Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	aaron_n	altar_n	ask_v	12	3	8.0831	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87095	The first general epistle of St. John the Apostle, unfolded & applied. The second part, in thirty and seven lectures on the second chapter, from the third to the last verse. Delivered in St. Dionys. Back-Church, by Nath: Hardy minister of the gospel, and preacher to that parish.; First general epistle of St. John the Apostle. Part 2.	Hardy, Nathaniel, 1618-1670.	1659 (1659)	Wing H723; Thomason E981_1; ESTC R207731	535,986	795

must wee Christians bee withdrawn from our assent to and love of those truths wee have heard This is that which is expressed by those phrases of standing fast in the Faith like a Souldier which keepeth his ground of keeping the faith as a Commander keepeth a Castle and of holding fast by which three Greek words are translated and all of them very emphatieal hold fast that which thou hast saith Christ to the Angel of the Church of Philadelphia where the Greek Verbe is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that signifieth strength and intimateth holding fast with a strong hand by force or might as wee do one that would get away from us Hold fast that which is good is St. Pauls advice to the Thessalonians where the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which noteth a firm holding with both hands and is used of them that are violently held in Prison Holding fast the faithful word is St. Pauls word to Titus where the Greek Verbe is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by which the Seventy render the Hebrew Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and which according to its derivation signifieth to hold fast against opposers thus must wee by divine streugth so hold that which wee have heard as resolving not to let it go whatever befall us Nor is it without cause that our Apostle adviseth to this stedfast retaining of the Evangelical Doctrin if wee consider what danger they were and more or lessc Christians in all ages are of being deprived of it That which wee have in possession may bee taken from us three waies rapto furto dolo by manifest Theft by subtle fraud and by violent force by all these means do our spiritual enemies endeavour to bereave us of that which wee have heard 1 Very often the lusts of the flesh and the delights of the World steal away that which we have heard out of our hearts as the fowles of the Air plucked up the seed which fell by the High-way side Oh how many are so bewitched with carnal pleasures that they let go spiritual truths like the Dog who lost the flesh in his mouth by catching at the shadow of it in the water 2 Not seldome false Teachers by their fair pretences of divine Revelations sublime notions Gospel light endeavour to cheat us of that wee have heard from the beginning S. Pauls phrase is very apposite to this purpose where hee speaketh of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sleight of men tacitly comparing them to false gamesters who have devices by cogging a dye to deceive the unskilful nothing more usual than for Hereticks by subtle insinuations to be guile the unlearned and unstable of those pretious truths which they had before received 3 Sometimes the Devil stirreth up wicked Persecutors who set upon us with open violence to make us let go our hold of the Gospel and as Lactantius well Haec vera est constant●a ●t nullus terror à Deo possit avertere then doth that wee have heard abide in us when no terrors can divert us from it that is a truely Heroical spirit which will not bee dared out of his Religion which determineth to let go estate liberty nay life it self rather than that which it hath heard and embraced it was a brave resolve of the Spartan 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 either to bring back his buckler or to be brought back upon it such should bee a Christians resolution in point of Religion either to defend it or dye for it we know not what storms and Tempests may arise needful it is wee should be unmoved like the rocks in the midst of opposition But oh what cause is there of bemoaning the unsettledness of many in matters of Religion Pliny reports of a swimming Island which never appeareth in the same place one whole day together and Carystius of a flower that changeth colour three times in one day how fit emblemes are these of the Professors of this age who are ever and anon changing their Religion like the ship without an Anchor that is tossed to and fro in the Sea or like the chaff that is carried up and down with every blast let any one start up and broach some new doctrin under the mask of a glorious truth and how do the giddy multitude run after him forsaking those Orthodox Doctrines in which they were heretofore instructed What went you out for to see a Reed shaken with the wind too many such reeds may be seen every where in these Apostatizing days men as of barren lives so of fickle mindes unprofitable in their conversations and unstable in their judgements And especially if any thing of self-interest as to Profit or Honour or Pleasure come in competition Oh how easily are they removed from their former Profession no wonder if when danger approacheth and looketh them in the