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	know_v	word_n	2,143	5	3.8658	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66102	Impenitent sinners warned of their misery and summoned to judgment delivered in two sermons, the former on the Sabbath, Nov. 6, the other on the lecture following, Nov. 10, 1698, occasioned by the amazing instance of a miserable creature who stood condemned for murdering her infant begotten in whoredom : to which are subjoyned the solemn words spoken to her on those opportunities, published for the warning of others / by Samuel Willard.	Willard, Samuel, 1640-1707.	1698 (1698)	Wing W2281; ESTC R30203	31,791	66

Justice if he knew that it is for his life Would the miserable children of men dare Heaven with their impious blasphemies and all manner of bruitish abominations if they believed that there is a great and holy God who will bring them before his bar and punish them with everlasting destruction for these things No there is a root of Atheism in the bottom of all this Psal 14. 1. The fool hath said in his heart there is no God And they that entertain arguings in their minds to put them on calling in question the being and perfections of God will certainly on the same Topicks conclude that there can be no Judgment The Prophet therefore is given to understand what it was that nourished the daring abominations of those Jews Ezek. 9. 9. The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great and the city is full of blood and the land full of perverseness for they say the Lord hath forsaken the earth and the Lord seeth not And they that are arrived to entertaining of such sentiments as these are no better than Atheists 3. This truth tells us who they be that are the truly and only wise men not those that have the worlds verdict for such and are cryed up among men on this account not they who have that Character upon them Jer. 4. 22. They are wise to do evil but to do good they have no knowledge All the skill that men have attained unto by which they out-do others in being able to get and keep the world all the wit which men exercise in carrying on their courses of iniquity with greatest secrecy and security will be found one day to have been nothing better than madness whiles they have looked no farther nor laid in any provision for the time to come and every such man hath the doom already declared against him that in the end he shall be a fool He he is the only wise man who believing the reports of a future account looking upon himself to be deeply concerned in it makes it his great study business to be providing for it and what ever be the changes that go over him in this world to secure peace in his latter end to study how he may and endeavour that he may make the Judge his friend Attourney to get a sure claim to the promises of the everlasting Covenant and all the mercies that are laid up in them to get now a sealed pardon of all his sins that none of them may rise up against him in that day and a Justification unto life This is the man who shall stand in the Judgment when all others shall fall this is the man who may look death in the face without dread and entertain joyful thoughts of that great Judgment which may make all other faces to gather paleness hearts to be filled with astonishment and horrour this is he who can look with an eye of faith on his appearance before God upon every warning that is given him of the approach of it can say Amen even so come Lord Jesus Who shall pass through death to be Judged and being there accepted before God and his cause found good shall pass from thence with comfort and be settled in the eternal Kingdom and live in the fulness of those joys that are in Gods prescnce And when the last Trumpet shall sound he knows now that his Redeemer is coming to give him perfect Salvation in both Soul body whiles they that had so little consideration as to neglect the things of their peace in the day of it having laid out and lost all their thoughts endeavours upon perishing things shall howl and lament bitterly when the Judge shall shut them out of his presence Chamber and thrust them down into the bottomless pit where shall be nothing but wailing and gnashing of Teeth USE II. Let this Doctrine be a watch word for sinners I am sure that it carries just matter of terrour in it to all such as are open to the Temptations of sin ready inconsiderately to entertain them I am sure that Paul made use of this very thing as his monitor to keep him close to his work and make him faithful in the discharge of it 2 Cor. 5. 10 11. We must all appear c. knowing therefore the terrours of the Lord we perswade men Let us then be always bearing this in mind and using of it as a potent argument on our hearts to excite us to be very careful fearful lest we should fall into the neglect of duty by reason of the discouragements which encounter in the way of it or run our selves into the Commission of any sin through the allurements which may be offered to us from the men or the things of the world Whatsoever arguments flesh and blood wicked men or Satan may at any time urge upon us to intice us in to sins of Omission or Commission let us be sure to weigh them in the ballance of the Sanctuary against this great consideration I must very shortly appear before God and be called to answer for this then and what an account shall I give to him ask will it bear the tryal of that day of revelation will it then have the approbation of the Judge or if it will not will the benefit which I shall gain by it in the gratification of carnal concupiscence make reparation for the damage which I shall sustain by the sentence of Condemnation that will then pass upon me for it and the fearful miseries which I shall undergo in the execution of that sentence and if not think what an ineffable infatuation it will be to give place to it When you are urged hard and find your selves beginning to give consent and address your selves to the Commission of any sin think seriously if the hand of Gods anger should now ●all upon me and cut me off and hasten me to the Judgment how shall I appear before this dreadful God what good might such thoughts as these do if reallized USE III. Let it be for a word of Warning to us all to be very careful in making ready to dye well whiles others are only solicitous in providing that they may rub through live according to their hearts desire in this wo●ld let us be perswaded to be peculiarly thoughtful and practically so that when we come to dy we may make a good end And I know no argument that carries more of pungency in it to stimulate us hereunto than the Truth in hand if it be entertained with a one solemnity Let us then gather up our thoughts fix them frequently here Think I am going to the Judgment think who is to be Judge that no other than the all knowing heart-fearching holy righteous and Almighty God Think what will be the matter of the Judgment even all that I have been and done to a thought the most secret abomination that ever I was guilty of Think

