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
A66447	Experiments of spiritual life & health and their preservatives in which the weakest child of God may get assurance of his spiritual life and blessedness, and the strongest may finde proportionable discoveries of his Christian growth, and the means of it / by Roger Williams ...	Williams, Roger, 1604?-1683.	1652 (1652)	Wing W2762; ESTC R7812	48,635	62

said that these particulars next following are not discouragements from Christ as if we had no life at all but incouragements to draw neerer to Christ Jesus when we see such virtue proceed out from him to such poor sinners like our selves These particulars then following are as an holy looking glasse to discover to us our souls spots blemishes as also sweet cordial flowers to refresh and incourage our drooping spirits The severall particular trialls of this spirituall health and chearfulnesse I shall bind up as I may so speak into three severall parcells as sometimes we see sweet flowers bound up into sinaller bundles to make up at last one larger bundle or posie in one The three severall sor●…s shall be according to that division of the holy Spirit by Paul to Titus First such as concern holines respecting our communion with God in Christ Iesus 2. Such as concern righteousnesse respecting others 3. Such as concern ●…obriety respecting our private selves and persons First then it is an argument of the strength and healthfub temper of the inner man when our apprehensions of God are always such as bring us to holy wonderment and amazement at the nature of incomprehensible God at his properties and works from the Sun in the Firmament to the poorest Worme at his wonderfull dispensing of his justice and mercy and disposing and ruling all things in Heaven Earth and Seas from the highest Angels in he●…ven to th e lowest Devils in Hell This was Davids temper when he cried out Psal 104 Oh Lord how wonderfull are thy works in wisedome hast thou made them all Also Psal. 8. O Jehovah our Lord how wonderfull is thy Name in all the earth And Psal 139. he brings this wonder nearer to bimself saying I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made As if he would say fearfully and wonderfully bred in the womb fearfully and wonderfully brought forth and we may further say ever since we came thus fearfully and wonderfully into the world fearfully and wonderfully brought up fearfully and wonderfully preserved delivered c. Obj. But may not naturall men and Hypocrites admire the Nature and works of God I answer yes but the wonder which doth possesse a child of God causeth him to cry out with David Psal. 119. Thy hands have made me and fashioned me give me undestanding that I may learn thy statutes T is such a wonder as draweth up the heart unto God with longings to be united unto him to fear his Name to partake of his divine Nature and to be like unto Him in holines and true Righteousnes Obj. The Devills believe and tremble at God I answer to tremble at the word of God is alone the property of Gods Servants Isa. 66 The Devills may wonder and tremble at the just sentence and threatning part of Gods word But Gods children tremble at the commanding part yea at the comforting and promising part of it also least they should depart or fall off from it or loose though but for a time as David the joy and sweetnes of it Secondly it is an Argument of health and spirituall strength when the hallowing the magnifying and glorifying of the name of God is our great work and business in this world unto which all the businesses and works we have in hand in the world beside give way c. Thus Christ Jesus teacheth all his to make it their first request to God that they may hallow or glorifie his name Thus he professeth as it were upon his death bed John 17. that he had done his work that he had glorified his Father upon the earth Hence he professeth at his most solemn Arraignment Joh. 18. for this end was I born and for this end came I into the world that I might bear witness to the truth that is to give his Father the glory of his truth and to destroy the lyes of the devill the father of them who belyeth God in all his holy attributes and works and servants and ordinances and profaneth and dishonoureth his holy name in them all Obj. Hypocrites professe to glorifie God and to say Is●… 66. Let the Lord be glorified I answer No hypocrite can make it his work to glorifie God when it crosseth his own glory No hypocrite can purely and simply out of love to Gods name and glory be content to ●…oose the offer of a kingdom as Moses did when the Lord himself offered it him and as Christ Iesus did when the people offered and would have made him a King by force and the devil proffered him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them Thirdly it is an Argument of strength of Gods grace and Spirit in us when we perform actions of godliness with a single and upright eye unto God himself in secret Frequent and constant delight in private converses argues strong affection to God or men Hypocrites saith Christ Jesus will pray and fast and give alms but with a squint eye of private and sinister self respect to be seen of men c. But Gods children pray and do good and fast in secret regarding no eye but the eye of an heavenly Father who seeing in secret will not fail to reward openly Ob. But may not hypocrites speak and preach against hipocrisie against self love self respect and fleshly and worldly ends in the performance of spirituall duties And is it not possible for Gods children to perform spirituall duties with carnall ends and respects I answer Hypocrites may do this and pretend pure and upright ends for God as Jehn did yet discover they hypocrisie in the very pretence of sinceritie for not content with the Lords eye and approbation Come see my zeal saith he Jonadab which I have for the Lord 2ly Gods children doubtless may look aside and mark who s●…es and hears and rewards in their performances of service unto God But this is either in sins of ignorance as for instance many of Gods dear children perform service to God in preaching as hirelings and conceive themselves not bound although to glorifie Christ Iesus in saving souls to preach without an hire and so in other cases Or 2ly this may be knowingly and discerningly as Paul saith Rom. 7. When I would do good evil is present with me such tempt●…tions come in as water into a ship or as dust and diseases into a sound eye and ●…hen Gods children be never quiet untill such distempers be cleansed and got out again Fourthly it is an Argument of spirituall strength when the Spirit of prayer breatheth forth frequently and constantly and fervently to God in us Hence David prays and cries in the morning at noon and in the evening he riseth at midnight to pray and prevents the d●…wning of the day to pray Thus Daniel is thrice each day on his knees to God and would not be beaten off with the powers and terrors of cruel enemies and lyons Thus the Lord Jesus frequently

