Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	faith_n	jesus_n	lord_n	4,121	5	3.4974	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91008	The priests wickednesse and cruelty, laid open, and made manifest, by Priest Smith of Cressedge, persecuting the servants of the Lord, whose outward dwellings is in and about Shrewsbury. As also, the proceedings of Judge Nicholas, and the Court of Justice, so called, against them so persecuted by the priest, at the last generall assizes holden at Bridgenorth for the county of Salop. Together, with some queries, to the priests.	Overton, Constantine, d. 1687.	1657 (1657)	Wing P3454; Thomason E910_4; ESTC R207503	9,613	16

the Law of the Nation doth not forbid any publique place to meet in neither them that doe professe faith in Jesus Christ the Law doth not forbid but by it they are to be Protected neither did we any thing contrary to sound Doctrine as we shall be ready to prove out of the Scriptures of truth for there is nothing mentioned in the Scriptures of putting off the hatt and so keeping on our hatts is not contrary to sound Doctrine and so not transgressors of the Law But is not he who is our accuser and prosecuter out of the said Doctrin of Jesus Christ is not he called master doth not he stand praying in the Synogogues hath he not the chiefest seat in the Assembly doth he not take hire is not he a false accuser who accused us that we disturbed him and hath not proved it and is not all these things contrary to sound Doctrine and so he found to be the transgressor of the Law And so all may see how the innocent is punished and the guilty goes free for when the jury came in with their Verdict they said that we were guilty as touching keeping on our hatts not mentioning any other thing of concernment whereupon the Judge with the consent of some of the Court there present fined us seaven aforementioned in fortie pounds a peece and to be kept Prisoners till the payment And this is the chiefest of the things that was done by the Judge and the Court that we doe remember But yet for all this the malice of the Priest and his members is not ceased for as some of our friends passed by the place called Cressedge where the said Priest is called a Minister the fruits that is brought forth by the people made him manifest to be no Minister of Christ Christ saith by their fruits ye shall know them they were mockers and scoffers and swearers and such like which I know is not fruit of the good tree but of that tree that is to be hewn down and cast into the fire For every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is to be hewen down and cast into the fire Mat. 3.10 And so it is good for people to consider of their ways who have such leaders as cause them to erre for if the blind lead the blind both fall into the ditch And the Priest to cover his former envie goes on further and to blind the people more and more reported it that we were fined for that we had done unto him which is a plaine and manifest lye as many can witnesse and may be made appeare for the Judges Clarke told one of us if we were but free to goe and put of our hatts before the Bench our fines might be taken off and we might have our libertie to prosecute against the Priest and Justice for false imprisonment and so have recovered our costs and dammages for five months imprisonment which would have been no small sum of money if we had been free to have done so So here all may see the Priest to be a lyer and so a transgressor of the Law of God whose Law we durst not break upon whom we waite for righteous judgement who will judge our enemyes righteously And here followeth a Copy of a Letter which was sent to the Judg so called but as we do understand he would not receive it wherefore we thought it convenient to put it here that all that desire to see it may FRIENDS COnsider in this your day the things that belong to your peace consider in what way you are going all people both high and low rich and poore Judge and Justice Priest and People before the decree of the Lord be sealed against you and the time of repentance be past when there shall be no more time but you shall wish the hills and mountaines to fall upon you to hide you from the presence of the Lambe whose innocent and harmlesse Lambs you have opprest O you Judges of the earth learne to be wise pervert not judgement and justice feare God and respect not the person of man but doe righteous judgement between man and man set the oppressed free the Lord requires it of you Consider you that sit in place to doe justice at the towne of Bridgenorth what you have done already who say you were a Court of justice of whom we might have expected justice if it had been so that our accusers might have come to our faces that we might have known the crime for which we are cast into Prison but we now see that there is nothing against us unlesse it be concerning the Law of our God who commands that we should not respect the person of man In obedience of whose command we come before you honouring you in the Lord in whose presence we stood who commands no such things as the putting off the hatt as is ever recorded in the Scriptures of truth And moreover some of us came before you having our hatts taken of by some that stood by and the Judge bad put them on Consider was it both justice to bid put on and put off consider was ever the like heard of in any generation are you Ministers of the Law or Judges of the Law may you doe what you will and not come to judgement yea the Lord whom we serve shall judge righteous judgement and plead our cause against all our enemyes and he is able to deliver us However be it known unto you we will not break the command of God to please you And for him who is our accuser who professes to be a Minister of Christ consider was ever the like heard of that ever any Minister of Christ caused any to be halled to Prison kept swearers in his house revilers mockers and scoffers we were met to waite upon the Lord in quietnesse disturbing no man nor men but were disturbed by them who are members of the Church of Priest Smith Surely the Ministers of Christ never did so nor the members of Christ never upheld such but cried against them who preached for hire and divines for money was this the fruits of divine service to persecute doe you think the Lord will be mocked doe you not know such as you sowe such must you reape shall not the Lord reward you double and as you have done shall it not be so done unto you O foolish people and unwise doe you not understand that the Lord loveth judgment and justice doe you count it stubbornes in my servants saith the Lord that they will not bow to the will of man was it stubbornes in my servant Mordecai who could not bow to Hammon who would have had honour in the Kings gates was it stubbornes in my servants that could not bow to the Image that Nebuchadnezzar set up Consider is the putting of the hatt a lesser matter then these things and is not this the greatest thing that is against us And so is not this to be worse then the Heathens Consider

