Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	spirit_n	teach_v	worship_v	1,936	5	9.0220	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45674	The lamentable cry of oppression, or, The case of the poor, suffering & persecuted people called Quakers in and about Fakenham in Norfolk shewing the cruelty, injustice and inhumanity of several magistrates, officers and informers in those parts against the said people for these many years, in the great spoil and havock of their goods and estates ... / by ... Joseph Harrison.	Harrison, Joseph.; Cater, Samuel, d. 1711. Postscript.	1679 (1679)	Wing H898; ESTC R31092	29,850	90

but if the Law-makers did really intend that none should suffer by this Law but such persons as they say were the cause for which they made this Law then Christoph Calthorp and the rest of his Brethren have very much exceeded their bounds in what they have done against their innocent and peaceable Neighbours And Cook in his Institutions who is said to be the Oracle of the English Law in his first part cap. 2. § 3. Book 11. Ever the general words are to be intended of a lawful Act and such interpretation must be made of all Statutes that the Innocent or he in whom there is no Guilt may not be damnified For the Preamble of the Act which expresses the Reason or sole Cause why this Law was made if we may believe the Law-makers is thus exprest An Act to suppress Seditious Conventicles Disloyal Persons who at their Meetings Plot and Contrive Insurrections as late experience has taught c. Now the Question is whether or no any thing of that kind can be proved against Joseph Harrison and the rest of these Sufferers and whether any of these Informers did ever swear that they found Joseph Harrison and his Friends at their Meetings plotting or contriving Insurrections for the preventing and punishing of which Persons the Law was made No there were never nor could be such things proved against them for the Principle which they have received do obey which is the Grace of God teaches them better things which is to obey Christ's Doctrine to do unto others as they would have others do unto them which is but equal And although they have made use of those words in the Act of Five and upwards meeting together besides the Family under pretence of Religious Exercise in other manner than is allowed by the Liturgy to inflict the Penalties of Breach of that Law upon us yet the Five and above the number must have Relation to such as be seditious and contrive Insurrections and are Meeters but in Pretence of Religious Exercise c. But our Meetings are really to worship God in Spirit and Truth and the contrary has not been proved against them neither can he and therefore the Law in that case that is made and provided does not lay hold on them for the Reason why this Act was made we are wholly clean of both in the sight of God and all men for neither in our Meetings nor out of them we never did or is it in our hearts to do to contrive any thing that is or may be hurtful either to Prince or People but we do say that our Meetings are for no other End or Cause but to wait upon God and to call upon his Name for his Power to keep us and to preserve us and for his Grace to teach us and instruct us that so we may alwayes worship him in his own Way which is in Spirit and Truth which all Plotters and Contrivers of Insurrection are out of And if the Liturgy does allow that God should be worshipped in Spirit and Truth then the Informers have Forsworn themselves who swore That our Exercise of Religion is in other manner than the Liturgy allows And I am ready to believe that the Leading-men of the Church of England will acknowledge that they are to worship God in Spirit and in Truth which if so why should it be accounted a Crime for us to confess the same and so great a Crime as if for it there was neither Mercy nor Pity Equity nor Justice to be extended towards us as appears by this fore-going Relation in which Chr. Calthorp with the rest of his Brethren the persecuting Magistrates and Informers have so furiously persecuted their honest Neighbours as if God had made them their Wives and Children to be made a Prey upon and to be oppressed as if it were Religion enough to Ruin and Undo others and to take the Bread from the Poor and Clothes from the Needy whilst these Magistrates themselves live in Fulness of Bread who like Dives fare deliciously and clothed with Rich Attire like the Rich Man spoken of by Christ have not only refused and neglected to relieve the Poor but have been Instrumental by encouraging these evil-minded Informers to take away poor peoples Clothes they wore and their Beds they lay upon and their Bedding and expose them to the Cold without either Mercy or Pity to old or young or sick for when the Officers went to Chr. Bedingfield one of these Magistrates and told him that there was nothing to be had of one Mary Larder for her fine but her Bed on which she lay at that time sick more like to dye than to live the said Chr. Bedingfield bad them Go and take the Bed from under her which said Mary dyed that Night Oh great Cruelty and if this be not to over-pass the Deeds of many of the Wicked I know not what is for Christ does not render Dives himself so bad And now I question not but both Magistrates the Officers and Informers who have done these things would judge it hard dealings if any should do by them as you have done by these your honest Neighbours and for no other Cause than for their Obedience to the Lord then out of your own Mouthes you are judged and that you have not done by them as you would be done unto and therefore you have no cause to blame me and other sober men that hear of your Actions although we do say that the Informers Officers and Justices that encourage such Proceedings as these are are to blame and the Sufferers have just Cause to complain of the great Oppression that so long has lain upon them and to give the World an account of your unmerciful dealing with them and behaviour towards them who have exercised your Cruelty upon them these many years by spoiling their Goods from time to time of them that are alive and yet it appears that all this Cruelty does not satisfie your unreasonable Minds that you have done to the Living but you have shewn your Cruelty to the Dead in that some of you in the Town of Fakenham have pulled the D●ad out of the Grave in an inhumane manner more like Beasts of Prey then People that fear God after the Body was decently buried whereby you discover your selves to be far worse and more Cruel than those accounted Heathen that Abraham lived among who offered him a piece of Ground to bury his Dead in but your Envy is so great against the People of God that you will not let them live at quiet amongst you whilst they live nor let the Body lie quietly in the Grave when it was dead And now I having viewed your Works and taken notice of your Actions which are scarcely to be parallel'd for Cruelty in this Nation considering the long continuance of your Oppression for which you have a large Account to give to the Lord from the highest of you to the lowest that have had any hand in persecuting your innocent Neighbours without any just Cause by them given you And now it is upon me from the Lord to Warn you all that have had any hand in this Work to Repent of this your Cruelty and Abuses offered and done unto his People before it is too late and the Day of your Visitation passes over and you be shut up in utter Darkness and the Lord ceases to strive with you as he did with Jerusalem of old in whose steps you have walked in oppressing his Children and evil-entreating his Servants and Messengers that he has sent amongst you to exhort you to turn from the Evil of your Ways and the Violence that is in your Hands Hearts but instead of receiving them and their Testimony you have caused them to suffer and them that did receive them and their Testimony you have from time to time evilly required them so that you would not receive them your selves nor suffer them that would if by all the Violence you could use hinder them The Lord give you Repentance before it be too late and you be cut off is the Desire of him that chooses rather to suffer Affliction with the People of God than to live in the Pleasures of this World S. Cater THE END Norfolk Note The 26th Day of November was the Day called Thursday Note This was with a Warrant from Fra. Guybon of Thusford