Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	according_a	good_a	work_n	2,582	5	5.8346	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42712	The everlasting rule born witness unto, vvhich is to try all people that do profess God and Christ in words, or, I. A tender salutation to all people in what nation soever, and under what form soever, who do profess God and Christ in words ... II. Also an exhortation unto all people to come to that which will give them victory over sin and the devil ... III. A distinction between the ministers of Christ and the ministers of Antichrist ... / by a lover of truth and righteousness, who seeks the well-being of all mankind, William Gibson.	Gibson, William, 1629-1684.	1667 (1667)	Wing G682; ESTC R38756	64,130	72

God that we keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not grievous 1 John 5.2 3. And now Oh ye Magistrates Priests and People who have persecuted and imprisoned until death your Neighbours called Quakers and spoiled and made havock of their Goods here you have broken the commands of Christ which is upon Record in the holy Scriptures of Truth which you call your Rule and everlasting Wo will come upon you if you do not speedily repent and with speed forsake those evil deeds for it is written in the Scriptures of Truth Wo unto thee that spoilest and thou wast not spoiled and I know we have not spoiled your goods nor sought your hurt any way but hath and still doth desire that you might repent and forsake the evil of your wayes and have your Sins forgiven you and obtain mercy from the Lord God we desire not your destruction the Lord God knoweth but we desire that you might repent and live But the words of Christ in the holy Scriptures bears witness against you that you have not done unto us as ye would we should have done unto you if you had been in our condition and we in yours you would not have had us to have imprisoned you unto death as you have done many of our dear Brethren whose innocent blood lies upon you and it cryeth unto God against you for vengeance as righteous Abel's did cry unto God against Murthering Cain and God doth hear and will avenge the blood of his Elect And you would not have had us to have spoiled your goods as you have done ours therefore the Scriptures of Truth without you and the Light of Christ within you doth bear witness against you And now you are stripped of all your Coverings and you stand judged and condemned before the Lord God of Heaven before whom all things are naked and bare he searcheth all hearts Ezek. 18 read it through and tryeth all reins and there is not any wicked work that you do or have done but the Lord God seeth them all and they must not go unpunished for the Lord God is just and equal in all his wayes and he will deal justly with you and with all people upon the Earth yea he will certainly reward every one according to their deeds done in the body whether they be good or evil And Christs words are upon Record in the holy Scriptures which you call your Rule where he commanded his Disciples to love their Enemies Mat. 5 43 44 45 46 47 48. and to do good unto those that did dispitefully use them and persecute them and they did as he commanded them for they loved him with all their hearts and his Commandments were not grievous unto them but to keep his Commandments was great joy unto them and so it is unto us whom you in scorn call Quakers endless infinite eternal everlasting praises honour dominion and thanks be unto the Lord our God who hath gathered us out from amongst you and by his own everlasting power working in our hearts he hath made us a willing people yea willing to bear all that you are permitted to do unto us and also makes us willing to do you any good that lieth in our power and so to reward you good for evil and this shall add to your torment and our God for whom we suffer he will clear our innocency in the sight of all Nations But you are far from fulfilling of this Command who hates and persecutes us who are your friends and so these words which Christ spake which is in the holy Scriptures which you call your Rule bears witness against you and the Light of Christ within you condemns you and so you are stripped of all your Coverings and so you stand judged and condemned by the Lord God in the presence of all holy just and upright men who sees and behold your wicked works And now all ye Merchant men Husbandmen and Tradesmen of what Trade or Calling soever who are Extortioners who take unlawfull gain and use unjust Weights and Measures who cheat and defraud one another in Buying and Selling and Exchanging of Gods good Creatures some of you lying and speaking worse of Gods good Creatures then you know them to be for your own corrupt ends that you may make a prey upon them that hath those good Creatures to sell