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.
I Have grieved, to consider how men are de∣ceived by the authority, or God of this world: in that they bring all, both God and Christ, Spirit and Word, subject to their judgement, a Thes. 2.4. So that whosoever pray in spirit,
subject to their spirituall authority, they pray but to what they are servants unto, which can∣not helpe, because it is the feare and authority of mortall man, to whom such spirituall service is done, the onely true God and his Christ is de∣spised, the power and wisdome of man is exalted in their hearts, therefore if man doe not heare and helpe, there is not God to heare, except it bee to require vengeance for the abuse of his name and word.
2 I have considered, that they which use the word of the holy Scriptures, translated or preached in worldly glory under morall authority, their estate is farre more inexecusable, then they which never use that word in way of prayer, praise, thankesgiving, or spirituall worship, be∣cause these doe not so blaspheme God in Christ, as to give that honour unto man, the creature, which is due to the Creator, as the professors doe.
3. I have observed, how the wise men of this world doe destroy their wisdome by thir authority, For in any doctrine of Religion, they will propose the holy Scriptures to be then wisdom and ground of truth: but if their doctrine be opposed by any, then they leave their wisdome and slee to their au••hority for helpe: which sheweth that their wisdome is but a pretence,
and that their authority is the pillar and ground of their Church.
4. I have noted also the deceit of mans mind, that not what he professes, or pretendeth in word to be his God and Christ, is so to him, but what he mindeth in his heart under such a pretence: As if a man profess•• the onely true God, or preach the Lord Jesus Christ, and indeed doe minde another word or authority then of God: or doe seeke meat for his belly under the name of Jesus Christ: in these cases it is not what hee speaketh, but what he imagineth, mindeth and seeketh indeed, which is his God: and for the obtayning of the desire of his minde, he denyeth God in deed, and all power of godlinesse.
5. Whatsoever spirituall service or worship men performe as to God, their reading, pray∣ers, cryings, howlings, teares, and assembling in Idoll Churches are all turned into sinne, while they know not God, but give that service to the World or Authority of men, which is onely due unto God the Creator of all men, according to his Word and Will, manifested from the beginning in Christ.