LAW OF CHRIST

If thu heardest of me, it was by the voice of God. If he spoke of me, he was some godly preacher, After what manner, dead he speak of me? tell. That speaking is soch, as procureth eternal pain. Will not the people, leave that most wicked folly? And is so damnable? To hear it I am sorry. But what dedyst thu mean, wha ̄ thu spokest of my wife? Why, how good am I? thy fantasy declare. As thu art, thu speakest, after they hearts abundau ̄ ce For as the man is, soch in his utterance. My wife is the church, or Christian congregation, Regenerate in sprete, doing no vile operation, Both clean and holy, without either spot or wrinkle The lamb with his blood, dead her wash & be spryn cle, This is not the church, of dysgysed hypocrites Of apish shavelings, or papystycall sodomites. Nor yet as they call it, a temple of lime and stone. But, a lyuysh building, grounded in faith alone, On the harden rock Christ, which is the sure founda cion. And of this church some, do reign in every Nation, And in all continued ̄ trays, though their number be but small What Danes speakest thu of? thy meaning show more clearly. Soch are no brethren, but enemies to Christ's Blood. As put salvation, in shaven crown, mytar, or whode. Nay, they forsake whoredom, with other Dam ̄ pnable usage. And live with their wives, in lawful marriage, whyls the popes oiled swarm, reign Still in their, old buggerage Thu semest one of them, that detesteth matrimony, Which is a before God, a state both joust and holy. Of soch as thu art, Saint Paul dead prophecy, By the holy Ghost, that a serten cum ̄ panye, In the latter days from the truth of God should fallen A rending to spretes, of error dyabolycall. Which in hypocrisy, will teach lies for advantage, W h marked consciences, inhybytynge marriage. Thu aperest by thy fruits to be Infidelity. Avoid cursed find, and get the out at the gates. Well, than for a time, I must depart from hens, But this first will I say, before this audyens. Easier will it be, concerning ponnyshment, To Sodom and Gormor, in the day of judgement, Than to those cities, that resist the verity, At the suggestions, of Infidelity. That people will be, for ever and ever lost, For it is the great sin, against the holy Ghost. In the old law first, the father his mind expressed, Than came his so ̄ ne Christ, & made it more manifest. And now the holy Ghost, is come to close up all, If he be not herd, extreme Dam ̄ pnacyon will fallen. No prayer remaineth, nor expyacyon for sin, To them that no profyght, or the word of God will win. Take good heed therefore, & say that you have warning What course appoint you, for preaching of the Gospel Oh damnable leading, of Babylonical sodomites, Your selves you declare, to be shameful hypocrites. Lord pity thy people, and take away these guides, These scorner's, these robbers, these cruel homycydes Soch prophets are they, as God dead never send, As Hieremy say, they damnable ways pretend. Woe hypocrites woe, for here you trifle and mock, With Christian people, & the kyngedo ̄ of heave ̄ uplock You count it a game, to loose that Christ hath bought, With his precious blood. & here most dearly sought O you are wretches, and pestilent Antichrists, Ministers of Dagon, and most deceitful papists. Like rauenouse wolves, poor widows you devour, By tyttle of prayer, eternal Dam ̄ pnacyon is your, Your own dreams you follow, but matter Much more weighty, You do not esteem, as iudgeme ̄ to, faith, and mercy. Woe pharisees woe, you make clean outwardly, But inwards you are full, of covetousness & bawdry, Painted thumbs are you, a pryenge right bewtyfull, But within you stink, & have thoughts very hame full You slew the prophets, your doings yet bear wit ness, How think you to avoid, that point of unrighteous ness? O raging serpe ̄ tes, and vyperouse generation, How can you escape, the danger of damnation? Yes, anointed of God, but no popish Antichrist. I am not going, why dost thu slander me? The father of heaven, of his mere benyuolence, I desire therefore, to have from audience. In the laws of God, would I instruct the ̄ gladly. For non other way, there is unto salvation, But the word of God, in every generation, That quickeneth, that saveth, y to bringeth unto heau As before his death, Christ taugh the Apostle aleuen. Gods word never takes, his authority of man. Have God commau ̄ dead, any soch things to be done? I say they are fruits, of your ymagynacyons To bring in lucre, & darken Gods high glory, Of you God does axe. no soch vain beggary. Christ never sent his, to show sygnyfycacyons, But his living, word to all the Christian Nations. You forsake the lord, as Isaiah does tell, And highly blaspheme, the holy of Israel. In his first chaptre, this horrible sentence is, Quis haec frustranea quaesivit de manibus vestris. Who hath required, of you soch sacrifice? In vain offer you, that unco ̄ manded service. Your incense to me, is great abomination, I before abhor it, and Much detest your fashion. When you pray to me, I give