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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	know_v	lord_n	see_v	3,997	5	3.2299	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54467	Persecution appearing with its own open face, in William Armorer as will be sufficiently manifest to all that may impartially read this following relation of the cruel proceedings of the said William Armorer, with some others, against the innocent people of GOd called Quackers, in the town of Reading, in the county of Berks, of his taking them up, and imprisoning great numbers of them, and of the continuance of their sufferings to this day, being almost three years and a half : and of his unwearied and cruel practices against that innocent people from time to time : discovered and laid open, to the end that lyes and false reports may be stopped and that the King and all people may be rightly informed, and truly acquainted with the case, as it is clearly and truly in it self.	Armorer, William.	1667 (1667)	Wing P1658; ESTC R12485	70,047	89

their obedience unto his requirings And do ye think to gain honour if ye proceed against us in afflicting of us because we cannot transgress the Royal Law written in our hearts I tell you no for we are a people that desire to spend our dayes here in this world in the fear of God and to follow him in all things which he doth require of us to keep his Commandments and his Statutes and to worship him according to his mind in spirit and in truth And this is all we desire which is our right and priviledge as we are free-born people in this our Native Country That we may have liberty so to do but if for so doing and nothing else we must suffer as ancient Christians have done we are content knowing that the Lord will plead our cause and will care for us and we cannot deny him to please men but must still to ourlives end serve and obey him and wait upon him and worship him in spirit and truth having engaged our hearts so to do in that he hath made known himself to us and by his Eternal Power redeemed us out of the world and the sinful ways thereof and shed abroad his love in our hearts and we are perswaded and do know of a truth That the Lord hath been and is with us in this his way which we now walk in and can you in reason and equity expect that we should deny that way in which we have found the ●ord to satisfie and refresh our souls and to make our hearts glad Or is it doing as you would be done by Would you think it right to be persecuted and afflicted for walking in that way which you are perswaded in your selves you ought to walk in If not do you fulfil the Royal Law which is To do to others as you would be done unto Wherefore consider betimes and have not a hand in afflicting of innocent people because of their consciences But break off your sins by righteousness and your iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor in spirit and afflicted people of God who suffer at this day for no other thing but for keeping the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ and for his Worship For what is the matter Who have we hurt or wronged in any thing that here is such furious and unchristian-like proceedings against us And if our Adversaries have nothing against us but because of our obedience to the Law and Worship of our God is this such a crime at this day that honest people for so doing should be so eagerly and violently proceeded against and that snares and traps should be laid to catch and ensnare them Well the Lord takes notice of these things and he will arise for his own Name and Seeds sake before whom the Mountains must bow and tremble and the high places of the earth which stands in his way shall be removed and the Lord God will cut his own way thorow them before whom all Nations are but as the drop of a bucket and as the small dust of the ballance and they that strive against him cannot be blessed And therefore be wise and considerate ye Rulers of the Earth lest ye be found opposing of and striving against that Eternal God that gives us all life and breath and a being here in the world who will be too strong for you if you shall think in your hearts to stop and limit his appearance in the hearts of his people and bind the Conscience in which it is his Right and Prerogative to rule and no Mans upon the Earth from following the Lord in what his Light leads and draws it unto which will be Usurpation and great sin charged upon you in the day of the Lord when you shall come before the Throne of his Justice and give an account unto him Wherefore kiss the Son stoop and bown unto the Light of God's Son which appears in your hearts and convinceth you of sin least the anger and indignation of the Lord be kindled and flame and break out like devouring fire and burn in your own hearts so as it can never be quenched Here are many of us Prisoners in this Gaol and have been long wh●ch is not unknown to you both men and women and almost some whole Families and several Aged People many because we cannot break the Command of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ who hath said unto his Followers