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
B10255	The highest end and chiefest work of a Christian set forth in two plain discourses, concerning the glory of God, and our own salvation / By J.W.	Waite, Joseph.	1668 (1668)	Wing W223; ESTC R186143	132,020	230

necessarily be the ground and reason of it self which is so great an absurdity as hath forced most of our English Divines to reject that definition not only as improper but also as dangerous and uncomfortable Dangerous because it is apt to tempt a man to the pernicious self-deceit of presuming or assuming a strong conndence of his own salvation without any just ground upon this supposition that such a a confidence is not only necessary to salvation but gives him an assured right thereunto as being the condition of the promise And a most Uncomfortable notion it is too not to him that pretends to have such an assurance but to the generality of good Christians For if it were true that the only saving faith consisted in an assurance of salvation and that a full one as it is defined whosoever finds himself to want that assurance which very few of the best Christians will pretend to must needs conclude himself to have no true Faith whereas in truth this Assurance is purely accidental to the ●eality of a true Faith which is alwaies before it and most commonly without it But the two forementioned acts of Assent to the truth of the Gospel together with a direct Affiance upon Christ for salvation doe indeed truly and properly belong to the nature of Faith but do no● make it compleat perfect or sufficient to salvation For without controversie a true saving Faith doth import such a practical habit of assent to the Gospel of Christ as hath an effectual influence upon the Will and Affections and all the acts of the inward and outward man And thus much is distinct● taught not only by that large discourse of St. Ja● chap. 2. where he purposely disputes this point and positively declares that Faith is made perfect by works v. 22. And that without them it is dead that is null and void v. 17.26 But also by th● Expresse words of St. Paul Gal. 5.6 For in Jos● Christ neither circumcision availeth anything nor us circumcision * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but Faith which w●●●eth by love In which Text as conceive it matters not much whether the original word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 common to both senses be render'd actively or passively i.e. acting or working by love 〈◊〉 we translate or actuated and made effectuall as th● Syriack understand it and as the same word 〈◊〉 most commonly used in Scripture which way ●eever the word be rendered the sense is the sam● And it is evident that the meaning of the Apost by the addition of those words is to give 〈◊〉 distinct character or discription of that Faith which justifieth a Christian by way of cau● on against any other notion of the word the abstracts from this Energy or efficacy For th● words are Exegetical and Limitative As if he ha● said Not every kind of Faith but the living Ene●getical effectual faith which acteth or is actuated 〈◊〉 love is the only thing that availeth for the hope of righteousness that is the Justification and Salvation of a Christian That this is the true meaning of the Apostle appears evidently from two parallel Texts wherein the same sense is thus varied by himself The first is in the next chapter of the same Epistle Gal. 6.15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature The second is in 1 Cor. 7.19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of the Commandments of God Where it cannot be denied but that Faith working by love is all one with the new creature which is created in Christ Jesus i.e. in the Faith of Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them And with the keeping of the commandements of God love being the fulfilling of the commandements 1 Joh. 5.3 Rom. 13.10 Faith that worketh by love is such a Faith as purifies the heart Act. 15.9 ● Joh. 5.4 and overcomes the world which is therefore by St. Paul called the obedience of Faith Rom. 1.5 16 26. The same thing is signified by that Apostle in his answer to the Goalers questi●n before alledged requiring him to believe on ●●e Lord Jesus Christ Acts 16.31 Which can mean nothing less than that he should acknowledg him for his Lord and Christ as well as his Sa●our And therefore should hold himself obliged ●y his Faith to obey him as a Lord and to be ●ubject to him as the Christ the Messiah the an●ointed King and Prophet of his Church For Faith as it relates to the Person of Christ doth not respect him only as a Saviour but receive him as he is sent by God and offered in the Gospel with all his authority as Lord and King and Prophet Joh. 1.12 This notion of Faith is confirmable from that common rule in Divinity that * Verba scientiae connotant affectus Words of knowledg i● Scripture-phrase doe connotate both affections and actions agreeable to the knowledge whereof in this place one special Instance shall suffice Joh. 17 3. This is life eternal th● they may know thee the only true God and Jesu● Christ whom thou hast sent Where to know God and Christ signifies to believe in him For knowledg of Divine things is Faith and Faith is oft-time called knowledg in Scripture 1. Tim. 2.4 2 P● 1 2 3. 1 Joh. 2.3 Isa 53.11 By his know● shall my righteous servant meaning Christ jusi●● many As to know the true God imports 〈◊〉 the duty which is due to him as such so to know Jesus Christ whom the Father hath sent is to imbrace him in the quality wherein he was sent tha● is with full acknowledgment of his commission fro● the Father and with submission thereunto by receiving and observing all that he hath comma●●ed in his name So runs the Commission that o● Saviour gave to his Apostles when he sent the● to make Disciples and to baptize all Nations teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I 〈◊〉 commanded Matth. 28.20 This must needs 〈◊〉 the true meaning of those words This is life eternal that they may know thee Because no knowledge that means any thing less than this can 〈◊〉 the sole condition of Eternall life And so certain it is that the knowledg of God in Scripture-phrase doth import obedience to his Commandments that S. John saith Hereby we know that we know him if we keep his Commandments He that saith I know him and keepeth not his Commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him 1 Joh. 2 3 4. And if that be so what truth can be in him that saith he believes in God and keeps not his Commandments For either our knowledg of God is the same thing with our beliefe and then what is true of the one must be equally true of the other Or if Faith be distinguished from knowledg as in a philosophical notion it is then our beliefe supposeth our knowledge that is that we

