Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	scripture_n	word_n	write_v	7,633	5	6.1357	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47129	The causeless ground of surmises, jealousies and unjust offences removed, in a full clearing of faithful Friends, and a sober vindication of my innocency, and the Friends concerned with me in relation to the late religious differences and breaches among some of the people called Quakers in America.	Keith, George, 1639?-1716.	1694 (1694)	Wing K149; ESTC R1482	14,639	18

only Representative of the Church in that place at that time and also until they had rejected all our Endeavours and Proposals unto them in order to Reconciliation See a Copy of the said Judgement in the Printed Treatise called Some Reasons and Causes of the late Separation p. 10. And if that particular Meeting or Assembly that they belong unto pass no due censure against them the Errours and defaults of the particulars are justly imputed to the particular Meeting or Assembly they belong unto as we have largely proved both from Scripture and large Citations out of R. Barclays Book called The Anarchy of the Ranters c. well approved by Friends as particularly pag. 32.33 34 48 49 51 52 to which I refer Next as to the Separation which some charge the blame of upon us and lay at my door and them joined with me in our zealous Christian Testimony for these great Truths of Christianity and against the opposite Errours as setting up Separate Meetings in Pensilvania or any where else in America It hath not been proved against us by any sufficient Evidence nor can it be proved that either we began it or continued it for the first Separate Meeting at Philadelphia we began it not but they of the other side as I have made to appear before many Witnesses And there was no other Separation or Separate Meetings amongst us any where in Pensilvania or elsewhere until I and they concerned with me in our Christian Testimony were denyed and disowned by them of the other side by a publick Judgment given out against us and me in particular signed by twenty eight Men called Ministers and that without all Conviction or Tryal And after this I and other Friends of the Ministry joined with me proffering to offer our Gift among them were universally rejected and disowned by a Party in these parts which many Friends seeing and noticing did occasion them to own us and our Testimony and thus the breach happened in many Meetings But had we made the Separation we had been warranted so to do both by Scripture and the express Doctrine of R.B. his Book above mentioned in pag. 33 49 c. to which I refer and to the particular large Citations quoted and Observations thereupon in the Printed Treatise called Some Reasons and Causes of the late Separation and it had been but reasonable and convenient for such as have so positively blamed me and them concerned with me both for the Printing and the Separation to have answered our Reasons from Scripture and R. Barclays Book in our Vindication and to have shown the Invalidity of them and also to have given us plain Reasons and Proofs from Scripture whereby to convince us of Sin and that we were not acted in Gods Wisdom and Counsel therein which they have not yet done and until they so do we must crave leave to differ in our Judgment from them in this particular Matter though we desire to remain in Love and Charity towards them and in unity with the Faithful in the main every where for they must convince us by stronger and better Arguments than to say It is their clear and general Sense But we do well know it is not the General Sense of Friends to blame us for we are well perswaded that no Divine Sense ever will or can contradict or condemn what plain Scripture Precepts and Testimonies do justify as in the present Case we have as also the Example of our ancient Friends who have Printed against lesser Errours in others who differed from them and have also Separated from them though thereby Papists have been gratified and Gloried over all Protestant Professions in general and have strengthened themselves thereby as much as any have against us by our late Printed Books and have said Lo how Hereticks and Schismaticks since they have left the Mother Church of Rome have gone into endless Separations and expose one another and contend against one another seeking to destroy one another by their endless Contentions and thereby concluding that neither their Printing against others Errours nor the Separation of one from another or from the Church of Rome is of God or is acted in the Wisdom and Consel of God as some do so Argue against us But if they know how to answer the Papists Arguments in this Case against themselves they may know how to answer the like Arguments against us And as concerning Vnity we greatly value it to wit that Vnity that is built on Truth and Righteousness without which Vnity is but an empty name and an Idol and when we are agreed in the main so as to be one in the principal things of Faith and Doctrine and feel the Spirit of Life and Love in Christ Jesus to knit our hearts together A difference of Judgement in lesser Matters should not break out Unity and without breach of Unity we ought to bear and receive the Word of Exhortation or reproof that any have from the Spirit of Truth to deliver unto us without gainsaying strife or alienation of mind As to the Charge of some concerning Falshood of Doctrine or innovation of Doctrine brought in by me or others joined with me they who have so charged us being mostly convinced of their rashness proceeding from their own Ignorance and mistakes I shall not need to say any thing for our Vindication all the more judicious and understanding among us both of the Ministry and others being generally satisfied with the Manner of Doctrine held forth by me either in my late Printed Books or publick Assemblies of the People called Quakers And as to the charge of my imposing a Faith upon my Brethren in Pensilvania or elsewhere in my own Terms I have sufficiently cleared my Innocency in that respect and none have yet sufficiently proved it against me nor ever will be able so to do I know no Terms of mine that I ever used in Faith and Doctrine I am no Inventor of any new Words or Terms being well satisfied with the sound Words used in Scripture and other Words and Terms used in the savory Life and Spirit of Christ in Harmony with the Holy Scriptures by all sound Christians in all Ages in General and faithful Friends of the same Profession with me in particular And as for that called An account of our sincere Faith writ by me and Printed at Philadelphia by the general consent and request of Friends joined with me in these American parts received by the general consent of some Meetings of the People called Quakers there and by the general consent of that called our Yearly Meeting held at Burrlington 7 th of Month 7 1692. I say I never imposed that Form of Confession on any there or elsewhere in the World but am fully satisfied that if any here or there see not fit to declare their Faith in that form of Words as there declared they may exercise their Christian Liberty to use any other terms or words that the Spirit

