Confutation of Monstrous and Horrible Heresies, Part 6 – Errata
The iudgement of an other godly learned man touching the ſame matter.
MY very deere & good freende, I cannot anſwere you ſo fully as I would in the matter you demanded of me, touching mine opiniō of that ſort of men that name thēſelues the Family of louelove: my tyme is abridged, and my buſineſſes are many, & yet I muſt ſay ſomthing becauſe you did ſo friēdly requeſt it. How much I may know of the opinions of that ſect, ſome can witnes with me, that hauehave been acquainted with my conference had with ſome of them and with the reading of a good part of their writings: But how much ſoeuer it bee, this may ſuffiſe to iuſtifie me before the godly & men of vnderſtanding for my diſlyke of them & their hereſie: that they diguyſe themſelues with a coūterfait tytle, making profeſſion of one thing in woord, & another thing in trueth & deede. They terme them ſelues the family of louelove, but their meaning is that they bee more thē the Familie euē the louelove it ſelf: for though they agre not alwayes & in al places with themſelues, & ſometyme they take this word louelove, as is ſtādeth, for louelove in deed, yet in other places they take it after the woordes of Iohn, where he ſaith: God is louelove, ſo making themſelues, not the houſeholde of God, but god himſelfe. This they vouch in many places of their writings, in ſaying that they are deified, that is made and become gods, & God is hominified, that is made man: not meaning of the incarnacion of Chriſt, but as they expreſſe in another place ſaying, that Adam was al that God was, & God al that Adā was: which woords beſides that they contayne blaſphemy in them ſelues, ſo are they made couers to abuſe the ſimple: & yet for al that, this may not bee their name whereby they wil be called, that is they wil not be called gods nor goddified, nor louelove, but only the Family of louelove. Thinking by this meanes ſooner to allure the ſimple, whereas otherwiſe if they ſhould in title themſelues Gods, & deſire to be ſo called, they would cauſe al the worlde to abhorre and deteſt them, as they iuſtly deſerue. This name is but a new coate ſhapen of ſome bodging workman, that knew not how to take the true meaſure of their bodie: their olde coate becommeth them better. They are in truth the Libertines, thoſe ancient looſe lyuers, for they lyue as they lyſt, no law of God or man to controll them, as men vnderunder no law, for they are men in deede, as they profeſſe (beleeue them if you wil) that cannot ſinne. And therfore of the law they make none account, the Goſpel ſerueth them to as little purpoſe, they take ſcorne to aſke forgiuenes of ſinnes at Gods hands, yea they ſay, that whoſoeuer prayeth as Chriſt hath taught vsus, argueth himſelfe of imperfection. Chriſt gaue that precept to his diſciples, whē they wer yonglinges before they had receiued the holy Ghoſt: & after thoſe abundant graces receiued and as they expounde it, after that they were deified, it is not to be foūd they euer prayed. And as their opinion is for prayer, ſo is the practiſe of their lyfe, they hold they may doe all things yea the groſſeſt ſinnes that wee make account of, and yet in doing & cōmitting them they cannot ſinne. How we may accoūpt of them S. Iohn telleth vsus, He that ſaith he hath no ſinne, is a lyer, if they went no further, they were lyers, but he that ſaith hee cannot ſinne what rekoning ſhal we make of him? This is their louelove and their louely ſect. And while they ſtand thus affected for the ſecond table, is there any meruaile that they ſtand as euilly minded in the firſt? They cary lyke minds towards al religions whatſoeuer, the Turk, the Iewe, the Barbariā, the Papiſt, the Arriā, the Pelagiā, as wel welcome to them as the profeſſors of the trueth of God: they ſay we hauehave marred al with making theſe differences: were it not for theſe diuerſities of names whereby we maintaine diſſentions, their familie would be ſpred ouer the face of the whole earth. And ſurely I beleeue it, for if all men could be perſwaded that ſinne were no ſinne, if the iudgemēts of God were remoued from their eyes & hearts, if they coulde ſo baſely eſteeme of Chriſt and ſaluation wrought by him, as theſe men doe, if they could be perſwaded, that there were no neede of inuocation and exerciſe of godlynes, I