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	like_a	rod_n	18	3	9.3138	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00753	Comfortable notes vpon the bookes of Exodus and Leuiticus, as before vpon Genesis Gathered and laid downe still in this plaine manner, for the good of them that cannot vse better helpes, and yet are carefull to read the Scriptures, and verie desirous to finde the comfort in them. By the Reuerend Father in God Geruase Babington ... With a table of the principall matters contained in this booke.	Babington, Gervase, 1550-1610.	1604 (1604)	STC 1088; ESTC S100580	531,878	712

it would be thought of though the persons of such Messengers may be thought contemptible yet he that sent them will beare no contempt in the end 6. But Pharaoh by this myracle was made nothing better Therefore euidently it appeareth that albeit signes and myracles be required of some men to satisfie an itching humour to sée newes and vnder a pretense that if they sawe such thinges they would beléeue yet indéede these meanes will not reforme them but euen more and more they become rebellious against the truth as héere was Pharaoh Wherefore the Lord doth not yéeld to the foolish fancies of men in this behalfe but answereth in the Gospel to such humours This adulterous and crooked generation seeketh a signe but none shall be giuen them more than the signe of Ionas the Prophet The consideration whereof should make vs wise and to cease from vaine spéeches as what signe shewe they what myracles worke they with such like And to kéepe in the knowne way To the Law and to the Testimonie that is to the written word of God extant among vs confessed and acknowledged by both sides and if our doctrine and perswasions be according to that then are they assuredly right then is there light in our doings and the Sunne of true vnderstanding shineth vpon vs. For the Word is truth the Word is olde and oldest a lanthorne a rule a guide a teacher not to be excepted against euer This way doth God choose and trie myracles by it if you remember in the 13. of Deut. not admitting of all the wonders in the world if they leade contrarie to this neither reiecting this though there be no daily wonders added to it since the doctrine being the same the signes and wonders alreadie done by Christ and his Apostles mentioned in the Scriptures abundantly serue But how doth Pharaoh shift of this great Signe séeing he is not disposed to yéeld to it surely if you marke it euen in the very same sort that some now a-daies doo who talking of Religion and séeming as if they were willing to be resolued when they heare a reason which they cannot answere in stéede of yéelding say were such and such heere they could answere you c. So playeth Pharaoh hee thinketh of his wise men and learned men whereof Egypt had store and though he cannot tell what to say himselfe to so manifest a Signe yet hee perswadeth himselfe they can and send for them hee will to sée what they can say rather than yéeld to the worke of God They being come as they were blinde themselues mingling with good learning vaine errors of Magicke incantation and inuocation of Spirits so in the iust Judgement of God they became instruments of blindnes vnto Pharaoh to holde him still in disobedience and hardnes of heart against the Lord and his true Messengers A thing worthie marking and due remembrance whilest wee liue to the end we may learne to affect truth better and to giue place to reason in our hearts and soules when it is laide before vs without pinning our selues to other mens sléeues who erring themselues in that which is sought though otherwise happily learned and to be liked can neuer doo any better Office to vs than these Enchaunters did to Pharaoh namely still and still with their iuglings make vs stiffe and stubborne against our God and against our good till we perish in Hell as Pharaoh did in the Red-sea S. Paule therefore rightly naming two of these Enchaunters compareth all false whisperers vnto them saying And as Iannes and Iambres withstoode Moses so doo these also resist the truth men of corrupt mindes reprobate concerning the faith But they shall preuaile no longer c. 7. But how did these Enchaunters kéepe Pharaoh in his blindnes The Text saith They did the like and so abated the credite of Aarons myracle Whereupon question is made whether in déede and truth they did the like or onely in shewe by deceauing the sight And answere is giuen by some that if we affirme God in anger Judgement towards Pharaoh to haue changed the rods also of the Enchaunters into true Serpents there is no absurditie but other much better like to say there was a deceauing of sight and whatsoeuer shew they made it was but false and phantasticall Non fuisse veros dracones sed sic apparuisse virtute Daemonis ex aeris transmutatione That they were not true Serpents but so onely seemed to be by the power of the Deuill changing the ayre This then especiallie is to be noted that false signes and wonders can be done by Sathan and his members God so permitting and therefore that wee stand fast in the truth which wee haue learned out of Gods Booke and trie myracles by truth not truth by myracles according to the Rule of God taught vs in his Word For were it neuer so strange and admirable a thing if the drift of it be to leade vs from truth to error the worke is naught the worker is a deceauer Antichrist saith the Apostle shall be powerfull in lying signes and wonders In regard of which Admonition S. Augustine said Contra mirabiliarios cautum me fecit Deus meus c. Against wonder-workers and myraclemongers my God hath made me warie fore-telling mee That in the latter dayes there should be such which if it were possible should deceiue the very Elect. The Schoolemen say héere Moses Aaron fecerunt miraculum Magi autem mirum non miraculum Moses and Aaron did a myracle but the Enchaunters did a meruaile no myracle meaning because what they did was counterfeit But I stand not vpon it It is further most worthie marking héere that Aaron his Rod deuoured their rods for thereby wee are notably taught the end of falshoode and error at the last Truth shall deuoure it in Gods good time for Magna est veritas praeualet Great is truth and preuaileth If you continue in my word saith our blessed Sauiour you shall knowe the truth and the truth shall make you free Yet Pharaoh could not sée but his heart was still hardened euen as in our times wee knowe the fearefull blindnes of some in the greatest light that may be giuen them A wise heart will note this earnestly and neither be moued to such obstinacie nor cease to feare the like iudgement if vnthankfully Gods fauour vouchsafed be passed ouer Much doth God for either man or place when hee graciouslie giueth good Teachers and where such Enchaunters as these are receaued and hearkened vnto what can follow but Pharaohs hard hart to eternall woe Beware beware whilest God giueth you time To day if you will heare his voice harden not your heart How knowe you what iudgement and wrath to morrowe day may bring vpon you Truth may be oppressed for a time God so pleasing either to punish or trie his people but finally suppressed it shall not be God being stronger than all his enemies

