Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	lead_v	light_n	spirit_n	4,475	5	5.5430	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34986	A Babylonish opposer of truth by the truth reproved and his enmity, falshood, and confusion manifested in answer to an impertinent paper sent abroad by Thomas Crisp, in which his false foundation is discovered, and his building brought upon his own head / written by Stephen Crisp ; with a postscript by J. Penington and R. Richardson.	Crisp, Stephen, 1628-1692.; Penington, John, 1655-1710.; Richardson, Richard, 1623?-1689.	1681 (1681)	Wing C6924; ESTC R27135	15,223	20

and J. P. again with the same tendency as before viz. to render their sence different from their Brethrens present practice and particularly their directing to the Light in our own Hearts or Consciences inconsistent with the unlimited power which he saith is given to Men and Women Meetings as may be seen p. 9 and 12. of his Book stiled Babels Builders unmasking themselves c. which if by E. B. and J. P. he means Edward Burroughs and Isaac Penington let me say is no less than a manifest Perversion of their Writings as well as that I demand of him to prove how it can be deducible therefrom and that the rather for that I my self know that my Father hath delivered to the contrary both by word and writing and never saw or heard any thing contradictory thereto come from him And I have also a Manuscript of Edward Burroughs by me written in the Ninth Year of the publication of Truth in London wherein after he hath given account of the first Preaching of the Gospel in that City he declares that the Mens M●eting there was set up in the Name Power and Wisdom of the Lord Jesus Christ and that he had given them Power and Authority so to do And afterwards speaking of the Womens Meeting saith It was in the same manner ordered in the Authority of Christ to be continued for such and such services and concludes These things was I moved of the Lord to write forth in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the Service of Truth and in the same Name Power and Authority c. do I enjoyn the free and perfect observation of the things herein signified Now in as much as it is clear that neither of them did oppose a man's being guided by the Light to his concurring in practice with that good order and government now Establish'd in the Church of Christ but acknowledged the benefit and necessity thereof so that as by the Spirit none can call Jesus accursed so none that is really led by the Light can under pretence of being directed thereto As the only Guide and Leader call that accursed or the Order and Edicts of Men which the same Light Grace and Truth that convinced at the beginning brings forth in the Church whether immediately or mediately through Instruments will not this man then be found a false accuser in the day of the Lord that would insinuate the contrary Let him consider it and have a care lest by his continual smiting against God's Servants and mis-representing them he be at length given up to a Reprobate mind for is it not grosly wicked thus elaborately to endeavour to render men otherwise than they are in God's sight and take those indirect means to prove it as he did by my Father as never to read his Book and see whether it were so or no but only take it upon trust from his Adversary and upon his sole Authority commit it to the Press and then instead of reclaiming it go on in a like evil work Surely as a man I would have wiped off such a blemish before I came in Print again on such an occasion but with regret let me say it I have seen too many hardned through the deceitfulness of sin and their very innocent Image lost when prejudice and envy hath filled them against the Lord's People and fallen short of what is civil generous and noble among men and become too much like the brute Beast that perisheth which indeed is not pleasant to behold though a just reward upon such as would lay God's Heritage wast This is what I thought my self more immediately conce●ned to observe having been already engaged in detecting the 〈◊〉 unfairness and injuriousness and being the person that demanded of him to make good what he had said relating to E. B. and my Father J. P. both publickly in Print of which I gave him one into his own hands and Privately in converse who am known by the name of John Penington A few Notes on some Principal Passages in Babel Builders and another Pamphlet subscribed Teste T. C BAbel c. Page 7. Their Reasons against such Subscriptions are lest Opposers should make ill work with it not that they are against the substance in it c. Note It may be observed how ambiguously he names Reasons and yet making but one thing the Reason Whereas there 's great difference betwixt one Reason the only Reason and all the Reason and all the Reasons the least Reason and the greatest Reason Because God and his Prophet said Because thou hast made the Enemies of God to Blaspheme was he not therefore otherwise displeased with what David had done Consider how much ado Friends in Barbados had and opposition they took this course As King James did with the Oath of Allegiance to distinguish Papists and the Scots with the Covenant to distinguish Malignants as they called them so in this these did aiming at the best in the general whatsoever the Worder or Worders of it might do in the particular which 't is probable S. C. believed but not that he believed it was ill meant in the General by the whole quarterly Meeting Which Errour in them through ignorance or shortness of in-sight as well as fore-sight G. F. c. taking care to convince them of in the first place wisely renders them docible and attentive by shewing them how they mist their aim in rather giving the Adversary just advantage against themselves thereby than getting thereby the advantage they expected against their Adversaries And shews them how so much against their want of fore-sight of the effect as one reason of it which T. C. makes all the reasons Then having prepared their minds thereby as a Preface there is an entring into the Matter it self and shewing their want of present clear in-sight into the nature of the thing There follows other reasons as from the Effects First That it would bring them from their own particular measures Secondly It would cause an Offering of a blind Sacrifice which could not be received among themselves Thirdly Neither in the wilful Opposers of them Fourthly A plain Affirmation and inference therefrom viz. therefore all are to give up to that in their own particulars Fifthly The effect of that viz. Unity and Fellowship which is a receiving strength For all things even in nature desire Union to gain strength thereby which is contrary to giving up and weakening by subscription and tying below a blind Offering as is said But the Unity and bond of the Spirit is above that a natural bond in the Divine Nature and clear and voluntary joyning for mutual joy and comfort So that Sixthly Here is a clear distinction of the two Writings viz. that above that below one Earthly the other Heavenly Seventhly Proved by the Saints Testimony in the Gospel who were led by one Spirit to see their names written in Heaven Eighthly From the absurdity and contradiction appearing in

