Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A12976
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An exposition on the CXXIIII. CXXV. CXXVI. Psalmes, called the Psalmes of degrees: or, the churches deliuerance Plainely set forth for the benefit of Gods church, by T.S. Seene, and allowed.
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Stint, Thomas.
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1621
(1621)
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STC 23270; ESTC S107446
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122,519
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446
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It is a great comfort when a Man is in trouble to call to mind the gifts of God that made him sayth Gregorie in his Moralls For as sweete Oyntment doth not onely delight the Smell but is a speciall remedie against things that smell ill so the remembrance of good things is a comfort to a Man in Euill and Aduersitie sayth Ierome Wherefore to conclude this Point I end with that Exhortation of Saint Paul himselfe 2. Thess 4.18 Comfort your selues one another with these words and the Lord will deliuer you from euery euill worke and will preserue you vnto his heauenly Kingdome to whom be prayse for euer and euer Amen Seeing therefore it is certaine that reprobate persons haue no part in this redemption nor wicked vnbeleeuing impenitent sinners but onely the Elect This serues for to terrifie the vngodly to amaze them to feare themselues as not being in the right way but such as are vnder the Curse in the state of Damnation guiltie of eternall Death such as shall be partakers of the second Death which is a separation both of Soule and Body from God and an adiudging of them to perpetuall torments in Hell where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Which must teach them to turne from their wicked wayes and returne to God from whom they are fallen and labour to vse the meanes of their saluation and to goe out of themselues flying to the Throne of Gods Mercy most humbly beseeching God for pardon and forgiuenesse that so their part may be in this redemption and God may receiue them into his fauour without which repentance they must needs perish Except yee repent Luk. 13.3 yee shall all perish This is that our Sauiour Christ himselfe hath foretold saying He that shall not beleeue shall be damned Those that know not God and obey not his Word shall be punished with euerlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Againe All those shall be damned 2. Thess 1.9 that beleeue not the truth but haue pleasure in vnrighteousnesse Goe to now yee Rich men wicked and prophane weepe and howle for your miseries that shall come vpon you You that trust in your vncertaine Riches yee haue no part in the Redemption by Iesus Christ Goe to now ye that will not beleeue you that will not amend nor repent nor leaue your filthie lewd courses little thinke you of the Iudgement Day wherein euery one of you shall rise to giue vp your Accompts where the Booke of Gods Prouidence and the Booke of your owne Consciences shall be layd open before you and there shall you be arraigned at the Barre of Gods Iudgement and being condemned as Guiltie as hauing no part in this Redemption you shall will ye nill ye haue that fearefull Sentence of eternall Death pronounced against you Goe ye cursed into euerlasting fire Seeing then that it is proued that onely the Elect are redeemed and they onely saued it doth teach vs to labour to be in the number of the Elect and chosen Seruants of God and not onely to talke of our Election and discourse of it and reason about it as many will doe and that too curiously and more then is reuealed or necessarie to be knowne but to labour to gather vpon sound ground that my part in particular and thy part â—n particular is in this Election that wee may say truely vpon good proofe by euident testimonie and infallible Arguments especially from holy Scripture euery one by himselfe I thanke God from the ground of my Soule I trust I am one whom the Lord hath elected out of that cursed Race of Mankind I am one whom among so many thousands reiected of him my good God hath chosen to obtaine Saluation by Iesus Christ This is that which the Apostle Peter doth so labour in earnestly exhorting all of vs to giue all diligence 2. Pet. 1.10 to make our Calling and Election sure From which words of the Apostle wee are to note that it is no trifling matter or slight businesse no matter of dallying or delaying nor any matter arbitrarie or of indifferencie but a worke that requireth great labour paine and trauell great industrie and diligence a matter of absolute necessitie to make our Election sure Herein consisteth all our hope in this is continued our happinesse and felicitie and by this are we assured of Heauen and Life eternall and that vndoubtedly we shal be saued haue this and haue all and want this and want all Now O biectn whereas this is commonly obiected If I be elected it is no matter how I liue and so of the contrary I answere Answere That where God hath appointed the end there he hath appointed the meanes to attayne to that end the end is Life eternall which none shall euer attayne without the vsing of the true meanes This I proue plaine out of Saint Pauls words God hath chosen vs To what end to liue as wee list no sayth S. Paul but that we should vse the meanes studying true pietie and holynesse Eph. 1.4 He hath chosen vs in him before the foundation of the world to this end that we should be holy and without blame before him in loue This teacheth vs to liue in a continuall course of glorifying of God both in Body and Soule for wee are not our owne but wee are Christs 1. Cor. 6.20 Ye are not your owne for ye are bought with a price namely the bloud of Christ Therefore glorifie your heauenly Father both in Soule and Body for they are both his This is the end of our Redemption and deliuerance from our spirituall enemies Luke 1.74 75. That wee should serue God without seruile feare all the dayes of our liues in righteousnesse and holinesse before him Vprightly For the grace of God that bringeth saluation vnto all men that is all sorts of men hath appeared teaching vs that wee should denie vngodlinesse and worldly lusts and that we should liue soberly that is in regard of our selues Righteously in regard oâ— our neighbour Godly in regard of God himselfe Titus 2.11 12. For Christ Iesus he is our Sauiour who gaue himselfe for vs that hee might redeeme vs from all iniquitie and purge vs to be a peculiar people vnto himselfe Zealous of good Workes Tit. 2.14 His bloud which through the eternall Spirit offered himselfe without fault to God Heb. 9.14 doth purge our Conscience from dead workes to serue â—he liuing God 1. Pet. 2.6 Wee are a people set at libertie that we should shew forth the vertue of him that hath called vs out of darkenesse into his maruellous light Of all the workes of Mercie â—his chiefely ought to bee remembred for it is the chiefest worke that God euer shewed to Man And if any thing will this will stay vs and keepe vs from â—he contagion of Sinne. And as it is true that none are redeemed I meanâ— none can approue
