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	reason_n	word_n	4,530	5	4.4911	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26793	A funeral sermon preached upon the death of the Reverend and Excellent Divine Dr. Thomas Manton, who deceas'd Octob. 18, 1677 by William Bates ... ; to which is now added, the last publick sermon Dr. Manton preached.	Bates, William, 1625-1699.; Manton, Thomas, 1620-1677.	1678 (1678)	Wing B1110; ESTC R11400	38,335	122

him of Divine Truths From this union of Zeal with his Knowledg he was excellently qualified to convince and convert Souls The sound of words only strikes the Ear but the Mind reasons with the Mind and the Heart speaks to the Heart His unparallel'd Assiduity in Preaching declar'd him very sensible of those dear and strong Obligations that lie upon Ministers to be very diligent in that Blessed Work What a powerful Motive our Saviour urged upon St. Peter John 21. As thou lovest me feed my Sheep feed my Lambs And can any feed too much when none can love enough Can any Pains be sufficient for the Salvation of Souls for which the Son of God did not esteem his Blood too costly a price Is not incessant unwearied Industry requisite to advance the Work of Grace in them to perfection In this the Work of a Minister has its peculiar disadvantage That whereas an Artificer how curious and difficult soever his Work be yet has this encouragement That what is begun with Art and Care he finds in the same state wherein 't was left A Painter that designs an exact Piece draws many Lines often touches it with his Pencil to give it Life and Beauty and though unfinish'd 't is not spoil'd by his intermission A Sculptor that carves a Statue though his labour be hard from the resistance of the Matter yet his Work remains firm and durable But the Heart of Man is of a strange temper hard as Marble not easily receptive of Heavenly Impressions yet fluid as Water those Impressions are easily defac'd in it 't is expos'd to so many temptations that induce an oblivion of eternal things that without frequent excitations to quicken and confirm its holy purposes it grows careless and all the labour is lost that was spent on it This faithful Minister abounded in the Work of the Lord and which is truly admirable though so frequent in Preaching yet was always superior to others and equal to himself In his last time when declining to Death yet he would not leave his beloved Work the vigour of his Mind supporting the weakness of his Body I remember when opprest with an obstinate Hoarsness a Friend desiring him to spare himself he rejected the advice with indignation He was no fomenter of Faction but studious of the Publick Tranquillity He knew what a Blessing Peace is and wisely foresaw the pernicious Consequences that attend Divisions By Peace the bond of mutual Harmony the weakest things are preserv'd and prosper but where Discord reigns the strongest are near to ruin The heavenly Consent in the Primitive Church was a principal cause of its miraculous increase and flourishing but after Dissentions prevail'd amongst Christians that was destroy'd in a short time which was built by the Divine Union and Heroick Patience of the Primitive Christians And the glorious Beginnings that promis'd the Reformation of all Europe were more obstructed by the Dissentions of some employed in that Blessed Work than by all the Power and Subtilty the Arms and Artifices of Rome it self How afflictive is the consideration of our divided Church Sweet Peace whither art thou fled Blessed Saviour who didst by thy precious Blood reconcile Heaven and Earth send down thy Spirit to inspire us with that Wisdom that is pure and peaceable that those who agree in the same Principles of Faith in the same substantial parts of Worship in asserting the same indispensible necessity of Holiness may receive one another in love I am affectionately engaged in a Matter that so nearly touches all those that value the Protestant Interest Briefly Consider him as a Christian his Life was answerable to his Doctrine 'T is applicable to some Ministers what is observed of the Carbuncle by its colour lustre and fiery sparklings it seems to be actually a Fire but it has only the name and appearance of it Thus some in the Pulpit seem to be all on fire with Zeal yet their Hearts are as cold as a Stone without Holy Affections and their Lives are unworthy their Divine Ministration But this Servant of God was like a fruitful Tree that produces in its Branches what it contains in the Root his inward Grace was made visible in a Conversation becoming the Gospel of Christ His resolute Contempt of the World secur'd him from being wrought on by