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	jesus_n	life_n	1,867	5	4.4456	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81056	Samson a type of Christ in a sermon preached at Mr. Pomfret's meeting-house in Gravel-lane near Hounds-ditch, London: at the morning-lecture, on July 22. 1691. from Judg. xiv.5. Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Tunnath; and came to the vineyards of Timnath; and behold, a young lion roared against him. Wherein is shewed, I. In six particulars, how clearly Samson doth type forth Jesus Christ, ... II. With respect unto Samsons marriage, ... III. As Samson loved and married an uncircumcised woman, ... IV. As Samson did overcome the young lion which opposed him: so Jesus Christ doth overcome and destroy that roaring lion, the Devil, that opposeth him. Published at the request of the Congregation, for Publick Good. By D.C. an unworthy servant of Christ.	Crosley, David, 1670-1744.	1691 (1691)	Wing C7247A; ESTC R232725	34,097	40

Faith to lay hold on Jesus Christ in Sincerity fear not but it shall be well with you to Eternity And in your turning to God beware of this That your outward Appearance as to Lives and Conversations do not go before or without your Hearts and inward Inclinations And further have a care of seeking after God in another way than he himself hath appointed Consider that not in the way of Works but in the way of Faith we are to meet with live and walk with Jesus Christ for the Just shall live by Faith And pray note it it is not every one that cryes Lord Lord that shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven because all that profess the Name of Christ have not Hearts endued with sincere Love to Christ and I must tell you that a sanctified Heart is better than a Silver Tongue and a heart full of Grace is much better than a head full of Notion Ard certain it is that you may pretend to be Gods Servants when you are not his Sons but undoubtedly if you be his Sons you will be his Servants not by constraint or for Rewards but most freely and with a ready mind And one word further I desire to commend to you and I desire you to observe it A Man may seem a Christian and not be so but if a Man be a Christian he must of necessity seem so AND so I come to the last Use which is a word of Comfort to all such as apprehending themselves to live in the Land of the Philistines I mean afar off from God do long breath groan pray and most earnestly desire to be brought nearer to yea and wholly to be joyned with Jesus Christ as their Lord and Husband And to all such I would say fear not for your Redeemer liveth and the most holy One of Israel will be your Refuge He that is the God of Glory and that inhabits Eternity can and will help all that love him fear him trust in him and depend upon him OBJ. But perhaps thou wilt say True I desire yea and that with all my Heart so far as I know it to be made one with and Married unto Jesus Christ But the Devil this roaring Lyon of whom you have spoken doth so withstand and oppose me herein that I am afraid that what I desire herein can never be effected Surely never poor Soul was so tempted with and oppressed by Satan as I am TO which I Answer Poor Soul thou feelest no Mans burthen but thy own neither doth Satans Temptations to another trouble thee but do but thou ask another in thy Condition and he will tell thee that he is tempted even by Satan as thou But may be thou wilt say But I think there is none in such a Condition as I am To which I answer Why what a State art thou in Well perhaps thou wilt say First I am full of Sin and sinful pollutions and so consequently more abominable in my self than a Toad So that when I come before Christ Jesus to beg Mercy and Acceptance alas I see that I deserve none And besides when I come I have almost always the Devil to bear me Company on purpose to prevent my embracing of and being joyned unto Jesus Christ and therefore surely never Person was in my Condition To which I answer Alas poor Soul thou art quite mistaken for there is not a true Christian but is in the same Condition less or more yea I my self could tell thee the same Story and much more yea and that by woful Experience But however for thy better satisfaction I shall commend to thee an Example from the Scripture See Zech. 3.1 2 3. and note it well saith the Prophet there He speaking of God shewed me Joshua the High Priest standing before the Angel of the Lord and Satan stood at his right hand to resist him And saith the Text Joshua was cloathed with filthy Garments and stood before the Angel Now Joshua in this place is a Figure of the Church and the Angel of Christ The Text therefore teacheth us thus much That when the whole Church in general or any Member in particular do come before Jesus Christ in order to Justification and Salvation in and by him then and at that time they come clad with filthy Garments so undeserving of acceptance and also have the Devil to bear them company in order to the preventing of their either joyning with or confiding in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Husband accordingly as thou sayst of thy self so thou art not alone in this Condition But pray mind how Joshuah in this Estate was freed rescued and delivered both from his filthy Garments and also from the Devil See the third and fourth verses Christ first rebuked Satan and then caused Joshua's filthy Garments to be taken away cloathing him himself with changes of Raiment and as he did to Joshua so will he do to thee if thou believe but in him But perhaps thou wilt say Nay but I am Poor Barren and Unfruitful I answer Even so do all God's People judge themselves to be they are crying out of their Leanness daily and hourly and think with and of themselves That they do nothing for God but though they think thus of themselves yet God thinks otherwise And indeed this I have observed over and over That the Godly have still such low Thoughts of themselves and are base in their own Eyes whereas the wicked on the other hand are proud and lifted up and have high thoughts of themselves and it seems by our Saviours Words That both the Righteous and the Wicked will have the same thoughts each of themselves at the Judgment-day See Mat. 25. from 31. to the end where first he tells the Righteous That they had fed him cloathed and visited him c. But they cry out Lord when did we so and so Alas they took no notice of their good doings Well but Christ did Oh blessed Professors it is to be feared there is too few such at this day for most are looking upon what they are have know and do and Oh! this spoils Religion puffs up with Pride and undoes the Soul But the Righteous cry out When saw we thee hungry sick or in Prison and did these things unto thee But now mark when he turns him to the Wicked saying I was so and so and yet ye did not such and such things unto me They answer Lord when saw we thee so and so and did not these things unto thee Alas Blind Souls they had deluded themselves with the doing of this and that all their Life time when as they had done nothing in God's account forasmuch as they had not Believed on the only begotten Son of God for not Doing but Believing brings the Soul to Jesus and so to Truth and Holiness in and by him Oh that Professors would seriously weigh these things But alas few do But however when the Lord shall pour forth more of his Spirit

