Selected quad for the lemma: father_n
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A51587
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A testimony against periwigs and periwig making, and playing on instruments of musick among Christians or any other in the days of the gospel being several reasons against those things / by one who for good conscience sake hath denyed and forsaken them, John Mulliner.
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Mulliner, John.
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1677
(1677)
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Wing M3059; ESTC R31060
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19,265
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24
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I never met with a better Friend in all my Life then the Spirit of God for it never crosseth that which is according to God's Will but if God's Will be not done this Spirit brings Pain and Trouble upon the Soul if it be minded So I would desire any ingenuous sober Reader without Prejudice to judge if it had been their own Case whether they would not have left off this Employment of Periwig-making rather then to have went on with so much Condemnation in themselves and these be the Reasons and Occasions why I left them off And now you my loving Neighbours and Acquaintance I would not have you think that how I have denyed my self and took up this Cross as to come among his poor scorned People and left off my Musick which was a great Delight to me and likewise this Employment of Periwig-making which I have told you was so hard for me to part with that now I think my self safe enough No God is my witness this day from whom I have my Breath Being I have as much need of keeping my Mind staid upon God as ever I had in all my dayes And whatever I have done it is no more but my Duty to God to answer his Requirings in my Conscience and here I lie still upon the Free Mercies of God through his Grace in his Son Christ Jesus my Saviour to be saved and I care not what I go through for Christ's sake And here I find a Pressing forward to the Mark of the Price of the high Calling which is in Christ Jesus And at the end I do not question as I keep faithful to God I shall obtain the Salvation of my Soul and that is enough And whereas there is most dreadful speeches cast against this poor scorned and scoffed People of God who are called Quakers as if they had their very Principle from the darkest Hell and some have told me They come from the Jesuits and Papists and very haâ—dly people have spoken concering them But truly Neighbours and Acquaintance I would intreat you to let me speak in this matter and I hope I have not behaved my self so badly amongst you for almost this twenty years but I may have a little Câ—edit for what I say So long as I have come amongst them which I think is 13 or 14 years I never understood any such thing but the very main Aim that they have and do drive at is to have People be faithful to God in what they know in themselves and this is that plain down right way they have drove at and do and God hath prospered them and will do let all those that are Opposers of this Principle of God do what they can They can as well stop the Sun from shining the Rain from falling as hinder this spiritual work from prospering in the Hearts of his People for it is beyond the strength of man to hinder it They were not set up by man nor can man pull them down And as for the Jesuits and Papists I know not what they are as to their Principles neither indeed do I desire to know but those that are not as they should be I desire the Lord may make them so But as to my own part I will tell you what my Faith is and what I do believe call me what you please nor I never desired to believe otherwise That is I do believe in God who is the Father Almighty Maker of Heaven Earth and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord who was conceived by the holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary and that he did suffer under Pontius Pilate and the third day he rose again from the dead and sits at the Right Hand of God his Father who shall judge both the quick and the dead and I do believe that God hath a Church where there is the Communion of Saints in his Spirit and Power and I do believe The Forgiveness of Sins the Resurrection of the Body and Everlasting Life according to the Testimony recorded in the holy Scriptures but indeed I do not believe thar at your publick Places of Worship that this is the Church of God nor your Assemblies are the Communion of Saints for it is not the Saints Life to live in Cursing and Swearing in Pride and Drunkenness in Envy and Malice Hatred and Covetousness c. but in the Spirit of Truth which leads into all Truth But alas what of all these Evils is there not committed in this age amongst those that do assemble themselves together in your Publick Assemblies where there is so many Prayers of Good Lord deliver us from them which I say I am a witness for God he stands ready to deliver you if you will come to him But you will not come to him that you may have Life John 5.39 And again the Saints do not believe that Christ Jesus the Son of the living God did pray to his Father to put his poor Creatures upon those things which were impossible to be done for when he wished his Disciples to pray he said to them Pray thus Our Father which art in Heaven hallowed be thy Name thy Kingdom com thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven and so forth Now some among you say God's Will cannot be done here we must live in sin so long as we live There is no Freedom from sin on this side the Grave no Peace with God to be known here Oh! what a damnable Doctrine is this if men would but plead for God's Kingdom as they do for the Devil 's and would but believe that God was as able through the Light and Life of his Son Christ Jesus Rom. 5.10 For if when we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the Death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his Life To save them from their sins as the Devil was to keep them in their sins we should have brave living and yet all will say God is above the Devil For the Lord sake Neighbours and Acquaintance consider these things for God is my witness this day I plead not with you for your silver nor your gold nor for any thing that you have in this world but beseech you to be reconciled to the Principle of God in your Conscience And how many Scriptures is there to perswade you to a Holy Life as Without Holiness none shall see God Heb. 12.10 For they verily for a few dayes chastened us after their own Pleasure but he for our Profit that we might be Partakers of his Holiness Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven John 3.3 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not But he that is begotten of God keepeth himself and that Wicked one toucheth him not Be ye therefore Perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is Perfect Mat 5.18 And many more Places to this purpose and yet you say the Scripture must be
