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

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91899	Safe conduct, or The saints guidance to glory. Opened in a sermon preached at Dunstans in the East London. November the second, MDCLIV. At the funerall of the vertuous and religious gentlewoman, Mris. Thomasin Barnardiston, late wife of Mr. Samuel Barnardiston, merchant. / By Ralph Robinson, pastor of Mary Wolnoth, Lumbardstreet, London.	Robinson, Ralph, 1614-1655.	1655 (1655)	Wing R1711; Thomason E823_7; ESTC R203376	61,656	101

this work of guidance Providence without the VVord may deceive us but when wee lay the VVord before us for our direction Providence will wisely and powerfully conduct us to the end of our journey according to that blessed light Thus much for the first Doctrine which ariseth from the words considered as a Prayer Before I make the Application of this point I shall open the other which is the result of the Text as it lays down a Spiritual privilege and then I will apply them joyntly It is this That all true Saints shall be guided in this life by the The second Doctrin The godly shall have Divine guidance Counsel of God This happiness the Prophet desires this blessing hee doth confidently hope to enjoy And what David or Asaph as beleevers did expect may upon the same grounds be expected by all beleevers The very same Charter the very same Covenant of Grace the very same Inheritance which appertains to one Saint belongs to every Saint The Salvation of Gods people is called the common Salvation Jude 3. not because it is common to all men but because it is common to all Saints One Heaven shall hold all the faithful all the precious Wheat shall be gathered into this one Garner The great and main privileges of the Covenant of Grace belong to one Heir of promise as well as another When the Children of Israel were come out of The point proved by Scripture Aegypt and were to travel through that vast howling VVilderness unto the Land of Canaan the Lord did create a miraculous guidance for them He went before them by day in a pillar of a Cloud to lead them the Exod. 13. 21 22. way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light to go by day and by night He took not away the pillar of the Cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people For forty years together did the Lord Jehovah lead his people by this strange guidance which way soever the VVinds blew this Cloud kept its motion neither wind nor storm could disperse it or put it for one moment out of its course This conduct of the Israelites to the Land of Canaan was a figure of that Conduct which God affords all his people through the VVilderness of this world to the Coelestial Canaan he will never leave them till he hath put them into possession of that heavenly Country hee hath prepared for them If we search the Scriptures wee shall meet with many places wherein this is promised to the Servants of God The Prophet amongst divers other privileges of Beleevers makes this to be one He that hath Isa 49. 10. mercy on them shall lead them even by the springs of water shall he guide them The text alludes to the guidance of the Church through the VVilderness by that pillar of Cloud which God had provided As hee led the old Church so he will lead the Gospel Church while God continues to be a merciful God hee will be a guiding God to his people Divine guidance is built on Divine mercy And elsewhere the same Prophet makes mention of this privilege by way of promise The Lord shall guide thee continually and satisfie Isa 58. 11 thy soul in drought A beleever hath as good reason to beleeve that God will guide him as he hath to think that God will feed him And yet again doth the same Prophet assure the Saints of this I will bring Isa 42. 16. the blinde by a way that they know not I will lead them in paths that they have not known These things will I do unto them and not forsake them VVhen the beleever is in such an entangled and perplexed condition that hee knows no more which way to walk than a blinde man in a VVilderness then will God take him by the hand and make darkness light and crooked things straight before him VVhen all our counsel is perished then may we expect the shinings forth of Gods counsel As God hath promised this guidance so we shall finde that beleevers have with much confidence hoped for it It is one Article of a Beleevers Creed that God will bee his guide This God saith the Psal 48. 14. Church is our God for ever and ever he will be our guide even unto death He that hath reason to beleeve that God is his God may with all the confidence of his heart beleeve that he will bee his guide VVhen God engaged himself to be our God he did solemnly undertake to be our Guide he could not bee our God if he were not our Guide and therefore doth the Prophet put them together Isa 48. 