Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	evil_a	good_a	will_n	3,297	5	6.8462	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89302	The cry of oppression, occasioned by the priests of Englands pulpit-guard, which is a popish law that was made by Queen Mary, to guard her friars and Jesuits. With a true discovery of the unjust proceedings of those called magistrates of Bathe; wherein is a lamentation over them, and a warning unto them to repent, lest they perish for ever. / By one which is hatefully called a Quaker ... known to the world by the name, Thomas Morford.	Morford, Thomas, d. 1693.	1659 (1659)	Wing M2728; Thomason E989_23; ESTC R204878	34,580	48

neither were they offended at Paul when he Thee'd and Thou'd them And they judged him without partiality and said we find nothing worthy of death or of bonds in this man c. And so they were truly noble in their judgments to Paul and to this Pauls words do much accord for when he came to the Bereans he said they were more noble than the tumultuous Jewes of Thessalonica in that they received the word with alreadyness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily whether these things Paul testified of were so c. Acts 17.10 11. And hence was the true ground of Pauls saying Noble Festus O King c. which was for their noble and true judge ment of Pauls innosency as is aforesaid And when Luke said most excellent Theophilus c. It was for his love to the truth of Jesus which Theophilus was instructed in And Paul said he accounted all things but dung in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ c. And Solomon saith The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour but the way of the wicked seduceth them But such a one was not Theophilus who was instructed in the way of God and therefore Luke a servant of the Lord Jesus thought good to give him a more perfect understanding of all things from the very first in order concerning the Lord Jesus c. Luke 1 1 2 3 4. And hence was it that Luke did account Theophilus excellent or more excellent than Herod Pilate and the wicked high Priests who seduced them to kill the just One And when John wrot to the Elect Lady it was not one who lived in idleness pride wantonness lusts excesse of ryoting whose apparrel was laced with silver or gold or used plaiting of the hair or looked for flattering titles or respect to her person But it was one who was covered with the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit who had her children walking in the truth whom I love saith Iohn mark in the truth and not onely I but also all they that have known the truth which truth leads out of all the evills aforesaid read 1 Pet. 3.1.2 3 4. Pet. 4 3. Iam. 2.1 2 3 4. for though John did not speak those words yet Peter and James did for the most part the spirit of Christ was but one in them and ye who are called Ladies Maddam c. in the light of Christ judge your selves whether ye have the fruits of the Elect Lady or whether ye are any of those vertuous women spoken of Pro. 31. who are doing good not evill all the dayes of their lives seeking the wool and flax working willingly with their hands not in vain toyes but with the spindle and distaffe or whether ye are not with some of your husbands who are plotting and wresting the judgement of the poor and needy living in all manner of sin and evill persecuting the innocent yea or nay these are not the fruits of of true Humility or Nobility nay nay to the light of Christ in all your consciences I speak And whereas some of you say we hold there is no Heaven nor Hell but that in the conscence ye are false accusers for if in this life onely were our hope of Christ 1 Cor. 15.19 we were of all men most miserable for they who to the life of Christ by faith in him in any measure are come can say with Paul that all our present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us which hath been hid from ages and generations but now is made manifest in his Saints Christ the hope of glory And in love to this glorious life we have in measure received as the earnest for obedience to the faith of the eternall inheritance as we abide in it our dearest relations of all visible created objects whatsoever and our lives also are not dear unto us in comparison of it And we know that when this our earthly tabernacle shall be dessolved we have a building with God not made with hands 2 Cor. 5 1 ● mark eternall in the Heavens for in this we groan earnestly c. and they who to this life are come as I said before in any measure can witness the great torment and tribulation they have passed thorough Acts 14.22 which is the portion for everlasting of the wicked Psa 17.14 Psa 13.5.67.8 Job 21.6 to 15. who have their portion of ease joy pleasure only in this life and have more than heart can wish whose eyes stand out with fatness their houses are safe from fear neither is the rod of God upon them their bull gendereth and faileth not their Cow calveth c. your children dance have the Tymbrel Harp rejoyce in the Organ therefore they you their parents say unto God depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes Mat. 25 ● to the end and what is the Almighty that we should serve him c. And ye spend your dayes in wealth persecuting the innocent but in a moment go down to the grave And to such Christ is now saying Depart from me ye cursed take notice into everlasting fire woe is me for you ye wicked ones Repent while ye have time this is the day of your visitation salvation proffered unto you who are wanton in pleasure on the earth nourishing your hearts as in the day of slaughter ye have condemned and killed the just and he doth not resist you And as for you who have gone up and down to get men to subscribe to your grievous Prescription which ye have prescribed against the innocent saying they who are called Quakers deny the Sriptures and are Jesuites witness to this ye of Marshfield thereabouts and others saying they deny Magistrates and Ministers Government c. thereby thinking to cover your wickedness that ye have purposed against the guiltless I who am a Servant of the living God and a fellow feeler and partaker of their sufferings am moved of the Lord to send forth this as a witness against you who have done and are doing so wickedly for so we who are scornfully called Quakers hated and persecuted without a cause do own Magistrates and good Government whether the King as supream or any other Governors who are of the Lord sent for the punishment of evill doers and for the praise of them that do well for so is the will of God c. for no Magistrate ought to be a terror to good and godly men or any other good thing But if he be he bears the sword in vain the sword so the Lord will be turned against him and cut him off as were Ahab Jehoash and others as the Scripture testifies that did oppresse his people nay look to our dayes remember Wentworth of Ireland the late King with other of that generation Take notice ye that are in authority are ye better than they Nay ye are