of other Courts against the People called Quakers h●rein England as Witness their many Printed Books and divers Printed Tryals to that effect why will they not meddle with the illegality of the Proceedings of that Court in Pensilvania and particularly S.J. being personally present before them when complained against If it be said what they did they did by a Law as that Law has not been nor can be produced so it will be said that they in New-England had a Law when they put our Friends to Death and the Jews said they had a Law when they put our Blessed Saviour to Death But if they do not think it proper to meddle with the illegality of these Proceedings as to Men why do they not at least meddle with the illegality of it as to God and Truth and Righteousness to remove the Scandal and offence out of the Minds and Consciences of Many tender Friends that are greatly wounded and scandalised to hear S.J. Preach and Pray in the Meetings of the People called Quakers and to be Countenanced and allowed so to do without his having given the least evidence of his Repentance for those Evils whereas for much lesser matters men have been disowned and a Judgment in Writ given out and Recorded against them and chiefly in order to make up the Breach in America and to prevent any hurt here they ought to pass an express Censure and Judgment upon all and every one of these gross and vile Errors that I have proved divers of them guilty of in Pensilvania by Manuscripts and Papers signed with their own hands and to procure the persons guilty of these Errors to Condemn them otherwise not to own them as Friends and Brethren And whereas some say wherein G. Keith apprehends himself injur'd or aggreived by any particular persons he ought to exercise a Spirit of Forgivness c. I Answer And so I hope I do towards them and all Men who have wronged me yet doth or can my so doing clear S.J. and his Brethren who have so apparently Injured me without his and their Repentance And if this be the Method and way to answer all the Complaints of Injur'd and Oppressed Persons who cry and complain against the Injuries and Oppressions done to them and lay it before Meetings appointed for the Exercise of Church Discipline who profess to hear and judg impartially in all cases of Complaint to tell them they must exercise a Spirit of Forgiveness towards them whom they apprehend to have wronged them without requiring the persons that have done the wrong to clear themselves by some Testimony of their Repentance then why is it that in all other or most cases of less Importance they require them that are Guilty to Write Papers of Condemnation that they may be Recorded for the clearing the Truth yea what need of any Meetings for Discipline at all if this method and way take place to tell them that are wronged they must exercise a Spirit of forgiveness towards such who have wronged them without either giving due Judgment against the Guilty or requiring them to Judg themselves for the same or if they give any Judgment against them yet in such a manner as without any publick Testimony of their Repentance to allow and countenance them as Brethren and in unity with them But why should any represent me as the provoker and them as the provoked Where as the plain Contrary is true that the Provocation began on their side and what I said of Samuel Jennings or any of them was in defence of my Christian Testimony and Innocency FINIS POSTSCRIPT I Declare my real and sincere Intention to remain in unity with all faithful friends and Brethren every where and to continue to meet with them and to exercise my gift of Ministry among them as God shall be pleased to enable me in a Spirit of Love and Peace so long as I can have the free Exercise of my gift among them without interruption or disturbance as it is not my purpose nor hath it been my way nor I hope shall it be to use any interruption or disturbance towards any but to behave my self orderly and peaceably towards all and I would have none to entertain Jealousies and evil thoughts concerning me as if I did design any breach among faithful friends having so long laboured for 30 years past in the work of the Ministry by preaching and writing and God having blest my Labours with great success in being an Instrument to the bringing many into the blessed unity and fellowship with his Spirit and one with another in the same and my Love remaining intire towards many and their Love so remaining towards me why should any be jealous over me as if I did intend a breach among the faithful or to scatter what I have been endeavouring with many brethren in much labour of mind and body and great sufferings to gather or to destroy what I have by the Grace and help of God been building up I earnestly request and beseech all faithful friends and brethren every where who have had any former true knowledg of me in the truth and more especially those who have received any spiritual profiting and edification and Consolation by my Ministry and Testimony or Writings to have Charity towards me and keep in that Love that thinks no evil for I have had great and still have so great an interest room and place in the Christian Love and Esteem of many Friends and Brethren by my Christian Testimony and innocent manner of Conversation and spiritual Fellowship with them in the Life and Spirit of Truth that I cannot be so easily separated from them as some may suggest and I hope I never shall whatever some may surmise to the contrary but as I neither intend nor desire any breach among faithful Friends so I freely declare I greatly desire and hope for a greater degree of Reformation to take place among us in general and for a greater growth and increase in Grace and in Knowledg and in Holiness than is yet attained to by us and it is my belief and hope with earnest expectations and desires and frequent Prayer and Supplication unto God that he will be pleased more and more to refine us to make us every way a more Pure People to himself and to separate and purge out from among us the many Impurities and Imperfections that cleave to many of us as well as the many hyocrites otherwise unqualified persons that are among us that the many stumbling blocks and offences that are in the way of many that hinder them from receiving our Testimony and joyning with us in the same may be removed being firmly persuaded in a sincere Faith that the Lord is about to make a short and speedy work in the Earth even to refine all professions on Earth and to gather out of them all a pure and holy seed and people to himself Amen George Keith LONDON Printed for R. Levis 1694.