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
A55782	Four sermons preached in Oxford by John Price.	Price, John, Master of arts.	1661 (1661)	Wing P3352; ESTC R25593	64,575	154

to fix on Lactantius tells us that Philosophy is nothing else but opinion And Austine in his book de Civit. Dei tells us that Philosophi sunt potins opinantes quam scientes Though Philosophy be nothing else but a heap of disputables a crow'd of it may bees yet Divinity should not be so Whether all things be made of Atoms or Aristotles principles it is not much material never soul was saved or damn'd for these opinions A great wit may find a way as probable as either But whether the soul be immortal or no whether there will be a day of judgement or not it highly concernes us to be sure of those things for if there be no judgement men may live as they list but if there be they must live as they should States men for the prevention of divisions have somewhat in Goverment indubitable and so should Church men if one Preach up universal redemption another Preach it down who shall the sequacious pendulous people believe me thinks having an unerring rule to square by we should agree in fundamentals at least wise if not in circumstantials 4. Necessary usefull Truths not Toyes Trifles barren and unprofitable Notions subtile speculations It should be the great care of a Divine to Preach those things that may make most for the edification of his Auditory he should shew them their damnable deplorable estate by Nature the True means of their recovery by Christ Preach about Faith Repentance Charity Love Humility Heavenly mindednesse Contentednesse Heaven Hell Death Judgement to come fully instruct them in the Lords Prayer and ten Commandements T is not impossible for a man to come here often and scarce heare a word of any of these This I speak not to disparage those that doe well but because I would have some doe better I could wish that the fundamentalls of Religion were more Preacht Proud men think it inconsistent with the greatnesse of their parts and sublimity of their wits to iusist upon these they are much like Angelus Politianus that would not vouchsafe to read the Scriptures because as he thought they did not containe elegancies suitable to his florid stile and Genius They think these things belong to men of weaker and slenderer parts they will exercise themselves in more refined and curious speculations they will Marshall the Angells and know what God did before he made the World who looks upon the Sunn but in an Eclipse who takes cognizance of the Moon but when Travelling a blazing Comet is more look't upon then all the regular stars in heaven the Kings dwarfe hath more eyes upon him then all the proper personable men that the King hath If a man Preach a solid substantiall peece upon some ordinary usefull poynt in Divinity we take no great notice of it but if some haeretick in Divinity preach a peece made up of meere staggering drunken probabilities present us with some spurious mishapen Brat of his own intellect which he can prove to be legitimate neither by Scripture nor reason this is cry'd up for a man of rare parts elevated advanced intellectualls So apt are wee Athenian like to admire nay even to adore Toyes and Novelties 5. Ancient Apostolick truths I do not mean here antiquity of a later standing such as the Papists pretend to but Originall prime antiquitie Old truths like old goverments are best Innovations in Church and State being equally dangerous Those truths are most Authentique that are as old as Christ and his Apostles An old truth like an old musicall Instrument sounds best in the eare of all good men Tertullian tells us Verum quod prius Adulterinum quod posterius It is good coyn that is first stamped and afterward that which is counterfeit The Husbandman first sowed good seed and then the envious man sowed tares This was the unanimous crie of the Councell of Calcedon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let Ancient things prevaile Blessed be God which hath in mercy restored our ancient goverment both in Church and State 6. Particular applied truths Generalia non pungunt generall Truths never pierce a soule or wound a Conscience Generall truths like the Papists generall faith never save a soule It is not a loafe whole that nourisheth but cut and eaten Spices are never more fragrant then when they are broken Nathan tells David which I think little thought of it thou art the Man S. Peter doth not mince the matter but tells the Jewes plainly and piercingly that they had murthered Christ And what was the effect of this soul searching soul peircing preaching when they heard these things they were pricked at the heart and there were three thousands of them converted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was with them at if rapier points had been stuck in their spirits S. Paul might have entertained that Tyrant Faelix with some plausible discourse of the wonderfull birth life and death of Christ but he takes another course with him he reasons of righteousnesse temperance and judgement to come and this made him tremble He opposed righteousnesse to his briberies Temperance to his adulteries and judgement to come to his outragious insolencies 7. Peaceable truths Ministers are the servants of the God of Peace Embassadors of the Gospell of Peace they what ever other men are should be men of Peace they should be like the Cherubins of the Arke look upon one another with propitious Aspects the good Divine should not only pray but Preach for the Peace of Jerusalem Rogamus non Pugnamus Auguste was wont to be the language of the Church formerly it hath no weapons but those of prayers and teares Popish was the practice of the Covenanters that brought us hither a punie upstart Mushrome yesterday Religion upon the poynt of asword and truly had their swords been no keener then their arguments I think they might have been soon blunted 4. I proceed in the fourth place to tell you some truths which I think to be suitable to and convenient for this Auditory 1. That Arts and Sciences should be subservient and ancillatorie to Divinity that the Hagar of Humanity should not outbrave the Sarah of Divinity it must not justle it out and take up the best roomes in a Sermon how then comes it to passe that many of your Sermons are stuft with all Arts and Sciences but Divinity How comes it to passe that instead of making the Spouse borders of Gold with studds of silver a great many of you make her borders of brasse with studds of Tinn and pewter Are they not like Onesilaus his head that instead of braines was full of hony-combes When the Persian King sent Antalcidas the Lacedimonian Captain a Garland of flowers perfum'd with spices and odours he tells him Rosarum fragrantiam adulteratione perdidisti so may I say to many of you Concioneis majestatem adulteratione perdidistis With admirable fitnesse did the learned K. Iames compare such Sermons to the red and blew flowers that pester the corne which were

