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
A93240	Divine cordials: delivered in ten sermons, upon part of the ninth and tenth chapters of Ezra, in a time of visitation. By that godly and faithfull preacher of Gods Word, Iosiah Shute, B.D. and late rector of Mary Woolnoths in Lumbard-Street London. Published by authority.	Shute, Josias, 1588-1643.; Reynoldes, William.	1644 (1644)	Wing S3714; Thomason E38_7; ESTC R7756	101,687	190

rejoyceth greatly because of the Bride groomes voice the meaning whereof is this That it is the joy of Gods Ministers when the voice of Christ our Bridegroome is accepted See this in Paul how great was his joy for the good successe of his Ministery Rom. 1.8 in Rom. 1 8. there he saith I thanke my God through Jesus Christ for you all that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world his joy was that he had taken paines among the Romanes to good purpose so in the 2 Cor. 2.2 2 Cor. 2.2 If I make you sorry who is he then that maketh me glad but the same which is made sorry by mee he knew that by that meanes the old leaven was purged out of them which must needs make him rejoyce 2 Cor. 2.14 and in the 14. Verse of the same Chapter he saith Thanks be unto God which alwayes causeth us to triumph in Christ and maketh manifest the favour of his knowledge by us in every place Hee thought it worthy Thankesgiving that he had not laboured in vaine the like wee see 2 Thess 2.19 2 Thess 2.19 What is our Hope or Ioy or Crown of Rejoycing Are not even yee in the presence of our Lord Iesus Christ at his camming Yes you are our glory and joy and in the 13. Verse Vers 13. he saith for this cause also thanke we God without ceasing because when ye received the Word of God which ye heard of us yee received it not as the word of men but as it is the truth the Word of God which effectually worketh also in you that beleeve so in 2 Cor. 3.7 Wee were comforted over you brethren 2 Cor 3.7 9. in all our affliction and distresse by your faith and in the nineth Verse hee saith What thanks can wee render to God again for you for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God In that good St. Paul saw the successe of his labours it gave him infinite satisfaction Nay he regarded not his shackles so long as they neglected not the grace offered them by his Ministery and to Philemon hee testifies his exceeding joy for the conversion of Onesimus this was the comfort of that good Bishop of Neocesarea of whom mention is made in the Ecclesiasticall story when hee was to dye he comforted himself with this that whereas there were not seventeen believers in that City when he came thither at the time of his death he knew not of seventeen unbeleevers in that place such a blessing had God given to his indeavours And for the further proofe of this poynt the truth of it will best appeare by the contrary to wit the great sorrow which is caused to the Ministers of God when they see no fruits of their labours what a griefe was it to Isaiah that he had laboured in vaine and spent his strength for nothing Isa Isa 49.4 49.4 and Jeremiah was so grieved that his labours were ineffectuall that he resolves to speak no more in the Name of the Lord Jerem. 20.9 Ezek. 2.3 Jer. 20.9 In the 2. Ezek. 3. God saith to that Prophet Son of man I send thee to a rebellious nation and thou shalt say to them thus saith the Lord but surely they will not heare thee what a cooling card was this for the Prophet Ezek. 3.14 and in the Ezek. 3.14 he saith I went in the bitternesse of my Spirit but the hand of the Lord was strong upon mee as if hee had said had I not been swayed by a Divine power I had not gone this as it is thought was the cause that Jonah waved his Commission of going to Nineveh hee found that hee had been unsuccessefull among his own people and therefore despaired of doing good among the Ninevites and to speak the trueth although I know our reward shall be as great as theirs who have wonne many soules if wee be faithfull in the discharge of our duty yet when the Minister shall pipe and the people will not dance when he shall sowe the Rocks and plough the sands and with Peter shall fish all night and catch nothing it cannot but be a great corrosive to his soul and a vexation to his Spirit every man desires to see that thrive which is committed to his charge the Father joyes to see his Children prosper and doe well so doth the Master to see his servant thrive the nurse her Childe the Shepherd his flock and the Minister is a man as well as the rest therefore hee desires that the people committed to his charge should thrive and prosper in grace and goodnesse Reason 1 and there is great reason for it first because when men grow in grace under a mans Ministery it makes much for the glory of God which every Minister is to preferre before the salvation of his owne soul as we see in the examples of Moses and Paul Reason 2 Secondly when he sees this hee hath an