But some may say Can these sayings be any other then a Parable or similitude for is the Devill capable of any materiall fire such as now is grievous and painfull to flesh and blood I answer Grant these sayings Parabolicall or similitudes as also that of Dives and Lazarus yet what are Parables and similitudes but Glasses to represent unto us in more plain and easie wayes the holy tru●…h and mind of God The Kernell of truth is not the lesse sweet though wrapt up in the s●…els and husks Beyond all question therefore Christ Jesus foretels most sure and inconceiveable plagues to all that know not God and obey not his glorious Gospel And by this Worme that never dyes and this fire that never goes out declares a torment to be inflicted upon both men and devils which shall be extream like fire which shall be universall upon the whole sinfull creature no part exempted which shall be also eternall never dying never ending yet we may adore Gods righteous judg●…ments and working out Salvation with fear and trembling make sure of a Jesus a Saviour to deliver us from the wrath that is to come In the next place my deare Love let us downe together by the steps of holy meditation into the valley of the shadow of Death It is of excellent use to walke often into Golgotha and to view the rotten skuls of so many innumerable thousands of millions of millions of men and women like our selves gone gone for ever from this life and being as if they never had life nor being as the swift Ships as the Weavers shuttle as an arrow as the lightning through the aire c. It is not unprofitable to remember the faces of such whom we knew with whom we had sweet acquaintance sweet society with whom we have familiarly eaten and lodged but now growne loath some ugly terrible even to their dearest since they fell into the jawes of death the King of terrors And yet they are but gone before us in the path all flesh must tread How then should we make sure and infini●…ely much of a Saviour who delivers us from the power and bitternesse of Death and Grave and Hell who is a resurrection and life unto us and will raise up and make our bodies glorious like his glorious Body when he shall shortly appear in glory It is further of great and sweet use against the bitternesse of Death and against the bitter-sweet delusions of this world daily to thinke each day our last the day of our last farewell the day of the splitting of this vessell the breaking of this buble the quenching of this Candle and of our passage into the land of Darknesse never more to behold a spake of light untill the Heavens be no more Those three uncertainti●…s of that most certain blow to wit of the Time when the Place where the Manner how it shall come upon us and dash our Earthen Pitcher all to pieces I say the consideration of these three should be a threefold cord to bind us fast to an holy watchfulness for our departures and a spur to quicken us to aboundant faithfulnesse in doing and suffering for the Lord and his Christ it should draw up our minds unto heavenly objects and loosen us from the vexing vanities of this vaine puffe of this present sinfull life Oh how weaned how sober how temperate how mortified should our spirits our affections our desires be when we remember that we are but strangers converse with strange companies dwel instrange houses lodge in strange beds and know not whether this day this night shall be our finall change of this strange place for one far stranger darke and dolefull except enlightned by the Death and Life of the Son of God How contented should we be with any Pittance any Allowance of Bread of Cloaths of Friendship of Respect c How thankfull unto God unto man should we poor strangers be for the least crum or drop or rag vouchsaf'd unto us when we remember we are but strangers in an In but passengers in a Ship and though we dreame of long Summer dayes yet our very life and being is but a swift short passage from the bank of time to the other side or Banck of a dolefull or joyfull eternity How patient should our minds and bodies be under the crossing disappointing hand of our all-powerfull Maker of our most gracious Father when we remember that this is the short span of our purging and fitting for an eternall Glory and that when we are judged we are chastned of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world How quietly without the swellings of revenge and wrath should we bear the daily injuries reproaches persecutings c. from the hands of men who passe away and wither it may be before night like grasse or as the smoake on the chimnies top and their love and hatred shall quickly perish Yea how busie how diligent how solicitous should we be like strangers upon a strange Coast waiting for a winde or passage to get dispatched what we have to doe before wee hear that finall call Away Away let us be gone from hence c. How should we ply to get aboard that which will passe and turne to blessed account in our own countrey How should we over-look and despise this worlds trash which as the holy woman going to be burnt for Christ said of money will not passe in Heaven How zealous for the true God the true Christ his praise his truth his worship how faithfull in an humble witnesse against the lyes and cozening delusions of the Father of lyes though guilded o're with truth and that by the hands of the highest or holyest upon the Earth How frequent how constant like Christ Jesus our Founder and Example in doing good especially to the Souls of all men especially to the Houshold of Faith yea even to our enenemies when we remember that this is our seed-time of which every minute is precious and that as our sowing is must be our eternall Harvest for so sayth the Spirit by Paul to the Galathians He that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption or rottennesse and he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting FINIS Cor. 3. * Cromwel and Lambert Thy Maker is thy Husband Isa. 5. Isa. 40. Prov. 21. Great pretences to the holy Spirit of God To counterfeit the holy Spirit dreadfull The least of the little ones of Christ Jes●…s o●…ght to rejoyce Communion of Saints most sweet and to be lamented after Two Christian Riddles suiting these times and spirits The true use of sicknesse The outward and inner m●…n What the inner man is Subject to many distempers A threefold person in Gods children A spirituall cheerful temper Spirituall distempers Distinction between spirituall death spirituall sickness and spiritual weakness The Heads of this Discourse The weakess of Gods children cry unto God as to