Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	great_a	people_n	3,792	5	4.4298	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60661	The true light shining in England, to give unto all her inhabitants the knowledge of their ways wherein they may behold things past, and things that are, and thereby come to repentance, and escape that which is to come : also, something demonstrated concerning the people of God (called Quakers) as to their principle and practice ... / William Smith.	Smith, William, d. 1673.	1660 (1660)	Wing S4339; ESTC R10265	15,081	24

who hath changed both that Priesthood and Law and is become the End of the Law for Righteousness unto us that do believe and we are also convinced of the Unjustness of it upon what account soever it is claimed whether unto a Minister as given unto him by a Law or an Impropriator as a Purchase and assured unto him by a Law We cannot own that LAW to be just or equal which compels us to give or set out contrary to our freedom unto another man any part of that which the Lord freely gives unto us or else gives him power to sue and Imprison us and to keep in prison until death as some of late have been or else give triple dammage and power to distrain for it and drive away Goods and sell them and make spoil and havock of them to the impoverishing and weakening the outward Estates of many tender People in this Nation of England within these late years in which time there hath been many fair promises made for LIBERTY of CONSCIENCE but Persecution was never stayed nor Cruelty stopped but unreasonable men executed their own Wills upon many tender Consciences and made a prey upon them notwithstanding all fair promises And these things we cannot own or conform unto being found contrary to the Scriptures and to the Saints Life and Practice though long they were pleaded for to be right according to the Scriptures But the DAY is sprung and the LIGHT now shines in ENGLAND that hath declared them and their Root and they are of the POPES Invention and by his power settled in ENGLAND in the midnight of Apostacy and now they cannot be proved a lawful thing by the Scripture either to Priest or Impropriator They plead them right by the Nations Law and so takes us to be Transgressors of the Law when we never resisted the Law but alwayes submitted to it by a patient Suffering under it for a Testimony against it with all such as Exercise Cruelty by it We cannot own that which they call SERMONS neither can we joyn in that Practice because they make SERMONS by their natural Arts and humane Inventions which they have studied at Schools and Colledges and then by their Art they divide a portion of Scripture which they call their TEXT and raise DOCTRINES and make Vses and Arguments in such like things as by their Art they make and so their Preaching stands in the Wisdom of man and not in the power of God We cannot own their SINGING Davids Words in Metre nor joyn in that practice because it stands amongst the many Inventions in which people satisfie their vain minds in Singing Davids Words out of Davids Condition which is to Sing Lies in Hypocrisie when David roared all the day and at night watered his Couch with his tears and they neither roar nor weep but are Singing they do not Sing with an Understanding We cannot own their SPRINKLING INFANTS with Water and calling it Baptism nor joyn in that practice because it stands in the many Inventions to bring a little Child into their Congregation and have certain People come up with it where they have a little Water and call those People GOD-FATHERS and GOD-MOTHERS and put it upon them to confess a Faith on the Child's behalf and to promise for the Child That it shall forsake the Devil and all his Works and keep Gods holy Will and Commandments with such like things and then sprinkle a little Water in its face and say they baptize it into the Congregation of Christ's Church and when the Child grows up it runs in the Vanity and the Pomp of the World which is the Devil's Work and so neither keeps God's holy Will nor Commandments which they promised on its behalf that it should keep And we cannot own this practice knowing that the living God is without beginning of dayes or end of time and hath neither Father or Mother and they blaspheme the Lord and his Name who give such names unto the Creature And there is none that can forsake the Devil and all his Works but as they come to the Light of Christ manifest in them that doth discover what the Devils Works are and gives power over them and leads out of them all that in it do believe We cannot own Made PRAYERS and Reading them over in a Book or any other formal way we cannot joyn with that practice or those that pray after that manner because it stands amongst the Inventions and is not performed in the Spirit of Truth that only hath access to God and makes Request according to his Will We cannot RESPECT PERSONS of what quality soever they may be reputed because they that respect persons commit sin We cannot put off our Hats as in honour to the Person of any man or give him any flattering Titles for our Subjection is to the Power of GOD and all Men in that we honour not with putting off the Hat and bowing the Knee which is the honour below but in Uprightness of our hearts before the Lord we truly honour all Men in his Power We cannot speak any other language but THOU to any single person which is the language of Truth unto him and according to the Scriptures of Truth and that which cannot receive it is proud flesh which we cannot satisfie but speak Truth to every man without any respect to his person We cannot own the WORLDS CUSTOMS which they run into and answer one another in when they meet one with another or passing by one another saying Good Morrow or Good Even or Good Day or Good Night and this they have got in the Custom not understanding what they speak but if the Custom of it be but observed and the words be spoken they are pleased and satisfied when they know not that which made the Evening and the Morning good So unto them neither Morning nor Evening nor Day nor Night is good not dwelling in God's Power that made all things good So it is but words in Custom which fallen man that abides in the Evil uses one to another which Custom we cannot own neither dare we observe to do it unto any People upon the Earth And this is the great cause why we bear so many Reproaches from Ignorant People who are in darkness and know nothing beyond their Customs because we dare not speak but in the Wisdom of God which gives us words to speak in due season These things here mentioned with much more that is observed in the Customs and Worship of the World We cannot own nor joyn withall for no other cause but only for Conscience sake being convinced of the Evil of them and being redeemed by the Power of God from amongst them we cannot return again to observe them or to come under the power of them for we have weighed them and finde them to be out of the Truth and contrary to the Scriptures of Truth and who will search the Scriptures and wait in the Light to understand them may certainly know that our Testimony agrees with them and what we are led to witness for or testifie against we finde the Answer of a good Conscience in it and Peace with God which is our Joy and Crown of Rejoycing And if any sober People desire any further satisfaction concerning us we are ready in the Power of God to give a Reason unto any that asks us a Question of the Hope that is in us in meekness and fear THE END

