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	scripture_n	1,612	5	5.8214	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16317	A discourse about the state of true happinesse deliuered in certaine sermons in Oxford, and at Pauls Crosse: by Robert Bolton.	Bolton, Robert, 1572-1631.	1611 (1611)	STC 3228; ESTC S116180	126,426	181

God and staying it selfe vpon his authoritie Or Acquired which is produced by the light of reason discourse and created testimony The latter is to bee found in the diuels for they beleeue and tremble And in the Papists for their faith is no better according to their grounds and principles My reason is this briefly for I will deliuer my selfe of this point in a word The Iesuites by their iugling haue cast themselues into a circle about the faith of the truth and diuinitie of Scriptures and that is this Ask any Papist in this land how he beleeues Scripture to be the word of God and diuinely inspired he will answere Because th● Church deliuereth it so to be And why beleeueth he the testimonie of the Church Because it it is infallibly guided by the spirit And how doth that appeare Because it is so contained in Scripture as in Iohn 16. The Spirit will leade you into all truth And how shall wee know this scripture of Iohn to bee the word of God and diuinely inspired Because the Church deliuereth it so to bee and so they must needs run round in this circulation Now I would propose to the Papists the choice of these three one of which they must of necessitie accept First whether they wil run round in this circle wax giddy and fall and sink into that pit where Poperie was first hatcht or they wil break the circle at the authoritie of the Scriptures and so by consequent they must fall to our side and the truth or they will breake it at the testimonie of the Church and so all their faith as I told you must needs be onely acquired because it depends on a finite and created testimonie and consequently comes farre short of saluation I doubt not but the Papists will acknowledge and approoue that difference betwixt infused and acquired faith consented vpon by the Schoolemen That infused faith relieth immediately vpon an increated authoritie but acquired vpon a finite and created testimonie I know the Iesuites a kind of men inspired with a transcendencie of Antichristian imposture labour busilie to passe plausibly and handsomly out of this circle but if their shifts be thorowly sisted they followed with force of argument it is certaine they will either be driuen into the circle againe or enforced to start out at the one of those breaches I told you of Beca●us one of them after hee had long tired himselfe in this circle and at last by the helpe of Gregorius de Val. and former Iesuites got out but with shamefull absurditie and inconuenience in a poore reuenge to relieue himselfe he threatens vs with another circle and so writes a Treatise de Circulo Caluinistico but very weakely and falsly as might be demonstrated euen out of the sounder Schoolemen in their question of the last resolution of faith But I intended no discourse of controuersie but of sanctification and therefore I proceed and take the formall hypocrite along further towards the state of grace For besides knowing and assenting to the truth of Gods word by an historicall faith hee may by the vertue of a temporarie faith adde three degrees moe That is He may moreouer professe it in outward seruices of religion He may inwardlie reioice in it He may bring forth some kind of fruit But these things are onely found in him so long as they do not mainely cr●sse but are compatible with his worldly peace wealth libertie and other delightfull contentments Here therefore I must leaue him and acquaint you with those workings and degrees of sauing faith which qualified as I shall propose them are peculiar to Gods child and so distinguish and diuide the regenerate man from the state of formall hypocrisie They are these A feeling and speciall approbation of the word of life and promises of saluation a most feruent expetition and thirsting for the enioyment of them an effectuall apprehension a particular application a full perswasion a delight and ioy thence rising sound and vnconquerable That you may vnderstand these you must conceiue that the soule of Gods child comming fresh out of the pangs and terrors of his new-birth a mysterie to the formall hypocrite humbled vnder the mightie hand of God by a sight and sense of his sinnes lookes vpon the whole body of diuine truth as vpon a precious iewel wherin Christ his gratious promises shine vnto him especially as a stone of inestimable worth and valuation whereupon with a peculiar dearenes he sets such a liking that with it hee holds himselfe an heire of heauen without it a child of endlesse perdition Hence followes an expetition and desire of it enforced with groanes vnutterable and a gasping for it as the dry and thirstie ground for drops of raine Thirdly hee apprehends it with a fast and euerlasting hold Fourthly hee applies it closely and particularly to his owne soule Fifthly he is truely and fully perswaded by Gods good spirit out of a consideration of his vniuersall change that it is his owne for euer Last●y he lies downe in peace that passeth all vnderstanding He is filled with ioy that no man can take from him He delights in the grace apprehended as in a treasure farre more deare vnto him then the glory of infinite worlds or life it selfe From the power and workings of this inward grace spring outward actions both in his generall calling of Christianity and his particular vocation which by the mercies of God are faithfull constant vniforme impartiall resolute vniuersall comfortable Whereas those which are produced by the more weake and inferiour degrees of temporarie faith incident to the formall hypocrite are weake wauering many times interrupted variable guided much by occasions the time forced by hope or feare swayed by secret respects to priuate ends and worldly contentments But these more inward markes of difference howsoeuer by a sweete and gratious experience they be felt and acknowledged of the child of God yet generally and to the vnregenerate they are hidden mysteries and vndiscernable to the brightest eye of the naturall man Therefore I will come to those markes of difference betwixt the state of formall hypocrisie and sauing grace which are more outward familiar and more generally and casilie discernable Of which one may be this The power of grace doth beget in a regenerate man a watchfulnesse care and conscience of smaller offences of secret sins of sinfull thoughts of appearances of euill of all occasions of sinne of prophane companie of giuing iust offence in indifferent actions and the like whereas the formall hypocrite taketh not such things as these much to heart but either makes no conscience of them at all holding it a point of precisenes to be too conscionable or else proportions it to serue his owne turne or to giue satisfaction to others And in forbearance of sinnes he hath an especiall eye onely at those that may notoriously disgrace him in the world entangle him in danger of law or vexe his conscience

