Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	truth_n	worship_n	worship_v	19,034	5	9.4594	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42709	Something offered to the consideration of all those who have had a hand in putting the late made Act, (entituled, An Act to prevent and suppress seditious conventicles) in execution For the sake of such who have any tenderness towards the innocent; and also for the information of all others, who have had, shall or may have, a hand in putting in execution the said Act, I shall offer something to shew, whom and what exercises of religion are concerned in and by the said Act, and what not, according to the most true natural genuine litteral sense and meaning thereof, and no other wise.	Gibson, Thomas, Quaker.	1665 (1665)	Wing G678; ESTC R218330	7,386	9

Something offered to the Consideration of all those who have a hand in putting the late made Act entituled An Act to prevent and suppress Seditious Conventicles in execution For the sake of such who have any tenderness towards the Innocent and also for the information of all others who have had shall or may have a hand in putting in Execution the said Act I shall offer something to shew whom and what Exercises of Religion are concerned in and by the said Act and what not According to the most true natural genuine litteral sense and meaning thereof and no otherwise I Shall begin with the Title and Preamble of the said Act and then come to the Body of it This Act is entituled An Act to prevent and suppress Seditious Conventicles It seems there is or may be several sorts of Conventicles as the word Conventicle doth import which is a conveening of several persons together for some end and purpose or other Now there may be a convening of persons together for good ends as there may be a convening of persons together for evil ends There may be a convening of persons together honestly and justifiably upon a Religious account as there may be a convening of persons together in order to the sowing or spreading of Sedition which latter this Act by the Title of it seems to be made to prevent suppress as appears by joyning the explanatory word Seditious to Conventicle viz. An Act to prevent suppress Seditious Conventicles And this doth further appear by comparing therewith the Preamble or Reason of the Act which runs thus For providing therefore of further and more speedy remedies against the growing and dangerous practices of Seditious Sectaries and other disloyal persons c. Here the word Seditious is used again and joyned to Sectaries and other disloyal persons Now the word Sectary as it is generally accepted doth import persons of several opinions or practices in matters of Religion differing from the established Religion of Nations and such as for Conscience-sake cannot conform thereunto These as truly such seem not to be the persons intended in this Act but such and only such as are seditious Sectaries and under pretence of tender consciences do at their Meetings contrive Insurrections or sow Sedition among the people So that both by the Title and Preamble this Act doth pretend at least to be made to punish seditious Sectaries and to suppress their Meetings and not to punish the truly consciencious nor suppress the Meetings of those who meet together not under any colour but really and truly to worship God as he doth require and perswade them in their own hearts and consciences But as if the Title and Preamble were only specious pretences of a Law against seditious and disloyal persons to colour over foul intentions in the body of the Act which seems to look a quite contrary way and is so made use of and runs thus Be it enacted c. That if any person c. shall be present at any Assembly Conventicle or Meeting under colour or pretence of any Exercise of Religion in other manner than is allowed c. The words under colour or pretence seem to relate to the Preamble of the Act. But then the matter of fact or that which makes the Meeting unlawful so as the being present at it becomes an offence ought to have been expressed to be the plotting or contriving Insurrections or the doing of some action or other that might render the Meeting a Seditious Meeting under the colour or pretence of Religious Exercise which would then have held proportion with the Title and Preamble or Reason of the Act and might have been counted a reasonable Law as all Laws ought to be For Right Reason according to the Law of God is or ought to be the ground or foundation of all Law And that Law that hath not Right Reason for its foundation is null and void in it self and will never be of nor bear any authority over sober and reasonable men nor answer to the Witness of God in the Consciences of the Transgressors But this not being such nor so to be understood as the Judges and Executors of the Law do declare both by word and practice It seems to be an unnatural unreasonable and unequal Law and not at all like what it pretends it self to be Namely An Act to prevent and suppress Seditious Conventicles or to prevent the growing and dangerous practices of Seditious Sectaries and other disloyal persons who under pretence of tender Consciences do at their Meetings contrive Insurrections c. I say as interpreted and made use of by our reasonless Judges Justices and Executors of the Law it is so far from being what it pretends it self to be to wit A Law to punish the guilty such as pretend to one thing and do another that it 's made use of to punish the Innocent to wit such as are really and do truly what they pretend themselves to be and do that is are truly tender in Conscience and do meet not only under pretence of Religious Exercise but really and truly to worship God in a peaceable quiet manner or to use the Kings own words in the aforementioned Declaration do modestly and without scandal perform their devotion in their own way But it seems that principally which makes the Meeting unlawful is The Exercise of Religion being in other manner than is allowed by the Lyturgie or practice of the Church of England c. If it be so that the Religious Exercise it self is that which the Law is made against and that because in the manner of it it may not be allowed by the Lyturgy or practice of the Church of England then this doth make it further appear to be an unnatural and unreasonable Law For as there is no reason rendred so there is no reason to be rendred for the making of a Law to limit or restrain all people in their Religious Exercises to the allowance of the Lyturgy or practice of the Church of England For the Lyturgy upon which the practice of the Church of England in this case seems to be grounded hath at most but the ordering direction and prescription of humane Authority for its establishment But the True Religion and Religious Exercise that God accepts as well to the manner as to the matter of it must be performed according to the ordering direction prescription and assistance of the Spirit of God and cannot neither is there any reason why it should be limited to the allowance or prescription of the Lyturgy or any humane practice or invention whatsoever especially if it be true As it was said by some Judges and Executioners of this Law viz. That to worship God in Spirit and Truth is to worship God in other manner than is allowed by the Lyturgie or practice of the Church of England And if it be so that the Lyturgy and practice of the Church of England is so far

