Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A19282
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The blessing of Iapheth prouing the gathering in of the Gentiles, and finall conuersion of the Iewes. Expressed in diuers profitable sermons. By Thomas Cooper.
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Cooper, Thomas, 1517?-1594.
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1615
(1615)
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STC 5693; ESTC S115593
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59,416
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96
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Euen Prayer vnto God that he would hasten his worke in the blessing of Iapheth in the calling of the Gentiles 1. So must the Saints pray for the accomplishment of Gods will Prayer is the most effectuall meanes to preuaile with God So doth the Sonne of God teach vs to pray That the will of God may bee done 2. So haue the Saints practized vsually to obtaine Gods mercies 1. Sam 2. Iam 5. Ioh 14. Math 12. Math 6. 3. So haue they preuailed for the remoueall of his iudgements Ion 3. Esay â—8 37. Psalm 105. 4. And so hath God promised by this meanes euer to be found of vs both to deliuer vs out of euill Psal 50. 15. And to heape blessings vpon vs. And no maruell For 1. Is not Prayer that life of our Faith wherein we renue our right in Christ Iesus and so in him preuaile with God Ephes 6. 18. 19. for all things that make for our good Psal 34. 1. Cor 3. 2. And doth not Prayer sanctifie the blessing vnto vs that as we haue it in loue so wee may vse it to Gods glorie and therein laye vp a good foundation against the day of Christ 1. Tim 4. 5. 1. Timoth 6. 17. 3. Nay doth not our prayer comfort vs that though wee obtaine not what we desire yet we haue done Gods will and so shall haue better then we desire euen the grace of sweete Communion with our blessed God yea the grace of patience to waite his leysure yea the grace of Contentment in him aboue all things yea the grace of Supplie of that which shall enable vs in our wants yea the grace of aboundant recompence of our stay a double Restitution of whatsoeuer wee haue wanted yea an hundreth folde in this life an infinit recompence in heauen 2. cor 4. 17. 18 4. And shall not Israel that preuailes with God preuaile also with men Osee 11. 2. 3. Genes 32. Exod 16. Vse 1. Surely so we pray in Faith 1. 6. without doubting and Ignorance In Patience without wearysomnes submitting to the will of God Math 27. Galath 6. so our prayer be in loue to our God respecting his glory in loue to our selues desiring the best for vs and in loue to our neighbour without wrath or enuie so we pray in hope So contenting our hearts with the enioying of the present as that still we waite and begge for the things to come forgetting what 's behinde in respect of that 's before Phil 3. Howsoeuer the Lord neede not to be put in minde what hee will giue yet we must pray to put our selues in minde of what we haue need as also to approue our right for the supplie thereof Assuring our selues that the Lord will fulfill the desires of them that feare him Psal 25. 21. Psal 14. 5. And hee will certainely fill the hungrie with good things so they witnesse vnfainedly theyr wants by theyr earnestnes in begging and labour to bee found of GOD not hauing theyr owne righteousnes but cloathed with the righteousnes of IESVS CHRIST as well Praysing God for what they haue as begging what they want and submitting to Gods will for the manner of the supplie though being otherwise confident on God that he will certainly prouide Genes 22. If we be denied either wisely faulting our selues that we haue asked amisse or not faulting God howsoeuer who giueth how and when iâ— pleaseth him sufficient to our Faith though happily crossing â—ence reason Comforting our selues that the crossing of nature will be the triall and encrease of grace so that we doe still vse our spirituall weapon of Prayer thereby preuayle wee shall still with God howsoeuer we decrease in the flesh and who would not weaken such a treacherous and noysome enemie Can we better disgrace and abuse the same then when wee haue done our best therein yet not onely we craue a blessing from God thereon therein signifying it vtter inabilitie in it selfe to good but further also intreate the Lorde to pardon the best endeuouts and not to enter into iudgement with vs for our best seruices Psal 143. Oh how doth this vtterly condemne and crucifie the flesh Nay doth not heere a gracious