hee enquires of them he reproves their ingratitude and expostulates with them in the words of my text Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth Am I I the Apostle of Christ your teacher your spirituall guide one that watches over you for the good of your soules your enemy you that professed your selves to be happy in my ministery you that thought nothing too good for mee you that loved mee so dearely that if it had been possible you would have pulled out your own eyes and have given them me am I become your enemy because I tell you the truth because I preach the Gospell to you all the truths of Christ more especially that fundamentall truth that we are not justified by the Law as you think and your false teachers suggest but by faith in Christ. I would be loath to be accounted your enemy upon any account but most of all upon the account of truth you should honour mee for the truth esteeme mee for my works sake not hate mee look upon me as your enemy am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth this is the true genuine sense of the words according to Chrysostome Estius Calvin Diodate Perkins and some others compared together there 's no difficulty in them therefore this may suffice for exposition of them they containe in them two things 1. The Gallatians envy and hatred conceived against S. Paul am I become your enemy 2. The ground of it it was upon the score of truth because I tell you the truth The words without torturing and wracking afford these two plain truths 1. That many men look upon them as their enemies that tell them the truth Am I become your enemy 2. That the Preachers of the Word should be truth-tellers Because I tell you the truth First of the first is this That many men look upon those as their enemies which tell them the truth In the prosecution of it I shall use this method 1. Prove it by Scripture 2. Give you some Reasons and Arguments for it 3. Make use But before I come to my proposed method I think it necessary for my more orderly proceeding to give you some distinctions of truth and those that oppose it and the assertors of it Truth may be considered too wayes either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 either in it self and as it is nothing else but a conformity between the object and the intellect or else it may be considered by way of accident as it thwarts mens lusts and corruptions if we consider it the first way It is not odious but there is a friendly amity between the understanding and it The eye is delighted with colour the ear with Harmony and the understanding the eye of the Soul is no lesse delighted with truth it being it's natural genuine proper object in this sense Saint Austine affirmes truth to be dear to the intellect but if we consider it the second way as it creates a disturbance in the Commonwealth of mens lusts so it is odious to them the Sun in its self is an amiable and lovely object and Solomon teils us that it is a pleasant thing for the eye to behold the Sun but they that have fore eyes cannot endure to looke upon it truth is a glorius ray from the Sun of righteousnesse It is in it self precious and lovely yet men of corrupt minds and irregular affections doe not love it yea they cannot bear the clearer more piercing irradiations of it this I take to be meaning of Calvin upon the place Veritas odiosa est malitia pravitate eorum qui eam non sustinent audire Truths are either humane or Divine Philosophical or Theological Philosophical such as are cognoscible by the light of nature such as are found out by experience humane disquisition such as we meet with in Ethicks Physicks Mathematicks and Methaphysicks Theological or Divine truths such as are revealed from above such as stream frō the clearer Fontains of the Scripture of the entertainments of Philosophical or humane truths I doe not here enquire truths are either general or particular general such as are proposed in an universall way without application to the conscience or reflexion upon such men or such and such lusts as this vice is to be hated particular such as reflect upon particular men and particular lusts such as sting the conscience as pride coveteousnosse drunkness are to be hated General gliding tansient irreflexive unconcerning truths may peradventure gain tolerable acceptance be looked upon with a more propitious aspect when a particular severer conscience smiting truth may be brow beatē suspected de graded to a meer probability nay it may be flatly opposed contradicted in down right terms Men are either good or bad unregenerate or regenerate unregenerate such as are in the gall of bitternesse such as wallow like Swine in the Mire of their corruptions such as are meerly as they were born regenerate such as are born again such as cleave to Gods commaudements such ss stear their thoughts word and actions according to the dictates of Gods Word and Spirit unregenerate men naturally hate Gods truths and this hatred it doth not terminate in the truth it self but it is extended to the Person that delivereth it as if he were the Author of it and not that God that sent him but with the regenerate truths find more courteous and Christian like entertainments they know whose truths they are therefore they respect and reverence them for his sake and if they doe at any time look upon them superciliously it is in that and so far forth as they are unregenerate and not regenerate as to their unsanctified not to their sanctified part This distinction as to the sense and substance of it I find in Proverbes the 9. 8. Reprove not a scorner least he hate thee rebuke a wise man and he will love thee Men are according to Solomon either devided into scorners or wisemen by scorners we are to understand wicked men by wisemen such as are wise to salvation as for scorners if we reprove them they will hate us but wisemen being rebuked they will love us Though Herod cut of Iohn Baptists head because of Herodius yet Anathan may tell a David thou art the man and he will not be much offended The sum of all is this that unregenerate men look upon those as their Enemies that tell them Divine truth not proposed in general but particularly applyed to their consciences they hate the truth not barely considered in it's self but as it thwarts their sins their unmortified affections and this hatred it rebounds as it were from the truth to the Person This being premised I proceed to the proposed Method 1. That many men look upon those as their Enemies that tell them the truth is clear from these Scriptures Asts 7. 54. When they heard these things they were cut to the heart and the