Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A44789
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A general epistle to the dispersed and persecuted flock of Christ Jesus in the dominion of England and all parts and regions where this shall come who have believed in Christ the Light of the World and now suffers for his names sake / [by] F.H.
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Howgill, Francis, 1618-1669.
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1665
(1665)
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Wing H3161; ESTC R30345
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10,851
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16
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A General Epistle To the Dispersed and PERSECVTED FLOCK OF CHRIST JESUS In the DOMINION of ENGLAND AND All Parts and Regions where this shall come who have believed IN Christ the Light OF THE WORLD AND Now suffers for his Names sake F. H. Printed in the Year 1665. A General Epistle to the Dispersed and Persecuted Flock of Christ Jesus c. DEarly beloved whom God hath called and redeemed out of the World and the vanities thereof to follow the Lamb in the Regeneration through the Cross and suffering in this age wherein the Whore Beast and false Prophet and all that have drunk of her Cup and have received the mark of the Beast and are led aside to believe lyes that proceeds out of the mouth of the time serving flattering deceitful workers of this Generation who are all joyned together in their strength and power to act every way against the Lamb and his meek Appearance who takes away the sins of the World and against all them that are made clean through his blood and are come out of the pollutions of the World and to make War against the remnant of the Seed of God who are begotten again to the lively hope of Christ Jesus and to the Inheritance that fades not away and to root out and destroy and weary out through cruell sufferings the Saints of the most High that so the Prince of darkness might rule in his full Power and Authority in his Instruments and Servants without opposition or any gain-saying And as God out of his everlasting love hath redeemed and translated many from great darkness wherein they have been held in the time of unbelief into his marvelous light to walk in it and to bring forth the fruites of the day of light faith and righteousness to the praise and glory of his grace who hath called them and translated them for that very end to shew forth his power and glory in the Earth who have been quickned and raised by it out of the Grave that they might bear witness thereunto and testifie of it both in word and work against the World and the God thereof who now rules in the Children of Disobedience therefore is his wrath the more kindled and his fury grown great against them that are departed out of his Kingdome and will not yeild their hearts and necks to be subject any more unto his yoak by whom they have been enslaved and held Captive under many and divers lusts which the wrath of God is revealed against and to be revealed against and because they are made free by the brightness of the glorious rising of the Sun of righteousness in his power and quickning life in their hearts which hath broken his yoak of bondage and destroyed the Law of sin and death which sometimes had power over them but now being made Conquerors of them through the power of Christ The old Dragon the Deceiver of the Nations who is out of the Truth labours by all meanes to bring them back again to under his yoak and his devices are not a few which are set on foot at this day to make all bow unto him which the Children of light are not ignorant of who are and have been watchfull against the mysterious working of his power within and also without in his Instruments who have received great power from him to propagate his Kingdome that stands in wrath evil doing and cruelty And therefore all had need to watch and be circumspect that they that are escaped be not insnared and intangled again least their bondage be greater and the yoak heavyer then before Therfore the Lord moveth often in my heart to exhort all unto watchfulness and diligence and so much the more because the dayes are perilous and the times dangerous and the temptations many on every hand so they that look out are in danger to be insnared and let in the Enemy and doubts and fear and unbelief enter and questioning in the hast Can God deliver or will he deliver or hath he any regard unto our afflictions and because the time seemes long and they cannot see to the end thereof their hearts failes and their faith is in danger to be shaken and they loose their states therefore it concerns every one to watch and pray that they enter not into temptations neither be overcome with the wicked one neither of the fadeing pleasure profit and ease that the Children of this World do enjoy which is but for a time and then is the begining of endless misery Therefore all dearly beloved look over all the sufferings and troubles and temptations and necessities and over the Devil and all his works to the begining and to that have an eye which was before they had a being to the Lord God everlasting who made Heaven and Earth have an eye and let your eye be fixed on him which destroyes the Devil and all his works and will reward the workers of Iniquity according to their deeds with everlasting torments Dearly beloved who have been under great sufferings and loosers for Christs sake and the Gospels in this Age like as many faithful witnesses have been in former Ages I am a sufferer with you and am sensible of your griefes afflictions necessities and tribulations which are many and do bear and suffer with you all in my heart and in the true sence and feeling of you all dispersed every where where God hath placed you in the Earth my heart soul life and spirit breatheth forth unto you all and your burden is mine your afflictions are mine your sufferings is mine I do weep with them that weep I am sorrowful with them that are sorrowful and that which is a grief and vexation unto the spirit of God in any in the spirit of Christ which is but one in all I am burdened with them and do bear a part of their grief I speak without austentation or glorying for what have I to glory in any but the Lord or to rejoyce in but that which all the World hates because it testifies against it and therefore we are become the objects of scorn and hatred in this World by them that are of it who glory in sin who rejoyce in Iniquity whose end is destruction and perpetual misery and their rejoycing shall be turned into endless sorrow and grief Elected of God our portion in this World is to be sufferers in it and by it because God hath chosen us out of it and its nature therefore we are hated despiced and persecuted in our Generation like as all the People of God were in former Generations we cannot be exempted from drinking of the same Cup which Christ the Heir of all things drank neither to be exempted from being Baptized into his suffering And therefore Christ told his Disciples In the World yee shall have trouble and the Apostles and Ministers and Believers in Christ did drink of the same and were Baptized into the same Baptisme and therefore testified That them that