and others of you that hath Gods Creatures to sell you speak better of them then you know them to be and so you tell lyes to get gain and so to make a prey of the Buyer and here you are judged and condemned by the Light of Christ within you and by his words which are upon Record in the holy Scriptures of Truth without you which you call your Rule because you do not do unto others as ye would they should do unto you and you do not love the Lord God with all your hearts and therefore you cannot love your Neighbour as your self therefore those words with many more in the holy Scriptures bears witness against you and the Light of Christ within you condemns you so you are neither Ruled by the Light of Christ within you nor by the Scriptures of Truth without you and so you are unruly Therefore I say unto you all turn in your minds unto the Eternal true Light wherewith Christ Jesus hath enlightened you all and if you love it it will work repentance in your hearts and if you give up your minds to be led by it it will lead you out of all deceit and double dealing and if you love it and in faithfulness follow and obey it it will lead you to love your Neighbours as your selves and then I am sure you neither can nor will nor dare cheat nor defraud them but then you will do unto them as you would they should do unto you and I am sure there is no man that would be cheated nor defrauded by any man that he deals withal in buying and selling and exchanging Gods good Creatures and so let every man and woman come to the Light wherewith Christ hath enlightened them and as they would have none to cheat nor defraud them the Light of Christ will not suffer them to cheat nor deceive nor defraud any man or woman or child whatsoever if they love it and in faithfulness follow it for the Light is the Spirit of Truth which leadeth into all Truth all those that believe in it and in faithfulness follow it and so if all people would come unto the Light wherewith Christ hath enlightened them then it would lead them all to deal justly plainly truly and uprightly one with another But alas this pure Light and Spirit in peoples Consciences is not loved nor heeded nor believed nor obeyed by many thousands of men and women who doth profess God and Christ in words and calls the Scripture their Rule and that is the reason that there is so much cheating and defrauding amongst people in buying and selling and exchanging

better for time to come then you have been in that time which you have already spent God doth not desire your Destruction but would have you to come unto his Light in all your Consciences that he might govern and rule you all by that for without that you cannot govern nor rule your selves And now all ye Lyars Swearers Mockers Scoffers Vain-Talkers and Idle-Jesters Whoremongers and Adulterers and all you who delight in Laughter which is Madness and in vain and ungodly Songs with Musick and Chambering and wanton Lusts come to your Tryal The Devil was and is a Lyar Joh 8.44 Rev. 21.8 Rev. 22.15 Hosea 4.2 Jer. 9.3 and every Lye that any of you tell the Devil is the Author of it and he leads you into it and all those that loves and makes Lyes are shut out of the Kingdom of God And all you Mockers and Scoffers it is written That Abraham had two Sons the one by a Bond-woman and the other by the Free-woman Sarah Gen. 21.9 10 11 12. the Mother of the Faithfull Sarahs Son was Isaac and the Son of Hagar the Bond-woman was Ishmael and Ishmael the Bond-womans Son he mocked and scoffed Isaac the Free-womans Son and God was angry at him and he was not an Heir of the Blessing of God with Isaac whom he scoffed but he was cast out but Isaac was an Heir of Gods Everlasting Blessing and so you Scoffers and Mockers who mocks and scoffs those that fears God Isa 28.22 you are of Ishmael's Seed and you are not Heirs of the Blessing of God with those whom you scoff and mock but you are cast out as Ishmael was and hath not the Blessing but the Curse it is written There shall come Mockers in the Last Time Jude 18. who shall walk after their own ungodly Lusts And you Vain-Talkers Foolish-Jesters it is written in the holy Scriptures 2 Tim. 3.