as God that is with all the heart and all the soul an● all the might according to the tenour of the fin● and great Commandement This kind of love is that which constitutes and distinguisheth th● true filial fear of God And that constant respect or regard to the glory of God which this Tex● requires is not onely an inseparable concomita●● of such a Love but also an essential property thereof For as all vertuous love which the Philosophe● calls love of Friendship consists in affecting an● seeking the good of the beloved for his own sake So the true love of God must needs consist i● the secking of his honour and glory which is th● only good which is competible to him An● therefore there is no way for us to testifie our low to God but this at least none wherein this is no● contained Therefore what ever pretences me● may make of love to God who have no since● affection for his glory can be no better than hypocritical And must needs appear so to the co●science of the pretender if he will consider th● the glory of God is the only Interest wherein 〈◊〉 is capable of being served For as we cannot profit God any way so neither can we please him any other way than by this of aiming at hi Glory or which is all one desiring to expres our respect to him That saying of the Apostle Love is the fulfilling of the Commandments is verified as well of the Commandments of the first table as of the second and doth truly import no less than that love to God as well as men doth confist in the keeping of his Commandements according to the words of Saint John This is the love of God that we keep his Commandments and the like of our Saviour's Joh. 4.3 Joh. 1● 21 If ye love me keep my Commandments But this is not the entire meaning of the words but also that the right keeping of the Commandments is only that which proceeds from love to God so that were it possible for a man to keep all the Commandments without any other love than that which men have for themselves which must needs be impossible because to love God is not only one but the chief of the Commandments he could not truly pretend to have kept any of them at least not in the Gospel-sense that is in Spirit and truth To serve God in spirit and truth according to the Law of the Gospel and which I understand to be a main part of that Reformation under the Gospel which the Author to the Hebrews mentions is not only to serve him in the doing of such things as are good in themselves and as such distinguishable from the Ceremonial precepts of the Law but also to serve him in love for his own sake that is for his honour and glory This is it which distinguisheth the good actions of carnal and unregenerate men from those of the truly faithfull It is manifest by experience that not only carnal Christians but the most barbarous Infidels do many actions agreeable to the Law of God but in as much as no such person makes God the end of his actions those actions are not sincerely good nor so much as acts of Obedience to God who requires to be obeyed in Love Now as these two common Duties which expresse the whole service of God cannot be truly performed without the observation of this general precept in the Text so much less can that which is nothing else but the perfection of these that is the duty of holy Zeal for God For godly zeal can have no other proper design than the glory of God But I forbear to insist upon this or to add any other reasons for the confirming of the point because I shall have occasion by way of motive to mention the same again with others in the practical Application whereto I am now to proceed THe first general use which is to be made of all Pradical Doctrines such as this is is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that of Examination As oft as we read or hear of any duty required from God and generally incombent upon all Christians i● is the proper part of every mans Conscience to reflect upon it self by way of Examination whether that duty be or hath been observed an● performed by him This therefore is now to be don by us in reference to this general rule 〈◊〉 Christian practice Let every one of us consider and examine whether we have observed this rule or no in all our doings And for the assistance of any Conscience that may be perswaded to such a faithful Application I shall from the premisses already laid down draw up the Interrogatories which each man should charge upon himself to Answer 1. Whether hast thou had any such regard to the glory of God as to take heed of any doing thing which thou knowest to be contrary thereunto Hast thou been careful to act nothing disagreeable to his known Will Hast thou been so jealous and tender of his honour as not willingly or needlesly to do any thing which had any appearance of evil to thy self or to others who were like to be scandalized thereby Hast thou consecrated and devoted thy whole self and all the Interests of thy life in the desire and designe of thy heart to God and his glory Hast thou by a general proposition set God for the end of all thy doings Hast thou frequently minded considered and thought of the glory of God in thy doings and made it the rule by which thou hast ordered the matter and manner of them These Interrogatories being all drawn out of the main parts of that Explication of this Rule which hath been premised are necessary to be put upon the Examination by every Conscience that acknowledging this duty would rightly censure it self in reference to the practice thereof the Issue of such an Examination sincerely made may be of good effect to the foul whatever the answer of the Conscience should prove to be For either it will tend to the Comfort of the Conscience which shall be able before God to testifie its own performance of these things though with weakness and imperfection or it will be useful towards a profitable effect of Humiliation and Repentance upon the Conviction of the neglect of so main a duty There can be no greater Comfort to the soul of a Christian than that which duly ariseth from the practice of those premises because there can be no greater evidence of Sincerity in the heart than that of such a practice For this if any thing is to be really and truly godly upright and faithful before God Such a one is the man after God's own heart Who is or can be a more faithful servant than he that aimes at his masters honour and service in all that he doth I may therefore with greatest confidence say to such a soul Well done good and faithful servant enter thou into thy Master's joy The utmost