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	doctrine_n	speak_v	2,014	5	4.4482	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85403	Mercy in her exaltation. Or, A soveraigne antidote against fear of the second death. In a sermon preached at the funeral of Daniel Taylor Esq; in Stephens Colemanstreet London, on the twentieth day of April, an. 1655.	Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.	1655 (1655)	Wing G1181; Thomason E848_24; ESTC R202308	41,452	68

evil as hath been said as appears by that which followeth His heart is fixed his heart is established trusting in the Lord meaning that his trusting in God is that which fixeth and establisheth his heart so that it is not it cannot be shaken or tossed up and down within him with those storms and tempests and whirlwinds of fear which are the rending and tearing and tormenting of other mens A feather though it be a very weak and light thing and hath nothing in it self to balast it or wherewith to resist the least puff or whiff of wind yet if it be close and fast knit or bound to a great Rock it pertakes of the stability and firmness of this Rock and can no more be shaken or removed then the Rock it self In like manner a man made of flesh and blood a creature very contemptible in his own strength apt to be shaken and shattered in pieces with sad expectations and fears of what it may suffer from time to time yet being close united unto God and cleaving fast to him in trust and dependance becomes interessed in the security and unmoveableness of God himself This happy posture or condition of soul the Apostle calleth a being strong in the Lord and in the power of his might a meaning that good Christians and true beleevers ought to be as secure as dreadless and fearless of evil notwithstanding their own weakness as if they were themselves invested with the glorious omnipotencie or power of the might of God and had the same means for their preservation and safety in their own hands which now are in his He shall not be afraid saith David further displaying the security or fearless posture of his gracious and compassionate man until he see his desire upon his enemies i. e. until he shall see all those whether persons or things from whence he may be conceived to be in danger of suffering evil so broken scattered and confounded that he shall fully know himself to be out of all danger offuffering from them meaning that he should never be afraid For he that is without fear until he see his enemies utterly destroyed certainly will not be afraid afterwards Now the great and most formidable enemies of the Gracious and Compassionate man as he is a man are Death and Hell or the Grave with their sad and dismal retinue both a parte ●●te and a parte post before and after Therefore the man now before us Gracious and full of Compassion shall not be afraid i. shall enjoy himself in a blessed tranquillity and security of mind until he shall see his desire on them i. until he shall see both Death and Hell with all their train cast into the Lake of fire Rev. 20. 14. after which he shall apparantly be out of all danger of being hurt by them Why David insisteth up●n this qualification full of Compassion in characterizing such a person whose heart should be fixed and established by trusting in the Lord and consequently who should not be afraid c. and why a Person of this character should trust in the Lord and so be established rather then any other man shall be shewed unto you when we come to open the Ground and Reason of the Doctrine In the mean time give me your patience to add a brief passage or two out of the first Epistle of John for your further satisfaction in the truth of the Doctrine We know saith this Apostle in this Epistle c. 3. 14. that we have passed from Death to Life because we love the Brethren That he speaks here in a more particular manner of love to the poor Brethren which uttereth it self after the manner of goodness mercy and compassion appears from the sequel of the context and more especially from vers 17. But who so hath this worlds goods and seeth his Brother have need and shutteth up his Bowels of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him Now then the Apostle as ye heard speaking thus We know that we have passed from Death to Life because we love the Brethren his meaning is that all they who love the Brethren in the sense specified i. express themselves in a way of kindness and mercy to such of the Brethren who are poor and stand in need of their help know hereby i. may readily or easily know hereby have a pregnant ground on which to be built up in this blessed confidence or assurance that they have passed from Death to Life that the bitterness of the wrath and vengeance which is to come is already passed as to them and that condemnation shall not be their portion The 17 and 18. verses of the 4th chapter of the same Epistle are confederate in Notion and Import with the now-opened passage and give testimony to the same Truth In the former Herein saith John is our love or love with us {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of judgement because as he is so are we in this world As if he should say this is a signe an argument that our love hath attained some measure or degree of perfection and hath acted its part well when it hath raised us to a boldness or fearlesness of spirit in the day i. against the day of the judgement of the world Or thus the consideration of this great priviledge or fruit of our love when it shall be grown to any strength or perfection is a worthy motive unto us to perfect it or to hasten us to the perfecting of it viz. that by it we shall have boldness or liberty of face {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in the day of judgement Now they who at present know they shall have boldness in the day of judgement must needs have even at present a large first fruits of that Harvest It follows because as he is so are we in this world This clause seems to contain a reason or ground of the former assertion and to import that our being found in this world by means of our love perfected like unto God or unto Christ who fils the world with the fruits of his love goodness and mercy is a pregnant reason why we should even at present promise unto our selves boldness in the day of judgement in as much as there is not the least colour for any jealousie or fear that God should condemn those in the day of judgment who have been like unto himself in works of love goodness and mercie works wherein himself most delighteth and this in a place where it is a matter of greatest difficulty and disadvantage for men to resemble him in these viz. this present world where there are so few examples leading or incouragements inducing unto such things yea and very many things greatly discouraging from them The Tenor of the latter of the two verses pointed at is There is no fear in love He speaks of love made perfect as appears both from the

