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	scripture_n	true_a	1,770	5	4.4847	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42148	Some prison-meditations and experiences with some hints touching the fall of the mother of harlots, and the exaltation of the son of God upon the throne of David / written ... by John Griffith ...	Griffith, John, 1622?-1700.	1663 (1663)	Wing G2004; ESTC R11497	73,641	162

pure mind for then Came they to any by the will of men Besides the holy Scripture is the thing That doth unto our understandings bring The knowledge of that holy Mystery Which hath been kept from Ages secretly Ere since the world began but now are made Known by the Scriptures of the Prophets aid According to the great Commandement Of God who did and hath those Prophets sent That he by them might make known what he saith To Nations for obedience to the Faith Yet notwithstanding this besotted crew Doth say there is more to their Fathers due Than to the Scripture that they might men blind So darken and becloud the hearts and mind Of those they have so much deceiv'd that so They should not their Abominations know But Paul might sure as well believed be As any Cardinal or Pope or he That is the greatest Champion they ere had For sure in their conceit he wa'nt so bad But he might be believ'd as soon as they And yet when ever Paul did preach or pray He would do neither in the speech or tongue When he did either pray or preach among Such men who could his speech not understand But did declare the truth in plainness and When he and Silas to Berea went They being thither by the Brethren sent To preach the Gospel to them of that place Preach there they did the Gospel of the Grace Of God to sinners where were some so noble Though Paul was authoriz'd and very able To preach yet would they not him trust for they More noble were than Thessalonica Because they search'd the Scriptures there to find If Paul did preach according to the mind Of Jesus Christ they search the Scriptures so That they might satisfie themselves and know The truth of what was preach'd or whether he Had preacht to them the Truth they would not be Content to take 't on trust but to 't they go To try whether those things were so or no. This deed recorded is a mark of their Nobility because they did not spare To reade and search the Scriptures as appears Which Rome forbids to do 't is that she fears So plain that none can well the truth deny Except it be the Whore who doth defie The man that doubts or shall in question call Her filthy lies her great deceits though all Of them be so direct contrary to The holy Scriptures one would marvel who Could be so blind that cannot find and see That she their souls deludes and that they be Led by the nose to such a pit and snare That if they do not take a special care And from her flee they will no doubt partake Of all those plagues that will her overtake Christ did command the Jews when he was here To search the Scriptures for the Scriptures are Those holy Records that did testifie Of him and how that he should come and dye Be of a Virgin born and how that he Should for our sakes and sins abased be Laid in a manger so impoverishe'd As not to have whereon to lay his head And should receive both scoffs scorns from men Be brought before their Judgment-seat and then Be crucifi'd and for poor sinners slain And them to justifie be rais'd again And how he was by his Disciples seen After he three dayes in the grave had been And after that ascended up on high Into his Fathers Throne above the Skie Where now he intercedes for them that are His faithful Followers all them that fear His holy Name that do depart from evil And from the Pope his deeds from the Devil Where now he also sits expecting when His Foes God will his footstool make and then He shall descend to judge both quick and dead Why should the Whore the Scripture then forbid Except it be because she would not have Men know the Truth but be to her a slave For if Rome had the Truth be sure those scorners Would never hide the Truth Truth seeks no corners But further Paul doth Timothy commend Because he when a child his mind did bend And give himself to search the Scriptures so That he thereby the mind of God did know He such a good proficient soon became By reading or the study of the same If Paul then doth commend and will allow A Child to search and reade the Scripture how Dares Rome to be so impudent and bold The Scriptures then from any to withhold For all the Scripture was by inspiration Given of God to ev'ry Generation And profitable is for Doctrine eke For to reprove correct instruct the meek In Righteousness they able are we know To make one wise unto Salvation tho They are rejected by two sorts of men Concerning one I shall not use my pen At this time what I may hereafter do I will not say but this I know is true The Scripture ought to be a Rule to thee Thy duty 't is to make it so to be If thou unto Perfection wouldst attain The Word of God will perfect thee amain Or if thou wouldst be throughly furnisht well To all good works let me thee one thing tell Live in the Light and Spirit of the Word And thou shalt find it will such help afford Thou wilt be furnished so thorowly To all good works thou 't flee iniquity But if thou dost the Scripture once reject And disesteem it under what respect So-e're it be thou 't find my words are true For what I say I by experience knew Thou then art made so fit as fit may be For Satans Ministers to work on thee What pleaseth them thou wilt to Error fall And lose thy Faith and Hope and Christ and all But to return It seems without the Books Of Romes great learned Doctors let their looks Be nere so high yet this we find and know The Scripture's of ability to show Such saving Truths there is no want of trash That comes from Rome their rubbish nor hog-wash Nor of their Superstitions that are found From sacred Scripture to receive no ground But may we not by this time understand What is the reason Rome doth so command Her subjects all the Scripture to reject That they to it dare give no more respect Now without doubt we have the reason why It is because her beastly Sodomy Should not by any once perceived be For should they reade the Scriptures they would see Her nakedness and all her filthy trade And that her gods are such her-self hath made And yet to see that men should be so blind So willingly deceiv'd that they ne're mind The holy Scripture nor no other Book There 's none of them that scarcely dares to look In any such that she doth not allow For them to use a man would wonder how Men can part with their souls at such a rate As they lose theirs some say it is their fate Or destiny for God did once decree That men should sin and thus deluded be But 't is not so God ne'r decreed no evil

