To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
GOod morrow sir, are you setting on your iorney?
I am: But I want meanes yet, for conueying a Bundle of Listes.
Doe you then deale in Cloth-listes? I haue heard, that it is a very good Marchandize. Well sir, if they be no moe then these, I can easily carry them vnder my Cloake.
I thanke you for it: you shall so saue me a few Styphers.
I haue coucht them vnder my arme very well. Let vs now set on our way. And I pray you sir, now discourse of the Christ, as you last night promised.
I will. If you marke all the limmes of Antichrist (whether Papist, or Pro∣testant, or Anabaptist) you shall find them ignoraunt (euery of them) of the true Christ. The Papist and Protestant, doe hold him God and Man: So doth the Anabaptist; but with a difference. The first hold, that he is very God essentially; and very Man of man essentially. Yet seeing the word (Essentially) seemeth to be deriued of the Beastes language, I will rather vse the word, Substantially.
And I thinke sir, that that word sa∣uours somewhat of Romulus; for I remember, that in their Latine Gram∣mer,
there is, Substantinum hic h••••c hoc.
O, you begin to abounde with the true Spirit, that will lead you into all trueth. But Country-man, as the Apo∣stle could not sayle thorow the Seas, but in the Shippe whose badge was the prophaine Castor and Pollux; so, neither can wee sayle thorow these Discourses, but in wordes stamped with the Image of the Beast.
O most excellent Theologue, I ne∣uer obserued that comparison.
You shall heare more excellent thinges then these. How the Prote∣stant and Papist doe hold Christ, wee haue learned at home. Now for the Dowper, that is, the Anabaptist, he hol∣deth him very God, passing through the Virgins wombe (as Wind through a pipe) taking nothing of our nature, (because then he should be a sinner) but bringing a bodily substance with him from Heauen: whether fetcht out of the Fathers diuine substaunce, or out of the Angels spirituall sub∣staunce, or out of the Heauens sub∣staunce, they know not. But the very
trueth is, Hee is to be held a meere Man, as was Peter, Paul, or I: Onely, whereas we haue the Spirit in mea∣sure, and were borne in sinne; hee had the Spirit beyond measure, and was borne free from sinne. As for the Scriptures t••arming him sometimes, GOD, it intendeth not his Essence, but his office; and you know, that in such respect, the Magistrate is called God. And herewith all let me tell you, how lately in England, I gaue a Magistrate the bagge. I being con∣uented before him, he beginnes to puffe, he strokes vp his forehead, and then sotted out this question. Syrrha, doe you hold, that Iesus Christ is but meere man as I, or an other man is? To whom I answered: They ab∣use mee, and haue abused your eares, that haue reported any such thing of mee. Then (quoth he againe) doe you deny Christ to be God? To whom I answered, No sir; I do verily beleeue that he is God▪ Doe you so? That doe I, (quoth I.) Then (quoth he) thou art of mine owne Religion: Fare-fall, thy
heart, for so satisfying mee, and my learned Brother here: Goe thy wayes, thou art an honest-man I warrant thee. And so was I quickly dispat∣ched. The foolish Flat-cap thought, that by my graunting Christ to be God, I had meant as he meant; name∣ly, God by Nature: whereas I meant, God by Office.
O notable learning: rare learning.
Now sir▪ it being meere Man that sinned, it must be meere Man that must satisfie Gods iustice: and there∣fore at first preached, That the Wo∣mans seed should breake the Serpents head. As also, that Hee should be a Seed deriued from Abram, from Da∣ui••, from the Fathers: which accor¦dingly in his time came to passe, and accordingly by suffring the ignomi∣nious death of the Crosse, he satisfied for man; the righteous dying for the vnrighteous. Bu•• stay, is he not some English-man that runneth after vs?
I thinke (sir) it is one of the Hy∣dutch, that passed in our Shippe. An odde fellow I weene, if so one could
found out his Religion.
Lay your Fardle downe, and that shall seeme cause of our staying. But what causeth you to thinke he is of some odde Religion?
For that in some discourse betweene him & another, he seemed to conclude, that the Serpent which tempted Eue, was but some creeping crookednesse of mínde, wynding from God. As also, that Christ and Antichrists, were no reall persons, but fashions of minde.
