Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A41823
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The prisoners vindication with a sober expostulation and reprehension of persecutors / by John Gratton.
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Gratton, John, 1641-1712.
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1683
(1683)
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Wing G1585B; ESTC R28044
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20,540
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36
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THE Prisoners Uindication WITH A Sober Expostulation AND REPREHENSION OF Persecutors By Iohn Gratton What mean ye that ye beat my People to pieces and grind the faces of the Poor saith the LORD God of Hosts Isa. 3. 15. Lord how long shall the Wicked Triumph How long shall they utter and speak hard things They break in pieces thy People O Lord and afflict thy Heritage they slay the Widdow and the Stranger and murder the Fatherless Psal. 94. 3 4 5 6. LONDON Printed and Sold by Andrew Sowle at the Crooked-Billet in Holloway-Lane near Shoreditch 1683. To all Persecutors both by Words and Actions A few words for the clearing of my self and the Truth I profess in real Love from him that seeks the good of all Mankind in general having real Love to all especially the Houshould of Faith who are redeemed to God out of the Vncleanness of the World who are in Scorn called Quakers UPon the 16th day of the 6th Moneth called August 1680. I being at Backewell about my trading it being a Fair was by two or three Bailiffs arrested by virtue of a Writ of Excommunicato Capiendo for not coming to the Parish Church so called and not appearing at the Spiritual Court though I had appeared several times and had offered to the Parish Priest that if he could make it appear that I was in an Error by clear Scripture I would take him for my Friend And further That if he could make it appear from clear Scripture that it was my duty in the sight of God to come to the Parish Church and conform to them that I would do it but did not find it his business to seek to inform me at that time or any other being not so charitable as to bid me come another time and he would discourse with me But being after this never cited to the Court again was upon the day aforesaid taken and sent to Darby Goal a very strange way to convince me of any Error if I be in any where I remain a Prisoner After I was sent to Prison many false charges were flung after me to render me and Truth odious to the Country-People who were ready to wonder why they should send such a peaceable man to Prison and I was by my Persecutors so highly accused to be An Heretick A Factious Fellow The Ringleader of a Factious People yea a Blasphemer an Enemy to Caesar and a dangerous Fellow and a Spreader of dangerous Principles and what not and all to make the People think hardly of me and believe if they could against their Belief that I was some dangerous man insomuch that they said I was not fit to live especially not fit to be loose in a Country for by keeping me in Prison they had hopes to scatter the rest At the hearing of these strange and malicious false Calumnies I was not a little grieved not for my self but others who I heard were ready to think hardly of me because such Reports had gained some Credit with some that were thought both wise and sober they believed them because others believed them those others believed them because my Persecutors who are looked upon by most to be spiritual men reported them amongst these black-Mouth'd uncharitable men I could not have one to come at me to shew me my reported sad Condition but in Prison I must lie come what will come of Wife and Children so that then my Wife went with two Friends more to the Arch-Deacon so called and shewed him the unreasonableness of my suffering and the need of my liberty but his words were great Charges as aforesaid though he never discoursed me about Religion in his life its true he also said That he would come to me and discourse me and if I was in the right and he in the wrong I should come out of Prison and he would go in for me but he yet fails to make his words good And I do declare to all that may see these Lines that if I cannot make it appear that he is wrong and I right I then will be content to stay where I am only I would be judged by unprejudiced men to the Truth and such as are not partial nor make no outward Gain of the Scriptures Many others have desired my Enlargement some by Letters and some have gone in Person but all fails except I will conform and pay the Charges they have been at in laying me in Prison which thing I cannot or dare not do For First I believe I ought not to conform to the Worship that now by the Priests of this Nation is maintained by their preaching and practice I do not mean by their Purses for both they and it cost the People dear 2dly I believe that though it be after the way which they call Heresie yet that the Worship I now own is the true Worship of God and do find by good and great experience that the Lord God of Heaven and Earth who is a Spirit doth approve and own it so to be for the Worship I own and believe is the true Worship of God is that spoken of in Iohn 4. 23 24. They that Worship God aright worship and serve him in Spirit and in Truth and saith our Saviour The Father seeketh such to worship him 3dly Seeing our Lord Christ Jesus did set up appoint and command this Worship therefore I believe I ought not to leave it and run to another Worship that is no where commanded either by Christ or any of his Apostles thinking thereby to save my Estate and to live at liberty in the World and enjoy those natural Rights and Priviledges I am free-born Heir to which I see the Drunkard Swearer Curser and Proud Wicked Person is not deprived of though he be so Wicked Lastly Seeing I do those things I believe I ought to do and have not given any just occasion of Offence or done wrong to any man therefore can I not own my self in a fault and give Moneys for a Pardon to them that while they are pardoning others are therein committing the highest Sins they can approach unto for if I have sinned it is against God and to him I look for Mercy but in this I am not by him accused or judged as a sinner but owned and justified by him and can say Its God that justifies me who shall condemn me Now should I come to my Persecutors and own my self an Offendor and buy their Absolution and conform to their invented Ceremonies then should I by so doing give God's Spirit and my own Heart and Conscience the Lye from which I hope without offence I may take liberty to say Good Lord preserve me But seeing I must have no better treatment from my Persecutors than a Prison which indeed hath alwayes been the way of argument that the false Prophets in all Ages have taken with things of the like Nature as Fines Whips Lyons Dens Firey Furnaces Faggots and such like I desire they will be
