A confutation of certaine articles deliuered vnto the Familye of Loue with the exposition of Theophilus, a supposed elder in the sayd Familye vpon the same articles. By William Wilkinson Maister of Artes and student of diuinitye. Hereunto are prefixed by the right reuerend Father in God I.Y. Byshop of Rochester, certaine notes collected out of their Gospell, and aunswered by the Fam. By the author, a description of the tyme, places, authors, and manner of spreading the same: of their liues, and wrestyng of Scriptures: with notes in the end how to know an heretique.

ARTICLE. 6. of HN. of vniting into God.

* 1.1ANd the Elders of the Familie (sayth HN.) are illuminated from God they are Godded with God they are incorporate into God,* 1.2 with whō God al∣so in one beyng, is Hominified, or become man.

Theophilus.

WHat error is this if it were rightly sene vnto? whilest the vine braunch is to be vined in the vine Iohn. 15. & he that is ioyned vnto the Lord is one spirite with him,* 1.3 and are made partakers of the godly nature. 2. Pet. 1.4.

William Wilkinson.

* 1.4TRue it is that a certaine godly and learned man affir∣meth, writyng vpon the fall of S. Peter, When God leaueth vs to our selues their is not hope to stay from rū∣nyng headlong into sinne, right so it fareth in Gods iud∣gement with this coale Prophet HN. and his dreamyng Disciple Theophilus. For the maister on still fallyng from phantasie to phantasie, and from one errour into an other and the scholer bringeth in stones and morter to build vp the confused heape of all impitie.

In the former clause was shewed that they vtterly cō∣demne and mislike all Ordination, and Election of Mini∣sters with their Familie: now if follweth to be handled what priuiledge and prerogatiue his Elders purchase

vnto themselues, by the admission they haue into that blynd societie.

HN. affirmeth very soberly as it séemeth that the El∣ders of his broode are illuminated and Godded with God or incorporated into God. &c. his scholer Theophilus laboureth to strengthen his Assertion with the testimony of Scrip∣ture to that ende by him wrested and wrongly alledged: wherein seyng he cā not slippe the coller with me as erst he did in leauyng the former sentence, now to outcoun∣tanaunce the truth with the impudencie of his forehead, hee asketh. What an errour is this if it were rightly seene vnto? what errour do you aske? truly an horrible & palpa∣ble errour it is, flat against the truth of y^e sacred scripture, straungely saueryng of those dregges, whiche you haue déeply dronke both at the hand of the Anabaptisticall Si∣nagogue, and also of the Romish harlot & sea of Antichrist. But whereas you added a Caueat which is: If it be right∣ly sene vnto? I aunswere: he that putteth on the Christall spectacles of Gods word, and taketh in his hād the Lant∣horne of holy write to looke diligently to your steppes, shall straight trace out a théefe and a rebell agaynst the Lord.

But first to procéede orderly let me aunswere your au∣thorities, and then in a word or two, wil I set downe the horriblenes of that opinion.

You say: The vine braunche is vined into the vine. I finde no such wordes in the place by you quoted out of S. Iohn, neither doth the Gréeke or Latin translation afford any such termes of vinyng into a vine as ye seme to im∣port.* 1.5 There is to abyde or remaine in the vine vers. 2. and 6. and in the 7. vers. he expoundeth what is abidyng meaneth vz. If you abide in me and my wordes in you. &c. but he it graunted that ye quoted it (for perhaps you you followed the translation of HN. his Dutch Bible) if it I say be graunted that you haue not wroōg in the er∣rour, by writyng out of a false meanyng of S. Iohn his wordes, Know yée not, nor haue ye euer heard, that Pa∣rables

