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	good_a	word_n	1,776	5	3.7855	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89500	Meate out of the eater, or, Hopes of unity in and by divided and distracted times. Discovered in a sermon preached before the Honourable house of Commons at Margarets Westminster on their solemne day of fast, June 30. 1647. / By Tho: Manton Minister of Stoke-Newington.	Manton, Thomas, 1620-1677.	1647 (1647)	Wing M525; Thomason E395_1; ESTC R201634	37,335	60

that all of us would now minde the things of peace and holinesse in these distracted times The great house is smitten with clefts and the little house with breaches Amos 6. 11. there are divisions in Cityes divisions in familyes divisions in Councells divisions in the Kingdome and yet few healers of the breaches we are already at a great distance and yet wee doe in alia omnia ire seeke to goe farther off from one another some make it a piece of their Religion and zeal to dissent and be otherwise minded Christ saith love shall waxe cold in the latter dayes Mat. 24. 12. the Context sheweth 't is meant of this dispensative love * Ludolsus said the world was at first destroyed with water for the heate of lusts but it will be destroyed with fire for the coldnesse of love oh that wee could stirre you up to endeavour peace and reconciliation the first worke is the peoples things are mostly mannaged according to your love and hatred Herod could doe nothing to John for feare of the people and 't is said of others they could not doe what they would because of the people oh therefore come as the people did to John and say what shall we doe Truly much is to be done by you I shall touch upon a few things besides reconciling your selves to God which is the best way to make others be at peace with you and is to be heeded in a chiefe place for when you are at one with God he will give you the one heart and one way with other of his people all agreement ariseth from that onenesse with God and Christ but I say besides this generall rule let me intreate you to minde these things 1. Let every one of us mortifie such ill affections as may any way ingage us to a disturbance and vexatious bitternesse ill affections doe as often divide us as ill opinions Warres come from our lusts Jam. 4. 1. distempered spirits occasion distracted times 't is observed that when there was strife among the Philippians the Apostle doth not state the controversies but giveth rules against pride and vaine glory and selfe seeking Phil. 2. 3. 4. There are many evils in the heart of man I shall instance in these there is an itch of novelty naturally wee adore things that are new they flocked about Paul because they supposed him a setter forth of new Gods * Seneca observeth right homini ingenium est magis nova quàm magna mirari men admire a glaring Meteor and Comet more then they doe the glorious Sun so pride that will make a man singular there is an holy singularity Pro. 30. 31. the going of the he-goate is comely that is as he walketh before the flocke thus to be a leading man in Religion is honourable but pride puts a man upon an evill singularity Col. 2. 19. intruding himselfe into things not seen being puft up with his owne fleshly minde It puts men upon ungrounded conceits quintessentiall extractes foolish nicetyes So enuy that begets an evill eye upon each o-others renowne and esteeme therefore when God would reconcile Ephraim and Judah * he would take away their enuy And Ephraim shall not enuy Iudah nor Iudah vex Ephraim So revenge and discontent Porsury and Iulian two bitter enemies receiving injuryes from the Church became Athiests the Divill worketh upon stomach discōtent thoughts of disrespect so there is self seeking men care not what they doe so they may accomodate their owne ends they speake perverse things to draw disciples after them Act. 20. 30. Some men love to be in the head of a traine and therefore if Gods truths will not serve their ends they can easily balke them so self-conceit men make Idols of their owne conceptions love an opinion non quia veram sed quia suam not because 't is true but theirs they are angry because others dissent from them not from Christ as appeareth plainly because those that know little or nothing of the minde of Christ make most bitter and loude out-cryes against errours men are passionate in their owne cause and would have every one imbrace their fancyes pray what 's the spring of all your disputes selfe or Christ's glory I cannot goe over all the corruptions only you see from small sparkles a great fire is kindled that which goeth up in thin exhalations descendeth in great showers that which is at first but a lust a vainedesire and corrupt working in your owne hearts is at length a tumult and combustion in a Church or State therefore in the generall note That a mortified spirit is the most peaceable 2. Keepe your selves pure from ill opinions you must as carefully avoide an errour in judgement as a vice in conversation many dally with errours not considering the danger of them oh consider God hateth filthinesse of the spirit as well as filthinesse of the flesh and a vaine minde is as great a judgment as vile affections * yea certainly to the Publicke errors are more dangerous then vices for vices and grosse sinnes are more against naturall awe and shame and so lesse spreading and though we yeeld to sin in our selves yet we doe not love it in others and so among persons openly vicious there is nothing to allure and draw into a faction or party therfore be cautious and wary if not for your owne soule yet for the common peace as Tertullian said to Scapulus si non vis tibi parcere parce Carthagini so if you will not pitty your selves pitty England a man would be carefull of being accessary to a Kingdomes or a Churches ruine where the influence of an action is so publicke you had need proceed with good deliberation and advice however that I may not in this point seeme to presse too hard upon any one party let me discover the extremities on both hands there are two evils abroad * easie cre-credulity and stubborne prejudice and both of them increase the differences whilst some mens judgements are forestalled by a tradition others seduced by an invention therfore 't is good to take the meane between both which is the course the Apostle prescribeth 1 Thess. 5. 21. Prove all things hold fast that which is good prove all things that wee reject not truth by over much prejudice hold fast that which is good that wee close not with errour by over much credulity you owe so much to every thing that pretendeth to God as to consider it when Ehud told Eglon I have a message from God he arose out of his seate * I say you owe so much reverence to every thing that chalengeth descent from heaven as to weigh the claime I doe the rather urge this because the adversaries of Cristianity have been alwayes those that have least inquired into it * Tertullian observeth it of the enemies of the truth in his dayes nolentes audire quod auditum damnare non possent they would not heare that which they

