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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	great_a	part_n	reason_n	3,086	5	4.5837	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A84760	A sober answer to an angry epistle, directed to all the publick teachers in this nation, and prefixed to a book, called (by an antiphrasis) Christs innocency pleaded against the cry of the chief priests. Written in hast by Thomas Speed, once a publick teacher himself, and since revolted from that calling to merchandize, and of late grown a merchant of soules, trading subtilly for the Quakers in Bristoll. Wherein the jesuiticall equivocations and subtle insinuations, whereby he endeavours secretly to infuse the whole venome of Quaking doctrines, into undiscerning readers, are discovered; a catlogue of the true and genuine doctrines of the Quakers is presented, and certaine questions depending between us and them, candidly disputed, / by [brace] Christopher Fowler & Simon Ford, [brace] ministers of the Gospel in Reding,	Fowler, Christopher, 1610?-1678.; Ford, Simon, 1619?-1699.	1656 (1656)	Wing F1694; Thomason E883_1; ESTC R207293	63,879	81

of our bodies meet with no other entertainment then an Who hath required these things at your hands And we desire you particularly to consider what the Apostle Paul tells you that if a man give up his very body to be burned and have not charity 1 Cor. 13. 3. it profits him nothing And surely if your generation be sufferers you are the most uncharitable sufferers that ever were and Martyrs that have been in the World from Christs time till the starting up of your new Apostles within these 3. or 4. years are so far from that charity wch other sufferers in Scripture have had to their bloodiest Persecutors that your mouthes are full of rayling reviling cursing and bitternesse to those that do not meddle with you further then it concernes them in their places to preserve others under their charge from the infection of such abominations as those fore-mentioned However We have not so learned Christ as to render evill for evill but desire to suffer under the sharp Arrowes of your tongues as he gave us an example not reviling againe when we are reviled by you but committing our Cause Callings and Maintenance to him that judgeth uprightly And to instruct even the worst of Opposers in meeknesse trying if God will at any time give them repentance to 2 Tim. 2. 25. 26. the acknowledgment of the Truth and that they may recover them out of the snare of the Devill who are taken captive by him at his will which we yet with pity towards and prayer for you are assured to be the condition of your selfe and your Clients in this Cause ANd now Sir after a tedious pursuit of you through all Sect. 57 the windings and turnings of your subtle insinuating Epistle it may be expected we should proceed to your Book it selfe But we shall wave it as we before told you for these reasons First Because a great part of it hath been once served up in the Epistle and because we found it not seasoned with salt by us already discovered and rejected as unsavoury So that we shall not cloy the Reader with a second course of it Secondly Because that we find that it is wholly made up of personall contests with Mr Thomas and insolent reflexions and reproaches upon him into whose harvest we desire not to thrust in our Sicle besides that we are advertised that he intends to take that task in hand himselfe and we are assured that he will not need any assistance from us or any other to answer it as it deserves Onely because you so often call the Scriptures in scorne our Rule in your Epistle and therein expresly reject all Interpretations and deductions which we draw from them in preaching or dispute we will here subjoyne these two questions Q. 1. Whether the holy Scriptures be the Saints ground and rule of faith and practise Q. 2. Whether it be lawfull without an infallible spirit to interpret Scripture or draw consequences and deductions thence In both these you defend the Negative we the Affirmative As to the first of them in your Book you stand only upon Sect. 58 your defence against some Texts quoted by Mr. Thomas concerning which we leave you to his second charge wherein we doubt not but he will fetch them off without losse Mean while we cannot but take notice of the Artifices of your selfe and others of the generation you close withall 1. We observe that in most or all matters of difference betwixt us you put us upon the proof of our Principles and practises and offer none for your owne which is a slye way of hiding your owne weaknesse and discovering our strength that so you may make your advantages of it Which is as if a man should sue another at Law to produce his evidences by which he holds his Land to be canvassed by his owne Counsell without exhibiting