your rule see how contrary you walk to it and say it is impossible to be done and Christ he said Mat. 7.14 Because strait is the Gate and narrow is the Way which leadeth unto Life and few there be that find it The Saints they were persecuted and imprisoned and Christ said For if they do these things in a green Tree what shall be done in the dry Luke 23.31 If they persecuted me they will persecute you also if they regarded not my Sayings they will not regard yours I pray you do but look back which look more like Saints those as assemble themselves together in your Assemblies or these whom Christ spake of who are persecuted for Righteousness sake and truly I look upon these to be Real Saints and had rather take my Portion among such in this day if it be in Persecution then to enjoy the Pleasures of sin for a season And when I came amongst this People at first what a strangeness did it Cause amongst my very Relations and Acquaintance insomuch that my nearest Relations were stirred up in Envâ—â—nd Bitterness against me some signifying as if I had not been fit to live upon the Earth and the Lord knows I had no other Desire in my Heart but to do that which my God-fathers God-mothers as they call them promised I should do as is the Custom now adays which People talk of but if they come to do it they rise up as an Army against them Father against the Son and Daughter against the Mother and All Evil-doers against Christ's Appearances spiritually so that in effect they say They will not have this man to rule over us and whoever he be that is a true spiritual Traveller will find these things to be true And that was That I should forsake the Devil and all his works the vain Pomps and Vanities of this wicked world the sinful lusts of the flesh and so forth but as long as I could talk of these things and not do them no notice was took of me as to be offended with me but when I came to do these things what a do was here and whath strangeness did it beget amomgst my very familiar Acquaintance And God is my witness at this time it is the very end of my Travel in Spirit To make my Peace with God when my dayes are at an end And now Neighbours and Acquaintâ—â—â—â— I being one that have had hard speeches cast upon me by some of you I thought I could not be clear in the sight of God and man till I had acquainted you how it was with me from a Child to this day which I hope will give no occasion of Offence to any but could heartily wish that you may not be alwayes Professors but Possessors of that Life which is beyond all the Profession in the world and that you may know the Lord's will to be done in your hearts as it is in Heaven and then you will pray as you should do and know what to pray for And truly my loving Neighbours and Acquaintance if it had been possible for you to have seen the inside of me I have told you the very Travel of my soul in these things and what I have here will I have had the Experience of and do not think it is a Whimsie or a Fancy and a Delusion to serve God it is your Concern as well as mine your souls lie in danger of Ruin as well as mine hath done and therefore for the Lord's sake consider these things which belong to your everlasting peace before they be hid from your Eyes for here is but a little while before your dayes be at an End and we shall see man no more and what is all this world worth then it is not all the words of earthly wisemen though called Teaches of this age or any man that can justifie you if God condemn you by his Light and Spirit in your own hearts theâ—efore for the Lord's sake think not that God will be mocked nor make not sleight of these things for such as you sow you must reap Your souls lie in danger of everlasting Misery anâ— it is an inward Reformation a new heart a riâ—ht spirit as God looks for of us all and it is the earnest Breathing of my soul you may seek after it as well as myself And now you my loving Neighbours and Acquaintance of this Town of Northampton where among you I have drawn my first breath how hath my heart been pained to behold the Ruins of this poor Town and I have and do from my very soul desire that this Affliction which God hath sent amongst us may be for the better and not for the worse And it is not long since there was another warning by Thunder Lightning and Hail-storm such that in all my daye I do not know I have heard or seen the like what Dread and Fear were the poor Inhabitants in at that time Oh that you would have kept your minds exercised as I do beleive some did and had some Sense of the Dread 〈◊〉 Fear of this Terrible God that can shake terribly the Earth 〈◊〉 make the Inhabitants fear bâ—fore him I say what Fear were they in at that time running up and down thinking that the Town had been fired by Reason of the Lightning that was at that time The Lord grant that you may be of that Principle or Religion as it hath been my desire from a Child to be of that Religion which would endure a Thunder-clap that is if God should have called me or you to Judgment at that very time we might be ready with Oyl in our Lamps and not Put it off to buy when the Bridgroom comes for blessed be God at that very time I do not speak it for any Praise among you God is my witness but as I felt it upon my Spirit at that very time I could sing for Joy in my Spirit when others were running up and down in Dread and Fear and for ever my soul shall trust in this God who is mighty to save and mighty to destroy God blessed forever And the very Inhabitants themselves could not but at that time confess that God had sent another Judgment amongst them in my hearing but yet for all this what blasPheming the Name of God is here and Drunkenness and all manner of Wickedness almost committed Envy Malice and Hatred and what not insomuch that some have told me several times that you think in your Conscience you are a great deal worse then you were before the Fire and why is it so with you for the Lord's sake consider what will become of you that go on in this resolute way God will not alwayes strive with you put not I beseech you this day of the Lord afar off but while it t s to day harden not your Hearts I would intreat you that you would look back for about this twenty years what have this poor scorned People of God called Quakers