Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	heart_n	spirit_n	worship_v	4,411	5	8.9748	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65147	The Voice of the innocent uttered forth, or, The call of the harmless and oppressed for justice and equity being a brief relation of some remarkable passages, concerning the tryal and sentencing of five of the people of God called Quakers, at the sessions holden at the castle of Northampton, upon the fourth and sixth dayes of the second month, called April, in the year 1665, Richard Rainsford sitting judge, there being present several of those called justices for the said county, two of their names are as followeth, Henry Yelverton and John Willoughby, &c.		1665 (1665)	Wing V678; ESTC R8912	10,694	16

THE Voice of the Innocent uttered forth OR The Call of the Harmless and Oppressed FOR Iustice and Equity BEING A brief Relation of some Remarkable Passages concerning the Tryal and sentencing of five of the People of God called Quakers at the Sessions holden at the Castle of Northampton upon the fourth and sixth dayes of the second Month called April in the year 1665. Richard Rainsford sitting Judge there being present several of those called Justices for the said County two of their names are as followeth Henry Yelverton and John Willoughby c. From the People of God called Quakers who are sufferers in the County Goal of Northampton for Conscience sake Hereunto is added a Postscript Acts 5. 38 39. And now I say unto you refrain from these men and let them alone for if this Council or this Work be of men it will come to nought but if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it lest happily ye be found even to fight against God London Printed in the Year 1665. UPon the fourth and sixth dayes of the second Month in the year 1665. the Sessions being holden for the County of Northampton many of the people called Quakers were brought forth to the same Upon the sixth day of the Month aforesaid the Court being set and Richard Rainsford sitting Judge four of the said Prisoners were called to the Bar whose names are as followeth viz. William Robinson Richard Parsons John Coory and Elizabeth Harris Proclamation was made that all should keep silence c. The first and second Convictions so called being read and their Indictment also which was very large but the substance thereof was to this effect as near as can be remembred That whereas William Robinson Richard Parsons John Coory and Elizabeth Harris and every of them being unlawfully assembled at Robert Ashby ' s house situate and being in Bugbrook in the County of Northampton with divers other Malefactors contrary to the Liturgy or practice of the Church of England in contempt to the King his Laws and against his Crown and Dignity c. Judge William Robinson what say you are you guilty or not guilty of your Indictment Prisoner I was at a Meeting to worship the living God in Spirit and in Truth and I had no evil intent in my heart against the King Parliament or any other of the Kings Subjects Judge But was you there only to worship God in Spirit and in Truth as you say And had you no other business there And did you worship God according to the form of Worship now established in England by Authority And had you the Common Prayer read amongst you Prisoner We meet together to worship God in reality in Spirit and in Truth and I never met under colour and pretence but in obedience unto God as he hath made known unto me Judge Richard Parsons what say you are you guilty of this Indictment c. Prisoner Not guilty of much that is therein inserted Judge Did you worship God according to the Liturgie or book of Common-Prayer Prisoner Doth not the Liturgy allow of worshipping of God in Spirit and in Truth Judge Yes Prisoner Then I am not guilty Judge How will you be tryed Prisoner By the Truth Judge John Coory are you guilty of this Indictment Prisoner Not guilty of breaking any just Law Judge Did you meet according to the Liturgie had you the Common-Prayer-Book amongst you Prisoner We met together to worship God in Spirit and Truth Judge Elizabeth Harris are you guilty or not guilty Prisoner Not guilty of meeting under colour and pretence of religious Worship but in reality in Spirit and in Truth The Prisoners Answers being given as is before mentioned it was taken for not guilty and so after much ado a Jury was called their names are as followeth William Smith William Blisse Nicholas Blisse Robert Bartet Robert Barber William Smalbone Thomas Henchman c. And these were sworn truly to try and Judge between the King and the Prisoners at the Bar and true deliverance make according to their evidence c. Then three Witnesses being called and sworn viz. James Baker a very prophane swearing drunken man and Richard Pooley a prophane swearing fellow and Henry Addams being all three soldiers The Judge asked them if they saw the Prisoners at the Bar at Robert Ashby's house in Bugbrook at a Meeting unto which they answered Yes Then said the Judge What day was it upon and what time of the day They answered upon Palm-Sunday about one or two of the clock in the afternoon Then the Judge asked the number of the persons and what they saw them do there To which they answered There was about thirty persons and one of them was Preaching and Praying for he sometimes stood and sometimes kneeled down Then the Judge asked them whether they saw the Common-Prayer-Book amongst them They answered No. Then the Judge spake to the Jury and set them in a way that they might be sure to finde them guilty they being a company of weak men and some of them maliciously bent against truth not well understanding the weighty matter they were imployed in so the Jury went forth and in about half an hours time returned again and brought in their Verdict that three of the Prisoners were guilty of the third offence and the woman they brought in to be guilty of the second offence Then said John Randolph a Lawyer have you not brought them in all alike Then there arose some confusion amongst them but at length the matter was hushed up and she found guilty of the third offence as they account it but to worship God in Spirit and Truth is no offence But it was observed by many present that they never saw nor heard of so weak a Jury to be imployed in so weighty a matter Then the Judge told the Prisoners that the Jury had brought them in guilty and said he I am to pass the Judgement of Transportation upon you and asked them what they had to say for themselves that the Judgement of Transportation might not pass upon them John Coory said We are an innocent People and do desire to live in the fear of God And further said he I do believe if we had been drunkards swearers lyars covetous men proud coseners cheaters hypocrites or dissemblers we should not have been brought here for that by you is tolerated or at the least winked at and little notice taken thereof Judge Are you a just man are you without sin Prisoner I am one that feareth and serveth God daily and I desire you may fear and serve the Lord also And moreover I have two small motherless children and am a poor man and so it will be good for you to take heed that you do not make them fathe●less also for if you so do God will reward you according to your works Judge It s your obstinacy and your own wilfulness and I am sorry at my heart to do it but only I and the

