¶ The Confession and declaration of Robert sharpe Clerke, and other of that secte, tearmed the Familie of Loue, at Pawles Crosse in London the. xij. of Iune. An. 1575.
WHereas I Robert Sharpe, haue hertofore vnaduisedly, conceyued good opinion of certayne bookes of an aucthour, otherwyse vnknowne, saue onely, that hee noteth hymselfe by the Letters H. N. And was induced therevnto, partly by the straunge tytles that he gyueth to him selfe, terming hymselfe, amongest other names, A Prophet raysed vp from the dead: Specially by God appointed, and stirred vppe, according to the promises for this tyme which he calleth the last day of grace. Affirming that he hath receyued his message from the mouth of God himselfe. And partly being also mooued by the noueltie of the Doctrine, and great promises made, as though men might therby attayne to bée Deified, or made as God: Now vppon conference wyth the Godly learned, (whereof some are in auctoritie) being admonished of the arrogancie of the sayde aucthour, in vsurping the sayde tyttles, and of hys blasphemous sacriledge, in taking vnto hym other greater tytles, as, That he is the illuminate with the true light of the perfect being: Annointed with goddes diuine being: One whome God hath hominified him self withall, and who is codeified with God him selfe: (For with such monstruous and vnused termes, he cloketh his blasphemies, as though he were made one with God, and God one with him) Segregating vnto him selfe a priuate Conuenticle of simple deceaued men, (whom he nameth the Familie or Comunaltie of Loue) and detesting all wyse and learned men, whom he tearmeth Scripture learned. And also I being aduertised by the sayde Godly learned, of a great number of detestable Errors contayned in the bookes of the sayde H. N. And specially in those twoo wicked Bookes. Whereof the one hée nameth The Euangely or Gospell of the Kingdome: As though hée had brought a newe Gospell into the world,) which Sainct Pawle forbiddeth, and holdeth acursed, though it were brought by an Angell from heauen) And the other Booke hée calleth, The Declaration of the Masse. In the which twoo Bookes, and other lyke wicked Bookes, of the sayde aucthour, not onelye the vsurped auctoritie of the Bushop of Rome, and his Cardinalles, and the Sacrifice of the Masse, wyth manye other lyke wicked errours, but also [...]iuers damned heresies of the Arrianes, Pelagians, and Anabaptistes, are maintayned: To the ouerthrow, of the true doctrine of our iustifi [...]acion, and fayth in Iesus Christ, and of all true Religion.
Therefore vnderstanding nowe my grosse errours, I doe here before God and you vtterly detest, and from my heart abhorre, as well the sayde Aucthour, wyth all hys arregant, and blasphemous titles, as the instrument of Sathan, by hym stirred vp, to seduce and beguyle the simple people: As also all his Damnable errours and Heresies whatsoeuer. And doe confesse here before God and you, that I am hartily sorye that euer I dealt wyth any such Books, or resorted to any secréet Conferences, assemblies, or Conuenticles, wyth those that are named The Familie or Comunaltie of Loue: And that thereby I haue gyuen so great offence vnto the Churche of God: for the which I most humbly and hartily aske forgiuenesse both of God and you. And doe promise faythfully neuer to meddle, with these, or any other such Bookes, or with that secte hereafter: But vtterlye doe renounce and forsake the same, and all other Errours and Heresies whatsoeuer contrarie to the Common, Nicene, and Athanasius Créedes, or to the holye Scriptures conteyned in the Bookes of the olde and newe Testament. And doe also forsake whatsoeuer is repugnaunt to the Doctrine nowe taught and pupliquely set foorth in the Church of England, which Doctrine I acknowledge and confesse, to be the true and Catholicke Doctrine, agréeable to the Canonicall Scriptures, and that the same of all Christians, ought to be professed, without respect of any daunger to the body, whether it be by death or otherwayes. In whiche profession, that I maye constantly remayne to my lyues ende, I doe most hartily beséeche you, to commende me in your prayers, to the great goodnesse and mercye of Almightye God.
THe same confession and declaration which Robert Sharpe hath presently made before you I. A. B. Doe vnfaynedlye and willingly make, I detest all the errours and heresies before by hym detested. I do faythfully promise here before God & you whatsoeuer he hath promised. And wyth lyke peticion most humbly and hartily beséeche God and you to forgiue me. And I doe hartily desire you to praye vnto the Lorde for me, that he in his great mercie will pardon me, and so guyde me by his holy spirite that detesting all errours, I may euer hereafter imbrace the truth of God, and constantly continue in the same, to the ende of my lyfe. And this I craue at his mercifull handes for Iesus Christ his sake myne only Redéemer and Sauiour.
- Iohn Allen.
- Ihon Lydye.
- Iohn Sharpe.
- William Burwell.