Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	appear_v	shine_v	zion_n	26	3	8.6447	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65857	The conscientious cause of the sufferers, called Quakers pleaded and expostulated with their oppressors in this nation of England, and particularly in and about the city of London : and those in power that go about to transport, banish, or suppress them for their meetings, innocently informed, and impartially cautioned, from the innocent and oppressed seed of God, which herein calls for justice and equity, and utterly exclaims against severity and persecution for matters of conscience or religion : wherein first and principally is shewed, the use and end of the publick assemblies of the said sufferers, in answer to several objections against them, 1. with respect to their conscientiousness, as it being their duty to meet, 2. with respect to their innocency and peaceable deportment both to the nation and government therein / by G.W.	Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723.	1664 (1664)	Wing W1918; ESTC R20036	11,816	16

and gives us Liberty whatever we suffer for it it being neither mens threatning us nor inflicting their Severity or Cruelty upon us how far soever it extends that must make us deny the Lord herein or be ashamed of Christ before men lest he be ashamed of us before his heavenly Father And Christ Jesus in the dayes of his flesh had Meetings of Multitudes that he preached to in Mountains Desarts and such like places yea of five thousand at one time Mat. 5. and chap. 14. Mark 6. Luke 9. which appears was not such an offence in those dayes as now Meetings are which are for the same end for though the Jews had a Temple and Synagogues to meet in then yet we do not reade that they made any Law or Statute to Punish Imprison or Banish Christ or his Followers and Hearers for meeting above the number of four apart from their Assemblies for that to be sure would not have admitted Christ and his twelve Disciples to meet together but only he and three of them for now are we liable to Suffer if we meet in the Worship of God to the number of five or above from our Habitations Howbeit after the Apostle Peter had preached Christ to such a great number of People that there were about three thousand souls added in one day Act. 2. 41. The Priests and Rulers among the Jews were offended and commanded Peter and John that in no wise they should speak or teach in the Name of JESUS but they chused rather to obey God than men and said We cannot but speake the things that we have both seen and heard And the Apostles and Primitive Christians met often in houses and other places And the Hebrews were exhorted not to forsake the assembling of themselves together as the manner of some was but to exhort one another and these sought a City to come Heb. 10. 25. and 13. 14. And in the same case with the Saints of old are we engaged in the same Spirit both in our meeting together in the Name of Christ and in owning and bearing witness to his Name and Testimony therein which they that would debar us of our liberty in the one do thereby endeavour to stop us from the other that we might not witness forth the Name of Jesus in that duty of meeting together which how contrary this is to the very mind of Christ and opposite to his and his Followers practice is very apparent and the endeavouring by Persecution and carnal Force to reduce our Meetings into such narrowness and small numbers how contrary and oppugnant it is to the very nature of that Universal Spirit Testimony and Love of God which is of a general extent and which we bear witness of is also evident As also how doth it infringe the liberty of the True Church which desires the good of all and is not a persecuting Church against any for their Cousciences the state of which Church after the Apostacy is truly represented in the New Jerusalem whose Gates are open continually and shall not be shut neither by day nor by night Rev. 21. 25. Isa. 60. 11. so as both the City and Church of God and his Light and Truth which shines in it are free and this Truth ought publickly to be held forth and appear without being limitted by man's will who by Persecution and Compulsion would shut up the Gates of Sion and Jerusalem which the Lord God in his Free and Universal Love hath set open and it was promised that In the last dayes the Mountain of the House of the Lord should be prepared in the tops of the Mountains and exalted above the Hills and Nations should flow unto it Isa. 2. Micah 4. Now who shall attempt to put a stop to the Work of God which he is now bringing to pass as he hath determined or to hinder multitudes from flowing to his Mountain and not to be found striving against God So that would you Rulers Magistrates and Officers who persecute us for this our consciencious duty of meeting together seriously consider your wayes and what you do in this case and how that it is evidently for our consciences that so many of us are imprisoned and cast into nasty holes only for our performing that duty which God requires Herein you might see that you are striving against God and his Work which he is bringing to pass amongst us in this Nation whatever colour pretence or gloss you put upon your proceedings to the contrary though you may pretend it for the preventing of dangerous growing mischiefs that you seem to suppose or imagine may arise or follow from them which you never yet had any real ground to surmise of us so that it were more prudence and Equity in you to examin what evil or unlawful Act we ever did or contrived in our Meetings or what evil consequence they have ever been of either to the Nation or Govrenment rather then to cast Innocent men and women into Prisons and nasty Holes and prosecute them in order to Banishment upon a meer groundless surmise and supposition of what danger or mischiefs may arise from them And you that sit to judge any of us called Quakers in this matter who should by your own Oath do equal Law and execution of Right to all ought not upon such groundless suppositions or surmisings against our Meetings to go about to incense Juries or the Countries against us when they have no evidence nor proof of any evil or injury done by us against any man whatsoever as some have done for if you do God will call you to an account for it Therefore beware how you either entertain prejudice or breath forth threatning or such evil surmisings against us who are Innocent or pass Judgment upon Innocent men for matter of Conscience or Worship which is the very thing we are concerned in and suffer for as you will answer it before the Righteous God of Heaven and Earth in the day of Account for you should judge for God and not for man and mind his just and righteous Principle of Light in you to direct you which calls for Equity and Righteousness and not to be byassed by any man whatsoever to act as men pleasers nor to gratifie the prejudiced spirits of such as are in emnity against us though they be never so high or great Nor to punish the Righteous but the wicked for the Law was not made for the Righteous but for the Wicked neither are Magistrates to be a terror to good works but to evil And to be sure if you knew or could prove our Meetings seditious or for any evil intent or design as either to contrive Insurrections or to conspire against the Government or Peace of the Nation as some have seemed to surmise you would not admit of four besides the respective Families to meet seeing that if but three meet upon an unlawful design or to do an unlawful act it is an unlawful Meeting but thanks

