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	faith_n	know_v	8,213	5	4.2899	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12205	Tvvo sermons vpon the first words of Christs last sermon Iohn XIIII. I. Being also the last sermons of Richard Sibbs D.D. Preached to the honourable society of Grayes Inne, Iune the 21. and 28. 1635. Who the next Lords day follwing, died, and rested from all his labours	Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.; Nye, Philip, 1596?-1672.	1636 (1636)	STC 22515; ESTC S102407	24,191	77

yeeld to any quiet all these quarrels must be taken up 1 A peace must be made betwixt God us by the great peace-maker who is also called our peace and when we be justified and acquitted from our sins by the bloud of Christ sprinkled on our souls by faith that bloud of Christ speaks peace to the soule in the pardon of sinne being justified by faith we have peace with God through Iesus Christ our Lord. Then secondly there must be another peace setled in some degree and that is the peace of government in the soule grace must be above corruption They will be together in the soule whilest we are here but sinne must not have the dominion This is such a peace not as will admit of no conflict but a peace wherein grace may get the better and where grace gets the better it will keepe corruption under and God gives his Spirit to whom he gives his Sonne that as we be in good termes with God so our natures may be like his That we may love and delight in what he loves and delights in and so may be as friends enjoying acquaintance and communion together I but thirdly there is confusion in the world and many accidents may fall out that may disquiet us for time to come Now before the soule can be at peace in that respect it must know that being once in Christ reconciled to God and having the Spirit of God it is under a gracious government and providence that disposeth all things to good and maketh every thing peaceable Tranquillus Deus tranquillat omnia When God is at peace all is at peace yea so farre at peace that they have a blessing in them The curse and venome is taken out of them by Christ who took the curse on himselfe and satisfied the wrath of God and now they be not onely harmelesse but medicinall and helpfull so that they be all ours and made in some sort serviceable to further our spirituall good When our husband hath all things committed unto him in heaven or earth wil he suffer any thing to befall his dearly beloved Spouse that shall be disadvantagious and prejudiciall to the maine No no he will not suffer any thing to befall her which he will not rule and order and over-rule for the good of the Church and so there comes to be that third peace And for the time to come a Christian knows that whom Christ loves he loves to the end and the good work begun shall be perfected to the day of the Lord. He knoweth he is in heaven already in his head He that beleeves in Christ hath everlasting life and is triumphing in glory in his head And therefore nothing can dismay a Christian that is truly in Christ grant the first grant all stand upon good termes with Christ be reconciled to God and nothing can do thee hurt But when we at any time come to comfort such as have comfort for their portion it sticks here if I were a childe of God indeed or if I did beleeve it were something These be good comforts indeed and certaine and true for they be the word of God but what is this to me I finde universally that comfort sticks there and therefore we must labour to remove that objection First of all therfore labour to have a good judgement of maine truths that these comforts are the comforts of the holy Ghost and that the word is the word of God by a generall knowledge of the truth of the promises thou shalt be better able to apply them If thou sticke in the principles so as not to know them nor to beleeve them there is no talking of the application of faith upon them we must make that our owne in particular which we beleeve first in generall And therefore Christians must first be well seene in the Scriptures and in the promises there that they may know what belongs to them and apply them to themselues I but my faith is weake I answer The office of faith is to know Christ and the weakest faith will do that as well as the strongest And when we are once one with Christ then our perfection is to be found in him It is the office of Faith to bring us to Christ and then looke to him for all perfections and for thy title to him in heaven and not in thy faith And true faith is faith even in the least degree of it As we say of the elements every drop of water is water and every sparke of fire is fire And therefore the argument will not hold if we have not much faith we have no faith or if we have no feeling we have no faith There are many common errours which we must remove that they may not hinder us in the application of Christ by distinguishing betweene strong grace and true grace and above all labour to know and understand the covenant of grace The tenor of which requireth no set measures of grace but if we beleeve we shall not perish but have everlasting life under so gracious and mercifull a covenant are we 2 But this is not sufficient to satisfie the soule The very cleaving to Christ is indeed a sufficient ground of comfort but yet to obtaine actuall comfort there must be a knowledge that we do cleave to Christ and beleeve There may be adherence without evidence and there must be an act of reflexion to cause faith of evidence it must appeare to our selves that we do beleeve before we can have comfort though we may be true Christians and go to heaven without it Therefore let us labour to make our calling and election sure that is in our selves and in our owne apprehension though it be never so sure in it selfe and in Gods breast yet we must labour to make it sure in our owne breasts that sinne may be pardoned in our owne consciences that all may be reconciled in our owne hearts that what is done in heaven may be done in our hearts also being cleared to our owne assurance You see what advise the Apostle gives Give all diligence it is not got without diligence nor without all diligence to make our calling and election sure that is to make our election sure by our calling and to that end to adde grace to grace It is the growing Christian that is the assured Christian. Whilest we are yet adding to every heape we shall get more abundant entrance and further into the kingdome of Iesus Christ as the Apostle there speaks 3 And when we have attained any evidence of true faith labour to keepe that our evidence cleare let it not be spotted or defiled by any sinfull acts you have many a good evidence that is so blurred with negligences and daily errours in speeches and conversation that when they reflect upon themselves they conclude Can such a wretch as I that have so loose a tongue that have no more watchfulnesse over my heart have any faith at all And thus

