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	life_n	see_v	2,826	5	3.2572	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85558	Tithes a curse to all nations but Canaan, and a disturbance, and vexation to all people but the Hebrevvs. Clearly demonstrated in the case of Isaack Graye, now a prisoner, for the non-payment of tithes in the counter of great Woodstreet, London. Exposed to publick view for the discovering of the cruelties, persecutions, and oppressors of those that stand for it's maintainance.	Graye, Isaac.	1654 (1654)	Wing G1627; Thomason E809_20; ESTC R207598	8,770	16

Tithes A curse to all Nations but CANAAN And a disturbance and vexation to all people but the HEBREVVS Clearly demonstrated in the Case of ISAACK GRAYE now a Prisoner for the non-payment of Tithes in the Counter of great Woodstreet London Exposed to publick view for the discovering of the cruelties persecutions and oppressions of those that stand for it's Maintainance LONDON Printed for the Author and are to be sold by William Larner at the Black-mores head near Fleet-Bridge and Richard Moon at the Seven Stars in Pauls Church-Yara 1654. For OLIVER Lord CROMVVELL My Lord I Beseech your favourable aspect on a few rude yet true ensuing lines which for truth sake makes me implore your judicious eye a weightier matter than use of conscience cannot be did all consider it I doe and by the Almighties assistance notwithstanding mans power will not flinch an inch to save my life You know you have done things past expectation yet be pleased to favour my re-minding you that there is one above which to stand in awe of him is yours mine and all true Christians duty in speaking plain is neither falsehood nor flattery nor I hope to your Lordship therefore I shall be humbly bold to subscribe my self yours In all Christian duty ISAACK GRAYE An ensuing perusall of what followes I humbly crave To the Christian Reader My Intentions WIth endeavours to friends for the delivery of a small Tract ensuing being earnest and fervent to have truth take place and having sought all opportunities to have the same made apparently known in writing unto OLIVER Lord CROMVVELL before publishing in print according to the usuall custome or manner by such friends as should have undertaken the businesse for presentation But they upon perusall did find the Dedication was not according to the Title he now hath or is sir-named by and did thereupon reply that it was in vain to attempt any such thing for they were certain it would not be received because it wanted his title He now hath another company of friends whom I did endeavour to perswade as the former they advised me not to addresse my self for they were out of hopes of expectation of good as to my relief and therefore did disswade me from prosecution thereof yet finding in my self a conscientius tye unto the Almighty and eternall JEHOVAH who is sole Protector Justifier Preserver and Pleader of the cause of his People against the enemies the dark blinde ignorant powers of the world that hates to be reformed and that I may depart from a lying tongue do speak in and from Truth my Conscience bearing me witnesse that I cannot call any man by that name that is onely and alone due to God neither can I appear as a flatterer to give unto that man a title in words that I cannot own in conscience although it may prove to the losse of my businesse but I knowing the danger of flattery that it is the mouth of flatterers that worketh ruine to him that is the flattered and there upon my Lord as I tender your everlasting welfare I dare do no lesse than speak the truth in plainnesse how ever I be judged know I have discharged my duty in answer to this part of the Scripture look Prov. 16. 28. so in speaking truth I am imboldned through the powerfullest to let all such as love Piety and Godlinesse know that as long as I have breath or being I will not cease my continuall supplications to him that made me and the world to grant my uncessant suite in the behalfe of my self and of the whole Nation that open justice and right may be done to all and that I lay open to the worlds view in a short volume may by the Almighties blessing beget many within the Pale of his Church that too long have sate in darknesse and the shadow of death and shall beseech all perusers of the same so to estimate my small endeavours as to cast a favourable and charitable aspect of the same and to respect the inward intention together with the outward substance as from a friend Owning my self to be any one of yours in brotherly affection in answer to righteousness the persecution whereof hath urged me to the Presse that I may not lay silence buried in the oppressors hell YOur Lordship hath here presented to your view Millions of humble acknowledgements for the reception of an unexpected favour upon solicitation of precious Christian Friends in and about the City of London granted to be by your ever to be Honoured self to your poor then suffering supplicant in the Gate-house Westminster 1653. having remained there many moneths upon great charge yet by your gracious favour was then inlarged and did then injoy about a moneth and odde dayes Liberty but ever since April the third 1654. have again been cast into Woodstreet Counter London where at present I remain a Prisoner questioning not upon your Lordships perusall of these my humble addresses to finde as formerly your never to be forgotten clemency hath imboldened me the second time to reminde your Lordship for justice and for right from my illegall Antichristian tyrannicall imprisonment in the place aforementioned wherein I lye and suffer for Christ and a good Conscience in that I dare not sin against Right as to pay Tithes and this by one Budgger of Bassenburn in the County of Cambridge Impropriator and Tithe-renter for which revenues of Antichrist he hath been a cruell persecutor of me and my Family and for some time inforced me for to forsake my poor wife and children and relations and to flye for Scotland unto the Army of the Common-wealth of England for refuge that I might have my inward peace in preserving Faith and a good Conscience for non-payment of Tithes so through much danger and hazard of my life through great and miraculous preservations I returned from thence with the Army and came up to Worcester fight and ingaged the enemies there as a Souldiour for Christ and his cause against Antichrist that interest and when God had given us the victory there my life being wonderfully delivered I gained leave to go home to my poor distressed wife and family but because this bloody antichristian brood of Tithe-mongers did gape for my Liberty I was forced the time of my staying there to make a prison of my house and after I had been with my Family a certain time my Adversary Budgger hearing of me at home got up a certain company of wicked men by his appointment and sent them to take me and to carry me away to prison who did violently break into my house with their swords drawn and threatning cruelly the destroying of my life whereupon I was forced to defend my self with sword and pistoll and make my retreat into my upper Chambers but they pursuing me with a great vehement resolution and threatning to pull my house down over my head and to have me dead or alive and broke ope my stairs foot door upon

