Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A51587
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A testimony against periwigs and periwig making, and playing on instruments of musick among Christians or any other in the days of the gospel being several reasons against those things / by one who for good conscience sake hath denyed and forsaken them, John Mulliner.
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Mulliner, John.
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1677
(1677)
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Wing M3059; ESTC R31060
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19,265
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24
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preached amongst you but this principle to have People mind God in their Conscience and to be faithful to what they know of God and what hard measure have they met with how have they been stocked and stoned and whipped and imprisoned their Goods rended from them and for nothing but for God's sake to keep their Conscience clear in his sight And how have some sealed it with their Blood and still are ready though patient Suffering in his Power God be magnified for it with their Lives given up and if God should suffer them to be brought to the stake for the Testimony of Jesus And let the Rain fall and the Wind blow and the Storms beat they are anchored upon that Rock Christ Jesus which the Gates of Hell cannot prevail against And do not think that this Pearl of great price which they have sold all for they will part with for nothing or for the Glory of this World which perisheth and this I say of them that are faithful to God in what they know they are the People of God and there is no more required of any of us but to be faithful to what we know be it much or little So this is my Testimony for this people if I should write no more for I wait for my Dissolution nor I know not how few my dayes may be amongst you And now you my loving Neighbours and Acqaintance since it hath been the Good Pleasure of the God of Heaven to send this Affliction of Lameness upon me so that in the prime of my age my strength is taken from me I Care not charge God with Injustice nor murmure against him he is Just and Righteous in all his wayes and if he had not sent this Affliction upon me I know not whether I should have been conformable to his Heavenly Will but in Love and Tenderness to my soul hath he suffered this Exercise to come upon me and I have for ever Cause to bless his Name that ever he hath dealt with me after this manner if he never restore me to my former strength again his Will be done though to look at it it is very hard and I know I am an Object of Pity to many of you but why should I murmur at it Shall the Pot say to the Potter why hast thou made me thus No I shall not but bless his Name that ever he hath spared me to this day that I should answer what he required of this poor weak Body of mine and this is the greatest Joy and Comfort of my Soul that as I have found my strength go from me outwardly my Faith and Hope and Strength hath renewed in God inwardly And here I have great Cause of Joy and Comfort and to God let the Honour and Praise be who is worthy overall blessed for ever and for evermore faith my soul And one thing more I would desire of you to have a Care of speaking slightingly of the Spirit of God and Christ and making a Mock thereat as some have done as saying What the Spirit will not let you do this or that Let me prevail with you to have a Care what you say as to this thing lest you sin the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost I have wondered when some men have spoke to me after this manner who profess to be VVise and Religious should offer to speak so slightingly of this Spiritual Appearance of Christ for if ever you know God you must know him Spiritually For God is a Spirit and they that worshlp him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth And do you not read how The Spirit wars against the flesh and the flesh against the Spirit And to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace but to be carnally minded is Death And again Quench not the Spirit Grieve not the Holy Spirit whereby ye are sealed unto the day of Redemption Eph. 4.30 And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesie your old men shall dream dreams your young men shall see visions Joel 2.28 And several more Scriptures there are that we may read concerning their spiritual Conditions but this spiritual Appearance of Christ is so mocked and scorned at that when any of God's People are brought before some you are ready to say what you are troubled with he Spirit you cannot swear you cannot give us Respect you must come with theeing thouing in your mouths and be brought before whom you will all is one to you Blessed be God that it is so that there is a People have more regard to please God then to please any man living as to these things Some time I have had concerns wi h some of you that rather then I would have come before you with my hat on if I could have been clear in God's sight I had rather have lain at your Feet but at any time if I did not stand faithful to this small thing as you count of what Pain and Sorrow have I had quickly after it in my Conscience that I knew I had not done well in it and it hath caused me to cry sometimes to God surely I shall take more care next time Now if you would but keep to your rule the Scriptures as you reckon them methinks you need not be so much offended whenas the Scriptures speak against having men's Persons in Admiration because of Advantage He that respects mens Persons commits sin Christ saith Learn of me I am meek and lowly and you shall find rest to your souls Who learns Lowliness of him will not take Offence at those who in Obedience to him speak his Language Thee and Thou to a single Person and who wear their Hats upon their Heads for which they were made If men would but truly come to serve the Lord their God in their Hearts it would teach them better manners one to another then a few dissembling Titles of Honour and worshipful with the Cap and Knee I pray you what do they all signifie but to make men proud amd there is too much of that already But this let them do Do-justly love Mercy and walk humbly with their God and then there will be no Offence taken And why should you take Occasion at Thee or Thou in the Scripture you may plentifully see that when the Servants of God went to declare his VVord to the Kings they went and said Thou O King hear the Word of the L rd and in your very Prayers when you pray to God do you not say Thou Lord or Thou God And what do you expect better Language then you give to the God of Heaven which if you should say You it would be Nonsense and People would think such were not in their wits as should say You Lord or You God Then again this Rule saith that formerly it was said in the time of the Law Thou shalt not forswear thy self but Christ Who is the
