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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	scripture_n	spirit_n	word_n	3,756	5	4.5234	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50497	A brief narrative of the second meeting between the people called Quakers and Baptists at the Meeting-place, near Wheeler-street, London, the 16th of the 8th moneth, 167[4] / published for information by W.M. ... [et al.]	Mead, William, 1628-1713.; Hicks, Thomas, 17th cent.	1674 (1674)	Wing M1565A; ESTC R29521	29,398	72

greatest of Miracles and most Excellent Argument that the Lord Jesus Christ bestowed upon the unbelieving Iews would be no Evidence in it self because not received by them The Consequence is the horrid Blasphemy of the Pharisees That he cast out Devils by Beelzebub the Prince of Devils This doth exclude all Martyrs from having a Sufficient Evidence because they could not convince their Persecutors of the Validity of that Evidence I do not doubt the poor Woman that said She could not dispute for Christ but she could burn for him had a sufficient Evidence and better then an Impostor that could have made a better verbal Defence I remember that I. Bradford that honest Martyr Book of Mart. 3 Vol. p. 298. gave this Answer to the Arch-Bishop of York We do believe and know the Scriptures as Christ's Sheep not because the Church saith They are the Scriptures but because they be so being thereof assured by the same Spirit which spake them This was all I hear he gave to the Bishop as an Evidence of his Faith concerning the Scriptures Did therefore I. Bradford believe them no more then an Impostor because an Impostor might say so Or was there no better Evidence to Protestants of him then that he was an Impostor Also B. Iewel one of the learnedst and most ancient Prelates of the Church of England in his Book against Harding pag. 532 534. asserts That without the special Help Prompting and Revelation of God's Holy Spirit the Scriptures are to the Reader be he never so wise or well learned as the Vision of a sealed Book So that 1st Inspiration was the Rule of their believing and understanding Scripture 2 dly The Evidence that they and other Christians gave of their Christianity besides good Words and Works was that internal Evidence of the Spirit which Gual Cradock affirms gives to know the Spirit or Fruits of it in other men To conclude If Articles of Faith according to Scripture the Inspiration of the Spirit of Truth fair Words and sober Living and Sufferings are no Evidence because imitable or pretended to by Impostors or that all such are Impostors who cannot evidence their Right to such Things not only Millions in Happiness are questioned as to their Sincerity by J. I. but the best among those he accounts Christians now alive must be concluded Impostors and for himself alas poor Man he will prove an IMPOSTOR with a Witness I. Crook It seems very unreasonable that he that hath Faith and is a true Believer should give an Outward Evidence of his Faith to him that hath no true Faith or else he must be No Christian seeing the Scripture faith and it is true That there is a white Stone and a New Name written in it which no Man knows but he that hath it And he that hath it in himself knows it certainly to be the True Evidence when he hears it from another for it answers as Face to Face in a Glass And as Iob saith There is an Ear that tryeth Words as the Palat tasteth Meat c. Much more was spoak by him to evidence the Truth of this Assertion to the Peoples great Contentment but cannot so particularly and exactly be remembred G. Whitehead I have been concerned in many Disputes and Controversies about Religion and with divers Sorts of People but never met with such unfair Dealing clamorous Work and hideous Noise in Disputes from any People as from these Men though we owe them no ill will the Lord open their and all your Understandings I desire that Seriousness Sobriety and the Fear of God may possess all your Hearts c. G. Keith Friends and People I desire you to take notice that whereas I said We had as great Evidence to show that we were Christians as any Baptists on Earth I spoak modestly I could have said more and now I do say more for there are two Outward Evidences of a Christian unto others one is Good Works another is to Suffer patiently and boldly for the Principles of the Christian Religion Now the Baptists dare not deny but our Works are as good as their own And as for our Sufferings in Times of Persecution they commended them far above their own then they could call us their WALL of Defence betwixt them and the Blows of Persecution and told us they prayed for us as divers here present can witness Note Reader if any object that Saying Not the Suffering but the Cause makes the Martyr I say the Maxim is true but they have not yet proved that our Cause is not good this they did undertake but have been shamefully foyl'd in their Pursuance of it as doth appear to such indifferent and impartial Auditors as were present both Times and may appear to all such impartial Men who read these Relations of the whole Matter in Print I. Crook added a few Words more to the People and concluded the Meeting with his Prayer

