id	author	title	date	pages	extension	mime	words	sentence	flesch	summary	cache	txt
A86672	Hubberthorn, Richard, 1628-1662.	A true testimony of obedience to the heavenly call, for which I suffer the loss of all things, that I may be found in obedience to him who hath called me.	1654		.xml	application/xml	3002	47	36	A Servant of the Lord , and a Prisoner for the Testimony of Jesus , whom he hath called by his grace to deny the world , and am made partaker of his sufferings , being in outward bonds ( by the deceit ) in West-Chester , and of his free-will hath given me not only to beleeve , but to suffer for his Name sake , who hath called me out of my own Country , and from my fathers house , and to go in obedience to his Command whithersoever he shall call me : while I was young I girded my self , and went whither I would , and then I yielded obedience to my own will and to the will of man , and was a man-pleaser , but the Will of God I knew not , neither was obedient to his Commands ; but when the Lord was pleased to reveal his Son in me , and make known his Will unto me , to enlighten me with his true Light which hath enlightened every one that cometh into the world , and by it let me see my self to be a strrnger to him , and knew him not , though I was grown mighty in the Egyptians wisdom , and was in love with the world , and in the favour of men , and in a profession and words of mans wisdom exceeded others , being in a form of godliness , but was ignorant of his Power and his Word ; but when his Power was made manifest , and his Word spoken within me , which Word was in my heart , and was as a fire or a hammer , and this Word being made manifest within me , and my Conscience being awakened by the light of God , which did convince me of sin , and did testifie against all my words and actions , and that just Judgments of God were revealed from Heaven against that nature I lived in , and the Trumpet of the Lord was sounded within me , and the Earth did tremble , and the vials of the wrath of the Almighty was poured down upon me , and the powers of the Earth were terribly shaken , the foundation of wisdom and earthly knowledg was shaken , and the Judgments of God were upon the outward man till my flesh was wasted off my bones , and the bones smote one against another , and I knew the Lord to be terrible , and his Word powerful , in burning up and hammering down the lustful nature I lived in , in pleasure and wantonness , in pride and fulness , which the Word of the Lord was declared against , and this Word I witness spoken from the Lords own Power within me , which made my flesh and bones to tremble exceedingly , and did cause pain in all my loyns , and paleness of face , my comliness was turned into corruption , and my joy into lamentation , and I was brought to the bed of sorrows , where I cryed out in the bitterness of my spirit , and I had no ease nor rest , day nor night , for the hearing of the ear which I did hear , and the sight of mine eyes which I did see ; I heard the sound of the Trumpet , the Alarum of War within me , terrors , wo , misery and destruction was upon me , in my trouble I cryed in the evening would God it were morning , and in the morning would God it were evening ; and the terrors of the Almighty being upon me , my Acquaintance and familiars stood afar off me , for they knew not the power of the Lord , nor the Judgments of my God , which I do witness to be revealed and made manifest in me ; and the Lord raised up in me a love to his Word , by which all the powers of the Earth did tremble , and the Earth it self was shaken by it , and by this Word was I called to go and declare it , as I had received it from the Lord ; to those who lived in the same heathenish nature , without the knowledge of God , and to declare the Judgments of God against sin and ungodliness , as they were made manifest in me : and by this Word was I called to forsake father and mother , lands and living to go in obedience to the Lord , who commanded me not to take thought what I should eat , or what I should drink , or wherewith I should be cloathed ; but cast my care upon him , and this I witness the Lords care , and those whom the Lord calls into his Work and who labor in his Vineyard need not to complain to the wold for want , and for yeilding obedience to the Lord and his Commands , and not giving obedience to the corrupt will of man : who commands me contrary to what the Lord hath commanded : do I suffer under the persecution of those who are set in the place of Rulers , and Magistrates professing themselves to be Ministers of the Law of England and to act Justice according to that Law , and do bear the names of Major Justices of peace , and Magistrates , and say they act according to the Law of the Nation and present Goverment , but they are seen to be in the generation of those who were ever persecutors of the righteous Seed , where ever it is brought forth : and the Servants of the Lord in all ages were ever persecuted by that generation , professing to be Ministers of Justice ; but that which is acted is cruelty persecution and Injustice , and the Righteous suffer , which the Law was not for ; but for the Lawless and disobedient , and was added because of transgression : The Righteous Law of God was made to be afflicted upon Transgressors and breakers of the Law ; but the unrighteous Law of men is afflicted upon the Righteous who walk blameless , and are proved no Transgressors : but in Obedience to the Lord , do witness a good conversation towards God and towards men , our consciences bearing us witness in the sight of God , and those who are Rulers of the City and rulers of the sinogogue under which I suffer imprisonment , Say , this is their law that if I will go home into my own country and to my fathers house , and stay there , and depart this City , I may be free upon this accompt , else I shall remain in prison , and this is contrary to the command of the Lord , for he hath commanded me out of my own country and from my fathers house , but my own country , dwelling and fathers house , the world knows not , that which I am called from they know the natural man knows that which is natural , and this is contrary to the law of the nation , for the law of the nation doth not confine any to stay at one place , nor to be kept from any one city , being proved no transgressor , nor breaker of the law , but I seek a countrey and a City whose builder and maker is God , and truly if I had been mindfull of the country I came forth ▪ and did love the pleasures , delights and flesh pots of Egyp● which I am called from I might have had opportunitie to have returned thither but in obedience to the Lord I had rather suffer affliction with the people of God , then enjoy the pleasures of Egypt , and you who say I have no lawfull calling , I doe witnesse the same Word of God the true prophets of the Lord was commanded by to declare against all sin and ungodlinesse , by the same Word doe I declare against it where I am commanded of the Lord and am called out of the same calling that they were , into the same work of the Lord which they were , and so I do witnesse the testimony of my bretheren the prophets that went before me , who hath left an example in record of suffering affliction and of patience , and we count them happie which endure . Amos was commanded not to prophecy any more in the Kings Chappel , Amos 7. 13. and the Apostles were imprisoned , beaten , scourged and persecuted from City to City , and straitly commanded to speak no more in that Name ; and for declaring this Word of the Lord did all the Prophets , Apostles , and holy men of God suffer ; and the Word of the Lord is the same now , and the Persecutors the same ; and those who are sent of the Lord now , and called out of their own Country , as they were then , to declare his Word against your sin and ungodliness which you live in , Magistrates , Priests and people , you call them wanderers and vagrant persons , who have no lawful Calling : What would you say by him who said , The Foxes have holes , and the birds of the ayre have nests , but the Son of man hath no where to lay his head , Luke 9. 58. and the Jews sayd , This fellow we know not from whence he is , Ioh. 9. 29.	cache/A86672.xml	txt/A86672.txt