in the Scripture are rather to be considered in the end, whereto the doctrine they containe is applied then in euery part of the Allegory? is ech circumstaunce to be sifted and stode in? The cunnyng Archer respecteth more to hitte the marke, than the curious wathchyng of the clo∣uē ayre, which parteth in sunder at the end of his arrow, or the fallyng of his fethers: euen so the spirite of God doth rather respect the end of the similitude and the doc∣trine conteined there vnder with the especiall applicatiō thereof, thē the waying of euery word or ech singular cir∣cumstaunce therein comprehēded.* 1.6 The estate of the god∣ly and the wicked after this life is most liuely painted out by the Parable of the riche man and poore Lazarus by S. Luke chap. 16. of the which Parable if I should stand in euery particular circūstaunce thereof, I should very much entangle my selfe with vayne and idle questions, and di∣sturbe the vnitie of the Churche, whereof the one were hurtfull to my selfe, the other intollerable to others. By the similitude of the lost groat y^e Lord sheweth the great and vnspeakeable ioy,* 1.7 which he conceiueth at the conuer∣sion of a sinner: now he that besides this néedes will des∣cant out for Allegoricall or Anagogical sence, as what the besome signified wherewith the woman swept, what the the candle, what the neighbours called in, &c. He that is curious thus vaynely to hunt after euery sillable, shall, as others haue done before, styrre many coales & yet finde small light, rayse much dust and yet sée the meanyng and marke of the Scripture not any whitte the sooner. The word of God is Lex vitae ad bene agendum not ansa rixan∣di ad contendendum. A rule to lead our lyfe, thereby to at∣taine euerlastyng happynes, not an occasion to contend or quarell to endles and néedles ianglyng. Which I note the rather because that in your loue house it is accōpted and high matter, to be hable to fetch a farre and an vnhard sene out of the wordes of Scripture: yea and higher thā to be humbly obedient to that, whiche is reuealed in the Scriptures. And to speake with proofe to auoyde cauill,

the straunge stretchyng of the place of Christes driuyng the deuils out of the mā possessed into the heard of swine,* 1.8 videlic. the sinnes and sinnefull beyng of the earthly,* 1.9 and as yet vngodded man, is driuen vnto the soules of the sin∣full wordlyng, who fall thereout into euerlastyng dam∣nation. This their vayne and Godles exposition is very much rewed of the godly, and loathed of them who trem∣ble in hart to heare the name and word of God thus im∣piously prophaned and horribly abused.

Now to come to the sence of S. Iohn his meanyng, which is this: By nature we are dry and naked, so is the vine braunch not abidyng in the stocke. Christ is the au∣thor and fountaine of all goodnes and grace,* 1.10 wherewith plentifully floweth and vnmeasurably aboundeth for his deare spouses sake the Church, and those that he his chil∣dren, which none do any longer enioy, then while they stand in deede, and liue to that whiche in tongue they doe professe. So is it betwixt the braunches and the trée. He that is not of this misticall body in this life, shall neuer triumph with him in the lyfe eternall: so doth no braūch florish in sommer, which abydeth not in the vine in sharp stormer of winter. If wee suffer with Christ,* 1.11 wee shall raigne with him. &c. Of the cōparison betwene the vine and the Church Read. Psal. 80.9.6. Esa. 3.13. cap. 5.7. b. and Ierem. 2.21. d. and 12.10. Ose. 10.1. a.

Where also it is worthy the notyng to consider, that Christ is not sayd to bee a naturall vine, but is by some qualitie of the vine resembled vnto vs: So are not we na∣turally Godded with God in his substaunce, but in quai∣tie with the image, whereunto mā was first created Gen. 1.26.27. Ephes. 4.24. and Luke. 1. a. Here then we may easely vnderstand, that this your reason doth not follow necessarily: because your Parables and similitudes ac∣cording to the old Prouerbe, proue not a thyng to be, but manifestly and clearely argue a thing taught and proued by an euident and vndeniable example.

S. Paule to the Ephesians handlyng our coniunction* 1.12

with Christ sayth. I tell you of a great secret or mistery: which mistery if it were fleshly, than to the carnall & out∣ward man, it were very easie to be vnderstanded, but be∣yng spirituall it is of more difficultie? For the carnall and earthly man can not so easely perceaue the thynges which are of God.

Now followeth your second place out of the 1. Cor. which proueth that the Children of God are with him, Ioyned and vnited together in one spirit.

