Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	find_v	godly_a	great_a	183	4	2.0703	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03351	The penitent sinners entertainement. Set foorth by Mr. Iohn Hill, Student in Diuinitie, and now Preacher of Gods Word at Dublin in Ireland	Hill, John, preacher of Gods word at Dublin.	1614 (1614)	STC 13471; ESTC S114518	31,323	88

THE PENITENT SINNERS ENTERTAINEMENT Set foorth by Mr. IOHN HILL Student in Diuinitie and now Preacher of Gods Word at Dublin in IRELAND AT LONDON Printed by IOHN BEALE for IONAS MAN 1614. TO THE VVORshipfull and vertuous Gentlewomen M is TEMPERANCE CREW wife to Mr. Thomas Crew and M is Mary Blinco wife to Mr. Iohn Blinco I. H. desireth all grace and peace vnfainedly to bee multiplied c. GOdly and christian gentlewomen whom I loue in the truth 2. Ioh. 1. I hope I may speake of you as did that worthy Apostle of the elect lady who by the fruits of her piety and godlines manifested her election so you by the loue you beare towards God his ordinances and seruants doe declare euidently 1. Ioh. 3.14 your translation from death to life and by your vertuous and holie liues you demonstrate freedome from sin which are of euerlasting life I haue made bolde Christian Gentlewomen to patronize this small worke vnder your fauours in token of thankefulnes for your many fauours I haue receiued from you not doubting but small things of this nature will bee much respected and willingly receiued both in respect of your owne priuate gaine as also the profit benefit which the whole Church of God may reap gather frō it Now if you or the rest of the body of Christ shall receiue any benefit by it for the furthering of that worke of repentanee and sanctification of life giue God the glory and praise And so J humbly take my leaue commending you to the prouidence of God and the word of his grace Act. 20.32 which is able to build further and to giue you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified Steane this 20. of Aprill 1612. Yours in all christian duties to commaund IOHN HILL THE PENITENT SINNERS ENTERTAINEMENT LVKE 15.20 21 22 c. So he arose and came to his Father and when he was yet a great way off his Father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his necke c. IN all this parable of a godly and religious father and a stubborne and impious sonne is prefigured and set downe the vnspeakeable loue and compassion of God our heauenly father to all his children in Iesus Christ which haue beene rebellious and disobedient before their calling In these words are set down two things viz. First the duties of a penitent sinner Secondly the promotion that the penitent person comes vnto In the dueties of the penitent person there are two things to be considered First a perswasion of mercy sure confidence of obteining compassion if he did returne implied in the word Father as if he should haue said truth it is O Father as my life works haue beene toward thee I doe not deserue to be thy son as in the words following may appeare but yet neuer the lesse I am perswaded that though I haue failed of my duty towards thee yet thou wilt not faile of thy loue to me although there be no desert of mercy in me yet I know there is cōpassion for seeking for with thee and this is the first ground the penitent person laies to obtaine mercie Secondly the penitent person confesseth his sinne whereby he had offended his father for there must be a confession that as the childe is to be well perswaded of the loue of his father so hee must be ill perswaded of himselfe in respect of his sinne and therefore he saith I haue sinned against heauen and before thee that is against the God of heauen and against thee my naturall father and so I haue broken both the tables of the commandements And he confesseth also he was not worthie to be called a sonne to so godly a father or to receiue mercie that was so full of impietie making himselfe vile and base in his owne eyes that he might be highly esteemed in his Fathers eies which is the first part Now for the second part of this text which is the promotion the penitent sinner shall be exalted vnto set downe in the 22. 23. verses rendering a reason wherfore the father did thus promote him The promotion set downe is this the father seeing his riotous and vnthriftie sonne returne home with a broken and humble heart and with a resolution to become a new man and rather desiring his fathers loue then his goods he presently offers himselfe to his childe before he could aske for his needs he commaunds his seruants to bring forth such things as his penitent sonne wanted and to giue it before he did craue it for the father seeing his sonne so well clothed with humilitie and with godly remorse for his former life within he wil not reiect him though he came poore and ragged outward but cals for the best robe to couer him The comparison is taken from a King and a princelike childe whose manner was to weare robes and before the sonne could aske for apparrell which he stoode in neede of the father giues him a robe to put on for seeing he had made himselfe base in his owne eyes he would cloath him royally that hee might seeme precious in his fathers eyes And put a ring on his hand that is hee would not only giue him things for necessity but also to adorne beautifie him as the Apostle saith vpon our vncomely parts he will put more comelinesse on And shooes on his feete And whereas he came barefooted to his father he commaunds shooes to be put on his feete to keepe and preserue them from thornes and stones that might annoy hurt thē And bring the fatte calfe c And whereas he came with a languishing stomacke for want of meate for before he had beene feeding amongst swine now he will refresh him with a tender calfe with pleasant and comfortable meate And let vs eat be merie Here is cause of mirth reioycing on both sides First on the fathers side that had lost an vntowardly sonne and now had found an obedient sonne that went from him dead in his sinnes and returned quickned vnto the life of grace that departed impenitent and returned humbled in all which there was cause of mirth and this cause the father renders himselfe to his eldest sonne for my sonne was dead and is now aliue he was lost but is now found c. Secondly there was cause of reioycing in the sonne because he went from his father a dead man and now he comes to his father a liuing man he went from him stubborne proude disobedient he returnes meeke penitent and obedient in truth he departed from him a childe of Belia● and returnes to him the childe of God in all which there was great cause of ioy on both sides And so much for the somme and order of these words The drift of the parable is that if a godly father had a stubborne and vngodly sonne that had departed from him and spent his portion amongst ryotous and lewd companions yet if