17. I am the Lord thy God which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go The Prophet David very confidently promiseth this to himself speaking of God he saith He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for Psal 23. 3. his names sake The same God which puts a Beleever into the path of righteousness at first will lead him in that path For the opening of this point it will be necessary to discusse briefly these three Particulars 1 In what respect God will guide the Beleever The Doctrine opened 2 VVhy God will guide him 3 How a Beleever can wander seeing God doth guide him First In what respect God will guide Beleevers 1 In what respect God guides Beleevers How will God guide them what this promise of Divine guidance hath reference unto This Promise refers to two things 1 To matters of Faith 2 To matters of Practise First God will guide his people in matters of Faith he will teach them what is truth and what 1 In matters of faith is falshood he will direct them in point of Judgement as well as in point of Practise 1 God will give them understanding to discern the truth 2 God will give them hearts to embrace the truth 3 God will establish and settle them in the truth And 4 If through ignorance or temptation they bee drawn aside God will reduce them and bring them back to the truth The Scripture promiseth divine Conduct in point of faith as well as in point of practise to the people of God Yee shall know the truth saith our Saviour to Joh. 8. 32. them that beleeved in him and the truth shall make you free And when he promiseth the Holy Ghost the Comforter he mentions this as one branch of his Office He shall lead you into all truth Though the Joh. 16. 13. people of God may be ignorant of some truth though they may be leavened with some Errour yet shall they by the conduct of the Holy Ghost the perfect Master of truth be preserved from all fundamental errours in point of faith Men may perish as well through the want of the Doctrine of faith as of the grace of faith As there are damnable Practices so the Scripture tells us that there are damnable Heresies or

pageantry Secondly The Glory which the Psalmist doth now meditate on was a heart-quieting glory The thoughts of this Glory whatsoever it was allayed that indignation which hee had in himself because of the prosperity of wicked men and therefore it must needs bee heavenly Glory such glory as the ungodly shall never enjoy for it is opposed to their glory No worldly glory can suppresse such mutinous rageings as were now in Davids heart worldly glory doth rather swell these waters than asswage them The greater advancement an ambitious heart hath the more doth it boil with envy at the glory of others Thirdly The words following do as I conceive clearly determine the sense to everlasting glory whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none on earth that I desire besides thee The glory hee hath in his eye is that which consists in the enjoyment of God Now God is not enjoyed to a Saints full contentment till the Soul be landed in heaven Having given the sense of the Text I shall come to the Observations And I shall begin with the former branch of the Text. Thou shall guide mee with thy Counsel I shall consider this branch both as Davids desire and as Davids priviledge If wee look upon it as Davids prayer The lesson will be this That it is the desire of true beleevers to be guided in this life by the Counsel of God If we consider it as Davids privilege the point will bee this That all true Saints shall be guided in this life by the Counsel of God I shall handle these two points distinctly and then make a joint Application of both And I beginne with the first which ariseth from the Text considered as Davids prayer The First Doctrine T is the desire of Saints to bee guided by Gods Counsel It is the earnest desire of all reall Saints of all true Beleevers to be guided in this life by the Counsell of God The same spirit which taught David teacheth other Saints to make this desire to God If wee should travel over all nations and consult the children of God one by one from the rising of the Sun to the going down thereof there would not one of that vast number refuse to subscribe to this prayer Lord be our guide There is not a day passeth over the heads of any of those that use to call upon the name of the Lord but they do make this request to heaven under some expression or other that they may have the blessing of divine guidance Scripture proofs Psa 5. 8. The Prophet David very frequently in his retired Devotion beates upon this string Lead mee O Lord in thy righteousnesse because of mine enemies make thy way plain before my face Hee saw himself beset with cruell enemies which indeavoured to make a prey of him and therefore goes to a righteous God for defence and preservation for this Text as Molerus well observes is to be understood of Gods preserving Justice and not of his condemning Justice And in another place shew mee thy waies O Lord teach mee thy paths Psa 25. 4. 