A shield of the truth, or, The truth of God cleared from scandals and reproaches cast upon it by scandalous and reproachfull tongues which the devil in all ages did make use of, whereby he blasphemed the truth of God, striving to present it odious in the eyes and ears of all people, that so he might uphold his own kingdom, but the day hath made him manifest, & the Lord is come, & is coming to make war with him, and bind him, and cast him into the bottomless pit and all who bears his image, and under his dominion is written by ... Iames Parnel.

We are accused that we judge people.

It is written, the Saints shall judge the world: and for judge∣ment* 1.1 I am come into the world, saith Christ, that those which see not might see, and that they which see might be made blind: and where Christ rules in his Saints he judges the world, as Paul witnessed, It is no more I but Christ in me, and he is come to re∣prove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement: of judgement because the Prince of the air is judged, who rules in* 1.2 the children of this world, and they cannot bear the righteous judgement of Christ, but kicks against it, and calls him De∣vil, and so they kick against the prick, which will the more tor∣ment them: and this is the spirit of truth which come into* 1.3 the world, which the world cannot receive because he testifies of it that the deeds thereof are evil, and this is the condem∣nation of the world, light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than life because their deeds are evil, and e∣very one that doth evil hateth the light, and will not come into the light lest it should reprove them: yet they will say, Christ is meek, love, and lowly: It is so, but not to ungod∣linesse: but he is meek to the meek, and lowly to the low∣ly, and love to the Seed of God, and his Saints are meek and lowly, and bears all, both scandals, reproaches, persecutions, and imprisonments, but to the Seed of the Serpent Christ is judgment, and wo, and a sword to that which is for the sword, and a condemner to the wicked, and our God is a consuming fire, and terrible to the wicked to consume the proud and haughty in their imaginations: and here Christ is a Lyon, and he is a Lamb, he is a Condemner, and he is a Saviour: he that* 1.4 can receive him let him: the hungry and thirsty he feeds with live food, but the fat he feeds with judgement, and that which

would not bear his judgement, must never know his peace, but is for judgement, and cryes out as the Devil did, who said he was come to torment them before the time, but the Teachers* 1.5 of the world have deceived the people long, crying peace to them, because they put into their mouthes, and healing them up in their sin, with a feigned formed faith which works no▪ reformation, so sewing pillows under their armholes; and here the Devil hath reigned in peace▪ and now Christ is come with* 1.6 the sword to break his peace, with plague and judgement, and now he rages, and stands up for his life, in all both Priest and People, and now the Beast makes war with the Lamb, but it is hard for him to kick against the prick, for he must be bound and cast into the pit, and there be tormented quick, and the false Prophet, and all who bears his Image.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1 Cor. 6. 2. John 9. 39.
• * 1.2

  〈…〉〈…〉 Joh. 16. 8. 11.
• * 1.3

  Acts 1. 5. John 14. 17. Joh. 7. 7. Joh. 3. 19. 20.
• * 1.4

  Rev. 19. 15. Rev. 5. 5. Hos. 5. 14.
• * 1.5

  Mat. 8. 29. Jer. 6. 14.
• * 1.6

  Ezek. 13. 18. Rev. 12.