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A05464
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[Come out of her my people] or an ansvver to the questions of a gentlevvoman (a professour in the Antichristian Church of England) about hearing the publicke ministers vvhere it is largely discussed and proved to be sinfull and unlavvfull. Also a iust apologie for the way of total separation (commonly but falsely called Brownisme) that it is the truth of God, though lightly esteemed in the eyes of the blinde world. With a challenge to dispute with them publickly before King & Counsell: to prove whatsoever I said at the pillery against them. Viz. that the calling of them all is jure diabolo: even from the divell himselfe. By mee John Lilburne. Close prisoner in the Fleete for the cause of Christ.; Come out of her my people.
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Lilburne, John, 1614?-1657.
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1639
(1639)
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STC 15596; ESTC S107364
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35,511
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36
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when the Prelates by vertue of his power bids them and Authorize them to preach they doe preach And when they command them to hold their peace they are silent and let their flock runne at randome when as a good and true Shepheard layeth downe his life for his Sheepheard Object But many object and say it is true that their calling as it comes from the Prelates is unlawfull but they have an inward calling for they are fitted for the worke of the Ministerie Answ To which J answer and say I reade of no inward calling that any of those Officers had that Christ or his Apostles did institute in the New Testament for the Apostles had their calling from Christ and the other Officers had their calling from the Churches where they themselves were members and over which by the Lawes and power of Christ they were made Officers But if the Ministers of Antichrist have an inward calling I desire to see it proved by the Scripture And as for their qualifications and fitenesse for the Ministrie J deny and say that they are not qualified according to the command of Christ by Paul to Timothy Titus And I doe affirme and will maintaine it that no man ought to be Elected for the worke of the Ministrie unlesse he have all those qualifications that is by the Holy Ghost set downe in the 1 Tim. 3. and the first of Titus Now there is none of them yea the best among them that hath the qualification for a Bishop a Pastor or an Elder which is all One must not be a Novice least being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the Devill Also he must hold fast the faithfull word as it hath been taught that he may be able by sound Doctrine both to exhort and convince the gainesayers But none of them have either of these for they are so farre from being able to convince gainesayers by sound Doctrine that they are but novices in many things and either wilfully or ignorantly are blinde of the naked wayes of God being darkned with the smoake which came out of the bottomlesse pitt Rev. 8.2 and J will justify it to the faces of the best of them that they are enemies to the Kingly Office of Iesus Christ and the right government of his Church both in practise and in judgement and therefore are not fit take them at the best to be Pastors over Christs Sheepe Neither can any of them say as Paul did Acts 20. That he was cleare of the blood of all men in that he ceased not to declare unto them the whole Counsell of God which every faithfull Pastor ought to doe but none of them have done it nor are able for as I said before they are ignorant of it and are enemies to it as they doe witnesse in their Pulpits where they preach against the naked and pure wayes of God and the Professours of it but none of them dare to enter the list of a Publick set dispute Object I but say others they preach the Word of God and that cannot be corrupted by their calling but remaine the Word of God still therefore we may Lawfully heare it from them Answ I answet they preach the outside of the Word it is true but the marrow and pith of it they meddle but little with for the best of them are yet ignorant of the marrow of many choice Truths of God for their understandings are so overspred with the Foggie Mists of the darke and black Kingdome of Antichrist that they want spirituall eyes to see it And behold it untill the Lord in mercy if so he please to open their eyes And what though they doe preach the Word they have no authority from God so to doe if they have let them stand up and show it and prove it Not with human learning but by the authority of the Scripture It is true the Devill himselfe preached Christ and made a glorious confession of him saying I know that thou art Iesus the Christ the Son of God Mark 1.24 This if it had come from one of Christs owne servants it had been most acceptable and well pleasing to him but in regard it comes from the Devill he will not owne it but commands him to hold his peace It is very true the Word of God is good and sweete and a comfort to the soules of his servants if it be preached by any that hath authority from Christ we are bound to heare it But the best of the Ministers have no authority or warrant from Christ to preach the Word nor we to heare it from them Iohn 10.2.3.5 Hoses 9.4 Psal 50.16 But to the wicked saith God What hast thou to doe to declare my Statutes or that thou shouldest take my Covenant in thy mouth Now looke upon all of them to be such as God here speakes off in regard of their institution and standing being visible members of Antichrists Kingdome I doe not nor will not meddle with their persons nor no mans else but only with their sinfull and wicked station and standing Which as I am a subject to Christs Kingdome and a prisoner in bonds and fetters of Iron for his cause I am bound in conscience for to doe it Iudg. 5 23. Curse ye Meroz saith the Angell of the Lord yea curse ye bitterly the inhabitants therein because they came not forth to the helpe of the Lord against the mighty Yea the Spirit of God saith That they are blessed and happy that takes Babels Bratts and dash them against the stones Psal 137.8.9 But they are all Sonnes and Children of Spirituall Babell or Babylon Rev. 11.8 and 14.8 and 18.2 Now by vertue of their being members of his Kingdome we have no ground or warrant out of the Word of God to heare them for it is impossible to be a servant and a subject both to Christ and Antichrist But they are subjects to Antichrists Kingdome Therefore cannot be said truely to be subjects and servants to Christ For is not he properly a subject to the King of Spaine that submits to his Lawes and beares Office under him by vertue of his authoritie And can such men while they doe so be said and truely to be esteemed to be subjects to the King of England unto whose Lawes they doe not submit Without doubt they cannot Even so can the Ministers or Preists for so is their institution who submit unto the Lawes of Antichrist and beare Office under him and execute their Office by vertue of his power and Authoritie and therefore are his Servants and Subjects and cannot truely be said to be the Servants and Subjects of Christ unto whose Lawes they doe not submit Therefore we are not to heare them or to have any thing to doe with them Rev. 18.4 2 Cor. 6.17 Againe Mount Sion that is to say the Church of God is the place which God hath chosen and hath promised his presence and blessing Psal 132.13.14.15 and 88.17 2 Cor. 6.16 Now
