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	word_n	14,132	5	4.8692	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01725	Foure sermons vpon seuerall partes of scripture, preached by George Gyffard, preacher of the worde, at Maudlin in Essex	Gifford, George, d. 1620.	1598 (1598)	STC 11859; ESTC S117695	68,936	149

and be not belieued wil hold them selues hardly dealt withall and much iniured how great is the iniurie then offered to God when he hath borne record of his sonne and we doe not giue credite to his testimonie He hath not onely promised vnto vs remission of sinnes through the bloud of his sonne but also he hath confirmed the same his promise and testimonie with an oath as we may read Heb. 6. Therefore S. Iohn sheweth That they which belieue not the testimonie which God giueth of his Sonne commit an horrible offence euen this they make God a lyer Behold againe what sweete doctrine the doctrine of the Church of Rome is for notwithstanding the testimonie of the three witnesses from heauen and the testimonie of the sp●rite the water and the bloud yet they will haue it there should be no certaintie but a doubt Humilitie they say it is no doubt euen as much as to say it is humilitie to make God a lyer Is it humilitie to call into question and doubt the truth of his word of his oath for he saith hee that belieueth not God hath made him a lyer Is faith and doubting all one Beloued we may here learne that as by doubting and distrusting the promises and testimonie of God which he confirmeth with his oth We offer great iniurie vnto his maiesty and do highly displease him so the more stedfastly we giue credite to that which hee witnesseth the more wee honour him and doe that which is pleasing in his sight In the next wordes he teleth what witnesse God giueth of his sonne or what is the testimonie of all the three witnesses in heauen namely that God hath giuē vnto vs eternall life this life is in that his son First we see the wordes are plaine that God hath freely giuen vnto vs eternall life this S. Iohn setteth downe as part of the record which God beareth This is greatly to be obserued because it expoundeth the scriptures For how wickedly and how impudently doe the Papists cauill and peruert the truth when they so stifflie affirme that men obtaine eternall life by their own deserts If eternall life be the gift of God as God himselfe doth witnesse saith S. Iohn How doe men purchase it by their owne merites And then there is an other part of the testimonie which God beareth and that is that this life eternall which he giueth vs is in his sonne whereupon he inferreth that hee that hath the sonne hath life and he that hath not the son hath not life because God witnesseth that hee giueth vnto vs eternall life in Christ it followeth of necessitie that he which hath Christ hath life for how can the sonne of God and the true life be parted asunder Moreouer seing God giueth this happie life onely in his sonne he that hath not the sonne how is it possible that he should haue the life Here is the summe of the Gospell that whatsoeuer shal bring vs to life euerlasting we haue it whole in Christ God himselfe doth witnes this Saint Paul saith That Christ is of God made vnto vs wisdom righteousnes sanctificacatiō and redemption that he which glorieth should glorie in the Lord. 1. Cor. 1 Let this testimonie of God stand as of necessitie it must stand and all the whole frame of poperie cōmeth downe For if all be giuen vnto vs in Christ what becommeth of all those thinges by which the Papistes say men get pardon of their sinnes and purchase life euerlasting Where be all the Popes pardons what becommeth of all their running on pilgrimage to the images of Saintes to seeke life at the hands of dead blocks and stones Well let this Antichristian synagogue of Rome passe and let vs learne from this place to seeke eternal life onely in Christe seeing God doth beare recorde that eternall life is in his sonne They that haue him neede none other thing to bring them vnto life They that to obtaine eternall life will ioyne themselues or other creatures with him as giuing parte thereof do dishonor him and deny him and so must needs misse of the true blessednes And now we come to that verse which I minde to stand vpon because it sheweth the ende for which S. Iohn saith he did write these thinges Thus the wordes are These thinges haue I written vnto you that beleeue in the name of that sonne of God that ye may knowe that ye haue eternall life and that yee may beleeue in the name of that sonne of God We may diuide this into two partes the first that all true beleeuers may be assured of their saluation the second that they may beleeue Touching the latter of these it may be said if he wrote to them that did beleeue and so did know that they had life eternall how could he say And that ye may belieue The answere to this is easie no man doth beleeue so perfectly but that his faith may receiue increase But this I will not handle therefore let vs come againe vnto that former That ye may know that ye haue eternall life Here are fower things to be noted in this the first is that it is not vnpossible but men may come to be assured that they shall be saued the second that it is not pride nor arrogancie or a wicked presumption for a true beleeuer to assure himselfe that he shall be saued the thirde what way we are to come to this assurance of our saluation the fourth last how we are by degrees to encrease this assurāce Let such then in the first place as hold it a thing vnpossible for any man to know he shal be saued consider how flat cōtary it is which they hold vnto the word of God for if it be not possible for men to knowe that they shal be saued how could S. Iohn say These things haue I written vnto you that beleeue in the name of the son of God that ye may know that ye haue eternall life Ought not this to stop the mouthes of all men in this matter For when he saith we may know shall we say it is vnpossible to know We grant say some that certaine speciall men might know and haue assurance that they should be saued for it was by speciall reuelation but it doth not follow thereupon that the faithfull may come to the knowledge and assurance of their eternall life and saluation Yea euen this cauill also is fully answered and taken away by words of the holy Apostle for he writeth to the whole Churches euen vnto all that haue the true faith in Christ hee speaketh not vnto some speciall persons but indifferently vnto them all that they might know they had eternall life Also he doth not speake of any especiall reuelation but that the knowledge of their saluation is by the things which he wrote vnto them Let all men then which will not wilfully wickedly gainsay the holy Ghost stoope downe acknowledge the truth in this namely that the faithfull