stands engaged against sinners for sin The summ of it is that God takes no pleasure in them but hates abhors them and therefore will not admit them into his favour but will bring destruction on them and one would think that every word should be an envenomed arrow in the Heart or Conscience of the ungodly Our Text is one of those shafts taken out of Gods quiver and shot at every unregenerate Soul and Oh! that they might be throughly wounded by it The words before us are an assertion delivered by the mouth of Truth it self and may well terrisy and amaze every Christless Soul In them we may observe two things 1. The Subject spoken of the foolish I shall not insist on the various usages of this word in Scriptures it is sometimes improved in a good sense and sometimes it is made use of in a bad sense and in this latter it is here and thus it is frequently used for a Fool or a Mad-man and therefore many translations read it Insani the mad or distracted men that are out of their wits 2. The thing asserted concerning these they shall not stand in thy sight Hebr. before thine eyes i. e. Gods for of Him the Psalmist is speaking Eyes are ascribed to God after the manner of men for he is a Spiritual being and hath neither senses nor organs of sense and the word Stand signifies to be in a settled Condition and it is in the last conjugation which farther intends the signification To stand then in Gods sight or before his eyes intends an enjoying of or being settled in his favour It is a Metaphor taken from the favourites of Princes who are admitted into their presence and stand before them at all times And in this negative the contrary affirmative is included i. e. they shall fall before him and be thrust out of his sight and it also intends that he cannot bear the sight of them and will banish them his presence This may be referred to the present life and time but hath a more peculiar respect to the great day of Accounts Hence DOCTRINE All impenitent Sinners are foolish and mad and therefore shall not stand in Gods sight which will render them extreamly miserable There are three Propositions contained in this Doctrine Prop. I. That all impenitent Sinners are foolish and mad There are a sort of persons in the world whom God in his word is pleased to put the Character of fools and mad-men upon who are neither naturals or void of the use of reason considered as men nor yet bereft of their understandings through occasional dotage or frenzy in that respect and who are they we have a summary account of them Jer. 4. 22. My people is foolish they have not known me they are sottish Children and they have no understanding they are wise to do evil but to do good they have no knowledge The summ is all sinners remaining in their natural estate belong to this Character and hence Sin and Folly are in Scripture terms equivalent Here we may in particular briefly come at this in three steps 1. All sin is folly And hence so much sin as remains in the Godly so much foolishness there abides with them This the Psalmist confesseth of himself Psal 69. 5. O God thou knowest my foolishness Every time a person commits any sin he hath just reason to say of himself as he 1. Sam. 26. 21. I have sinned I have played the fool and have erred exceedingly And it must needs be so for every sin is an act of disobedience to that God on whom we have our entire dependence and to whom we owe our selves and our whole lives it is an act of rebellion against that God whom we are bound to subject our selves unto and is able to destroy us for that rebellion It is a forsaking the fountain of living waters and digging of broken Cisterns that can hold no water Jer. 2. 13. It is a preferring of lying vanities before everlasting Mercies Jer. 2. 8. It is a provoking of God to jealousy 1 Cor. 10. 22. And we are not stronger than he It is an entring of the lists of contention with him a running upon him even his neek on the thick bosses of his buckler Job 15. 26. It is for a worm to bid a challenge to Omnipotency it self yea what shall I say there are uncountable follies attend the commission of every sin and no wisdom at all 2. That hence all they that are under the Dominion of Sin are egregious fools There is folly cleaving to the best of Gods Children here as long as they have a body of death to carry about with them and it shews it self in every stirring of the corrupt part but yet they have the principles of the true wisdom in them they are such as are made wise to Salvation But as for those in whom there are no seeds of saving Grace sown but they yet remain in their natural estate folly is bound up in their hearts they have no other principle in them As to their Understandings they are foolish and perverse they call evil good and good evil Isai 5. 20. As to their Wills and Affections they are engaged Eccl. 8. 11. The heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil They do nothing at all with a sincere aim at the glory of God and the furtherance of their own salvation yea their whole life is a continual progress in the way that leads to destruction hence we have that put into their description Rom. 3. 16 17. Destruction and misery are in their ways and the way of Peace have they not known 2. That Impenitent Sinners are the greatest fools of all The Word of God often useth these words Sinners Fools Wicked emphatically for such as are peculiarly so and then it intends either 1. Such as live in most notorious and prodigious sins thus a common Whore is called a Sinner more than once in the Gospel or 2. Such as remain obstinate and impenitent in thei Sins under and notwithstanding means used to win them to repentance Now the means used with them are of two sorts 1. Such as are afforded to the Gentiles who have not the Gospel viz. the light of a natural Conscience and the common strivings of the Spirit of God in them they are therefore said to be a Law to themselves and their Consciences to bear witness and either to accuse or excuse Rom. 2. 14 15. and the Providences of God which ought to be improved by that light to excite them to repentance thus the Goodness of God is said to lead to it Rom. 2. 4. and his common benefits are called witnesses Acts 14. 17. his Judgments also are that the Inhabitants of the World may learn righteousness Isa 26. 9. 2. Such as those enjoy who sit under the means of Grace wherein God shews them the evil and danger of their sins and not only invites them to Repentance but also gives

