Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	goodness_n	lord_n	merciful_a	1,997	5	8.9155	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16525	The holy exercise of fasting Described largely and plainly out of the word of God: with all the parts and causes, and seuerall kinds of the same: together with the most fit times, and conuenient seasons, when and how long it should be held: with the manifold fruite and commoditie that redoundeth to vs thereby: and the whole nature and order thereof. In certaine homilies or sermons, for the benefit of all those, that with care and conscience intend at any time publikely or priuately to put in practise the same. By Nicolas Bownde Doctor of diuinitie. Perused and allowed by publike authoritie.	Bownd, Nicholas, d. 1613.	1604 (1604)	STC 3438; ESTC S114771	132,330	360

obtained great deliuerances yea how men by humble supplication haue preuailed with men euen with their enemies I Am at this present to proceede in that argument To quicke● vs vp further vnto feruent pra●er we mus● consider that I entred into the last day and could not then well finish for want of time namely to continue further to declare how wee may attaine vnto that feruencie of praier that hath beene spoken of which is so necessary in the fasting we haue in hand Therefore besides all that hath beene said to this end we are lastly to consider that we might be mooued to praie so earnestly as we should to consider I say the gratious promises that God hath made to all those that haue or shall heereafter at any time hold this exercise of fasting vnto him in any measure of trueth and how the same from time to time haue beene performed vnto them insomuch that though the beginning of their fast hath beene full of heauinesse and with much sorrow for their sinnes and for the wrath of God against them appearing in some grieuous punishment yet the end thereof hath beene with much reioicing and comfort in assured hope both of the free pardon and forgiuenesse of them with perfect reconciliation vnto God and also with good hope of obtaining of all such things as they haue sued for by earnest and feruent praier First what pr●mises God hath ●ade to those that seeke vnto him in fasting and praier And first of all concerning the promise that the Lord of his great mercy hath made to all those that seeke vnto him in all humilitie by fasting and praier we may see what the prophet Ioel Ioel 1.4 saith Who exhorting the people to fasting and praier because of that great calamitie that was vpon them by reason that the fruites of the earth were so wholly destroied for that which was left of the Palmer-worme the Grashopper had eaten and the residue of the Grashopper had the Canker-worme eaten and the residue of the Canker-worme had the Caterpiller eaten cap. 2.1 exhorting them I saie to turne vnto the Lord with all their hart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning and to rent their hearts and not their clothes and to turne vnto the Lord their God that is not their clothes onely according to the maner of that time in great sorrow but their hearts especiallie that so their sorrow might bee in truth not in appearance onelie setteth before them the great mercy of god to al those that so come vnto him saying For the Lord is gracious and mercifull slowe to anger and of great kindnesse and repenteth him of the euill who knoweth if he will returne namely to his accustomed mercifull dealing and repent that is of that euill that he might further bring vpon them and leaue a blessing behinde him euen a meat offering and a drinke offering vnto the Lorde their God that is some thing to be serued with for the glorie of his name least his seruice should faile as hee had complained before that the meat offring and drinke offring was cut off from the house of the Lorde ●oel 1.7 for which the Priestes the Lordes ministers did mourne Then we see how the Prophet in the name of the Lord doth promise vnto them that if they would thorowly humble themselues for their sinnes the cause of this great affliction noted by the rending of their hearts though the Lord had begunne to punish them already and that most grieuously yet he would stay his heauy hand and bestow some blessing vpon them where in saying Who knoweth or who can tell his meaning is nothing lesse than to call it into question or any wayes to make them doubt of it but rather to consider the hardnesse of the thing and so to seeke for it the more earnestly that they might haue some hope of it as if he had sayd Seeing God is so mercifull as he had spoken of him before calling him Gratious slow to anger and of great kindnes and one that repenteth him of the euill there is no doubt of the thing but that if they could humble themselues as he required and pray earnestly though he had begun to punish them already yet hee would repent and spare them As also it is sayd in the Prophet Jona Iona 3.9 by the King of Nineue who proclaimed a fast and willed all men to put on sackecloth and to crie mightily vnto the Lord and euery man to turne from his euill way and from the wickednesse of his hands Who can tell if God will turne and repent and turne away from his fierce wrath that wee perish not which he vttereth after this maner saying Who can tell to shew the hardnesse