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	error_n	faith_n	4,873	5	5.2360	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13069	A fourth proceeding in the harmony of King Dauids harp That is to say; a godly and learned exposition of six psalmes moe of the princely prophet Dauid, beginning with the 62. and ending with the 67. Psalme. Done in Latin by the reuerend Doctour Victorinus Strigelius professor in Diuinitie in the vniuersitie of Lipsia in Germany Anno 1502. Translated into English by Richard Robinson citizen of London 1596. Seene, perused, and allowed. ...; Hypomnēmata in omnes Psalmos Davidis. Psalm 62-67. English	Strigel, Victorinus, 1524-1569.; Robinson, Richard, citizen of London.	1596 (1596)	STC 23362; ESTC S105184	33,513	60

from other sectes Also that they might be meanes to strengthen the ministerie Dauid therefore offereth bullockes and goates not being bewitched with a pharisaicall opinion but vnderstanding those endes whereof I haue briefly spoken Let vs nowe that the policie and temple of the Iewes is destroyed offer vnto god the calues of our lippes that is thankesgiuing and confession and let vs walke in our vocation for the glorie of God Verse 14 O come hither and hearken all yee that feare God and I will tell you what he hath done for my soule Verse 15 I called vnto him with my mouth and gaue him praises with my tongue Verse 16 If I encline vnto wickednesse with my heart the Lorde wil not heare me Verse 17 But God hath heard me and considered the voyce of my prayer Verse 18 Praised be God which hath not cast out my prayer nor turned his mercy from me Hitherto hath he celebrated the publique deliuerances of the church nowe makes hee mention of priuate deliuerances to the end he would increase and confirme in others faith prayer and hope of deliuerance for as one saide elegantly The examples of godly persons are towers builded vpon the wall of faith Also this place teacheth that god seeth the sighings of our heartes and discerneth hypocrisie from true prayer For prayer is not heard except it be made in spirit and trueth And hee can not pray which hath in him an errour striuing with faith or goeth on forwardes in sinning against conscience because it is written in the first epistle of the holy apostle Saint Paule the sixt chapter and the twelft verse Fight the good fight hauing faith and good conscience Againe God heareth not sinners which do not repent them of their sinnes And it is saide in the first epistle of Saint Iohn the third chapter If our heart condemne vs not then haue wee boldnesse towardes God that whatsoeuer we aske wee receiue of him c. vers 21. and 22. Let vs therefore walke wisely not as fooles that wee may rightly call vpon God PSAL. 67. Deus misereatur nostri To him that excelleth on Neginoth a Psalme or Song or Prayer for the Church to obtaine the fauour of GOD that his iudgementes may bee knowne throughout the world and for the comming of his vniuersall kingdome vnder Christ Iesus THE ARGVMENT THere is extant a most sweete sentence in the first epistle of saint Paul vnto Timothie the third chapter and the sixteenth verse which containeth the effect of this Psalme Without controuersie great is the mysterie of godlinesse which is God is manifested in the flesh iustified in the spirit seene of angels preached vnto the Gentiles beleeued on in the world and receiued vp in glory For thinke with your selfe what a thing it is that the Sonne of God being consubstantial and coequall with his Father hath not taken away the equalitie of God that is hath not abused his power against his vocation but hath debased himselfe taking vpon him the forme of a seruant that is nature of man hauing all the strength and desires proper to nature onely without sinne and at length was made obedient vnto death euen to the death of the Crosse Againe this Messias for vs crucified and raised from death to life is endewed with notable and vnfallible testimonies of the holy ghost for publickly doth the holy ghost beare witnesse touching the person and benefites of this Lord not only by the preaching of the Apostles but also by new strange and vnusuall miracles which were the Seales of doctrine and publickly martyrs and other the godly ones haue felt ioy to bee enlightned in the acknowledgement of Christ which is the vanquisher of death And where he addeth that Christ was seene of Angels let not that bee vnderstood of an idle or vaine contemplation but of that sence or meaning whereof S. Peter speaketh that is To whom the Angels and powers and might are subiect For although we earthly persons doe not greatly maruell at the copulation of the two natures in Christ yet Aungels which are the most wisest spirites and alwaies as S. Math saith Behold the