any thing in his owne behalfe to justifie his claime to it 2. We observe also that you reserve to your selves a liberty of excepting against the Jurisdiction of the Court in which the cause is depending not allowing it a power to decide the case if you see you selves likely to be cast in Judgment although you will owne it so far as you suppose it may serve your turne against us For you call us forth to a tryall by the Scriptures and yet will not allow them to be the rule to decide the controversie 3. We observe thirdly that you will have the choice of the Weapons in this encounter not only for your selfe but us also setting up a Star-chamber Court of your own first to damne our Evidences and then forsooth you will fight with us when you have disarmed us You will dispute with us from the Scripture and yet will allow us no Arguments to dispute withall A valiant undertaking and worthy peice of Chivalry for which you deserve to be recorded among the chiefe Champions of the Quaking Knight Errantry But we hope upon second thoughts you may be perswaded Sect. 59 not to disparage your owne atchievements upon us by keeping your selfe within the security of an Irish bogg where it is harder to come at you then conquer you and come forth into the plain field where we may encounter you upon even termes If otherwise we shall take it as an Argument of your Cowardize and yet rather swallow any inconvenience then not dislodge you and set up the Banners of Truth upon your owne ground And first we will try you with a few Quaeries which seeing Sect. 60 they are your owne familiar way of arguing we hope you will admit into your consideration Q. 1. Whether you will receive the Scriptures Testimony concerning it selfe or no If you will then Q. 2. Is it not the rule of faith by your owne confession For it is that to which you submit your saith in this question If you will not then Q. 3. To what purpose do you require of Mr. Thomas to produce a Scripture P. 4. that saith in Terminis it is the rule when if he do the question is as far from being decided as before In the next place we will state the question between us that Sect. 61 we may understand one another First therefore the question betwen us is not Whether the Scriptures or written word have been the ground and rule of faith and practise in all ages of the World but whether in every age of the World since any part of them was written so much as was written in any age were not the rule by which those of that age were to be regulated and consequently whether to the ages that have been and shall be since the whole was compleated the whole be not so and to continue so to the Worlds end So that you are quite besides the Cushion and the Question in the instances of Abel Enoch and Ahraham and all the Patriarchs before Moses who wrote the first Scripture We are not so silly as to affirme the

A SOBER ANSWER To an angry EPISTLE Directed to all the publick Teachers in this Nation and prefixed to a Book called By an ANTIPHRASIS Christs Innocency pleaded against the Cry of the Chief Priests Written in hast By THOMAS SPEED once a publick Teacher himself and since revolted from that Calling to Merchandize and of late grown a Merchant of Soules trading subtilly for the QUAKERS in Bristoll WHEREIN The Jesuiticall Equivocations and subtle Insinuations whereby he endeavours secretly to infuse the whole Venome of Quaking Doctrines into undiscerning Readers are discovered a Catalogue of the true and genuine Doctrines of the Quakers is presented and certaine Questions depending between us and them candidly disputed By Christopher Fowler Simon Ford Ministers of the Gospel in Reding LONDON Printed for Samuel Gellibrand at the Ball in Pauls Church Yard 1656. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE Colonell WILLIAM SYDENHAM One of his Highness Councill and one of the Commissioners for the Exchequer and Captaine for the Isle of WIGHT Right Honourable THe Author of the Paper we herein deale withall having by his Apostacy to the damnable Doctrines of the Quakers and written Apologie for them in the said Paper endangered divers of our Towne and the parts adjacent where he was formerly in some esteem and withall in the same Paper formed into the modell of an Epistle directed to them insolently challenged all the Publick Teachers of this Nation and particularly us who now appeare against him by sending two of the Pamphlets to us by name we dared not betray the Truth and Glory of our Lord Jesus nor the precious Soules of the People by neglecting to publish a timely Antidote against the Poyson of such a subtill and insinuating peice as your Honour if you will vouch-safe to look on it and compare it with this Answer will easily discerne it to be We perceive the designe of the Author is by false suggestions to reproach the Ministry