and difficultie of it that they might crie vnto God the more earnestly or mightily as hee also willeth them there So that as from the forenamed place of Ioel wee haue a commandement to fast publikely when Gods hand is heauie vpon vs as it is now and hath been a long time when as hee thus speaketh Thus sayth the Lord Ioel 2.12 turne you vnto me with all your hearts and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning so forth so from thence also we haue a promise as we haue heard that if we can humble our selues thorowly iudging and condemning our selues as we ought which is meant by renting of our hearts as was sayd before and turne with all our hearts from our sinnes euen with sorrow and griefe for them vnto the Lord that he himselfe will in this punishment of ours also repent and leaue a blessing behinde as is sayd there that is some cause to praise and magnifie his holy Name and the reason why we haue it no sooner is that men haue not all this while cast down themselues before the high throne of Gods iudgement as they should and vnfainedly leaue all their sins which if men could come vnto in that maner measure that they ought then heere is a most gratious sure promise made vnto vs from the Lord by the mouth of his holy Prophet that hee will be mercifull vnto vs and spare vs which he will also vndoubtedly performe for he is Trueth it selfe Therefore that we might doe this that we doe in faith Which promises wee must at this present set before our eyes I meane continue still to fast and pray and not giue it ouer or wax wearie of it as of our selues wee are too prone vnto it yea that in thus abstaining wee might pray earnestly vnto God to stay his heauie hand and to put an happie end at the last vnto this long and great mortality Let vs consider that euen this promise is made to vs and written for this very time and for this purpose that if in this fasting euery man will turne from all his sinnes with his whole heart and be sorie for them euen from the very bottome of his heart that

he had said hee would doe vnto them and did it not Thus we see againe what was the effect of this fast which they held in great ignorance no doubt and much weakenesse yet in truth namely that the Lord seeing them sufficiently humbled by the ministerie of his Prophets in the guiltinesse of their sinne and the deserued destruction threatned against them euerie one to forsake their euill waies for which he was iustly offended with them he staied that plague which he had threatned and had otherwise most certainly brought vpon them And this also may greatly confirme our hope in this seruice of ours that thogh for our sinnes we must needs confesse that wee haue deserued not onely this beginning and continuance of the pestilence but vtter destruction yet if euerie man would so wholly leaue his euill waies that the Lord who is the searcher of the heart and reines might see it and take knowledge of it and of that repentance and amendement of life that should be in all and so then they would crie mightily vnto God as these did he would yet repent him of the euill which he hath otherwise further determined to bring vpon vs and not do it but might stay this grieuous plague from spreading like a canker and from further comming into those places where yet it is not and in those places that are infected with it he might so diminish it from day to daie that it cause not a finall destruction as was threatned to the Niniuites and we haue iustly deserued Therefore to conclude this one point By this exp●ri●nce in oth●rs wee must be confirmed in hope of God goodnesse to ou● selues a● this time that we might haue courage and comfort in this that wee doe by a sure and certaine expectation of some blessed fruit of it in time we haue hitherto seene how the Lord of his great mercy and trueth hath neuer failed them that in fasting and prayer according to his owne ordinance haue sought vnto him in trueth Heb. 12.1 that we hauing so great a cloud of witnesses as the Apostle speaketh to subscribe vnto this doctrine by their owne experience might not doubt but that the Lord in due time wil hear vs as he hath done them Yea if we can remember but our owne experience and that that our selues haue made triall of through the goodnesse of God how in former times he hath heard vs Much more your owne ●●perience 〈◊〉 times ●●st when we haue by fasting and prayer thus publikelie sought vnto him as when the Inuincible falsely so called Spanish Nauie was vpon our coasts how wonderfully vpon our earnest sute and supplications euery where made to that end not onely wee were preserued from that horrible destruction which they most wickedly intended against vs but that themselues were drowned in the sea euen the horse and him that rode vpon him ●od 15.1 as the Aegyptians were when they came against the Israelites And truly we may remember what a sudden and great feare all men for the most part were then stricken with and not without cause and so how earnestly they did seeke vnto God when as there was in all places much fasting and prayer and the people came willingly to it if we could do so now when the Lord threatneth destruction to vs and to all places as he did then though after another maner wee might by our owne experience comfortablie lift vp