Thomas Helwys
c. 1575–c. 1616
Founder of the first Baptist congregation on English soil and an early pleader for liberty of conscience for all, even unbelievers.
In his own words
If Ieremiah complayned for want of teares, and could not bee satisfied with sorrowing, for the slayne of the daughter of Syon, that perished by the sword, and famyne, (which was but bodily death) how much more cause have men now to sorrowe, to see men poysoned with bitter waters killed with fire, and smoake and brunstone, stung with scorpions, hurt with Servents. Revel. 9. 5. and 8. 11. And cast into the great winepresse of the wrath of God, rev. 19. which is the everlasting destruction of soule ād bodie in Hel, to suffer al the plagues, torments, and judgments off wrath for ever. Was the famine of bread, and the sword of Nabuchad-nezzar, and the seaventie yeres captivitie, a ful sufficient cause, to make Ieremiahes eyes faile with teares, his bowels swell, his hart turne within him, & his liver to bee powred vpon the earth: And are not al the woes vttered by the seaven Angels from the sound of seaven trompets, whereof an Angel flieing through the midst of Heavē, said with a lowde voice, woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth, from the soundes remaining of the trumpets of the three angels, which yet must blowe their trumpets: And have not these three last Angells blowen their trumpets? ād doth not the sound thereof yet sound in our eares? and are not al the woes thereof yet in the sight of our eies? are not al these woes (which are woes of everlasting death and destruction) sufficient to breake mens harts al into peeces? What stony hardnes of hart possesseth men in these daies, that their harts do not melt for these woes.
Quoted verbatim from the library, as an answer would quote it.
What we hold of him
A Shorte Declaration of the Mistery of Iniquity
Classic
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