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	spirit_n	true_a	4,122	5	5.5406	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65878	The popish informer reprehended for his false information against the Quakers meeting in reply to ... An answer to a seditious libel, as he most falsly terms the late innocent declaration from the people of God, called, Quakers, against all seditious conventicles, &c. (wherein their innocency is cleared, and herein vindicated) : unto which is annexed, a brief recital of some accusations cast upon the said people, by one H. Thorndike, one of the prebends of Westminster, in his book entituled, A discourse of the forbearance, or the penalties which a due reformation requires.	Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723.	1670 (1670)	Wing W1946; ESTC R20124	15,096	24

last Wills must of necessity take place Reply This is also false as it is intended against us called Quakers and no less then a Popish Accusation cast upon us this being the very phrase of Papists against us as calling the Spirit of Christ by which we are led a private spirit whereas indeed it is the universal Spirit which convinceth the World of sin and leads the true Believers into all truth and in this universal Spirit we worship God and have good will to all men Preb. The Quakers follow everyone their own spirit therefore are the more contemptable Reply This also is a false and contemptable Accusation cast upon us the same with the former for we prefer the Spirit of God and its leadings and not our own Preb. Certainly did they see that they cannot be reconciled but as so many Runnagadoes they would bethink themselves before they went on in their madness Reply Envious men are blind and void of true Judgment and are ready to stumble at Noon-day and though they have eyes yet cannot see for we have received Grace by which we are reconciled and redeemed from folly and madness by which Grace we are taught to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present evil World Preb. This their Position is not reconcileable to civil trust alwayes oblieging them to the most desperate acts of Treason and violence to their Country that they can imagine their own spirits to dictate Rep. As this Position charged upon us of following our own private spirits is utterly false so are also these Consequences and they savour of a popish blood thirsty spirit that would bring Persecution and violence upon us therefore we challenge and charge this Prebend to prove if he can when and where we were perfidious either in matters of civil trust or ever brought forth acts of Treason or Violence to our Country we charge it upon him as a most malicious and envious instigation against us Preb. It cannot be beyond the merit of their madness that they are made Servi penae by Law as the Romans Law calls it That is That they are transported to work in the Plantations the Law is to provide for such People Rep. Here is still more Railing and Instigation to Cruelty and Persecution No doubt but this man if he had Power or Horns long enough he would be cruel enough we may expect the very mercies of such to be cruelty he would have us made Servi penae indeed but we desire more competent Judges then such as he who is not content with our ancient English Laws already made but would have crueller to bring us under servitude and vassalage in Forreign Plantations whereas many thousands of conscientious Dissenters both Quakers and others have estates already sufficient to live upon which they have honestly laboured for But if this cruel Prebend's counsel might take effect against us it appears we must have our Estates taken from us and then be exiled as Slaves and Drudges But doth he design that he and his Companions shall have our Estates or part of them to spend upon their lust Surely it is obvious what misery he and such as are of his Gang would bring upon this Nation a considerable part whereof doth conscientiously dissent from this Prebend's Way and Religion who hath thus shewn his inveterate proud imperious persecuting Spirit most repugnant to the equal Law of Christ which enjoyns him to do to all men as he would they should do to him Besides what pride and presumption is it in him to take upon him to prescribe the Magistrates such a way and manner of proceeding against Dissenters so contrary to the wholsom fundamental Laws Priviledges and Rights of English men Preb. They must fail of civil trust of Subjects that is that their Testimonies be not taken in Law That they be disabled to sue at Law That they