Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A57306
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A premonition to the bishops and priests of England &c. with twenty reasons why the people of God in scorn called Quakers do refuse to hear them.
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Rigge, Ambrose, 1635?-1705.
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1676
(1676)
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Wing R1488; ESTC R17045
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10,145
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16
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are fed by Christ the true Shepherd therefore is the Hand of the Lord turned against you and he will wipe you as a man wipeth a Dish turning it upside down Reas 6. You have born Rule by your Means and have been called Lords and Masters and them who could not give you those flattering Titles you have hated and persecuted and you have loved and strove for the chiefest Places in the Assemblies and the uppermost Rooms at Feasts and have gone in long Robes and for a Pretence have made long Prayers being directly such as Christ cryed Wo against Mat. 23. Reas 7. You have come to People in Sheeps Cloathing and through your Good VVords and Fair Sperches have deceived the Hearts of the Simple but inwardly are Ravening Wolves you are known to the whole Nation by your Fruits being written in great Characters upon your Foreheads viz. Pride Covetousness Luxury Drunkenness Whoredom Lying Swearing the Abominations of the Heathen and therefore are Evil Trees which have no Promise but to be hewen down Reas 8. You have cried Peace to every one that would put into your Mouths and feed you with Tythes Gifts and Rewards but they who have denied you these you like ravening Wolves have devoured many Widows Houses and tender Lambs and have far exceeded in making Spoil of Peoples Goods who have received nothing from you all the false Prophets that ever I heard or read of either in the Scriptures or any History since the Foundation of the World and therefore we cannot own you as true Shepherds but as ravening Wolves Reas 9. You have not been content with Christ's Wages to his Ministers viz. into whatsoever House ye enter eat and drink such things as they set before you for the Labourer is worthy of his Meat Luke 10. therefore never truly sent forth by him but have gone in the Way of Cain and after the Error of Balaam Jude 11. who erred from the Spirit of God and then was more blind then the Ass he rode on Reas 10. You have followed your own Spirits and have mocked and derided those that possess the infallible Spirit of Truth and therefore are Ministers of the Letter which killeth and not of the Spirit which giveth Life for the least Measure of the Spirit of Truth is infallible and never deceived any who were guided by it but the whole Body of the Spirit of Error is fallible and worketh with all Deceivableness of Unrighteousness its Fruits being such as are mentioned in the nine foregoing Reasons why the Quakers deny the Priesthood of England Reas 11. You when you have seen the Wolf come have fled and left your Flocks to be devoured by him when the Arm of Flesh turned against you and therefore are you manifest Hirelings and not of the true Shepherd who laid down his Life for his Flock John 10.12 13. Reas 12. You have not turned People from Darkness to the true Light wherewith Christ Jesus hath enlightned every man that cometh into the World John 1.9 nor from the Power of Satan to the Power of God whereby they might witness Remission of Sins contrary to the Doctrine and Practise of Christ and the true Ministers of the Gospel Acts 26.16 17 18. but you have kept people in Darkness and under the power of Satan and have preached and made people believe they must remain under Satan's power all the Dayes of their Lives and consequently have made the Death Suffering and Blood of Christ of none Effect and the Second Covenant of no more Force nor Virtue then the First nor the Blood of Christ no better then the Blood of Bulls and Goats which could not cleanse from Sin and therefore you and they dye in your Sins as Christ said to the Jews John 8.21 Reas 13. You creep into the Idolatrous Houses which were built by the Papists and consecrated to Idolatry and there lead silly men and women captive laden with Sin and divers Lusts ever learning and never able to come to the Knowledge of the Truth which is Christ the Light of the World and so Freedom from Sin and Eternal Life in Christ is hid from your Eyes and the Way of Peace neither the Leaders nor they who are led know and therefore we call you blind Leaders of the blind as Christ did those who walked in your Steps Mat. 15.14 Reas 14. You have a shew of Godliness but deny hate and persecute the Power of Godliness in all in whom it is brought forth and for this Reason also we turn away from you according to the