face their trembling hands let go their hold and they forgoe the truth In few words some are so foolish as to bee cheated more are so careless as to bee robbed the most are so cowardly as to bee frighted out of the truth which they have heard and professed Receive then a word of admonition to retain and maintain the ancient Catholick and Apostolick faith Indeed it is that which by way of Analogy may be pressed upon the Ministers of the Gospel Let that abide in them which they have taught from the beginning In the Law the shoulder of the Beast that was Sacrificed was the Priests and that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an embleme of strength The first Priests name Aaron signifieth a mountain of strength and the Altar was called Ariel The Lyon of the Lord by all which is intimated how valiant they should bee for the Truth who serve at the Altar and are the Priests of the most High God It is set down by the Apostle as one of the Characters of a Bishop holding fast the faithful Word for this the Angel of the Church of Philadelphia is highly commended and comforted Because thou hast kept the Word of my Patience and it is the Apostles charge to Timothy that good thing which is committed to thee keep Indeed the Evangelical Doctrine is a sacred depositum which Christ hath left with the Bishops and Pastours of the Church To us saith the Apostle is committed the Word of Reconciliation Oh let us not bee so unfaithful as to betray our trust But yet it is not onely the Ministers but all Christians who are concerned in this duty as that must abide with the Preachers which they have taught so that must abide with the People they which have heard from the beginning This was that which St. Paul and Barnabas perswaded the Jews and Religious Professors which followed them namely to continue in the grace of God for this end they returned to Lystra and Iconium and Antioch to confirm the soules of the Disciples exhorting them to continue in the faith It is sage Counsel of

the last Chapter of this Epistle plainly ascribeth this Office of bearing witness to the Spirit and yet it is no less true that these graces and qualifications do beare the same witness these two witnesses being the one subservient to the other whilst the spirit is the principall and these qualifications are the Spirits instrument in this work Whether there be an immediate Testimony given by the spirit to the Soul of a Believer assuring him o● his interest in Christ I will not now dispute That the spirit can thus testifie is not to be questioned and that at some times to some eminent Saints he hath been and may still be pleased to vouchsafe it will not be denied but doubtless the usuall way of the Spirits witnessing is by the grace of Sanctification imprinted on the heart and expressed in the life To this Testimony the Spirit concurreth especially two waies partly by implanting his graces in us in which respect they are called the fruits of the Spirit and partly by discovering them to us in which regard St Paul saith We have received the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things which are freely given us of God The truth is as we cannot have grace without the Spirits operation so neither can we discern it but by the Spirits irradiation and as the beauty of all colours is manifested by the light of the Sun so is the truth of all graces in the heart by the Spirits light By all which it appeareth that the Spirit is the chief in this work so that as if you ask how we know that we know Christ and are in him the answer is by keeping the Commandments and walking as Christ walked so if you ask how we are inabled to keep the Commandments and walk as Christ walked and how we are to know that we do thus walk and keep the Commandments the answer is by the Spirit To close up this with a double consectary 1. That assurance of an interest in Christ which many pretend to who walk contrary to him and his Precepts in their lives is not a Christian Knowledg but a vain confidence a carnall security a lying delusion and a damned presumption To all such therefore who hug sin in their Bosomes and yet suppose they are folded in Christs arms who sail with full speed to Hell and yet think to cast Anchor at Heaven Gates who live in Rebellion against and yet promise to themselves Salvation by Christ we say not rejoyce with trembling but tremble without rejoycing not work out your Salvation with fear but fear without any hope of Salvation in this condition And whereas such persons may perhaps plead an immediate Testimony of Gods spirit assuring them that they are in Christ we are bold to tell them it is an hissing of the old Serpent not a whispering of the good Spirit it is the voice of the Devill not of God Ah my Brethren we sometimes pity mad Persons whom we seelying in the straw clad in rags and yet heare them boasting themselves to be Kings and Queens Have we not as great nay far more reason to pitty our own madness in fancying to our selves we are in Christ washed by his Blood and made Kings and Priests to God when as we transgress his Laws and cast both his Precepts and Pattern behind our back Me thinketh when men who live in Adultery Fornication Covetousness Envy Rebellion or any work of the Flesh promise to themselves an