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	awaken_v	error_n	12	3	7.0756	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75800	The spirituall use of an orchard, or garden of fruit-trees. Set forth in divers similitudes betweene naturall and spirituall fruit-trees, in their natures, and ordering, according to Scripture and experience. The second impression; with the addition of many similitudes. By Ra: Austen, author of the first part. By Ra: Austen, author of the first part.	Austen, Ralph, d. 1676.	1657 (1657)	Wing A4236; Thomason E915_8; ESTC R208885	172,355	230

by speciall manifestations of his love and goodnesse there more than in other places When God purposed to make the Land of Canaan his dwelling place he cast out the inhabitants of the Land and planted his own people and his worship there as we see at large in the History This Moses foretold Exod. 15.17 Thou shalt bring them in and plant them in the mountaine of thine inheritance in the place O Lord which thou hast made for thee to dwell in and Exod 29.45 I will dwell amongst the children of Issrael and will be their God When God had Mercy on Israel after a long time of trouble and desolation and comes to dwell among them againe then he brings downe and casts out their enemies and oppressors and gives his owne people authority and power over them as we see Esay 14.2 They shall take them Captives whose Captives they were and they shall rule over their oppressors It is God that putteth down one and setteth up another Psal 75.7 I the Lord have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree have dryed up the green tree and made the dry tree to flourish I the Lord have spoken it and have done it Ezek. 17.20 when God roots up or cuts down high green flourishing trees but barren of good fruits and plants choice trees in their stead though low and despised in the eyes of the world this is that he may dwell among them and walke among them 2 Cor. 6.16 he sets his Tabernacle there Levit. 23.12 and takes pleasure in them Ps 149 4. for the Lord hath chosen Zion he hath desired it for his habitation and saith This is my rest for ever here will I dwel for I have a delight therein Ps 132.13 14. Vse 1 This being so that when God beginnes to reforme a Nation or place it s a signe he intends to dwell there this is a ground of great consolation to the people of God in England and other parts where God hath begun his great worke of Reformation notwithstanding many things are yet amisse but especially to some particular places * Universities and some other places where more remarkable evidences of his presence are manifest in removing fruitlesse unprofitable Trees and planting in their stead many fruitful trees not only in a private capacity but also in a Publique many godly Magistrates for the execution of Justice and taking part with those that fear God in stead of curbing and discouraging of them in well doing And also in respect of many faithfull ministers of the Gospell who preach Jesus Christ and declare the glorious mysteries of the Gospell in stead of blockish ignorance or els doubing with untempered morter Though all are not thus through the Nation yet it may be so said of many more now than in former times Are not such as are put in Authority and Power in the Nation of the best men is not the Magistracy of the Land of choice Persons such as are most fit and capable of the godly party at least it is the endeavour of those in supream power that it may be so And as for the Ministry of the Nation though it have beene in the generall very corrupt is so st ll in many place yet hath there not been in this a great reformation of late yeares which is still going on among us And as the Magistracy and Ministry of the Land are much changed and reformed so also are * By whom God hath wrought of late yeares even wonders in these three Nations Not to be paraleld in any Histories of former ages unlesse by the Wars of Canaan God hath eminently most remarkably appeared for us and that in a course scries of his providences not only in the sight of his people but even the enemies themselves being Judges Military men heretofore in corrupt times the souldiery were of the worst of men the most notorious desperatly wicked men under the sun whereas now they are of the best men fearing God very many of them not only Commanders and Officers but also common souldiers have been and are men of saith prayer as well as courage such as the good souldier the Centurion was mentioned Matt 8.5 whom Christ himself commended and as Cornelius another Centurion of a band of whom it is said that he was a devout man and one that feared God with all his house Act. 10.2 And as the Magistracy Ministry Souldiery are very much reformed good men amongst them all are set up encouraged and evill men removed discouraged so also persons fearing God of all rank● and conditions are countenanced by the Authority of the Nation having liberty freedome in the worke of the Lord whereby the Gospell the kingdome of Christ is enlarged notwithstanding all opposition or any thing that is yet amisse among