Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bear_v	truth_n	witness_n	3,073	5	8.6773	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75414	An Answer to a scandalous paper, wherein were some queries given to be answered. And likewise, therein is found many lies and slanders, and false accusations against those people whom he (and the world) calls Quakers. Dated from Dorchester in New-England, August 17. 1655. subscribed, Edward Breck, which was directed to a people at Rainforth in Lancashire, which he calls, A church of Christ. The truth is cleared of his scandalls, lies, and slanders, and he found to bee a reproacher of the Church of Christ. His paper and quæries answered by those people called, Quakers.		1656 (1656)	Wing A3345A; Thomason E875_4; ESTC R206566	30,171	38

and cry Peace Peace and he that putteth not into their mouth they even prepare war against them which the Lord sent Micah to cry against And those that seduce the people saying Peace and there is no peace and one builds a wall and another daubs with untempered morter those whom the Lord declared against by Ezekiel And those whom the Lord saith he is against who prophesie false Dreams and cause the people to erre by their lyes and by their lightness and say the Lord saith it when saith the Lord I never spake to them These are they whom we testifie against which all the true Prophets of the Lord were sent to bear witness against and therefore by them did they suffer and were called before Magistrates and Rulers and persecuted and hated of all men and made as the off-scouring of the world and accounted not worthy to live The same Testimony and the same Effects and Fruits of it in this Generation we who are of the world in scorn called Quakers do witness at this day in these Nations as many prisons and stockings and scourgings and whippings we have suffered which is our joy and riches which suffering is not worthy to be compared to the glory which is to be revealed And blessed be our Lord Jesus Christ who hath found us worthy and given us power not only to beleeve on him but also to suffer for his sake and the Scriptures of everlasting truth is fulfilled which hath said He was numbred among the transgressors and counted as Sheep for the slaughter and killed all the day long and this we witness to be out portion from this generation which goes by the name of Ministers and for no other cause that they have against us but for bearing witness for the living God and his Truth as it is made manifest in us by the same Spirit and Life and Power as all the Holy Men of God were sent Prophets and Apostles who were made Ministers of the Eternall Spirit these were alwayes sent to speak against those who had the form of Scriptures and the profession but alwayes persecuted the Life and Power that spoke them forth and as he that was born after the flesh ever persecuted him that was born after the spirit even so it is now And by this Generation of Priests and Elders and High-Priests was Christ and his Apostles persecuted and accused and hailed and arraigned before Magistrates as ye may read throughout the Scriptures and all the righteous blood that hath been shed since Abel hath been shed by this Generation and so the Scripture is fulfilled which saith As a Troop of Robbers waits for a man so doth a company of Priests murther in the way by consent And for Magistrates we own such as Rule for the Lord who are a terrour to the evill doers and lay the Law upon the Transgressors who bears not the Sword in vain such as are for the praise of them that do well such we own and honour in our souls and are subject to for conscience sake but all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men we bear witness against in Magistrates Priests and people which act contrary to that of God in the Conscience for God is no respector of persons but of all sorts of people he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with him and we honour all men in the Lord and he that ruleth well is worthy of double Honour and this we stand for and bear witness to and this Testimony we are willing if we be called to it to seal with our blood as many who have gone before us have done And so here thou may see and read thy Accusation to be false who saith we rail against MAGISTRATES and MINISTERS And whereas thou saith Truth is Beloved and that which is my grief that I have been informed and I dare not but beleeve it that there are men among you who have departed from the Faith and Purity of the Gospel to depend upon Iesuitical and Satanicall delusions I mean such as go under the name of quakers who depend not upon the Scriptures for Light but on what they receive from a Spirit which casteth them into a Trance what these Trances are let men of understanding judge for I am weak c. Answer Let all who reads thy words try thy beloved Truth as thou calls it which is that thou dare not beleeve lyes that which many hundreds can witness to the contrary of this that thou hast spoken which though thou saith there is men among us whom thou saith goeth under the name of quakers that depends upon Jesuiticall and Satanicall Delusions this we utterly deny and a Cloud of Witnesses we have which will stand against thee in this thing and witness it to be an untruth which thou confesseth thy faith dare not but