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	damn_v	delusion_n	1,893	5	11.0930	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80630	The powring out of the seven vials: or An exposition, of the 16. chapter of the Revelation, with an application of it to our times. Wherein is revealed Gods powring out the full vials of his fierce wrath. 1. Upon the lowest and basest sort of Catholicks. 2. Their worship and religion. 3. Their priests and ministers. 4. The house of Austria, and the Popes supremacy. 5. Episcopall government. 6. Their Euphrates, or the streame of their supportments. 7. Their grosse ignorance, and blind superstitions. Very fit and necessary for this present age. Preached iu [sic] sundry sermons at Boston in New-England: by the learned and reverend Iohn Cotton BB. of Divinity, and teacher to the church there	Cotton, John, 1584-1652.	1642 (1642)	Wing C6449; Thomason E145_1; ESTC R22938	145,386	230

write such things as these openly we speak of the generality of Prelates not of some to whom God hath given a better spirit then the spirit of the throne they sit upon Reason The first ground hereof is taken from the nature of all these judgements they are the last plague Rev. 15.11 The very dreggs and sediments of the wrath of God and there is no grace of Repentance laid up in them for the wrath of God is come upon them to the uttermost wonder not therefore if you doe not heare of many Bishops or Pariters repentance though God may bring some of them to Repentance yet the body and state of them is not like to repent but to belch out blasphemings against the Lord. Rea. 2 Secondly the reason is taken from the cause that moveth God to give men up to such delusions Because they received not the love of the trueth that they might be saved therefore doth God give them up to the efficacy of delusions that they should beleive a lye that they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse those that preached the truth and Doctrines of Repentance and reformation they branded them with the name of Puritans they hated them with a perfect hatred they loved not blessing therefore it is far from them it is the nature and common fashion of superstition to leave men besotted in their owne Religion This may teach us to looke at it as a ground of Faith that the Vse 1 Lord will goe on to destroy the throne of the Beast for when God taketh a sword into his hand it is not his manner to put it into his sheath againe according to that which Amos saith Chap. 3.5 Shall one take up a snare from the Earth and have taken nothing at all noe the Lord will either subdue their spirits to unfeigned Repentance or else he will goe on insnaring to insnare them till he have swept them like doung from the face of the Earth For when Israel turneth not to him that smiteth him then is not his anger turned away but his hand is stretched out still Isai 9.12.13 Therefore men cannot more dishonour nor oppose the Lord then by seeking to underprop this sandy building The Second one of this point may be to teach us all in the feare Vse 2 of God what to doe whensoever we feele but drops of wrath powred upons us you see to whom it belongeth to be impenitent to whom it belongeth to blaspheme the name of the Lord even to those that sit upon the throne of the Beast it is an Episcopall sinne an● Hierarc●icall wickednesse a beastly frame of spirit for men whiles they are under Gods Hand to grow more froward and discontented and filled with indignation If therefore the Lord afflict the whole state of the Country with any drops of his displeasure let us not cry out upon the Lord and his dealing nor upon the Churches but let our unthankfull hearts for his mercies beare the burden and learne we to repent of our deeds that know not how to keepe our selves close to the ordinances of God when we grow not thankfull nor fruitfull under light and liberties received THE SIXTH VIALL REVEL 16.12 13 14 15 16. And the sixth Angell powred out his Viall upon the great River Euphrates and the water thereof was dryed up that the way of the Kings of the East might be prepared c. IN these verses the powring out of the Viall of the sixth Angel is described First by the subject upon which it is powred the River Euphrates which is amplifyed by the adjunct of greatnesse The great River Euphrates Secondly by the effects of it which are two 1. First the water thereof was dryed up and that is amplifyed by the end which God aimed at in it That the way of the Kings of the East might be prepared 2. Secondly the warrelike preparations unto a great battell and those are described 1. By the principall commanders in that preparation and war which are said to be three The Devill the Beast and the false Prophet 2. By the instruments and Ministers of it who are certaine spirits and they are described many wayes as 1. By their nature and quality Vncleane spirits 2. By their number three 3. By by their resemblance Like Froggs 4. By their originall descent which is threefold They come out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the Beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet And that descent is amplifyed by the Cause of it for they are the spirits of Devills 5. They are described by their effects which are three-fold 1. They worke miracles 2. They goe forth to the Kings of the Earth and of the world to gather them to the battell of that great Day of God Almighty Ver. 14. 