when my dayes were at an End Then as to my Employment of Periwig making it is more then twelve years since I began to make them much might be said for the making of them by some yet much questioning reasoning have I had within my self for some years so that at some times I have been troubled when I have been making of them and I could not tell what was the Reason of my Trouble except that was and sometimes when I have seen some of my Friends come in I have been ready to put them out of my sight and could not go on with any Content but Trouble so long as they were looking on me and some have spoke to me and told me They thought I did not do well in making of them to this purpose they have spoken and many times I have reasoned with my self after this manner what need I make such ado and be so much concerned there is hardly any man but is desirous of a good Head of Hair and if Nature doth not afford it if there be an Art to make a Decent Wig or Border what harm is that Object But are there not several of thy Friends who wear Borders and are accounted honest men Answ As for those whose Hair is wasted fallen and gone off their Heads through infirmity of Body and for want of it do find that their health is impaired or lessened if such do wear short Borders so their health sake and for no other End or Cause whatsoever I judge them not but let none make a pretence that they wear Borders or Wigs for their Health when in Reallity another thing is the Cause for God the Righteous Judge sees in Secret and he hates Pride Hypocrisie the spirit of which is judged for ever to be judg'd with all its fruits by the Lord and his People And let all those who have Hair growing upon their heads sufficient to serve them I mean what is really needful or useful be content therewith and not find fault with their own Hair and cut it off and lust after and put on others Hair And further thus I reasoned is there not some of thy Friends who make them sell Hair for the making of them and drive a great Trade and what do J not think that they have not as much Care to go to Heaven as J have and what need J make such ado and be so concerned But all this would not do but here lay that which was very near me that was if God should call me to account at this very time while J am reasoning after this manner whether or no J could stand clear in his sight and make them for if J stood condemned in God's sight it was not this man's making of them nor the other man's wearing of them that would justifie me in God's sight for if God condemns me in my Conscience J know no man living who can justifie or take away that Guilt And here J stood in this Condition for some time and the Lord knew the travel of my soul in these things and J knew not what J should do to be cleared of them so that J have been almost out of Hopes sometime and said within my self and cried J am afraid J shall dye with this upon my Conscience and then what will become of me hereafter and how can J stand clear in the sight of God that am condemned for it in my Conscience But my Prayers and Cryes were for God to deliver me for J could not deliver my self out of it but here J lay one day after another crying to God to be delivered So suddenly after our dreadful fire in which J was wi h the rest of my Neighbours a Partaker of that Judgment then J was more concerned then before so that J knew not what to do to get over it it lay so hard upon me to bear But still this cursed Enemy of my Soul this SELF-END Spirit began to work with me again and reason with me after this manner what am I resolved to ruin my self and turn away all if J do leave this J must expect to lose a great deal of my Trimming Trade and J had better leave off that then leave off this Periwig-making it fits so well with me in the Condition J am in by Reason of my Lameness J had a considerable Trade in it with several of my Acquaintance in Town and Country and some of them are Persons of Quality and wish me very well and if J leave that J shall disoblige them much and what will J do then am J minded to undo my self But still there was an inward Cry in me Lord save my soul for that lies at stake and it is that J plead for and J care not what J go through so my soul may have Peace with thee when my dayes are at an End for my soul is for Everlasting but this Trouble cannot last long These things stuck very hard with me that made me cry out night and day Lord deliver me and help me over this Weight and Pain that is upon my Spirit and J care not what J do so J may be clear of them So through much TROUBLE OF SPIRIT J was willing to leave them But this would not clear me but as I had been a publick Professor of this Employment for some time I must bear my Testimony against them and that was I should send for my two men as I had instructed in that way and tell them how I was troubled and take a Wig and burn it before them as a Testimony for God against them But this was very hard but no Peace could I have before I did it and much Pain and Sorrow I had before I did it and no Comfort but Torment of mind I had till I had given up to do it so according to the Pain and Sorrow that lay hard upon me I gave up to do it and I thank God I have much Ease Comfort of Mind since I have done it for the Lord hath not put me upon any thing but what he hath given me strength to go through and he is not a hard Master and I have great Peace and Comfort in what I have done which is more to me then all the Perishing Fading things in this world And whoever he be that doth expect Peace with God in himself he must know a Cross to his own Will to cross his sinful thoughts Words and Actions and whatever he knows God requires of him he must do it though it be a great Cross to him though it is very hard to Flesh and Blood Flesh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven but a man must be born again And as truly it is witnessed as ever it was writ in the Scripture God's People this day do know this spiritual Birth Blessed be God for ever and they travel in Spirit till God gives Encrease and delivers them And I am sure and can speak by Experience