beleeve and among many thousands which is convinced of the everlasting Truch of the everlasting God we do not know one Priest or Jesuit or Papist that owns us or joynes with us And so let all that reads thy Truth and thy Faith as thou call it see how far thou art from the Truth neither is there any among us that is brought into the Ministry to Preach the everlasting Gospel that ever did profess that Faith of the Romish Church And so whether thou be not found here in a Satanicall Delusion who is thus bclying and slandering and accusing falsely the innocent contrary to all Truth whether lyes and slanders and false accusations be not of of the Devill let all honest hearts judge And now let any who hath the least measure of God in them to guide their mindes unto Justice and Equity judge what Faith this is that thou art exhorting to who art found in such delusions of beleeving lyes thy self how thou can exhort to the Truth who art found quite contrary accucusing reproaching scandalizing and defiling the Truth thy faith which doth not purifie thy heart from this uncleanness we do deny and thy Hope which doth not purifie from these filthy accusasations we do deny and the Church of Christ wil deny it where ever it is and doth know and see that no lye is of the Truth And so this thy Faith which thou art exhorting to when the just and rightcous God cometh to plead with all flesh by Sword and by Fire thou and thy Faith which dare not but beleeve lyes wil perish and the hope of the Hypocrite doth perish when the over slowing scourge cometh Therefore take warning and now thou hast time prize it for the Judge stands at the doore who layes Judgement to the line and rightcousness to the Plummet and thy refuge of lyes will be swept away and thy Covenant with Hell and Death will be broken For the tryed Stone is risen the sure Foundation who judgeth with righteousness and reproves with equity Therefore turn thy minde to that which is just and equall and righteous that is of God which tells thee thou ought not to

then for evill doing for Jesus Christ hath suffered the just for the unjust that he might bring us unto God And for this Faith do we contend which was once delivered to the Saints and are willing to lay down our lives and to seal the testimony of our Consciences with our blood and this our faith is not to beleeve lies as thou doth which is manifested in thy Paper sufficiently and this is that faith which overcomes and gives victory over the world and beleeves in the Truth as it is in Jesus And thou begins and reckons from the Maryan-times the Generations of men famous as thou saith who stood for Faith and Holiness and the profession of true Religion I answer Thou may see what thy profession of true Religion ends in who art now in thy old age beleeving lyes and false accusations which thou hast no true ground for and are accusing and slandering the pure innocent Truth of God which is clear in the sight of God of these slanders which thou hast cast upon it for which the Just God will plead with thee when thy talking of a Faith will not serve thee nor thy profession of a true Religion when thou art persecuting and detaining the pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father this is to visit the Father less and the Widow in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted of the world But thou art found in the desilement and casting thy filth of lyes and slanders upon Religion and therefore art thou found in the world one of them Therefore now repent of the evill of thy doings while thou hast time and turn thy minde to that measure of God in thee which tells thee thou should not lye nor slander nor accuse falsly there is something in thee that tells thee these things ought not to be there is that of God in thy conscience which tells thee thou ought not to beleeve lyes nor to take reports from the mouths of slanderers and to cast them upon the innocent who was ever reproached and slandered by the world and so in this thou art become one with the persecutors that ever persecuted the appearance of God where ever it was made manifest So let that of God in thy conscience now examine and search what thou art doing who art slandering those whom thou knows not nor hath nothing to lay to their charge but what thou hath by hear-say and consider whether this be as thou would be done by But in this thou hast manifested thy ignorance of God and of his pure Truth which leads to do unto all men as they would have men to do unto them and here thou art found out of the Truth and out of the Life that gave forth the Scriptures who takes the Scriptures but for a cloak to cover thy nakedness withall but art ignorant of that spirit that spoke them forth as thou makes it manifest in thy next words where thou saith Those men gave not their mindes with Balaam to look out for visions to curse Gods people Here thou hast manifested thy ignorance of the Scriptures for when Balaam looked out at the temptation of Baalack he would have cursed them but he did not look then to the vision of God which said he should not curse them And so all who wil but read that Scripture may see thy confusion and ignorance for in that Vision and Prophesie Balaam did see and know the people of God and could not curse them while he kept to it untill he did hearken and