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
A55567	A sanctuary for the tempted: being a discourse on Christ's friendly admonition to Peter Wherein the fall and rising of Peter, is at large considered: the craft, potency, and malice of Satan (that arch-enemy of our salvation) discovered: his various wiles. stratagems and machinations invalidated: several choice and excellent Gospel-truths handled, and cleared (from the calumnies and objections of gainsayers.) ... Delivered in sundry sermons, at first; and now, published for the benefit of God's church in general. To which is added, four sermons, preach'd upon sacramental occasions. By Thomas Powel, preacher of the Gospel, and one, whom Satan hath winnowed.	Powell, Thomas.	1679 (1679)	Wing P3075; ESTC R30536	152,491	435

so Faith works by Love which it Excites Love 't is true is the Grace that at last possesseth the Inheritance But it is Faith that gives the Christian Right unto it without which he should never have Enjoyed it Ioh. 1. 12. To as many as Received Him He gave Power to become the Sons of God Faith is the Grace of Graces It stands among them as the Heart in the midst of the Body Other Graces are but Stars unto this Shining Sun And now that Faith hath such a peculiar Excellency above all other Graces I shall shew in these following Particulars First In that the Apostle Recommends it to us above all Things what-so-ever Ephes. 6. 16. Above all taking the Shield of Faith where-with ye shall be able to quench all the fiery Darts of the Wicked That Faith hath a Preheminence above other Graces appears 1. By the Piece of Armour he compares it to the Shield which of Old was prized above all other Pieces by Souldiers They counted it greater Shame to Lose their Shield than to Lose the Field And therefore when under the very Foot of the Enemy they would not part with it but esteemed it an Honour to Dye with their Shield in their Hand It was the Charge that one laid upon her Son going into the VVars when she gave him a Shield That he should either bring his Shield Home with him or he be brought Home upon his Shield She had rather see him Dead with it than come Home Alive without it 2. By the Noble Effect which is here ascribed to Faith By which ye shall quench all the fiery Darts of the Wicked The other Pieces are nakedly Commended Take the Girdle of Truth Breast-plate of Righteousness and so the rest but nothing singly ascribed to any of them what they can do But when he speaks of Faith he ascribes the whole Victory to it This quencheth all the fiery Darts of the Wicked Secondly The Commendations that are given to Faith above other Graces shew that it hath the Preheminence For you shall observe that in the same Action wherein other Graces are eminently Exercised as well as Faith even then Faith is taken notice of and the Crown set upon Faith's Head rather than any of the other We hear nothing almost of any other Grace throughout the whole Eleventh of the Hebrews but Faith By Faith Abraham by Faith Jacob and the rest of those Worthies did all those Famous Exploits There was a Concurrence of the other Graces with Faith in them all But all goes under the Name of Faith The whole Army fight yet the General or Captain hath the Honour of the Victory ascribed to him Alexander's and Caesar's Names are transmitted to Posterity as the Great Conquerours that Over-came so many Battles not the Private Souldiers that Fought under them Faith is the Captain-Grace all those Famous Acts of those Saints are Recorded as the Atchievments of Faith Thirdly The High Office that Faith busieth it self about shews its Preheminence above other Graces Now the Office of Faith is two-fold 1. The Office of Faith is to Unite us unto Christ. Faith and the Holy Spirit are the Bonds of the Spiritual Union The Spirit on Christ's part and Faith on Ours Hence it is that Faith is called Vinculum Unionis the Ingrafting Grace And in this it appears that Faith doth more especially Excel all other Graces Other Graces make us like Christ but Faith makes us one with Christ. By Love and Humility we imitate Christ but by Faith we are implanted into Christ. 