Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	day_n	know_v	lord_n	2,641	5	3.7017	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30512	The case of the people called Quakers (once more) stated, and published to the world with the accusations charged upon them, and their answers.	Burrough, Edward, 1634-1662.	1660 (1660)	Wing B5987; ESTC R21112	11,151	17

our Neighbours and the witness of God in all mens Consciences shall bear witness to us And all these do give judgment for us in these cases to whom we do appeal for Judgment And O Lord God Everlasting do thou Iudge our Cause do thou make it manifest in thy due Season to all the world that we are thy people that we love Thee above all that we fear thy Name more than all that we love Righteousness and hate Iniquity and that we now suffer for thy holy Name and Truth and for thy Honour and Iustice and for thy Truth and Holiness O Lord thou knowest we are resolved to perish rather than to loose one grain hereof Amen Amen Our Accusations and Answers truly compared and weighed in the ballance of Justice and truth in every mans Conscience Let all the world Judg of the Case Do we deserve to be Ruined Destroyed Imprisoned and Banished and that to be devoured of Wild Beasts as our enemy threatens us he will do Is it so Are we Hereticks are we Seditious are we Drunkards are we double dealers are we such as the Law of God condemns what evil have we done in the Land do we hurt any body are we not Innocent before the Lord and Men we appeal to the just witness of God in all let it be answered though no man will hear and consider our cause this day yet the Lord will plead our Cause in his time and season and make the world to know we are his people in the mean time we are willing to suffer the Reproaches of ungodly men till the Lord work deliverance in the earth But now it may be Objected by the Magistrates and Rulers That we have now a Law against you and you must Suffer for we cannot but put the Law in Execution according to our Oaths and Offices and it is not we that Persecute you but it is the Law of the Land by which you now suffer and we cannot be blamed for your suffering we onely execute the Law And after this manner is the Reasoning of some at this day c. Answ. To all which I do Answer It is true there is a Law now Enacted against us which is pretendedly made the ground of our suffering but whether that Law be in it self Iust or Unjust I shall not now demonstrate but shall leave it to the Iudgement of all Christian men that know us our Principles Doctrines Wayes and Conversations and let them judge whether we deserve the Penalties and Punishments therein described for any Principle or Practice held and maintained by us And though there be A Law against us yet the Magistrates that are Executors thereof may execute the same with Moderation or with Uiolence with Discretion or too much rigour and it will be well for them to use moderation and discretion in this case Hereby may they save themselves from that weight of Anger and Indignation of the Lord God that will come upon all Uiolent Doers who seek to destroy the Innocent and rejoyce in the occasion Administred And though This Law be Enacted against our Meetings not ours I may say but such Meetings as are Dangerous to the Publick Peace and to the Terrour of the People But our Meetings are not such and therefore This Law may not Iustly extend in its Execution to the Breaking of our Meetings nor to Banish us because of our Meeting together which is for the Worship of God and are Peaceable and of Good Report among all good men and are not for Disturbance of the Peace nor Terrour of the People and therefore justly free from this Law as aforesaid And though This Law is pretended against us for to Banish us and to ridd the Land of us as some vainly suppose Yet must it needs be Executed to the height of it without Limitation or Restriction Must this Law be Executed to its height more than some other Laws that are as truly Enacted and as fully in force as this Act can be Yet some such Lawes there are which better deserves Execution than this yet they lie Dormant as is visibly apparent at this day as in 4 Iac. cap. 5. in these words Be it Enacted c. That all and every person or persons which after Forty dayes next following the end of this present Session of Parliament Shall be Drunk and of the same Offence of Drunkeness shall be lawfully Convicted shall for every such offence Forfeit and loose five Shillings c. to be paid to the hands of the Church-Wardens of that Parish where the Offence shall be committed who shall be accountable therefore to the use of the Poor of the same Parish And if the said person or persons so Convicted shall refuse or neglect to pay the said Forfeiture then the same shall be levied of the Goods of every such person or persons by Warrant of Precept from the Court Iudge or Iustices before whom the same Conviction shall be And if the Offender be not able to pay the sum of Five Shillings then he shall be committed to the Stocks for the space of Six Hours I pray you read the Statute at large t is worth a sober mans pains to read over and then Judge whether that Law be duly Executed at this day and also whether it deserves not more strict Execution than the present Act against us Also the 1 Iac. cap. 7. in these words That all persons calling themselves Schollars going about Begging All Idle persons going about in any Country either Begging or using any Subtle Craft or unlawful Games or Playes or feigning themselves to have knowledge in Physiognomy or pretending that they can tell Fortunes or such other like phantastical Imaginations All Fencers Bear-wards Common-players of Interludes Minstrels wandring abroad Shall be taken adjudged and deemed as Rogues Vagabonds and sturdy Beggars and shall suffer such pains and punishments as is expressed 39 Eliz. cap. 4. viz. That every such person shall be stripped Naked from the middle Upwards and shall be openly Whipped until his or her Body be bloody c. and shall be forth-with sent from parish to parish c. And read the Statute at large and then consider how duly it is Executed now and whether it deserves not Execution as much as the late Act against us though in some places the one is more Executed than the other where many of our friends being honest sober persons and of good Conversation and yet are haled out of their Meetings where they are met only to worship God and for no other end and sent to Prison and persecuted to the very height of the said Act when as idle persons following unlawful Games and Playes and Bearwards common players of Interludes and Minstrells of diverse kinds do wander up and down City and Country and having their Play-houses publick where their wickedness is acted such persons and such things though appearing publickly yet are permitted and little or no notice taken of them by some of