at our Door and Tho. Plant knows how uncivilly we were treated and used at our Coming in contrary to what was promised us The Cause of our requiring a Publick Meeting when Tho. Plant mentioned Meeting was we ought to be as Publickly Righted as we had been Publickly Wronged to which he answer'd and T. H. with him that it was very Reasonable Now for them to give us Hopes of being as Publickly Righted as Wronged especially in Matters wherein the Reputation of our Profession and Religion as well as our Concernments as men in the Creation are so highly engaged and then so unfair by a Letter to Oppose themselves to a Publick Meeting was not worthily done But if Tho. Hicks will not meet us in Publick we will follow him into any Private Meeting that shall be equally proposed as to Time Place and Persons resolving by the Help of God to adhere to this Controversie wherein we are concerned for the Honour of God and Religion That all the Rubbish of Lyes and Slanders by him and his Abettors cast in the way of the Simple may be removed With this the Auditory amply manifested their Satisfaction J. Ives I offer this that there be such a Meeting agreed upon as is offered in our Proposals not that I would conclude you but you shall have Liberty to consult about it But if this be disallowed I shall now espouse Tho. Hicks 's first Article wherein he saith The Quakers are no Christians I will offer my Reasons to prove you are not and I could wish I were mistaken VV. Penn Tho. Hicks hath been charged by us to be A Forger Perverter Lyar Slanderer of and against our Faith VVritings and Persons This is implyed in that first Article and upon which we called to the Baptists for Justice the Business of this Meeting is to take Cognizance of that Matter and for you to endeavour to give us the Go by as to that black Charge against T.H. and to fall to other Matters of Controversie is not only a Deviation but to offer Violence to T.H. 's own Method of Procede and if T. Hicks will not appear publickly yet if J. I. or any of you will undertake to personate him we will first read the Charge and then go on to make it good for that is the Work of this Meeting and for Men to say they will do this and that But when they come to the Pinch pick here and there what chey please to insist upon this is not I must tell you for the Accused to do 't is my ' tPart to make good my Charge viz. That T. H. is a Forger c. Let the Charge be read Here W. P. and others pressed hard to have the Charge read in the hearing of the Auditory the People signifying a great Desire thereof but J. I. and his Brethren cryed out Read no Charge to which was joyned a loud Noise and Clamour from the Baptists that it could not be heard J. Ives VVhereas W. P. saith That if we will go on they will joyn Issue with us but considering what they lay to T.H. 's Charge in the VVritings of W. P. and G. W. if it can be proved the Truth of it is that T. H. is the Prodigy of the Age for Slanders and unworthy Dealings but let us make a little Tryal W. P. chargeth T. H. with Forgery and one Instance to prove it is taken out of W. P. 's Book called The sandy Foundation shaken concerning the Word Only which Word is certainly there and at this Rate I will make all the VVorld Forgers if they shall be so because I say so W. Penn If I. Ives will begin here with our Charge I will abide by it provided we may go through the whole Charge as publickly but if J. I. will assume a Priviledge to Chuse as he pleaseth how does this answer the Method of the Charge or his own Promise to begin you may observe how they twist to avoid our proving T. H. a Forger c. I say again the Matter of Fact is charged by us if J.I. will personate T.H. I am ready for him and here offer to prove him as such guilty of Forgery and the Dialogus to be a Fiction J. Ives I am deputed and as far as we two shall proceed he shall be concluded as if T. H. were here W.P. does ask if we will go on with the Articles as laid down we have them and will go on in the Name of T.H. and those Friends related to him and as far as we go on he and they shall be concluded by it but as to many other Articles that require Witnesses they must be left to an other Meeting for him to bring forth his own VVitnesses Whereas he saith That our Letter only mentions Matter of Fact not Controversie I say Matter of Fact may be Matter of Controversie If I charge a Man to be an Atheist or a Papist he saith it is a Scandal we come to prove now the Matter of Fact is Matter of Opinion and so becomes Matter of Controversie Now if T. H. saith The Quakers are No Christians he doth own it to be so not only he but I do here say as much which is the first Article in the Dialogue Here J.I. with great Levity in his Countenance thus saith J. Ives I am come here this Day to prove the Quakers to be no Christians which I hope to do by the Strength of God G. W. That is not the first Article in the Charge we charge him with Forgery we say 't is no real Dialogue it is framed by T. H. that is the Charge and this relateth to matter of Fact he saith it is a Dialogue we say it is made by T. H. wherein saith he is faithfully represented and pulished the most considerable Opinions and Principles of the People called Quakers collected out of their own Writings made extant for common Benefit Doth not this imply that this man is concerned to make it appear that his Dialogues are a real Discourse between one or more that are called Quakers and his so called Christian We say it is not real but a false Representation of our Principles and Practices and that they are words we never spake nor writ but are a meer Fiction This is the matter of Fact and here lies the stress he said It is a Dialogue between a Christian and a Quaker we are here to prove it a Forgery W. P. When a Charge is exibited it ought to be confest or denyed If T. Hicks confess himself a Forgers c. then let us proceed to matter of Doctrine if he denyes it I am here to prove him one Here the People cried That is fair and urged to have the Charge read J. Ives The Substance of what they have said is this That the first Accusation is for writing Dialogue wise W. P. No such matter We do not accuse him for writing Dialogue-wise but for writing Fictions calling them A Dialogue making Persons