Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	faith_n	life_n	true_a	3,991	5	4.8169	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49383	The exceeding abundant grace of God displayed in the conversion of William Gymer a penitent malefactor and murderer, who was executed on the Castle-Hill in Norwich, Sept. 4. 1696. Written by John Lucas minister of the Gospel.	Lucas, John, 1624 or 5-1703.	1696 (1696)	Wing L3393; ESTC R217744	21,497	35

put your whole Trust and Confidence in him who hath promised all them that so do never to leave them nor forsake them Which God Almighty grant he never may for the sake of his dear Son Christ Jesus our only Saviour and Redeemer into whose hands I commit you all bidding You and all the World adieu VVhich may be added to those he spake on the Ladder mentioned in the Epistle At last he concludeth his life with these words as may be seen in one of his Papers I resign up my Spirit most chearfully into the hands of God hoping to find mercy with him through Christ I know no other name under Heaven whereby I may be saved but his alone who was dead and is alive again and liveth for evermore And therefore I am confident of his most precious promises which I believe to be faithful and true as he is for pardon and immortal Life Therefore I beseech him to accept of my most hearty thanks for his great mercy shewn unto me hoping he will receive me into the Company of Spirits of Just Men made perfect to give him thanks for ever And as I desire to find mercy with him so I forgive all mine Enemies beseeching God to forgive them and to bless and comfort all my Friends that at last we may live together in everlasting life From the whole of this Narrative and Discourse we may learn 1. To despair of none tho' never so ignorant and ungodly but while the sinner is on this side the Grave let us use the means of Divine appointment It is the good pleasure of the Almighty here and there to cull out from among the Children of men the chief of sinners Sometimes he lays hold upon the most unlikely and draws them by his Spirit to his Son Sometimes he calleth the deformed and most despicable and hath a time of love for them Sometimes he rectifies by his Grace such as are of as crooked a Nature as is in Nature to be found and renewes in them a right Spirit Sometimes he who sweareth by himself that he hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked but rather that he return from his evil ways and live turneth the heart of a Swearer a Lyar a Thief and Murderer to mind his Salvation in good earnest O the unfathomable depth of goodness and mercy of the most High and Holy One of Israel I have more than once or twice read of such as have cryed out in the sense of Superabounding Grace Let none despair of the worst of sinners for our sake 2. Let not any dare to presume in a course of sin because God is gracious His mercy is over all but his special and saving mercy is bounded with his truth and granted only to the truly penitent If thou be a self-willd wretch and resolved to persist in the way of sinners I pray ask leave first of the Great Lawgiver before thou go any further Ah! but with what face darest thou beg such a liberty But if thou wilt go on without his leave then go out of his sight Jer. 23.24 where he cannot see thee but whither canst thou flee from his presence Can any man hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord. Do not I fill Heaven and Earth saith the Lord. He threatens presumptuous ones that fear not his glorious and fearful Name to make their Plagues wonderful * Deut. 28.58 59. chap. 29.19 20 c. But if out of his unspeakable compassion he plucks here and there one as fire-brands out of the fire yet he usually makes such know by sad and bitter experience the evil of their ways and doings and what 't is not to fear this glorious and fearful Name The Lord thy God he will wound the hairy scalp of those that go on in their wickedness and tho he healeth some whom he seeth walking in destructive ways yet ordinarily he lays the foundation of the cure in trouble and anguish of spirit and deep distress of mind 3. Let us bless the Lord with our Soul who leadeth captivity captive and makes a Thief and Murderer happy in turning to him and sets him up as a monument of his stupendous Grace that we may behold and wonder Our Converts are so few and rare among those that walk at liberty that it cannot but be lookt upon as a singular Example of rich and special grace when we can find but one among those that are bound in Fetters truly converted Fishers of men that have not the liberty to cast their Net in the broad Waters or if they have find little success are glad to see what they can get in the narrow Straights And if they can get but one Soul they count the gain more worth abundantly than all their toil and labour Some heretofore have ransackt Prisons to rake out such wretches as they found willing to swear against their own Consciences to ruine others But it 's more refreshing to a Servant of Christ to find out one that will speak the Truth in his heart and from his heart tho' it be against his own life One that confest and gave glory to God one that prayed much and obtained great Faith greater than is found among many of a long standing in the profession of the true Religion and loved much because much was forgiven and his consolations thereupon were not small That wicked one at first prevailed with him but the good Spirit at last overcame the Devil Greater is he saith the Holy Apostle that is in you than he that is in the World 1 Joh. 4.4 The blessed Spirit inclined and enabled him to repent of his Evil Works and Wickedness but Satan could not make him repent of his ceasing to do evil he was not able by force or fraud to make him repent of his Repentance or of the forsaking of his sins or of his doing works meet for Repentance Converting Grace is the Sinners rescue and deliverance from the God of this World and Christ's subduing his iniquities Henceforth 1. The sincere Convert is one blessed of the Lord with all spiritual blessings He is one of the number of the Father's peculiar ones one among Christ's Brethren and Friends one in whom his Holy Spirit abideth He is one that hath the mark of God's Election upon him and the seed of everlasting Love in him that will never die nor leave him till it spring up to Eternal Life A sincere Convert was once a Prodigal that had wasted all and brought himself to a starving condition but now he is come to himself and returned to his Father humbly confessing his Folly and Wickedness and is made welcom He was as one wounded and lying in the High Way in his blood and Filth but now he is healed cleansed and revived Should you see a Christian among the Turks used like a Horse or a Dog would not such a sight make your bowels yearn towards him Why a poor