2. To Justify us Being Iustified by Faith we have Peace with God Not Justified by Love Repentance Patience or any other Grace beside Faith O how harsh doth it sound in a Christian Ear Iustifying Patience Iustifying Repentance If they were concern'd in the Act of Iustification as Faith is the Name would as well become them as it doth Faith it self But we find Iustification Appropriated only to Faith and all other Graces are hedg'd out from having to do in the Act of Iustification though supposed and included in the Person Justified Faith I say Justifies us not Qualitative but Relative in that it apprehends the Righteousness of Christ the Subject matter of our Iustification That we are Justified is not by any Vertue that lies in Faith not in Faith considered purely as a Grace but as it hath Respect to the Object The Vertue is not in Faith but in Christ. Fourthly The Mighty and Universal Influence that Faith hath upon all her Sister-Graces makes her the Chief of them all What makes the Sun so Glorious a Creature but because it is a Common Good and serves all the Lower World with Light and Influence First Faith finds all the Graces with work As the Rich Tradesman gives out his Wool some to this Man and some to that who all Spin and work of the Stock he gives them out So that when he ceaseth to Trade they must also because they have no Stock but what he affords them Thus Faith gives out to every Grace what they Act upon If Faith Trades not neither can they To instance in one or two Graces for all the rest Repentance This is a Sweet Grace but set on work by Faith Niniveh's Repentance is attributed to their Faith Ionah 3. 5. The People of Niniveh believed God and proclaimed a Fast and put on Sackcloath All is whist and quiet in an Unbelieving Soul no News of Repentance nor Noise of any Complaint made against Sin till Faith begins to stir When Faith presents the Threatning and binds the Truth and Terrour of it to the Conscience then the Sinner hath something to work upon Secondly As Faith sets the other Graces on work by actuating their Objects about which they are Conversant So Faith doth assist them in working by fetching Strength from Christ. Christ is the Magazine and Faith the Radical Grace sucks Vertue Vigour and Strength from this Magazine Not to speak any more touching the Preheminence of Faith above other Graces though I might dilate in several Particulars more I shall conclude this Head with those several Appellations that are given to Faith whereby the Glorious Excellencies of that Grace are shadowed forth 1. Faith is called a Key because as a Key it opens Hidden Heavenly Treasure 2. Faith is call'd an Eye because as an Eye it beholds Things though Invisible 3. Faith is call'd an Hand because it layes hold on Eternal Life in that it Apprehends the Merits of Christ by which Salvation is Purchased 4. Faith is call'd a Mouth because it Eats Christ the Bread of Life 5. It is call'd a Ladder by which we Ascend up to Heaven Now in all these the Excellency of Faith discovers it self Moreover Faith is a Tree the Root whereof is a Sound Knowledge of God and his Wayes The Branches thereof is Assent and Application And the Fruits of it is the Production of Good Works Yea so Excellent is Faith that it is compared

to the most Excellent of Creatures Faith is called Gold 1. Because it hath its Original from the Word which is more Precious than that of Gold 2. It is called Gold because as Gold among the Mettals excels so doth Faith among the Graces 3. It is call'd Gold in regard of its Rarity Again Faith is compared to the Sun in the Firmament in regard 1. Of its Irradiating and Refulgent Beams 2. Of its Communication of Light SECT V. Secondly Satan strikes principally at our Faith because our Faith strikes principally at him The Devil cannot abide our Faith because our Faith cannot abide him This Shield of Faith strikes at the Devil by Discovering his Policies Unmasking his Deceit Frustrating his Designes Diverting his Intentions seeking Confirmation in the Word fetching Strength from Christ. SECT VI. Thirdly Satan strikes principally at our Faith because he knows that if he can but Subvert and Over-throw it all the other Graces will fall with it While Faith is in the Soul Love Hope Patience and Holy Courage and divers other Graces are then present But if Faith be lost were it possible then Love Patience and Holy Courage will also be lost Satan knows That if he could but Disarm us of our Shield of Faith we should return Home Dead It is Faith that Defends the Christian in the Exercise of all his Graces By Faith we stand Rom. 11. 