Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A26856
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Additions to the poetical fragments of Rich. Baxter written for himself and communicated to such as are more for serious verse than smooth.
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Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.
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1683
(1683)
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Wing B1180A; ESTC R26683
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25,832
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82
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thing God now is all Love makes all Common for it makes all One Zeal for good Works Patience in bearing wrong Were the true Marks by which Christs flock was known Had not Christ added this convincing Seal Tongues Miracles and Sanctifying Grace The Wonder of Redemption is so great That Faith to unbelief must needs give place Apostles Mortal were before they Die For future Ages they Christs sacred word His Deeds Laws Doctrine by the promis'd Spirit To guide the Church infallibly record As Moses gave the Iews the only Law Which following Priests and Prophets were to Teach So th' Holy Ghost by the Apostles wrote The word which after Ages were to Preach As Moses Law was Seal'd with Miracles When such the following Ages did not need So Christs Apostles did by Wonders Seal Those Records which the after Ages read The Spirit promis'd to the Apostles was To lead them to all needful saving Truth And bring Christs words to their rememberance What they by his Commission did Christ doth Their Writings are the Holy Ghosts own Book Though human Imperfection do appear In Modes and Phrases it 's no just offence But leaves the Truth and Use still sure and clear Words but the Vehicle of matter be Gods Spirit owns not the Translators words But if as signs they with his Words agree The Sense and Matter of them is the Lords This Spirit helps the Church but not to bring Another Gospel Law or Word from Heav'n Nor mend or change Gods Laws in word or sense But to preach and obey the word once given To bring new Laws or Messages from God A Prophets Office is and not a Priests To forge such or make Laws for all the Church The Authors prove false Prophets or false Christs Christian Religion is one stablisht thing Which all the Church from first to last may know It is not human changeable or new Nor doth by Mens decrees increase and grow If Canons no part of Religion be But Laws for Rites and things indifferent Why must all Christians needs in these agree Or not agreeing by Church-Wars be rent The Church hath all one Head one perfect Law All justified be by Christs Blood and Merit All that are true though weak Christ doth receive For all are Sanctified by one Spirit The Holy Ghost in all true Christians dwells He doth illuminate and make them New This is Christs Agent and his Body formes His Witness proving that his Word is true This Spirit did the Gospel first Indite And on it did Gods Image first Ingrave And then by it as his great Instrument That Image Prints on all that he will save Though it be long of their resisting Will That any of this Grace deprived be Yet Scripture and Experience clearly tell That diffrencing electing Grace is free In Children it appears when God doth choose He gives a reachable and willing Mind Good Dispositions and Capacity By Grace their Nature is to good inclin'd Grace chooseth Parents careful of their Souls Helps them to educate them in Gods fear To commend Virtue and disgrace all Vice Teach them Gods word causeth them to hear Gods Seed in such is often early Sowd And as they grow it springs up by degrees As Plants and Fruits by Sun Moisture grow'd Whose present growth and motion no Man sees The first beginnings of the Spirits work Is in a learning Mind and fear of Sin A love and liking of good things and Men 'Gainst Sins for Duty Conscience strives within Grace watcheth over them provides them helps Meet Teachers Books Examples Company Keeps off temptations causeth them to hate Lying bad Words and Deeds and Ribaldry Bad Childrens Hearts are quite averst to good They love not Virtue relish not Gods Law Tempting Discourse Examples Vanities Catch on their Hearts as Fire doth on Straw If early helps Parents and Teachers fail And Sin the childish Mind and Life pervert If Folly Flesh and tempting Baits prevail Yet God his chosen will in time convert Hee 'l either give them better Company Or better helps and Teachers whom hee 'l Bless Or bring some useful Book unto their