look out at the temptation of Balaack And so here read thy ignorance in Scripture Besides in this thou speaks against all the Holy-Men of God as Moses Samuel Nathan Daniel Isaiah Paul Peter Iohn c. and all that ever was taught by the immediate Spirit of the living God was taught by Vision and Revelation and this thou exhorts those whom thou calls the Church of Christ from Therefore let all that reads thy words mark thy Blasphemy and ignorance of God and of his eternall living Truth as it is in Jesus the only begotten Son which now the Father is revealing in this his day and the Son likewise is revealing the Father Glory and Praises be to the living powerfull God for ever And thou speaks of railing against Magistrates and Ministers which is a false accusation for railing we do deny but we speak the Truth in Christ and lye not our consciences also bearing us witness in the sight of God And the Ministers of Christ we own who are Ministers of the Spirit and not of the Letter for the Letter killeth but the Spirit maketh alive and those who have the Ministration of the Spirit which quickens we own and have unity with them who is made not by the will of man nor the will of the flesh but by the wil of God according to the Promise of life which is in Christ Iesus who have not received their Gospel by man but by the Revelation of Iesus this Ministry we own and this Ministry we witness But that Ministry which is received from man who teacheth for Doctrine the Precepts and Commandments of men which are found in the steps of the Scribes and Pharisees which Christ cryed wo against who sit in Moses seat who are sayers but not doers who bindes heavy burthens grievous to be born but will not themselves move them with one of their fingers but all their works they do to be seen of men love the uppermost rooms at Feasts the chief seats in the Synagogues are called of men Master who devour widows houses and for a pretence make long Prayers who are blinde guides such as Christ Jesus cryed wo against who is our Lord and Master and Shepherd of our souls but who are found acting in those things which he cryed wo against we do deny and turn from them for Christ Jesus hath left us a Rule to know them by their fruits which makes them manifest to be the ravening wolves inwardly which Christ Jesus speaks of who have the Sheeps clothing the Saints words and profession but their ravening wolvish nature appears by their persecution and tyranny which they exercise in this Nation of England as most Goals in this Nation can witness who have many of the innocent harmless people of God shut up in Dungeons and Holes for no other cause but for bearing witness for the living God against the deceit by which they keep poor people in blindness and ignorance of God who are the same as ever the Lord sent his true Prophets to cry against who bear rule by their means and commit the horrible and filthy thing which the Lord sent Ieremiah to cry against And who seek for their Gain from their quarter and preacheth for Hire which the Lord sent Isaiah to cry against who feed with the sat and clothe with the wool which the Lord sent Ezekiel to cry against And such as make the people to erre that bite with their teeth

and then thou wilt be sure to partake of their plagues And so in love to thy soul we have answered this thy Paper and quaeries and for the clearing of the Truth of God which is innocent and clear of thy scandalls and lyes and slanders the Lord God is our Witness who will plead our cause with our enemies and clear the innocency of those that suffer for him to whom alone we commit our cause and to him alone return to be judged and tryed who alone judges the secrets of all hearts who judgeth righteous Judgement and gives unto every one according to their deeds to him alone we commit our cause for whom we stand witnesses in sufferings in tryalls in buffetings in scourgings in whippings to whom we owe our lives and whose Testimony we are willing to seal with our blood if we be called to it To him who is our Strength and Rock our Preserver and Deliverer be all Glory and Dominion over all to Reigne and Rule and have Dominion who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords Blessed for evermore So now to thee who hath confessed thou hath none other Light nor knows none other way to Christ thy Saviour then the holy Scriptures a few Quaeries to thee and all those thou calls Minister in New-England and elsewhere Quaery 1. WHether God was not the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob yea or nay 2. If so How they did know him to be their God seeing there was no Scriptures written then 3. How Moses knew God and what God had wrought in so many Generations before him seeing there was no Scripture before Moses writ 4. Whether did the Prophets of the Lord speak from a Scripture without them seeing that they said thus saith the Lord or what they spoke they received immediately from the Lord yea or nay 5. And whether Christ Jesus who is the Saviour of his people was before Abraham yea or nay 6. Whether the Apostles had their Testimony and assurance of salvation from the Scriptures without them or from Christ Jesus whom the Apostle said was within them the hope of glory yea or nay 7. And if so what ground or testimony have you that the Scriptures without you is