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	receive_v	word_n	4,831	5	4.4556	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45703	The Christians blessed choice, or, The godly mans resolution to cleave fast to God and his truth, notwithstanding trials, troubles, and persecutions very seasonable for these times / by J.H.	Hart, John, D.D.	1668 (1668)	Wing H932; ESTC R40135	15,783	46

The Christians BLESSED CHOICE OR The godly Mans resolution to cleave fast to God and his Truth notwithstanding Trials Troubles and Persecutions Very seasonable for these Times Josh 24.15 As for me and my House we will serve the Lord. Rom. 8.18 I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us By J. H. a Servant of Jesus Christ London Printed by J. W. for Eliz. Andrews in Little St. Bartholomews Court in West-Smithfield 1668. THE CHRISTIANS Blessed Choice Hebrews 11.25 26. Chusing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the honours in Egypt for he had respect to the recompence of the reward IN this Chapter beloved we finde the blessed Apostle opening and applying the Doctrine of Faith having first assured them that he and the rest of Christs Disciples were in the number of those who did believe to the saving of their souls Having told them in the 38. verse of the foregoing Chapter that the just shall live by saith he comes here in this Chapter largely to declare and shew unto them what saving Faith is and this is laid down in the fire first verses of this Chapter As first It is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen a means to obtain a good report Through Faith the imbrace the truth of God contained in the word as the creation of the world by the word of God By faith and by faith alone our sacrifices our services our duties our persons and performances are accepted in Iesus Christ By faith we receive whatsoever we ask of God in prayer Matthew 21.22 And without saith in the sixth verse you see it is impossible to please God And from the seventh verse to the end of the Chapter he sets down the several fruits and effects of faith in all ages by the most eminent examples of Gods faithful servants I shall not now trouble you with the several particular examples of faith recorded in the Chapter but shall leave them to your own particular meditation as you finde them recorded in the Chapter and consider what is there said and the Lord give you understanding in all things 2 Tim. 2.3 Now that which I intend briefly to insist upon is that eminent example of the faith of Moses in the words before mentioned in that he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than all the honors of Egypt Before I come to the Observations which slow from hence give me leave a little to look back into the two foregoing verses wherein we have first the example of the eminent faith of Moses parents who contrary to the Kings command refused to destroy him the King he commanded all the males to be slain but they being strong in faith by hiding of him did preserve him and when they could hide him no longer they chose rather to trust him to the mercy of God by casting him upon the water rather than to endanger his life by the hands of merciless and bloody men And this they did as the Apostle here saith not fearing the Kings commandment There are several useful and profitable instructions which may be deduced from hence I shall onely name them and so procéed And the first is this that God takes special notice of his peoples faith he records it to all posterity Secondly I observe from hence that its a very great mercy to be born of faithful and bolieving parents had not Moses parents been faithful and believing Moses might have been destroyed as well as others were Thirdly I note from hence that God can and will preserve his people maugre all the rage and malice of the Devil and all his instruments The enemies of Gods people may design evil against them but the Lord preserves them when men are as it were at their wits end and know not which may to fly for succour then doth God know how to deliver them Though the afflictions of Gods people are many yet out of them all will God deliver them Psam 34. and the 19 verse Fourthly I note from hence that it is lawful to disobey the wicked and unlawful commands of lawful authority If Kings command that which God who is King of Kings forbids we ought rather to obey God than men instances of this truth we have many in Scripture Memorable is that unparallel'd example of the three Children Shadrach Meshach and Abednego in the third Chapter of Daniel when Nebuchadnezzar the King commanded all to fall down and worship his golden Image or else to be cast into the fiery furnace they stoutly resisted knowing that God was able to deliver them Be it known to thee O King we will not serve thy gods If they obeyed not the King then they must expect nothing but to be cast into the burning fiery furnace but this they feared not they took no care to answer the King in this matter they knew God was able to deliver them however they resolved whether deliverance came or not they would rather suffer than sin If it be so that we must be cast into the furnace we know our God is able to deliver us but if not though we be not delivered yet be it known unto thee O King that we will not serve thy Gods nor worship the golden Image that thou hast set up The King he threatens a burning fiery turnace alas that 's very dreadful very terrible to flesh and blood but what 's the fire of men to the everlasting fire of God mens fire that can onely consume a poor rotten carkass but the fire of God that is unquenchable and will destroy both body and soul Men can onely kill the body and after that they can do no more but God can destroy both body and soul and that for evermore Excellent was that holy saying of that holy man of God the blessed Martyr Polycarp St. Johns disciple when the Emperour threatned him with fire if he would not forsake Christ Alas saith he you threaten me with your fire alas what a poor inconsiderable thing is your fire You do not saith he consider that ever lasting fire which God threatens Do likewise the holy Apostles of our blessed Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ in the 4. of the Acts and the 18. and 19. Verses when the Rulers commanded them not to preach in the name of Iesus they answered and said Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judge ye God commands Ministers to preach the Gospel and Ministers ought to preach the Gospel notwithstanding the commands of men to the contrary And so in the 25. of the Acts Vers 29 when the Apostles were brought before the High Priests and Councel