20. As a Souldier under the Protection of his Shield stands his Ground and doth his Duty notwithstanding all the Shot that are made against him to drive him back But if Faith fails then every Grace is put to the Run and Rout. Abraham's Simplicity and Sincerity how was it put to Disorder when he dissembl'd with Abimelech concerning his Wife And why but because his Faith failed him Iob's Patience received a Wound when his Hand grew weary and his Shield of Faith which should have covered him hung down Indeed no Grace is safe if from under the Wing of Faith Therefore to secure Peter from falling from all Graces Christ tells him He had prayed that his Faith should not fail This was the Reserve that Christ took care should be kept to Recover his other Graces when Foiled by the Enemy and to bring him off that Encounter wherein he was so sadly Bruised and Broken It is said That Christ could not Do many Mighty Things in his own Country because of their Unbelief Matth. 13. 58. Neither can Satan do any great Hurt to the Christian so long as Faith is upon the place It is true he aims to Fight Faith above all as that which keeps him from coming at the rest but he is not able long to stand before it Let a Saint be never so Humble Patient Devout Alas Satan will easily pick some Hole or other in these Graces and break-in upon him when he stands in the best Array if Faith be not in the Field to cover these This is the Grace that makes him face about and take him to his Heels 1 Pet. 5. 9. CHAP. XIV IF this be so That the Devil in all his Assaults strikes principally at Faith Then hence I infer 1. The Believers Happiness 2. The Unbelievers Misery SECT I. First The Believers Happiness in that he has a Shield to beat off the Devil's Blows They have Faith which as a Shield they Defend themselves by Faith Resembles a Shield in these Respects First A Shield is a Piece of Armour that is intended for the Defence of the whole Body Other Pieces are only for some particular Part of the Body as the Helmet for the Head Plate for the Breast but the Shield for the Whole It was used therefore to be made very Large For its Broadness called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Gate or Door because so long and large as in a manner to cover the whole Body To which that Place alludes Psal. 5. 12. Thou Lord wilt bless the Righteous with Favour thou wilt compass him as with a Shield And if the Shield were not Large enough at once to cover every Part yet being a Moveable Piece of Armour the skilful Souldiers might turn it this way or that way to catch the Blow or Arrow from lighting on any Part they were directed to And this indeed doth Excellently well set forth the Universal Use that Faith is of to the Christian. It defends the whole Man Every Part of the Christian by it is Preserved Sometimes the Temptation is levell'd at the Head Satan he will be Disputing against this Truth and that to make the Christian if he can call them into question meerly because his Reason and Understanding cannot Comprehend them And he prevails with some upon this very Account to blot the Deity of Christ with other Mysterious Truths of the Gospel quite out of their Creed Now Faith interposeth between the Christian and this Arrow It comes into the Relief of the Christians weak Understanding as seasonably as Zerujah did to David when the Giant Ishlilenob thought to have Slain him I 'le trust the Word of God saith Faith rather than my own Pur-blind Reason Secondly The Shield doth not only Defend the whole Body but is a Defence to the Souldiers Armour also It keeps the Arrow from the Helmet as well as Head from the Breast and Breast-plate also Thus Faith it is Armour upon Armour a Grace that preserves all the other Graces SECT II. Secondly The Unbelievers Misery in that he hath no Shield to bear off Satan's Blows An Unbeliever is an unarmed Man and therefore it is that the Devil takes him Prisoner without any Difficulty and Rules in his Heart freely A Temptation overcomes such an one without little or no Resistance Nay an Unbeliever chooseth rather to be taken Prisoner by the Devil than to dye a Conquerour in the Quarrel of God What then shall I say Lord Who would be in such a Deplorable Condition for want of Faith But such it seems is the Case and Condition of Infidels among whom Lord let not me be found lest the Strong Man Devil should Enter into me and Devour me quite SECT III. Secondly If this be so Then here is a Use of Exhortation which hath a double Aspect 1. To such as have Faith 2. To such as have not Faith SECT IV. First You that have Faith highly prize it and value it at a great Rate This is the Hand that Receives the Pearl of Price Christ Iesus that Inestimable Iewel Take heed of Shallow Conceits of Faith put an equal Estimate upon it Value it I say and that for Two Reasons chiefly 1. Because it is Hard to be gotten 2. Because it is Useful to such that have it First Faith is Hard to be gotten It is not a Common Universal Grace It is not an easie Thing to Believe but to Believe is a Powerful Supernatural Work To Believe saith Saint Paul is Mighty Power of God Ephes. 1. 19. To Believe is not only a Power

