Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	deed_n	light_n	manifest_a	2,272	5	9.7572	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B00888	The Christian manuell, or of the life and maners of true Christians. A treatise, wherein is plentifully declared, how needefull it is for the seruaunts of God to manifest and declare to the world: their faith by their deedes, their words by their works, and their profession by their conuersation. VVritten by Ihon VVoolton minister of the Gospel, in the Cathedral church of Excetor.	Woolton, John, 1535?-1594.	1576 (1576)	STC 25976; Interim Tract Supplement Guide G.1999[2]	81,916	210

with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lambe vndefiled and without spot And in his latter Epistle after the rehearsall of certayne vertues he addeth For if these thinges be among you and be plenteous they wyl make you that ye neither shall be idle nor vnfruictefull in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ But hee that lacketh these thinges is blinde and can not see farre of and hath forgotten that hee was purged from his olde sinnes VVherefore brethren geue the more dilligence for to make your calling and election sure for if ye do such thinges ye shall neuer fall Saint Paule in lyke manner wryting to the Thessalonians sayeth VVee beseeche you brethren and exhorte you by the Lord Iesus that ye increase more and more as ye haue receiued of vs how you ought to walke and please god For you knowe what commaundements wee gaue you by the Lord Iesus For this is the wyll of God your holinesse that yee shoulde abstaine from fornication That euerie one of you shoulde knowe howe to possesse his vessell in holinesse and honour c. And in his Epistle to Timothie This sure foundation of God endureth hauing this signe the Lorde knoweth who are his and let euerie man that calleth vpon the name of the Lorde depart from iniquitie If a man therefore purge him selfe from these thinges hee shal be a vessel sanctified to honor applied to the vse of the Lorde and prepared to all good workes But speaking of the hyppocrits he sayth thus They professe that they know God but in their deedes they deny him being abominable disobediēt and reprobate to al good works The blessed Apostle and Euangelyste sayth thus If we saie we haue fellowship with him and walke in darknesse wee lye and doo not the trueth And if wee walke in the light as he is in the light wee haue mutuall fellowship with him And S. Iames Be you doers of the word and not hearers onely deceyuing your selues For if a man heare the worde and expresse not the same in his deedes he is lyke a man that beholdeth his face in a glasse For beholding him selfe he goeth his waye and forgetteth his similitude Iudas also the brother of Iames Apostle of Christ is very angry with those that abuse the grace of our God to wātonnes and sayth That such haue already manifestlie denyed God and his sonne Christ This doctrine of good workes I haue specifyed and collected out of the holy Prophetes and Apostles Least some myght report of vs that we are very copious in the doctrine of Iustification by faith But bare and barren in the other part of Christiā doctrine cōcerning good workes principally least Sicophantes myght cauell that we are despysers and enemyes to good workes The Apostles of Christ the Lord and namely S. Paule the doctour of the Gentyles and vessell of election haue notablye set out Gods grace And very often inculcate that men are iustified before God by faith not by the law by grace not by works and yet notwithstāding they vrge most ernestly the works of faith Ye were somtime darknesse but now are you light in the Lord vvalke as children of light For the fruite of the spirite is in all goodnes righteousnes and truth approuing that vvhich is acceptable vnto the lord And haue no fellowship vvith the vnfruitfull vvorks of darknes but rather rebuke thē And as the preaching of Gods grace is nowe a dayes obiected vnto vs as a reproch euen so was it in the tyme of Paul the Apostle when many obiected sayd that the Apostles taught men to do euyl the good might come thereof There were moreouer Hippocrits false gospellers who abused the preaching of grace faith Christian lyberty to satisfy their carnall lustes yet the Apostles continued most constātly and earnestly in teaching that doctrine neyther dyd they inhybite the doctrine of iustifycation because the some men had no regarde of good workes But they sharply rebuked such and admonished the faythfull to beware of such peruerse lybertie In consideration whereof S. Peter