Or had committed crimes of such a nature So filthy and so foul with so much rancour Against their Worships What have they no Law To try me by Or have they got no maw To do me right What should the reason be I am an English man and am born free My Birth-right is not then without just cause To lie in Jayle contrary to the Laws But there 's a reason which I now espye Why they will make me still in Prison lye And that 's because they say I am a Preacher And of Phanatiques am a constant Teacher And therefore 't is they me in Prison hold Unless I would be wickedly so bold To promise them that I will preach no more Then will they me to liberty restore If I 'le conform then they will shew me favor Methinks to me these things have no good favor But what is 't now a crime to Preach and Pray That I must lie in Prison night and day For that and for no other cause do know But preaching Truth must I be used so Full seventeen Months and more as I have been In Prison now is Preaching such a sin That such as preach and have not their consent Can't be redeem'd except they do repent But must be kept in prison all their dayes As I shall be sometimes then Worships says The Prophet Moses was not of this mind For he would not Gods holy Spirit bind Nor limit it to this or t'other man He was content that those should preach that can For when complaint against some to him came Eldad and Me●al were the men by name Of whom 't was said These men do prophesie What for my sake saith he dost thou envie I would to God the Lords poor people all Were Prophets and that on them all might fall Such measures of the Spirit from the Lord That may enable them to preach his Word But now the case is alter'd much I see Their Worships will not so contented be As Moses was to prison he must go That preacheth now without their leave I know They would not be so serv'd themselves if they Should be forbid to either preach or pray Be clapt in prison for it when they should Do either of them I believe they would Not take it well to walk so in the dark The Priest forgets that ere he was a Clark Would they be us'd so by Romes brats and be Forc't to conform to Romes idolatry They do profess from Rome they 're separated And that by them Romes cruelty is hated And yet will they the conscience force of those That cannot with them in their Worship close Methinks in this they do not do by me As they themselves by Rome would used be But 't is my comfort in the midst of all My many troubles which some count but small They cannot charge me justly with a fault Which can by Law give cause thus to assaults My Carkase so to keep it thus in Jayle Against their Law refusing to take Baile Nay though they were commanded by the King They would not him obey nor me forth bring To any Legal tryal that I might Receive that just reward which is by right My due for more of them I do not crave And 't is but reason that I that should have Had I by Law deserved Bonds or Death I should contented be to lose my breath But if I have not any Law offended 'T is time I trow my trouble now were ended But I a Preacher am I don't deny Though much unworthy of the Ministry A worthless Worm unworthy of that love That Grace and Mercy which came from above Into my soul by which I did receive A Mission for to preach without their leave The Bishop of our souls did me ordain To preach his Grace I trust is not in vain That he bestow'd on me to preach his word And to declare his wondrous works abroad And though for this I do in prison lye I can in him rejoice most heartily And praise that God alone that doth esteem Of such a worthless one as I and deem Me worthy of the cross that for his Name And for the sake of Christ to suffer shame But yet some say I am a fool to lie In Jayle so long depriv'd of liberty Why should not I to them a promise make That I all kind of preaching will forsake For 't is against the Law that such as I Should preach unless I were ordained by The Bishops then without all doubt I may But might they not upon as good ground say The blessed Martyrs in the Marian dayes Did act against the Law for Bonner sayes You are not by the Law to preach or pray Except you do conform such prayers say As by the Queen and Church are now thought fit Should used be throughout the Land but yet Those Martyrs then would not perswaded be But stoutly stood to Non-conformity They rather chose in fiery flames to burn Than from what truth and light they had to turn There are two sorts of fools as I have read And one of them 't is true I am indeed The one wise Solomon so plainly paints In their own colours such will nere be Saiths For Fools saith he are such as knowledge hate Such is their dreadful miserable state That they the fear of God do never chuse Because they would not Wealth and Honor lose Such set a high esteem upon their lusts Their Pride and Pleasure and their gold that rusts In such like fools iniquity abounds And both in City and in Countrey sounds Fools belch out Oaths and dreadful Execrations Which are unto the wise man great vexations Fools call on God most wickedly to damn 'um And dare him to his face as 't were to ram 'um Into the very pit of Hell Fools say There is no God to hear when men do pray Their Oaths to hear or punish them for sin Which they with greediness do wallow in As quassing off of bowls of Beer and Wine Until they are as drunk as any Swine With whoring roaring and their sports and play That by them now are used ev'ry day As baiting Bulls and Bears with dogs and such Like sports as these of which there is too much With idle Stage Plays too and such like trade There 's many souls destroy'd that God hath made He then 's a fool that for these earthly toys Doth lose eternal life and heav'nly joys There are another sort if fools I find But those fools are quite of another mind These fools all worldly glory do despise Becoming fools that so they may be wise All worldly wisdom these for Christ account But loss and dung to win Christ doth furmount All Arts and Sciences all worldly treasure There 's none to them like him these take no pleasure In world or worldly things they are but dross Who offers them the world bids them to loss These do the glory of the world disdain Because its greatest glory is but vain An empty shell a water-bubble