doubt not but the whole worlde woulde quickly become a louely familie. I coulde neuer yet heare of any mā that there was any exerciſe of religion amongſt theſe people: I coulde neuer heare of any due preaching of the worde, or receiuing of the Sacraments: how they ſpende their tymes in their priuate aſſemblies, it would be knowen. But this I am ſure that put licentiouſnes of ſinne a part, there is nothing taught or donne in their conuenticles, that might offend the horribleſt Heretike that euer was. Wherin they take a courſe fit for themſelues & meete for their purpoſe, a man may bee a ſcholler amongeſt them xx. yeres before hee ſhall vnderſtand one principle of Religion: nay they will not drawe their doctrine into principles: ſaue only this that is their firſt and principall grounde, that who ſo wil be a follower of them muſt become a God, and he muſt louelove. I might here enter into a ripping vp of their writings, & of the manner they vſe in teaching, which is cleane contrary to the way that God hath taken to teach his ſeruantes & children, being as darkſome & voide of clearnes of vnderſtāding, as their profeſſion it ſelf is: Whereas the doctrine of chriſt is lightſome, & ſo lightſom that it geueth light & vnderſtāding euen to the ſimple. But I muſt of neceſſitie forbeare to enter into this diſcourſe, becauſe my leaſure is ſo ſmal, I muſt for go to ſpeake of this thirde prophet of the worlde, ſent to preach foorth the newe Goſpel of the newe Kingdome. Moſes was one, and Chriſt the ſeconde, ſo confeſſed alſo the Turkes, but the thirde to them was Mahomet, and the thirde to theſe is H. N. The firſt prophet that euer came into the worlde that had no name, whether of theſe two laſt Prophets is the better I cannot ſtand now to diſcuſſe, only I wil ſay this ſhortly and in few wordes, that by many good coniecturall and probable reaſons I could prooue that Mahomet is the better: But I wil let them go both: for this preſent, it may be god wil giuegive me ſome tyme, when I may with more leaſure ſet downe to you what I finde in their writinges and what thereafter I iudge of them. In the meane ſeaſō I pray to god, to open their eyes, that they may ſee their errour, and to keepe all other from going a ſtray after them, ſo forſaking their L. and Sauiour. To this true & euerlaſting God who carefully watcheth and in great mercies ouer his children, I leaue you, whoſe holy ſpirit be alwayes with vsus, to leade vsus and keepe vsus in al trueth. From the Court at Whitehall the 26. of Iune 1579.
Your poore friende alwayes aſſured L. T.
Errata.
Fol. 2. pag. lin. 9. for iuddgement, reade iudgement. Ibidem. for, past, the. reade paſt. The. Follio 9. page 2. line 13. for, blaſphemies. The. reade blaſphemies, the. Fol. 10. pag. 1. li. 18. for, tha are no, read that are not. Ibidem lin. 20. for recompenc read recompence. Fo. 11. pa. 2. li. 15. leaue out &. Ibidem lin 13. for the, read that Fo. 17. pa. 2. marg. li. 2. for head, read ſede. Fo. 18. pa 1. li. 17 for he, read the, Fo. 20 pa. 1. li. 25. leaue out finde, in the ſame line for, shall them, read shall finde them, fo. 21. p. 1. l. 5. for vvork read vvord. fo. 25. 1. l. 6. for ei-that they may receiued, read either that they may be receiued. Fo. 26. pa. 2. lin. 9. for follovving. Hovv, read fallovving, hovv. Fo. 27. pa. 1. li. 17. ſauing for ſaying. Ibi. pa. 2. li. 29. for it is our, read it is in our. Fo. 28. pa. 1. li. 19. for that vvil, read they vvill. Fo. 32. p. 1. li. 31. for hauehave receiued read hauehave ſo receiued. Fo. 33. p. 2. li. 30, for vvith read vvhichwhich. Fo. 38. pa. 1. li. 4. holineſſe for holie ones. Ibi. li. 30. novv did, for vvho did. Fo. 43. pa. 2. li. 1. leaue out are vvoful in hart. Fo. 48. p. 1. l. 3. of true for of the true. F. 63 pa. 2. l. 32. they that for that they. Fo 68. pa. 2. l. 35. arreſted for vvreſted. Fo. 70. p. 1. l. 2. leane out vvhichwhich. Fo. pa. 1. l. 35. ommitted for committed. Ibi. p. 2. l. 1. vvalking vntounto the vvord, for vvalking in obedience vntounto the vvord. Ibi. p. 1. the last line I in deed for Indeede. Fo. 72. pa. 1. li. 6. body be) for body) becauſe. Fo. 75. p. 1 li. 33. as that for that as. Fo. 81. pa. 1. li. 20 me for vve. Fo. 82. p. 2. li. 32. diſpoſitions for depoſitions. fo. 83. pa. 1. li. 35. quotidide, for quotidie. fo 87. pa. 1. li. 21. ſpelaking▪ for ſpeaking.