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	eye_n	see_v	1,812	5	3.2888	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31459	The life and death of that holy and reverend man of God, Mr. Thomas Cawton ... with severall of his speeches and letters, while in exile, for his loyalty to the Kings Most Excellent Majesty : to which is annexed a sermon preach'd by him at Mercers Chappel, Febr. 25. 1648 ... : published with the approbation of several of his brethren, ministers of the Word in London.	Cawton, Thomas, 1637-1677.	1662 (1662)	Wing C1653; ESTC R36292	43,772	96

the next day and then he was again brought before them and asked whether he was not sorry for what he had said he replyed as before he had done nothing but what did become a Minister of the Gospel and more they could not wring from him by all their menaces and subtile captious questions and therefore seeing all they could do was in vain to move this rock they thought delaying was but dallying and that no argument would prevail but a Prison to make him recant wherefore they agreed to send him to the Gate-house in Westminster and immediately drew up a commitment which was as follows These are to will and require you forthwith upon sight hereof to take into your custody the body of Thomas Cawton clerk and him safely keep in your Prison of the Gatehouse he being committed for Treason against the late Act of Parliament of which you are in no wise to fail and for so doing this shall be your sufficient warrant Given at Derby-House this third day of March 1648. Signed in the name and by order of the Council of State appointed by Authority of Parliament R. Denbigh Preses pro tempore To the Keeper of the Gate-house or to his Deputy Hereupon he was carried to the Gate-house and there imprisoned during the time he was there his confinement did not in the least abate his confidence which had great reward one affliction had fitted him for another and the cross was to him but coticula fidei the whetstone of faith he could not see any new light in a Prison much less timorously petition a viperous brood of Usurpers but did even then declare to all that came to him his stedfastness in and faithfulness to his former proceedings many temptations he had to spare himself as a sorrowfull Wife bigg with child six small children to provide for a good living in danger of being lost but with a holy cruelty and contempt he denyed them all that he might deny God nothing He spent almost half a year in Prison so exemplarily that his life seemed to those that came to him no less than a miracle able to convert Infidels it was a Heaven on earth nay Heaven in a Prison to be in his company It will be worth my pains and thy patience to take a view of those graces that did shine most radiantly in his sufferings and here a great cloud of witnesses both Ministers and private Christians and mine own observation do present me with six sparkling Diamonds which so dazled the eyes of his visitants that all admired him for them 1. His sincerity this was the corner stone of all his other graces he gave so many evident demonstrations of this that it was as visible as if he had a casement in his breast opened for every one to gaze into his heart he that ran might read that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 truth in the inward parts it was written in so legible a character in his outward practises A Reverend Minister of London lately deceased said on his death bed Mr. Cawtons Crown was his sincerity indeed he walked in a plain path and made streight steps in that plain path he abhorred crooked ways and would many times say though we cannot be perfect yet we may be sincere again he used to say that carnall policy would render religion despicable at last though some men did take a great deal of liberty to equivocate and daub over their wickedness yet it would prove but untempered mortar he observed that the strongest faith was in the purest conscience He had his loins gird about with truth and his heart armed a● well as adorned with uprightness sincerity was an ingredient in every one o● his actions and sufferings and the chief cordiall that comforted his spirits and kept them from drooping his conscience bore witness that his sufferings were purely and meerly for God and his Cause and tha● kept him from fainting fits in his work He would speak much against half Christians that served God with a secret reserve and for the loaves He could serve God for nought and thought his sincerity wa● nought that could not serve God for nought He was so far from having any design of hi● own in his suffering that he was of Nazianzeus excellent temper to thank God he had any thing to lose for Christ He could not subject his heart to his head his conscience to his policy or as one speaks make a hole in his conscience to keep a whole skin he could not lose well-living to keep his Living and life in a word his rejoycing was this the testimony of his conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God he had his convesration in the world 2. He acted Faith to the very life of it and God did try the strength of his Faith as well as the truth of it and found him a faithfull servant that could depend on a bare word of God and think that security enough he would say that they that won't believe unless they see a reason or experience do tacitely imply that God does not speak truth unless he prove it or at least that their faith is more in reason than in God He could confute an eye of sence by an eye of faith and trust providence where he could not trace it Indeed it were nothing to be a believer if every thing were seen here but to put a holy confidence in that unseen power that does so mightily support us that is to believe He promised himself but little from the creature and so was never much deceived by it he could ask himself that question and answer it with the advice of the wise Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Why shouldest thou beg of a begger beg of God are not all things in the hand of God He knew the world could not give that which it had ●ot and therefore would not be a friend ●o that which was never true to any that trusted it He was one that thought he ●ould not expect too much from God nor ●oo little from man it was a note of his ●wn that Christ is more jealous of our faith than ●f our love for he 'l let us believe in nothing ●ut himself though he 'l let us love somthing be●●des him so it be in subornation to him He was a second Gamzu whose speech was what ever befel him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also this shall be for good according to the counsel of the Rabbin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whatsoever comes from God acquiesce in it and say also this shall be for good He believed that a good God made evils good to Believers in making good his promise that all things should work together for good to them that love God By faith this man of God cheerfully endured imprisonment by faith he left his Wife and children and friends and living and all afterwards as shall