of these things all you to whom these may come and all you in whom there is desires after the way of God be seperated from these men joyne not with them in their sins least you partake of their plagues mind that which calls for truth and uprightnesse in the inward parts the Law of God written in the heart according to his promise that you may be taught of the Lord alone and be established in righteousnesse that which reproves for swearing lying coveteousnesse envy mocking scorning that is the Light of Christ take good heed of being disobedient to it it is neer to you all continually and yee cannot escape his righteous judgements who will render to every man according to their deeds with which light you shall see your deeds If you doe truth come to the light and walke in the light and put of the works of darknesse that yee be not condemned with the light which is the condemnation of the world prize your time be not deceived with a profession which will not stand in the day of tryall but mind what you possesse in truth and what peace you have with God deale plainly and consider how you stand whether you suffer with the people of God or you joyne with them that persecute Soe we having layed these things before you to consider of we have cleared our consciences in the sight of God and rest in peace suffering for the testimony of Jesus waiting upon him for diliverance And this yee shall witnesse to be in love to your souls in the day of our Lord when there shall be judgement without respect of persons Given forth the 7 day of the 1 month From us who are called Quakers by them that live out of the fear of God Constant Overton Humfry Overton John Farmer James Farmer Thomas Jenkes William Payne John Payne Some Queries to Priest Smith or any of the Priests in Shrewsbury or there abouts to be answered by them in plainess and sobernesse according to the Scriptures of truth WHether you doe own that Christ lighteth every man that cometh into the worlds yea or no 2. Whether this be a natural light which shineth in darknesse which darknesse cannot comprehend and is the condemnation of the world yea or no 3. Whether this be a created light which John called the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world him by whom the world was made seeing God created all things by Jesus Christ who is the light answer plainly that the people may receive satisfaction 4. Whether you doe own the same Christ that said in his Doctrine beware of the Scribes which love to goe in long cloathing and love salutations in the market places and chiefe seats in the assemblies and the uppermost roomes at feasts called of men master devoure widdows houses and for a pretence make long prayers which shall receive the greater condemnation if yee be found in these steps let us know how you will escape the damnation 5. Whether doe you own that Christ that suffered at Jerusalem who said as you would that men should doe unto you do you unto them and whether you that hale to prison doe as you would be done unto yea or nay 6. Whether the worship of God be not the same now as it was when Christ said God is a Spirit and they that worship him now must worship him in Spirit and truth if yea I require to prove where ever God commanded any man to take a verse of Scripture and to give meanings or conceavings upon it and where this is called spirituall worship seeing this is your practice when you meet together Prove your practice or confesse your error 7. Whether it is better to waite upon the Lord in silence meeting together in his feare to worship him in Spirit or set up that God never required nor commanded and live in pride envy coveteousnesse and follow pleasures whether these are agreable to the life of them that gave forth Scriptures 8. What and where that is that leads the people of God into all truth and reproves the world of sinne 9. Whether the Scriptures can be read and understood by any other Spirit but that Spirit that gave them forth yea or nay And are not they that are out of the Doctrine of Christ in life and practice living in pride and envy guided by another Spirit then that which gave forth Scriptures yea or nay 10. What is that which the Apostle speaks of in his epistle to the Romans which was manifest in them that gaine the knowledge of God and whether that which may be known of God is not manifest which is now as it was then yea or nay 11. What that manifestation of the Spirit is which is given to every man to profit withall and where it is whether within man or without man and whether there be any profiting but in any by the Spirit yea or nay 12. Whether that which was the saints rule and guide in former ages before the Scripture was written and their rule and guide who wrote Scriptures be not a guide and rule to saints now Or when was it changed and the Scripture put in its steed is God changeable is not his power the same his way the same now is not he who was the foundation and the Rock of his age then the author and foundation of the saints faith now and the Rock of this age and so the Rock of ages is not Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever Answer to these Queries plainly that deceipt may be made manifest where it is and the truth exalted and when they are answered send the Answer to some of us who are sufferers for the truth whose names are aforementioned Who is wise and he shall understand these things prudent and he shall know them for the wayes of the Lord are right and the just shall walke in them but the transgressors shall fall therein Hosea 14.9 Given forth from the Common Goal in Shrewsbury the 1 day of the 2 month called Apr. 1657. THE END

