Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A01235
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The priuiledges of the vpright in heart Expressed in brief meditations upon the 84 Psalme: and more particularly vpon the 11 verse thereof. Studied for the vse of the right worshipfull Company of Drapers London By W.F.
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Freake, William.
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1639
(1639)
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STC 11347.5; ESTC S120859
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14,597
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40
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himself would have us to walk and out of which way wee may expect no blessing And because even in this warrantable way the afflictions of the righteous are many Psal 34.19 God contenteth not himself to be our Sun only to direct but he is our shield to protect us also liberabit eos omnibus afflictionibus the Lord wil deliver them out of all as it followeth in that part of the Psalme 12. Again because as S. Paul fpeaks Act. 14 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Wee must through many tribulations enter into the Kingdome of God therfore is our God our shield as to defend us from affronts under his protection so to enable us to bear those wee meet with not suffering us to be tempted above our strength 1 Cor. 10.13 nor yet our faith to faile Luke 22.32 〈◊〉 the very houre of temptation be wil keep us from the evill of it Revel 3.10 and in the deepest distresse therby will make his Grace sufficient for us that his strength may be made perfect in our weaknesse 2 Cor. 12.9 In a word the Lord our God is a Sunne to his Church according to the promise of our blessed Redeemer shining in our hearts by that spirit of truth who guideth into all truth Iohn 16.13 And the Lord is the shield of his Church being with the same alwayes even unto the end of the World Matth. 28 last verse That the gates of hell may never prevaile against it as our blessed Lord hath promised Matth. 16.18 13. And doubtlesse wee have very great reason to depend upon this truth by building our faith upon the illumination of this Sun and protection of this shield seeing as it followeth in the next words of this verse it is this Sun alone that giveth grace this shield that giveth glory Deus enim Sol clypeus dabit gratiam gloriam The Lord will give grace saith the text Most truely whether it be the first touch and beginning of Grace in the heart of a Christian or it be the progresse and increase of it or it be the perfecting thereof in the soule it is freely Gods gift Dominus dat Saint Iames affirmeth it positively Iames 1.17 Every good gift and every perfect giving is from above and commeth down from the Father of lights where it is not altogether unworthy your noting that he stileth God patrem luminum in relation to the Metaphor in our Text where hee is called our Sunne That we may know that whersoever our God is not by the influence of his light there is all darknesse without any exception according to the sence of the holy Ghost in our Text. If wee looke upon man in his naturall estate hee is not onely lame but dead in sins and trespasses Ephes 2 1 By the influence therfore of Gods Spirit there must be created in us a new lise that was not and not onely the former life excited which was according to that of the Psalmist Psal 51.10 Create in mee a new heart ô Lord not onely stirre up that clean one which hath been somwhat defiled saith a reverend Bishop of our own Church in his Roma irreconciliabilis cap. de libero arbitrio Nay I goe further and by the warrant of Scripture too The old heart which is naturally dead in sinne must be taken away and a new heart by Grace put in the room therof Ezek. 11.19 20. I will put a new spirit within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and will give you an heart of flesh that yee may walke in mine Ordinances and keep my statutes to do them So absolute is that truth which we deduce from the words of our Text that the first touch and beginning of Grace in the heart of a Christian is the free gift of God and that without the influence of this Sun there can be no light of Grace in the heart Yea but when the Grace of God is kindled in the heart of a Christian who shall blow it up to a flame Is man able of himselfe to doe it Oh no Without me yee can do nothing saith our blessed Lord Ioh. 15.5 Without the grace of God both preventing and assisting wee are no more able to prosper and grow in grace then the branch which abideth not in the Vine is able to bring forth fruit Iohn 15.4 And as for growing towards perfection S. Paul delivereth it positively that God the Father hath by his Sonne our Redeemer appointed the work of the Ministery for the perfecting of the Saints for the edifying of the body of Christ till wee all come in the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ Ephes 4 12 13. So that it is God alone who by his blessing upon his holy Ordinances the preaching of the Word and administration of his Sacraments conscionably waited upon bringeth this worke to effect To speake yet more particularly Every man by nature is both ignorant and an unbeliever who shall now give him spirituall understanding who shall perswade him to believe The naturall man perceiveth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can he know them saith Saint Paul meaning while hee resteth in his natural estate because they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 It must be therfore a beame from this Sun mentioned in our Text that must lighten mans eyes that he sleep not in death Psal 13.3 For it is God alone that giveth grace to understand the things that belong to our eternall peace As rouching believing the Gospell unto salvation which is only by a true and lively faith this is not in the heart of man by nature it is the gift of God onely who purifieth the heart by faith as hee did the hearts of the Gentiles at their first conversion to Christianity Acts 15.9 As touching Repentance who can deny it to be the immediate gift of God that shall reade what Saint Peter so positively delivereth Acts 15.31 How God by his owne right hand hath exalted his Son lesus to be a Prince a Saviour to give repentance unto Israel for remission of sins Take the word then as you will it falleth out most true that God giveth Grace the beginnings the increasings the perfection of grace the grace to know God aright to believe unto salvation to repent and to turn from sin it is God that worketh in you both to will and to doe saith Saint Paul Phillip 2.13 Inabling you to worke out your own salvation with feare and trembling Phillip 2.12 Dominus dat gratiam as it is in my Text. 14. And as he giveth grace so glory also Hence is it that the Lord hath promised by the Prophet Isaiah That he will be a crown of glory and a Diademe of beauty unto his people Jsa 28.5 as also that the Sun shall be no more their light by day nor
