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	holy_a	word_n	6,560	5	4.2187	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65850	A Christian epistle to Friends in general of weighty concern, for their present and future peace and safety from the soul's adversary's subtill devices and snares of death. To be carefully communicated to the children of light, and professors thereof every where. Being faithfully given forth, and recommended from the spirit of Christ; by his servant George Whitehead.	Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723.	1689 (1689)	Wing W1906; ESTC R220965	9,717	18

and God in displeasure hath suffered them to discover their own weakness and nakedness for their own abasement under the righteous Judgment of Truth And 't is evident from this kind of exalted censorious whispering and envious Spirit which worketh not for Love and Union have proceeded the several Divisions Schisms and Separations which have happened to the great trouble of the Church of Christ in our days as in the Primitive Christians days And the several sorts of Apostates Backsliders from Truth shew what and what kind and manner of Spirit they went and go out in by their Works and Fruits whether in a Spirit of Pride and Ambition in a Spirit of Envy and Hypocrisie in a scornful contemning Spirit in a covetous earthly Spirit in a loose prophane Spirit or in a drunken debauched Spirit of Ranterism and fleshly Liberty which come all from one evil Root and Seed according to the various corrupt Inclinations and Wills of Men upon which the Enemy works and appears with Baits and Temptations suitable thereunto that he may prevail the more And 't is certain that the envious Apostates and wilful Adversaries were the most troublesome to the Primitive Churches of Christ and his holy Apostles in their day and so in ours Therefore blessed and truly happy are they that keep their Habitations in the Truth and love of God and live in Christian Love and Charity one towards another for such walk in the Light where there 's no occasion of stumbling or scandal And as 't was Evidence unto the Primitive Christians that they were passed from Death to Life because they loved the Brethren and that they had purified their Souls through their Obedience of the holy Spirit unto unfeigned Love of the Brethren Even so now the same Evidence Testimony remains and lives in and for all them that dwell in the Love of God one towards another For all Envy Prejudice Back-bitings Whisperings Tale-carrying Lying Heats Passions Provocations Reviling Railing Clamours Scorn Contempt ill Language Flattery and Hypocrisie are to be utterly put away avoided judged condemned and forever excluded the Camp of God for they proceed from the false and degenerate Birth evil Seed and Spirit and not from the true Seed or Birth which is Innocent and hurts no body by Word or Action in Person Name Reputation or Property for that 's tender in all these things For false Reports Whisperings Back-bitings and Tale carrying cause Strife and Division and are condemned by the Law of God and Light of Christ and expresly forbidden by God himself Thou shalt not be as one that carries Tales up and down among my People Thou shalt not receive a false Tale nor raise a false Report against the Lord's People nor do his Prophets or Servants any harm And all who profess the Truth or make mention of the Name of the Lord among us ought to watch over their own Spirits Wills and Passions and have a care of hurting one another or crushing any tender Spirit or Plant or stopping or quenching any Spiritual Gift or Testimony God has given how little or low soever it may be or seem for some of a tender Spirit are sooner hurt and wounded than healed All keep in Christian Humility Meekness Patience Gentleness and Tender heartedness one towards another And Elders and Overseers in the Churches of Christ must be Examples of Believers both in Humllity Meekness Patience and Condescention as Christian Patterns and not self-willed nor soon angry nor given to Passion Striving Heats or Contention Such Christian Examples and Behaviour in the House and Church of the living God tends greatly to keep out and prevent Contentions and contentious Spirits and to the comfort and encouragement of the upright-hearted who are willing to serve the Lord his Truth and people My dear Friends the Lord our God has been good to us a tender Father through all our Tryals Sufferings and Exercises in upholding us by his free Spirit accompanying us with his presence comforting us in our Afflictions with his renewed Mercies and multiplied Favours in preserving us a living people to his praise until this day and affording us this present Liberty we have