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	paul_n	pillar_n	3,773	5	10.4418	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16543	The importunate begger for things necessary, or necessity, without deniall Or a treatise, wherein is shewed the lawfullnesse of praying absolutely for necessary temporall things, without doubting or wavering, and that the saints of God may and ought, as absolutely depend upon God, for their dayly bread, as they may for the pardon of their sinnes, and that the cause is in themselves, who doe not obtaine them. Whereunto is annexed an answer to Mr. Norrice his 5 arguments, which were framed against it, together with an answer to his Prosopopeia, wherein, as well the insufficiency of those arguments, as the deceitfullnesse of his collections, is plainely manifested by R.B.	Boye, Rice.	1635 (1635)	STC 3450; ESTC S106818	69,334	88

will so much of his will as is necessary for us to know is revealed in his Word Iohn 5.39 his Scriptures unto which our Saviour referreth the Iewes for to enquire of him Search the SCriptures they are they that testify of me Now the Scriptures Gods written verities are absolutely sufficient to instruct us in all saving knowledge as Paul affirmeth 2. Timoth. 3.15 Thou hast knowen from a child the holy Scriptures speaking of Timothy which are able to make thee wise to salvation Chap. 1.21 or as Iames sayth to save thy soule through faith which is in Iesus Christ. Now whereas you affirme that the promises for temporalls are conditionall notwithstanding in the whole Scriptures there is no condition expressed what is it els but to affirme that God hath not revealed so much of his will in the Scriptures as is needfull for us to know and that the Scriptures are not sufficient to make the man of God perfect Your owne words in this matter shall be your judge you say that this position of yours namely That the promises for temporall things are conditionall is one of Gods truthes for you presse it upon men to beleeve it as a Truth from God and yet you say that God hath not expressed this Truth is his word for you say it is implyed Now it being implyed and not expressed it is no Scripture for if it be not expressed it cannot be written if it be not written it is none of Gods will because Gods will so much of his will as wee must know or beleeve is all written To which purpose saith Christ in the place before quoted Search 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Scriptures So then to affirme the promises of God for temporall things are conditionall according to your owne words is a doctrine of mans owne invention and not of God And certainely to make the best of it it is but as one of the Popes unwritten verities Unwritten you confesse it is for if any man should but aske you where in the Scriptures doth God say the promises are conditionall you have nothing to answer for ought I know but this The condition is implyed To those that come in a pretended message from Christ to beate downe the power of Sathan and have no better commission from Christ then this the Devill may boldly say as he did Acts 19.15 Qui vos Iesus I know and Paul I know but who are yee I would I had no worse enimy then you Wherefore I beseech you beware how you maintaine any thing for Gods truth which is not written its a chief pillar of the Romish Church least it be sayd to you as Paul speaketh Rom. 2.22 Thou that abhorrest Idolls doest thou commit sacriledge Now for those 2 cases which you alleadge for the prooving of your Minor proposition as it will appeare is not any thing at all to the purpose For your Minor proposition being denyed you labour to proove it by these cases thus First you say the Lord for the sinnes of his people doth strippe them of outward comforts sometimes in part sometimes wholely unto death ergo the promises of outward things have conditions implyed in them and are not absolutely intended Alas what is this to the purpose or what colour is there in it to proove that the promises are conditionall for you know and must needs confesse that the Lord Levit. 26. and Deuter. 28. made absolutely to his people Israel pretious promises In which promises there is no condition implyed It is true indeed those promises were made upon condition of their obedience as appeareth in both chapters If thou obey the Lord thy God all these blessings shall come unto thee Which condition may be turned participially thus Thou obeying the commandements of the Lord thy God c. The condition in these his promises lyeth on their part If thou obey that is thou obeying his commandements Gods part is absolute all these blessings shall come upon thee Doe what I require of thee and all these blessings without all doubt shall come upon thee But if thou wilt not obey my commaundements .i. thou disobeying my commaundements all these curses shall come upon thee As thy obedience shall be rewarded with such and such blessings so thy disobedience shall be punished with such and such curses The children of Israel found the word of God true in these particulars for so long as they kept the commaundements of their God and walked humbly with him which was the thing he required of them he was as a wall of brasse unto them and they wanted nothing of that which he promised them as the whole current of the old Testament doth plentifully witnesse But when they brake his covenant and did not observe that condition obedience being all the conditions too which was made betweene God and them he brought upon them those plagues which he had threatned For Israel notwithstanding they were a chosen people were very rebellious and unthankfull as the Lord complayneth of them Isay 1. The Oxe knoweth his owner but my people doth not consider Ah sinfull nation a people laden with iniquity a seede of evill-doers They have forsaken the Lord they have provoked the holy one of Israel to anger Read that 105. Psalme there is a whole catalogue of their rebellious proceedings and how the Lord dealt with them And to the end the Lord would have no imputation of severity layd upon his Majesty for dealing with them as he did and that no man should once imagine that hee did faile in his part in the least particular but was faithfull in all his promises he made it appeare to all the world that his proceedings with them were just for saith he Deut. 39.22 to the end of the chapter Their children and the nations shall say when they see the plagues of that Land wherefore hath the Lord done this unto this Land what meaneth the heat of this great anger Then men shall say vers 25. Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt Here is the Lords proceedings cleared by the confession of all the nations and the fault layd upon the people as Ezechiell also witnesseth Ezech. 39.23 as also the Prophet Isay prooveth Isay 59.2 to the end of that chapter Your iniquities have turned away these things and your sinnes have withholden good things from you Now concerning that place Lament 46. which you produce thinking to proove your position I beseech you call to mind I know you know it that the Lord had a long time before told them that if they would not heare and obey he would bring upon them that plague of famine which the Prophet did there bewaile This appeareth Levit. 26. and Deut. 28. where the Lord tells them if they did not walke with him in obedience that they should be compelled to eat the flesh of their sonnes and

