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	salvation_n	4,849	5	7.2836	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65297	Gods anatomy upon mans heart. Or, A sermon preached by order of the Honorable House of Commons, at Margarets Westminster, Decemb. 27. Being a day of publick humiliation By Thomas Watson, pastor of Stephens Walbrooke, London.	Watson, Thomas, d. 1686.	1654 (1654)	Wing W1125A; ESTC R220974	18,171	56

done altogether according to the cry Resp. It could not be that God was ignorant because there is mention made of a cry but it is spoken {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} after the manner of a Judge who will first examine the cause before he wil pass the sentence Therefore to answer that Scripture I will go down and see It implies two things First The moderation God useth when he is upon a work of Justice God doth not make the sword the Judge he doth first weigh things the balance he doth ever lay judgement to the line before he draws the line of confusion God when he is upon a work of Justice is not in a Ryot as if he did not care where he hits but goes in the way of a circuit against offenders I will go down and see He doth not punish rashly and this may be a good hint to them that have power in their hand they must work by line and plummet judging the Cause rather then the Person they must proceed in righteousnesse else seeming Zeal is no better then Wild-fire it is not justice but violence Secondly I will go down and see It denotes Gods patience in waiting for sinners He staid till the cry came up God puts up a great deal of injury at our hands before Justice draws the sword He spins out mercy into patience and eekes out patience into long-suffering Oh had not Gods patience been infinite we have spent so long upon it that we had quite spent the stock But let no sinner presume Though God be long-suffering he doth not tell us how long When the cry comes up God comes down If pride lust oppression abound God will heare the cry and will quench the fire of sinne with a showre of blood Object 2. Zeph. 2. 1. I will search Hierusalem with candles Implying that something is hid out of his reach Resp. Not that God needs any candles to see by for though it be said The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord * This candle is not for him to see by but for us Therefore this searching implies two things First The exactnesse of Gods knowledge He hath such a deep insight as usually men have upon search 2. God threatens to search because he would have us search As Lam. 3. 40. Let us search and try our wayes Gods searchers are now abroad his Iudgements let us finde out our sinnes or else our sinnes will finde us out Information And this hath two branches 1. What manner of persons ought we to be * hath God a window that opens into our breasts Doth he make a critical descant upon our actions Oh what holinesse what sincerity what exemplary piety becomes us being in such a presence Were we to come before some great Monarch what solemne preparations would we make Shall the eye of a King do so much and not the eye of God The King can only see the outside there may be treason within for ought he knows but God hath a key for the heart Ier. 17. 10. I the Lord search the heart And will not this command reverence In these dayes of solemn Humiliation Gods eye is principally upon the heart God looks there most where we look least some have no heart at all * sinne hath stollen away their heart others have an heart too much An heart and an heart * others have hearts good for nothing earthly hearts like Saul that was hid among the stuffe * some have Angels tongues but as Nebuchadnezzar he had the heart of a beast given to him Brethren did our hearts stand where our faces do this would be a day of blushing we should be ashamed to look one upon another remember God hath a key for the heart When we come to these solemne duties God asks that question as Iehu did Iehonadab 2 King 10. 15. he saluted him and said to him Is thy heart right as my heart is with thy heart And he said It is If it be give me thy hand And he took him up into the chariot This is Gods question You come this day to humble your selves and make atonement Is your heart right with me if we can answer as he did Lord thou knowest it is Though I have much weaknesse yet my heart is right I have no false byasse upon it though I am not perfect I hope I am sincere Then will God say Give me your prayers give me your tears now come up with me into the chariot A tear from a bleeding heart is a precious perfume in heaven Oh did we consider this all-seeing eye we durst not bring so much strange fire into the Divine presence We read of Ezekiels wheels they had a wheel within a wheel * Thus God hath a thought within a thought He doth intervenire * he comes between us and our thoughts The goddesse Minerva as the Poets feign was drawn in such lively colours that which way soever one turned still Minerva's eye was upon him Thus turne which way you will fall in love with any sin still God looks upon you He hath an eye in your heart He is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} What manner of persons ought we to be Of how dangerous consequence is it to act any thing against God He sees it and his knowledge is armed with Power He that hath an eye to see will finde an hand to punish If there be any designes against God though carried on never so subtilly remember there is a Councel of War sits in Heaven Against GOD Will some say By no means There are foure Things and if we act either directly or indirectly against any of these we act against God and he sees it He writes it down 1. If we act against his truth we act against God truth is a beame of God it is his essence he is called {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the truth it is the most orient Pearle of his Crown take away his truth and we ungod him Truth is the precious seed by which we are begotten to life * it is the pillar of our salvation it is not only norma fidei the rule of faith but it is radix fidei the root out of which faith grows take away truth and what is faith but fancy we believe our selves into hell Truth is the great purchase of Christs blood and it hath been transmitted to us in the blood of many Saints and Martyrs if we strike at truth we strike at God and doth not God see this Give me leave to plead in Gods cause is not this pure wine of truth mixed with water nay with poison How are the truths of God almost lost in the croud of errours what truth in Divinity but is now called in question some denying the Scriptures others denying the Lord that bought them not only the foundations of the earth are out of course but even the