the Light and the way to Salvation seeing that those who spoke forth the Scripture had a witness and a testimony within them 8. What assurance or certain testimony hast thou or you that Christ that was crucified at Jerusalem so many hundred years ago how do you know him to be your Saviour since that you have no testimony but the writings without you 9. And whether he be not the Saviour of his people from their sins and what sins ye are saved from who knows him not but as you have writings and records of him that he was crucified so many hundred years since at Jerusalem and how you would have known him if you had not had the Declaration of the Scriptures 10. And whether you do not lay wast Scriptures and deny Christ who saith they are the Way and Rule of life whenas the Scripture saith Christ is the way the truth and the life and that there is none that cometh to the Father but by him yea or nay 11. And whether you do not deny Christ Jesus and the Scriptures also who saith the Scriptures is the Light and that you know none other way to salvation whenas Christ Jesus saith I am the Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world and he that walketh in this Light shall have the Light of life and whether you do not deny Christ and the Scriptures in this yea or nay seeing the Scriptures saith the same 12. And whether God in the Scriptures hath not promised a new Covenant which he will make with his people that he will write it in their hearts and put it in their inward parts and whether ye do not cross this Covenant who looks for salvation in outward writings yea or nay 13. Whether God hath not promised that he wil teach his people himself and that they shall not need to say know the Lord but they shall all know me from the least to the greatest yea or nay 14. And whether the Teacher which the Lord hath said shall be no more removed into a Corner by which the Lord teacheth his people whether this be the Letter of Scripture yea or nay And whether the Scripture may not be removed into a corner yea or nay 15. What voice that is which calleth behinde saying This is the way walk in it and whether the Scriptures be this voice yea or nay 16. And what way that is which shall be called the way of holyness which the unclean shall not pass over but it shall be for the waysaring man though fools shall not erre therein and whether this way be the Scriptures yea or nay 17. And whether there may not be errage where there is no way known but the Scriptures yea or nay 18. And whether the Apostle did not speak truth when he said to the Romans That which may he known of God is manifest in them for he hath shewed it unto them and whether that which God did shew to them was Scripture without yea or nay 19. And whether the Scriptures without be the Word of God which was in the beginning yea or nay 20. And whether that Word which Moses taught Israel and that which the Apostle speaks of to the Romans which is nigh in the heart be not the same Word by which the Lord teacheth his people yea or nay 21. And whether that VVord which was in the beginning and was with God and which VVord was God by which all things were made and without him was not any thing made that was made and whether this be the Scripture without yea or nay 23. And whether this be not him in whom is life and the life is the light of men and whether thou and you do not deny the Scriptures and Christ Jesus who is the word and the light and the life and the way who saith that the Scriptures is the light and eternal life and the way to come to salvation yea or nay 24. What right or title or interest hast thou or you to the Epistles which the Apostles writ to the Saints who received his Ministery and followed and was begotten by him who was a Minister of the Spirit which quickneth and maketh alive 25. And what is this to you who knows not the ministration of the Spirit but all that you know is from the letter without you whenas the Apostle saith The Letter killeth but the Spirit giveth life and the ministration of the Spirit turneth from the darkness to the light and from the power of Satan unto God and what light are you turned to who know no other light but the Scriptures without you which a great part of the world hath and yet lives in darkness and under the power of Satan 26. Whether you do not deceive your own souls who takes these words which the Apostle spoke to a people which was made partaker of the same spirit which he spoke from and was gathered into the light which he spoke from And these words which he spoke to a people in another condition ye take to your selves who knows no light as you confess your selves but the Scriptures without you and what this will avail you to take these words which was spoken to another seed whenas the Apostle saith The promise is not to seeds as to many but unto one seed which is Christ who is the light and the way and the Saviour of his people and what is this to you who have the Scriptures without you for your way your light and eternal life 27. Whether the prophesyings in the Churches of Christ which we read on in the Scripture was from the Letter without or from the Spirit within and whether you can judge of their conditions then or now who are come to the Spirit of Prophesie who have no testimony of Christ but from the Letter without The End