interest in Christ their sins should presently look them in the face and tell them that they are none of Christs 2. It neerly concerneth us all to search our hearts and try our waies to enquire into the Obedience and Conformity of our Conversations that hereby we may know we are in Christ It is an excellent saying of St Bernard Quantum creseis in gratiam tantum dilataris in fiduciam according to the measure of our Obedience so is the measure of our Confidence if therefore we would strengthen the latter we must by due inquiry assure our selves of the former Ah my Brethren it is an easie matter for a man to say I know I am in Christ but it is no easie matter to say Hereby I know I am in him what is it for a man to brag that such and such Lands and Lordships are his unless he can shew his evidences These qualifications are the evidences of our title to Christ and what will it avail to lay a claime to Christ if we have not these to shew Oh then what need is there of a diligent search that we may find these qualifications in us and because in nihilo facilius periculosius erratur there is nothing wherein we may more easily and yet more dangerously be mistaken then in this enquiry Oh what need is there of a due care that there be no flaw in our evidence that our qualification be of a right stampe To this end Study carefully the directions of the word Pray fervently for the illumination of the Spirit consult not with flesh and blood hearken not to the suggestions of Satan but deal impartially with thy own Soul as knowing of how great concernment the right managing of this work is And now upon serious and deliberate search 1. On the one hand Canst thou not find these qualifications in thee Be not too hasty in passing a determinate sentence against thy self since though these graces be necessary effects yet they are no● necessary signs of Faith and therefore they may be in us and so we truly in Christ and yet not appear so as we to know either that they are in us or we in Christ Perhaps thou art at that time clouded with some violent passion assaulted with some virulent temptation under spirituall desertion and no wonder if in such a case thou be not able to see those graces which yet thou hast since though there be fire yet so long as it is hid in the Embers it cannot flame forth nor doth it appear to be there Besides the operating there must be as you have heard a discovering work of the spirit By the former Faith bringeth these graces forth as effects by the latter a Believer maketh use of them as signs and these two do not alwaies go together Indeed if thou manifestly find the contrary vices reigning in thee thou maist and oughtest to conclude thy self as yet to be without Christ but though thou canst not clearly apprehend the inbeing of these graces thou must not peremptorily conclude against thy being in Christ but rather hanging as it were between hope and fear wait and pray and search for further discovery 2. On the other hand dost thou find the truth of these qualifications in thee Bless thy God know thy bliss own thy priviledg and labour after greater measures of this apprehension since as he that only hopes he keepeth the Commandments can only hope that he knoweth Christ so he that knoweth and is

men deceive themselves Indeed the false Mother of the Childe would have it parted between them but the true Mother would have all or none The world is content to have a corner in thy heart but God will have thy whole heart The Arke and Dagon cannot stand together in one Temple and therefore when the Arke is brought in Dagon falls down no more can God and the world in one soule and therefore if we will set up God in the throne the world must be cast down nay out The Spouse in the Canticles is said to wound Christ with one eye Quia alterum non habebat because she had no other Christ calls upon us in the Gospell to cut off one foot one hand and to pluck out one eye the heart in all languages is a Monasyllable unum uni the one heart must be dedicated to the one God In the meat offering God required all the Frankincense and in the sacrifices all the fat to teach us that the intention of our minde and affection of our heart must be wholly carryed towards God Among the Pythagoreans the Duall number was infamous sure I am the double minded man is odious to God so odious that he threatneth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to cut him asunder a punishment very sutable to his fault like that which the King of the Albines inflicted on the King of the Romans when he caused him to be tied to two horses who by drawing contrary waies tore his body in two pieces 3. Lastly How just and necessary it is to cast the love of the world out of the hearts in order to the entertaining of the love of the Father Indeed as St Gregory and Leo have both well observed The reasonable soul cannot be all together without delight and void of love Aut infimis delectatur aut summis so the one Aut Dei amator est aut mundi so the other Our delight must either ascend or descend our love must either be set upon God or the world How impossible it is for these two to dwell together you have already heard so that either we must hate the one or love the other or hold to the one and despise the other as our Saviour tells us