assurance of his calling then hee may say as Paul 1 Cor. 9.2 1 Cor. 9.2 Yee are the seale of mine Apostleship in the Lord. Reason 3 Thirdly hee that converts men wins souls to God and saves them from destruction and that is more then to win a World for one soul is worth more then the Universe Reason 4 Lastly such a man knowes that hereby he fits himself for a Crown as in Dan. 12.3 Dan. 12.3 They that turne many to righteousnesse shall shine as the Starres for ever and ever Vse 1 I shall ever desire it for my selfe and all those which be called to the Altar that God would ever keepe it in the purpose of our hearts not so much to look after the fatnesse and fleece of our flocks as after their proficiency in goodnesse and this must be laboured after by preaching soundly and faithfully and this is done when he indeavours to bring teares from their eyes rather than to please their eares it must also be laboured after by living a godly life and conversation for this is the next way for a Minister to have his flock prosper Vse 2 In the second place let it be a use to people Is it such a comfort to the Minister to see his people profit by his preaching then in the name of God afford your Ministers this consolation for I will he bold to tell you it is not your common courtesie nor your kind entertainment neither your liberallity to us which pleaseth us halfe so well as to finde the seale of our Ministry upon you in your godly walking I therefore say unto you as St. Paul to the Philipians fulfill yee our joy by obeying the truth which we deliver yee cannot more honour us than in this and this will make way for your eternall salvation A second thing I note is this as God gave Ezra a great deale of comfort so he addes to his comfort in this that by his humiliation he wrought not onely on the baser sort of

though Dagon have been thrown down yet is hee not set up againe So for uncleannesse is it not to be found shall I say in the skirts nay in the more noble parts of the City and I wish it were a slander to say there were profest brothell houses both without and within the wals of London and for pride if ever it rid in triumph in any generation then now it is how neare doth the toe of the Citizen come to the heele of the Gentleman This smoak containes not it selfe in palaces but gets into meane habitations the back and the belly two daughters of the horse-leech cry Give give and the men of the times are so indulgent to them that they will deny them nothing insomuch that by this meanes many brave Estates are brought to nothing Fourthly for blasphemy who can with patience passe along and heare the volleys of oathes which are sent out against heaven daily nay so common is this sinne that children can no sooner speak but they can swear and blaspheme And for murther you have scarse a bill comes out but some or other are slaine nay sometimes bloud toucheth bloud and for oppression what complayning is there in our Streets against such as grinde the face of the poore and for prophanation of Gods ordinances I grieve to declare how frequent this is men are grown so prophane that they will excommunicate themselves from the Congregation and save the Minister a labour and for those that doe come hither the greatest number of them stand but for ciphers for dum corpus in choro animus in foro while their bodies be in the Church their minds are in the Market-place Now seeing these sinnes are found among us may not the Lord say justly of us as he said of the Jewes Ierem 5.29 Ierem. 5.29 Shall I not visite for these things shall not my soule be avenged on such a Nation as this hee may say I will no longer suffer their iniquity to out-brave me but I will up and make them smoak I will root them from under heaven as I did the Inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah Lastly in Ezra his practise wee may see a true forme of confession he confesses their great trespasse teaching us thereby that as wee must confesse all sinne in grosse so especially our maine and master sinne that Saul which is higher by the head then the rest of his brethren wee want not examples of this in Scripture David confesses his murder Paul his persecution and Daniel confesses the great sinne of his people A great many confesse their sinnes but they doe it as Nebuchadnezzar told his dreame he tells his wisemen that hee had a dreame but never tells them what it was So these men say they are sinners but they will not confesse their grosse transgressions Wilt thou deale otherwise with God Almighty then with thy Physitian when he comes to thee in thy sicknesse thou wilt conceale nothing from him but tell him how it is with thee in every particular and yet when thou commest to confesse thy sinnes to thy God thou concealest those capitall sinnes which have most offended him Well let my counsell be acceptable to thee get thee up to the beame of thine own conscience and judge thy selfe and in judging