creator who is blessed for ever Amen To al then that H. N. can say for his own Godhed or his disciples let al true Christians answer as Jeremy taught the Jewes to answer the men of Babel The Gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shal perish from the earth and from vnder these heavens Ier. 10. 11. By this the reader may perceive what a poysoned religion this Nachash H. N. hath brought into the world concerning God Now for his Christ H. N. teacheth vs not according to the scriptures of one particular man of the stock and generation of the Jewes born about xvi hundred yeres agoe in Bethlehem who himself alone being God equal with the Father before the world was and in that fulnes of time took vnto him our humane nature bare in his own body the syns of al his elect and by that once offring of himself vpon the crosse hath purged them al from al their syns c. No H. N regardeth not as after in this Letter sect 11. he sheweth this knowledge that in times past ther was one Christ in Israel which was born amongst his own c. but telleth vs of a Lovely being and a holy life this is his Christ. For in his First exhortation he sayth walk with your spirit in the Lovely and vertuous Being Fasten your mind therto and build your righteousnes theron For that is an eternal and fast standing foundation wheron al Gods prophets and holy ones have builded and is Christ himself Agayn in the same book he sayth After a little time of your distresse and anguish or heavines the Lord wil bring his Christ that is his best beloved and most holy being in power and glory vnto you In this his Epistle to the two daughters he expoundeth Pauls words 1 Cor. 13. though I had al faith c. if I had not love it were nothing that is sayth H. N. whosoever hath not Christ he is with uâ— God thâ—rfâ—re also in an other place he caleth Love the vpright Being of Christ himself And because this Lovely life and being appeareth dayly fresh and new in those that come to the family of Love therfore they professe to beleeve not that Christ was but that he Iâ—â—â—â—â—eived of the holy Ghost through the power of the most highest born of the H. virgin Mary And wheras the scriptures teach that Christ suffred for vs and for our syns H. N. 〈…〉 Christ beareth in vs our syns The scriptures teach that by the obedience of one meaning Christ many are made righteous he hath washed vs from our syns in his blood he was once offred to take away the syns of many and with one offring hath he consecrated for ever them that are sanctified H. N. teacheth vs that Christ vnder the obedience of the Love of his Father is gone before vs therin for that we should in like manner follow after him vnder the obedience of his Love in his death of the crosse to the safemaking of vs from our syns Thus must we save our selves by our own suffrings and Christ set forth vnto vs in the scriptures is but an example to teach vs what we must doe But what should I stand longer vpon this point for the Familists hold and professe that an obedient and godly life is Christ Iesus and so their doctrine of Christ agreeth with their former doctrine of God both being wretched and blasphemous Having thus opened the groundwork of H. Ns. religion it shal be the easyer to discerne his frawd in this Letter which I now wil particularly answer Let every one now through the same service of Love sayth this author be warned that he boast not himself in any of the works of righteousnes or take on the same to salvation neyther to condemnation before that he in the spirit of Christ though the love of the Father be renewed in al righteousnes of life In that H. N. sayth before he be renewed he playnly intimateth that his deadly error that after men are renewed they may boast in and take on their works to salvation contrarie to Pauls doctrine who sheweth that not onely the vncircumcision the vnrenewed Gentiles but also the circumcision the renewed Jewes should be justified of God by faith which faith excludeth mans rejoycing or boasting and al works of the Law He confirmeth it also by Abrahams example who though he were renewed in righteousnes of life had nothing to rejoyce of with God but was justified by faith alone and as he so we al shal have faith not works imputed to vs for righteousnes But H. N. speaking of the 10. commandements given on mount Sina caleth that law God 's eternal true living righteousnes that he would have to be erected through his people Israel vpon the earth and wherin al the children of men generations and heathen should live Wherin his doctrine is quite contrary vnto Pauls who sayth if ther had been a law given which could have given life suerly righteousnes should have been by the Law but the scripture hath concluded al vnder syn that the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ should be given to them that beleeve Now the way of life the Apostle had before shewed in the same chapter saying it is evident that no man is justifyed by the Law in the sight of God for the just shal live by faith and the Law is not of faith but the man that shal do thoâ—e things shal live in them H. N. therfore teaching contrary to the Apostle as we have seen even a miserable doctrine and false wisdome of the flesh which gendreth her own righteousnes is by th' Apostles commandement to be holden accursed Gal. 1. 