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Jam. 1.26 27. Jam. 4.4 5 6 7 8 9 10. That mans Religion is vain who hath not a Bridle to his Tongue and so your Religion is a vain Religion who hath not a Bridle to your Tongue and all peoples Religion upon the Earth is vain who are not come to believe in and obey the Light of Christ in them for none of them have a Bridle to their Tongue for they will say one thing and do another and many will Lye and Swear and Scoff and Mock and Dissemble and speak one thing with their Mouthes and have a contrary purpose in their Hearts and whosoever doth so their Religion is a vain Religion and God abhors it Christ saith In your Communication Let your yea be yea and your nay nay Mat. 5.37 and whatsoever is more then yea and nay cometh of Evil mark that it cometh of Evil Evil doth not come from God Eph. 4.29 but from the Devil and every idle word must an Account be given for unto the Lord God And all you Whoremongers and Adulterers Paul said unto the Ephesians That they knew that no Whoremonger Heb. 13.4 nor unclean person nor any covetous man had any part in the Kingdom of God and Christ Let no man deceive you with vain words for because of these things cometh the Wrath of God upon the Children of Disobedience be not ye therefore partakers with them Ephes 5.5 6 7. And Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge Luk. 6.25 Eccl. 2.2 Eccles 7.3 4 5 6. and it is written Wo unto you that Laugh for you shall Mourn Sorrow is better then Laughter and the Laughter of a Fool is like the crackling of Thorns under a Pot Let your Laughter be turned into Heaviness and your Joy into Mourning Humble your selver under the mighty hand of God and he shall lift you up it is written in the Scriptures That they that live in Sports and Pleasures 1 Tim. 5.6 are dead while they live they are dead in Trespasses and Sins and so are dead from God Sorrow is better then Langhter the hearts of the Wise are in the house of Mourning but the hearts of Fools are in the house of Mirth And you Swearers Christ saith Mat. 5.34 Jam. 5.12 Swear not at all and the Apostle saith Swear not by Heaven nor by the Earth nor by any other Oath And because of Oathes the Land Mourns So all ye wicked and ungodly people those before-mentioned words with many more bears witness against you and the Light of Christ within you which is a nearer and greater Witness it condemns you and so you are in a very Sad and Miserable Condition and you cannot see how to help your selves out of this your Sad Estate for you are neither ruled by the holy Scriptures without you nor by the Light of Christ within you and so you are an unruly and ill-governed people for you are shut out from God because you do not believe in the Light wherewith he hath enlightened you and you are shut out of the Scriptures also which you do profess to be your Rule for if you did believe in the Light in would lead you to do those things which God doth require of you and so to do the good that is spoken of in the Scriptures and to leave the evil undone which is spoken against in the Scriptures but you hating the Light and loving the Darkness you do the evil that is spoken against in the Scriptures but you leave the good undone and so you are not like Gods Children but the Children of the wicked One whose work you are in and so you are stripped of all your Coverings and you stand judged and condemned by the Lord God and you have no Cloak for your Sins But now I say unto you all in the Fear of the Lord God there is Mercy with the Lord God that you may yet come to Fear him if you will come unto his Light in all your Consciences which lets you see how wickedly and vainly you have and still do spend your time I say if you will believe in the Light which condemns you for your Sins and follow it it will lead you out of your Sins which it condemns you for and though it is a condemning Light to you while you disobey it and do the evil that it lets you see you should not do yet when you obey it it will keep you from doing any evil and then you will find it to be a Saving Light and when it hath Redeemed you out of the evil which it condemns you for then it will not condemn you but it will justifie you and speak comfortably unto you But I say unto you all do not delay but come unto the Light and wait in it to receive power from God against the Devil and all his wicked works which he hath wrought in you and when the Judgements of God doth arise in your hearts for your Sins which you have committed then do not flee from that which judgeth you and filleth your

pomp and dignity outwardly but when he came Mark 6.3 he came much contrary to their thoughts and expectations and imaginations for he was supposed by them to be Joseph the Carpenters son a man of low esteem amongst them and so they dispised him because of his low Appearance which was so far contrary to what they had imagined concerning his coming and so they would not have him to rule over them but they slew him so they lost the benefit of his coming and so died in their sins and so was shut out of the Kingdom of God because of their unbelief so here was their Misery they would not receive him because he came not according as they had imagined he should come Now Friends to come nearer to your condition I shall write as the Spirit of the Lord shall move me which dwelleth in my heart Friends consider What is the reason that you will not own the Light wherewith Christ hath enlightened