THE PRIESTS Wickednesse and Cruelty Laid OPEN and made Manifest By Priest Smith of Cressedge Persecuting the Servants of the Lord whose outward dwellings is in and about Shrewsbury As also The Proceedings of Judge Nicholas and the Court of Justice so called against them so persecuted by the Priest at the last generall Assizes holden at Bridgenorth for the County of Salop. TOGETHER With some QUERIES to the Priests As troops of robbers waite for a man so the Company of Priests murder in the way by consent for they commit lewdnesse Hosea 6.9 And judgment is turned backwards and justice stands afarr off for truth is fallen in the streets and equity cannot enter yea truth falleth and he that departeth from evill maketh himselfe a prey and the Lord saw it and it displeased him that there was no judgement Isaiah 59.14 15. Hearken unto me ye that know righteousnesse the people in whose heart is my Law fear ye not the reproach of men neither be afraid of their revileings for the moth shall eat them up like a garment and the worm shall eat them like wooll but my righteousnes shall be for ever and my salvation from generation to generation Isa 51.7 8 LONDON Printed for Giles Calvert at the Black-spread Eagle near the West end of Pauls 1657. THE PRIESTS Wickednesse Cruelty Laid OPEN and made manifest IN all ages and generations the seed of the Serpent persecuted the seed of the Woman they that were borne after the flesh them that were borne after the Spirit they that did evill persecuted them that did well they that had the profession of godlinesse them that were in the Prison as it is declared in the Scriptures of truth from the beginning to the end Cain he offered sacrifices and offerings to the Lord yet he hated his Brother his countenance was cast downe Cain was very wrath and after slew his Brother Abell whose offering the Lord had respect unto Gen. 4.3 4 5 6 7 8. And in the time of the Prophets who prophecied of Christ who is the seed they that offered offerings and cryed peace peace unto the people persecuted them that spake the truth as they were moved of the Lord as in Michah and Jeremiah who was put in the dungeon for speaking the truth 1 Kings 22.27 Jer. 38.6 When Christ came who was the end of the Prophets and the Law they that had the Law and the Prophets Moses and his writings could not believe on him but sought honour one of another Christ said unto them How can yee believe that look for honour one from another and seek not the honour that cometh from God only John 5.44 They said they were of Abrahams seed and God was their Father and yet they called Christ a Blasphemer They said Not for a good work doe we stone thee but for Blasphemy John 10.33 They said that he had a Divell and because that he spake the truth If a man keep my saying he shall never see death They saied Now we know thou hast a Divell John 8.51.52 Yet he did not denye himselfe but spoke openly that he was the light of the world I am come a light into the world that whosoever believeth in me should not abide in darknesse Yet they could not believe but told him that he bear witnesse of himselfe He said If you believe not that I am he you shall dye in your sins John 8.24 Which is to be fulfilled upon all that doe not believe in Christ the light The Jewes said unto him How long makest thou us to doubt if thou be the Christ tell us plainly he answered them I told you and yes believe not and many of them said He hath a Divell and is madd why hear yee him John 10.20 And the high Priests were the incensers of the rulers and the people against him who was the Son of God the end of all their Priesthood saying Ye have heard his Blasphemy what think you and they all condemned him to be guilty of death Marke 14.64 And Stephen was stoned to death for witnessing against their Temple and for confessing he saw the glory of God Acts 7.48 to the end And the high Priests stirred up the rulers against Paul who preached Christ and was sent to turne from darknesse to light and called him a Pestilent fellow and a mover of sedition amongst all the Jews a ring-leader of the sect of the Nazarens Acts 24.5 So here all along you may see they that persecuted were not the children of God although they professe his name neither are they guided by the Spirit of God that do persecute but are in the envy which is of the Divell which through the eternall love of the father we are come to see who hath sound him whom our souls longed after even Jesus Christ the way to the Father who learnes to be meek and sober and to doe unto all as we would be done unto who is the end of the Law which is love and so according to his promise made of old by his servants the Prophets the Law is written in our hearts and the Lord is our teacher and the worship of our God is in Spirit upon whom we wait sometimes meeting together in his fear that his secrets may be revealed unto us where we are moved of the Lord sometimes in our own houses in Shrewsbury and there abouts where we have been often molested and persecuted by them who came out of the fear of God they being hearers of the Priests if not members of their churches sometimes railing and sometimes by throwing stones at our windowes in danger to doe us hurt breaking the glasse also throwing stones and dirt at some of us as we passe the streets with other great abuses that might be mentined and yet untill now we kept these things from being publickly known but now at last being constrayned out of love unto all men we have laid these things to open view not that we rejoyce to see such filthinesse committed but that they that are not yet partakers with those men may not through ignorance joyn with them and so partake of their plagues And likewise that they that have done such things or any thing that is evill when they come to see it with the light of Christ they may come to repent and so forsake the evill And this is the desire of us who suffer for Christs sake and the testimony of the truth which we dare not deny but are willing to seal it with our blood if we should deny him he would deny us And here followes a short Relation of Priest Smiths persecution of us by him or his members in this little paper whereof the Judge so called had a coppy given to him that he might doe nothing against us through ignorance whereto our names were subscribed who are the sufferers William Payne Constant Overton John Payne Homfr Overton Thomas Jenkes John Farmer James Farmer THE first day of the week being the fifth day of