that they might avoid persecution that in Christ Iesus neyther circumcision avayleth any thing nor vncircumcision but a new creature meaning that such as were graffed into Christ by faith vnto salvation from their syns they need not care in this estate for having or wanting the outward Jewish signe of circumcision but labour for that which it signified namely to become new creatures dying dayly vnto syn and living vnto righteousnes which fruits ar vndoubted testimonies that they ar in Christ. But H. N. corrupteth the words first saying Ther avayleth before God and then adding in Christ Iesus wrought in the Love meaning that a new creature in Christ which Christ is wrought in the Love for so he thinketh Christ to be the Lovely Being in vs as before is shewed this new creature avayleth before God for righteousnes and safe-making from our syns as his words elswhere are Thus careth he not how he wrest or what he add vnto the scriptures so as they may seem to serve his turn That the reader may see his deceit I wil shew what is his veyn and manner of reasoning Two things are given vs of God through Christ. 1. justification and 2. sanctification Justification is by the forgivnes of our syns for Christs sake and for the death that he once suffred for vs himself alone on the crosse whervpon followeth our blessednes and salvation and this justification we apprehend by faith alone After which foloweth the work of Christ in vs by sanctifying our bodies sowles and spirits and making vs conformable to his death burial and resurrection and furnishing vs with fruits and graces of the Spirit which being fruits of faith in Christ following the same are no cause of our justification or blessednes for that we have freely before given vs of grace Now coÌ„meth H. N. and he taketh this latter point of Sanctification and al such scriptures as speak therof and putteth it in place of the former to weet our justification making this our new birth and these fruits of faith to be the very cause of our happines righteousnes it self yea and Christ himself Which deceitful reasoning of his may further be manifested by a type and shadow of our redemtion shewed to our fathers traveling towards their outward rest in Canaan as we do now travel towards our eternal rest in heaven They in their journey were stung by fyrie serpents and many of them died To save them from this death a serpent of brasse was set vp on which who so looked was without any other salves or medicines healed of his deadly wound Then being thus healed they went forward on their way fought against the Amorites and other enimies and won the promised land and this they were to doe before they could have possession of the same If H. N. had then lived and should have perswaded the people that not the looking vp to the brazen serpent but their after journeyes and battel 's against the Amorites did heal them of their stings should he not haue belyed the work of Gods grace who without any work or war of theirs did heal them freely even so doth he in this The venim of Synn by the fyrie serpents the Devils tormenteth men and bringeth them to death Jesus Christ is lifted vp vnto vs as was the Serpent in the wildernes vnto whom we looking vp by faith are throughly healed After this God unployeth vs in a holy life and Christian warfare to subdue our lusts and affections and bring forth fruites of the spirit in sanctification Now coÌ„meth H. N. and telleth vs this holy life this Christian warfare is our righteousnes our safemaking from our syns and is Christ himself Thus is he an enimie vnto the grace of God and hinderer oâ—â—mans salvation seeking to procure it by the works of the law by which no flesh shal be saved and in stead of Christ would give vs an idol of his own fiction After this as vnsavourly and to as little purpose he alledgeth an other scripture wher Christ as he sayth in the day of judgemeÌ„ts shal find faulty al flesh in their righteousnes as he saith I shal rebuke the world of their righteousnes Ioh. 16. First it is to be observed that Christ spake these words of the Comforter the Holy Ghost which he being gone away would send to his Apostles Ioh 16. 7. as after came to passe Act. 2. 33. and sayth when he is come he will reprove the world c. but H. N. allegeth this that Christ himself should do it and falsifyeth our Lords words putting I for He the reason wherof seemeth to be for that H. N. holdeth not a distinctioÌ„ of the three persons in the Godhed as we professe according to the scriptures but ignorantly shuffleth and confoundeth al. Secondlly he addeth to the scripture saying their righteousnes wheras Christ sayth onely that the Holy Ghost should convince the world of righteousnes which may as wel if not better be vnderstood of Christs righteousnes then of the worlds especially seing the reason therof is rendred thus Of righteousnes because I goe to my Father Now though one may vnderstand it otherweise of the worlds feighned righteousnes yet is it overmuch boldnes in H. N. to put his own vnderstanding in sted of the text it self for this is the meanes to corrupt Gods pure word even as the mans hart is most corrupt