id	author	title	date	pages	extension	mime	words	sentence	flesch	summary	cache	txt
A86670	Atkinson, Christopher.	The testimony of the everlasting gospel witnessed through sufferings.	1654.0		.xml	application/xml	3631	62	42	The cause of my coming I did declare before one of your Justices called , and was examined before him ; I told him it was to see a friend in the Castle , who was Prisoner there , and after I had been there with him was moved to go where their Minister of the Law , called , was sitting in a house neer the Castle , who said little unto me , because it was undenyable that a spoke , who own Justice , and reasoned with the people in the same room of the things of God , and so came and was passing out of the City a quarter of a mile , the Word of the Lord came to me , Thou must go back again , and witnesse forth my Name in their Market among the people , and at his command I was obedient , and went and declared forth that was given me to speak amongst them , which made the people astonished , and many did follow me as you call them , rude , in running to hear the Truth declared forth in the Market , as the Apostle of Christ , who reasoned in the Markets dayly , and went from City to City , preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom , and were persecuted from city to city , this is called disturbance now as it was then , and what peace did I break , going on declaring forth the Truth , which none could object against that heard it , and by your Officers called , as he said , he might know the ground why I spoke so , and shewed him I was commanded of the Lord , and being brought by him before one justice called , was examined , and could not find me by his Law a transgressor , and bade him carry me to the Maior , and he did so , and he did examine me upon the grounds of my faith , and of my outward means , where it was , and what quantity it was , and being not ashamed , declared my self at full to him of both , as it will further appear by an examination before the Rulers of this City , and so by the Maior , as aforesaid , am here in their bonds and imprisonments doth abide me in obedience to the commands of the same that Paul was guided , and so by the same generation of Rulers as was in those dayes am I here a sufferer , and to die , if I be called to it , for a testimony of a good conscience , and in the Market I cleared my conscience in witnessing forth the Truth , Christ Jesus the Light of the world , who hath enlightened every one that comes into the world , and cald people to repentance , and said the mighty day of the Lord was coming , let all flesh dread and fear before him , and bade them take heed to the Light of Christ in them , which shewed sin and evill in them , loving it theere was their teacher ; hating it there was their condemnation ; this was the Word of the Lord sent by me , which was no peace to earthly hearts and minds , but a sword , as Christ saith , and this was disturbance of the peace of the City of Norwich called , by the Rulers , who now am in their bonds for this declaring , let all judge what peace it is they live in , when the Word of the Lord disturbs them : And here let the Rulers of Norwich be witnesses against themselves , that they are of that generation that put our Lord Jesus Christ to death , by a law in their own wills , contrary to the will of God : and what would they have said of Christ , who had no habitation in the earth , no not so much as to lay his head , if they had been in his dayes ; by this Law he might have been persecuted and imprisoned , and him they doe persecute and imprison , in so much as they doe it unto the least of his , they doe it unto him , as it is made manifest ; and if they had been in the times of the Apostles , whose words they doe professe , would they not have persecuted them by this law , who said they had no certain dwelling place , 1 Cor. 4. 11. and the world was not worthy of them , and such doe they persecute now as are redeemed from the world , and by it suffer continually .	cache/A86670.xml	txt/A86670.txt
