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.

Answere.

AGaynst the two letters of HN. [] I am not enuyous, only against such doctrine as he doth teach contrary to the scripture, whereby you as an I∣pocrite, haue seduced the people, and led thē into error, and corrupt wayes: to hinder the Lord of his purpose it re∣steth not in mortal man. If HN. be a name signifiyng some office, why hath neither he nor you manifested y^• same? but plead ignorance, that it signifieth some h••e misterye which you nor we know not, now as HN. is a name geuē by the Lord, as you affirme, according to the worke that he will establish by him: so doth his fellow Elder ••idelitas

looke for lyke credit, whose wordes I will repeate, as they be written in his booke called, A dist••nci••e declaration of the requiring of the Lord &c.

In the First chap. 1••. se••ion, ••e hath these wordes following: but fire, or bend alwayes, all your sight o•• me Fidelitas, and consider how that the Lord hath chosē me, euen frō my very byrth, out of my Mothers wombe, to the obedience of the requiring of his word: For that I with you, and yee also with me, according to the requi∣ring of the testimonyes of his graci∣ous word, should become vnited there∣in, and so to growe of one vniforme being, with ech other in the same. &c.

You shew vs in the 29. sexion, that through HN. his priestes office, the Lord will receaue all men in mercy: but for Fidelitas office, as yet we know not what it is, and in deede there were neuer any, that would challenge such names, as these elders doe: & affirme that they signifie their office, and cal∣ling: certayne players vpon stages

would declare th••••r names, represen∣tin•• c••rt••ine ••e••••ue•• to se•• out their matters, som•• w••••e call••d tru••th, some hope, some ••aithfulnesse: but in sadnes, to set ••owne such names to si••∣ni••••e 〈◊〉〈◊〉 which th•• Lord as y••u af∣firme, will accomplish by them: is meere imp••etie.

But where the Lord geueth names, it appeareth by their calling, and such a••e their workes, and sayinges, as ge∣••eth testimony s••fficient to their vo∣cation. ••ut ••our HN. c••n shew no sufficient markes, wherby any, but se∣duced perso••s, should geue credite to his wordes: onely a pa••nted shew, and barren heaping vp of wo••des, darkly appli••d without conclusion, or sence, sauing you, and such l••ke, that finde great mister••es in his sentences, carying such credit among you, as is not seeming Christians The Lord gaue names to sundry vnder the law: as Isaack, Sampson, Iohn ••aptist, &c. But doth it follow, that HN. is a name, geuen by the Lord. Proue vnto

vs, that the Lord hath established his name: your friuolous cauill, that HN. signifieth 〈◊〉〈◊〉, will not serue: such bables are scarce suffici••̄t to me••k children: therefore you must deuise some better 〈◊〉〈◊〉.

Some of your Familye haue writ∣ten, that HN. signifie••h some greater matter then either you▪ or wee can tell of: such incertentyes ho•• you au••uch of your HN. For vncertayne doctrine must haue certayne ••idden misteryes to amase the heares mindes: or els no doubt▪ the drift of do•••• me would ease∣ly be espied. Therefore you must de∣••ise some hidden s••••retes, whereby to cary a shew of prof••••••d m••tter.

That names are geuen by men in these dayes and not by God, there is no doubt or question, but you would sayne haue HN. to be a name geuen of God to signifie a calling, you geue vs no reas••n so to thinke, but woulde haue vs beleue it is so, because you say so, then were we vayn heads, and vn∣c••nstant mindes. For we depende so

stricktly vpon the scr••ptures of God, that no spirite, no 〈◊〉〈◊〉, nor no Angel teaching other 〈◊〉〈◊〉, can be a co••∣ted, or beleued amongst vs, so ce••tayn is our faith, and so inuincible is that truth, which by the Scriptures we held.

In that you, t••e Children of y^• loue ascribe no names of holynes vnto the outward person, it is a mistery we a••e ignorant of: we simply geue names to our children in baptisme, without signification of holynes touching the In••ant, the names may signifie holy∣nes, but that the person carrying the same name shall be indewed therwith that are we ignorant of. If you haue such hidden misteries among you, it were good the world should not be ig∣norant of it. We commit the successe and euent of such hidden secrets to the Lord. Of enuyous good thinking spi∣rites that rule in vs, you councel vs to looke to, without your councell (God willing) we meane to follow the coun∣cel of the Lord our God, which willeth

vs not to beleue euery spirite,* 1.1 &c. And yet I neuer heard before of enuyous good thinking spirits. But such a grace you haue, not only to forge new doc∣trine, but new names of Spirits also.

In speaking against HN. you wold insinuate that we blaspheme, despise, and dishono•• the temple or tabernacle of the Lord. Doth it follow necessari∣ly that they that speake against HN. blaspheme, despise &c. And is he the temple or tabernacle of the Lord? vn∣doubtedly we are all deceaued then: For I assure you, we take him to be an erroneous spirit, a fantastical hed, possessed with pride of minde: Sathan blowing the belowes. The Lord wor∣king therby the exercise of his church. If you haue other opiniō of HN. war∣rant, or groūd so to do, haue you none. But be••ause you will not be••eeue the truth,* 1.2 therefore are strong illusions sent, whereby you might be deceaued. Looke into the holy Scriptures with a more single minde, and it shall be easi∣ly perceiued.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iohn. 4.1.
• * 1.2

  2. Thes. 2.1: