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	jesus_n	lord_n	2,259	5	3.2631	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50250	An heart-melting exhortation together with a cordiall consolation presented in a letter from New-England to their dear countrymen of Lancashire : which may as well concern all others in these suffering times / by Richard Mather ... and William Tompson ...	Mather, Richard, 1596-1669.; Tompson, William, d. 1666.	1650 (1650)	Wing M1273; ESTC R3673	23,412	92

AN HEART-MELTING EXHORTATION TOGETHER with a Cordiall CONSOLATION Presented in a Letter from New-England to their dear Countreymen of Lancashire Which may as well concern all others in these suffering times By RICHARD MATHE● Teacher of the Church at Dorchester and WILLIAM TOMPSON Pastor of the Church at Brain●●y in New England HEBREWS ● 13 Exhort one another daily whilest 〈◊〉 is called to day 1 THESSALONIANS 5 14. Comfort the feeble-minded support the weak LONDON Printed by A. M. for I Rothwell at the Sun and Fountain in Pauls-Church yard near the little North door 1650. To all those that professe the name and true Religion of JESUS CHRIST in Lancashire specially to the Inhabitants of Toxteth near Liverpool of Newton Winwick Eccleston n●●r Croston of Much-Woolton and the places thereabouts Richard Mather and William Tompson wish mercy and grace truth and peace from God the Father through our Lord IESUS CHRIST Christian Countreymen and dear friends THat which the Apostle Paul professeth of himself concerning the nation of the Jews that his hearts desire and praier unto God for them was that they might be saved the same may we professe of our selves concerning you And because at thus many hundred and some thousand miles distance we cannot make known our true and great desire after you● salvation by word of mouth therefore we are willing to testifie the same by a few lines in writing humbly desiring that for that purpose a word or two of Christian exhortation in this way of a Letter may not be unwelcome to any of you but graciously blessed by the God of heaven unto you all to those good ends which we intend therein Indeed we could have wished had it been the will of God that as we were born amongst you and for some years have been Preachers of the everlasting Gospel in your coasts though the weakest for such a work and the most unworthy of thousands we do acknowledge so we might also have continued to live and to die together For your Christian communion as long as we could enjoy the same whether in publike assemblies or private families was very dear unto us and to this day in our conferences one with the other we do often revive the remembrance thereof with much comfort of heart And when the iniquity of the times was grown to such an height that amongst others far more eminent lights our selves also must be put under a bushell and might not be permitted in any publike employment to seek the salvation of your souls yet God knows and many amongst you we doubt not do remember how we could not leave your Congregations nor depart out of your coasts without much inward affection of heart and many tears because you were dear unto us And when that saying of the Apostle Act. 20.25 did come into our mindes as it came into our mindes very often you will scarcely beleeve how our hearts were affected at the remembrance thereof considering with how little variation those words of his unto those Ephesians might be applied to our condition and yours at that time when we did plainly perceive that most of you amongst whom we had gone preaching the Kingdom of God in all likelihood should see our faces no more which was unto us no small grief Neverthelesse though we thus speak concerning our hearty affection towards you which was and is as much as we pretend and very cordial in Christ Jesus yet we would not be so understood as if we were weary of our present place and portion For we do not remember that since our coming into this countrey and the one of us hath been here above the space of ten years and the other not much less then nine that of all this time we have had one repenting thought of this transmigration of ours True it is we were most unwilling you may be sure to turn our backs upon our dear native countrey and upon your selves in many respects But those things which the wisdome and will of God had determined before concerning our transportation into these Western parts of the world he hath thus fulfilled and blessed be his Name for the same For whatever others say or think of New-England we for our parts must both think and say as long as we have a day to live that great was the goodnesse of our God that ever he was pleased to bring us hither For considering what light of truth doth here plenteously and clearly shine forth what Churches are here gathered and planted with what liberty and purity the Ordinances of Christ Jesus are here administred by what Magistrates civill justice is here dispensed and the Common-wealth governed how holinesse and righteousnesse is countenanced and encouraged and all known impiety and iniquity prosecuted to condign punishment both in Church and Common-wealth in a word considering what means of grace and glory are here plentifully afforded and peaceably enjoied we must therefore needs say that if it be not our own fault however it go with others and however it hath been with us in times past we may now be happy and blessed in Christ Jesus both in this and in another world And indeed we cannot but stand amazed at the free grace of God and wonder with great admiration at that wise and gracious and holy dispensation of divine providence whereby it comes to passe that such unworthy ones as we be must be here in a land of peace to enjoy the many good blessings of God both for earth and heaven in quiet habitations when in the mean time it fares full ill God knows with the land of our Nativity and with many thousands therein far better then our selves whom the Lord hath left after all their other pressures under which they have formerly groaned now at last to see the most dolefull daies that they have ever seen in England because that formerly-flourishing Kingdom is now wofully at warre within it self and that sore plague of the devouring sword as sore an one as any of the four which are thus called by the holy Ghost Ezek. 14.21 hath already devoured much English flesh and drunk much English bloud many hundreds and thousands of all ranks and degrees both great and small since these warres begun having already lost their lives and ended their daiet in these grievous Nationall calamities and God knows how many more may shortly do the like because for ought we can hear the wrath of the Lord is not yet turned away but his hand is stretched out still In regard whereof we may take up the complaint of the Prophet and say Oh that our heads were water and our eyes were fountains of tears that we might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of our people For indeed we desire to bewail the sorrows distractions and distresses of that dear countrey where we were born and wish we had hearts to do it more compassionately and effectually then these dull and dry spirits of ours

