Selected quad for the lemma: city_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A55863
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A brief narrative of the proceedings of Doctor Parr, and some of the parishioners of Mary Magda'en [sic] - Bermonsey in the county of Surrey against certain people called Quakers, inhabitants of the said parish, for not paying and complying with an illegal tax, laid under pretence of repairing their church ...
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Rawbone, Joseph.
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1677
(1677)
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Wing P346; ESTC R182375
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28,455
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42
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to live in their native Country as their Brethren the ancient Christians were in Ages and Generations past I say as they suffer for Righteousness sake in Conscience to God not as Evil doers they shall have the Answer of a good Conscience and enjoy the Presence of the Lord which is better then Life and all those things you threaten to deprive them of and they shall live the Life and dye the Death of the Righteous and enter in and inherit the Crown of Life when you that are of a bitter spirit a persecuting envious spirit against your Neighbours who have done you no Wrong and yet profess Christ and Christianity shall see your selves shut out and when trouble anguish sorrow pain perplexity of spirit and horror of conscience shall attend you in your Houses and upon your Beds for the Hand of God will lie heavy upon the Evil-doer and Cruel Men and Vengeance is the Lord's and he will repay it and to him they can commit their Cause and appeal to for Justice seeing their Importunity though like the poor Widow's to the Unjust Judge cannot prevail with men They are known viz. the people called Quakers to be a quiet peaceable people among their Neighbours in all parishes Towns Cities and Countries where they dwell throughout England and great Observers and Honourers of the End of Magistracy and true Christian-Government which is a praise to them that do well and a terror to them that do evil and are true Subjects to the King and obedient to all the good and wholsom Laws of their native Country which tend to preserve men Liberties Properties Persons and Estates not for fear of Punishment but for Conscience sake and they are ready to obey every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake in all things relating to the Things of a Man giving Caesar his due and readily paying all Rates and Taxes that tend to the Good and Service and Preservation of their Neighbours and Country-men which is proper for any Christian men to do but in things relating to God and his Worship and Conscience they cannot endure to be imposed upon they rather chuse to obey God then Man in all such Matters and rather chuse to suffer the spoiling of their Goods imprisonment of their Bodies and give up their Lives also then submit to the Wills and Commands of men in Matters of Religion Church and Worship contrary to their Consciences and the perswasions of the Spirit of God in their own Hearts knowing it is a grievous thing to fall into the Hands of the living God and to sin against Light and Knowledge for fear of suffering therein they would not only be like the Common Sinners of the Times but worse who in their common Service daily confess They do that which they should not do and leave undone that which they should do who confess they have no Health in them but are full of putrified Sores from the crown of the Head to the sole of the Foot I say they would be worse then these if worse can be and would be Abomination in the sight of the Lord and a Stink in his Nostrils and his Righteous Soul would be vexed with them from day to day and they would not enjoy the Light of his Countenance which to them is better then the encrease of Corn Wine and Oyl They can say and that truly in the sight of God That they desire the good of all men and have Love and Good-wil to all their Neighbours and country-men and can truly pray for their enemies though they use them despightfully and do desire they may see the evil of their wayes and repent that they may enjoy Blessings and Peace temporal and eternal And if any thing to the contrary as Evil Thoughts Evil Will Prejudice or Enmity arise in them or among them against any they judge it with the Light and Spirit of God as an Evil inconsistent with their Profession of Christianity and directly contrary to the Life and Nature thereof for they have do declare own it their duty to live walk according to the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus and to know the same written in their Hearts and this Law was the Guide of Man-kind before Sin entred the World before outward Laws were written in Tables of Stone or in a Book And those that are led by this Law of the Spirit of Life are the righteous Men and righteous Women against whom there is no Law being living Witnesses of its power and vertue making them free from that and giving them Victory and Dominion over that because of which the outward Law was added viz. Sin And these own all good Laws outwardly and will not transgress against them And the Law as saith Paul Is not made for the Righteous but for the Wicked 1 Tim. 1.9 10. or Lawless and Disobedient for the Vngodly and for Sinners for Vnholy and prophane for murtherers of Fathers and murtherers of Mothers for man-slayers for Whoremongers for them that defile themselves with mankind for men-stealers for Lyars for perjured Persons and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound Doctrine c. And whoever talks and professes the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus and lives under the power of Sin and Death or continues in evil-doing they are no true Subjects to it nor lovers of it nor walkers in it but a shame and a Scandal to the Christian Religion and Strangers and Alians from the Common-Wealth of Israel and the Law of Sin and Death rules in their Minds and Members and leads them Captive into Evil and these are in great Bondage to the Lust of the Eye the Lust of the Flesh and the Pride of Life And these are the Children of disobedience in whose Hearts the Prince of the Air the Prince of Darkness Rules and leads them to Envy Hate and Persecute their Neighbours about Religion which was never the work of a true Christian For he that hateth his Brother is a man-slayer 1 John 3.15 He that loveth not his Brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen 1 John 4.20 Be Serious consider your Work and Condition and see how you stand in the sight of God and mind God's witness in your own Consciences and hearken to the Voice thereof and it will Infallibly inform and shew you whether the Spirit of Christ and Christianity which is the Spirit of Meckness Gentleness Kindness and Brotherly love rules in your Hearts or the contrary and the Voice of this whether it be with you or against you is as a Thousand Witnesses and all that sleight and disregard its Voice and stop their Ears at the Reproof thereof while the day of their Visitation lasts Time will come upon them and the Night will overtake them wherein they shall hear its Voice whether they will or no and be judged according thereto Conscience is compared to a Book and the