The Wallons CONSISTORI, AND EXCOMMUNICATION.

THe Evangelist; shewes us that a woman with great zeale and boldnesse came into the house of Simon where Christ was with his Disciples,Ioh. 12. c. and powred out her box of pretions oyntment for the which the Disciples tooke occasion to murmure but our Lord Jesus although his sacred body had no need of such unction tooke his share there in and said unto his Disciples,Mark. 14. c why trouble yee the woman for shee hath wrought a good worke upon me for in that this woman cast this oyntment on my body shee did it to bury me,Math: 26. c 10. & 12. v. now wee that know that our Lord God enlargeth his gi [...]tes, to whom [Page]he pleaseth?Luk: 10. c. v. 21. Mat: 11. c. v. 25. it Lies in his power. And liberty to be served by a womans meanes or els by a Childe if it be his blessed will buth not with that sort of oyntment, but with a spirituall oyntment, not serving for burialls, but serving for new borne and renewing the poore Christian which is as yet ignorant among us, one may say unto mee, it is a ministers charge, it is true but every one must know that he is bound to endeavour him selfe to advance the Glory of God, without regard of sex age or condition: Our Lord Jesus Christ doth give us that instruction at the 7. Chap. of the Gospell of St. John as is said in the last and great day of the feast Jesus stood and cried,37.38. v. saying if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink, hee that beleeveth in me as the scripture saith out of his belly shall flow Rivers of living water but this spake he of the spirit which they that beleeve on him should receive: Can any man excuse himselfe can we say I beleeve in Christ and it is enough, no, this Living water must drop from us or els we are not true beleevers in this wee may see the charge which our Lord gives unto those which have received gifts from him to share them unto others I speake not heere of those which have charge or governement over the Church, but of the duty of those which are peculiar or private, for touching the governement of the Church, none ought to insinuate him­selfe therein unlesse he be called there unto, nor yet speake against it, unlesse it be with a good and sound judgement, to know if Gods word gives leave at the Galatians S. Paul. 1. Chap: 8. vers. doth command us that if hee himselfe or an Angell from heaven preach any other Gospell then that which wee have preached unto you, let him be accursed S^t. Paul speakes not heere of him selfe onely but of all the Apostles when he sayth (which we have Prea­ched unto you) having Read, or perused what the Apostles have written I finde that there is preached among us an other Doctrine by one of our Preachers or Ministers upon Divers points, but before I come to prove my saying. I will produce the example of a woman at the second booke of Samuel when the Citty Abel was besieged by Ioab a woman of the sayd Citty de­manded of him if he would destroy a Mother in Israel som will wonder that a woman speaketh heere,Chap: 20.19. vers. but seeing that it con­cerneth not onely a mother, but a daughter and a mother together, I call faith and charity soe, for the faith is the mo­ther, and charity is the Daughter, but the daughter is oblidged and bound to keepe and entertaine the mother, and this enter­tainment [Page]cannot be done but by forgetting ones selfe following as S^t. John speaketh in his first epistle hereby perceive wee the Charity or Love of the sonne who layd downe his life for us,Chap: 3.16. v. and wee ought to lay downe our Lives for the bretheren, hereby we see, that it stould be distroying the mother and the daugh­ter to cause Charity to begin at ones selfe as one will make us beleeve, this is the first point, yet hath he others that are very dangerous and strange, as when he doth preach that wee must beare with the wicked untill such time that God gives him repentance wholly contrary unto the Doctrine of S^t. Paul, who commandeth expresty to put away from among you the wicked person Corrintians first epistle,Chap: 5.13. verse. is it not a lamentable thing when he doth preach unto us that God was anger'd against his Sonne, altogether against the section of the 10 Sunday als Sabbath of our Catechisme, if Father had beene anger'd against the Sonne it must follow that the Sonne must have bin a sinner,Isaih: 53. c. v. 4. a do­ctrine contrary and Erronious against