Thirdly he referreth this to the day of judgements which is far from Christs meaning for he promiseth the efficacy and power of the Holy Ghost in his servants whiles he is absent from them before the day of judgemeÌ„t as the text sheweth to any wise hart But wherfore doth H. N. put in this may we think Doubtlesse to draw men vnto himself for he is the Comforter promised yea he is Christ himself and this day and time of his preaching is the day of judgements This is evident by his own words otherwhere For in his First Exhortation he thus writeth According to al the testimonies of the holy spirit of Love this gracious word and his service of Love is the Light and the day of the true judgement wherwith God with his holy ones accomplisheth and wherwith also he wil accomplish his judgement vpon the earth according to the truth In the Gospel of H. N. it is also thus written For behold in this present day the glorious coming of our Lord Iesu Christ with the many thowsaÌ„ds of his Saincts becommeth manifested which hath set himself now vpon the seat of his majesty for to judge in this same day which the Lord hath ordeyned or appointed the whol world with equity and with faithfulnes and truth according to his righteousnes And agayn in the same book Behold and consider my beloved how wonderfully God worketh in his holy ones and how that now in this day or light of the Love the judgement seat of Christ
is revealed and declared vnto vs out of heaven to a righteous judgement vpon earth from the right hand of God and how that on the same judgement seat of Christ that the scripture mought be fulfilled ther sitteth one now in truth in the habitation of David which judgeth vprightly thinketh vpon equity and requireth righteousnes By this the reader may see what this man aymeth at in al his writings even to draw al men vnto himself as judge of the world sitting on the throne of Christ and spareth not to apply the promises of Christs coming to this day of his preaching being a more shamelesse and presumptuous blasphemer then ever was Mahomet or any arch-heretik that Satan sent to bewitch the world As he hath abused this 16. of Iohn so doth he afterwards the 10. of John They are al theeves and murtherers which are come before me that is sayth H. N. whosoever letteth himself think that he is a Christian before the spirit of Christ be born in him that same is a theef and a murtherer Wher againe he intimateth Christ and a Christian to be al one and if the Spirit of Christ be borne in a man then though he make himself Christ the door the shepheard c. he is no theef no murderer Thus H. N. sheweth himself to be sold vnto syn and given over to an heretical and reprobate mind perverting al scripture vnto his destruction It is very true H. N. 4. See my beloved in the love of Christ even thus standeth the fouÌ„datioÌ„ of y e Christianity in such maner of wise havâ—th Apostles taught the salvation in Christ even like as Paul sayth to the Corinthes 13. although I givc al my goods to the poor and that I suffer my body to be burned and although I had faith saith he that I could remove mountayns if I had not love it were not any thing vnto me that is whosoever hath not Christ he is without God and without righteousnes in this world I mean the being like Christ which is received through the power of the holy Ghost and not any ceremonial Christ which one man speaketh of or promiseth to an other through the ceremonial service which he out of his prudencie according to his fleshly mind hath set vp O no The work and begetting or procreating of the children of God cometh not so slenderly to passe as men now at this time teach each other out of their vnregenerate spirit which never proceedeth from God H. A. UUHat a sandy foundation of Christianity H. N. hath layd we hav seeÌ„ before by his doctrine of God and of Christ and of mans righteousnes Here to build hay on his rotten ground he perverteth an another scripture and would father his error on the Apostle Paul who most of al other did set against it For the teaching the salvation in Christ to be by Fayth as before is shewed H. N. wil have him say it is by Love the Love that is in vs which Love he expoundeth as his manner is to be Christ himself so wresting the word as did the old serpent vnto mens destruction The Love treated of by the Apostle 1 Cor. 13. is a qualitie in the Saincts wrought in them by the spirit of God as it is written The fruit of the spirit is Love c. Now this Love which is in vs whither it be towards God or our brethren is not the foundatioÌ„ or cause of our happines but an effect thereof as we may learn by the Apostle that sayth Herein is Love not that we loved God but that he loved vs sent his son to be a reconciliation for our synnes Which Love when we perceiv by faith then we agayn doe love the Lord as it after followeth We love him because he loved vs first Then from the Love of God floweth also the Love of our brethren as is further added And this commandement have we of him that he which loveth God should love his brother also And that these graces come not of our selves and consequently ar not meritorious in vs nor