his word séeing it is so sure a way for mée to walke in Or why should any Teacher deliuer to me that which hée neuer receiued of God to be deliuered to his people If they craue obedience why should they bée angry that I pray to haue it shewed out of his word whom onely I must obey Hée hath prescribed a forme of seruing him that forme hée will accept and blesse with eternall peace all other formes hée will abhorre and punish Nadab and Abihu preach so vnto vs and all flesh They wish vs to take héed by their harme God is in other things full of patience but in this he is full of wrath and his authoritie to appoint his owne worship he will not indure it to be taken from him by any man Let Popish whisperers then make good out of Gods word Latine Prayers when we vnderstand no Latin Calling vpon Saints that heare vs not Flying from the sufficiencie of Christs Passion to our owne merits crossings and creepings with a thousand deuised toyes and we will obey them But if they cannot let them leaue vs to serue God according to his word that we may bée accepted 3 You may also well note it here that Nadab Abihu were two of Aarons eldest sonnes which after their father should in his place haue succéeded him yet there is no mercie with God to stay his iudgement when they will not be ruled by his word No prerogatiue therefore of any man shall saue him from wrath if hee thus offend but the eldest shall die aswell as a yonger the richest aswell as the poorer a great man or woman aswell as a small There is no regard with God of these things But the soule that serueth him according to his owne will reueiled in his VVord that is regarded and euer déere vnto him c. Build we not therefore vpon any titles and so swarue from the rule laid downe vnto vs. If so little a transgression cannot be qualified any way by any circumstance O what will bée their case one day that so many wayes stray from the Law of God and almost in no one iote of their worship haue any warrant Thinke with your self more of this matter and meditate further of it at your times 4 Then Moses said vnto Aaron This is that the Lord spake saying I will be sanctified in them that come neere mee and before all the people I will be glorified You can conceiue what wo it was to Moses to sée this end of two of his brothers sonnes but he must stoope to God and so he doth telling Aaron the trueth of the fault and so consequently defending God that he did but iustly In déede saith he we must confesse that this is that we were told before how God will be sanctified in them that come neere vnto him that is how he will haue his Law obeyed and followed in his worship and not any way else how though he vse the Ministerie of man yet no man liuing must be wiser than Hee to swarue from the forme appointed and to follow his owne libertie but man must thinke it his wisedome to doe as God biddeth c. 5 But Aaron held his peace saith the Text that is was so astonished with the fearefulnes of it that he had no spéech but all amazed and shaken with the woe of it held his peace He howled not out with any vnsé●mly cries neither vttered any words of rage and impatiencie but méekly stooped to Gods will kissed his rodde and held his peace If thus Aaron in so great a iudgement how much more we when our friends dye naturally swéetly and comfortably so that we may boldly say Nō amisimus sedpraemisimus VVe haue not lost them but sent them before vs whether we our selues hope to follow Lay to this heauie harted father yet silent and patient the example of olde father Elye the Priest to whom when Samuel had related such fearefull things quietly he answered It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good The example also of Dauid who in his distresse very bitter and heauie yet notably said Let the Lord doe to me as seemeth good in his eyes These are most excellent Paterns for vs to follow in all our crosses and griefes not forgetting that golden Saying of Iob Wee haue taken good things at Gods hands and shall we not take euill O yes yes The Lord giueth and the Lord taketh and euer euer blessed be his Name for all The fish groweth greater in salt waters and the Lord for his mercie make our Faith Pacience and Comfort in him great in the saltest and bitterest waters of this world Amen 6 Obserue here againe with your selfe the strange and admirable change of these worldly matters in the turne as we say of a hand For but Yesterday as it were Aaron and these sonnes of his had a famous and glorious consecration into the greatest and highest dignitie vpon earth nothing vnder the Sunne being more glorious than that Priest-hood in those dayes And how may you thinke his heart reioyced to sée not onely himselfe but his children which Parents often loue more than themselues so blessed and honoured But O change now sudden and fearefull O fickle fading comfort that man taketh hold of in this world whatsoeuer it be if wordly These sonnes so lately exalted and honoured to their old Fathers swéet and great ioy now lye destroyed before his face to his extréeme and twitching torment And how Not by any ordinarie and accustomed death but by fire from Heauen a sore and dreadfull iudgement For what also Euen for breach of commaunded dutie by the Lord all which doubled and trebled the fathers sorrow As it did in Dauid when his sonne Absolon died not an vsual death and in rebellion and disebedience against his king and Father You remember his passion then vttered O my sonne Absolon my sonne my sonne Absolon would God I had died for thee O Absolon my sonne my sonne He considered the cause wherein he dyed the manner how he dyed to a father so kinde as Dauid was both of them full of woe and sorrow Let neuer therefore any prosperitie in this world puffe vs for wée little know what to morrow-day may bring with it The glasse that glistereth most is soonest broken the rankest corne is soonest layd and the fullest bough with pleasant fruite is soonest slit hauing more eyes vpon it moe stones cast at it than all the other boughs of the trée Pleasant wine maketh wise men fooles and fooles often starke mad Thousands fall at the left hand but tenne thousand at the right Multos frāgit aduersitas sed plures extollit prosperitas Many saith Saint Bernard are crushed with aduersitie but more are puffed vp by prosperitie Lacertus Milonem perdidit ambitio Caesarem Nimis alter Naturae nimis alter Fortunae credidit Milo his strong arme ouerthrew him and Caesar his ambition The one