Apostle's Doctrine 2 Tim. 3.2 3 4 5 6 7. Reas 15. You are Wells without Water Clouds carried about with a Tempest for when the Storm came and beat upon your Houses which you upon the Sand had built they fell and you fled at their Fall and great was their Fall so you are Hearers and not Doers deceiving your own Souls Mat. 7.26 27. Reas 16. You dip or sprinkle Infants and cause men and women to promise and vow that they shall forsake the Devil and all his works the pomps and vanities of this world and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh which you nor they can never perform here you are grievous Covenant-Breakers for neither you nor they in that state you stand in can keep God's Holy Will nor his Commandments one Day in all your Lives and so lay heavy Burdens upon others which you will not touch with one of your Fingers and cause many to break their solemn Covenant with God which will be charged to you in the Day of Account and so are the Covenant-Breakers spoken of 2 Tim. 3.3 Reas 17. You deny Perfection and Freedom from Sin in this Life contrary to the Doctrine of Christ and his Ministers Mat. 5.48 Rom. 6.18 19 20 21 22 23. Phil. 3.15 1 John 4.17 and so make void the Gifts given by Christ at his Ascension which were for the perfecting of the Saints Ephes 4.12.13 Reas 18. You have kept people in Doubt of their Salvation in telling them they must have a Body of Sin as long as they live and not resolving them where this Body of sin must be done away seeing the Scripture saith There is no Remembrance of God in Death and in the Grave who shall give him Thanks Psal 6.5 And again Isaiah saith The Grave cannot praise the Lord nor Death celebrate him and they that go down to the Pit cannot hope for his Truth Isaiah 38.18 So unless you tell People where or when they shall be made free from Sin and prove the same by plain Scripture you will be seen of all to be manifest Deceivers seeing no Unclean Thing shall enter into the Kingdom of Righteousness Reas 19. You deny Immediate Revelation and Inspiration by the Spirit of God at this day through which the things of God's Kingdom both is and ever was known Deut. 29.29 Job 32.8 Mat. 16.17 Mat. 11. 27. 1 Cor. 2.10 11. And thereby do keep People from the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent whom to know is Life eternal John 17.3 this again shews you in Doctrine to be contrary to the Apostles and Primitive Christians who were Sons and Daughters of God and led by the Spirit of God Rom. 8.14 So for this Reason also we deny you and turn away from you as being Ministers of the Letter that killeth and not of the Spirit that giveth Life 2 Cor. 3.6 Reas 20. You love to be called Lord-Bishops and your Priests Master such a one and Master such a one contrary to the Scriptures and the Titles of the Holy men of God therein recorded for we do not read of Lord Timothy nor Lord Titus though Bishops nor of Master Paul nor Master Peter c. This again shews you to be more like the Gentiles who exercised Lordship over their Brethren then Ministers of Christ but Christ said it should not be so among his Ministers but He that would be greatest should be Servant to all Mark 10.43 Southwark the 24th of the 9th Moneth 1676. Your Friend A. R. THE END
A PREMONITION TO THE Bishops and Priests OF ENGLAND c. With Twenty Reasons why the People of God in Scorn called Quakers do Refuse to hear them GOD Almighty at sundry times and in divers manners hath appeared to warn you of his Wrath and sore displeasure which hath several Years hung over your heads even ready to be revealed from Heaven upon you for your manifold abominations and Oppressions the Cry of which hath reached to Heaven and therefore hath the God of mercy who delighteth not in the destruction of the wicked put his word in the Mouthes of his Servants and Messengers who early and late in word and writing Year after Year and Time after Time have exhorted you to cease to do Evil and learn to do Well and to break off your abominable Wickednesses and cruel Oppressions under which the Land mournes by speedy and unfeigned Repentance but you have hitherto dispised evil-intreated and Persecuted his Messengers and rejected his Word till even now the wrath of the Lamb is kindled against you from which none can deliver you for you have provoked him who delighteth in mercy to wrath and jealousie dayes without number your Pride Covetousness Drunkenness Whoredoms among you Lying Swearing Oppression and lording it over God's Heritage and forcing Thousands to walk in the broad way to destruction with your selves whom you can prevail withal is Recorded as with a Pen of Iron and point of a Diamond Oh! my Heart is Rent because of the misery and sore destruction which God will bring upon you your Posterity if you and they still harden your Hearts against him and my wrestlings are often with the Lord not to pour forth the vials of his wrath upon your Head but rather give you