Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	call_v	lord_n	people_n	2,253	5	4.5959	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26199	The suffering condition of the servants of the Lord at this day vindicated and some reasons given why the people called Quakers do own the doctrine of Christ, to continue in it, and to meet together in the name and fear of the Lord, to wait upon him, and worship him in spirit and truth, not withstanding they meet with sufferings in this present time for so doing : Bristol, the 6th month, 1662 / John Audland.	Audland, John, 1630-1664.	1662 (1662)	Wing A4198; ESTC R22605	21,740	31

your selves in their condition they are as strongly it may be more perswaded in their Consciences by the Spirit of God that their Way is right than you are of yours Well then weighing these things would you be forced Would you have others to deal so with you if you vvere in their condition and they in yours Let God's Witness answer in all Consciences and see if these vvays of forcing in matters of Conscience to God-wards be not quite contrary to the practice of the Saints and to the Royal Law of Christ Obj. Besides though it be said But we judge we are in the right and our way is the true way Ans It 's answered You may be mistaken many hath that have had thoughts their way was right and while you have not the infallible Witness of God's Spirit with you to testifie to your Way peradventure you may err as the former Forcers have done and then you cause people to sin if you could force them to blaspheme and to deny as Saul did for if he that turneth a sinner from the error of his vvay who hath erred from the Truth doth save a soul and hide a multitude of sins then they that force people from the Way of God and cause them to err doth bring souls into death and so bring innocent blood upon themselves yea the blood of souls which will be a great weight in the day of God's account Obj But if it be further said How then how must we do there is so many wayes that people might be brought to one way to serve God Ans Do what God requireth of you and no more and then we shall never suffer by you nor under you Do justly love mercy and walk humbly with your God this is better than the fat of Rams 't is better than all the outward sounds and ceremonies and bodily exercise while the heart is far from the Lord. And if you judge you are in the right and your way is right come forth then with spiritual Weapons mighty ones in the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and let us see you shine forth in his Image let this be your covering your white Robes even the Righteousness of Christ which is the righteousness of the Saints and le ts see your meekness patience gentleness and good example your readiness by word and deed to convince gain-sayers in the power and gospel of Christ your love to Enemies your self-denial your subjection to the Cross of our Lord Jesus Oh this would reach our hearts then God's Witness would answer to you and this would answer the good part in all and this is the way to bring people to be of one mind in the truth this is God's way this is the way the Saints walked in this is the way we love and desire and this also would be of good report amongst all good people but the contrary force and compulsion with a hasty froward proud envious spirit with Staff and Club and carnal Weapons and Stocks and prisoning of people against whom there is no occasion but concerning the Law of their God and matters which are really of Conscience to God-wards We say this will never be justified by the Lord nor effect the end neither nor be of good report amongst sober people nor answer the good part in people And moreover the Lord God of Life will turn his hand and power against them that so turn their hand and power against his people for obeying him and exercising their Consciences towards him in waiting upon him and worshipping him according to that which he hath made manifest to them and such will be more inexcusable for persecuting now than the Jews were in former dayes for then the Saints met together and professed the Name of Jesus which the Jews did not say they believed in Besides it was in appearance such a new way and so different to the Law and manner of Worship which the Jews had that they had some seeming colour in their way but now for they that professe the Name of Christ and the Scriptures of the New-Testament and the Saints practise and Christ's commands to be obeyed for these all things considered to persecute people for owning the commands of Christ and for practising the same things which they cannot but read the Saints practised and to hall people and commit them to Prison for meeting in the Name of Jesus to worship God and to wait upon him yea and to be so far from cherishing such as to act the very parts of them that made havock of the Church and halled out both men and women and was exceedingly mad and caused some to blaspheme and committed to Prison for the same things it doth appear to be great evil and to be even sin against knowledge against their own Profession as Christians and cannot be parallel'd with any of the Saints but with the Persecutors who hated and evilly entreated the servants