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
A72180	A sermon preached at Pauls Crosse the thirtie day of May. 1591 By M. George Giffard, preacher of the worde of God at Maldon in Essex.	Gifford, George, d. 1620.	1591 (1591)	STC 11862.3; ESTC S124958	18,032	49

come downe vpon vs plenteously and flowe vnto euerie member we shall bring foorth fruite vnto God watered with heauenly dewes we shall haue that great and high blessing of God almightie vnto eternall life Therfore if it be not too late that the sinnes of this land haue prouoked the Lord to displeasure let all men lift vp their hartes and cry vnto the Lord that he will bestowe this precious iewell vpon vs that wee may be at vnity not in al manner of wicked vices nor in errors but in the Lord. And nowe who shall séeke this vnity who shall studie to aduance it This may be in question I answer euen all states and degrees of men priuate persons rulers and teachers euen all and euery one that will looke for any part of Gods blessing must aduance it Euery man I say must looke vnto the heauenlye truth of the holy religion and imbrace the same with all loue and harty affection Euery man ought to bee zealous in spirite of the glory for Christ For if a man haue not the zeale of religion hee cannot bee a good man whether he be ruler or priuate man though he séeme to be neuer so peaceable but as the Lord saith to the Angell of the Church of Laodicea Reu. 3. Because thou art neither hot nor colde I will spew thée out of my mouth God dooth reiecte all such dull and drowsie Atheistes and irreligious persons which are so earthly minded as that they regarde not the heauenly graces which are offered in the Gospell Let all men therefore stirre vp their harts to be feruent in gods truth and let not Godlie zeale be quenched Thē further as I haue also shewed before wee must ioyne the practise of this holye word as the Apostle S. Iames willeth be doers of the word not hearers onely deceiuing your selues Ia. 2. ve 19. for the great disturbance of peace and the greeuous breaches of vnity and all bitter dissentions do chéefely arise from hence that all sorts degrees of men do not walk in the rules which God hath prescribed vnto them in his word We must therefore enter more particularly into this matter that wee may sée how each man is to further this blessed vnity I beginne with the priuate person for whom there are rules prescribed in Gods word for him to obserue if he wil be a true member of the Church and a séeker and preseruer of this vnity and so a partaker of Gods blessing vnto life euerlasting One rule is touching subiection reuerence vnto rulers and gouernous both Ciuill and Ecclesiasticall for God hath commaunded to honour and obey them Submitte your selues vnto all manner ordinaunce of man for the Lordes sake whether it be vnto the king as vnto the superior or vnto gouernours as vnto them that are sent of him for the punishment of euill doers and for the praise of them that doo well 1. Pet. 2. v. 13.14 Also of this obedience and subiection for conscience sake of this reuerence and honour to bee rendred S. Paule writeth Rom. 13. ver 1.2.3.4.5.6.7 Likewise obey them that haue the ouersight of you and submit your selues for they watch for your soules as they that must giue accountes c. Hebr. 13. ver 17. The neglect breach of this rule euen the denying of obedience reuerence and honour vnto the rulers gouernours and teachers disturbeth ouerthroweth the vnity which is here praised If then a man wil not make conscience to perform this duty in obeying the holy doctrine of the lord what is he other thē an enemy vnto the true concord a dissoluer of vnity peace But what if rulers offend Pastors gouernours faile and come short in some duties and thereby séeme vnworthy to be regarded I say if they do they shal answer before God for it but yet priuate men are not set at liberty they are not discharged from this obedience rendring honour vnto them for it is vnto the authority vnto Gods ordinance that they do it and not in respect of mā God hath not prescribed the duties of men which are to be don vnto others vnder this condition if they performe all that which they ought to doo on their partes or if they be such manner of men as they ought to be But he hath prescribed euery mans duty absolutly If an other faile in his he shall answer as I said for it before God thou hast no warrāt hereby to depart from the rule which God hath set vnto thée For thou art tied in conscience vnto God to obey his will not in regard of man or of thine own benefit to do this or that for by that doctrine of the blessed Apostle we sée that christian subiects faithful seruantes are commanded euen for conscience to giue honor vnto heathen Princes and infidel Maisters Rom. 13.1 Tim. 6.1 we must then from this expresse word of God obserue that when gouernours do amisse men haue not their tongues set at libertie to reuile and to reproch them or to dishonour them with euill speech séeing it is also writen Thou shalt not cursse the ruler of the people Exod. 22. ver 28. But contrariwise prayers and supplications are to bee made vnto God for rulers and teachers of the Lords people When they offend it is with great hurt to the Church and therefore men are to lament and mourne for it and not to make themselues mery with iestes and reproches Let all euill spéeches of disgrace then be turned into prayers and the laughter into teares for this shall be more pleasing vnto God Let no mā beare him selfe in hand that he is not guiltie of the breach of holy concorde when he obserueth not the rules of this doctrine of submission of reuerence and honour to be giuen vnto gouernours Another rule is giuen by the Apostle in these wordes That ye studie to be quiet and to meddle with your owne businesse and to worke with your owne handes c. Thess 4.11 as God hath distributed vnto euerie man and as the Lord hath called euerie one saith the Apostle so let him walke and so ordaine I in al churches 1. Cor. 7. ver 17. God hath ordained the seuerall places and callings hee hath giuen gifts of abilitie to men to performe the thinges he requireth in the same he hath also set the boundes and limits within which euerie one is to keepe himselfe and to walke orderly medling with that which appertaineth vnto him This is an holy thing and comely a preseruer of vnitie But it is much broken and great euil ensueth thereof for there be many priuate persons which would seeme verie religious and to seeke the holy vnitie aboue others which leaue the dueties of their places and callings and busie themselues wholy with those matters which do not belong vnto them For as if the matters of their trades and sciences were too base or as if the care of their familie were a thing ouer vilde they set