hart wholly abase and denie himselfe that so hee may fully and whollie be interessed in the free mercies of God in Iesus Christ So doth Noah by prayer interesse his sonne Iapheth and his posteritie in the Couenant of grace and so by Faith doth hee prophesie of the Calling of the Gentiles And so from these words as a Prayer we come now to consider them as a Prophesie God perswade Iapheth to dwell in the Tents of Shem That is The Lord shall in the acceptable time by the Ministerie of his Gospell through the mighty operation of his holy spirite encline and allure the heart of the Gentiles to returne vnto him by kissing the Lord Iesus and for their saluation relye onely on the merites of the promised Messiah For the better opening of which Prophecie consider wee briefly these particulars therein 1. The Author that must accomplish this great worke of the couersion of the Gentiles Namely the Lord our God God perswade 2. The manner and meanes whereby this conuersion is accomplished namely by perswasion and alluring the reasonable part God perswade Iapheth 3. The Parties to be conuerted or rather returned to the embracing of Iesus Christ namely Iapheths posterity eueÌ„ the GeÌ„tils 4. The Religion and Faith to which they are to be conuerted Namely the Religion of Shem and this is amplified First by the subiect of this Religion namely Shem signifying therein diuers especiall markes of true Religion As First in that heere the true worship of God is noted by the Tents of Shem as hauing it Agnomination from him who was the eldest in his Fathers house the father of the Iewes which were the first borne first in the Loue of God First in the simplicitie and puritie of diuine worship First in the outward endowment of the Mariage bed First in the priuiledges and loue tokens of the Bridegroome doth not this make to the confirmation of that excellent truth that Truth is most Ancient and so therein leades vs to an excellent mark of the true Church namely whose foundation is that first and most ancient Truth Secondly In that the Church of God is heere confined to the Tents of Shem who though he were the Father of that posteritie which afterward as a figure of the inward beautie of the true belieuers was enlarged in outward pompe multitude and beautie yet now in the greatest puritie and simplicitie of godlinesse which shee was to recouer and practise vnder Iesus Christ was neyther for multitude so populous nor for outward glorie and beauty so conspicuous Doth not this also leade vs to two other marks of the true Church of Iesus Christ namely that it is a little flocke in respect of those which are without And 2. that it is
may dwell in the Tents of Shem This is the summe of the Blessing to dwell in the Tents of Shem. 1. That is to be ioyned vnto the Iewes both in the true worship of God as also in the priuiledges thereof 2. What is the true worship of God This is described vnto vs 1. by the subiect Shem who was the Father of the Iewes fignifying thereby vnto vs that the religion of the Iewes for substance is the true worship How shall this appeare Surely by these circumstances First Shem was the eldest Sonne not onely by Nature but by Grace Hee first in his Fathers house called on the Name of God The Iewes of him were also the first-borne First in the temporall Election first in the set worship of God and so also in the spirituall election And therefore seeing the truth is most Ancient the olde way is the true way Therefore the religion of the Iewes is the true worship of God Secondly That which was commanded of God and performed both for the substance and manner is the true Religion Such was the religion of the Iew wholly commaunded of God both for matter and manner enformed from Gods owne mouth Exod 20. Directed by his owne finger euen to the square and building of the Tabernacle And therefore the Religion of the Iewe was the true Religion And so all will worship is a false religion that which God onely commaunds is the truth onely Pet 2. 1. 19. Colloss 2. 23. Thirdly That which procures saluation to the performer is the truth Such is the religion of the Iewe As not onely pointing at Christ to come But applyâ—â—g Christ as come alâ—eady though not in the Flesh yet in power and efficacie as being a Lamb slaine from the beginning of the world Fourthly True godlines is not onely available for the life to come but euen for this life also Such was the religion of the Iewe so long as they walked after this rule so long the Lord blessed them and aduanced theyr temporall estate maruellously as hee promised Deutron 2â— Leuit 6. and accordingly abased them as they failed therein Fifthly And is not that the truth to which all must yeeld by which all must be directed Must not they returne vnto vs and not we vnto them Ierem 15. 