us Cheats Hereticks false Prophets and what not this is and hath been our entertainment amongst you and is mine at this day in Prison because I cannot dare not play Hypocrite and go contrary to my Faith But you will say may be That my Faith is not true Faith but I believe an Error I answer you cannot prove your Charges against us from clear Scripture which saith That it is not only given unto us to believe but also to suffer for his sake we believe in But it no where saith it s given us also to make others suffer that do not believe And suppose I did want a right understanding and true Faith I say again do you think that a Prison will help me Can a Prison give Faith Can Prison Walls rectifie mens Understandings Lay aside these Carnal Crutches and bring Spiritual Weapons Truth is sufficient to plead its own cause and Faith is the gift of God It s only base Cain's salfe Worship that forceth He that will not worship the Beast or receive his mark in his Forehead or in his Hand must be killed or no man must Buy or Sell with him at least So Error and Enmity Envy and Cruelty alwayes go together but the Truth is received for its own worth and it s the manner and nature of true Faith to work by Love pure Religion and true is loving God above all and our Neighbours as our selves and in this love we should visit the Fatherless and Widdows and not make Widdows and Fatherless in a sence by casting the Father and Husband in Prison this is not to keep unspotted from the World For it s said the World should hate us who are true followers of Christ and persecute us and excommunicate us out of their Synagogues and say all manner of Evil falsly against us yea our Saviour tells us They shall bring us before Kings and Rulers for a Testimony against them But Christ Jesus no where bids his Disciples excommunicate those out of their places of Worship that would not believe nor bring them before Kings and Rulers or cry to Rulers for to put them in Prison Fine them and spoil their Goods Its true he bids them shake the Dust off their Feet for a testimony against them that would not receive their Testimonies but when they would have had Fire from Heaven to have destroyed those that did not receive him Christ rebuked them and said Ye know not what manner of Spirit you are of the Son of man is not come to destroy mens Lives but to save them It s true he tells them The Rulers of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them and their great Ones exercise authority upon them But saith Christ it shall not be so amongst you c. Remember what he compared the angry Scribes and Pharisees to who took offence at both Iohn Baptist and himself and indeed almost all that God sent amongst them saith he They are like unto Children sitting in the Market-place and calling one to another and saying We have Piped unto you and you have not Danâ—ed we have Mourned unto you and you have not Lamented c. And is not this like you who are still so Childish to be angry with us because we do not Dance after your Pipe nor Lament after your Mourning Why will you not do as you would be done by You would not take it well to be forc'd to Conform to us would you Then I ask you why will you not be Merciful as Christ commands you As your Father saith he is Merciful who is kind saith he to the Vnthankful and to the Evil Let your Fruits declare you to be Branches of the true Vine and Children of God Have you forgot what 's said of the man that fell among Thieves as he went from Ierusalem to Iericho the Thieves stripped him and wounded him and left him half dead now the Priest passed by and the Levite looked on him also passed by and left him but the good Samaritan took pity on him when he came by and bound up his Wounds poured in Oyl and Wine and set him on his own Beast and brought him to an Inn and took care of him And saith Christ go thou and do likewise Alack how many lie wounded in Sin and Iniquity and naked of all that 's good And must none take pity of them What! though it be a man of another City or Society if he hath Oyl and Wine and will lend a Hand of Help and do good to the Wounded and help the Naked to a Garment why should you be offended It was ill in the Priest and Levite that would not help him themselves and shewed a churlish idle easeful selfish Spirit in them that care not what comes of men so they can eat the Fat and clothe themselves with the Fleece and live at ease But it would have been much worse in them if they would neither a help'd him themselves nor suffer another to help him but if he did take him and cast him in Prison spoil his Goods or put him to Death And Christ saith Wo unto you Scribes Pharisees and Hypocrites for ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men for you neither go in your selves neither suffer ye them that are entring to go in Wo unto you Scribes Pharisees Hypocrites for ye devour Widdows Houses yes in our dayes leaves her not a Cow to give her Milk nor a Bed to lie on And for a pretence saith he make long Prayers therefore you shall receive the greater Condemnation Wo unto you blind Guides who lay heavy Burdens and grievous to born upon men but will not touch them with one of your Fingers But saith Christ they walk in long Robes love the uppermost Rooms at Feasts and the chief places in the Synagogues and Greetings in the Markets and to be called of men Rabbi Master But saith he to his Disciples be not ye called Master for one is your Master even Christ and all you are Brethren But perhaps you may say We are not your Brethren Well suppose we were not you ought to love us if we were your Enemies But if we be not your Brethren why do you take Tythes from us For it was never known that the Children of Israel took Tythes of any but only their Brethren see Heb. 7. 5. However you ought to do all things in Charity for the Wrath of man worketh not the Righteousness of God It s said Mercy rejoyceth against Iudgment for he shall have Iudgment without Mercy that hath shewed no Mercy for if ye have bitter Envying Strife in your hearts glory not you are no better than Vnbelievers therefore Lye not against the Truth For saith the Apostle this Wisdom descendeth not from above but is earthly sensual devilish For where Envy and Strife is there is Confusion and every evil work but the Wisdom that is from above is pure peaceable gentle and easie to be intreated full of Mercy and good Fruits without