Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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B23048
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A testimony concerning George Russel who dyed a prisoner upon truth's account for bearing his testimouy [sic] against tythes.
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Ford, Robert, of Devonshire.; Batt, Jasper, d. 1702. aut
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1680
(1680)
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Wing F1474
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8,610
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13
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Son of God Then said the High Priest He hath spoken Blasphemy what further need have we of Witnesses Behold now ye have heard his Blasphemy What think ye They Answered and said He is guilty of Death So in some sense it is with many in this Nation who cry out and say Tythes that unjust Oppression under which the Nation groans are our Due we have a Law for it and though there is a People that for Conscience sake refuse to pay it and say it s not our Due by the Law of God and Christ though you claim it by the Law of Man yet say we Priests and Impropriators by our Law they ought to Pay if not they shall surely Suffer we will prosecute the Law And as for the Judgments of God that may ensue therefore either here or hereafter wee 'l venture it let them fall on us And as to the Curse that may follow for our Cruelty if any be let that rest upon our Posterity Well if of such a mind who ever thou art mind a little further and consider the sad state afterwards of those Persecuting Mudering Jews of whom Christ said It was almost impossible for a Prophet or a man of God to Perish but amongst them of whom once Tythes under the Law were required and freely without any Carnal Compulsion was it then to be brought into the place appointed and it was for such uses and purposes as God by his Servant Moses had ordained it in that Day which Tythes and Offerings under that Levitical Dispensation Priesthood and Ministry when thus brought into the Store-Houses were allotted for the Tribe of Levi who had no Inheritance or share of Land among their Brethren and who served the Tabernacle and who waited on the Altar and also for the Relief of the Poor the Strangers the Fatherless and the Widows that were within their Gates So then not only for the Priests to enrich themselves thereby nor to Feed and Cloath themselves only with the Profits thereof Nay nay Nor yet for greedy Impropriators who through Covetousness and for the Love of Money which is the Root of all Evil that they might build their Nests high and be greater in the Earth by joyning House to House and by adding Field to Field purchased to themselves meeting with a cheap Bargain as their Inheritance that which was other mens Rights and now such live upon as may be said the Labour and and Sweat of other mens Brows which Purchase they never had from God Truth and Equity any just Right unto nor by the Law of Moses can demand or recover it for at that time these things were accounted Holy things and as Offerings were to be dedicated to the Lord not to be Bought not to be Sold not to be Set or Let after such a manner unto Impropriators Tythe-mongers or Farmers there was no such Doings then neither did Moses ordain a Prison to cast mens Bodies in if they brought not in their Tythes according to appointment nor did he or the Magistrates then issue forth Writs Warrants and Executions as the men of our Nation have done that Wicked Prophane Bailiffs and such like should take mens Goods away by force who are many of them of the vilest of men who matter not to make what Havock and Spoil they can of what men have Honestly and Industriously Laboured for and many times they will take three times more than what they can demand See see O People see how far short of the Jewish Religion â—o these men come and on the other hand may it not be said how â—ar Woâ—se and more Cruel than the Jews do the Practices of these pretended Christians herein exceed And yet all this is done and suffered to be done in this Nation under a Profession of the Gospel and of Christianity and under pretence of Laws made by Christian-Magistrates who think to uphold their Christian-Ministers as they suppose thereby and so hereby they have much strengthened the hands of all cruel persecuting Priests and Impropriators who are ready enough to take the utmost Advantage that the Law will give them herein against such Honest Sober People all which Doings are very contrary unto the Mind of God who hateth Oppression and to the Command of Christ Jesus who came to set Free from the Yoke of Bondage and to the Scriptures of Truth which do not at all justifie them also to that very Law and Dispensation that came by Moses which never did allow of such Practices as these who in that very Day as on this account annexed no corporal Penalty thereunto but left the People under the sense of the Severity of that Judgment Curse or Punishment that God himself might inflict upon them iâ— they were Disobedient herein and did not answer to do what God thuâ— required of them in the time of that Dispensation which if they did then on the other hand the Blessing of the Lord God of Heavâ—n and Earth was to come upon them As it s written Deut. 8. And it shall come to pass if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the Voice of the Lord thy God to observe and to do all his Commands which I command thee this day that the Lord thy God will set thee on High above all the Nations of the Earth and all these Blessings shall come upon theâ— and overtake thee if thou shalt hearken unto the Voice of the Lord thy God Blessed shalt thou be in the City and blessed shalt thou be in the Field in the Fruit of thy Body and in the Fruit of thy Ground c. Blessed shall be thy Basket and thy Store Blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out and when thou comest in c. But a little further consider as hath been hinted â—o the sad State of that People and Nation the Jews in and soon after the dayes of Christ who came to Fulfil the Law and to put an End to Tythes Oblations and Offerings and to abolish that Levitical Priest-hood and Worship and to set up and establish a better to bring People to Worship and Serve God in Spirit and in Truth for such Worship and Worshippers the Father seeketh and is well-pleased with concerning which much might be written Oh! that all sorts of Persecutors whatsoever would but consider what Judgments and Calamities soon after came upon them for their Evil Works in that they Despised Resisted Opposed and Rejected Christ Haled before Magistrates Abused Imprisoned and put to Death them that were his Disciples and as the Scriptures testifie Crucified him their Lord and Master the Prince of Life and Peace whom the World knew not nor the Princes of it for if they had as it s written they would not have Crucified the Lord of Glory and that after the most Vilest manner delivering him up to be Buffetted and his Person to be Abused they cloathed him in Purple and crowned him with Thorns Mocked at him with a Salutation Hale King of the Jews Spit in
