he yet walked openly very falsly accused him and have also contrived a matter or charge very cunningly with all subtilty against Law and all Christian Ordinances to the end that H. N. through their accusation and clamour might by the Magistrate be prosecuted or rooted out And thereunto tâ—â— Magistrate condescended CHAP. XXVII 1 BUt at the same time in the nine and fiftieth year of the age of H. N. in the time of Maximillian the first being made Roman Emperour by vertue or power of the Electoral Princes of the Roman Empire and the German Nation then sought the Magistrate where H. N. dwelled in the East through the false relations of the enemies of H. N. and through the false slanders which they had spoken against him among the people to lye in wait for H. N. for to lay him fast in Prison And so with the consent of the same aforesaid Magistrate was H. N. in the same Land where he dwelled very vehemently persecuted And many ambushes were laid for him for to bring him into prison But the Lord smote them all with a great blindness who were his enemies and persecuted him insomuch that they could by no means apprehend H. N. 2 Now when the Officers of the said Magistrate had used all their diligence to bring H. N into their hands then the Lord manifested his mercy and assistance to him carried him by the hand of his b Angels openly before the eyes of his persecutors away from that land without hurt And no man knew him or could finde out which way he travelled 3 Now when H. N. for the upright a righteousness of God and the Godliness of Jesus Christ and because that he attested and published the same under the obedience of the Love was thus through persecution driven away through the hand of the Lord he travelled away before the eyes of his persecutors notwithstanding they writ very earnestly after him to several places and his enemies made very diligent search after him to find him out nevertheless he kept on in his journey in the way of Patience towards another land which the Lord shewed him and wherein it should be more quiet and peaceable for him to inhabit 4 He was sometime also in his journey through his persecutors and through all false aspersions and undecent contumelies which were cast after him much perplexed and bnrthened and that for the most part because those which were Letter-learned and did seem to be so wise And to whom he had shewed all love and friendship were yet so ignorant blind and misunderstanding that they envied him and unadvisedly resisted the d Truth of God and shamefully despised the fulfilling of the godliness in Jesus Christ and undecently reproched the e holy Spirit of the Love of Jesus Christ and also persecuted him with wicked hearts of f lying slanderous lips whom they had most cause to love for as much as hee shewed all love and all ministrations to the Godliness in full explanation to them 5 And so in his travelling and sadness H. N. took unto him to read the Psalms of David especially that Psalm which the holy Prophet David the anointed of the Lord had formerly spoken when g Saul after the good Spirit of the Lord was departed and was much disquieted with an evil spirit from the Lord persecuted him and sought to take away his life and when he was betrayed by h Doeg the Edomire and first he made his preface to the Lord and said 6 O Lord God heavenly Father how perverse and wicked of heart have the i wise of the World alwayes been who do not fear thee O God with an humble heart nor walk uprightly before thee 7 And how imbittered k and hardned of heart and how bloud-thirsty in their spirits and minds have alwayes been the Letter-learned and also the urgers of ceremonial Services who have not O God believed thee in the Word of thy holy Prophets nor been obedient thereunto And also all those who forsake the Doctrine of thy dear Son Jesus Christ and l his humility and meekness and have not learned the upright righteousness to the cleansing of their hearts but framed and chose to themselves out of the letter counterfeit ceremonial services and invented holinesses and have neither known nor received m the holy anointing of thy holy Spirit of the Love of Jesus Christ 8 For like as Saul n with his evil and restless spirit envyed and persecuted thine anointed David who walked uprightly and without deceit before thee and like as the false hearts of the Letter-learned have despised belyed reproached and with falshood defamed and persecuted as evil doers and seducers thy o holy Prophets and thy p deare sonne thine anointed Jesus and his q witnesses and had an intention to root them out Even so O God this wicked Generation of the same wicked seed and nature of the aforesaid false-hearts have persecuted reproached and belyed me H. N. thy chosen servant because O God I love all people to the Godlinesse in Jesus Christ And attest and set forth before them thy commiserating Grace and Love and the upright righteousnesse r and holinesse of thy beloved Sonne Jesus Christ out of thy holy and gracious Word and Spirit of Love and call and invite them all thereunto And they have resisted and s reproached also thy holy Spirit whom thou now in these last times hast sent to declare
