Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	contrary_a	course_n	great_a	79	3	2.0638	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10018	Sermons preached before his Maiestie; and vpon other speciall occasions viz. 1 The pillar and ground of truth. 2 The new life. 3 A sensible demonstration of the Deity. 4 Exact walking. 5 Samuels support of sorrowfull sinners. By the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston Dr. in Diuinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, master of Emmanuel College in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.; Ball, Thomas, 1589 or 90-1659.	1630 (1630)	STC 20270; ESTC S120145	80,456	162

him a rebell so it is in this the standing out with God in any part of our conuersation if we be not exact in all it puts vs into a state of separation from God Secondly except a man walke thus exactly with God in all things it is euident that what he doth hee doth it for himselfe and not for the Lord and if he doe so it is not accepted of God I say what he doth it is for himselfe and not for the Lord for if he performe that obedience which hee doth for the Lord and for his Commandement to please him what is the reason that he goes not to the vtmost why doth hee set limits to himselfe for God requires that we should doe his will on earth as it is done in Heauen his commandement is that we should goe to the vtmost of euery command now when wee limit our selues in holinesse when we come to such thoughts as these well I will haue as much as will bring me to Heauen I will labour for so much exactnesse of conuersation as will keepe me in the state of grace as much as will preserue me from hell I say the ground of all such conuersation is nothing out of a mans selfe it is but regard to himselfe hee doth but onely looke at his owne saluation and no more which is a thing I confesse that may be looked at but to looke at nothing else is selfe-loue when a man lookes at nothing but his owne saluation and how he may escape hell that man cannot bee right now when a man sets himselfe limits and circumscribes himselfe and saith with himselfe I will goe thus farre and no further when he doth not endeuour to come to the vtmost to the highest peg it is a signe his heart is not vpright therefore there is a necessity laid vpon euery man that he walke exactly with God in all things Thirdly take any particular in a mans conuersation wherein he fauoureth himselfe if he be ouercome of that he is not in Christ whosoeuer is in Christ ouercommeth the world and the flesh saith the Apostle Gal. 5. Whosoeuer is in Christ crucifieth the flesh and the affections and ouercomes the Deuill as wee know the stronger man casts out the strong man now when any one particular of these lusts of the flesh or the temptations of the world or the deuill shall come and set vpon a man if he yeeld to this he is ouercome of it whereas none of those that are in Christ are ouercome of the world or of the flesh or of the deuill that is if there be any particular sinne for they are but souldiers that fight vnder those Generals and Captaines if a man once yeeld to it if a man giue ouer striuing against it a man is said properly to bee ouercome whereas if a man continue warring with sinne it is another case but when hee giues ouer resisting as the Apostle saith His seruants you are whom you obey if a man come to obey any sinne whatsoeuer hee is in the whole course of his conuersation it interrupts this exactnesse when he yeelds hee is ouercome As we say water and fire as long as they contend one with another neither is ouercome but when they yeeld one to another when the fire is turned all to be water then it is ouercome so in this case when there is a contestation betweene vs and sinne if wee yeeld to it then sinne ouercomes vs and hee that is ouercome of sinne cannot be in Christ. Fourthly if there be any particular sinne in a mans conuersation wherein hee doth allow himselfe it hinders the vse of all meanes and the profit of them that neither a man is able to pray or able to heare or able to doe any duty as he ought So that as a medicine is applied in vaine so long as the Arrow head is in the wound that must be remoued first before it can worke any cure so let there be but one sinne one failing in this exactnesse of conuersation and all the meanes of grace are in vaine therefore there is a necessity lies vpon euery man if he will be a Christian if he will reckon himselfe of the number of those that are the children of light that he walke exactly But not to stand to presse this further to make some briefe vse of it for I desire to come to the other part Not as fooles but as wise The vse we are to make of this is to set our selues about the worke to doe the thing to labour to walke exactly and here it is good to bring our selues to particulars Come to the keeping of the Sabbath I would but aske this question Whether the day be not holy whether it differ not from other daies that are common daies and if it bee not holy why doe you doe any thing at all and if it be holy is not a holy day to be kept holy why doe you not keepe it exactly to God And for Prayer when you come to call vpon the Name of God it is not the slight performance of the duty that God lookes for it is another thing hee takes your prayers by weight and not by number therefore looke you doe it exactly so in receiuing the Sacrament and all duties I leaue it to your selues to consider particulars and so for the duties of your Calling to be diligent in them to serue God and men in them with the fatnesse and sweetnesse of them and so for sports and recreations to be exact in them and not to vse those that be vnlawfull and those that bee lawfull not to vse them excessiuely but to vse them with limitations and to put right ends vpon them and so in all businesse and conuersing with men in all the turnings and passages of a mans life looke that you walke exactly that your obedience bee generall otherwise that is a signe the heart is not changed a man is not right borne till he come to walke exactly with God till he be willing to performe euery duty and willing to shunne euery sinne that hee knowes euery thing that hath a tincture of sinne if the heart be right there will be an antipathy betweene vs and whatsoeuer is called sinne otherwise what is the power of Religion if wee onely doe duties that are facile and easie to which wee haue no contrary disposition it were an easie thing then to be religious but herein is the power of Religion to subdue euery affection to subiect it where there is a strong streame of a contrary disposition to turne the course of nature to obey God when a man finds the greatest difficulties in the time of temptation and triall to doe it this is that which is necessary for vs otherwise the truth is wee serue the flesh and not God saith Iames Iam. 2. The same God that said thou shalt not murder said also thou shalt

