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	lie_n	3,415	5	9.0726	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20180	Christes miracles deliuered in a sermon. By Arthvr Dent, preacher of the word of God, at South-Shoobery in Essex.	Dent, Arthur, d. 1607.	1608 (1608)	STC 6613; ESTC S113588	17,721	54

in the mouth of all the false Prophets although they themselues did not at that time perceiue it So he possessed mens bodies as in the Gospell when our Sauiour had cast him out of a man hee straight way went into a heard of Swine and euen so he is able to draw mens bodies after him Wée may also sée his power by a comparison with the good Angels 2. Kings 19. An Angel of the Lord slew an hundreth and 85000. men of Zenacheribs Host in one night Now the same power is in Sathan by his creation which hereby appeareth to be very great So when he carried Christs body vpon a Pinacle of the Temple and vp into a Mountaine to tempt him And Acts 16. 19. there were exoreistes that would cast forth Diuils in the name of Iesus but the euill spirit in the man ranne on them and ouer-came them so that they sled out of the house naked and wounded It is therefore certaine that Sathan is of a wonderfull power and that the children of God haue oftentimes tried both in themselues also in others Among many other I remember one that is worthy remembrance There was a man in Geneua who féeling some-thing to fall out contrary to his minde and for diuers causes which is not néedfull to repeate blasphemed God desired that if there were any Diuils they might come and take him away who was presently in the ayre and neuer heard of after saue only that his cap fel off his head which sheweth that Satan hath great power This teacheth vs that mē must not be carelesse but must looke to themselues For Sathan is a roaring Lion seeking whom hee may soonest deuoure watch therefore and pray least yee fall into temptation But if Satans power be so great how comes it to passe that many men doe so well in this world I answer this power is barred and limitted by the Lord and that by two especiall limits The first limite is his Nature for hee is not able to doe any thing then that which his naturall disposition will permit and suffer The second limit is the will of GOD for hee can doe nothing against the will of GOD. Except the Lord doe eyther permit him or command him hee is not able to doe any thing at all As it is also in other creatures the waters should by nature ouer-flowe the whole earth yet they doe not because it is the will of God So also is it with Sathan as appeareth when the Lord gaue him power of all Iobs goods beyond the Lords will he could not go for the Lord will not suffer him to doe any thing to his children but onely th● which shall tend to their good Ar thou in misery or in any dangerous distresse wherein thou art most subiect to the cruelty of Sathan bee of good comfort Sathan is limited hée cannot doe any thing to thée but onely that which the Lord commandeth him But may not Sathans knowledge and power bee vsed I answere it may God vseth it in punishing trying and correcting his children Againe the Apostles vsed his power for they haue deliuered men to Sathan as Paule did 1. Tim. 1. 20. Himeneus and Alexander and as hee would haue done the incestuous Corinths But may not la man vse it in familiar sort in talking barganing and consulting with Sathan No. This is forbidden Deut. 18. Leuit. 20. and wee are commanded to resist the Diuill and to flie from him wee must not therefore consult with him He may oftentimes tell the trueth but wee must not accept it Christ gaue vs example hereof for hee sayd that Christ was the Sonne of God which was a trueth yet Christ commanded him to bee silent to teach vs that the truth is not to be receiued from him for he is the Father of lyes Héere then all men are forbidden to séeke vnto Sathan to know any trueth whatsoeuer And therefore hereby wee condemne those that vse witcherie by the counsell of Sathan and in the former places the very action of consulting with Sathan though no harme come thereby is flatly death to the partie I would this law were established in all Christian Churches then there would not be so many witches in that kinde as now there are I confesse indéed there be some which be counted witches which indéed are not as namely those which hurt Cattell as Oxen Horse Swine or such like or else children not from the counsell of Sathan but by the traditions of other women by poysoning them in dooing nothing but vsing the naturall causes thereof Those I would haue punished yet not in the name of witches but in the name of murtherers Some men thinke that they may ouerrule Sathan by coniuration in vsing this preparation which is set downe by some of late that they must make a Circle and in it make Triangles Quadrangles and Crosses and speake certaine words as saying the Pater-noster and many other such like things that they may call vp Sathan in what shape they will and hee will appeare and doe for them that which they desire But is Sathan a friend of theirs can any such things make him obedient to man Doest thou thinke that y ● canst ouer-rule him by this means No surely but hee rather by this meanes deceiueth thée and all that are of thine opinion And thus hée deceiueth them that vse Characters So there bee Charmes vsed to get away the Head-ache and Tooth-ache But doth the Charme get it away No Sathan knoweth before that thy headache shall goe away and therefore causeth thée to vse that Charme and thereby would mooue thée to ascribe it to the Charme But when Sathan whispereth men in their eares how shall they know whether it bée hée or a good Angell that speaketh to them I answer there be diuerse manifest tokens whereby thou mayest discerne this First the Lord doth not now vse such meanes to reueale his will vnto men thou art therefore alway to suspect it to be of Sathan Secondly if it be a good Angell thou maiest know by this for if it bee a good Angell it will tell thée eyther at first or at last what it is and for what it commeth and from whence as in times past the good Angels shewed themselues to Abraham and Lot Thirdly if it bee a good Angell hee will allure thee to kéepe the written word of God if hee doe not then suspect him The vse The vse of all this doctrine is to lead vs vnto God to acknowledge him to bee our onely Lord and Sauiour and to embrace the Sonne of God as our King In all things therefore wee must goe vnto him But whereas it is said How can a man that is a sinner doe such Miracles it may bee asked whether Gods enemies can worke any miracles I answer hee that worketh is not against Christ but with him and wee sée that those which indeuoured Acts. 16. to worke a miracle could not And there was a dissension among them Herein we sée that the Lord doth so worke that Christ and his doe finde fauour among their enemies and that by their dissension among themselues Here wee sée that Schisme is neither a note of a false Church nor yet of a true Church heere it is in a false Church Schisme ariseth of the diuersitie of knowledge and iudgement of men for all men haue not one knowledge and iudgement and all sée not the trueth and if they should yet all haue not the like yéelding affection therevnto Wee are therefore to prepare our selues to méet with schismes for it is necessary that there should be Heresies 1. Cor. 11. 10. that in the Church of God that those which are approoued might be knowne FINIS