Eye And make their Snares their Temptations less Or hee 'l some sharp Affliction on them lay Which may awake the hardened sleepy Heart Or Conscience shall some quickning motion feel Tell them their Sins their Danger and Desert O! How the Case with Sinners now is chang'd Things all appear now in another Shape Sin now is Madness Mad he calls himself For loving Death and thinks now how to Scape Now God is Holy Just his Word is True He is in earnest though Sinners be in jest The Face of all his Works and Ways seem New Those things seem worst which formerly seem'd best The common Texts and Truths he daily heard Do now begin to have some Life and Sence He wonders how he past them by before As if they had been of no Consequence That wounds shames and grieves and breaks his heart Which formerly was his Delight and Pleasure That 's Vanity and mortal Poyson now For which he hungred as his Food and Treasure Now the Mad Prodigal comes to himself Perhaps the World doth him its Husks deny Why saith he did I leave a Fathers House There none do want here I must starve and die O that I had not tasted Satans Bait Nor Pampred Flesh and pleas'd vain Appetite Neglected Grace and things of greatest Weight Nor medled with Sins poysonous Delight But the time lost can never be recal'd The works of Madness cannot be undone I have undone my self is there no help I know all else is Vain there is but one A Fathers Love affordeth me some hope The World gives none I must return or die I 'le go and humbly all my Sin confess And cast my self upon his Clemency But God is Just and Holy how can I Defil'd with Sin and Guilt stand in his sight Now the sick Soul a sure Physicion needs There is one Saviour who is Gods Delight He is the Way by whom Men come to God He is the Truth to save the World from Errour He is the Life to save from endless Death Self-Murdering Souls subject to Hellish Terrour And now the Gospel's better understood Redemption seemeth not a needless thing His Thoughts are precious of Christs precious Blood His Mediator Prophet Priest King The Gospel now is Tydings of great Joy Pardon of Sin Adoption Peace with God Freedom from Terrour Satan Sin and Hell Mans self-made and Gods just Revenging Rod. He sees why Love in Mans repair must be As much Admir'd as Power in our Creation Sinners cannot immediatly God see But by a Mediator have Salvation Now all things else seem loss and dung for Christ Wisdom is folly where Christ is left out To know him is the true Philosophy The rest doth teach Men but to prate and doubt Some glimps of God and Heav'n blurd Nature yields But it s but as a Candle to this Sun Others towards God
great Turk Tartarian or Mogul No King so Mighty as the Devil is Nor hath Dominions so large as his Yet would no wise Man such a Devil be That he might be as powerful as he If any would be such his own desire Makes him a Devil fitted for Hell Fire Madness cal'd Wisdom is and Rules in chief With all that cannot see beyond this Life To them that see not beyond Flesh and Blood And tast no better than these Senses Food That know not the true everlasting good Nothing on Earth is rightly understood The Heavenly Light must open Sinners Eyes Before they ever will be truly Wise One real prospect of the Life to come A true belief whither Mens Souls are gone Would more felicitating Wisdom give Than foolish sensual Men will now believe Call not that Wisdom which will end in shame VVhich undoes him who by it wins the Game A Wit that can decieve himself and others VVit to destroy his own Soul and his Brothers VVit that can prove that Sins a harmless thing That Sin 's no Sin or no great hurt will bring That with the Serpent can give God the Lie And say believe not God you shall not die VVit that can prove that God speaks but in jest That present Fleshly Pleasue is Mans best VVit that can prove Gods Wisdom is deceiv'd And sacred Scriptures should not be receiv'd VVit to confute Gods Word reject his Grace Lose time Sin boldly post toward Hell apace Defend the Devils Cause his own Damnation Slight God neglect a Saviour and Salvation Call not that Wisdom which Men would disown And wish at last that they had never known To go with honour ease and sport to Hell And there with shame late repentance dwell Truth is for Goodness Wisdom's Use and End To which true Learning and just Studies tend Is that this may be throughly understood To be Good do Good and get endless Good False Wit emploi'd in hurting other Men VVrites its own Death in Blood with its own Pen It forceth many to their self-defence VVho fain would live in quiet Innocence Kites Foxes Wolves have wit