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	divine_a	faith_n	6,931	5	5.9627	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01210	The forbidden fruit· or A treatise of the tree of knovvledge of good & evill of which Adam at first, & as yet all mankind doe eate death. Moreover, how at this day it is forbidden to every one as well as to Adam; and how this tree, that is the wisedome of the serpent planted in Adam, is that great image, and that many headed beast, mentioned in Daniel and the Apocalyps, whom the whole world doth worship. Lastly, here is shewed what is the tree of life, contrary to the wisdome, righteousnesse, and knowledge of all mankind: with a description of the majestie and nature of Gods Word. By August: Eluthenius [sic]. Translated out of Latine into English.; De arbore scientiae boni et mali. English	Franck, Sebastian, 1499-1542.	1640 (1640)	STC 11324; ESTC S102619	62,776	198

of the World good but in truth evill and wicked for what seems holy in the opinion of Men is prophane in the sight of God So there is a twofould knowledge and witt the one divine of the Tree of Life the other humane of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evill Humane wisdome is a Fruit of the Forbidden Tree and the roote thereof is the Seede of the Serpent and so is mortall These are all the arts which Naturall Men have found out if no without God yet surely not in God Breefly all witt and arts which God himselfe doth not plant in the hearts of Men by the power of his spirit and Word but acquired and gotten outwardly by the industry and helpe of men are death it selfe or rather a deaster if man doe any manner of way trust or hope in them for they doe make man no more acceptable to God or any way more righteous before him then doe his meate drinke or cloathes for all these things are out of man and a certaine superstition and worshipping of a false God if thou restest thy selfe in them thou mayst seem to thy selfe to be nearer unto God because thou knowes and understands many things being more wise and accute then some simple good man who cares only to know God But in very truth thou art no better then a foole who art ignorant of these For by how much thou art wiser then others hereby by so much thou art worse For since it is so that all the knowledge of this World and all the righteousnesse of the flesh is Devilish according as Sainct James giveth this and other more opprobrious names unto it It followes that by how much a man offends and growes higher and increaseth in this witt by so much is hee the worse and more Devilish so that a good and simple man who cares and desires to know nothing but God if he be compared with him in respect of him hee may seeme to be a Saint or God and one of those is worth a thousand of others as holy Scriptures doe testify one rightous man is more worth then a thousand wicked men The other wisdome which in the eyes of the world is foolishnes is that denying wisdome the fruit of the Tree of Life which whosoever hath he shall never die This springeth up in man out of the seed of the Woman and is given and taught of God alone being in its owne nature ful of love working divine solace and is called in the holy Scriptures the Knowledge of God because it knoweth nor acknowledgeth nothing but God This teacheth and professeth only God in the hearts of his servants it arrogateth nothing to it self but as it meerly knoweth God So it renders all it receives to him againe This renewes man justifies him enlives him and makes him like unto God but it is to be found in no mans heart but only in his who hath given a farewell to all Earthly pleasures arts will and witt because that since it is so that these two knowledges are so contrary one to another as fire is to water it cannot be that they should live together in one heart but the one will expell the other as the day the night and the night the day wherfore all fleshly knowledge will and witt must be quite unlearned and we must become little Children and Fooles againe according as the holy Scriptures testify unto us if we would have the true knowledge wisdome of God to dwell in our hearts For God requires a free and empty soule which he would fill with his knowledge and goodnesse and imbrace as a pure unspotted spouse possessed with no other love but his He would be the only Father of the Family and cannot endure Satan in his Kingdome to be neare unto him who is altogether light and void of all darknesse Now this wisdome being humane and a Fruit of the forbidden Tree so is it fleshly puffing up the possessor of it so as it makes him provide selfe-loving desirous of his owne profitt bould and wicked In a word it makes a man a Lucifer and so contrary and abominable to God that he cannot or will not flow into his soule And indeed nothing so much hurts man as his owne knowledge witt and righteousnes c. which makes the word of the everliving God to appeare foolishnes and God himselfe to seeme Satan unto him Therefore as it hath already beene said of witt and knowledge the same may be said of the will of God and man The one cannot endure the other No more then the spirit can endure the fl●sh life death fire water Therefore the wisdome of God aymes at the utter destruction of Adams life nature will and wisdome labouring to plucke us from the duggs of humane wit by which we are nourished We must therefore learne to forgett and unlearne whatsoever Adam knew or doth know wils loves c. and all things must be made a new in Christ this is the wisdome of God Now let us see how farre we are from this if a man have but onely a thought to learne his way presently he thinkes it is well with him and without any repentance he doth sweetly delite himselfe in his owne knowledge art and will and all men will be good Christians and if God will will compose whole bookes and volumes of Christ which they neither doe nor have knowne and by this meanes they doe so wearily imploy and vex their minds through Satans motion with so many questions arts and idle disputations that scarcely can they have so much time as to thinke of the knowledge of God Whereas the true knowledge of God is not learned by prying into running over reading or hearing a company of doubtfull questions as the 1. Chapt. of the German Theologie Taulerus in many places elegantly doth teach but by patient and obedient remaining hearkening and attending to that which God doth work in us For he that would be divinely wise and learne the knowledge of God its needfull that hee heare and learn the same from God himselfe he having detained it to himselfe so that it can by no meanes be taught of man For as humane arts and sciences proceede from men and is their worke so divine science is from God and is the worke of his onely word For as Iohn Stapitius saith in a little booke of the love of God that those things that cannot be knowne but by sence and experience neither can they be taught by or learned from others As for Example No man can teach another to see heare tast and touch in like manner and much lesse can any man teach another to beleeve love hope repent so that divine truth and Theologie may rather be said to be experience then Arts no man can learne of himself the knowledge of God love of God Faith and such like because the naturall man cannot perceive things divine nay the Letter of the Scriptures is not able to doe

