Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	according_a	way_n	word_n	2,207	5	3.9910	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52677	An account from the children of light (to them that askes) in several particulars why we have been kept from joyning to, or worshipping in those formes at law, and formes of worships, that have been imposed upon us against our consciences, in these late years, for denying whereof, we have so deeply suffered, with our lives, liberties, and estates. : Also what we owne as to those things, and can be obedient to for conscience sake, according to truth, and the practise of the church of Christ, and the Scriptures.	Naylor, James, 1617?-1660.; Hubberthorn, Richard, 1628-1662.	1660 (1660)	Wing N256; ESTC R27517	31,099	57

we never knew nor had ought to doe withall Also about marriage which we know to be an ordinance of God from the beginning and being ordered in the Counsell of God and the bed not defiled is honourable but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge So as any are moved of the Lord into that state we say the Counsell of the Lord is first and chiesely to be minded and the thing weighed in his seare that it be done onely in the Lord that it be not taken on lightly rashly nor by any fleshly motion nor for any earthly ends but in the moving ordering of the Almighty Creator of man and woman who onely knows their spirits So to joyne them as they may be one in flesh and spirit that he may seeke a godly seed to himselfe and they may lead a godly and peaceable life onely thus is it Gods ordinance as God puts together and saith Christ let not man put such asunder and this we say is the chiefe thing to be observed viz. that God joyne them And next that notice be given to the parents or such as have the oversight of each party that as much as may be all may be done in love and unity in the will of God openly And this we have from God in Spirit and this we find in Scripture to be the ordinance of God to his Saints of old and their libertie in the Lord which God never altered which we keepe for conscience sake and may not breake And least any licentious persons should abuse this liberty to satisfie their lusts and then not live as man and wise during their lives and the Magistrates not know of them and so they escape the sword of justice we have freedome in our Spirits to acquaint some of the next Majestrates with our intents and hereby confesse our selves lyable to the just censure of the Magistrate with others in case of misdemeanour and all this we have done ere coming together as man and wife which is as much as the ordinance of God or any reas●n can justly require yet have some of us suffered in this case by the changable Laws of men who some of them have sought to impose one sort of Priests on us as an ordinance others Justices as an ordinance and others another sort of Priests againe so for denying these uncertain rules of men and keeping the ordinance of God that was in the beginning we suffer by all of them as evill doers yet have they not one charge against any of us who have been joyned according to this ordinance of God as to breach of marriage or misdemeanour therein for we ha●e putting away and come to that which was in the begginning These with many other things there be as touching the outward Laws whereby both our lives l●berties and estates become a daily prey to mercilesse men from which hath been manifest such imprisoning til death such persecution and spoyle of goods as many generations to come may admire to read of though in this generation its little regarded or minded unless it be by some few whose hearts God hath tendred that have not been so cruell in their places as others Now let none say that because we cannot bow to such unrighteous dealings of corrupt men or their corrupt Customes or corrupt Lawes That therefore we are a people that would have no Law nor Magistracy at all as some have falsely accused us for of this we are cleare before the Lord our God what ever men may accuse us ●erein for the Law of God we own in our Conscience even the Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus our Lord and Law-giver by which we are taught to keepe our Consciences voyde of offence towards God and towards men by which we are freed from under the power of the Law of sin and death And by this Law of God in our consciences are we also taught to be subject to every power our God shall set up over us by which teaching we know that the powers that be are ordained of God And by the same Law of God in our hearts and Consciences by which we are made to suffer rather then to obey that which is unjust by the same Law and upon the same penalty are we made to be subject and obey every just and wh●lesome Law of man for Conscience sake Therefore as the ordinance of God we obey and owne authoritie in the Nation And the Ruler of the people as the Minister of God for good to such as doe well but a terror to every evill doer without respect of persons so we being guided by the pure Law of God in our consciences are subject not for wrath but for Conscience sake for he is not a terror to them that do well and obey God in their Consciences But if any doe evill let such feare for he is the Minister of God and beares not the sword in vaine And for this cause we pay tribute to whom it belongs and feare to whom feare honour to whom honour And from this we exempt not our selves more then other people in the same Nation but desire rather to be examples to others with all diligence not speakinq evill of governments as many doe which will flatter to their faces but seeking to our God for what authoritie he shall ordaine that under them we may be godly and quietly governed without respect of persons Therefore we might say as to all the s●verall Rulers that hath arisen in these yeares since we were a people in Gods light which of them have we reviled or sought to supplant or what just law old or new which hath been just and according to Scriptures or a good Conscience have we denyed or transgressed though from the evill and abuse of all God hath by his eternall light and the power of his Spirit preserved us to this day glory to our God for evermore So our Consciences are cleare towards them that are fallen as to that thing by whom we so much suffered in their day And now in Gods dread and feare we are and in his pure Counsell alone we desire to be found towards you that are now come up into the seat of government That if by any meanes we might not be any occasion of offence or hardening of your hearts by our disobedience or denying any of your Laws which are just wholesome and good and according to Gods truth in Scriptures Nor that on the contrary we might provoke our pure eyed and zealous God and Father to displeasure against us by yeelding to any thing whatsoever or obeying what is any way against his Spirit in our hearts or the light of Christ in our Consciences And this at present is our straite way set before us to walke in towards God and towards man and therefore the desire and travaile of our soules is great at this day that you might be one with God in your Laws and