every cranny and bring light heat and influence into every part of the soule And therefore Christ saith Let not your hearts be troubled Now for the wayes whereby we must labour to comfort our hearts amongst many that I might speak of I will name a few First of all there must be a due search into the heart of the grounds of our trouble for oftentimes Christians are troubled they cannot tell wherefore As children that Will complaine they know not why I speake not of hypocrites that will complaine of that which is not a true griefe to them like some Birds that make greatest noyse when they be furthest from their nests But of some poore Christians that are troubled but distinctly know not the ground of it But search the heart ingenuously and truly to the bottome of it and see if there be not some Achan in the Camp some sinne in the heart for sinne is like winde when it gets into the veines it will have vent and a troublesome one and so will sinne if it get into the soule it is that indeed which causeth all trouble And therefore search your hearts throughly what sinne lyeth there unrepented of and for which you have not beene humbled And when you have found out your sinne give it vent by confession of it to God and in some cases to others And when we have done so consider what promises and comforts in the word of God are fitted to that condition for we can be in no condition but there are comforts for it and promises fitted to yeeld comforts for every malady And it will be the wisedome of a Christian to accommodate the remedy to the sore of his heart And therefore we ought to be skilfull and well seene in the word of God that we may sore up comforts before-hand Our Saviour Christ tels them before-hand of the scandall of the Crosse and of Peters deniall that they might lay up strength and spirituall armour against the day of tryall Those comforts do not for the most part hold out in the day of adversity which were not procured in the day of prosperitie It is not wisedome to be to learne Religion when we should use it and therefore let us be spirituall good husbands for our soules by storing up comforts out of the Word of God and then we shall have no more to do then to remember the comforts that we did before-hand know And there be some promise of more generall use that are Catholica fitted for all sorts of grievances and of these wee must make use when we cannot think of particular ones As the promises that concerne forgivenesse of sinnes Thinke of Gods mercy in pardoning sinne with admiration because sinne will be presented us in such terrible colours that if God be not presented in as gracious colours wee shall sinke and therefore set out Christ in his mercies and all sufficiencie when sinne is aggravated to be in its hainousnesse and out of measure sinfulnesse as the Prophet Michah doth Who is a God like our God that pardoneth iniquitie transgression and sinne c. Likewise how many promises and comforts are there in that one promise Luk. 11. He will give his spirit to them that aske him And here our Saviour promiseth to send the Comforter all graces and all comforts are included in the Spirit of grace and comfort his Spirit is a Spirit of all grace and therefore our Saviour thought that the promised enough when be said he would send them the Comforter And so what a world of comfort is in that promise All things shall worke together for the best to them that love God yea those things that are worst shall work together though they be hostile and opposite one to another yet they joyne issue in this they be all for the good of Gods people As in a clocke the wheels go severall wayes but all joyne to make the Clocke strike And so in the carriage and ordering of things one passage crosses another but in the issue we shall be able to say all things worke together for the best I found God turning all things for my good And I could not have beene without such a crosse such an affliction And so for present assistance in your callings or straits remember that promise made to Iosuab which is repeated in the 13 of the Hebrews I will not faile thee nor for sake thee a promise which is five times renewed in Scripture and how much comfort is in that that he will vouchsafe by his spirit a gracious presence in all conditions whatsoever And likewise that of David Psalme 23. Though I walke in the valley of the shadow of death yet will I feare no ill for thou art with me It was a terrible supposition made that though he should walke in the valley of the shadow of death yet he would feare no evill These promises well digested will arme the soule with confidence that it shall be able to put any case of trouble As in the 27. Psalme David puts cases The Lord is my strength the Lord is the light of my countenance of whom shall I be afraid Though thousands shall rise against me yet in this I will be confident If our hearts be established by the word of God setled in the truth of such promises by the Spirit of God we may set God and his truth against all troubles that can arise from Sathan and hell and the instruments of Sathan or our owne hearts And therefore it is a great wrong to God and his truth if we know not our portion of comfort and use it as occasion serves More particulars I omit leaving them to your owne industry the Scripture being full of them When we have these promises let us labour to understand them throughly to understand the grounds of our comfort in them and to beleeve the truth of them which are as true as God who is truth it selfe And then to love them