Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A95602
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For all in authority upon the earth, and in special, those now in England, to read and ponder [by] T. Taylor.
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Taylor, Thomas, 1618-1682.
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1663
(1663)
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Wing T574; ESTC R43777
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3,616
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1
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For all in Authority upon the Earth and in Special those now in ENGLAND to Read and Ponder AGes Times Generations have passed over the world since the first Publication of the Gospel of Truth by the Holy Apostles of Jesus Christ and in these times the destroying Anti-christ foretold by the Spirit 2 Thes 2. and throughout the Revelations to come hath had his Raign And in this Dark and Miserable Time the Glory of the Gospel and the true knowledge of the Everliving God and Saviour hath been lost from amongst men and consequently the Spirit of Love Meekness Long-Suffering Equity and Amity Whereby it hath come to pass that instead of a sweet smell all Worships and Offerings have been of an evil Savour in the Nostrills of a pure God and instead of a Blessing the Wrath and Indignation of the Almightie hath come upon men by reason of the dishonour done unto his Name in the same Cloudy Dismal and Dark Day But now is the Lord God the true and faithful holy One according to the words also spoken and written by the said Servants of God from the beginning arisen and made manifest by the Spirit of his Mouth to Consume and by the Brightness of his Coming to destroy the same destroying Anti-christ that Misterie of Iniquitie out of the Earth 2 Thes 2. 8. That the Creation of God may be cleansed from its Corruption and restored into its Primitive Libertie and Freedom to Worship God in Puritie Spirit and Truth as in the beginning that so the offerings of all people may be holy to the Lord and the Unity of the Spirit be kept in the Bond of Truth and Peace by all that call upon his Name And though the Seed of God hath been as a Captive and Stranger in a strange Land bowed under by reason of the said Enemie Yet now is the Lord arisen in his glorious Majesty to bring his Seed back again from the Land of its Captivity into the promised Land the Land of Righteousness and Holiness the true Land of Israel and the glory of all Lands in which is the Beautiful and well-Fenced City the Holy and New Jerusalem with her holy Worshippers therein seen and into which no unclean thing can enter So Awake and Arise all people into the holy Understanding to know what God is doing this day in earth that your Souls may live and not die For the Darkness is passing away and the true Light now again shineth forth even the true Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world Yea be wise now therefore O ye Kings and be Learned and truly understanding all ye that Rule Judge and give Lawes in the Earth and know what the Lord God requireth of you Take not Counsel one at another leaning to your own Understanding to do your own wills but all take Counsel at his good Spirit studying how to do his Will for they onely that do Gods Will endure for ever Many people and strong Nations have been seen to have had great power for a time and flourishing for a little moment but they could not alwaies endure because they took not Counsel at God neither were doers of his Will but their own So be wise now therefore all ye that are up in Power and Authority in the Earth this day and be Warned and with the Wisdom which is from above be Armed and let the fear of God which is the beginning thereof enter into your hearts and take place there and dwell there for ever for that only is able to direct you into the way of the good Understanding in all things for a good understanding have all they that do thereafter Strive not to set up your selves in the Earth seek not your own revenges but seek how you may be serviceable to God his dear Children yea and to all that walk Innocentlie towards one another in the Earth Seek not the honour which comes from men of this world but seek that Honour which comes from God onely and such as Honour him by doing his Will them will God honour and none else So consider well for what end Power and Authoritie is in your hands Is it not to try you and is it not for the punishment of them that do Evil to wit such as walk contrary to the manifest Truth the Light of God his Righteous Law in all Consciences and for the praise of them that do well to wit such as walk according to that Righteous Law of God the manifest Truth the Light in all Consciences which saith As ye would that men should do unto you even so do ye unto them And teacheth all that obey it to do accordingly and so to fulfil the Royal Law of Love which saith Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self And these being doers of the