the strict profession of it is so meane contemptible and burdensome a thing in the blinde and darke eyes of the World and lyes under the reproach and ignominy of the men thereof the great Rabbies doe stumble at it and doe not imbrace it 1 Cor 1 19 20 for it is written saith God I will destroy the wisdome of the wise and wil bring to nought the vnderstandings of the prudent where is the wise where is the scribe where is the disputer of this world hath not God made foolish the wisdome of this world Isa 29.14 33 18. Oba verse 8. Therefore in regard the great Doctors of the world doe not imbrace the ways of God the multitude stumble at them likewise being ready to say with them Io 7 haue any of the Rulers or of the Pharises beleeued on him but this people who knoweth not the law are accursed Even so say men in these daies of the naked truths and waies of God do any of the Rulers or Nobles or do the great learned Doctors famous Divines imbrace and practice these strict and rugged waies but onely a companie of Brownists who are the base and obscure fellowes of the world and a companie of foolish singuler people contemning and censuring all besides themselues as though none should be saved but they onely To you Oh yee spirituall blind people whose vnderstandings are darkned with the smoake of the bottomlesse pitt and whose braines are intoxicated and drunke with the glittering and gilded Cup of spirituall fornication abhomination of the scarlet whore Reuel 17. To you J answere and know you that the way to heaven is narrow and straite and Christs fold and flocke but a small little company in comparison of the world Math 7.14 Luke 13.24 Also know that God hath not called many wise men after the flesh nor many mighty nor many noble but God hath chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise and God hath chosen the weake things of this World to confound the things that are mighty and the base things of the World and things which are despised hath God chosen yea and things which are not to bring to naught things that are And he himselfe gives the reason of it that no flesh should glory in his presence 1 Cor. 1.26.27.28.29 And Iames tells us that God hath chosen the poore of this World rich in faith and heires of the Kingdome which he hath promised to them that love him James 2 5. And what though the Rabbies and great Doctors be learned yet it is but Earthly and humane learning which Paul had before his conversion for he was a Pharise brought up at the feete of Gamaliel a great learned Doctor of the Law had in reputation among all the people Acts 5.34 and 22.3 But yet when he came to the true spirituall knowledge of true spirituall learning indeed which is taught to all Christs Schollers lesse or more that are brought up in his Schoole he renounced his humane Schollership and accounted it no better then dung or dirt Phil 3.5.7 8. But besides him we read of none of the Apostles that were learned in that learning which the blinde world accounts learning and Schollership for they were all or most of them poore men brought up in obscure and base callings many of them being no better then poore Fishermen yet when Christ called them he indued them with spirituall learning which is the true learning indeed Acts 2.1 c. And those in the new Testament that are commended for their learning it was because they were filled with the gifts of the Spirit and were mighty in the Scriptures Iohn 7.38.39 Acts 18.24 1 Cor. 12.3.7.8.10 and 14. By all which places of Scripture we see that the learning which made the Apostles famous was not human learning for none of them had it but Paul and he renounced it but it was heavenly learning which came from God being the gift of his Holy Spirit And for all the rest of those which they ordained by the power and Authority which they had from Christ to officiat in the Churches and to administer the sacred and holy things of God to his chosen and sanctifyed ones for none but them have true right to Christs ordinances it was spirituall knowledge divine learning and insight into the Scripture which are the gifts of the spirit of God as is before proved which made them fitt for those Offices that they were chosen to by the Church and ordained by the Apostles for they were not to be Novices in the Mysteries and wayes of God but sound in the Faith and also of a holy and Godly life and conversation which the Apostle calls a good report and to have the rest of those qualifications which he layes downe in 1 Tim. 3. and 5. Chapters and Titus 1. And whosoever have not these qualifications are not fitt according to the Apostles command there to beare Office in the true Church which is the spirituall Sion Citty House of God Psal 87.2.3 and 132.13.16 Esay 3â— 20.21 and 52.1 Heb. 12.22 Rev. 20.9 and 12.2 Now that Heavenly learning and gifts of the spirit which the Lord under the time of the Gospell doth bestow upon his chosen and holy ones doth fulfill the Prophesies of the Prophets in old time who Prophesied of the same things Esay 44 3.4 and 54.13 Ier. 31 Ioel 2.28 saying And it shall come to passe afterward that I will poure out my spirit upon all flesh and your sonnes and your daughters shall prophesie your old men shall dream dreames and your young men shall see visions and also upon the hand-maids in those dayes will I poure out my spirit Oh! the simplicity sweetenesse and pleasantnesse of the wayes of God if we had but inlightened spirituall understandings to see behold and looke into them which if we had they would ravish our soules rejoyce our spirits and fill our hearts full of gladnesse But they are sealed and will be hid from us till the Lord in his rich mercy loving kindnesse be pleased to anoynt our eyes with spirituall Eye-salve and take away these Foggie Mists of darknesse scales of ignorance that hang upon our understandings 1 Cor. 2. Oh! that the Lord would be pleased to deale so gratiously with us that we might be fooles Idiots emptie vile in our own eyes that so we might nakedly lye at the footstoole of Iesus Christ and seeke for wisedome spirituall understanding from him him alone according as it is our duty the the command of wisedome Prov. 1.4.8 and 9. Chapters But alas alas we have haughty hearts proud spirits our owne and seeke to be something in ourselves and doe not labour to be weaned from all things in our selves as is our duty for we should nakedly goe out of our selves and this we shall know to be true if ever the Lord come truely and throughly to instruct and teach us in