you and all people to be a sufficient Teacher and Ordinance for Salvation unto you and all people and to bring you and all people unto God out of sin if you and they did believe in it and obey it I say consider Is it not because you have read the Prophets Christ and the Apostles Writings with the same dark minds in unbelief that the Jews did read the Prophets Writings and in the Darkness which you have loved a great deal more then the Light you have imagined that Christ would shew himself unto you some other way then by his Light in your Consciences It hath been a very hatefull thing unto many of you Professors to hear us exhort you to turn unto the Light within and because we told you that was the Ordinance of God for Salvation unto the Ends of the Earth according to the words of the Prophet who prophesied in the Power of his coming Isa 49.5.6 7 8 22. who said I will give him for a Light unto the Gentiles and Leader to his People to be his Salvation unto the Ends of the Earth and when we have born our Testimony amongst you concerning this Light according to the plain words of the Prophets Christ and the Apostles laid down in the holy Scriptures and in the brokenness of our hearts have in much love unto you declared our own experience of the vertuous opperation of this Light wherewith Christ hath enlightned us and what Christ the Light had done for our Souls since we in his Light believed and when we thus laboured in the Love of God to do you good in perswading you to believe in the Light wherewith he hath enlightened you that so you might have come to have felt the vertue and power of it in your own hearts for your own everlasting good then many of you have rejected our Testimony and hath shamefully entreated us and hath rewarded us evil for good and you have hated this Light and cried Away with this Light and also with those that have been moved of the Lord God to bear witness unto this Light Which is the Trve Light which hath Enlightened every one that is come into the World as the Jews cried away with Christ when they imagined he had been Joseph the Carpenters son 1 Cor. 2.4 5 c. to 16. and so the Light is judged by your Carnal Wisdom and Reason to be too low a thing to stoop unto and the Jews in their Carnal Wisdom and Reason judged Christ when he was come not to be worthy or fit to be a King over them because they looked upon him to be a Carpenters son a man inferiour unto many of them as they imagined and so they hated him and slew him And so now all you Professors who have been and yet are haters of the Light and cryeth away with it and accounts it too low a thing for you to stoop unto you are deceived Christ will not shew himself unto you any other way but by the measure of his Spirit wherewith he hath Enlightened you it is written No man knows the things of God but the Spirit of God but many of you Professors will not believe that the Light wherewith Christ hath Enlightened you is of power and sufficiency to bring you to God out of sin and so to this day you have not the Benefit of Christs coming but you are still in your sins committing them and pleading that you must do so while you are in the Earthly Tabernacle And so are you not Rebellious Children who Rebel against the Light Grace and Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ which he hath placed in you to Instruct you And do not you as plainly Crucifie and do Dispite unto the Opperation of the Spirit Light and Grace of Christ in your Inwards Parts as the Jews did unto the Vessel which they imagined to be Joseph the Carpenters son So consider of these things soberly in meekness in the fear of the Lord God and be not angry at me for writing thus in plainness unto you for know you all assuredly that it is the Love of God in my heart unto you that constrains me to write thus in plainness unto you so while you have a little time prize it and while you have a sence and feeling of the Light Grace and Spirit of Christ in your inward parts checking and condemning you when you do Evil believe you all in it and in obedience unto it give up and when it condemns you for Evil which you have already done then own its Judgments for its Judgments are just and true and when it letteth you see Temptations unto Sin before you have consented unto the Tempter or done the Evil he tempteth you unto then love it and let your minds be closely joyned unto it and then it will preserve you from doing the Evil that you are tempted unto and then it will be no sin for you to be tempted unto Evil if you do it not nor give your consent at all unto the Tempter Mat. 4.1 2 to 13. but love the Light which lets you see his Temptation and in it you will have Dominion over the Tempter and you will be kept out of his Snare for Christ was tempted but sinned not and Christ the Light will not condemn you for being tempted unto Evil if you do it not and if you believe in and love and obey the Light of the Son of God wherewith he hath Enlightened you Though you may have done much Evil God will forgive you for Christ the Light his sake in whom you do believe and though you may feel great and strong workings in you to do Evil yet if you love the Light within you that gives you the sence thereof it will work mightily in you against that nature which would lead you to do Evil and if you keep your minds unto the Light then you will feel that nature to die daily in you which hath led you into Evil and so that which hath led you into

