Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	divine_a	faith_n	revelation_n	3,458	5	9.7228	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64235	A sermon preached before the Right Honourable Sir John Shorter, Knight, lord mayor of the city of London at Grocers-Hall, February the 12th, 1687/8 by Nathanael Taylor.	Taylor, Nathanael, d. 1702.	1688 (1688)	Wing T549; ESTC R34647	25,151	42

now take them comparatively and if you ask Why doth God reveal Divine Mysteries to two or three wise Men only in an Age and not to the rest Acts 26.24 Why to Paul the Scholar whom tho as Festus imagined much Learning had not made mad yet Rage against the Gospel made him exceedingly so and not to Gamaliel the Master a moderate and sober Man that gave very gentle Counsel in favour of the first Preachers of Christianity and was in great Reputation among all the People Or if you ask Acts 5.34 Why should God pass by the generality of wise Men pitch his Love upon and give his saving Grace unto inferiour Persons for the most part What could he not have torn off the Veil from the Heart of the one as well as of the other Was not the refidue of the Spirit with him Yes surely Mal. 2.15 for he is Lord of Heaven and Earth and hath all Power and all Hearts in his Hands He could have made the Dews of his saving Grace as Universal as the Drops of the Morning He could have made his Ministers have blown the Gospel Trumpet with such a Breath made it give so loud a sound that like the last Trump at the Mouth of an Angel it should have awakened all that are dead in Trespasses and Sins and made them to revive Why therefore hath he not done it If you answer he shews his Power Wisdom and Justice in leaving them under spiritual Darkness it may be replied these very Attributes of Wisdom and Power besides that of his infinite Goodness he might have glorified the other way and his Justice had a large Field to display it self in the punishment of Apostate Angels Why therefore hath he not done it You must Center in this at last because his Grace is free he is debtor to no Man he doth with his own what seemeth good in his own Eyes he fashions the same Lump of filthy and untemper'd Clay into what Vessels he pleases And who art thou Rom. 9.20 21. O Man that darest to dispute or reply against thy Maker Be still O proud Dust and know that he is God and a great King over all the Earth Bowels of Mercy made the Motion at first the Eye of Wisdom directed the Management of the whole the right Hand of Power was there to assist Justice did not open its Mouth to contradict and Soveraignty as it became that Attribute sate upon a glorious high Throne far above all the Heavens and from all Eternity selected the particular Persons whom according to the Counsel of its own Will it resolved should be infallibly brought to Salvation through the knowledg and belief of the Truth III. In the last place I shall briefly apply all 1. By way of Information in six Things 1. Hence learn 't is no great wonder there are so many Follies Weaknesses and Miscarriages among the sincere followers of Christ They are a plain simple illiterate sort of People for the most part that mind the Power of Religion and but few of the prudent Ones of this World among them And therefore tho they are wise as to the main in as much as they avoid the greatest Dangers and secure their biggest Interest yet it can't be expected they should manage themselves and all their Affairs according to the exact Rules of human Policy which they generally want and 't is not strange if in many single instances of a lower nature they frequently mistake their VVay and take many a false Step. A Mariner may have so much skill in Sea Affairs as to be able to steer his Ship thro' the main Ocean and make a good Voyage even to the Indies escaping the great Rocks and mighty Sands and yet not know the way into a particular Port so well as an ordinary Pilot of the place but be apt thro' mistake to run his Vessel a-ground where it may receive great Damage and be very difficultly brought off again 2. See one reason why the ablest Ministers are seldom so successful in their Work as those that are more meanly furnish'd Like Canon mounted too high they shoot over the Heads of inferiour Persons whom generally God hath ordained to eternal Life and so they beat the Air but batter down no strong Holds and are qualified to deal with the wise and more rational part of Mankind among whom God hath not much People nor Christ many Sheep The most Soveraign Remedies prepared according to Art shall have no Success John 9.6 when Clay and Spittle if Christ will but use it shall restore Sight to those blind Creatures on whom he hath resolved the Works of God shall be made manifest v. 3. 3. See the Vanity of that Objection against serious Religion drawn from the meanness of those that sincerely embrace it when the far greatest part of the famous Men are on the other side This is an old Engine of the Devils John 7.48 Have any of the Rulers or the Pharisees believed on him The weakness of this Argument appears from what hath been said And indeed if it be of any force against a sincere embracing of Christs ways it will hold good against the practice of common Morality For 't is very evident that multitudes of the wise and prudent Ones of this World are wholly eaten up with their Lusts as the choicest Trees are devour'd by Caterpillars 4. See the reason why weak Christians more stedfastly adhere to Christ his Ways and Truths in times of danger than the wise and prudent This saving Revelation of Divine Things fixes and establishes their Hearts and keeps them faster in the Faith than others can be held by meer dry Reason and naked Arguments so that tho they are none of the great Scholars of the World nor able to answer the specious Arguments of subtil Hereticks Mat. 24.24 yet 't is not possible that all the craft and policy of Hell should finally deceive them For they that are thus taught of God have a spiritual Sense and Judgment to discern between Good and Evil they inwardly know 1 John 2.20 21 27. and have a Witness within themselves of the truth of what this Vnction hath taught them And therefore as all Creatures Plants as well as Animals have a natural instinct whereby they draw to them what is proper for their Preservation and Nourishment but avoid what is destructive to them So these Persons to whom God hath spiritually reveal'd his Truths have a supernatural Instinct whereby they turn aside from pernicious Errors and unmovably retain the great Things of the Gospel with a mighty relish and savour They can't be beaten out of that Truth which hath been so plainly discover'd they know these things to be great Realities that have made such a deep Impression on their Hearts and tho they can't learnedly dispute they can couragiously die for them rather than deny them They will not be disputed out of them no more than a Man will

