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	church_n	doctrine_n	2,019	5	6.0761	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A71231	Enter into thy closet, or A method and order for private devotion A treatise endeavouring a plain discovery of the most spiritual and edifying course of reading, meditation, and prayer; and so, of self examination, humiliation, mortification, and such most necessary Christian duties, by which we sue out the pardon of our sins from Heaven, and maintain an holy converse with God. Together with particular perswasives thereunto, and helps therein.	Wettenhall, Edward, 1636-1713.	1666 (1666)	Wing W1495B; ESTC R217163	97,436	340

consult Chap. III. Of the substance of every dayes private devotion To persons of leisure Reading Meditation and Prayer THe private devotion of every day will be different to particular persons according as their conditions differ from such who are servants or lead a servile life I mean all those who get their living by their daily labour whose abilities of mind are therefore meaner and and whose privacy more difficult from such I say no more than this may seem to be expected that both in the morning being risen and at night being about to lye down they in the fear of God fall down before him and pray unto him touching which directions will a non follow From those whose way of life being more liberal their abilities and opportunities are greater more may seem justly to be looked for according to that rule To whom Luk 12. 48. much is given from them shall much be required Speaking therefore to to such who have estates and leisure and so may have opportune privacy ●●suppose their daily private devotion cannot be compleat except consisting of Reading Meditation and Prayer Touching private Prayer it hath been before spoken and nothing now can by such whom the present consultation concerneth be said for the dispensing with it being it is even their duty who are of meaner qualily and capacity and therefore much more theirs who are of greater Touching Reading and Meditation if any suspicion arise it will easily be removed by those commands which enjoyn us that we Search diligently the Scriptures that John 5. 39 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Coloss 3. 16. the word of God dwell plentifully inus and by such Characters of righteous persons as that they are such whose delight is in the Law of the Lord and who meditate therein day and night And certainly such commands Psai 1. being capable to be intended or remitted I mean being to be construed with some regard and according to that general rule aforementioned to whom much is given from him much shall be required cannot but be interpreted to require greater and more diligent Searching that is more of Reading and Meditating upon Scripture from those who have greater opportunity and ability to do it than they do from others who are meaner in both Of such an one therefore who hath not time every day or if he haply have yet cannot read it may be thought he dischargeth his duty of searching the Scripture if in a way proportionable to his ability he endeavour to acquaint himself with Scripture to wit by a diligent attention to it and inquiring of it ashe hath conveniency when it is read on preached But of such an one who can read and hath time to meditate on what he reads and whom it may be it concerns to instruct others in the knowledg of Scripture as being over them of such an one I say being that more is required than of the other it cannot in reason be thought that he hath done his duty by bare attention unto Scripture read except he himself read and meditate therein And he will very hardly we may not fear to say not at all approve himself to be a Godly man if he behave not himself as Godly men did of old that is if he delight not in the Law of the Lord and therein daily meditate If I should doubt therefore whether it be strictly my duty day and night morning and evening to read the Scriptures and meditate I cannot doubt for I see plain evidence for it that it is a Godly mans Character one part of his practice as he is a Godly man to road and meditate if therefore intend to be a Godly man it must be my care and practice too Wherefore of these three Reading Meditation and Prayer seeing that none may be well omitted at least not ordinarily neglected it is requisite more particular consideration be had Chap. IIII. Of Reading the Holy Scripture The most edifying method and manner of Reading it consulted of BY Reading here I understand reading the sole word of God and this as it should constantly for the main at least if not ever have a place in my daily devotions in private so therein me-thinks will most conveniently take place in the beginning of them on this wise Being entered into my Closet for my devotions sake it becomes me first in all humility and out of the fear of God not out of custome to fall down before him and in short according to former direction to beg his blessing upon me and presence with me there presenting my self to worship before his majesty To which purpose the Form * Part. 1. Chap. 3. already delivered may be proper either for use or further direction according as I shall see sit This being done forthwith let me apply my self to the reading soine portion of the word according to my prefixed course And what course shall that be Modesty would presently answer The same which the wisdome of the Church hath prescribed for publick use And the truth is the Church consulting herein as she ought the edification of the people this order hath in this point the advantage of all other that it will lead us to read over all the most usefull parts of Scripture and those most frequently to wit the New Testament excepting onely some Chapters of the Revelation three times a year the Psalmes once a month the Old Testament excepting onely the two books of Chroni les which are for the most part extant in the Kings and Samuel and some other Chapters of other books cheifly relating to the Jewish state once in a year But then if we consider its complyance with our present designe it hath these two exceptions lying against it First that the portions of Scripture by that order to be read daily are greater than what every mans or most mens conveniency will afford time to read and meditate upon as it is supposed at present best for a devout Christian to do And then Secondly that by this means a considerable part of the Old Testament and some part of the New will be left out which parts are not questionless without their use though comparitively not so necessary for the publick commonalty as the other And to the Churches prescription it may be said that it was never the Churches intention to prescribe this order for mens Closets in private where she can neither take notice of their observing nor neglecting it but onely for publick edification and uniformity This order therefore being taken not to be so proper for our present purpose the next which will offer it self will be the natural order of the books in which they lye Now this though not liable to the exceptions which we found against the former being that nothing then will be omitted nor the Reader over burdened with too great a portion being he is left to himself yet hath this inconveniency that it will detain the observer of it a great while in those

