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	love_n	love_v	3,988	5	6.5055	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77987	Habakkuks prayer applyed to the churches present occasions, on Hab. 3. 2. And Christs counsel to the church of Philadelphia, on Rev. 3. 11. / Preached before the provincial assembly of London. By that late reverend and faithful minister of Jesus Christ Mr. Samuel Balmford, pastor of Albons Woodstreet.	Balmford, Samuel, d. 1659?	1659 (1659)	Wing B608; Thomason E1910_2; ESTC R209972	36,857	123

die out of the snuffe so is it in Spiritual cases unlesse we be somewhat fervent for truth and holinesse for Church-Ordinances and Discipline we shall quickly leave acting for them and be at a losse of them Therefore be fervent in Spirit And to direct our aimes and intentions in it know lastly according to that Scripture that we must look at the Lords service as serving the Lord we must be fervent in Spirit and not sloathful in businesse The Apostle bids ordinary servants do their Masters service not as looking to them onely but to the Lord Ephes 6. 7. Col. 3. 23. How much more then should they approve themselves to the Lord with all fervency of Spirit whose service and businesse is about the matters of God and his house These considerations surely may be helpful to Church-Officers and Members to hold fast what they have 5. If we be resolved for constancy in holding fast what good we have then let us shew our selves lovers and observers of all good Orders Enemies to Order are Enemies to Constancy Both together availe much for great issues and atchievements But pervert or disturb the former and you subvert or breake the latter cryers down of all Forms are monstra informia unshapen Monsters as opposite to God in their endeavours as may be for whereas God brought a bountiful Creation out of a Chao's They would reduce all into a Chao's again might they have their will or wishes for ought appears by their words Plainly therefore would we retaine either soundnesse of Doctrine or holinesse of life we must pray and endeavour to keep good order in all Church-Administrations Marke that of the Apostle in Colos 2. 5. Rejoycing saith he and beholding your order and the stedfastnesse of your faith in Christ He joynes Order with stedfastnesse and puts Order though the less before stedfastnesse of faith though the greater because Order conduceth much unto stedfastness And wherefore is there so much unstedfastnesse this day among our people even about the most important points of Faith but because they are all out of Order No Rule held over them their Traces cut the Reins cast upon their necks and the communalty of them unskilful to rule themselves I speak in reference to Spirituals They wander from one Church unto another now they are in one Conventicle or Assembly and then in another In one place they meet with some good Principles it may be but in another with bad and gather matter of corruption of minde and practice one piece after another and how then should they hold fast what good they had How much then doth it concern us all in our several places to keep Order and Rules of Government And would to God our Rulers at length would powerfully help us all to keep such as may be sound undoubtedly approveable 6 Exercise patience as this Church did ver 10. keeping the word of Christs patience not only the rule prescribing patience but patience it self prescribed by that rule For patience is necessary unto perseverance in a good profession in a good practice whether publickly or privately The impatient person doth not possess his own soul see Luk. 21. 19. he hath not an hold fast of him self and therefore what else can he hold fast If we would like good plants retain our moisture our sustenance and bring forth fruit to perfection it must be with patience Luke 8. 15. If we would do the will of God according to our places throughly and constantly so as to receive the promises we have need of patience Hebr. 10. 36. Wherefore do so many depart from God and turn from his truth and will and way but because they are impatient and will not wait Gods leisure till he vindicate his own cause or means effectually for the clearing up of Controversies and reforming of things amiss and so falling a mourning that things are carried crosse unto their former Principles and perswasions they fling out and are carried headily any way that may give them most present contentment whatever it may do afterward But not to tire your patience too long 7. Approve we our selves right Philadelphians that is according to the Etymon of the word Brotherly lovers and lovers of the Brethren See 1 Thes 4. 9. But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you for ye your selves are taught of God to love one another Heb. 13. 