deny all Swearing or against you that Imprison us for that Cause And let the Lord God Angels and just Men give their Iudgment in this Case we a poor afflicted people do appeal to you for just Sentence of Judgment between us and our opponents Secondly Let our Neighbours give their Iudgment though we do refuse to take any Oath because of the Commands of Christ and his Gospel as aforesaid yet what harm hath this ever yet been to any of our Neighbours let them speak or what detriment ought this to be to any of them they will tell you Though we cannot formally take an Oath yet we are ready at all times to do the Truth and to speak it on all good occasions as ●uch as if we did swear upon a Book and they can trust us upon our words as much if not more than they can do any that swear upon their Oaths and therefore they shall give judgment that according to their best knowledge we ought not to be Imprisoned and Banished though we cannot swear formally upon a Book being the Truth is not suppressed nor yet the administration of Justice ought to be obstructed for our refusing to swear Thus the Neighbourhood bears witness for us and against such as deal hardly by us and Persecute us because hereof Fourthly We are accused as heinous Offenders and Imprisoned because 't is supposed we do not submit to obey the known Laws of the Land but break them and will not conform to the Church pay Tithes take Oaths leave meeting together 〈◊〉 though we know the Laws of the Land command these things Plea First as to the submitting to all known Laws of the Land This is known to God and our Neighbours that our Principle and Practise is and ever hath been to submit to every Government and to all Lawes of men either by 〈◊〉 or by suffering as at this day we resist not the greatest of afflictions and Tribulations that can be imposed on us and this is well known to our Neighbours and all people that we are submissive to all Lawes of men by patient suffering without resistance even when any Law requires any thing of us which we cannot perform for Conscience sake that Law we fulfil by patient suffering resisting no man nor rendring evil for evil to any And the Iudgment of the Scriptures which are according to both Law and Gospel and the presidents of Saints justify us in this Case in chusing patiently to suffer the greatest penalties of the Law rather than to obey by doing any such Law as requires things contrary to our pure Consciences as in the Example of the three children Dan. 3. who were commanded to fall down and worship the Golden Image at what time soever they heard the sound of the Musick upon the penalty of being cast into the midst of the burning firy Furnace which commandment they could not obey nor could Truth fall down to worship the Image But rather choosed to suffer the penalty of being cast into the midst of the burning firy Furnace which accordingly was done unto them again in the case of Daniel chap. 6. who was commanded to make no Petition to any God or man for thirty dayes save to King Darius upon the penalty and affliction of being cast into the Lyons Den But Daniel did rather chuse to suffer the penalty to be cast into the Den of Lyons than to obey the Commandment and was cast into the Lyons Den By these examples of holy men with many more that might be given out of the Scriptures t is evident that righteous 〈◊〉 will rather choose to suffer than to obey any law of men contrary to their Consciences So the Law of God and Example of Saint and holy Scriptures give Iudgment for us in this case of rather choosing to Suffer than to obey Lawes contrary to our consciences and consequently must needs condemn such that Persecute and Imprison us because they require obedience of us in things against our Consciences Secondly Though we do disobey Laws and cannot actively obey every Law of man when it requireth and commandeth things contrary to a good Conscience yet herein also we are Iustified by the Law of God Example of Saints and holy Scriptures and they give Iudgment for us and consequently against our enemies in this case and in particular in the two examples before-mentioned in Daniel the three children were expresly commanded to fall down and worship the golden Image and Daniel was also required by the Kings decree not to pray to any God or man save to King Darius yet all these holy men of God did absolutely disobey the Law and Decree so requiring of them and did contrary to the commandment for the three children did not bow nor Daniel cease to pray to his God but prayed as at other times and yet were Iustified of God in so doing Also the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ Act. 4. 18. were commanded to preach no more in the name of Iesus but the Apostles did disobey their commandment and went on and Preached in the Spirit and Power of Christ contrary to the commandment of the Rulers and appealed to them whether it were not better to obey God than man Many Examples we might collect out of the Scriptures that the servants of God did disobey the commands of Kings and Rulers and could not obey by doing any command contrary to God but rather choosed to suffer afflictions and death it self than to obey such Lawes and Decrees as required any thing contrary to a pure Conscience and this is our case at this day we cannot obey by doing any thing against our Consciences but must break the Lawes of men and disobey their commandements rather than break the Law of God and sin against our own Consciences whatsoever we suffer because hereof and yet the examples of Saints and Scriptures Iustify us in this behalf And let all our enemies cease to cry out Rebellion and Disobedience to Lawes and Government for we are not such as do willfully and obstinately disobey any Lawes of men but for Conscience sake and that we may not sin against God nor offend his Witness in us Therefore we cannot obey Laws contrary to our Consciences whatsoever we suffer which ●●●sist not nor rebel against any in this case So that our ●●●●ciples and Practises are to obey every Law and Gover●●●● either by doing or suffering And though we disobey such Lawes as are not according to the Law of God and rather do chuse to Suffer yet herein we are justified by the Law of God and the holy Scriptures Thirdly And as for our Conversations among men in respect of our daily walking and converse with them in our dealing in respect of honesty and faithfulness and truth and justness in works and words our Neighbours shall give witness for us We will not justify our selves t is God that justifies us and the Law of God Gospel of Christ Scriptures Examples of holy men