Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	babylon_n	enemy_n	zion_n	22	3	9.1163	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94070	XXXI. select sermons, preached on special occasions; the titles and several texts, on which they were preached, follow. / By William Strong, that godly, able and faithful minister of Christ, lately of the Abby at Westminster. None of them being before made publique.	Strong, William, d. 1654.	1656 (1656)	Wing S6007_pt1; Thomason E874_1; ESTC R203660	309,248	523

these did labour to their utmost to retard the settlement of this people newly returned into their own Land again laboured to keep the City and Temple in their ruines and to that end by their interest and power in forraign Nations they had engaged against them even the whole authority of the Persian Monarchie Now when the hopes of the enemy grew high and when the hearts of the Saints fell low what is the way God takes to remove them now why now a Prophet must go to them he sendeth Zachariah the Prophet and bids them Return to your strong holds ye prisoners of hope your strong holds why their City was laid wast their Temple burnt with fire strong holds they had none satis praesidii in un Deo Calvin Calvin There is enough strength in one God even then when walls and fortifications fall Why now that the Lord might bear up their Spirits in this condition he reveals his mind as the manner of the Lord was in those times unto his Prophet by several Visions in an especial manner in this Chap. and the latter end of the former Chap. he doth it in a double vision In one the Lord tels him that be the powers of the enemy what they would be though they saw no help none to oppose them yet the Lord would raise up an adverse power that should break them though they knew not whence it should come And he tels them in the 21. ver of the former Chap. there were four horns that did push Ierusalem and the Lord saith I will raise up four Carpenters and they shall beat them in pieces equal to the horns so shall the Carpenters be In the next place in this Chapter the Lord shews him another vision a man with a line in his hand taking me asure of the City Ierusalem and of the Temple as the manner of Builders and Artificers is to do Jesus Christ doth usually appear to his people according to those great things that he is about to effect for them when the people were to be carried into Captivity Jesus Christ then appears cloathed in linnon with a writers Inkhorn by his side Ezek. 9.1,2 and when the instruments of vengeance come Iesus Christ comes in the midst of them the man with a writers Inkhorn was in the midst of them what to do to mark those that were written to life in Ierusalem First before the instruments of vengeance can stretch out their hands against any the man with a writers Inkhorn will set his mark upon those that are written for life But when the people returned out of captivity now Jesus Christ appears with a line in his hand for he it is that must build the Church so you have it in the 6. Chap. 12. ver Behold the man whose name is the Branch he shall build thee he shall build the Temple of the Lord no wonder then that when the Temple and City is to be built Jesus Christ appears with a line in his hand This is the Vision Now observe in this Chapter three things that I may bring you home to the words read to you First you have the Vision it self the man with a line in his hand Secondly you have the interpretation of the Vision Ierusalem shall be built and the City shall be inhabited Thirdly you have a threefold Apostrophe that the Lord infers from this First directed unto the Jews that yet continued in Babylon the Lord calls them deliver thy self Oh Sion that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon It is barrenness and lowness of spirit not to accept deliverance it is pitty but those men that say they love their Task-masters they should have their ears bored as a token of perpetual service The Lord calls upon them Oh Sion that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon deliver thy self Secondly the next is to the enemies that were their neighbours the truth is my Brethren it was a good observation that of Tertullian unto the Church Tertul. there are tot hostes quot extranei all that be strangers be enemies now the Lord speaks unto these and tells them I will shake my hand against you and they that spoyl you they shall be a spoyl to their servants their own servants shall spoil them The third and last branch of this Apostrophe is in the words that I have read unto you the words of the Text and it referrs partly to the enemies and partly to the people of God that were returned out of captivity be silent Oh all flesh for the Lord is raised up out of his holy habitation Let the enemies silence their murmurings silence their slanders Be silent Oh all people Let the Saints silence their frettings silence their doubtings for the Lord is raised up out of his boly habitation You have then in the words two things First a Proposition The Lord is raised up out of his holy habitation Secondly an inference by way of Exhortation or Command thereupon Be silent before the Lord Oh all flesh The Proposition is first in nature though it be last in place and therefore I must first speak of that and then afterwards of the Application First then the Proposition is this the Lord is raised up out of the habitation of his holiness Here are two things to be explained before I can come unto those points that I purposed to commend to you First I must shew you what is meant by the habitation of his holiness And Secondly I must shew you how the Lord is said to be raised up The habitation of his holiness is used two waies in the Scripture It is sometimes put for heaven in 2 Chron. 30. ult it is said their prayer came up to his holy habitation even unto heaven So in Isa 63 15. look down from the habitation of thy holiness and thy glory why then the habitation of the holiness of God is Heaven Secondly it is many times put for the Temple the place of Gods presence amongst his people manifested in Ordinances so the Tabernacle is called Gods habitation in 1 Sam. 2.29 And the Lord is said to be at Ierusalem Brusius Brusius interpreteth it of the former Calvin Mr. Calvin of the latter we may very well by way of subordination take in both for I conceive the sense will be made up with both all the Churches deliverances as well as all the enemies destructions they come out of heaven the sword is bathed in heaven before it comes down upon the people of Gods curse in Iudgement in Isa 34.3 and yet all these whether deliverances or destructions are obtained by the prayers of the Saints in the Temple so that you may well ascribe it to both Observe I beseech you and it is a mighty truth the Saints have as glorious a hand in the Government of the world as they shall have an eminent hand in the Judgement of the world There is a threefold Authority that was erected by Christ when the government was taken into