the Truth of thy Christ 9 Therefore must I now also with thy Prophet David take up a speech against miâ—e enemies and persecutors and utter forth the same against their wicked deeds And will O God abase my selfe before thee t glory in thee and thy Goodnesse Supplicate and pray unto thee and give thanks and praise to thee O God for all the Goodnesse which thou O heavenly Father hast bestowed on me H. N. thy chosen servant 10 And thereupon when H. N. had spoken these words before the eares of the most high then he began this speech against his enemies out of the Psalme of David and said CHAP. XXVIII 1 OYe a Tyrants why do ye boast because ye can do mischief whereas the goodness of God endureth yet daily 2 Your tongues follow mischief and with lyes ye cut as a sharp Razor 3 Ye rathhr speak evil then good and rather falshood then truth 4 Ye willingly speak all that tendeth to destruction with false tongues 5 Therefore will God also confound and totally consume you remove you out of his Tent or Tabernacle and root you out of the land of the living 6 And the righteous shall see it and fear and laugh at you and say 7 Behold b these are the men that held not God for their comfort but trusted onely in their c great riches and were mighty to do mischief 8 But I shall continue as a green Olive tree in the house of God for I trust in the goodness of God constantly and for ever 9 I thank thee O God for ever for thou art able to do it I will relie on thy Name for therein have thy Saints joy 10 Help d me O God through thy Name and let me have justice through thy power 11 Hear O God my prayers hearken to the voice of my mouth 12 Proud men set themselves against me and Tyrants lay wait for my soul and have not God before their eyes 13 Behold God standeth by me the Lord supporteth my soul 14 He will reward the wickedness of mine Enemies e cast them out through thy faithfulness 15 Then will I O Lord bring unto to thee an offering of joy and thank thy name because it is so comfortable 16 For thou delivereâ—â— me out of all my misery so that mine eyes see their desire on my enemies 17 Deliver me f my God from mine enemies and protect mee from them that set themselves against me 18 Deliver me from the evil doers and help me from the bloud-thirsty 19 For behold Lord they lie in wait for my soul the strong ones gathered themselves against me without any crime or mâ—â—deed of mine 20 Their g doctrine is meer sin they persevere in their pride they preach meere curses gain-sayings and detractions 21 They think to extinguish him that is simple h and are diligent to lye give fair words but they curse in their hearts 22 But my soul waiteth upon God alone for he is my hope 23 For they have opened their i wicked and false mouthes against me and speak against me with false tongues 24 They speak every where poisonously against me and fight without a cause 25 Because I love them therefore are they against me but I do pray 26 They requite me evil for good and hatred for love 27 Lord O God k heare my voice in my complaint preserve my life from my cruel enemies 28 Hide me from the gatherings of the wicked from the multitude of evil doers 29 Which whet their tongues as a sword they aime with their poisonous words as with arrows 30 Secretly l to shoot at the upright hâ—shly they shoot at them without fear 31 They are bold in their evil attempts and say how that they will lay snares and say who can see it 32 They invent deceit and keep it secretly they are destroyers and exercise falshood subtily 33 But God will suddenly shoot them that woe shall come upon them their own tongues shall overthrow them and he that beholds them shall deride them 34 And all men that see it shall say God hath done this and shall perceive that it is his work 35 But the Righteous shall rejoyce in the Lord and trust in him and all upright hearts shall glory thereat CHAP. XXIX 1 I Thank thee O Lord and King and praise thee O God my Saviour 2 I praise thy Name that thou art my helper and protector 3 For thou hast preserved my body from destruction and from the snares of false treacherous tongues and lying lips and thou haâ—â— helped me against mine enemies 4 And according to thine abundant mercy thou hast delivered me from the roaring of them which would devoure me and out of the hands of such as sought after my life out of many sorrows which had surrounded me and out of the middest of the fire that I should not be therein consumed 5 Also out of the depth of Hell and from the false praters and lyers and also hast delivered me from the King or Magistrate and from the unrighteous judgement of false tongues 6 I was neer to death and my life was almost going down to Hell for I was compassed about on every side and there was no man to help me 7 I hoped indeed for the help of man and behold there was none 8 Then I remembred O Lord thy mercy and how thou hast helped constantly Thou deliverest all those which wait upon thee and releasest them out of the hands of the heathen or uncircumcised 9 Against their fierceness I prayed unto God and intreated for deliverance from death and called to the Lord my Father and Ruler that he would not forsake me in my trouble for the proud have lifted up themselves and when I had no hope 10 I will praise thy Name continually and I honour and give thanks unto thee for my prayer is heard and thou hast delivered me from the destruction and from all evil 12 Therefore will I O Lord thank and praise thee and extol or magnifie thy Name 12 When I was yet but young and before any errors took hold to seduce me I very earnestly sought for wisdom in my prayer 13 I went therefore into the Temple and here even until the last and she was unto me an early ripe Grape 14 My heart rejoyced in the wisdome and I went presently in her way and thus from my youth I sought after her 15 I hearkned and inclined my ears after her and took her to me or united me with her 16 Then found I much wisdome and through her I increase greatly and praised him who gave me wisdome 17 I was resolved to do accordingly and to endeavour carefully after the good and I was not there at ashamed 18 I wrested there after with all my heart and was diligent to do accordingly 19 I lifted up my hands to Heaven and my soul was enlightned through the wisdome that I knew my follishness 20 I ordered