Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	according_a	rule_n	scripture_n	1,767	5	5.9499	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51565	A bemoaning letter of an ingenious Quaker to a friend of his wherein the government of the Quakers among themselves (as hath been exercised by George Fox, and others of their ring-leaders) brought to light : wherein their tyrannical and persecuting practices are detected and redargued [sic] : also a preface to the reader, giving an account how the said letter came to the hand of the publisher / by G.I.	Mucklow, William, 1631-1713.; J. G.	1700 (1700)	Wing M3033; ESTC R41268	23,318	45

thing and the Body shall not have unity with it it is safer for me to re●●● upon the judgment of the Body I remember abo●● a dozen of the great ones subscribed a Paper to the effect and sent it to Hartford but it was the●● much disliked There was this also in it That 〈◊〉 any person had as he thought a command from God to do a thing or to put forth a thing in Print 〈◊〉 must first come and lay it before the Body and they judge he must submit Is not this an Arb●trary Government bounded by no Law but what G. F. and a few more please Herein the ground of our Liberties is taken from us to wit T● live act and judge according to the Law withi● In this is the distribution of Justice and he that is overawed by a power without stifles and strangles true Judgment which ariseth in himself by this is Justice and true Judgment obstructed and violated It 's the highest usurpation of our just Liberties For when such Principles are established they are not easily laid down they have encroached Jurisdiction where none was taking upon them a Power to judge and domineer over the Innocent over the Consciencious over the tender in Spirit by ●ew Laws which the Spirit never gave forth nor hath unity withal nor many of the Body which ●●rough fear oppose not these things They go ●igher they say Their Judgment is God's and their Acts are as binding as God's it procceding from the Spirit of the Lord in the Body Their ●udgments are so positive from God and for God ●nd their Censure so severe which causeth a ●●aint-heartedness in the weaker to speak according to their measure lest they should displease the Body and be brought to Judgment ●t is a dangerous evil for any Man Men or Councel to make him or them Lords or Lawgivers in the Church Christ himself being the immediate Lawgiver and Judge in this the Day of his Power Men have commonly thought that to preserve the Church in Peace is to suppress Error whereas to preserve them in Faith and Love with the Father Word and Spirit this is rather to preserve the Church How many persons under pretence of healing the Body wound it still deeper and under pretence of preserving its Peace hurry it into endless Dissentions or reduce People to a Formal Faith Doth not the abovesaid Body practise the same ●ea Ah! How do they build up that which they once pulled down and do that themselves which they have condemned in others Ah! That they would suffer the Word only to be the Rule in the Kingdom and the Light thereof alone to shine there and not to walk in the light of their own Fire and in the Sparks which they themselves have kindled whereby they may lie down in sorrow whilst they neglect the true Light which lightet● every man that comes into the World In the true Church Unity stands in diversities But in the false Unity will not stand without Unity formity And it is greatly to be lamented how that very many will do nothing without the Authority of the Body tho' it be never so clear in the●● and this sets up the Body above Christ And because a further dispensation is not relished by the Elders the which they hide from the Inferiours lest their glory should be Eclipsed and draw the rest from a dependence upon them They content themselves with this limited Ministration and set up Tabernacles here for their Residence which is above and beside the Spirit of the Lord 's teaching which leads us on to know and follow the Lord. These are they that stop Israel travel out of all appearances which his Spirit leads not to These are they that lay stumbling-blocks in the way in their Journey These are they that will not have the Lord's People Prophets that their Persons may be still had in Admiration for advantage sake else what meaneth it that certain Persons are appointed to spend the whole time in speaking in every Meeting and all the rest to come as Hearers neglecting the Gift in themselves only waiting upon their Lips When as often times fresh Springs arise