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	love_n	unrighteousness_n	1,721	5	11.1941	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97247	The cure of preivdice, or, The doves of innocency and the serpents subtilty wherein the originall, continuance, properties, causes, endes, issue and effects of the worlds envie and hatred to the godly is pithily laid open and applyed. By R. Junius.	Younge, Richard.	1641 (1641)	Wing Y149B; ESTC R230928	73,141	127

understand all things Prov. 28.5 and 3.32 They which observe the Commandements have a good understanding saith David Psal 111.10 the rest have an ill understanding and a vain an understanding like that of the Scribes and Pharisees which was enough to condemne them but not to save them Thus as no man can see God and live so no man can see Christ who is God sitting at the right hand of his Father in heaven so long as he lives a meer naturall man 1 Cor. 2.14 God will not powre new wine but into new vessels Matth. 9.17 Christ is said to have expounded all things to his Disciples apart to shew that if we will have Christ to teach us we must go apart from the world If any will do Gods will saith our Saviour he shall know the Doctrine whether it be of God or no Iohn 7.17 So that no man can learn this doctrine but he that doth it as no man could learn the Virgins song but they that sang it Revel 14.3 Yea if the fear of the Lord as Solomon speaks is the beginning of wisdom how should they have wisdom that have not the fear of the Lord All unrepentant sinners are enemies to God servants to Satan now we men do not tell our secrets to enemies neither will an Artificer teach another mans servants his trade but the righteous are Christs friends and brethren and fisters and father and mother between whom there is a kinde of familiarity so that he makes them of his counsell His secrets saith Solomon are with the righteous Pro. 3.32 And again Psal 25.14 The secrets of the Lord are revealed to them that fear him and his Covenant is to give them understanding See this in Abrahams example Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do saith God Gen. 18.17 As if this were an offence in God if he should tell the righteous no more then he tells the wicked Besides What should he do with a talent that will not improve it And let a wicked man know never so much he is resolved to be never the better man And they that are unwilling to obey God thinks unworthy to know which is but equity Indeed if they will put off concerning their former conversation the old man with his corruptions and deceiveable lusts and be changed by the renewing of there mindes and by putting on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Ephe. 4.20 to 25. Col. 3.10 2 Cor. 5.17 1 Iohn 4.7 Then they shall see what the good and acceptable and perfect will of God is as Saint Paul and our Saviour Christ shewes Rom. 12.2 Matth. 5.8 For God in the person of wisdom hath made a generall promise to all that will serve him Pro. 1. If thou wilt turn saith God at my correction I will power out my heart unto thee and make thee understand my words Verse 23. But else they shall blindly go on in persecuting Christ and his members perhaps to the killing of his prophets and thinke also that they do God good service Iohn 16.2 3. For as they like not to retain God in their knowledge saith the Apostle so God shall give them over to vile affections and to a reprobate minde Rom. 1.28 And because they will not teceaue the truth in love that they might be saved therefore God shall send them strong delusions that they might beleeve lies that all they might be damned which beleeve not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse 2 Thes 2.10.11.12 And is it not just with God to say they would none of Christ let them welcome Sathan and Antichrist Quest What instruction from the premisses Ans As it ought to stop all wicked mens mouthes so it may both serve for direction and comfort to the godly and to informe all First If it be so that all naturall men are uncapable of divine and supernaturall knowledge that they are blinde touching spirituall things let not any carnall wretch hereafter dare to speak evill of the things actions and persons which are out of the reach of his capasity but silently suspend his judgement untill he is better informed For as it pertaineth not to the rusticke to judge of Letters so it belongeth not to naturall men to judge of spirituall things And in matters of censure nothing but a certaine knowledge should make us give a certaine judgement and in the meane time confesse that Ioseph may know his brethren although they know not him Hee which is spirituall discerneth all things yet he himselfe is Iudged of no man 1 Cor. 2.14 that is of no naturall man 2. Let those that have used to speake evill of the way of truth learne to kicke no more against the pricks lest they bring the same curse upon themselves that those did which brought up an evill report of the holy Land viz. that As they never entred into the terrestriall Canaan So these never enter into the Celestiall Yea put case they shall thinke to doe God good service in it for there is a way saith Salomon that seemeth right to a man but the issues thereof are the wayes of death Pro. 14 12. 3. If all who deride and persecute the godly are ignorant persons as hath beene proved then let not Gods Children be discouraged maugre all slander and opposition nor thinke the worse of themselves if such reproach them never so The Corinthians exceedingly slighted Paul he was this and he was that But what saith Paul With mee it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you 1 Cor. 4.3 4. Alasse the best of them saw no more than St. Paul soutside the grace of his heart the raptures of his soule the ravishing delights of the inward man and the like spirituall priviledges more glorious than the states of Kingdomes were to these sensualists as a covered messe And indeed naturall men are as fit to judge of spirituall matters as blind men are fit to judge of colours We know little Children will often laugh at wise men when they are about serious and necessary affaires and businesse which notwithstanding is not an argument of the unworthinesse of the things they laugh at but of the folly of them which laugh Will the Merchant be discouraged because his Wine pleaseth not a sicke mans palat when those that are in health commend it and himselfe knowes it to be good Much lesse cause have we to be discouraged having more certainety to rely upon Our enemies have Sense Reason and Experience to confirme their judgements but wee have them with an advantage of three infallible witnesses Gods Word and Spirit and Faith Wherefore henceforward let us take our Saviours Counsell and seeke to justifie our judgements to the children of Wisdome of whom she is justified and not to fooles by whom she is daily crucified Neither let any thinke the better of such whom they extoll for the blinde eate many a flye 4. This shewes that they suspect much because they

