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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
friend_n	london_n	meeting_n	visit_v	815	5	9.9549	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30905	Truth triumphant through the spiritual warfare, Christian labours, and writings of that able and faithful servant of Jesus Christ, Robert Barclay, who deceased at his own house at Urie in the kingdom of Scotland, the 3 day of the 8 month 1690.	Barclay, Robert, 1648-1690.	1692 (1692)	Wing B740; ESTC R25857	1,185,716	995

Assertions W. R. Censures the Apostle boldly I may the more patiently bear his Affirming mine to be Erroneous And whereas W. R. labours To make it appear that the Scriptures brought by me to prove a power of Decision in the Church do not Affirm any such thing because in these Scriptures there is no mention made of the Church's Decision Yet if he Consider that those places do speak of the Separating from and Cutting off of divers Persons Judgment Evinced and forsaking their Fellowship to the Saints who make up the Church of Christ it necessarily presupposes a Judgment of the Church or Saints concerning those Persons for which they are so Cut off from the Fellowship of the Body of Christ which is his Church Reason IV Fourthly A great part of W. R's Work is but a building up and then pulling down wherein he apparently Contradicts himself Yea the whole Scope of his Book Implies a Manifest Contradiction For whereas he plainly declares his Writing to be a Plea for Christian Liberty against Judging and Censuring one another holding forth that Diversity of Opinions and Judgments in matters of Conscience but especially in such matters as relate to Discipline and Government is not nor ought to be a Breach of Unity which he understands may be supposed to be the diversities of Gifts and Administrations mentioned in Scriptures which he expresses in these words upon Paul in Rom. 14. So then every one of us shall give an Account of himself unto God let us not therefore Judge one another any more And again he saith upon Verse 34. viz. Which evidently shews that Inasmuch as every one must Answer for himself it is fit every one should believe for himself A wrong Spirit of Liberty and so practise without being Imposed upon by others and this is the ground of all Christian Forbearance And again in another place he saith These things considered and that also we find the Apostle's Exhorting the Churches not to be Judging one another with respect to things relating to Conscience there is great need to watch against this Censorious Judging Spirit least while any are Judging their Brethren themselves become Cast-aways he hath many more Expressions of this kind Now since this is the whole Scope of W. R's Papers and that he did yea hath since he wrote these Papers acknowledged me to be his Christian Brother and many more at least them he did Repute such whom he Censures Judges and Condemns through his whole Treatise yea since his whole Papers are a Judging Censuring and Condemning of me and my Judgment in things pertaining to Conscience and to my Judgment in matters of Government and outward Discipline do's not the Work Imply a manifest Contradiction So his very Writing Contradicts the matter he writes of and pleads for especially since not only he makes some General Censure of me and many others professing the same fundamental Truths with him but is very Particular and Peremptory W. R. a false Accuser yea Insinuating Accusations as if I in Particular intended to make way for an Authority to Rule over at least some of my Brethren as his very Conclusion Intimates and in divers other places may be Observed And it will aggravate this Injury done by him the more that the Reader may Observe as well in his own Letter as in what is above mentioned that this his Censure was built upon his own Mistakes So that I hope who consider these things will acknowledge a sufficient Answer is hereby Returned And albeit I my self be fully satisfied yet I should not have Churled the Pains of a particular Disquisition of every thing in Order as Asserted by him albeit he has not done that to mine If I had not an Aversion from multiplying Controversies of this kind for the desire I have to Avoid that sort of Work and not for any strength of Argumentation I observe in W. R's Papers hath stopt me from so doing But if any do Apprehend that Strength of Reason in his Papers as to Judge I was Vnable to Answer or that this is not Satisfactory it will but Evidence the Weakness of their own Vnderstanding to the more Judicious and I shall not think much to bear their Censure For I value more my own Inward Peace and that of my Brethren than to Obtain an Applause of my Natural Capacity wherein if any Judge that W. R. do surpass me I shall not therewith be troubled The Excellency of the Simplicity of Truth For I more and more see the Excellency of that Simplicity that is in the Truth and of that Vnity that it leadeth to And thence do more Earnestly than ever desire to Witness all that is of and from Self Crucified in me and brought into true Subjection to the Cross of Christ and there alone may be my Rejoicing wherein I am at Vnity with all those who make Self of no Reputation for the Seed's sake that the Prosperity of Truth may be Advanced and the Peace of Israel Preserved R. Barclay William Rogers's Letter of his and R. Barclay's Discourse about the Book before-mentioned in the presence of many Brethren and also a Paper signifying the Brethrens Sense touching the Discourse then present Friends IT was upon me for several weeks past W. R's Letter Clearing R. B's Anarchy c. if my Occasions would any wise permit to come up to the City of London to be present among Friends from divers parts of the Nation at this Time that so I might have Opportunity to Confer with Friends who were dissatisfied with me touching what I had written in Answer to R. Barclay 's Book of Government And a few days before my Coming up R. Barclay being in London writ unto me to come up that we might have a Conference at large touching the same This his Request laid the greater Obligation upon me to be present in London at this time On Conference had with him we Agreed that a Free Meeting might be had with Friends in whose presence R. B. and my self might in all Coolness and Moderation Confer together that so all Mis-understandings might be Removed and the Truth be Evidenced to the Consciences of the Brethren then Present The Meeting for that end was this Day had and a very Christian and Fair Debate was had to the satisfaction of both of us as far as I can understand and the matters chiefly Objected by me were fairly and brother-like and in much love Discoursed and upon the whole matter I am satisfied that R. B. is not principled so as I and others have taken his Book to Import In particular he doth declare that his Book teacheth not that the Church of Christ hath Jurisdiction over the outward Concerns of Friends in Case of Difference Jurisdiction without Assent of the Differing parties and that it was far from his Intentions For his Intention as he declares was only to manifest that Friends ought to Submit their Cases of Difference to