and by Jesuiticall Equivocation to sweeten the Doctrines of the Quakers to the Publick Magistrates And upon that account we thought it meete to present this our necessary vindication of that and discovery of these to some Person in Authority of Honour and Conscience that under such a shelter we might gaine it a more facile admission to others of those unto whom we are necessitated to appeale And because we can assuredly suite that Character to your self and withall are perswaded that by reason of your equability of carriage to dissenters in late times our Adversary himself cannot reasonably quarrell at us for our choyce of a Patron and lastly because we have both of us in some measure but one of us more largely by divers years experience known you a cardial friend to a Godly Ministry and the Doctrine which is according to Godlynesse we therefore humbly put it into your Honours hands Sir as to the Cause we maintaine we need not any Creatures Patronage nor dare we submit it to any Creatures Umpirage for we are assured it mainly concernes such foundations of Religion as deeply ingage the honour of our Lord Jesus and therefore we are assured he will not suffer them to be moved and such as will stand when all Persons and Doctrines shall be judged finally and everlastingly according to the purport of them But as to our candour and integrity in the managery thereof and the proportion of satisfaction which we give therein we are contented to stand to your Arbitration wherein however we may fare yet it shall suffice us that our Consciences tell us that we have done our endeavour to defend the Truth and that with meeknesse and moderation beyond our Antagonists deserts or the merits of his cause and our experience tells us that you will not disdain to accept from us this small Testimony that we are very much Right Honourable Your Honours affectionate Servants for the Interest of Christ our Master Simon Ford. Christopher Fowler AN ANSWER TO AN EPISTLE OF THOMAS SPEED Directed to all the Publick TEACHERS in this Nation and prefixed to a Book of his called by an ANTIPHRASIS Christ's Innocency pleaded c. SIR NOT many daies since we received each of us a Book as from you by the hands of a Friend of yours living in this Town Intituled Christs Innocency pleaded c. which although it be particularly directed to a Godly and able Minister of the Neighbourhood yet it seems you thought fit to disperse it into these parts as well as over the rest of the Nation in Print to confirm those that are already gained to your belief and reduce others either to an entertainment of or moderation to the principles thereof And we must confesse that you have acted the last part of this designe with a great deale of Artifice not without as we conceive a concurrent aime of your own to shew how much credit your wit could give to an evill cause and how if not amiable yet tolerable you could render an ugly face by a decent dresse For our parts we are sorry you can find no better exercise for your parts then the maintaining of absurd Paradoxes in Civility and blasphemous Heresies in Religion for so we dare call the Doctrines you undertake to shelter under the wing of your Patronage and make no question but that Judge who we are assured will one day make that written Law which you refuse to own as the rule of your lives the ground of his proceedings upon you and all others that live within the sound of it after death will then call them so too when all the rhetoricall vailes you put upon them will be pulled off and you be found except you repent one of those that dawbe a rotten Sepulcher with untempered Morter and cover Violence with a Mal. 2. 16. Garment of subtle and Jesuiticall equivocation And indeed that which makes us the more compassionate towards your self in this sad delusion you are under is the repute which you have had till of late daies for soundnesse and Orthodoxy in Doctrinals and some kind of moderation beyond others of your Brethren in separation towards those you separated from And this because we feare that the influence of your Apostacy may occasion the ruine of many others whose former esteem of your person endangers them to follow you blindfold into your Errors This we assure you is not the least cause together with the preservation of those of our own charges from the infection likely to be spread among them by your name and the reducement of those of them who may we feare call you Father in other respects as well as the relation of Affinity which induceth us to put Pen to paper in this Quarrell Not that we intend hereby to take the Cudgels out of the hand of that Reverend man who is more neerly concerned and better able to manage them then our selves for as to that concernes his Papers so brokenly quoted by you we believe his own publication of the entire Copies which