THE Conscientious Cause OF THE SVFFERERS called QUAKERS Pleaded and Expostulated with their Oppressors in this Nation of England and particularly in and about the City of London And those in Power that go about to Transport Banish or suppress them for their Meetings Innocently informed and impartially cautioned from the Innocent and Oppressed Seed of God which herein calls for Justice and Equity and utterly exclaims against Severity and Persecution for matters of Conscience or Religion Wherein first and principally is shewed The Use and End of the Publick Assemblies of the said Sufferers in Answer to several Objections against them 1. With respect to their Conscientiousness as it being their duty to meet 2. With respect to their Innocency and peaceable deportment both to the Nation and Government therein By G. W. London Printed in the year 1664. The Consciencious Cause of the Sufferers called Quakers pleaded c. WHereas it is asserted by some in Authority and such as have a hand in persecuting us and some others That we might keep our Consciences clear and enjoy the Liberty thereof if we would reduce our Meetings into small numbers as to meet four together besides the Families so as not to come under the penalty of the late Act. And some charge it upon us as obstinacy or wilfulnes● for meeting in any considerable or great numbers publickly and thereupon conclude that our Suffering is not upon a Consciencious account in this Case And to others it is a question whether or no we may with a clear and safe Conscience reduce our Meetings into such small numbers as mentioned since that we have appeared so publickly to hold forth our Testimony To which I answer We have a Record in Heaven and amongst men which doth clear and justifie us in this Case and therein our Consciences bear us witness as to our intent and end in our meeting and assembling our selves together That it is singly in tenderness conscienciousness and obedience unto the living God in the leading of his own Eternal Spirit for the glory and advancement of his Name and Truth And this our practice of Assembling together in the Worship and Service of the living God must needs be a matter of Conscience to us because we know it to be our duty as he requires and according to the practice of the former Saints and Christians who did not confine or limit themselves to meet onely four or five together because the Truth of God among them and his Gifts were free and not to be limited to mans will either in respect of time or place and the Gospel was not to be bound but as it was manifest in the Universal Love of God which is of a general extent to all so it was not to be stopt or tyed by man but all ought to be left free to have the benefit of it and this we know is manifest in and amongst us and in our Meetings have been those opportunities which the Lord God hath made use of many times to publish and make known his Name and Power in which hath been evidently known and experienced by the blessed effects thereof As 1. In that many in our Assemblies have been effectually convinced of the Truth as it is in Christ by the Testimony of God held forth amongst us and turned from the gross pollutions and wickedness which formerly they lived in and so from Satans power to God and from darkness to Light and have known Repentance unto Life and come to live Godly and soberly in this present world as his Grace teacheth 2. In that many of the dear Children of God and Lambs of Christ have often felt the Lord's Presence accompanying them in that duty of Assembling together in his Worship and that many times to their great Refreshment and mutual Joy Comfort and Edification and therein we have had opportunities to stir up the pure minds in one another and to communicate what the Lord hath given us to declare to the building up of each other in the most holy Faith against sin and temptations and the Life and Power of God hath had its course and flowings forth amongst us in our Meetings as thorow one body to our refreshment enlivening renewing and rejoycing of our souls both when the ministration of words in the Spirit of Holiness hath been publish'd amongst us and when we have waited upon the Lord in silence and so the Rivers of living Water which flow out of his belly that believes as the Scripture saith John 7. 38. we have often drunk together of and this living Water which our God hath opened the Fountain of must run in its own course and channel and must not be stopt nor limited nor driven back nor have its course altered by man's will or by the persecuting spirit because the Lord hath sent it forth and made it as a broad River And it is the more evident and apparant that the Lord's Power and Presence is in our Assemblies and that he hath made use of them for the spreading of his own Name and Truth and for the furtherance of his own work of Righteonsness that many might be turned from darkness to Light and from Satan's power to God because that the enmity wrath and malice of Satan in his instruments and unrighteousness among them so highly appears against them and Satan is so strongly at work against them whose work was and is to cast the Saints into Prison for the Testimony of JESUS Rev. 2. 10. as knowing that if this Testimony of Truth go on which greatly is concerned in our Meetings it will weaken and overthrow Satans Kingdom in men But he is not troubled nor disturbed at the many prophane and ungodly Meetings in this Nation at which wickedness is stirred up and increased such as Fools with their antick and bruitish postures upon Stages in the great Fairs and other places do gather People to where they have their foolish Playes Sports Fidlings Dancings c. for both these and many other prophane Meetings and Gatherings of People do please Satan and make for his Kingdom And as it is objected against us for meeting so publickly that we might reduce our Meetings into small numbers and meet more occultly and yet be clear in our consciences c. In like manner it might as well be objected against the Prophet Daniel that he might have prayed more privately and not with window open and three times a day as before after that King Darius had sealed a Decree that none should ask a Petition of any God or man for thirty dayes save of the King upon the penalty of being cast into the Lions Den when yet for all this Daniel in obedience to God prayed and praised God as before Dan. 6. And so our Meetings being in obedience to the Lord God and according to that Liberty which he hath given us we must not lose our Testimony which is for God therein but be faithful in holding it forth as he requires