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	word_n	3,199	5	4.1165	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45315	Select thoughts, or, Choice helps for a pious spirit a century of divine breathings for a ravished soule, beholding the excellencies of her Lord Jesus / by J. Hall ...	Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.; Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656. Breathings of a devout soul.	1654 (1654)	Wing H413; ESTC R19204	93,604	402

holy Spirit they could never think they had enough and whiles they do think so they are utterly uncapable of either having or desiring more As there is a sinful so there is an holy covetousness which the more it hath the more it affects Lord make me thus covetous and I cannot chuse but be rich XLIII What a marvelous familiarity was this which Moses had with God That the Lord spake unto Moses face to face as a man speaketh to his friend and yet more that Moses so spake to God! what a bold and high request was that which Moses made to God I beseech thee shew me thy glory that is as it is there interpreted thy face that face which no man might see and live Lo God had immediately before spoken to Moses even to his face out of the cloudy pillar that doth not satisfie his holily-ambitious soul but as he heard the voyce so he must see the face of the Almighty That cloudy pillar did sufficiently represent unto him the presence of the great God of Israel yet still he sues for a sight of his glory This is no patern for flesh and blood far be it from our thoughts to aspire so high Thy face O God will we seek but in thy blessed ordinances not in thy glorious and incomprehensible essence It is not for me as yet to presume so far as to desire to see that infinite light which thou art or that light wherewith thou art cloathed or that light inaccessible wherein thou dwelest Onely now shew me the light of thy countenance in grace and prepare my soul for that light of glory when I shall see as I am seen XLIV In the waters of life the divine Scriptures there are shallows and there are deeps shallows where the lamb may wade and deeps where the Elephant may swim If we be not wise to distinguish we may easily mis-carry he that can wade over the foord cannot swim through the deep and if he mistake the passage he drowns What infinite mischeif hath arisen to the Church of God from the presumption of ignorant and unlettered men that have taken upon them to interpret the most obscure Scriptures and pertinaciously defended their own sense How contrary is this to all practise in whatsoever vocation In the Taylors trade every man can stitch a seam but every man cannot cut out a garment In the Saylers art every one may be able to pull at a cable but every one cannot guide the helm In the Physitians profession every gossip can give some ordinary receits upon common experience but to finde the nature of the disease and to prescribe proper remedies from the just grounds of art is proper to the professors of that science and we think it absurd and dangerous to allow every ignorant Mountebank to practise In matter of law every plain country-man knows what belongs to distraining impounding replevying but to give sound counsel to a clyent in a point of difficulty to draw firm conveyances to plead effectually and to give sound judgment in the hardest cases is for none but Barristers and Benchers And shall we think it safe that in Divinity which is the mistress of all Sciences and in matters which may concern the eternal safety of the soul every man should take upon him to shape his own coat to steer his own way to give his own dose to put and adjudg his own case The old word was that Artists are worthy to be trusted in their own trade Wherefore hath God given to men skill in arts and tongues Wherefore do the aptest wits spend their times and studies from their infancy upon these sacred imployments if men altogether inexpert in all the grounds both of art and language can be able to pass as sound a judgment in the depths of Theological truths as they How happy were it if we could all learn according to that word of the Apostle to keep our selves within our own line As Christians the Scriptures are ours but to use to enjoy to read to hear to learn to meditate to practise not to interpret according to our private conceit for this faculty we must look higher The Priests lips are to preserve knowledg and they shall seek the Law at his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts XLV When we see the year in his prime and pride decked with beautiful blossoms and all goodly varieties of flowers cheered with the Musick of birds and stated in a sweet and moderate temper of heat and cold how glad we are that we have made so good an exchange for an hard and chilling winter and how ready we could be to wish that this pleasant and happy season might last all the year long But herein were our desires satisfied we should wish to our own great disadvantage for if the spring were not followed with an intension of Summers heat those fruits whose hopes we see in the bud and flower could never come to any perfection and even that succeeding fervor if it should continue long would be no less prejudicial to the health and life of all creatures and if there were not a relaxation of that vigorous heat in Autumn so as the sap returns back into the root we could never look to see but one years fruit And thus also it is spiritually if our prosperity were not intermixed with vicissitudes of crosses and if the lively beams of grace were not sometimes interchanged with cold desertions we should never know what belongs to spiritual life What should we do then but be both patient of and thankful for our changes and make no account of any constancy till we attain to the Region of rest and blessedness XLVI What fools doth the devil make of those men which would fain otherwise be accounted wise who would think that men could be so far forsaken of their reason as to fall down before those stocks and stones which their own hands had carved to guide their enterprises by the fond auguries of the flying or posture or noyse of fowls or the inspection of the entrails of beasts to tye the confidence of their success to certain scrawls and characters which themselves have devised to read their own or others fortunes in their hands or stars to suffer themselves mocked with deceitful visions neither are his spiritual delusions less gross and palpable wise Solomon speaks of the wickedness of folly and we may no less truly invert it the folly of wickedness the fool saith our Saviour builds his house upon the sand so as it may be washt away with the next waves what other doth the foolish worldling that builds all his hopes upon uncertain riches momentany pleasures deceitful favors The fool saith Solomon walketh in darkness the sinner walks in the darkness of ignorance through the works of darkness to the pit of darkness The fool saith the Preacher knows not the way into the city The worldling may perhaps hit