we return plainly declaring thereby that they knew but little that was amisse in themselves whereof they should repent or wherein they had need to be reformed And therefore lest there should be any soul amongst you that should entertain this exhortation of ours in the like manner and be or pretend to be ignorant whereof they should repent give us leave therefore as the Prophet must Shew the people their transgressions and the house of Iacob their sinnes and another Prophet is bidden to Cause Ierusalem to know her abominations Give us leave we beseech you after their example to instance in some principall sinnes which were very common in Lancashire when we were there and which we fear are much continued in that countrey unto this very day and therefore had need to be repented of And first of all we may mention that generall sinne of prophanenesse or Atheism and disrespect of all Religion when multitudes of men and women from one end of the countrey to another have so demeaned themselves as if they had been born for no other end but to serve themselves and their own lusts the lusts of the flesh the lusts of the eye and the pride of life and so have spent their daies as if there had been nothing else for them to do or to look after but to eat and to drink ●o sleep and to play to build and to plant to buy and to sell to marry and to give in marriage and the like but with as much irregiousnesse and prophanenesse of heart in all these things and with as much neglect of the glory of God and the salvation of their souls and the means thereof as if there had been no God to be served or acknowledged or as if themselves had had no souls to be saved It is but too apparent the Lord knows how the glorious and holy Name of God hath been impiously prophaned and blasphemed in that County by multitudes of vain and wicked Oaths in the mouths of Gentlemen and mean men too yea and very children how the holy Sabbaths of God which he hath commanded to be sanctified for ever and for that end hath bid us remember the same have been greatly prophaned and polluted not only by neglect of publick and private worship whereby the same should have been sanctified but also by the contrary prophane and impious practices in stead thereof such as are carding dicing drinking bowling bear-baiting shooting piping dancing at greens ales may-poles and such like And when the licence for sports and recreations upon the Sabbath came forth from Houghton-Tower to the lasting shame and infamy of the place and County where such an unhappy birth was brought forth oh how gladly was the same entertained and embraced by multitudes of people in that Countrey and how proudly did they bear up themselves upon the authority of the same to the confronting and defiance of the faithfull Ministers of God that would not nor could not consent to such prophanations but by authority of the 4th Commandement of God did bear witnesse against the same It is also a further testimony of this spirit of prophanenesse that now we are speaking of that duties of Religion have been so exceedingly neglected in private families children and servants being not at all instructed and catechized yea many families having not a Bible in them morning and evening praier being never used nor any blessing upon the creatures desired of God when men have gone unto their meals all directly contrary to the expresse word of God Deut. 6.6 7 Eph. 6 4. 1 Tim. 4.4 5. and the commended examples of David Ioshuah Cornelius Abraham and such like servants of God But if the saying of Christ our Saviour be true as it cannot but be most true that they that are the children of Abraham will do the works of Abraham surely then the neglect of family-duties for the practice whereof Abraham is so much commended doth testifie to the faces of many people that they are no children of Abraham neither children of his flesh nor children of his faith and whose children they then are you may all judge yea such hath been the impiety of many persons that such as have made some conscience of Gods holy Name and service and Sabbaths and have shewed any care to walk with God in the way that is called holy them they have greatly hated despised derided slandered and other waies evill entreated and persecuted and all because they seemed to be more holy then themselves Wherefore to make an end of this particular If there be any soul among you whether man or woman whether young or old whether great or small that stands culpable of this prophanenesse and ungodlinesse and that is a despiser and hater or so much as a carelesse neglecter of God and the holy things of God carelesse of Gods word and the knowledge of it of his Sabbaths and the sanctifying thereof and of the Christian duties of Gods holy worship in publike Assemblies and in private families yea carelesse of walking with God in holines for his own particular but walks in his own lusts of swearing whoredome drunkennes or any other Let such an one be exhorted to repent yea as he tendreth his own eternall comfort be earnestly entreated to repent yea charged and commanded in the name of God the father and the Lord Jesus Christ to repent of all this his wickednesse and turn unto the Lord For the word is gone out of Gods mouth and shall not be recalled but must stand for ever that without holines no man shall see the Lord except it be as a Judge against all such ungodly sinners but never see God to his comfort in this or in another world Oh consider this therefore all ye that forget God lest he tear you in pieces and there be no deliverer yea consider it seriously and beleeve it of a truth for the Lord hath spoken it that neither whoremongers nor adulterers nor drunkards nor any that walk in such waies and works of the flesh shall have any inheritance in the kingdome of God Be assured of it for the day is coming when you will finde it most true that where there is no holy knowledge of God in the minde no change of the heart from its former prophanenesse and uncleannesse and no purity and sanctity of the affections and desires no reformation and sanctification of the life and conversation such a man so continuing is most certainly a man of death prepared against the day of slaughter and shall immediatly drop down without all hope of recovery into hell as soon as death shall strike him to the ground Oh then whosoever you are that reade or hear these words humble your selves for all your iniquities and turn unto the Lord with fasting and weeping and with mourning For he is gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great goodnesse and repenteth of the evill cast away all your transgressions