new creature, that God should so take away his sins in the offering from him, but he would still remain the old Cain; and so offer to God, that he might be so accepted with him: the devil came before God in the form of an angel.
52. Cain knew not [ Or did not acknowledge] his evil serpentine property,the poor soul was captivated therewith, and had set itself up in the Serpent's wit and pride, it would needs be an outwardly adopted child and heir of God, the offering must make reconciliation for him; as Babel does, which takes also the mantle of Christ upon her, and says, Christ has undertaken and suffered for all my sins upon the cross, I cannot purchase or do anything for myself, my works avail nothing before God, I need only believe that Christ has done it, and comfort myself therewith, and then I am already justified and acquitted from all my transgressions.
53. Thus she comes before God, and thanks God that he has paid the reckoning and score, in his Son, and offers with Cain and the Pharisee in the Temple, and remains in herself a brother-slayer with Cain: and this is the Babylonical fruit. Like as Cain would take the offering upon him for a cloak and covering, so also his succeeding Church takes on it the offering of Christ for a cloak and covert of its sins and false murder; and covers its murderous spirit, so that men must call it a holy devout Christian.
54. Saint Paul must serve their turn thereto, when he says, / do that I would not, now if I do it, it is not I, but sin that dwells in my flesh;
but that he says, Now then, with my mind I serve God, but with the flesh the law of sin. The same, Cain will not understand, how the mind must, without intermission, rule and reign over the sinful will and desire of the flesh, and mortify the lust.
55. Saint Paul speaks of the heavenly Abel-like desire, how sin must be mortified in the flesh, and not rule over the mind, as it did in Cain, when he saw his brother was accepted before God, and that he himself was not. Then the murdering spirit arose in his mind, which should have been mortified in the offering by true repentance and conversion.
56. Thus also goes Babel under the mantle of Christ, which offers also to God, and thanks him for the offering of Christ; but itself remains in the mind of the Cainical brother-slayer, in pride, covetousness, envy and anger, in persecution, in war and contention. It fights about the offering, and about the outward covering, lest it should be stripped thereof;
and does [in the meantime] fatten itself under it, with the bestial offerings of the fatness of the earth, and still remains the Cainical beast, and does also continually murder Abel in Christ's members, and comforts itselfwith the death of Christ: the same must be a covert for the false murdering spirit.
57. The heart and mind is far from the new creature. It is only the old Cainical brother-slayer, which bemantles itself with Christ's offering, and offers with Cain; such, and nothing better, remains now of Christianity among all sects, except the children of Christ, who are here and there hidden with Abel.
58. Cain's Church was never more potent and predominant upon the earth than it is even at this time, whereas, notwithstanding, men cry out with full mouth-cry and great ostentation, Come all hither: we have found the offering of Abel in Christ. Yes, forsooth, dear Babel, you have indeed found the mantle of Christ; but behold your Cain-like heart, and you will see whether you offer with Abel from the new creature, or from the false brother-slaying spirit. Where are your fruits? where is love and righteousness? where is truth? where is patience and meekness? Where is the mind that with Paul serves God? Where are you, you fair Christian Church upon the earth? are you not become a murdering den of the devil? Now show your Christian virtues;
are you not full of contention and murder, both in the Church and without the Church? your mouth is only a prater of God's kingdom, like as Cain's mouth prated of the offering, but his heart was a murderer.
new creature, that God should so take away his sins in the offering from him, but he would still remain the old Cain; and so offer to God, that he might be so accepted with him: the devil came before God in the form of an angel.
52. Cain knew not [ Or did not acknowledge] his evil serpentine property,the poor soul was captivated therewith, and had set itself up in the Serpent's wit and pride, it would needs be an outwardly adopted child and heir of God, the offering must make reconciliation for him; as Babel does, which takes also the mantle of Christ upon her, and says, Christ has undertaken and suffered for all my sins upon the cross, I cannot purchase or do anything for myself, my works avail nothing before God, I need only believe that Christ has done it, and comfort myself therewith, and then I am already justified and acquitted from all my transgressions.
53. Thus she comes before God, and thanks God that he has paid the reckoning and score, in his Son, and offers with Cain and the Pharisee in the Temple, and remains in herself a brother-slayer with Cain: and this is the Babylonical fruit. Like as Cain would take the offering upon him for a cloak and covering, so also his succeeding Church takes on it the offering of Christ for a cloak and covert of its sins and false murder; and covers its murderous spirit, so that men must call it a holy devout Christian.
54. Saint Paul must serve their turn thereto, when he says, / do that I would not, now if I do it, it is not I, but sin that dwells in my flesh;
but that he says, Now then, with my mind I serve God, but with the flesh the law of sin. The same, Cain will not understand, how the mind must, without intermission, rule and reign over the sinful will and desire of the flesh, and mortify the lust.
55. Saint Paul speaks of the heavenly Abel-like desire, how sin must be mortified in the flesh, and not rule over the mind, as it did in Cain, when he saw his brother was accepted before God, and that he himself was not. Then the murdering spirit arose in his mind, which should have been mortified in the offering by true repentance and conversion.
56. Thus also goes Babel under the mantle of Christ, which offers also to God, and thanks him for the offering of Christ; but itself remains in the mind of the Cainical brother-slayer, in pride, covetousness, envy and anger, in persecution, in war and contention. It fights about the offering, and about the outward covering, lest it should be stripped thereof;
and does [in the meantime] fatten itself under it, with the bestial offerings of the fatness of the earth, and still remains the Cainical beast, and does also continually murder Abel in Christ's members, and comforts itselfwith the death of Christ: the same must be a covert for the false murdering spirit.
57. The heart and mind is far from the new creature. It is only the old Cainical brother-slayer, which bemantles itself with Christ's offering, and offers with Cain; such, and nothing better, remains now of Christianity among all sects, except the children of Christ, who are here and there hidden with Abel.
58. Cain's Church was never more potent and predominant upon the earth than it is even at this time, whereas, notwithstanding, men cry out with full mouth-cry and great ostentation, Come all hither: we have found the offering of Abel in Christ. Yes, forsooth, dear Babel, you have indeed found the mantle of Christ; but behold your Cain-like heart, and you will see whether you offer with Abel from the new creature, or from the false brother-slaying spirit. Where are your fruits? where is love and righteousness? where is truth? where is patience and meekness? Where is the mind that with Paul serves God? Where are you, you fair Christian Church upon the earth? are you not become a murdering den of the devil? Now show your Christian virtues;
are you not full of contention and murder, both in the Church and without the Church? your mouth is only a prater of God's kingdom, like as Cain's mouth prated of the offering, but his heart was a murderer.
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