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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	new_a	sing_v	song_n	2,447	5	9.7529	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35122	A defence of the true church called Quakers (come and coming out of the wilderness, Babylon, and the dark night of the apostacy of Antichrist into their own land, which is Sion the mountain of holiness, there to worship the Lord in spirit and truth) against the several sects and sorts of people, called Independants, Separatists or Brownists, Baptists, Fift-Monarchy-Men ...	Crook, John, 1617-1699.; J. C. (John Collens), d. 1682.	1659 (1659)	Wing C7202; ESTC R35612	46,726	58

their guide and would also see that most words that are spoken are for their sakes as taking compassion on the multitude who are wandring like sheep without a shepherd and the Lord God will have all this so to be for Jerusalems sake which he will make the praise of the whole earth therefore shall not his Watch-men keep silence night nor day till her brightness go forth as the light and her Righteousness as the Lamp that burneth Wherefore if ye knew what this meaneth ye would not condemn the guiltless yea the faithful for doing their duty for which they so suffer by the hands of wicked men but it is no wonder that ye do so for ye being in a too loose liberty under pretence of Christian Liberty despise and shun the Cross as foolishness which to us is the Power of God But perhaps ye will further say Although words may be useful to the world as also to build up those who are weak or that are not come to perfection yet to those who have attained they are useless according to thy own Doctrine who hast said before that the Holy City had no need of the Sun Moon or light of a Candle c. 'T is one thing to hear words that come from the life out of necessity and another thing to hear them in the Unity now the Saints who walk in the Lambs immediate light alone may hear the Bride-grooms voice in others and have great joy therein though they are not spoken to their particular conditions or have no need at all of any outward Declaration to build them up so John his joy was fulfilled in hearing what Christ preached to others Therefore the Assembly of all Saints is still needful both to rejoyce together in the Truth and to witness the same in the sight of others But some of you may say Though we are not of the number of any of those Sects thou hast mentioned nor walk with you yet we do meet together at certain times and pray and preach yea and sing also and are therefore called the singing People and professing the Virgin life as those who live in the highest Region of Light and Truth Friends consider seriously with your selves what you do least ye deceive your own Souls for it is not in words no nor the highest words that can be uttered nor those in the highest manner that Gods Kingdom doth consist therefore examine your selves whether ye are yet come to the first Principle of God in your selves which is the true light within that searcheth the heart judgeth the deceit thereof makes humble and meek pulls down pride within and without roots out the covetousness denies respect of or from persons brings to the Cross every way into the true silence before the mouth is opened by the Power for who shall take his Word or Covenant into his mouth that is not Reformed Or how can the dead praise the living Now those marks of Non-reformation by the light are too visible upon you Wherefore stop your mouths ye Preaching Praying lumenaries that are found in the pollutions of the world that flee the Cross and love not to come to the light that ye may be Judged but will be ready to be angry or touchy at such words as these saying We are too censorious or the like when as they are but the words of truth and soberness for truth and sobriety consists in plain dealing which ye all will confess is a Jewel and yet do not desire to be plainly dealt withal ye are they that cause divisions rents professing to be taught of God yet stand at a distance from those who by his true Teachings take up the Cross and stand in it Wherefore sink down I charge you all such and come to the light believing and waiting in it with us and let not the glory of this world or any other interest pleasure or lust hinder you from so doing so shall ye be called the Repairers of the breaches and those that follow Love and Peace aright which is shewen in nothing more than by having one heart and one way with Gods People who ye will not deny many of us to be to serve him with them with one consent for we know that ye ought to return to us and that we must not return to you And as for you Singers consider whether ye have not rather cause to mourn and lament since those things which are the proper causes of sorrow are found in and among you Will ye be covetous proud and lofty self-seeking dissemble for advantage sake respect and court persons and the like and come before the Lord with a Song Can such sing the New Song as Redeemed from the earth Nay they that live in pleasure are dead while they live and so are in the grave of sin in which there is no true remembrance of the Lord God of Life and Power and far from the undefiled Virginity of the Lambs Wife Wherefore be not deceived God is not mocked for this is but a mockery and except ye come first to the house of mourning and bid Adieu to all your lovers and pass under the Rod ye cannot be brought into the bond of the Covenant of Light Life and Peace but your Harps must needs be ere long hanged upon the Willowes For how should ye sing the Song of the Lord in a strange Land But I hear some of you retorting and saying Thou hast judged all but your selves as living in sin and divers lusts and idolatry c. but we see the same things among you that thou chargest us with and deniest us for Is not covetousness idolatry and unmercifulness a fruit of unrighteousness are not some of you also in the pride in your house and in the fulnesse of bread when some are pinched are ye not too partial in looking upon one more than another doth not anger and emulation and judging one another wrongfully and rash speaking appear among you do we not see these things and why then should ye be accounted more the Church of Christ than any other People for the Kingdom of God stands not in yea and nay pulling or not pulling off a hat saying thou to any one or wearing of apparel or taking by the hand but in Righteousnesse and all the fruits thereof as thou thy self hast said If I speak of my self my witness is not true I judge you not out of that light which judgeth all things which ye either call natural and insufficient or sleight as a little low and weak thing and so are out of that which should make all works acceptable to the Lord and which should discover and destroy all unri●●●●ousness so that ye are not only denied because of your b●●● fruits but as being out from that which would make you bring forth good fruits for make the tree good and the fruit shall be good saith Christ the light in whom the tree is made good as acting from a living