Somewhat cōcerning our vniting, which hath bin tou∣ched before. To absolue all the doubt which ariseth in this place, this question is here to be demaunded. What is it to be made one spirite with Christ? If you shall aun∣swere that to be our spirit &c. is to haue our spirit confoū∣ded with Christes spirite in the same substance, than doe I reply: that this your aunswere is a darke and vnrea∣sonable Paradox. For onely bodily and corporall substā∣ces are confounded, and mingled, so that incorporall and immateriall essences cannot be coupled in the same third matter, as farre as yet my reason can conprehend. A spirit sayth our Sauiour Christ hath not flesh and bones:* 1.13 that is: there is a spirite no earthly or corruptible mat∣ter, or corporall substaunce. Therefore our ioyning and knitting vnto Christ, is not in matter, or substance, or being: but in spirit, and fayth. Thus sée you than that your imagination is but the shadow of a slomber, where∣of you doted all this while, that you demed our earthly and terren nature, to be embodied, and incorporated with him in perfect being, that is in his heauenly and diuine nature: and so we being men to become Gods to him, and he being God doth become man to vs. This your fantasye is more apparant in HN. his dictata or documentable sentences:* 1.14 but all your fantasies are but as mistes before the sonne, and the sléepes of a sick man, whose dreames hand together.

* 1.15To be vnited and conioyned in spirite with God is nothing els, but to draw nearer vnto the image of our

first creation: wherein first we were created vnto holy∣nes of lyfe &c. to be heauenly affected,* 1.16 to sauour spirituall and goastly thinges that belong vnto the soule. Briefe∣ly (I say M. Peter Mart. whose great iudgement I know how much the learned esteame) we are one spirite with god,* 1.17 when we are ioyned vnto him by the operation of his spirite, and the inward working of the holy Ghost: Yet doth not this vniting of vs with God availe vs so far that we thereby should be equall with him, onely Iesus Christ the sonne of God according to the deuine nature is so vnited with God, that he is one in spirite with his father, and wholely equall with him, wherein we of right and worthely are far vnequal, & inferior vnto him.

And thus much out of him concerning the meaning of this place of S. Paule, whome ye wrest to approue your errour, and yet in the iudgement of the best inter∣pretours, your blinde exposition and forced minde of that place is cleane ouerthrowne and confuted: for we are sayth he farre inferiour vnto God and our vniting vnto him is, that in the preaching of the word, and ministra∣tion of sacramentes, he stoupeth and lispeth with vs that we may vnderstand him.

Now concerning that last place by you alledged out of S. Peter. which is this, we are made partakers of the heauenly nature, therefore say you, your Elders are il∣luminated from God & Godded with God. &c. Truely, yf ye had read any learned wrighter vpon this place, or if ye had but waighed with your selfe the purpose of S. Peter in that place, comparing the place, you cited with that which goeth before, and that which euen in the next wordes follow after, I trust ye would haue bin better aduised before ye had wrested the place so violently, to the purpose that ye haue applied it. For in the very wordes following doth he expound his owne meaning in this sort. To be made partaker of the deuine nature, is nothing els but to flee the corruption which is in the world through lust,* 1.18 which S. Paule calleth oftentimes in his

Epistles to be dead to sinne,* 1.19 and not to be in the flesh, and agayne let not sinne raigne in your mortall bodyes that ye should obey the lust of it: but euen as the Lord is holye so must we be holy, for we are the temples of the holy Ghost,* 1.20 and the Lord God through Christ doth dwell within vs.* 1.21

But let me demaund this one question of you, to the which if ye will directly aunswere, ye shall sée all this controuersie betwixt vs about this place of S. Peter sone discussed, tell me but this? What is the nature of God which we are partakers of? is it not his euerlasting trueth, his righteousnes, his wisedome? &c. Is it not peace of soule, ioy of conscience, and all goodnes which cannot be imagined? is not he thē which is made partaker of these good graces of God, both in body and soule, rightly sayd to be made partaker of the heauenly nature? yes verely. Then may ye very playnely sée, and easely discerne, that by these wordes, the nature of God, We are not sayd to be partakers of his substance or essence, but of the deuine and heauenly qualityes which are in God. Of this place read Caluins institutions 3. boke.* 1.22 I know in déede the heathen Poet Aratus, out of whome S. Paule doth al∣ledge a verse in the Actes of the Apostles, fayneth that we spring out of the generation of GOD. But what haue we to stand to his fond fantasie and idle dreame. True it is, the Manicheis held the same errour, that we were sprong of the same ofspring and séede of God, and after we haue run the race of our lyfe, we shall returne to our fist original. And I know that in the former times of our fore fathers, there were some frantick men which imagined that Gods nature is so powred into vs, that it wholy causeth our nature, & being to lose the force there∣of. Right so dreameth your Fam. and as they quoted for profe,* 1.23 God must be all in all. Therfore are we who∣ly resolued and turned into the nature of God. To the selfe same purpose haue ye as fondly as they alledged in this place, this text out of Saint Peter: but right so may