carriage was more like Dogs barking and Swine renting than like men that sate to judge the cause of the Oppressed and Afflicted such was the carriage of some of those Which sat as Judges and Justices neither would they scarce suffer him they called their Mayor that then was to speak which I suppose would have done Justice had he not feared the ill-ill-will of his Brethren and so I reproved them for their rudeness and said if they stood before a Magistrate of God who judged righteously for the Lord they would dread and tremble at his presence for the eyes of a faithful King Judge or Magistrate who hateth Gifts and Rewards which judgeth without partiality and wresteth not the cause of the poor nor respecteth the person of the Rich scattereth the Wicked Prov. 20.8 26. but at last the Mayor had leave to speak and said unto me except I did give security to be of good behaviour that I must go to prison again so commanded to take me away and charged the Keeper to keep me up in the inner prison and not to suffer any to come at me but my Wife whose outward dwelling was three miles from the Town yet he did not deny any Friend that came to visit me if they asked him to come at me and John Parker called an Alderman cryed out throw him into the Dungeon and put bolts of iron upon him so they haled me to prison again and did not at all convince me of any Law I had transgressed and committed my Friend T. H. that was with me to prison also that gave them no just offence in word or action but only stood there peaceably to see if I might have justice but after they were a little cool for many of them were much inflamed with Wine and strong Drink which did not become men of their places Prov 31.4 5. they released my Friend out of prison again And upon the 23 day of the Fourth month 1656. came some Friends of Bristol into Bathe and one of them went to John Boyce the Mayor that then was and spake something unto him concerning his keeping me in prison and at that time there was with the Mayor the Constable of Bathe that then was Henry Parker and they had had some discourse concerning my releasing out of prison so the Constable did engage as did after appear for my good behaviour and that I should not commit the like offence so the Mayor bad him go and fetch me forth of prison so he came up to the prison and that Friend with him and asked me whether I was willing to go forth of prison and said the Mayor had sent him to release me but he did not tell me plainly that he had engaged for me as aforesaid but was very urgent and so was that Friend also that came with him that I think did not know their deceit to have me go with him but I gave them little answer but waited to know the mind of the Lord for the Lord had afore-shewed unto me that so they should come and fetch me forth and bad me not hearken unto them and also sent his Messenger upon the 27. day of the Third month 1656. which was but little before the Constable came to me and he said unto me take heed how thou do come forth lest thou art ensnared but come forth freely or else thou wilt rue it the longest day thou livest so having a command from the infallible Spirit of the living God not to hearken unto them and fore-warned by his Messenger without I was in great dread and fear and was not hasty to answer them a word upon which the Constable was exceedingly urgent upon me for an answer pretending much feigned love and using many words unto me and said The Lord in times past did give his servants a tongue to speak and immediatly did reveal in them what to say and asked me again whether I was not willing to go forth of prison to which I answered that this is that the Lord hath immediatly revealed in me I am willing in his time to go forth of prison but ye have kept me here near fourteen months a prisoner to satisfie your lusts and envy and have not so much as convicted me of the transgression of any just Law of this Nation neither have ye had me to your Sessions these two or three Sessions which ye ought to have done and there to have executed judgement upon me if I had deserved it and been convicted of the transgression of any just Law but your carriage the last time I was there was such unto me I think it hath caused shame as well as hardness of heart to possess some of you or else there to have cleared me which is according to the Law of the Nation which is not denyed to Felons and murtherers which if ye do refuse to do let them that sent me to prison come and fetch me forth To this effect if not the very words was my answer to the Constable at which he was much discontented and said I was a false Prophet and Deceiver or worse to that purpose and said I might lye in prison till Dooms-day as he called it before they that sent me to prison would fetch me forth and so he departed then it was presently reported that I might come forth of prison but that I loved to lye in prison or to that effect whereupon there being some Friends in Town at that time they sent the said Friend that came to me with the Constable to the Mayor again by reason he said as well as others I might come forth of prison but I would not to fetch a discharge for the Keeper of the prison it being according to the Law of the Nation so to do so that Friend being urgent upon the Mayor for a Discharge he did write instead of a Discharge a charge to the Keeper for to keep my body in prison and called for an Officer to carry it to the Keeper but looking again upon that Friend that went for a discharge he said I think thou art pretty honest give it to the Keeper This following is a Copy of it let the wise in God judge George Mittins YOu are desired to keep the body of Mr. MORFORD Prisoner till he give security for his good abeisance No more at present Yours J. B. So when those Friends saw that charge to keep me in prison instead of a discharge they went down to the said Constable and told him of it to which he said that they had no intent to let me forth but to try whether I would go forthor not which will be proved if it be required and to two of those Friends whose Names are here subscribed he said that he had engaged to the Mayor that Thomas Morford should not commit the like offence if he would set him at liberty then the Constable being demanded whether I might come forth of prison without any pretended security from any man by