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	call_v	power_n	21	3	3.8849	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65752	The troubles of Jerusalems restauration, or, The churches reformation represented in a sermon preached before the Right Honorable House of Lords, in the Abby Church Westminster, Novemb. 26, 1645 / by John White ...	White, John, 1575-1648.	1646 (1646)	Wing W1784; ESTC R186492	39,612	69

Observe Gods Church must be united into a well compacted body furnished with needfull helps both for safety and order That the building of cities aims both at safety and orderly government I conceive cannot be denied The first builder of a city left upon record was Cain as is supposed for his own security being cast out of Gods protection Gen. 4.14.17 And Solomon to expresse what confidence worldlings put in their riches tells us they account it their strong Citie Prov. 10.15 Implying that Cities are accounted places of great strength and security Secondly it is evident both by reason and experience that Bodies neerly compacted are more easily and better governed and kept in order then a people scattered and dispersed abroad Now that the Lord himselfe had these ends before him in uniting his Church into a body is cleare enough to those that will understand When hee plants his vineyard the House of Israel he means Isai 5.7 the first thing which hee doth is the fencing of it vers 2. And Cantic 4.12 The Church is therefore resembled by a Garden inclosed or barred as it is in the original that is strongly fortified to keep out all that might break in to spoyle or destroy This wall of the Churches defence is the power of the Magistrate for whom we are to pray that under him we may lead a peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty 1 Tim. 2.2 that is that being by his power preserved in peace we may serve the Lord without disturbance in holinesse the sword being put into the Magistrates hand for the terror of the wicked and for the praise of them that doe well Rom. 13.3.4 Wherefore the Lord promised that in the erecting of Christs Kingdome Princes shall be unto his Church a hiding place from the wind and a covert from the tempest Isa 32.2 so that none shall hurt or destroy in his holy mountain Isa 65.25 There is besides the Magistrates sword an inner wall Ecclesiasticall discipline by which the little Foxes as they are termed Cant. 2.15 are taken or kept out such as speak perverse things to draw Disciples after them of whom the Apostle gives the Elders of Ephesus a speciall charge to take care Acts 20.30 31. And commands Titus to proceed against them by Ecclesiasticall censure Admonition and Rejection Tit. 3.10 And by the same Discipline Christs Ordinances are preserved pure as the Temple was preserved from pollution by the Priests who were to teach the people the difference between the clean and unclean and to give judgement accordingly Ezek. 44.23 24. These are indeed the true Rails about the Lords Table to keep out Dogges and Swine as Christ terms them Matth. 7.6 from polluting and profaning holy things and these are Jerusalems walls The second thing that God will build in Jerusalem is her streets both for Order and Beauty If the body were a grosse lump as some say Bears whelps are when they are newly fallen not distinguished by parts and members it were both uncomly and unserviceable 1 Cor. 12.18 19 20. There must therefore be streets in Jerusalem distinction of Offices and Functions and distributions of the people into Tribes Cities and Daughters of Cities as the Scripture terms them Villages and particular Congregations without which there can be no orderly government as Jethro tels Moses Exod. 18.18 21. That resemblance of the Church to an Army terrible with Banners Cant. 6.4 may perhaps upon the by under the type of an Army consisting of severall Troops and Companies marshalled under their severall Standards and Banners and yet making up but the entire body of one Army shadow out these divisions of the Church into her several members making up together the body of one Church which by this unitie and order growes and increaseth not as Cities doe in outward wealth but in those durable Riches as Solomon terms them Prov. 8.18 of faith love and other spiritual graces as the Apostle testifies Eph. 4.16 and as experience made it manifest in the Church newly gathered in the Apostles time which having some time of rest and opportunity thereby to joyn in fellowship not only increased in numbers but besides thrived in grace being edified and walking in the feare of the Lord Acts 9.31 which was furthered by those Ordinances which they enjoyed in common called living waters streams from Lebanon Cant. 4.13 conveighing that oyle of grace which like the oyntment powred on Aarons head and running down to the hem of his garments Psalm 133.2 flowes from Christ our head full of grace and truth of whose fulnesse we all receive grace for grace John 1.14 16. These are the advantages that the Citie of God and Church hath by uniting into a well compacted body fenced with Civill and Ecclesiasticall power and in an orderly manner divided into streets or congregations according to Gods appointment Why God will have it so there may be given these reason First God is One and his Name One wherefore the Apostle setting out the unity of the Church in One Body one Spirit one Lord one Faith one Baptisme shuts up all in one God and Father of all Eph. 4 4 5 6. implying that this unity of the Church flowes from him who is One Whence also but Saviour prayes for the Church that the members thereof may be all one as he and the Father are one John 17.21 22. And indeed seeing the Church is united to Christ as the Head thereof it must needs be one Body Now from this spirituall union of the mysticall body of the Church ariseth a kinde of necessity of uniting the members of the Church visible as much as may be Secondly this unity of the Church and order thereby credits Religion It is a good and delightfull thing for brethren to dwel together in unity Psa 133.1 Unity begets Order which proceeds ab uno and diverts ad unum and Order follows Decency which moves the Apostle to joyn them together 1 Cor. 14.40 Both these Unity and Order thereby so grace and commend the Church that many are thereby moved to joyn unto that Society When the Church was magnified of the people many were joyned unto it Acts 5.13 14. A third reason of the necessity of the Churches unity and order is her preservation A Kingdome a Citie an House divided against it selfe cannot stand saith our Saviour Matth. 12.25 26. This care of the Churches preservation is the more needful because it is but a little Flock Luke 12.32 And which is more dangerous a flock of Sheep amongst Wolves Matth. 10.16 which moves Saint Paul to warn the Elders of Ephesus to look to themselves and their Flock because grievous wolves shall enter in amongst them after his departure Acts. 20.29 Vse The Use of this poynt being manifold that I may not hold you ever-long I shall for the present apply it onely by way of Exhortation to that duty in the performance whereof Gods honour and the Churches good are so much interessed wherein if wee