God shew that ther●… is a God Rom 1. 20 When we see a stately House although we see not the Man that Built it although also we know not the Time when it was Built yet conclude n●… otherwise we can but that som●… Wise Artificier had a hand in it Th●… House surely say we did not Buil●… it self And therefore when we take a View of the Theatre of Heaven and Earth we conclude That surely the Finger of God has been there Is not every Creature in Heaven and Earth a loud Preacher of this Everlasting Truth And doth not Man the Microcosm or Little World shew that there is a God Could any make a Man but One Wiser and Greater than Man Who taught the Birds to Build their Nests and the Bees to make a Common-Wealth What Power of Man or Angels can make one Pile of Grass or put Life into the least Flie if once Dead All which demonstrates the Being of a God But because this Infinite Being cannot be demonstrated unto Sense therefore the Atheist is so Impudent as he is because he cannot Digito monstrari dicier hic est Point at him with our Fingers c. Is not this Irrational that Sense should be made the only Umpire of all kinds of Beings Must not all Intellectual Beings be proscribed out of the Order of Nature because they cannot pass the Scrutiny of Sense Then will not Colours by the same Reason be dash'd out because they cannot be heard all Noises silenced because they cannot be seen The Second pretended Ground of Atheism is this Behold saith the Devil whether this can stand together viz. Three Persons Distinct in Subsistence but One in Substance Being or Essence and not divided into Divers Essences Natures or Parts This is against Reason and though it is yet thou must believe it if thou believest that God is Answ. This the Soul may say is not against Reason but it is above Reason We cannot by the Light of Nature saith one know the Mystery of the Trinity nor the Incarnation of Iesus Christ. But when by Faith we receive this Doctrine we may illustrate it by Reason As the Sun begetteth his own Beams and from thence proceeds Light and Heat and yet there is none of them before another otherwise than in respect of Order and Relation that is to say That the Beams are begotten of the Body of the Sun and the Light and Heat proceedeth from both So likewise from one Flame of Fire proceed both Light and Heat and yet but one Fire Again In Waters there is the Well-Head and the Spring boyling out of it and the Streams flowing from them both and all these are but one Water And so there are Three Persons in One Godhead yet but One God Lastly In Man the Understanding cometh from the Soul and the Will from both The Third pretended Ground of Atheism is this Nay this is not all saith the Evil One there is another Absurdity in your Deity and that is this If thou believest that there is a God thou must believe also that he is from Eternity and to Eternity i. e. One who has neither Beginning nor Ending This is owned by all that profess your Deity viz. Eternity as that which necessarily pertains unto Him as God which to me is so strange wonderful and above Reason as that I cannot but call it in question and therefore necessarily the Being whereof it is predicated What say'st thou O Soul concerning this Answ. To this the Soul may reply Avoyd Satan for who art thou that chargest the Holy One with Folly and the Great God of Heaven and Earth with Absurdity Know therefore that to believe what thou say'st is the greatest Folly in the World Because thou art a Lyar and the Truth is not in thee But to believe that God is Eternal is the greatest Reason in the World because He who is Truth it self hath said so 1 Tim. 1. 17. Isa. 41. 4. and 44. 6. Psal. 90. 2. Rev. 6. 