Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	commandment_n	keep_v	liar_n	1,680	5	11.3944	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49459	The chief interest of man, or, A discourse of religion, clearly demonstrating the equity of the precepts of the Gospel, and how much the due observance thereof doth conduce to the happiness and well-being as well of humane societies as of particular persons by H. Lukin.	Lukin, H. (Henry), 1628-1719.	1665 (1665)	Wing L3473; ESTC R125	65,780	204

it steady Angercos Fortit udinis ingenii the mettle of it to fit it for action and the Oyl of Gladnesse making the face to shine and being as marrow to the bones making our conversation more acceptable and agreeable unto others our life more pleasing and comfortable to our selves But that wherein a Christian hath the greatest advantage is Peace of Conscience the importunate sollicitations of Satan and our own Lusts to the commission of sin are not so disquieting to the Soul as the rebukes and clamors of Conscience after the commission of it The Devil is a meer Trapan that draws Men into a Plot against Heaven and when he hath ensnared them is the first that accuseth them sollicites men importunately to sin by the strongest enticements afterwards affrights their Consciences by aggravating their guilt to them and this is a preoccupation of Hell as peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost 〈◊〉 the first fruits and 〈◊〉 of ●eaven As Vertue is its own reward ●o sin is its own punishment guilt followes sin as the shaddow doth the body haunting the sinner like a hideous Ghost and continually terrifying him It is true many do not feel these terrors but it is not through any true setled peace that they have but only a senselesse stupid ignorance of their own danger they are like a man asleep on the top of a Mast do but awake them to see their danger and it is enough to affright them into the infernal abyss While they go on quietly in sin they are but as a man which hath bribed the Serjeant which doth not pay his debt nor secure him against Arrests his debt increases still and he will have more to pay when he is arrested It is not a Merchants putting off the melancholick thoughts of his debts by pleasures and divertisements that will alwayes quiet his mind he doth but beguile himself and increase his debt it is the acquitiance of his Creditor that can only secure him This is the case of many that when they are haunted as Saul by the evil spirit of an accusing Conscience as he had his musick to quiet his mind they must have something to divert their thoughts from such disquieting and tormenting objects but these are but like Opiates which may stupifie for a time and free from pains but do nothing to the cure of the disease It is only the blood of Christ that can sprinkle our hearts from an evil Conscience cleanse our Consciences from dead works only an effectual Faith that applies this blood to the Conscience So that the Heathen Philosophers by all their prescriptions could never quiet the Consciences of sinners and all that peace that they had was only from ignorance of that severe inexorable justice of God which will never pardon sin without satisfaction and never be satified but by the sufferings of Jesus Christ and the nature of the Covenant of Grace or the condition of the Gospel that none should have any benefit by Jesus Christ but those who are united with him by an effectual Faith which produceth the fruits of holinesse in a blamelesse upright conversation so that as the blood of Christ is the cause of our reconciliation with God by Faith and holinesse we actually patake and are assured of the fruits thereof all these therefore are in several respects necessary to true peace of Conscience Morality therefore can never teach a right way and means of it to which the righteousnesse of faith is an hidden mystery The loose prophane Christan can never attain it while his conversation is evidently inconsistent with that true faith and Gospel sincerity which is absolutely required of all that will be saved and however they may flatter or cheat themselves into a vain presumption or shut their eyes that they may not see their danger they are continually obnoxious to the affrights and alarms of such places of Scripture as affirm that without holinesse none shall see God that if we live after the flesh we shall dye that the Gate is strait and the way narrow that leads to life and there are few that find it that many shall seek to enter and shall not be able That if any will be Christs Disciple he must deny himself and take up his Cross and follow him That whoever sayes he knows God and keeps not his Commandments or that he hath communion with God and walks in darknesse is a lyar and the truth is not in him That whoever seems to be Religious and bridleth not his tongue his Religion is vain That he that loves Father or Mother or Wife or Children or House or Lands more than Christ is not worthy of him Besides others clearly importing that a Man may have much knowledge and his judgment so far convinced as to approve of the best things may be much in holy duties take delight in them hear the word with joy do many things which he hears be blameless as to his outward carriage and yet be an hypocrite So that without daily exercising our selves to Godlinesse and a strict watch over all our wayes it is impossible to maintain a setled well grounded peace of Conscience If any object that there are none more disquieted in their Consciences than those that make the greatest shew of Religion none more melanchollick and morose in their conversation I may answer solid joy is a serious thing as Seneca could say it is not most seen in a forced laughter and jollity which is as thorns under a pot Eccl. 7.6 that for the present makes a great noise and blaze but neither heats nor lasts In the midst of it the heart many times is sorrowful and the end of it is heavinesse and as the heart knows its own sorrow the stranger intermeddleth not with its joy There is that comfort within which every one cannot observe A Godly man needs not have his heart revived with wine and strong drink and merry company like a sick Man that is forced continually to have his spirits kept up with Cordials He hath that within which is better to him than Wine and Musick It is true Godly Men have more inward conflicts in their Consciences than others but this proceeds from the sense that they have of their own danger as they say Wisdone armes misery against it self that is discovering the evils that we are obnoxious to makes a Man more timerous and suspicious whiles fools go on and are punished without any fear of danger go on as an Ox to the Slaughter a fool to the Stocks a Bird to the suare and knows not that it is for her life It is time for a Man that knows if he be not set upon the Rock that is higher than himself if he be not upon that sure Foundation Jesus Christ he hangs by the small thread of a brittle life over the bottomlesse pit to look about him and make his calling and election sure Again the greater esteem any one hath of Heavenly

