Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A40155
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A Declaration from the harmless & innocent people of God called Quakers against all sedition, plotters & fighters in the world, for the removing of the ground of jealousie and suspition from both magistrates and people in the kingdome concerning wars and fightings.
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Fox, George, 1624-1691.
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1684
(1684)
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Wing F1788; ESTC R36480
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5,319
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8
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A DECLARATION FROM THE HARMLESS INNOCENT People of God called QUAKERS Against ALL SEDITION Plotters Fighters In the WORLD For the removing of the Ground of Jealousie and Suspition from both Magistrates and People in the Kingdome concerning Wars and Fightings Presented unto the King upon the 21 th day of the 11 th moneth 1660. OUR Principle is and our Practices have always been to seek peace and ensue it and to follow after Righteousness and the Knowledge of God seeking the Good and Wellfare and doing that which tends to the peace of All. We know that Wars and Fightings proceed from the Lusts of Men as Jam. 4.1 2 3. out of which Lusts the Lord hath redeemed us and so out of the Occasion of War the occasion of which War and the War it self wherein envious Men who are lovers of themselves more then lovers of God Lust Kill and desire to have Mens Lives or Estates ariseth from the Lust All Bloody Principles and Practices we as to our own particular do utterly deny with all outward Wars and Strife and Fightings with Outward Weapons for any end or under any pretence whatsoever and this is our Testimony to the whole World And whereas it is Objected But although you now say That you cannot Fight nor take up Arms at all yet if the Spirit do move you then you will change your Principle and then you will sell your Coat and buy a Sword Fight for the Kingdom of Christ Answ As for this we say to you that Christ said to Peter Put â—p thy Sword in his place though he had said before he that had no Sword might sell his Coat and buy one to the fulfilling of the Law and Scripture yet after when he had bid him put it up he said He that taketh the Sword shall perish with the Sword and further Christ said to Pilate Thinkest thou that I cannot now Pray to my Father and he shall presently give me more then twelve Legions of Angels and this might satisfie Peter Luk. 22.36 after he had put up his Sword when he said to him He that took it should perish by it which satisfieth us Mat. 26.51 52 53. and in the Revelations it 's said He that kills with the Sword shall perish with the Sword and here is the Faith and the Patience of the Saints and so Christ's Kingdom is not of this World therefore do not his Servants Fight as he told Pilate the Magistrate who crucified him and did they not look upon Christ as a raiser of Sedition and did not he say Forgive them But thus it is that we are numbred amongst Transgressors and numbred amongst Fighters that the Scriptures might be fulfilled That Spirit of Christ by whiâ—h we are guided is not changeable so as once to command us from a thing as Evil and again to move unto it and we do certainly know and so testifie to the World that the Spirit of Christ which leads us into all Truth will never move us to Fight and War against any Man with outward Weapons neither for the Kingdom of Christ nor for the Kingdoms of this World First Because the Kingdom of Christ God will exalt according to his promise and cause it to grow and flourish in Righteousness Not by Might nor by Power of outward Sword but by my Spirit saith the Lord Zech. 4.6 So those that use any Weapon to Fight for Christ or for the establishing of his Kingdom or Government both the Spirit Principle and Practice in that we deny Secondly We do earnestly desire and wait That by the Word of God's Power and its effectual Operation in the Hearts of Men the Kingdoms of this World may become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ that he might Rule and Reign in Men by his Spirit and Truth that thereby all People out of all different Judgments and Professions might be brought into Love and Unity with God and one with another and that they might all come to witness the Prophets words who said Nation shall not lift up Sword against Nation neither shall they learn War any more Isa 2.4 Mich. 4.3 So we whom the Lord hath called into the obedience of his Truth have denyed Wars and Fightings and cannot again any more learn it And this is a certain Testimony unto all the World of the Truth of our Hearts in this particular that as God perswadeth every Mans Heart to believe