the stay of our faith, our God was anger'd against the charge that his Sonne hath taken upon him to witt, our sinnes, I speake now of the 4 point upon the Natures of our saviour Jesus Christ, he hath prea­ched unto us two natures but not three, and being assembled with the people to examine those which were to answer tou­ching their faith they were warned, to keepe them selves from them which attribute 3 natures unto the Sonne of God (as if it had beene an execrable thing) this happened by reason Another Minister through his greate prudence and knowledge for the safegard and salvation of the people, had made a distin­ction and difference touching the nature of the soule and that of the body I speake not touching the divinity for I beleeve, there is not such an Athiest among us which would deny it, but I speake of the nature of the dying body, and of the nature of the soule scuffleing and striving without Dying those that will either deny th'one or th'other put them selves in great danger of their salvation, for wee must have had the one and the other to be fully redeemed, he doth preach unto us alsoe that one must confesse all kind of truth altough it should be against ones owne honour upon paine of eternall damnation, yet Gods word doth give us knowledge what kinde of truth wee must confesse, a truth for the advancement of his Glory and the good of our neighbour, alsoe when charity doeth require it, but there is such truth that would be hurtfull if it weare knowne, and also the word of God doth forbid it this commeth neere the Oricullar confession, we [Page]have understood in one of his prayers that our sinnes do offend God but they do not endanger the king,Chap: 12.25. verse. against which wee read in the first booke of Samuel the Prophet warneth the people saying but if ye shall still doe wickedly yee shall be consumed both ye and your king, I will yet set downe a thing, which unto my thinking is blasphemy in saying that God is a Robber,Chap: 1.21. verse. Job useth an other manner of speaking, in saying the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord, in the Proverbes the wise doth shew us that he that robbeth the poore & afflicted the Lord wil pleade their cause and will spoile the soule of those that spoile them,Chap. 22.23. verse. by which words he doth give us to understand that the wicked shall not remaine unpunished, and as such measure with he measureth he shall be like as wise measu­red with, but shall our God be called a Robber therefore, hath hee not at his command, both the Robber and their Robberry, without being called by that name a fearefull thing to understand these are the points which I have put forth to the end one should not mistake ownes selfe soe I will end and returne to my be­ginning which is unto the good deed of the woman because it derived from thence that Judas tooke occasion to commit his abominable deed if on these dayes a woman should commit or doe a good deed it should not be the cause that Christ should be betrayed,Mark: 14. c. v. 10. for he is no more subject unto such treason neither could that miserable Judas do it for hee is in his place, it should be the woman then, that should beare the punishment, but what should be that punishment, even the privation of the Sacrament and afterward excommunication, but all this is not hurtfull unto the faithfull soule, the corporall hand will find som hindrance therein, but I will say with an Auncient Father. wherefore makest thou thy teeth and mouth ready, beleeve onely and thou shalt eat Christ, it shall be the faith then, which shall benifite her selfe therein, I say that poore faith although weake and feeble being sustained by the spirit of fortification will be ready for this action, shee wil keepe her 2 hands cleane the one to receive Christ unto her and the other to give her selfe unto him those two hands will have as much freedome as that which did write upon the wall, I have heere written what I have said if one doeth say more they are false accusations but one must have patience, to these things is the faithfull Chri­stian bound, these things have bin done unto the greene wood what will be done unto the dry, those that doe Read this, I intreate them to excuse mee untill the time [Page]of my Excommunication of the which I am threatned and then I wil write more if my God doth permit.

The Wallons CONSISTORIE and their SUSPENTION.

