Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	confirm_v	doctrine_n	miracle_n	2,757	5	8.8552	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52574	New-Englands duty and interest to be an habitation of justice and mountain of holiness containing doctrine, caution, & comfort : with something relating to the restaurations, reformations, and benedictions promised to the church and world in the latter dayes : with grounds of hope, that America in general & New-England in particular may may have a part therein : preached to the General Assembly of the Province of the Massachusetts-Bay, at the anniversary election, May 25, 1698 / by Nicholas Noyes ...	Noyes, Nicholas, 1647-1717.	1698 (1698)	Wing N1461; ESTC R16814	53,865	112

the Example Prayers Tears of many plain Christians are like to be more wanted then they are lamented Our friend Lazarus sleepeth saith Christ and wept at his grave Godly men must die as well as others and if their Children and Successors made good their Leaders ground it were not so Ominous But alas it hath been often otherwise in New England 5. The lubricity fickleness and unsteadyness of men in the true Religion in which they have been Educated not to say born as well as brought up it is a woful sign of declension when the Children of the Church are like Children tost to and fro with every wind of doctrine Men run away with a perverse interpretation of that of the Apostle 1 Thes ● 21 Prove all things forgetting the very next words hold fast that which is good Alas men are more fixt and steady in a false Religion Hath a Nation changed their gods which yet are no Gods but my people hath changed their glory c. Jer. 5.11 'T is a prodigie of Levity and Vanity to see persons that sucked in such Milk as David who said Thou art my God from my Mothers belly thou hast caused me to hope on my Mothers breasts that had such Mothers and Grandmothers as Timothy had that have been acquainted with the holy Scriptures from their very childhood and by their Godly Fathers Schoolmasters and Ministers were brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and it may be have made a Personal profession yet hanker after Novelties in Religion without regard to verity and when reproved for it think to justify themselves by that of the Apostle Prove all things as if that would justify their running a gadding and a madding after such Seducers as pretend to divine inspiration immediate revelation infallible guidance by the holy Spirit and yet deny the holy Scriptures to be the word of God and touchstone of truth and deny the Ordinances of Baptism and the Lords Supper and all Instituted worship Truly Sirs as for them that have lived long under the Preaching of the Gospel and can't see that such doctrine needs not much trying whether it be sound or no will be found to have their Religion to choose and that they have unsound hearts as well as itching ears They that have long had the offer of Truth and yet let it go will hold fast-Error They that were so scrupulous about CHRIST who came in his Fathers Name and confirmed his doctrine by Miracles did as Christ foretold believe on one that came in his own name Declension in Doctrine and Worship will bring on declension in Manners They that are not sound in the faith will not long be sound in Gods Statutes they that make Shipwrack of Faith will make Shipwrack of a Good Conscience also 6. The extream Difficulty of recovering from declension renders it very hazardous whether we shall not yet be more Sinful If there were no Devil to tempt nor no evil Example among men nor any temptation from a frowning or flattering World which is all far otherwise yet the inbred corruption of mens hearts that are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked is enough to undoe all This peop●● saith Jeremiah hath a revolting and a rebellious heart they are revolted and gone Jer. 5.23 Such a deceitful revolting rebellious heart can shift off all Conviction and bear up against all reproof Infidelity can despise and disrega●d all Promises and Threatnings Security can eat and drink build and plant till the flood come and carry all away Prophaneness can mock at all th s and more till there be no remedy Self-love can blind mens eyes in what concerns themselves so as they shall not be able to see faults in themselves though they be very quick sighted in seeing faults in others Reformation is the most necessary but the most difficult thing in the World because the Enemy of it is not only in a mans own house but in a mans own heart To cure a long contracted Cachexia or ill habit of body to uphold a tottering Empire and to reform a declining People are three very difficult things but the last of them is the hardest of them all These six foregoing particulars may serve to show that the people of New-England are in great danger of being yet more Sinful which is a very humbling and awful consideration Who can seriously reflect upon it and not say as they Jo●h 22.17 Is the Iniquity of Poor too little for us from which we are not cleansed to this day The more the Danger is the more need our care fear prayer endeavour be lest we add to the heap of New-Englands Transgression Secondly New England is in danger of being much more Miserable than ever yet they were or yet are The fore mentioned danger being found real and impending this cannot be otherwise It unavoidably follows from the premisses for if it be like to fare with New England as to Happiness or Misery according as it goeth with them as to Holiness and Righteousness as hath been proved and that New-England is already very Sinful and in danger of being much more Sinful there must needs be the like danger of being more Miserable God threatned Israel three times in one Chapter that if after they had Sinned against him and thereby brought upon themselves some direful Effects of his displeasure they did not humble themselves return and reform H● would punish them yet seven times more for their sin which accordingly came at last to p●ss God did bear for-bear time after time and many a time forgave them upon their repentance such as it was so as not to consume them though at several times he sorely afflicted them for their sin Yet forasmuch they revolted more and more after their respits from their trouble at length they found the threatning executed and so may we if we don't take warning Before I leave those two last heads I will reflect a little on the sayings of some that were they true would render the fore mentioned Warnings needless and useless 1. Some make as if New-England were already as sinful as sinful can be as bad as bad can be To which I reply I have no design to speak diminutively of the Sins of the Countrey I do acknowledge with grief and shame that they have been and are very horrible yet I think such Sayings are not justifyable in any Some well-meaning holy men being of dark melancholly Spirits and little acquainted with the advances that Atheism Idolatry Superstition Prophaneness Iniquity and Sensuality have made in other professing parts of the World are apt to think so and in their indignation against sin sinners to say so But the truth is Though we have cause to abhor our selves for being so bad as we are and to meditate all ways possible to grow better yet it cannot with truth be asserted that as yet we are as bad as bad can be for there is real danger of