Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	believe_v	church_n	know_v	4,058	5	4.1423	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87151	A sermon preached to the honorable House of Commons assembled in Parliament, at a publike fast, May, 25. 1642. By Robert Harris, Batchelor of Divinity and Pastor of Hanwell. Oxon. Published by order of that House.	Harris, Robert, 1581-1658.; England and Wales. Parliament. House of Commons.	1642 (1642)	Wing H875; Thomason E150_21; ESTC R4871	30,553	56

a man as I flee I who pretend to God! I a Publike person Should I fly with a whole Corporation nay Countie on my back Hath my Countrey intrusted mee given mee her selfe Et Turnum fugientem haec terra videbit Farre bee this from Noble Spirits Assure the Cause Calling Conscience and that done Fix your visible eye upon the invisible God as Moses Heb. 11.27 1 Reg 22.19 and Michaiah did before you and all the Glory and Majestie in the world will seeme no more to you then it did to them or then a poore Candle is to the brightest Sunne So the first Use The second is more Publike and it is Double You of Publike ranke must 1. Concurre with God the Avenger 2. Confide in him For the first The Lord hath taken you into Commission with himselfe put his Name his Power upon you What it is I cannot determine nor doe I meddle with your priviledges What ever 't is 't is Gods 't is of him and for him and must bee managed accordingly It shall bee your safety to frequent your commission 'T is Derived 'T is Limited yea and 'T is Publike too and must bee managed with a Publike spirit Private revenge is not within your Commission That leaves a staine upon a man some wayes innocent witnesse Iehu And puts an innocency upon the greatest offender witnesse Abner Here then all selfish affections and private respects must be 1. strained out and Iustice Iustice as Moses speaks that is Pure Iustice without mudde must run down Deut. 16.20 And 2. restrained in all others And bee assured that you have done and shall doe your selves greatest right in Disadopting and Disavowing all illegall tumultuary selfe-revenging and libellous wayes Gods cause needs not mans ly mans froth splene malice And it shall bee your happinesse to put a wide distance betweene Iustum and Iustè betweene the courage of the Sonne and the disorder of the Souldier Manlius Plus est in imperio quam in victoria Florus l. 1. c. 14. with that Old Generall Your revenge must bee publike then yea all publike in it Person Cause Rule End All and then it will bee a Sanctuary to the innocent a Sacrifice to the Lord. What Iehoshaphat once said to his Iudges I say to you Let the feare of God fall upon you Take heed The Iudgement is Gods not mans 2 Chron. 19. Nothing of man must bee seene heard felt in this All must bee Gods God must bee read in your Lawes heard in your Threats felt and seene in your Executions And then things come upon the Conscience with power when onely God is represented Upthen Yee visible Gods and remember that God avenges by you 1. In Civill causes Say what God would say doe what hee would doe you are his mouth his hand Avenge the Widow Relieve the Oppressed And if your leisure will not admit of Iobs search yet doe you admit of Iethro's counsell Iob 29.16 Exod. 18. Dismisse them timely when you cannot presently dispatch lest you tire them and wast your selves 2. In matters of higher Alloy Avenge God as hee shall avenge you Make lawes to fence his lawes Plead his right Vindicate his truths his name his day And that done in a conformity to God then in the next place 2. Confide in him Beleeve your Saviour God will certainly avenge his owne his owne servants his owne delegates and substitutes Hee will vindicate their name their cause their truth Hee will bee jealous over them when they are truly zealous for him Rest in this Nay further know God will avenge not Members onely but Whole Churches and Societies that are his His owne all his owne whether Private or Publike hee will defend And if it shall please him to make us yet more his owne and to draw us neerer to himselfe in a closer Covenant so that wee bee his Iesurun hee will bee to us as once to Iacob The shield of our defence the sword of our excellency Hee will beare us in his everlasting armes as it is Deut. 33. more at large Yea hee will looke upon all the Blasphemies Insolencies Outrages and Conspiracies against this our Church and State and at once retaliate our Adversaries and justify our cause The Conclusion is that of the Kings Deale couragiously the Lord shall bee with the good When the Cause is good and the Heart good and Warrant good God will bee with you in his Counsell to Direct in his Power to Protect in his Goodnes to Avenge So saith The Amen and faithfull witnesse 3. Nay yet farther As this must comfort us for our owne particular in this our Little Moat So for the publike and the Church in genetall The cause of Religion is you know Gods cause The cry