in it if well understood and believed let all such then consider 1. You are all foolish in your natural estate Whatever vain opinion you have of your own wisdom which is indeed but an indication of your folly according to Prov. 26. 16. the sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than feven men that can render a reason yet this is a great truth of all men as they come into the world in their natural estate Job 11. 12. vain man would be wise though man be born like a wild asses colt The wise man gives in the true character of every Child of Adam as he is in himself from the beginning to the end Eccles 9. 3 the heart of the sons of men is full of evil and madness is in their heart while they live and after that they go to the Dead 2. If you live and dy such you shall never stand in Gods sight your doom is determined and pronounced and you have the reason given in the words following our Text thou hatest all the workers of Iniquity And if God hates you you have reason to expect that he will separate you from his presence You have a fearful account given you of the concition of those who add Impenitency to Iniquity Psal 7. 12 c. if he turn not he will whet his sword he hath bent his bow and made it ready c. 3. God affords you the means of grace as a remedy to cure you of your foolishness The great design of the Gospel and Ordinances is to shew men the right way to recover of their madness and be made wise This is the usefulness of the word of God 2 Tim. 3. 15. the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto Salvation they that have them not must needs dy without knowledge it is the main design of the means to point us to this God gives Pastors to feed men with knowledge and understanding Jer. 3. 15. What he saith of his Proverbs may be applyed to the whole book of God Prov. 2. 3 4. To know wisdom and instruction c. 4. If you perish in your impenitency under these means you will never be cured Sinners by their handness of heart withstand the efficacy of the Word and Ordinances and when once it comes to that that sinners do practically say as they did expressly Jer. 44. 16. As to the word which thou speakest to us in the name of the Lord we will not hearken unto thee their case is next to desperate We have God therefore expostulating with such Psal 94. 8. Ye fools when will you be wise These are the only means which God hath appointed to bring sinners to their right minds and if the operation be contrary it argues their case to be deplorable Hence that complaint of our Saviour Math. 23. 37 38. Jerusalem c. how often would I have gathered c. but ye would not therefore is your house left unto you desolate 5. However you now despise instruction yet you will mourn for it at last It will be a dreadful thing to lose Gods presence for ever though now you can say unto him depart yet when it comes to be your lot indeed to lose all your hope of his favour this will be unconceivable bit●erness and nothing will make it more bitter than to think I had a day of Grace wisdom himself pleaded with me stretched out his hands all the day long to me I heard the precious truths of the Gospel I was told of my miserable state entreated to consider of it offered help out of it was waited upon with line upon line striven with both by Parents and Godly friends and faithful Ministers and by the Spirit himself together with them I was told what it would come to and yet I despised I scorned I would have mine own ways and grew the more resolute in them and now I am but filled with my own devices and made to eat of the fruit of my own ways and how dreadful an eccho of Conscience will this be and yet we are told that thus it will be in the end Prov. 5. 11. c. and thou mourn at last c. and say how have ● hated instruction and my heart despised reproof c. 6. Hence think what a doom is hastning upon you and what an execution will follow that You must very shortly appear before God your day of Grace will soon be at an end the time is drawing near when God will say that his Spirit shall strive no more with you the ax which lyeth at the root all this while will cut you down you must hear your ter●ible Judge say depart from me I know thee not thou worker of iniquity and when that word is once past the sentence will take place And whither must you go when you depart from him but to everlasting burnings to the worm that dyes not to the fire that is not quenched to eternal torments to dwell with the Devils and damned and feel the endless impressions of the fury of a provoked God and can your hearts endure let these terrours of the Lord work on your hearts and perswade them And to that end 1. Be convinced of your folly and madness As long as you are wise in your own esteem there is no hope that ever you should be so indeed or so much as comply with the means that are made use of to render you so it is the remark in Prov. 26. 12. Seest thou a man that is wise in his own conceit there is more hope of a fool than of him Conversion begins at Conviction and men are led to that Conviction by Consideration as Ezek 18. 28. Because he considereth and turneth away from his transgressions c. And think how unreasonable a thing it is to chuse Sin before Holiness to prefer unprofitable vanities before the glories of the everlasting Kingdom to gratify your lusts and undoe your Souls for a few moments pleasure in the gratification of the senses to suffer eternal separation from God and the fearful impressions of his insupportable wrath 2. Deeply resent your danger Think it not a small and inconsiderable thing to lose Gods gracious presence and take heed of counting it a light matter to be th●ust out of it after all the offers of it that have been made to you and advantages that have been put into your hands to gain it and the importunate entreaties with which it hath been urged upon you have been neglected and despised by you Yea solemnly consider that you can in nothing more dishonour God or provoke him to hasten your wo day and speedily to put you out of his sight at the farthest distance than by hardning of your hearts against all his calls and warnings 3. Be often pondering what a God you have to do withall He is a great and a terrible God if you lose his favour and procure his anger to burn upon you you will certainly fall before it