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	faith_n	matter_n	4,045	5	5.7347	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44635	The evil of our dayes with the remedy of it : a sermon preach'd at a visitation at Rothwell in Northamptonshire, Octob. 12, 1697 / by John Howard ...	Howard, John, 1647-1729?	1698 (1698)	Wing H2982; ESTC R8165	19,799	29

that there is so much Pride Covetousness and Intemperance amongst us To these I must add the many Rents and Divisions in the Church of Christ whereby Men do a great indignity to our blessed Lord himself and frustrate as much as lies in them one gracious end of his dying for us the uniting all into one body the many Petitions also he made to God the Father and the excellent Precepts he has given us to this purpose And hence it is as well as from other causes before-mention'd that the Houses of God are so little frequented his Worship both in ●ublick and Private so strangely neglected and particularly the Sacrament of the Lords Supper that holy Feast instituted by our Saviour for a Commemoration of his dying Love to us to engage us more strictly in that service which is perfect freedom and to convey Spiritual Grace and Comfort to us How is this neglected by most Men as if they had no sense of their Baptismal Engagements which are here repeated of the most gracious work of Mans Redemption by the death of Christ here represented or the Interest and Happiness of their precious and Immortal Souls which would be very much promoted by a serious and frequent attendance on this holy Ordinance Hence also is that almost general indifferency in Religion I mean in respect of the great substantials of it for there is too much Zeal in all parties for those lesser things which distinguish them from other Protestants They are very fond of the occasions and marks of their Separation from their brethren as if needless divisions in the Church which were of old condemn'd by our great Apostle as works of the Flesh had now chang'd their Nature and were become means of Grace and Salvation The intemperate heats Men have for these things together with those of Worldly and Carnal Affections have almost exhausted that true Zeal for God and that sincere Affection to one another which are the distinguishing Marks of Christs Disciples It is because Iniquity does so abound that the love of many is grown cold though for this very reason it ought to have been more fervent as will appear hereafter Thus have I mention'd some of the most common Sins amongst us wherein we may seem a parallel even to Ephesus it self when this Epistle was written If the Heathens there were violent Idolaters and Persecutors of Christians such are our Papists too if sometimes they practic'd barbarous Cruelties upon any they met with and were ordinarily very dissolute and licentious in their Lives we are not without instances of the former sort and do too much abound with those of the latter and our Atheist is such a monster as perhaps was not known amongst them If Errors and Heresies did infest the Church then we have some of the worst of them reviv'd in our days and have added many others to them If there were some perverse Men in the Church at Ephesus that separated themselves and drew Disciples after them these are far outdone by the many Schisms and Divisions amongst us at this day If the believing Ephesians were accus'd some time after the writing of this Epistle for having lest their first love Rev. 2.4 how much more may we be condemn'd for almost the entire loss of ours and falling into a luke-warmness like that chargd upon Laodicea and for which our Blessed Saviour so severely threatens her We may therefore say of our own days in respect of the Sins that abound amongst us as the Apostle did of those he liv'd in that they are Evil. And the more because those in our days that commit the same Sins with the Heathens at Ephesus have been better instructed than they and prosess a pure and undefil'd Religion and all wilful Sins amongst us are committed against as many gracious Providences of God towards us as were ever shew'd to any Nation 2. Our days are Evil too in respect of Suffering But here I will acknowledge to the praise of Gods Goodness and Patience that we are not liable to such bloody Persecutions as the Ephesians were daily in danger of We live not under Laws that make our Religion a Capital Crime or Magistrates that are ready to Judge and Condemn us for it to the most Cruel Deaths Yea though the Protestants in several Neighbouring Nations have been thus barbarously dealt with by the Papists and we our selves were in imminent danger of the same sufferings it pleas'd God of his insinite goodness to prevent them by an unexpected and wonderful deliverance and now at last to confirm this more and free us from many sensible effects of a long and dreadful War by the Peace which is so happily concluded But notwithstanding these undeserv'd effects of God's Mercy I have said enough already to prove one of the greatest Persecutions at this time and in this Nation that can befall good men but especially faithful Ministers St. Augustin Hom. 10. speaking of those words of the Apostle 2 Tim. 3.12 All that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution brings in this Question by way of Objection When the Church is in a state of Peace and Tranquility Protected by Laws and Defended by Princes How then do they who live Godly suffer Persecution To which he Answers Qui inter malos vivunt persecutionem patiuntur quia omnes mali persequuntur bonos non ferro lapidibus sed vita moribus They who live amongst Evil Men do suffer Persecution for all Evil Men Persecute the Good not with Sword and Stones but by their Life and Manners And then he Instances in the case of Lot in Sodom whom none Persecuted or Molested there but only by their Wicked Lives With which as St. Peter tells us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he Rack'd or Tortur'd his Righteous Soul from day to day And indeed this Persecution has been always very Grievous to Good Men. It drew Rivers of Waters from the Psalmist's Eyes and made the Soul of Jeremy weep in secret places Yea for this as well as for the Judgments it would bring upon Judah he passionately wishes That his head were waters and his eyes a fountain of Tears that he might weep day and night for them Jer. 9.1 And none will wonder at this that consider how Injurious sin is to the Honour of Almighty God how contrary to the Temper of every Good Man and in what danger it puts them that are guilty of eternal Damnation And if these sinners be under our own charge our Affliction is the greater on their account If St. John had no greater Joy than to hear that his Children walked in Truth nothing could afflict him more than their defection from it If it was the Joy and Crown yea the very Life of St. Paul that the Churches under his Care stood fast in the Faith it must be a matter of great trouble and humiliation yea something like Death it self to him if they deserted it Nay if in some cases as