thee saith he to Timothy in the sight of God who quickeneth all things and before Christ Jesus who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession that thou keep this Commandment which was to fight the good fight of Faith and follow after righteousness godliness patience meekness love c. without spot unrebukeable till the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ which in his times he shall shew who is the blessed and onely Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who onely hath immortalitie dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto to wit in his own wisdom or with his bodily eye whom no man hath seen nor can see to wit with those to whom be honour and Power everlasting Amen Oh that ye sword-men had your eyes opened to behold this King as he is here witnessed how would you then be ashamed and amazed at your own folly in gazing upwards as expecting to see him in a bodily shape and with a corporal eye to Reign on Earth Here you see Paul witnesseth he shall be shewn in his times and that as the onely Potentate or Monarch and yet he saith no man can see him what a contradiction may this seem to be to your grosse understandings but it is really so I averre for his appearance in the world in his times must be agreeable to his nature he onely hath immortality therefore must be seen onely by that which is immortal he dwelleth in the light and therefore must be beheld onely in the light and by an eye internally enlightned So that now stop your mouths for ever and cease from your carnal interpretations of those Scriptures which speaks of Christs coming to reign on earth but turn to within even to his light wherewith every one of you are enlightned that in that light ye may see him who is invisible dwelling in the light whom no man hath nor can see nor approach unto for assure your selves that the world shall see his bodily Shape and Person no more but the Saints do and shall see him for because he liveth they shall live also And as for the manner of this spiritual Kings Government it must be spiritually not by an outward visible shining body quelling and over-awing the enemies of his Kindomg but by his inward and invisible Power in the hearts of his People making the people to fall under him or chaining them up yea making all his enemies within and without to go backward and flee before him and although ye may look upon this as a weak inconsiderable thing because it seems not pompous to your carnal eye yet know that it is of the greatest force that can be imagined For is not Conscience more to a man than a thousand witnesses Which if it once condemn God is greater and knoweth all things and so the comment of the wicked increaseth Now that of Christ in the Saints arising in Power and transforming them into its own Image of Righteousness and true Holiness his Name is seen in their foreheads by living fruits which reaching to the witness of God in wicked men they cannot stand before it for the wicked cannot stand in Judgement nor sinners in the Congregation of the Righteous because by the Righteous Principle of God in themselves they are Judged which worketh in their guilty Consciences the fear and flashes of Eternal vengeance which fierce indignation of the Almighty that they may avoid they also are oft times brought to lay hold of eternal Life bringing forth fruits meet for Repentance and so the work of the Lord prospereth in this his King immortal his hand in his Majesty riding prosperously because of Truth and Meekness and Righteousness and his right hand teaching him terrible things and brings to pass greater things hereby than all outward force fear and violence were able to do Now the reason why ye savour not such things as these is because ye with many other Professours are out from that which should give you salt in your selves to savour withal and so being buried in the Letter of the Scriptures do interpret them according to a mind that is under the ministration of the Letter and not of the Spirit So look what truths of God are to be spiritually understood and discerned ye being out of the light do literally understand and so are for an external or personal appearance of Christ in his Kingdom even as a fifth visible Monarch in the world and for a Holy City outward just so long and broad and every way composed as that description of it in the Revelation seemeth outwardly to describe So ye will talk and be even very zealous for a New Heaven and a New Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness but what fruit doth the expectation of such things in your way expected bring forth in you Doth it make you diligent to be found of him in Peace without spot and blameless as Peter exhorted the Saints to be who looked for such things Or are you in the vanities and folly of the multitude who are without Hope or God in the world How proud rough rugged earthly-minded bitter dead dry and unsavoury do many of you appear Oh People it is not a discourse of or expectation of great and outward changes or happiness though for ever to endure that will bring to the Cross of Christ and slay the enmity of your minds by wicked works but it is the knowing the Cross of Christ in your selves which is his living and quickning Power felt by waiting in his light that must bring you to take up your own cross and follow him else while you think to be the men that shall Reign with Christ and Judge the world ye your selves will be Judged by Christ in this his day which cometh and is come as a snare upon all the earth Your good intentions towards the executing of Justice and Righteousness in the earth in opposition to Tyranny and Oppression I confess is to be owned but ye take not the right course how to bring it forth for it is not the shaking a Weapon or sore threatning or the like at the Beast that will change his nature but it is the Life that is the light of men which will do it for that which alone searcheth the heart can and doth alone turn the same so that if as the Lambs true followers ye knew how to make War in Righteousness with the Whore Beast false Prophet through Faith Patience ye might should do good but if out of a rash and blind zeal ye will steer an indirect course no wonder if you arrive not at your desired Harbour for if ye will needs give blows ye must expect blows again because this exasperates the proud and wilful nature whose Element it is even to live in the fire also an outward force to an outward is like to like but a spiritual Power against a carnal is altogether different and what shall alway stand against Gods living Power in Spirit