THE TRUE LIGHT Shining in ENGLAND To give unto all her Inhabitants the Knowledge of their Ways wherin they may behold things past and things that are and thereby come to Repentance and Escape that which is to come ALSO Something DEMONSTRATED concerning the People of God called QUAKERS as to their Principle and Practice with what they own and dare not deny And also what they cannot own nor joyn withall for Conscience sake Published in tender love unto all ENGLAND'S Inhabitants Rulers Teachers and People that all may see what hath been neglected and every one in their place may labour to amend it And they who have any desires after the Knowledge of the People of God as to their Principle or Practice or what they own or disown may here briefly see some things opened not in many words to please men but in the Power of God through one who seeks to please God Whose Name is WILLIAM SMITH LONDON Printed for Robert Wilson at the Sign of the Black-Spread-Eagle and Windmil in Martins Le Grand 1660. THE TRUE LIGHT Shining in ENGLAND c. OH ENGLAND ENGLAND Thou hast been oft faithfully Warned but thou hast not regarded thou hast been careless of thy own happiness and hast not respected those that have sought thy good thou hast been a stubborn and a rebellious Nation and hast set at nought many tender Visitations of Gods love unto thee which by the mouths of his faithful Servants have been declared thou hast been a proud scornful and disdainful Nation stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears hating every Tender of Love that hath been proffered to thee and hast exalted they self in the strength of thy own might against the Lord and against his faithful Servants whom he hath sent forth in his Love to Declare his Goodness unto thee and who have run and yet do run in the strength of his Power early and late to do thee good but thou hast evilly entreated them and rendred Cruelty unto them and raised bitter Persecution against them for their travail within thee and for their good-will unto thee this Recompence hast thou given them whose lives are not dear unto them for thy sake Holes and Prisons Stocks and Whips have been their Reward from thee for thou wouldest not obey the voyce of the Lords Servants nor hearken to the Lords Counsel that thou mightest have humbled thy self before him but thou despised the day of Mercy and lightly esteemed the Visitations of the Almighty Oh! how hast thou provoked him dayly and caused his jealousie to burn like fire and yet for his Names sake he spares thee and doth not bring utter Desolation upon thee such is his goodness towards thee wouldst thou open thine eyes to see it he hath no pleasure to destroy thee and lay thee wast therefore hath he exercised a day of Patience towards thee and many faithful Warnings have been sounded within thee from the Lords Power how hath he striven with Thee thy Rulers and Teachers in these late years that you might have observed his Goodness and thereby have come to Repentance but thou hast been a perfidious Nation turning every way to promote thy own Intrest and this hath been the great work of thy Rulers and Teachers in late time Therefore is the Lord just concerning thee with all thy Rulers and Teachers that had their day and time in thee and the Lords tender Mercy is not yet shut up from thee though he hath been rejected by thee but Visitations of Love he still reaches forth unto Thee thy Rulers and Teachers that now have their day within thee if any will turn unto him if any will hear his voyce and do the thing that is right in his sight that he may not utterly cut off and destroy at once Therefore hear O England and let all thy Rulers and Teachers that now stand within thee incline to the Lords Counsel for it is but a little while and the wicked shall be no more then happy will they be that Rules for God and happy will they be that Teach Truth that God may be glorified for he is risen the works of men to try and all that seek his right he will cut off for that he will not give to any Therefore let all beware what they seek and what they take upon them that they enter not upon his right which he will not give to any man for he is glorifying his own Name and exalting his own Son and spreading abroad his Living Truth and this he will have to Reign as his own Right and let none strive to take it from him for he is a jealous God Oh ENGLAND thy way is much in darkness and thou travellest through the thickest Clouds and with them thou compassest thy self about and therein sittest secure as if thou shouldest never see sorrow more Is the sound of the Trumpet and Alarm of War so soon passed away from before thee Is all the Blood that hath been spilt in thy Fields and Towns so soon gone out of thy remembrance Hast thou so soon forgotten the years of thy Calamity that so lately hath been upon thee If these things be passed out of thy mind and thou run out of the sense of them as if they had never been yet let the Treasure that thou so dearly lovest which was spent within thee to uphold such Cruchy cause thee to remember the years of thy Misery in which thou wast deeply distressed that thou mayest repent of all thy wickedness and uncleanness and abominations that thou dost not draw down an heavier judgment upon thee than yet thy eyes hath beheld What hath been brought forth by men through all these years of thy Calamity and Distress into which thou hast been plunged Have any been faithfull unto God or performed their Vows unto the Most High Surely they all corrupted their way and none set their heart to do the thing that is right nor any that had respect to the Poor and Needy but laid Burdens upon them and sorely oppressed them and their Cry went unto the Lord and he heard them and in his strength he rose to help them and hath undertaken the Cause for them and will plead it throughly with all men upon the Earth for he hath great respect unto a poor and an innocent People whom he hath raised within thee by his Eternal Power which all thy Rulers and Teachers set themselves against and took counsel together how they might suppress them and root them out But the Lord doth uphold them and by the Arm of his Power hath preserved them and they are standing when those that did afflict them and sought to harm them are cut down and fallen and this is a marvellous thing which the Lord hath brought to passe by an Invisible Power who hath laid all waste before him and hath prospered his Work and carried it on by his out-stretched Arm and as man at any time hath devised Crueky then hath he appeared