of Blood belongs to his Recognizance Hee makes inquisition for blood Psal 9. The blood of his cryes loud and hath cryed long against That Man of Sinne and Man of blood Under the Fifth Seale the blood of the Then Saints cryed apace How long c. That cry open'd a Sixt Seale and then the Bloody Dragon cry'd as fast O yee hills and Mountaines cover us c. Since that ther 's an Inundation of blood that cryes from all Coasts and cryes more then ever Even thy blood O Germany and thine O France and thine O Ireland God hath said that Hee that kils shall bee killed and that blood shall answer blood Revel 13.10 The time drawes on and Cry on yee bleeding Churches Cry on yee Prophets and Apostles in your Sackcloth in your blood And thou O England with thy Cranmers Ridlies Bradfords Cry on and give the Lord no rest O yee his Saints whose blood is shed till he That 's holy and true avenge your Blood And Yee O NOBLES and much honoured GENTLEMEN ●…tus lib. 2. ●… 15. doe yee set your hands to this Carthage that busles most and this Blondy-Beast which bites worst in her last conflict And when yee have done all Stand by the Glassy Sea with your harpes ready till the Lord shall be pleas'd to empty the Fifth Viall upon the throne of the Beast and cast the great mil-stone into that Sea of blood Amen Even so come LORD IESUS Take to thy selfe thy great power and let the blood-sheds of the Great Whore come in remembrance before thee Amen Followes the Third which delivers the manner how God delivers his 1. H●…e's long ere hee begins 2. Hee goes through-stitch when hee sets in For words I am loth to entertaine time with Criticism's wee have a greater work in hand If wee follow Chrysostom's sense with the Vulgars and her Sworn-men and read the words Question-wise Will hee suffer long we shall 1. Impute to S. Luke worse language then he speaks who of the Evangelists is most Attick And So Homer uses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Vulcans speech to I●…o Iliad ●… c alibi passim 2. Crosse the maine scope which drives at perseverance upon delaies If wee

denials What! a Woman in these cicumstances Masculine and We Womanish Consider I beseech you how much is wonne or lost by holding up or letting fall our spirits in prayer Are wee confident Then consider that Prayer is the strength of the Creature for it ingages Gods strength confidence is the strength of our prayer and of our selves It doubles our strength It contributes to the Publike It sets God in the throne nay us in a sort for so with Iacob we reigne with God That made Iacob Israel Other wayes and things might make him Iacob but Prayer denominates him Israel By this hee and wee reigne over heaven and earth and cary the world in our hand Plut. As the Boy at Athens sometimes said I bring it onely for illustration Hee could command all Athens His reason Hee could doe any thing with his Mother his Mother with his Father his Father with that State So here Faith can doe any thing with Prayer Prayer with Christ Christ with his Father his Father with All. But now on the other side Faintheartednes in prayer 1. Hurts us 2. Robs the Publike 3. Wrongs God 1. For God It is a true Maxime True defects in the Creature come from falsly-conceited defects in the Creator Thence our faith failes because we have so low so narrow and so poore conceits of Almighty God whose glory is so much eclipsed as wee ' bate any thing of his Al-sufficiency and prayers Omnipotency 2. For our selves Discouragement robs us of our strength A discouraged man is but halfe a man Hee lies open to every temptation is soon beaten down and from halting soon turnes aside Either hee prayes not at all or not constantly Heb. 12 13. at best his prayers are fearfull soon receive a check and take their answer And as it makes God but halfe a God and Mans selfe but halfe a Man so 3. For others It is not onely wanting to the Publick but it hath an ill influence upon all The truth is Qui ●i●i●…è rog●t d●ce●…g●re S●n Deut. 20.8 If I may speake it all at once It teaches God to Deny our fellow-souldiers to Fly as the fearefull did in Israel and our selves onely to Object and to make difficulties and in the end to Die for feare of Dying Nabal-like Vse 1 1. Before I Exhort I cannot but blush at this basenesse of spirit in my selfe in our nature You are as willing as I to take shame to your selves this day and to sit before God as Ezra did confounded Tell mee I beseech you for the furthering of our humiliation Tell mee Is not Cowardise blushfull Will not men rather Die then heare Cowards and what is that but Feare and Boldnesse misplaced And what is this but our Temper who are Daring where wee should Feare and there onely Feare where wee should bee Valiant I instance in the present work Wee have Gods Passe and Patent for Prayer and dare not plead it and yet elsewhere presume without Licence For I demand Have not wee as good warrant to Pray as to Curse to Blesse as to Blaspheme