Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A90524
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The Persecution of them people they call Quakers, in several places in Lanchashire [sic].
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Addamson, William, 17th cent.
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1656
(1656)
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Wing P1660A; Thomason E868_10; ESTC R207720
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10,128
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15
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Church in God Therefore all people fear the living God and depart from the evil of your doings partake not of their doings least you partake of their plagues From us who witness the promise of the Lord fulfilled that he would teach his people himself John Branthwait Isaac Yeats ANd at Manchester one William Barret who is a teaching Elder so called at Stopford having formerly had some words with some of them called Quakers challenged a meeting to be at the house of John Maddocke in Manchester and in writing gave forth these words as followeth By the assistance of God I shall undertake to prove that whosoever doth entertain the Opinions of the Quakers and do live and dye in those Opinions without repentance cannot be saved Provided that I may have fourteen days warning before the meeting and that the Conference may be orderly managed according to what was proposed to Tho. Taylor in Manchester in the presence of Mr. Wiggin and divers others Or thus That whereas the said Persons do pretend to be guided by the Spirit I shall undertake to prove that it is not the Spirit of God but the Spirit of the Devil November 9. 1655. By me William Barret The day may be if God permit upon Teusday forthnight at the house of John Maddocke in Manchestor in case the said persons be pleased to give the meeting Thus far Barrets words And according to this time which he appointed one Leonard Fell and several others of them called Quakers came to the said place which he had appointed and demanded of him what he had to charge them with Then the said Barret spoke the words before mentioned in his paper which he had given forth And Lâ—onard Fell bade him prove what he had spoken which was that the Spirit which we are guided by is not the spirit of God but the spirit of the Devil but nothing he could prove against any that was there present but did accuse one that was not then present whom he named Thomas Holme of something that he had written a year agoe And Leonard Fell and the rest said he witnessed Christ manifested in them and that Scripture receiving the end of your faith even the salvation of your souls 1 Pet. 1.9 to be true And Leonard Fell said further that if Thomas Holme did witness the end of his faith even the salvation of his soul the Scripture doth testifie of the same And then Barret replyed I utterly denyed that the Scriptures speaks any thing to this purpose Now leâ— all judge whether this be not the spirit of a Divel that spoke in Barret that denies plain Scripture as in 1 Pet. 1.9 and this was taken from his own mouth by his own writer with much more vain empty words not worth mentioning which passed from him at that meeting Then another meeting was sent for by him in writing and the day he appointed to meet upon was the tenth day of the eleventh month to be at Manchester and he in that paper engaged to prove what he had formerly given under his hand and when we came to the place that Barret and John Wiggin had appointed to meet in and so soon as the said Barret and Wiggin with some others with them came and went into a certain place called the Colledge Garden and when we came to them there came in certain rude persons and thrust into the Company and before many wo ds were spoken they laid violent hands upon several of them called Quakers with many blows and so in a rude manner haled some of them over the bridge out of the town and being demanded the reason why they were so rude and cruel they answered and said the Constable whose name is Arthur Buckley a wâ—olen Drâ—per had sent them so to do and many of the people so haled forth told them they had horses in the town and some other business to do in it But they replied and said they should not come into the town again and so for a certain space they kept them forth of the town and some others of them being at a friends house in the town peaceably met waiting upon the Lord the said Constable hearing of it he with a rude companâ— went to the said house and the said Constable himselfe laid hands on fiâ—st and drew one forth and then the rude persons which he brought with him laid hands upon the rest and violently thrust them forth with many bâ—ows And one of the Inhabitants of the town of their own party seeing their cruelty asked why they d d so use them and one of the rude persons answered and said he did nothing but what the Constable had given him order to do And after so doing some friends were taken and haled before the Magistrate and for some time kept in hold till the Magistrate could have time to examine the thing And then being brought before the Magistrate again and many false accusations and slanders laid against them by the Constable Arthur Buckley as that they were Vagabons and Wanderers Then one of them answered before the Magistrate that he was no Vagabond for he had ninty pounds by the year in Land in one place so they were as prisoners that night that they might appear the next day before the Magistrate And other friends being at their lodging at an Inn in the town the said Constable went and took their names and gave command to the woman of the house where they were that they should not dâ—pâ—r till the next day And they being the next day brought bâ—fore the Magistrate and both the Priests Richard Hollinworth and Richard Herricke Priests of Manchester being prâ—â—â—nt after many confused words passing from the said Priests which are not worth mentioning Priest Herricke did affirm before the Magistrate and many others that the body of Christ is not spiritual and when he was by William Addamson challenged with his blasphemy he said he would prove it by Scripture and he produced these words to prove it that Christ said I am not a spirit And then he was by him charged with a lye for there was no such words in that Scripture Many things being laid against them before the Magistrate but nothing proved they were set free by the Magistrate onely Tho. Holme and John Hall were stayed and the said Priests there laboured to ensnare the said Tho. Holm by puâ—ting the Magistrate on to give him the Oath of Abjuration And Priest Herricke gave it forth that he sought to bring the said Tho. Holme into Prison And the Constable pretended that they had some other witnesses to examine So the said Tho. Holme did stand till the witness came and the Magistrate examining the witness and finding that they could not prove any thing against him set him free So here all the people in and about Manchester who hath made such great profession of God and Christ and of the Scriptures to be your rule see the fruits of your profession and of your