thy selfe doe not think it enough to censure thy selfe for thy lesser sinnes but especialiy judge thy selfe for thy great offences if thou doe not God will judge thee mince not then thy sins by labouring to extenuate them but confesse them ingenuously for the more severe thou art against thy selfe the more mercifull shalt thou finde God unto thee Sermon II. EZRA 9. the latter part of Verse 13. Seeing that thou our God hast punished us lesse then our iniquities deserve and hast given us such deliverance as this WEe come now to the second amplification of Gods mercy Ezra had said that God had dealt mercifully with them how proves hee the mercy of God hee proves it thus because that when hee punished them it was lesse then they deserved thou our God hast punished us lesse then our iniquities deserve Here is one word joyned with punishing which I would have you take notice of he saith thou our God hast punished us Herein he is a pattern to us when at any time wee come to confesse our sinnes before God Our God intimates a strong relation and affection certainly when hee saith thus be knew there was hope of Gods being reconciled to them againe giving us thereby to understand what is required of men in the confession of sinne a man must not only as David water his couch with his teares Psal 6.6 Matth. 26.75 Psal 6.6 nor with Peter goe out and weep bitterly Matth. 26.75 nor with the woman which was a sinner in the City wash Christs feet with our teares Luke 7.38 Luk. 7.38 nor secondly must hee only with a great deale of selfe shame confesse his sinne as did Ezra in this chapter and the poore Publican Luk. 18.13 Thirdly nor must hee only confesse his sinnes with anger Luke 18.13 Ioh 42.6 Hosea 14.8 as did Ioh 42. chapter 6. v. and Ephraim in Hosea 14 8. But lastly he must confesse them with faith and confidence that is so to aggravate his sinnes before God as not to let goe his hold in God Wee see the Church taking this course in Hosea 6.1 Come Hosea 6.1 let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and he will heale us hee hath smitten and hee will bind us up Mark they had a confidence in Gods mercy though they knew their sinnes were foule and criminall So Daniel confesseth and aggravateth the sinnes of the people yet he lets not goe his hold but saith To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses though wee have rebelled against him Dan. 9.9 Dan. 9.9 The like we see in the Prodigall hee had gone into a farre Countrey and there wasted his substance with riotous living afterwards being pincht with want and comming to himselfe hee saith I will arise and goe to my Father and say unto him Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to bee called thy Sonne Luk. 15.13.17.18 Luk. 15.13.17.18 Though hee knew hee had grievously offended God yet hee will make use of that name Father and not let goe the staffe of his confidence and to say the truth God doth make known to us in his word that hee is our Father intimating thereby the duration of his affection a husband may cease to be a husband by reason of a lewd wife which is divorced from him and a master may cease to bee a master for want of a servant but a father can never cease to be a father though his child be never so wicked and contumacious because hee is full of bowels and compassion Therefore when a man comes to confesse his sinnes before God he must not confesse them with assurance to die as Achan did but

of God practise this duty as the Apostle Paul saith Flie all occasions of evill It hath been paid them home with much losse who have presumed too much of their owne strength by throwing them selves into places of temptation If therefore we desire to overcome our lusts let us avoyd all the occasions of sinne which are as so many pandars waiting upon it As for example thou art an excessive person and wouldest conquer that sin First get a hatred to this sin secondly avoyd all occasions which tend this way sit not long at wine and beware of idlenesse and ill company Thou art a contentious person and desirest strength against that sin take heed of heat in holding Arguments with others Secondly contest not with thy brother and if this will not doe avoid company altogether so for lust thou art addicted to that sin and wouldst faine be rid of it first take heed of idlenesse when David was walking on his palace then the Devill laid a baite for him presenting Bathsheba to his view and so ingaged him in that foul sinne of Adultery and the truth is the Devill will hew any sinner out of idlenesse that is his Cushion on which he lulls the poore sinner asleep the sins of Sodome were great and the ground of them was idlenesse a second occasion to be avoided as being a hand maid to lust is intemperance in eating and drinking for when men feed and drink freely then they are apt to neigh after their neighbors wives Saint Paul speaks of wanton widowes Tim. 1.5.11 doubtlesse they were such as