5. lead mee in thy truth and teach mee His heart is so exceedingly drawn out after this blessing that he doth in various expressions repeat it again and again And to the same purpose elsewhere For thy name sake Psa 31. 3. lead mee and guide me And when hee was in that benighted condition that hee did walk in thick darkness and saw no light hee goes to the God of his exceeding joy and tenders up the same prayer O send out thy Psa 43. 3. light and thy truth let them lead me let them bring me unto thy holy hil and to thy Tabernacles He knew though he was in darknesse yet God could light him a Candle and make his darknesse to be light And yet again as if hee would never let this request depart out of his heart Order my steps in thy word and let not any iniquity Psa 119. 132. have dominion over mee For the more profitable handling of the point two things are to be opened First what is to bee understood by this expression The Doctrine opened Gods Counsel Secondly Why Beleevers do so importunately pray for this divine guidance First The guiding Counsel of God comprehends Gods Counsell what it comprehends three things 1 The word of God 2 The Spirit of God 3 The wise Providence of God First The word of God Thus divers Interpreters 1 The word of God In tua lege in tuis praecep●is deduxisti me Menoch in loc carry it I mean the written word This is frequently called the Counsel of God because therein is contained whatsoever God would have men beleeve or do for his Glory and their own Salvation The written word is the Divine Rule which God hath given In observatione praeceptorum So Carthus both for matters of Doctrin and matters of Practice or obedience The Holy Ghost charging sinfull men with disobedience against the word of God doth express it in these terms yee have set at nought all my Counsell and again They would none of my Counsell Pro. 1. 25. 30. And the Apostle Paul speaking of his ministeriall faithfulnesse in making known the mind of God perfectly unto the Church represents it under the very same expression I have not shamed to declare unto you Acts 20. 27. all the Counsell of God The holy Scriptures are called a light shining in a dark place A Lamp unto our feet 2 Pet. 1. 19. Psa 119. 105. They are the Rule of faith and manners the very expression of the wisdome of God Austin calls the Scripture the Epistle of God to the Creatures by Quid est scriptura sacra nisi quaedam Epistola Omnipotentis Dei ad creaturam suam in qua verba Dei so●ant cor Dei discitur Aug. which they understand the very heart of God Almighty God hath in the sacred Scriptures as it were unbowelled himself and unfolded all his Counsell to the creatures as farre as it is necessary to be known for their direction and guidance to everlasting life The Holy Scripture is as one calls it very fitly Fidei mensura morum errorum censura ad coelos viam monstrans cynosura The measure of faith the censure of manners and errors and a guide that shews us the way to eternall happinesse in heaven It is os spiritus Sancti manus Spiritus Sancti the very mouth of the Holy Ghost whereby the Elect are called and the hand of the Holy Ghost whereby such as are called and faithful and chosen are guided to life and peace Shut up the Scriptures and men will be in the dark as to the understanding of Gods Counsel Take away the Scriptures and there will be no certain Rule to direct men what is to be done or what is to be beleeved Should this blessed word be lost the Elect would want a Counsellor and

of the Saints above is an abiding glory Nescit vicissitudinem nescit finem manet tota simul manet in aeternum The Apostle wil tell you the B●●n Serm. de fallacia presentis vitae English of it It is an inheritance incorruptible undefiled and that fadeth not away 1 Pet. 1. 4. The Saints shall never put off their glorious robes after they have once put them on It is as possible to thrust God out of Heaven as to thrust a Saint from thence The glory of Heaven would not be perfect if it were not eternal The Saints would be in continual fear of loosing it and the fear of future loss would eat up all the joy of present possession Fifthly It is the same glory which Christ himself possesseth The Saints are not only glorified with 5 It is the same glory which Christ hath Christ which is a great exaltation but they do enjoy the very same glory which Christ doth the same for kinde though not for degree God hath not one Heaven for his Son and another for his Saints but one and the same Heaven for both The glory which thou gavest me I have given them The Head and Members are glorified together with the same kind of glory Hence it is that the Apostle saith Our vile bodies Joh. 17. 22 shall be fashioned like unto his glorious body The bodies of Beleevers shall be truly glorious as Christs is they Phil. 3. 