had long since beene like Sodome and like Gomorrah for the Lord our God hath not set his loue vpon vs for any thing in vs but because hee loued vs Deut. 7.7 8 hath hee deliuered preserued and redeemed vs and done all good vnto vs. Heere wee are briefely to consider of these things First how graciously God bestoweth his blessings and benefits dayly vpon vs especially how he continueth the gracious liberty of the Gospell amongst vs encreasing dayly the number of faithfull Preachers Who breake vnto vs the bread of life this is a blessing of blessings without which the soule may the sooner starue yet indeed of the wicked of the world no more esteemed of then their old shooes and therefore they seldom heare it lightly regard it but neuer practise it this is that pearle to attaine which wee ought to sell all that wee haue rarher then to want it if this meditation of the price of this word were truely in our hearts it would not bee that so many could suffer their people to starue for want of it Secondly let vs remember our health wealth peace and liberty our dayly protecting vnder so gracious a gouernment which wee enioy by God It is in Acte 17.28 Verse 25. and through him that we liue wee moue and haue our being hee giueth vs life and breath and all things wee cannot liue one minute of an howre without Gods prouidence hee dayly prouideth for vs foode and rayment and no good thing doth he withhold frō vs he defendeth vs day and night from all dangers he maketh men to be of one minde and liue together in vnity he blesseth our corne our cattell and all our substance he prospereth all our handy worke our meate might be our bane did not God continually blesse it vnto vs wee might haue our Throats cut in our beds were nothe watchful ouer vs by his fatherly prouidence he sendeth raine to moysten the earth Hee giueth grasse for the Cattell Deut 11. and Hearbs for the vse of man he causeth the Corne and oyle to come to perfection that man may eate and haue all manner of fruit in aboundance he neuer forsaketh his inheritance he blesseth our going out and comming in On foote on horseback in company and out of company in publike and secret at home and abroad sleeping and waking hee is all in all vnto vs. This meditation will make vs to receiue nothing without thankesgiuing to liue circumspectly to looke to our wayes and to study to please God to giue our hearts vnto him and to make him our treasure First this serues to put vs in mind of all those gracious promises that God hath made vnto vs either of temporall blessing or spirituall grace which we are to beleeue that in Gods due time they shal be performed and so we shal not lose our reward The not beleeuing of this truth is one maine cause of sinne and the continuance of it and no one thing doth make the wicked so desperate in euill courses as this to thinke it is altogether in vaine to liue a godly life We must therefore remember and beleeue that God is a plentifull rewarder of all those that seeke him Heb. 11.6 Ioh. 16.23 Mat. 1.28 that whatsoeuer we aske in Christ his name shall bee giuen vs. That whosoeuer commeth to Christ Ezec. 18.31 laden with the burden of his sinnes shall haue refreshing and finde rest to his soule That whosoeuer doth repent him of his sinnes from the bottome of his heart shall bee forgiuen Ios 1.5 that hee will neuer faile nor forsake his and infinite such which God hath made to all his children Heb. 13 5 But especially wee ought to Meditate and often call to mind That maine promise of life eternall Mar. 26.16 which God hath promised to all beleeuers and most surely will performe it whosoeuer beleeueth shall be saued So God loued the world that hee gaue his only begotten Sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall not perish but haue euerlasting life Ioh. 3.16 And herewithall to ioyne the meditation of the certainty of the future resurrection after death and the full fruition of euerlasting glory described at large 1. Cor. 15. and if any thing in the world will moue vs to forsake our sinnes and returne to God this will The want of this is the cause of all manner of sinne in the wicked they say and beleeue that it is in vaine to serue God Mal. 3.14 and what profit it is that wee haue kept GODS Ordinances and walked so mournefully before the Lord c. It profiteth a man nothing to delight himselfe in God Iob. 34.9 They say vnto God depart from vs and what can the Almighty doe for vs they take the Timbrell and Harpe and reioyce at the sound of the Organ Iob. 22.17 They spend their dayes in wealth and mirth and in a moment goe downe to the Graue therefore they say vnto God Iob 21.12 13 14 15 Depart from vs for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes What is the Almighty that wee should serue him thus as the godly are stirred vp by Gods gracious promises to serue him the better so the wicked by not being perswaded of the truth of his promises for time to come abuse Gods goodnesse and spend their dayes in all manner of sinne to their owne destruction Lastly in a word our remembrance of Gods fauour toward vs must bee constant without wearines and certaine without change as Dauid saith Psal 119.93 I will neuer forget Gods Word It must bee thankefull for all Gods mercies spirituall and temporall Psal 63.5.6 My mouth saith Dauid shall praise thee with ioyfull lips when I remember thee It must be fruitful prouoking vs to al good workes quickning vs to euery good duty I wil meditate in thy precepts Psal 119-1 5 and haue respect to thy wayes It must bee chearefull in affliction and victorious in time of trouble that we may say as Dauid Vnlesse thy law had beene my delight Psal 119.9 2 I had perished in my affliction And thus much of the remembrance of Gods workes of mercy in preseruing of vs both for time past present and to come Verse 3. Yea the waters had drowned vs and the streame had gone ouer our soules TErrible is the rage of fire but much more terrible is the violence and rage of water for that no power cannot resist Now saith Dauid like as huge mighty streams of water carried with great power and violence doe suddenly ouerthrow and beate downe whatsoeuer they meete withall euen such is the rage of the enemies of Gods Church which no power of man is able to with-stand Therefore let vs learne to trust to the Lords defence and succour for what else is the Church but as a little Boat tyed by a Riuers side and by violence of the water soone carried away or as a Reede which by