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	house_n	pillar_n	3,545	5	10.4316	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11923	A godly and fruitfull sermon preached at Lieth in Scotland by a faithfull minister of Gods holy Gospell	Murray, John, 1575?-1632, attributed name. aut	1607 (1607)	STC 22236; ESTC S106434	19,379	64

curse and condemnation it denounceth the justification it proposeth the rigour of obedience it requyreth ye are not under the law Rom 6 14. Ye are divided from the lawe Rom 7 6. The lawe is not given to the righteous man 1. Tim. 1.9 From the law ceremoniall the witnesser of sinne Christ hath put out the handwryting of Ordinances which was against us toke it out of the way fastened it upon the Crosse Col. 2.24 and so from the traditions and precepts of men or things indifferent whatsoever as binding the consciēce which is cōmonly called the christian liberty or cōmoditie Rom. 14.16 Ye are bought with a price be not the servāts of men 1. Cor. 7.23 The liberty which sanctification bringeth is that spirituall priviledge wherby Gods children are freed from the power and dominion of sinne Sathan c not perfectly but in parte yet in al the powers and faculties of the soules senses and members of the body The minde from the power of darknes the will from the power of disobedience the heart from the power of deadnes the affections from the power of pollution and corruption the body and members thereof from the power of sinne wherby they are made weapons of unrighteousnes that the renued man thus freed might at the least concerning the inner man delight in the lawe of God and in his minde serue it without constraint willingly chearfully The law of the spirit of life which is in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the law that is the power and authoritie of sinne and death Rom 8 2. This liberty of sanctification hath two degrees the one is in this life imperfect which may be called the liberty of grace the other after this life perfect the liberty of glorie Rom 8.21 the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God The same Apostle to the Col 1.13 shutteth up this twofold liberty of Iustification sanctification in a word The Father saith he hath delivered us from the power of darknes and hath translated us into the kingdome of his deare sonne Now from this internall liberty followeth that comfortable liberty which the Apostle in sundry places calls Par●êsia wherby the soule of the freeman hath free accesse to the throne of grace to receiue mercy and finde grace to help in time of need Heb 4.16 From this springeth that peace which passeth all understanding Phil. 4.7 Rom. 5.1 That ioy which Peter calleth glorious unspeakable 1 Pet. 1.8 Without this internal liberty ther is nothing in the soule and conscience of the sinner but terrour distraction and doubting even in the smallest matters c. The externall liberty which is instrumental and defensiue in respect of the former is likewise twofold the libertie of the preaching and professing of the truth of God the true doctrin drawne out of the pure foūtaine of the word The libertie of the practise of holy Discipline following from the same fountaine This may be called the liberty of the house of God wherby it is governed which is the Church of the living God the piller and ground of the truth 1. Tim 3.15 We call them instrumental because they are Gods powerfull and ordinary instruments through which by his spirit he worketh the internall liberty continueth keepeth it Take away these instruments no Iustification no sanctification 1. Pet. 1.23 We call them dcfensiue because the gard the inward which if they were not would easily vanish and Satan would soone weare it out of the soule The third word in this exhortation is that he desireth to stand in this liberty yea to stand fast as the word importeth as within a compasse or station There appeareth to be a Metaphore in the word borrowed from the custome of worldly warriours who stand stedfast in the station in the which their captaine placeth thē resolved without feare to fight never to flee but couragiously to confront their adversaries So stand ye stedfast saith the Apostle and settle the affection of your heart fast in the liberty wherin as in a statiō your graue gracious captaine Iesus hath placed you resisting by faith that spirituall adversary the Devil who wil striue by all meanes possible to drawe you out of that liberty This is the exhortatiō in the which the Apostle expresly meāeth the internall libertie frō the law morall ceremoniall sin death c. In the afore said respects and by consequence of this we inferr the externall defensiue liberties For if we should stand fast in one poynt of this spirituall liberty then we should stand fast in all The dehortation is from the contrary Be not entangled c The yoke of bondage is opposed as contrary to liberty the entāgling with this yoke to the standing in the libertie This bondage is a spirituall bōdage of the soule consciēce principally and is answerable in the opposition to this libertie in all the sorts poynts thereof the bondage under sin Sathan death the law morall ceremoniall traditions of men Antichrist the man of sinne in corrupt doctrine and Discipline We briefly passe it over because it is cleere by the contrary in the words be not entangled And now there appeares also to be a metaphore borrowed from the custom of Oxen or other beasts whose neckes being once comprehended or conteyned as the word signifieth in the yoke are forced to follow whithersoever the driver by word or by goad lusteth So faith the Apostle if you fall backe to bondage you entangle your selues with such a heavie yoke that whither soever sinne or Sathan leades you you must goe This word agayne importeth not that the Galatians had been under the Ceremoniall law for they were of the Gentills and not Iewes to whom this law was proper but that they had ben before under the yoke of bondage the law moral engraven in their hearts by nature albeit defaced by sin the yoke of sinne Idolatrie c. So that now to fall backe to this bondage or whatsoever spirituall yoke was to be entangled againe This is the dehortation in which the Apostle expresly meaneth the yoke of the law ceremoniall morall But by consequence all spirituall yokes of bondage whatsoever are forbidden for if we should not entangle our selues in a my then likewise in none The reasō enterlaced betwixt the two branches of the admonition is drawne from the purchaser and giver and so the excellencie of this libertie which is so much the more excellent by how much the contrary bondage is dangerous If ye aske who is the purchaser giver of this libertie the Apostle Paul answereth here it is Christ If the Sonne shall make yow free ye shal be free in deed saith Christ himselfe of himselfe Ioh 8.38 If the Father be the author of this libertie the sonne is the purchaser and giver of this libertie the spirit is the worker and sealer up of this liberty in our soules If ye aske whereby Christ hath purchased this libertie the Apostle Peter answereth Not with

