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	holy_a	word_n	2,175	5	3.9389	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39936	Singing the psalmes the duty of Christians under the New Testament, or, A vindication of that gospel-ordinance in V sermons upon Ephesians 5, 19 wherein are asserted and cleared I. That, II. What, III. How, IV. Why [brace] we must sing / by Tho. Ford ...	Ford, Thomas, 1598-1674.	1659 (1659)	Wing F1517; ESTC R35534	65,438	180

these dayes as when they were made Sure if it be a sufficient ground to reject singing of David's Psalmes that they were penned for the use of Gods people in former ages I know no reason but that we may for the same reason take no notice of the other Scriptures and say What do they concern us but I rather think that there is no estate or condition wherein the people of God either are or can be but the holy Ghost foreseeing the same hath prepared and recorded some Scripture-Psalmes suteable thereunto And those Psalmes being chosen out according to the new occasions of Gods people sung by them with new hearts will ever be found new Songs Words of eternall truth as one faith are ever new and never old Dayly and hourly mercies are new mercies to renewed hearts Lament 3. 23. His mercies are new every morning and when they praise the Lord for those mercies there 's a new song of praise put into their mouthes And when God hath furnisht us with Psalmes and Songs fram'd by his own Spirit to the purpose nothing for ought I know but wretched ignorance and prophaneness will neglect to use them The objection of singing Psalmes composed by our selves and others I have already answered and shewed the absurdity of such a practice unless we had any of an extraordinary spirit which if there be let us once sec it and I make no question but we shall willingly acknowledg the gift of God in them A third use of singing Davids Psalmes is a joyfull praising of God or expressing our joy in the Lord when a man is merry naturally and of course as we say he will laugh leap sing and dance as when a man is sorry contrariwise he is sullen sits still hangs the head and saith nothing Psal. 126. 2. Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing Exod. 15. 1. Then sang Moses and the children of Israel So Mary and Zachary and Simon Luke 1. 2. brake forth into Songs upon the apprehension of Gods wonderfull goodness Obj. That was because the Spirit of God came upon them in an extraordinary manner Sol. We deny not but the Spirit of God was upon some of them in a more than ordinary manner but yet it was not so upon them all all the children of Israel that sang with Moses had not an extraordinary spirit onely they were for the time much affected with the Work of God in their deliverance and the destruction of the Egyptians 2 Chro. 20. 27 28. So Jehoshaphat and the men of Judah came to Jerusalem with Psalteries and Harps and Trumpets unto the house of the Lord no question but there was singing also when the Lord had made them to rejoice over there enemies and yet no more extraordinary spirit on them than on Gods people now upon the like occasion Their practice was a precedent for Gods people in all ages to do the like when ever their hearts are inlarged in the apprehension of Gods goodness to break forth into singing and an holy rejoycing before the Lord How do we answer the goodness of God unto us if there be not affections and expressions suteable to his dispensations We all allow shooting off great gunns ringing of bells c. and why not as well singing of Psalmes When we come to the Congregation one end of our singing is to express our joy in the Lord for such mercies as his Word and Sacraments and means of Grace and that God hath given us his Sabbath and such solemn times and therefore we come before him with singing that so we may praise the Lord with gladness of heart The 100 Psalm is called a Psalm of praise and the 95 Psalm begins thus O come let us sing unto the Lord c. If you read the 96 97 and 98. you will finde many expressions to the same purpose Whatever were the occasion of penning those Psalmes it is clear that the holy Ghost in them had respect to the Gospell-times when all the ends of the earth should see the salvation of God Psal. 98. 3. Heb. 4. The Apostle shews it plainly of the 95th Psalm that the Holy Ghost in it speaks of the times after Christ was come in the flesh Now if the promise and their exspectation of those glorious Gospel-dayes did so rejoyce their hearts how much more should we be affected so as to sing and rejoyce at a higher rate than they did How comely and pleasant a thing is it to sing a Psalm as Christ and his disciples did after our receiving the Sacrament when God hath honoured us so much as to admit us unto his Table and given in the tokens and pledges of his love to our soules And after Sermon too why should we not sing and rejoyce when we have understood the good word of God declared to us by his messengers Nehem. 8. 12. Nehemiah and Ezra and the Levites willed the people to rejoyce upon such an occasion and good reason since the Word of God is sweet to every soul that savours it and so our Sabbaths are speciall times of rejoycing in God because the opportunities of publick Ordinances are renewed upon us Object But you sing all dayes alike fasting and feasting dayes without any difference Sol. For answer to this question which some think unanswerable I acknowledge that singing is a most proper expression of joy Jam. 5. 13. Is any merry let him sing But it will never follow from that place that we must not sing when we are sorry for then it will as well follow that when we are not afflicted we must not pray That place I say will infer the one as well as the other I do not say that all Psalmes are fit for all occasions but there must be a choice made and to make that choice there is some understanding more than ordinary required in him that appoints the Psalmes to be sung 3. As singing is proper in times of mirth so it is not altogether improper in times of mourning and though this may seem strange yet it is most true and I prove it thus Because Gods people were wont to lament themselves and others in Songs so Jeremy lamented the sad estate of Judah David's Psalmes were penned in times of great distress and danger as appears by the many dolefull complaints in them The 102d Psalm is entituled A prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed c. and 130 Psalm begins Out of the depths have I cried unto thee O Lord To clear it yet further give me leave a little to discourse the nature of Musick which is somewhat strange in this respect That it will sute with different yea contrary affections Some Philosophers conceited the soul to be an Harmony once the soul of the world is a symmetry of all the parts made in number weight and measure Certainly of all sensible things there is none so much affects the soul as melodious sounds I say nothing

