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.

[] THis part cōtaineth a prayer which this man maketh for all, that they might sta••d minded in humility to the loue, as I haue often complayned of the confounding this word Loue, and the signification therof, so here I will t••ke it in y^• best part, to signifie God, to whom we craue continually his grace to hū••le our harts, that we may euer stand•• obedyent to his will, and that we may look for that ioyfull cōming of Christ Iesus, whose appearing shal be to the comfort of his elect, & to their sur¦passing ioy: but as a terrible iudge to the wicked despisers of his mercy offe∣red, and to such as haue s••t vp in their harts any other besides him, or follow any other but him, or delite in any o∣ther sauing h••m. No violence can re∣sist him, no strength preuail with him, but as you say, all shall be brought vn∣••er his ob••d••ence.

••here as you pray that all kings princes &c. may ••ea••e thy holy name,

and stand submitted to thy loue. ••ere is loue takē in another sence, therfore you intricatly vse this word Loue: wherby your meaning can not easily be found out.

For, here loue and her seruice, is meant such doctrine, and seruice, ••s you teach, which you wi••h all princes were partakers of, if your doctrine were a truth in d••••de, then were your prayer good: but forasmuch as your doctrine is false, wicked, and fantasti∣call, therfore your prayer is corrupte, and abhominable, and to be despised, and all princes that fear the Lord, wil become vtter enemies to you •• your doctrine, and seek diligently to amend (if it be possible) your corruptions, and I doute not but the Lord hath in his Church, men of zealous mindes, who will not see the glory of our immortall God, nor the death, passion, and resur∣rection of Christ Iesus our Lord, so defaced, dar••kned, and shadowed. And that his Church may be purged of such corrupt weedes, which spring vp,

séeking to destroy that good corn, which is sowed already.

O Lord God we humble sinners a∣biding in the vnity of thy holy Church doe most humbly, & hartely pray thee euē for thy sonne, our Sauiour Christ Iesus sake, that thou wilt in m••rcy looke vpon thy poore afflicted Church, and the members thereof, that by no malice of Sathan, no pretence of col∣lored speach, nor no vanity of minde, any of thy children be caryed away, as straying from thy fould: but that O Lord, they may agayne be ioyned to thy flock: so that so many as pertayne vnto that good shepherd of our soules,* 1.1 Christ Iesus, may laud and prayse thy name with one voyce: and O Lord we most humbly beseech thee, to clense thy Church, from the filthy dregges of doctrine, which wicked mē, through the malice of Sathan haue deuised to disquiet thy peaceable Sion: conuert thou them O Lord wée beseech thee: mollify their stony hartes, which haue set vp a Prophet, whome thou O Lord

hast not sent: let them O Lord behold how farre they haue declyned from thy wayes, and followed the doctrine of deceaueable men: let them see from whome they haue departed, & to whom they clea••e fast. And although we O Lord, by our offences, and the many∣fold transgressions wherwith we pro∣uoke thy merci••ull goodnes, who doe know thy will, and yet are so slow per¦former•• therof, wherby thou O Lord, doest punish our offences, so that wic∣ked men now set vp thēselues against vs, accusing vs and that worthely, of the breaking of thy holy lawes. So O Lord, although we haue thus sore pro∣uoked thy goodnes by our offences, yet we beseech thee consider thy sonne our Lord and Sauiour, whose obedience & righteousnes to thy will▪ thou hast by promise made it ours, so that belōging to thy sonne, we are shadowed vnder his righteousnes, and couered vnder his winges in safety from eternall de∣struc••ion. But such is thy goodnesse O mercifull God, to try thy children here

in earth, how stedfast we will bid bat∣ta••le against Sathan and his impes, and how constant we will abide there∣in: so that no blast nor inuation of ene¦mies shall, I hope, shake that founda∣tion of faith that thou hast pl••nted in vs, which we most humbly desire thy maiesty to increase, and that we may perseu••re and continue in the vnity of thy holy church in this life, and after we may inioy t••e fruition of thy godly mai••stye, and sing pr••yses vnto thee world without end.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iohn. 10.