understanding and scripture, upon these things, in the fear of the Lord.

Since then all things are desolated through God's righteous judgment; because they delighted in the unrighteousness and lies of the false prophets and ravening wolves, and that nothing salutary has remained according to the true sense and ground of Christ and his holy apostles-we find nothing in the whole world, among all the great sects, but vain boastings, mere names, false doctrine, false sacraments, vain unbelief and an impenitent, sensual life, and this is all to be found under the name and semblance of Christ and his holy community; hence, I am constrained by true christian love, to make known the power and ground of the holy scriptures, according to my small gift, given me of God, and through this to show which is the true christian faith, having the promise, the faith which changes man from evil into good, to a divine nature, both inwardly and outwardly, and makes him, as heard, holy, righteous, obedient, new, pious, peaceable and joyful. In order that pious hearts, who desire to walk in the right way, but who are hindered therefrom by their blind priests and preachers, may read or hear this my faithful EXPOSITION and INSTRUC TION, that they may thereby be instructed in the truth; the indifferent and drowsy may be awakened, and all hypocrites may be ashamed, and reform, and all those who love God sincerely, might be more instructed and taught in the faith; if they do by any means acknowledge this as the sure FOUNDATION of God, as it is, and will be eternally. The dear Lord grant, that many may read and understand it, and thus receive and obey it, that they may sincerely repent and

be saved. Amen.

And since, I do it out of a sincere heart, and labor not with any other view (of which the great God, the searcher of men's hearts and reins, is my witness,) than that I may teach the ignorant, rude world, which knows not Christ, repentance, lead them to Christ and his doctrine, sacraments and example, and that many might be saved, and as we plainly see that there are many profligates who have reformed their sinful, sensual lives, and commenced an upright, penitent, pfous life in fear of the Lord; then it is gross ingratitude, yea, hardened, ungodly tyranny, to hate me and my co-workers so enviously and recompense us so shamefully, who manifest such great

fidelity and love towards them in our manifold sufferings and trials.

But thus, they treated, in the beginning, all the prophets and servants of God, who preached to them the Lord's word and will with great fidelity, reproved their sins, sought even till death their salvation with all their powers, with many tears watchings, prayers, labors, cares and sorrows; therefore, it is nothing strange, and no wonder, that they will treat us so; for Christ says: For they did so to the prophets who were before you. (Matt. 5; Luke 6.)

I entreat and desire, hereby, through the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, all my readers and hearers in general, of whatever name, office, station and condition, that you be pleased neither to defame nor to reject my labor, as long as you have not read it impartially, heard it rightly and understood it. Do therefore, separate Christ's doctrine, sacraments and life from the doctrine, sacraments, and life of the priests and preachers: sepa rate faith and unbelief, spirit and flesh, righteousness and unrighteousness. Seek after the truth, strive zealously for your salvation, believe that God is true, that he will reward the good and punish the evil, that his word is, and will be truth eternally. Fear his judgment, love his bounties, then you will know by the grace of the Lord that the aforementioned is the true christian faith, which avails before God, and has the promise in the scriptures, as we have so abundantly testified and shown to you by God's word so abundantly, and with such incontrovertible passages, scriptures and examples, without deceit and fraud, as it were before, in Christ Jesus.

The almighty, eternal, merciful God and Father, through his beloved Son Christ Jesus, lead you all, one with another, into his holy divine knowledge and evangelical truth, and make your faith fruitful and active, that you may at all times with sincere, new hearts, patiently submit to his cross in every trial and affliction, unfeigned in love, peaceable and joyful in spirit, as the unblamable, pious children of God, (1 Pet. 1.) may walk before the Lord and his community, all the days of your lives, and ultimately obtain the promise of grace, the end of your faith, the salvation of your soule, Amen.

TO THE CHRISTIAN READER.-CONCLUSION.

Beloved reader, here you have my GROUND AND DOCTRINE OF FAITH, with its properties, power, operation and fruits. I, therefore, entreat you all, if you appreciate Christ and your own salvation, suppress your perverted minds, be not enraged and embittered, should you find any thing contrary to the usages of our forefathers, standing usages, or philosophic writings and the calling of the learned; but first prove it rightly, and scrutinize it well with Christ's and his holy apostles' word, spirit, life and example, whether it is not the true content, meaning, ground and sense of the whole scriptures; if so, you will have to give up the unscriptural usage, and the de ceptive calling of the learned, and hold only to the word of the Lord, if you would be saved, Let, therefore, your heart be impartial, and your judgment sincere and after truth; for almighty God, before whom every knee has to bow and every tongue confess, will not and cannot yield to any of the learned, or to long standing usages, or customs; for he is Lord, and we are his servants. (Isa. 45: Rom. 14; Phil. 2.) We must follow Him, and He not us. Ah! reader! lay it to heart!