flesh and so are found to be Antichrists deceivers of your soules and so here is life and death set before you light and darkness truth and error the strait way and the broad way there is but these two So now see what ye will take now and thâ—s ye shall eternally witness to be truth whether ye will hear or forbâ—ar And thus the people in Lanchashire goes on breathing fo th their persecution three of those people called Quak rs hath been sent to Lanchaster to prison since the Sessions One of them b cause he would not be a Church-warden as they call it and another because he would have meetings at his house and the third for speaking to the Priest So let all the wise hearted judge what Law these men act by So that now there is in Lanchaster Castle eighteen besides one who is dissolved out of the outward body who was imp isoned for Tithes whose blood will be required of some So here is the fruit of your profession therefore blush and be ashamed for never none of the Saints of God was found in such persecution and cruelty which is acted by this generation against the innocent and harmless people of God as is at this day manifested by the cruel mockings buffettings haling before Magistrates stocking scourging imprisoning this is the riches of the Saints and here they follow the Captain of their Salvation who is made perfect through sufferings Glory be to the living God who is their strength and arm that will carry them through Leonard Fell Will. Addamson To Holmes Answer to Barret William Barret WHereas thou didst undertake to prove that such as do entertain the opinions of the Quakers and do live and dye in those opinions without repentance cannot be saved I prove it thus that such as are of opinion that faith is seased with such whe e Christ is manifested are of such an opinion that if ye live and dye in it without repentance cannot be saved but of such an opinion is Tho. Holms Ans Opinions I do deny for holding opinion that faith is ceased that I do deny and if any such word be there writ that faith is ceased I do it condemn and upon thee do it return it being thy own word for I live by the Faith of the Son of God which Faith the world knows not and if this be thy ground that thou hast against the people called Quakers if I do remove and do it condemn and do own that Faith which purifieth the heart which is held in a pure conscience and that Scripture I own in Heb. 11. which faith without Faith it is impossible to please God and my desire is that all may come to faith and to receive the end of their faith the salvation of their souls 1 Pet. 1.9 which thing was there intended however it was writ and the writer of it I was not but that paper I left in the County of Chester to be copied over and into another Country I went and if any thing in it be contrary to the Scriptures it I do condemn so concerning this thing let thy mouth bo stopt and accuse not the people called Quakers with that they are not guilty of for from such an opinion do I them clear and for what thou hast writ against them from under it canst thou not get but under shame and condemnation must come And for that Scripture in 1 Pet. 1.5 It I do own and it a witness stands a witness against thee and a witness for us it stands who are and have been kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation and for the Scriptures which is here writ them I do own and this may serve in answer to thy first paper And whereas thou sayest for as much as I said whereas the said persons do pretend to be gu ded by the Spirit I will undertake to prove that it is not the spirit of God but of the Divel I prove it thus first he that doth so enquire what difference can be betwixt God Christ and Saints that doth imply there is no difference amongst them is not in that guided by the spirit of God but by the spirit of the Devil Answ What spirit is that that accuseth persons of that which was writ by one person and what spâ—rit is that which crosseth Scriptures and would put a difference amongst them who are of one for the Apostle saith he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one Heb. 11. so that spirit which makes a difference is contrary to the Scriptures and is not the spirit of God but the spirit of the Devil for it is written that the Father might be one as we are one Joh. 4.17 and it is written as he is so are ye in this present world so that spirit which divides God Christ and Saints and would make them at ods is not the spirit of God bu the spirit of the Divel and with the spirit of God it is judged And thou saidst he said Tho. Holm affirmed in the presence of divers persons thus I am equal with God Answ that is false and a lye it was not so spoken by Tho. Holme and to this thou was fully answered and Tho. Holms was denied to be equal with God but thou hast made lyes thy refuge as thy forefathers did which went before and he that lies is of the Devil for there is no lye of the truth And thou saiest he that saith it is so what is due to God it due to a Saint is not in this guided by the spirit of God but by the spirit of the Devil Answ What is due to God thou givest him not and what is due unto Saints thou knowest not but what is due to the wicked thou first must know and judgement is committed to God to the Son and to the Saints and their judgement is one for the Saints shall judge the world and Angels 1 Cor. 6.23 and this honour have all the Saints they bind the Kings in chains and Lords in iron bands Ps 149.7 8 9. verses and the Saints are heirs and co heirs with the Son and the Son thought it no robbery to be equal with the father and ye all one one inheritance And the Son prayed that the Father might be one even as we are one Joh 17.11 And thou who would divide Father Son and Saints is not guided by the spirit of God but by the spirit of the Divel which crosseth and is contrary to the Scriptures and for the Scriptures thou hast brought in them I do own but thy end in bringing them in I do deny who brings in Scriptures for thy own ends which makes not for thy purpose So this may serve in Answer to thy papers and may certifie all that reads this that faith we do own which is the gift of God and do not it deny neither it destroy though we witness to him bear who is the end of our faith the salvation of the soul 1 Pet. 1.9 So now upon thee do I lay all thy boasting words which from the pride and envy of thy heart was given forth to prove and make good what thou hast written else all the country which have seen thy paper will witness against thee and thy shame and condemnation they must own which thy due and portion is for thy envy against the truth Thomas Holme FINIS