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	ghost_n	holy_a	5,238	5	5.2266	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09391	A direction for the government of the tongue according to Gods word	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.	1593 (1593)	STC 19688; ESTC S107173	27,185	80

our speach is a goodly ornament The Apostles when they waited for the Holy Ghost in Hierusalem it descended upon them in the forme of fiery tongues then it is said that they spake as the holy Ghost gave them utterāce in Apophthegmes or wise sentences And he that governeth his tongue wisely addeth doctrine to the lips that is so speaketh as that others be made wise thereby This wisedome is then shewed when a man can in judgement apply his talke and as it were in good maner make it fit to all the circumstances of persons times places thinges A foole powreth out all his mind but a wise man keepeth in till afterwarde A worde spoken in his place is like apples of golde with pictures of silver Now he that would have his speach to be wise must first of all him selfe become a wise man And the wise man of whome the holy Scriptures speake is a godly man and such an one as feareth God because this feare of God is the beginning and head of wisedome as on the contrarie the foole whereof the Scripture often speaketh is the ungodly person that maketh no conscience of any sinne And indeede such a one is the most senselesse foole of all He that shall ever and anon be casting him selfe into the fire and water and runne upon daungerous places to breake his legges armes necke and further shal take pleasure in doing al this is either a foole or a mad man Now the ungodly man as oft as he sinneth he indevoureth as much as in him lieth to pitch his soule into hel wheras he taketh pleasure in sinne he sports him selfe with his owne destruction Furthermore the man fearing God must have two things in his heart a perswasion of Gods presence and Awe The perswasion of Gods presence is whereby a man is continually resolved that wheresoeuer he is he standeth before God who doeth see even into the secrets of his heart This was in Cornelius Now therefore saith he we are in Gods presence to heare all things that are commaunded thee of God Awe in regard of God is that whereby a man behaveth him selfe reuerently because he is in Gods presence Awe is either in regard of sinne or of chastisements Awe in respect of sinne is when one is afraide to sinne fearing not so much the punishment as sinne it selfe because it is sinne For he feareth God indeede which is of this minde that if there were no Iudge to condemne him no hell to torment him no Divell nor conscience to accuse him yet he would not sinne because Gods blessed Majestie is by it offended and displeased and if he had it in his choyce whether he would sinne or loose his life he had rather dye then willingly and wittingly sinne against God This awe being in Ioseph was the cause that mooved him not to commit follie with Putiphars wife How then saith he can I doe this great wickednesse and sinne against God Awe in chastisements is when one humbleth him selfe under the mightie hande of God with all meekenesse and patience when God layeth his hande on him more or lesse When Shemi came foorth and cursed David and flung stones at him what did he truely he stoode in awe of God and therefore saide What have I to doe with you ye sonnes of Zerviah for he curseth even because the Lorde hath bidden him curse David who dare then say wherefore hast thou done so When a man is thus made wise that is righteous and fearing God he is so guided by the spirite of feare that he can not but speake wisely Salomon saith The lippes of the righteous knowe what is acceptable but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowarde thinges And againe The heart of the wise guideth the mouth wisely Contrarie to this is fond and foolish talke an example hereof we have in Luke where Pilate wanting the feare of God saith I finde no fault in Christ let us therefore chastise him and send him away CAP. V. Of Trueth and of Reverence in speach TRVETH of speach is a vertue whereby a man speaketh as he thinketh and so consequently he speaketh as every thing is so farre forth as possiblie he can It is made a note of a righteous man to speake the trueth from the heart and they that deale truely are Gods delight This is alwayes required in all our doctrines accusations defences testimonies promisses bargainings counsels but especially in Iudges and Magistrates sitting on judgement seate because then they stand in Gods steade who is trueth it selfe To this place belongeth Apollogie which is when a Christian called before a Magistrate and straightly examined of his religion confesseth Christ boldly and denieth not the trueth Contrary to this is Lying Cogging Glosing Smoothing dissembling As for example Gehazi after hee had received money and garments of Naaman the Syrian against Elis●●es will he went and stoode before his master who saide unto him whence commest thou Gehazi who making it nothing to lye for a vantage smoothed it over finely and sayde thy servaunt went no whither To the like effect and purpose report is made of a rich man that had two chestes the one whereof he calleth all the worlde the other his friende In the first hee putteth nothing in the seconde he putteth all his substance When his neighbour came to borrowe money he useth to answere truely I have never a penny in all the worlde meaning his emptie chest but I will see saith he what my friend can doe looking thereby for interest by the money out of his other chest This vice is very common and it is a rare thing to finde a man that maketh a conscience of a lye Lying is when a man speaketh otherwise then the trueth is with a purpose to deceive Here note that there is great difference betweene these two speeches It is an untrueth and It is a lye The first may be used when a man speaketh falshoodes But in using the seconde we must be heedie and sparing for when a man is challenged for a lye three thinges are layde to his charge I That he speaketh falsely II. That he is willing to doe so III. That he hath a desire and purpose to deceive Quest. Whether may not a man lye if it be for the procuring of some great good to our neighbour or to the whole countrey where we are Answ. No Reasons are these I. Lying is forbidden as an abomination to the Lord. II. We are not to doe any evill that good might come thereof III. He which lyeth in so doing conformeth him selfe to the devill who is a lyar and the father thereof Object I. Such lying is for our neighbours good and not against charitie Answ. No for charitie rejoyceth in the trueth Object II. The holy Scriptures haue mentioned the lyes of the Patriarches Answ. We must not live by examples against rules of Gods worde Object III. Rahab