school of affliction and God doth cast some men into great afflictions that thereby he may fit them for high and eminent services afterwards Joseph had never been so fit to have been a Governour in Egypt if his foot had not been hurt in the stocks nor Moses to have been a leader of the people of Israel if he had not been banshed forty yeares in the Wilderness and David his Crown had never sate so well if he had not been hunted as a Partridge upon the mountains Fourthly that the Lord may have some to give their testimonies unto his truth that it may appear that there are some that do stand for God and dare appear for him when the world wonder'd after the Beast there are some that stand with the Lamb upon mount Zion Rev. 14.2 There are two Witnesses The Witnesses of God are but a few yet some there are that God will raise up in all Ages so that corruption in Doctrine and Worship shal not go untestified against for the Lord will not leave the world without witness and hereby the Lord will endear his Witnesses and raise them up in the hearts of the Saints it will make them dear and their names precious in the Churches for none have been so precious in their names as they that did not count their blood precious they thought not their lives dear to them they loved not their lives to the death How precious was Peter in his suffering When all the Church ingaged their interest unto God for him Acts 12. As Roses are sweeter in the Still then upon the stalk so it is with the Saints in all their sufferings in the apprehension of the Churches Use 2. Is it so that there is a day of trouble to Jacob Then do you look for a day of trouble also and to that end it 's your wisdom to discern the signs of the times Mat. 16.3 God hath stretched the expansum of his Word over the rational world and as by the heavens a man may discern in the natural world so by the Word if a man be skilful in it a man may discern the signs of the times in the rational world also In the Word there are two sorts of rules First antient Predictions Secondly present Dispensations 1. Antient Predictions Rev. 10.7 cum finituis sint when they were about to finish The 1260 daies are not yeares fulfilled therefore the killing time is to come for the Beast receives his Kingdom with the seven Kings since the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was removed 2. There was never yet that perfect Victory that they did say they are dead there were none that did visibly appear to bear witness against them therefore it is yet to come Secondly present dispensations compared with the rules of the Word First when there 's a general decay of Wisdom in Rulers and children and babes rule over a people Isa 27.14 I will do a marvellous work the wisdom of the wise men shall perish and now I will distress Ariel Secondly when there is poured out upon a people the spirit of a deep sleep as Isa 29.10 that nothing could awaken them but as men sleeping upon the top of a Mast though the Sea roar and the Wind make a noise yet they sleep stil when men are secure then the distress of Ariel is near I will search Jerusalem with candles and the men that are setled upon their Lees c. Thirdly when there is a general oppression and mercilesness in the Rulers Zac. 11.5 When a people become the flock of the slaughter Mic. 7.3,4 the Judge asketh for a reward now shall be their perplexity Fourthly when there are general neglects of Government and order amongst a people every one does what 's right in his own eyes when the base doth presume against the honourable and the children against the antient Isa 3.5 then presently there is a ruin coming ver 8. Jerusalem is ruin'd and Judah is fallen Iudg. 18.7 When there was no master of restraint in Laish their ruin was near Fiftly when there are bitter envyings and parties the people shall be as fuel for the fire Isa 9.19,20 No man spares his brother but every man eats the flesh of his own arm c. Jer. 8.7 My people know not the judgement of the Lord. Doctrin 2 Yet Jacobs trouble is but for a time then shall deliverance be Mich. 7.9 Though I fall I shall arise and the Lord will be light about me the rod of the wicked shall not alway lye upon the lot of the righteous The Witnesses though they be killed yet they shall not alwaies lye dead but they shall rise again c. I cannot now stand to prove this Doctrine but spend the remainder of the time I have to speak in a short use to all the people of God Use First live by faith in this time of trial the Lord doth but wait to be gracious and he saies blessed be those that wait for him Hab. 2.4 The just shall live by his Faith The meaning is he shall live comfortably under the cross for it is an expression like that of the Apostle Now we live if ye stand fast And the acts of Faith that we should now exercise should be these I le name two or three First commit your selves to him quietly leave your selves with him Psal 114.14 As you have committed your soules to him so to him also commit your way Dan. 3.17 Be not careful in this matter he that hath cast me into the fire will assuredly watch over me in it because he hath promised to bring me out of it Secondly wait for him till he be gracious and doe not make hast he that beleeves does not make hast Doe not use unlawful means out of pride of passion because you will not wait Gods leisure nor do not use compliance with carnal men to deliver thee for that is not the way of faith Thirdly look towards God in thy prayers under this consideration that he hath undertaken deliverance 2 Chron 22.12 We have no might neither know we what to do but our eyes are towards thee for it is the exercise of Faith that doth procure deliverance Gen. 49 21. His bow abode i●…●…re g●… that is invictum robur it 's by this that the 〈◊〉 of God prove victorious in their sufferings But how may a man know when deliverance is near Are there not rules for that as well as the other I will only name there three rules First when the people of God look towards him and return if not Lev. 26.24,25 ●e will punish them seven times more till he hath destrey'd them for there is a pedigree of judgement Hos 1. Jeel 2.14 Rent your hearts and no your garments c. Prepare to m●et thy God O Israel There is no going to God in the way of his judgement but by meeting of him and that is not in a way of opposition but in a way of submission Secondly when the hearts of the