causes of our salvation Moses taught his people when he sayd The Lord thy God will circumcise thy hart the hart of thy seed that thou mayst Love the Lord thy God with al thy hart with al thy fowl that thou mayst live As for the cause of our salvation that it is onely Gods Love and grace towards vs the Apostle Paul sheweth saying God which is rich in mercy through his great Love wherwith he loved vs even when we were dead by syns hath quickned vs togither in Christ so by grace ye are saved This Grace we apprehend by fayth which fayth if it be alive stirreth it self and worketh by love And thus the Saincts doe shew their fayth by their Love and good works but in case of justification before God and mans salvation al works are excluded as the same Apostle proveth saying David declareth the blessednes of the man vnto whom God imputeth justice without works This being so what labour they for but our curse and wretchednes which would have vs rely vpon our Love or any good works for the saving of our sowles His next inference is more mischeevous when he expoundeth those words if I have not Love thus That is sayth H. N. whosoever hath not Christ is without God Thus maketh he Love in vs to be Christ and so the playn doctrines of the Gospel concerning our Saviour shal be but a fable And that this is his meaning he sheweth elswhere more playnly when he sayth If ye wil not that the wrath of God should come or fal vpon you so deal faithfully before God his holy ones walk with your Spirit in the Lovely and verteous Being fasten your mind therto build your righteousnes theron for that is an eternal fast standing foundation wheron al Gods prophets holy ones have builded and is Christ himself Here men may see what a miserable foundation he hath layd for to build our righteousnes on eveÌ„ our own walking in the lovely verteous being and this with him is Christ. Wherby he proclameth himself to be Antichrist for the Apostle John sayth Every spirit which confesseth not Iesus Christ comen in the flesh is not of God but this is the spirit of Antichrist Now to say that Love which is an affection of the mynd is Christ is to deny him comen in the flesh out of the loynes of David and Abraham of the virgin Mary in the dayes of Herod the King as the scriptures playnly teach And by as good reason may H. N. deny that ever ther was any such man as Adam any such beast as the Serpent any such creation of the world as Moses describeth Gen. 1. or any God and so by his allegories overturne al religion and bring Atheisme in the place which in deed he hath done with most high abomination in deifying himself and blaspheming
creator who is blessed for ever Amen To al then that H. N. can say for his own Godhed or his disciples let al true Christians answer as Jeremy taught the Jewes to answer the men of Babel The Gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shal perish from the earth and from vnder these heavens Ier. 10. 11. By this the reader may perceive what a poysoned religion this Nachash H. N. hath brought into the world concerning God Now for his Christ H. N. teacheth vs not according to the scriptures of one particular man of the stock and generation of the Jewes born about xvi hundred yeres agoe in Bethlehem who himself alone being God equal with the Father before the world was and in that fulnes of time took vnto him our humane nature bare in his own body the syns of al his elect and by that once offring of himself vpon the crosse hath purged them al from al their syns c. No H. N regardeth not as after in this Letter sect 11. he sheweth this knowledge that in times past ther was one Christ in Israel which was born amongst his own c. but telleth vs of a Lovely being and a holy life this is his Christ. For in his First exhortation he sayth walk with your spirit in the Lovely and vertuous Being Fasten your mind therto and build your righteousnes theron For that is an eternal and fast standing foundation wheron al Gods prophets and holy ones have builded and is Christ himself Agayn in the same book he sayth After a little time of your distresse and anguish or heavines the Lord wil bring his Christ that is his best beloved and most holy being in power and glory vnto you In this his Epistle to the two daughters he expoundeth Pauls words 1 Cor. 13. though I had al faith c. if I had not love it were nothing that is sayth H. N. whosoever hath not Christ he is with uâ— God thâ—rfâ—re also in an other place he caleth Love the vpright Being of Christ himself And because this Lovely life and being appeareth dayly fresh and new in those that come to the family of Love therfore they professe to beleeve not that Christ was but that he Iâ—â—â—â—â—eived of the holy Ghost through the power of the most highest born of the H. virgin Mary And wheras the scriptures teach that Christ suffred for vs and for our syns H. N. 