and Profane being not come to this Place are in whatsoever they do cursed and their Ploughing as well as Praying is sin Now if any will plead that for Relaxation of Mind there may be a Liberty allowed beyond these things which are of absolute need to the Sustenance of the outward Man I shall not much contend against it provided these things be not such as are wholly superfluous or in their proper Nature and Tendency lead the Mind into Lust Vanity and Wantonness as being chiefly contrived and framed for that End or generally experienced to produce these Effects or being the common Engines of such as are so minded to feed one another therein and to propagate their Wickedness to the impoysoning of others seeing there are other Innocent Divertisements which may sufficiently serve for Relaxation to the Mind Such as for Friends to visit one another Lawful Divertisements to hear or read History to speak soberly of the present or past Transactions to follow after Gardnering to use Geometrical and Mathematical Experiments and such other things of this Nature In all which things we are not so to forget God in whom we both live and are moved Acts 10.26 as not to have always some secret Reserve to him and Sense of his Fear and Presence which also frequently exerts it self in the midst of these things by some short Aspiration and Breathings And that this may neither seem strange nor Troublesome I shall clear it by one manifest Instance answerable to the Experience of all Men. It will not be denied but that Men ought to be more in the Love of God than of any other thing for we ought to love God above all things Now it is plain That Men that are taken with Love whether it be of a Woman or any other thing if it hath taken deep Place in the Heart and possest the Mind it will be hard for the Man so in Love to drive out of his Mind the Person or thing so loved yea in his Eating Drinking and Sleeping his Mind will always have a Tendency that way and in Business or Recreation however intent he be in it there will but a very short Time be permitted to pass but the Mind will let some Ejaculation forth towards its beloved The Love towards its belov'd shuns its Offence And albeit such a one must be conversant in those things that the Care of this Body and such like things call for yet will he avoid as death it self to do those things that may offend the Party so beloved or cross his Design in obtaining the thing so earnestly desired Though there may be some small use in them the great Design which is chiefly in his Eye will so ballance him that he will easily look over and dispense with such petty Necessities rather than endanger the Loss of the Greater by them Now that Men ought to be thus in Love with God and the Life to come none will deny and the thing is apparent from these Scriptures Matth. 6.20 But lay up for your selves treasures in Heaven Col. 3.2 Set your affection on things above c. And that this hath been the Experience and Attainment of some the Scripture also declares Psal. 63.1.84 2 Cor. 5.14 Sports Plays draw Men from the Fear of God And again That these Games Sports Plays Dancing Comedies c. do naturally tend to draw Men from God's Fear to make them forget Heaven Death and Judgment to foster Lust Vanity and Wantonness and therefore are most loved as well as used by such kind of Persons Experience abundantly shews and the most-Serious and Conscientious among all will scarcely deny Which if it be so the Application is easie § X. Fifthly The use of Swearing is to be considered which is so frequently practised almost among all Christians not only profane Oaths among the profane in their common discourses whereby the most●HOLY NAME of GOD is in a horrible manner daily blasphemed but also solemn Oaths with those that have some shew of piety whereof the most part do defend Swearing before the Magistrate with so great zeal that not only they are ready themselves to do it upon every occasion but also stir up the Magistrates to persecute those who out of obedience to Christ their Lord and Master judge it unlawful to Swear Upon which account not a few have suffered Imprisonment and the spoiling of their Goods But considering these clear words of our Saviour All Swearing is forbidden Matth. 5.33 34. Again ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time Thou shalt not forswear thy self but shalt perform unto the Lord thine Oaths But I say unto you SWEAR NOT AT ALL neither by Heaven c. But let your Communication be Yea Yea Nay Nay For whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil As also the words of the Apostle James 5.12 But above all things my Brethren Swear not neither by Heaven neither by the Earth neither by any other Oath But let your Yea be Yea and your Nay Nay lest you fall into Condemnation I say considering these clear words it is admirable how any one that professeth the Name of Christ can pronounce any Oath with a quiet Conscience far less to persecute other Christians that dare not swear because of their Master Christ's Authority For did any one purpose seriously and in the most rigid manner to forbid any thing comprehended under any General can they use a more full and general prohibition and that without any Exception I think not For Christ First proposeth it to us negatively Swear not at all neither by Heaven nor by the Earth nor by Jerusalem nor by thy Head c. And again Swear not by Heaven nor by Earth nor by any other Oath Secondly he presseth it affirmatively But let your Communication be Yea Yea and Nay Nay For whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil And saith James lest ye fall into Condemnation Which words both all and every one of them do make such a full prohibition and so free of all Exception that it is strange Without Exception how men that boast the Scripture is the Rule of their Faith and Life can counterfeit any Exception Certainly Reason ought to teach every one that it is not lawful to make void a general prohibition coming from God by such opposition unless the Exception be as clearly and evidently expressed as the prohibition neither is it enough to endeavour to confirm it by Consequences and Probabilities which are obscure and uncertain and not sufficient to bring quiet to the Conscience For if they say that there is therefore an Exception and limitation in the words because there are found Exceptions in the other general prohibition of this fifth Chapter as in the forbidding of Divorcement where Christ saith It hath been said Whosoever shall put away his Wife let him give her a Writing of Divorcement But I say unto you That whosoever shall put away his