Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	father_n	true_a	worship_v	5,831	5	9.4836	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77360	Christ and the covenant the work and way of meditation. : Gods return to the soul, or nation; together with his preventing mercy. : Delivered in ten sermons, (viz.) 1. Christs personal excellencies, the object of our love. 2. Christ crucified, the object of our faith. 3. The new covenant of grace opened. 4. Christ the mediator of the new covenant. 5. The way and spirit of the new covenant, or New Testament. 6. The blood of sprinkling. 7. The sweetness and profitableness of divine meditation. 8. The work and way of this meditation. 9. Gods return to the soul and nation. 10. Preventing mercy. / By W.B.	Bridge, William, 1600?-1670.	1667 (1667)	Wing B4449A; ESTC R225773	165,221	279

saith Moses now And therefore saith Christ If thy Brother offend thee tell him of it and if he hear not call two or three and if he mind not then tell it to the Church and if he hear not the Church let him be as a Heathen or Publican to you for when two or three are gathered together in my Name I am in the midst of them Matth. 18. We are to hear what Jesus saith in this matter and not what Moses And as then in the times of the Old Testament they had recourse to Moses under God for their Ministry and Moses did direct them unto Priests and Levites for their Ministers So now in the times of the New Testament we are to have recourse to Jesus for our Ministry and therefore saith the Apostle He hath set in the Church Pastors and Teachers And in Ephes 4. He hath ascended up on high and he hath given gifts unto Men Pastors a●d Teachers and the like We are to hear what Jesus saith now and not what Moses for our Ministry And as in the times of the Old Testament they had then recourse unto Moses for the Ordinances for their Sabbaths for their Sacraments and for their Worship So now in the times of the New Testament we are to hear what Jesus saith and to have recourse to him for these things Go saith our Saviour Christ and teach all Nations baptizing them and teaching them to observe and do what I command you Matth. 28. And for the Lords Supper What I received of the Lord that delivered we unto you saith the Apostle And for the Sabbath The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath Go to him for your Sabbath not to Moses but unto him And for Worship saith our Saviour Christ unto the Woman of Samaria John 4.23 The hour cometh and now is when the true Worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him You that are Samaritans you have worshipt God but you have not worshipt God according to his own appointment you have not worshipt him in Truth The Jews they have worshipt God according to Gods appointment but not with the Spirit But now the hour cometh when men shall worsh●p the Father in Spirit and in Truth In Truth in opposition to Samaritans that did not worship according to appointment And in Spirit in opposition to the Jews that worshipt God Legally and without the Spirit Thus we must hear what Jesus saith And as then in the times of the Old Testament they had recourse to Moses still when they wanted Bread he under God gave them Manna and he gave them water out of the Rock So now in the times of the New Testament we are to have recourse to Jesus for our Bread In John 6. saith Christ Labour not for the meat which perisheth but for the mea● that indureth to everlasting life which the Son of man shall give unto you for him hath God the Father sealed And as in the times of the Old Testament they had much recourse to Moses for their Faith If they could not believe Moses wrought miracles before them and they believed Insomuch as it s said in the 14. of Exod. last And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians and the people feared the Lord and believed the Lord and his Servant Moses But now what saith Jesus Let not your heart be troubled ye believe in God believe also in me Not in God and in Moses but ye believe in God believe also in me And to say no more in it but this In the times of the Old Testament they had recourse to Moses for their Rest M●ses was to lead them up to Canaan and the Land of Rest And so now in the times of the New Testament we are to have recourse to Jesus for our Rest for saith he himself Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest Thus as in the times of the Old Testament they were upon all occasions to have recourse to Moses So now in the times of the New Testament upon all occasions we are to have recourse to Jesus the Mediator of the New Testament for saith the Lord by Moses in the 18. of Deut. 18. v. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their Brethren like unto thee rather as thee that is as I raised up thee and will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him Which the Apostle applies unto Christ Acts 3.22 For Moses truly said unto the Fathers a Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your Brethren like unto me rather as me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as me that is as he raised up me not like unto me as the Socinians would argue from hence That Chri● must be but Man like to Moses For Moses truly sai● unto the Fathers a Prophet shall the Lord your Go● raise up unto you of your Brethren like unto me rather as me That is as he raised up me Him shal● ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say un● you So that thus As they had recourse to Mose● upon all occasions in the time of the Old Testament so now we are to have recourse unto Jesus And thu● we see what it is to come unto Jesus the Mediator o● the New Covenant in opposition unto Moses the Mediator of the Old Covenant 2. But then secondly Whether is it possible for a man that doth profess to come unto Jesus the Mediaator of the New Covenant still to have recourse to Moses that is Whether is it possible for a man to be Legal and Mosaical in these Gospel times Without all doubt it is and I wish if it were the will of the Lord that too many were not found upon Legal ground among Pr●f●ssors What think you of the Galatians Did not they live in Gospel Times Did not they profess to come unto Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant Yet see how the Apostle treats them and reproves them again and again for their being too Legal too Mosaical Ye are fallen from Grace saith he My little children of whom I trav●● in birth again till Christ be formed in you Ye are so much for Moses and the Law that I travel in birth again till Christ be formed in you As there was a mixture of the Gospel in the time of the Law so there may be too great a mixture of the Law in the times of the Gospel And I pray what think you Are there not very many that live under the Gospel in whom sin reigns Yes many live under the Gospel in whom sin reigns And saith the Apostle Let not sin reign in your mortal bodies for ye are not under the Law but under Grace If you be under the Law then sin will reign in you And what 's the reason that sin reigns in many that live under the Gospel