of the Lord in former ages who never could accomplish their end though they caused many to suffer and now to put all out of doubt and to give all who opposeth the people of God in the way of God an absolute answer that they shall not be able to accomplish their end and therefore it vvould be far better to be quiet and to mind the Royal Law of Christ lest they by acting contrary do bring innocent suffering and blood upon their own heads and incur God's heavystroke of displeasure against them yea and a fire be kindled in their own bowels and a worm which shall not dye and a dart strike through the heart and liver and so the end be as bitter as Wormwood and as sharp as a two-edged Sword these are Instruments of War which the Lord hath in his Quiver which is reserved for the day of Battle when God pleads with all flesh by fire and by his sword when the slain of the Lord shall be many when he will rain snares upon the wicked fire and brimstone and grievous tempests this is the portion of their Cup But indeed we do desire the conversion and salvation even of our persecutors and therefore to put all out of doubt as is before said that there is no prevailing against the Lord nor against the Sion of the Holy One in whom the Lord is We say the living God of Heaven and Earth hath made manifest unto us the Way to Life and called us to walk in it and united our hearts together as many as lives in his Power to serve him and to wait upon him and to meet together to worship him in spirit and truth and we are perswaded to obey the Lord and believe in the Lord that he will strengthen us in his Way and Will unto the end For our strength is in the Lord and not of our selves who hath called us to follow him through good report and bad report and not to deny his Way because of sufferings but to endure in patience and let the Lord

not do it for we may not disobey the Lord because of these things Obj. Well then say they you will be ruinated have you no wisdom will you spoile your selves with these things Ans More is the pity say we that we may not serve the Lord and worship him but such lufferings will be exercised upon us by a people that profess themselves Christians and reformed ones too Well say we we must commit our cause to the Lord and even give up all to him who knows how to deliver on us by a people that profess themselves Christians and reformed ones too Well say we we must commit our cause to the Lord and even give up all to him who knows how to deliver the righteous out of all their trouble Obj. I but say they cannot you meet four and no more Ans We say We may not limit the Lord neither in the things of God must we order our selves And again if some could stoop to that it would not serve neither Obj. Then say they you must be forced and then you or some of you will yeild and then we will boast over you with those Ans But we say that force with carnal Weapons by pains and penalcies as it was not the way of the Lord nor the practise of the true Christians so neither doth it effect the end for it will never make men truly religious neither will it be for the better in the end to them that go about so to compel no nor yet any comfort in the mean time for there is a Prick that meets with the Persecutors now and then which stops their furious driving and gives them no ease in their Way as it was vvith Saul while he persecuted the Saints and brought them bound both Men and Women that believed in the Lord Jesus and he is not a good example in that to be followed for he made havock of the Church entering into every House and halling men and women committing them to prison having Authority from the Chief-Priests and being exceedingly mad against them Acts 8 3. Acts 26.10 11. as he aftervvards confessed and as he vvent to Damascus with Authority and Commission he vvas struck dovvn for all his Authority and heard a voice saying to him Why persecutest thou me it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks And it will be very hard for all such vvho persecute the Children of the Lord the Lord will smite them one vvay or another if they be not smitten to their Conversion But if the Lord smite them often and they still go on to sin more and more he will ease him of his Adversaries and avenge him of his Enemies and smite them vvith an irrecoverable stroke Obj. And if it be objected That these were Jews that did not profess Christ that thus persecuted the Christians and it was evil done of them but we are a Reformed Church and we do it in zeal to Christ that people might be all of one way and the Law doth allow us to it Ans 'T is ansvvered thus The Jews had a zeal for God which vvas not according to knovvledge and they had a Law also by which they judged the Holy One that he ought to dye but although they supposed they did God service and for the defending of the Law yet indeed they fought against God and they had as much to say for their vvay of Worship it being ancient and they vvhich differed from them their vvay vvas but nevv in appearance I say the Jews might plead for their Way far more groundedly than many novv especially people vvho neither live in their Way of Worship according to the Jews under the Law no nor yet according to the Saints in the Primitive times And those that profess themselves Christians and yet persecute the Innocent they are far more guilty than the Jews vvere inasmuch as they both profess more Light and also vvalk so quite contrary to their ovvn Profession yea and to the example of Christ vvhom they profess and the true Christians who said Love your Enemies pray for them that persecute you not persecute them that pray for you Neither had the Saints such Weapons to bring people into their Church as is now used but spiritual ones mighty through God and vvent forth in his Power this brought people to be of one heart and one vvay and to serve the Lord with one mind which force vvith carnal Weapons vvill never accomplish to bring people to be of one vvay Obj. And as it 's said But some will yeild and then we will rejoice in that Ans 'T is answered That 's a bad Work to force people and compel them to deny that vvhich God hath made manifest to them to be truth and the greater is their sin that so do 'T is said that Saul compelled some to blaspheme against the Name of Jesus when he raged so against them but he afterward confessed it as a great sin And though some did so or do so yet that is no confirmation to the persecutors that they are in the Way of God no nor yet a true Testimony against the persecuted that they are not in the Way of God neither doth it truly convert men at all Indeed force and compulsion may make some men conform to that outwardly vvhich otherwise they would not do but that is nothing of weight their hearts are never the better but are rather worse and more hypocrites than before for force doth but make Hypocrites at the most for it is God alone by his powerful Word of Life operating in the hearts of people that changeth them and reneweth them in the Spirit of their minds and brings them into the true Service and Worship even to draw near him with their hearts and to worship him in Spirit and Truth and it 's out of man's power and that which God doth not require of men at this day to force by penalties and carnal Weapons to this or that Worship and is absolutely against the practice of the Saints and the Spirit of Jesus as also against Christ's Royal Law which is Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you even so do ye unto them Now let every man make it his own case He saith his way is the way of God and anothers is not Well then would he be forced to leave his own way and to go to the other vvhich he is not satisfied of to be according to the mind of God especially when nothing is offered to convince his Conscience or perswade his mind and understanding but force and compulsion Surely no man would be so dealt with in his own case Obj. But if it be said We have Power and a Law and we are wise and learned men and we would not be forced from our Religion but we would force people to ours Ans This hath no weight in it at all for you ought to put your selves in the same capacities as them you deal with are and to consider

plead our cause in the hearts of his Enemies Obj. And if any say Why will you not swear And why will you meet seeing there is a Law against you Ans For these two things we say We dare not disobey the Lord for fear of punishment or suffering outwardly and we meet together in the Name and fear of the Lord 1. Because the Lord God of Life requireth it of us that we should meet in his Name and Power and wait upon him and edifie one another in his love and life and in our meetings waiting upon the Lord we have the Presence of the living God of Life with us and the feeling of the virtue of his love in our hearts and he lifts up his countenance upon us yea and comforteth us by his free Spirit whereby we know and are assured that it is according to the mind and will of the Lord and that he speaks peace unto us And this being the real truth let all the honest-hearted judge how we can in Conscience leave that which God requireth of us in obedience to which we have God's presence with us and do that which man requireth of us contrary to the truth in observing of which we should fall into condemnation and feel God's anger and the Testimony of his Spirit against us to judge us which would be greater sufferings in the inward man than all the outward sufferings which we may meet with for in these being faithful the Lord comforteth our hearts 2. Again We meet together to wait upon the Lord because we fear the Lord God he hath placed his fear in our hearts and and we know him to be great and mighty a great King above all Kings and a great God above all Gods that is able to do whatsoever he will in Heaven and in Earth and in the Kingdomes of men and we know he is worthy to be worshipped and to have the heart given up unto him for he hath power to change the heart which men by all their force cannot do and to give true and lasting peace which the World can never take away and his fear being in our hearts we account him Lord and Ruler in our Consciences and worthy to be obeyed in heart soul and spirit And because we fear him more than man we are bound in duty to obey him for he hath power over both soul and body which man hath not for man can but kill the body he hath not power to kill the soul neither hath he power to redeem