Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A41062
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This is to the clergy who are the men that goes about to settle religion (as they say) according to the Church of England, whether they may be bishops or presbyters, or what name soever they may go under.
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Fox, Margaret Askew Fell, 1614-1702.
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1660
(1660)
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Wing F637; ESTC R27979
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6,614
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10
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This is to the CLERGY Who are the Men that goes about to settle RELIGION As they say according to the Church of England Whether they may be BISHOPS or PRESBYTERS or what Name soever they may go under I Am moved of the Lord God to give you a Warning from him in love to all your souls that you may not bring upon your selves the guilt of innocent blood and that you may be ware and cautious concerning this thing which is of great and high Concernment lest you do intrench upon the Right and Prerogative of CHRIST JESUS who is the Head of his Church which is his Body Eph. 1.21 22. the fulness of him that filleth all in all far above all Principalities and Powers Might and Dominion every Name that is named not only in this World but also in that which is to come who hath led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men some Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ that was the End and Work that they had to do who had received gifts from God for the Work of the Ministry Now if you have this Authority from CHRIST who is the Head of the Body his Church have received Commission from him and the gifts which he gives for this Work then you would be tender over his Saints and Lambs which he hath gathered into his Fold in this his Day by the Ministration of his Spirit which he hath given unto every one to profit with all and no man by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed Now prove your selvs let your practice prove you whether you have your derivation from this Root and Rock on which the whole Church is built which Rock is CHRIST who gives diversities of Gifts by the same Spirit for to one is given by the Spirit the Word of Wisdom to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit to another Faith by the same Spirit to another the gift of healing by the same Spirit to another the working of Miracles to another Prophesie to another discerning of Spirit to another divers kinds of Tongues and to another the Interpretation of Tongues but all these worketh that one and the self same spirit Now if you drink of this Spirit and be baptized into this body which you profess to succeed from then will you be tender and be careful of those that have received these gifts of his Spirit which may be several and various which Spirit cannot be limited because it proceeds from the Lord of Heaven and Earth 1 Cor. 12. and though there may be differences of Administrations yet the same Lord and though there may be diversities of operations it is the same God that worketh all in all And this is he that cannot be limited who hath created Heaven and Earth and rules and orders all things by the Word of his Power who will make all subject unto him and will make all his people willing in this day of his Power to be obedient unto him who is coming to rule in the hearts and consciences of men and there is he establishing his Throne which is for ever and ever and his Scepter there he will sway which is a righteous Scepter and the Nations will he rule with a Rod of Iron break to pieces all his Enemies like a Potters Vessel Now it is very like that you or at least many of you cannot believe that he is thus come and coming and therefore you may take the more boldness and liberty to act against him his Power because you will not see nor believe that this is he now that you may not be ignorant when Christ appears against those his Enemies that would not that he should reign am I moved to warn you before you proceed and go on in acting against the Lord God that you may not be ignorant in this thing Consider Paul who once was called Saul how zealous he was in persecuting of the Saints and he had great reason in that he was a Jew outward and touching the Law a Pharisee and concerning the Law blameless yet in the blindness of his zeal and ignorance breathed he out threatnings against the Saints which afterwards was his sorrow Now sit down solemnly and consider seriously that God is a Spirit and his Worship is in the Spirit and he hath promised the pouring forth of his Spirit and this cannot be limited to Time nor Place nor Person for it is not men that ye have to deal with in this thing but the Lord this is the Stone that all the Builders ever set at nought and did disallow which now is become the Head of the Corner which indeed is the Lord 's doing and its marvelous in our eyes Now if a man desires the Office of a Bishop he desires a good Work and not a great Name only but he desires that the good Work of God may go on and not to stop it But a Bishop must be blameless the Husband of one Wife valiant sober and of a good behaviour apt to teach not given to wine no striker 1 Tim. 3. Tit. 1.6 not greedy of filthy lucre but patient not a brawler nor covetous one that ruleth well his own House for if a man know not how to rule his own House how shall he take care of the Church of God For a Bishop must be blameless as the Steward of God not self-willed nor soon angry but a lover of good men sober just holy and temperate These are the Qualifications and Marks of them that should be Overseers of the Church of God And likewise Deacons must be grave not double-tongued not given to much wine not given to filthy Lucre holding the Mystery of Faith in a pure Conscience Let these also first be proved saith the Apostle And so those that desires or looks after or takes upon them these Offices of being Bishops and Deacons and to be Overseers of the Church of God they ought to be proved and tryed before-hand whether they are men fearing God and hating Covetousness bringing forth fruits of the Spirit not men of corrupt minds not reprobate concerning the Faith but holding the Mystery of Faith in a pure Conscience void of offence and were to give no offence neither to the Jew nor Gentile nor to the Church of God Such were these from whom the men of our Age would seem to derive their Pedigree but if they be searched thorowly they wil appear to be of a later standing to be Branches which springs from another Root which indeed is the Pope from whence they had their Rise and Beginning as might be clearly evidenced and demonstrated if it be desired Now it will be good and safe that these men do stand upon their own Foundation and Ground and not to stretch themselves beyond their measure nor to limit the Spirit of
