shall we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things which are pleasant in his sight. Keeping of the commandments maketh a man see his faith and to be bold therein. And faith when it is without conscience of sin, goeth into God boldly, and is strong and mighty in prayer to conjure God by all his mercies, and therewith obtaineth whatsoever he asketh, of all his promises. And the text saith, because we keep his commandments. Yea, verily his commandments make us bold. But the keeping of men's traditions and dumb ceremonies make us not bold before God, nor certify our conscience that our faith is unfeigned. Thou shalt not know by sprinkling thyself with holy water, nor kissing the pax, nor with taking ashes, or though thou were anointed with all the oil in Thames street, that thy faith is sure. But, and if thou couldest find in thine heart to bestow both life and goods upon thy neighbour in a just cause, and hast proved it; then art thou sure, that thou lovest Christ, and feelest that thou hast thy trust in his blood. And this is his commandment, That we believe in his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave commandment. Faith is the first and also the root of all commandments. And out of faith springeth love and out of love works. And when I break any commandment I sin against love. For had I loved I had not done it. And when I sin against love I sin against faith. For had I earnestly and with a full trust remembered the mercy that Christ hath shewed me, I must have loved. Wherefore when we have broken any commandment, there is no other way to be restored again, than to go through repentance unto our faith again, and ask mercy for Christ's sake. And as soon as we have received faith that our sin is forgiven, we shall Faith is the root of all ments. command immediately love the commandment again, and through love receive power to work. And he that keepeth his commandments abideth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that there dwelleth in us of his Spirit which he gave us. Through the works we are sure that we continue in Christ, and Christ in us, and that his Spirit dwelleth in us. For his Spirit it is that keepeth us in faith, and through faith in love, and through love in works. THE FOURTH CHAPTER. Spirits. We may not believe every doc trine that is taught and preach ed, but we must first examine it with the touch-stone of God's word, and so either receive it DEARLY beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits whether they be of God. For many false prophets are gone out into the world. Spirits are taken here for preachers, because of the preaching or doctrine, which, if it be good, is of the Spirit of God; and if it be evil, of the spirit of the devil. Now ought we not to believe every man's doctrine unadvisedly, or condemn any man's preaching ere it be heard and seen what it is. But a Christian man's part is to examine, judge and try it, whether it be true or no. Quench not the spirit saith Paul, (1 Thess. the last.) Neither despise prophecyings, but prove all things, and keep that which is good. Destroy not the gifts of the Spirit of God, but try whether they be of God, and good for the edifying of his congregation and keep that which is good and refuse that which is evil. And suffer every per : son that hath any gift of God, to serve God therein, in or reject it. his degree and estate, after a Christian manner and a due Verily for there order. Why shall we try the doctrines? Hereby know ye the spirit of God. Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is not of God. And the same is that spirit of antichrist, of whom ye have heard that he should come; and even now he is in the world already. For though The trial of all doc trine, will not confess that Christ is come in the Whatsoever opinion any member of antichrist holdeth, Antichrist the ground of all his doctrine is to destroy this article of our faith, that Christ is come in the flesh. the most part of all heretics confess that Christ is come flesh. in the flesh after their manner, yet they deny that he is come as the Scripture testifieth, and the apostles preached him to be come. The whole study of the devil and all his members is, to destroy the hope and trust that we should have in Christ's flesh, and in those things which he suffered for us in his flesh, and in the testament and promises of mercy which are made us in his flesh. For the Scripture testifieth that Christ hath taken away the sin of the world in his flesh, and that the same hour that he yielded up his spirit into the hands of his Father, he had full purged, and made full satisfaction for all the sins of the world. So that all the sin of the world, both before his passion and after, must be put away through repentance toward the law, and faith and trust in his blood, Doctrine that is of God. Doctrine that is of the devil. The pope's doctrine of Christ. without respect of any other satisfaction, sacrifice or work. For if I once sin the law rebuketh my conscience, and setteth variance between God and me. And I shall never be at peace with God again, until I have heard the voice of his mouth, how that my sin is forgiven me for Christ's blood sake. And as soon as that I believe, I am at peace with God, (Rom. v.) and love his law again, and of love work. And that Christ hath done this service in his flesh, deny all the members of antichrist. And hereby thou shalt know them. All doctrine that buildeth thee upon Christ to put thy trust and confidence in his blood, is of God, and true doctrine. And all doctrine that withdraweth thine hope and trust from Christ, is of the devil and the doctrine of antichrist. Examine the pope by this rule, and thou shalt find that all he doth is to the destruction of this article. He wresteth all the Scriptures and setteth them clean against the wall, to destroy this article. He ministereth the very sacraments of Christ unto the destruction of this article; and so doth he all other ceremonies; and his absolution, penance, purgatory, dispensations, pardons, VOWS, with all disguisings. The pope preacheth that Christ is come to do away sius, yet not in the flesh, but in water, salt, oil, candles, boughs, ashes, friars' coats, aud monks' cowls, and in the vows of them that forswear ma trimony to keep whores, and swear beggary, to possess all the treasure, riches, wealth and pleasures of the world: and have vowed obedience, to disobey with authority, all the laws both of God and man. For in these hypocritish and false sacrifices, teacheth he us to trust for the forgiveness of sins, and not in Christ's flesh. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them. For greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. He that dwelleth in you, and worketh in you through faith, is greater than he which dwelleth and worketh in them through unbelief. And in his strength, ye abide by your profession, and confess your Lord Jesus, how that he is come in the flesh, and hath purged the sin of all that believe in his flesh. And through that faith ye overcome them in the very torments of death. So that neither their jugglings, neither their pleasures, neither their threatnings, nor their torments, nor the very death wherewith they slay your bodies, can prevail against you. They be of the world, and therefore they speak of the God is the worker in us by faith that we have in him. Two gene the world. There be and ever shall be two generations in the world : one of the devil which naturally hearken unto the false rations in apostles of the devil, because they speak so agreeable unto their natural complexion. And another of God, which hearken unto the true apostles of God, and consent unto their doctrine. And this is a sure rule to judge spirits withal, that we may judge them to have the spirit of truth, which hearken unto the true doctrine of Christ's apostles; and them to have the spirit of error which hearken unto worldly and devilish doctrine, abhoring the preaching of the apostles. And look whether the pope's doctrine be worldly or no, if pride and covetousness be worldly, yea and lechery too. For what other is all his doctrine, than of benefices, promotions, dignities, bishoprics, cardinalships, vicarages, parsonages, prebends, change of bishoprics and resigning of benefices; of unions, pluralities, totquots, and that which cometh once into their hands, may not out again; yea, and of whores. and concubines, and of captiving of consciences for covetousness, and all that hearken to that doctrine abhor The pope's doctrine is worldly. |