Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A55748
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The mysticall match between Christ and his church by the late learned and reverend divine, John Preston ... The leading sermon to that treatise of his called The churches marriage.
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Preston, John, 1587-1628.
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1648
(1648)
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Wing P3303; ESTC R33951
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90,892
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160
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and heavy laden c. and wee are Ambassadors beseeching you to bee reconciled These and the like are the sure Word of God upon which thy faith must bee grounded so that thou commest to say thus to thy selfe well whatsoever come of it I am sure there is a corner stone on which whosoever is built shall not be ashamed nor deceived I am sure of it from a word that the Lord hath confirmed with a seale and with an oath and therefore I rest upon it And it is not a bare word that Christ hath given to assure us of this which is a signe it is a hard thing for us to beleeve it it is no easie thing for there is added to the word a seale and it is confirmed with an oath so then that is the first thing thou art to consider whether thy faith hath beene pitcht upon som such word and whether thou hast applied that word to thy selfe or no. In the next place beside this word there is a witnesse from the spirit there is a wondrous worke of the Holy Ghost which saith to a mans heart bee of good comfort feare not I am thy salvation If you say to me what needs the witnesse of the spirit is not the Word enough if Christ declare himselfe so farre that in plaine tearmes he is willing to match with us what need the speciall witnesse of the Holy Ghost I answer there is very great neede of it because the Word of it selfe is not able to comfort and quicken and releeve us it is not able to beget in us peace and joy and righteousnesse but it is even like a dead letter it is a cold dead thing able to doe nothing with the heart of man without the Spirit this we finde by experience the clearest arguments and the most comfortable that the Scripture useth to comfort a man in distresse that hath his Conscience troubled with the apprehension of his sin and of Gods wrath they are all nothing till it please God to send his owne Spirit to beare witnes to a mans spirit You will say what is this witnesse of the Spirit I answer it is a certaine divine expression of Christ to the soule whereby a man is secretly assured without any argument or reason that hee is his salvation for you must know that there are indeede two things besides that confirme this truth to us that is the ground wee have in the Word and the effects and fruits of sanctification but both these doe it by way of argument for when a man argueth thus I see this generall proposition All that believe shall bee saved but I am one that believe therefore I am one that am contained under the generall pardon this I say is by way of argument So againe I finde in my selfe the fruits and effects of sanctification and I am sure none are sanctified but they are also justified and they have received the Spirit of Christ therefore I know I am one that belongs to him all this is but the witnesse of our owne spirits for these are but collections that our owne spirits gather as a conclusion from the premisses but now the witnesse of the Spirit the witnesse of the holy Ghost it is a distinct thing from this therefore Rom. 8. 16. it is said to witnesse together with our spirits and therefore is a distinct witnesse from our spirits that indeede witnesseth the same things but the witnesse is distinct from that of our owne spirit and that is without any argument or reason at all being a secret manifestation made to the soule whereby wee are comforted and assured that our sinnes are forgiven and that Christ is willing to match with us Now consider if thou wouldest know whether thou bee one that is matched with Iesus Christ whether thou have this double witnesse or no of the Word and of the Spirit You will say hath every one this secret testimony I answer that every one hath it in some degree more or lesse for that same in Rom. 8. 16. The Spirit witnesseth with our spirits is a generall proposition it concernes all beleevers even with every mans spirit the Holy Ghost beares witnesse but then wee must take the words in the right sense It is true in some the Spirit speakes more evidently and audibly with joy unspeakeable and glorious the flashes of comfort are much more bright and glorious to some then to others and such speciall witnesses of the HOLY GHOST are very rare and dispensed to us for some speciall purposes commonly after some great humilitation or prayer or to prepare us for some great enterprize or some speciall conflict they are even as the apparitions to Abraham and Iacob and Paul were Acts 23. 11. Be of good courage Paul thou must beare witnesse of mee at Rome c. so when he was at Corinth Paul bee of good comfort I am with thee Acts 18. 9. All these were on speciall occasions so I say there are some speciall witnesses of the HOLY GHOST when the HOLY GHOST speakes evidently and these are dispensed to us according to the good pleasure of God and commonly it is added for some speciall purpose now I say not that every one hath this kinde of testimony but every one hath so much witnesse from the HOLY GHOST as doth uphold his spirit that Christ is willing to match with him that hee hath or may have interest in him and in all the priviledges of his death this I say every one hath more or lesse although those speciall degrees of the evident speaking of the Holy Ghost are dispensed but to some and to those that have it but for a speciall time this is the first thing The second thing thou art to enquire into if thou wovldest know if there bee any such match betweene Christ Iesus and thee what thy owne consent hath beene and is which herein is not in words onely but is given then when they heart and affections doe or can make this answer that thou art willing to match with the Lord Iesus and this I give as a signe to examine thy heart by for it is not in the power of any man living to bring his heart to this consent nor is any creature able to doe it you may as well bring fire and water to agree together as to bring the heart of a naturall man to be willing to match with the Lord but it is a speciall worke of the holy Ghost that must mould the spirit a new and breake all in pieces and cast thee into a new frame that must make thee willing to come into so neare a Communion with the LORD IESUS for our spirits are quite contrary to it Onely concerning this take this caution that it is not so much what thou art willing to say in any case or condition for it may bee a man may bee willing sometimes to match out of feare or hope or out