the same or like punishments as their fathers had and greater Then 2. I cannot but note how slowly and unwillingly God comes to judgment Thus much those words O Jerusalem Jerusalem suggest to me Our Saviour I see cannot foretell this desertion and rejection of the Jews without a lamentable taken up O Jerusalem Jerusalem So unwilling is he to punish that he even weeps at the very thoughts of it This is a very affecting consideration and of special force to quicken me to repentance and is therefore to be noted to that purpose Lastly Examining further according to the rules proposed whether there be no instance of Gods judgments against sinners no threat to deterre me from any sin or the like I find there is and cannot but stay my thoughts a while upon this heavy denunciation of woe against those who were outwardly Gods own people for their rejecting the offers of grace and upon foolish prejudices not acknowledging or not being willing to see the light which yet they could not but see And if God spared not the natural branches how much less will he spare me who am onely grafted in out of the wild olive if I be guilty of the same sin It concernes me therefore in this case to look into my self the very reading of this Scripture ought to be to me a warning And let me see Am I not guilty of the like resisting light and rejecting grace What do I else when I sin presumptuously and onely not wilfully Do not I then shut mine eyes against the light and offer violence to the convictions which come from those Scriptures whose Authors the Jews were rejected for offering violence unto They rejected their living testimony I not onely that for that I have in the Scripture but the very voice of their bloud by which they sealed the truth of their testimony Oh sinful and ungracious wretch Now if any such as this be my case let my meditations here rest a while Let me consider whether in this Scripture which hath thus convinced me of sin there be not somewhat which may reclaim me And truly there is 1. That which hath already been mentioned Gods unwillingness to punish his patience and forbearance And hath not this been great towards me How often have the warm offers of love and pardon invited me as they did them May not I say God would have many a time gathered me under his wings And do not these very warnings that if I am not reclaimed I must be forsaken speak Gods present unwillingness if any thing will work to forsake me Is not this as much as an O Jerusalem Jerusalem Again 2. I here see that though God bore long with his people he would not bear alwayes being that they did persist in resistance of his Grace And truly I know not how soon God may call home from me his opposed Spirit and suffering his Grace no longer to be abused leave me as he did the Jews in my own stubbornness and wilfulness to perish After this sort may I employ a while my thoughts and if time will suffer thus ough● I so long to meditate till my moved heart have taken up full resolutions of following the guidance of Gods Spirit and yielding to his Grace And these warnings or convictions from the Word together with my resolutions upon them should I if able register in that other of my Books which I call my Accomptal or if not take such solemn notice of that I forget not But if any necessary matter force me to depart my privacy before my meditations arive at such a ripeness yet let me not fail to take notice of the warning which I received and set it down in my Accomptal that so upon my * fasting day when I review the actions of that week I may be sure not to forget it but to humble my self for my former miscarriages and consider for the future how I may turn my feet into new wayes But to return to the devotions of this present day So much onely remains now to compleat my present meditations as to conside● what of new from all will be seasonable to be added to my accustomed Prayers And here will be First Matter of confession touching my resisting Grace and not walking according to the light which I have had Secondly Matter of praise 1. For these warnings which are so many calls to repentance and invitations to happiness 2. For the testimony which the Gospel received and doth to this day receive by the doctrine and death of St. Stephen and for the constancy faithfulness patience charity and meekness which shone forth in him Thirdly Matter of Pe●ition 1. For grace that I may from henceforth yield unto all motions of Gods holy Spirit 2. That when ever God shal call me to suffer as he doth frequently by the crosses oppositions frustrations c. which I meet with in the course of my life I may manifest the like meekness patience charity holy resolution and mindfulness of God by prayer and all other seasonable duties All which having considered how I may in some sober and orderly way express or represent before God let me either insert in my wonted prayers or in some short prayer to be added to them compris● as well as I can A pattern whereof very particular it will not be so expedient to set down here but rather so to frame a Prayer with some respect to the foregoing heads as that it may in general be accommodated to or used upon the Feasts of any Saints or Martyrs A short Prayer which may be added to our ordinary prayers upon the feast of any Saint or Martyr by our Church appointed to be kept O Lord the God of truth and holiness who at sundry times and in sundry waies hast revealed thy self unto the world by thy holy Prophets of old and in these last daies by thy Son of whom thou hast since in all ages raised up thy Saints and Servants to be witnesses I humbly bless thee as for all the revelations of thy will confirmations of thy truth so especially for the testimony given thereunto by the life a The word doctrine is chiefly to be used upon the feasts of the blessed Apostles doctrine and b If the feast be not the memorial of a Martyr the word death is to be left out death of thy servant St. S. whom thou madest unto the world not onely a witness of thy truth but a pattern of holiness and I beseech thee to pardon both all my opposing and all my holding in unrighteousness those truths which either he or any other of thy servants have preached or left on record I acknowledge and bewaile may guiltiness herein Keep me blessed Father for the future at least from all such presumptuous sins and grant that the same Spirit resting upon me which dwelt upon them may beget in me the like humility charity * * Here insert the mention of any Christian virtue in which