stroke of death but that he might be sure to die he confest himself guilty three times upon his Inditement and Arraignment at the Bar. There could be no positive evidence produced against him but by his own Confession he saved the Judge and Jury the trouble of a Tryal I askt him afterwards whether he were satisfied in his so doing and his answer was very well He writ to his Wife that his sins had so troubled his conscience that if every limb of his Body had a several soul or life he would willingly yield up all to make restitution for the sorrow and shame he had brought her unto But all being not able to do it he desired of God so to sanctifie the affliction that it might be a blessed Instrument to purge her from the vain conceits of the pleasures of this life I know saith he our blessed Saviour liveth who suffered and died for us and that he hath great compassion towards those who would gladly follow him tho' it be through sufferings He desires above all things that he and all his Friends might be made like to him in meekness and patience and entirely resign themselves to God's holy Will and Pleasure whatever their condition be He gave diligence to make his Calling and Election sure Obser 7 and the Lord crowned it with a good hope through Grace He made it his business sometimes by night as well as by day to make his peace with God and his labour was not in vain He sought the Lord and he heard him He asked and receive Psalm 51.14 15. the remission of his sins and his joy in the Lord upon it was his strength God did deliver him from blood-guiltiness and his Tongue did sing aloud of his Righteousness The Lord did in blotting out his great Transgressions open his Mouth and his Lips shewed forth his praise He attained in a little time to a higher degree of true Christianity and in the Kingdom of God which consists in Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost than many Professors of long standing as they have gone to work could ever reach or attain unto He longed for his dying day and to go to Christ tho' it were by the Gallows He told me that way of dying did not dismay or terrifie him He rather wisht it as the desert of his heinous Crimes than feared it He lived a sweet and comfortable Life especially towards his latter end When I enquired how 't was with him his usual answer was I find comfort in seeking God and would often say Never better And so I understand he said in the Morning before his Execution Never better He gave glory to God in taking shame to himself and his ingenuous Confession was no disgrace to him turned to good account and his great advantage He left the world and laid aside the thoughts of Life some Months before he died and in so doing he found God and thereupon lived a contented and comfortable Life Comenius tell us The Brethren of Bohemia placed the beginning middle and end of Religion not in disputing but in doing i. e in true Conversion to God and solid Faith in Christ This was the way he walked in He was like a little Child considerate for nothing but simplicity not coveting any thing but the favour of God making it his business to serve the Lord in Spirit and Truth to look up to Heaven to renounce trust in Earth and take heed of nothing so much as of oftending God or Man by neglecting any duty And being taken up with these things he had learned to be content in a Prison He placed his Religion in the love of God and studying his love and goodness and in his praises He was more solicitous about his duty to God than about his dealings with him as knowing he would do all things well and he so lived as one devoted to his service He seemed to understand wherein the height of a Christian Life and the greatest part of his duty consisted viz in love to Christ and delight in him and thankful and cheerful obedience to his Will God call'd him to a thankful acceptance of Christ that made satisfaction for his sins and enabled him to proceed in a sweet compliance with the Will of the Redeemer he believed in One while I feared as I told him his resting on prayer and duties instead of trusting in Christ the only Foundation he must build upon But as I found he was thro' Grace disposed not only to hear but also to follow the directions that were given to him so I see reason to hope he hearkened to his caution and counsel as he did in other particulars which I observed In one of my Visits I askt him whether he could sing and would joyn with us in singing a Psalm He consented to the motion and did accordingly and afterwards seemed much to delight in that heavenly exercise to the last singing heartily as unto the Lord. He determined before-hand that on the morning before he came forth to suffer he would read the 12th chapter of Isaiah and so he did and read also the 40th chapter of the same Prophet and also Psal 46. and sang part of the 33d Psalm and after his withdrawing a while to pray with his fellow-suffer he came forth again and put on his dying-clothes and took his leave of the Prisoners cheerfully shaking them by the hand In the Grand-Jury Chamber earnest prayers were poured out for him and the other that suffered with him who would not confess he was accessory to the murder of the Child he was condemned for God stirred up the heart of divers Ministers to go to him to instruct and exhort him and to be fervent in Spirit while they prayed for him And I have grounds to hope God heard their cries He was much concerned for the Souls of others Obser 8 He did often read to and pray with the Prisoners He told a Friend the hardness of his fellow-sufferers heart had made him shed many tears He often was alone spending his time in reading thinking and praying and at times prayed with the Prisoners that would joyn with him Having obtained Grace he was willing to communicate it in the best manner he could He writ a Letter to the Father of the Maid he murdered wherein he confest whatever Charge he loaded him with it was still far less than his grievous Crime and yet he tells him there was no proportion between his Crime and the Infinite Mercy of God But what comfort is in this saith he if I have no share in it I am told there is mercy with God for me and that one way to it lies by your Door To you therefore I come in meekness of spirit beseeching you for God's sake to forgive your share and so to forgive as to become an earnest Suitor for my pardon from God Had every Limb of my Body a several living Soul I should willingly yield all up as a