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
A93437	The doome of heretiques: or, A discovery of subtle foxes, who were tyed tayle to tayle, and crept into the Church to doe mischiefe. As it was delivered in a sermon at Wickham-Market in Suffolke, upon the fast day, being the 26 of May. 1647. / By Zeph: Smyth, minister of Gods Word. Imprimatur, Ia: Cranford, August 22. 1648.	Smyth, Zeph. (Zephaniah), fl. 1646-1648.	1648 (1648)	Wing S4363; Thomason E467_7; ESTC R204204	27,627	23

THE DOOME OF HERETIQUES OR A discovery of subtle Foxes who were tyed tayle to tayle and crept into the Church to doe mischiefe As it was delivered in a Sermon at Wickham-Market in Suffolke upon the Fast day being the 26 of May. 1647. By Zeph Smyth Minister of Gods Word Take we the Foxes the little Foxes which destroy the vines for our vines have small grapes Cant. 2.15 For there are certaine men crept in which before were of old ordained to this condemnation ungodly men they are which turne the grace of God into wantonnesse and deny God the only Lord and the Lord Iesus Christ Jude ver 4. Imprimatur Ia Cranford August 22. 1648. LONDON Printed for Iohn Rothwell at the Sunne and Fountaine in Pauls churchyard MDCXLVIII To the READER IT shall not need to seeme strange to us if the truth meet with opposition nothing happens in this kind but what the Apostle did long ago foretell That in the last days should come perillous times 2 Tim. 3.1 The times are perillous when the truth is opposed as verse the eighth the Father of errour and lyes and his Ministers also transforme themselves into Angels of Light that craftily they might undermine the truth and exalt errour Blessed is he that now keepeth his garments ●ut woe be to them that God out of a just judgement gives up to strong delusions to beleeve lyes that they might be damned which beleeve not the truth 2 Thes 2.11 because they received not the truth in the love of it It is not unknowne to many what opposition this ensuing Sermon met withall at the preaching of it some scoffed and the Sermon being ended a company which were at the High Constables house of the said Towne in the Sermon time came into the Congregation who with some others that heard the Sermon which belong to them made a disturbance in the Congregation calling the doctrine which was there delivered a doctrine of devils the said High Constable also with divers others in the Towne as I was credibly informed did scoffe at this doctrine saying it was not fit to be preached and threatned it should be contradicted in print and have ever since endeavoured to make the Author odious by inventing falshoods slanders and charging him with scandals falsly but to passe by this what was then opposed is now made publique that ●s I have peace of conscience in that I then delivered so also all Orthodox Ministers and people that shall peruse it may judge whether it be con●●ary to Scripture or the judgement of the learned as Calvin Ursinus ●ucanus Peter Martyr Perkins with divers others whose labours the Lord hath abundantly blessed and made advantagious to the Church I calling to mind how duty binds me and the Oath of God lyes upon me to defend the truth against heresies and schismes and that I ought not to be ashamed of the Gospell of Christ for it is the power of God to salvation Rom. 1.16 have adventured to owne my doctrine in a more publique place then Wickham-market Pulpit beeng fully assured that though men and devils should oppose the truth what they can yet at the length truth shall prevaile in the interim it is good to pray and wait It much behooves the Saints now so many of them as remaine stedfast and established in the faith which have not yet attained to this learning neither have knowne these depths of Satan to hold fast that which they have already Rev. 2.24 25. and to mourn for the sins of the times Did rivers of water run down Davids eyes because men kept not Gods laws Ps 119.136 and shall not we grieve to heare men deny the law and say it ought not to be preached Did David grieve because the wicked kept not Gods word Ps 119.158 and shall not we grieve to heare men deny the Scripture to be the word of God and say it repents them they have fasted and prayed and mourned so much for their sins how little doe these men and women consider that though a Christian should be out of all duty in respect of dependance yet they should be in al duty in respect of performance Our differences are not meerly about things circumstantiall but substantiall and the effects are very sad they tend to the devouring of one another to the making Religion odious to the world they keep off people from comming in to Iesus Christ they either discourage weak Christians or pervert them they hinder Christian communion and comfortable society one with another in stead of fasting and praying and mourning and seeking of God together and edifying one another in their most holy faith there are contentions strifes janglings hatred and is not this cause of mourning yea is not this one thing that provokes God to be at a controversie with us As if he should say to us as he did once to the Iewes Shall I not visit for these things In the day of the Lords wrath it is better to be found mourners in Sion then sinners in Sion therefore now should be the Saints praying time and morning-time even to give the Lord no rest untill he compose our differences and bring order out of our confusions Who alone is able to do it and without he do it none else can neither King nor Parliament nor Armies it is he must reconcile his people to himselfe and one to another The Lord is my witnesse that I have not put forth this Sermon out of bitternesse of spirit against them that differ from me or out of desire of applause having nothing to beast of my own except it be of my nothingnesse but to let the world judge of that doctrine which people were so much taken off from by the opposite party It is possible the lines may be offensive to many partly because the matter comes abroad in a plaine dresse and partly because it is so contradictory to mens fantasies to which I answer if God in his word cannot please all I must not looke to doe it I desire the Reader first to read and then judge if it may tell any a story of heaven it satisfies him who is yours in Christ Iesus Ze Smyth A Discoverie of the Churches Danger by seeming Friends Jude 4. For there are certaine men crept in which before were of old ordained to this Gondemnation ungodly men they are which turne the grace of God into wantonnesse and deny God the onely Lord and the Lord Jesus Christ THe Apostle Saint Iude in this Epistle gives the saints warning to take heed of seducers Such were crept into the Church as would delude them unawares who would not onely deny the truth themselves and turne the grace of God into wantonnesse but they would doe what in them lay to seduce others as it hath alwayes been the practice of heretiques when they have once ingaged themselves in the service of building up the kingdome of Satan by denying the truth and hearkening unto Satans lyes and delusions

