Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	day_n	let_v	people_n	10,994	5	4.7484	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86670	The testimony of the everlasting gospel witnessed through sufferings.	Hubberthorn, Richard, 1628-1662.; Atkinson, Christopher.; Lancaster, James, d. 1699.; Tofte, Thomas.	1654 (1654)	Wing H3237; Thomason E818_23; ESTC R207402	6,326	9

City and him safe keep untill he shall be delivered from thence according to the Law and hereof fail not This 9th of December to Mr Edward Hunt keeper of the common prison in the said City Thomas Tofte Maior ANSVVER The cause of my coming I did declare before one of your Justices called and was examined before him I told him it was to see a friend in the Castle who was Prisoner there and after I had been there with him was moved to go where their Minister of the Law called was sitting in a house neer the Castle who said little unto me because it was undenyable that a spoke who own Justice and reasoned with the people in the same room of the things of God and so came and was passing out of the City a quarter of a mile the Word of the Lord came to me Thou must go back again and witnesse forth my Name in their Market among the people and at his command I was obedient and went and declared forth that was given me to speak amongst them which made the people astonished and many did follow me as you call them rude in running to hear the Truth declared forth in the Market as the Apostle of Christ who reasoned in the Markets dayly and went from City to City preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and were persecuted from city to city this is called disturbance now as it was then and what peace did I break going on declaring forth the Truth which none could object against that heard it and by your Officers called as he said he might know the ground why I spoke so and shewed him I was commanded of the Lord and being brought by him before one justice called was examined and could not find me by his Law a transgressor and bade him carry me to the Maior and he did so and he did examine me upon the grounds of my faith and of my outward means where it was and what quantity it was and being not ashamed declared my self at full to him of both as it will further appear by an examination before the Rulers of this City and so by the Maior as aforesaid am here in their bonds and imprisonments doth abide me in obedience to the commands of the same that Paul was guided and so by the same generation of Rulers as was in those dayes am I here a sufferer and to die if I be called to it for a testimony of a good conscience and in the Market I cleared my conscience in witnessing forth the Truth Christ Jesus the Light of the world who hath enlightened every one that comes into the world and cald people to repentance and said the mighty day of the Lord was coming let all flesh dread and fear before him and bade them take heed to the Light of Christ in them which shewed sin and evill in them loving it theere was their teacher hating it there was their condemnation this was the Word of the Lord sent by me which was no peace to earthly hearts and minds but a sword as Christ saith and this was disturbance of the peace of the City of Norwich called by the Rulers who now am in their bonds for this declaring let all judge what peace it is they live in when the Word of the Lord disturbs them But to that of God in all consciences am I sent to speak which is his own witnesse against transgression in man and by it man sees his transgression and acting contrary to that there is mans condemnation but who as loves it the Light of Christ in the conscience their deeds are brought to it to be tryed that they may be made manifest and here is the wicked nature disturbed and judged in the particular and they are called disturbers in whom the Light of Christ doth guide in the Generall and to that which doth disturb the wicked nature do we speak that sin and unjust dealing may be confounded and the soul brought from under it that God alone may be glorified to whom honour and glory belongs A Servant of the Lord to exhort people to the light of Christ in them that they may be turned from their dark wayes they lived in to serve the living God in Spirit and in truth JAMES LANCASTER From Norwich the 13. of the 10. month 1654 An Episte written in the bonds of the Gospel to be published abroad amongst the Inhatants of ENGLAND Rulers Magistrates and People I A Prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ doe unto all the world clear my conscience in the presence of the Lord and am free from the bloud of all men who seek the bloud of the innocent and by the wickednesse of the deceitful hearts would insnare the simple and number them amongst transgressors who are not found in any transgression but are set free by the Son and are heirs of the promise according to the will of God who hath called me out of the world to testifie against the world that their deeds are evill and for the same am I hailed before the Judgement seats against whom there is no Law for in the Law of God which is according to that in every mans conscience doe I abide and am free from all bondages and Lawes without that are acted in the will of man and by such a Law is the innocent persecuted and cast into prison to suffer amongst the transgressors that the Scripture might be fulfilled upon them as Christ said as they have done unto me so shall they doe unto you the Servant is not greater than the Lord John 15. 