face of the father Math. 18.10 being astonished with maruelling at this mysterie stād amazed and cannot take pleasure inough with beholding it For what is more maruellous then that fleshe of our fleshe and bone of our bones shoulde sit at the right hand of God This mysterie as the Poet saith I'ts not enough we once it see It vayles we still ●t viewing be Furthermore what is so much to bee maruelled at as that the Gospel touching Christ is not only preached vnto the Gentiles but also that the effectes of faith are left in many mens heartes Wee doe lesse maruell that the doctrine of the gospel is spred amongst the Iewes in whom there haue alwaies remained some of the doctrines of the Prophets and honest Disciples But whereas this pearle is cast vnto the Gentiles seperated from the policie of Israel which were nothing but hogges and dogges that indeed is most worthy of admiration For the Ethnikes or heathen people hauing forsaken the doctrine of the fathers haue deuised Idols without end and haue polluted themselues with all vices and sinnes whereof the filthinesse is such that I eschew and tremble with feare to speake of them Neither indeed must wee maruell lesse that the Apostles being furnished with no power and destitute of all humane helpes within a small time haue gathered vnto God out of this rable of mankinde an euerlasting Church For that I may say nothing of the miserable and weake outward estate of the Apostles which estrangeth in a sort many from the gospel who would not by right maruel that the same kind of doctrine ordained farre aboue and beyond the reach of mans reason and ioyned with greatest dangers could take root yea and spread abroad also amongst so many and diuers impedimentes For some doe deride the gospel as it were a monstrous fable and scoffe at this opinion which affirmeth that the death of a man crucified was the cause and merite of Iustification before God and of life euerlasting Others doe iudge this new doctrine to be the fire brand and trumpets of seditions But Hypocrites which are in loue with their owne righteousnesse doe much more bitterly hate the gospel as it were the corruption of good maners and the liberty of discipline Therefore although the thinking heereof seemed hard and almost impossible wherewith wee must withstand so many diseases togither yet the Apostles the sonne of God guiding them and the holie Ghost accompanying them within 40. yeares space haue culled and chosen out of mankinde a good and great part of the Church in spite of the diuels their instrumentes Last of al the sonne of God is taken vp in glory that is He was from death gloriously restored vnto life and when hee had shewed himselfe familiarly for the whole space of 40. daies vnto his Apostles he ascended

Church which by the grant and gift of GOD doe heare the preachers of the gospel and ministers therof in Churches and Schooles but they also which ioyne together their prayer and confession with the true church for like as Dauid was not at all seuered from the societie of Gods church bicause hee was banished So the godly ones with Turkish or pontificall tyranny being oppressed and destitute of publike ministery are and remaine citizens of the church if they adioyne their praiers and worshippings vnto those congregations wherein the gospel is preached and doe not cast away their confession of the trueth The Psalme and exposition thereof Verse 1 O God thou art my God early wil I seeke thee Verse 2 My soule thirsteth for thee my flesh also longeth after thee in a barren and drie land where no water is THis is a notable description of a feruent desire For like as the Hart being pursued flieth and is made weary with long chase so that he earnestly desireth the liuely running waters to quench his thirst and refresh himselfe withall so the godly minde vnfainedly and from his heart desireth to haue recourse vnto the publike congregation of the church wherein soundeth the pure word of the gospel and the sacraments are rightly administred for so saieth the 27. Psalme verse 4. One thing haue I desired of the Lord which I will require euen that I may dwell in the house of the Lord al the dayes of my life to behold the ●a●e beauty of the Lord and to visit his holy temple And the 95. psalme and fourth verse saith Blessed is the man whom thou chusest and receiuest vnto thee He shall dwell in thy Court and shall be satisfied with the pleasures of thy house euen of the holy temple These and such like sayings which are euery where extant in the psalmes do instruct the Reader touching greatest matters For first they do teach that there is no thing better nor any thing more wishfull then to liue most friendly and louingly with the congregation which is the Temple and dwelling house