to cath their prey Yet harmless Sheep live quietter than they Men keep their Flocks that they may multiply So that but few by Wolves and Lyons die But hurtful ravenous Beasts all men pursue While all destroy them there remains but few Some slight Gods Word because weak Men abuse it VVhat 's Law or Reason then when all misuse it Men will not despise God nor sin nor die But they will give a learned Reason why What is so false which Wit cannot defend And that by Volumes confidently pen'd Reason can justifie the greatest wrong The basest lie can hire a Learned Tongue What Cause so vile that cannot Wit Suborn Men will not without Reason be forsworn Reason can make Rogues of the best of Men And make a Church of Saints a Serpents Den Can make usurping Lucifer a Saint And Holy Martyrs like to Devils paint Even Reverend Wit can by transforming Skill Make Hereticks and Schismaticks at will It can prove white is black and black is white That night is day and grossest darkness Light Say what you will Reason can prove it true What is 't that drunken Reason cannot do How rare is that blest place that Age or Season Which may not own this Character of Reason And must we therefore brutishness prefer Because well used Reason is so rare But when the Drunken frenzie fit is gone And Devils their deceiving work have done VVhen Death the dreaming Sinner doth awake O what a dreadful change doth God then make Then wise Men only are the pure and just VVho Christ who God obey and in him trust III. Madness LOrd is not Man though lodg'd in Flesh and Blood A noble Vital intellectual Spirit Thou maid'st him in thine Image wise and good Earths Paradise Heav'ns Suburbs to inherit How comes a Reasonable human Soul Transform'd by such a Monstrous ugly change Into a Bruitish Raging Wicked Fool To God himself and wisdom blind and strange Thou gav'st him sight who hath put out his Eyes Thou gav'st him knowledg who hath made him mad Ev'n Satan promising to make him wise Thou mad'st him holy Sin hath made him bad Did not endeavours blessed by thy Grace Restore some Holy Wisdom in thine own The Souls which Sin and Satan did deface Would not from Bruits Devils well be known It s strange in Man how these two twisted be To be a Bruit and a Malignant Devil Folly and wickedness too well agree A fool to goodness is wise to do evil Children do quickly learn to serve the Flesh Their Pride their Appetite and their Self-will Eager for every thing that these can wish But little knowing what is good or ill Their Sense and Fancie do so strongly Rage That Teachers speak in vain Flesh will not hear Bruitishness gets advantage by their Age Till Grace comes in and opens heart and eare Depraved Nature made by custom worse Makes Reason now a fetter'd slave to Sense Increased Sin becomes a double Curse Fights against God and is its own Defence As Flesh grows up so Sense and Fancie grow Lust and vain Pleasure now do Tyranize What crosseth these they hate would not know And raging Flesh abhoreth to be wise Yet wise in wickedness they needs will seem They can confute their Teachers with a breath All that reproves them they as error deem And become Advocates for Sin and Death And now the same who Infant-Christians were And did renounce the Flesh the World Devil Flesh World and Devils serious Servants are And Christ blaspheme as Patron of their Evil. Now God and Conscience seem their greatest foes God as above them doth controle their lust He that pleads Conscience for an Enemy goes And all that 's done against him goes for just God's call'd to Sinners Bar and there condemn'd As heading Rebels that do him obey Before those fools his Laws are all contemn'd Christ must be taught to think and say as they And being once engag'd in Satans war His daring Souldiers they are quickly made But little wit and labour needful are To learn the Lying Hating Hurting Trade Now valiant Bedlam drunken devillish wit Conquers resistance Triumphs over all Fights against all that help not or submit To bring Church Kingdoms Souls to Satans thral O what a busie Trade mad worldlings drive They talk they ride they run contend fight With craft they plot with fraud and force they strive For fleshly Lust and poysonous Delight As the fleet Swallows glides to catch a Flie And toylsom Ants do gather Sticks and Straw At dearer rates Men purchase Vanity For Satan Lust and Madness make their Law May they but a sick Mortal Lust fulfil Get Money Houses Land and large Revenews Look big and make all stoop to their proud will Feast drink and play and keep a great Retinue This is the dreaming happiness of Fools Life spent for this and