yet here wee feare not wee doubt not there wee doe nothing els I bring the case neerer to our purpose What thinke you Have not wee as good warrant to beg of God as Rogues and Vagrants of us They are strangers They have no promise from us none the least invitation Nay they trouble us they charge us they are in a disobedience there is Law against them Asking and us Giving yet say doe what you please they will not off Send to them they will sooner make your child or servant their spokesman then make away Threaten them with Stocks or Officer or what you please it is all one And shall these put forth in such a tempest in a contrary wind when all makes against them And wee sit still when wind and tyde and all is for us when we have Law on our sides and Gospell on our sides and all the world on our sides For Prayer ingrosses all the World Heaven Earth All. I put it yet a little farther Have not wee as many incouragements from Heaven as from Earth Is not God as rich as Man as able as willing as Free yet see our practise Wee have suites these to God those to Men What 's our deportment With Men it is our work to Strengthen the heart our labour to gather incouragements Is it a man wee Never troubled That is made an argument of incouragement I never troubled him yet and for Once hee 'll never deny mee Have wee tried him Often That is an argument of incouragement Such an one is my Old friend my tried friend hee Never failed me and therefore I 'll to him Is hee a Kinsman That incourages For shame hee will not deny his Owne flesh and bone Is hee a Stranger why then hee 'll take it well that I conceive better of him then of my owne kindred Is he Poore Hee 'll the better feele mee and the sooner pity mee Is hee Rich Hee may the better spare it Thus with men wee have still somewhat to say for the support of hope though they bee poore hard strangers men no way ingaged by Covenant or the like But now when wee deale with God How can wee speake of it without blushing wee can doe little els then Feare Object Despaire Sure hee doth not love mee Hee will doe nothing for me well may I goe and try but it will bee to no purpose I shall get no pardon no power no comfort no acceptation O cursed Vnbeliefe Can wee conceive hope without promises None with them Can wee find Plea's for Men None for God Can Poverty help us and not Wealth Weaknesse and not Strength Will Cruelty pity us and not Mercy not Grace Bee abashed thus to set earth above heaven men above God Yet I have not done I cannot without horror and trembling Put the case as the case is What thinke you Have wee not reason to believe the God of Truth rather then the Father of Lyes Let the Devill promise safety secrecy any profit or content in a sinfull way wee rest in his Word wee make no doubt of the successe All the threats and curses in the booke of God cannot dismay us On the other side Suppose God promises and the Devill in the meane time threaten us which is beleeved All the Promises Sacraments Oaths Performances of God cannot establish us There is nothing but Presuming when Satan promises nothing but Objecting when God promises O blasphemous Unbeliefe How doth this sinne debase God! bely God! as the word saith provoke God beyond all provocations How angry was his Majestie with Israel for this sinne How angry with Moses How angry with Zachary for this in one particular and in a lower degree O how low must wee cast our selves before our God this day for this capitall sinne which is so much the worse by how much the more Spirituall it is and Anti-Evangelicall Seemes it a small

us Abide with us And then know There is patience enough in God for a Thousand Englands And if wee doe miscary it is not from want of Goodnesse in God but from want of Grace in us who have a price in our hands and doe not know it But I must away The last thing followes God is swift in his helpe as well as sure When his bee once ready for help help is at hand So Nahum pleads cap. 1.2.3 God suffers and God is swift I am in hast and cannot open the words S. Peter saith the same 2 Pet. 3.9 where two things are spoken 1. What God is in our conceit Slack 2. What God is indeed Seasonable when wee are fitted Obj. But is not God slow An. It is not slownesse or slucknesse For that is to Omit an opportunity Hee is ever Opportune and frames his pace as there is cause When wee bee ripe hee is ready hee is speedy Speedy 1. In opposition to the Iudge here who is too late and to mens opinions who being too short thinke God too long Speedy 2. In reference to our fitnesse and fitnesse of time Hee is neither too early nor too late but observes the very height strength joint article of time Wee know not how to expresse Moses his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of time Ex. 12.41 alibi in Gen. But at present wee are upon his speedy help For this doe but observe how hee represents himselfe 1. In his gestures and postures Hee 's said when hee is upon his