full of water and our eyes a fountayne of teares that we might weep day and night bewayle this our misery never ceasing keeping silence till our God haue mercy upon us But yet to search out more particularly the blame of our wounded liberties Albeit we be all inwrapped in the guiltines thereof yet some are deaper in the guiltines then others Who are these Some of us not contented with our standing in the Ministery haue clombe up to higher places both in Church and Common wealth then God hath called us unto through covetousnes seeking the profitts of this present and perishing life through ambition affecting the preferments therof and imparity in power and authority aboue their brethren who to winne to them preferment haue troubled the peace of Ierusalem and hurt the liberties thereof Yf any will say it is parity among Pastors in power and authority that is the mother of confusion the breaker of vnity surely this is an unjust slāder of parity For first it is the ordināce of God who is the author both of order and peace 1 Cor. 14.33 There was none of the Apostles in authority aboue another none of the Evangelists in authority aboue another none of the Pastors in authority aboue another none of the Elders in authority aboue another For they who keep one rācke are in equall power This practise hath the place of an ordināce Yea examine that place well Math. 20.25.26.27 and out of Christs speach to his Disciples upon the occasion of the sute of the sonnes of Zebedeus by consequent ye shall draw out an ordināce Secondly if any such thing fall out where parity is the fault is not to be layd upon the parity of power but upon the imparity of spirits which cannot satisfie thēselues with the place and power that God hath givē them Thirdly all these imputations may be layd justly upon imparity which is the mother of prid● that never can keep unity and peace Only through pryde doth a man make contention sayth Salomon Prov. 13.10 And if any will call to mynde the times passed whē ever there hath ben● any trouble or stirre in our Church they shall finde that the authors and instrumēts of it were ever some who through covetousnes ambition the two banes of the church haue sought to themselues a preheminence among their brethren whose deedes and Epitaphes may be a terror to those who tread in their footesteppes And to strengthen the truth of this we will borrow help from the Evangelist Iohn 3. Ioh. 9.10 It appeares that there was a great stirre in that Church whereunto he writeth but who was the causer of it One Diotrephes saith he And what of him He loved to haue the preheminence among them And what did he He pratled among them with malitious wordes There is his slaunder What more He received not the brethren but ●orbad them that would and did thrust thē●ut of the Church There is his injury And it may be also he drew into the Church against order such as might be proppes to his pryde Then if this one Diotrephes had been removed out of that Church all thinges had passed in peace and quietnes therein Now if we were charged upon life and death and in consciēce before the Lord according to the weakenes of our wit to giue a rule for the peace quietnes of our Church this it is Eyther take away Demas and Diotrephes from office in the Church or take frō them their evill humors of covetousnes and ambition or take away their honors the objects of great benefices and Bishopprickes and then if any be found who shall trouble their heads to hatch out an argument for the defense of so offensiue a state and if then peace shall not be within the walles of Ierusalem and prosperity within the palaces thereof we shall be content to beare the blame and burden whatsoever Agayne if any will say that all this may be mended by this one meane to make choyce of the most wise graue godly and zealous of the Ministery promote thē to those places which make greene and unsetled witts quickly forget themselues and so all things shall go well and be well governed Surely we will not be so uncharitable as to thinke that such men albeit they were lying at their feete would stoop downe to take them up they being clogged with so many inconveniēces Agayne as Paul saith Evill wordes corrupt good manners so we say that evill courses will corrupt good men For as long as a Minister keepeth himselfe within the compasse of his calling in humility and holines serving the Lord his God he hath the gratious fruitfull blessing of his God attending on him and his labours But how soone soever he breakes the bounds thereof seaking the world and the profits and preferments thereof the fruitfull blessing departeth and the fearefull curse comes in the place thereof to worke vpon him and then we shall see that of all men of the earth such a Minister will become the most vayne worldly proud and ambitious And thus of all this which hath been spoken we see that there is no preservatiue for us but to stād fast in that liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free that we be not entangled agayne with the yoke of bondage Now to conclude this exercise seeing we are mett here to doe the worke of the Lord let us first remember and consider from whence we are fallen from what degree of loue and liberty that we may repent and doe the first workes and amend least the Lord our God come against us shortly and remoue our Candlesticke out of his place Agayne If there be any consolation in Christ if any comforte of loue if any fellowship of spirit if any compassion and mercy let us be like minded having the same loue being of one accord and of one iudgment that nothing be done through contention or vayneglory but in meeknes of minde every one seeking not that which is his owne but that which is Christs c. Thirdly let our heartes and eyes be sett upon the recompence of the reward that incorruptible crowne of glorie which the chiefe sheapheard Iesus shal bring with him in his hand in his glorious appearance to crowne them who shall persevere and be found faithfull to the end and not upon the reward that is in the hand of man which is in it selfe corruptible and oftimes corruptes the mindes of men and drawes them out of the right way Lastly let us so speak here and so doe here and so behaue our selues here as if we were upon our last bed making our last will ready to giue account not to man only but to the Lord our God himselfe both of the employment of our life and the using and keeping of this liberty wherby our redeemer Iesus Christ hath made us free To whom with the Father and spirit of grace be honor prayse and glory for ever and ever Amen FINIS