me as also to raise the town yet through the strength of God in me and with me I made a strong resistance against them for some time and so came to a Parly with them in the mean time my distressed wife gained another sword into her hands and then made good the stairs head against them whilst I forced my passe out at my upper window and so I scaped them with my life through the exceeding goodnesse of the Lord and returned again to the Army but a while after I was gone to the Army another new a bigger company was again sent by the appointment of my Adversary Budgger which forced themselves into my house full of envy rage and malice to the great astonishment of my poor wife and children they being alone at home and after these raging wretches had rifled and searched my house to find me and could not they returned in great heat and fury and threatning my poor wife set a naked sword to her breast using leud and unsufferable language to her still threatning to kill her if she did not tell them where I was but at length when they saw that they could not prevail they left her in a very sad condition grievously affrighted and my poor afflicted children so that upon this inhumane bloody usage of theirs and all for the Whore that sits upon the cruell beast my Wife fell into a great fit of sicknesse which almost cost her her life yet in all the time of her fierce disease and great calamity which did aggravate my affliction I my self durst not so much as to come home to administer comfort to her for such snares and privy Ambassadors plots and designes were laid by these nursed Accomplices to take me into their mercilesse clawes that by the means of these cruell unjust Antichristian persecution for Tithes by the known enemies of Christ and his people I have been at last wasted and utterly ruinated in my Families estate above the value of four hundered pounds and upwards by which means I am come to be much indebted and have been forced to remain as a banished man from my Family and County of my Nativity for some years and have been and am still exposed to great want and much more misery had faln upon me had not the mighty God raised me up Christian Friends in the Borough of Southwark and City of London for my relief when I was cast into Northampton Prison where I was cōmitted for my Judgement and Conscience in this Cause of Christ viz. For declaring at Wellenborough Market-crosse in Northamptonshire against that Merchandise of Babylon that great Prop of Antichrist the payment of Tithes and forced maintainance and for the same I was two severall dayes brought to Northampton Castle and tryed at the general Sessions of the Peace held there the first day I being examined upon severall interrogatories by Judge Clark Judge Parker and severall others as to the best of my remembrance their names were so and little being done the first day against me they committed me back again into Ptison giving the Gaoler a strict charge for my safe custody and to bring me before him on the morrow after which accordingly he did which was the same day the long sitting old Parliament was turned out of doores I will not say for their wickednesse or oppression but leave England to Judge and on that day I was also examined upon severall interrogatories the which I refusing to answer to they remanded me back to Prison again saying that I had committed Treason yet would they not discover against whom nor what statute or Law I had broken although I often desired of them to know the same and without receiving any satisfaction from them onely they asked whether I had read Littleton or no Because I alleadged that all Statutes or most were made in relation to Kings but then being no King I could be no offender if it could have been proved that I had broke a statute I was by their wills again ordered to be kept in prison untill the Assizes being to be held in August following in the year one thousand six hundered fifty and three but I then being a Member of the Armie the Court Marshall who then sate at White-Hall in the same year were pleased to send a Messenger of their own for me that they might heare the cause before them wherefore I was imprisoned and have it before them so that after I came to London I did attend them certain dayes though a Prisoner under the custody of the Marshall Generall and when their pleasure was to hear me I gave them a true Accompt of my imprisonment in Northampton which was by a Justice of peace so called or rather a Justler of Peace who himself was a Tithe-monger and in regard thereof without showing any just cause sent me to prison and for the first day of my hearing before the Court Marshall notwithstanding that I had given them a full Accompt of all my sad sufferings and what distresse my wife and poor Family were in by the aforesaid devoted servants of Antichrist that interest yet some Presbyterians amongst them who were none of the least in power and rule were very much incensed and imbittered against me after they had heard me declare why I could not nor should not in conscience pay Tithes so that they also were vexed at me and did ask me how the Ministers should live so giving of them my Answer they would not release me that day but gave a charge to the Marshall to bring me before him again in the mean time my precious Christian friends in the Borough of Southwark hearing what hard measure I was like to undergo did repair with me the last day of my hearing to the Court Marshall at White-Hall near about twenty of them to give in their testimony in my behalfe against the wickednesse and evilnesse of paying Tithes but they might not be permitted to come into the Court Marshall although by my self much importuned and so after they had examined me High Commission Court like upon severall interrogatories they consulted among themselves what to do with me and in the mean time they commanded me out of the room And after their large consultation I was called in again amongst them and by the over-ruling power of the Presbyterian or ridgid party amongst them I was dismissed the Army and so through the blessing of God became a freeman again notwithstanding that Collonell Pride and other honoured friends and Officers of the Army did then oppose their proceedings against me so God knowes for no other cause or crime was I dismissed but for declaring against Tithes By this my Lord we may see how men are faln For where I did expect to have had most relief there I found the most rigour and unkindnesse yet it was just with my God so to suffer it that I might see it no good bottome to trust in men or upon deceitfull and uncertain arm