word in all the Bible called the Old and New Testament But in Proverbs 24. vers 15 and 16. thus it is written Lay not in wait O wicked Man against the Dwelling of the Righteous spoil not his Resting-place For a Just Man falleth seven times and riseth again but the Wicked fall into Mischief Now mark the Just man falleth seven times and riseth again now I say here is neither Sin nor Day spoken of but the Wicked fall into Mischief now consider to do Mischief is to do Evil and to do Evil is Sin but the Just man did not fall into Mischief and so he did not fall into Sin Now Hopkins and Sternhold who was men that did play upon Instruments of Musick in the same wisdom in which the Poets do make ungodly Ballads they made a Song which they called The Humble Complaint of a Sinner and in that Song of theirs there is some such like words as the Just man sinneth seven times a day but those words of theirs are not to be heeded for they had them not out of the Holy Scriptures but they are their own invented Lyes Many other places of the Holy Scriptures are wrested after this manner by those who have not believed in the Light who pleads for Sin for the Apostle Paul according unto the wisdom given unto him in all his Epistles he did write things hard to be understood which they that were unlearned and unstable did wrest as also they did the other Scriptures to their own destruction this is Peters Testimony who was a Fisherman and knew not Letters 2 Pet. 3.15 16. Acts 4.13 So all people take notice that it was not because they wanted Greek Hebrew and Latine that they wrested Pauls Epistles and the other Scriptures to their own destruction but it was because they were not come to believe in that measure of the Spirit wherewith Christ had enlightened them for from the Spirit of God was the holy Scriptures given forth and there is none can come to know them and understand them until they come to believe in and obey that measure of God in themselves which is one with that from which the holy Scriptures was given forth and when people come to believe in that and learn of that then God by that will open their understandings to know and rightly to understand the holy Scriptures and until then people can neither know nor understand them aright for while people are out from that of God in them they one imagine one thing from the Scriptures and another imagineth another thing from the same part of the Scripture and one saith it meaneth thus and another he saith nay but it meaneth thus and so they are bewildered in their imaginations about the holy Scriptures one saying this is the meaning and another saying that is the meaning and so every one builds his Religion according to his imagination and so every one that hath not believed in the Light they are wresting of the holy Scriptures and with their dark meanings are pleading Scripture and would fain prove by the holy Scriptures that theirs is the true Religion and as Christ said it should be so it is come to pass one saith Lo here is Christ and another saith Lo there is Christ but Christ said unto the Saints Go not forth now the Saints minds were gathered in unto the Light and that gave them to know the holy Scriptures and also to know the false Prophets who led peoples minds out from that of God in them for the Way of God is to be known within and he that leads people from that of God in them into outward observations he is a Deceiver and an Antichrist Pilate had Greek Hebrew and Latine and he could not open the Scriptures by it nor know the Son of God by it but he judged him to die and when he was to be Crucified he did write a Superscription in Greek Hebrew and Latine Letters and set it over Christs head and the persecuting Jews had Greek Hebrew and Latine for they came and did read the Superscription which Pilate had written but they could not open the Scriptures with their Greek Hebrew and Latine though they had all the Prophets Writings who prophesied of his coming and of the Place where he was to be born yet they could not understand the Prophets words with all their Greek Hebrew and Latine all their Earthly wisdom and Learning was to short and to shallow to understand those Heavenly