Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	good_a	life_n	write_v	3,155	5	5.4448	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70666	Innocency cleared the liberties and priviledges of Gods people for assembling together in his fear to wait upon him very calmly expostulated and their refusal of all oaths in meekness vindicated	Mason, Martin, fl. 1650-1676.	1660 (1660)	Wing M930; ESTC R3559	8,207	10

INNOCENCY cleared The Liberties and Priviledges of Gods People for assembling together in his Fear to wait upon him very calmly expostulated and their Refusal of all Oaths in meekness vindicated THat there was a golden time for Holiness of life and good Government before Moses had a being upon earth or writ his Books there 's none that are truly wise can well be so bold as to deny without a Blush 2. That the Rise of all outward Government was occasioned by the Peoples declining from that of God in them and so running into carnal liberty lust and profane licentionsness is a Truth which cannot be shaken 3. That the end of all external Government was and is to Bridle the Wicked to be a Terror to Evil-doers the Preservation of the People in Peace and Tranquility and a Protection Praise and Encouragement of those who do well where true Wisdom rules will not be contradicted THese three Particulars being granted me Come let us reason together in Meekness and Moderation O ye Children of Men that are now in Authority and tell me what it was that induced men to live in the fear of the Lord and peaceably one with another before the Reins of Political Government or the Rod of that Authority had its Institution or the Bible had a being if it was not a Principle of God or a measure of himself in every Mortal which inwardly led him to be obedient to his Maker The children of Men in that golden age of the World living the life of Innocency and true Holiness needed not then an outward Law to restrain them from Vice or Vanity were by the inward Law of God written in their hearts and by their Love and Obedience thereunto a Law unto themselves Lust was mortified and was not suffered to live in them and therefore could not lord it over them Covetousness had not crept into their hearts each man lived comfortably upon the Creation and was contented with his Portion no man sought then to lord it over one another every man sought after the good of his Fellow-Creature as his own while this inward Voice or Law of God was regarded by them all Lording Tyranny was a stranger to them But after Lust entred into the hearts of men and prevailed over them that they would be no longer kept within the pale of this holy Principle Gods Spirit in their hearts which sounded forth the Will ●nd Mind of God unto them which was there placed to be their Law and Law-giver whom they were to obey in all things Then God raised up himself an outward Instrument and gave him Wisdom and Power to govern his People and to make Lawes and Statutes for them which they were not to transgress but be subject to and this Government was intended and set up for a Restraint to the wilde Nature to make it tame and bring it under the Yoak subject to just Authority to deal justly and uprightly one with another and to live peaceably in their generation and inoffensively to all men and so be a Bridle to that licentious bruitish profane spirit which would rise up against persecute and worry Gods innocent people And so this Authority proved an incouragement unto and a protection under God of Gods harmless Flock Now let Gods witness arise in all your consciences and in meekness without prejudice ponder the proceedings of the present Authority against the innocent suffering people scornfully called Quakers and compare the Principle and Practices of these persecuted people with that which I have above premised and see if this Authority do rightly answer the end of the Primitive Institution of Government in its persecuting of this innocent people And honestly consider how often have we published to the world That we truly own the righteous Law of God written in our hearts His Light in our consciences to be our Leader our Law-giver the Line or Rule of our life that holy Seed which never sinned but ever suffered by the seed of evil-doers because it ever bare its testimony in the heart of man against all iniquity do we believe in and obey which suffered without the Gates of Jerusalem and witnessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate Christ in us the hope of Glory In him we do believe who moveth in our hearts to Holiness Patience Mercy Meekness Peace with all men and love to Enemies and leadeth his Lambs into all Truth whose Kingdom is not of this world and therefore with a carnal Weapon connot we his Subjects nor ever could since we were in our mindes and affections separated from the World and turned to God fight for the upholding of it How often have we been taxed for a seditious and traiterous people and yet none of this trumpery never could nor ever shall be justly proved against us How many false aspersions have been cast upon us as if we had been Conspirators against the Peace of the Kingdom How often have the wicked people invented Lies against us and some foolish people been afraid of us as if we would have risen and their Throats should have been cut by us And all this by that subtile spirit which seeks to murther and destroy us and yet how often hath the Lord cleared the innocency of us Yea hath not the King and his Council how und●servedly God knows proclaimed us for Plotters and numbred us amongst Conspirators though in their Consciences Gods righteous Witness hath before this day born testimony to our innocency herein I say Consider Friends Hath our deportment amongst you deserved no better than this hard measure from you to be thus unworthily imprisoned by you Yea how many of us in several places of the Nation have upon this Proclamation been knockt down and sorely wounded by the seed of evil-doers Have not all the clamours and loud out-cryes of our Enemies vanished like smoak And doth not our innocency appear to all sober people Have we ever given you any just cause to be jealous of us or that you should give so little credit to us Wherein have we so heinously offended you that we should be thus unkindly dealt with by you What 's our offence Is Innocency become a Crime Is it because we cannot bow unto you nor with flattering Titles complement you but deal plainly with you and for your vanity in love reprove you Doth this render us so vile in your eyes Then verily we must be more vile still You who have had dealings with us have you ever found Treachery in us or met with falshood from us that you should judge so uncharitably of us If Gods witness in you give a good testimony for us be not you bitter in your minds towards us nor so fill'd with Passion and Prejudice against us but let Bowels of love be in you for us and for the time to come be not so backward or unwilling to have a good opinion of us nor so ready to receive lying Reports that shall be rais'd against us if we