those Motives that tempt low Spirits from their Duty He would not rashly throw himself into troubles nor spretâ Conscientiâ avoid them His generous Constancy of Mind in resisting the current of Popular Humour declar'd his Loyalty to his Divine Master His Charity was eminent in procuring Supplies for others when in mean Circumstances himself But he had great experience of God's fatherly Provision to which his filial Confidence was correspondent His Conversation in his Family was holy and exemplary every day instructing them from the Scriptures in their Duty I shall finish my Character of him with observing his Humility He was deeply affected with the sense of his Frailties and Unworthiness He considered the infinite Purity of God the Perfection of his Law the Rule of our Duty and by that humbling Light discover'd his manifold defects He exprest his thoughts to me a little before his Death If the Holy Prophets were under strong impressions of fear upon the extraordinary discovery of the Divine Presence how shall we poor Creatures appear before that Holy and Dread Majesty Isaiah after his glorious vision of God reflecting upon himself as not retir'd from the commerce and corruption of the World breaks forth Wo is me for I am undone because I am a Man of unclean Lips and I dwell in the midst of a People of unclean Lips for mine Eyes have seen the King the Lord of Hosts 'T is infinitely terrible to appear before God the Judg of all without the protection of the Blood of Sprinkling that speaks better things than the Blood of Abel This alone reliev'd him and supported his hopes Though his Labours were abundant yet he knew that the Work of God passing through our hands is so blemish'd that without an appeal to pardoning Mercy and Grace we cannot stand in Judgment This was the Subject of his last publick Sermon He languish'd many months but presuming he should be too strong for his Infirmity neglected it till at last it became insuperable and mortal Many pathetical aggravations heighten our great and dear Loss That such a faithful Minister of Christ should be taken away whose Preaching was so powerful to repair the woful Ruins of Godliness and Virtue in a degenerate Age Whose prudent pacifick Spirit rendred him so useful in these Divided Times when Professors of the same Religion are alienated from one another as if they had been baptized with the Waters of Strife That before our Tears were dried up for the loss of other worthy Ministers the Fountain of Sorrow should be opened again by this afflicting stroke But it becomes us to receive the Dispensations of Heaven with humble

Soul is as it were all Act continually exercising its most noble faculties on the best Objects Does the Soul sleep in that all-enlightned World that sees with open face the infinite Beauty of God that hears and bears a part in the Hymns of the Angels and Saints encircling his Throne that drinks of the Rivers of Pleasure that flow from his Presence that freely and joyfully converses with all the Celestial Courtiers the Princes of that Kingdom the Favourites of God Then it truly lives This reconciles Death to a Christian who has nothing more in his wishes than to be with Christ and knows that Diseases and Pains the fore-runners of it are but as breaking down the Walls of this earthly dark Prison that the Soul may take its flight to the happy Region and for ever enjoy the Liberty of the Sons of God And for his Body that shall be re-united to the Soul in Glory Methinks God speaks to a dying Believer as he did to Jacob when he was to descend to Egypt Fear not to go down into the Grave I will go down with thee and I will bring thee up again The same Almighty Voice that gave being to the World shall awake those who sleep in the Dust and reform them according to the Example of Christ's glorified Body O how should we long for that triumphant day and with most ardent Aspirings pray Thy Kingdom come in its full power and glory I Shall now come to speak of the Mournful Subject the Cause of my Appearing here at this time the Deceased Reverend and Excellent Divine Dr. Thomas Manton A Name worthy of precious and eternal Memory And I shall consider him both in the quality of his Office as he was an Embassador of Christ declaring his Mind and representing his Authority and in the holiness of his Person shewing forth the Graces and Vertues of his Divine Master God had furnish'd him with a rare union of those parts that are requisite to form an excellent Minister of his Word A clear Judgment rich Fancy strong Memory and happy Elocution met in him and were excellently improved by his diligent study The Preaching of the Word is the principal part