is thought to haue vttered these words And suppose that the long suffering of the Lord is saluation euen as our dearelie beloued brother Paule also according vnto the wisedome geuen vnto him hath written vnto you speaking of suche thinges amongst which are many things harde to vnderstande which they that are vnlearned and vnstable peruert as they doo also the other scriptures vnto their owne destruction Ye therefore beloued seeing ye be warned aforehand beware least ye also being ledde awaie with the error of the wicked fall from your owne stedfastnesse And the same Apostle in another place For so it is the wyll of God that with well doing ye maie stoppe the ignoraunce of foolishe men As free and not as hauing the libertie for a cloake of naughtinesse but euen as the seruauntes of God. Herevnto agréeth the saying of Saint Paule Brethren ye haue bene called into libertie onelie let not libertie bee an occasion vnto the flesh but by loue serue one another And almost the lyke was vttered before of our Sauiour Christe Verelie verelie I saie vnto you that whosoeuer committeth sinne is the seruaunt of sinne And the seruaunt abideth not in the house for euer but the sonne abydeth for euer If the sonne therefore shall make you free then shall you bee free in deede Wherefore Chrystians who are made free in true Christian liberty are delyuered from the Deuyll synne condemnation that synne may not rule in their mortall bodies albeit the dregges and remnaunts of naturall corruption remayne in them neyther are they subiect to the sentence of eternall death albeit they deny corporally and to be short that they may not serue synne and Dyuell but Grace and Christ And hauing spoken thus much of the necessity of good workes It consequently followeth that I returning to the definition of good workes shoulde shewe what workes are allowed or disalowed in Christes Church And fyrst we do not deryue the same out of the decr●es of men but acknowledge God to be the fountayne and aucthour of the same For all men by nature are lyers corrupt and synfull and howe can that which is euill bring forth good therefore from God onely who alone is good all good workes do spring The blessed Apostle Saint Iames sayth Euerye good gift and any persyt gyft is from aboue descending from the Father of lights Saint Peter also writeth to the same ende The God of all grace who hath called you to his eternall glory through Iesus Christ strengh then and confirme you And Saint Paule It is God that worketh in you both the wyll and the deede Our Lorde and sauiour Iesus Christ sayth He that abydeth in mee and I in him the same shall bring foorth much frute And in another place Hee that doth truth commeth vnto the light

all strength according to the power of his glorie to all suffering and patience with hope And in another place Ye were once darknesse but nowe are you lyghte in the Lorde walke as chyldren of the light for the fruite of the spirite consisteth in al goodnesse iustice and trueth allowing that which is acceptable to God and haue you no fellowshippe with the vnfruitful workes of darknesse but rather rebuke them Therefore as the Apostle commaundeth the faithfull to walke worthy of theyr vocation and sheweth them also howe they maye doo the same euen so the godly alway doo those things which they are commaunded and dyrect theyr workes to this ende that they maye declare them selues to bée the chyldren of the lyght The chyldren of God also in their workes labour to profitte all men and to hurt none Let no man sayeth the Apostle seeke those thinges that bee his owne but that which is anothers as I in all thinges please all men not seeking my owne gaine but the profitte of many that they maie be saued And these workes of Godly men do excéedinglye please the Lorde our God but not of their owne dygnitie and worthynesse if ye weygh them in respect of men or in them selues but because they are done of those that are reconcyled to God in Christ by faith and new obedyence And if nowe and then through the corruption of our nature wée fall into sinne and wickednesse whereby we steyne and pollute the good workes yet God such is his goodnesse wynketh as it were at suche escapes couering our fylthinesse and spots with the garment of his Christ hee washeth and cleanseth the same with his most precious blood wherof the Apostle speaketh thus There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Iesus who walke not after fleshe but after the spirite and who shall laye any thing against the electes charge It is God that iustifyeth who is he that wyll