And now as Eliah said to the Israelites If the Lord be God follow him but if Baal be God follow him so let me beseech you If the Lord be God love him if the world love it If the world have as much excellency in it as God hath if the world have as much right to you as God hath if the world can do as much for you as God can and will then love it But alas whatever good is in the world is but a ray of that Sun a drop of that Fountaine derived from and infinitely inferiour to the goodness of God in which respect saith St Austin excellently Pulcher est mundus sed pulchrior à quo factus est mundus The world is beautifull surely then he that made it so is farre more beautifull Besides The world was made for us and therefore only to be used whereas God is our Creator Master Father and therefore to be feared and honoured and loved Methinketh the Father saith to us concerning the world as Saul to his Servants concerning David Will the Son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards will or can the world do that for you which I will do give you grace and glory felicity and immortality Nay let me adde a word more The world would infect and infest us instead of doing us good bring us into temptations and snares and tell me then whither the Father be not to be preferred in our estimation and affection before the world Infine that God should have our love we cannot but acknowledge most reasonable and therefore what remaineth but that every one of us take up firme resolutions of rejecting the world love both we cannot one we will God we ought and to that end we must leave the world that we may cleave to God No doubt the world is and will be a very earnest and importunate suiter to us for our love and too often she so far prevaileth that we consent but remember I beseech you our Father forbids the banes and shall we match against our Fathers consent nay let me tell you if we marry the world the Father will disclaime and disown us as none of his Children and therefore if we call on the Father let us renounce the world Believe it an ill match is better broken then carried on and so much the rather because whatever promise we make to the world it is a breach of the first vow we made to God in our Baptism and therefore to be disannulled as inconsistent with our former obligation To end all I cannot better press this then in St Austins language who calls these words Verba extirpantia words of extirpation if you finde a weed you grub it up that you may sow good corn so must we pluck up worldly that we plant Heavenly love Vas es saith that Father si plenum effunde quod habes effunde amorem saeculi ut implearis amore Dei Thy soul is a vessell if it be full as indeed whose is not empty it poure out the love of the world that thou maist be filled with the love of God which otherwise is impossible For if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St JOHN CHAP. 2. VERS 16 17. For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world And the world passeth away and the lust thereof but he that doth the will of God abideth forever A Naked command from God is a sufficient ground of obedience from man no doubt St Paul so accounted it and therefore exhorting the Thessalonians to abstaine from fornication useth this as a strong inducement for this is the will of God The truth is obedience is most ingenious when least discreet it being very reasonable that we should obey God without asking a reason of his Precept It was the praise of Caesars Souldiers Quod imperium potius quam consilium sequebantur that they executed their Generalls injunctions without inquiring into his consultations It is the Character of a good Christian to believe because God asserteth and obey because he requireth But see the condescention of our mercifull God who is pleased not only to command by his authority but teach by his grace so St Paul saith The grace of God teacheth us to deny worldly lusts not only to require but to intreat so St Peter Dearly beloved I beseech you abstain from fleshly lusts Finally Not only to prescribe but perswade and therefore as he enjoyneth a duty so he adjoyneth a Motive and that drawn from the necessity equity and utility of observing the

As to the place where the Messiah was to be born the Prophet Micah is express where hee saith But thou Bethlehem Ephratah though thou be little among the thousands of Judah yet out of thee shall hee come forth unto mee that is to bee ruler in Israel whose goings forth have been from of Old from Everlasting from which Scripture it is that the Pharisees gave their answer upon Herods inquiry concerning the place of his birth in which respect the Prophet and Evangelist are fitly reconciled while one calleth it the least and the other saith it is not the least to wit because of the greatness of the person born in it Now that Jesus was born in Bethlehem we have no meaner Testimony than that of an Angel in his message to the Shepheards To you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord nor would it be passed by the strangenesse of that providence which brought it about that hee should bee born there for whereas Joseph and Mary dwelt in Nazareth twenty miles distant from Bethlehem and it was far besides their thoughts to go to Bethelhem it so falleth out