will live Godly in Christ must suffer Persecution for the World loves only the Children of it but alwaies hated the Children of God and them that were redeemed out of it and they bore witness against it and the workes thereof it 's no new thing or strange thing for it's that portion which all the Prophets and Holy Men of God were partakers of Christ and the Apostles and all true Believers in every Age and the nearer any came to be unto God in their life and practice the more they were hated and the more vilefied slandered and evil spoken of sometime by the Jewes sometime by the Heathen and now by the Apostatized Christians for the Nature is one through all Ages and diversities of Names in Profession doth not at all alter Man or Men at the heart the Jews who professed God in words and cryed up the Temple and Moses and the Law in words flew the Prophets and laid false things to their charge Jeremiah when he Prophesied against Jerusalem and spake to the Princes and Rulers when they were revolted from God in the dayes of Zedekiah and denounced evil against the City and People because of Transgression they put him in the Dungeon where his feet sticked in the Mire and said He was fallen away to the Caldeans and did he alienate the heart of the Jewes from them and their Law and despised their Government Christ was accounted a friend of Publicans and sinners and had a devil a Transgressor of Moses Law though he came to fulfill it and an enemy to Caesar and a blasphemer and what not Who said so the Elders the Doctors the Rabies and Rulers of the People and they crucified him as an evil doer though none could convince him of sin the Apostles of Christ as seditious men Ringleaders of Sects Authors of Vproars turners of the World upside down as disobedient enemies to peace as discontented men with the present Lawes and Customs then established and judged as not fit to live And therefore many suffered long for holding out their Testimony faithfully they had received and last of all suffered death not as Saints and Prophets but as evil doers at last some by the Jewes some by the Heathen The Primitive Christians of whom the World was not worthy of were falsly accused by the Romans Heathens and Pagans in the great Persecutions that arose were evil spoken of and falsly represented and rendred odious and as objects of hatred through the envy of the Devil because they opposed his Kingdom of Darkness Tertullian saith the Heathen commonly reputed the then Primitive Christians incestious men killers of Children enemies of all mankind enemies against the Gods against the Emperours against the Laws they made an 0utcry upon them It s not lawful they should live And when any Judgment did befall them Augustine saith it was become a Proverb Our Rain failes us because of these Christians And Eusebius saith the Religion of Christ was called the Heresie of Godless Christians Likewise after the name of Christ and Christian became in repute and esteem many Hypocrites and Formalists took on the Name when it was countenanced by the Kings and Princes of the Earth and then turned against them that were more in the life and power then they as the Bohemians and the Waldences and first Protestants in Germany how were they branded with heresie schisme as seditious factious enemies to the Lawes Church and State and to Princes and how was the hatred of the Pope and Emperour kindled against them and War raised upon them and many suffered death in their account as evil doers who persecuted them Likewise come nearer our own Age in the dayes of Queen Mary how were the best of Men and the best of Christians in that Age censured as Enemies to the Queens Laws and Government enemies to the Church seditious hereticks and such as was not fit to live and therefore many suffered in the cruel flames of fire and did undergo many great torments and sufferings and last of all cruel deaths many suffered and by them called Christians and yet slew him and persecuted him in his Members Last of all God hath brought us forth in our Age to bear witness unto him and unto that life power and light by which we are quickned and raised out of the grave of sin and death to live unto him and serving him in newness of life and to confess unto his holy name and power by which we are saved illuminated and directed and to worship him in spirit and truth according to the manifestation of his spirit to us and in us according to the Scriptures of Truth for the Lord God of Heaven and Earth Judge and all his holy Angels and all just men who are anointed with the holy Unction that knowes truth from error whether we hold any other thing either in Doctrine or practice but that which the Primitive Christians bare witness of and also the Scriptures bare witness unto and that which we are perswaded in our Consciences by the unerring spirit of the Lord which doth give us assurance of his acceptation and peace in our hearts And how often have we declared our selves both by word and writing which is sufficiently manifest unto all who have not wilfully closed their eyes and stopped their eares against us that we are of no other faith hope or Religion but that which Christ and his Apostles and Primitive Christians were of which they did hold forth both in Doctrine and practice as in respect of Worship And how peaceably and humbly we have walked towards all men without seeking the hurt or detriment of any thou Righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth knows and according to the innocency of our hearts do thou judge us and plead our Cause And further we have laboured that sin might be beat down and that all every where might have been turned from it unto the living God and that Righteousness might have been advanced and truth have taken place in all Mens hearts both in word and deed that Christ who is professed in words might have ruled in the hearts of all men that make mention of him that so Gods blessing might have been felt and known by all and the Souls of all saved from the snares of Sathan and out of that which the wrath of God and his Judgments comes upon and Lord God of Heaven and Earth thou knows how our Adversaries have sought occasion against us for no other cause but for the matter of worship of the living God and unto Gods righteous Judgment seat we dare appeal and do thou judge us and reward us according to our deserts if ever we have contrived the hurt of any man or men or have sought to violate any righteous Law of Man which stands to the well governing of a Nation or Country in the things that pertain to the World yet how have we been fasly represented slandered belyed misreported hated backbited persecuted and killed