divine mysteries hee is able to see all things and if he be not hee may both bee deceived and deceive Lastly where God intends to give the end he alwaies gives the meanes to effect and bring that end to passe but he giues not to the Church the meanes of infallibilitie as perfect knowledge of the truth sincere loue of it right ordered zeale for it hee takes not alwaies from them those sinnefull lusts which breed errings from the faith and often thrust and impell men into errour How oft have generall Councels beene distracted into factions leavened with malice puft up with pride c and shall we say when their hearts and mindes are thus corrupted that their tongues are notwithstanding infallibly ouer-ruled to poure forth nothing else but oracles To say that at that instant there fals a spirit upon them to guide them with immediate revelation is to approve the fanaticall fancies of the Anabaptists which they take on them to abhorre which notwithstanding if anie doe affirme as some have beene bold to doe they must consider that the Prophets which were guided by such spirits and had the truth inspired by visions and immediat revelations did never argue discusse or reason of the things they spake and wrote but only did declare and manifest what was revealed but in generall Councels the truth is bolted out by reasonings to and fro the conclusions many times disputed of and strongly argued on both sides now where the premisses are onely probable the conclusion cannot bee infallible for they are the cause of the conclusion and there cannot be more in the effect than was formerly in the cause This is sufficient to evince that though generall Councels doe not at all times defacto erre for wee all acknowledge the great benefit of the foure first generall Councels yet to say that de possibili they cannot is vtterly vntrue Christ hath promised Iohn 16. 13. to send his Spirit which should lead them into all truth and Matth. 28. 20. to be with them to the end of the world These places must needes bee understood primarily of the Apostles themselues who onely were infallibly led into every truth and but secondarily of their successors that is so farre as they insist in their steps and doctrine for if that were the sense that Bellarmine Stapleton and other popish writers give namely that the promise is indifferently made to their successors as well as to themselves then particular Bishops and Ministers should be infallible judges of truth falshood so all controverfies in the Church would presently have an end so as never to spring againe If they say it s not to beunderstood of them taken single apart but as met together assembled in a Synode I answer there is not the least intimation of this distinction in those places but the place for such a promise is Matth. 18. 20. Where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them But this place is to bee understood of the least meetings of true Christians in the name of Christ as well as of the largest Councels and so the smallest companie or convention should bee capable of this promise of infallibilitie as well as the most general and ample Councell But they farther object If there should not be a visible external unerring judge to which at all times those might resort for resolution that are not themselues able to wade through the depth of diuinity-controuersies there would be no end of wrangling and disputing nor any certaine meanes to finde the truth in matters questioned Though there bee no infallible visible humane iudge yet there is an invisible in fallible judge and that is the holy Ghost speaking in the scriptures which are therefore called the word of God And this judge in many respects is better and fitter than anie other First this may be easily had is alwaies readie and at hand to which men of all sorts may soone repaire the other ambulatory to many inaccessible and to all difficult to bee obtained Secondly the sentence of this judge is certaine and inflexible not subiect to errour but the others mutable like a leaden rule that may bee bended to and fro for in men affections haue their place which is the reason that among men there are Lawes because the Law is not capable of affections but the Lawyer is Thirdly this judge is better knowne and may sooner bee agreed upon by all for bee it granted that the true Church is a judge infallible yet it may be sooner known which is the true Scripture than which is the true Church there beeing more pretenders to the one than to the other While the Church is militant upon the earth God hath not said there should bee any such end of controuersies as these men dreame of but rather he hath said the contrarie 1. Cor. 11. 19. There must bee heresies in the Church that those may perish who receiue not the loue of the truth to bee saued and that those which are approued might be knowne If there were anie such meanes by God appointed in his Church to determine controversies infallibly yer a generall Councell though in his place to be respected is not likely to bee it for is it like God would appoint a meanes for ending controuersies in his Church that for at least three hundred yeares that is till the time of Constantine the great could not be had and though he and others his successours while the Empire was undivided might easily assemble Councels yet when the Empire fell into many subdiuisions and the parts thereof were gouerned by seuerall Kings of different religions as now they be it is impossible the Church should haue the benefit of them What is the vse then and benefit of generall Councels if they could be obtained They are the best meanes to finde out Truth for manie candles give more light and manie eyes see more than one and in the multitude of Counsellors there is health and as they are the best meanes to finde it so from them it hath no small authoritie yet notwithstanding they may erre in necessary and fundamentall points as the Councell of Ariminum and Seleucia where there were as manie more Bishops as at the first Nicene Councell and therefore held in two Cities because no one was able to containe them yet erred in a fundamentall point decreeing for Arrius heresie against the Deity of Christ. The second Councell at Ephesus did the like and so ten Councels at Tyrus Ierusalem Philadelphia Ariminum Seleucia Constantinople Alexandria c. so the second Councell at Nice set up Images and commanded them to bee worshipped which in the second Councell of Constantinople immediately before were utterly condemned More instances might easily bee given but these suffice to warrant this conclusion That a generall Councell may erre in fundamentall points For though the universall Church of Christ taken for his