and digest them in our affections and so make them our owne and then to walk in the strength and comfort of them Labour likewise to have them fresh in memory it is a great defect of Christians they forget their consolation as it is in the Hebrews though we know many things yet we have the benefit of our comfort from no more then we remember But above all if we will keep our hearts from trouble let us labour to keepe unspotred consciences Innocencie and diligence are marvellous preservers of comfort And therefore if the conscience be sported and uncleane wash it in the bloud of Christ which is first purging and then purifying It first purgeth the soule being set aworke to search our sinnes and confesse them which maketh us see our need of Christ who dyed to satisfie divine justice Then God sprinkles our heart with this bloud which was shed for all penitent sinners by which when the heart is purged the conscience will be soone satisfied also by Christs bloud And

God doth suspend their comforts so that though they may be in a good estate for the maine yet they shall not know it and all because they are not carefull to keepe their evidence which we should preserve cleare and bright that it might be seene and read upon all occasions And we should so keepe them bright that our consciences may witnesse with us and that the Spirit and the Word may joyne their witnesse with our consciences The Word saith That he that loves the brethren is translated to life and he that heares the word as the word is Christs sheepe Now doth thy conscience tell thee that though in weake measure yet I do so Then here is the word and thy conscience for thee and doth the spirit witnesse with thy conscience that it is so indeed then it is well thou keepest thy Evidence to purpose 4 And when we have done this let us make conscience not to yeeld to any base doubts and feares and objections of Sathan and our owne hearts When we finde any worke of grace deny not the worke of God lest we grieve the Spirit of God As some melancholy Christians that though every man may see the worke of God in them yet yeeld so slavishly to the misguidings of their hearts and the temptations of Sathan that they conclude they have no faith no love though other Christians that can reade their evidence better see that they have these in them what dishonour is this to God and his Spirit when a darke humour shall prevaile more then the Word the truth it selfe this is a great bondage which Sathan brings the soule into that when there is evidence of faith in the fruits of it yet men will beleeve a peevish humour before the word and testimony of conscience enlightned by the spirit Take heed of it as a great pride in the heart when we yeeld more to a sturdy darke unsubdued humour then to Evidence it selfe Therefore in such cases hearken not to what feare sayes or humour saith or Sathan saith or what the world saith but hearken what truth it selfe saith and what conscience saith when it is enlightened by the Spirit as in good times when we are at the best True Christians though more remisse shall have so much comfort as shall support them from falling into despaire yet not so much as shall strengthen them and carry them into a vigorous life fit for Christians 5 When we have found any worke of grace and thereupon that our faith is true we ought to comfort our selves and to maintaine our comfort by all meanes Everie grace is but faith exercised when our Saviour saith Ye beleeve in God beleeve also in me he might have said also in particular Be patient be contented be comforted But he names the root of all Faith wherein all graces are radically which is therefore discerned in the fruits of it so that if any grace be found as love to the brethren hope of life everlasting or the like there is faith For the root and branches be together though the root is not alwayes discerned And therefore when we discover any true faith in the fruit of it let us support and comfort our selves with it For when a man is in Christ and by Christ an heire of heaven and a childe of God what in the world can befall him that should deject over much and cast him downe What losse what crosse what want of friends hath he not all in God and in Christ and in the promise Do not the promises weigh downe all discouragements whatsoever Surely they do And therefore we must strive against dejection For besides what I spake the last day it is a dishonour to the profession of Religion which is in it selfe so glorious what a dishonour to God and to Christ when we have such glorious prerogatives and priviledges which the Angles themselves admire yet every petty crosse and losse that we meet withall in the world should cast us downe we should take heed exceedingly of this and should labour every day to have a more and more cleare sight of the promises that belong unto us and to know the priviledges of Christianity and renew our faith in them continually that they may be fresh to us in all temptations and occasions whatsoever I beseech you do but consider any one grand promise which if it be rooted in the soule how it is able to support the soule against all troubles whatsoever As that Feare not little flocke for it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdome Or that other If God spared not his Sonne for us how will he not with him give us all things else Labour to have these things fresh in memory together with the priviledges belonging to Christians Thinke what is it to be a childe of God and an heire of heaven We must not looke onely to the blinde and darke side of our condition Christians have two sides one to heaven ward and God-ward and that is full of glory certaine and immoveable Another towards the world and that is oftentimes full of abasement full of disgrace and dejection That is moveable sometimes better sometimes worse as God pleaseth to dispense his government in the Church Let us looke to the grace to the comforts that belong to that grace to the promises the best side and not to be carried away with the darknesse of the other It is a terrible sight to looke upon sinne and miserie and hell and judgement to come but what are these to a Christian that is in Christ that seeth them all subdued and overcome to him The afflictions of the