is that our Apostle Iames doeth lay downe a rule how to pray But let him aske in faith nothing wavering Iames 1.6 In which words are condemned by the Apostle as a sinne all wavering doubting prayers which he doeth proove in the insuing words by three severall things The first is by a similitude he that wavereth and doubteth in prayer is like a wave in the sea driven with the wind and tossed and therefore they please not God Secondly he prooveth it by a reason drawen from the discommodity which it bringeth It doeth hinder a man from the obtaining the thing he desireth Thirdly hee doeth condemne it by a generall sentence received as true of all men A wavering minded man is unstable in all his wayes Thus it is plaine that wavering and doubting in prayer is by the holy Ghost condemned as a sinne and the contrary namely solide certaine and undaunted confidence required And surely concerning the thing in hand we may say with a Domesticke writer If faith be a vertue then doubting is a vice for certainly as we sayd before it is unresistable whatsoever is not of faith is sinne Adde unto all this the definitions of prayer as we find them recorded by our owne Divines By some it is defined thus To make prayer is to put up request to God according to his word from a contrite heart in the name of Christ with full assurance to be heard This last clause saith the Author is so necessary in prayer as that the want of it maketh prayer no prayer for saith hee how can a man pray for any thing effectuallie who doubteth whether he shall obtaine it or no. Whereupon hee concludeth that prayer must be made with faith whereby a man must have certaine assurance to be heard By others it is defined thus Prayer is an ardent affection tending unto God whereby wee aske and looke for onely from God in Christ things belonging to soule and body Secundum ipsius mandatum promissiones according to that which he hath commaunded to aske and promised to give Againe Calvine doeth define it thus Est enim quaedam hominum cum Deo communicatio c. It is a certaine communication or talking of men with God whereby they entring the heavenly Sanctuary they doe speake or mention unto him as it were face to face his promises and that they beleeve that whatsoever the word doeth warrant unto them non fuisse vanum it cannot be in vaine All these definitions tend to one and the same purpose in them all the point is verified That faith without wavering is necessary required in all prayer as well for temporall as spirituall blessings And to what end sayth Calvine doeth our Saviour so often say to the diseased according to thy faith be it unto thee but to manifest unto us quod citra fidem nihil consequi nos posse that without faith we cannot nor may not exspect to receive any thing at the hands of God And surely if our prayers are not grounded upon faith t is but a vaine thing once to thinke that they will profit Wherefore good Christian Reader I beseech thee in the bowels of mercy in Christ Iesus ponder well and consider this ground thy prayer upon faith and thy faith upon Gods Word aske what thou doest aske according to his revealed will walke within thy limits keepe faith and a good conscience wrestle with God as did Iacob Gen. 32. and then feare not to call thy self by the name of Israel for as a Prince shalt thou have power with God and with men and shalt prevaile Call not Gods power into question doubt not of his willingnesse to succour thee neither stagger at any of his promises no not at those which he hath made unto thee for thy dayly maintenance for surely they are all faithfull thou mayest absolutely without all doubt depend upon them which is our second branch and the reason of the former That the Saints of God may and ought as absolutelie depend upon the promises of God for their daily bread .i. for things necessarie as they may for the pardon of their sinnes is also easily justifiable by the Scriptures It is indifferently acknowledged by our whole Church that the promises of God concerning the pardon of sinnes and life eternall ought absolutely to be depended upon God without any scruple What shall the promises concerning the soule which is the greater be relied upon and beleeved and shall the truth of the promises concerning the body which is the lesse be suspected If I have told you earthlie things sayth Christ Ioh. 3.12 ye beleeve me not how shall ye beleeve if I tell you heavenlie things If wee dare not give credit to the lesse how shall wee beleeve the greater for our faith hath all one ground The ground of our depending upon God for soule or body is his promises which God in Christ absolutely made to all his servants as the Apostle prooveth 2. Cor. 1.10 All the promises as well temporaries as spiritualls are in Christ Yea and in him Amen Hee is faithfull in every one of them yea for the keeping of the least he hath layd his credit to pawne and if God failes in any of his promises his credit must needs suffer But our Apostle hath remooued this doubt Heb. 10.23 Fidelis Dominus the Lord is faithfull that promiseth And upon this foundation as I sayd before is our faith and confident depending upon God grounded He hath promised to save me Mal. 3.16 They shall be mine saith the Lord. Hee hath promised never to forsake me nor to leave me Iosuah 1.5 I will not leave thee nor forsake thee Hee hath promised to comfort me in distresse Psal 91.15 I will be with him in trouble Hee hath promised to give me things necessary for my bodily sustenance Psal 37.19 In the dayes of famine they shall be satisfied and because he hath made these promises therefore I beleeve them Finally he hath promised to heare any petition that I shall make unto him according to his will and therefore I have this confidence in him and will come boldly to the throne of grace for he is faithfull that promiseth Wherefore seeing the promises both of temporall and eternall favours are equally absolute and seeing God is faithfull in all his promises as well in the one fort as he is in the other it must needs be that the Saints unto whom onely the promises belong may and ought as absolutely depend upon those concerning this life as they may upon those concerning the life to come Now that the promises are equally absolute which indeed is the onely thing to proove it doeth plainely appeare by divers places first the Apostle St. Peter in the 2. Epistle chap. 1.3 doeth assure us that the Lord and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ hath given unto us all things that pertaine unto life and godlynesse Hence it is that St. Iohn in his first Epistle chap. 5. writing to all