the spirits of all the remnant of the People for they were in the unbelief before as ye are concerning the time saying Hag. 2. ver 2. the time is not come the time that the Lords house should be built then the Lords Word in Haggai was this to convince them of the contrary Is it time for you oh ye to dwell in your sieled houses and this house lay wast now therefore thus saith the Lord consider your wayes c. And afterwards when the second Temple was built they were apt to have low thoughts of it who is left among you saith the same Prophet that saw this house in the first glory and how do ye see it now is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing mark as nothing yet saith he now be strong oh Zerubbabel saith the Lord and be strong oh Joshuah the high Priest and be strong all ye people of the Land saith the Lord and work for I am with you saith the Lord of hosts according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt so my spirit remaineth among you fear ye not for thus saith the Lord of hosts yet once it is a little while and I will shake the Heavens and the Earth and the Sea and the dry Land and I will shake all Nations and the desire of all Nations shall come and I will fill this house with Glory saith the Lord of hosts the silver is mine and the gold is mine saith the Lord of hosts the Glory of this latter house shall be greater then of the former saith the Lord of hosts and I will give peace in this place saith the Lord of hosts are not these plain words to him that desires to understand the people were discouraged because their second Temple was not so Stately and pompous outwardly as the first built by Solomon yet were they bid to be strong or of a good courage for the Lord of hosts strong and mighty was with them and the same spirit remained among them according to his Covenant with them when they came out of Egypt though there were not miracles and such visible signes shewed amongst them now as then for the right of building the second Temple stood in the Covenant which was still the same to the Seed of Israel outward he to be their God and they to be to him a People whereof Circumcision in the flesh was a sign as the Circumcision of the heart is a signe of the spiritual and everlasting Covenant to the spiritual Seed saying they should not fear for he would shortly shake all and all Nations by his powerful witness which should make way for Christ to come and fill his second house with his Glory for all spiritual riches and treasures are His and in Him so that the Glory of the latter house should be greater then of the former to wit in the invisible Glory yet visible by fruits of all righteousness which to bring forth was the sum and end of all figures shadowes miracles tongues and prophesies So that they should have peace in God which passeth all Humane understanding and outward rest also when their sufferings were fulfilled Now consider whether it were not just so in the first raising up of the Gospel Church in the Apostles dayes they had the gift of tongues they did many miracles c. for it was meet and needful at the first bringing in of the first born into an unbelieving and Heathenish world that it should be so as it was at the Jews coming out of Egypt to be a visible Nation and People unto God but at the coming out of mystical Babylon the Spirit of Life from God entred saith John into the witnesses and they stood upon their feet and they prophesied no miracle or in what Language it was being mentioned and the way that the Saints overcame was by the blood of the Covenant mark the same Life of Christ which is the blood of the everlasting Covenant which the Apostles and Saints formerly stood in was in them whereby they got victory every way also they overcame by the Word of their Testimony declaring what they had seen and handled of the Word of Life and by suffering for the same even unto death as the Jew outward adventured their lives in the going on with their work against Sanballat Tobiah and the other their cruel enemies neither is this second work of God to be sleighted or little esteemed for it is done by the pure power of the Almighty in the Spirit as the Prophet Zacharie testified saying not by might nor by power that is so visibly appearing in strange gifts but by my Spirit saith the Lord of hosts even that by whom all things were made and so is very great and shall bring forth the p●rest State of the Church that ever was as in the description of the new Jerusalem the Holy City doth most evidently appear wherein shall be a new Heaven and new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness which Peter and the Saints in his dayes waited for and desired to see where shall be no more sorrow nor crying nor pain nor night and this is the State after the captivity not wrought out by outward signes and wonders but by the Internal light leading out of all that is unclean into that wherein there is no defilement which is a glorious and all powerful work so that the Saints feeling of it shall yea and do already say now is come Salvation and strength and the Kingdom of our God and the Power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren is cast down which accused them before our God day and night and this purely spiritual way of proceeding is most suitable to destroy the mystery of iniquity for hereby spiritual Wisdom is set in opposition and doth discover spiritual deceit by which the Nations have been made drunk yet we deny not or limit the Power of the Holy One in this his day to come forth in what