Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A81815
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The fulness and freeness of Gods grace in Jesus Christ, declared in two general points: first, that personal election is no ground of the saints perseverance in the grace of God by Jesus Christ. Secondly, in what sense the scriptures speake the saints perseverance in that grace. The third part. / By Francis Duke.; Fulnesse and freenesse of Gods grace in Jesus Christ. Part 3
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Duke, Francis.
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1656
(1656)
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Wing D2503; Thomason E892_9; ESTC R205568
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71,363
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seen it and beare witness ad shew unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us and Vers 3. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that ye also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Sonne Jesus Christ And these things write we unto you that your joy may be full And Vers 5. concludes This then is the message which we have heard of him that is of Christ and declare unto you namely That God is light in whom is no darkness at all Thus it is a great happiness to a godly minde to know the infinite God as he hath manifested himself by Jesus Christ for Iohn writ these things to the faithful that their joy might be full Again Take special notice of this that it is one thing that the infinite Essence of Jehovah thus possesses man and all things else as is foreshewn and another thing for man to possess him as to his happiness for so man onely possesses God by his rules which he hath made suitable to mans understanding and will so to move or work to enjoy him as a reasonable Creature and this is to walk in the light and his light to be in us Psal 119.106.130 as saith the Text. The entrance of thy word giveth light it giveth understanding to the simple thy word is a Lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and this is implyed by Iohn in 1 John 6.7 If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lye and do not the truth and if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Iesus Christ his Sonne cleanseth us from all sin 2 Joh. 3. Hereby we know that we know him if we keep his Commandements but I am sure you know him not but deny his Commandements to be his word and refuse to walk by his rules you will have his Essence as a tender part of you and that 's your word and that 's your rule but what saith the next Verse He that saith he knoweth him and keepeth not his Commandements is a lyar and the truth is not in him And in the next Verse he calls Gods Commandements his word Whosoever keepeth his word in him verily is the love of God perfected and hereby we know saith St. John We know that we are in him therefore because you do not keep his word we know that you are not in him for all your swelling words of vanity in your 4th page for when you had spoken of your single sol'd your single-hearted Shoomaker I stand ready say you to hear and obey all things that the lively voyce of God which is your light within speaking in my soule shall require of me as page 5. you quote one John Jackson for a tall Cedar in the profession of Religion but you vaunt your self a taller man of your hands than any speaks with tongue Page 19. for say you I lay down this as a positive position which through the strength of God viz. your lying light within I shall not onely be able by letter or witness without me viz. the Scripture or declaration of the word of God or your lying light within clearly to maintain against the ablest man whatsoever that speaks with a tongue that can or shall oppose it c. yet nevertheless here is a poor Idiot whom Jehovah hath taught in his Law is able to encounter you and your Companions and also your Emissaries whom you send out to preach your lying light in the Countries and stile them the Ministers of the everlasting Gospel but of this light namely the true light I will give you a definition what light is from the Apost Eph. 5.13 whatsoever doth make manifest is light this he layes down as a definitive rule what Light is as to us men yet note this he doth not define Light in its nature but as it is in its effects to us so he defines it whatsoever doth make manifest that is Light God doth manifest himself to us in foure things every of which to us is Light The first is the Fabrick of the Creation in all its parts Rom. 1.19 20. man himself the chief the Text saith That which may be known of God is manifest in them that is the Creatures for God had shewed it to them for the invisible things of him from the Creation of the World are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power and God-head Hence the Psalmist saith O Jehovah how wonderful are thy works Psal 104. v. 24. Psal 107. v. 43. in wisdom hast thou made them all the Earth is full of thy righteousness who so is wise and will observe those things even they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord therefore this manifestation was light to these godly men A second manifestation of God to lead men to know the invisible God is his Word written in the Scriptures which as formerly is proved giveth light to the simple being a Lamp unto their steps and a light unto their paths and this is the second light But thirdly That which doth most of all manifest and is therefore Light is the Spirit of God being the third Elohim in Jehovah that is even the spirit of truth Joh. 14.17 Joh. 16.13 Joh. 17.17 And when the spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth Sanctifie them through thy truth thy word is truth that is the Spirit of God enlightens the minde to love and obey God in his Word of truth according to the desire of David Open thou my understanding that I may see the wonders of thy Law and in another place Teach me and lead me in thy truth And the Apostle speaking of right beleevers saith Rom. 8.26 The Spirit helpeth our infirmities for we knew not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with sighes and groans that cannot be expressed that is the third Elohim discovering to us by the Word of God some depth of our imperfections to any thing that is right in Gods sight from thence arise sighes and grones that cannot be exprest and not that the third Elohim himself doth sigh and groan but because his silent and secret efficiency doth frame a sanctified minde to this blessed disposition therefore it is attributed to him and not to us so it is attributed to him to make intercession for us not that he doth actually make intercession for us not that he doth actually make intercession himself but because he teacheth us how to pray aright according to Gods Word for saith the Text 2. Cor. 2.10 God hath revealed this to us by his Spirit for the Spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God therefore this manifestation is the most neer and clearest light to