1. Let brotherly love continue Without this we cannot keep long in any good order nor keep in patience long c. Nor which is the main keep long in the possession and practice of truth and holiness Mark that Context Ephes 12 3. Forbearing one another in love Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace If we break in point of love we quickly break the bond of peace and love being broken we cannot long keep the unity of the Spirit what is that Unity in the disposition of our spirits in judgements and affections But there must be more then that viz. 2. Unity of our spirits in assent and adherence to Gods Spirit his Doctrines his Principles his Ordinances that so our unity may be evidenced to be 3. Unitiy wrought by the Holy Spirit of God knitting us together as Members of one Mystical body after a Spiritual and Mystical manner To the keeping of this I say brotherly love is requisite No marvel therefore if we hold not fast what we had I speak of the common hold fast since there is such want of brotherly love among us since our people are fallen into so many Divisions and breaches A condition with tears of blood to be lamented And O that all Sardenses and Laodiceans about us would transire in castra or rather in tentoria Philadelphensium Then might we see happy times and God can bring them on when he pleaseth Mean while let us Beloved shew our selves right Philadelphians of an humble meek loving gentle yet a couragious and tenacious spirit to hold fast true Doctrine and Discipline holinesse of life and conversation Our love one toward another will strengthen the hearts and hands one of another and the failing of it as much weaken us c. Let Angels and Officers of Churches think of this in the first place who are to be Lights and Guides to others in the wayes of Love and Peace But then all the Members of our Churches in their several places And to close all Let us shew our selves Philadelphians in our sympathetical affections in love towards our Brethren of the reformed Churches beyond the Seas and of neighbouring Nations because we all profess to hold the same good things of God both for Doctrine and Discipline for the main substance of it More specially sympathize with them who are now in an hour of temptation to try them Pray that though they could not hold fast what they had in Houses Lands and other outward possessions nor Ministers nor Churches nor their nearest relations many of them yet they may hold fast true faith and good consciences to the end as many of those that have been massacred already did to the end as divers of their Ancestors also did see many foregoing Generations And contribute also toward them in love for the relief of their necessities as we shall be shortly called upon to do in our respective places Now who so in the use of such meanes shall hold fast that which he hath of Truth and Grace and persevering overcome Christ promiseth him in the verse following that he will make him pillar in the Temple of his God and he shall goe no more out A verse very well worthy our attendance unto a further explanation of it but the time now cuts me off c. FINIS

HABAKKVKS PRAYER Applyed to the Churches present occasions on Hab. 3. 2. AND CHRISTS COUNSEL To the Church of Philadelphia on Rev. 3. 11. Preached before the Provincial Assembly of London By that late Reverend and faithful Minister of Jesus Christ Mr. SAMUEL BALMFORD Pastor of Albons Woodstreet Jer. 30. 7. Alas for that day is great so that none is like it It is even the time of Jacobs trouble But he shall be saved out of it London Printed by E. M. for Adoniram Byfield at the three Bibles in Corn-hil neer Popeshead-Alley 1659. Judicious READER FOr such the works of this holy man of God Mr. Samuel Balmford now with the Lord require and deserve Here is represented to thee a Forlorn-hope or two Scouts being a small parcel of those many excellent pieces intended for the presse sent before ad vada tentanda not as if these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were of higher stature in worth then others their fellows and therefore fitter for it Among all Superlatives Comparisons are excluded Pharez and Zara strove with equal strength for precedency of birth but this piece to satisfie the importunity of friends hath broken forth first The Author was a person of eminent Orthodoxy of Word and Life by both which as a burning and shining light he was an exact and powerful Teacher the observant eye of impartial conversers with him finding the Transcript of his Sermons in his life his actions being living walking Sermons He was a man of a meek and modest spirit cloathed with humility lowly in heart but high and eminent for gifts and graces in the esteem when living and honoring remembrance now dead of those that are best able to judge of real worth An excellent husbander of time a painfull Student of great diligence and faithfulnesse in all Trusts and Relations of much Candor affability communicativeness and condescention in matters capable of it but immoveable where sence of duty obliged him Not forward