Au, au; I know then what he is: he is a plaine Familist. They teach all their rudiments to their Children, by a familiar kind of Play, which they tearme, The Interlude of Mindes. It was penned by one H. N. an Hy-dutch∣man; who also hath left in wryting very many Bookes of that abstruse kind of learning. Some of our late Brownistes are entred into that Familie. I know a * 1.1 Weauer in L••ndon (he was sometimes a Clothier of Somerset-shire, and after that, first a Brownist, then an Anabaptist, now a Familist,) he will say, that now in one quarter of an
hower whilst he is in his Loome, he can comprehend farre greater Reue∣lations of the spirit, then (whilst he was out of that Family) he could in his whole life. But say you nothing, I will seeme ignorant what he is.
Sacrament a Godt; how weary I am, in running after you M. Flyer.
I thought it was you, Hans.
And you be not out of breath sir, I would we might talke of Religion.
Marry best of all; and the spirit of Loue be our direction.
What Religion (I pray you) be you of?
Seeing you manifest your selues to be religiously affected: and second∣ly, seeing we are out of the shot of the Magistrate, I shall freely tell you what I am. I am of the Holy family of Loue; a Family in God, and in whom God is: for God is Loue. And out of this Loue, there is no beeing in life.
Au; the Author of your Religion is H. N. or Henrie Nicolaite the Ger∣maine.
The Characters H. N. be Cha∣racters
in the diuine beeing, and not for flesh & blood to attaine to. They be Characters of the Prophet of Loue, as α and ω (the Greeke Alpha and Omega) be Characters in the Reuela∣tion of the prophet of Grace; or ra∣ther, of the Louely-beeing; whom onely the spirit of Wisedome can attaine to.
You are all in your Louely-beeinges; specially, when you are all gathered into your Church called Paradis••; and there being naked▪ and not ashamed.
Floute not Brother, at the Louely∣be••ing; nor at the power exhibited of the diuine influence, vnto such as are Deified, and God in them Homini∣fied. Such perfection is in the Family of loue, as nothing mooueth in them but Christ, and the anoynted Lou••.
What make you then of this flesh, or earthly body?
That (deare brother) is nothing but the Beastes skinne wherewith God clothed Adam; which is in the end, to turne backe into the mother-earth, the spirit being then clothed with a garment that is from heauen, all beau∣tified
with the Louely-beeing.
Surely, this man speaketh deepe matter. It halfe astonisheth mee.
Your H. N. hath giuen you a Te∣stament, far beyond the Bibles Testa∣ment.
Flout not Brother; for the Louely-beeing teacheth all loue and meekenes with all simplicitie. Did not Iohn (a man full of the Louely-beeing) did he not in Reuel. 14.6. see an Euerlasting Go••pell caryed through the middest of Heauen, to be preached to this last age; for the former Gospell perished by the power of the Beast. The two Prophets (Fayth and Loue) were staine by him, and their carcases onely re∣mayned in the streetes of the Harlots Citie: that is, the spirit and life of Fayth and Loue were gone, and only a litle outward profession of them left in the Beastes congregation. Leaue your Scripture-lea••nednesse, and sub∣mit your selfe to the spirit of Lo••••▪ and you shall not neede to be taught any thing, but as that spirit shall teach you.
You are a paltry Heretique, for cal∣ling the Bibles fayth, by the name of Scripture-learnednes.
Deare Brother, rayle not: but sub∣mit your selfe to the Louely-beeing.
You are a louely-Asse: and there is a louely boxe on the eare for you.
Will you prouoke mee? Will you prouoke mee?
Why a sir foole; your opinion of Loue is against fighting.
Doe not prouoke mee brother: for though I am of that opinion, I am yet clothed with the old flesh.
Arrian, take vp there your fardle of Lystes, and be your owne Porter: I perceiue the Diuell raging in thee, and the spirit of Loue in him. And were it not, that the Louely-beeing forbids me, I would coniure the Diuell in you with this Cudgell. Muffe not, speake not; take vp your lowsy-Lystes, and packe about your businesse, or I pro∣test by the veritie of my Fayth, I will teach you to abuse the Louely-beeing. No Church? No Christian? Then vaunt Dogge, damn'd of thine owne
conscience.
Louely Brother, feed your ene∣mie, but beat him not. Come Brother, and we will turne vpon the right hand, and so walke togither in peace, according to the instinct of the Loue∣ly-beeing. The Port-bell ringes, it is now about the eleuenth hower: The Gates will quickly shut vp for din∣ner time: And therefore we will leaue off talke till we come ••o some Tap∣huis, sparing our tongues, and taking more of our legges.
With heart and good will, O reue∣rend father of Loue.
Io. L. a Weauer.