3. They are efficacious and successefull herein they doe gather them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon Ve. 16. 3. These warlike preparations are described by the watchword which the God of Israel giveth unto his owne troopes and that is a word of watchfulnesse behold I come as a thiefe blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments least he walke naked and they see his shame Thus standeth the Text. Now for the meaning of it It is the more darke because it is though not altogether yet in a great part to come and such as shall seriously consider what is the meaning shal happily find it no small difficulty to satisfy themselves and much more to satisfy others yet by the helpe of God let us endeavour to open some such part of the words as we may be likely to finish at this time First what is meant by the river Euphrates Secondly who are the Angels that powre out this Viall upon this river Thirdly what is the drying up of this river Fourthly who are these Kings of the East These things containe the principall difficulties in the partes of this Viall other things may more easily be opened if these things be premised and cleared 1. What is meant by the great river Euphrates Some of our host interpreters to whom God hath given most light in these spirituall mysteries doe understand it properly for the river that did run along by the walles of old Babylon in Chaldea which made the City impregnable and yet by the stratagem of Cyrus was dryed up by turning the Course of the streames to runne in other channels whereby the channell before the City was dryed up and the reedes burnt by the Souldiers and the City sacked when as Belshazzar was quaffing in the vessels of the Temple this was foretold by Jeremy Chap 50.38 A drought is upon her waters and they shall be dried up for it is the Land of graven Images and they are mad upon their Idolls And Ier. 51.31 32. One poste shall run to meete another and one messenger to meete another to shew the King of Babylon that his

lie much of them in Common Well what ever things may be though Christian love will passe by much yet beleeve it if men make no conscience of their bargaines but that they doe defraud others If men make no conscience of heavenly mindednesse of purity and zeale and thinke it needs not but rest in meer formes of Church Ordinances you will unavoydably poure a Viall of Gods wrath as much as in you lyes on all the purity of Gods Ordinances and judge you how dishonourable it is to God and holy religion and how blame-worthy it is in such as are faulty herein however you will answer this before the Lord at his comming For you cannot avoide it this will be the issue either we are counterfeit Professors of Reformation or that our reformation is counterfeit you say you came over for puritie of Ordinances But in truth you did but dissemble however you thought it was not in your hearts the event proves the contrary if you be not sincere but hollow Members of the Church and corrupt livers under the governement and worship of God heere established and ordered I say you will force all whose eyes are on you throughout the Christian world to thinke these are but the inventions of men there is no truth no true heartednesse in the Religion here established and for the Religion established in England what ever you talke of humane inventions we know there is no such unfaithful dealing and hollow heartednesse no such bitternesse between Christians A Ministers Presence is amiable and his feet beautifull and where hee comes it is not thought too homely to be regarded of better then himselfe If Religion in our Native Countrey of them that are sincere if it hold foorth more puritie there beleeve it it beares more evident witnesse to the truth of God there so much as is truth then as we doe that professe greater simplicitie these are but the names of things but the reality is wanting It is never to be forgotten the Argument of the blessed Apostle the Corinthians tooke offence at him as they were humerous though godly men yet a generation of them were haughty by their great gifts Paul said he would come to Corinth he promised to come but he did not and they thought he used lightnesse it was an easie thing with him to be Yea and Nay What saith the Apostle When I said I would come did I use lightnesse that with me there should be Yea and Nay Nay saith the Apostle I pray yon marke it and I could wish it were engraven on the tables of godly mens hearts in the 2 Corinth 1.18 as God is true our word toward you was not Yea and Nay How doth hee prove that For the Sonne of God Iesus Christ who was preached amongst you by us was not yea and nay but in him was yea and all the promises of God in him are Yea and Amen What is this to the purpose If the Gospel he preached be not yea and nay then neither are his pr●mises yea and