Interest of his glory in the world the Scripture it self witnesseth and acknowledgeth in saying He that hath mercy upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord and that which he hath given will he pay him again b How or in what respect doth he that giveth unto the poor lend unto God The reason of the assertion is doubtless this God every where claims to himself the great honour of being the Sovereign Administrator of humane affairs and Governour of the world and he is generally by men acknowledged so to be Now as he is the Supream Ruler and Governor of the world the care of the poor and needy being members of the world and if they be godly and vertuous very considerable and worthy members hereof lieth upon his hand as well as if not much more then the care of other persons Yea himself very frequently engageth himself by word and promise to take special care of the poor and helpless and that he will be mindful of them and provide for them In both respects when the poor are neglected and exposed to extremities the honour and equitableness of his government of the world together with the truth of his word and promise are in danger of being called into question at least by his enemies and those that are less acquainted with his methods and ways So that they who charge themselves and their consciences with looking after the poor and shall minister unto their wants and necessities as they are able and have opportunity to do herein justifie and vindicate the Government of the world in the hand of God together with the truth of his Declarations made in the behalf of the poor from and against all imputations and aspersions that are or might be cast upon them upon the account of a deficiencie in this kind and in case the poor should be wholly unregarded Yea whereas the great God hath as it were pawned unto the world those inestimable Jewels the honour of his righteousness and of his truth that the poor of the Earth shal not be forsaken or left desolate but remembred in his providential dispensations in the world they who shal shew them kindness and be as nursing Fathers unto them what do they else but lend unto the Lord for the redeeming of his pawns and to prevent the rejoycing of his Enemy the world over the forfeiture of them Whereas they who shut up the bowels of their compassion against the indigent and needy and suffer them to faint and sink under the burthen of their poverty whilst they have in their hand the good things of this world wherewith to relieve them do what in them lyeth expose the righteousness and truth and faithfulness of God in the government of the world unto reproach and shame Hence it is that the Holy Ghost speaking by the Apostle John imputeth the heard-heartedness of men towards the poor not so much to a defect or want of love in them towards the poor themselves as towards God who is more concerned as he is capale of concernments in one kind or other in the relief and non-relief then themselves But whosoever hath this worlds good and Brother have need and shutteth up his bowels of compassion seeth his from him how dwelleth THE LOVE OF GOD in him a By the way it may be some comfort and relief of spirit unto the poor when they are neglected by men that they are herein but fellow-sufferers with God himself This for a sixth Reason Seventhly and Lastly Amongst Christians and those that are trained up in the knowledge of the Scriptures there is this reason beyond all the rest why men and women signally gracious and merciful cannot lightly be troubled with any servile fears of judgement or condemnation viz. that God hath poured out himself so abundantly above measure in his word in high approbations of this Grace and the exercise of it and especially in promises of all sorts great and precious in every kind made unto it as if he judged both the world that now is with all that is desireable in it and the world also that is to come with all the glory and great things thereof consideration or reward little enough for those that shall honour him and his Gospel like themselves with the exercise of it We shall not need to instance in particulars The Firmament of Heaven is not fuller of Stars then the Scripture is of Divine promises and engagements unto those that shall cast their bread upon the waters and shew themselves the natural sons and daughters of mercy Give saith our Saviour and it shall be given unto you good measure pressed down and shaken together and running over shall they not men give into your bosom a When actions are ascribed to un-named and as it were to invisible Agents which is sometimes done in the Scripture as Luk. 12. 20. 48. Luk. 16. 9. and elsewhere it seems to imply some special hand of God or somewhat more then ordinary in their performance So when it is here said {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} they shall give the measure here expressed into your bosom the meaning may well be that God himself will interpose with extraordinary zeal to make the reward of men and women that shall be large hearted and open handed unto the poor rich and full above measure I forbear to insist upon any more promises of like import because they are of such frequent occurrencie in the Scriptures You may please at your leisure to consider these places with their fellows Isai. 58. 6 7 8 9 10 11 12. Eccles. 11. 1 2. Psal. 41. 1 2 3. Psal. 112. 4 5 6 7 8 9. Prov. 11. 25. Mat. 5. 7. Luk. 6. 35. Luk. 12. 33. 2 Cor. 9. 6. This for the seventh and last Reason of the Doctrine Proceed we now to the Use and Application of it Here we shall find it serviceable unto us upon three several accounts 1. It will yeild us matter of Instruction 2. Of Reproof 3. And Lastly of Exhortation First for Instruction If men full of goodness and mercy cannot lightly but enjoy themselves in an Heavenly security from the wrath of God which hangs over the head of the world learn we from hence that then there is a course to be taken by which men and women may be built up in a stable steady and well grounded assurance of salvation there is a stone to be turned and this not very heavy neither under which the inestimable jewel of an Heavenly security lyeth hid and may be found a security I mean that a man shall be able to stand before that great Judge in that his day and not fall or be condemned with the world By the coldness indifferencie and dead-heartedness of the generality of men and women in looking after such a state and enjoyment as this a man would think that it were like the world which some men fancie to be in the Moon yet find few or none that will trouble