with God Surely therefore this work of Meditation is sweet for 't is profitable as you have heard in these ten particulars 4. Again As the work of Meditation is very profitable natural suitable so it is very contentful and satisfying to a gracious Soul What person in Love is not satisfied in thinking and meditating on the person loved What gracious loving Child is not satisfied in thinking on his Father that 's absent in an other Country So what David saith in the 63d Psalm My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness When When I remember thee upon my bed and meditate on thee in the night watches I shall not only be contented but my Soul shall be satisfied how In a way of Meditation 'T is Meditation-work that is soul-satisfying work 5. And as it is soul-satisfying work so this work of Meditation to a gracious soul is a most delightful work What greater delight than to think on that God in whom he doth most delight Is it delightful to a wicked man to sit and muse and meditate on his sinful wayes and will it not be delightful to a gracious soul to sit and think and muse and meditate on the Lord Certainly it is a work that is most delightful to a gracious soul Object But how can it be so delightful 't is a hard work Meditation work is hard work and therefore how can it be so delightful to a gracious soul Yes very well for though it be hard in regard of its practice yet it may be sweet and delightful in regard of its profit Is it not a hard work to the Husbandman to plow to sow to reap and yet delightful in regard of its profit Is it not a hard wo●k for a man to be digging in the Mines digging up of Silver and yet delightful in regard of the profit Is it not a hard work for a man to make such ventures at Sea through all storms and yet it is delightful in regard of its profit the profit of the Voiage makes it delightful Why you have heard now the profitableness of the work of Meditation It is an help to Knowledge thereby your knowledge is raised Thereby your Memory is strengthened Thereby your Hearts are warmed Thereby you will be freed from sinful thoughts Thereby your hearts will be tuned to every duty Thereby you will grow in grace Thereby you will fill up all the chinks and crevices of your lives And know how to spend your spare time and imp●ove that for God Thereby you will draw good out of evil And thereby you will converse with God have communion with God and enjoy God And I pray is not here profit enough to sweeten the voiage of your thoughts in Meditation But Secondly Hard work you say and therefore how can it be delightful Friends The harder the work is the sweeter it is being overcome 'T is a sweet thing to overcome 'T is hard thing to fight but 't is a sweet thing to overcome The harder the Nutt is to crack the sweeter is the meat when it is crackt the harder the Scripture is that is to be opened the sweeter is the kernel the truth when it is opened When God opened the Rock the Waters that flowed out were as sweet as honey Now meditation makes a Conquest of the work 3. Though it be a hard thing to meditate on God and the things of God yet notwithstanding do but consider why the wo●k is hard and you will say that the difficulty of the work is no Impeachment to the suavity or the sweetness thereof There are two things that make meditation hard The one is because men are not used thereunto men are not exercised therein And another is because they don't love God enough Every thing is hard at the first Writing is hard at the First Painting hard at the first and the getting Languages hard at the first A Trade is hard at the First So certainly the work of meditation will be hard at the first There is nothing not hard to those that are unwilling There is nothing hard to those that Love Love makes all things easie Is it an hard thing for a Lover to think or meditate on the Person loved Is it a hard thing for a Child at a distance from his Father to think or meditate on his Father and his Father's love and kindness is this hard Indeed to a Rebellious Child 't is hard to a Child that 's run away from his Father 't is hard but for a loving and an obedient Child it is not hard And what 's the reason that the work of meditation is so hard to many of us but because in truth we are not used thereunto or because we are rebellious Children and don 't love the Lord as we ought to do Quest But you will say May not a wicked man meditate on God and find sweetness in the Work Answ I answer that 't is possible that a wicked man may separate and sequester himself unto this work of reading studying and thinking on the word and Law of God 1 Sam. 21.7 Now a certaine man of the servants of Saul was there that day deteyned before the Lord and his Name was Doeg He was there separated cloystered for the studying of the Law and yet a Doeg a great persecuter And who doth not see it Fryers and Monks separate and Cloyster up themselves at this very day and spend much time in that which they call Meditation Yea possible it is that a wicked man may not onely think and meditate on the Law of God but he may find some sweetness therein for if wicked men do delight in their approach unto God as in the 58. of Isaiah Why may they not delight also and find a sweetness in their meditation concerning God But 3dly Though a wicked man may meditate on God and the things of God and find some sweetness in the work of meditation yet with this difference There is a great deal of difference between the sweetness that a wicked man finds in the work of meditation and the sweetness that a good man finds in the work of meditation For though a wicked man may meditate and find some sweetness in the work yet not withstanding the sweetness doth rather arise from the satisfaction of his natural Conscience than from the Connaturalness and suitableness that is between his heart and the work Possibly a Doeg a wicked man may be Convinced that he ought to read the scriptures and to meditate the●ein and having don so his Conscience is satisfied and he finds sweetness therein But ●his sweetness doth rather arise from the satisfying of his n●tural Conscience than from any Connaturalnesse and suitablenesse that there is between his heart and the work 2. It is one thing for a man to find a sweetness in this work of meditation in reference to his own imployment Calling or livelyhood another thing for to find a sweetness in it in reference unto God to his