8. And this gift of his hath no witnesse of the holy prophets or Apostles to confirm the same but by his predecessor Mahomet is wel approved for eveÌ„ so did he teach the Turks That the Law of God is not impossible and intollerable howsoever the Apostles say the contrary Rom. 8. 3. Act. 15. 10. and that they which keep the the Law are joyned with God saved After this H. N. sheweth that he meanes not the elemetish ceremonial righteousnes but that which according to the heavenly truth is in the Being of Christ for this we had heard is his heaveÌ„ly truth that every man should have the Being of Christ or be Christ himself His proof herof is The Father is not honoured but through the Son that is sayth H. N. no man may knowe or serve God but that he must be born out of the spirit of Christ. And thus he leadeth the daughters by degrees to their own new birth for their righteousnes and salvation and to maynteyn this heresie he corrupteth and abuseth the scripture Gal. 6. 15. wher Paul sayth against such as vrged Christians to be circumcised
mouth is the right confessing of Christ wherof the scripture speaketh No my beloved no the confession of Christ must stand in greater force or effect then to be confessed with the mouth in the ceremonical service which is a baptising with water or an other elementish confession H. A. HEre H. N. openeth his evil mind more playnly to the two daughters Whom hitherto he hath boarded with feighned flattering speeches First he is offended that mâ—n wil so boldly say they are Christians But we have no cause to be afrayd or ashamed of this name which is warranted in the word of God Act. 11. 26. 1 Pet. 4. 16. But to be caled The family of Love is a name that H. N. hath invented and taken to himself and his sectaries Secondly he speaketh of erring wayes when he hath not yet shewed any one error that we walk in but pratled against vs as the Apostle sayd of Diotrephes with malicious words Then coming to speak of confessing Christ he denyeth not the thing but stands vpon the meaning He inveigheth against the knowing confessing with the mouth of one Christ whom they read of in the scripture that in times past was born in Israel c. Wherin he teacheth open Antichristianity for our Saviour speaking of his own person that was born in Israel sayd except ye beleev that I am He meaning the redemer of the world which was promised ye shal die in your syns and agayn praying to his Father he sayth this is life eternal that they know thee the onely very God whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. The Apostles preached this one man and no other who was born among his own of Davids seed after the flesh according to the scriptures they require a confession of this Christ with the mouth as well as beleef in him with the hart and did themselves confesse him with the mouth as ensamples vnto vs. Act. 2. 22. 23. c. 3. 13. c. But H. N. liketh not of this Christ nor of this manner confessing with the mouth he would perswade an other Christ bred and borne in his own fansie and corrupt imagination as before hath bene shewed and another manner confession doth he require which what it is let vs now examine H. N. 12. Mark wel what I write No man can confesse Christ among al those that wil confesse him vnlesse that he in his like being have his fashion or shape in him not according to the elementish ceremonies wherwith the one maketh another wise with the historical scriptures O no but according to the true being or flowing out of the Christian-like nature Through which Christian-like nature ther is subdued or brought vnder foot among al those wher the same is born out of grace the death Divel hel H. A. UUE mark wel that H. N. writeth for truth his own errors and deceits out of his corrupt hart No man sayth he can confesse Christ vnlesse that he in his like being have his fashion in him This is an vntruth of H. Ns. fiction he writeth thus but in the holy scriptures it is not so written For to confesse Christ is one thing to hav his fashion in vs is another thing the first may be wher the latter is not as the Apostle telleth vs of some that confesse that they know God but in works do deny him Tit. 1. 16. The confessing of Christ is with the mouth Rom. 10. 10. the having of Christs shape in vs is by fayth Eph. 3. 17. Phil. 3. 8. 9. which faith is in the hart and as th'Apostle sheweth Rom. 10. 10. these both confession with the mouth and beleef with the hart are needful to salvation It is possible for hypocrites to make a good and true confession of Christ with the mouth and yet in their harts not be partakers of the Christian or godly nature as Iudas Iscariot Simon Magus and others that were baptised and made Christs disciples by a true outward confession but it is vnpossible that any should have the Christian like nature in him in deed and truth but he wil also confesse Christ with his mouth or weep bitterly with Peter if through fraylty of the flesh he doe deny him Wheras therfore Gods word requireth both these in Christians and H. N. would draw these two daughters from the one namely from outward confessing with the mouth vnder pretense and colour of the other namely of having Christs shape within them he dealeth deceitfully and not according to truth It is as if he should allure them to fornication and when they alleged against him Gods Law Heb. 12. 