them and not she unto him So in like manner Jesus Christ first and primarily seeketh unto his Church in order to the bringing about of this happy Union and not she unto him This also is plain from many Scriptures as from the 16th of Eezekiel from the 3d. Verse to the 14th Where 1st The Church lay in the open Field polluted in her blood 2ly There was no eye to pitty her And yet 3ly When she was in this condition Jesus Christ in mercy came and passed by And 4ly Her time notwithstanding her misery and shame was to him a time of love And 5ly He did all this whilst she in her self was dead as to any Affection towards him and therefore saith he ver 6. And when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thy own blood I said unto thee Live yea when thou wast in thy blood I said unto thee Live See also the 2d of Hosea where when the Church was backsliden from and which is worse though always the issue of a backsliding Spirit hardned against him Then he came in Mercy though she perhaps at the first did not so look upon it and hedged up her way with Thorns to the end that though she pursued after her Lovers yet that she might not overtake them ver 6 7. 2dly He takes away all her Fulness Joy and Mirth all her Delight in her own ways and removes from her all her pleasant things ver 9 10 11 12. 3dly He visits upon her all the days of her former Wickedness and Idolatry ver 13. And 4thly After all this he as it were turns Suiter to her For saith he I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness and there will I speak comfortably unto her ver 14. Alas poor dejected doubting Souls whilst God is a bringing of them into the Wilderness or into a bewildered state as to their own Apprehensions are even frightned with fears and terrors lest he should destroy them there and give them over to perish for ever little considering that it is God's way to keep his best Wine till the latter end of the Feast and in the Wilderness to speak most comfortably to them giving them in the Valley of Achor or Trouble a Door of Hope and that there the Knot of Union is to be tied which is never to be loosed more and that then they must call him no more Baali viz. My Lord but that they must henceforth call him Ishi that is to say My Husband v. 16. A blessed Conclusion And let me tell you There is none of you here this day that are Suiters to God but God hath had first a great suiting of you to bring you to that Oh! admirable Love and Condescention that ever the Great God of Heaven and Lord of Eternity should become Suiters to such Hell-hounds as the best of us are by Nature Again Observe that Text in Jer. 3.12 22. where the Lord most earnestly and compassionately suiteth exhorteth and inviteth his Church with all possible persuasions to return from her backslidings for saith he I am married unto you ver 14. only acknowledge your iniquities and that you have transgressed against me And then Return Oh hacksliding Children and I will heal your backslidings And indeed here the Lord not only suited but prevailed For mark the Answer they returned him ver 22 23. Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God in vain is salvation looked for from the hills and from the multitude of mountains for in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel The God of Heaven grant that we may return him the like Answer with Heart and Mouth this day and all other times wherein he by the Gospel is inviting us to come unto him See also the words of David Psal 27.8 When thou O Lord saidst Seek ye my face my heart said unto thee Thy face Lord will I seek Oh dear Friends hath not God a long time been a suiting of you by the Gospel to come unto him and hath he not often called aloud of you saying Seek ye my face I know you cannot deny this Well but let me ask Was you ever brought to cry out with David Thy face O Lord will I seek True it may be you have said thus with your Mouths but pray note Did your Hearts ever say so Saith holy David My heart said Thy face O Lord will I seek Pray consider it But to conclude this Point also Mind what John saith in his First Epistle 4.10 19. Herein is love saith he not that we loved God but that he loved us And we love him because he loved us first Alas Beloved had not God loved and sought after us till we had loved and sought after him then had we never so much as once lifted up our Eyes towards him till with the Rich Man we had been in Hell which would have been too late either to have sought after him or looked up unto him I might mention many more Scriptures to the like Effect but time will not permit Besides these are sufficient already laid down the sequel whereof amounts to this That as Samson first sought unto this Woman of Timnath this Daughter of the Philistines notwithstanding her Non-conformity to the Religion and Laws of Israel and not she unto him So Jesus Christ seeketh unto his Church in true Heavenly and Divine Love and not she unto him notwithstanding not only her Nonconformity to but also her Enmity against the Religion and Laws of his Kingdom as she lyeth in Nature and when he thus first applyeth himself unto her AND from hence I inferr FIRST That Christ in seeking after and calling of his People to himself hath no respect to Antecedent Qualifications in them for he knows better than we the impossibility that a bitter Fountain should yield sweet Water or a bad Tree bring forth good Fruit Therefore saith he to the Pharisees Oh generation of Vipers how can ye being evil do that or as the word is speak that which is good for out of the abundance of the Heart the Mouth speaketh Mat 12.34 But a Blind Man will not believe this because he is Blind and cannot see nor understand the Truth But saith Calvin Whatsoever a Man thinketh purposeth or doth before he be reconciled to God by Faith in Christ is accursed and not only of no value to righteonsness but of certain deserving to Damnation Institut pag. 370. And saith Luther Whosoever goeth about to please God with works done before Faith goeth about to please God with Sin which saith he is nothing else but to heap Sin upon Sin mock God and to provoke him to Wrath O that men would once consider these things SECONDLY From hence I inferr That though the Church of Christ in general and every Member thereof in particular be brought by Sin through the Fall into a lost Estate which as was before observed is a State of Deadness Hardness Blindness and Alienation