Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	accusation_n	accuse_v	accuser_n	114	3	10.1625	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30560	A vindication of the people of God, called Quakers ... being an ansvver to a book, dedicated to them, by one George Pressick of Dublin : in which book many lyes and calumnies are presented against the innocent people of God ... / by E.B.	Burrough, Edward, 1634-1662.	1660 (1660)	Wing B6053; ESTC R2304	18,015	26

if it were necessary or would edifie or were a matter of pertinency I could say somewhat more concerning that Peoples appearing in Germany but being a matter not suiting my occasion I do forbear it 2. As for them called Anabaptists of this our Age and Country I shall not plead their cause at this time though I cannot believe that they are of that spirit of Murder and Tyranny c. as is reputed by your Informer though their Judgment in every Case neither about Civil or Spiritual things I dare not justifie nor may I lawfully clear all of them from a large measure of the spirit of Ambition and Covetousness Vain-glory and Self-seeking for which the Lord hath justly brought them under a just reproof and by this time I believe some of them may see some errour in their own way andmore I may not say of them but that I believe the present Accusation against them by your present Informer is more out of bitter and perverse enmity and devouring malice that he bears towards them than out of any other end and I doubt not but they are sufficient to answer for themselves and to clear their Innocency in things wherein they are not guilty and if they are guilty let them fall in their tryal I leave them to speak for themselves thus omitting any further Answer on their behalf 3. As for us whom in scorn the Accuser calleth Quakers and whom he hath accused as guilty in all things with the Anabaptists so called in Germany and in this Nation I say there is great difference both in Iudgement and Practice in things Civil so accounted and things Spiritual between us and them as is well known and were they fully guilty of all what is said of them which I dare not believe yet how can we be charged guilty of their Crimes being they and we are different in Iudgment and Practice as I have said Surely your Informer hath neither shewed good Conscience nor yet pure Reason in his proceeding who hath laid things to our charge which we never knew and hath accused us guilty of that which never entred into our hearts to practise and hath as it were charged other mens crimes upon us being wholly innocent as will appear in the prosecution of this matter and I hope to make it plain that he hath wronged us and abused you by dedicating Falshoods for your approof and sent Slanders abroad as it were under your Name or Patronage 4. As concerning the Charge it self included in these words saith your Informer And considering how instrumental your Honours have been to suppress their Insolent Tyrannical Usurped Authority which they exercised over Gods People in this Nation to enslave us c. In these words there are very deep Accusations Slanders and unjust Reproaches vented against us and with what face except Impudent we can be thus charged is almost wonderful especially considering that we have been our selves a suffering people by every Authority since the time the Lord raised us up and never had any outward Authority in this Nation but all were cast out of all place and power both Civil and Military when as they have become one with us in our way and this hath been the manner of dealing with us by all that ever have ruled and yet we are charged most unjustly with exercising insolent tyrannical usurped Authority in this Nation c. for it 's said Their insolent and They exercised to wit the Quakers when as it is manifest as I have shewed that we never exercised any outward Authority at all but have been a suffering People by all Authorities unto this day therefore I do appeal to the Witness of God in your own Consciences how great is this Slander and how false this Accusation and how wicked is our Adversary in thus accusing us before you in the things which you so well know are utterly and detestably false and the Accuser and his Accusations are to be condemned together 5. But and if it had been so or should be so in time to come that we had any or all outward Authority in our hands I may suppose impossible things to manifest the truth of our Principle our Principle is not to be in insolent tyrannical nor to be Usurpers over Gods People to enslave them but far the contrary even that Iustice Mercy and Truth may sit in the Throne and that Peace and Freedom may be held forth unto all that no Usurpers nor Tyrants but Iust men and men that fear God and hate Covetousness and every evil way that such alone may sit in Judgment whom God calleth to that place who will rule in Righteousness and Justice and regard the Cause of the Poor and Needy we would that such only ruled who were ruled by the Lord who would be a blessing in the world and to all people not desiring more liberty to our selves than what we would give unto all others in all just wayes This is our Principle as to matters of outward Authority among men and not as this false Accuser hath suggested out of his evil heart 6. As to the matter of your suppressing us which your Applauder saith you have been instrumental to do This is as false as the rest for we are no more suppressed than before you exercised your present Authority but are every way in as much liberty of persons and otherwise as in their dayes before yours and are no way suppressed nor fearful of it So the Author of such Lyes hath but flattered you and fawned upon you in telling you ye have suppressed us when as it 's nothing so but and if it had been in your hearts or be at this day to suppress us and to hinder us of our liberties and to persecute us the Lord shall plead our Cause against you and give no success unto your work but it shall be turned to our Renown and to your Overthrow and the secret hand of God shall confound you and break your purposes and deliver his People out of your mouths Thus it shall come to passe if that your hands should be stretched forth to hurt us who are Gods Heritage and the Sheep of his Fold And thus much in answer to his Epistle Now I come to a second Accusation of his stated in his first Page in these words We may see from whence Anabaptists Quakers Ranters and Levellers all had their Original namely from the Papists c. Answ. 1. As for the Anabaptists Ranters and Levellers I leave them to plead their own Cause and though we are accused with such yet there is much difference in Iudgment and Practice between us and them though I believe they are all further from Popery both in judgment and practice than is this Accuser of them but yet they shall answer for themselves and I shall only mind the matter I have in hand which is to clear the People of God called Quakers from the Accusations charged falsly against them whom I know