16. Let ther be no fornicator c. he should answer true but the meaning you vnderstand not many suppose that the chastity of body is the right chastitie no my beloved no the godly chastitie must stand in greater force effect then to be in the outward or elementish body for so the Pharisees vnderstood the Law of old but Christ applyeth it against the lusts of the hart Mat. 5. 27. 28. If this reasoning be naught so is H. Ns. about confessing Christ. For as Gods word requiring chastitie intendeth it both of the body and of the mind so when it requireth confessing of Christ it meaneth both with mouth and hart as is playnly set down Rom. 10. 10. Other deadly poison hath H. N. here touched as where he sayth Christ in his like Being must have his shape in the man wherby he meaneth such a kind of traÌ„substaÌ„tiatioÌ„ as that Christ and the man should be one substance one being yea the Lovely vertuous being in man that is his Christ as before I have shewed This opinion is not possible to be warranted by holy writ but is the mere invention of this Antichristian Christ our redeemer is in his own substance and person in heaven at Gods right hand Mark 16. 19. Act. 3. 21. but we are on earth and Christ dwelleth not otherwise in vs theÌ„ by fayth Ephe. 3. 17. which faith purifieth the hart Act. 15. 9. and worketh by Love Gal. 5. 6. and fayth which is the evidence of things not seen apprehendeth Gods great and precious promises which are given vnto vs that by them we should be partakers of the godly nature in that we flee the corruption which is in the world through lust not by having the very substance and Being of God and of Christ as H. N. grossly imagineth and wayt with pacience for the second coming of our Lord in the clowdes of heaven at what time both the dead in Christ and those that are alive shabe caught vp in the clowds to meet the Lord in the aire and so shall we ever be with the Lord as th'Apostle sayth 2 Thes. 4. 17. An other damnable error H. N. here hath saying that through the Christian-like nature ther is subdued among all those where the same is born out of grace the death Divil and hell Wherby he would teach
and folowed his corrupt counsel then were they led captive as the Apostle sayth being simple women laden with synns and led with divers lusts From which estate God keep al his people direct their feet in the wayes of life peace AN EPISTLE Sent vnto two daughters of Warwick From H. N. THe wisdome of the Father through the Love of Christ in the power of the holy Ghost in the second birth out of the new life of the heavenlie being be vnto every one which with an vnpartial hart seeketh the godlynes in Iesus Christ to a harty salvation Because that every one which seeketh God with hart mought know the right diversitie betwixt the heavenly and the earthly betwixt the spirit the flesh betwixt the light and the darknes betwixt the death the life and betwixt the righteousnes of the spirit and the righteousnes of the elementish things and then to love the same That grant vs the Almightie God through his love Amen 1. Because ye mought through the spirit of Christ inherit the same gift and meere affection or goodwillingnes to the godly life I do bear or cary the same gift God is my witnes before al men But now am I compelled through the love of Christ severally to open the same gift vnto two yong daughters of a certayn place named Warwick The Lord give his prosperitie and grace thervnto for that his righteousnes which is wrought through the Spirit of Christ mought be knowen of them and that the life of Christ which by many is sought after the flesh might be knowen and inherited of them according to the spirit even like as God which is blessed is a Spirit Ioh. 4. 2 Cor. 3. H. A. OUr saviour Christ the wisdome of the Father hath warned vs to beware of false prophets which come vnto vs in sheeps clothing but inwardly are ravening wolves The Apostles through the love of Christ in the power of the holy Ghost have foretold vs that in the latter times some should depart from the faith and give heed vnto spirits of error and doctrines of Divils speaking lies through hypocrisie and having their consciences burned-with-a-hot-yron and therfore counselled vs not to beleev everie spirit but to trie the spirits whither they ar of God because many false prophets were even then gone out into the world The evil that they should enterprise is privilie to bring in damnable heresies even denying the Lord that hath bought them the maner of their cariage should be to vse feighned words fayr flattering and good speech swelling words of vanity promises of liberty and the like The effect of their doctrine should be deceiving of the harts of the simple even of many yea if it were possible of the verie elect and by those many that follow their damnable wayes the way of truth should be blasphemed The end of al which touching themselves is that because such reprobates receive not the love of the truth that they mought be saved therfore God sendeth them strong delusion that they should beleeve lies and they al may be damned which beleeve not the truth but hav pleasure in vnrighteousnes These things considered it standeth vs vpon to look wel to our selves least we be caried away with the error of the wicked This author H. N. beginneth as was foretold not onely with fayr and flattering speech but also