in particulars to make glad and comfort the Hearts of others But through the long Declarations and Discouragement withal the Springs are stopt and the tender nipt Ah! God will visit you for these things And certainly if this Babylonish practice had not been exercised ●is precious Truths had been publish'd in the mouths of thousands more and 10000 more to the knowledge thereof would have been brought a greater growth in the Truth witnessed and the Mind and Will of the Lord more revealed a greater discovery of the Man of Sin within and without us by the ●ranscendent brightness of the Everlasting Day which will again break forth and recover the ●round which hath been lost open the Mysteries which are yet hidden break the Serpent's head and ●ound the Leviathan Amen Halelujah Moreover as others before them set up the Scriptures above the Spirit in having that to be the Tryal Touch-stone Standard of Doctrine Worship and of all Spirits so do they greatly err in setting up the Body above the Spirit in having the Spirit tried by the Body the one saith The Scripture is the Rule but in truth the Meanings they make the Rule The other saith The Spirit and not the Scripture is the Rule but the Dictates of the Body they make the Rule For if I walk according to my Measure and my Measure is my Rule and it differs from the judgment of the Body by their Rule I am to deny my Motion because it answers not the Mind of the Body for they lay down this as an infallible Rule That the Body will have a true sense feeling and understanding of Motions Visions Revelations Doctrines c. and therefore safest to make Her my Touch-stone in all things relating to God Ah! that she would return from whence she is fallen and repent that the Crown may again be set upon Her head The same Arguments which the Pope c. makes use of to support himself the Body useth and severe judgment is denounced against him that shall speak a word against the Authority of the Body 〈◊〉 it is against him that shall speak against the Power and Authority of Rome And as it was and is a common practice for the Pope to esteem Drunkards Whoremongers c. far better than Non-conformists even so it is with the Body at Devonshi● House If a Non-conformist endeavours to bring to lig●● the vicionsness of the Priests they will have way to prevent him either to raise some Accusations or some other cunning Evasion The Body practise● the same as I could instance and may when occasion offers I have heard from a credible hand what a solemn Meeting there was appointed by G. F. and others of the Elders to Judge and Condemn several Men and Women of good report and shelter cover and hide the wanton

Traditions of Men. This great Charter of Liberty is violated and greatly broken in many particulars If I have a Cause before the Elders but especially if I am a Dissenter it 's frequently urg'd give it to Friends if I do not a farther Snare is offered namely Dost thou believe Vs to be in the Power of God If I say Yea then What wilt thou not leave it to the Power of God in Friends Thou art in confusion to believe Vs to be in the Power and yet durst not trust to the Judgment of the Power To my knowledge this is a capital Crime accounted What greater Usurpation can there be than this to claim my Right from me into their Breasts For though the Elders may be preserved in the Power this Year or Season they may apostatize from the Truth and yet claim the same Prerogative over my Propriety hereby a Tyranny may be entail'd upon my self by laying of such a Foundation A most incomparable Instance is the Church of Rome who was in the Power and Glory of God howbeit through Pride she lost it yet gain'd through Subtilty the Prerogative before mentioned to give up unto her Judgment and to believe as she believes to the Destruction of many thousands So that it clearly appears the Spirit that claims such a Power under pretence of being in the Power is the Spirit of Exaltation and I know that those Persons that have been most confident in the claim under the same pretence have committed great mistakes and thereby Truth hath been depressed and Error cherished I suppose I may affirm that in all Ages Truth hath not been persecuted as Truth but as Error I could instance that many in the great Assemblies in London have not only been dissatisfied with the rest of their Brethrens Actings though they made use of the Name of the Lord. Both these cannot be right yet both claim the same Power in Judgment Otherwhiles submit through fear unto the Judgment of the more eminent though it doth not at all correspond