Likewise, if you find, that we preach our doctrine rightly, respect no man's dignity, fear no man's tyranny, nor yield to the learned, but in true, sincere love, faithfully teach, admonish and reprove every one without respect of person, with the Lord's holy spirit, word, example and ordinance, in all things not right; then, I entreat you again, that you would be pleased not to attribute this to spiritual pride, but to well meant frankness and christian simplicity. 1 desire that you would all walk rightly so that you may be saved, on account of which I have to endure not a little tribulation. I refuse not to become as a fool, so that I may make many wise in Christ, and with the Lord's Holy Spirit and powerful word lead them to Wisdom and to the saints; and I well know that Christ and his apostles, and the prophets were guilty of the same foolishness, and were of the same mind with me in this

matter.

I reprove, they reprove more; I threaten, they do so much more. (Rev. 9.) Were they on that account carnal and proud? Far from it! Yes, my reader, had not the dark smoke of men-pleasing-preachers, the accursed false doctrine of the dreadful, abominable locusts out of the abyss, risen up; but had sincere reproving, the true, pure doctrine, the scriptural usage of the sacraments, and the separating of the impenitent, without respect to person, continued in the world; never would the pleasing sun have lost his splendor, nor would the church have lapsed into such a dreadful condition; therefore, I esteem it with Paul, to be unimportant, to be judged of men in this matter. (1 Cor. 4.) For I know that I mean it well, do right and reprove only with the truth, so that they may be converted.

The true heavenly light, Jesus Christ, eternally blessed, enlighten all dark, benighted hearts with the clear and lucid ray of his Holy Ghost and eternal truth, in unfeigned, pure faith, to view the brightness of Christ, to the praise and bonor of his great name, and to the salvation of many souls. Amen.

A, FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINE, FROM THE WORD OF THE LORD, CONCERNING THE NEW BIRTH:

Exhorting all of every christian denomination to the heavenly birth and the new creature, without which none, who has come to the years of maturity, can be a true christian.

In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth, but a new creature. Gal. 6.

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 3.

Hear my words all people, and understand them, all you who imagine that you are christians, and presumptuously boast of the Lord's grace, merits, flesh, blood, cross, kingdom

and death, notwithstanding we find among you neither christian faith, brotherly love nor repentance, nor the right use of the sacraments of Christ, northe pure doctrine, nor the unblamable, godly life, which is out of God, to which the scriptures admonish us; neither the true divine service, nor an evangelical disposition, nor obedience; but throughout nothing else than abominable darkness, unbelief, a lewd, carnal life, false doctrine, false and self devised sacraments, a devilish heart and mind, an aocursed, heathen idolatry under the name of Christ, blind, blood thirsty tyranny, envious and furious revengefulness against all the children of God; yea, open obstinacy, disobedience and rejection of the words of Christ and of his Holy Ghost, as may be very plainly perceived and seen through the world.

In order that you comfort yourselves no longer with lying and vain hopes, contrary to the scriptures, to your eternal damnation, and not glory in vain, in the aforementioned riches and glory of the children of God, namely of Christ's kingdom, grace, merits, flesh, blood, cross, death and promises, &c. which do not yet pertain to you, because you are yet altogether earthly, sensually and devilishly minded, reject Christ, and do not keep to his spirit, word and example, without which no one can be a christian; I have undertaken through the merciful grace of the Lord, as much as is in my power, to inform you, briefly, by the infallible, powerful, saving word of the gospel of Christ, and out of the unadulterated, pure doctrine of his apostles, in this my epistle, who they are, or who they are not, that are endowed of God, and to whom pertain the aforementioned gifts, merits and promises of Christ.

Tell me, most beloved, where or when did you read in the scriptures, (which is the true witness of the Holy Ghost and the only line of our consciences,) that the unbelieving, disobedient, sensual adulterer, whoremonger, drunkard, avaricious, idolatrous or pompous and arrogant, had a single promise of ..the kingdom of Christ and community, nay, part or communion in his merits, death and blood? I tell you the truth, no where do we read it in the scriptures, nor ever will we but thus it is written in Paul's writings: For if ye live after the -flesh ye shall die. Adulterers, whoremongers, buggerers, effeminate, unclean, idolators, drunkards, proud, avaricious, "betrayers of the innocent, and blood-shedders, thieves, murderers, backbiters, perjurers, sorcerers, liars, unmerciful, the disobedient to God and Christ, (if they repent not,) will not