Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	adultery_n	commit_v	fornication_n	1,452	5	12.1572	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57303	The good old way and truth which the ancient Christians many ages and generations ago witnessed unto in the world from age to age, even from the dayes of Christ unto this very time, wherein the same doctrine, life and practice is witnessed unto by us who are in contempt called Quakers, through many tribulations, which our ancestors, the most ancient and true Christians that ever were upon the earth, sealed unto, with the loss of their lives and liberties, by which, in short, is fully manifested, in what is treated of herein, that the doctrine of the Quakers, in denying to swear any oath, and their refusing to pay tythes, and many other things they practise, was the doctrine and practise of the most famous and renowned Christians, both testified of in the Scriptures of truth, and the books of martyrs : also, a brief discovery of the ground and rise and tythes, manifesting them no Gospel-maintenance, but was testified against by the best and most ancient Christians many ages ago / written by ... Ambros Rigge.	Rigge, Ambrose, 1635?-1705.; R. T. (Rebecca Travers), 1609-1688.	1669 (1669)	Wing R1483; ESTC R17133	29,214	42

themselves against those whom God hath raised in the Power of his Spirit to revive the ancient Testimony of his Servants in the Earth should flatter themselves in their rigorous proceedings against me and many others at this day for our constant obedience to the Command of Christ having no other thing to charge us withal but concerning the Law of Christ Now I say lest any who hath appeared against us herein should vindicate themselves by or under colour or pretence of any Scripture given forth either under the First or Second Covenant or the Law it self by which they now proceed against us which was never intended to take hold of the Innocent and let the Guilty go free Now under the Law of the First Covenant while Israel stood in Covenant with God they were commanded to swear by his Name in some Cases lest they should swear by false Gods and Idols as was the manner of the Heathens in their dayes as the Egyptians swore by the Life of Pharaoh and after them the Romans by the Life or Fortune of Caesar which was to neither of them any Command of God for they then were Enemies to him and his people But Israel was to Swear by the Living God Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and him shalt thou serve and to him shalt thou cleave and sware by his Name Deut. 10. 20. And in Leviticus this was the Precept to Israel Ye shall not steal neither deal falsly neither lye one to another neither shalt thou profane the Name of thy God I am the Lord Levit. 19. 11 12. And in Numbers If a man vow a vow unto the Lord and swear an Oath to bind his Soul with a Bond he shall not break his Bond but do all that proceedeth out of his mouth Numb 30. 2. Thus Israel in their infancy was commanded to swear by the Lord and to perform their Oaths unto him by which they bound their Souls both to God and one unto another which in its day and time was well-pleasing unto the Lord they answering his requirings therein but take notice by the way Israel was but then under the Law of outward observances which made nothing perfect and so it became them to swear by the Lord as it becomes a child to suck but not a man for when Israel was grown up viz. when Christ came the Oath of God who fulfilled the Law and all the Commands therein as they received him and grew in Grace and the knowledge of him they put away childish things and testified against all Oathes and many other thing which the Law commanded as being but typical and Figures of good things to come when the Substance of all these things was brought in who came not to destroy the Law but to fulfil it as he himself testified to them that were zealous for the Law and dispised him the Substance of it For Circumcision was an express Command of God to Israel being Jews outwardly to them and their Seed for an everlasting Covenant Gen. 17. 13. for saith God The uncircumcised man-child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised that Soul shall be cut off from his people he hath broken my Covenant vers 14. this had a further and more large extent then Swearing ever had yet when Christ came the end of the Law for righteousness sake to every one that believed the Apostle told Israel when they were grown up That if they were circumcised Christ would profit them nothing Gal. 5. 2. yet might Circumcision have been more strongly pleaded for when Paul spoke to the Galatians being God had commanded it to the Jews and to their Seed for an everlasting Covenant which he never did Swearing neither under the First nor Second Covenant so the Galatians had more ground to withstand Paul in crying down Circumcision then any hath to withstand the People or God at this day for denying Swearing And under the Gospel Swearing is more absolutely denied and forbidden by Christ and his Apostles then Circumcision being but a little after Christ began to Preach to Israel under the Second Covenant by his own mouth given in special charge to them then in being Not to Swear at all Matth. 5. 34 35 36 37. and confirmed by the Apostle James Jam. 5. 12. and never practised after by any of the Disciples as was Circumcision for Paul afterwards circumcised Timothy Therefore you who are so zealous for Swearing why are not you so zealous for Circumcision which was more enjoyned in the Scripture then ever Swearing was and with less Authority under the Gospel denied Object And further some pleads for Swearing because the holy men of old time did Swear viz. Abraham David and Solomon Joseph c. To which I answer Moses who gave forth the Law at the Command of God said unto Israel A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise unto you like nnto me him shall ye hear in all things and it shall come to pass that whosoever will not hear the voice of that Prophet shall be cut off from among the People Deut. 18. 18 19. which Prophet was Christ the end of the Law and when God brought him forth into the World he commanded Israel to hear him in all things Matth. 17. 5. who said Before Abraham was I am he commanded Israel Not to Swear at all The same Jesus said that he was greater then Solomon Mat. 12. 41 42. and was Davids Lord and by him God spake to Israel who was and is to be heard and obeyed in all things yea Whosoever shall break one of the least of his Commandments and teach men so shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven but whosoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 5. 19. by which all you Swearing Teachers and Swearers contrary to the positive Command of Christ and the Apostle without any exception may read your portion for they who love Christ both keep his Commandment and teach others so to do For where Christ intended any exception in changing of the Law in what it had commanded he plainly expressed it as in Matthew where it was said that Moses suffered a man that would put away his wife to give her a Writing of Divorcement c. Mat. 5. 31. but saith Christ I say unto you whosoever shall put away his wife saving for the cause of Fornication vers 31. Mark saving for the cause of Fornication where Christ plainly expresseth the exception when he intended it And at the 28th verse Christ expressed the exception again when he intended it i. e. Whosoever shall look upon a woman to lust after her mark to lust after her hath committed Adultery with her already in his heart so it is plain that when Christ intended any exception in changing the Law he did not leave his work imperfect for vain man after him to rectifie And immediately after this in the same Chapter Christ positively commands without any exception his