be disabled to make Wills or to get by Wills or anything else within the effect of civil trust And this must also be the penal●● of the Leviathan and all that may follow him either into Apostacy or Atheism Repl. This envious Informer would have us excluded out of all our rights at once though without any just ground or reason Let but all that are unbyassed in this Nation see what ranchor cruelty and injustice resides in this mans spirit Leviathan crooked Serpent like thus ●o seek to deprive free-born English men of their rights and privileges and that without any proof or ground for his Accusations accusing us of failing of the civil trust of Subjects when as we have been found more trusty and faithful then many of his Coat who have temporized crept and changed with every Form and change of Government for Self-ends Gain and Preferment Preb. For they who declare themselves as freedom to forswear the Christian Faith can never be held by any Bond of civil Trust It must be also the Penalty of all Sects that may rel●ps It may be a Q●estion Why the Kingdom should be counted a Christian Kingdom if the Laws of it set not some Mark of Infamy upon the Enemies of Christianity which only the enforceing of Ex●ommunication by the La● can do Repl. Who are to be marked as Enemies to Christianity This man is no competent Judge for he hath already abused true Christians as such like seeking to instigate the Magistrates to do his and his Brethrens Druggery of Persecution against them And when and where did we ever declare our selves at freedom to forswear the Christian Faith Is not this an envious insinuation of thy own head and wicked heart to make us odious We hope we shall have a better tryal end more impartial Judges and more just Judgment than this mans before he gets us transported to work in forreign Plantations but it appears all this man aims at is the enforcing severity upon all that dissent from his Way And what doth he think will be the effect thereof And how will such cruel work compose the spirits of the People of this Nation doth he think to make up a good Church or a compleat Body by driving men with force and cruelty into his way and worship Surely this is not the way to make sound Members but to add to the number of Hypocrites nor is this the Way of Christianity And where did Peter Paul Timothy or Titus go about to instigate the Rulers to Persecution and to Transporting of men to be as Slaves and Vassals for their Religion and Conscience Or where did any of the true Ministers or Apostles endeavour to exclude either Jews or Gentiles from their outward civil Rights and Priviledges or from the benefit of the civil Law of their Nation or endeavour and seek to set such a Mark upon them meerly for their Principle or difference in Judgment and Opinions Let this Prebend shew us a President Precept or Example among the true Christians in all the Scriptures of Truth for this his work As for Apostacy and Athism it is not amongst us but among many professed and owned as Sons of that Church he is a Member of who are run into a spirit of Liberty and Debauchery whereby the Earth is corrupted and the beauty of much of the Nation stained and the profession of Christianity scandalized and made odious in the eyes of Mahumitans and other Nations but as for these things he and his Fraternity can connive at and overlook them while they can contribute to uphold them in their Pride Idleness and Fulness who notwithstanding cannot therein acquiess without envying the very Being of others more rational prudent and righteous then themselves Well you that appear in this cruel persecuting domineering Lordly spirit the Earth grows sick of you and will assuredly vomit you out and you will become a by-word and a hissing to the Nations except you lower your Top-sayls and bow down to the equal just Principle of God in you and so come into some lowliness tenderness and humility of spirit out of the nature of the Beasts of prey into the nature of Sheep and Lambs Otherwise God will greatly debase you and bring his Judgments upon you the Mouth of the Lord hath spoken it in and through his Servants G. W. W. S. Some few Errors and Defects in Letters and Points have escaped the Press through the expedition hereof which the Reader may correct PAge 4. line 11. for Spirit read Scriptures p. 5. l. 31. r. Magistrates p. 6. l. 5. r. wives l. 33. r. humans p. 8. l. 14. for stife r. strife l. 29. for differently r. indifferently THE END * As in Ross his View * Whereby we call for Justice and Equity Ecc. Cron. 567. Ecc. Cron. f. 599.