out These men are drunk with new wine Untill we be born again we are like Nicodemus who knew not what it was to be born again Iohn 3.4 Untill we become zealous our selves we are like Festus who thought zeale madnesse Acts 26.24 Untill we be humble our selves we are like Michal who mocked David for his humility and thought him a foole for dancing before the Arke 2 Sam. 6.16 Yea to such as shall perish or are for the present in a perishing condition all religion seemes foolishnesse 1 Cor. 1.18 And thus you see in grosse that Ignorance is a main cause of hatred and persecution We shall more clearly discerne how it comes to be so if we note The Root Ignorance Stem Suspition or Iealousie Sap Hatred Fruit Persecution severally and apart for ignorance causeth Suspition and Suspition Hatred and Hatred Persecution But I cannot stand upon these Que. If Ignorance be such a generall cause of hatred and persecution as you have shewne What is the reason that so many great Scholers and wisemen do also hate and persecute the godly Ans Great scholers they may be and wise men also in the worlds esteem but in the maine and in Gods account they are nothing so for admit they have inlightned heads sufficient to leave them without excuse yet because they withhold the truth in unrighteousnesse and do not glorifie God with there knowledge neither are thankfull but become vain in their imaginations their foolish hearts are darkned and so while they professe themselves to be wise in changing the truth of God into a lie they become fooles and expresse it by thus hating God and his children Romans 1.18.21.22.25.30 So that Ignorance is the cause even in them also And indeed if they were wise they would foresee the torments of hell and prevent them as Bernard speaks Or if they knew God they would keep his commandments for herby saith Saint Iohn is it known that we know god if we keep his Commandments 1. John 2.3 but he that saith I know him and yet keepeth not his Commandments is a lyar and there is no truth in him Ver. 4. Yea these have sworne to keep the commandments and to deny the world and yet are not content with there own disobedience unlesse they cast aspersions upon them that obey Again thirdly if they knew Christ they could not but love him and loving him they must needes love his members not persecute them for it is the very first part of our conversion to love them that love God 1 Joh. 3.14 4.7.8 and Ioh 13.35 But so many as are enemies to the Crosse of Christ shew that they never knew God in Christ As for their wisdom and learning you must know that men may be exquisitely wise and incomparably learned in the worlds opinion and yet very fooles in Gods account 1 Cor. 3.19 As sharp-eyed as Eagles in the things of the earth and yet as blinde as Beetles in the matters of heaven And knowledge consisteth not so much in the quantity as in the quality not in the greatnesse but in the goodnesse of it For as a little precious stone is of more worth then many other stones of greater bulk so one drop of wisdom guided by the fear of God is more worth then all humane learning One sparke of spirituall experimentiall and saving knowledge is worth a whole flame of secular wisdom and learning One scruple of holinesse one dram of faith one grain of grace is more worth then many pounds of naturall parts But learning and grace do not alwayes keep company together Yea O Lord how many are there that have a depth of knowledge yet are not soul-wise That have a Library of Divinity in there heads and not so much as the least Chatechisme in their consciences no rare thing for men to abound in speculation and be barren in devotion to have full braines and empty hearts clear judgements and defiled affections fluent tongues and lame hands Yea you shall here a flood in the tongue when ye cannot see one drop in the life For example I might instance in Balaam whom the holy Ghost stiles a fool 2 Peter 2.16 And Iudas Mat. 27.3.4.5 And Paul before his conversion who even while he was a persecuter like these men was eminent among the Pharisees for wit and learning but a very Iddiot among the Astostles And lastly the Priests Scribes and Pharisees who were matchlesse for their wisdom and learning as wanting nothing that either nature or Art could inrich them withall yea and they were cheifly learned in the Scripture Gods Oracles which will make a man wise or nothing and yet our Saviour who could not be deceived calles them four times in one Chapter blinde and twice fools Mat. 23.16.17.19.24.26 Because they wanted faith and holinesse which are the sinewes and nerves yea the sould of saving knowledge inlivening feeding and strengthening the same for in the dialect of the scipture a fool is a naturall man and a wise man a man sanctified Alas God regards not lip-learning and tongue-wisdom and braine knowledge except it ceaze upon the heart also and lead captive the affections to the government of the Gospel whereby we are changed and transformed into new men after the image of Christ 1 Cor. 2.12 Ephe. 4.20 to 25. Col. 3.10 except we digest our knowledge into practise and imploy our wisdom to his glory that gave it our neighbours good and the furthering of our own salvation For with him wickednes is folly and the greatest sinner is the greatest fool and he most wise that is most religious and that offends least Prov. 1.7 Ioh. 28.28 Pro. 9.10 12. and 11.3 Deut. 4.6 Hosea 14.9 Iames 3.13.17 2 Tim. 3.15 And he that is truly wise thinks that to be wisdom and folly which God thinks so Neither is that worth the name of knowledge which may be heard onely and not seen Good discourse is but the froth of wisdom the pure and solid substance of it is in well framed actions What saith the Scripture Keep the Commandements of God and do them for this is your wisdom and understanding before God and men Deut. 4.6 And again He that is a wise man and indued with knowledge will shew it by his conversation in good works Iames 3.13 For Rightly a man knows no more then he practiseth It is said of Christ 2 Cor. 5.21 that he knew no sin because he did no sin in which sense he knows no good that doth no good And certainly they who wander in the by-paths of sin and errour declare themselves ignorant of the right way of salvation Rom. 3.17 Saving knowledge of the truth works a love of the truth known it is an uniform consent of knowledge and action Ioh 28.28 He onely is wise saith Solomon that is wise for himselfe Pro. 9.12 He whose conscience pulleth all he hears and reads to his heart and his heart to God who turneth his knowledge to faith his faith to feeling and