11. The Fourth pretended Ground of Atheism is this Oh! saith Satan this is not all For if thou believest that there is a God thou must then believe that he is Unchangeable In Contradicting of which there needs no other Instances than these which follow wherein his Changeableness doth very much appear Instance I. That God is Changeable saith the Devil may appear in that he was made Man Confutation This the Soul may Confute by answering Satan after this manner That God became Man was not by any Conversion or Change of the Divinity but by the Assumption o●… the Humanity Instance II. If God alters not his Mind why 〈◊〉 he said to Repent Confutation Repentance is Attributed to God in Scripture but not to signifie any Mutation or Change in his Nature only in his Actions God is said to Repent not because he Changeth but because he doth as we do when we Repent And now what is it that we do when we Repent Why we cease to do what we did and destroy what we formerly made And upon this score God is said to Repent not that he doth so Repent as to Change his Mind but because he altereth his Works and thereby doth but fulfil what he long ago determined Instance III. There are many things Threatned and Promised by God in his Word that do never come to pass which cannot be any otherwise but a very great Impeachment to his Unchangeableness Confutation The Threatnings and Promises of God considered as not Absolute but Conditional the Condition whereof being answered the Non-Accomplishment or Execution of the same doth not make any Change in God And thus you see these Instances that Satan has brought whereby to prove God's Mutability made Insignificant He who would see more of God's Unchangeableness Prov'd Clear'd and Open'd let him peruse Excellent Mr. Pearces Book Entituled A Beam of Divine Glory The Fifth pretended Ground of Atheism is this This is not all saith Satan for if you believe that there is a God you must also believe him to be Omnipresent that is Every where at once And how can it be Answ. That there is a General Presence of God nothing is more evident Whither shall I flee from thy Presence saith David Psal. 139. 7. Nothing is impossible with God and therefore that he is Essentially Every where is not Impossible Ier. 23. 24. Can any hide himself in secret Places that I should not see him saith the Lord Do not I fill Heaven and Earth saith the Lord. Prov. 15. 3. The Eyes of ●…he Lord are in Every Place beholding ●…he Evil and the Good These with many others do make ●…od's Omnipresence and Omniscience ve●…y Conspicuous The Sixth and Last pretended Ground of Atheism is this This is not all saith Satan for if ●…ou believe there is a God you must al●…o believe him to be Omnipotent i. e. One who can do all

admittere potest Impius sibi hoe persuadere conatur aut sibi aliter tamen sentienti convicto satis imponere satagit Non esse Numen verum hoc ipsum nequit 2. Impius dicit in corde suo id est ita secum tacite loquutus est Impius Non est Deus vel Utinam non esset Deus In corde dicere nihil aliud significat quam tacite secum contendere quasi murmurando quippiam proferre Nisi enim ea Phrasis ita acciperetur non potuisset Esaui cogitatio si tantum cordis fuisset non oris citra peculiarem Revelationem Rebeccae innotuisse 3. Impius dicit in corde suo non est Deus id est Deus non est Objectum cogitatio●…um ejus neque circa Divina solicitus est prophanis ●…ntentus praesertim cum ita vivat ac si non esset Deus ac nullo sensu aut reverentia Numinis tangeretur Pauli Voe●…ii Theolog. Naturalis Reformata c. 2. * The Insivibility of God brought as an Argument by Satan against his Existence ‖ Deus est quicquid vides Deus est quicquid non vides † The Foundations of all Religion lie in Two things That there is a God who Rules the World and That the Souls of Men are capable of subsisting after Death So that if these things be not supposed as most agreeable to Human Reason we cannot imagine upon what Grounds Mankind should embrace any way of Religion at all For if there be not a God whom I am to serve if I have not a Soul of an Immortal Nature there can be no sufficient Obligation to Religion nor Motive inducing to it Doctor Prideaux in his Eighth Lecture De Salute Ethnicorum and Doctor Stillingfleet's Origines Sacrae Caput est primum Divinae legis ipsum Deum nosse Lactantius * The Trinity cavilled at and brought as an Argument by Satan to prove that God is not ‖ Esquire Leigh's Treatise of Divinity The Mystery of the Trinity after a sort shaddowed out by Four Resemblances See Bishop Usher his Body of Divinity A Person is a distinct Subsistence of the