pleasingly to themselues and more plausiblie to the world compasse their ends and desires No maruell then though they haue the wicked world at will The third reason of the flourishing of the wicked is because they are men of this world and therefore they haue onely their portion and full felicitie here Their heauen is vpon earth their pleasures in their life time with the rich man in the Gospell For as the euerlasting couenant of inward peace grace and glory is peculiarly confirmed to the children of the spirit so many times in great measure the temporall promises of outward happinesses are performed vpon the children of the flesh When God had established vpon Isaak the euerlasting promises of loue mercy and blessednesse yet he was content to make Ismael a great man vpon earth Concerning Ismael saith he to Abraham I haue heard thee loe I haue blessed him and will make him fruitfull and will multiplie him exceedingly Twelue Princes shall hee beget and I will make a great nation of him Fourthly and lastly the prosperitie of the wicked makes them more inexcusable and their damnation more iust before the Tribunall of God For it is iust with him to bring a greater measure of tribulation and anguish vpon them in whom his many fauors a●d louing kindnesses haue brought forth vnthankfulnes rebellion that wrath is most iustly returned vpon their heads which by despising the riches of his bountifulnesse and patience and long sufferance leading them to repentance they haue heapt vp as a treasure vnto themselues against the day of wrath and of the declaration of the iust iudgement of God You haue heard the reasons of the happinesse of the wicked in this life but it is not so with Gods children For they must mourn in this vale of teares while the world reioyceth And as the wicked are fild and fatted with worldly happinesse and plentie against the day of wrath so Gods children must bee prepared and fitted with afflictions for the glory which shall be reuealed They are shortly to become inhabitants of that great and glorious city whose foundations are pretious stones whose gates are Margarites whose streets are pure gold as the shining glasse they must bee companions of the blessed Angels and stand in the presence of that great and sacred Maiesty and therefore in this life they must be cast into the Lords furnace that in the fire of affliction they may be more and more purified from earthlines and corruption and so with holinesse and humilitie prepared for that high perfection of heauenly beautie glory and blisse Let euery godly man then with comfort and benefit vndergoe those crosses which the Lord layeth vpon him for they are vnto him as looking glasses wherein God sees his faith and dependance vpon his prouidence the world his pati●nce and constancie himselfe the spots of his soule his decayes of grace the breaches of his conscience his neglect of the duties of his calling his coldnes in religigious seruices his fall from his first loue So that by them God is pleased and glorified others edified and instructed himselfe humbled recouered by repentance and more sanctified I haue staied long vpon the third reason of the formall hypocrites false persuasion of being in state of grace The reason is because ciuill honesty performance of outward duties of religion and worldly prosperitie meeting together in an vnregenerate man many times breed a very strong conceit of his being the child of God and an obstinate impatiencie of hearkning stepping forward to grace or any further perfection I come now to the fourth reason wherby the formall hypocrite doth falsly persuade himselfe to be in the state of true happinesse and saluation and that is A misconceit of Gods iustice and a straining and racking of his mercy beyond his truth and promise so making the way to heauen broder then the Scripture hath made it and himselfe more blessed then he is indeed Mans heart is naturally empoysoned with pride and hypocrisie and therefore is hardly drawne hartily to acknowledge the horrible vglinesse of his sin or that Gods proceeding against it with such waight of vengeance is equall Hence comes much indulgence and partiall censuring of our owne sinnes transferring them vpon allurements occasions circumstances necessitie and the like much lessening and impairing Gods iustice but amplifying his mercies euen to the securing of vnwarrantable courses Adam immediately after his fall shifteth off his sin vpon his wife nay he is so blind in spirituall iudgement of diuine purity that rather then hee will crie guiltie he will fasten the fault by consequent vpon God himselfe The woman saith hee which thou gauest to bee with mee shee gaue mee of the tree and I did eate So gladly would sensuall men persuade themselues that either their sinnes deserue not so strict account and great iudgements or that God doth exercise too much rigour in inflicting them For out of their worldly wisedome they measure and esteeme the vnspotted and infinite Ocean of the iustice of God by the finite muddie and imperfect streame of humane iustice Lawes and constitutions of states and kingdomes are bridles to curbe and moderate our corruption that we become sociable and peaceable but they cut off only from the Body politique by finall execution those that are of notorious and desperate condition such as are Theeues Murtherers Traitors and the like A verie proportionable conceit I am persuaded of diuine iustice and comminations in the law of God lurkes in the hearts of many they thinke that those sinnes that arise ineuitably out of our corrupt nature or that are committed by strong temptation or that are lesse pernicious are I know not how naturally pardonable and that if they bee of the ciuiller sort if they bee outwardly conformable in their liues and harbour good meanings and intentions in matters of religion though they neuer trouble themselues with more strictnesse and a course of sanctification yet they thinke that God will bee mercifull in the end and that it will goe well enough with them and that onely fellowes of infamous note such as are swearers liers vsurers adulterers and the like shall be excluded finally out of heauen But I would haue these men know that though the sea of Gods mercie be bottomlesse though the promises of grace be many and pretious yet not one drop of all that great sea not one iot of all those gracious promises belongs to any saue onely vnto him that groanes and sighs vnder the heauie waight and burthen of his sins that is of a broken and contrite hart that trembles at his word that vndissembledly sorrowes and repents for al his sins forsakes them and resignes vp himselfe in holy obedience to all his commandements I would haue them know that he is as infinitely iust as hee is infinitely mercifull and will as certainelie powre all the plagues and curses in his booke vpon the impenitent sinner as he will performe all his promises of grace to