Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	devil_n	father_n	liar_n	1,960	5	10.7881	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B22780	Englands deplorable condition shewing the common-wealths malady, by [brace] sacriledge, and want of duty in the people, contention, want of charity in the ministery, perjury, and want of truth in both : and its remedy by [brace] the peoples obedience and liberality, the ministers love and unity, both their repentance and fidelity : briefly declar'd in three treatises of [brace] the ministers patrimony and peoples duty, proposals to reconcile such as are for lordly episcopacy and un-ordain'd presbytery, for popular independancy and upstart antipædobaptistry, and against perjury : also, a petition for the Jews.	E. F.	1659 (1659)	Wing F18	72,509	69

not the offence till thy Brother be reconciled p Mat 5 24 or thou endeavour restitution The second sort that swear falsly who are not so bad altogether although guilty of a great sin are such who being ignorant of the truth yet doubtingly and rashly without certain Knowledge Faith and q Jer 4 2 Judgement confirm the same by an Oath to be truth for though the thing they confirm were truth yet they not knowing it so and yet by Oath affirming it that they know it so swear falsly for in swearing they pretend to know that which indeed they know not and so in reference to them 't is false they swear though in it self the thing may be true they swear this God accounts lying and an Oath being added to it makes it Perjury For to Lie is to speak against that which he thinks in his mind such swearing the truth but not from the heart as God requires q Psal 15 2 Mentire est contra mentemire Plin swear a Lie because they know not they swear truth Now Liars are from their father the Devil and his works they do r Iohn 8 48 and to swear a Lie is one of the greatest aggravations of it for the Devil will speak truth but not truly not after a right manner nor for a right end 't is to equivocate deceive and hurt mens souls as in Adams tentation he told the woman if they did eat they should be as Gods which if understood of Angels fallen is a truth but if of the blessed Trinity or holy Angels as he would have Ez●e understand it was a Lie ſ Gen. 3 5 So the spirit of Python in the Maid confessed Paul and Sylas to be the servants of the most high God which shewed to them the way of Salvation t Acts 16 17 but this was for ill ends as that he might be acknowledged a God in speaking truth or to uphold the false tenant of many gods or provoke St. Paul and commend his own Oracles or lastly by this means to hinder the preaching of the Gospel and to raise persecution against the Apostles which accordingly took effect for Paul grieved in Spirit could no longer endure the Devils approbation when they had the power of Christ in their Ministry to confirm the Doctrine they preached u Acts 16 17 c. to 25 but turning commanded the Spirit in the Maid in the Name of Christ to come out of her and when her Masters saw the hope of their gain was gone they raised persecution against them So that he swears falsly who without judgement and justice swears which is a high prophaning of Gods holy Com. 3d. Name in which whosoever sins God will not hold him guiltless And truly 't is to be feared a great part of the knowing men of the Land are guilty of this sin swearing ignorantly doubtingly or rashly witnesse those Oathes taken in the Universities to observe the Statutes thereof when Schollars are Matriculated or take Degr●es when scarce one o● a hundred knoweth them The Oaths heretofore usually taken by Majors Burgesses Sheriffs Common Council-men Citizens Free-holders and Tenants in their Cities Towns Courts Assemblies which usually were ignorantly or doubtfully taken or carel●sly and negligently performed yea worse than these are the Oaths which Judges Sergeants at Law Apprentices to the Law and Clerks and other Officers in Chancery Inns of Court and other Courts take ignorantly or prophanely many of them without any inte●tion or purpose to keep them for usually f●r B●ibes and excessive Fees which now abounds more than ever witnesse the wealth not only the Judges and Lawyers have gotten but even their Clerks Registers and other Officers far surpassing some Knights or Esquires estates they have turned judgement into wo●mwood and have left of righteousnesse in the earth and oft some of them plead against their Consciences in most unjust causes helping therein to oppresse the poor fatherlesse and widow against such God complains and threatens ruine w Amos 5. 7 Nor are all our Justices of the Peace Bayliffs Constables Head-borroughs Church Wardens Overseers of the Poor and High-wayes Tything men Jaylors and other inferiour Officers especially most of your Attorneys Under Sheriffs Bayliffs c. free from this sin many of them ignorantly rashly without faith reverence knowledge or judgement taking their Oathes for honour or profit and usually without fear or care to avoid perjury continuing in and executing their Offices and therefore God may just●y as he threatens call the Husbandman to mourning and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing because he w●ll passe through the Land in wrath x Amos 5 10 th● 18 verse Nay I am afraid some of our Nobles and our late Parliament Men our valiant Commanders and reverend Ministers cannot wholly vindicate themselves from this sin much l●sse can many of the Common Souldiers and Country people of the Land who took the Oathes of Allegiance and Supremacy the Protestation and Covenant of the Three Kingdoms Did not most of us do it ignorantly rashly or doubtingly compulsively or presumptuously without Faith Judgement and Righteousnesse which is a great sin contrary to Gods Rule who will have us swear in judgement justice and truth y Jer. 4. 2 Surely I fear few can free themselves from this sin if without fear prejudice favour or self-love they would seriously in their Consciences peruse those Oaths Protestation and Covenant and deal impartially with themselves as God will do without respect of persons when he comes to Judge them Or if any plead he sinned not in taking these then certainly he sinned with a witness in not keeping these as his own Conscience Gods Spirit and his Word taught him which is the Third way of swearing falsly namely Thirdly When men swear to God or men to do something that 's just and lawful which they intend not to do or if they intend it yet perform it not but do quite contrary thereunto having their evasions equivocations or mental reservations to elude avoid and frustrate these which was accounted a Jesuitical trick and a damnable sin heretofore amongst Protestants in Queen Elizabeths and King James his dayes z Dr. Mortons Reply to the moderate Answerer against more than heathenish equivocations written 1606. This sin in Religion saith my Author is sacrilegious and detestable in politick State most pernicious and intollerable and in every man most wicked and baneful to his soul This is a horrible sin tending to most fearful damnation a Dod Cleaver on the 3d. Com p. 107 108. For he is a true Christian that having sworn to his hindrance yet will keep his Oath But he is far from a good man that sweareth that which he never purposeth to perform both Fathers Councils Schoolmen and all godly Divines have condemned it b Aug. Contra. Mend. cap. 5. 8 Hierm. Comment in 1 Cor. 4 Pet. Lumb lib. 3. dict 38. Aquin. 22. quest 111. art