Swear not at all because he leads them and keeps them out of the strife and out of sin and wickedness into Love Peace and Truth from which mankind was degenerated when the swearing came in which was to bind the conscience because they were gone and erred from the love and truth of God in the heart which Christ our Saviour restores into again and says unto such swear not for truth binds them and their yea is yea and their nay is nay and because we cannot break this Command of Christ we are ensnared and do suffer at this day and many may be exposed to utter ruin in this world because thereof and the guilt of the ruin of innocent people and families may come upon you if in a rash and unchristian-like spirit ye run on against them which may be in your power to prevent the sufferings and cryes of whom will enter into the ears of the Lord God of Sabbath who will hear and have regard thereunto if men do not regard and will recompence those that trouble his into their own bosoms And others here are that suffer for worshipping God in spirit and truth according to the Scriptures who cannot forsake the ancient Doctrine and practice of the Apostles who exhorted true Christians not to forsake the assembling themselves together and we cannot but perform that Christian and innocent duty for which occasion is sought against us by such as have given way to that spirit of enmity which always appeared against the way and worship of the true God which such that are joined unto will feel their reward and portion with and their inhumane and illegal proceedings may in time be more fully and manifestly declared and laid open to the world Now are these things worthy of such strait bonds and close imprisonment even to the endangering the lives of your peaceable Neighbours who have not done any man wrong but because of the tenderness of their Consciences towards God they must be thus used so that hereby at least their health in the outward man comes to be impaired by reason of keeping in and being kept from their honest Callings and Employments in the Creation so that these things tend to the destruction of men women and children and civil commerce among men and only because of their faithful obedience to the Lord in what they are perswaded in their hearts unto by his Eternal Spirit and constancy in his way which they can never deny whatever they suffer in this world neither can any of these things I am perswaded seperate us who

Persecution APPEARING With its own OPEN FACE IN WILIAM ARMORER As will be sufficiently manifest to all that may impartially read this following Relation of the Cruel Proceedings of the said William Armorer with some others against the Innocent People of God called QUAKERS in the Town of Reading in the County of Berks Of his taking of them up and Imprisoning great Numbers of them And of the eontinuance of their Sufferings to this day being almost Three years and a half And of his unwearied and Cruel Practices against that Innocent People from time to time Discovered and laid open to the end that Lyes and false Reports may be stopped and that the King and all People may be rightly informed and truly acquainted with the Case as it is clearly and truly in it self Matt. 5. 11 12. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsly for my sake rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in Heaven for so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you Rev. 2. 10. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer behold the Devil shall cast some of you into prison c. Psal 119. 126. It is time for thee Lord to work for they have made void thy Law LONDON Printed in the year 1667. To the READER Friend THou mayest be sensible That great and many have been the Trials and Sufferings of the People of God in Ages and Generations past who did bear witness against wi●kdeness Idolatry and Oppression and all the unrighteous Laws and Decrees of men bearing a righteous Testimony for God his Way and Truth upon earth for which cause they have always been persecuted by wicked and ungodly men whom the Devil the Enemy of mankind hath always made his Instruments to withstand the work of the Lord God in every dispensation of time wherein the Lord hath been pleased to appear and manifest himself unto men and as Truth and Righteousness hath flourished and born rule in the heart and the true worshipped of God been exalted and set up so much the more hath Deceit Cruelty and Oppression appeared against it through wicked and cruel-minded men whereby the Lord was displeased and provoked to anger and his indignation and wrath was many times kindled against the Kings and Rulers of the Earth because of the Afflictions and Oppressions of his People which he did see and take great notice of as the heavy Plagues and dreadful Judgments which were known and felt in the earth were signal Testimonies of whereby for the Cause before-mentioned they were brought to perpetual shame and confusion and an example to all that should come after and tread in their foot-steps As in the case of Cain who was wrath and slew his brother Abel about Sacrifice because Abel's was