it be affirmed of you which is sayd of them, such a dotage as this neuer once entred into the minds of the Apostles. Foolish therefore and vngodly are they (whosoeuer they be) which out of this place imagine that the essentiall na∣ture or being of God is poured into vs, our owne being there vtterly vanishing away. And thus much for the meaning of these wordes of S. Peter We are made par∣takers of the heauenly nature. And for a further exposi∣tion hereof, reade the Byshop of Salisburyes reply a∣gaynst harding. pag. 331. 5. Article. 7. diuision.

Now to satisfy your questions which ye aske of me:* 1.24 What errour is this yf it were rightly sene vnto? I aunswere Looke you rightly vnto it and ye shall see it is the errour of Manes, of Seruetus a Spanish Arrian burnt at Geneua, the errour of Osiander concerning the essentiall and sub∣stantiall iustice, more largely expounded by HN. in his Euangelie. 1. chapter and first sentence. From the which heresie good Lord deliuer vs. The which opiniōs because I feare they will more hurt the simple people by repea∣ting, then doe you good in confuting: of purpose I let them passe reseruing you for a more fuller and perfect in¦struction to M. Caluins institutions by whom the here∣sies aforesayd so are clearely cōfuted,* 1.25 that no godly Chri∣stian can or will desire a more absolute resolution.

Not meaning any further to busie my selfe with the confuting of the opinions of our Romish Catholiques, who in this point agree with you, affirming that our con∣iunction with Christ, is carnally, and bodely.

HN.

CHrist himselfe is their light sayth HN. which becom∣meth administred vnto them.* 1.26

Theophilus.

IT is true vnlesse ye will deny the scripture.

William Wilkinson.

YOw should first haue proued it by the Scriptures, & afterwardes haue affirmed it to be true: bare affir∣mations beare no weight. HN. his profe he quoteth Iohn 1.9. a. (The light is the true light, which lighteth euery man that commeth into the world.) is a rouing profe.

The meaning of the which place is this, that all men are equally indued with the light of naturall reason to see God in his Creatures, and thereby to acknowledge him to be their creator.* 1.27 Which because they haue light other wheres, and Christ hath light of and frō himselfe, therefore Christ is God.

But this place proueth not that onely the Children of God are lightned with the light of Gods spirit, which assertion albeit it be true, yet is this place by HN. quoted without discretion: for it speaketh of a light generall to all that are borne, not proper to the regenerate: of this light Read. Esay. 9.1.2. Mat. 4.15.16. Ioh. 9. a. 5. Ioh. 12. e. 35. HN. his other places Iohn. 8. b. 12. I am the light of the world. And Ephes. 5. c. 14. Awake thou that sleepest and stand vp from death and Christ shall giue the light. The first proueth that without Christ is no∣thyng but darknes and condemnation, and out of the bo∣dy of Christ, which is his Churche, is no health nor com∣fort of body or soule, which when ye can shew me by the Scriptures truly alledged that ye are, I will acknow∣ledge my selfe to be in an errour: vntill ye can so do, say: not euery one that sayth the Lord. &c. Heretiques in crying the Churche haue alwayes sought to bryng in a schisme, to disturbe and disquiet the state of the Church.

HN.

* 1.28ANd euen so out of this high Maiestie of God doth this true light shew forth his seruice through the illumina∣ted

or Godded man,* 1.29 with whom the most hyest through the selfe same light, and his seruice is also manned: witnessing and declaryng how that the true light consisteth, not in the knowledge of this or that, but in an vpright and true beyng of God, and his eternall life. Iohn. 17. c.