so they may receive it for we have not as some others gone about cunningly with devised Fables Nor have we ever denyed in Practice what we have professed in Principle but in Sincerity and Truth and by the Word of God have we laboured to be made manifest unto all Men that both we and our ways might be witnessed in the Hearts of all People And whereas all manner of Evil hath been falsly spoken of us we hereby speak forth the plâ—in Truth of our hearts to take away the occasion of that offence that so we being Innocent may not suffer for other Mens Offences nor be made a Prey upon by the wills of men for that of which we were never Guilty but in the uprightness of our hearts we may under the Power ordained of God for the punishment of Evil doers and for the praise of them that do well live a peaceable and godly Life in all Godliness and Honesty for although we have always suffered and do now more abundantly suffer yet we know that it 's for Righteousness sake For our rejoycing is this the Testimony of our Consciences that in Simplicity and godly Sincerity not with fleshly Wisdom but by the Grace of God we have had our Conversation in the World 2 Cor. 1.12 Which for us is a Witness for the convincing of our Enemies For this we can say to all the World we have wronged no Mans Persons or Possessions we have used no Force nor Violence against any Man we have been sound in no Plots nor guilty of Sedition when we have been wronged we have not sought to revenge our selves we have not made resistance against Authority but wherein we could not obey for Conscience sake we have suffered even the most of any People in the Nation we have been counted as Sheep for the Slaughter Persecuted and Despised Beaten Stoned Wounded Stocked Whipped Imprisoned Haled out of Synagogues cast into Dungeons and Noisome Vaults where many have died in Bonds shut up from our Friends denied needful Sustenance for many days together with other the like Cruelties and the cause of all this our Sufferings is not for any Evil but for things relating to the Worship of our God and in obedience to his requirings of us For which Cause we shall freely give up our Bodies a Sacrifice rather then disobey the Lord For we know as the Lord hath kept us Innocent so he will plead our Cause when there is none in the Earth to plead it So we in obedience unto his Truth do not love our Lives
unto the Death that we may do his will and wrong no Man in our Generation but seek the Good and Peace of all Men And he that hath commanded us That we shall not Swear at all Mat. 5.34 hath also commanded us That we shall not kill Mat 5. So that we can neither kill Men nor swear for nor against them And this is both our Principlâ— and Practice and hath been from the Beginning so that if we suffer as suspected to take up Arms or make War against any it is without any ground from us for it neither is nor ever was in our Hearts since we owned the Truth of God neither shall we ever do it because it is contrary to the Spirit of Christ his Doctrine and the Practices of his Apostles even contrary to him for whom we suffer all things and endure all things And whereas Men come against us with Clubs Staves Drawn Swords Pistols cock't and do beat cut and abuse us yet we never resisted them but to them our Hair Backs and Cheeks have been ready but it is not an honour to Manhood nor Nobility to run upon harmless People who lift not up a Hand against them with Arms and Weapons Therefore consider these things ye Men of Understanding For Plotters Raisers of Insurrections Tumultuous Ones and Fighters running with Swords Clubs Staves and Pistols one against another we say these are of the World and have their foundation from this Unrighteous World from the foundation of which the Lamb hath been slain which Lamb hath redeemed us from this unrighteous World and we are not of it out are Heirs of a World in which there is no End and of a Kingdom where no corruptible thing enters And our Weapons are Spiritual and not Carnal yet Mighty through God to the pulling down of the Strong Holds of Sin and Satan who is Author of Wars Fighting Murder and Plots and our Swords are broken into Plow-shares and Spears into Pruning hooks as Prophesied of in Micah 4. Therefore we cannot learn War any more neither rise up against Nation or Kingdom with outward Weapons though you have numbred us amongst the Transgressors and Plotters the Lord knows our Innocency herein and will plead our Cause with all Men and People upon Earth at the day of their â—udgment when all Men shall have a reward according to their Works Therefore in love we warn you for your Souls good not to wrong the Innocent nor the Babes of Christ which he hath in his Hand which he tenders as the Apple of his Eye neither seek to destroy the Heritage of God neither turn your Swords backward upon such as the Law was not made for i. e. the