condempne c. And that these good workes of Christians are acceptable to God and please him it appeareth by that that God rewardeth and crowneth the same with great honors and rewardes both in this life and in the lyfe to come Obserue and heare sayeth the Lord all those thinges which I commaund thee that it maie be wel with thee and thy children after thee when thou shalt doo that thing which is good and acceptable in the sight of the Lord thy God. The Prophet also speaking beforehand of the Christians I wil bring them saith he into my holie moūtaine and I wyl cheare them in the house of praier their offeringes and oblations shall please mee vpon my aulter Whervnto the Apostle no doubte had respect saying I beseeche you brethren by the mercifulnes of God that you woulde offer your bodies a quick holie and acceptable sacrifice to God which is your reasonable seruing of God. And the promise made by God vnto Abraham in all the faithful in him is most comfortable in that he sayth He wyl be their defence plentiful reward And the Apostle sayth That godlynes hath promise both in this life and in the lyfe to come And againe The iuste iudgement of God shall be declared which wyll rewarde euerie man according to his deedes To them which by continewing in well doing seeke for glorie and honour and immortalytie But vnto them that are contritious and doo not obeye the trueth but obeye vnrighteousnesse shall come indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish vppon euerie soule of man that doth euyll Wherefore wée see it moste euydent that GOD hath prepared most plentyfull and lyberall rewardes aswell in this lyfe as in the lyfe to come to all those that hate synne and worke ryghteousnesse and the Apostle approoueth Gods Iustyce by the same whyles that hée sayeth God is not vniuste that hee vvyll forgette your vvorke These and many other such places of scripture do sufficiētly declare that God rewardeth the good works of godly men And yet it is not to bee inferred or collected that they maye truste to be iustified and saued thereby For the godly do freely and willingly confesse that theyr workes are rewarded of grace and not of theyr owne meryt especially for that they euer doo féele and perceyue that throughe humayne infyrmitye theyr workes are neuer so perfyt but that they haue néede of Gods mercy to mytigate the rigor of his Iustice and examining theyr good workes Therefore in consyderation of theyr hyre or reward the godly ertoll Gods grace and mercy who geueth to the vndeseruinges as though they had deserued and perceyuing imbecillytye and wickednesse in them selues are humbled in myndes and crye with the Prophet If thou O Lord marke our iniquities whoo is able to abide it Almightye Gods dooing in this and many other matters maye bée resembled to carnall parentes who hauing sonnes to be theyr heires by lawe of nature and byrthright yet they inflame and kyndle dertue setting before their eyes gyfts and rewards Whose gracious vertuous children acknowledge themselues to owe al euen of duty to their Parents without rewards and therefore they referre all such benefyts and rewardes to the meere bounty and lyberalytye of their Parents They looke not for hyre and rewardes as seruaunts and hirelings but onely for the fauor and loue of their heauenly father And as the sonnes of the frée woman and not the sonnes of the bondwoman are heyres euen so the kingdom of God is not the stipend of seruauntes but the rewarde and heritage of children To conclude this matter of meryt and reward the mercifull and gratious Lord rewardeth his louing chyldren for their good workes not for the perfection and dignity of the sayd workes but because the doers of those good workes are sōnes and chyldren They are made sonnes heyres by adoption in Christ therefore their workes are acceptable to God not in respecte of them selues but for Christes sake in whom they are ingraffed and of whose moysture as it were of heauenly dew they are partakers so that all their rewards are of necessity referred to the grace and mercy of god And although we graunt renumeration and rewarde of good workes yet meryts or Desertes cannot be inferred thereof that by our workes wee are able to procure eternall lyfe For the scripture seemeth of purpose in all places to auoyde the word merit The stypend of sinne is death but eternall lyfe is the gift of God through Iesus Christ and therefore Sainte Augustine wryt very excellently VVilt thou fall from grace then boast thy owne merites And agayne VVhen a man seeth that all his goodnesse commeth not of him selfe but of God he easely acknowledgeth all that which is prayseworthy in him not to be of his owne merites but of the mercy of God. Neyther yet is the earnest and ardent desire of working righteousnesse extinguyshed and quenched by this doctrine as our aduersaries slanderously lay vnto