Land might have become as Sodom and not one have known the Lord nor his word And as it was in the dayes of the false Prophets so hath it been since the dayes of the false ministry for which many have suffered since the dayes of the Apostles for testifying against such as have erred in Spirit forme and doctrine from Christ Jesus and his Apostles And this hath been from the indwelling power of Christ in them and his precious light shining in their hearts and consciences that they have thus been preserved and enabled to beare the testimony of Christ against false worships and worshippers and so it is at this day in all who keepe a pure Conscience towards God in all his word and worship that his true and spirituall worship might not be wholly lost out of the world Also if at any time their Kings or Rulers forgot God or Kings arose who knew not God and then would lay upon them Laws and Commands which was not just an● lawfull for them to doe then by the light of Christ in a pure Conscience they was enabled to withstand it even unto death As that of Mordecai and the Jews who would rather all be destroyed then bow to Hammons pride at the Kings command though Englands people would have said this is but a civill thing and duty and good manners and the like yet Gods Law in their Conscience they preferred above all that the King commanded contrary thereto yea life and all would they lose rather then defile their Conscience towards God or deny his Law there though no Law without had forbidden such a thing Yet in other cases did they appeare true and subject to the King for Mordecai's truth saved the Kings life not long before though from man he had little reward for it Likewise might be Instanced that of Daniels praying contrary to the decrees of the King his Counsell of Presidents and Princes and that of the three children against the fierce Command of Nebuchadnezzar in denying to worship at his will and pleasure likewise that of the Apostles when their Rulers and Priests also charged them straitly not to preach any more their answer before authoritie was we ought to obey God rather then men yea it would be too long to tell how many godly men and women upon the account of a pure Conscience not onely hazarded their lives but lost life and all for the testimony of a tender Conscience as might be instanced But this may be said for all That if they would but have denyed the law of God in their conscience and conformed to the wills of men and their laws not o●e of all the Prophets Apostles or all the holy men of God need to have suffered death or spoyle So now in that any of us by the same spirit of Christ and from his light and law in our Consciences are moved to goe testifie against false Prophets false worships and declare the way of truth to all people against them to their face And if Rulers have been so opposite to this as to make laws against it and to command us to bow and worship at their wills which for Conscience sake towards God we could not for which we have suffered the spoyling of goods long and heavie imprisonments shamefull usings and losse of lives also I say in this we have a cloud of witnesses even the Lord Jesus our Captaine and the whole body of Martyrs who have all gone before us in the selfe same obedience of faith and Spirit and have suffered the same or such like things from Rulers that knew not God and teachers that knew not God in their dayes and all of them in their dayes was counted offenders hereticks or dispisers of Authority or some such reproach was cast upon them by their accusers and persecuters for obeying the law of their God in their Consciences whom the Rulers of the darknesse of this world have not known nor can know till they beleeve his light in their own Consciences So it is not for new things nor strange opinions which was never in the world before for which we suffer though to the world they seeme new and strange but for the very same workes of the same Spirit of light and truth which hath often appeared in a poore contemptible people and hath as often received the same measure from them who professe him in words but in workes deny him by such have we suffered who read and preach the same in words which this eternall Spirit in us now worketh And with such who with words garnish the sepulchres of those whom their fathers slew are we counted great offenders for being found in the same way and practise and in obedience to the same Spirit in that measure as we have received it So we have this added to the testimony of a good Conscience towards God and towards men that we suffer not for evill doing though as evill doers to wit the practise of holy men and the Scriptures of truth which will owne us herein and stand on our parts against all our adversaries and accusers And t●is will be proved so when we come to particulars wherein we differ from the wayes and worships of these present times and for which we are so much hated and persecuted And we know that it will not be found harmfull to the bodyes estates or well-being of any Christian neighbourhood nor of any other people in the nations to practise those things wherein we differ in civill and temporall things nor hurtful to the soules of any In the things wherein we differ in religious or spirituall matters from the severall opinions and formes of worships that are or have been set up in these nations As we shall make it plainly appeare if either Spirit of truth or Scripture of truth or things equall may but be received on our part Now we shall mention some particulars in which we differ for Conscience sake from some of the formes traditions and commands of the men of this present age and the powers that have ruled therein under whom we have therefore suffered as evill doers And first as to those things which some calls civill ANd indeed it may be wondered at by any moderate people that in a nation called Christians any man should suffer so much as to be called an offender for some of the things which I must mention upon this account especially they being layd upon us by the spirit of Christ as matter of conscience and by a people so highly pretending for liberty of Conscience As it hath been layd upon us by the Spirit of Christ to use the same single language to all sorts of people which the Scriptures uses and all the holy men of God therein have ever used that is to say thou to any one person and you to more then one A language sound and true to God and man which the Spirit of God first spoke and gave to man and of man

