Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	holy_a	scripture_n	speak_v	14,888	5	5.2608	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39309	A sober reply, on behalf of the people called Quakers, to two petitions against them, the one out of Norfolk, and the other from Bury in Suffolk, being some brief observations upon them published on occasion of Francis Bugg's exposing one of the said petitions in print, and commending the other, &c, with many unjust aggravations and misrepresentations in his late book, falsly stiled A modest defence, &c.	Ellwood, Thomas, 1639-1713.	1699 (1699)	Wing E628; ESTC R5881	8,677	18

their hands in the innocent Blood of so many Thousands of harmless peaceable and industrious People who are their Fellow Citizens and Fellow-Commoners and by the Suffrages of some of whom many of themselves were Elected into that Honourable Society and to Act or Enact so Barbarous a Tragedy only to remove the groundless Fears of a few Jealous-Headed Alderman and Burgesses of Bury who seem to have forgotten what is written of some whom they in this too nearly resemble who were said to have been in great Fear where no cause of Fear was Psal. 53. 5. They close their Petitions That out of Norfolk thus Petit. That the true Christian Religion may be preserved from Popish Superstition and unpolluted with Enthusiastical Innovation That from Bury thus That our Posterity may untroubled live by this early Care of our Laws and Liberties and we enjoy the wisht-for Happiness of a Peaceful life Obs. To the First we say It is strange they should fear the Christian Religion should be polluted with Popish Superstitions by the Quakers who of all that go under the Protestant Name are generally acknowledged to be furthest removed from and most averse to Popish Superstitions and whose great Objection to those of other Persuasions has always been their not having throughly enough relinquish'd Popish Superstitions And for Enthusiastical Innovations as we do not own the word in that sense in which they abusively apply it to us tho' Divine Inspiration or God's speaking by his Spirit in the Heart of man we do own so we always offer our Doctrines and Principles to be Examined by the Holy Scriptures which were written by Divine Inspiration and are best understood by the Inspiration of the same Spirit by which they were written To the Second we say We desire as well as they that their Posterity may live untroubled But we think they might have done well to have considered that we have Posterity as well as they and the like Inducements from natural Affection to wish that our Posterity may live untroubled as they for theirs Sure we are and it is but too obvious that we have more cause to apprehend Trouble and Danger too to our Posterity from them and theirs than they or theirs from us or ours For tho' we have done nothing since we were a People that might either give Trouble to them or threaten it to their Posterity they stick not here openly to propose and seek the Ruin and Extirpation of both us and our Posterity They desire they may enjoy the wisht for Happiness of a Peaceful Life We envy it them not But God forbid they should Swim into it through a Sea of Innocent Blood Can they find no way to the wisht-for Happiness of a Peaceful Life but by the Destruction of their Fellow-Subjects and Peaceable Neighbours Had not Self-love to say no worse been more prevalent with them or with their Envious Guides who probably have animated them to these Malicious Counsels than Christian Charity which seeks the Good and Happiness of all and teaches to love our Neighbours as our selves they would have been Content that we also should enjoy the wisht-for Happiness of a Peaceful Life But since they are so uncharitable to grutch us that and so unchristian to seek to bereave us of it We humbly address our selves in the first place to Almighty God the sure Refuge of the Righteous who knows the Innocency even of our Thoughts And in the next place to our Governours the Witnesses as well as Judges of our Actions unto whom with humble Confidence we appeal in the latter as unto God in the former Hoping that the same Divine Goodness which moved the Government to grant this favourable Indulgence and Toleration will incline and prevail upon you to continue it both to us and all other Protestant Dissenters to whose intended Ruin also we look upon this Assault upon us to be but the Praeludium that under the Protection of this Propitious Government we may lead a quiet and peaceable Life in all Godliness and Honesty which is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour 1 Tim. 2. 2 3. And may thence have the Obligation of Gratitude added to that of Duty not only to pray for but in our several Capacities to advance and promote the Interest Safety and Prosperity of this Government and Nation FINIS