nay this is his intendment else his inference is nothing I you will say Ministers and Apostles ought to be such but this that followes wraps in all professours Now hee which stablisheth you with us in Christ it is not Elders onely and he that anointed us is God who anointeth with such oile as falls on every member of his body who hath also sealed us and given the earnest of the spirit in our hearts and makes us every way like himselfe therefore saith he I call God to record that to spare you I came not yet to Corinth otherwise as the Gospell preached by him and Silvanus Timotheus was not yea and nay but in him was yea no more was his promise this is the spirit of Christians and Ministers and so of al that are established together with their Ministers anointed and sealed and confirmed in grace with their Ministers and have received the earnest penny to bind the bargaine of eternall salvation to faithfull soules So looke what a Christian doth promise he is bound by the earnest penny of Gods Spirit hee dares no more alter his words to the discredit of his profession then the Spirit of God to lie So that consider if Professors grow corrupt Religion wil grow corrupt and on the discovery of the corruption of common Christians corrupt religion will be discovered else you will be discovered to be carnall professors But there will be these two events either it will cast aspersion on you and so they will say none are better the spirit of the Country is deceitfull in their bargaines there is no constancie in their words Or else that your Religion is corrupt and this will also follow unavoidably though your Religion bee of God and the Lord himselfe will beare witnesse it is of God and according to the true patterne of the Word yet if we in this generation shall defile it by our unfaithfulnesse unspiritualnesse unheavenlinesse and ungodlinesse this will be the issue on the corruption of the lives of Professors followes corruption of Religion and upon the discovery of the one followes the discovery of the other That Religion which by the blessing of God and the power of his grace is dispensed heere in simplicity will bee corrupted in the very next generation you will finde your Children after you of whose state you ought to have as much care and I thinke I may speake it without inconveniency more then of your owne you may know the worst of it for your selves being neere the grave many of you but verely what will befall your Posterity They will degenerate out of measure by the unfaithfulnesse of your lives and unrighteousnesse of our promises they will fall to bee starke nought in point of Doctrine Worship and Government they will utterly degenerate from their Ancestors let but us bee polluted and all the waters that come from us will be polluted it cannot be sweet water that runnes through a poysonous earth if the earth bee unsavoury the Waters and Deepes and Rivers be poysoned what will the issue bee all will bee corrupt and therefore as you desire to leave Religion with a blessing leave it pure in the conversation of Brotherly love and purity and faithfulnesse and fruitfulnesse and heavenly mindednesse that so as Religion always loves to lye cleane as was a grave speech of an ancient Saint it will not lye nasty as a Swine and a Dogge in a kennell it must lye sweet and cleane if the hearts and waies of men be not pure and holy you shall not alway have the Sea cleane but Religion will grow to Apostacy and that which is our glory will be our confusion It became as the blood of a dead man Doct. 2. The faithful Ministers and Professors of Reformed Religion and Churches by powring out the wrath of God on Popish Religion have discovered it not to hold forth the blood of the Lord Iesus but to bee as the blood of a

Church so that well doth the holy Ghost say here is not the bloud of Christ but the bloud of a dead man Againe I might shew the like in other the chiefe streames whereof their sea consists that Faith which thay have it is built on the Scripture and the authority thereof they have from the Church their faith is built on the Scripture and the Scripture on the Church and so the last resolution of it is but humane authority and so that saith is no assurance for that they say were presumption but humane credulity and so for justification and salvation they will have it by merits and for worship worshipping Saints and Angels and in a strange language which common people vnderstand not an vnreasonable service so that here is nothing but as the bloud of a dead man they want the vitalls of Christianity Vse For the Vse of it It may serve to shew the weaknesse of their imaginations that doe beleeve Popish and Protestant religion may be reconciled together and Popish and Protestant Churches may bee brought to bee one were it not for hot spurred Iesuits on the one side and for hot spirited Protestants Puritants on the other side if moderate spirits had things in hand they have hoped to bring both ends together Alas to bring heaven and earth together goe your waies poure out your vials on the earth their sea is but an earthly sea their sunne is but an earthly sun and their