the thirde commandement was giuen that men might not take up the Name of God in vaine that is rashly and lightly And therefore lamentable and fearefull is the practise euery where For it is a common thing with men to begin their speech and to place the titles of Gods most high Majestie in the forefront almost of euery sentence by saying O Lorde O God! O good God! O mercifull God! O Iesu O Christ c. If a man be to say any thing he will not say Yea or Nay but O Lorde yea or O Lorde nay If a man be to reprooue his inferiour he will presently say O Lorde have mercie on vs what a sloubacke art thou what a lye is this c. An earthly Prince if he should haue his name tossed in our mouthes at euery worde would neuer beare it and how shall the euerliuing God suffer it nay how can he suffer it I say no more but thou with thy selfe thinke how for in the third commandement the punishment is set downe that he will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his Name in vaine And the Angels in reuerence to Gods Majestie couer their faces Isa. 6.2 Concerning our neighbour we are to consider whether the thing which wee are about to speake be good or evill This being weighed if it be good and so commendable then we are readily and cheerefully and that upon every occasion ro utter it especially in his absence whether he be a friend or a foe as S. Iohn writeth of Demetrius Demetrius saith he hath good report of all men and of the trueth it selfe yea and we our selves beare recorde and ye knowe that our testimonie is true As for the evill which any man shall knowe by his neighbour he is in no wise to speake of it whether it be an infirmitie or a grosse sinne unlesse in his conscience he shall finde him selfe called of God to speake A man is called to speake in three cases I. when he is called before a magistrate is lawfully required to testifie the evill which he knoweth by another II. when any is to admonish his brother of any fault for his amendement III. when the hurt or daunger that may arise of the evill is to be prevented in others As a man may say to one well disposed take heede of such a mans company for he is given to such or such a vice To this ende they of the house of Cloe doe certifie Paul of the disorders in Corinth And Ioseph certifieth his father of his brethrens slaunders In this case all treasons are to be revealed as tending to the ruine of the whole Common-wealth Thus Elisha revealeth the secret of the King of Syria And if it shall be thought convenient to mencion the evill which we know by any man it must be done onely in generall maner the person all circumstances which will descrie the person concealed Concerning things which are secret in our neighbour we are not to be suspicious but to suspend both speech and judgement Love suspecteth no evill Iudge nothing saith Paul before the time untill the Lord come who will lighten things that are hidde in darknesse and make the counsells of the heart manifest Augustine hath a good and a speciall rule to this purpose that there be three thinges of which wee must give no judgement Gods predestination the Scriptures and the Estate of men uncalled As touching a mans selfe he is neither to praise nor dispraise him-selfe As Salomon saieth Let another man praise thee and not thine owne mouth A straunger and not thine owne lippes Yet otherwhiles the times doe fall out that a man may use an holy kinde of boasting especially when the disgrace of the person is the disgrace also of the Gospell and of Religion and of God himselfe as Paul did But wherein saith he any vvill use boldnesse I speake foolishly I vvill use boldnesse They are Hebrevves so am I c. CAP. III. Of the manner of our speech and vvhat must be done before vvee speake THVS much of the matter of our speech Nowe followeth the manner In the manner of our speaking three thinges are to be pondered What must be done before we speake what in speaking what after we have spoken Before we speake consideration must be used of the thing to be spoken and of the end Iames requireth that men should be slowe to speake and swift to heare Salomon saith He that answereth a matter before he heare it it is follie shame to him The minde is the guide of the tongue therefore men must consider before they speake The tongue is the messenger of the heart and therefore as oft as we speake without meditation going before so oft the messenger runneth without his arrand The tongue is placed in the middle of the mouth and it is compassed in with lippes and teeth as with a double trench to shewe us howe we are to use heede and preconsideration before we speake and therefore it is good advise to keepe the key of the mouth not in the mouth but in the cupbourd of the heart Augustine saith well that as in eating and drinking men make choyce of meates so in manifolde speeches we should make choyce of talke Here are condemned idle wordes that is such wordes as are spoken to little or no ende or purpose And they are not to be esteemed as little sinnes when as men are to give account of every idle worde CAP. IIII. What is to be done in speaking and of wisedome WHEN we are in speaking two thinges are to be practised first care must be had of the speach that it be gratious secondly it is to be uttered with convenient bondes of trueth The speech is gratious when it is so uttered that the graces of God wrought in the heart by the holy Ghost are as it were pictured and painted foorth in the same for speach is the very image of the heart Contrarie to this is rotten speach that is all such talke as is voide of grace which is the heart and pith of our speach And by this it appeareth that no vice can be named but with disliking hereupon in Scriptures when by occasion a vice should be named in token of a loathing thereof the name of the vice is omitted and the name of the contrarie vertue used in the roome thereof as in these wordes For Iob thought It may be that my sonnes have sinned and blessed that is blasphemed God This being true then by proportion the visible representation of the vices of men in the worlde which is the substance and matter whereof playes and enterludes are made is much more to be avoyded Gods graces which we are to shewe foorth in our communication are these Wisedome Trueth Reverence Modestie Meekenesse Sobrietie in judgement Vrbanitie Fidelitie Care of others good name but let us consider of them in order Wisedome in