with swelling words of the second birth out of the new life of the heavenly being and sondry the like He boasteth of the gift of the godly life which he beareth before al men and here severally openeth vnto two yong daughters and of this he taketh God to witnesse He telleth them in the 2. section folowing that the Christ of God was not yet declared vnto them according to the heavenly truth Thus promiseth he great matters and seemeth to be a setter forth of a new Christ and consequently of a new God Very needful therfore it is to attend vnto his doctrine and if it be true for to receive it if false for to abhorr it and to hold the author therof accursed And herevnto the Lord inable and guide vs by his grace 1. First where he vaunteth of the gift borne before al men in his other writings opened to these daughters in this Epistle let vs bring it to the trial by the word of God who he saith is his witnes For we read of some that have given gifts vnto their lovers that they might come vnto them on every side for fornication and whither this writing and other pamphlets of H. N. be not gifts sent abroad for such evil purpose let the godly reader judge If his gift have wytnes of God it hath witnes of his written word as the prophet saith to the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because ther is no light in them Is H. N. willing to come to this trial it seemeth farr otherweise for in al his writings he much inveigheth against scripture-learning contrary to the true prophets and Apostles who highly commended this as being able to make men wise vnto salvation and profitable to teach to improve to correct to instruct in righteousnes and never did any of them entwite the learning or knowledge of the scriptures as the reader may see H. N. to doe in this Epistle and his other pamphlets Our saviour Christ willed al men even his adversaries to serch the scriptures for they testified of him If they testified likewise of H. N. and his doctrine doubtlesse he would not despise as his manner is the scripture-learning of others especially whiles he wil seem to rely vpon the testimonies of the same for himself But if we may not learn the truth of religion out of holy writt how then may we attayn it H. N. telleth vs in his First exhortation to his children thus My beloved children like as the true Communiality of holy ones and Elders of the house of Love confesse vnder the obedience of the Love the beleef in Iesu Christ and the Christian baptism and like as I expresse the same here vnto you and confesse or acknowledge it before al men to be the true faith and the vpright baptisme even so ground with fast beleef your harts likewise therin So then the doctrine of H. N. and his folowers must be the groūd of our faith as they confesse and beleev so must we And herein the Familists religion accordeth wel with the Turks whose great prophet Mahomet in his law or Alchoran to draw disciples after him saith thus They that worship God let them if they be good beleev his Messenger Mahomet and again O ye good men be followers of God and of his messenger never wittingly depart from them But may we not our selves by the light and grace that God giveth vs make trial of H. N. his religion by the word of the Lord
N. is but a carnal worldling to love his elementish life more then Christ and teach men so vnder colour of forsaking our own wicked life and life of the Divil If the prophets and Apostles had known this deep vnderstanding which H. N. conceiveth and had not thought they were also bound to lay down the natural and elementish man they would never have endured such things in their flesh as is witnessed of them What needed Shadrach Meshach and Abednego to have changed the kings commandement and yielded their bodies to the fyre rather then they would serv or worship his image or Daniel have jeoparded his life among the Lions or Stephen have been stoned to death for confessing of Christ or others to have been racked scourged prisoned hewen asunder slayn with the sword c or what meant the Apostles to shew vs these patterns and wil vs to take the prophets for an example of suffering adversity Was is not thinketh H. N. a great overshooting or misunderstanding in al these to teach both by word and practise that afflictions should be suffred in the natural or elementish man Or rather had not al these holy martyrs first layd down the spiritual synful life and then gave vp the natural life also How cōtrary then is this H. N. to al holy men that ever were or wrote that thus disswadeth frō the outward crosse vnder pretence of inward holynes Therfore let vs al y t lov the Lord Jesus say Anathema to such false prophets as thus teach doctrine cōtrary to the scriptures for to favor the flesh avoid afflictiō as is best pleasing to their sēsual minds Let the same mind be in vs that was in Christ Jesus who besides the troubles and anguishes in his hart humbled himself and became obedient vnto the death evē the death of the crosse And he which suffred these things for vs hath left vs an ensample as sayth the Apostle that we should folow his steps who his own self bare our synns in his body on the tree And let vs learn with Paul to take pleasures in infirmities in reproches in necessities in persecutions in scripes and prisonment in hunger and thirst in cold and nakednes and al other anguish