Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	church_n	doctrine_n	teach_v	6,712	5	6.4919	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93347	Gods unchangeableness: or Gods continued providence, in preserving, governing, ordering and disposing of all creatures, men, actions, counsels and things, as at the beginning of the world, so to the end of the world, for ever, according to the counsel of his own will. From whence is gatherd six necessary inferences very applicable to the changes, alterations and vicissitude of these our present times. Wherein is clearly demonstrated and proved, that Oliver Cromwell is by the providence of God, Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland, &c. to whom the people owe obedience, as to him whom God hath set over them. Unto which is added, the causes of discontent, repining and murmurings of men: also, some serious advertisements, and seasonable admonitions to the discontented, and reprehensions to all impetuous, arrogant murmurers. Together with answers to some cheif objections made against the Lord Protector and his present government, endeavouring (if possible) satisfaction to all men. / Therefore written and published for publicke good, by George Smith, Gent.	Smith, George, 1602 or 3-1658.	1655 (1655)	Wing S4036; Thomason E824_4; ESTC R207687	84,417	65

hard bondage The house of Israel was Gods Vineyard and the men of Judah his pleasant plants Whence God looked for judgement but behold oppression for righteousnesse but behold a cry b Religion and policy were with many but one and the same thing We fasted for strife and debate and smote with the hand of wickednesse but did not loose the bands of wickednesse to undoe the heavy burthens and let the oppressed go free c Providence dissolved that Parliament not yet that I know lamented by any And truly I conceive it was no lesse mercy from God that the succeeding Parliament was dissolved too Many members therein having a design to destroy our Laws and Religion to cut off the head of the two great Ordinances of God Magistracy and Ministery at one blow and so set open a floud-gate for loose licentious liberty to break in upon us to our confusion where then should we have found the true liberty and priviledge of the people so much talked of while we were under the oppression of an arbitrary power blessed be that providence that hath prevented those designs and freed us from that yoke giving us comfort in hopes of a setled peace and holy Reformation with the restoring us again to our Laws and true priviledges By that Illustrions and Noble Champion OLIVER Lord Protector of England Scotland and Ireland e. whom Providence hath made instrumental to hinder destruction to the Nation and provide that our Teachers are not driven into corners as the Lord hath promised they shall not be d Let no man mistake me to think that I am an enemy to Parliaments I am not God knows it but I am a lover and honourer of Parliaments and shall ever as my own life and the publike safety But I hate the sins of Parliaments covetousnesse self-seeking oppression schisms divisions factions and private interest these God hates and I cannot nor will love what God abhors though I be hated for it I do with much thankfulnesse acknowledge it as a free mercy from God that we have this present Parliament My Praier is that God will make them blessings to lasting posterities And surely it is free-love and mercy from God in setting up that authority and single person which hath called this Parliament And as great a mercy that Providence discovered that Plot and murtherous design hatched in France and to be executed upon his Person in England The same mercy and free-love was extended to this Nation for his Highnesse late escape from the danger of his presumptuous attempt in a recreation not becoming his dignity I pray it may be a monition to him not again to go out of his place and rank Providence having called him to the care of the greatest affairs con●erning the Church of God in general and the welfare of the people of these three Nations A heavy burthen and requires the whole strength of body and minde And above all these mercies we must not forget to acknowledge it a mercy from God that we at this day do enjoy the Ordinances of God notwithstanding the mighty oppositions both on the left hand and on the right hand Superstition on one side and imprudent zeal on the other we have the word of Truth held out to us and may enjoy every Ordinance in its purity if we will or if we were not wanton for men may be as holy as they will or can be there is no restraint in that nor persecution for it I wish we did not too much counive at grosse apparent heresie and blasphemy For though the truth should be free heresie should have a bar God blames the Church of Pergamus and the Church of Thyatira for suffering them them that held the doctrine of Balaam and for suffering her that called her self a Prophetesse to teach and seduce e c. Dead flies saith Solomon cause the Ointment of the Apothecary to send forth a stinking savour f and corrupt doctrines suffered are dishonour to the Truth We come to the second Inference and that is That all Judgements and Afflictions are from God only and are the just recompence for sinne procured by our selves men or things afflicting being but secondary causes instruments in Gods hand This is very fully proved in the whole Book of God That all Iudgements and Afflictions are from God is sufficiently proved in our foregoing discourse And that they are the just recompence of sinne is as clear for God never punished but for sin and if there had been no sin there should never have been any punishments The Soul that sinneth shall die g The old world was destroyed by a deluge and why for Sinne God saw that the wickednesse of man was great upon the earth h c. And for sinne Sodom and Gomorrha was destroied by fire from heaven Nadah and Abihu for their sinne were devoured by fire and that for ought we know for a sinne of Ignorance i The wages of sinne is death k What else is warre pestilence and famine but the recompence of sin and so procured by by our selves All afflictions on the body in the minde on the estate or in our respective relations are just recompence for our sinnes from the hand of God l There hath been no alteration no overturnings iudgements and misery but for sin and is all procured by our selves We may say of England as Daniel said of Israel when they were under the captivity of Chaldea To us belongeth confusion of face to our Kings to our Princes to our Fathers and to all the people because of our transgressions m And as Ezra That God hath punished us lesse then our deservings n And as Jeremy It is of the Lords mercy we are not consumed o Our elder Sister is Samaria and our younger Sister is Sodom we have justifiedour Sisters in all the abominations which we have done p What shall we say to the pride of England even in the day of her calamity Oh the pride of apparel the pride of place of gifts of blessings received yea of graces and of our supposed or flattered humility What shall we say to the idlenesse and fulnesse of bread the drunkennesse swearing forswearing and the abominable blasphemies that England is guilty of And what shall we say of the murders adulteries mighty oppressions self-love and wicked Sorcery that is in England the dishonouring of the Lords day contempt of Gods worship and generall neglect of all duties of the first and second Table what lukewarmnesse is there in Religion more then ever was in Laodicea What hot contentions about fancies and ceremonies and coldnesse to the power of holinesse What unthankfulnesse under the enjoyment of multitude of mercies What security and self-promising of happy condition as if no evil could befall them like the men of Laish that dwelt carelesly and there was no Magistrate in the Land that might put them shame in any thing q Although our professed and

