Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A60632
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A general summons from the authority of truth, unto all ecclesiastical courts and officers wherein they may see what truth objecteth against their practice and proceedings in cases of conscience / by William Smith.
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Smith, William, d. 1673.
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1668
(1668)
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Wing S4304; ESTC R38258
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21,636
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28
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A General Summons FROM THE AUTHORITY of TRUTH UNTO ALL Ecclesiastical Courts AND OFFICERS Wherein they may see what Truth objecteth against their Practice and Proceedings in Cases of Conscience By WILLIAM SMITH And I will punish the World for their Evil and the Wicked for their Iniquity and I will cause the Arrogancy of the Proud to cease and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible Isa. 13.11 London Printed in the Year 1668. The Epistle to the READER Reader WHere Knowledge is heaped up concerning Truth and the Truth not obeyed and practised it makes the World like a Wilderness or the height of Babel for all People are out of order that do not obey and practise Truth And by how much their Knowledge is large even so much the more Confusion aboundeth because that Knowledge pusseth up the fleshly mind with false notions and conclusions and whatsoever Worship is set up from such a knowledge it only receiveth Life from the Power of Temporal Laws and all such Worships either live or dye as the Law favours them or is against them and such things are gotten up among the apostatized Christians who are gone from the Spirit and Power of God And so Bishops Pastors Vicars Curates and People do erre and go astray from his wayes like lost Sheep as they confess And what is to be expected in such a Worship where the Spirit and Power of God is wanting And what is to be expected from such Bishops Pastors Vicars and Curats as erre and go astray from his wayes like lost sheep Do not such erre and go astray as walk in their wayes who walk not in the way of God And notwithstanding there is a confession of erring and going astray yet People are driven forward in such wayes by the force of Temporal Laws and so People must either erre and go astray or come under the punishment of such Laws Now let the wise and moderate Reader consider whither such are going as erre and go astray from the way of God are they not going to the Chambers of Death and Destruction And is there any cause why People should be forced by Temporal Laws to walk in that way Oh that it might be seriously layd to heart for such as erre and go astray like lost sheep have more need to forsake their wayes that to compel others to walk with them for Christ hath sheep that hear his voice and follow him and those sheep do not erre and go astray from his wayes but feed in his Pasture and rest under his Shadow and he saves them from the Wolf and Beasts of Prey And all such as confess they erre and go astray from his wayes they must turn unto him and follow him who is the Light of the World and Way to the Father and then they will not erre and go astray like loss Sheep but be gathered into the Fold and into the Pasture and there is neither Bishop Pastor Vicar or Curate that can come into this state but as they come to the Light with which Christ Jesus enlightens them for who be from the Light are in Darkness and that is the cause why they erre and go astray like lost Sheep And can any be true Worshippers of God whilest they erre and go astray from his wayes And is not God worshiped in his own way And yet such as confess they erre from his wayes would force others so worship with them but such are seen in the Light and their end is manifest and many are delivered out of such wayes and gathered into the way of God and so he is known to be a Spirit and worshipped in the Spirit and in the Truth which is his own way for his Spirit doth not lead astray from his wayes and they that have received his Spirit and live in it they live in the Truth and they that be in the Spirit Life and Power the outward Law can neither give Life nor bring Death upon their Worship because it standeth in the Substance which endures for ever So Reader be thou mindful to obey the Light with which Christ Jesus enlightens thee and that will keep thee from going astray like a lost sheep for that which goeth astray is a wanderer from the Light which is the Guide in the way of God and they that erre and go astray are following and worshipping the Beast and false Prophet whose habitation is full of Persecution by which the Saints and houshold of Faith are afflicted But now the Lamb sits in Judgment and the Beast and the â—hore and the False Prophet are judged and their House will fall over their heads and those that sit with them and they will feel the â—urden of their house upon them and there will be none to take the burden of Therefore whoever thou art that readest mind that which giveth Understanding that thou mayest be a follower and worshipper of the Lamb and not of the Beast and the Whore and False Prophet for of 〈◊〉 Truth the Lamb and the Saints must have the Victory W.S. A General Summons from the Authority of TRUTH unto all Ecclesiastical Courts and Officers c. Friends YOU have taken upon you a Work of great concernment but how you are qualified and fitted for it is the thing to be considered for there are several Objections may arise against you and this is not the least Whether you be in such a Spiritual capacity as to judge of Spiritual matters or fully to determine cases of Conscience from a spiritual discerning and understanding for many are unsatisfied concerning the proceedings in such cases and it is not without some ground when your practice and proceedings in such cases are truly examin'd and rightly compared with the practice and proceedings of Christ and his Apostles who had power and authority in the true Spirit to try and judge of all things pertaining to the Conscience and though you pretend the same thing and have given your selves the title of Spiritual Men and your Courts Spiritual Courts and so sit to try and judge of things pertaining to the Conscience yet you are not found upon the true Judgment Seat neither do your proceedings in such cases run in a true Line of Spiritual Men before you So that the precept of the Spirit nor the president of Christ and his Apostles are not your Rule for where did they set up Courts to try and judge in such cases And who did they summon to appear before them and who did they Excommunicate for not Hearing their Service or for not appearing to their Summons or for not Baptizing their Children or for not Receiving the holy Communion or for not Repairing Steeple-houses which you call Churches or for not paying Tythes and who did they Imprison or cause to be cast into Prison when they had Excommunicated them Compare your practice and proceedings with theirs and then see if there be not good cause to Object against your practice and proceedings in such cases For