12. Shall not all nations take hold of the skirt of a Iewe and say we will goe with you because the Lord is with you Zach 8. Must not Iapheth dwell in the Tents of Shem not Shem in the Tents of Iapheth Sixthly And shall not the Truth abide for euer Shall not the remnant of Israel be saued Shall not the Iewes though for a time cast off yet bee brought in againe And so the promise of God certaine Gods couenant with the Iewe euerlasting And so the originall truth the euerlasting truth The Iewes religion as most ancient so most permanent and perpetuall Seuenthly Was not the Iewe an abomination to the Aegiptian Is not that the truth which is hated of the world Behold then the true notes of the true Church and worship of God and 1. Trye we our selues by these whether we be in the faith or no Knowe wee not that Iesus Christ dwelleth in vs except we be reprobates 2. Cor 13. 5. 2. Discerne we wisely our estate by these that it is not so well with vs as happily wee may flatter our selues Ioh 8. Hee is not a Iewe which is a Iewe outward onely Rom 2. It is not the circumcision of the Flesh but the circumcision of the heart which God accepteth Rent wee therefore our hearts and not our garments and turne to the Lord our God whose mercies are euerlasting who loueth Truth in the inward parts And though he correct vs with the roddes of men yet will not take his sure mercies from vs Iapheah shall dwell in the Tents of Shem. And is the Church of God the Tents of Shem Howsoeuer afterward glorious in Shems posteritie both for number and outward magnificence yet now meane and contemptible as abyding in Tents Now little and almost invisible as confined to one Familie and not containing all thereof consisting onely of eight persons whereof the one was a Cast-away Beholde wee heere then the condition of the Church of God and therein consider wee further these necessarie Adiuncts thereof First It is a little Flocke Luk. 22. 32. for whom it pleaseth our heauenly Father to prouide a Kingdome though many are called yet fewe are chosen Matth 22. though without number in it scife yet in comparison of the reprobate but a little flocke euen as the gleaning of grapes after the Vintage Matth. 7. 1. Yea as signes and wonders so are they in the worlde 1. So is the good pleasure of our God who will haue mercie on whom hee will haue mercie 2. So narrow is the gate that fewe enter therein 3. So hard a saying it is to Flesh to hate it selfe to be borne againe to take vp the Crosse to become Fooles that we may be wise that no maruell if the wisedome of our Flesh be Enmitie against God that the most forsake Christ it will necessarily followe Ioh 6. Who will belieue our report which is so vnlikely so distastfull to corrupt reason And if not many Mightie many Noble c are chosen It is no wonder Because they will not with Marie choose the better part which shall not be taken away from them First Oh how vaine then is theyr conceit that dreame all shall be saued How fearfull is their course that so liue as vnlesse all bee saued it is impossible but that they must bee condemned Is it safe following the multitude seeing fewe shall be saued Will the example of great ones deliuer from Hell howsoeuer they may shelter vs from bodilie punishment Why then doe we make them our warrants to runne the broade way Why then doe wee aduance them aboue all that is called God as if theyr Lawes were absolute theyr authoritie vncontroulable Is it not better to obey God then man Must wee needes runne to Hell for companie Is it not enough to yeelde our bodies and goods which they gaue vs not Who so is wise let him consider these things First Let him feare him that can kill both body and soule 2. Let him not freat at the prosperitie of the wicked and yet giue vnto Caesar the thing which are Caesare 3. Let him be little in his owne eyes that so he may be contented with his portion though it be the Crppe of Affliction So it bee a proseruatiue from sinne a Badge of his Maister Christ a Pledge of his louing Father a spurre to perfection a procurer of an vncorruptible crowne 4. Let it not grieue him to be salsely charged with singularitie that hee is an odde-Fellow that he walkes alone that he is more nyce then needes that he is no good-Fellow No Friend to Caesar seditious pestilent This was the portion of the Saints This