Tree of Life is planted by the Tree of death in the heart of Adam From these two Seeds trees so different doe spring different Fruits so as one is poyson and death the other is Medicine Life and if any man would know that plant which is called Man he may easily know what he ought to think of his owne art knowledge wisdome and righteousnesse how that this pleaseth all men and is of great respect with them For what is current with the world but its owne coyne What but the wisdome art and righteousnesse of the Flesh seemeth holie in the sight of men onely the Holy Ghost can reprehend the world of sinne righteousnesse and judgement It is wonderfull to behould how the world doth dayly yet eate death of the forbidden Tree which tree you may call as the Germaine Theologie doth our own will and although God doe dayly cry aloud in them and moreover provideth by the witnesses whom he sendeth to teach them externally that they abstain therefrom or otherwise they shall reape death therefrom yet none beleeveth but all follow that Serpent which secretly in our heart doth speake thus Not death shal you reape by any meanes but if you know many arts you shall bee like unto God and live for ever this the whole historie of the Bible remaines in force at this day from hence ariseth a certaine art and curiositie enquiring searching out Neither will any submitt himselfe docibly and simplie unto God and obey his word But every man will be his owne yea Gods Master too and teach both himselfe and God bring him into the Schoole and there prescribe unto him with whom where what wherefore he shall doe speake permitt or omitt Hence it commeth to passe that wisdome is justified alwayes of her Children and those men skilled in a thousand arts and above measure craftie God cannot satisfie neither can he obtaine his Kingdome or gett any love or right at their hands Since they will be altogether Gods and kisse their owne hands will wisdome prudence and reason The art of the Devill which is sucked out of the Duggs of the Serpent hereupon we compose many bookes desiring to teach the whole world not knowing how to teach our selves From hence it comes that the proud Devill alas is buried deepe in Learned men whom their deadly knowledge doth so dangerously puffe up that they thinke themselves worthie all honour both from God and men and oftentimes if not in word yet indeed they make their estate as Lucifer and Adam did No man understandeth how we dayly become Lucifers and Adams but thinke that to bee the relation of a thing long since done in Adam and condemne his wicked pride and fal when neverthelesse we all sticke fast over head and eares in the same and yet deride others who in this kinde are foolish Divines preach much the word and his precepts but when they are to be kept indeed they are wanting in this yea what themselves doe sometimes teach they will not suffer others to practise but contented meerly in the bare words so making the word of God nothing but a meere Art a matter of talke and disputation had rather be called knowers and fearers of God then lovers of him that not in vaine is the proverbe which is verified by experience teaching and confirming the same The greater Scoller the worser Christian The Gramarian is carefull that he erre not in his speaking but little regardeth the errour of his life In like manner the Poets had rather bee lame in their lives then halting in their Verses Philosophers would know all things but not themselves The Historian describeth all peoples but neglecteth himselfe The Orator is more sollicitous that he speake not rudely then that he beleeve not or live wickedly The Logitian will sooner forsake the truth then leave his opinion and conclusion They that have any thing to doe with Geometrie doe sooner measure the Earth then their wayes The Musician taketh more care that his Song bee not dissonant then that his cariage bee consonant Astrologers travell over the whole Heavens and foretell things to come but see not the ditch under their feete The Cosmographer relates of all Mountaines Valleyes Woods and Rivers but that makes him not one haire better in the sight of God The Phisician healeth sick mens bodies but neglecteth the healing of his owne soule Lawers are alone expert in the precepts of men but negligently violate the Lawes of God so as the proverb from hence hath risen Neither doth the Phisician live nor the Civillian dye well because Phisitians of all men are most intemperate and Civillians the worst Christians and for that cause as Baldus being an expounder of the Law himselfe doth say the most part of them are taken away by sudden death Other Arts-men J will not here mention but referre you to Cornelius Agrippa chap. 100. So the Devill doth compasse us about with the rope of folly insomuch that sometime with one question sometime with another art we be so amazed in the meane time wee neglect the onely science of God in which all things consist even as the Adulteresse Medea when her husband Jason pursued her cutt her Children in peeces dispersed their members in the way that Iason might bee busied in the gathering of them up while shee escaped out of the Countrie Alas shall death sinne and the Devill thus please us shall wee alwayes thus seeke God in hell with the Devill Light with darkenesse The living among the dead One thing is necessary and this no man will desire many things are unprofitable and unhealthfull yea deadly yet these are greedily desired off and devoured by all men In the word of God alone and no other thing are all things placed neither therefore will it profitt thee to have all things to know will speake surpasse in measure dispute off number paint adorn judge teach al things c. To know all things is nothing else then to know the arts of the Devill eaten by his counsell of the forbidden tree Onely to know the word and will of God and to live according unto it to be fruitfull in good workes is the true art and eternall Life eaten of the tree of Life in vaine it is to know all things yea rather it is bitter death as hath beene sufficiently spoken off before Since therefore all the arts witt and righteousnesse of men springeth from the tree of knowledge of good evill or rather from the Devill and therefore is the fall and death of Adam it necessarily followeth that the more any man is learned therein and experienced the higher he hath ascended the worse and more perverse he is as hee who hath made the greatest proficiencie in the wisdome and knowledge of the Devill And againe the more foolish a man is in this art and in the wisdome of the flesh and the Serpent and the more bee hath unlearned forgotten and emptied himselfe