Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A40295
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To the chief magistrate, rulers, ministers, justices of the peace, and other officers who profess Christ and Christianity, and are called by that worthy name and great title of Christians, which is from the king of kings and Lord of Lords Christ Jesus.
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Fox, George, 1624-1691.
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1684
(1684)
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Wing F1954; ESTC R215658
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3,722
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1
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Elders give any orders to Excommunicate spoil Goods and Cast any into Prison there to be kept till Death as many of us have been such as could not conform to their Religion And therefore I desire you in the Fear of the Lord and in his Gentle Holy Wisdom which is easie to be intreated to consider these things and us who are under great Sufferings Imprisonment and spoyling of Goods whether this is according to the Royal Law of God and his Prophets which is To love their Neighbours as themselves and To do unto all as they would be done unto or according to the Nature of the Lamb Christ Jesus and the Nobility of True Christianity And whether or no ye would say If the Presbyterians Independents or Papists should do so to you concerning your tender Consciences and for your Worship and Serving of God and your not joyning with them it would be well in them and according to the Royal Law of God To do unto you as they would not have others do unto them and whether yon would say it were according to the Lamb-like Nature of Christ and according to True Christianity So I desire you that ye would weigh these things with the Spirit of God the Ballance of the Sanctuary and measure them with the Line and Rule of Righteousness according to the Scriptures of Truth From him that desires the Good and Happiness of the King and Kingdom and all the King's Subjects in it in this Life and his and their Eternal Welfare in the Life and World which is Everlasting and do Pray for Kings Princes Governours and Magistrates that we may Lead and Live a Holy Peaceable and a Quiet Life in all Godliness under them For Magistrates are for a Praise of them that do Well London the 17 th of the 9 th Moneth 1684. G. F. POSTSCRIPT VVHere do ye ever read that the Jews when they had Conquered any Nation or Kingdom did by the Law Force them to the Jewish Religion or to be Circumcised Or that they Cast them into Prison if they would not joyn with them in their Divine Service Though Christ said They Compassed Sea and Land to make Proselytes yet where do ye read they made them by Force or they became Proselytes to save their Goods or keep themselves out of Prison And ye read in Genesis that Abraham and Isaac lived in Gera in King Abimelech's Country yet ye do not read that the King forced them to his Religion but they had their Liberty to Serve and Worship God And also in Genesis when Abraham went down into Egypt and Jacob and his Family after him ye do not read that King Pharaoh forced either Abraham or Iacob and his Family to his Religion while they lived there And the Turks when they Conquer any Nation or People or take Captives we do not hear that they force them to their Religion For our Friends the People called Quakers in Algier that are taken Captives by the Turks have their Liberty peaceably to Meet together to Serve and Worship God there without Disturbance And therefore they that bear that Great and Worthy Name of Christians from Christ Jesus and profess the Holy Scriptures of Truth and the Royal Law of God which is To do unto others as they would have them do unto them should shew forth the Nobility of True Christianity and the Nature of the Lamb Christ Jesus which is far above all Turks and Heathens G. F. Mat. 5. 7. Blessed are the Merciful for they shall obtain Mercy Mat. 9. 13. Christ saith Learn what that meaneth I will have Mercy and not Sacrifice
To the Chief Magistrate Rulers Ministers Justices of the Peace and other Officers The Profess Christ and Christianity and are called by that Worthy Name and Great Title of CHRISTIANS which is from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Christ Jesus 1st AND you professing the holy Scriptures of Truth and confessing to the New Testament New Covenant and the Law and the Prophets which is To Love God above all and your Neighbours as your selves and the Royal Law of God spoken of in the New Testament which is To do unto others as you would have them do unto you Now would not you Judge and believe that it was Contrary to the Royal Law of God if that the Papists or the Presbyterians should make Spoil of your Goods and take away your goods out of your shops and your very Beds Working Tools your Corn and your Cattel so that you have not a Cow to give your Family and your Children Milk nor Corn to make you Bread And all that because for Conscience sake you cannot be of the Papists or Presbyterians Religion Would you say this was according to the Royal Law of God and the Nobility of true Christianity in them To do unto all as they would be done unto if they sould serve you so 2 aly And would you say