An wholesome antidotus or counter-poison, against the pestilent heresy and sect of the Anabaptists…An holsome antidotus or counter-poysen, agaynst the pestylent heresye and secte of the Anabaptistes…

Joiada. To the words of Paul I answer thus: That Paul speaketh there of the law, which ⟨image 34⟩killeth us, as he doeth declare more apertly in the .vii. chap. to the Romans. And by the spirit, he understandeth faith, and the consolation or comfort of the gospel. That, it is so, the text of the whole chapter doeth testify. Therefore this place helpeth nothing your error. For when we speak of the word of god we do not understand the bare and dead letter, or void sound of it. but the word well and truly understood, and as it is, in very deed. And as, for that, that Christ doeth promise a spirit unto his disciples, teaching them all things, we do admit and believe it. But that spirit can not be contrary to Christ, nor teacheth any other ⟨image 35⟩thing, than Christ hath taught Therefore doeth he add, by and by: teaching you, what so ever, I have said unto you. What do, these things pertain, to the spirit of the Anabaptists, which teacheth contrary things to the spirit of Christ. The prophecies of Joel, and Hieremye, are understood of that same spirit, that Christ doeth both promise and give to his disciples, as it is evidently seen, in the second chapter of the Acts, and the eight, to the Hebrews. John, in his epistle, when he speaketh of the unction, doeth plainly expound him self, saying: I have written unto you, that ye be not deceived (or that, ye do not suffer your selves to be brought in to error) which ⟨image 35⟩thing, will then come to pass, if ye do steadfastly abide, in the doctrine of the spirit, which ye have hard at the beginning, and swerve not at all, from it. The holy ghost is the spirit of truth, which can neither lye, nor repugn against him self, being all ways constant, unchangeable, every where, like unto him self. Now, no man can deny, but that the same everlasting, unchangeable, and holy spirit, hath inspired the holy scriptures in to holy mens hearts and minds. Whereby it followeth necessarily, that the same spirit, which speaketh against the meaning of the spirit, that doeth speak and express him self in the divine scriptures, is not of god, but rather an human ⟨image 36⟩main affection, which, if it be stiff, may be deservingly called, a devilish spirit, as Christ doeth prove against the Ives.