with their understandings If one part of the Body be liable to mistakes why not the other And if the Spirit as they are a Body is to be Judge and Determiner of Things by what Spirit shall I know which is in the right How needful is it therefore to be joyned to our own in the particular considering how lyable man is to err ●●a in petty Matters And I know an Oppressive ●ct done by a Select Body having Power is by cry few clearly discerned but when done by a ●rivate Person every weak-sighted Man can then ●iscover it to be an Oppressive Act And so the evil ●ctions of Great Ones are judged less Criminal and the Persons less Faulty than in Justice they ●●ght to be The Churches of Men are still setting up them●●lves one above another but the Assemblies of the ●●e Church are all equal having Christ the Light ●●ally present with and in them and therefore Friends of one place cannot say they have Power over Friends in another place seeing all may be ●●able to have Christ the Light alike in and among them else Christ his Spirit in several place should be above and under themselves But Chri●● in each Assembly of the Faithful is their Hea● and this Head they do not leave to set up a flesh Head to themselves whether it consists of one many of them seeing Antichrist doth as stron● invade Christ's Headship in many as in one Ma●● in a Councel as in a Pope in George Fox and 〈◊〉 Body as either This Spirit of Antichrist in G. Fox c. would wrest from me what I am not willing to part withal to wit my Conscience under no less Pena●● than Excommunication which is as far as them lies the loss both of Heaven and Eart● of Heaven by Excommunication of Earth 〈◊〉 Deprivation and this without Redemptio● unless complying with his or their Will a● Pleasure and for no other cause than for 〈◊〉 omittance of a very small Ceremony which 〈◊〉 hold necessary to Salvation like the Circumcis●● of old who Preached Vnless they were Circume●●● they could not be Saved But perhaps they will 〈◊〉 We do not Excommunicate thee yet we can●●● own thee in thy Error I answer It 's one th●●● not to own a Man in a particular and anot●●● thing so to disown him as wholly to exclude 〈◊〉 from Protection For if I am once accepted of a Member and after cast off as not being a Membe● I shall leave it to the Sober what to call it Perhap● they will say This casting off was not for the thing as indeed it hath been said unto me but for t●● Contempt I may rather say Sure the greater the ●ruelty to lay an Injunction upon so small a matter ●●at draweth after it so deep a Censure as to cast 〈◊〉 man out of the Church Suppose a Magistrate ●●d command a trivial matter some Ceremony or ●●her under pain of Treason and should proceed ●gainst the Infringers of this Command as Trai●ors it were much to be doubted whether the ●ommand did not partake more of Cruelty than ●●e Disobedience of Contempt For where Au●●ority shall so far lose it self as to lay so great a ●eight upon so small a matter it rendreth it self ●ontemptible and then it 's no marvel if it be con●●mned having made it self contemptible What ●ill our Lord do unto these that shall be found beat●●g their Fellow-servants and driving them from ●●eir Dwellings Again whosoever squares his Actions in things ●●gious by the Spirit 's requirings he is a bad ●●●rit c. Whosoever would be governed by the ●●at Law To do as he would be done unto he is 〈◊〉 of the Truth He that will not do what others ●ould have him to do he is wilful stubborn and ●●stinate If the Body saith It is to be so or not so tho' two thirds of them are otherwise minded 〈◊〉 are silent and if it shall happen for one to ●●ose the thing with much moderation and the 〈◊〉 two thirds shall in their spirits unite with him 〈◊〉 notwithstanding a few of the combined Elders 〈◊〉 bring him to the Bar and unless he will own ●ondemnation Judgment shall pass against him ●●th such an imperious Authority that the others ●re not open their mouths so that their arbitrary Commands they can impose upon their Fellow-Members They proceed further saying He that will not submit to the Body opposeth God and 〈◊〉 Truth And they make the Body the Touch-ston● saying This is according or not according 〈◊〉 Truth as the Body hath Unity or not Unity with it and so by this practice the Spirit of the Lord is to be tryed and judged by the Body This 〈◊〉 two parts to deprive us of the Law of the Spir●● and to bring in a tyrannical Government it wo●●● lead us from the Rule within to subject us 〈◊〉 Rule without It is asserted in Print that if I believe the Light within me directs me to a