the latter of these words we shall the better understand the former of them Thou hast revealed them He doth not speak of an external revelation for that was not the peculiar privilege of some few only Christ having preached them publickly and plainly in the ears of all the people but of an internal revelation enabling them in a spiritual and practical manner to apprehend those Divine Truths that were outwardly proposed to them And consequently by the hiding these things from others we must understand the denying them that special Grace which might open their minds to see the glory of Divine Mysteries and their hearts to feel the transforming power of them leaving them to their own obstinate wilful ignorance to the lusts of their own hearts and the power of Satan to blind and harden them Thou hast hid these things from the Wise and Prudent Men of great Parts worldly Wisdom humane Learning such as the Scribes and Pharisees were And revealed them to Babes The word properly signifies those that are young in years but being opposed to the Wise and Prudent must be understood of those that are as young Children use to be weak in understanding as Christ's Disciples were 4. The notion under which Christ directs his thanksgiving to his Father for this thing that of Lord of Heaven and Earth which is a title very sutable to the matter insisted on and denotes his absolute Dominion and his infinite Power q. d. It was not for want of ability or of right that thou hast not done otherwise Thou didst act like one who hadst all power in thy hand in thus revealing these thy Mysteries unto Babes and by the same Almighty Power couldst have shined into the hearts of the Wise and Prudent who are thy Creatures also But thou art at liberty to chuse or pass by according as seems good in thy own eyes 5. Christ's approbation of and acquiescence in this dispensation on this account because it was the gracious pleasure of God. Even so Father for so it seemed good in thy sight From the words thus open'd many Doctrines might be raised but I shall take notice of one only Doct. The saving revelation of divine things is usually bestowed on mean and inferior persons and denied nied to the wise and prudent that enjoy the same outward means with them In the handling this Doctrine I shall I. Explain and confirm this Truth II. Shew upon what account this was matter of joy and thanksgiving unto Christ III. Apply all I. I shall explain and confirm this Truth And here 1. As to a notional Knowledge Divine things are so far from being hid from the Wise and Prudent that they are more fully understood by them than any of these weaker ones Daily experience shews us there are many of the Disputers of this World that have a more exact scheme of Divine Truths in their heads than thousands of holy Souls They have such an understanding of Divine Matters as they have of Humane Arts and Sciences Can talk acurately and learnedly about them to the reviving the hearts of some and stopping the mouths of others Tho indeed the great things of God and Christ the Precepts Promises and Threatnings of the Word have not that sound in their ears nor that holy influence on their hearts and lives as they have on many inferior persons They do not see them with life and affection they do not tast the sweetness nor feel the power of them they have not the relish and savour of them on their spirits They do not receive them with respect and veneration with that love delight and holy obedience as those of weaker capacities do All the knowledg that is in them is but like those Lamps that have been discover'd in some Tombs still there are dead bones stench and rottenness within and there the Carcase lies dead and unactive in the very same place and posture notwithstanding all that light that surrounds it 2. Wisdom and Prudence do not in themselves obstruct the saving revelation of Divine Things nor doth the want of them qualify any for the receiving it Humane Wisdom and Learning are the Gifts of God and the proper ornaments of our rational Faculties like a crown of flame to a burning Taper And therefore so far are such excellent qualifications from hindring any in their own nature from an hearty embracing Christianity that if we consider how plainly the Doctrines of the Gospel are revealed how undeniably they are proved to be from Heaven how excellently suited to the distressed state of an Apostate World with what exquisite Wisdom the whole is contriv'd to the admiration of all the glorious Angels how reasonable its commands are how glorious its promises how terrible its threatnings 't is a very amazing thing that men of parts and abilities to weigh and consider things and discern their own Interest should not readily entertain them These noble things are not obstructions to it in themselves but those lusts and that pride that too generally accompany them like rust cleaving unto silver and gold Nor doth the want of these qualify any man for saving Knowledge Nay on the contrary it renders men naturally more unapt and uncapable as well as more unworthy of it As the Woman of Samaria said to our Saviour the Well is deep John 4.11 and the shorter the line is so much the more unlikely it is in it self to reach to the bottom for the drawing up of living Waters If any have the advantage it should be men of quick parts for such generally take a thing presently as spirits immediately catch fire whereas things do not enter so easily nor pierce so deeply into those that are naturally dull and slow of understanding If the Iron be blunt much pains must be taken in whetting the edge Eccl. 10.10 or more strength put forth in the using it 3. The saving knowledge of Divine things is not denied to all that are wise and prudent nor given to all inferior Persons Some renowned for wisdom and learning have been of Christ's Retinue Some curiously carved Pieces have been in our Father's House that have exceedingly grac'd and adorn'd it Sacred Records inform us of Joseph of Arimathaea a rich man and an honourable Councellour Acts 13.7 of Nicodemus a Master in Israel of Sergius Paulus a prudent man of a profoundly learned Paul an eloquent Apollos and in the succeeding Ages there have been some others of a great name that have known the truth as it is in Jesus Eph. 4.21 Some that have had the advantage of the higher ground have breath'd in a clear Air and been refresh'd with the beams of the Sun while more inconsiderable Persons like them that dwell in low and marish Grounds have been wrapt up in fogs and thick darkness The very dust of the Earth being raised by the Prince of the Air flew in Christ's face the common people I mean among the Jews who cried out Crucify him which