accepted and his was not being wicked and Abel off●red unto God a more acceptable Sacrifice then Cain by which he obtained witness that he was righteous Gen. 4. Heb. 11. Also in the case of Lot it may be seen how wickedness and oppression did abound in the men of Sodom against him and how they compassed his house because of the men the Angels of the Lord which were with him and pressed to break the door to search for the strangers These were the Sodomites w●o were made Examples of Gods Eternal vengeance to all persecutors and ungodly men Gen. 19. A●so in the case of the children of Israel when the Lord manifested himself unto them by Moses in Egypt who commanded them to worship contrary to the worship a●d wills of the Egyptians and walked contrary to their wayes and customs and were oppressed and held in bondage till God was provoked to destroy them seeing his heavy Plagues and Judgm●nts did not reform them Exod. 3. 14. And also the Judges and Kings of Israel who were wicked and did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord and regarded not him nor his way and people how the Lord the Most High God dealt with them according to their doings and how he often cut their dayes short in the earth and made their Names a reproach for ever Also in the case of Haman whom the King Ahasuerus had exalted and given Power and Authority unto how he insulted over the Kings peaceable Subjects and poor Jews misrepresenting and falsly accusing them to the King because Mordecai the Jew could not give that honour to him which belonged to the Lord telling the King That their Laws were divers from all people and that they kept not the Kings Laws and therefore said it was not for the Kings profit to suffer them And the King giving too much credit unto this envious bloody-minded man consented to him against the Jews and bid him do as he would to them and left them wholly to the mercy of a merciless man to destroy them and in the Kings Name he began to proceed against the Jews so that his Villany must be done in the Kings Name which was his Cloak and to execute the Kings Laws or that destructive unrighteous Decree which he through wicked Enmity had obtained as if the King had sworn him to do all mischief in his Name which would have been great dishonour to the King if he should have brought his wicked intentions to pass and would undoubtedly have provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger against the King to destroy him But the Lord appearing for his innocent people the Kings heart was turned and he perswaded from his Resolution which he had made through mis-information and then see what followed this proud Haman who was exalted as it were from the Dunghill to the Throne Esth 3. 7. And again how the Princes and Presidents of King Darius who fearing that Truth and Righteousness should be exalted by Daniel and De●eit and Wickedness thrown down th●y finding no occasion against him except it were concerning the L●w and Worship of his God for they could not deny but he w●s an honest peaceable man and his conversation among men was blameless and harmless and what was the matter then why did they persecute him and throw him into the Lyons Den Why these envious men that purposed to destroy him coming into his Chamber and finding him seeking the Lord or making petitions to his God as he use to do at other times notwithstanding there was a Law made against it with his window open they went to stir up and incense the King against him saying Hast thou not signed a Decree That every man that shall ask a Petition of any God or Man within thirty dayes save of thee O King or as thou hast prescribed shall be cast into the Lyons Den and here is one Daniel who regardeth not thee O King nor the Decree that thou hast signed but makes his petitions three times a day c. Dan. 6. And this was his crime for worshipping God or asking petitions of him according to his usual manner

have truly and experimentally tasted thereof from the love of God which we feel in Christ Jesus in whom we have the assurance thereof unto our souls Wherefore I say Oh ye men in Power and Authority in the world Be cool in your minds and let the cause of the Oppressed and Afflicted people of God be pondered by you and take heed of turning your hand against them for if you do make that your work To root out and destroy them it will be too hard for you and your eyes shall never see the accomplishment thereof but if some or many of us do seal our testimony with our dearest lives and blood yet will the Lord raise up more in the same power and spirit to bear witness unto his Name in the same way in which we serve him and you will be found fighting against God till he be provoked to anger against you if Justice and Mercy be not shewed to them and ye shall not obtain mercy and favour at the hand of the Lord which that you may is my desire who desires the good and salvation of your immortal souls and not your destruction and am a true Friend to Justice and Righteousness and those who are exercised therein and suffers with the despised people of God for the Testimony of a good Conscience Jo Coale