penitent Hearts if you have not sinned out your Day Oh! that there were such an heart in you as would strip you out of your Pharisaical long Robes and cloath you with Sackcloth and Ashes upon your Heads and cry mightily unto God as the Men of Nineveh did that God may turn from you his fiery Indignation and sore displeasure that is ready to flame in fury against you for your Repentance and not your Destruction is the earnest desire of my Soul Oh! that you knew in this your day the things that belong to your Peace with God but the Day is very near wherein they will be hid from your Eyes for God's Spirit will not alwayes strive with you as it hath hither to done neither will the place of Repentance be always in your sight which when hid you shall seek Death and shall not find it and shall say in the Morning would God it were Evening and in the Evening would God it were Morning for the dread and horror that shall compass you on every side then shall he that sits in Heaven laugh at your Calmity and stand far off from you when your fear cometh even as pain upon a Woman that travaileth for you have over-passed the deeds of the wicked the Land even stinks through your abominations you have long fed your selves with the Fat of this Land and cloathed your selves with the Wool that you are more like Sodomites then Christians but you have killed and cruelly Persecuted those that God hath fed with Bread from Heaven like the false Shepherds of Israel whom God by the Mouth of Ezekiel cryed wo against Ezek 34.2 3 4. Oh! what will you do in the end of these things when the God of Righteousness shall require his Flock at your Hands What hath People profitted under you this many Years Do not both them and yourselves grow worse and worse you deceiving and they deceived but if you had stood in the Counsel of God had been Authoriz'd by him had caused People to hear his word of Faith in their Hearts then had you been as so many lustrous Stars in the Firmament of his power forever but now you are left as Wells without Water Clouds carryed about with a Tempest for a little Storm will drive you East or West North or South yea wandring Stars to whom unless you speedily Repent is reserved the blackness of utter Darkness forever For the Light of the glorious day of God's power you have wofully hated and have loved Darkness rather by reason of your Evil deeds and you have shut the Kingdom of Heaven against many yea even all whom you can prevail withall by hateing slighting and setting at nought the Key of David which should open the Door of entrance unto it and yet would take it by the force and strength of your earthly Wisdoms and brain Knowledge but this know that neither Fornicator nor Adolterer nor Idolator nor the unclean hath any part or portion in it 1 Cor 6.9 10. Ephes 5.3 5. but the Darkness which they have loved in their life-times shall be their lot and portion forever with the word UTTER annext to it unless they Repent and turn unto the Light with which Christ Jesus hath enlightned them and love it and walk in it in your life-times which hitherto many of you Priests have most wretchedly despised and blasphemed against Therefore oh ye Bishops and Priests and all your Judges and Officers whose proceedings are corrupted who have taken the sheaf from the hungry and have not bound up the broken hearted nor relieved the OpPressed if ye will not hear nor lay these things to Heart the Lord will spread Dung upon your Faces and will make you a Hissing and a By-word of of Reproach to Generations to come for your Iniquities are almost full and you are daily heaping up Wrath against the Day of wrath they who work Wickedness are set up and Countenanced among you and they that tempt God every day are even delivered and counted your great Church-Members and Communicants but they who reprove Iniquity in the Gate are grievously drawn before your Judgment Seats and made a Prey upon both in their Persons and properties which was never Christ's but Antichrist's way of Convincing gain sayers And how do you lead many blind to Destruction by forcing them under the penalty of Excommunication to eat and drink their own damnation if it be matter of Damnation to eat at your table without Faith in it how many have you drawn before your Judgment Seats because they come not to your Sacrament are you certain they have examin'd themselves according to the Apostle's command 1 Cor. 11.28 or do you know them to be worthy or discern the Lord's Body or do you discern it your selves without which whosoever eateth or drinketh doth it unworthily to his own damnation vers 29. And how can you ever stand clear before the Seat of divine Justice who force men under severe Penalties contrary to the perswasion of their own Hearts after Examination by which many have found their unworthiness to eat and drink their own Damnation or else they must be cursed out of your worshipping Houses and cast out of the Society and company