whole God-head Nam plura infinita esse nequeunt quia sic forent plura summa prima Aug. In this Mystery there is Alius Alius Another and Another but not Aliud Aliud Another thing and Another thing The Doctrine of the Trinity is That there are Three Persons in one and the same Substance Nature and Essence What a Person in this Sense is I have shewed you already God the Father is the First Person God the Son is the Second Person God the Holy Spirit is the Third Person All these are Co-equal Co-eternal and Co-essential for though they are Distinguished yet not in their Natures and Being but in their Names Orders and Actions And that there is a Unity in Trinity viz. Three Persons yet One in Substance Nature and Essence we must believe let Reason suggest what it will though th●… same may be illustrated by Reason as above because Scripture which is Infallible doth so declare 1. See the Old-Testament where the Trinity speaketh in the Plural Number And God said Let us make Man in our Image after our Likeness Gen. 1. 26. Isa. 6. 3. The Angels i●… respect of the Three Persons do cry three times Holy Holy Holy And so in the New-Testament this Doctrine is mighty clear as Matth. 3. 16 17. where the Father the First Person of the Trinity is Heard and Seen so that there is one The Holy Ghost in the Shape of a Dove is Seen and not Heard there is another And then Jesus Christ in his Assumed Nature is both Seen and Heard So that this is good Qui nescis Trinitatem ito ad Jordanem More-over we are Baptized in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost Matth. 28. 19. Lastly the 2 Cor. 13. 14. The Grace of our Lord Iesus Christ and the Love of God and the Communion of the Holy Ghost be with you All. Those Scriptures may suffice to prove That there are Three Persons in the Divine Essence And now that these Three are One I prove from those two Places in Scripture The one is in the Old-Testament and the other is in the New Deut. 6. 4. Hearken O Israel the Lord our God is One Lord In the Hebrew thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jehovah Elohenu Jehovah Echad It signifies thus much That the First Jehovah is God the Father the Second Word Elohenu our God is God the Son the Third Word Jehovah is God the Holy Ghost and the Fourth Word Echad that is One is to shew the Unity of Essence in the Plurality of Persons The Jews did own the Doctrine of the Trinity though now they deny it for their Antient Rabbies did prove the Trinity out of the Old-Testament and Rabbi Simeon the Son of Johai alledged this same afore-mentioned place for the Proof thereof And many other Passages might be taken out of the Writings of the Antient Rabbies to confirm this Truth but this is already performed by Galatinus in his Books De Arcanis Catholicae Veritatis The Place in the New-Testament is this which may serve for all 1 Joh. 5. 7. For there are Three that bear Record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these Three are One. To conclude Singula sunt in singulis omnia in singulis singula in Omnibus Unum omnia Aug. lib. 6. De Trin. Cap. ult O Deus est indivisè Unus in Trinitate inconfusè Trinus in Unitate Iustin. Who can saith Mr. Watson in his late Treatise of Self-Denyal with the Plum-line of Reason fathom the Trinity which is Puteus profundus a Deep Well * 'T is here to be noted That Satan labours to argue from the Wonderfulness of God's Attribute his Non-Existence or at leastwise that God is not so Wonderful as he is Revealed in Scripture to be and that you should not conceive of God aright † God is Truth it self and that he is Eternal is as True as himself Eternity is a Being without Limitation of Time Time is the Continuance of Things past present and to come All Time hath a Beginning a Vicissitude and an End or may have but God's Essence is bounded by none of these Hedges ‖ God's Immutability cavilled at * Christ's Incarnation cavilled at † Deus est Immutabilis mutans omnia nunquam novus nunquam vetus Aug. * Deus poenitere dicitur quando mutat factum Pet. Mar. † Deus mutat opera non mutat consilium Aug. Repentance in God is only to signify unto us his high Displeasure because when we Repent we are highly displeased at a thing ‖ Deus mutat sententiam sed non Decretum saith Profound Bradwardine in his Book De Causa Dei * God's Ubiquity cavilled at † Empedocles the Philosopher said well That God is a Circle whose Centre is every where ‖ Nusquam est Deus Ubique est