the soul neither can man convert the soul by any force or penalty outwardly therefore man doth but labour in vain for he can neither kil nor cure the soul but the Lord whom we fear hath power and is able to kill and to make alive And because vve fear him more than man therefore we chuse to obey him rather than man to meet in God's fear And this being our condition let the sober-hearted judge Hovv can vve deny the Lord vvho hath all Povver and hath quickned us redeemed our souls from death go to obey man contrary to Christ's Doctrine vvho hath no povver over the Soul Surely as vve stand in God's fear and counsel vve may not do this evil and sin against our God 3. Again We meet together to wait upon the Lord because God hath made it manifest to us and perswaded us that the Way in which we walk is according to his mind and will and we look not for direction in our Religion by mans Wisdom or Will how we should serve and worship God for we know it 's God alone by his Spirit that leads people in the exercise of the true Religion as it is written I the Lord teacheth thee to profit and leadeth thee in the way in which thou shouldest go and so we are content with our Religion which the Lord hath led us into and in the exercise of it we have God's blessing filling our hearts vvith love and joy peace and satisfaction in which our souls are comforted and vve look not for another Religion contrary to that which vve are in but our hearts are fixed vvaiting upon the Lord and we received it from the Lord and not upon any such terms as to continue in it till man made a Law against it or spake against it and no longer but even as the Way of Truth vvas made manifest to us so to press on in it unto the end And vve see the Wayes and Religions of men to be so changeable sometimes one vvay and sometimes another that it appears to us as if men received their Religion but till Orders of another sort of men to the contrary And vve see many people so ready to part vvith their Religion and take up another that gives us just ground to believe they found not the Presence of God vvith them in their Way and Exercise And so it 's but loose vvith them and they can leave it upon occasion rather than suffer the loss of any thing for it and this makes us prize that vvhich God hath made manifest to us the more because vve receive Refreshment from the Lord in the exercise of our Religion besides if vve had been voyd of the true Religion till this day vve should have been as unstable as others tossed about vvith vvinds of doctrine and have knovvn no true rest to our Souls but it is vvell knovvn that vve vvere of the same mind that vve are novv in the time of the former Povvers and vve received not our Religion from them neither but from the Lord our God neither vvas our Religion or vve in the exercise of it confirmed by any Lavv or Decree of theirs but on the contrary did suffer much hardship under them and by them whom they cherished at that time in the Religion which they allowed and they then said theirs was the right way and they stockt and prisoned many who were contrary to them and now others say they are in the way and useth force and such like to them that differ from them One said the Law is on our side and we are in the right the others say The Law is on our side and we are in the right and you must conform or suffer deeply We say None of these things can perswade our Consciences but come forth in the Power of the Lord as good examples with spiritual Weapons if you will perswade us for we cannot with a safe Conscience leave our Religion which the Lord hath led us into by his own power upon these things but must rather give up to suffer in the Will of the Lord for we know plainly it is God alone by his power that doth bring people into the true Worship And this is according to the Scriptures of Truth and also to the Service which is now allowed for 't is said in the Collect for that which is called the thirteenth Sunday after Trinity Almighty and most merciful God of whose onely gift it cometh

his Windovv open and his face tovvards Jerusalem and so held forth his Testimony and bore vvitness to the Lord that he vvas vvorthy to be sought unto and that he vvas not to be limited by an outvvard Decree though a strong one from praying and calling upon the Name of the Lord and the Lord vvas vvith him and though he suffered the adventure of being cast into the Lyons Den yet the God of Heaven vvas his Preserver and he held forth a precious Testimony and God vvas much glorified for it was said yea and proclaimed through many Nations that all should fear and worship the God of Daniel for there was no other God that could save in such sort And also the three Children that vvould not bovv though the King had commanded it that vvhen the voice of the Musick was heard all should bow to the Image which he had set up yet they vvould not obey for it vvas contrary to the Lavv of their God and great Wrath vvas against them and the Fornace vvas very hot yet the Lord saved them and they bore a precious Testimony to the Lord in obedience to his Law and the Lord was much glorified and vvas proclaimed through many Nations to be the onely and true God and the King himself did praise and honor