rivers and fountaines are but earthly and yet all may be reconciled the bloud of a dead man and God life and death heaven and hell and all shall be reconciled Vse 2. It shewes what great reason we have everlastingly to stand out against all compromising with them and all subjection to any thing that pertaines to that Religion for they have sacred truthes as they beleeve Father Sonne and Spirit and that Christ is God and man but otherwise for the body of all their other Ordinances they are such as in very truth have not the blood of the Lord Iesus in them but are as the blood of a dead man as they have them and corrupt and pollute them Lastly Every living soule dyed in the Sea why did none live on the earth but were all dead in this Sea All that live on the earth all Catholikes they live in that Religion Iesuits Friats Every living soule died in that Sea The last note then is Doct. 3. A Popish Catholike that lives according to this Religion and no better he lives and dyes in a state of Death and Damnation For so saith the Text Every living Soule in that Sea dyed If he had no other life then by that Religion no other goodnesse then that which he got from that Sea living in those waters which they sucked from that Religion from the Ordinances there if he have no more then that he cannot come to a State of Salvation he dies in that Sea The Reason of the point Is taken First from the Grace held foorth in that Religion Secondly from their Faith Thirdly from their Repentance and Fourthly from thei● Obedience they are all such as are but dead their very Grace holds foorth dead Workes the Faith of a Catholike is a dead Faith their Repentance is dead Repentance their Obedience is dead works and that is all their Religion and in these is the life of a Christian the life of Grace the life of Faith the use of Repentance and the life of Obedience if these be dead what life is there For the grace of God By grace ye are saved not of Workes Ephes 2.8.9 Now they will not have it of Grace but of Workes not of living Grace but of Workes that is the most generall opinion Nor no redemption of Christians but common to all alike Reprobates and true Christians and the difference ariseth in vocation and that is out of workes out of merit of Congruity and their Iustification is out of Merit of Workes and Perseverance in Grace is out of Concurrence of Free will and Glorification is from Merit of Condignity of Workes and if all these be of workes here is all the grace of God to seek what saith the Apostle If it be of Workes it is not of Grace Rom. 11.6 And verily this is the best grace of Popish Religion all their grace is of Workes and then it is utterly evacuated What shall I say to their Faith it is no other but Historicall As that all that is contained in the Word is true and verely the Devill beleeves as much he knowes it to be true and will tremble Iames 2.19 And if that be the Devils faith as Iames saith it is then woe worth all Popish Faith and that faith if you come to apply it That it shall be a confidence on Christ to salvation they looke at that as Hereticall presumption what hope is Vse there that by Faith such should ever be justified or saved And for repentance it is like their Faith such repentance as Iudas held forth as great they require Confession contrition and satisfaction he did it all he was not a little broken with the sence of his sinne and the horror of it Hee makes confession of it I have sinned in betraying the Innocent blood he made satisfaction he brought againe the 30. Pieces of silver and throwes them downe away with them I have sinned in betraying the innocent blood this is the best repentance they have for any repentance that springs from the sight of Gods favour applyed to the faith of Gods people this they will by no meanes heare tell of and yet without faith applyed to the soule by a promise or word of grace there is no life in repentance They see him whom they have pierced and mourne for him they see him pierced by them and for them and this mourning is Evangecall and saving For their obedience they looke at it as such as is able to keepe the whole Law of God and if they can doe that they seeke life then by Workes not of Grace and that Obedience that is able to keepe the whole law of God is the Obedience of the Scribes and Pharisees for they so taught and therefore our Saviour tells his disciples Matth. 5.20 Except your righteousnesse exceedes the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees yee cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Such obedience as that a man is able to keepe the whole Law and by that to merit and doe no more then the Law requires it is the obedience of Hereticall presumption not of confidence and affiance of Faith that is obedience of hereticall presumption that is able to keepe the whole law and make satisfaction to the justice of Christ and then Christ died in vaine unlesse hee died to make us Saviours of our selves and that is as notorious as the former The Vse of this point is Vse 1. To reprove a wicked practise of many Protestants that are not ashamed to sow pillowes vnder the elbowes of