you non attendance, But avert my face (say God) & my cou ̄ tenaunce. By this you may see, that the lord does not regard, Your ma ̄ gy muttering, neyher grau ̄ to it any reward No ma ̄ willeth Paul, to speak in the congregation In a strange language, without interpretation. In your Latin hours, the flock do you not consider, But declare your selves, to be Romish all togydre. Be not led about (say Paul) by any strange ler nynge, What else is your doctrine, but a blind popish thine ge? He testifieth also, Non enim ut baptizarem, Misit me Christus, said ut evangelizarem. Christ hath not me sent, that I should baptise, say Paul. But to preach his word, to the Comfort of mannys soul. Loo, though baptism be, a thing very necessary, Yet must it give place, to Gods word, no remedy. Why than prefer you, your draffish ceremonies? To the Gospel preaching Oh damnable injuries. I will neither abjure, nor yet recant Gods glory. Though you for my sake, impryson men cruelly, Famish them, stock them, & them with fagotesfrye Hurt me you shall not for I can never die, And they foy my sake, shall live perpetually. Proudenesse you abhor, with like inconuenyentes, All they are cursed, which go from ̄ your continued ̄ mau ̄ edeme ̄ tes When Angel in heaven, and Man in paradise, Those laws had broke ̄ . The law of wicked Satan ̄ Impugned your laws, by craft & subtle practise. Where you said. Eat not. He said unto the woma ̄ , Eat, You can not die, As Gods you shall be than. By this first of all, your lauds Man proved true. And Satan's law false, which he now daily rue. Where shall I father, for that same time persever? Here Still to tarry, I think it be your mind. Of mankind thu art, the eternal felicity. A light thu hast sent, which is thy ioyouse Gospel. To the consolation of the House of Israel. I assent thereto, and will sing very gladly. In your appointments, will I do also my partly. You speak it full wele, than ̄ mark what shall be said And diligently, look that it be obeyed. The effect of me, is for to love the lord, In the innar sprete, and to favour Friend & enemy, And in all points else, with Gods will to accord To preach remission, to save and to iustyfye, In Christ all to seek, life, justice, peace and mercy. These heavenly effects, in Man so incorporate, That he may in sprete, be newly regenerate. From ̄ Dam ̄ nable darkness, as my bother here does say, He hath delivered, this realm of England godly Bringing his subjects, into the true path way, Of their souls safeguard, if they now follow it wy selye. And left them he hath, the same way Still to fortyfye, His noble son Edward, soch a kings of God elect As questionless will, perform it in effect. That church was described, of Isaiah long afore. This people (say God) with there lips honour me In vain worship they teaching me ̄ nys fatuyte. Apparent is that church, and open to the eyes, Their worshyppynges are, in outward ceremonies. That cou ̄ terfet church sta ̄ death all by me ̄ nys traditions Without the scriptures, and without the herts of feccyons. My church is secret, and evermore will be, Adoring the father, in sprete, and in verity. By he word of God, this Church is ruled only, And does not consyst, in outward ceremony. This congregation, is the true Church mylytau ̄ to These cou ̄ terfet de a des, are the very Church ma lygnaunt. To whom Christ will say, I know no ̄ of your sort. Since the beginning, and now is in Christ renewed. Adam had promise, of Christ's incarnation, So had Abraham, with his whole generation. Which was unto them, a preaching of the Gospel, Into salvation, and deliverance from hell. She is not barren, but bears and never cease. The Corinthes first epistle, hath this clear testimony In Christo Jesu, per Evangelum vos genui. I have begot you, in Jesu Christ say powle, By the Gospel preaching, to the continued ̄ fort of yur soul By mysundersta ̄ dynge, thu art ungraciously begylde And only minister, was Paul in that same doing, That he therein dead, was by the Gospel preaching. His mind is the Gospel to have done y to operation And this must thy hold, for no carnal generation V Nfaythfulnesse hath, corrupted every Law, To the great decay, of Adam's post rite. Were is not for me, which now do / hither draw, All flesh would perish, no man should saved be. I am Christ's Gospel, and infallyble verity, Soch a power of God, as saveth all that believe, No burden nor yoke, that any man will grieve. In the blood of Christ, I am a full forgiveness, Where faith is grou ̄ dead, with a sure confidence. I am soch a grace, and so high tidings of gladness, As raise the sinner, and pacyfye his conscience. I am sprete and life, I am necessary science. I require but love for ma ̄ nys iustyfycatyon, With a faith in Christ, for his health and salvation, Why, & shall this baggage, put by the word of God? Where Christ his self is, & not in these same borders No soch pryst am I, as is anointed with only, But the holy Ghost, for I am non of this soil. Then I perceive well, my course is last of all.