our peaceable meetings have been kept for they have much stirred up the people against us and some have readily answered their desires herein and especially one called Captain John Will●ughby one also in commission to do justice who both in Person and by his Warrant granted forth unto some of his souldiers being leud wicked men for the most part such as the people where they dwell do very much abhor for their wickednesse sake some of their names are as followeth viz. James Baker a chief leader of them being a Dog-keeper a drunken swearing fellow and Thomas Goodman a Fidler a man noted for much prophane gaming having been accounted their Vice or fool of their play and another Richard Pooley a prophane swearing fellow And these with such like as themselves the aforesaid John Willoughby hath impowered by Warrant or otherwise hath come along with them in person to our Meetings from time to time halling beating bruising and abusing friends when peaceably met together for the worship and service of the Lord in truth and not under colour and pretence so not liable to the penalties in the late Act for it s known we are and have been all along a peaceable people ever since the Lord raised us up and the Nation hath had great experience of the same and so it s altogether unequitable and unjust even the present proceedings of those which do daily rise up against us for the exercise of our consciences towards God in the way of his blessed worship which he hath clearly made known unto us although we may not have a Common Prayer-Book to read amongst People as Judge Rainsford would seem to incense the Jury and others that we were breakers of the late Act because we used not the Common Prayer which the Lord hath let us see the weaknesse and unprofitablenesse of those things and we cannot like the dog return to the old vomit again and like the sow that is washed to the wallowing in the mire though for the same we suffer and are counted as transgressors in the sight of our Judges but we are clear in the sight of God and also the late Act clears us where our enemies themselves are not Judges or where Judgement is given without partiality and so our cause we commit to the Lord even to plead in our behalf who through his goodnesse hath engaged us to appear in the behalf of his Name and Testimony which he hath given us to bear even in this day of our tryal and exercise of our faith and patience wherein God hath preserved us hitherto in all the dangers and great sufferings which is known to the Lord right well and he hath furnished us in this our day with all things answerable to our present necessities so the glory of his works belong to him for ever And so it s for conscience sake we are sufferers this day and for the worship of God and not for evil doing as our enemies and persecutors would render it And this we are willing to make known that so all might be informed concerning these things and come to know the truth of this matter Postscript ANd now all moderate People may judge whether here is any matter of Fact proved or found to be done by the aforesaid Innocent harmless People against the King or that might make for the disturbance of the peace of the Kingdom And if the Judges Jurors did but understand themselves they as well as other people might see that all this that is done against us is for worshipping of God in spirit and truth in which way we worship the true and living God who is a Spirit and will be worshipped in Spirit and Truth and for so doing are we exposed unto this cruel Sentence even to be banished out of our native Land but and if it should be so we can truly say Lord forgive them and lay not this evil to their charge but if not O Lord thy will be done And indeed we might or could not expect but that the Innocent should be brought in guilty when as that wicked man William Smith of Hardingstone was the Fore-man of the senceless fearful and evvious Jury who said that the three men was guilty of the third offence and the woman of the second and said that they were all agreed likewise And when he was reproved for it by the Judge and by John Randolph a Lawyer he said they were all guilty of the third offence And now somewhat more of his actions may be laid open who was taken to be a chief instrument for the bringing of the Innocent in by a false Verdict guilty when no evil could justly be charged upon them or matter of wrong done to any the matter being only for worshipping of God in Spirit and Truth which the Scriptures of truth and the Liturgy doth allow of and moreover this old hypocrite spake against the Common-Prayer and said as can be proved if need be That he hoped never to see the day that Common-Prayer should be used again in England and this was when he went to the Lectors at Northampton one week after another at which time Cains spirit bare rule in him for then and by his means did that honest upright hearted man William Lov●il of Hardingstone called a Quaker suffer eighteen months imprisonment for saying that those he then called Ministers of Christ were Ministers of Sathan and that the Scriptures were not the Word of God but a true Declaration of the Word c. And now much more might be said concerning this man but this is the desire of our hearts that he with all the rest of this wicked generation may repent of their ungodly actions and never commit the like again but turn unto God by amending their life and former wicked conversation before it be too late and the door of mercy shut against them and then may they cry all the day long and lament bitterly and shall not be heard Therefore hearken and encline your ears unto what is written unto you now whilst you have a day in which you may take counsel if through wickedness your hearts be not hardened but however ye are warned I mean both Judges Justices Jury-men and you that bear false witness against your neighbours and Country-men the Innocent harmless people called Quakers although Richard Rainsford stileth them impudent because they so boldly let their doors stand open when they meet in the way of Gods blessed Worship saying that we were more bold in this Country then the rest of our fraternity in other Countries for said he they will keep their doors shut and set their spies to see when any cometh to apprehend or take them which thing we do believe is utterly false and is not the manner of Gods people so to do And this know ye our enemies and false accusers that the higher you climbe in oppression by Laws lyes and false reports the greater will be your fall into sorrow and perpetual