COnsidering that my opressions and greevances do increase from day to day by the furie of those that have taken me in hatred without a cause, I would not faile of my pro­mise, because a while agoe I had given to understand the occasion of my troubles with promise to write more at the continuation of them, but it seemeth unto som, that what is writ­ten by a woman should not be of any value nor credit, because the Apostle in his Epistle to the Corinth: the 14 Chapter doeth not permit the woman to speake in the church, the same Apostle in his Epistle to Titus, the second Chapter doeth command the Aged woman to give instructions, shall wee find heere any contradiction (no) the holy Ghost doth not contredict him­selfe, he will have the Aged woman to teach, the Apostle by this word Aged doth not meane the woman shall have any charg or office in the Church (no) but we must understand it is for the age or judgement now being I am comming neere the age our poore nature can come unto, I hope that God will give me the grace to follow that command as neere as I can possible, but one wil as [...]ke me in what manner I could do it fin­ding my selfe in such Ignominie and reproach I will make it ap­peare in manner of complaint and lamentation in the second Chapt: of Salomons Song the spouse commandeth to take the foxes that spoile the vines there is a Kind of foxes which are in woods, but they have fower feete, t'is not of those that the spouse complaineth, but she speakes of those that spoile the vines to the end it should beare noe good grapes, but even wylde grapes what shall whe doe in this extremitie [Page]wee must have our recourse and refuge unto the true vine dresser as it is spoken in S. Iohn the 15 Chapter,Mat. 12. [...]. 8. or els unto the true Heire who hath beene dryven out heere tofore by such kind of foxes, to the end they might spoile the vine at their pleasure, now to give more plainely to understand the occasion of my lamentation I will bring the complaint of that spouse in Solomons song the 5 Chapter shee being in great misery to find out him whom her heart did lone, I sought him but I could not find him the watch from me they smote me and wounded me and tooke away my vaile from me (shee sayes heere the watch) there is much to be considered here, this spouse being called by the name of a woman, in the revelation of S. Iohn the 12 Chapter shee is persecuted by the Dragon, but that is not strange, as also so many Martirs, and likewise women and maydes that God hath given them strength and grace to suffer for his name, but this was done by the Babylonians by the watch, those that ought to con­ducted her in the have seeking out of her spouse, was this woman found in any evill action, in seeking for her whoredome or in any other wicked or scandallous worke, no, but this doeth bring us unto the consideration of theise present times, and well to understand the conformitie thereof, we must call those watch, by the name of watching aliter overseers then wee shall heare Christ speake in S. Mathew the 10 Chapter and in the Gospell of S. Marke the 13 Chapter speaking unto his Disciples and unto all true Christians in their name yee shall be brought and delivered to their Consistory and they will scourge you in their sinagogues and yee shall be hated of all for my name sake, but our Lord and saviour doeth say this to give us to under­stand that it shall not onely be the Turkes Pagans or Idolateres that shall torment the true Christian, but alsoe they which are called by the name of Consistory the furie of which folkes is yet greater for having understood the rebellion and disobidience of any childe, against Father and Mother, they lay hold at the same Justant of that occasion they runne they trot to have wit­nesses or accusations either true or falcse it is all one unto them, soe they may have them, o that it weare good for those children if they have received any benifite or money to carry it back againe with teares then should wee hope a better conversion of life the which I have Desired a long time this now enough spoken of that corruption for they are capable to melt our hearts with the aboundance of teares in regard they are entered unto the holly place, now we will returne unto the spouse, do you thinke my [Page]friends shee hath found him out whom her soule loved, in this equipage and case being beataen wounded and her vaile taken away,Salomons song 6. v. 1. ye shee hath found him it is heere that lyeth our com­fort and consolation, for all Christians may say the same chiefely those which are persecuted for rightenosnesse sake, unto this present we have spoken but of the crosses and tribulation of beating and wounding but whats all that, seeing the holy Ghost calles it a light affliction at the 8 Chapter of S. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, who shall separate us from the love of Christ, shall tribulation or distresse, or persecution, or famine, or nakednesse, or perill, or sword, as it is written, for thy sake wee are Killed all the day Long, wee are accounted as sheepe for the slanghter nay in all theise thinges wee are more then con­querours through him that loved us will this seeme unproper to speake in this kind persecution for among us they do not persecute unto death, but it is more dangerous and closely ca­ried, one doeth not close the eyes of those that weare borne blind, but one will blind them spiritually, in casting them out of the sinagogue, they will not cut of the eares, but they will stop those that are fittest to heare, you shall not be excommu­nicated because you are a Calvinist or Protestant but you shall be suspended by reason you will maintaine the truth, one shall not Barre your mouth, but you shall be forbidden to speaked if your speech tend to edification, you shall not be subject unto ceremonyes, but it may be they will cause you to worship an Idol, what I have written untill now, cannot be taken but for a fore warning, in regard of those which seemed among us to be the most forward, touching the points of true doctrine, now seems to stand backe feareing som rigorous Article, but that Article is contrary unto the Ecclesiasticall Discipline, for the Ecclesiasticall Discipline is contented with the Key of S. Peter but this Article will have the sword of S. Paul never the lesse S. Paul would not use it him selfe,Mat: c. 16.8.19. but he sayes that it belou­geth unto the Magistrate, for my part is seemeth unto me those folkes have not bin so Ill advised as to feare so much that Article,Kings c. 13 v. 4. it is rather that they would sheuwt hem selves peacea­ble and that it seemeth they were called to som disputet, and would not be found there, and wherefore should wee dispute might theise good folkes say wee know that our Lord Jesus Christ doeth command us that if we bring our gift to the Altar and if wee remember that our Brother hath ought against us, wee must leave there our gift and first be reconsiled to our [Page]Brother,Mat. 10.5. v. 23. therefore if wee dispute wee have ought against our Brother, and so remaine, but I hope that at other times they will shew their zeale to maintaine the truth some feare had fezed them, seeing the rigor that was used towards those which did maintaine it, untill now, I remaine oblidged unto the com­mand of the Apostle which I have spoken in the beginning to wit, I direct my speach unto women and doe Intreate them not to reject my Instruction seeing the Apostle doeth command me, O women have you never read the 4 Chapter of the Gos­pel of S. Iohn? I pray you to read it heedfully and you shall find a marvellous consolation from the sacred mouth of our Lord speaking unto the woman that was a Samaritane and all others that shall beleeve in him: you doe not find that the Lord misu­seth this woman because shee tooke pleasure in his word, but to the contrary he takes occasion to aske drinke, of her because he would give unto this woman, the water of life, o good God who would beleeve such a thing of thine owne word should not say so, that thou shouldest conferre so friendly with a wo­man, a woman that was not of his people, shee was of a meane condition for shee came to draw water shee was a great sinner, for the Lord said unto her, thou hast had five husbands and him whom thou now hast, is not thy husband, but above all to be noted, that the Lord said unto her, woman beleeve me, the woman then ought to beleeve shee ought then to speake when one will wrong her faith, at the 10 Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans the Apostle saith that one beleeveth of heart unto righteousnesse, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation, the woman alsoe ought to write in such an occa­sion, It is the practice of a true martyre and also of the feminine sect those pore and weakest vesels having bine sustained, and strengthend by him that hath made unto them all that promise, that their enemies are often fled all ashamed and confused, O women seeing then that at this present one will for bid what the word of God doeth command,Mat. c. 25. v. 9. one will put out our light or lampe let us not suffer it, for at the comming of our spouse wee should be without light, let us remember that there is nothing more exalted in the word of God, then the womans faith, for Jesus Christ speaking unto the woman of Canaan, said unto her,Mat. c. 15. v. 28. O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt. O what a maruellous thing it is that the Sonne of God suffered him selfe to be overcome by the faith of a woman for he hath granted her request, wee ought not to [Page]find it strange that the Sonne of God loveth so much that faith, let us rather Worship that infinite love with joy and comfort, let us not be affraid of the greatnesse of the combats, for the victory shall be so much the more glorious, let us remember that this combat had his beginning ever since the world began, witnes that lamentable shipwrack of our first Mother, do you know