that hath done vvrong Housekeepers Masters of familyes are taught That possession gotten vvith iniquitie fleeteth awaye Of Charitie it is wrytten That loue couereth the multitude of sinnes Of Magistrates it is written Geue vnto Caesar those thinges vvhich belong to Caesar and to God those things that are Gods. Of othes and remembring of iniuries Haue I commaunded your fathers comming out of the lande of Aegipt that they shoulde offer sacrifice and burntofferinges but I commaunded this rather That euerie one thould forget iniuries and offences and to loue no vntrue oath Lyers prowde men heare this threatning VVoo vnto those that call sweete bytter and bytter sweete and againe VVoo be vnto them that are vvyse in their owne conceytes And he that humbleth himself shal be exalted and he that exalteth him selfe shal be brought lowe Those that shewe pittie and mercy are pronounced blessed Because they shal obtaine mercie Enuie and displeasure is accoumpted a hurtfull thing Because it destroyeth those that be wyse And as for enemyes we are commaunded To loue them to blesse those that curse vs And vnto him that smyteth thee vpon the one cheeke offer vnto him the other Our seruauntes are to be vsed gently for they are men as we be and there is no respect of personnes before god Vainglory is also beaten downe VVoo be vnto you Pharisees because you loue the highest seates in the Synagoges and salutations in the market places Of almes deedes it is wrytten Come ye blessed children of my father receyue the kingdome prepared for you from the begynning of the vvorlde for I vvas hungrie aad you gaue mee meate I vvas thirstie and you gaue me drinke Fayth trouth in word déed are highly commended VVherfore laying asyde lyes let euery one speake truth vnto his neighbour for vve are members one of another let not the Sūne set vpon our vvrath neyther let vs geue place to the Deuyll He that stole let him steale no more but rather let him labour vvith his handes that he may be able to geue vnto the needy Let all bytternes and vvrath and fiercenes and cursed speaking be remoued from amongst you vvith all that vvhich is euyll Be gentle and mercyful one toward another doing good one to another as Christ hath done good vnto you Be you vvyse and follovvers of God as deare children and vvalke in loue as Christ hath loued you You vvyues be subiect to your ovvne husbandes as vnto the lord And you husbandes loue your vviues as Christ loued his church You sonnes obey your Parents Fathers prouooke not your children to vvrath but bring them vp in the nurtour and admonicion of the lord You seruaunts obey your Maisters after the flesh vvith trembling and feare in symplicity of your harts as it vvere seruing Christ from your hartes vvith good vvyll And you Masters do vvell vnto your seruaunts remitting threates knovving that both their Maister and yours is in heauen and is no accepter of persons If vve lyue in the spirite let vs vvalke in the spirite Let vs not be desirous of vainglory enuying one another and prouoking one another Let vs beare one anothers hurthen Let vs not deceaue our selues for God is not deceyued And againe VVe beseeche you brethren vvarne them that are vnruly comfort the feble minded lyft vp the vveake be patient toward all men See that none recompence euyll for euyl vnto any man but euer follovve that vvhich is good both among your selues and vnto all men Reioyce euer pray continually In all things geue thanks for it is the vvyll of GOD in Christ Iesus tovvard you Quenche not the spiritte despise not Prophesyings Examine all thinges hold fast that vvhich is good abstaine from all appearaunce of euyll Let your speache be alvvayes in grace powdred vvith salt to knovve hovve you ought to answere euerie man And againe Godlynes is profitable to all thinges hauing promises of the lyfe that is nowe and of that vvhich is to come And of serrauntes it is wrytten And they vvhich haue beleeuing Maisters let them not despise them because they are brethren but rather let them doo seruice for asmuch as they are beleeuing and beloued and partakers of the benefyte And that generall exhortation is worthy remembraunce Seeing that vve haue diuerse giftes according to the grace that is geuen vnto vs eyther prophesie after the measure of faith eyther offyce in