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spirit_n faith_n good_a holy_a 6,020 5 4.5476 3 false
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A91566 To the Parliament of the Common-wealth of England. Pearson, Anthony, 1628-1670? 1653 (1653) Wing P992; Thomason E714_10; ESTC R207240 6,443 8

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suffer all manner of torments rather then defile your consciences by the pollutions and vanities of the world and the mysterie of Faith is held in a pure conscience which worldly Religion knows not and loving and obeying that voyce and walking in the light that shews you sin and evil you will be brought to understand the Scriptures and to have fellowship with God and Jesus Christ and with one another in the Spirit and to have your mindes purified and the holy Seed will be raised up and the body of sin destroyed and Christ will reign and rule in you Many of these people are committed because they will not finde Sureties to be of the good behaviour and I hear some saying Are they not accessary to their own sufferings that will not do it when they intend to be of good behaviour I Answer They are persons of no ill behaviour but are bound to good behaviour by the righteous law of God written in their hearts and therefore they may not confess themselves guilty by submitting to a punishment the Law intends the restraint of evil doers Again they are required to finde Sureties either because they have spoken in a Steeple-house or to a Magistrate who dare binde himself not to obey the command of the Lord shall Moses be bound not to go to Pharoah Shall Tyrants trample on the Lords people and shall not the Lord by his Prophets reprove i● shall the Lord have people in a Congregation and shall he not send his Messengers to call them out men may imprison and restrain the body but they cannot stop the mouth nor may the Saints stop their own How shall all the wickednesses of the earth be reproved but by the righteous spirit of the Lord in his people By the Act of Queen Maries after three months imprisonment a submission must be made to the Priest and Sureties be given for good behaviour that is not to offend so again Oh ye Members of the Parliament that fear the Lord Consider shall the righteous bow to the wicked or shall the seed of God be bound not to reprove the man of sin The great work of the Lord is not to throw down one man to set up another But to throw down the unrighteous seed that the holy seed may be raised up and have dominion If you restrain the Lord in his work all the Armies in the World shall not save you all these witnesses are now raised up to shew you where the way is stopped and the Lord hath herein made it known to you it s not the release of the Prisoners alone that he requires but to make a free way for the Sons of Zion Here you are brought to a strait look to it For as you deal in this matter so shall you be established Should I tell you in all particulars how far the ignorant zeal of Judges and Justices hath transported them beyond the bounds of Law of reason Nay of humanity you would wonder and say these men are not fit to be Judges of things pertaining to the Conscience Should I Relate the Beatings Woundings Stonings Baitings with Mastiff Dogs and Imprisonments that these poor people have suffered in Cities Towns Villages and Steeple-houses I might fill a volumn but I come not to make complaints against any in particular and therefore I have concealed all the persecuters names Be not affrighted by reports were not the best of men always accounted the worst the off-scouring of all things they are above all others I know it Innocent harmless peaceable they dispute not Authority with any man nor question Forms of Government nor trouble their heads what becomes of the World but as Strangers and Pilgrimes they have their conversation on the earth wandring to and fro seeking another City Some of them are committed for other things one because he would not swear Doth not Christ and his Apostle James positively forbid all swearing and where do we find any of the Saints swearing after the comming of Christ It s not long till a light will shine in this Nation to shew the deceits of this and many other like things I cannot herein say more to particulars I have done my duty the sin lyes at your door Do what seems good to you consider scruples of conscience are not obvious to every mans reason if they were no liberty need be pleaded for tender consciences A Servant of the Truth Anthony Pearson The moneth called Octob. 3. 1653.