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	let_v	lord_n	3,921	5	3.8283	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40683	A sermon of assurance Foureteene yeares agoe preached in Cambridge, since in other places. Now by the importunity of friends exposed to publike view. By Thomas Fuller B.D. late lecturer in Lombard Street.	Fuller, Thomas, 1608-1661.	1647 (1647)	Wing F2458; ESTC R215136	16,800	39

many of them testifie the truth of that Minor Proposition namely the sincerity of their faith and repentance The third and last witnesse we will insist on is that comfort and contentment the Conscience of the party tak●…s in doing good works and bringing forth the fruits of new obedience That though hee knowes his best good works are stained with corruptio●…s and many imperfections yet because they are the end of his vocation and the Justifiers of his Faith because thereby the Gos●…ell is graced wicked men amazed some of them converted the rest confounded weake Christians confirmed the poore relieved Devils r●…pining at them Angels rejoycing for them God himselfe glorified by them I say because of these and other reasons he doth good deeds with h●…mility and cheerefulnesse and findeth a singular joy in his soule resulting from the doing thereof This joy is an excellent witnesse to depose the truth of his Faith and repentance and to confirme the Minor in the former Syllogisme See here though good works on just ground were excluded our Text yet in due time and their proper places wee have entertained them in our sermon If good workes offer to crowd into our justification let us be so bold as to shut the doore against them But if wee have any to come i●…to our sanctification thereby also to ave●…re and attest the truth of our Faith and Repentance let us say to them as Laban to Jacob why stand yee without come in yee blessed of the Lord And this joy conceived from the good workes men doe is the more pure the more private the more sincere the more secretly it is carried I shall ever commend the modesty of Elisabeth who a●…ter long barrennesse finding her self with child did not publish her happinesse to the veiw of the world but hid her self three ●…oneths If after too long sterility in goodnesse thou perceivest thy self at last by God's grace pregnant in pious workes vent not thy good successe in the Market-place doe not boast and bragge thereof in discourse to others but bee contented to enjoy the solid comfort thereof betwixt God and thy owne conscience So●… much for the th●…ee witnesses to confirme the truth of the Minor All that I shall adde is this let us who are or should bee schollars take heed whom our parents or friends have bred at the Fountaines of Learning and Religion till our portions are almost shrunke into our Education Let us take heed least silly simple p●…ople who never read Aristotle's Organon never knew how to mould Argument in mood and figure make this Syllogisme true in their hearts by their supernaturall Logicke whilest we with all our wit and 〈◊〉 learning make at the best but a Soloecisme a●…d thereby put a dangerous fallacy upon our owne soules But heere wee must propound and answer some objections the resolution whereof may tend both to our instruction and comfort The first is this whether all the servants of God now living and in the state of grace are for the present assured of their Calling and Election So that if instantly arrested to pay their debt to nature they are as confident of their souls mounting up to heaven and happinesse as of their bodies falling downe to dust and corruption Wee divide the congregation of God's servants now surviving into rankes First * Mnasons old disciples seniour pro●…essors of 〈◊〉 * Hannah's which have lived many yeares in the Temple serving God with ●…asting and Prayers night and day These by frequent acts have contracted a habit of Piety G●…ace by custome is made another nature unto them especially towards the latter end of their liues partly because their soules do steale a Glymps Glance or Pisgah-sight of heaven through the Clefts and Chinkes of their Age or sicknesse-broken-bodies and partly because as all motion is swiftest the neerest it comes to the Center So they the neerer they draw by dea●…h to heaven God's Spir●…t and all goodnesse groweth more quick and active in them Of t●…ese wee say that it is often observed God deales so graciously with th●…m as to crowne their endeavors with an assurance of salvation To such I may adde those whom I may call young-old-Christians whose profession of Christ though short hath beene thick though young in yeares yet they have not onely done but suffered for Christ Religion hath cost them deare they have not only been summered but wintered in piety have not onely passed prosperity but have been acquainted with adversity therein Great travelors in Christianity which have cut the line and have passed the Torrid Zone of Persecution and which is more of a wounded conscience These also God may admit into the former forme and out of his undeserved mercy reward them with the Assurance of their salvation But all starres which sh●…ne in heaven are not of the first greatnesse neither are all of David's worthies to bee equalled with the first three Other Christians there are who in God's due time may mate the former both in grace and glory Punies in piety Novices in Religion Of such I say not one of a hundred whatsoever they may erroneously pretend to the contrary are assured of their Calling and Ele●…tion If further it be demanded whether every Saint of God belonging to Election hath not at one time or other in his life or at his death this assurance conveyed into his soule I must confesse that he●…rein the streames of learned mens judgements runn●… not onely in different but contra●…y channells Some are of opinion that God is so gracious and magnifies his mercy so much in his proceedings towards his ●…ervants that the very meanest in the Family of Faith have some proportion of this assurance conferred upon them during their abode in this life Other Divines no 〈◊〉 inferiour to the former in number Learning Religion and Christian experience main●…aine the opposite opinion that God sometimes is so pleased to try the patience and humble the hearts of some of his servants that a continuall feare is a constant covering of their eyes they goe heavily all the day long never daring for feare of presumption to owne and acknowledge any grace in their hearts alwai ●…jealous of their owne condition and sadly suspitious of themselves least all their 〈◊〉 prove hypoc●…isie and their Piety be more in pro●…ession then 〈◊〉 Those may be 〈◊〉 ●…nto children in their Mothers belly which have true life in them and yet themselves doe not know that they live For my owne part I conceive this controversie can onely bee decided betwixt God and a mans owne Conscience no third Person can be privie to the secret transactions betwixt them The last of these two Opinions so farre as one may conjecture hath most of charity and not the least of truth in it I am perswaded that many a pious soule dying in the fit of a t●…mptation hath instantly expected to sinke from his death-bed into hell-fire when the same by Gods goodnesse hath beene