gifts he pleaseth as sometimes he hath done by healing and extraordinary fastings amongst us but this we say it is not so much a seal to the Ministry as the Lords free working how he pleaseth and how he will please to come forth hereafter when the Truth shall actually prevail over other Nations that do not professe Christianity we are not much careful as knowing that whatsoever is needful for the managing of the Lords own Work himself will freely bestow whether it be the gift of tongues miracles or any other Neither is it necessary that the true Ministry should be the Administratours of baptism with water laying on of hands or breaking of bread at their rising so constituting a Church called visible by those outward signs and shadows nay it is not convenient that they should do so for the reasons forementioned to the Baptists also for as much as Antichrist under pretence of setting up of outward false Administrations called by him Ordinances and crying

Principle yet that the tree is known by its fruit I grant and affirm and have affirmed against all loose and ranting spirits in the world who would have no outward action to be a mark or token of the good or evil tree but the light Life or Principle must not be seperated from the action nor the action from it for if so all a mans righteousness becomes unrighteousness as acted from self in the wrong ground and his knowledge like a cloud without water But as for your objecting against our conversation in the world I say we judge our selves first and espie the beam in our own eye for being turned to the light which makes manifest the least thing that appeareth in us contrary thereto is as a beam which while standing clouds and overspreads the pure presence of God wherefore we are not at rest day or night till the beam be be plucked out and so do we espie and reprove the faults of others who either plead for sin as long as they live or excuse their own iniquity by others failings and yet think themselves safe And this I would have none of you be ignorant of that although we believe perfection to be attainable in this world yet we are very sensible that it is not the work of a day moneth or year but that there must be much waiting many a sigh and groan a great spiritual combate with the Dragon and his Angels within a diligent and expert exercising of the whole Armour of light ere such a State be witnessed but this is our comfort that we are truely turned to that which gives the victory in the end and so are not faithless but believe as also that the Lambs War is truely begun in us who fights our battels for us while we stand still and behold his Salvation with which Salvation some are already saved and others saving so every one in his own measure and order so that in few words if any or all of those things by you objected should sometime appear in or among some of us yet know they are not ours but the evil ones to whom they belong for when we speak of our selves as Saints we mind that which is born of God which cannot sin for that is the Elect Seed which is for ever joyned to the Lord and takes his part against the transgressour and this I will say not onely for my self but in the behalf of other brethren and friends in whose defence I have been moved to make this Apologie that there is never a one amongst us who are truely and sincerely come to the light but do love judgement yea wait for his judgements to be brought to light and forth to victory even as the watchman watcheth for the morning and so far are any such from pleading for any one sin in thought word or deed that it is their meat and drink to do the will of the Father and like gall and wormwood to the pure thing of God in them when it is not fulfilled neither can they be in the least content to shrowd themselves under a Profession of truth so as the more freely to act deceit thereby but both desire and witness a growth in truth and righteousness as knowing that not to go forward is to go backward And as for any that come amongst us and seem to walk with us that are otherwise minded and conditioned then I have declared by the light they are judged and by the truth denied and by the fan winnowed and in themselves condemned wherefore stumble not at the light and truth because of offences for that causeth not the offence but by degrees gathereth all things that do offend out of the Fathers Kingdom and maketh fearfulness in due time to surprise the Hypocrite so God is glorified and his truth vindicated thereby Thus the foundation of God standeth sure to the Seed notwithstanding all such objections and the true Church which is the pillar and ground of truth is appeared in this our day so that none hath any more just cause to disown it for some faults and failings that may yet be found among us then the heathen had just cause to deny the Jews outward to be the Lords people when they came out of Babylon to build the Temple because of some things that were not right and comely amongst them against which Nehemiah contested and which were also rectified which was a figure of Christ Jesus the spiritual King the Rectifier reformer and perfecter of his People And as for some outward gestures and behaviour among men which ye account as trivial and indifferent things know that though they are little in themselves yet as they flow from a pure Principle of God in us which makes us outwardly to testifie against the pride and loftiness of man which is to be brought down in this the day of the Lords exaltation they are of great and necessary use and as for taking by the hand it is a manifestation of equality and unity among friends in the life and to be done from a pure moving and not from a tie or custome but as for yea and nay whatever is more either in word or work cometh of evil And so I shall conclude with prayer to the God of all Grace that as he which hath called us by his Son is holy so we may be holy in all manner of conversation more and more till every thing that offendeth within or without be taken away that so the new Heavens and new Earth wherein dwelleth all righteousness may be enjoyed wherein love which the fulfilling thereof doth plentifully flow and not wax cold that the Lord God may be glorified in us and we in him and his Name be written in our fore-heads to the stopping of the mouths of all that oppose the truth to him be praise and glory and everlasting Dominion now and for evermore THE END