sing the 35th Psalme and consider what usage Gods people have in the world from wicked men and what course they must take to rid themselves of them viz. to complain to God and so engage all the power that is in heaven against them The 36th Psalme teacheth us to oppose and set the gracious dispensations of God towards his people who walke in the light of the Lord and are fed with the fatness of his house against the sense of wicked mens prosperitie that makes them not to fear God and puts them on to devise evill against his people because it is in the power of their hand to do it We may sing the 38th Psalme and consider what sufferings come upon Gods own people for sin and so help to move and cause our bowells of compassion towards the distressed Churches of God in the world We may also take occasion to consider that our sufferings are the fruits of our sins and so labour to quiet and patient our spirits as David did by faith and fervent prayer as you may see in the 15 21 and 22th Verses of that Psalme In singing the 39th Psalme we may learn that it is through infirmitie of the flesh that good men such as David are so apt to repine at the present dispensations of divine Providence That good men such as David may be overcome by such a temptation notwithstanding all their purposes and resolutions to the contrary and that good and godly men will bestirre themselves and strive to act faith in fervent prayers to God for deliverance out of their present troubles and for support under them The 40th Psalme acquaints us with David's experiences how God had answered him in his desires and wrought wonderfully for his deliverance It gives us also to understand how sensible he was of those many and great obligations which God had layed upon him by his loving-kindness and how resolved he was to give a reall testimimony as long as he lived of his thankfulness by declaring to others the goodness of God And because he knew that troubles and dangers did still abide him he commends himself by prayer to the direction and defence of God Almighty and that not only for his own safetie and preservation but that others might be confirmed in faith and so have occasion also to shew forth the praises of the Lord We have also in this Psalme an instruction concerning the true worship of God that it consisteth especially in sincere obedience to the will of God and besides all this applying some passsages out of the Sixth seventh and eight Verses to the Apostle to the Hebrews Chap. 10. the obedience of Christ in performing all the will of God for the reconciling of the world we may hence confirme our faith in assurance that the work of Redemption is perfectly accomplished according to the will and counsell of God who was not pleased with sacrifices but in the obedience of his well beloved Son Isa. 42. 1. Mat. 3. 17. The One and fourtieth Psalm instructeth us concerning the perfidious baseness of wicked and worldly men who are apt to insult over Gods servants when they lie under the afflicting hand of God It teacheth us also how to judge of good mens sufferings and not to conclude them therefore to be forsaken of God and utterly cast off and moreover we may hence learn when we finde most deceit and falshood in men to fix our hearts on God by faith exspecting deliverance according to his truth and faithfulness In the Two and fourtieth Psalme we may see how David is almost overwhelmed with many and great calamities that followed one upon another as the waves of the sea one no sooner past but another comes and yet how he bears himself up by acting faith to lay hold on God and checking himself for his distrust and dejection of spirit Now it concerns as I take it every Christian to make David's practice his Precedent in the same or in the like case Gods people have their fears and doubts as he had and may as truly and justly say many times as he did Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me Sure I am there is no childe of God but is much affected with holy desires towards the house of God and accounts the want of publick Ordinances a great affliction especially when wicked men reproach them and insult over them for the loss of those opportunities which once they enjoyed The 43d Psalm was penned upon the same occasion and as it seems near about the same time and the scope of it is to beg of God that he may be again restored to the enjoyment of those former mercies and to incourage himself to a confident exspectation of them in Gods good time The 44th Psalme sets forth the condition of Gods people suffering many times for conscience sake and because they dare not defile themselves as the wicked world would have them It furnisheth us with many Arguments wherewith to plead with God in the behalf of his people when they are in such a sad and suffering condition I need say no more since no good Christian can chuse but see what use may be made of the Doctrine of this Psalme as long as God hath a people upon earth to serve him In the 45th Psalme we may behold the King Jesus Christ in his beauty and the Church his royall spouse most excellently adorned with those admirable perfections which he hath indowed her withall Sure there are most glorious things spoken both of Christ and the Church and therefore Christians may sing that Psalm in way of holy rejoycing and thanksgiving The 46th Psalme was pointed at in one of the Sermons before and thereupon I shall not so much as touch with it now When Gods people did so rejoyce because the glory of the Lord and his salvation should be revealed and made known amongst all nations have not we Christians more cause than ever they had to rejoyce in God upon this account and so to sing the 47th Psalme specially since we believe and exspect that God will e're long bring in the Nations to Jesus Christ so as hitherto he hath not brought them in The Fourty eighth Psalme being in a manner of the same argument with the Fourty sixth I need say nothing of it The Scope and drift of the Fourty nineth Psalme being the same with that of the 37th and 73d and many others I shall not say much of it Onely the Doctrine of it is of singular use to all Gods people that they may not be discouraged at the present flourishing condition of worldly and wicked men The Fiftieth Psalme disclaimes all the Ceremonious observances of false-hearted hypocrites and shews what is the onely acceptable way of serving God Now I need not tell any godly Christians what need the best of us have of such meditations and Instructions I suppose there are but few Christians who have not occasion to