best that you can finde For are any more holy then the great Patriarks were And from some of Gods elect in al times great offences haue broken forth take heede that for some such particular faultes we iudge them not as men reiected of God or ouer seuerely iudge them wicked and vngodly And on the other part you shall see the very enemies of the Gospell sundrie of them which make a goodly shew in outward deedes they bee prophane as Esau and all the shew of their workes is nothing before God Well now to the seuerity of Gods wrath vpon Esau for that is the principall matter which we haue in hand He vvas reiected hee found no place for repentance though hee sought it with teares What is this Esau had the repulse when he came and vvould haue inherited the blessing and then seeking euen vvith teares to obtaine it Isaake could not bee moued to alter that which he had done there was no place to repent him and so to call it backe againe from Iaakob who had got it by sleight For now was Isaake stricken with an exceeding feare and euen as it were awaked out of the error of his natural affection and saw that the thing came of God for that Isaake cannot alter the thing he had done nor repente it proceedeth from God Marke then the seueritie of God Esau had set light by the birthright so prophane he was that he loued the life present more yet when he doth consider of it more aduisedlie 〈◊〉 iudgeth it to be a great thing and wisheth so earnestlie to haue it that when he saw it taken from him he cried out bitterlie and wept but his crying and his teares doe not moue God 〈◊〉 shew anie pittie or compassion towardes him Therein now lieth the matter For God laide a great terror vpon Isaake and held his minde that although he loued Esau dearely yet he saw now that he might not giue the blessing vnto him What was there in all the world which Isaake loued so tenderly as hee loued his sonne Esau How can it be then but he must needes be moued much with the dolefull crie that hee vttered and with those teares that hee shed Why was not his wrath kindled against Iaakob Why did he not call for him and tell him that as he had no meaning to blesse him so he would now reuoke it and bestowe the same where he did purpose yea and thought he had bestowed it All men may easily perceiue that this did proceede from the seueritie of Gods displeasure Isaak like an holy man as a godly father had carefully instructed his sonnes in the couenant shewed vnto thē what incōparable treasures of felicitie were included therein Iaakobs minde was inflamed with a burning desire thereof but Esau though he vnderstood the doctrine yet set little by it and that is the cause why God was so angrie with him If anie shall thinke was this so great a cause to moue the Lorde so to wrath that he would neuer forgiue him Iudge of it thus If a prince offer vnto a subiect great honour and it bee dispised will it not be hardlie taken Now when the king of kings dooth set before miserable sinfull men the high dignitie glorie and felicitie euen to become his sonnes and heires with Christ of the eternall kingdome and they esteeme baselie thereof how can he but be exceedingly displeased at such a prophane contempt Let vs not then maruaile that this prophane man is reiected but rather take heede to our selues least we be like him and so be forsaken of God as he was If he cried and wept and could not be heard surely if wee take not heede we may so highlie offend that when we crie and weepe we shall not be heard There can no heauier iudgement of God light vpon a man then this The summe as it were a botomlesse gulfe of al miseries plagues is contained in it as when a man shal cal and crie out bitterlie with teares for the blessing of God and partaking of life eternall and be reiected Here is a pitte to fall into heere is a daunger vnrecouerable yea heere is a state and condition which may make vs all to tremble and quake to come nigh it For if men will quake when they looke downe from the toppe of an high tower to the ground If when there is daunger of falling how much more are we to feare at this There a man may fall so high that he dashe in peeces vpon the ground and so be depriued of this natural life but here is the losse of life eternall and that with the sustaining of endles sorrowes It may be some will take it to be an hard collection to gather from this example of Esau who cried to his father with b●●ter cryings to haue the blessing and also sought it with teares and was reiected that therefore men may call and crie to God and euen with sobbing teares craue pardon of their sinnes and yet not be heard Esau did not pray to God but sought the blessing at the handes of his father and shall a generall doctrine be drawne from a particular example I haue shewed before that the reiecting came from God farre was it from the naturall affection of Isaake so to haue reiected Esau if it had bene in his own power Also we may see that the holy ghost doth propound this example in one man for a generall doctrine euen this that such men as like Esau prophanely dispise the graces of God shall afterward crie bitterlie and weepe and call for the blessing of God and yet bee reiected of him And to speake the trueth the holy worde of God doth teach vs this onelie by the example of Esau but deliuereth it forth in flatte and plaine tearmes as a generall doctrine In the first Chapter of the Prouerbes Salomon bringeth in wisedome preaching and calling vpon men to receiue her instruction And then shee complaineth that they dispise her counsell so vttereth a terrible threatning that shee will laugh at their destruction and mocke when their feare commeth She saith they shall call vpon her but shee will not answere they shall seeke her earlie but shall not f●●de her With many moe speeches there this matter is set forth Christ is that wisedome of the father which calleth there vnto men to returne vnto him to imbrace his lawes and holy doctrine offering all spirituall blessings in heauenlie thinges but men set light by his counsell they be addicted to the worlde to the vaine pleasures of sinne so with profane mindes dispise the heauenly giftes and graces This doth moue his indignation so farre that he saith he will be so farre from pittying them is their calamitie that he wil laugh at their destruction and mocke them in their feare and distresse Yea he sheweth plainelie that they will call vpon him for helpe but hee will not answere they shall also earlie seeke him but not finde him