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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	court_n	justice_n	law_n	3,065	5	4.7299	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77940	A declaration of the present sufferings of above 140. persons of the people of God (who are now in prison,) called Quakers: with a briefe accompt of about 1900. more ... Together with the number of 21. persons who were imprisoned and persecuted until death. All which was delivered to Tho. Bampfield, then Speaker of the Parliament, on the sixth day of the second month, 1659 ... As also an accompt of some grounds and reasons, why for conscience sake we bear our testimony against divers customes and practices at this day in use amongst men. Also a cry of great jndgement [sic] at hand upon the oppressors of the Lords heritage, as received from him on the 18. day of the first month called March. With an offer to the Parliament of our bodies, person for person to be imprisoned, for the redemption of our brethren, who are now in bonds for the testimony of Jesus.	Burrough, Edward, 1634-1662.	1659 (1659)	Wing B5993; Thomason E977_7; ESTC R203719	28,651	48

went with Bayliffs to the dwelling house of the said Cole and there entred his Barn and turned out his Threshers and seized on a Mow of Wheat besides what was threshed on the floor to the value of 20 quarters as the Bayliffs themselves did compute it Also they took away 10 kine which were worth near 50l in all they took from him to the value of 100l for one years Tithes For which Farm one WILLIAM THORRELL who possessed it many years paid 6l yearly to the Priest for the Tithes thereof as he himself told the said Cole CUMBERLAND George Bigland of Carlisle was fined 22l by WILLIAM BRISCOE THOMAS CRASTER and CUTHBERT STEDHOLM for following the occupation of a Weaver in the City notwithstanding he had served 7 or 8 years in the Parliaments service yet nevertheless was committed to Prison HARTFORDSHIRE Thomas Prior of Hitching for setting up a Coppy of the Priests unrighteous Declaration in the Market-place taken out of the Exchequer against a poor old man George Huckle was by the Priest had before BROCKETT SPENCER one of the Justices so called who committed him to prison for setting up the said Declaration and for a colour said it was for setting up a Libel which said Thomas Prior hath been a prisoner ten months and so remains HAMP-SHIRE Humphrey Smith was committed to the common Goal at Winchester by JOHN BUNKLEY called a Justice upon the false oath of a Wicked man and hath been a prisoner ten months and so remains LINCOLN-SHIRE John Seel of Leverton a poor labouring man was upon the 18th of the 4th month committed to prison at the suit of EDWARD GREATHEAD Priest of that Town by the Tenor of the Writ his body was to be had before the Barons of the Exchequer within 15 dayes after the time called Trinity to answer the late Protector c. But neither the Persecutor nor Tithes are named therein yet the poor man hath suffered 29 weeks imprisonment by the means of this Priest Besides summoned up to Westminster from all parts of the Nation for Tithes 400 persons The Number of the persons herein mentioned are about 1960 who are but a part of those who have suffered for things of the like nature within these 6 years Many of them being sufficient and considerable Men and Women have been cruelly Whipped and their blood shed Oh! do not ye let the Nation be covered with innocent blood by such as profess the Scriptures who use people so barbarously imprison and persecute about Church Religion Worship and Ministry which are out of Christ and the Apostles lives who saved mens lives and wrestled not with flesh and blood but brought the Creatures into the liberty of the Sons of God Do you walk in their steps Since the drawing up of this paper some few of the Friends within mentioned to be in Prison may have been released and others imprisoned Wil Griffes for speaking to a Priest in Shrowsbury was by the Mayor of the Town committed to prison hath been a prisoner 5 months so remains Richard Sale of Chester for bearing his Testimony for the Lord against the wickedness of the people of that City and for crying Repentance was by the command of the Mayor put into a hole of a Rock called Little-Ease the place being too strait for his body he was thrust in by force of men which bruised him insomuch that he spatt Bloud after some time he fell sick and his body much swelled and he was heard to complain in the time of his weakness of those bruises which he had in that cruel place of torment called Little-Ease the hole in the Rock and after some time lying in pain he died Also Arnold Trueblood died since in prison If the truth hereof be Questioned many Witnesses may be produced to confirm the same An account of some Grounds and Reasons of the Innocent Sufferings of the people of God called QVAKERS and why they testifie against the vain customs and practices of the World FRIENDS IT may seem strange unto you as it doth unto others to hear that so many of our Friends should be cast into prisons there being few Goales or houses of Correction in England to which some of them have not been commited you partly know how many of them are this day in Bonds and it is no less strange to us that such frequent and heavy sufferings for matters of conscience should come upon us and our brethren who for the most part have been instruments with you and others for casting off that yoke of oppression which at the beginning of the late wars lay upon the honest people of this Land which made many fly into strange Nations and to seek habitations in the deserts but we wonder the more that they should come from those we accounted our friends that so much have pretended the liberty of conscience and many of themselves practised the same things for which we now suffer May we not ask what hath been done by our friends What Lawes are these which they have broken Whose Persons or Possessions have they wronged What force or violence have they used to any man Have you found them in Plots or guilty of Sedition or making resistance against authority Have they not patiently born the greatest sufferings that any people of this Nation ever lay under since Queen Maries dayes without murmuring and discontents And when have they sought to revenge themselves or troubled you or others to be repaired for those many injuries and false imprisonments which they have endured How have they been counted as Sheep for the slaughter perfecuted and despised beaten stoned wounded stocked whipped haled out of the Synagogues and cast into Dungeons and noysom Vaults where many of them have dyed in bonds shut up from their Friends denyed needful sustenance for several dayes together not suffered to have Pen Ink or Paper And when they have layen there many moneths and some of them years denyed a Legal tryal continued from Sessions to Assizes and from one Assizes to another and no eqnity to be found from Judge or Justice If it be answered to us they are common disturbers of Ministers they will not pay Tythes they will not swear they will not put off their hats they travel up and down from one country to another without a Magistrates Passe and on the first dayes to meetings at great distance they will not pay fees when they are brought into Courts nor plead in the formes there used nor give security to keep the Peace or to be of the good behaviour when the Justices of the Peace require it And we have Lawes or customes that require these things should be done It is forgotten what was one of the great causes of our late Wars the sufferings that then was imposed and lay upon many for matters of conscience And was it not a chief pretence of our fighting that we might enjoy the freedom of conscience as well as outward rights not onely