Law of the Just God may of Right expect the benefit and good of your Lawes for for this cause do we pay Tribute even that we may live peaceably in all Honesty and Godliness under the Powers that are You are not to hearken to men of corrupt minds who are in the strife about Words and wranglings about Opinions who serve not Christ the Prince of Peace but their own Bellies affecting worldly Titles of Honour and would put you on to lay your Law upon all and Persecute all that will not bow to their Image and feed their insatiable avarice For these are they that have stirred up Nations and People one against another ever since the woful and miserable Apostacy before mentioned to the imbruing of whole Countries in Blood under a pretence of Religion for their own evil ends even to the destruction of all pure Religion Amity and Concord from amongst men But now is the Lord discovering the skirts of that great Whore that neither Kings Princes nor Rulers may love her any more nor ever help her to carry on or accomplish her evil designs in the earth but that all people may know God alone to be their Teacher as in the beginning when the morning Stars Sung for Joy and all the Sons of God rejoyced together as Members of one Body not envying or hurting one another nor serving themselves one of another but all serving one another in love and so fulfilling the Royal and everlasting Law of Christ to the Glory of God and Father over all blessed for ever And in particular let not the good Cause of Libertie for Tender Consciences declared for by the King now fall in England but let the Parliament all in Authority under Him study strive how to assist Him in it and to Promote so good a Cause for is it not fitting O all people that men of truly tender and pure Conscience and peaceably Principled and Living should have Liberty to exercise their pure Consciences in goodness towards God and men and that the Law should be laid onely upon the Lawless who are not tender but manifestly depraved in Conscience and hard and careless of heart what they do both respecting God and man For for the restraint and punishment of such was God's Righteous Law given and not at all against the Righteous man And let not the Bishops say That Libertie to tender Consciences will be any disparagement to Religion or disadvantage to the Nation but let them judge according as the Truth is that Libertie to tender Consciences is the onely thing that will be good for all things And as the King hath rightly declared an onely Way to stop the mouths if not overcome the hearts of all that either onely seem or indeed do hate Him For such love will break the hearts of many And what can stand before it And O that the Powers now in England might be an example this day in so good a work to all the Earth that Pope Turk and all others might be provoked thereby to do the like that so the dear Seed of God that groans in many Lands under the sore Oppression of forcing of Conscience might be set at liberty to run the waies of Holiness and Righteousness to the ends of time to the glory of God without fear And seeing that Protestant Religion engageth you to take Scripture for your Rule doth it not say Rom. 14. That in matters of Gods Worship every man ought to be fully perswaded in his own mind of the goodness of what he doth because whatsoever is not of Faith is sin But now if Liberty for the Tender and good Conscience be not granted but a compulsory power be exercised towards all for bringing them into the forme of some mens apprehensions then the possibility of every mans being fully perswaded by Gods Spirit in his own mind in what he doth is taken away and the Antient Liberty that was amongst the first Christians lost as in that said 14. chapter of the Apostle to the Romans at large appeareth where it 's evident that the glory of the true Church stands not in the oneness of outward Form or Observation but in this to wit That every man do what he doth in the holy Fear Faith and power of Christs Spirit for the Apostle well knew that the Kingdom of God stood not in Meats Drinks Dayes or the like but in Righteousness Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost and he that serves God in these things saith he is acceptable to God and approved of men And thus ought it also now to be amongst such as profess Christ throughout the Earth until all be grown up to a perfect man in Christ And O that yours and all peoples eyes were fully open to see and understand the necessity of such things as these that so much concern both the Temporal and Eternal good of all From a Servant of the God of Heaven whose tender Soul is often bowed down under the sense of the great misery that as yet lyeth upon the Creation of God throughout the Earth by reason of Corruption and as a sensible member of the same Creation prayes for its Deliverance and in order thereto desiring that all in Authority every where might weigh and ponder these few lines in the like uprightness of heart as from which they were given T. TAYLOR LONDON Printed for Robert Wilson 1663.