From the Gaol in Reading the 16th of the 11th mon 1664. In the morning the 11th day of the month aforesaid about fifty Prisoners were called to the Barr of which were about eight of the Baptized people an Indictment was read against them for wilfully refusing the Oath at Abingdon the 12th of July c. To which at Newberry they had pleaded not g●●lty The Jury being sworn they were going to swear Champion the Clerk but Tho Curtis desired to speak a few words before he took his Oath being granted said Whereas there was an Indictment read against us for refusing the Oath of Allegiance when the Oath was never tendered us for the Statute saith it should be tendered upon the Evangelists and it is the opinion of the Judges That it must be read to the party otherwise it cannot be a lawful tender as for instance about thr●e years since Capt. Pecke with divers others being called at an Assizes before Baron Turner in this place the Judg asked him whether he would take the Oath of Allegiance Capt. Peck told him he was not committ●d for refusing that but was taken at a Meeting The Judg replyed I do not read it to you I do but ask you the question for if I should read it to you you would be in danger of a Premunire c. And this is our case We were not committed at first for refusing the Oath of Allegiance but were taken at a Meeting and when we expected to have our Trial according to our Mittimus they asked us whether we would take the Oath but it was not read to us for the first of us that was called they were very angry with about his Hat and never so much as asked him whether he would take it The next that was called was no Quaker so called and he coming before them bowing with his hat in his hand they ask●d him to take it and he did take it but then was not I nor forty more of us called to the Barr as we can prove by many witnesses Another thing is the Indictment ought to comprehend the whole Oath but this is false in many places Then one Proctor a Counsellor and a Justice so called being on the Bench stood up saying As to your being taken at a Meeting the Court takes no notice of that you are here indicted for refusing the Oath of Allegiance and the Clerk hath sworn to the Indictment And wherereas you say the Oath was not read to you you say false for I my self was at Newberry Sessions and the Oath was read to you there Then several of the Prisoners cryed it was false it was never yet read to them Proctor asked whether the Indictment was read T. C. Yes Then said Proctor The Oath was in the Indictment T. C. That matter 's not that was the Indictment and no Legal tender of the Oath to us for we declare in the presence of God That the Oath was never read to us and you do us much wrong you ought not to deal so hardly by us you ought to help the Pri●oners at the Barr instead of which you are set against us Procter said It is for my King and Countrey Jo Kemboll one of the Prisoners replyed He did not believe the King did desire to enrich himself with the undoing so many poor men and their Families The Judg of the Sessions Edward Dolby stood up and asked William Armorer again Whether it was not read to us Who answered Yes Then Tho Chelton one of the Prisoners c●●●ed to him to come off the Bench being a Witness against us Which h● did and swore that the Oath was read to them all and that they were called one by one and so returned on the Bench again and sate as one of their Judges And Champion the Clerk swore also to the same purpose But the Prisoners still denyed that it was tendered to them but were interrupted Then Procter stood up and said You Gentlemen of the Jury I desire you to take notice Here is Sir William Armorer a Person of Honour and Mr. Champion the Clerk of the Peace have sworn That the Oath was read to them all Now you must either bring in these men guilty or else you will make these two William Armorer and the Clerk perjured persons One of the Prisoners Richard Billingsly said I am here indicted and another with me for refusing the Oath of Allegiance the same 12th day of July at Abingdon and I was not called till the 13th day after W. Armorer was gone out of Town and yet he and the Clerk have taken their Oaths That it was there tendered to us all they being put in the same Indictment but I was not so much as called that day as the Reader may see by the foregoing Relation But they would have waved that T. C. desired the Court would take notice of this thing That these two men were indicted in this Indictment for refusing the Oath the 12th of July when as they were not called that day at all and though W. A. and the Clerk have sworn that we were called to the Barr particularly yet they were not called that day and W. A. went out of Town early the next morning before the Court sate and they were not called in two hours after he was gone and therefore the Indictment was false Then the Judg said to Champion the Clerk Did you call these men particularly and did you read the Oath to them Cle●k I did call them particularly to the Barr by their Names and the Oath was read to them upon which many of the Prisoners cryed out it was false it was false But said a