us Are not all these things evidences of Gods presence among us that he is a coming neerer to us that the husbandman intends to dwell and delight himselfe in his Garden where he is thus at worke so remarkably Rejoice therefore and let all the Trees of the field clap their hands for in stead of the Thorne is come up the firetree and in stead of the Brier is come up the Mirtle tree Esay 55.12.13 Solomon saies When the righteous are in Authority the people rejoice Prov. 29.2 Certainly such as feare God do so And this by the way may serve for a tryall and touchstone of mens spirituall estates whether they are in the flesh or in the spirit Ob. But it may be Objected Do we not see rather signes of Gods departure from us than of his coming neerer to us for do we not see Errors Heresies and Blasphemies abound among us divisions and contentions in every place It is answered Answ do we not also see the Truths of the Gospell more fully and generally manifested and known than they have been formerly the Kingdome of Christ is enlarged and growes daily There are more Professors of Religion in these daies than in former times Not only Professors in Hypocrisy but also in truth and sincerity And as Errors and Heresies are more awakened so also are the Truths of God more cleared and its certaine Truth will at length prevaile silence Error Truth will suppresse Errors devoure them as Aarons Rod did the Rods of the Magicians of Egypt Exo. 7.12 And as for divisions and contentions among us let none think Vse 2 that strange for where Christ comes to take possession of a Nation or City or Family where he was not before there will certainly be divisions Matth. 10.34.35 Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth I came not to send peace but a sword For I am come to set a man at variance against his father and the daughter against her Mother and the daughter in law against her mother in law c. Flesh and spirit even in and amongst the people of God will oppose

are all the Treasures of wisdome and knowledge Col. 2.3 being filled with all the fulnesse of God out of which he fills his people who receive of him grace for grace and are changed from glory to glory by his spirit 1 Cor. 3.18 These are workmen that neede not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth 1 Tim. 2.15 Object If it be objected If Ministers of the Gospell have but little humane learning how will they stand themselves and be able to maintaine the Truths of God against Learned hereticks and enemies of Christ Answ It is answered Regenerate persons in whom Christ dwels stand upon surer grounds and are more safe from (a) It is true the best of Gods people Ministers of the Gospell and others are subiect to some errors in Judgement as they are subiect to some sinnes and infirmities in their conversations But yet that promise Joh. 16.13 shall be fulfilled That the spirit of God shall lead his people into all necessary thruths damnable Heresies though they have but little humane Learning and but weake parts then the most learned carnall person in the world because they stand by the Power of God the other by a humane power Christ hath undertaken to keepe them none are able to pluck them out of his hand the gates the powers of hell shall not prevaile against them it is not possible any should deceive the Elect Mat. 24.24 And though they cannot perhaps maintaine an Argument in a scholasticall way yet they can maintaine it in a better way that is according to scripture the word of God which dwels in them plenteously in all wisdome thereby they have confuted and so shall hereafter their adversaries Out of the mouths of Babes and sucklings that is men of despised parts with the carnall world God hath ordained strength even to the stilling and silencing of the Enemy Ps 8.2 Hath not God said this againe and againe in severall expressions why will not men even some of Gods owne people believe it but bring a disparagement upon the wisdome of Christ and upon his people by their contradictions that so they may set up secretly some thing of their owne see what the Apostle Paul saies to this purpose and beware of holding the truth in unrighteousnesse 1 Cor. 27.28 God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and the weake things of the world to confound the mighty things and vile things and things that are dispised hath God chosen and things which art not to bring to nought things that are Though the carnall wisdome of men accompts the Prayers discourses Arguments Gifts and attainments of the saints and all their waies to be foolish weake vile vaine c. yet even by these the power and spirit of Christ being in them God will confound and bring to nought their High things their great things and break downe all their strong holds for the foolishnesse of God as men count foolishnesse is wiser then men and the weaknesse of God is stronger then men 1 Cor. 1.25 It is certainely the wisdome of the flesh and not that which is from above to conceive that none but men bred up in Vniversities are fit to preach the Gospell of Christ For the word and spirit are able not only