if we ask according to our own will he will not hear him that is he wi●l not give him what he asketh And we must also ask in faith without wavering Jam. 1. 6. but how can we have faith in asking any thing for which we have not a promise for faith is grounded upon the promise Abraham beleeved the promise Rom. 4. 3. he staggered not at it he was fully perswaded that what God had promised he was able to perform and would do it q And without faith it is impossible to please God r what is not of faith is sin without faith God accepts no praier ſ and in the last place we must ask all that we pray for in the Name of Iesus Christ Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my Name he will give it you t See Joh. 14. 13. And in extraordinary cases we must adde spiritual ●●sting to our praier for there is a kinde of devil that goeth not out but by praier and fasting u humble your selves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up Jam. 4. 10. we must come with humbled hearts willing and desirous to bring our wils to Gods will but take beed of fasting and praying and making appeals to God w to bring Gods will to your will it is not safe to tempt God For our God is a consuming fire The next means is to get the love of God kindled in our hearts let us get burning zeal to the truth and receive the truth in the love of it contend for verity not for victory Advance the Gospel in the Ministry of it love the brotherhood honour all men fear God and honour the Supream Magistrate x whether King or Lord Protector this is Apostolical doctrine Let every soul be subject to the higher powers for there is no power but of God the powers that be are ordained of God y This is the Apostle Pauls doctrine and this is the Apostle Peters doctrine Submit your selves to every Ordinance of man for the Lords sake z for so is the will of God a This is no new devised doctrine nor is it in the least Antichristian but the doctrine of the Law and the doctrine of the Gospel If there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine that is that denieth this doctrine receive him not into your house neither bid him God speed b to deny this truth of the Gospel and teach for Gospel another thing is to bring in another Gospel But I am commanded by the Gospel that though men or an Angel from heaven preach any other Gospel then what the Apostles have preached not to beleeve it c The Gospel establisheth a standing Magistracy and a standing Ministry by them Liberty and Religion is maintained and preserved if well regulated Therefore it highly concerns Parliaments of which by Gods mercy and love to his people we are not wholly deprived nor by one for ever oppressed It is Gods mercy and his honour the Lord Protector I mean whom God hath made instrumental to call this Honourable Assembly in Parliament together I say it concerns them to consider whence we are fallen and whether we are going and by their authority to put bars against licenticusnesse and loose liberty and to be a wall of protection unto the truth that those Foxes may be taken that spoil the Vines for our Vines have tender grapes d Honourable Parliament if my Scribling Sheets ever come to your view take notice from them that God hath by his good providence called you together to make up the breach that finne hath made or rather God for sin upon us We have been perfidious to God and God hath removed justice and equity from us You must be both Phinchas and Aaron Phinchas to rise up with courage and zeal not only to do justice but to give life to the just Laws of the Nation that justice may be done by a Law against the transgressors of Gods Law e and Aaron to stand between the dead and the living that Gods anger may be appeased f You in behalf of the good people of these three Nations are to settle by Gods assistance these unsetled Nations what is possible for the present and with all possible care to look to the future the God Almighty be your strength and your Counsellor in the great work under your hands that you may be instruments in 〈◊〉 hand to establish a just and setled Magistracy and a holy religious Ministry That the glory of the Lord Jehovah may be advanced and the people of these Nations may again enjoy their Rights and Proprieties our sins cry to God for g●eate● judgements and the people cry under great pressures And God hath called you that are the great men of these Nations to prove and to try what you will do for him Jer. 5. 5. You have known the way of the Lord and the judgement of your God turn you not aside as others have done God seeks now as he did in Jerusalem to finde a man if there be any that executeth judgement and secketh the truth that he may spare poor England Jer. 5. 1. And let not the poor of these Nations be forgotten by you provide houses and stock to set them to work in all Cities Countreys and Towns that there may not be a beggar in our Israel g Debts ought to be paid but Publike Faith debts not paid is most dishonourable to the Nation I know as things have been managed it is no easie thing to pay them But to purge the University and Nurseries of Learning from their open pollutions and vicious practices and Schools of Learning to be purged of vitious Schoolmasters the poyson of youth and the bane of age and ages is a work acceptable to God a means to obtain blessings to posterities and it will cost no money to do it These and the like means diligently used really prosecuted freed from self-interest vain-glory or hypocrisie will assuredly multiply mercies on the Nations and prevent the judgements threatned and cause England to be the praise of the whole earth I pray give me leave to say what the Lord by the Prophet said in another case concerning Tythes then due by a Law of God leviticall only belonging to the Jews now due by no such right but they were unjustly withheld Therefore saith the Lord Prove me now therewith if I will not open to you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing h c. So I say Use such means as before I have briefly mentioned and prove the Lord if he will not double and redouble all sorts of blessings on this Common-wealth I blesse God that there hath been a beginning of a Reformation of some things by his Highnesse more then in some years past by others though much was promised And I blesse God that put into his Highnesses heart and this present Parliament to call for a general and