Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	bear_v	spirit_n	testimony_n	2,256	5	7.8152	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19777	Doubtings dovvnfall first, prouing the communitie of the Saints assurance. Secondly, disprouing Bellarmines and his fellowes false allegations and friuolous exceptions against that truth. By Edvvard Dalton, preacher of the Word, &c.	Dalton, Edward.	1624 (1624)	STC 6204; ESTC S115432	25,476	66

hopes seeing they ioyn with Christs al-sufficient their own al-deficient merits and will be iustified by their works which God wil not But to leaue them to their strong delusions To hold doubting necessary is dangerous how dangerous are they to the soules of men while they presse vpon the people this continuing in doubt of future ioyes of present good estate as necessary Do they not paue before them the path which will without any hinderance leade them so Such a doubting as admits no assurance makes praier fruitlesse as they shall vndoubtedly misse of what God hath promised for hath God in his reuealed will made knowne his good and vnalterable purpose for conferring vpon his chosen the glory of the life to come and must his children expect and in expectation pray for the accomplishing of their hope and his promise must prayer be powred out with feruency and can there be feruency where there is an vncertaine faith or if their faith be doubting can their prayer preuaile Surely Saint Iames thought verily whatsoeuer these Romish Sophisters imagine that asking and beleeuing nay such a belieuing as ought to be seuered from euery doubting are to be inseparably ioyned together Iames 1.6 when he bids euery Saint Aske in faith nothing doubting and taketh it for vndenyable howsoeuer they conceit it that the more doubting there is in asking the lesse hope there is of speeding nay if there be nothing but doubting there cannot be any expectation of enioying when he positiuely affirmeth that vers 7. That man must not so much as thinkee that he shall receiue any thing of the Lord. To haue then a memer of Christ be the assault what it will be to continue necessarily in onely a coniecturall and vncertaine guesse that He shall be well is it not to draw on the soule from vncertain doubting to certain despairing and to moue the Lord not only to a denying of his prayer but euen a distaste of both prayer and person for is it not a calling of Gods promises into question as if they were either only pretended or impertinent as if man by no meanes could be capable of them Is not the truth of God hereby impeached peace of conscience vnsetled hope disheartened patience deceiued our loue to God diminished the best man discouraged in the course of grace what difference betwixt him that liueth by Pro. 26.13 15.19 and him that hath no hope in the time of tryall Shall not both pretend a Lyon in the way which to both is an hedge of thornes and either shun the combate or be discomfited in the conflict Ps 14.5 Pro. 28.1 Shall they not feare where no feare is and fly when none pursueth and beholding the fury of an angry Iudge Reu. 6.16 wish in despaire the Mountains might fall vpon them But blessed be God euery one of the righteous is so far from hauing cause to be discouraged in his trials that he hath through an holy confidenc Pro. 14.32 hope euen in his death for it is the nature of true faith to be confident Gen. 32.26 and to wrestle as Iacob euen with God himselfe and not to cease till it be partaker of the blessing It brings the promises of God and presents them to the eye of the minde not suffering them to depart till it from them hath sucked some comfortable solace No presumption to labor for assurance Let not vs then contemne that as presumptuous which the Lord hath commended yea commanded as precious for that which he hath appointed to be found is ingratitude in vs not to seeke that which he hath aduised vs to haue is negligence in vs to want that which he hath enioyned vs to haue in high regard is disobediēce to neglect seeing we may safely saile between the gulfe of presumptiō cōtēpt without dammage flye between the scorching Sunne of security the cooling sea of despaire so as neither the wings of our souls in our passage to heauen shall melt by the one not becom stiffe by the other for keeping within the compasse of our holy confidence we shall continue safely in a Christian motion till we rest vpon the battlements of our Celestiall mansion How is it then that we seeke such certainety in earthly things In them we wil do nothing without mature aduise great consideratiō for to inuest vs furely in our temporall inheritance the Euidence must be carefully drawne what is superfluous razed out what is wanting supplyed if any thing may only be suspected to ouer throw our tenure the couenant is renued other cōditions are concluded if about these any doubt arise a new course is deuised Thus we make that sure we are sure to loose carefull to haue things temporal clods of clay for our bodies which are houses of earth And shall we not aspire vnto certainty in our spirituall and eternall endowments without which we faint in miseries faile of Gods mercies haue no interest in Christs merits Shall we not endeuour resolution in and against our doubtings concerning our heauenly inheritance through which the soule in sufferings is comforted the conscience in tentations is quieted and the whole man in all oppositions is secured Assurance is a gift of the Spirit Meanes to obraine assurance now the Spirit it selfe is giuen to those that in faith feruency aske it the word is the Lords mouth which promiseth it and the Sacraments are his hands which seale it to vs Motions to assurace are raised in the heart by the Spirit and these must not be quenched Nourish the hatred extinguish the delight of euery sin and daily encrease continue our desires and endeuours for the reforming of euery euill if the flax of affiance onely smoake we must blow it with serious meditating vpon Gods Couenant and an-humble applying of his promises inflame it with obseruing the truth of thē towards others but especially by finding experience of the spirits power in our selues and cause it to burne with the true acquaintnance of that blessed holy and euer happy vnion which is betwixt God and vs and by being abundant in good workes for that hath a secret blessing Now this fire will be known if we find in other Signes of ssurance perceiue in our selues the fruits of the Spirit if we be continually armed in euery part if we be confident in all proiects that are good rest contented in occurrences that are crosse depend vpon the Lord for things euen of this life a duty which Christ insinuated when he taught vs to pray for our daily bread Math. 6.11 12. before our sins forgiuenesse if we can scorne hold all things in this life nay life it self contemptible in comparison of Christ his crosse beare the brunt of the greatest oppositiōs patiently couragiously for his truth that to the end stand vpon God only his power prouidence in all our tryals if it suppresse all naturall feares subdue all Diabolicall assaults proceed from an apprehension of Gods promises after repentance if that apprehension be seconded with the secret testimony of Gods spirit rhere is no doubt of this sound assurance which is common to all the Saints Cōmon to all the Saints Outward conditions should not exalt a Sr. too much aboue his inferiour brother why should then any outward condition cause any to exalt himselfe aboue his bretheren or to swell against those that are endued with the same at least some if not greater measure of spirituall graces should not euen this moue them to make themselues equall with those of the lower sort and may not euen the meanest among Christs members solace themselues in this that they are not excluded from assurance of their interest in life eternall The meanest Saint to be solaced hereby but may in some measure many times in a greater measure thē other of euē the children of God that in the eies of the world are more esteemed be confident of their state should not the meditation of this moderate all their mourning become a medicine for al their maladies which arise frō worldly wants or wrongs Be they neuer so much distressed or despised they may securely repose thēselues in their holy confidence How to be comforted by assurāce in sint and sufferings for being renued in their minds bodies the deadly arrowes of sin and sufferings are dipt in the blood of Christ who like a good Phisitian will take care to heale their wounds with his own hands either take away from thē maladies as from Hezekiah Esay 37. 38. or free them from the mischiefe of them by ministring an Antidote to their poyson 2 Cor. 1 4 5 12.9 Luke 16. as in Paul or in his appointed time by remouing them as he did Lazarus to glory To which the Lord in his mercy bring vs for his Christs merits To whom with the blessed spirit One God in Essence three in Persons be ascribed all honour praise and power now and euer Amen FINIS