degenerated from the Spirit of Truth that neither the one nor the other doth so much as allow of worshipping God in Spirit and in Truth as these men say O how can they blame those that separate from such a Church as from an Harlot or menstruous Woman that a man cannot touch but he must be defiled If the manner of the Religious Exercise be that which makes the Meeting lawful or unlawful then it seems the chief force of the Act is in these words viz. Shall be present at any Assembly Conventicle or Meeting under colour or pretence of any Exercise of Religion in other manner than is allowed c. And then the words Colour or pretence in this place is not to be understood to look back to those mentioned in the Preamble who under pretence of tender Consciences do at their Meetings contrive Insurrections c. but to look forward to the manner of the Religious Exercise and then the word Colour is improper in this place which can no otherwise be understood but to make the pretence of Religious Exercise to be a colour for some evil action intended but to take the word pretence apart from colour and then it may be understood to intend no more than that which is beforehand declared or foreshewn of the intention of the Meeting and in this sence I am willing to understand and make use of the word pretence in what follows And then it is clear that the principal offence in the Law is the Religious Exercise it self and that in the manner of it There are several qualifications which must concur to make the persons present at Meetings Offenders against this Act they are as followeth 1. The Meeting must be under pretence of some Exercise of Religion 2. That Exercise of Religion must be in other manner than is allowed by the Lyturgy or practice of the Church of England 3. There must be five persons present over and above the persons of the Family 4. The persons present must be of the age of sixteen years or more and Subjects of this Realm It seems this Act is not against all Meetings but only against such Meetings as are under pretence of some Exercise of Religion neither is it against all Meetings under pretence of Exercise of Religion but only such as are in private Families and within the forementioned qualifications For 1. if the Meeting be under pretence of Religious Exercise yet if the Religious Exercise be in no other manner than is allowed c. this Meeting is not within the Act although there be five persons or more present besides the persons of the family 2. If the Religious Exercise used be in other manner than is allowed if there be not five persons or more present of the age of sixteen years and subjects of this Realm this Meeting is not within the said Act. Quer. What Meetings then are those within the Act Answ Such Meetings as are within all the qualifications the principal of which are the two first viz. The Meeting being under pretence of Religious Exercise in other manner than is allowed c. Then it seems the manner of the Religious Exercise is the principal qualification that makes the Meeting either lawful or unlawful and that as it is either allowed or disallowed by the Lyturgy and practice of the Church of England Then the Question is What Exercises of Religion as to the manner of them are and what are not allowed by the Lyturgie or practice of the Church of England Answ Such Exercises of Religion as have prescript forms or manners for the exercise thereof and no other forms or manners are allowed of Such Exercises of Religion if not performed in the same form or manner as is prescribed are in other manner than is allowed c. But all such Exercises of Religion as have no prescript forms nor manners but the practice of the Church of England is to leave all persons to use their own forms or manners such Exercises of Religion cannot be performed in other manner than is allowed c. Those Exercises of Religion used in private families which have prescript forms are Baptism the Visitation of the Sick and Administration of the Communion as they call it to the sick person and others with him Now if any of these Exercises of Religion or any other that have prescript forms be performed in any other manner than is prescribed at any Meeting where there shall be five persons or more present over and above the persons of the family this Meeting is within the Act and the persons present if within the other qualifications may be punished by it Those Exercises of Religion that have no prescript forms are these viz. Preaching Prayer out of Churches so called and Conference or the like There is no prescript form of Preaching no prescript form of Prayer in private except as is before exprest no prescript form of Conference but every man is left to use his own form or manner in all these Exercises of Religion So that these Exercises of Religion cannot be performed in other manner than is allowed c. And then where-ever these Exercises of Religion or such like are used and no other that have prescript forms though there be five persons or more present over and above the persons of the family yet this Meeting is not within the said Act. If it be the practice of the Church of England to allow all persons to use their own forms or manners in such Exercises of Religion to which no forms or manners are prescribed then I query to all you Judges Justices Executors of the Law what Exercises of Religion have been performed in the Meetings of those peaceable people in scorn called Quakers whom you have so violently persecuted under pretence of the said Act that hath been in other manner than is allowed by the Lyturgy or practice of the Church of England I say shew us and the Nation what they are and how they have been performed in other manner than is allowed c. And if you do not as sure you cannot then will not the Nation as well as we see that you make the Law but a meer pretence and colour under which you execute your own wrath enmity and prejudice against the Innocent And then it is time for you to cease your false and opprobrious language of Rebellion Stubbornness and Disobedience to the Laws to those who are made subject in their spirits not only to the Law of God but also to all just and equal Laws of men and see your selves to be those stubborn disobedient and stiffnecked persons not only against the Law of God in your selves and others but also against the Justice Equity and Truth of the Laws of this Nation and also the very letter of the Law under pretence of which you have injured wronged and spoiled so many hundreds not only in their Liberties and Estates but very many of their Lives also Oh surely the