to make men wise unto salvation but also to make the man of God Regenerate men absolute and throughly furnished unto this and everie good worke 2 Tim. 3.15 16 17. els how are the words of the Apostle true These things being so then Governours and Tutours in every Vse 4 society where this great worke is intended should make it their maine businesse to instruct the youth in the things of the Kingdome of God and to be instrumentall for their Ingrafting into Iesus Christ without which they can never be fit nor able Ministers of the New Testament though they have the highest attainements in Learning and parts that the nature of man is capable of There is great care taken to enlarge the faculties and to gaine spirituall Gifts and parts common as well to the Reprobate as the Elect by study and exercises and all meanes possible whereas the truth is the attainement of these without a Principle of grace together with them does but make men more blind in spirituall things and makes the boults and barrs of corruption the stronger to shut out Iesus Christ As it was with the learned but carnall Graecians to whom Christ and the things of Christ were foolishnesse so it is with learned unregenerate men in all ages Therefore this is that unum necessarium that one necessary thing a Principle of grace without which all humane learning and parts are but as an empty sound and to be accompted as all things else but as dung and drosse to the saving Experimentall knowledge of Christ this men will readily acknowledg in the Notion and common apprehension Vse 5 O but why is the Practicall Iudgment so contradictory Notwithstanding what hath been said let none that are godly take occasion hereby to entertaine too high conceipts of themselves and of their abilities to teach and instruct others in the things of God upon this ground because they are regenerate and have the spirit and upon that accompt be so ignorantly confident of their abilities as to despise or neglect any meanes for their growth and increase in all gifts and graces as conceiving they have all knowledg immediately upon their interest in Christ which yet it may be is very weake and little let us take heed of thinking more highly of our selves then we ought to thinke but to thinke soberly according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of Gifts and graces and let us labour to improve our Talents great or small more or few and to lay them out for the best advantage both of our Master of ourselves and others Even to the glory of God and profit and edification of one another Neither ought men from what hath beene said to take occasion to despise or undervalue humane Learning and parts which are of singular use in the Church of God when sanctified and joyned with grace and holinesse There are very many instances not onely in former ages but also in this present generation of Ministers of the Gospell and others Men eminent in humane Learning and parts and in grace also who have beene and are great and speciall Instruments imployed by God for the destruction of Antichrist and the enlargement and building up of the Church of God The five and thirtieth Observation in Nature THe husbandman Grafts all the wild Plants that he brings into his Orchard None but engrafted Trees must grow there None must be Pruned and Ordered but they must also certainely be engrafted being wild and naught by nature he engrafts them with some good and choice fruits otherwise they will beare sower bitter and unpleasant fruits This is another Similitude of the state of spirituall fruit-trees whence we learne That none

each other there will be divisions amongst God own people upon this accompt they seeing but in part and with different degrees of light as well as between them and carnall persons Where the spirit of God in any of his people strikes at the Corruptions of others in any respect where their Names interests and concernments are toucht this occasions divisions and contentions All which God will by his wisdome power and goodnesse over rule and order for the good of his people making them to sift and try things more throughly that so thereby both truth and Error may be more manifest Also many things which some godly men have heretofore caled Errors they afterwards upon examination and a more full discovery of them imbraced for Truths and many ●hings which good men in former ages never saw not understood are now made manifest and evident to be the Truths of God the Spirit of God in these Gospell daies being according to his promise powred out more abundantly light is more cleare than heretofore and consequently things hid in darknesse mysteries of the Gospell are more discovered Though the day as yet as to many things is not cleare nor dark but it shall come to passe that at evening it shall be light Zech. 14.6 7. And the light of the Moon shall be as the light of the sunne and the light of the sun shall be seaven fold Esay 30.26 And further In answere to the former Objection Though some among us have feares and doubts of Gods departure from us yet if they do but consider all things well