gave 〈…〉 their lusts the reines and that made them wanton Thirdly if thou wouldest master thy lust take heed of thy lust take heed of thy eyes for death oft enters by those windowes our grandmother Eve by looking on the forbidden fruit undid her self and all her posterity and saith our Blessed Lord Hee that lusls after a woman hath committed adultery with her in his heart And to this end look not on lascivious Pictures nor on the Creatures in their mixtures for these occasions further this filthy sin beware of thy eares shut them to all obscene and lascivious discourses and songs which are notable promovers of lust in the heart avoid also the company of lust full persons and if before thou art aware thou fall into the company of such then beware of unchast dalliance for this is a great incentive to uncleannesse and as thou must avoide these so all other occasions that I have not named remember what I tell thee and lock it as a jewell in thy heart pray as long as thou wilt or canst if thou dost not withall indeavor to avoide the occasions which promove these sinnes God will never grant thy request dost thou pray to God to doe that for thee which is not in thy power And wilt not thou doe that which is in thine own power This is a madnesse indeed thou must doe the one if ever thou lookest that God should doe the other Well when Shecaniah and the rest had done this what rule will they then walk by according to the Counsell of my Lord Some of the learned demand here who is meant by Lord and these are of opinion that Shecaniah meanes not Ezra but I am verily perswaded he meanes Ezra and no other and the Septuagint inclines to this interpretation for thus they render that clause as is judged fit by thee Now if it were so that Shecaniah who was a Prince said thus to Ezra the Priest take knowledge then of thus much What respect in times past was given to those whom God called so neere unto him Doctr. as to be his Friests 1 Sam. 1.15.26 In the 1 Sam. 1.15 when Eli mis-judging Hannah told her shee was drunke shee answeres No my Lord I am a woman of a sorrowfull Spirit and in the 26. verse when shee came to present Samuel before the Lord shee saith to him againe O my Lord as thy soul liveth my Lord I am the woman that stood by thee here praying unto the Lord 2 Kings 4.16 the like wee see in 2 Kings 4.16 when Elisha told the Shunamitish woman that shee should have a sonne she saith Nay my Lord thou man of God doe not lie unto thine hand-maid and in the 2 Kings 13.14 Joash 2 Kings 13.14 that wicked king comming to visite Elisha on his death-bed hee wept over him and said O my Father my father the chariot of Ifrael and the horsemen thereof and it was more then sociall respect that Cornelius gave Peter which he would by no meanes admit Acts 10.25 And we read of Alexander the Great Acts. 10.25 that he entring Jerusalem with an intent to sack it as soon as he beheld Jaddus the High Priest in his formalities comming to meet him in honour of him he alight and met him and desisted from him wicked purpose It is to be deplored in these days when every base fellow thinks himself better than the Minister I deny not but Ministers themselves may be the cause of this in part it may be they are unfit for that function or if they have gifts it may be they be idle and will not imploy them or else it may be they preach constantly and live vitiously but there be many causes in the people first they consider not the necessity of their Ministerie that though God have made them without us yet he will not save them without us Secondly it may be it is from the abundance of preaching now a dayes in the 1 Sam. 3.1 we finde there 1 Sam. 3.7 that the word of the Lord was precious in those dayes there was no open vision The raritie of vision made the word of God precious then and I feare the plenty of preaching and preachers makes that Ordinance to be slighted now But let us take heed of vilifying Gods Messengers God hath a controversie with this land for many things and amongst the rest I think this is one therefore let his Ministers bee honourable in out eyes O let their feet be beautifull that bring unto us the glad tidings of salvation but if we shall despise them it is just with God to send us a famine of his word which is the greatest judgement on this side hell But suppose that by Lord is meant God yet because Ezra was Gods Messenger the words he spake were Gods words and what be spake from God Shecaniah counts it as Gods voyce teaching us that whatsoever Gods Ministers doe faithfully deliver out of his word must be received as God's voice Luke 1.70 This is proved Luk. 1.70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets which have been since the world began Luke 10.16 So in Luk. 10.16 He that heareth you heareth me And Paul affirmeth of the Thessalenias 1 Thes 2.13 That they received his Word 1 Thes 2.13 not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of God And in 2