of God and shal for euermore enioy the sight of God Secondly they accuse and condemne the erronious persons which will bee members of no church but seeke for Platoes citie wherein is no infirmitie Let such knowe that they are not chosen vnto the society of life euerlasting because they are not of that congregation of those that be called according to that saying of S. Paul Rom. 8.14 Whom he hath chosen those he hath called Thirdly they comfort the godly ones who indure great sorrow in their mindes to be absent from the common assemblies of the church for Mat. 5.6 They are blessed which hunger and thirst after righteousnesse and most earnestly wish and desire to be ioyned with the true church Last of all they discerne the true church from other Sectes For the church holdeth fast the possession of the holy and sacred fountain from whence are drawne necessarie doctrine and whole some consolations But other sectes are desart places full of errours and darkenesse and voyde and barren of al consolation for though they retaine a particle of the Lawe yet they either are vtterly ignorant of or corrupt the gospell But touching this difference I haue oftetimes elsewhere spoken in the Psalmes Verse 3 So haue I looked for thee in holines that I might behold thy power and glory He expresseth plainely the cause of this desire because God is in the Church alone truely acknowledged and called vpon and the speciall presence of God is perceiued for he calleth Gods glorie the proper ornament of the church namely the pure doctrine of the gospel and signes of grace which are called vsually the Sacraments The power of God he signifieth that maner of presence wherwith god is present vnto his church alone for though God in power and substance be euery where according to Ieremies saying 23.24 Doe not I fill heauen and earth And Paul saith Actes 17.28 In him wee are liue and moue yet by another reason God dwelleth in his church for there he is by his word and sacraments so effectuall as he may regenerate sanctifie many vnto life euerlasting This power doeth not reason see which is mal-contented with the simple and base outward shewe of the worde and sacraments But Dauid and other the godly ones feele in their heart a new light and the beginnings of euerlasting life inflamed by the word and signes of grace Rom. 1.16 The gospel is the power of God for saluation vnto all that beleeue Verse 4 For the louing kindenesse is better then the life it selfe my lippes shall praise thee He amplifieth the cause of feruent desire by comparison of present and eternall benefits The greatest part of men seeketh after honours and pleasures and thinketh these fading and vanishing shadowes the chiefe good gifts or blessings But I preferre thy mercy promised in the gospel before al benefites which are momentanie in this life For what doth the whole possession of the world profite a man if thereby he endanger his owne soule with this sentence our mindes are so to be confirmed that we may euen despise those which deride vs so thinking Verse 5 So long as I liue will I magnifie thee on this manner and lift vp my handes in thy name Verse 6 My soule shall be satisfied as it were with marrow and fatnesse when my mouth praiseth thee with ioyfull lips He spake before of the impulsiue cause that is of the obiect which mans will chiefly desireth Now addeth he the small causes of so great a desire I desire not the coniunction or aggregation vnto the church with a certaine ambition or couetousnesse associate themselues with the church for wealth and promotions sake but I looke for and seeke after those chiefest and most excellent conclusions that I may call vpon God and declare my thankfulnesse vnto him both with tongue and other dueties For although in these miseries of banishment I doe call vpon God yet with sighs and teares I make my supplications Seeing then God loueth a cheerefull giuer there shoulde be nothing more wishful vnto me then with a ioyful mind and mouth to worship and honour God And if I might be once partaker of this desire I should iudge my selfe of nothing more happie and with my head to touch the top of the skies But the first fiue verses doe excellently describe the reason of his praier For first in his praier shineth faith beleeuing that wee haue God mercifull vnto vs as the Psalme in this place saith O God thou art my God Secondly his feruent praier riseth of this faith which is compared vnto a thirst My soule thirsteth for thee Thirdly praying he seeth God that is feeleth the speciall presence of God So haue I looked for thee in holinesse Fourthly the feeling of Gods mercie comfort farre passeth all pleasures For thy louing kindnes is better then the light it selfe Fiftly vnto praier is the worshipping of