the three children that it shall not have power to destroy us or by taking us from it that it may not have power to reach us translating us into that paradise where no Serpent shall have power to enter so that every way hee will make good his word wee shall have whatsoever is good for us if not in our owne esteeme yet in Gods al-disposing wisdome and government and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk upright for the Lord God is a Sun and a shield Hee will give grace and glory and no good thing will he with hold from them that walk uprightly And so I have done with the explication of these words now for a word of application and so I conclude This Text of Scripture as you see hath acquainted us with some of those prime priviledges which our heavenly Father by the power of his divine prerogative of his speciall grace and favour hath given and granted and by these presents in this Text doth give and grant to all his faithfull children that endevour to walk before him in sincerity and uprightnesse of heart And that is that he will be to all such a Sun of direction and a shield of protection hee will give them grace and glory and no good thing will hee withhold from them as I have shewed you at large Now had I the way or meanes to have procured from our Gracious Soveraigne any addition to the Priviledges and Immunities of our Company and could I now present the same unto you confirmed under the broad Seale of England I should not doubt of a kinde acceptance and love for my pains Behold I have here presented you with better Priviledges under the great Seal of Heaven extracted from the most sacred and authenticall Word of God delivered unto you in his Name and as his Minister whom God the Father hath sealed Iohn 6.27 and I give you a faire assurance of all those priviledges in this Text to be conferred upon all you that will sue out your Patent for the same by the way which God requireth And if any shall yet doubt which is the right way to have his patent confirmed from the King of Heaven in this case let him looke upon the last words of this Text and they will tell you hee must walke uprightly before God And then all the priviledges in this Text are yours God hath promised them and hee will make them good God will be unto you a Sun and a shield the Lord will give grace and glory and no good thing will heo with-hold from them that walke uprightly Whereunto that I may prevaile with you to render your willing and constant obedience take this one motive to think upon when you see not me So often as you cast your eye upon the Armes of our Company and thereby are put in minde that you are free Drapers call to minde this text of Scripture and take notice that the beams of that Sun spoken of in my Text are a part of your Armes and the shield therein mentioned as a token of defence is denoted by that expression of a Soveraigne Regal power al-sufficient for protection which the three Crowns may put you in minde of and that way of Christianity wherin you are to walk in uprightnesse of heart is emblematized by the Crosse which is set as the Crest upon the head of your Armes And make you full account that these words are not words of course onely they have somewhat in them worthy your most serious consideration you see your devise is very significant and may without much strayning be drawn from this Text Think it therefore not unworthy your Meditations at convenient seasons and call to minde what God hath spoken unto you upon this Text and by it and suffer to this end a word of exhortation As you desire to be directed by the gracious beames of this heavenly Sun mentioned in our Text in all your fair undertakings whereunto your lawfull callings shall ingage you in your temporall affaires As you desire the comfortable direction of this Sun to guide you into all truth in things that concerne your spirituall estate As you desire to be preserved from such erroneous courses as your owne darke mistakings might expose you unto whether in the necessaries of this life that your credit break not here or in the eternall comforts of another life that you perish not there everlastingly Have an eye to the directions of this Sun of righteousnesse in whom are hid all the treasures of true wisdome and saving knowledge Let the Lord God be your Sunne As ever you trust to finde the protection of this heavenly shield to defend you from all oppositions in your lawfull way seeke daily direction from him who is your Sun and walke in the wayes whereunto hee shall direct you as ever remembring that he hath not promised to be a shield to any but to those who are carefull to follow the Sun of his directions nor will he be a shield but where he is a Sunne As you expect to obtain true saving grace seeke it of him who is the onely giver of it and seek it in the carefull and frequent use of his holy Ordinances wherin hee hath promised to give it For the Lord giveth grace And as you expect glory in the life to come seek it by an holy course a course of holines in this life present in the Kingdom of grace For the Lord giveth grace and glory And last of all as you expect that God shall withhold no good thing from you which his divine wisdome shall see necessary and fitting for you as conducing to Grace here and Glory hereafter walk uprightly and be sincere in his service For unto such onely are these heavenly priviledges appropriated in my Text For the Lord God is a Sun and a shield c. And that in so doing wee may so finde Let us pray as the Church hath most piously instructed us MOst mercifull Lord wee beseech thee to cast the bright beames of thy light upon thy Church that being enlightned by the doctrine of thy truth it may attaine to thy everlasting gifts And because the frailty of man without thee cannot but fall keep us alwayes by thy helpe and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation preserve thy houshold the Church in continuall godlinesse that through thy protection it may be free from all adversities and devoutly given to serve thee in good works to the glory of thy name through Iesus Christ our Lord. To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be honour and glory now and for evermore Amen Page 4. for Objection read Observation FINIS Feb. 16. 1638. Imprimatur Guil. Bray