Righteous but for the Sinners and Transgressors to keep them down For those are not the Peace-makers neither the Lovers of Enemies neither can they overcome Evil with Good who wrong them that be Friends to You and All Men and wish Your Good and the good of all People on the Earth If you Oppress us as they did the Children of Israel in Egypt and if you Oppress us as they did when Christ was Born and as they did the Christians in the Primitive Times we can say The Lord forgive You and leave the Lord to deal with you and not revenge our selves And if you say as the Council said to Peter and John You must speak no more in that Name and if you serve us as they served the Three Children spoken of in Daniel God is the same as ever he was that lives for Ever and Ever who hath the Innocent in his Arms. Oh Friends offend not the Lord and his Little Ones neither afflict his People but consider and be moderate and do not run hastily into things but mind and consider Mercy Justice and Judgment that is the way for you to prosper and get the Favour of the Lord. Our Meetings were stopped and broken up in the dayes of Oliver in pretence of Plotting against him and in the days of the Committee of Safety we were looked upon as Plotters to bring in KING CHARLES and now our Peaceable Meetings are termed Seditious Oh that men should lose their Reason and go contrary to their own conscience knowing that we have suffered all things and have been accounted Plotters all along though we have declared against them both by word of mouth and Printing and are clear from any such thing though we have suffered all along because we would not take up carnal weapons to fight withal against any and are thus made a prey upon because we are the innocent Lambs of Christ and cannot avenge our selves These things are left upon your hearts to consider But we are out of all those things in the patience of the Saints and we know that as Christ said He that takes the Sword shall perish with the Sword Mat. 26.52 Rev. 13.10 This is given forth from the People called Quakers to satisfie the King and his Council and all those that have any jealousie cencerning Us that all occasion of suspition may be taken away and our Innocency cleared Given forth on the behalf of the whole Body of the Elect People of God who are called Quakers in the Year 1660. POSTSCRIPT THough we are numbred amongst Transgressors and so have been given up to all Rude Merciless Men by which our Meetings are broken up in which we Edified one another in our holy Faith and praâ—ed together to the Lord that lives forever yet he is our pleader for us in this Day the Lord saith They that feared his Name spoke often together as in Malachy which were as his Jewels And for this Cause and no Evil-doing are we cast into Holes Dungeons Houses of Correction Prisons they sparing neither Old nor Young Men nor Women and made a Prey on in the Sight of all Nations under pretence of being Seditious c. so that all rude People run upon us to take Possession for which we say The Lord forgive them that have thus done to us who doth and will enable us to suffer and never shall we lift up a Hand against any Man that doth thus use us But that the Lord may have Mercy upon them that they may consider what they have done For how is it possible for them to requite us for the wrong they have done to us Who to all Nations have sounded us abroad as Seditious or Plotters who were never found Plotters against any Power or Man upon the Earth since we knew the Life and Power of Jesus Christ manifested in us who hath redeemed us from the World and all works of Darkness and Plotters that be in it by which we know our Election before the World began So we say The Lord have Mercy upon our Enemies and forgive them for that they have done unto us Oh! do as you would be done by and do unto all Men as you would have them do unto you for this is but the Law and the Prophets And all Plots Insurrections and Riotous Meetings we do deny knowing them to be of the Devil the Murtherer which we in Christ who was before they were triumph over them and all Wars Fightings with Carnal Weapons we do deny who have the Sword of the Spirit and all that wrong us we leave them to the Lord and this is to clear our Innocency from that Aspersion cast upon us That we are Seditious or Plotters Added in the Reprinting Courteous Reader THis was our Testimony above Twenty Years ago and since then we have not been found Acting contrary to it nor ever shall for the Truth that is our Guide is unchangeable and this is now Reprinted to the Men of this Age many of whom were then Children and doth stand as our certain Testimony against all Plotting and Fighting with Carnal Weapons and if any by departing from the Truth should do so this is our Testimony in the Truth against them and will stand over them and the Truth will be clear of them