Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	deny_v	teach_v	ungodliness_n	4,302	5	11.7286	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A37543	The Jury-man charged, or, A letter to a citizen of London wherein is shewed the true meaning of the statute entituled, An act to prevent and suppress seditious conventicles ...	H. E.	1664 (1664)	Wing E10; ESTC R23241	12,624	15

of Fact is persons meeting under colour and pretence of Religion whereby it plainly appears they intended not to punish those that have no other Intention in their religious Exercises but what appears but such as only pretend Religion for Seditious ends To such indeed where that Seditious mind is discovered and manifest the punishment may be proportionate but for persons that have no other intention in Meeting or at least in whom no other intention can any way be made manifest but to please God and satisfie their own Consciences for them to be punished in this manner is like as if a Parent should banish one of his Children out of his presence and from his table into Jamaica or Barbados to be educated among his Cow-herds and Hog-herds for seven years because he hath a weak stomach and cannot eat the wholsome food of the other Children Therefore it is wholly to be held that either this is not the punishment or that is not the offence for there is no proportion between them Again how can it be imagined the Parliament would forbid all religious Meetings save at the Parish Church because thirty men once came out of such a Meeting to make a Sedition and Tumult Can any man suppose that Insurrections are contrived in a Meeting of eighty or an hundred People of all sorts Men Women and Children Surely no State or Kingdom need fear such Plots Are not Insurrections rather contrived in secret chambers where questionless there are not above five besides those of the houshold why should it not therefore be prohibited for men to come together upon any occasion whatsoever in any number You will say this cannot be for it will destroy Trading and Society But what I pray is not trading for Heaven and religious Society as necessary as civil commerce and wordly Commodities But you will say They may meet at the Parish Church for Religious Society But I have shewed before that many things are to be done in Religion which cannot be done there neither is it permitted if it could And besides Sedition hath been moved and acted at the publick Church witness Scotland in the beginning of the late Wars and Dr. Duck at Magnes A common thing to preach Sedition in the Pulpit Must we therefore be prohibited from meeting at Church and commanded to worship God at home every Family by it self if some persons abuse of a thing could have made it unlawful we should by this time have had nothing lawful The preaching of the Gospel was in the purest times done by some out of envy and yet that did not hinder others from doing it out of good will The Grace of God was by some turned into Lasciviousness yet it taught others to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts c. Those that met Seditiously were therein as offensive to those that meet now peaceably and religiously as they were to the King and Parliament Now Sir upon the whole matter that I may draw to a conclusion Can you believe in your conscience that the Quakers and others that come before you for religious Meetings have seditious Intentions and Contrivances under the pretence of Religion Do you think it possible for any Witness or Judge on Earth to satisfie your sworn conscience that the Exercise of Religion among the Quakers or any other profession among us is not allowed by the Scriptures Lyturgy or Practice of the Church of England Mistake me not I say not that you cannot be satisfied in conscience that some professions do err in some matters of Doctrine or Practice so as that you can neither consent with them nor do as they do But can you take your Oath that they err maliciously Can you venture your Eternal Salvation on it that their exercise of Religion is a sin that deserves to be punished with seven years Banishment Suppose the Witness say they were met together at a private house and prayed together and exhorted one another but did not reade either their Prayers or Exhortations out of a Book called the Lyturgy and the Judge tell you that this is sufficient as to matter of fact can you hereupon pawn your Soul and all your earthly comforts that they are guilty according to the Indictment They shall be banished out of their Country for seven years Will you freely be banished out of Heaven evermore if they be not sufficiently proved guilty They shall be sent to Jamaico or Barbados Will you be sent to Hell if they be not sufficiently proved guilty They shall be separated from their Wives Children Parents Kinsfolk Friends and Neighbours for seven years will you willingly be separated from the presence of the Lord and his holy Angels and Saints for ever if they be not sufficiently proved guilty They shall be damnified in their Trades and in the comfortable enjoyment of their Families and Friends are you willing to be cursed by God in your Trades Families Friends and in whatsoever is dear to you if they be not sufficiently proved guilty They shall be hanged up as Felons if they return without Licence in seven years space can you appeal to God with a good conscience and say before the great and dreadful Judge of Heaven and Earth Lord let me suffer Death and Damnation as a Murderer if these persons be not sufficiently proved guilty Whoever understands the nature of an Oath and Verdict this is the Case between the Jury-man and the Prisoner But you will say Perhaps the Judge will be angry threaten and say My Masters will you make a nose of wax of the Law and suffer the Law to be baffled those that think to deceive the Law the Law will deceive them and perhaps I shall be sent for to the Court and imprisoned in the Gatehouse and so be undone by great Charges and loss of my Trade But such a thing as that would be such Injustice as never was heard of and it cannot be imagined that his Majesty would suffer it It is altogether improbable that any man should suffer in this kind I only suppose the worst that can be supposed and if the worst is to be endured how much more when it shall be only a chiding I ask thee again Whether thou hadst rather incur the displeasure of God or of man Whether thou hadst rather suffer from men in thy Trade Family and Liberty or be cursed by God in them all Whether the Gatehouse or Hell be worse Whether it be not better to trust God with a good conscience than to trust the Devil with a bad one If thou dost believe that God rules the world that he favoureth and blesseth the Righteous and punisheth the Wicked both in this world and that which is to come then keep thy conscience clean doe righteously though thou suffer by it Fear not them that kill the body and have no more that they can do But rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in Hell But why do I use such severe expostulations with you of whose tenderness of conscience I have so great and clear evidence I know you can sooner dye upon the place then bring in any such peaceable person Guilty as well knowing that there is a heavy Wo pronounced against him that shall offend the least of Christ's little ones it were better for him that a Milstone were hanged about his neck and he cast into the depth of the Sea I know you do approve of that most prudent counsel of that most Famous Doctor of Law amongst the Jews Gamaliel Act. 5.38 39. Refrain from these men and let them alone for if this Counselor this Work be of men it will come to nought but if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it lest happily ye be found even to fight against God I cannot but much wonder with what conscience two Justices of Peace or one Cheif Magistrate can play the parts of Judge Jury and Witness against these poor men and condemn them for Meetting Seditiously because they meet simply to exercise Religion according to their conscience I appeal to you whether this Oppression doth not call for the Judgments of God upon the whole Nation The Lord give them that are guilty in this kind Repentance and Remission of Sins and deliver you from partaking with them either in their Sin or Punishment I am Your affectionate Christian Friend H. E. THE END