vnderstand how it is to be sought for let let it be that we both agree it is to bee sought and also doe séeke for it yet if we séeke not the right way we are neuer the better for seeking First then knowe this that there are two sortes of vnity and agreement the one is in God being in the truth in the spirite in true holines and sanctification The other is in error and sin and not in the Lord. Now indeede it is the holy vnitie in the Lord which is praised in this Psalme and which wee must seeke after vpon which the blessing of God shal come This may ye sée by that exhortation of S. Paul Ephesi 4. When hee saith studying to keepe the vnity of the spirite in the band of peace for he addeth as the reason there is one body and one spirit as ye are called in one hope of your calling one Lord one faith one baptisme one God and father of all c. For like as all the members of the naturall body are coupled together by one soule and make but one body so by one spirite of the Lord all the faithfull are vnited and become all one misticall body of Iesus Christ by one faith and by one baptisme they are all in one Lord and in one God The foūdation of this vnity is in the truth and by it men growe vp together in God and for this cause it is sayd in the first verse of the Psalme Brethren also to dwell in vnitie He sayth also because as there is a reconciliation wrought by Christ betweene God and man and so a mā is come into vnitie with God he must also growe into vnity with those which are together reconciled to the Lord with him seeke this vnity to be vnited with our brethrē vnto God otherwise all shall bee dissolued and scattered againe in confusion Touching that other concorde which is in errour and wickednes they which possesse it who are of diuers sortes doo commend it and much complaine of the disturbaunce and breach thereof As first of all the Papistes make a great exclamation against vs which professe the glorious Gospell and haue forsaken them that like wicked Scismatickes wee haue disturbed and broken this holy vnitye by rendinge our selues from the true Church and so from the faith and from Christs misticall body this is a gréeuous and a sore accusation if their vnity which they glory of were in the truth But séeing it is most euident that they haue forsaken the truth of God blaspheme and condemne it and set vp abhominable errours and cursed Idolatrye all their agreementes all their holy league as they terme it is no more but a most wicked and cursed conspiracie against God and his people What is their vnity more then that which is described by the Prophet Dauid Psalme 2. Why doe the Gentiles rage and the people meditate that which is vaine The Kings of the earth stand vp and the Princes take counsaile together against the Lord and against his Christ Here is a great vnity nay a conspiracy of wicked traitors against Christ This perplexitie is fulfilled by them And we haue the commaundement of God by the voyce of the Angel Come out frō among them my people and seperate your selues so that all their cry is nothing against vs we haue not dissolued this blessed vnity here commended but haue forsaken their cursed conspiracy which the néerer a man is ioyned vnto the further of he is from God Let no man therefore be troubled or disquieted by their great wordes but forsaking them imbrace the holy faith and be vnited thereby together with the Prophetes and Apostles and all holy men vnto Iesus Christ Yee shall here many other sortes of men complaine that there is not fellowship and vnitye kepte with them When indéede as they walk after their wicked and vncleane lustes in all abhominable sinnes as in contempte of Gods word in drunkennesse whoredome pride ambition couetousnes vsurie extortion bribery oppression enuy and many such like The holy ghost saith vnto vs haue no fellowship with the vnfruitefull workes of darknesse but rather reprooue them Ephes 5. ver 11. We can not ioyne Christ and Belial we can not be vnited to the Lord and haue fellowship in wicked sins If we say we haue fellowship with him saith S. Iohn walkein darkenesse we lie c. 1. Iohn ver 6. Ephes 5.11 He that crieth out for peace and dooth walk in vngodly wayes straying from the truth and from sanctificatiō whatsoeuer he will séeme to be he is naught else but a disturber and breaker of all holy vnitye For who can take parte with him in those thinges but he shall seperate him selfe as I haue shewed from trueth and Godlines without which there can be no blessed vnity S. Peter calleth our Lord Iesus Christ a liuing stone vnto whom all the faithfull comming as liuing stones are built vp and become a spirituall house 1. Pet. 2. If stones be not squared and made smoothe to sitte and ioyne togeather howe shall they growe into one buylding If men bee not framed in fayth and godlines how shall they be vnited in the Lord In déede there bee imperfections both in doctrine and maners all the best hewen stones haue some ruggednes remaining and men must beare one with an other in much for charity must couer the multitude of sinnes 1. Pet. 4. while the Temple of God is in the world the stones are not perfectly set together but the work is still in hand this temple is still in buylding we must beware of the down fall on that side also Then séeing this blessed vnity must bee in God in the truth in the spirit to be built vp in Christ Iesus in true sanctification for he that is in Christ is a new creature and seeing all concorde without this foundation shall fall downe as a rotten building let the holy booke of God be our ground let it be brought foorth to cut downe all controuersies and let men if they looke for any part of the blessing here promised yéelde all honor and glorie vnto this sacred worde Yea let no man stand vpon his owne honour or reputation If he haue maintained any thing awrie but so soone as euer he esspieth the trueth in any matter yeelde thereunto let the truth of God goe before and lead vs the way For this is the onlie way to growe into this holy vnitie And let such as walke awrie forsake their euill wayes imbrace the heauenly trueth and followe the rules thereof if they will be accounted studious of peace and concorde Ioyning thus vnto the trueth both in faith and godlines of life we shall be ioyned together in the Lord and it shal be said beholde howe good and how comely a thing it is for brethren also to dwell at vnity It shal be like that precious ointment vpon the head of Aaron c. The heauenly graces and giftes of the holy ghost shall