it is we live and bring forth to the praise of God and we are not our owne nor servants of men but we are bought with a price that we may serve him for ever by whom we are redeemed and by whom all men without respect of persons must eternally be judged or justified Therefore we say this is a priviledge that no man should be hindered of to wit the liberty of his Conscien●e towards his God but that an universall lib●●ty for all sorts of people to worship God according as Christ shall open mens eyes to see the truth and as he shall perswade their hearts by his Spirit seeing no man without Christ can doe any thing in this case acceptable to God neither can one man worship in the measure of another but in his owne measure as he receives of God in Christ Jesus faith and strength and Spirit for it must be in Spirit and of faith else it is sin in Gods sight what ever men thinke thereof And this is just and equall in the sight of God and all reasonable men and that which I know no understanding man or woman would be limitted in seeing all have immortall soules from God and to him alone must account for them and not to men That so every soule may stand and fall to his owne Master in this case seeing none can save his brother when he hath misled him nor account to God for him therefore he is no wise man in our eyes who will leave the light of Christ that once knows it to follow another mans opinion And seeing every man would have this libertie for himselfe why should he goe about to deny it to his brother how is that just or equall amongst men And how doth it answer the Law of Christ as Christians who hath commanded That all things whatsoever you would that men should doe unto you doe ye even so to them for this is the Law and the Prophets Now if you be not come so far in equitie as to answer the Law and the Prophets how will you answer Christ you that professe him in words And were it not that Nations and men were drunke and bewitched with the fornication of that Scarlet coloured whore they would foresee the danger of taking that upon them which belongs to Christ alone it being so many have been broken on the same Rock and reason it selfe might shew them how safe it is not to be too forward in things of that nature which God hath not called them to And also it being so much contrary to that just principle in man which would lead every man to do to another as he would be done unto And would teach every man that he ought to give up himselfe to his God in all spirituall matters And that so he should suffer every other creature also And seeing that there is no infallibilitie amongst ●en without the immediate manifestation of Christ Jesus his light and Spirit in them but that since men tooke that upon them even to sit as Lords and Judges over faith and conscience The Lord hath scattered them in this thing and confounded them into so many minds and judgements that he that is subject to follow every change in these latter dayes shall scarcely abide in one opinion a yeare to an end which things duely weighed might stay the hast of every reasonable man from forceing that upon the Conscience of another which himselfe is not infallible in and for which he must account to God for all soules that erre through him and so perish in gainsaying Gods witnesse And this would be wisdome with God first to search in themselves whether they have tha● Call from God himselfe to force any or they doe it to answer the desires of others or to hold up a tradition and so might they come to see what they serves and whether it will beare persecution or bloud-shedding at t●e day of Judgement And prove whether you have that which is infallible to force them to or it be but thought and opinion of your selves or others seeing its so common a thing for Rulers and Teachers to joyne in forceing people that are under them to erre and for which so many have been confounded and cast out and so that all might come to prove their worke and bring it to the light to see whether it be wrought in God and if he will owne it with his light which is pure in their Conscience which is an equall rule and try what power and Spirit it is that God hath made Lord King and Law-giver and Leader in all his worship and if they have not this then it is the old persecuter and murtherer which uses to set people on fire that know not God in Spirit And if you have that Spirit which God hath given the power to in his Church then its gentle drawing and powerfull without forceable imposing or killing nor doth he ever compell against faith and Conscience Now there be many particular things as to Gods worship and things thereto pertaining which the men of this age would impose upon us yea and force them upon great penalties which the Spirit of Christ doth not lay upon us as matters of faith or practise nor ever did o●daine them in any age nor command them to b● observed in his Church as men now impos●●hem but the contrary we find from the Spirit of Christ both in the oldness of letter and i● newness of life So these things we canno● bow ●o nor worship in for conscience sake ●onscience towards God conscience towards the holy men of God in the holy life and conscience towards the Scripture of truth for of all these we make conscience in their time and place in which God the Father of all hath brought them forth to serve him As men would impose upon our Consciences to come once a weeke to such a great house in their Parish which they call a parish Church and there we must observe what one man shall reade preach or pray for two or three houres that day by an usuall forme and this man will have a Clarke and he shall say Amen at the end of such a sentence or part of his prayer or speech and to this Church and to this worship must we be bound while we dwell in that parish And either the tythes of all we have or so much a yeare set maintenance must be payd to the man calling himselfe a Minister of Christ And so much a yeare to his Clarke for saying Amen after him in money and egges and the like And if this we doe constantly we may live peaceably by them and goe under the name of a good Christian and a religious man but if we faile in any of this but especially in that of tythes or wages then they call us heretickes and complaine of us to the Magistrate or sue us at Law till they have cast our bodyes into prisons and taken the