peoples deliverance to stand up or arise to runne Vid. Hab. 3. passim apud Prophetas to fly 2. In his Expressions Hee that Comes will Come and will make haste without tarriance In the Canticles he comes leaping c. Hebr. 10.37 3. In his Performances Ever at Es 31.5 flying c. or before his day never one houre too late The Reason whereof is manifold 1. If we respect Gods selfe 1. He cannot mistake time For hee is Wisdome it selfe and the just measure of time That is Esay's reason Esa 30. Hee is a God of Iudgement 2. Hee cannot faile of his aime and end For hee is power it selfe There is nothing in his way Hee is in heaven saith David and doth whatsoever hee will Others must worke what and when they can God works when it pleaseth him and can doe a great deale in a little space Hee can cause to Conceive and to bring forth the same day Esay 66.8.3 Hee is goodnesse it selfe Goodnesse is his nature and nature delights in its owne operations it is it's life The Sunne runnes rather then stand still delights more in shining then in being overshadowed 4. Hee is Truth and it is his Word Hee will bee found in Due time and his time is the Due time with respect to our Fitnesse Read Psal 46.1.5 2. Adde in the second place Gods Relation Hee is a Father Relations you know are very active Saul would rise early to help his subjects 1 Sam. 11. Fathers be rather too hastie then too slow They are ready before their Sonnes The child indeed thinks himselfe fit for Horsmanship for the Vn versitie Marriage or the like and conceives his Father too slow But the truth is The Father stayes upon his Child and is ready before hee is ready Especially in cases of danger A Father runnes without legs when the Child is hazarded Nor is there any Beast which will not fly upon death when his young is indangered Now the Lord hath not put this inclination into Creatures and deprived himselfe thereof the while His bee His and Hee will bee Theirs if it bee not long of them Let the prodigall creep and the Father will run Luke 15. 3. His Children will mind him of the time how it passes Their Cry is still How long Make haste Their Remembrancers joyne with them Esay 62. and Christ with them Zach. 1. How long O Lord of Hostes wilt thou not have mercy upon Ierusalem c 12. These All these sue God upon his Band and presse the fitnesse of the time Dan. 9.2 Psal 102.13 To make end If meere selfe-love will force this Iudge out of his pace will not love of Iustice Mercy Truth Love of Christians of Christ of Godsselfe quicken him Doth not he know how soone their spirits will faint How soone they will step forth of the way and after halting turne aside upon too long delayes Obj. Yea but wee see Gods people long defer'd An. It seemes long because wee are short A short walke is a long journey to feeble knees Times are above our reach The knots and periods of them are in the hands of the God of Iudgement When help is seasonable his fingers itch as the Mothers breast akes when it is time the child had suck There is no more now to bee done Vses but to make this point usefull to us and then I have done 1. Blush we at our boldnesse who take upon us 1. To Controll 2. To Confine the All-wise God 1. For the first Who are we that wee should sit upon our Maker and say in effect Here God is out Here hee mistakes his time What is this but to Charge God foolishly as Iob did not What is this but to Set the Sunne by our Dyall Iob. 2.4 7.6 11.39.40 This Caesar termes sancinesse in his Souldiers This our Saviour disliked in his dearest friends This the Physician blames in his Patient Parents in their Children you in Vs if so bee that wee at so great a distance who know so little of your obstructions shall charge you here with too much haste there with too much slownesse 2. As great a saucinesse it is To Confine the Almighty Now he must help or never This way or no way By this Parliament or by No Parliament Stop for shame And if you will wisely enquire into a reason of Gods proceedings reflect upon your selves and charge the slownesse upon your owne soules It is a truth God will bee ever himselfe and hath many ends in One Worke. But in passages twixt him and us the fault is ours not his if wee bee not seasonably holpen Thence that in Isay 30.18 God waits that hee may have mercy Gods Heart Gods hands are full of mercy hee waits being A God of Iudgement i one that dispences mercy in Iudgement Thence his plea. Isay 58.1 c. The people wondred they heard not from God Why say they have wee fasted c. And God wonders that hee heares not from them And more fully Isa 59.1 hee resolves the Case Gods hand is not shortned His eare is not deafned Hee is able hee is willing to doe them help Where is the hindrance then Hee tells them Your sinnes keepe good things from you Thence also it is That God so expostulates with Ioshua cap. 7.10 Vp saith hee Why liest thou thus and cryect to mee As if it were long of mee that the warre succeeds not Goe deale