Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	john_n	justice_n	thomas_n	17,750	5	8.7458	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62713	To the bishops and clergy of England and Wales, the state of the cruel persecution, imprisonment (many to death) and spoil of goods inflicted upon the people called Quakers Only for their religious meetings, and obeying, serving, and worshipping Almighty God that made them.	Robertson, Thomas, fl. 1658-1685. aut; Bland, Richard, of London. aut; J. B. (John Bowater), d. 1704. aut; Ingram, William, tallow chandler. aut	1685 (1685)	Wing T1388A; ESTC R220119	5,334	6

that the Apostle Paul says Let every Soul be subject to the Higher Power c. And that Peter says Submit your selves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake whether it be to the King as Supreme or unto Governours sent by him for the Punishment of Evil-Doers and the Praise o them that do well 1 Pet. 2. And as Paul says Knowing that the Law is not made for the Righteous Man but for the Lawless Disobedient Vngodly Sinners Vnholy and Prophane for Murderers of Fathers and of Mothers and for Man-slayers for Whoremongers and for them that defile themselves with Mankind for Lyars and perjured Persons c. Now these were the Evil-Doers which are to be punished 1 Tim. 1. And as the Apostles say Let every Soul be subject to the higher Power and to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake who are for the Punishment of Evil-Doers and for the Praise of them that do well The Apostle doth not say That every Soul should be subject to the higher Power and to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake for Punishment of People for Serving and Worshipping of God in Matters of Faith Religion and Worship For Christ and the Apostles never gave forth any such Command or Ordinance and therefore the Christians in the Apostles Days their Souls were to be subject to the Higher Power and to submit to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake who are for the Punishment of Evil-Doers and the Apostle Paul tells you whom the Law was made against and what Evil-Doers they were that were and are to be Punished as before mentioned and for a Praise to them that do well For the Law was not made against the Righteous but to punish such Sinners and Evil-Doers as the Apostle speaks of but not to punish Christians for their Faith and Religion and for Worshipping Obeying and Serving Almighty God that made them For did not Peter and Paul and other Apostles and Christians suffer for Matters of Religion and their Obeying Serving and Worshipping of God who could not obey the Doctrines Ordinances or Commandments of the Jews nor Diana's nor of the Romans For if he and the rest of the Christians and Apostles had then they had not suffered And the Apostle saith Colossians 2.20 21 22. If ye be dead with Christ from the Rudiments of the World why as though living in the World are you subject to Ordinances touch not taste not handle not Which all are to perish with the using after the Commandments and Doctrines of Men. So here you may see there were Doctrines Ordinances and Commandments of Men concerning Religion and Worship that were not to be Touched with nor Tasted nor Handled And yet the Apostle saith Submit your selves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake which are for the punishment of Evil-doers So these Ordinances of Men for the punishment of such Evil-doers as before mentioned every soul was to submit to that higher Power for these were for the praise of them that do well Yet they were not to submit to the Ordinances Commandments or Doctrines of Men in matters of Faith Religion and Worship nor to touch taste nor handle them and therefore the Christians suffered by the Jews and by the Heathen-Romans and Diana's Worshippers as you may see in the Ten Persecutions and in the Scriptures Therefore we desire you to make a Distinction betwixt the Ordinances of the Higher Power their Laws and Ordinances for the punishment of Evil-doers as before mentioned and likewise such Ordinances Commandments and Doctrines of Men that the Christians were not to be subject unto in matters of Faith Religion and Worship and were not to touch taste nor handle them and therefore they suffered And pray What spirit was and is this that has made Christians to suffer for Religion and Serving and Worshipping of God since the Apostles days Not Christ's nor his Apostles for Christ tells them plainly that would have had Fire to come down from Heaven upon them that would not receive him Ye know not what spirit you are of And therefore all in Christendom that have Persecuted people for matters of Faith Religion serving and worshipping God that made them have they known what spirit they were and are of themselves And therefore have such the spirit of Christ that know not what spirit they are of themselves For the Apostle says They that have not the spirit of Christ are none of his And the same Apostle says He that is born of the Flesh will persecute him that is born of the Spirit But we never read that he that is born of the spirit did persecute any about Religion Faith and Worship in the New Testament And so we desire you to come to the spirit of Christ that you may make a Distinction as the Apostle did between those Doctrines Commandments and Ordinances of Men that are not to be Touch'd Tasted nor Handled and the Laws and Ordinances of Men which the Christians are to submit themselves unto for the Lord's sake for the Punishment of Sinners and Evil-Doers as the Apostle Paul speaks of before for he made a Distinction And cease from Imprisoning and Persecuting both Protestants and others that profess Christianity and give over spoiling their Goods for Religion Faith and Worship and their Serving and Worshipping of God And let the Bishops and Priests set open all the Prison-Doors for the Prisoners to go free that through their means have been cast into Prison and their Goods Restored them again that through any of their means have been taken from them for the relief of their poor Families and if not see how you can prove your Doctrines Commandments and Ordinances of Persecution from Christ and his Apostles Doctrine without which you must acknowledge your Doctrines Commandments and Ordinances to be of the Ordinances of Men that have not known what spirit they were of which are not to be Touch'd Tasted nor Handled as the Apostle says And if you would haue us Conform to such Doctrines Ordinances and Commandments of Men that do not know what spirit they are of themselves and which the Apostle says are not to be Touch'd Tasted nor Handled that Act contrary to the Royal Law of God and Do unto others as they would not have others do unto them Would you be served so your selves So we pray Consider and do unto others as you would have others do unto you and love your Neighbour as your selves and let nothing be in your Pulpits but the sound of the Joyful Glorious Gospel of Life Peace and Salvation to every Creature under Heaven and freely if ye have received it freely give it For neither Christ nor the Apostles did preach up a Doctrine Ordinance or Commandment to Imprison to Death Persecute and spoil Goods of them that did not Conform to Christ's and the Apostles Doctrine no not so much as against Blasphemers Schismaticks Hereticks and Seducers Were not they to Overcome Evil with Good and were not their Weapons to be Spiritual and not Carnal and are not Goals and Carnal Weapons to Force People to Ordinances Doctrines and Commandments of Men contrary to the spiritual Weapons and Armour that the Apostles warr'd withal in the Primitive Times Therefore we pray you again to Consider what ground you have out of the New Testament from Christ and his Apostles who profess your selves Christians to spoil Goods cast into Prison yea many to Death and to war with Carnal Weapons and Armour against such tender Consciences in matters of difference in Religion and Faith and that do obey Serve and Worship in Spirit and Truth Almighty God that made them Would not You have Liberty for your Tender Consciences And if so why should you be against Others that they should not have the same Liberty of their Tender Consciences that Dissent from you as you would have your selves And if not do you fulfill the Royal Law of God To do unto others as you would have them do unto you And doth not the Lord say I will have MERCY and not Sacrifice So you may see that it is Mercy that the Lord looks for who is Merciful c. And doth not the Lord require of Man To do Justice to love MERCY and to walk humbly with God Mich. 5.8 London the 30 th of the 1 st Month called March 1685 Signed in Behalf of our Suffering Friends Thomas Robertson Richard Bland John Bowater William Ingram FINIS