of late enjoyed and do pertake of the benefit and advantage thereof in our publick peaceable and Religious Assemblies for the Exaltation of the glorious Name holy Truth and divine Power of the Lord our God. Wherefore we have great cause to prize his tender Mercies and Goodness to us and walk humbly under the sence thereof that a right use and improvement may be made of all the Mercies and Priviledges we do enjoy and such a good use of the present Liberty as that none grow careless or negligent indifferent or luke-warm because thereof nor any to sit ●own at ease in the Flesh or in the Earth and therein promise themselves security from further Sufferings or Tryals because of the late present enjoyment of liberty and ease from Persecution This is no good use of the present Mercy nor safe Conclusion for God has many ways to try his people and National Calamities and Distresses whereof his own people sometimes partake are not at an end nor the Judgments incurred by Iniquity turned away because of the continued Provocations Wickedness Rebellions against God their Abominations Pride Hypocrisies Deceits Falshood and Presumption abounding in this and other professing Nations against the great and righteous God the Judge of all who is so long sparing and for bearing as he is to this Nation meerly for his small Remnant and Seed's sake which is already gathered and to be gathered Yet the great God will distress Nations and cause the Earth to tremble before him and Overturnings and Desolations in the Earth before Calamities are ended or Christ's peaceable Kingdom be set up more generally in the Earth or where as yet it is opposed and resisted For the cause why Wars Desolations and the devouring Sword are already in great Judgment entred so many Nations and Countries is because of the Crying Sins Great Provocations Persecutions and Cruelties in the dark Places of the Earth And dear Friends Brethren and Sisters whom I truly love in the Lord who retain your Integrity and Love in the blessed unchangable Truth you cannot be unsensible how that the Lord's Harvest is great and what need of faithful Labourers there now is an effectual Door being open in this time of Liberty the Lord in Mercy has granted for the good of many poor Souls that they may come and receive the Truth in the love of it and that they who have been or are of a fearful Heart may receive strength and know the Lord to be their Saviour and Redeemer in this his Evangelical Day and free and blessed opportunity he has afforded And yet though this Harvest be great the diligent and faithful Labourers are but few now raised up in Comparison of the greatness of the Harvest and necessity of the Work many of our antient Brethren and faithful fellow-Labourers

and Helpers in Christ being taken away and gone to their Everlasting Rest having faithfully served out their Day and Generation fulfilled and finish'd their Testimony with Joy and Peace and obtain'd a Crown of Glory that shall never fade away And this very matter has been often seriously upon my Thoughts and weighty Considerations What should be the Cause or Reason why so few faithful Labourers and clear Gospel Ministers have been of late raised up or now brought forth though some be in a good lively Testimony blessed be the Lord and it clearly appears to me First That few are given up in their Spirits for this weighty Service as we were in the beginning who are in some measure gifted and qualified Secondly Few sincerely seek the Lord or have waited upon him with fervent Desires Prayer and Supplication that they may be gifted indued and qualified with Power Wisdom Faith Patience c. for the Work of the Ministry of Christ Jesus whereas if any man want Wisdom he should ask it of God and he shall not miss of a gracious answer to the desire of his Soul who sincerely asks seeks and knocks at Wisdom's Gate Whatsoever ye ask in my Name saith Christ believe that ye shall receive it and it shall be given you You know Soloman's Request to the Lord for an understanding Heart to discern Judgment his choice of Wisdom rather than Riches or long Life how it pleased God 1 King. 3. 