It was according to the Royal Law of God to be haled from your peaceable Meetings by Officers Soldiers for Serving Worshipping God in his Spirit and Truth that made you and to have your Goods taken away from you through Informers to the Ruin of your Wives and Children and to be cast into Loathsom Prisons there to be kept till some of you Died because for Conscience sake you cannot be of the Papists Presbyterians or Independents Religion Would you not say this was Contrary to the Royal Law of God and to the Nature and Nobility of true Christianity in them that should do so to you 3 dly And if the Presbyterians Independents or Papists should make you pay Twenty Pound a Month or Two Thirds of your Estates and bring Quitam Writs against you as is now against many Hundreds of us and cast you in Prison and spoil your Goods as ours now are because for Conscience-sake you cannot joyn with their outward Forms of Religion Would you say that this was according to the Royal Law of God To do unto others as they would have them do unto them or according to the Law and the Prophets To love their Neighbours as themselves 4 thly If the Papists Presbyterians or Independents should Banish you from your Wives and Children or Imprison you as many of us are now Imprisoned and others have been Banisht because you do peaceably meet together to Serve and Worship God and Pray to him and they should call your Peaceable Meetings Seditious Conventicles and Ryots because you cannot for Conscience-sake joyn to any of their Forms of Religions would you not say this was contrary to the Law and the Prophets To love their Neighbours as themselves and to the Royal Law of God To do unto all Men as they would have them do unto them and to the Nobility of True Christianity in them that should do so unto you 5 thly And would not you think it very hard from the Papists Presbyterians or Independents if they should Premunire you and cast your Men Women and Widdows into Prison as many of us are now from their Wives and Children because for Conscience sake you dare not Swear at all or take any Oath because Christ and his Apostle forbids it Mat. 5. and Jam. 5. Though your peaceable Lives and Conversations have and do shew forth your Allegiance to the King and though you are willing to testify the Truth in all Matters and Cases with Yea Yea or Nay Nay as Christ and the Apostle commands and as we have done and do Would you say this was the according to the Law and the Prophets in them and the Royal Law of God To love their Neighbours as themselves and To do unto all as they would be done unto 6 thly And would the Bishops and Priests believe that it was according to the Royal Law of God and according to the Law and the Prophets for the Papists Presbyterians or Independents to Excommunicate them and cast them in Prison and there to keep them till they die as several of us have been so kept and many are now in Prison because for Conscience-sake you cannot joyn to the Papists Presbyterians or Independents Forms of Religion Would you say this were To love their Neighbours as themselves and To do unto others as they would have others do unto them and that it was according to the Nature and Nobility of True Christianity in them that should do so unto you And now I do in Humility desire you to consider did ever Christ and his Apostles force any to be of his True Religion and Worship and if that they would not then to give forth Orders to take away their Goods and their very Beds their Corn which should make them Bread their Cattel which should help to Maintain them and their Cows which should give them Milk their Cloaths they should Wear to keep them Warm and their Tools they should Work withal to get their Living Did not Christ on the Contrary Exhort Christians To Love one another and To Love Enemies And the Apostle says Overcome Evil With Good And Christ told the Jews what the Substance was of the Law and the Prophets viz To Love God above all and their Neighbour as themselves And should not all that go by the Name of Christians and Profess that great Title of Christianity from Christ Jesus the Lamb of God shew forth the Nobility of True Christianity and his Lamb-like Nature and not one Christian to tear another to Pieces and Spoil his Goods and Cast him into Prison because he cannot for Conscience sake receive and Join to another's Form of Religion seeing that Christ Rebuked his Disciples That would have had Fire to come down from Heaven to consume them that would not receive him and told them They did not know what Spirit they were of and that he came not to destroy Mens Lives but to save them Should not all True Christians have the mind of Christ Do you think that God doth accept the Sacrifice or Offerings of Forced Religion to save themselves from Prison and from Spoil of their Goods contrary to their Tender Consciences Were not the Offerings and Sacrifices to be Free-will-offerings to the Lord in the time of the Law And in the Gospel-day of the New-Covenant and Testament are not the Offerings and Sacrifices of the Lord Spiritual And can any man force and compel the Spirit of God to that Offering and Sacrifice For doth not the Apostle say to the Christians Ye are a Royal Priesthood offering up Spiritual Sacrifices to God by Jesus Christ And after Christ was ascended did ever the Apostles Bishops or