did beleeve sometimes in Scripture faith is put for doctrine as 1 Tim 4.1 Many shall depart from the faith that is the doctrine of the faith for many in Saint Judes time forsook those wholsome truths that the Apostles had taught them and turned to fables and made the doctrine of Christ a doctrine of liberty of which sort of persons the Apostle describes at large in this Epistle and this is the duty the Apostle exhorts the saints to in the text to contend for the truth and stand up in the defence of it in such evill and backsliding dayes as those were And the ground and reason why the saints should contend for the maintenance of the faith once given to the Saints is layd downe in my Text For there are certain men crept in unawares which before were ordained to this condemnation by this time you may perceive who the Apostles meanes in the Text Heretiques and they are described by these five things First by their number There are certain men crept in not one or two but many Mat. 24.5 Many will come in my name saying I am Christ and shall deceive many and therefore the danger is the greater Secondly By their place They are in the Church therfore saith the Apostle They are crept in amongst the saints and in this regard the danger is the greater if the enemies have once invaded a land that land is in the more danger it concernes the inhabitants to looke about them if the fire be kindled in the thatch of the house it concernes all within the house to make haste to quench it so when seducers are in the Church it concerne all the saints to contend for the truth and to keep their garments Thirdly they are described by their subtilty They are crept in they do not come in the honest plain simple way but by craftes and subtilties and therfore there is the more danger If you have them that are crafty and subtill about you you will where ever you see them looke to your selves truly it were good the saints would be as carefull for their soules there are crafty subtill people abroad therefore saith the Apostle Ephes 4.14 be no more children wavering and carried about with every winde of doctrine by the deceit of men and with craftinesse whereby they lye in wait to deceive it were good the saints where ever they see them would look to Gods word and take heed of them Fourthly They are described by their condition They were of old ordained to condemnation Fiftly By their practises They are ungodly Secondly They turne the grace of God into wantonnesse Thirdly They deny God and the Lord Jesus Christ From the description of the persons by their number Certaine and their place In the Church they are crept in amongst the Saints and are accounted saints I may safely gather this point of doctrine That all are not true Saints that externally seeme to be saints my method in handling of the doctrine shall God assisting be First to prove it Secondly to make application For the confirmation of the point I shall endeavour to make it appear to be a truth that all are not saints that externally seeme to be such both amongst teachers and hearers first amongst teachers all those teachers that externally seeme to be holy and sincere are not so the proof see in Iohn 6.70 Have not I saith Christ chosen twelve of you and one of you is a devill now he spake this of Judas saith the Text yet Iudas it is like was very exact to outward appearance he could pray and preach worke miracles cast out devills insomuch as when our Saviour Christ said one of you shall betray mee they did all suspect themselves rather then Iudas one sais is it I and another is it I implying that Iudas did walke so exactly that he was not suspected and further see Mat. 7.15 Beware saith Christ of false prophets which come to you in sheeps clothing but are inwardly ravening wolves they externally seeme holy and sincere but the inside is naught it is not all that come in the name of Christ that are the true ministers of Christ for seducers come in the name of Christ Mat. 24.5 Many shall come in my name saying I am Christ and deceive many they deceive many yea if it were possible the very elect and yet come in the name of Christ yea Satans Ministers will come in the name of Christ and under the notion of holinesse 26 or 11.13 such false Apostles are deceitfull workers and transforme themselves into the Apostles of Jesus Christ I pray marke the false Apostles put on the shape of the true ones and I pray who are these false Apostles Satans ministers as appeares in the next verse no marvel for Satan himselfe is transformed into an angell of light and therefore no marvell if his ministers transforme themselves they are satans ministers and yet looked upon as holy men so you shall finde 2 Tim. 3. such Chaplains as creep into houses and lead simple woemen captive such as were proud covetous covenant violaters and what not yet they had a forme of godlinesse so that you may see it is very plaine that all such teachers as seeme to be saints are not true saints Secondly as amongst teachers so amongst heaters all are not true saints that seeme to be so They went out from us but they were not of us saith the Apostle 1 Ioh 2.19 they seemed to be saints a great while but were hypocrites we read of the stony ground Mat. 13.20 that it had a shew of corne the seed sprung up but came to nothing yet the stony heaters went far they did not onely heare the word but receive it with joy they were glorious professors and who would not but have taken such for saints as did heare read fast pray make such a glorious profession ay but a winter of affliction and persecution discovered them to be hypocrites when a persecution came because of the word they were offended all are not true saints that externally seem saints Vse Is for admonition to the people of God take heed of them amongst your selves al that put on a visard of Saints are not true saints there are many teachers many professors speake of God with their tongues and deny him with their lives Tit. 1.16 they professe they know God but in workes deny him and are abominable and to every good worke a reprobate you know how corrupt those heritiques were 2 Tim. 3. and yet they had a forme of godlinesse if those amongst the saints be such the saints had need take heed of them for the Church is in great danger by reason of such Christ was betrayed by a Judas one of his twelve Apostles the Church is in danger of being undermined by false brethren Gal. 2 4. we read of false brethren who crept into the Church to spie out their liberty and to bring them into bondage there were some crept into the Church to