Theophilus exposition.

THat is through the new creature which is incorpo∣rated into God by the power of his word.

W. Wilkinson.

IT is not in this place certaine to bee gathered by any apparaunt circumstaunce, wherfore, or to what end, all these authorities are wrong in by HN. for if he meane that no man ought to minister without a callyng (as it seemeth hee would fayne meane if hee could vtter it) the proposition I confesse is true: and I aske him what out∣ward callyng he had, and by whom he was called, or who admitted him vnto that Propheticall function whiche so often he boasteth of?* 1.30 yet are these places by him very vn∣skilfully cited and vnaptly to the purpose, the whiche he doth alledge them, so that herein I blame his euill choyse for hee might better for profe haue quoted Iohn. 1.25. Num. 17.9. 2. Sam. 6.7. Heb. 4.5.

But if hee brought them for his illuminated or Godded man, as it is like that hee did, because vnto that place he made his directorie. g. I accuse him that he quoteth scrip∣ture with an euill conscience. For that in none of those places by him cited there is any word of illumination God∣dyng, or mannyng. The places of the Actes he dealeth lyke a théefe that dare not make a playne stepe least he should be taken, for he treadeth but ouerly & dare not set downe either Verse or Letter to direct the Reader: but vsing onely his old ragged and running maner of quotatiōs ve∣ry impertinently & to no purpose, doth he abuse the Rea∣der. As also in the places of S. Peter and S. Paule he hath

by his direction set vs to séeke that which we shall neuer finde. Lastly the place out of S. Iohn. 17. c.. is idle and emptie hauyng no one sillable tendyng to any such end as he alledged it for.

As for HN. it is very like that hee thought the world would allow his wordes without proofe: and as his Dis∣ciples vse to doe hand ouer head, he would take whatsoe∣uer commeth from him without examination, which his opinion is grounded of the old doctrine of the Papistes, that doctrine of teachers ought not to be further shifted or iudged by the hearer, of the which point we shall haue occasion to speake more Article. 8. pag. 89.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1. Exhor. 13. chap. 18.
• * 1.2

  Cap. 16. sent. 16.
• * 1.3

  1. Cor. 6.17. 2. Pet. 1.4.
• * 1.4

  Caluin vpon Math. 26.
• * 1.5

  Scriptures falsi∣fied.
• * 1.6

  Luke. 16.
• * 1.7

  Luke. 15.8.
• * 1.8

  Math. 8.32.
• * 1.9

  Fam. of Loues Exposition.
• * 1.10

  Iohn. 1.6.
• * 1.11

  1. Pet. 13.
• * 1.12

  Ephes. 5.32.
• * 1.13

  Luk. 24.49.
• * 1.14

  Cap. 6. sent. 3.
• * 1.15

  To be vnited in spirit what it is.
• * 1.16

  Ephes. 4.24.
• * 1.17

  Mart. 1. Corin. 6 17.
• * 1.18

  Rom. 6.6.7.8.
• * 1.19

  Rom. 6.6.7.8. Rom. 7.6. &. 8.5 &c. Leuit. 11.44.45.
• * 1.20

  1. Pet. 1.15.16.
• * 1.21

  See Byshoppe Iewels replye where hee ex∣poundeth this place of S. Pe∣ter pag. 434. lin. 24.
• * 1.22

  Chap. 11. sect. 10 Chap. 25. sect. 10. Actes. 17.27.28
• * 1.23

  1. Cor. 15.28.
• * 1.24

  Goddyng into God what error and whose.
• * 1.25

  Cal. Institut. 3. booke. 11. chap. sect. 5.6.7.8. &c.
• * 1.26

  1. Exhort. cap. 14. sent. 1.
• * 1.27

  1. Rom. 20. c.
• * 1.28

  1. Exhor. ca. 15. sent. 4.
• * 1.29

  Act. 23.4.5.6. 2. Corin. 4.2. 2. Pet. 1. v. 1. Ioh. 1.2.
• * 1.30

  Euang. cap. 1. sent. 1.