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	religion_n	true_a	7,548	5	5.1593	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B12161	The thankefull Samaritane In a sermon at S. Peters in Exeter, the sixth of August, Anno 1617. Being the day of the deliuerance of that citie from the rebels, in the dayes of King Edward the Sixth. At which time the Assises was also there holden. By Iohn Comyns Master of Arts of Exeter Colledge in Oxford, and minister of Gods word at Crediton in Devon.	Comyns, John, b. 1587 or 8.	1617 (1617)	STC 5614; ESTC S114489	17,113	24

beyond the loue that man can shew in giuing thy selfe vnto the death for vs thy sinfull enemies thy loue is a transcendent loue surpassing the greatest degree of the loue of man Shall not the consideration of this loue beloued Christians make vs to bethinke with our selues and to aske with the Psalmist Psal 116. What reward we shall render and what see we shall pay vnto him who out of his free loue vnto vs hath done and suffered so much for vs Surely hee expects at our hands the same fee which was paid him by one of the healed Lepers namely That we should returne vnto him and fall downe before him and worship him and giue him thankes If we looke into the practice of the Saints of God we shall finde that they haue euer beene carefull in the performance hereof When S. Iohn had spoken of the d Reuel 1.5 6. washing from sinnes in the bloud of Christ he presently interposeth a thankesgiuing before he had ended his record of the gracious works of Christ for his Church e Perkins in locum as it were interrupting himselfe for the great desire he had to the glorie of God he would proceed no further till he had giuen thankes To him saith he be glorie and dominion for euer and euer Amen Our sins are a leprosie and Christ is the Physicion and his bloud is the physicke and the washing of vs from sinnes in his bloud is the making of vs cleane againe by the merit of his sufferings and thankfulnesse is the fee which with S. Iohn we must readily and willingly and cheerefully giue vnto him that hath healed vs. So likewise a 1. Tim. 1.13 14 15 16 17. S. Paul speaking of himselfe as of a spirituall Leper euen a blasphemer and a persecuter and considering the riches of Gods mercy 〈◊〉 receiuing him into fauour and pardoning all his sinnes breakes out forthwith into thankesgiuing Now vnto the King eternall saith he immortall inuisible the only wise God be honor and glorie for euer and euer Amen In like manner doth the b Psal 103.1 2 3 c. Psalmist sing Praise the Lord O my soule and all that is within me praise his holy name Praise the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefits which forgiueth all thy sinnes and healeth all thine infirmities The practice of those seruants of God must bee our patterne by them must wee learne to bee thankfull vnto God and to expresse our thankefulnesse by c 2. Cor. 5.15 liuing henceforth not to our selues but vnto him which dyed for vs and rose againe and by d 1. Cor. 6.19 20 glorifying him in our body and in our spirit sith that we are not our owne but his who bought vs with the price of his owne bloud and by e 1. Pet. 1.17 18 19. passing the time of our soiourning here in feare for as much as we were not redeemed with corruptible things as siluer and gold but with the precious bloud of Christ as of a Lambe without blemish and without spot Thus haue we seene that we are all infected with the leprosie of sinne that we are cleansed only by the bloud of Christ and that wee owe him thanks for our cleansing and finally that we should be carefull to pay him as did the one spoken of in the Text of whom we come now more pertinently and more particularly to discourse And one of them c. The number of the godly is but small Wee reade in the precedent verses of the cleansing of ten but we reade in the Text of the returning of one alone to glorifie God and to giue Iesus thankes yet mee thinks this one may afford vnto vs two profitable obseruations First That few of many come to Christ That the wicked doe in number exceede the good That the Dragon hath more followers then the Lamb The Deuill more retayners then Christ Loe here among ten the Prince of this world is attended on by nine and the Prince of peace but with one Well therefore might our Sauiour call his sheepe f Luke 12.32 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a little flocke well might God by his Prophet terme those whom he had reserued to himselfe in the general corruption among the Iewes g Esay 1.9 a small remant a h Esay 6.13 tenth or tithing part as here we see Christ had no more but the tenth And well might the Church breake out into a pittifull complaint of her small number and say a Micah 7.1 Woe is me for I am as when they haue gathered the summer fruits as the grape-gleanings of the Vintage there is no cluster to eate The b Matth. 13.3 c. Parable of the Sower and the Seede propounded and expounded by our Sauiour confirmeth the truth of the point obserued for among much stonie and more thornie there is but little good ground Many heare not the Word of the Kingdome and among the Hearers there are many sorts of bad and but one good Wherefore it remayneth vndoubtedly true that c Matt. 22.14 few are chosen though many be called I grant indeede that if we consider the Church of Christ perse Ecclesia Christi mul●a est per se considerata pauca verò collata ad ingentem impiorum qui pereunt multitudinem Brent in Luc. 13. in it selfe without respect or comparison it s a multitude innumerable a flocke exceeding great and they that shall be saued are a number numberlesse the Scripture saith so much Reuel 7.9 Matth. 8.11 Esay 60.3 4. c. but if we compare the Church of Christ with the Synagogue of Satan the good with the bad the Elect with the Reprobate them that shall be saued with those that perish How little is Christs flocke How few shall be saued Take a familiar instance for the illustration hereof A thousand is in it selfe a good round number but being compared with many hundreds of Millions it seemes almost to be no number at all so likewise those that shall be saued are in themselues exceeding many but compared with the multitude of those that perish they are indeede exceeding few I shut vp the iustifying of the obseruation with the speech of our Sauiour who was the truth it selfe and neuer spake a lye d Mat. 7.13.14 Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which goe in thereat but strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth vnto life and few there be that finde it And so from the explication of the point obserued I descend to the application of it We see then how well Multitude no true note of the true Church how ill rather our Aduersaries the Papists doe make Multitude a true note and marke of the true Church of Christ as though that Religion must needs be true which is professed and embraced by the most Indeede where many ioyne in the truth there is