weighing one thing against another and looke upon them with a spirituall eye not dimmed with selfish worldly interests they shall then see many more and more evident tokens of Gods drawing neerer to us in these Nations and of his abiding with us than of his departing from us which ought to be observed and thankfully acknowledged by all as it is by many of his choicest servants For certainly were there the contrary to what we see and have of late yeares seene among us then we should and we might indeed accompt them fatall signes of Gods departing from us should we see wicked men governe and have the supream power in those Nations to be chosen and Commissionated in all the great affaires and concernments among the peoples should we see the people of God discountenanced curbed and restrained in every place and the wicked encouraged and upheld should we see the choicest ministers of the Gospell and the most eminent holy men of all ranks imprisoned and persecuted by all the powers of the Nation as they have been heretofore should we see and behold all the dispensations of God towards us to be a weakning the hands of his people and giving strength and rule into the hands of evill men then indeed we might have cause to feare that God had surely a great controversy with us and a departing from us but now while we behold the contrary to all these things why may we not conclude and expect the contrary We should make such a conclusion as Manoahs wife did when she had seene and observed many evidences of Gods favour towards her her husband and her selfe when he who should have taught her had groundlesse feares Judges 13.23 If the Lord would have destroyed us he would not have done all these things for us So though we are indeed a sinfull people worthy to be destroyed yet God having given us so many so great and so wonderfull evidences of his grace and favour and of his comming to dwell among us we ought to observe them and thankfully to acknowledge them with a full confidence that God will abide with us and no more depart from us There is a time and that at hand when the Church of God shall be so free from the power of Antichrist as never to be any more subject to him God will make his Church an eternall excellency and the daies of her mourning shall be ended Esay 60.15 20. and Esay 62 4. According to the Prophesy in Dan. 7.22 The time came that the Saints possessed the Kingdome and Rev. 5.10 We shall raign on the earth God hath begun to fulfill this word which shall go on to the ends of the earth his Name is ingaged in it and he will do great things for his people though they are unworthy yet for his own great Names sake The two Witnesses being now arising as it is the Judgment of many pretious Saints that they are the Church will be more and more glorious notwithstanding all opposition Seeing it is a signe that God is comming neerer to us and that he will dwell among us when he supplants carnall men and carnall things and sets his owne people and worship in their stead then Vse 2 those whom God hath set and planted in the rooms of others in highest places for the government of the Nations in the Vniversities and all the Land over these persons have a speciall Obligation upon them to bring forth better fruits than their Predecessors upon severall accompts first that the Husbandman who planted them may have the honour of his worke Secondly for their own sakes and those with whom they lives for in case they bring forth as bad fruits as those trees in whose roome they grow it will provoke God against them but when God likes of and delights in the fruits of his people he will then continue his presence with them which is their life happinesse and glory he will then delight to walke in his garden and eat his pleasant fruits Cant. 4.16 and say this is my resting place here will I dwell for I have a delight therein Psal 132.13.14 The sixtie seventh Observation in Nature THe ground of some Orchards is not levell but shelving or declining so that some part of the ground is higher than the rest and accordingly some of the trees grow upon higher ground than some others Now tht husbandman values not the fruit-trees at all the more for thar scituation he esteemes not those on the highest ground more than those on the lowest ground but he priseth his Trees according to their fruits His care for his trees on the lowest ground is as much and sometimes more as for those on the higher ground Proposition shadowed This shadowes out unto us That The free love and care of God is as much towards his people in the meanest outward condition as towards those who are most eminent in the world The great Mysticall husbandman hath a large Orchard he plants his Fruit-trees where he pleaseth over all the parts of the world and some of them are planted on high and some on low grounds which he valueth not according to their Eminency or meanesse that with him is not considerable but according to the truth and sincerity of their hearts according to their fruits Poore Lazarus and rich Abraham are both cared for and beloved of God one as well as the other The poore