〈…〉 Christ beareth in vs our syns The scriptures teach that by the obedience of one meaning Christ many are made righteous he hath washed vs from our syns in his blood he was once offred to take away the syns of many and with one offring hath he consecrated for ever them that are sanctified H. N. teacheth vs that Christ vnder the obedience of the Love of his Father is gone before vs therin for that we should in like manner follow after him vnder the obedience of his Love in his death of the crosse to the safemaking of vs from our syns Thus must we save our selves by our own suffrings and Christ set forth vnto vs in the scriptures is but an example to teach vs what we must doe But what should I stand longer vpon this point for the Familists hold and professe that an obedient and godly life is Christ Iesus and so their doctrine of Christ agreeth with their former doctrine of God both being wretched and blasphemous Having thus opened the groundwork of H. Ns. religion it shal be the easyer to discerne his frawd in this Letter which I now wil particularly answer Let every one now through the same service of Love sayth this author be warned that he boast not himself in any of the works of righteousnes or take on the same to salvation neyther to condemnation before that he in the spirit of Christ though the love of the Father be renewed in al righteousnes of life In that H. N. sayth before he be renewed he playnly intimateth that his deadly error that after men are renewed they may boast in and take on their works to salvation contrarie to Pauls doctrine who sheweth that not onely the vncircumcision the vnrenewed Gentiles but also the circumcision the renewed Jewes should be justified of God by faith which faith excludeth mans rejoycing or boasting and al works of the Law He confirmeth it also by Abrahams example who though he were renewed in righteousnes of life had nothing to rejoyce of with God but was justified by faith alone and as he so we al shal have faith not works imputed to vs for righteousnes But H. N. speaking of the 10. commandements given on mount Sina caleth that law God 's eternal true living righteousnes that he would have to be erected through his people Israel vpon the earth and wherin al the children of men generations and heathen should live Wherin his doctrine is quite contrary vnto Pauls who sayth if ther had been a law given which could have given life suerly righteousnes should have been by the Law but the scripture hath concluded al vnder syn that the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ should be given to them that beleeve Now the way of life the Apostle had before shewed in the same chapter saying it is evident that no man is justifyed by the Law in the sight of God for the just shal live by faith and the Law is not of faith but the man that shal do thoâ—e things shal live in them H. N. therfore teaching contrary to the Apostle as we have seen even a miserable doctrine and false wisdome of the flesh which gendreth her own righteousnes is by th' Apostles commandement to be holden accursed Gal. 1. 8. And this gift of his hath no witnesse of the holy prophets or Apostles to confirm the same but by his predecessor Mahomet is wel approved for eveÌ„ so did he teach the Turks That the Law of God is not impossible and intollerable howsoever the Apostles say the contrary Rom. 8. 3. Act. 15. 10. and that they which keep the the Law are joyned with God saved After this H. N. sheweth that he meanes not the elemetish ceremonial righteousnes but that which according to the heavenly truth is in the Being of Christ for this we had heard is his heaveÌ„ly truth that every man should have the Being of Christ or be Christ himself His proof herof is The Father is not honoured but through the Son that is sayth H. N. no man may knowe or serve God but that he must be born out of the spirit of Christ. And thus he leadeth the daughters by degrees to their own new birth for their righteousnes and salvation and to maynteyn this heresie he corrupteth and abuseth the scripture Gal. 6. 15. wher Paul sayth against such as vrged Christians to be circumcised
N. is but a carnal worldling to love his elementish life more then Christ and teach men so vnder colour of forsaking our own wicked life and life of the Divil If the prophets and Apostles had known this deep vnderstanding which H. N. conceiveth and had not thought they were also bound to lay down the natural and elementish man they would never have endured such things in their flesh as is witnessed of them What needed Shadrach Meshach and Abednego to have changed the kings commandement and yielded their bodies to the fyre rather then they would serv or worship his image or Daniel have jeoparded his life among the Lions or Stephen have been stoned to death for confessing of Christ or others to have been racked scourged prisoned hewen asunder slayn with the sword c or what meant the Apostles to shew vs these patterns and wil vs to take the prophets for an example of suffering adversity Was is not thinketh H. N. a great overshooting or misunderstanding in al these to teach both by word and practise that afflictions should be suffred in the natural or elementish man Or rather had not al these holy martyrs first layd down the spiritual synful life and then gave vp the natural life also How cōtrary then is this H. N. to al holy men that ever were or wrote that thus disswadeth frō the