the true Church but not for the manies sake but for the truths sake Is it not a silly kinde of Popish reasoning to say We haue a great multitude of Bishops and Kings and Cardinals and Doctors c. on our side and you Protestants haue but one or two Princes c. therfore is our Church the true one and our Religion the sound one for why Pagans and Mahometans doe in number farre exceede the Christians shall we therefore conclude that to be the truth which is professed embraced and followed by them I trow not Haue there not alwayes beene more Idolaters then orthodox Professors Did not a 1. Kings 19. Elijah and some few thousands worship the Lord of Hosts when as the most part bowed the knees vnto Baal was not b 2. Pet. 2.7 righteous Noe with his small number saued when the rest were disobedient and perished in the waters were there not ten here cleansed but one that returned to giue God thanks yet I hope a Papist dare not denie that the greatest of those numbers were the worst and the smallest the best wherefore the multitude of Professors is not an argument of the truth of the Religion professed Againe we see The multitude not to be followed how those men come within the compasse of a iust reproofe that in matters of beliefe and practice will conforme themselues to the greatest part and will defend all courses which they affect or vnder-take by the example of a multitude Our Fathers say they were of this Religion they embraced such and such opinions the best and the wisest and the greatest and the richest men thinke thus and thus practise this and that and why should not we thinke and doe so likewise Alas beloued doe not the more part walke in the broad way that leadeth to destruction Are we not forbidden to follow a c Exod. 23.2 multitude to doe euill Is not the smallest number commonly the best if we be transgressors together with others shall we not be d Psal 37.38 destroyed together with them Shal our torments be the lesse in hell if we goe thither with the generalitie or our ioyes be the lesse in heauen if we walke thither with a few no no for he deserueth no lesse punishment that killeth an innocent accompanyed with others then he that doth it alone and a man endureth no lesse paine if he burne with many then he should with few Wherefore it is a corrupt choise if wee haue followed the most rather then the best and ioyned our selues to the great rather then to the good for the most may beleeue a matter which hath no soundnesse in it and may follow a course which hath no holinesse in it In a third place we see what reason we haue to harken vnto that counsell and exhortation of our Sauiour a Luke 13.24 Striue to enter in at the strait gate In our iourney towards heauen we must obserue a right contrarie course from that which we take in our earthly iourneyes for in our trauailes on earth wee keepe the broad beaten way but in trauailing to heauen we must walke in the narrowest path In our iourneyes here it is good wisedome to goe with the most company but in iournying to heauen it is safest and surest to goe with the fewest It s far better to returne vnto Christ with one then to goe away from him with nine Wherefore let vs shake off securitie and carelesnesse because the greater part shall perish and the fewer there are that shall be saued the more b Matt. 11.12 violence let the Kingdome of heauen suffer and the greater let the care of vs all be that we may be some of them And thus much for the first point A second obseruation which I draw from this One Christ will bid one welcome though hee come al alone that returned to giue Christ thankes is this That if but one among many shall come vnto Christ and truly turne to him euen that one shall be sure to finde a most kinde and gracious welcome Let n●ne cleansed Lepers refuse to turne backe to giue glorie vnto God yet if the tenth shall come Christ will entertayne him louingly If there be but one righteous c Gen. 7. Noe amongst them of the old world but one iust d Gen. 19. Lot amongst all the Sodomites but one faithfull e Iosh 6. Rahab amongst the inhabitants of Iericho but one good Ioseph in Egypt but one good f 1. Kings 18. Obadiah in all Ahabs Court but one g Ibid. vers 22. Elias a Prophet of the Lord amongst foure hundred and fiftie prophets of Baal but one h 1. Kings 22. Michaiah amongst foure hundred flattering prophets but one i Iohn 7. Nicodemus amongst all them that sate in counsell against Christ yet will God alwayes haue regard to that one and will surely prouide and take care for him There is ioy saith our k Luk. 15.7.10 Sauiour in the presence of the Angels of God euen for but one sinner that repenteth and conuerteth This second obseruation serueth for a twofold vse The euill fashion of the world must not keepe vs back from doing of good First to condemne such as keepe themselues backe from the performance of good dueties because the flat contrarie is practised by the most part of men I could be content to bestow my Benefices freely saith a Patrone but I see the common course and guise of Patrons is to make the most of them why should I only put away mine for nothing I will therefore take what is offered me by such a man and buy my selfe three or foure faire suites to braue it out with the best at the Assises I could finde in my heart saith a luke-warme Professor to sanctifie the Sabbath to heare and repeate Sermons to pray with my Familie to put no money to Vsurie to restore the things I haue wrongfully gotten to speake the truth and not to coozen my Neighbour c. but I see the fashion of the world is otherwise and I am loth to goe alone Alas alas beloued shall Christ inuite vs so louingly to a Matt. 11.28 come vnto him and will hee bid vs heartily welcome though we come alone and yet shall we absent our selues because other men will not goe with vs O let not the custome of the world in practising wickednesse detayne vs any longer from comming vnto Christ and following of goodnesse In a second place this Doctrine serueth for a singular consolation vnto the children of God who sometimes perhaps may be discouraged because they walke as it were in vntroden paths and seeme as b 1. Kings 19.10 14. Elias thought himselfe to be left alone hauing many disswaders and few encouragers many labouring to pull them backward and few prouoking constantly to goe forward let them comfort themselues with this that they shal be welcomed by Christ though they come all alone vnto