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	lord_n	people_n	4,014	5	4.8063	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85805	The path-way to peace. Or, The only assured and most certain means, whereby to heal the sores, make up the breaches, remove the fears, prevent the ruine, reconcile the differences, and put a finall end to the manifold divisions of this famous (though now much distracted) kingdom. By that faithfull and painfull preacher of Gods Word, Thomas Gardener, late pastor of St Maries in Sandwich. It is ordered this thirteenth day of February, 1642. by the committee of the House of Commons in Parliament concerning printing, that this book, intituled, The path-way to peace, be printed. John White.	Gardener, Thomas, d. 1635.; England and Wales. Parliament. House of Commons. aut	1643 (1643)	Wing G250; Thomason E105_1; ESTC R5591	12,202	17

us also prevail against us Oh how comfortable is the state of a Christian in this regard Come war the sword captivity yea and death is self or any outward calamity through enemies opposition yet here a word of sure comfort That if our wayes shall be so ordered that we may have peace with God he will so bring it to passe one way or other as hath been already shewed that our enemies shall be at peace with us The Lord will be that unto us which he promised to be unto his elect under the Babylonish Captivity Though I scatter them into the furthermost parts of the earth Ezek. 11.16 yet I will be a little sanctuary unto them in the midst of their enemies Oh how ought this to stir us up to be undefiled in all our wayes especially in these times of the generall combustion of Gods Church wherein the time is come 1 Pet. 4 17. whereof Saint Peter spake That judgement should begin at the house of God that so in the times of distresse we may have boldnesse towards God and challenge the Lord of his promise here and in other places of Scripture That he would be a sanctuary to us in the midst of troubles and that we may say as good Hezekiah Remember Is● 38.3 O Lord that I have walked before thee with a perfect heart and fulfill thy promise to thy servant 4. Since it is a confirmed truth Use 4. We must labour that our wayes may please the Lord. Psal 120.7 That they whose wayes please the Lord he will make their very enemies at peace with them Is there any that with David are for peace or that would be freed from the grievances of outward enemies here 's the way chalkt out unto him by Salomon to strive that all his wayes may please the Lord. Most of us when we seek the favour of others trie all wayes but this true way this comes last or never into our mindes and yet sure I am it 's the most cheap and husbandly of all wayes Quest But some will ask me Joh. 6 28. What wayes are those which are pleasing to God as the Jews said to Christ What shall we do that we may work the works of God For we may be deceived in the choice of our way Prov. 14 2. There is a way saith the wise man seems good unto us and the end thereof is death Answer Answ The Scriptures are the onely lantern and light to direct us into the true way they must be our guide Psal 119.105 Wayes pleasing to the Lord. and they will inform us that these are the wayes must be our wayes we must walk in if we will please the Lord namely 1. The way of faith for without this whatever we do it is impossible to please God not onely a bare knowledge of the lawfulnesse of such actions as we perform to be pleasing to God but also faith to do them The way of Faith Heb. 11 6. even for this very respect that God requires them and yet so doing them as expecting only salvation by Christ 2. The way of Gods Commandments The way of his Commandments Matth 15.9 Psal 119.1.3 not mans inventions of will-Worship nor humane prescriptions they are all vain if we may believe him in whose mouth there is no guile but Blessed are they that walk in the Law of the Lord and they do no iniquity that walk in his wayes 3. The strait and narrow way The strait and narrow way Matth 7 14. Strive to enter into the strait gate for strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life This is not the way of the loose Libertines and profane persons of these times 4. The old way Stand ye in the wayes The old way Jer. 6.16 and ask for the old way where is the good way and ye shall finde rest for your souls This old way is the way of faithfulnesse and truth which are called Gods counsells of old as being that eternall truth of God written in the heart of Adam in the state of inno●●●cy and after revealed in Scripture and more briefly unfold●● in the ten Commandments opposed to the new devised doctrines of the Popish Church so strictly binding the consci●●ces of simple people 5. They must not be unequall and uneven wayes swelling with the high mountains The way of humility and pride and presumption either of Gods mercy or our own merit but plained and made equ●● with a sanctified humilty of heart When Iohn the Baptist wa● to prepare the way of the Lord Isa 40.4 he cryed out That every valley of despair should be exalted and every mountain of pride and presumption should be made low These are the wayes wherein we must walk wherein if we shall walk we shall please the Lord and if our wayes please the Lord he will make our very enemies to be at peace with us Laus Domino Christo Amen FINIS