outward crosse vnder pretence of inward holynes Therfore let vs al y t lov the Lord Jesus say Anathema to such false prophets as thus teach doctrine cōtrary to the scriptures for to favor the flesh avoid afflictiō as is best pleasing to their sēsual minds Let the same mind be in vs that was in Christ Jesus who besides the troubles and anguishes in his hart humbled himself and became obedient vnto the death evē the death of the crosse And he which suffred these things for vs hath left vs an ensample as sayth the Apostle that we should folow his steps who his own self bare our synns in his body on the tree And let vs learn with Paul to take pleasures in infirmities in reproches in necessities in persecutions in scripes and prisonment in hunger and thirst in cold and nakednes and al other anguish for Christs sake for when we are weak then are we strong and this is a part of our mortification and denyal of our selves vnto which when true faith and obedience in the spirit is adjoyned God 's work goeth forward in vs towards perfection the end wherof wil be everlasting life H. N. 25. Oh comprehend I beseech yow the vnderstanding We our selves have not made the natural mā wherfore he cannot belong vnto vs. For the heaven with the earth and al that is therin belongeth vnto God and it is Gods pleasure and will that al shaped creatures so wel the manly creature as any other of al those which God hath created should live and that it mought goe wel with them 26. What shal the man then forsake that he mought be reconciled to God not any thing els but his own life that is the man of syn which hath so long lien hidd in the hart of man which is the temple of God and hath sayd that he was God 2. Thes. 2. H. A. IT is hard to cōprehend any good vnderstanding in any thing which H. N. doth write he is so ledd with the spirit of error in al his wayes yet may we comprehend that his first reason here is against himself we have not made the natural man wherfore he cannot belong vnto vs. Very true but God hath made it therfore it belongs to him If he made it and it be his then may he require it when he wil and we must not deny him his own Now he requireth it when for witnesse of his truth men wil shed our blood though they doe it vnjustly yet his requiring is just and we may not deny him or his truth for the saving of our lives as before is proved Of this reason therfore which H. N. bringeth we may say with the prophet his sword hath entred into his own hart His next reason is a depth of iniquity for seeming to plead for God he seeketh to draw men from God Gods wil is sayth he that al shaped creatures so wel the manly creature as any other should live that it might goe wel with thē So then to save their natural lives y e Familists think they may deny forswear Christ al true religion may cōmunicate with al idolatrie worship of divils if Princes vpō payn of death shal so cōmād This was the intendement of this present Letter sent to two maydens that refused as it seemeth the idolatrous Masse and subjectiō to the Romish Antichrist with hazard of their lives This is the dayly practise of the Nicolaitans H. Ns disciples who rather then they wil suffer imprisonment banishment death or the like for their religion wil joyn with Papists Protestants Arrians Anabaptists or any religion if the magistrate authorize and cōmand it For though they hold that their God of Love as they cal him is the true living God and besides him ther is no God more and his Gods-service of Love which they minister vnder the obedience of his Love is the true safe-making Gods-service and besides the same ther is not any Gods-service more neyther in heaven nor yet in earth yet wil they partake with any of the Godservices vsed in the world though they be contrary one to another For H. N. in his new Gospel complayneth that many have vnorderly rejected and blasphemed the services and ceremonies of the catholik church of Rome rented the concord nurturable sustentation of the same turned them away therfrom even so out of their knowledg which they took out of the scripture brought in certayn services ceremonies in another wise or order c. But his disciples in England which land hath rejected and departed from the catholike church of Rome as many other nations have doe pretend in their late supplicatiō to the King y t they ar his true faithful loyal and obedient subjects to al his lawes and ordinances spiritual temporal and doe deny that they vary or swarve frō the now established religion in this land eyther in services ceremonies sermons or sacraments Thus eyther H. N. or these his folowers or both must needs be hypocrites that so doe write and professe of two adverse churches and religions when in deed they approve of neyther but think as H. Ns Co-elder avoucheth that they which remayn without them and their Communaltie and without the Requiring of the gracious Word and his Service of Love or withdraw them selves therfrō have no living God nor yet true God-service but are without God and without Gods-service in this world yet notwithstanding this their judg mēt and profession rather then the manly creature should die they wil