off from amidst his people I but mark the reason and ground because he hath despised the word of Jehovah and hath broken his Commandement Here note that God concludes his word and his Commandements to be one and the same thing and concludes That soul shall be utterly cut off his iniquity shall be upon him Exo. 9.20 that is it shall never be forgiven him except God in mercy grant repentance the truth is you are worse than the Heathen for they beleeved the word spoken unto them by Moses to be the word of Jehovah He that feared the word of Iehovah Exo. 2.23 among the Servants of Pharaoh made his Servants and his Cattel flee into the Houses Likewise he conveyed his minde by his word to the minde of the Israelites for to them he spake all these words saying I am Iehovah thy Elohims Deut 4.2 which have brought thee out of the Land of Egypt out of the house of bondage thou shalt have no other Elohims before me Moreover he saith Ye shall not adde unto the word which I command you neither shall ye diminish ought from it Here take notice of this That this Scripture God ownes to be his word therefore admits of no addition or diminution then it is certain it is the spirit of the Devil in you I do not say doth adde or diminish but that which is much worse for you endevour utterly to dissolve the Scriptures Again The Apostle Peter affirms two conclusions of the old Testament First That the then written Scripture in his dayes namely the old Testament was to the Churches of Christ a more sure word of Prophecie than that excellent speech that came from Heaven to Jesus Christ upon the Mount because that was a private and peculiar respect to him alone He renders this reason why Knowing this first saith he that no Prophecie of Scripture is of any private interpretation as all your quaking Doctrines are being bottomed upon your light within which neither you nor any man else knowes what it is Secondly 2 Pet. 1.17 18 19 20. Your Doctrines are of a private interpretation because they are not owned by the publick Oracles of Gods word neither do you own them to be his word The Apostles second conclusion to the Churches as to the old Testament is you do well that ye take heed as to a light that shineth in a dark place until the day-dawn and the day-Starre arise in your hearts and in the 21. Verse he renders a reason thereof for saith he the Prophecie came not in old time by the will of man as your quaking Doctrines do but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost Now the reason why the shining of the old Testament was in a dark place is because it was under types and shadows and Prophecies as to them that had not beleeved the Gospel though then unveiled and by the dawning of the day and the day-starre arising in their hearts is meant the preaching of the Gospel without that veile so beleeving in Christ more clearly manifested to their mindes by his spirit that was the day-starre which was to arise in their hearts Again Our Lord Jesus Christ himself proves the Scriptures to be the word of God Mark 7.8 13. when he had charged them that they had laid aside the Commandements of God as do you more directly then ever they did then in the 13. Verse he affirms that Commandement written in the Scriptures to be the word of God Likewise he affirms the Gospel preached to be the word of God Luk. 8.11 for saith he expounding the parable the Seed is the word of God and it appeares also to be the word of God preached Vers 18. saying Take heed how you hear And from this ground I told you that a wiser man than you did affirm the Scriptures to be the word of God that is the Lord Jesus Christ Likewise he saith unto them Joh. 10.34 35. It is written in your Law I said ye are Gods if ye call them Gods to whom the word of God came and the Scripture cannot be dissolved Here our Lord also affirms the word of God to be the Scripture And in John 17.8 Our Lord to his Father concerning his Apostles saith I have given them thy words which thou gavest me and they have received them and have known surely that I came out from thee and they have beleeved that thou diddest send me Observe here that Gods word which the Father gave to Christ Christ to his Apostles and they beleeving those words preached them to the World the substance whereof is in their Gospels and Epistles and the Scriptures is unto us these words of God and the ground of our Faith But you endevour to dissolve this ground and to lay a foundation of your own making a thing that you call a light within and tell us that that is Gods word and that there is none other but that and you call this thing the everlasting word of God and your Christ and your spiritual King Jesus and this lye is the ground of your Faith But our Lord Jesus Christ in the houre of his Temptation kept his minde close to the word of God in the Scriptures that were written by Moses to repel the Tempter and his temptations saying to the Devil It is written that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God that is his minde shall live by beleeving the Scriptures as his body does by bread as in Vers 8. Deur 6.16 Chap. 10. Get thee behinde me Satan for it is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serve and this word was then written And here our Lord applies those Scriptures to the Devils that were spoken to the Israelites they being his Creatures as well as man Thus the word of God in the Scriptures was the ground of Christs Faith and so are to all that are his that is that are truly godly therefore because you deny the Scriptures to be Gods word and also the sacred Trinity consequently you deny God himself for it is proved that Jehovah is in the Elohims and the Elohims in Jehovah wherefore I told you because you deny principles you ought to be served as they serve such in the Schools that is they kick them out and so ought you to be kicked out of the School of Christ and the company of all Gods people yet nevertheless I did then grant that the Scriptures as a humane expression as printed in Inck and paper was not the word of God for that may be burnt in the fire as the King did the Roll yet that which was express'd to the King in that Roll Jer. 26.29 30. was the word of God and God made it good upon him and so he will make good his word upon you and your Companions though you endevour to dissolve that word as did that King that all men