because God hath put him into the highest place but because he hath a fitnesse in him all fullnesse choose him then take him before any thing else for he is the best and will preponderate whatsoever comes in competition with him There are no excellencies that are in the creatures which are out of him but all in him And therefore thou must choose him altogether and make him the adequate object of thy soule in whom thou art fully satisfied bring thy heart to this frame to be content to be stript of every thing thinking it enough to have the Lord 2 Col. 10. And yee are compleat in him who is the head of all Principalitie and power his scope is this in the 6. verse before he had exhorted them that as they had taken Christ it being the same word that is in Iohn 1. 12. so they would walke in him being fully contented with him and let no man deceive you in Philosophie that is whereas men teach you excellent rules of morall Philosophy yet reckon not these as excellencies added to Christ but abound you in faith in him for we are compleat in him if any thing were wanting in him then indeed we might seeke out to other things Learne to apply this to your particular occasions say I care for no mans friendship nor wealth it is enough I have the Lord alone I am compleate in him looke for all from him and then you will doe all for him Hee that lookes for any thing from the creature will doe so much for it Every benefit hath an office joyned and so much men serve sinne as they looke for pleasure from it and so much service as is done to the creature so much is taken off from God and therefore say I will not apply my selfe to you but to Christ. And so if a man be to preach the Gospell he that thinketh himselfe compleate in Christ will not care for mans day so if a man come to some action of tryall wherein he shall loose some speciall freinds and get great enemies if hee thinke himselfe compleat in Christ he cares not So in walking in the exercise of a mans calling if a man thinkes himselfe compleat in Christ he will thinke it enough to doe his duty so as men may receive profit by it and as for wealth hee leaves that to the Lord in whom hee is compleat But you will say how shall I live in this world then I have credit to looke to and wife and children Ans. God is able to do abundantly for you if you have him When Moses was content to let Pharaoh goe and his great place in Egypt goe and so suffer affliction with the people of God God made him a greater Prince then ever hee was so Christ because hee endured the shame and the speaking against and the meanest condition that ever man had therfore 2 Phil. God gave him a greate Name above all names Abraham let his Country go but God gave him a greater Country and in his seed made him heire of the world so if a man be a Minister of the Word let him not thinke with himselfe how to provide best for himselfe but how he may doe most good and therefore not to take care for preferrement or maintenance in the 10. of Matth. 10. Luke when Christ sent his Disciples out to preach the Gospell Hee bids them take no money nor no scrippe to maintaine them nor no staffe to defend them from injuries nor salute any man by the way that is doe not stand upon officious complements to get friends You goe about the Lords worke and I will provide for you and therefore hee repeates this 22. Luk. 35. when he was going out of the world asking them if when he did send them out thus they did lacke any thing to which they answered no. Then learne by this not to looke after maintenance and this may be said to every Minister of the Gospell preferre Christ and he will preferre you Every one desires a preeminence a place above his brethren the way to get it is to bee for Christ Of his owne will be begot us that we might be the first fruits of all the creatures When a man hath chosen Christ then hee is made the cheife of the creatures hee excels all others as Roses and Lillies excell thornes so that if you choose and make him your Head he will make you the Head and cheife of all things else From this that he is a Head in regard of influence a Head that fills all in all that then wee would be carefull to draw from him that which may fill us and this is the use is made of this 4. Ephes. 15 16. Let us follow the truth in love that we may grow up in him in all things who is the Head from whom the whole body fitly joyned together c. The scope of the Apostle is to shew us wee should grow and how to grow adding this motive to it to stirre them to it that Christ is their head able to fill every empty crevis and that should stirre them up to bring their hearts to him that so you may grow up into him that is when you heare he is a Head that fills you stand not at a stay but grow up to him there being as great a necessity for you to grow as for others to come in and therefore sayes he continue not children if they aske how they should grow up into him hee bids them follow the truth in love that is as you get more light into divine truthes and have your hearts affected with them which is meant by love so much is added to you grow then for otherwise how is it said that the Word doth build us up as S. Paul when he told those that Hee was to leave them and they knew not what to doe when he were gone to grow he tells them this I leave you to God and the Word of his grace to build you up Now how doth the Word doe it but by revealing truth new truths which if they affect the heart men grow up into Christ. In that it is said grow up into Him it is added to difference that growth which is out of Him in morall Vertues men may grow in them and yet not grow up into CHRIST but to grow up into Him is to grow more emotied of our selves and selfe-conceits and fuller of him so as he may bee greater in us for wee define Grace otherwise then the morall Philosophers define Vertue they define it to be that which frames the soule to right reason that is to doe that which is best for himselfe and his converse with men but wee grow in another manner to be that which frames and exerciseth every faculty of the soule to the Lord and therefore there is no growth in grace unlesse it be into Christ doing all for him unlesse we be taken off of our owne bottome