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
A39261	The necessity of serious consideration, and speedy repentance, as the only way to be safe both living and dying. By Clement Elis, M.A. Rector of Kirkby in Nottinghamshire	Ellis, Clement, 1630-1700.	1691 (1691)	Wing E566; ESTC R171929	98,541	214

And the wickeder we have been and the more shamfully we have behaved our selves the more ashamed we grow to confess that we have so long been mad and base and brutish and to change our course of life for that which we have so long scorn'd as foolishness There are so many restitutions reparations satisfactions and confessions to be made to our injured Neighbours so much humbling of our selves and Pardon to be begged both of God and of all men whom we have offended there is so much more pains to be taken and diligence to be used in redeeming our mis-spent time and fitting our Souls for Heaven that very few who have lived long in wickedness have courage to venture upon and go through all this Besides there are not very many persons who by living long have less business or fewer cares and troubles upon them of one sort or other however they have thereby more bodily infirmities and usually less vigour and activeness of mind And how then can any one judg it fit to delay a most necessary duty which might before have been done with less disturbance to such a time as this when we cannot hope for fewer hindrances and discouragements than we formerly had if we find not many more as is not unusual From all this I suppose it must now be very plain to every one That as we are not sure of any time at all hereafter to Repent in so neither can we be sure if we shall have time that we shall Repent in it Nay I think 't is plain enough that it is more likely of the two that we shall not SECT VI. The third Danger of DELAY A Third danger of delaying our Repentance is this That we know not if in some sort we shall repent hereafter whether our Repentance then will be accepted and do us any good or none And certainly this is a Point which any wise man would be well satisfied in before he venture to defer his Repentance one moment longer Let us therefore consider well of it Shall we defer our Repentance till it will do us no good And are we sure that if we defer it now it will do us good hereafter If God will not accept of it it can do us no good And how are we sure that God will then accept of it Whether he will accept of it or not I know not any one in the World besides himself that can tell and I do not remember that God himself hath any-where told us that he will He hath told us That without Repentance he will not save us and he hath told us That if we repent we shall be saved But I cannot remember where he hath told us That though we repent not now but put it off to another time we may then so repent that he will accept of our Repentance and save us It will be said by those who have no mind to repent yet that God hath told us That all who repent and believe the Gospel shall be saved and that if any man shall turn from all his wickedness which he hath committed he shall live And therefore whether one repent early or late if he repent at all he shall be saved Now I very readily and gladly grant what God in his Word hath told us to our great encouragement and comfort if we will make a right use of it That CHRIST JESUS came into the World to save Sinners and those very great Sinners too and such as had continued very long in a state of sin and that we have no reason in the world to fear that any one how great a Sinner soever he hath been shall be rejected of him if he unfeignedly repent and believe the Gospel All this is a most comfortable truth and we have great reason to be heartily thankful for it But after all this we had need to be very careful that we be not mistaken in the meaning of those two words BELIEVING and REPENTING and that we do not understand by them any other things than that very Faith and Repentance unto which Salvation is promised Now as some I fear take a Faith that implieth not a holy Life for a saving Faith so some may take Repentance that implies not a holy Life for a saving Repentance And it is to be greatly fear'd that both these are mistaken And whoso considereth those descriptions of Repentance which have been already given from the words of the HOLY GHOST himself will I doubt not see cause enough to fear the same that I do I doubt not but many who have long delay'd their Repentance do at length repent in very good earnest that they have done so foolishly and I hope that some of them are accepted of God but I do not think that all who repent in earnest of their wicked life past and of their long and foolish delay repent unto salvation and it is hard for any one to know certainly whether any do or no. God hath not told us how long any of us may hold on in our sins and not finally exclude our selves thereby from the benefit of Repentance neither hath he told us that I know of that he will accept of the Repentance of that man who hath to the latter end of his life wilfully delay'd it in hopes of finding then both time and grace enough for it But he hath told us enough to make us fearful lest he should not There are several Passages of Holy Scripture that may well afright us from presuming on it but not one that gives the least encouragement or countenance to it God frequently threatens wilful Delayers of their Repentance either to cut them off suddenly or to deliver them up to a hardened heart but I cannot find that he promiseth them Grace hereafter who will not hearken to his present Call or that he will accept of them in their own time Thus we read He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroy'd and that without remedy Prov. XXIX 1. Happy is the man that feareth always but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief Prov. XXVIII 14. He that despiseth the riches of God's goodness and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth him to repentance after his hardness and impenitent heart treasureth up unto himself wrath against the day of wrath Rom. II. 4 5. Those who liked not to retain God in their knowledge God gave them up to a reprobate mind Rom. I. 28. But very terrible indeed are these following Sayings of the Holy Ghost in Scripture Heb. VI. 4 c. It is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come if they shall fall away to renew them again unto repentance seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame For