Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	according_a	believe_v	faith_n	2,185	5	5.2251	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20398	A Most excellent and profitable dialogue, of the powerfull iustifying faith shewing what it is to beleeue in God, and what wonders are wrought by the power of beliefe, be it worldly or diuine, and what things do hinder beliefe : also how a man may hate himselfe, and by faith forsake himselfe, and kill the deeds of the flesh : the effect of the talke is this, that he which beleeueth in God, and in his son Iesus Christ, is able by the power of that beliefe, to mortifie his flesh, with the lusts thereof, through the Holy Ghost, and to serue God in spirit and truth / translated out of Latine by Arthur Golding.	Golding, Arthur, 1536-1606.	1610 (1610)	STC 6809.5; ESTC S342	24,313	58

A MOST EXCELLENT AND PROFItable Dialogue of the powerfull iustifying Faith Shewing what it is to beleeue in God and what wonders are wrought by the power of Beliefe be it worldly or Diuine and what things do hinder Beliefe Also how a man may hate himselfe and by Faith forsake himselfe and kill the deeds of the flesh The effect of the talke is this That he which beleeueth in God and in his Son Iesus Christ is able by the power of that Beliefe to mortifie his flesh with the lusts thereof through the holy Ghost and to serue God in spirit and truth Translated out of Latine by Arthur Golding LONDON Printed by N.O. for Samuel Rand and are to be sold at his shop on Holburne bridge 1610. TO THE CHRIstian Reader GOod Reader amongst the multitude of books both written and printed that be at this day spread abroade in the world I lighted vpon this little Treatise of Faith wherein perceiuing a matter handled so necessary needfull to be read and knowne of all men especially in these dangerous if not desperate daies wherin iniquity haue gotten the vpper hand and men are growne so blinde that they striue more about the chaffe then for the pure wheate corne it selfe and content themselues to feede rather on the leaues then on the fruit of the fig tree that is more to talke of an imagined faith then to know haue and enioy in themselues the true powerfull and liuing faith which is a daily dying to sin rising to righteousnesse Seeing the same I say a worke so necessary to bee knowne of all men I thought it good being also perswaded thereto by many that haue found great benefite by it to be a means for the printing of it that whosoeuer haue any zeale or desire to know the true faith and to haue it with the fruites thereof effectually in himselfe as is said he may view himselfe in this little pithy Treatise of the powerful faith The title with the Authors name was torne out before it came to my hands but whosouer was the Writer the matter will shew from whence it came And so the almighty God which liueth euerlastingly plant his true feare and faith in our hearts that being iustified by this powerful faith that worketh through loue we may haue peace with God through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen A MOST EXCELLENT AND PROFITAble little Booke concerning the true Christian Faith The persons that talke together are Lewis and Frederike Lewis GLadly in good sooth friend Frederick haue I heard your talke both yesterday and today and thereby I haue learned many things which I knew not before and this is one thing which hath chiefly moued mee that you haue shewed that our Lord commandeth not any thing which is vnpossible to bée done For I was of beliefe before that as it is commonly heard taught Gods commandements are vnpossible to be obeyed Which perswasion to tell you the truth hath made me slow to obey so as I neuer strained my selfe to obey with my whole power Fred. The like hath befalne vnto mee also and I could neuer yeeld my selfe truly and earnestly to obeying before I beleeued that it was possible to obey And truly hereby I haue learned the force of Beliefe which Beliefe maketh a man desirous and willing to obey And desire being afterward matched with power giuen of God bringeth to passe that a man doth the things which he hath beleeued himselfe to be able to do and so he is saued by obeying as he was earst vndone by disobeying And so being led by the spirit of Christ he fulfilleth the righteousnes of the law not walking after the flesh but liuing after the spirit which righteousnesse is therfore called the righteousnesse of the law not for that it maketh the beleeuer righteous but because the law requireth it For the whole performance thereof is Christs because it is brought to passe by his power and spirit liuing working in those that are his The law thē cōmandeth Christ fulfilleth so the praise is due not to the commander but to the performer Neuerthelesse it were to smal purpose to beleeue that it is possible to obey God vnlesse a mā do also know the way how God may be obeied without the which obedience faith is dead without faith no man can be saued But this I would haue you to be perswaded of my Lewis that the discourses both of vs and of all others are to say no worse of them vnprofitable if they traine vs not to obedience and to the renewing of the man Lew. These things are true Frederike Therefore that I may fare somewhat the better by your cōmunication I pray you shew me by what meane I may attaine to obey God For inasmuch as you haue shewed me by your talke that it is possible to be done I haue conceiued a desire of obeying Fred. O my Lewis would God that I my selfe were rightly obedient to the intent I might leade thee by the hand to obedience As now it is impossible for me to leade you further then I my selfe haue attained vnto Lew. Yet notwithstāding I beléeue you haue procéeded further forward then I haue done therfore I beséech you shew me but as far as you your selfe are gone Fred. Willingly will I do that Lewis but I am afraid the hardnesse and roughnesse of the way will scare you from it Lew. Feare not I hope I am ready to al things be they neuer so hard so I may attaine to the end that I desire Fred. I pray God to establish this willingnesse of yours to bring it throughout to the end And therefore to goe in hand with the matter you know how the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrewes hath written that without saith it is vnpossible to please God Lew. I know it well Fred. First of all then you must beleeue in God if you will be saued Lew. Procéede on then to the other things my Fredericke For as concerning beliefe I haue euer from my child-hood beléeued in God and truly I am of opinion that there be very few if there be any at all which beleeue not in God Fred. Indeed it is very easie to be said and so are men commonly perswaded But I feare me it is said rather rashly and of custome then of truth For the time hath bene that euen I also haue beleeued the same both of my selfe and of others but when it came to the tryall then I saw how farre of I was Lew. Thinke you then that I haue no faith Fred. I am not of opinion that you haue no faith Lewis but I thinke you haue so slender a faith as it cannot rightly bee said to be faith or saue you And I pray you bee not offended with mee for in as much as you haue said that you are ready to all things be they neuer so hard it is meet afore all things that

