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	reason_n	7,423	5	5.8303	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14105	A matter of moment: or, A case of waight As great as euer was any, to be pleaded and examined in the hall of the heart and conscience of euery Christian at all times, before the receiuing of the Lords Supper. Touching that waightie charge of the Apostle Paul, in the I. Cor. II.28. Let euery man examine himselfe, and so let him eate of this bread and drinke of this cup. Set forth dialogue wise.	Tye, William.	1608 (1608)	STC 24414; ESTC S101785	23,867	76

vnto exhortation to manners and integritie of life thereby plainely affirming as much as you say Namely that Christians must adorne their faith and profession with good workes and that a true iustifying faith is euer abundantly fruitfull in the same good workes Nay that which is more I doe know that many zealous christians euen now in our times doe confirme the same doctrine by their liues and liuings who as they do dayly pray for a true iustifying faith and constantly professe themselues to haue the same so do they also walke in all christian and dutiful obedience to the commandements of God euer endeuoring themselues to doe well and to do good So that when I do lay their outward profession of a iustifying faith on the one side and their liues on the other side together me thinks it doth strongly proue this doctrine to be alwayes infallibly true That a true iustifying faith and good workes are inseperable and not to be found asunder no more then the Sunne can be without his light or fire his heate This I say I do heare this I do know both by the Scriptures and examples of these times and this I do hold for truth But the truth is my selfe as many thousands moe do not yet in reason see how it doth come to passe My last suite therefore vnto you is that you would prooue by some-sound reasons that a iustifying faith whersoeuer it doth rest must needes bee effectuall and fruitfull in holinesse of life good workes For doubtlesse though it be the truth yet because they do not clearely see it by manifest arguments and reasons a great number cannot tell whether they should beleeue it or not And therefore though they haue but only a bare Historicall faith without all respect vnto workes and manners yet they flatter themselues that the same is a true iustifying faith whereas if they were able to conuince them selues by sound reasons many of them I am perswaded would be as ready to forsake their error they would be as willing to embrace the true iustifying faith and to expresse the same by all dutifull obedience to the commandements of God in their liues as euer they were to maintaine a bare Historicall faith with loosenesse of life And now I atend your answer Ans If you desire my answer for your resolution then marke it well None can throughly know what a iustifying faith is but he onely that hath it As no man can vnderstand or comprehend what hony and his séetnes is though you speake neuer so much thereof saue he only that hath séene and tasted it 7. So no man can vnderstand or cōprehend what a iustifying faith and the force therof is saue he onely that hath it and doth beléeue And as hee that hath séene and tasted hony A iustifying faith it selfe is the best reason of all other to proue the effectual working of the same We beleue not thorow the light of naturall reason and vnderstanding but we vnderstand by beleeuing néeds no reasons to proue vnto him the swéetnes thereof so he which hath a iustifying faith and doth beléeue néeds no reasons to proue vnto him the effectuall force and working of the same it will proue and shew it selfe Neither comes a man by reason and vnderstanding to faith and to beléeue but rather by beléeuing hée comes to vnderstanding For in humaine Phylosophy and matters of the world we will first by the light of reason vnderstand the matter to be so and then afterward wee will beleeue it But in spiritual things and heauenly mysteries faith goes before reason and vnderstanding comes after For here by the light of the word we doe beléeue those things which neither sence can perceiue cogitation conceiue nor vnderstanding of the mind comprehend without the word And hence it was Iohn 3. Iohn 20. that Nichodemus and Thomas were so sharpely reprooued of our Sauiour Christ euen because they would not beléeue except they might bee brought vnto it by their naturall reason and sence Now therefore the summe of mine answere to your demaund is this First if a iustifying faith doth not ground it selfe vpon the light of naturall reason to doe that it doth and to beleeue that it doth beléeue but doth effectually worke and do that it doth of i●●●e without reason beyond the c●●●city of man Then surely it is impossible to shew the effectuall force and working of the same by arguments and proofes of any reason Secondly if none can comprehend what a iustifying faith and force thereof is but hee onely that hath it and doth beléeue then doubtles he that hath it not cannot comprehend the sanctified force and operation of the same in the life and conuersation by all the reasons in the world to him they are all in vaine Thirdly if a iustifying faith bee reason sufficient of it selfe and the best reason of all other to proue the effectuall working thereof in the life of that partie whomsoeuer it doth possesse Then what needs a man to seeke further Then for him which seekes reasons to proue that a iustifying faith must néeds be fruitful in a godly life and workes The best course is to procure vnto him this iustifying faith it selfe which as all other good graces and gifts besides is had and obtained by that strong and euer preuailing meanes with the Lord faithfull feruent The neglect of praier is the Canker of Religion and diligent prayer the neglect and colde practise whereof is the decay and Canker of all religion FINIS A Prayer and meditation before the receiuing of the holy Communion in no wise to be forgotten in thy Chamber priuatly O Eternall almightie and most mercifull Father which of thy tender mercie to thy children hast alwaies fed them with spiritual and heauenly food féeding to blessed immortalitie which is the bread of life and this bread of life is thy sonne as it is written Iohn 6.5 ver 35. I am the bread of life which came downe from heauen he that cometh to me shall not hunger in any wise and hée that beléeueth in mee shall neuer thirst and the bread which I shall giue is my flesh which I will giue for the life of the world O most swéet bread heale thou my sicke soule and féeble heart that I may tast the swéetnesse of thy loue heale mee of all mine infirmities that I delight in no fairenesse besides thée I doe acknowledge O Lord that I am not worthy the least of all thy mercies and most vnworthy to receiue thée vnder the roofe of my soule by participating thy most precious body and bloud For horrible are the sins wherewith I am defiled Woe is me Lord for I am a man of polluted lippes and dwell among people that haue vncleane hearts And yet againe my heart is wonderfully lightned when I call into mind that thou the déere sonne of Almightie God camest not into this world to call the righteous but the sinners to