things and so because they had not believed in the Light of Christ in them they were dark and blind Spiritually and could not know nor understand the Scriptures nor know Christ when he was come but they said he had a Devil and was Mad but had they come to that of God in them that would have given them the knowledge of the Scriptures and the knowledge that he was the Son of God for he told them that the Kingdom of God did not come with outward observation as Lo here or Lo there Luk. 1● 20 21. but that the Kingdom of God was within them and he told them that it was like a Grain of Mustard-Seed and it was like Leaven and he did direct their minds unto that in them but they did not believe his Doctrine and so would not turn their minds inwardly to learn of the Father the Word and the Spirit and so they knew not the Son but Crucified him and the Son said unto the Father I thank thee O Father Lord God of Heaven and Earth that thou hast hid these things from the Wise and Prudent and thou hast revealed them unto Babes now Pilate and the Jews the wisest and most prudent men that was in all that Quarter of the Earth in natural Learning and natural Wisdom because they did not come to that of God in them therefore did God hide the Heavenly things from them and all their Greek Hebrew and Latine and all their natural Wisdom did not do them any good at all as to bring them to the knowledge of God but they were hurt by looking at it for because of their great Learning and Wisdom naturally their hearts were lifted up in Pride and they would not believe in Christ nor receive his Testimony they judged him an inferiour man unto them and the Pride of their hearts deceived them For the World by Earthly wisdom doth not know God and the Carnal mind is Enmity against God and the Natural man receives not the things of God for they are Spiritually discerned and they do appear Foolishness unto all Earthly minded men and women But Peter and John and the rest of the Fishermen who knew not Letters they were men of more humble and low Spirits then the Jews were who had Greek Hebrew and Latine for they were proud because of their Tongues and Natural Learning as our English Priests and Doctors are and ours can no more know Christ and the holy Scriptures by their Greek Hebrew and Latine and Earthly Wisdom then Pilate and the Jews could but Peter and John and the rest of the Fishermen they were low mean men as to the outward they did not dispise Christ because of his low Appearance outwardly but they did believe in him and loved him and did forsake their Nets and followed him and in them God did take delight and he did reveal Great and Mighty things unto them which was hid from Pilate and the Jews who had Greek Hebrew and Latine And now I say unto all people God is rising to confound the Wisdom of all the Earthly Wise men who are proud of Greek Hebrew and Latine and who dispise their Neighbours who have it not and all their Earthly Wisdom in which they have boasted and exalted themselves will the Lord God make to appear as it is Foolishness and he will abase proud Haman in this the day of his Mighty Power yea he will bring down the Mighty and he will exalt them of a low degree yea this is the Lord God doing that no flesh may glory And now unto all people in tender Love I say turn in your minds unto the Manifestation of the Spirit and Light of Christ which is given unto you to profit withal that it may give you the Knowledg of God whom to know is Eternal Life and that it may open the holy Scriptures unto your understandings For it is written No man knows the things of God but by the Spirit of God And now Oh all ye Professors in all Forms I charge you in the Name and Power of the Lord God do not give your dark meanings unto the holy Scriptures for they are of no private interpretation and remember how you use to take Pauls words in his Epistles which are too hard for you to understand until you come unto the Light and learn of it I say remember how you use to take his words to plead for Sin for term of Life but come to the Light of Christ in you all and Learn of it and it will stop your Mouthes and not suffer you to open them to plead for Sin which is the work of the Devil I charge you in the Name of the Lord God do not wrest the holy Scriptures to plead for your Pride and Covetousness and Envy and other Abominations which you live in and delight in for Wo will come upon all that are covered and not with the Spirit of the Lord God and no other covering will stand you in stead in the day when you must all receive a Reward according to the Deeds done in the Body whether they be good or evil Read Isa 28. from Verse 1 to 23. And now I have cleared my Conscience in obedience unto the Lord God and I rest in peace and whether you will hear or forbear I am clear W. G. The End