Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	good_a	holy_a	spirit_n	3,941	5	4.8416	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65324	Universal Christian charity, as comprehending all true religion and happiness, demonstrated from scripture and reason in a sermon preach'd before the Right Honourable Lord Chief Justice Treby, at the assizes held at Maidstone in Kent, March the 17th, 1696 / by Tho. Watts ...	Watts, Thomas, 1665-1739.	1697 (1697)	Wing W1159; ESTC R38960	15,491	32

Heart knows that too often the most specious external Acts may proceed from a false or corrupt Principle and then tho' they may be highly esteem'd and magnify'd in the Opinion of the World they cannot be acceptable to him who is pleas'd with nothing that does not flow from a sincere and truly pious Disposition of the Soul From that Charity which arises from the Love of God which loves him as the Supreme and Original Good and loves every thing else for his sake that admires and adores his infinite Fulness and esteems other things as the Streams and Emanations from that inexhaustible Fountain When we have not a due regard to this Heavenly Standard of our Affections our Love will quickly degenerate into a silly Fondness or a covetous Desire or some turbulent uneasie violent or exorbitant Passion But when the love of God rules in our Hearts when it presides over our very Thoughts and governs the most secret and inward Motions of our Spirits it will keep all steddy and even in a due Composure without any Excess or Irregularity and I may add in a constant readiness to do good Now this is that excellent Principle of Charity which is only able to give any real Value to all other Endowments whatever and which accordingly is described in the next place by some of the most genuine and proper Effects of it to Verse 8. as that it suffereth long that it is kind that it envieth not vaunteth not it self or is not rash is not puffed up doth not behave it self unseemly seeketh not her own is not easily provoked thinketh to Evil rejoiceth not in Iniquity but rejoiceth in the Truth or with the Truth Beareth all things believeth all things hopeth all things endureth all things Thus it includes Patience Benificence Contentment Humility Decency Generosity Publick-Spiritedness Meekness Temperance Good Nature Piety Devotion Truth Fidelity Joy and Compassion Peace and Union Faith Hope and the bravest Christian Fortitude with all the blessed Fruits of the Holy Spirit yea with all manner of Goodness and Morality to make us both truly wise and happy So next St. Paul commends it from its duration because that all the other Gifts and Abilities how necessary soever they might be for the propagation of the Christian Religion c should yet fail cease and vanish away as things that should be of no farther use in the other World But this alone should never fail but continue with us for ever in that Blessed State of Happiness and Perfection as you may read to my Text wherein now lastly our Apostle mentions the three most eminent Graces Faith Hope and Charity but gives the preference to the last concluding positively the greatest of these is Charity which is evident from the whole Chapter as we have thus far briefly consider'd it From whence now to proceed methodically I shall First illustrate the Words of my Text in short Secondly Endeavour to demonstrate to you this excellent Grace of Charity as comprehensive of all True Religion and Happiness from Scripture and Reason together And so Thirdly I shall manifest some grand Obligations to the due Practice thereof from the Points of Duty Gratitude and Interest First Then consider the Just shall live by Faith Heb. 2.4 Rom. 1.17 We are purify'd sanctify'd justify'd and saved by Faith Acts 15.9 c. 26 18. Rom. 5.1 Eph. 2.8 But then it must be such a Faith as worketh through Love Nothing else availing in Jesus Christ Gal. 5.6 Hope is an Anchor of the Soul both sure and stedfast Heb. 6.19 And by Hope are we comforted and saved Rom 8.24 For this were the Scriptures given that we might have hope Rom. 15.4 which worketh Patience and Assurance unto Life Eternal Tit. 2.13 c. 3 7. Among our Spiritual Armour we are to take for an Helmet the hope of Salvation 1 Thes 5.8 This is our rejoicing and will be our Glory in the Lord Col. 1.27 Heb. 3.6 But yet this must be grounded and rooted in Love and he that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as God is pure to be like him in singular Love above all as becometh his Sons 1 Joh. 3.1 2 3. Again Faith is the Substance of things hoped for the Evidence of things not seen Heb. 11.1 which gives us all Assurance and some Enjoyment of Heaven upon Earth affords us some Antepasts of Life and Glory But here they end at the Celestial Gate here is the Accomplishment of our Faith and Hope while Charity the very Bond of Perfectness uniteth us to the most Amiable the Divine Nature while Love wings our Souls into the Regions of Bliss and Immortality abides with us there and happily employs us unto all Eternity Thus Charity is the greatest of all Graces and Vertues as influencing and perfecting all nearest resembling the Supreme Deity and glorifying our Natures For Love is of God and God is Love 1 Joh. 4.7 But he that loveth not knoweth not God Verse 8. How can such then hope for Heaven Or like the bold Fiduciary presume upon Faith which only worketh by and is dead and ineffectual without Love Jam. 2.3 4. Love which is the Light that shines before Men to the Glory of our Heavenly Father in all good Works Matth. 5.16 Love which is the fulfilling of the Law Rom. 13.10 and the New Commandment of the Gospel Joh. 13.34 The true Spirit of all the very distinguishing Badge Cognizance and Characteristick of Christ's true Disciples Which now secondly with all that has hitherto been said may be a sufficient Demonstration of the Comprehensiveness of this excellent unbounded universal beatifying Christian Charity Whereto both Scirpture and Reason give such ample undeniable Testimonies as may yet farther appear from many clean convincing Proofs As there is such an Uniformity and happy Agreement between the Old and New Testament that the one seems to be but the Counter-part of the other or rather the Gospel is both the Improvement and Fulfilling of the Law and an higher advancement of Human Nature than ever it was bless'd with either by its own Light or preceding Revelation So they all concenter together in this one Grace of Charity which carries its own Reward with it in a much more real Sense than the best Philosophers held of Verture This Charity implies the whole of Man both his Duty and Happiness which the Royal wise Preacher concludes with the Fear of God and keeping his Commandments so to be prepared for future Judgment Eccl. 12.13 14. And what is all this but the plain Effect and sure Demonstration of our Love which our Lord so positively requires of us John 14 15. If ye love me keep my Commandments In this therefore does he summ up all the Law and the Prophets from Deut. 6.5 c. 10 12 13. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul with all thy strength and with all thy mind This is the first and great Commandment And the second from Lev.