that to obey is not a harder matter then to work myracles and yet that to obey belongeth to all beleeuers whereas to work myracles belongeth not to all as I haue shewed afore Lew. Indeede these things are true Fredericke but yet there remaineth one thing which I would faine haue opened vnto me You said euen now that all men beleeue Christs histories but not his cōmandements likewise But if they beleeued y e whole story of Christ specially his resurrection in my opinion they should beleeue all the other things also For no doubt but if they beleeued that Iesus Christ is risen from the dead in so doing they should both beleeue that he is the very sonne of God indeed and moreouer giue credit to all his sayings In which respect Iohn said These things are written to the intent yee might beléeue that Iesus is the annoynted sonne of God and that through beleeuing it yée should obtaine life by his name Fred. Whereas I deny that they beleeue his commandements I would not haue it so taken as though they beleeued not that his commanding of those things was well and as became the sonne of God to doe but that forasmuch as they beleeue not that the things which he commanded to be done are either possible or needfull to be done misconstruing them after their own fancy not according to his mind I say they beleeue them not aright For your better vnderstanding whereof I will giue you an example When God hauing brought the children of Israel out of Aegypt commanded them to enter into the land of Canaan did they beleeue that God commanded it Lew. Yea verily Or else they would neuer haue sent spies into the land of Canaan Fred. Why then did they not obey him Lew. Because they were of opinion that the Canaanites could not bee ouercome and that God had brought them out of Egypt not to conquer Canaan but to perish wretchedly in the wildernesse Fred. Then did they not beleeue Gods commandement according to Gods meaning forasmuch as his meaning was that they should haue inuaded Canaan subdued the Canaanites Lew. You say the truth Fred. Thē did they not beleeue aright Lew. No not aright Fred. Whether then are they to be called beleeuers or vnbeleeuers Lew. Truly by this reason they should be called vnbeléeuers Fred. And soothly so they be Lewis in very deede For in the very same place God calleth them vnbeleeuers in these words How long will this people spite me How long will it be ere they will beleeue me for all the miracles which I haue wrought among thē Now if these be iustly called vnbeleeuers the same reason leadeth vs to call the others vnbeleeuers and distrusters of Christs commandements forasmuch as they do no lesse misconstrue the precepts of Christ thā the Israelites did the commandements of God For Christ hath not wrought fewer miracles to vs then Moses did to them Neither did Christ command vs lesse earnestly to subdue sin then God commanded them to subdue the Canaanites Neither are we lesse spiteful distrustful towards him if we deny that sin may be subdued when as hee both commandeth vs and promiseth vs strength then they were spitefull and distrustfull towards God in denying it to be possible to ouercome the Canaanites Neither do we offend lesse against the meaning of Christ when we deny that it is either possible for vs or meant by Christ that wee should do the things which he hath commanded vs to doe then the Israelites offended against the meaning of God when they wrested it another way then his open words imported And therefore in denying them to beleeue Christs commandements I do them no wrong As touching the place of Iohn by you alledged it is to be taken as if a man should haue said at that time to the Israelites GOD hath wrought these miracles for your sakes in Aegypt to the intent you should beleeue and by beleeuing enter into the resting place of Canaan But the cause why all of them came not there was not Gods purpose but their owne hardening of their hearts against him which thing would God were not done in Christ also But we see it is so howbeit the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews warneth vs not to do it citing this saying out of a certaine Psalme To day if ye heare his voyce harden not your hearts as your forefathers did harden theirs Therefore to returne againe to the matter Whereas these men are wont so diligently to picke out the things to beleeue which belong to the office of God to refuse the things that pertaine to the duty of man I pray you what a dealing is it Gods gracious goodnesse hath yeelded saluation to all men O how gladly is this admitted But as for that which followeth namely to teach vs to forsake vngodlinesse and worldly lusts to liue soberly righteously godlily in this world that is a seede which fewe men receiue Many beleeue that Christ hath so performed that poynt as that wee neede not to performe the same Againe that the man is blessed to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne is easily beleeued of all men but as for that which is annexed to it namely and in whose heart there is no guile that they beleeue to be impossible Likewise it is commonly vaunted with full mouth that they which are in Christ Iesus are not subiect to any condemnation for it is a very sweete saying indeed but as for this Which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit it is bitter and of very fewe beleued And to make fewe words men doe easily beleeue that they shall reape with ioy but if you tell them that they must sow with teares they put that sentence ouer vnto Christ. Hereupon it cometh to passe that the false prophets because they teach delectable things and blaze abroad Gods pleasāt promises with open mouth do easily finde credit whereas the true Prophets because they vrge men make them afraid with threats teach the truth seuerely do beare sway among very few according as Esay crieth out Lord who hath beleeued our preaching Hereby it appeareth plainly my Lewis that selfe-loue is the lot that men beleeue not the truth And if self-loue were done away they would beleeue nothing so easily as the truth as who are born vnto truth and doe by and by fall in acquaintance with it as a thing of their owne kinne if there bee no impediment to let it Therefore if you will rightly beleeue the truth that is to say God you must needes put away selfe-loue or rather conceiue a hatred towards your selfe Lew. Truly Frederike you win me to be of your mind in these things but it is no smal matter for a man to hate himself Neither do I sée how I may attaine vnto it or yet perceiue whether it bee possible for me to attaine thereto I am so farre in loue