which shall devoure the adversaries Heb. 10.27 4. Lastly in the meane time this want of Faith in the promises leaves the heart of a man full of distractions and unquietnesse thereby so that one becomes uneven in all his wayes unsettled in all his thoughts raised up and cast down with contrary hopes and feares as the outward things of this life subject to continuall changes ebbe and flow from day to day whereof we have too many evidences in these times of trouble wherein men fall on and off as their vaine hopes and feares carry them on to one party or drive to the other to the shipwrack of their owne consciences and as much as in them lyes the betraying of the cause of Christ and of his Church and to their shame discovering to the world that they were never yet setled upon any firme foundation whereas one that hath built his Faith upon Gods promise is like a Ship moared by her anchors in a safe harbour from whence the ebbs and flouds of the sea cannot remove her 2. Vse Let me therefore earnestly beseech you right honourable and beloved by the mercies of God to labour above all things to strengthen Faith having such a firme foundation to build it on not cunningly devised fables as the Apostle cals them 2 Pet. 12.16 not the word of men who may deceive and be deceived but a faithfull word Tit. 1.29 A sure word 2. Pet. 1.29 The word of the God of truth who cannot lye a word more firme then the foundation of the earth setled for ever in heaven Psal 119.89 We have great reason to be earnest and serious in labouring with all our power to attain to this firmnesse of Faith not only because otherwise we despise this great mercy and compassion of God towards us in condescending to our weaknesse and abasing himselfe to be ingaged to us by his word his oath and his seales but more especially upon these sore weighty and important considerations 1. Of all other graces Faith is most necessary and usefull unto us every way 1. We thereby bring unto God the greatest glory by it setting to our seale that God is true Ioh. 3.33 As Abraham is said to give glory to God when he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in Faith Rom. 4.20 Indeed there is no more mentioned in that place but that he beleeved and thereby Sealed to the power of God being fully perswaded that he which had promised was able to doe it ver 21. But without beleeving his faithfulnesse and truth with all neither had hee any sound comfort nor God his due honour by beleeving wherefore it expresly testified of Sarah that she beleeved that he was faithfull that had promised Heb. 11.11 2. ly To us is Faith of such necessity that without it wee were dead spiritually it is that which unites us unto Christ the fountaine of life in whom we live as the Apostle testifieth of himself I live saith he yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by Faith of the Sonne of God Gal. 2.20 So that without Faith we are without Christ who is our life Col. 3.4 Again it is Faith that quickens all our endeavours and sweetens all our labours in Gods service knowing that in due season we shall reape if we faint not Gal 6.9 Thirdly it is Faith by which both our persons and services are accepted By Faith Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice then Cain by which he obtained witnesse that he was righteous Heb. 12.4 Fourthly it is Faith that holds up our spirits in afflictions I had fainted saith David unlesse I had beleeved to see the goodnesse of God in the land of the living Psal 27.13 Whence he professeth that Gods word the ground of our Faith was all the comfort which he had in his afflictions Psal 119.50 Fifthly Faith only enables us to withstand all terrours By Faith Moses his parents feared not the Kings commandement Heb. 11.23 And by the same power of Faith the three Children feared neither King Nebuchadnezzars angry countenance nor his threatning words nor his preparations of the flames of fire to torment them no not so farre as to take time to consider what to answer in so dangerous a case Dan. 3.17 Lastly it is Faith that supplies us with strong consolations Heb. 6.18 So that the Apostle tels us that being justified by Faith as we have peace with God so we not only bear tribulations patiently but in the midst of them rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God Rom. 5.3 Secondly as Faith of all Graces is most necessary and usefull so is it of all others the hardest to be obtained and that in divers respects For first there is nothing in Nature that can help us to the attaining of Faith Sense cannot help us for the objects of Faith are things that are not seene Heb. 11.1 That is things that are above Sense things that are in the nature of them spirituall 2. Cor. 4.18 Whereas Sense apprehends only things that are grosse and earthly and things whereof many have no present being but are in hope and expectation only Much lesse can Reason help Faith seeing that takes all her grounds from Sense Wherefore Abraham that he might waxe strong in Faith silenced Reason which would have furnished him with arguments against the promise of having a sonne by Sarah for the Apostle tels us that he considered not that is did not so much admit into debate reasons drawn from the deadnesse of his own body and of Sarah's wombe Rom. 4.19 No Sense and Reason are so farre from helping Faith that they are the most dangerous of all other meares to hinder it or overthrow it where it is When David judged by Sense of Gods wayes and dispensations which represented unto him the prosperous condition of the wicked and his owne afflictions every morning it so shooke his Faith that he had almost slipt and was upon the point of condemning his owne wayes and the state of the Godly too as himself acknowledgeth Psal 73.2.13.15 And when Sarah began by Reason to examine the promise of having a Child at 90. yeers old she was so farre from beleeving it that she laughed at it Gen. 18.11 And as long as Moses makes use of his reason to weigh Gods promise of feeding six hundred thousand men besides women and children with flesh in the Wildernesse for a moneth together we see how hardly he is brought to beleeve it Num. 11.21 22 23. It must therefore be concluded that seeing neither Sense nor Reason nor consequently any thing in Nature can bring any help to Faith nay rather are the strongest meanes to oppose and hinder it it must needs be a difficult worke as being both above and contrary to Nature to obtain it A second difficulty in obtaining Faith is the consideration of those great and wonderfull things which it apprehends and beleeves