18 19 20 21. and this we are witnesses of and are brought to suffer for his name sake and am not onely willing to suffer but to die for the testimony of Jesus Though all the chief Priests and Rulers which are not called by the Law of God as the Ministers of God and of God were but doe seek to insnare and bring into bondage that which God hath set at liberty for it is the same nature that doth imprison the seed within which doth imprison and persecute the Servants of the Lord in whom the seed is raised up without in the Saints And whereas I am sent to the Goale of Norwich by a Mittimus by the hands of the Rulers I am moved of the Lord to clear my conscience unto all the world that I am free and not guilty of what they lay to my charge though by it they seek to persecute The Mittimus NORVVICH These are to require you to take into your custody the body of Christopher Atkinson herewith sent who lately came into this city from Kendall in Westmerland and can give no account of his livelihood nor shew any lawfull cause of his coming hither but onely to declare the Truth as he calls it THO. TOFTE Mayor ANSVVER To these things for which I am accused and am imprisoned by the Rulers of this City I am bold to declare the truth that out of Countries and kinreds hath the

THE TESTIMONY Of the Everlasting GOSPEL Witnessed through Sufferings WE the Prisoners of the Lord who are called and chosen to this Work of the Ministery of the Gospel of Ghrist and to bear Testimony to the Truth which freely we have received and do freely declare and do covet no mans gold nor silver nor meat nor drink nor apparell God is our witnesse whose honour and glory we seek and not our own but do labour in the Lords work being chargeable to no man but this doth the Spirit of God testifie to us dayly that in them that receive our Testimony and in them that persecute us are we a good savour unto God both in them that believe and in them that perish and that we may finish our Testimony and Work of the Ministry committed unto us we love not our lives unto death but are reviled persecuted and shamefully intreated by this perverse Generation who have no Law to act any thing against us by but their own wils for the Law of God doth witnesse us and our Ministery to be of God and for setting up righteousnesse in the earth our Ministery is and they who do act against the servants of the living God do act against God for the Law of God which is perfect we witnesse to be fulfilled in us who are come to the Ministration of the Spirit and through the Law are become dead to the Law and by the Spirit we come to know sin which raigned till the Law came which is perfect which taxes hold upon every transgression and Christ we witnesse the end of the Law who came to finish transgression and make an end of sins and where there is no transgression proved there can be no Law added and we who suffer here in Norwich there is nothing proved against us that comes under the breach of the Law For as I was moved of the Lord I came to Wymondham and in the Meeting house when the Priest had ended and all the people silent I spoke the Word of the Lord to them in love to their souls and for the deliverance of the seed of God out of captivity and for this I was sent to Bridwell and the next day being called before the Magistrate but nothing was proved against me though he accused me of something which I spoke not nor none did prove it against me and he himself confessed that he did not hear me speak that he accused me of though he himself was in the multitude and heard as the rest did Then he asked me if I would promise him not to come in the publick Meeting house again in the like manner and I should have my Liberty to meet in Town or where I would I Answered if I was moved of the Lord to come thither again I should come and when I did transgresse or do any wrong let him add the Law upon me for there is no Law in the Nation that doth binde any from coming to the Publick meeting house who come in the same manner as I did to declare the Word of the Lord freely to the people then in his will he made a mittimus and sent me to prison and the next day by his own warrant discharged me of all that was laid to my charge in the Mittimus and yet I am kept in prison nothing justly being charged against me having suffered imprisonment above ten weeks and since I was committed was called before the Magistrates and the Maior and before the Committees who sit as Ministers of the Law and nothing they could finde worthy of bonds nor that I had broken the Law yet did not set me at liberty but keeps me still in prison and I being shut up in a hole amongst thieves and not suffered to have my Liberty Publickly I am moved of the Lord to declare it publickly that all Rulers Magistrates and people in the Nation may see that in stead of the Law persecution is acted where three of the servants of the Lord is now imprisoned in Norwich one because he would not Promise to come in the Steeple-house again to declare the Word of the Lord and another is committed by a Mittimus and the substance of that charged against him in it is That he said he came to declare the Truth and another because he declared against him and ungodlinesse openly in the streets Oh be ashamed all the powers of the earth who have set your selves against the mighty power of God who is now coming to discover you and lay you naked who by the Light of God are seen and to the children of Light are made manifest though your deceits hath laid