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.

[ 38] COncerning Christopher Vitells being, and recanting, at Paules Crosse: there are many yet liuing, that were presēt, & doe verefy what I haue sayd: & touching my L. of Cant. whom you appeale vnto: if y^• case be so, as you haue affirmed: then is he worthy great blame to desire any mā to recāt, which is in no error, •• come to such a famous place, as Paules Crosse is.

Before in the 35. section, you con∣fesse, that out of the wisedome of the

flesh, sprang all Christoffer ••itells errors, and now you affirme, that you were in no error: agayne in this trac∣tation, you confesse, that in some poyntes, you had bin deceaued by cer∣tayne straungers: and in an other place, you a••ouch, that by no other mens counsell, or bookes you were de∣ceiued: such a gift you haue to say▪ and vnsay: to affirme, and to deny: but the trueth is, that you were prisoner in the counter in woodstret, by commaun∣dement of the Byshop that then was, and there is your name regestred: and your comming was not voluntary, as you vntruely affirme: but coacted by the law. Mages••rates vse not to de∣sire men to come to publick place, to confesse their heresies: but the law it selfe doth vrge it, and you, according to the law, for your releasement out of prison, did recant at the Crosse: and named your error, to be Arrianisme: whether you did it from the hart, that the Lord God knoweth.

Now consider this man, for his cre∣dit sake among his deceaued Familye

would perswade, that such a péece of iniustice, was shewed vnto him, as he sayth: but he is proued a lyer, not one∣ly in this, but in many other matters: verefying the olde prouerb, mend••cem memorem esse oporte••: a lyer had neede to haue a good memory.

And where as you so confidētly af∣firme, that you were in no error, whē you were at the Crosse: the contrarye whereof is manifest. I will put you in minde of the disputations, and con∣ferēce, that diuers mē had with you in Queene Maryes dayes: M. Ro. Crow∣ley a reuerent and godly preacher yet liuing who affirmeth, y^t seueral, times he disputed with you, concerning the blasphemy of Arryus, and you cōtinu∣ally denyed Christ Iesus to be God, equall with his Father: and immoue∣ably you remained all her raigne of that minde: and this M. Crowley, is redy to auouch agaynst you, whensoe∣uer you, or any for you: will require to be certafied: Also one Ione Agar, an olde mayde, which wayted on those in

office for the Cittye, as Mayors, and shrieffes, did declare to M. Fulkes the Elder, and others, that you Christo∣pher Vitell, whome she named to be hyr cosin, had taught her playnely, that Christ was not God: but onely a good man, and a Prophet: and that there were men that shee did know liuing, that were as good, and as holy men, as he was: and further, that Maister La∣timer, Maister Ridley, and others (which gaue their lyf•• for Christes cause,) were starke fooles, and did not well in suffering death: such wicked∣nes haue you bin the Aucthor of: & yet now to hould your credit with your Familye: you would haue the world beleue, that you were in no error: but you are worthy the reward of a lyer: which is, that when he speaketh trueth he is not beleued.

This man is chosen, and found to be the aptest person, to be an illuminat Elder in HN. his Family, & of greatest credit, among those deceiued soules: a fitter instrument to beare record of

HN. and his doctrine: then to declare the ioyfull message of Christ our re∣deemer, whome he hath blasphemed, denying his diuinitye: worthely are they deluded, that follow such a de∣ceiuer.

That man, that once hath made shipwrack of fayth & good conscience, and is possessed with error, it is hard to reclayme him: but that some spice of that maladye will lurke in him, or a worse: as is proued true by you: you confessed then, you were deceaued by certayne straungers: and haue you not as great cause to suspect your selfe deceaued now, by HN. a straunger in nation, and estraunged from God, and Christ, in his doctrine published: con∣trary to his will reuealed in the holy scriptures? if you would consider with indifferency, you were neuer so nota∣bly deceiued then, as you are now: for looke into all the workes of HN. what doe they tend to? but that he is a prophet raysed vp by God, and an e∣lected minister, a priest in office, by

whome God wil receiue all men in mercy. With such lyke testimonyes, doth he vtter of himselfe, and his Fa∣milye, doe beleue the same. I would his credit were not so great with you but that you could cōpare his sa••ings with the scriptures, and haue an eye vnto ••s collections of the same, and how he followeth the grossest ••raslati∣on of the Bible, delighting in that most specially, and his allegations ap∣plyed so farre from the sence of the holy ghost, that a man meanely exer∣cised ••n the scripture, may playnely see his corruption.

Many brutes haue bin of you, tou∣ching your erronious spirite, and in deede, they that haue truely noted your disposition, doe affirme, that you could neuer lyke of any publick doctrine, which was taught: but had alwayes a desire of singularitye: such a trou∣bler of Christ his Church haue you bin: but blessed be the name of y^• Lord, who hath made manifest your her••∣sies, although you will not scarcely

acknowledge thē: so that the simplest among many thowsandes, is sufficiēt∣ly ass••sted by the Lord, to bewray, and display your manifest impietye, and the Lord hath in store of his Church, that will not ioy, nor rest in peace, vntill all your errors be disclosed, and ••ou, and your fellowes be brought to ••umble your selues before the Lord, without your HN. which the Lord bring spedely to passe. Amen.