21 shall be eternally glorious as his is and they shall possess the same kinde of glory that he doth The Humane Nature of Christ shall shine farre brighter than the brightest Saint but yet the same glory which beams upon his body shall descend on theirs The lowest Saint in Heaven shall bee invested with the same immortality incorruptibility impassibility and Clarity wherewith the glorious Body of Christ is invested When he appeareth saith the Apostle we shall be 2 Joh. 3. 2. like him for we shall see him as he is There is a likeness between Christ and Beleevers here As he is so are wee 1 Joh. 4. 17. in this world but in Heaven there shall be a more perfect likeness than now there is then there shall bee similitude and no dissimilitude The Saints are said to sit down with Christ in his Throne Rev. 3. 21. they are said to follow the Lamb unto living fountains of waters Rev. 7. 17. they are said to be joynt-heirs with Christ and to be glorified together with him Rom. 8. 17. They are said to appear with him in glory Col. 3. 4. All these expressions do fully declare this truth that they shall possess the same kinde of glory hee doth The same face of God which Jesus Christ beholds they shall behold As Christ hath full uninterrupted eternal Communion with God so shall they they shall eate of the same Tree of Life which Christ himself eats of they shall drink of the same Fountain of which he doth and they shall lodge in the same bosome of God in which Christ himself lodgeth Thus I have finished the First thing namely the nature of that glory which the Saints shall possesse If communion and fellowship with an infinite good in a place made for glory can make the Saints happy they shall bee perfectly and perpetually happy 2 That all the-Saints shall enjoy this glory Secondly That the Saints who are guided by this Counsel of God shall be received into this glory For the confirming of which truth it will be enough only to hint the following considerations First This glory is frequently promised to them 1 It is promised Joh. 10. 27 28 in the Scripture My sheep saith our Saviour hear my voyce and I know them and they follow me And I give unto them eternal life Everlasting life is the reward which is by free Deed of Gift setled upon the followers of Christ The Israelites that followed the guidance of the Pillar of Cloud through the Wilderness came at last to Canaan The Spiritual Israel that follow the guidance of the Pillar of Gods Word have the security of the Divine promise that they shall sit down in the heavenly Canaan The Saints are said to be glorified even while they live on earth Rom. 8. 30. they shall as certainly ascend to Heaven as if they were already there The Divine promise is the best security God can give or Man desire Heaven is called the Saints inheritance Col. 1. 12. though they lose other inheritances they shall never lose this Secondly The way and the end cannot be separated 2 The way and end are inseparable He that keeps the way that leads to a City cannot but come to that City The following of Gods Counsel is the direct way to Heaven and hee that walks in the way to Heaven cannot miss of Heaven Being Rom. 6. 22 made free from sin and become Servants to God yee have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life Grace and Glory are made inseparable companions The Lord will give grace and glory Grace and glory do Psal 84. 11 not differ specifically but only gradually Grace is unripened glory Glory is ripened grace Grace is the Infant of Glory Glory is the perfect man of grace Grace is the bud Glory is the fruit Grace is the Spring Glory is the Harvest Grace is the first degree of glory Glory is the highest degree of Grace The Apostle puts Glory and Vertue together 2 Pet. 1. 3. When God calls a Soul to Vertue he really calls it to glory Vertue is the threshold of that house where Glory keeps court He that is once over this threshold shall not turn back till he come to glory The first moment the Soul is brought into a state of saving grace it is matriculated into a state of glory Whom God justifyeth them he glorifieth Thirdly Those that are guided by the Counsel of 3 They are the Sons of God God are the Sons and Daughters of God Divine guidance is a fruit of Divine Adoption As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God Rom. 8. 14 When God doth actually make us his Children he undertakes to lead us by his Spirit Earthly Parents are not able to guide their Children but God can guide all his The Children of God know their heavenly Father hath more wisdom than they they know Gods eyes are better than theirs they know that God loves them better than they can love themselves All Gods Sons are willing to be guided and all that are willing to be guided are Sons And if sons then heirs that is the Apostles Argument Rom. 8. 27. Adoption tends to glorification God may chasten his Sons but he will not damn any of his Sons God hath prepared Heaven for his Children and he is preparing his Children for Heaven Grace is the Nursery of Glory As the Plants of Righteousness grow fit for Heaven they are removed to Heaven God will