words even so they relate not to the manner of living of the Alter but to the Lord 's Ordaining as even so hath the Lord ordained that they that preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel 1. or 9. 14. so the Gospel makes way for the true Minsters Maintenance which is not a forced Maintenance neither is it Tythes or Offerings for as is fully testified in Heb. 7. the Priesthood being changed there is made of necessity a change also of the Law the Sons of Levy who received the Office of the Priesthood had a Command to take Tythes of their Bretheren but this is ended as it is said there is a disanulling of the Commandment going before so this man might as well have accused the Apostle with failing to pay to God his Due as have accused us in the matter of Tythes seeing our Testimony is one and the same But this Informer shews himself to have little regard to Scripture whilst he can plead the discretion of Magistrates and imposition of Governours for things in matter of Worship which he hath neither Scripture Command or president for especially among the primitive Christians and Apostles Inform. His Worship in Spirit and Truth is but the lesser part of his due It is obedience God desires rather then Sacrifice or Worship God commands you to be obedient to Authority Answ. Let the Reader mark here how absurdly he reasons First implying a Worship of God in Spirit and Truth without obedience which cannot be for that Worship which stands in Spirit and Truth is Obedience for Truth admits of no disobedience Secondly his deeming the true Worship of God to be but the lesser part of his due and Obedience to Authority to be the greater herein he hath blasphemously set up an Authority above God and so man above his Maker for it is outward Authority his words intend but he is greatly mistaken for we in worshipping and obeying God in Spirit and Truth which is our principal Duty do not oppose nor resist any Authority or wholsom Laws which have a dependance upon the Authority and Law of God Where we said We do not meet to plot or contrive Insurrections Inform. We have but your bare word for it Answ. This is false you have more then our bare word viz. our innocent behaviour and harmless deportment evidently mani●ested through the many Afflictions Persecutions and Cruelties that we have patiently undergone since we were a People and all for the Testimony of our tender Consciences towards God therefore it is evident that we have but this mans bare word for proof that our Meetings are either seditious Conventicles or tending to Insurrection and if he were not wilfully blind he might see the contrary openly evinced by our Christian Conversation in the peaceable exercise of our Religion and Conscience Inform. It is true there is danger enough in your small meetings but much more in your greater meetings of hundreds for by lessning your meetings we may better secure both Church and State for ten or twelve can make no great disturbance in a place a Constable may suppress these but where five or six hundred more shall meet and finding an opportunity make an Insurrection may set a whole City on flames c. Answ. What danger hath this man seen in any of our Meetings either small or great we challenge him and all such malicious Informers in the World to prove any danger or hurt by us in our Meetings Besides has not he herein struck at the Parliaments allowing small meetings of four Persons above the Families besides all such as are under the age of sixteen years as i● therein they allowed of dangerous and seditious Meetings which we are confident they do not believe concerning us called Quakers And as for this Accusers judging our greater Meetings of hundreds to be much more dangerous and therefore would have them less●ed what ground or reason has he for his evil surmise in this seeing when our Meetings are large our doors being open many mixt people may come and behold us and our order that if we were of that ill mind as to contrive Evil or Sedition we could not have opportunity we should be the maddest Plotters that ever were if we should be so publick and obvious therein but the Lord has redeemed us out of all such occasions both publick and private we have given no occasion of either fear suspition or jealousy to our Persecutors in those matters it is their own guilt and envious persecuting spirits that attract fears and troubles the Witness of God persuing them for their injuries and injustice who afflict the Innocent and oppress the Poor and Needy for whose sake God will arise and plead their Cause Inform. Your antick tricks in your silent Meetings c. Answ. What antick tricks thou Slanderer and Scoffer though we have often waited in silence together upon God and received comfort and benefit therein from him by his Spirit wherein we wait and worship him And what hast thou against this thou bloody-minded Informer And what colour or pretence of Religious Exercise hast thou to inform against these harmless silent Meetings Where is the colour or pretence and what exercise provest thou therein that the Act takes hold of And what plotting or contriving hast thou ever heard or seen in any such Meetings or in any of our Meetings tending to set the City on flames And as for antick tricks if the Devil had not blinded thee and such as thou art thou mightest have made those ungodly Meetings at Play-Houses the subject of thy Information and not the innocent pious Meetings of the People called Quakers For is it not obvious what impudency antick whorish tricks and postures appear upon Stages at Play-Houses in and about the Cities of London and Westminster to draw out the mindes of People into vanity and a whorish spirit as Women without the appearance of Modesty or Sobriety in their behaviour and men dect in womens Apparel to be examples of whorish postures besides the many vain shews and sights to affect and gratifie the vain wonton eyes minds and spirits of Youth to draw them into impudency and debauchery such abominations as is a Reproach to the Profession of Christianity and a shame to the Nation And to that of Mal. 1. 11. In every place Incense or Offerings shall be offered unto my Name This Informer gives this meaning That this hath relation to the calling in of the Gentiles The Coming of Christ and Convertion of the Gentiles by his Gospel i. e. in every Country or Nation To which we say Why should we be deprived of this priviledge in our Country and Nation where so much of Christ and Gospel is profest But then he adds In places dedicated to my Name the publique Places of God's Worship his Houses dedicated set apart for his peculiar Service c. Reply But what Houses doth he intend are they Steeple-houses which were dedicated for the Mass were