and believe me though there may be a great deal of weight in the reproaches of Christ to press us down yet there is abundance of worth in them to inrich us though they may be as thorns here yet they shall be as a crown of glory to us hereafter See what our Saviour saith in Matth. 5.11 12. Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness sake foe theirs is the kingdome of heaven Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsly for my sake rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven Christ doth not say if ye be rich and honourable in the world you shall be blessed but Christ saith if thou art reproached thou shalt be blessed Thou mayest be rich and honourable in the world and yet be everlastingly miserable but if thou art reproached for Christ thou shalt be rewarded with Christ If we suffer with him we shall also reign with him 2 Tim. 2.12 Sixthly and lastly I observe from hence That God hath a recompence of reward for his people If we suffer for Christ we shall also reign with Christ If we be reproached with Christ here we shall be rewarded with Christ hereafter See what our blessed Saviour saith Matth. 19.29 Every one that hath forsaken houses or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or friends for my sake shall receive an hundred fold and shall inherit eternal life I might be longer on this point but I procéed to the Vses which shall flow from hence for our edification And the first Vse is this Is it so then that Faith is such an excellent grace then let me exhort you all in the name of Christ to believe to get Faith Beloved Faith is not onely excellent in it self but it will also make you excellent The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour Prov. 15.26 Believers were the onely excellent persons in whom David delighted Psalm 16.3 Without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11.6 For whatsoever is not of faith is sin and God cannot be pleased with sin In a word if ever you would be saved get faith for without faith there is no salvation it is unbelief which is the soul-damning sin He that believeth shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned The Sentence of damnation is already past against all unbelievers He that believeth not is condemned already John 3.18 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him John 3.36 For the Lords sake sinners believe if you have any regard to your own good believe if you have any love or pitty to your precious souls believe if you would not be eternally miserable believe in the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt be eternally blessed Secondly Is it so that the condition of Gods Children in this life is an afflicted condition what then shall the condition of wicked men be in the life to come If judgment thus begin at the house of God what then shall be the end of sinners If the righteous be thus scarcely saved where then shall the sinner and ungodly appear If God be thus severe to his Children how terrible will he then be to his enemies If through so many tribulations the people of God enter into heaven then into what woeful miseries doe sinners plunge themselves into for a few sinful pleasures for a few séeming sinful pleasures they heap to themselves eternal torments O consider this you that forget God In this life the people of God are afflicted but in the life to coure they shall be rewarded Lazarus he was afflicted with hunger and sores yea scorned and contemned by Dives but in the life to come Lazarus is rewarded but Dives is tormented The time will come when Gods people shall have pleasures everlasting pleasures when the wicked shall be turned into hell and all the Nations that forget God Psalm 9.17 The Lord tryeth the righteous saith David but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth Upon the wicked he shall rain snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest this shall be the portion of their cup Psalm 11.6 Thirdly Is it better to suffer than to sin then this may inform us of the great evil of apostacy they that will turn from the truth rather than suffer for the truth such I say never did imbrace the truth in the love of it they went out from us but they were not of us Many will own Christ and the word of Christ when they may do it without fear but when trouble and persecutions come then they fall away But whosoever they are that in this case go about to save their lives shall lose them they that deny Christ for fear of persecution Christ will deny him before his Father Apostacy was the sin of the Devil and they that apostatize from Christ for fear of persecution shall have the Devils reward Thou wilt not suffer for Christ but Christ will make thée suffer eternally Thou thinkest life is swéet and indéed so it is but remember eternal life is much more sweeter and the soul is more precious than life Christ laid down his life to save souls therefore Christians should lay down ten thousand lives if it were possible to have so many rather than lose their souls By apostacy from the truth thou mayest save thy life but in so doing thou losest thy soul which is of more value than ten thousand lives Did Christ lay down his life for us and shall not we much more lay down our lives for him Did Christ who is the prince of life become obedient unto death even the death of the Crosse for us then let nothing separate us from the love of Christ Christians should shew themselves to be the servants of Christ by afflictions persecutions be the way what it will fair or foul thick or thin Christians should persevere The Apostles loved not their lives unto the death in the cause of Christ and he that is afraid of his life in the cause of Christ is surely afraid of heaven If he that endures to the end shall be saved then certainly he that falls away shall be damned If we fear them who can onely kill the body more than God who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell what will become of us In a word let me encourage you all in the words of the holy Ghost as you may finde it Revel 3.10 what saith God there Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer behold the Devil shall cast some of you into prison that you may be tryed and ye shall have tribulation ten dayes But be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life Fourthly Is it so that all sinful pleasures are short and vain are they but for a season then