thou hast of the Spirit of a true Christian or Christian Minister who is to restore such as are overtaken in a fault in the Spirit of meekness what if they said We know you mind the best things the Letter being written to a Body of people dare thou say that none of them do mind the best things Yea they were that very day minding how they might keep down such loose Libertines that had for a long time sought to disturb the peace of their Christian Society though they might possibly exceed in the method of proceeding with them by the Arguments or influence of some few among them What then must they all be unfriended and denied Brotherhood hereupon and be written to as wicked and ungodly after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to quote my words though fallaciously to make a seeming opposition between us that I said the Paper was not only ill worded but ill meant my words did not reflect at all upon the Subscribers generally as thou quotes them but upon the Contriver or Drawer up of it who ever it was that I feared it was not well meant in him or them and I am still of the same mind and it 's my desire and the desire of us all that every Friend may keep in a sence of the measure of the Spirit of God in their own particulars that in that they may feel their Unity one with another and with one anothers Testimonies According to the ancient Doctrine Preached among us from the beginning and those that keeps in this sence feels what flows from the Universal Spirit of Truth and receives it in their own measure from a sensible satisfaction in themselves and not from an Implicit Subjection or blind obedience as thou enviously intimates we aim to set up and if it should come to pass that a thing should be declared from the motion of the Spirit of God and that some particular Friend doth not presently have that sensible satisfaction in himself concerning the matter what then do you think that the measure of the Spirit in himself will stir him up to oppose it and War against it surely no but it will teach him to wait in quietness upon God who is the opener of the understanding and doth by his Spirit bring his People to the Unity of the Faith but that sort of men whose Quarrel thou hast so much espoused are a sort of heady unruly Opposers of themselves fierce despisers who malignes the prosperity of the Truth and those that labour in it aspersing both them and their Labours with Nick-names and reproachful Speeches and bloody and murderous Insinuations and Suggestions And must all this be fathered upon the Spirit of God! Oh horrible darkness well may it be said night is upon you and blindness is happened to you Are not you ashamed to plead for the Primitive Doctrine of Truth as it was practised amongst us in the beginning that every one should keep to the measure of Light and Grace given them of God when thou sees before thy eyes whether J. P. and M. P. are come and may see if thou wilt whether thy self and many more of your loose Libertine Associates are coming What did the measure of the Grace of God in the beginning teach a Conformity to the World in Ribbons Lace Pendants Bowings Complements Paying Tythes and Marrying with the Priests c. Did the Spirit of God in the beginning teach such an industrious improving of failings and weaknesses such a raking for evil things such heaping up Accusations such rendring of them that fear God obnoxious both to reproach and sufferings Nay nay Thomas this is the Spirit of the World entred in another appearance which had thou and you been faithful to the real Gift and Grace of God it had preserved you from it Now as concerning that disingenious manner of reflecting which thou frequently uses I hope thou wilt meet with a sufficient Reproof in thy self for it and therefore shall not say much only to put thee in mind to see if thou would'st be so dealt by As where thou supposes our meanings and then Comments upon thy own suppositions as that G. F. c. means by the Universal Spirit that Spirit that set up these Orders and Meetings and I take it to be meant the Judgment of the ruling Party or Foxonians c. And he seems to place more vertue and power in conforming to his Orders of Womens Meetings than in all Faith and Fruits of the Spirit c. Hast thou here dealt like an ingenious Adversary I say not a Friend nay many that never knew Truth would scorn such a kind of treating us but Enmity is blind I pray God if it be His Will open thy eyes to see thy own state and then thou wilt know that G. F. c. have deserved to be better treated at thy hands But one thing I marvel at and that is How this Author T. C. should labour so much to make his Reader believe G. F. c. their owning the matter of the Paper and renders the consequences thereof to be the very Doctrine and Government that he hath laboured to set up upon which he hath fixed so many heinous names as cleer Evidence of Apostacy and Ambition p. 7. This unlimitted power the Pope's Yoke a making men slaves and Vassals p. 9. Arbitrary unlimitted power implicit blind and unacceptable obedience p. 10. the Judgment of the ruling Party or Foxonians among the Quakers p. 11. and so on to the 〈◊〉 pag. and then he tells his Reader a quite contrary story and acquits G. F. c. again of the matter charged and tells us that G. F. differs from the subscribers of the Paper G. F. c. have born their Testimony against their subscription for G. F. c. saies this would make the belief which is in the Light and the measure of the Spirit in their own particulars not one with the Universal Spirit c. and then T. C. adds as an Amen to G. F's Position Indeed so it does Could any one that had read this Book have thought the Author should before he had done have Acquiesced with G. F. c. and cleered him of his high charge he had laid and he who had so endeavoured to make Folk believe that the Answer was but a seeming one an Answer for fashion sake for fear the Paper should be published not one word of Reproof no denial in Fact but G. F. and they all one in the judgment and sense of the Paper c. I say who would have thought the same man should tell us that G. F. c. differs from the Subscribers and that in a most Capital point of their Paper and tells them their Paper would make the Faith and the measure in which it stands not one with the Universal Spirit c. It 's well Truth 's come though almost at last who is Babels Builder now Thomas Hast not thou play'd