nor to revile the Government it self nor as a complaint against our oppressors but that you may see the ground and true cause of all our sufferings and of the sufferings of the Saints in all Ages and Generations and in all nations of the World this day and we leave it to that of God in you all to weigh and consider whether it be not time to reforme both Laws Courts and Officers From your Friends who are lovers of peace and truth who wait for the comming of the Lord to establish Justice and righteousnesse in the earth whom he hath raised up as witnesses of his appearing and of the dawning of the Mighty and dreadful day of God in Life Light and Power who are hated of men and reproached under the Name of Quakers And whereas there is a great cry up and down the Nation that the Quakers meetings must be broken and suppressed and that this present Parliament intends to do it and of this I have heard in divers parts of the Nation NOw to this I shall say and answer first as I have observed the spirits of people concerning this cry all the rude and ungodly people as drunkards and the prophanest of men they glory apace at this newes and rejoyce at this mightily as if some great prize were befallen unto them and it makes them rude and violent enough to the breaking of the peace in the Nation but thus it is with but the worst sort of people in the Nation who are rejoyced with these tidings that the Quakers meetings must be broken but as for the honest people such as be sober and sincere thousands that had a hand in chusing this present Parliament never intended to send them up to London for such a work and the cry is by many of the sober people if they go about such a thing they will destroy themselves undoe themselves and leave their names a reproach Why say the people we have a Testimony before us hath it not been upon that Rock of limiting tender consciences in former dayes that hath broken many before these which might be examples to these not to do the same things and many sober people are offended at such newes and it makes their hearts sad whose conscience and the witnesse therein doth answer that we are the Lords people and it ought not thus to be done concerning us as the newes reports so that by this newes of the intended purpose to break the Lords peoples meetings the ungodly and prophane are gratified and strengthened in their wickednesse and the righteous are made sad And further as for us we have been trodden down and made a prey unto our enemies and the gates of death and Hell have stroven against us already but have not prevailed unto this day for the Lord is with us and who is it that shall prevail against us and I may say what is this that is reported to be done What shall dust and ashes do and man whose breath is in his nostrils and who are they that shall break down that which the Lord hath a purpose to build who shall be able to prosper in going about it or what success shall God give to that work I tell you nay it is the Lord that hath raised us up and we have given our power to him to stand by him and to be protected defended and upheld by him alone and we cannot give our power to any mortal men to seek that from them which is not in their hands to give the power of the Lord God is over you he that is our keeper and preserver in whose hands is your breath to destroy it utterly if you do that which doth offend him for you shall know that we are the Lords people by whom we shall stand and grow in dominion and authority in his life and the dread of the Lord shall be upon our enemies though they one gratifie another with intention of evil against us yet the Lord stoppeth the purpose of his enemies and turnes it backwards upon their own heads And this I say from the Lord if such a thing be in your hearts conceiving to be brought forth by you it is a birth that will devour you ere ever it spring out of your bowels it will be too heavy a burthen and you shall never have strength to deliver it this is the word of the Lord to you it shall be a Rock to overthrow you and it will be a snare to catch you and if any such thing proceed from you it will break you and your own wickednesse will destroy you Alas do not you see evidently the hand of the Lord fight for us yea we have evident testimony of his presence that he is and will be with us unto the end and if any wil be blind let them be blind for these tidings do not trouble us neither are we thereby moved no not to beg of any man the contrary for we cannot give our power unto you nor come under the power of this World no not to beg of you contrary to a good conscience that you should forbear the fulfilling your intents but this it is in the Name and power of the Lord though he requires nothing of you to exalt his Kingdom by your power nor to prescribe him a way how he must be worshipped yet he requires that you should do nothing against him nor his people by limiting the spirit of the Lord and I say the Saints of the most High can not give their power to you to stand or fall thereby nor to go by the authority thereof to exalt the Kingdom of God thereby they can beg no such thing nor desire it of you for it is not in your hands to give his work of salvation unto the Nations you cannot give nor lay one stone in the building of his blessed Temple but he alone will do it and not by the arm of flesh yet doth he require that you should do nothing against him nor abuse your power but and if you do he will reward you according to your deeds and this you will find and feel in the day of God when he brings vengeance and Judgement upon you and when he sets his Kingdom over you all and that comes to reign over the Nations which now is a sufferer And when I first heard the newes sent abroad in the Nation of such intentions to break the Quakers meetings many considerations passed through me will these go said I in the same way that many have been destroyed in before them Will these run upon the same rock will these take in hand to limit God and to set him a way and shall all these sufferings of the Lords people for these many years be finished by these that all the unjust dealings and oppressions of the Saints may be upon them Is there no wise man among them nor none that feareth the Lord that he may be preserved from destruction and is this their begining in Parliament