Disciples and Followers Not to swear at all neither by Heaven neither by the Earth neither by Jerusalem nor by the Head c. Mat. 5. 34 35 36. Now here is a plain change of the Law which commanded Israel to swear by the Lord by him who had all Power in Heaven and Earth given unto him Matth. 28. 18. that he might rule all Nations with a rod of Iron who fulfilled the Law under which Abraham Solomon David and Joseph sware so is their Swearing no plea for any under the Gospel to immitate but the contrary But it is objected That by those of old time Christ meant the Expositers of the Law who said If men swear Truth it was no evil but onely they were not to swear to that which was false To which is answered that this being an invention of the Objector and no where so said in the Scripture of Truth It needs no other answer but a denial for by them of old time is spoken of them by whom God spoke to Israel under the Law let the Greek Readers speak if the word therein doth not imply so much But when Israel revolted from the Lord in their hearts and yet kept the Form of Swearing and said The Lord lived yet the Prophet Jeremiah saith Though they say the Lord liveth albeit they swear falsly Jer. 1 2 and 23. though no truer thing could be said or sworn unto then that the Lord lived yet after they ceased to walk with God in his Covenant made with them but went into Adultery and Deceit and perverted Judgement and judged not the cause of the Fatherless nor the right of the Widdow and last of all the wonderful horrible thing was committed in their Land Their Prophets prophested fasly and their Priests bear rule by their means and they loved to have it so therefore saith the Lord what will ye do in the end thereof So though it was true that the Lord lived yet he lived not in them who were in the aforesaid Abominations they held the Form but were gone from the Power and Life and so then it was a customary thing with them to swear even as it is now with the Apostate Christians who are now in the very same Horrible Abominations of Swearing Lying Killing Stealing and committing Adultery their Priests bearing rule by their means more like lords over Gods Heritage then any Examples of the Flock and the people loving to have it so but what will ye do in the end thereof But though Israel play the Harlot yet let not Judah so offend But come ye not to Gilgal neither go ye up to Bethauan nor Swear the Lord lives And Amos saith They that swear by the sin of Samaria and saith the God of Dan liveth and the manner of Beersheba liveth even they shall fall and never rise again Amos 8. 14. but while Israel kept Covenant with God as I said before they swore by the Name of the Lord in Truth and Righteousness but when they revolted they kept the Form and swore without fear and prophaned the Name of the Lord and swore by the Heathen by Malcam and by the sin of Samaria which was no where warranted to them by God even as the Apostate Christians in ourage swear now upon a Book for which they have not the least colour of Scripture it being made up of divers Creatures which was never commanded to be sworn by either under the First or Second Covenant but forbidden Object Again It is said the Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews allows of Swearing before a Magistrate in these Words For men verily swear by the greater and an Oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife Answ To which is replyed that the Apostle there spoke of men that were in strife and not of them who had learned of Christ as is very clear and manifest from his words both in that place and also in his Epistle to the Corinthians saying He had fed them with Milk and not with Meat for hitherto ye were not able to bear it neither yet are ye able For ye are carnal for whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions are ye not carnal and walk as men 1 Cor. 3. 1 2 3. Now these are the carnal men that swear by the greater of which Paul spoke to the Hebrews who were in strife and so had not learned Christ who ends the Law in which the strife is here Paul makes a clear distinction to the Hebrews between men in strife and swearing and grown Christians who had learned of Christ and did abide in his Doctrine in saying to the Hebrews For men verily swear by the greater c. mark men in strife and carnal not you Hebrews And again An Oath for confirmation to them mark to them not to you is an end of all strife For where envying and strife is there is contention and every evil work Jam. 3. 16. And there is no more ground given by the Apostle for the Saints to swear at all by any Oath from the words before mentioned then there is ground from Christ's words to the Saints to exercise lordship one over another because he saith Mark 10. 42. The Gentiles do so c. Besides did not those that used swearing in those dayes do it to put an end to all strife but is not Oathes imposed at this day where no strife is nay are they not imposed for the beginning of strife let the Righteous judge how far these who would be accounted Gospel Professors are fallen that they are short of the practise of those who were carnal and lived in strife in dayes past And the Apostle James to confirm Christ's words when he spoke to his Brethren who had learned of Christ and come out of the strife saying Above all things my Brethren Swear not neither by Heaven nor Earth nor any other Oath but let your yea be yea and your nay nay lest ye fall into condemnation Jam. 5. 12. This he spoke without any exception as Christ had done before to his Disciples so as it was the perfection of the Jews under the Law not to swear falsly so it was the perfection of the Christians under the Gospel not to swear at all Object But some have said that it is vain swearing that Christ and the Apostle James forbad in ordinary communication and not swearing in Courts of Judicature c. Answ If so then Christ did not more then what the Law had done before which is high presumption against God to say for the Law possitively forbad all vain and false swearing whatsoever though it made nothing perfect Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his Name in vain Exod. 20. 7. This shuts out all vain Swearing without any exception before the better Hope was brought in Heb. 7. 19. which was Christ in them the hope of glory Col. 1. 27. who was