for the Quakers you have never yet shewed any such cause upon your proceedings and therefore as to them your Excommunications are void and such falsly Imprisoned who suffer upon that account forasmuch as you have not at any time proved them offenders against God and his Truth which is the cause of Excommunication and they that tryed judged such cases in the true Spirit they proceeded to Excommunication upon such cases as were proved to be an offence against God and his Truth but they did not proceed to imprison any by the power of temporal Laws nor by their own power though such offences were proved against them as might bring them under Excommunication neither did they proceed against those that were without but if any that was called a Brother was a Fornicator or Covetous or an Idolater or a Railer or a Drunkard or an Extortioner they were to put away from among them such wicked persons so mark they were amongst them against whom they proceeded to Excommunication and those that were without they left to be judged of the Lord 1 Cor. 5. For a man is first to be within before he be cast out and when he is within as to profession and then walketh not according to the Rule of Truth and will not receive Admonition to be reformed from his abuses then he is to be cast out as a wicked person So the Apostle did not say If any will not come to our Worship and hear our Service or will not have their Children Baptized or will not receive the holy Communion as now commonly used or be in Error in matters of Religion or Doctrine allowed in the Church or pay not their Tythes or Tenths that then they shall proceed to cast out such as wicked persons He did not lay these things down as a ground for such proceedings but he took notice of the wickedness which was an offence against God and his Truth and so laid down the most principal matters upon which they were to proceed for the casting out such offenders from amongst them and this was their Practice who judged in the true Spirit and cast out offenders by the power of the true Spirit But you cast out such as are not offenders in any such matters and count them unworthy of common dealing and society among men and cause them to be cast into prison by the Temporal Power and so you cast out sober and righteous and godly people whereas they cast out drunkards and fornicators and such as were in transgression but they did not Imprison them and you are doing both and that to a people who are neither drunkards nor fornicators noâ— any way offenders against God and his Truth but live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world and you have not any thing further against them but as to things pertaining to their Consciences of which you are not able to judge so that if you did not first make causes you could find none in the Quakers to give you any occasion to proceed in such a manner against them and besides they are not of you but are separated from you and those causes you make are in themselves so slender and weak as that they cannot any way bear the weight of such proceedings neither ought you to be judgâ— in the case forasmuch as the cause is your own and the Law of the Nation excludeth men from being Judges in their own Cause as supposing that men in their own Cause will eye their own Interest more than the common good and therefore it excludes them from trying or judging in that case and yet you go much further by taking upon your selves the whole matter as in these particulars 1. There is no Cause but what you make 2. There is no Evidence but your own Conclusions 3. There is not any to give Judgment or Sentence besides your selves Now every Cause is to be of that nature as the Law properly in it self will take hold upon by which it cometh under the power of the Law to be determined and every such Cause is to be proved by such Evidence as are not related to it and also to be determined by such Judge or Judges as are no way concerned in the matter and so all parties which may stand any way related unto the Cause either in Evidence or Judgment are excluded But your Proceedings are wholly left unto your selves and your own Interest is involved which makes you parties and what plea can be held against you in such a case to obtain right from you For it is to be understood that you have not made such Causes and gotten power to act in such proceedings as to give judgment against that which you have made or to determine the matter against your own Interest and so it may well and safely be concluded that you are resolved in the beginning how the matter shall end and not any plea though never so good and sound that will help the Defenddant in his Case And here you are beside the Law of the Nation again for every good and sound plea is to be admitted on the Defendants behalf in all Courts of trial and the Defendant is to have the benefit of his Plea so far as it will hold good against the Plantiff and hereby many Plantiffs are overturned in their Cause and all Judges standing equal in Judgement as to the Cause of both parties do suffer the matter so to be tried and proved before them as that they may from a good understanding do right unto the party grieved But you will not admit of any Plea though never so good and sound according to Scripture which is the chief plea on the Defendants part against you yet you will not admit of it to the Defendants benefit by doing him right accordingly but with confidence proceed to Excommunication if there be not Conformity given and so your proceedings are found to be against the Law of the Nation in these particulars 1. In destroying common Dealings and Society among men 2. In Excommunicating and Imprisoning without shewing sufficient cause 3. In being Judges in your own Cause 4. In not admitting the Defendants Plea And as these things are the very foundation or ground of your proceedings and being found to be against the Law it self so the Law doth not properly stand by you neither can you properly stand by the Law for the Law doth not properly stand by any thing that is against it but rather takes hold upon it to suppress it and if this were well minded you would not be admitted to sit in the highest seat of Judgment concerning Spiritual things Now you first cause People to be presented for not going to their Parish Church and then you proceed to Excommunicate and Exclude them and no Plea will be admitted by you in the Case And is the first an offence in your account and is not the latter of as high a nature Surely if there be an offence in the first it