that in a peaceable time the present Emperour imposeth an universal Tax upon the Jews among others by which means every one is to go up to the City of their Tribe and so those of the house of David to Bethlehem the City of David this fell out to be the very time when the daies of Mary were accomplished that she should be delivered and this was done that the Prophecy should be fulfilled 3 The Tribe of which the Messiah should come was that of Judah and more particularly the house of David This is intimated by Jacob when hee foretelleth the comming of the Messiah under the name of Shiloh which some interpret his Son to wit Judah and in as much as this prediction is inserted in the benediction of Judah which can bee for no other reason but that the Messiah was to come of him More plain and particular is that Prophecy of Isaiah There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots where the Chaldee Paraphrase expresly testifieth by that rod to bee designed the Messiah who should spring forth of David who was a stem of Jesse yet more punctually doth this appear in that promise made to David by God of the fruit of thy loins will I set upon this Throne and again I will set up thy seed after thee which shall proceed out of thy bowels and I will establish his Kingdome for ever the former of which is expresly applied to the Messiah by S. Peter in reference to this it is that we read of the sure mercies of David yea by Jeremy and Hosea this name of David is applyed to the Messiah they shall serve or seek the Lord their God David their King which cannot bee meant litterally of David who fell asleep long before and therefore is mystically expounded of the Messiah who is called David because he was to come from his family This truth was so known among the Jews that when Jesus asked the Pharisees what think you of Christ whose Son is he they say to him The Son of David Now that our Lord sprang out of the Tribe of Judah is affirmed by the Author to the Hebrews to bee evident and he is said by St. Paul expresly to be of the seed of David remarkable to this purpose are his own words where hee saith I am the Root and the Ofspring of David to wit according to his two natures in respect of his God-head the Root and his Man-hood the Ofspring of David by which that Riddle is unfolded of his being both the Lord and the Son of David As for his Legal Father Joseph it is 〈…〉 by St. Matthew that hee was of Judahs Tribe and Jesus being born of Mary after her Espousals to Joseph is upon that account to bee reckoned of the tribe of Judah for if when the brother did raise the seed to his brother by marrying his widow the first-born was to succeed in the name of the dead brother and consequently reckoned as his Son well might Maries Son whom shee miraculously conceived by the Holy Ghost overshadowing bee reputed Josephs to whom shee was espoused and it being the custome of the Jews to derive the Genealogy from the Fathers in which respect it was a Proverb among them the mothers family is no family Jesus is justly asserted to bee of his Fathers Tribe though hee was not his natural but onely his Legal Father Though withall there is nothing rationally to contradict that Mary was of the house of David of the Tribe of Judah It is true Elizabeth who was of the house of Aaron the Tribe of Levi is called her Couzen but inasmuch as it was lawful for the Tribe of Levi having no possessions of their own to marry into any Tribe it may bee probably conceived that either some of the Virgin Maries Ancestors married a wife of Levies Tribe or some of Elizabeths Ancestors did marry a wife of Judahs Tribe and so either way there might bee an affinity between the Virgin Mary and Elizabeth Besides this that there is no convincing reason against it there are good arguments inferring it for since upon that particular occasion of Zelophehads daughters there was a Law enacted of every daughter marrying in her own Tribe which had an inheritance and if as Casaubon argueth the blessed Virgin were though in a mean condition yet heir to an estate it is very probable that shee was of Josephs own Tribe since hee hath the testimony of a just man and therefore one who would not violate so manifest a Law Adde to this that those words in St. Luke of the house of David may as well bee referred ●he Virgin espoused to Joseph as to Joseph and then it becommeth a positive assertion that Mary was of the house of David and yet once more if as Spanhemius strongly urgeth St. Lukes genealogy giveth us the linage of Mary it is without all doubt that both by Father and Mothers side Jesus was of the Tribe of Judah 4 The predictions concerning the Messiah assert that hee should bee born of a Virgin The Prophet Isaiah is express Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and though the Hebrew word may signify any young woman yet that there it should bee rendered Virgin even this consideration will evince because it is ushered in with a behold of admiration and it is intended as a sign for confirmation of Ahaz whereas it were no wonder and therefore not fit to bee a signe that a young woman should conceive and bear a Son Being then a Prophecy of a Son to bee brought forth by a virgin it is no other doubtlesse than the Messiah whose birth is there intended