10. Thirdly Very few have their Minds and Spirits really and inwardly exercised in frequent Prayer and daily Supplication to God or in heavenly Meditation or spiritual Contemplation in Gods pure and spiritual Laws Ways Judgments and Works or in holy Scriptures by the holy Spirit which opens them but too many have their Minds Hearts and Affections taken up with these fading Objects and Things below minding earthly things or overcharged with the love of Riches Cares and Cumbers of this Life to compass the Earth wherein many a good Tallent has been hid and poor Soul buried in Captivity Whereas it requires an inward and serious Exercise of Spirit toward God frequent and servent Prayer and Supplication unto him an inward and diligent attention upon him who is the giver of every good and perfect Gift to obtain both divine Wisdom and a weighty living clear Evangelical Ministry For 't is the sanctified Hearts and Souls who truly fear God into whom only Wisdom entreth and maketh them Friends of God and Prophets The Lord will have an inward spiritual sincere zealous People Oh! Inward watchfulness Prayer and Supplication to Almighty God have been and are too much neglected by many I pray God they may seriously examine and find out the causes in themselves with the Light of Christ Jesus and bring all to the righteous judgment thereof Fourthly If any of the younger sort who are in some measure indued with spiritual Gifts and Knowledge do let up a slight and dis-esteem in their Minds of their elder Brethren who are experienced in the Work and Service of God and keep not in Society or Union with them in the Spirit of Love and of a sound Mind but give way unto a singularity abounding in their own sence not keeping low and humble before the Lord nor little in their own Eyes such neither grow in Life nor in divine Openings nor increase in their Gifts nor come to attain to a weighty clear Evangelical Ministry and Service but rather loose dye and wither unless they come into true Humility Self-denyal Reconciliation Love and Union with their elder faithful Brethren who in the love of God would tenderly help them and not hinder them in the Work and Service of the Lord our God. It is both a great Grief and Scandal also to see many of the younger sort who frequent our Meetings and even of Friends Children also degenerating into Pride and height of Spirit and Apparel so nearly to immitate and border upon the World as too to many do contrary to the Gravity Modesty Sobriety Plainness Simplicity Innocency and Humility which Truth requires in Example as well as in Spirit and which Truth at first led many into and as still it doth lead and order them that truly love and obey it In which I pray God to settle and order his People and that no plea nor excuse may be made to maintain Pride Vanity or Immodesty in Apparel which only gratifies vain airy Minds and Spirits and the Lust of the carnal Eye and grieves the tender and gives occasion of Reproach and Stumbling to them that are without and to such as are soberly Religiously inclined Oh! 't is precious to keep low and humble before the Lord and to walk as living Examples of Christian Humility a lowly Mind is content with low things and loves plainness And this is observable that if never so much be truly and sincerely preached in publick against Pride and Vanity in Apparel c. if it be indulged or conived at at home in Children or young Persons by Parents Guardians or Overseers all Preaching Instruction and Warning proves to them but as Water spilt upon the Ground and takes no Impression whilst through such Encouragement Indulgence at home they imbrace a Spirit of Pride Irreverence towards God disregard to his Truth and People and though some Formality and something of the form of Truth they may have by outward Education 't is not by the Work of Regeneration for 't is but few in comparison that really come in at That Door and therefore I have had often a Godly Fear upon me of the springing up of degenerate Plants amongst us and a degenerate Generation to the dishonour of Truth and our holy Profession after our days And it 's they who are inclining and getting into the Spirit of the World and Liberty out of the Truth who live not in Humility nor in the Fear of God that give secret strength to an apostate turbulent Spirit which has been the Churches Exercise of late Years and that are most easily catched with that Apostate Spirit and feigned Words of the Instruments thereof whose Work is to sow Discord and make Divisions Schisms and Separations which are Fruits of the Flesh for if all had been faithful to the Light and kept in Humility and Love of Truth and one another there had been no Enmity one towards another nor smiteing of fellow-Servants but the Fear of God would have preserved them out of those Snares of Death which that Spirit of Discord leads into Howbeit I am well satisfied in the Lord that he will never suffer a general or final Apostacy or Degeneration the Brightness of our Day and Glory of our Sun of Righteousness shall never be extinguished Although too many through the Adversary's Subtilty and Temptations together with their own carnal and corrupt Inclinations are apt to degenerate and their Minds to be exalted and alienated from the Fear of God from the Cross of Christ from Humility