The New Living Way Prepared by Christ

and ordinances that quench the Spirit of GOD; but rather strengthen them in their anti-Christian delusion with your presence and participation. They praise you everywhere as blessed, the greater the semblance of godliness you make in praying, going to assemblies, good discourses, citing scriptures, giving alms to the churches and orphanages, etc. But you will also have to hear and experience sufficiently in your inner self: Whoever loves, fears, and honors father or mother, husband or wife, priest or authorities more than me, is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take up his cross every day and follow me, is not worthy of me. You think to find the true divine life, the divine peace and joy in conformity with the world, in the participation in its abominable lusts, in the co-worship of its idols, in fleshly peace and rest. But you lose it. You are and remain an enemy of GOD, an enemy of the cross of Christ. The belly is your god, you are earthly, worldly, and fleshly minded, which brings you death (Romans 6). You can have no fellowship with GOD in such a way.

§. 10. Why do you teachers and preachers not test such a time of visitation of grace? Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? Why do you not turn your anger and zeal against your own abominable spirit and the damnable trade which you carry on in confessionals, in pulpits, and before the altars with all your church ordinances; against your pride and lust for power over consciences? Why do you not humble yourselves before GOD and first do righteous fruits of repentance yourselves, before you want to preach repentance to other souls and feed them? Your conscience tells you yourself that, as long as you do not walk the ways of GOD yourselves and are not obedient to GOD’s Spirit, you remain thieves and murderers, that all your praying, blessing, teaching, and comforting in the churches is an abomination to GOD, and you thereby murder souls. Why do you always take refuge in the worldly sword and hold flesh before your arm? Do you then have no divine truths, no true worship? For lies and idolatry only use such fleshly weapons to protect themselves against divine truth; but Christ and His apostles, who were clothed with Spirit and divine power