administration or he that teacheth in teaching or hee that exhorteth in exhorting he that geueth in singlenesse he that ruleth in dilligence he that is mercifull in cheerefulnesse Loue vvithout dissimulation hating euyll cleaning to good Affectioned one to another vvith brotherly loue in geuing honor goe one before another Not lyther in busines feruent in spirite seruing the Lorde Reioycing in hope patient in trouble instant in prayer distributing to the necessitie of Sainctes geuen to hospitalitie Blesse them vvhich persecute you blesse and curse not Reioyce with them that reioyce weepe vvith them that vveepe Being of lyke affectioned one towardes another be not high mynded but making your selues equall to them of the lower sort not vvise in your owne opinions Recompence to no man euyll for euyll prouiding aforehande thinges honest not onely before God but also in the sight of all men If it be possible asmuch as lyeth in you haue peace vvith all men These fewe things I haue chosen from amongst many out of the holye scripture which I thought good to offer vnto my schollers that they might learne to plucke vp sinne and iniquitie by the rootes The body of the holy scripture conteyneth a plentyfull stoore of many other preceptes meete for an kyndes and callinges of men for the Cleargie and for the layetie for Princes for Priestes for gouernours and for subiectes of the which occasion may peraduenture be geuen to speake more aptly in another place Our heauenly father hath lefte his wyll vnto vs in his holye worde And whereas the horse is broken with the bytte and brydle the Ore with the yoake the wylde beast is caught with the nette the fishe with the hooke he hath ordeyned his word to alter and transformer resonable men Let vs most humblye beseeche him to gyue vs his grace that we may obey his word and followe his preceptes and commaundementes that we maye wade through the floodes of sinne and come into the quyet hauen of eternall peace there to be thankfull and alwayes to extoll the heauenly Father with his onely sonne together with the holy ghost world without ende Amen A Philosophecall posy Two principall partes of wisedom The Philosophers ignorante in the practise of their precepte Esai 29. 33. 1. Cor. 1. True wisdome is only in Gods. church 1. Cor. 1. Psa 36. Iohn 8. Christe is a perfecte example for vs to folowe in faythe and lyffe Christe an example in our liffe Iohn 13. 2 Tim. 3. Rom. 2. 1. The. 4

that his workes maye be manyfest that they are done by God. The Prophete Esaye also inspyred wyth Chrystes spyrite sayeth Lorde thou shalt geue vs peace for thou hast wrought all our workes Nowe although we hould that good workes procede from God as the fountayne and origyn yet he dooth not these thinges without vs but rather worketh by vs and in vs so that the works of God done by vs are also our owne workes For GOD doeth regenerate his elect and choosen seruauntes with his spirit and gyueth them fayth Then they being so regenerate lyke Gods obedyent chyldren doo yeelde and apply them selues to please him with a holye lyfe and conuersation And the holy spirit which is in them is effectuall styrring vp theyr power and wyll to all good workes in all partes and course of their lyfe Fayth also wherby mens harts are purified is not idle and sluggyshe but doth her part and is a vigelent and diligent kéepers of integrity of mynde and vertuous conuersation throughout all their life And doth as it were put them in mynd that they being once purifyed in the bloud of Christ through the holy ghost shoulde kéepe them selues vnspotted in the fylthye world from all pollution of the fleshe neuer to abuse the gyfts of the body but to preserue the same as a vessel of honor ▪ The regenerate therfore watch work righteousnesse neyther do they make a small accoumpte of synne as wycked wordlyngs doo for they right well and déepely consider that God who sent hys sonne into this world to be a propiciation for synne and gaue him to death euen the death of the Crosse dooth both hate synne as a thing abhominable and also loue Iustyce and purity of lyfe And for that cause they also hate synne and loue righteousnesse detest impiety and imbrace pyty and so studie to practyse the same all the dayes of theyr lyfe But in this labour and endeuour of the chyldren of God there are manye lets and hinderances and holy men are afflicted as it were with a gréeuous and dayly battell which is neuer ended before the daye of death for that deadly and crafty enuy of ours Satan the Deuyll rusheth vppon vs with greate vehemency and vndermyneth vs