knowledge briefly for which euery one must examine themselues before they presume to the Lords supper Obiect But you said in the beginning of our speech that this examination doth consist in three thinges In the first place you haue well and necessarily placed knowledge I pray you therefore proceede vnto the second Ans Faith is the second thing for which we must examine our selues before wee come to the Lords Supper I said that the second thing for which euery one must examine themselues before they do eate and drinke the Lords supper is faith And surely faith comes as necessarily in the second place as knowledge came in the first For as there can bee no faith without knowledge so again to bare knowledge can be to no purpose without faith that is except one do beléeue that hee knoweth in Gods word Obiect Explaine it I pray you a little more plainely what faith doe you meane Answ I meane not an Historical faith which is but only a bare knowledge of the historie of those things which are contained in Gods booke Faith Historicall assenting also vnto the truth of them which faith the very diuels haue and would gladly haue it vtterly extinct and put out Iames 2. I meane not a Temporarie faith which steps a step higher that is which doth not only know and giue assent vnto the truth of Gods word Faith temporarie but doth also profes the same yea and ioy thereinto yet it is but for a small time as saith our Sauiour and not because it hath any hartie and liuely feeling of Grace offered in the word neither but for other by causes as vaine glory Mat. 17. 1. Cor. 13. worldly profit and such like I meane not a miraculous faith Faith by Miracles whereby through diuine reuelation a man may be surely perswaded that through diuine power hee can remoue mountaines or worke other miracles Faith iustifying and a true difinition thereof But I meane that sweet Iustifying faith which doth not onely know giue consent and profes But which is further a grounded and resolued assurance of Gods frée promise of Grace in Iesus Christ which being sealed in my heart by the holy Ghost through the meanes of the Gospell works of necessitie my regeneration conuersion from the old Adam vnto a new creature from the workes of darkenes vnto the works of light righteous obediēce Obiect Your meaning is now plaine Before one presumeth to bee partaker of the Lordes Supper hee must examine himselfe First for Knowledge Secondly for a Iustifying faith But by your leaue good sir a word If this Iustifying faith doth alwaies shew forth the fruits of regeneration conuersion and righteous obedience in that partie whomesoeuer it doth posses what needs then any further examination I meane what needes a man examine himselfe for a third point namely whether hee findeth in himselfe a resolute purpose to practise according to that his knowledge faith in the rest of his life Ans I answere you thus Too too many do blindly hypocritically imagine that the outward profession of their beliefe namely the Apostles créed wtout all respect had vnto life maners is a true iustifying sauing faith which indéed is but a dead carkas of faith as a dead man wanting both life spirit is no true man but a dead carkas of a man now therfore least any man examining himselfe for faith should deceiue himself with such a faith againe because euery one should haue vnto himselfe and also shewe vnto others a sure marke and euidence of a iustifying faith without all deceipt I haue added hereunto this third poynt of examination Namely that euery one should examine themselues also whether they come vnto the Lordes Supper in sinceritie and singlenes of heart all hypocrisie laid aside with a resolute purpose in the rest of their liues to practise and liue according to the same their knowledge and faith that is with a resolute purpose to abhorre and flie sin and to embrace godlinesse throughout their whole life For to this end the Apostle Iames Iames 2. reasoning very diuinely seemeth to make a double iustification of man the one from God the other from man him selfe God apparantly sées knowes as all things else visible inuisable spiritual earthly so the iustifying faith of uery man how it is seated in his heart without any helpes markes or tokens for it selfe and in it selfe without all other respects iustifying the man But to man this faith being purely spirituall cannot without his faithfull markes and fruites be séene and knowne with flat resolute assurance no not to him that hath it Therefore as God doth iustifie a man by his faith so a man must iustifie himselfe by his workes that is his faithfull actions and workes must resolue him and proue vnto him that he is possessed of a true iustifying faith allowed and approued of God least otherwise he be deceiued with a shadow visard of faith Iames 2. The wordes of the Apostle are plaine first hee saith shew mee thy faith by thy works I wil shew thee my faith by my workes Secondly was not Abraham our father iustified by workes That is knowne by his workes before men to haue a iustifiing faith before God when he offered Isaac his sonne vpon the Altar Thirdly ye sée that a man is iustified by workes and not by faith onely namely of man By which places of the Apostle it is clearer then the noone day that his iustifying faith cannot be known vnto man but by his workes That I say his resolute purpose to leade a godly and a Christian life indéed the due execution of the same must shew and make it euident both vnto himselfe and vnto others that his soule is possessed of a iustifying faith before God that in this his examination of himselfe he is not deceiued so consequently that he eateth and drinketh the Lords supper worthily vnto Gods glory and his owne euerlasting comfort Obiect This also nowe is very plaine This third point of examination is doubtlesse as necessarie as the other two and comes me thinks in a comely and diuine order I haue but one demand more good sir for a full conclusion Ans Say on I pray you Obiect I do heare your selfe and other preachers of the word daily teaching and I beleeue assuredly that you teach truly that a true iustifying faith doth alwayes bring foorth the fruits of regeneration newnesse of life and righteous obedience and doth alwayes declare it selfe outwardly by workes in the partie whom it doth possesse I know also that that notable instrument of Gods glory the Apostle Paul in his Epistles obserueth the like order and teacheth the very same who after that he hath first of all soundly layd downe the doctrine of faith and strongly proued that by only faith in the merits of Christ a man is iustified and saued Then next of all he commeth