and extol the God of Heaven all whose Works are Truth and his Wayes Judgement and those vvho vvalk in pride he is able to a base But now if any should say These were Heathen Kings and so not to be obeyed It 's answered They are more excusable therefore than those that in words profess themselves Christians and Scriptures and the Saints practise and yet are found persecuting those who live in the Power of the Lord and forcing by pains and penalties not according to but quite contrary to the practise of the Saints whose Words they profess and are found in the very steps of them who persecuted the Saints and Servants of God as the Scriptures testifie and are so far from the Doctrine of Christ as to forgive trespasses and to do as they would be done unto and to love enemies and to pray for them that persecute them that they do absolutely trespass against them who give them no just occasion and do to others as they would not be done unto were it their case and let God's Witness judge and doth even hate and cruelly handle their Friends who wish them well from their hearts and persecute them who pray for them And surely for these things will the Lord visit and in the mean time we find that the Lord requireth it of us to be faithful to him in what he hath made manifest unto us that we may bear a true Testimony and faithful Witness to the truth and for the Lord that he may glorifie himself by us for we are not our own but his who hath formed us and called us to follow him And therefore let the wise in heart-judge Can it be safe for us to lose our Testimony and to cease following the Lord and living in that which he hath made known unto us to be his mind and wil concerning us in which we have the Arm and Power of the Lord with us and him to take our parts and to go to that which he hath not called us unto where vve could bear no Testimony for him for he that goes from the Truth which God hath made manifest loseth his Testimony where fruits would be brought forth unto death and not unto life and the hand of the Lord wil turn against such for them that honor the Lord he will honor but they that slight his Counsel and despise his Will shall be lightly esteemed all which duly considered we cannot as we live to God but bear witness to his Name and hold forth that Testimony which the Lord hath committed unto us 7. Again We are given up to obey and serve the Lord according to that which he hath made known unto us because no man must give an account unto God for us or answer for us in his day when the secrets of all hearts shall be manifest and he wil reward every one according to their deeds But we must stand before the Judgement-Seat of Christ to receive a portion from him and not others for us Therefore we may not deny the Lord because of Force Pains Prisons or Penalties because they that so force us will not answer for us though weight enough may be upon themselves yet that would not free us if we should forsake the Way of the Lord made known to us And let all people in soberness judge what reason there is that others should force us from that which we believe to that which they believe and yet if we perish by that means they can neither help us nor answer for us Is it not therefore meet that we should live in that Way in which we dare dye and give up all unto the Lord in and not be forc'd out of that Way in which vve have peace and love and the presence of the Lord vvith us into a vvay vvhere pain and anguish would fill our hearts and leanness and emptiness vvould be upon our souls and yet they that forced us from our good Haven and safe Harbour where we lay at Anchor safe from the storm would neither bring us to any sure resting place nor yet preserve us from the Winds and Storms and terrible Tempests but we must by reason of such a force unavoidably suffer shipwrack We say We may call Heaven and Earth yea Angels and all just men to bear witness to our Cause yea and the Eternal God of Life in whose hand is the breath of all living to judge between us and our persecutors in this matter Some Queries to any that profess themselves Christians and yet are Persecutors of them who at this day are sufferers for Conscience-sake QUERY I. VVHether is it well done or evil for them that profess themselves Christian Magistrates to cast into Prison people who are Christians who have God's Power and Life with them and in them that judgeth the Wicked and turneth the Heathen to the knowledge of God QUERY II. Whether any do come to the knowledge of God till they be turned to Christ the true Light that shineth in the hearts of true Christians in which they have God's Power and Life with them and in them which they dare not sinne against though they suffer QUERY III. And whether they are not such Christians that suffer persecution for keeping the Commands of Christ and do abide in his Doctrine yea or nay QUERY IV. Whether is it not better for Christians to obey Christ than man whose Commands are contrary to Christ's Commands Judge and answer as in God's Presence in which all must give an account to God in the last day QUERY V. Whether did Daniel well or did he evil in petitioning and praying to his God when Darius the King had signed the Decree That whosoever should