A TESTIMONY CONCERNING George Russel Who Dyed a Prisoner upon Truth 's account for bearing his Testimony against TYTHES Together with a Few Lines once more after many by way of Information Caution and Warning unto all Persecutors from the Example of the Jews To beware what they do how they persist and go on in such Practices lest the Judgments of the Just God take hold on them and there be none to deliver out of his Hand For certainly he will arise ere long in his Anger and plead his own Cause in the Earth and then he will ease himself of his Adversaries and be avenged upon his Enemies These to all People may inform THat George Russel of the Parish of Burliscombe in the County of Devon being Aged about Eighty Three Years whose Body is now Rescued by the God of Heaven and Earth from the Envy and Rage of his Cruel Persecutors and as concerning him that Testimony is now finished his Soul being gathered unto God and to the Spirits of Just Men who formerly suffered he now sleepeth and is at Rest with them where the Wicked cease from troubling and where the Weary be at Rest where the Prisoners Rest together they hear not the Voice of the Oppressor He for Conscience sake in Obedience to the Commands of Christ refusing to pay Tythes to one William Chamberline alias Luckly of the same Parish Tythemenger for about one Acre and of Wheat the Tythe of which is valued to be worth about 7 s. was subpaened into the Exchequer and for not Appearing a Writ was taken out against him to attach and imprison his Body in the Name of one Anne Jones Widow of Greencham in the Parish of Ashbritle and County of Somerset Impropriator of the Tythe of Burliscombe aforesaid And about the 17th day of the 4th moneth 1679. his Body was attached and committed unto Prison in Thomas Parish in Exon where he remained a Prisoner about seven or eight Weeks in which time of his being there some Friend of his considering his Age and perceiving the Weakness of his Body in tender Love and Respect to him he being several Miles distant from his Children who should take Care of him as Age and Weakness doth require thought good to seek his Releasment which was accordingly obtained But the Adversary not regarding his Age Weakness nor the Ground of his detaining Tythe which was only for Conscience sake nor the Smalness of the Sum demanded to be due which if G. R. had paid he must make Shipwrack of a Good Conscience and Peace with God in much Hardness of Heart by this Adversary the Action was again revived and another Attachment came forth and his Body was apprehended and carryed unto Prison upon the 11th of the 12th moneth 1679. and there he remained Prisoner about eleaven Weeks having some Liberty from the Keeper to be without the Keys until the Second day of the 3d Moneth 1680. and then it being the First day of the Week in the Morning Weakness coming on much upon him so that before any could send for his Children to come unto him he gave up the Ghost and Peaceably Dyed as many Hearts are perswaded in the Love and Favour of God yielding up his Spirit unto him that gave it there being present with him at that time another Friend by Name Robert Welch who hath been also in the Sheriff Custody a Prisoner several Years and still remaineth there upon the Account of Tythes And now his Body being removed from off the Earth and his Bed made in the Dust his Life shall Reign in Dominion over the Hearts of his Adversaries And by Death he having Overcome and gotten Victory over them all through Christ who hath strengthened him and having thus Suffered for him shall undoubtedly Reign with him in that Glory at the Right Hand of God where with the Son was Glorified with the Father from the Beginning where the Destroying Persecuting Spirit shall never come And his Testimony to the Truth against Tythes he having thus suffered in Prison till Death for it hath as it were in some sence sealed it with his Blood and it shall stand as a Memorial and standing Testimony recorded to Ages and Generations to come against and over all the Heads of such Persecuting Priests Impropriators and Tythemongers whatsoever who endeavour to make void the Law of Christ and the Gospel of Christ and who walk contrary to him and are not found treading in his Foot-steps nor in the Foot-steps of the Flock viz. his Disciples and the Primitive Christians who received not Tythes neither Sued any man at the Law nor cast any in Prison for the not Payment thereof But otherwise their Lord and Master Christ commanded them saying As ye go Preach saying the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand c. Mat. 3.2 Freely ye have received freely give freely minister of the Ability God hath given to you whether things Spiritual or Temporal as also saith the Apostle And further saith Christ Into whatsoever City Town or House ye come inquire who is Worthy and if they receive you well let your Peace then rest upon it and in the same House remain eating and drinking such things as they give for the Labourer is worthy of his Hire Go not from House to House But if they receive you not What then Shake off the Dust of your Shoes that cleaveth to your Feet as a Testimony against them and it shall be saith Christ more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment than for that City Luke 10.8 9 10 11 12. as more largely in the Scriptures may be read So all may see how contrary such are in Life and Conversation in Work and Practice to the Doctrine of Christ and to the practice of the Primitive Christians though they pretend themselves to be Christians who take and plunder away by a Law the Goods of innocent sober People and who cast in Prison their Bodies and many times detain them there till Death But certainly this will not serve their turn in the Day of Account when God shall Judge the secrets of all Hearts their Law then will not stand them by in any stead to appease or pacify the Anger and Wrath of God that will break forth upon such if they Repent not neither will it excuse them for their Cruelty in the sight of God no more than did that Law which the wicked Jews made use of to crucifie Christ by who thought they did well in putting him to Death cryed out and said We have a Law and by our Law he ought to dye Crucifie him Crucifie him let his Blood be upon us and upon our Children But some may say What Law had they A Law given by Moses the Servant of God Lev. 24.16 And he that blasphemeth the Name of the Lord shall surely be put to Death Now the chief Priests and Elders falsly accusing Christ said he was a Blasphemer Why Because said they he hath made himself the