A VINDICATION OF THE People of GOD CALLED QUAKERS DIRECTED Unto Roger Boyle Called Earl of Orrery Charles Coote Called Earl of Mountrath Theophilus Iones Called Sir Theophilus Iones BEING AN ANSVVER To a BOOK dedicated to Them by one George Pressick of Dublin In which Book many Lyes and Calumnies are presented against the Innocent People of God And this is for the clearing of the TRUTH that no Lye may rest upon it And for the Satisfaction of all Sober People in Ireland and elsewhere With a Word of Good ADVICE to the Chief Governours there By E. B. London Printed for Robert Wilson in Martins Le Grand A VINDICATION Of the People of God called QUAKERS THere is Irreconcileable Enmity between the two Seeds to wit the Seed of God and the Seed of the Serpent and these two are alwayes opposite and contrary one to the other in Nature Fruits and Effects and the Seed of the Serpent is alwayes persecuting the Seed of God in every Age and Generation and they in whom the Seed of the Serpent is living and ruling are alwayes projecting and contriving mischief and hatred against the People and Servants of the Lord in whom the Seed of God liveth and reigneth as it is written He that is born of the flesh persecutes him that is born after the Spirit Thus it hath been in all generations and thus it is at this day Great is the opposition that is made by many in Lyes and Slanders in Reviling and Reproaching in Imprisoning and Persecuting and in all manner of evil works and words against the innocent People of God called Quakers How have the hands of ungodly men been lifted up to smite that People by many kinds of abuses and how have their tongues been set on fire to reproach and revile and slander in all kind of evil-speaking and all this for Righteousness-sake and not for any evil-doing For who is the man and where is he that can justly charge Evil upon that People either in Doctrine Faith or Practice or in any thing relating to their Religion to God-wards or in relation to their Conversations and Walking towards men It is true we have not wanted Accusers to every Authority but such and such things have been falsly charged against us and that to every Power that hath been since we were a People under whom we have been a Suffering People even from all that ever have sitten in the Throne since the Lord raised us up to bear witness of his glorious Name and Truth in the world Now the present occasion of this my present work is Forasmuch as we now stand accused of great and heinous Crimes in the view of this whole Kingdom of Ireland and more particularly before you Three in a Book called A brief Relation of some Remarkable Passages of the Anabaptists in Germany c. published by one Geo. Pressick of Dublin and dedicated in a special manner to you that his Work may passe with the greater Credit and his Slanders and Calumnies be received for Undoubted Truths Now that the Innocency of the Upright may be cleared and that no lye may rest upon the Truth nor that you neither any others may receive Falshoods for Verities because of our silence therefore it is that the Lord hath put it into my heart to defend the Cause of God and his People by returning plain and sober Answer to the principal parts of his Book wherein we are concerned and falsly charged and for the end that the false Accuser may be reproved and his Calumnies returned into his own evil and malicious heart from whence they came and that You and all men may be truly informed and prevented if possible of being seduced into the belief of falshoods lest that your hearts and hands should be stirred up to Act or Do in your Authority against the People whom God hath blessed and from the ground and cause of Mis-informations and false Accusations without better testimony which would be a way to destroy your selves and to bring the guilt of the unjust Sufferings of the Lords People upon your own heads which would draw down the heavy Wrath of God upon you I cannot flatter you by feigned words of Guile nor give you flattering Titles but I judge you are Reasonable men in that degree as to hear and consider our Defence aswell as our Enemies Charge and I hope you are wise in that degree as to judge between Truth and a Lye and to distinguish one from the other and I suppose you are just in that measure as to receive what ye know to be Truth and to reject what ye know to be False being convinced in your own Consciences and as such I must place my Plea before you particularly and make my Defence to your Iudgment Seat even to the Witness of God in your Consciences I intend and mean And I shall omit to say much to the Accuser himself as supposing him a man more full of envious raging humour than of solid and wise judgment to receive either reproof or conviction for many such as he I have dealt withall in this case whom I have found men so filled with prejudice that neither the Authority of sound Reason nor of the Word of God could convince them of their evil proceedings Therefore before you I shall state the particular Accusations and the Defence against them The way in which our Adversary hath proceeded in his Accusations is obscure and yet malicious enough and also in great ignorance for he tells you in his Epistle he hath gathered up out of several Authors the most remarkable passages both of the Doctrine and Practice of the Anabaptists so called in Germany 139 years ago and then he charges the same things upon the Anabaptists and Quakers as he scornfully calls them in these dayes and then he applauds you three in words of high stile for being instrumental to suppress their insolent tyrannical usurped Authority which they exercise over Gods People in this Nation to enslave us saith he to their insatiable lusts There are his own words in his Epistle Answ. In answer to all this divers things are very considerable which I desire to lay before you 1. Concerning the Anabaptists so called in Germany and their Doctrines and Practices with the several Transactions falling out in that time It is not my work now to plead their Cause nor yet can I justifie them in their proceedings if the relations given of them be true which are many and to me seems not in every thing credible because I find it were their Enemies who are our Authors who seldom give true relations of such whom they hate But be the Relations true or false it is not material in this case in hand for my occasion is not concerning a People so far off as in Germany and of so long time as above a hundred of years but I am to clear the Innocent who are now living from the present Accusations of an envious man though