hid and covered long both Priests and Magistrates but now are ye discovered by the Light and the Life is come to try you and now you are found to persecute the Saints which you professed your selves to be till you were proved and tryed by the Light as now you are Praises eternall be to the Lord God for evermore Now these things being acted in the name of the Law and the present government and Lord Protector and Rulers and heads of the Nation being ignorant of what tyranny and persecution is acted privately in their Names Therefore I am moved of the Lord to declare it Publictly that the heads and Rulers of the nation may see and consider whether any such tyranny be Protected to be set up in the Nation instead of the Law of justice for the innocent doth cry for equity and justice in their Courts and Sessions but in stead thereof tyranny persecution and cruelty so having discharged my duty in clearing my conscience to you before the Lord The sin lyes at your doores who hath a power put into your hands if you do not improve it in breaking the bondes of wickednesse and setting the oppressed free for the Law of justice and equity we own and have desired to be tryed by but are denyed it by those called Justices of Peace and here to you and all the world we declare the Truth and are not afraid of the faces of men who would devour us for we have no mans person in admiration for advantage nor self ends but in plainnesse and singlenesse of heart declare the truth respecting no mans person but do honour all men in the Lord but not with eye service as men pleasers but in singlenesse of heart do we all things as unto the Lord A servant and a witnesse of Jesus in the bonds of the Gospel of Christ and a prisoner in Norwich Castle RICHARD HUBBERTHORN Norwich THese are to require you to to take into your custody James Lancaster herewith sent who lately came to this City from Northseal in the ●land of Walner in Lancashire and can shew no lawfull cause for his coming hither but onely to declare the Truth as he cals it and did in the publick market place in this City gather together a great company of rude and idle people to the disturbance of the peace of this

Lord redeemed me and called me forth to declare his name abroad for which cause I am apprehended as a Vagrant though my habitation and being is known in the earth and for declaring his name abroad who hath thus called me am I brought before Rulers and cast into prison for testifying the life and power of that which they themselves professe in words who thus imprisoneth and persecuteth the righteous seed of God where it is brought forth And here let the Rulers of Norwich be witnesses against themselves that they are of that generation that put our Lord Jesus Christ to death by a law in their own wills contrary to the will of God and what would they have said of Christ who had no habitation in the earth no not so much as to lay his head if they had been in his dayes by this Law he might have been persecuted and imprisoned and him they doe persecute and imprison in so much as they doe it unto the least of his they doe it unto him as it is made manifest and if they had been in the times of the Apostles whose words they doe professe would they not have persecuted them by this law who said they had no certain dwelling place 1 Cor. 4. 11. and the world was not worthy of them and such doe they persecute now as are redeemed from the world and by it suffer continually Cain was a Vagabond who slew his brother and such as live in anger and envy such hath no habitation in God but such actions and beastly nature we deny and are redeemed from such things and our habitation is in God and here let the Rulers of Norwich stop their mouthes and be ashamed who are found persecutors of the Saints of the most high God without the breach or colour of any law or any transgression said justly to our charge who are free born English men whose Country and habitation we declared and yet in their Mittimus doth deny it And whereas I am accused of gathering multitudes of rude people together it is false as the City of Norwich shall testifie for I was quietly in a house with them that were my friends and I did not goe forth into their streets but the rude multitude came in which they and the Priests call Christians and broke the peace and this the Mayor of the Town came in and saw who said there was no revelation now but of the Devill and so denyeth both Christ and the Scriptures which saith No man knoweth the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal him Now let all judge whether he be fit to rule for God who denyes the Covenant of God who gave him for a Covenant and a Leader to the People and the Maior coming in to our Meeting where the rude multitude was as he cals it had nothing where of to accuse us but desired me in love to come to him the next day which I did and by a warrant without any examination I was sent to prison for a time till I was called to examination again being free from the breach of any Law am I here retained in prison for witnessing forth a good conscience before God and man thus to all the world have I cleared my conscience in the presence of the Lord that what I suffer is for righteousnesses sake without the breach of any Law and so I remain a sufferer this day for the Testimony of Jesus who am a servant to the Truth and a Friend of Israels Commonwealth Whose name in the flesh is Christopher Atkinson a Prisoner of the Lord in Norwich From the Gaol of Norwich 13. 10. FINIS