instances of his unwearied labours in the vineyard of God or of his sincerity in his work dressing the Vine no● for the vintage but for his Master who h●● hired him to labour it will be superfluous t● tell you he was an experienced Preacher he felt what he spoke and then spoke what h● felt he was not overcurious in his words but used such as were very significant the paint of eloquence does but besmear and darken the pearl of the Gospel truth is most beautiful in its own dressings and is ashamed to see it self clad with the flanting and adulterous attire of eloquence yet He could say with the Father vellem mihi dari eloquentiam vel quia magis credunt homines veritati ornatae vel ut ipsi suis armis vincantur I like eloquence only because either men give more credit to truth in robes than to truth in rags or that they may be disarmed with their own arms Rhetorick is a flexanimous suada and causes often the matter with the words sweetly to slide in the hearts of the hearers But though he did love in veris verba yet he did in verbis vera amare non verba though he loved good words in expressing the truth yet he loved the truth expressed with good words not the words He could at his pleasure use eloquence but he could do more that is deny his eloquence and preach with more affection than affectation He used so much Art as rightly to divide not to rend the word of truth he preached not to shew his learning but that the ignorant might learn in a word he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Master of words but thought it better to be a Minister of the word and in his Ministry to omit his Mastry I need not tell you of his trials his whole life was but one continued series of Temptation He was given to prayer and mditation to which if you add his sufferings for a good conscience you may behold the character of a compleat Divine whose three notes according to Luther are Oratio Meditatio et Tentatio Prayer meditation and temptation But these are generals to descend to a few perticulars 1. He was an excellent Textuary well read in the sacred pages he was an Ark of Scripture and would often say that Sermon is no Sermon to me that is not full of rightly applied Scriptures his eloquence consisted in his being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 able or mighty in the Scriptures as it 's noted of Apollos he was an eloquent man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good at wording but it 's immediately added mighty in the Scriptures his good words were the sound words of the Holy leaves I believe if Apollos should come unknown and preach amongst the florid Orators of this age he would scarcely be accounted eloquent because he would coat too much Scripture and yet we see the Scripture puts ableness in Scripture and ableness in eloquence together nay Scripture language seems the only Divine eloquence and a Divine should be ashamed to speak without it This holy man of God so accustomed himself to the Scriptures that he never rose in a morning but the first thing he did was to take his Bible into his hand and so lifting up his eyes to heaven in a most serious manner he prayed shortly and then read some portion of Scripture or other which being observed by his loving Consort she asked him why he used that practise and he told her it was my custome ever since God made me a Minister Neither did he only delight in Gods law but was very clear and plain in expounding it also he could fit his discourses on it to every necessity and capacity but which was most he interpreted Scripture as one speaks in Solomons words with his feet and taught it with his fingers his walking and working were Scripture explications his life was a lively effigies and transcript of the word of life and he cast into the mould of it there was a sweet and harmonious concord and correspondence between the originall and the copy the Bible and his conversation 2. He was Minister as hath been declared in three Places Wivenho London and Rotterdam and in every one of these he preached ov●● the whole body of Divinity very methodically and exactly and though it were in different places yet he never preached one old Sermon but has left three bodies of Divinity on severall texts and differently handled behind him as witnesses of his laboriousnesse in his function nay all the while he was in Holland he never preached one old Sermon By going through a System of Theologie he laid a foundation for his People to build on and successively held forth one head after another all they were to believe or do In this Narrative I shall not shew the use of Systems only this I may affirm that such forms of sound words are the best provision a Pastor can lay in for his flock if he would have them sound and free from the contagion of Heresie on the one and profaneness on the other hand a body of Divinity is physick to souls and bodies of ignorant People these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 healthfull wholsome words do both preserve from sickness and procure lost health no remedy against the malady of heresie no salve for the sore of heterodoxie so proper as an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or platform of Divinity 3. He was eminent for the study of the Sacraments especially the Lords supper he was noted by many to be singularly well versed in the doctrine of this Sacrament particularly in that great work of self-examination and self-judging but in the practise of it he was most Divine a●● Seraphick whether he received from another or administred it himself he did it with so much reverence and affection that he was almost transported on a Sacrament day The first time he ever received he was so deeply affected with the love of his Saviour that he sounded away as soon as he had received the bread and not coming to himself till the Sacrament was ended he had the cup administred to himself alone thus he was sick of love for him that dyed out of love to him ever since he was Minister he celebrated the Lords supper with so much heavenliness and seriousness that all his Communicants could not choose but observe and admire him as if they had received Angels food from the hand of an Angel for at that work he shewed himself more than man 4. In writing his sermons he used to set down nothing but his heads and places of Scripture so that his notes are very short and so very unfit for the publick he never read any thing in his Sermons but always laid his notes behind him and would dehort young men from reading telling them that memory loved to be trusted he could very aptly and affectionately enlarge upon his short heads ex tempore and with a little praemeditation would even