world and the crosses of the world what are they to a soule that is alreadie in heaven by faith and seeth them all overcome in his head Christ Be of good comfort I have overcome the world And therefore we must not be so malignant as to looke all upon one part of a Christian and that the worser part which is the object of sence for shame live not by sence but if we be Christians let us live by faith looke to the best part looke upwards and forwards to that which is eternall 5 And withall labour to keepe the grace of the Spirit in continuall exercise upon all occasions For grace exercised brings certaine comfort it may be with a Christian in his feelings as with the worst man living but he may thanke his owne negligence his owne dulnesse his not stirring up of the graces of God in him For therefore it is that he hangs the wing upon every pettie crosse on every occasion Labour to have an heart ready to exercise grace suteable to that occasion for then grace will reflect sweetly where there is sinceritie and grace in exercise Sinceritie alone will not comfort a man unlesse it grow up to fruitfulnesse and fruitfulnesse which springs from the exercise of grace hath a sweet reflection upon the soule Remember Lord how I have walked before thee in truth and

with a perfect heart saith Hezekiah He stood then most in need of comfort and this comforted him this his reflection upon his former sinceritie So when a man can appeale unto God as Peter did Lord thou knowest I love thee so much sincerity so much boldnesse with God And therefore let us keep grace in exercise that we may be fruitfull in our lives and conversations and then we shal be alwaies comfortable And to adde a little there is no grace in a Christian but if it be exercised there is a suteable comfort upon it even here in this world There is a Praemium ante praemium A reward before a reward Nay the Heathen men Socrates and the best of them so farre as they exercised the naturall goodnesse that was in them their consciences reflected peace so farre as they were good and did good they had peace much more peace then bad men had God gave even them some rewards upon discharge of their duties he will not be beholden to any man that exerciseth any degree of goodnesse that is in him Much more therefore shall a childe of God enjoy it when he exerciseth his graces in any temptation when he overcomes any uncleane earthly vaine-glorious vindictive or any other base lust he shall finde peace of conscience suteable and the more he grows in strength and resolution for the time to come the more he groweth in inward peace Righteousnesse and peace go together not onely the righteousnesse of Christ and our reconciliation before God but also the righteousnesse of an holy life and peace in our own consciences The righteousnesse of Christ entitles to heaven and the righteousnesse of an holy life sheweth my title unto comfort As faith in Christs righteousnesse brings peace so sanctification also Christ is first King of righteousnesse and then King of peace And therfore where there is no righteousnesse there is no peace But on the contrary as heat followeth the fire and as the beames have an emanation from the Sunne so doth comfort arise from grace especially from grace exercised Therefore they that would have inward peace let them labour to be gratious and that not onely in the inward frame of the heart but in the exercise of grace upon all occasions For they that walke according to this rule that is of the new creature peace be to them and the whole Israel of God Gal. 15 16 an exact and carefull life will bring constant peace Therefore let us labour first for interest in Christs righteousnesse and then for the righteousnesse of an holy life for a conscience to justifie us that we have no purpose to live in any sinne and a not accusing conscience will be a justifying conscience What a blessed condition shall we be in to be in Christ and to know that we are so Oh the heaven on earth of such a man as is in that condition For which way soever he looks he finds matter of comfort If he looks backward to the government of the spirit that hath ruled him in the former part of his life he may say with Saint Paul I have fought a good fight I have runne the race that God hath set before me And what a sweet reflection is this he is not afraid to looke backe to his life past as other men If he looks forward he seeth a place prepared for him in heaven and there he sees himselfe already in Christ hence forth there is laid up for me a crowne of righteousnesse which the righteous judge shall give me at that day and all that love his appearing saith he there When there comes ill tydings of the Church abroad and at home it doth not much dismay him his heart is fixed he beleeveth in God and in Christ and that keepes him from being like a reed shaken with every winde For reproaches and disgraces that he meets withall in the world he weares them as his crowne if they be for Religion and goodnesse sake For his witnesse is in heaven and in his owne conscience And God in heaven and his conscience within do acquit him and if he suffer for his deserts yet in all afflictions God dealeth with him as a correcting father he knoweth he hath deserved them but he lookes on them as coming from a father in covenant with him And what can come from a father but what is sweet He sees it moderated and sweetened and in the issue tending to make him more holy The sting is taken out and a blessing is upon it to make him better And therefore what can make a Christian uncomfortable when he hath the Spirit of Christ and faith the root of grace These comforts being warmed with meditation will sticke close to the heart comforts that are digested are they that worke Let them therefore not onely enter into the braine and fleete there but let them sinke into the heart by often consideration of Gods love in Christ and the priviledges of Christians here and in heaven where our head is and where we shall be ere long Warme the heart with these and see if any petty thing can cast thee downe FINIS Psal. 90. Chap. 8. 10. Ob. Ans. Non durant in adversis quae non in pace quaesita Heb. 12. 5. Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. 2. Pet. 1. Heb. 7. 1. 2. Tim. 4. 7.