to speak and therefore his words were more savoury by lying long in the falt of a deliberate minde and administring more grace to the hearers A man of a publick spirit pitying souls mourning for the sins of others and deeply laying to heart the afflictions of the people of God abroad and their dissentions at home as these ensuing Sermons do abundantly testifie For his labours in the Ministry he was one would not do the work of the Lord negligently nor offer unto God what cost him nothing or a corrupt thing when as indeed he if any had a male in the flock and was a workman that needed not be ashamed He thought the delivery of Embassies from God to man most needed and best deserved careful preparation and therefore chose rather to approve himself to his Master and the alwayes smaller number of judicious hearers by an industrious searching the Scriptures and digging to the bottome of that excellent Mine than to spare himself and please the most by taking up with the nearest uppermost and lesse precious parcels of Ore he hung not forth Alchimy lace that a little wearing by judicious meditation would have changed the colour of but of such true and pure metal as would wear brighter and brighter When some thorow injudiciousnesse and possibly prejudice the Lord give such repentance to life accounted his bodily presence as they Pauls weak and contemptible and felt not the evidence and demonstration of the spirit in his words others more judicious and candid hearers Christians and Ministers have had their souls hanging on his lips and heard him with joy and delight to their great profiting Though he well knew the distempered palate of these diseased times yet would not this fisher of men bait the ground to draw multitudes about him with curious enquiries and speculations unprofitable though pleasing notions quarum inventarum solus fructus est invenisse nor talking impertinencies without book or filling up vacuities by most insipid and nauseous tautologies He did not by strength and strain of lungs comick actions peculiar modes of carriage having more of affectation than affection in them make up defect of matter nor cloud wisdom with words without knowledge wrapping up mysterious non-sense in silken phrases nor dresse up sober truths in the meretricious garb of enticing words of mans wisdom nor yet did he prostitute the Word to the contempt of the worldly-wise or disadvantage it to better-minded more judicious hearers by flatnesse or rudenesse of stile but sought out acceptable words those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 making words still servants to matter neither going before vainly nor yet following at too great a distance negligently He did not leap into his matter without trying and showing the ground he went upon but accurately weighed the Original carefully consulted with expositors solidly stated the subject of his discourse and then excellently divided the Word of Truth by exact natural Method and faithful application to the different conditions of soules therein not venting his passions nor concealing Gods truth He was every way such as not to have known him was an unhappinesse to have indeed known him and not honoured him an impossibility Of him the world was not worthy he therefore is taken away from the evil to come These things I freely testify from the full knowledge I had of him having by him been allowed the happinesse of a free converse and intimate acquaintance with him by which I must acknowledge my selfe to have been much and often profited Thomas Parson THe Reverend and Learned Author of these ensuing Sermons very seasonable and useful for these times was a Minister of Christ endued with very good abilities a workman that needed not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth full of piety modesty humility and integrity Sound in the Faith immovable in the Truth painful in his Ministerial imployment and one who hath left a precious name behind him among stall those who throughly knew him And therefore unto the testimony given of him by my Reverend Brother I do freely chearfully and most heartily subscribe Edm. Calamy Errata Page 1. in the Text for receive r. revive for people r. years p. 2. l. 21. for open r. opine p. 5. l. 15. dele and mercy page 6. line 9. for use r. verse page 13. line 10. for Psal r. Isai p. 15. l. 4. for favor r. wrath p. 34. l. 21. for know r. known p. 41. l. 2. dele experienced and appeared p. 53. l. 4. for of r. by p. 66. l. 26. for keep r. kept p. 72. l. 11. for Christ r. Christians p. 78. l. 8. for usual r. useful p. 84. l. 9. for apprehension r. approach Habakkuks Prayer applyed to the Churches present occasions Habakkuk 3. 2. O Lord I have heard thy speech and was afraid O Lord receive thy work in the midst of thy people in the midst of the year make known in wrath remember mercy THe Prophesie of this holy Prophet is termed a Burden especially in regard of the sad and