with a thousand temptations And he is assysted with many mightye confederats For our owne flesh is slowe and dull to all goodnesse and prone to all viciousnesse The flattering and disceytfull worlde also vrgeth vs mightely with company pleasures honours which are most vayne There are also many wordlings who with their pernicious examples do cary the simple sort into distruction What should I saye of feare and hope which do excéeding exercyse and afflyct the mynds of the regenerate in such sort that onlesse Gods spirit dyd euery hower assyst them and confirme theyr fayth they coulde doo no good worke at all Against these and all other temptations that disciple so dearly beloued of Christ doo comfort vs saying This is the loue of God that we should keepe his precepts and his commaundements are not heauy For euery one that is borne of God ouercommeth the worlde And this is the victory that ouercommeth the worlde euen your faith VVho is he that ouercommeth the world but he that beleeueth that Iesus is the sonne of God And S. Paul If his spirit that raysed vp Iesus Chirste from the dead dwell in you He that raised vp Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodyes by the power of his spirite dwelling in you By the whiche word all faythfull men maye easely gather the carke and care with Gods spirit dwellyng in the harts of the faythfull taketh that Iustice may ouercome and Iniustice be vanquyshed And Christ our sauiour promyseth that he wyll power his spirit most plentyfully vpon vs and dooth also commaund vs to aske the same of him with ardent and continuall prayers The faythfull therefore and suche as are regenerate by Gods spirit contynue in prayers without intermyssion They kéepe theyr bodyes in subiection with moderate fasting and abstinency that theyr prayer maye be more zealouse For prayer and fasting are as it weare preparatyues to good workes Nowe as these impedimentes aboue specefyed doo hinder men from doing of good workes euen so there are manye things which further and helpe vs toward the practyse of the same amongst the which is especially Gods spirit then a true and perfyt fayth and afterwarde continuall and earnest prayers Whervnto we may adde the sincéere doctryne of all fymes and ages aswell vnder the ould as new testament And moreouer the innumerable examples of the seruaunts of God and of Christ the Lord and sauiour of the whole worlde who amongst other things sayth I haue geuen an exāple vnto you that as I haue done so should you do Besydes these thinges the very filthinesse of vices terrefying vs from synne and the prayse fayre beautye of vertue inuiting vs to the studdy of pyty The wrath of God also and the seuerity of his Iudgments the fearefull threates of payne and torments aswell temporall as eternal wyl plucke vs from vices On the other side the fauour of God the mercyfull countenaunce of that eternall Iudge his bountifull promyses and hope of blessings aswell temporall as eternall wyl encorrage vs to pursue and practyse vertue For the faythfull wyll not bee ingrat for Gods innumerable benefits neither wyl they offend their brethren with their filthy liues for whom the lord Iesus suffred such gre●ous pains torments These and such other like consideratious doo both staye men from vice and further them to vertue But the godly vse a choyse and discretion in doing workes as I haue once or twyse alreadie spoken accoumpting of those onely that are appoynted by God Wherin that elect vessel S. Paul geueth vs a good lesson writing to the Ephesians VVee are created in Iesus Christ to doo those workes vvhich he hath prepared for vs to vvalke in Fyrst he affyrmeth notably with great weyght of words that we were created in Christe Iesus to doo good workes We answere not then our ende if we rotte and putryfie euyll and fylthie sinne and returne not to God by true fayth and hartie repentaunce And confesse wee drawe our lyuelye moysture from him w●e can neuer bring forth any good fruite for so Christ him selfe beareth wytnesse The Apostle therefore speaketh with great weyght and effycacie in that he sayth that we were created in Christ Iesus to doo good works Then lest we should be ignoraunt what good works the Apostle would haue he addeth VVhich he hath prepared vs to walke in What be those which he hath prepared for vs to walke in but those which he hath reuealed vnto vs in the holy lawe of his commaundementes And therefore our sauiour Christe demaunded in the gospell by a certaine man VVhat shall I do to possesse eternall life and what is the greatest commaundement in the Lawe He