where this Auncient serpent made his enterance to begin this warre, he entered in Eden, that place was the celestiall Paradis, there was in that place but Justice and all hollynesse,Gen: 3.2.6. shall wee marvell now that this serpent is entered in our Eden that is to say in the Church, where there is but sinne that reighneth, if one will doe you any shame it is is because you desire to live in the feare of God I know one doeth make som signe as if they would follow the Discipline, the same they doe among the Scribes and Pharisees that Renouned consistory did not crucifie Christ alone but crucified 2 theeves with him,Mat. c. 2.9. v. 38. this hath som colour towards the Ill advised and brutall world this is the subtilty of the Divel, to cause more reproach to be done unto the faith­full they will find out an evill liver causing them to have like punishment, it is easie to know in what forme Sathan made his entrance into the Church it is in a humaine forme accor­ding as I have perceived, but the worst I can perceive is that he will have his Raigne there not onely in a Corner but in the Chaire seeing hereseis are to be established, it is now more then time that the faithfull should make a crye like unto the crye of the Prophets sonnes, according as wee read in the fourth Chapter of the second booke of Kings o man of God death is in the Cauldron, but wee must say o God death is entered in thy Church o my God may not I say death seeing that by my condemnation I should have deffamed a doctrine, but my writing sheweth faithfully that I have but onely spo­ken against eronious Doctrine, but not against the true Doctrine. Never the lesse it is from thence that my condemnation was drawne, then may I very well say death, seeing one must be­leeve in hereseis to remaine in the Church, for him that doeth beleeve in Heresies can hope nothing but death, O lamentable thing to understand, o if that holy woman hath had so much occasion to lament and crie for the taking of the Arke,1. Sam: 4. v 19. and for this thing she demanded, where is the Glory, o that we have at this day a great deale more occasion to crye O Lord, for thy Glory is goeing into Captivitie O Hanna Mother of Samuell wherefore didst thou weep so much to have a Sonne,1. Sam: c. 1. v. 19. if thou [Page]wert in theise present times and that one would hinder thee to be the Mother of the Sonne of Glory weare it not to say, I am descended into the Gulfe, and never the lesse we are brought unto that extreanuty, that Some sayes him selfe at the 3 Chap­ter of the Gospell of S. Marke and at the 12 Chapter of the Gos­pell of S. Mathew, whosoever shall doe the will of my Father the same is my Brother and my Sister, and my Mother to doe thee will of God to be Mother of Christ now all that which is done without faith is sinne, then it must befaith which must worke this conception. Let us then pray the Lord, that he may give us the grace to the end wee may heare that gratious word the which he hath pronounced him selfe unto that poore wo­man which was Diseased with an issue of Bloud, thy faith hath made the whole.

The Wallons CONSISTORIE, AND EXCOMMUNICATION.

HAveing spoken untill now upon their threatnings and upon my condemnation, now it shall onely be upon my Excommunication, the first newes I heard of was uttered unto me with griefe and dolour, but their desolation was not for the deed of my cause, which they did know to be very just, but upon him which hath pronoun­ced that unjust condemnation never the lesse when I under­stood those words proceeding from a heart pierced with griefe, saying it is done it is done, and seeing their pale colur as persons strucken by death I was taken with an inward qualme, but outwardly joyfull, umwilling to adde more griefe unto their Infirmitie, but I had alsoe great weaknesse withim me, in somuch that I found my selfe like unto that woman which wee read of in the second booke of Kings, the 4 Chapter, This wo­mans hunamite being in agony for the death of her Sonne shee said unto the Prophet did I desire a Sonne of my Lord, did I not say doe not deceive me I was in that case at that time, it seemed unto me that God had deceived me, but the Lord by his mercy did not suffer me long thus, for I recovered an other shee mate, which is hope of an other woman at the 13 Chapter of the booke of Iudges it is Manoahs wife, Mother of Samson her husband being frighted seeing the Angell to ascend with the flame, he said we shall surely die because wee have seene God, his wife said unto him if the Lord weare [Page]pleased to kill us he would not have received a burnt offring and a meat offring at our hands neither would he have shewed us all these things nor would he at this time have told us such things as these, so having received new hope I have revok­ed my vicious thoughts and submitted my selfe unto the will of God assuring my selfe that he hath not deceived me, but hath caused mee to see great things, when he hath received the offrings of my soule this