enemies others are Neuters like Gallio the Deputy Act. 18.16 17. caring neither for the wicked Jews nor zealous Paul now the Lord will not onely make such at peace with us who as yet are indifferent but even our very professed enemies The wicked can never truly love the godly At peace The wise man doth not say That the Lord will make his enemies love him no for the unsanctified heart cannot truely love a righteous man as righteous that is the property of the faithfull soul but he will make him at peace with him that is Outwardly there shall be quietnesse and profession of love He maketh It s of the Lord not from the wicked when they are at peace with the godly Isa 57.19 namely The Lord. It 's not any naturall inclination or vertuous disposition the wicked have to the righteous but the Lords work He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him Again Who is the author who worketh our Peace It 's the Lord that createth Peace for us whether it be peace within or peace without us The wicked have peace such as it is inward and outward but not from the God of peace There were that prophesied Jer. 14.13 Ezek. 13 16. 1 Thess 5.3 That the Jews should have assured peace whose Prophesies were found Lyes God having said That there was no peace for them When the wicked shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travell upon a woman with childe and they shall not escape This is the comfort of the faithfull That what they have of these temporall blessings it 's from the Lord. So long as our wayes are pleasing to God this promise belongeth unto us When a mans wayes c. This promise is warranted unto us during our continuance in well-doing while our wayes are so undefiled that they be acceptable before God If we forsake this secure way we forsake our own mercy Thus of the Particulars observable from the words severally confidered Jonah 2.8 Come we now to the two Generalls of the Text which have been already propounded namely 1. The duty of every Christian To order his wayes so that they may please God 2. The reward of the duty namely That then the Lord will make the enemies of these his friends to be at peace with them Joh. 15.14 both which may be reduced into this one Point which is here chiefly aymed at and the principall scope of the whole Text namely That The Doctrine When our conversation is pleasing to the Lord and we so live as walking with God he brings it to passe that our very enemies are at peace with us This Doctrine will be sufficiently laid open unto us if we shall examine 1. The truth of it by Scriptures 2. The manner how the Lord doth make our very enemies at peace with us 3. The reasons why he doth thus shew his love to his Saints Then 4. Answer such places of Scripture as seem to oppose this truth 5. Make use and application of this comfortable promise The first Point The proof of the Doctrine out of Gods Word Proved This we will expresse 1. Affirmatively shewing That when our wayes please the Lord he makes our enemies at peace with us 2. Negatively or by way of contraries to make the truth more evidently appear namely That when our actions and life are displeasing to God he makes our very friends at enmity with us Affirmatively by examples Affirmatively and that by sundry examples for they are more familiar and convincing The first is between Abimelech King of the Philistims The 1 example Gen. 26.16.27 28. and Isaac the faithfull seed of Abraham Isaac was hated of this Heathenish King and driven away yet in processe of time the Lord apparently shewed his blessings upon him that the King could not but perceive it and is constrained to come and seek to make a League with him The second is of Jacob The 2 example Gen 35.5 who thought his sons had so tyrannously slaughtered a whole City of men the inhabitants of Shechem that there could be nothing expected of upright Jacob but that the neighbouring Nations should have revenged their cruelty with the like slaughter of him and his houshold yet the terrour of the Lord fell upon the people round about them as they travelled that they suffered them peaceably to take their journey without making any pursuit after them The third unto the Israelites The 3 example Exod. 12.26 when the Lord gave them favour in the eyes of the Aegyptians their cruell enemies The fourth The 4 example Jer. 39.11 12. This promise was also made good unto Jeremy when being ungently used of his own people in the generall Captivity of the Jews he was restored to liberty and kindely entreated of the enemies The fifth The 5 example Gen. 33 4. But never was this truth more compleatly accomplished then when the Lord made Esau at peace with his brother Jacob for where there is hatred betwixt brethren it s usually most extreme Prov. 18 19. as the wise man teacheth the brother offended is harder to be won then a strong City and their contentions are like the bars of a Castle This is more marvellous if we consider That he was even then in his march with four hundred men towards his brother to revenge himself of his long unforgotten injuries when he was reconciled unto him Negatively by examples Negatively When we displease God he makes our very friends at enmity with us whereof we have also pregnant examples The first The 1 example 1 Sam. 15.23 of Saul because his wayes were rebellious against the Lord his own servants his own Tribe his son in law David and his own son out of his bowels all were against him Sam 22 7 8. yea Jonathan did favour David his greatest adversary whereof he himself did pitifully complain The 2 example The second of David under whom the Lord had subdued all all his enemies till such time as he sinned against God in the matter of Vriah the Hittite and then the Lord raised against him his own darling Absalom 2 Sam. 15.10 to conspire against him for his Kingdom The 3 example The third of Solomon All the while his heart was perfect with his God he had peace within his own Dominions from Dan to Beersheba 1 King 4 24. but after he multiplies women to himself and sacrifices to strange gods then God stirs up Hadad and Rezon 1 King 11.14.23.26 28. such as were formerly at peace with him yea even his own servant and favourite Jeroboam The fourth The 4 example 2 Chron. 24.18.25 of Joash who thrived while he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord but falling to Idolatry and hatred of Reformation his own servants conspired against him and flew him Thus have we the truth of the doctrine both affirmatively and