God which limits all things 2 Cor. 10.12 and searches all things even the deep things of God The Apostle said Them that measure themselves by themselves and compared themselves amongst themselves were not wise and said They would not boast themselves without their measure but according to the measure of the Rule which God had given them Not boasting themselves without their measure that is of other mens labours but his glorying was in the Lord and in the Hope he had in him who commended himself to every man's Conscience in the sight of God And so now if you come to be approved and tried by that of God in every mans Conscience then ye will not limit nor offend that in the conscience if ye be made manifest to that of God in every mans conscience in the sight of God then will you not lay Burdens Yoaks and oppressions upon them but fulfil the Royal Law according to the Scriptures which saith Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self In this you will do well but if you respect persons you wil commit sin For the Apostle saith God hath chosen the poor of this world rich in Faith and Heirs of the Kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him For God hath chosen the foolish things of the World to confound the Wise 1 Cor. 27 28. and God hath chosen the weak things of the World to confound the things which are mighty and base things of the World and things which are despised hath God chosen yea and things that are not to bring to nought the things that are that no felsh might glory in his tresence So it will be for your peace and safety not to be partial in your selves and so become Judges with evil thoughts and judge that to be evil which you know not to be evil for they that did speak evil of the things that they knew not the Apostle said Iude 10.11 the wo was unto them for they went in the way of Cain and ran greedily after the error of Balaam And so keep you out of this Way lest the hand of the Lord stop you and you perish in the gain-saying of Core as they did And be not Judges of other mens Consciences nor take not upon you to usurp Authority over the Consciences of men Jam. 4.12 for that is Christ's Prerogative and the place of his Throne For there is one Law-giver who is able both to save and to destroy So your safest way will be to leave people to this of God in their conscience which they must stand or fall to and none to judge another mans Servant for to his own Master must he stand or fall But those that will have you to rule over them and can receive your Doctrine and own your Church-Government and Church-fellowship such you may Rule over for there is a necessity that those that are not guided by that of God in their consciences there must be a Law for such to Rule and Govern them who are not subjected to that of God in them but are Lawless But truly I say unto you it will be dangerous for you to strive against the Power and the Hand which is now stretched forth for the redeeming and recovering the Seed from under Bondage Captivity under which they have been long held Oh remember what it was that dashed you to pieces before The same Rock is present stil and changeth not It was the Pressures and the Burdens the Yoaks and Bondages that were imposed upon Peoples consciences that was the cause that their spirits were raised and heightened and therefore were they even resolved to fight to the death for the LIBERTY of their CONSCIENCES this LIBERTY of CONSCIENCE is of great weight gives a great stroke in the minds of People this you will find to be true Look back and consider what was imposed formerly in the dayes of the Bishops what Spiritual COURTS and spiritual LAWYERS what Sitations and EXCOMMUNICATIONS and limiting to Parishes c. Oh! such grievous Burdens as were even heavy to be born Ye have suffered for those things and God did cast you out and dispossess you of those things even by reason of those sad and heavy burdens which the people of these Nations suffered under which formerly they could not bear And now you will find it hard to bring them back into that Bondage again and now you are in a hope of a possibility and likelihood of your being tried the second time but beware that you resist not the Hand that hath smitten you for it will be in vain for you to kick against the pricks for the Work of the Lord must go on which he hath begun in this his Day in which he is delivering redeeming his Seed out of Bondage and bringing back the Captivity of Israel and the dispersed of Judah for he hath heard the cry of the oppressed Seed and he hath felt its groanings and seen its sorrow and heard its sighings and because of the Innocent he is engaged to plead with all flesh for the Deliverer is come to Zion so that Jacob shall rejoice and Israel shall be glad and he that is the SUPREME JUDGE in the conscience is arisen who purgeth the Conscience from dead Works to serve the living God and the voice is heard which saith Arise you dead and come to judgement and the time is come and now is that the dead do hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hears do live and he that is the Resurrection and the Life is manifested and he that believes on him though he be dead yet shall he live and he that lives and believes out of his belly flows Rivers of living Waters And this Fountain and Current is set open which all the Powers of Darkness cannot stop which will fill the earth with the knowledge of the Lord even as the waters the sea Therefore let all Hands be staid and all Mouths stopt that would act and speak against this Pro. 21.30 Isa 14. for there is no Wisdom nor Understanding nor Councel against the Lord I will arise saith the Lord of Hosts and cut off from Babylon the Name and Remnant Son and Nephew saith the Lord and I will make it a Possession for the Bittern and I will sweep it with the Besom of Destruction saith the Lord of Hosts who hath sworn saying Surely as I have thought so shall it come to passe and as I have purposed so shall it stand And this is the hand that is stretched out upon all Nations so let all fear and tremble before him who is a consuming Fire to the Wicked who is coming to render recompence to his Adversaries and Fury to his enemies for the transgressions of the people are multiplied and their Iniquities and sins testifies to their faces for they go on in transgressing and lying against the Lord and they are departed from the Way of God and are speaking and uttering Words