small offence to the godly the dead body of Amasa in the way to discourage the people of the Lord from going on to union and accord the sons of Eli that cause many to abhor the offering of the Lord partly as those that are very apt to be the cinifloes that will blow up the coales of strife amongst us The first stirs about religion in the Low Countryes were occasioned by the Ministers of the old Leaven whom they were faine to take in out of necessity in that scarcity of Ministers and to allow some of them because of their parts in eminēt places * The story nameth Wiggerus Collhaasius and others who kindled those sparks of trouble which afterward were blown up by James Arminius into a great flame Many observe that the Jesuites goe over to the Lutherans and foment differences between them the reformed truly we may feare their influence men that have the old malice a new irritation will stirre in a way of revenge The Lord guide you I am sorry to heare the complaints that are abroad Fourthly In the liberty that you give use great caution some things you may be forced to beare with for a time take heed of endangering the truths of God you ought to be tender of Christs little ones woe to those that offend them Mat. 18. 6. But you ought to be more tender of Christs truths you owe somewhat to Christs Saints and servāts but I say again more to his truths T is somewhat unheard of that these two should come in contest and competition however you will find Christ more jealous of his ways then of his servants of his truths then of his Saints 't is truth makes Saints Joh. 17. 17. Sanctifie them by thy truth thy word is truth and husbandmen are ever more carefull of their seed-corne then of the increase and besides we may be deceived in Saints wee doe not know hearts but we cannot so easily in truths because there is a sure standard to measure them by Therefore take heed of doing any thing against truth 't is a good old caution In veste varietas sit scissura non sit though there be divers colours yet let there be no rent in the Churches coate I will not take upon me to state the matter what libertie you may give and how far perhaps that may be unfeasonable however 't will not I hope be too much presumption to present you with the most obvious miscarriages of Magistrates in this matter Three sorts of men there are in the world and concerning every one of them wee may say The way of peace they have not knowne 1. Some are of a preposterous zeale in lesser differences and are all for extremity and violence towards those from whom they differ in the least degree and circumstance most of the censures inflicted by the late Bishops were because of Ceremonies things not weighty in any regard no not in their own esteeme some men breath out nothing but rage and threatnings upon the least dissent I remember I have read of Joab David's Generall that when his teacher had falsely vowelled one word in the Hebrew hee slew him the place was that charge to destroy Zechan He read it Zachar the males of Amalec It is good to preserve truth but small distempers will not need so violent a cure 't is as if a man should fire an house to destroy the mice in it Union is good but rigorous inforcements especially in trifles things that lie farre from the heart of Religion are not so warrantable Paul is every where most zealous against errours there is never an Epistle of his but hath some what against them However none more earnest then he to bring circumcision and uncircumcision to a profession of brotherhood Secondly Some are for medleyes and compounds of religion as if that would be peace Thus Charles the fifth thought to please all by that wicked booke called the Interim it did a great deale of harme and did not any way heale the difference many of late amongst us and in other reformed Churches endeavored to blend us Rome Babilon and Zion together God hateth those iniquos syncretismos prophane mixtures and intermysticall designes unity consists in an agreement in the truth not in a coagulation of errors strings that are in tune must not be stirred others must be set up to them The disobedient must bee brought up to the wisedome of the just not that brought downe to them Luke 1. 17. when the language is pure the Souldier is one Zeph. 3. 9. little hopes of agreement till you set up pure doctrine unmixed disipline the new cloth set upon the old will make the rent the greater the world thinks the lesse purity the more unity but 't is otherwise all the troubles are because Iron will not mixe with Clay Gods waies with man's inventions Thirdly Some drive at a promiscuous leave and toleration of all opinions and differences though never so contrary to truth as if this were the best way to bring things to any peace and quiet ôh consider how great a prejudice this is to Religion this is the very way that Julian the Apostate tooke to destroy it Socrates Scholasticus Ammianus Marcellinus and others that write of him say that to ruine religion he would equally tolerate and countenance all parties I shall but take notice of what * one saith that he was thoroughly set upon this as knowing it to be the ready way to bring all to naught indeed 't was not onely the policy of this subtile adversary but of all the enemies of truth as the * margine will informe you And indeed where it doth not destroy Religion it doth imbase it partly because men content themselves in having made a better choyse then others about them partly because men spend all the heat and first-borne of their strength and zeale in the contentions and letthe practicks goe certainely there would be but little security to truth and it's followers where there is such a promiscuous toleration where men are godly they cannot be so easily amassed into one body and confederacy with persons erroneous they being bound up by conscience and having religion of their sides are not so flexible and then the others cannot so well agree with them for two different errours can better agree and cotton among themselves then one errour and the nearest truth darknesse and darknesse can better agree then light and darknesse alwayes you will find it men hate the nearest truth as being that light by which their deeds are reproved The Eunomians the Arians though they held different errours the one denyed the Godhead of the Sonne the other of the Spirit could better agree with one another then with the Orthodox the Pharises and Herodians though of different principles the one being for the other against the liberty of the Jewes yet both could conspire together to entrapp Christ Iebal and Ammon