for Christs sake for when we are weak then are we strong and this is a part of our mortification and denyal of our selves vnto which when true faith and obedience in the spirit is adjoyned God 's work goeth forward in vs towards perfection the end wherof wil be everlasting life H. N. 25. Oh comprehend I beseech yow the vnderstanding We our selves have not made the natural mā wherfore he cannot belong vnto vs. For the heaven with the earth and al that is therin belongeth vnto God and it is Gods pleasure and will that al shaped creatures so wel the manly creature as any other of al those which God hath created should live and that it mought goe wel with them 26. What shal the man then forsake that he mought be reconciled to God not any thing els but his own life that is the man of syn which hath so long lien hidd in the hart of man which is the temple of God and hath sayd that he was God 2. Thes. 2. H. A. IT is hard to cōprehend any good vnderstanding in any thing which H. N. doth write he is so ledd with the spirit of error in al his wayes yet may we comprehend that his first reason here is against himself we have not made the natural man wherfore he cannot belong vnto vs. Very true but God hath made it therfore it belongs to him If he made it and it be his then may he require it when he wil and we must not deny him his own Now he requireth it when for witnesse of his truth men wil shed our blood though they doe it vnjustly yet his requiring is just and we may not deny him or his truth for the saving of our lives as before is proved Of this reason therfore which H. N. bringeth we may say with the prophet his sword hath entred into his own hart His next reason is a depth of iniquity for seeming to plead for God he seeketh to draw men from God Gods wil is sayth he that al shaped creatures so wel the manly creature as any other should live that it might goe wel with thē So then to save their natural lives y e Familists think they may deny forswear Christ al true religion may cōmunicate with al idolatrie worship of divils if Princes vpō payn of death shal so cōmād This was the intendement of this present Letter sent to two maydens that refused as it seemeth the idolatrous Masse and subjectiō to the Romish Antichrist with hazard of their lives This is the dayly practise of the Nicolaitans H. Ns disciples who rather then they wil suffer imprisonment banishment death or the like for their religion wil joyn with Papists Protestants Arrians Anabaptists or any religion if the magistrate authorize and cōmand it For though they hold that their God of Love as they cal him is the true living God and besides him ther is no God more and his Gods-service of Love which they minister vnder the obedience of his Love is the true safe-making Gods-service and besides the same ther is not any Gods-service more neyther in heaven nor yet in earth yet wil they partake with any of the Godservices vsed in the world though they be contrary one to another For H. N. in his new Gospel complayneth that many have vnorderly rejected and blasphemed the services and ceremonies of the catholik church of Rome rented the concord nurturable sustentation of the same turned them away therfrom even so out of their knowledg which they took out of the scripture brought in certayn services ceremonies in another wise or order c. But his disciples in England which land hath rejected and departed from the catholike church of Rome as many other nations have doe pretend in their late supplicatiō to the King y t they ar his true faithful loyal and obedient subjects to al his lawes and ordinances spiritual temporal and doe deny that they vary or swarve frō the now established religion in this land eyther in services ceremonies sermons or sacraments Thus eyther H. N. or these his folowers or both must needs be hypocrites that so doe write and professe of two adverse churches and religions when in deed they approve of neyther but think as H. Ns Co-elder avoucheth that they which remayn without them and their Communaltie and without the Requiring of the gracious Word and his Service of Love or withdraw them selves therfrō have no living God nor yet true God-service but are without God and without Gods-service in this world yet notwithstanding this their judg mēt and profession rather then the manly creature should die they wil
fal down before idols wil deny their God of Love and wil worship the Papists God of bread in the Masse yea wil cōfesse or deny any point of doctrine and submitt vnto any Gods-service or religion And if they wil thus doe in things concerning God how much more may we think they wil so doe in things concerning men That if any Prince should be so wicked as to forbid al mariage on payn of death and cōmand or permit a community of womē or whordome these mē rather thē y e māly creature should perish would not spare to defile their bodies as wel as their sowles in al manner filthynes Yet syn they not as they perhaps think if their God of Love have their hart in hold and they be obedient to the requiring of the service of the Love for as H. N. sayth They know not of any other religion or godservice then of the service of Love But let vs further see if we can comprehend what H. Ns. position here doth imply If it be Gods wil that the manly creature should live and this be absolute and without