Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	apostle_n	church_n	hold_v	2,172	5	6.0670	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09465	A treatise of mans imaginations Shewing his naturall euill thoughts: His want of good thoughts: The way to reforme them. Framed and preached by M. Wil. Perkins.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Piersonn, Thomas.	1607 (1607)	STC 19751; ESTC S100455	58,962	240

triall of this thought in our selues Whosoeuer denieth the presence of God denieth God Now let the conscience answer whether we be not afraid to sinne in the presence of many mortall men and yet in the presence of God doe make no bones thereof so the eies of men be turned from vs. Now what is this but either flatly to denie the presence of God or at least to yeeld more feare and reuerence to men then we doe vnto God Againe what is the cause why men vse oppression and iniustice deceit and lying in their wordly affaires Is it not because this thought of Atheisme doth possesse their hearts that God regardeth not these outward things Durst men directly sinne against God in seeking these outward blessings for naturall life if they did rightly relie vpon Gods prouidence knowing euery good gift to come from his bountifull hand Lastly let the conscience speake doth not thy heart while thou goest on in sinne say thus vnto thee God is mercifull I will heareafter repent and so shall I escape punishment If a man doe well obserue his owne heart he shall finde therin this vile thought which directly ouerturns the infinite iustice of God making him a God all of mercie when as indeede he is as well a God of Iustice as of mercie By all which it is more then euident that naturally this vile thought runnes in mans heart There is no God Vse Hereby then we must learne to see what vile miserable and wretched sinners we are in our selues though we had no actuall outward sinnes yet this damnable thought maketh vs accursed If a man curse the king in his heart the sinne is so great and heinous that the foules of heauen shall disclose it How horrible then is this sinn for a man in his thought to curse God the king of kings and Lord of Lords This therefore must humble vs in our selues before the Lord. Againe hereby we must be admonished to vse all good meanes whereby wee may come to see and know not onely the grosse actuall sinnes of our liues but especially this damnable thought of our hearts few there be that doe see it and therefore we must be earnest with our selues in searching our owne hearts to find out this and such like abhominations that bee in vs. And thus much for the first euill thought Sect. 2. Of this thought The word of God is foolishnes The second damnable thought of mans naturall heart concerning God is this The word of God is foolishnesse This thought must principally be vnderstood of the Gospel as S. Paul declareth saying It hath pleased God by the foolishnes of preaching to saue them that beleeue where hee calleth the Gospell of Christ foolishnes not that it was so indeede but because the vnconuerted Corinthians and other Grecians iudged the preaching of Christ crucified the most foolish thing in all the world And in the next chapter he saith The naturall man that is he that is not effectually called perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God to wit that a man must repent of his sinnes and beleeue in Christ for the pardon of them if he would be saued they are foolishnes vnto him Nicodemus answer to Christ maketh this plaine Ioh. 3. 4. esteeming regeneration without which Christ said no man could enter into the kingdome of heauen to be a mans returne into his mothers wombe and a birth from thence againe This wicked thought must be vnderstood of the lawe of God also the heart of man by nature iudgeth the threatnings of the lawe to be vntruthes and so foolishnesse hence the Lord by Moses forbad the people when they heard the threatnings and curses of the law denounced against them To blesse themselues in their hearts saying Wee shall haue peace herevpon he denounceth a woe to them that deride his iudgements threatned and say Let him make speede let him hasten his worke that wee may see it c. As if they should say wee doe not beleeue that any such things shall come to passe like to the mockers of whome Peter prophecieth who walk after their lusts and say Where i● the promise of his comming Now that this is a most damnable thought may appeare by the cursed fruits therof for first hence ariseth that deuilish and carnall opinion of sundrie men that thinke and hold religion to be but humane policie to keepe men in awe and so vse it as a politicke devise to exercise mens braines to keepe them from sedition trecherie and rebellion Secondly hence springs all Apostacie and departing from the faith The Galathians were a worthie Church planted by the apostle Paul yet euen in his time they began to fall away to another Gospell which made him to maruel and the reason was this they were not contented with that simplicitie which is in Christ but would ioyne with him the obseruation of legall ceremonies The like we may say of those famous Easterne Churches as those seauen Churches of Asia planted by the apostles wherin the truth flourished for a while but not long after the Apostles times they fell into many damnable heresies as Arrianisme such like Yea about six hundred yeares after Christ they embraced the damnable religion of Mahomet In the West partes also were worthie and famous Churches planted by the Apostles and their successors as in Italie France Germanie Spaine England who about the same time of 6. hūdred yeares after Christ fell to Papisme which spread it selfe ouer all Europe and further some few Churches of Greece excepted In which religion men abandon the Gospel of Christ and betake themselues to another Gospell by adioyning to the truth of Christ their owne deuises And this Papisme hath raigned euer since till now of late so hath Apostacie taken place in those Churches which the Apostles planted The cause whereof was in the wicked and sinnefull heart of man iudging the gospell foolishnes whereupon men were contented to yeilde themselues to any other religion rather then to that simplicitie of truth which is in Christ Iesus We now in England by Gods speciall mercie hold and teach the word of God but if God should alter our religion with the times the greatest part of men among vs would forsake the truth and cleaue to any other religion and that only vpon this ground because they iudge the Gospell foolishnes Let any man among vs broach an error or heresie it shall haue patrones at the first be it neuer so vile and absurd protectors afterward When that brutish heresie of the familie of loue tooke shipping in Germanie and ariued in England though it bee an opinion voyde of common sense yet it had applause amongst vs and was receiued of many and would haue spredde it selfe further if the preaching of the word with the care of the Magistrate had not suppressed it And the reason heereof is this mans minde by nature is full of