makes me remember an other woman. The reason I shall speake of her is because chastety was soo much oppressed by the elders judges of the people. This wo­man is Susanna as wee read it, in her History altough it is not Cannonicall yet from thence may be drawne comparisons sit for my cause, for they were elders and judges and the People was subject to obey them altough theise Elders weare very wick­ed touching this woman. But this must be noted that her combate was upon her corporall chastety, and my cause is for my spirituall chastety can one say where this woman was when shee was thus assaulted, her History tels us shee was in her hus­bands garden, a like place was. I in according as the spouse of our soule had commanded me at the 5 Chapter of Salomons song, come into my Garden my sister my spouse I have gathered my myrrhe with my spice, it is most certaine that all the time I have bine persecuted by this kind of folke the which I have spo­ken of by my meditations I did enjoy the pleasure of that Garden, we will leave now the wrongs done unto women, by reason our perticulas hindrance is light unto us, but the wrong done unto the disadvantage of the truth, is in supportable unto us, yet noe remedy, heere we should have a miraculous work, for the salt hath lost his savour, how can wee shalt, any body may see un­lesse he be quite blind that there is heere a represensation. of what, our Lord Jesus Christ hath fore told us, in the 24 Chapter of S. Mathew when he spake that before the great and terrible day of this second comming. The Sunne shall be darkened and the Moone shall not give her light, and the Starres shall fall from heaven, now I pray you tell me, if that Sunne of righteousnesse as Malachy calls him in his 4 Chapter, with healing In his wings, could it be more darkned when the truth is taken for an un­truth and the untruth for the truth, the Moone canne get light unlesse it be borrowed from that Sunne, then must it be darkened, and touching the Starres, must wee not say to our great griefe that wee see them sall from heaven as wee have seene som yeares agoe, when our Ministers with the elders have [Page]offered our children unto Baal, without the consent of their Father and Mother, and since occasion are carried worse and worse, seeing they will offer the Fathers and Mothers and this they carry in forme and manner of Inquisition in forbidding them to maintaine the true Gospell, by Excommunications, and it is for that purpose that there are none of Christs Disciples among us, and if there be any it is as Nicodemus by night or secretly for they thinke there is too much danger, it was in the same manner of the crucifying of our Lord Jesus Christ the men were amazed and afrighted but theire were poore woman that followed him weeping and lamenting, and also at the sepulchre Christ being risen directs his speech unto a woman, for there weare no men to be found. O what an honour is this for us that a woman should be the first messenger of the glorious resur­rection of our Lord, they are set by him in such an honorable degree that hee makes them to be has if it were the Apostle of the Apostles, one may say unto me, why should one speake at this time of the death of Christ and of his sepulchre for he is in his glory, it is certaine, but let us see if his truth is not in such a place, O you conductours of this Church it is you which have placed a great stone at that sepulchres doore, so that the truth can­not come out, that stone is your Excommunication, and the waight of it, is your tyrannicall act, teare out that Article and cause no more to lament for your poore gouvernment, take againe your Discipline which you have put in oblivion, and it doeth give you power enough, it commands you to open heaven and to shut it againe, by it alsoe may you cast out of your Church the evill livers, and those also which continue in their vices, but yet not those whom God hath given his feare, do not cause the uncircumcised Philistines to rejoyce: do not cause the beast to live againe, for you must know, that such sort of ex­communications comes neere unto hers, Remember what happe­ned unto those elders in Susannas just cause, which I have spo­ken of, comparing the spirituall unto the corpotall, I hope God will give you the grace to looke after these things Amen.

The woman hath written theise things chifely because the good English people those who have the feare of God should not take her to be Ex­communicated but if they should happen to see her receive the holy Sacrament among them, that they should not say unto her as Naomy sayd unto her Daughter in law, according as wee read, in the first Chapter of the booke of Ruth: My Daughter returne unto thy peo­ple the woman would then answer humbly in in mildnesse as Ruth did, my People is your People and my God is your God therefore send me not unto the People of my nation, for they have forgotten the truth. This hath bin done to the great griefe of the Wife of Michael le Clercq.