An answere vnto a wicked & infamous libel made by Christopher Vitel, one of the chiefe English elders of the pretended Family of Loue maintaining their doctrine, & carpingly answeringe to certaine pointes of a boke called the displaing of the Fam. Aunswered by I. Rogers.

Aunswere.

WHerein I haue slaundered your Aucthor ••N. in supposing him to be chiefe of Dauid Georges sect, you show no reason to the contrary: you af∣firme that alike we haue slaundered him, and I thinke euen so: For nei∣ther of vs haue slaundered him in de••d, as ••arre as I can vnderstand: to cleare him of accusation, you onely say all i•• false, what I haue supposed of him: you thinke that is inough among your Familye: for your word among the•• is of some credit: but it be••oueth, you

should by substantiall reasons, cleare him of such matter as I haue charged him with: your bare denyall with vs, is not sufficient: for the cre••ite of your Aucthor▪ you should say somewhat: by your silence, and bare denyall, men doe verely thinke the supposition is very true.

That he was one of Dauid ••eorges sect, I haue laid downe the reasons that moued me so to thinke, in a little booke, called the displaying of the Fa∣milye of Loue: amongest other rea∣sons there alledged, I set downe cer∣tayne articles o•• the coherence, and a∣greement of doctrine: and how lykely they agree together, by perusing the same, may be perceaued: whereunto this man thinkes it sufficient for him to say, all is false what I haue imagi∣ned agaynst him: but your wordes ar•• no warrantes▪ you say I dispise him, because he a••firmeth that he is a Pro∣phet sent of God: his person I hate not: onely his doctrine, and vaine pro∣phesyes I vtterly mislyke: and most of

all, because many of this our natiue countrye of ••ngland, are by him, and his vayne prophesies deluded, and de∣ceaued: and being moued with zeale for my brethren, and countreymen, I haue bent my selfe, with such poore s••ill as I haue, to vtter his follyes, and vaintyes: there be many learned in Christ his Church, farre better ab e to haue written hereof: to whose office it properly belongeth: to clense the Church being defiled w^t heresies: yet I take y^• man to be none▪ of the Church of Christ, that thinketh he hath no of∣fice in his Church.

Yf I dislyke him, because h•• ••arth he is a Prophet &c. I haue great rea∣son, and good warrant so to doe. Iere. chap. 23. verse. 16. sayth, Heare ••ot the wordes of the Prophetes, which pro∣phesie vnto you va••itye, they speake the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of their owne ••art, and not the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the Lord: we are also warned by Christ, and his Apostles, not to geue credit to such vaine Prophets, and false teachers. Peter Epistle 2.

chap. 12. There shall be false teachers among you, which priuily shall bring i•• damnable heresies euen denying the Lord that hath bought thē, with infinite pla∣ces more. Since Christ our Lord ascē∣ded into heau•••••• office of prophesing▪ and foretelling of thinge••, haue cea∣sed in the Church, onely the Apostles were 〈◊〉〈◊〉 with the spirite of God, and by the power of the same spirite, foretold of many thinges that should happen•• but it ceased 〈◊〉〈◊〉, ma∣ny haue risen vp, and haue prowdly prophessed: but they 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ben con••••∣ned as false Prophetes, euen as your HN. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.

••ou say the tyme may come, tha•• I shall ••inde his prophesies true, you put the tyme vncertaine: but you haue told your Familye in corners, as I am 〈◊〉〈◊〉 informed, that many of your prophets sayinges, should eare thi•• haue bin ful••••lled, touching the publick receiuing of your ••octrine, which are proued false, and vntrue: al∣though I 〈◊〉〈◊〉 beleue it, yet I ought

not to dispise it, (you say,) why I ought to beleue it, you render no rea∣son: we are forbidden to credite any such, as I haue proued. In y^• I ought not to dispise it, I pray you shew some cause •• tho vanitye t••at be ••ttereth, touching▪ hi•• ••••••ference with almigh∣ty God▪ how the power of God cōpas∣sed him ••bout with a 〈…〉〈…〉 &c. and agayne h•• sayth: th•• being of God, gaue forth his sound & 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and spake vnto ••e HN. through the spirite of his Loue, all thes•• wordes, and sayd: 〈◊〉〈◊〉 there was ne••e•• ••ny that writ in Christes Church, that e∣uer vsed any such vayne, and prowde speach.

I hau•• sayd, y^• it is requisit••, that HN. if he will neede•• haue his new office of a Prophet to be credited, that he must worke miracles▪ which it se∣meth he doeth: as some in your Fami∣lye, in sadn••s haue tould: amongest other matters, this is auouched, that NH. is not ignoraunt in any lan∣guage, no not the learned tongues,

he hath written an ••pistle vnto the Byshops here in ••ngland in latin. I thinke he hath his knowledge and learning by some bequest, as a legacy: also it was affirmed to me of credit, that some of the Familye, going ouer into Flaunders to him, be tould them of all their message, and instructions before they spake: such markes and notes, you geue out to your Familye, to establishe your blinde Prophet.

You say I ought not to dispise the Dutch language, wherein the Lord hath brough•• forth his most holy ser∣uice of Loue.

To dispise any language I may not: onely in cōparison of other lear∣ned tongues, I haue sayd it is rude. And was there no seruice of God be∣fore, among other nations, but now brought forth in the Dutch tongue: I would that there were no more he∣resies brought forth, in the Dutch tongue. but onely this of N••. but it is knowen to many learned, y^• sundry heresies are written, and published in

that language, to the griefe of God his children. You further say, that I ne∣uer councelled with the Lord, & there∣fore know nothing of his secreates.

You sat vpon your iudgement seat when you writ this: how know you that I neuer coūelled with the Lord? to councell with God wée may as we are taught, (that is,) in praying and hearing of his most holy word, which I hope in the Lord, that euer he will guide me with his holy spirite to doe, and performe all the dayes of my lyfe: as for your secret Reuelations, and Prophesyes, I am vtterly ignoraunt of, they are things proper to your Fa∣milye, but not to the Church of Christ.