leads to life and few there be that find it Verse 21. Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven cap. 12.36 Every idle word that a man shall speak he shall give an account thereof in the Day of Judgment Cap. 16.24 If any Man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me Mark 8.38 Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful Generation of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in the Glory of the Father with his holy Angels Luk. 13.24 Strive to enter in at the strait Gate for many I say unto you shall seek to enter and shall not be able John 3.5 Except a Man be born of water and of the spirit be cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Rom. 8.9 If any Man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his Verse 13. If ye live after the flesh ye shall dye 2 Cor. 5.17 If any M●n 〈◊〉 Christ he is a new Creature Gal. 5.6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avails any thing nor uncircumcision but Faith that worketh by love Cap. 6.7 8. Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a Man soweth that shall he also reap for he that soweth to the flesh shall of his flesh also reap corruption but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting Heb. 12.14 Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. Jam. 2.19 20. Thou believest there is one God thou dost well the Devils also believe and tremble But wil● thou know O vain man that faith without works is dead 1 Pet. 4.18 If the righteous scarcely be saved where shall the sinner and the ungodly appear 1 John 1.6 If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darknesse we lye and do not the truth Cap. 2.4 He that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandments is a lyar and the truth is not in him I might add many like words out of the Scripture of truth but it may be these are enough to make many say Who then can be saved But let God be true whatever becomes of Man and it is that which hath been told us that few find the narrow way that leads to life If any object the failings of such as David and Peter the same Scriptures that tell of them tell us of their repentance and bitter tears If any wonder how this should be consistent with the mercy of God I answer there are other objects whereon he sheweth the Riches of his mercy even the small remnant that shall be saved And when we come to see at the last day the evil of sin the holinesse of God the preparations which God hath made for sinners we shall rather admire that he should save any than that he should save no more And if the pardon of sin were such a light matter that God should be charged with severity if he hearken not to the cries of sinners which necessity doth at last force them to he might have spared the trouble as I may take liberty to speak of ●ending his son yea as I may further say spared his glorying of his unconceivable love in giving Christ to dye for sinners and it is an ignorant conceit to think that such a strict exaction of holynesse straitens the grace of the Gospel when it is much of the Grace we receive by Christ to be turned from our iniquities Acts 3.26 Rom. 7.1 c. The end of our redemption is to be a peculiar people zealous of good works Tit. 2.14 The chief article of the Covenant of Grace is to have the Law of God written in our hearts Heb. 8.9 our chief glory to be like our heavenly Father in holynesse 1 Pet. 1.15 The great advantage we have by the promises to be made Partakers of the Divine Nature 2 Per. 1.4 So that let men flatter themselves with vain presumptions and delude their own souls by drawing their desires into opinion and from wishing they might have peace though they go on in the wayes of their own hearts proceed to believe that it will be so These words will certainly take hold of them Zach. 1.6 and judge them at the last day I may further add that it is the greatest imprudence for men to be but half Christians or to make some profession of Religion and not to strive to attain to some perfection in it both as the reflection on such an indifferency or lukewarmness will be an aggravation of Mens misery while they shall think with themselves they were near to the Kingdom of Heaven and were shut out because they went not a little further they were fair for striking a bargain for the Rich Pearl and yet parted for a small matter As if a Merchant should go near to Peru or some other place where there is Gold in abundance and through a sluggish lazy stupidity come back empty or as if Columbus when he was near to the Coasts of America should have been forced through the mutiny of his Soldiers to return and lose the honour and advantage of his enterprize It is pity to run a race and lose the prize through negligence when we come within a few steps of the Goal If we will do any thing in Religion let us go through with it and not lose the future reward of it which is most considerable through sloathfulness And it is further to be considered that those who are but half Christians and smatterers in Religion know nothing of those spiritual comforts that delight in communion with God in his ordinances joy in the Holy Ghost which those who are truly Godly have experience of those who are but smatterers or bunglers in any Art Science Trade find them difficult when they are easie and delightful to those who are Masters of them and throughly understand them as the wise Man saith knowledge is easie to him that understands As there is great difference in the reading of a Classick Author by the Master and the Schollar the Schollar looks upon it as a great task to construe it and is glad when it is over not minding the things themselves expressed by the words while the Master who minds the matter and understands it well is transported with pleasure to observe the elegancy of stile height of fancy depth of judgment strength of reason subtilty of Wit candor of mind which is in the Author So while a Man is but a Christian in name and hath but a form of Godlinesse the exercises of Religion are a burthen to him and he doth them only as a task to escape Hell fire as a School-boy gets his Lesson to escape the Rod but he that is a Christian indeed finds that sweetnesse in the word of God that it is to him as honey and