restraynt then may not the Magistrate put any to death for any crime or make warre vpon any occasion for H. N. wil tel the magistrate he made not the natural man wherfore he cannot belong vnto him but vnto God his wil is that al shaped creatures should live and that it mought goe wel with them This Anabaptistical error is built on H. Ns. rotten ground and that the Familists doe indeed deny the vse of the sword vnto the Magistrate contrary to Pauls doctrine Rom. 13. and al vse of warrs may appear by H. Ns. words otherwhere complayning of the Land of ignorance which is every where but in his Familie that they make there many swords halberds spears bowes arrows guns pellets powder armor or harnesse c. for that the tyrannical oppressors and those that have a pleasure in destroying should vse warr battel therwithal one against another And because the taking away of the sword is the frustrating of the magistrates office for wherfore serveth he if not as for the wealth of the good so to take vengeance on them that do evil therfore it followeth necessarily that they condemne al magistracie in the church as do also the Anabaptists for H. N. sayth of his lovely city that no man reigneth over an other and that pleaseth God wel namely that the one man of God reigneth not over the other Thus vnder a colour that Gods creatures al should live he would abolish Gods ordinances who hath commanded that some malefactors should die and not live and bring confusion vpon civil polities as he hath vpon Christian religion Agayn in that he sayth al shaped creatures should live and then the manly creature so wel as any other wil it not folow also herevpon that Beasts must live may not be killed for the food of man For they are shaped creatures and made by God not by vs and so by H. Ns. learning cannot belong vnto vs and therfore may not be killed for our sustenance though God do playnly permit it in his law Gen. 9. 3. Deut. 12. 20. 21. 22. And so here is another doctrine of Divils as the holy Ghost caleth it comprehended in this Oldest Fathers deep head whiles by consequence he commandeth to absteyn from meates or els his ey-sight fayled him when he set down this reason But the Apostle gathereth quite contrary to this man as namely because The earth is the Lords and the plenty therof therfore we may eat al flesh 1 Cor. 10. 25. 26. Accordingly should H. N. if he had savoured the things of God have reasoned and concluded The Lord made our bodies and our sowles therfore it belongeth vnto vs to look that with both we glorify him The body is for the Lord therfore not for fornicatiō the body is the temple of the holy Ghost therfore it may not be prostrate before idols for what agreement hath the temple of God with idols the body is the Lords therfore it may not sit at the table of Divils and whatsoever the hethens or Antichristians offer they offer vnto Divils and we cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of Divils Thus should H. N. if any Christian wisedome or grace had been in him have collected and inferred and not as now he doeth perswade the two daughters to communion with the church of Rome which the holy Ghost caleth the habitation of Divils because their bodies or lives are the Lords and it belongs not vnto them to lay down their natural lives for the testimony of Jesus at any time But if H. N. had known in any world what the true life meaneth he would not so have disswaded from suffring temporary death for the Gospels sake This present life which he so much estemeth is a dying dayly as the Apostle teacheth the true life is when the body having been sowen in dishonour shal be raysed in glory Of which raysing vp this Sadducee H. N. is vtterly ignorant as after shal be shewed and in his ignorance perverteth al religion and even reason it self for to maynteyn a momentany natural life though it be to the perpetual damnation of body and sowl in hel His conclusiō what the man must forsake that he may be recōciled to God not any thing els but his own life that is the man of syn c. is like his premisses ful of guile and errour and what truth is in it is against himself Erroneous it is to say or to insinuate that we may be reconciled to God by any thing that we can forsake be it syn or what els For our reconciliatiō to God is wrought by Christ alone not by ourselves when we forsake synn of which poynt we have before spoken Guileful it is to say or insinuate that Christ in willing vs to forsake our lives for his sake meant that by so doing we should be reconciled to God or that we do so esteem of any martyrs death The man doth by it as Christ signified of Peters death glorify God vnto whom he was before by Christs death reconciled False it is to say a man must not forsake any thing els but his own synful life for Christ telleth vs further of forsaking howses brethren sisters father mother wife children lands for his names sake and these I trow are not also the Man of syn that lieth hid in mans hart But it was farr from H. Ns hart to forsake any of these for Christ he loved his sensual life so wel Erroneous it is that our synful life is that man of synn spoken of 2 Thes. 2. of which poynt is to be spoken in the next place And this onely truth that we should forsake our own synful life overthroweth H. Ns doctrine and his disciples practise For syn it is and a continual synful