the prodigall childe that before hee asked for foode cloathes and other things which hee stood in neede of his father bestowes it vpon him and before hee could make an end of confession of his sinnes hee falles vpon his neck and embraceth and receiueth him to fauour Now there are reasons to proue that this doctrine is so Reason 1 Because it is both the name and nature of God to bee mercifull and shew pitty as the Prophet Micah affirmeth hee retayneth not his wrath for euer because mercy pleaseth him When a man is come truely to confesse his sinnes with sorrow then God must needes shew mercy to him for mercy pleaseth him A small intreaty will perswade a man to doe that which hee delighteth in and takes pleasure in the doing of it euen so God is easily drawn to shew mercy to the penitent sinner because hee delights in it and is well pleased to shew mercy Oh but how shall I know that I shall receiue mercy from him why should wee call it in question if wee bee penitent for it stands vpon his trueth and couenant to pardon the sinnes of the elect and for the certainety thereof hee hath bound himselfe by an oath to fulfill it Secondly because ouer and besides our owne prayers to obtaine his fauour and mercy we haue the prayers of Christ our mediatour to helpe vs and although the elder brother of this prodigall childe did grudge and thinke much that his father should shew subh kindnes to his yonger brother which had bin such an vnthrift yet wee haue our elder brother Iesus Christ to make continuall intercessiō vnto his Father for vs in our behalfe Now if a naturall father can shew such mercie to his childe when the elder brother speakes against him how much more shall our heauenly Father shew mercy to vs when as our elder brother is willing and speakes for vs and hee is as ready to pray for mercy for vs as our Father can bee to giue mercy to vs. Sith it is so that God is more ready to offer mercy to penitent sinners then they can bee to aske for mercy The vses serue First for confutation of the Papists Vse 1 that in their distresses and troubles will not goe to this mercifull God but vnto Saints and Angels for helpe alack they take a wrong course to forsake this pitifull God whose name is to shew mercy and whose nature is to delight in mercy and runne to a Saint this is palpable blindnesse to forsake the creatour and receiue the creature it is as if one should forsake to fetch water from the Sea where is enough and runne to a channell that is dry but if God will not shew mercy who will and if hee cannot who can shall wee finde more mercy from a Saint or Angell then from the mercifull God of whom the fatherlesse findes mercie This argues they know not Gods name for then as the Prophet saith They that know thy name will trust in thee for thou neuer failest them that seeke thee They are not perswaded of this name of God for then they would not seeke to Saints or Angels but vnto God who neuer failes any that seeke to him in truth Secondly this serues to shew a great deale of corruption in our sinfull hearts and nature for although wee goe not in our distresses and miseries to Saints or Angels yet wee seeke vnto such as either will not or else cannot helpe vs and so forsake him where wee might alwaies speede and neuer faile if wee seeke him with an honest heart indeede for he would meete vs halfeway if hee did but perceiue in vs but a true purpose to come to him One godly teare of true repentance with a faithtfull prayer vnto God is able to doe vs more good and to helpe vs out of our distresses then all outward meanes of friends money goods and such like things in all this world can doe But here is our distrust in God that wee haue more hope that wee shall speed better of our neighbours and friends in time of trouble then of God but this comes to passe because wee doe not assure our hearts that hee loues vs in Christ Iesus Ioh. 17.26 according vnto Christs prayer that hee made for all the elect for if wee did wee would more depend vppon God and lesse rely vpon men more seeke to him for helpe and lesse trust vpon outward things Thirdly it serues for instruction that wee should euery one seeke vnto God chiefely in all our distresses and troubles for to bee deliuered If one will goe to one that is able let vs goe to God and if wee would seeke to one that is willing let vs seeke vnto God for there is neither will nor power wanting in him if wee come to him in truth And if wee would haue mercy from God let vs draw neere to him with penitent and broken hearts washing our soules with godly sorrow for sinnes and then the blood of Christ shall be as water to purge vs from all our sinnes and iniquities whatsoeuer Oh but my sinnes are so many I dare not goe to him but let not that hinder thee from goeing to him for the more wee see our sinnes and the greater burden wee feele them the more bold wee may bee encouraged to goe to him for mercy for onely such are the guests which Christ inuites and cals and vnto whom in truth hee was sent and therefore hee saith Come vnto mee all that are heauy-laden and I will ease you Mathew 11.28 Fourthly sith God is ready to shew mercy to euery penitent sinner when hee comes to him and neuer casts his faults in his teeth Let this serue for imitation vnto euery one of Gods children that would bee said to bee like God let them bee easily intreated to bee reconciled when matters of differences fall out and let vs so pardon and forget the wrongs and iniuries offered vs that wee neuer vpbraide the parties in the teeth for the same Oh let vs neuer burst out with these speeches I wil forgiue him but I wil neuer forget him or I will neuer loue him againe such like speeches but this is to be far vnlike God oh but the offence that is offered mee is such a great wrong as no man could put it vp but bee it that it is so grear haue not you offered God greater wrongs and yet hee hath pardoned you and will not you forgiue him this one wrong that is done to you in truth this argues that you haue not tasted of the loue of God in Christ that cannot forgiue your brother so small a fault But if you will be like God which all his children must resemble in truth if they meane to come to heauen you must labour to remit great wrongs and small wrongs and all and euery one and neuer vpbraide them in their teeth of it but bury it in obliuion and neuer remember it and so wee shall bee like to