of the Minister's Duty most essential to his Calling and most necessary to the Church For this end chiefly the severral Orders in the Ministerial Office were instituted Ephes 4. and upon our Saviour's triumphant ascent and reception into Heaven an abundant effusion of the Spirit in Graces and Abilities descended upon Men. Now in the performing this Work he was of that conspicuous Eminence that none could detract from him but from ignorance or envy He was endowed with extraordinary knowledg in the Scriptures those Holy Oracles from whence all Spiritual Light is derived And in his preaching gave such a perspicuous account of the order and dependence of Divine Truths and with that felicity applied the Scriptures to confirm them that every Subject by his management was cultivated and improved His Discourses were so clear and convincing that none without offering voluntary violence to Conscience could resist their Evidence And from hence they were effectual not only to inspire a sudden Flame and raise a short Commotion in the Affections but to make a lasting Change in the Life For in the humane Soul such is the composition of its Faculties that till the Understanding be rectified in its Apprehensions and Estimations the Will is never induc'd to make an entire firm choice of what is necessary for the obtaining perfect Happiness A sincere persevering Conversion is effected by weighty Reasons that sink and settle in the Heart His Doctrine was uncorrupt and pure the Truth according to Godliness He was far from a guilty vile intention to prostitute that sacred Ordinance for the acquiring any private secular advantage Neither did he entertain his Hearers with impertinent Subtilties empty Notions intricate Disputes dry and barren without productive Vertue But as one that always had before his Eyes the great End of the Ministry the Glory of God and the Salvation of Men his Sermons were directed to open their eyes that they might see their wretched condition as Sinners to hasten their flight from the Wrath to come to make them humbly thankfully and entirely receive Christ as their Prince and all-sufficient Saviour And to build up the Converted in their most holy Faith and more excellent Love that is the fulfilling of the Law In short to make true Christians eminent in Knowledg and Universal Obedience As the Matter of his Sermons was designed for the good of Souls so his way of expression was proper to that end Words are the Vehicle of the Heavenly Light As the Divine Wisdom was incarnate to reveal the Eternal Counsels of God to the World so Spiritual Wisdom in the Mind must be clothed with words to make it sensible to others And in this he had a singular Talent His Stile was not exquisitely studied not consisting of harmonious Periods but far distant from vulgar meanness His Expression was natural and free clear and eloquent quick and powerful without any spice of folly and always suitable to the Simplicity and Majesty of Divine Truths His Sermons afforded substantial food with delight so that a fastidious Mind could not disrelish them He abhorr'd a vain ostentation of Wit in handling Sacred things so venerable and grave and of eternal consequence Indeed what is more unbecoming a Minister of Christ than to waste the spirits of his Brain as a Spider does his bowels to spin a Web only to catch Flies to get vain applause by foolish pleasing the ignorant And what cruelty is it to the Souls of Men Suet. 'T is recorded as an instance of Nero's savage temper that in a general Famine when many perish'd by hunger he ordered a Ship should come from Egypt the Granary of Italy laden with Sand for the use of Wrestlers In such extremity to provide only for delight that there might be Spectacles on the Theatre when the City of Rome was a spectacle of such misery as to melt the heart of any but a Nero was most barbarous Cruelty But 't is cruelty of an heavier imputation for a Minister to prepare his Sermons to please the foolish curiosity of Fancy with flashy Conceits nay such light Vanities that would scarce be endured in a Scene whiles hungry Souls languish for want of solid nourishment His fervour and earnestness in Preaching was such as might soften and make pliant the most stubborn obdurate Spirits I am not speaking of one whose Talent was only in Voice that labours in the Pulpit as if the end of Preaching were for the exercise of the Body Si sudare aliter non potes est alind and not for the profit of Souls But this Man of God was inflam'd with an Holy Zeal and from thence such ardent expressions broke forth as were capable to procure attention and consent in his Hearers He spake as one that had a living Faith within