our heads and looke with good assurance for the like mercy that we found for God is the same if we be not changed when as by former experience like as Dauid said when he went against Goliath to fight with him whose great stature and complet armour of brasse and weapons might iustly haue terrified him The Lord that deliuered me out of the paw of the Lion 1. Sam. 17.37 and out of the paw of the Beare he will deliuer mee out of the hand of this Philistim so we might all say The same God of mercy that hath heeretofore heard vs when we haue in true humilitie sought vnto him wee doubt not when wee haue sufficiently profited by this affliction will now heare vs also and deliuer vs. For indeed if we finde both in the Scripture and by dayly experience in our selues and in other The ordina●y pray●rs ●f the faith●ull haue ob●ained great ●hings much more their ●astings and ●rayer that the ordinarie prayers of Gods seruants and namely of our selues are not sent away emptie but that the Lord doth dayly according to the same blesse vs and them then these prayers which wee now make with fasting which are more than ordinary we may be assured shall bring great blessings vpon vs. When at the commandement of Herod ●ct 12.5 Peter was kept in prison earnest prayer was made of the Church vnto God for him and when Herod would haue brought him out vnto the people the same night slept Peter betweene two souldiers bound with two chains and the keeper before the doore kept the prison and beholde the Angell of the Lord came vpon them and a light shined in the house and he smote Peter on the side and raised him vp saying Arise quickly and his chaines fell from his hands and so he was deliuered If then the ordinarie prayer of the Church be of so great force and doe so greatly preuaile with the Lord as to frustrate the counsels of great Tyrants to procure the helpe presence of Angels from heauen to open the prison doores and to vnloosen fetters and chaines of iron then what sh●ll the extraordinarie prayers of the Church euen their fastings and prayers do Therefore we need not doubt but if we cōtinue to profit in humility by this fatherly visitation of the Lord and in repentance for all our sinnes and in continuance and feruencie of praier but we shall see some great fruit of them at the last euen in that verie thing that we most of all desire And that wee might yet be further comforted in this great heauinesse of ours with hope of some mercie from God euen that he would spare vs at the last according to our earnest desire let vs remember how when King Ahab a wicked and verie vngodlie man fasted for that destruction which the prophet Elijah had by the worde of the Lord threatned against him 1. King 21.21 euen that the Lord would bring euill vpon him and take away al his posteritie make his house desolate like the house of Ieroboam what great mercie he obtained of the Lord Which fast of his The Lord hath rewarded the wicked that haue vsed this ordinance but in ●utward ceremonies though it was not ioined with true repentance or any true knowledge how to serue the Lord aright neither could be for he was an idolatour yet being performed in some sort onely in keeping the outward ceremonie as putting on sackecloth and abstaining from meat and drinke and giuing some other outward token

of sorrow and griefe that that fast of his was not vnrewarded of the Lord. For by that meanes he obtained that the execution of that iudgement against himselfe and all his posteritie which we haue heard of concerning the rasing of him and them from the kingdome and throne of Israel was put off and differred vntill his sonnes daies as it is saide in the wordes of that text that when he had heard what the prophet had prophesied against him 1. King 21.27 hee rent his clothes and put sackecloth vpon himselfe and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went softly in token of mourning and the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Theshbite saying Seest thou how Ahab is humbled because hee submitteth himselfe before me I will not bring this euill in his daies but in his sonnes daies I will bring euill vpon his house If the Lord then did so iustify this ordinance of his in the person of this wicked man when he did stoope but vnto the outward ceremonie and bodily exercise of it and was altogither voide of true humilitie and sound repentance resting onely in the bare outward tokens of them and had not his heart throughly broken by faith that hee differred this deserued and denounced iudgement so long that it came not in his daies which was a great outward blessing and honour vpon him how then much more if we so vse this outward abstinence as we doe Much m●re will he doe it to his seruants that vse it in trueth that especially we ioine to it the inward vertues of humilitie and repentance and contrition of hart and feruencie of praier will the Lord be appeased towards vs and at the least bee so farre foorth intreated that hee differre that great wrath of his that otherwise might breake out to our vtter destruction For if the Lorde hath shewed such mercie to the wicked as to spare them in this world for a time whē they haue submitted themselues to the outward obedience of this commandement of humbling thēselues in fasting though in great hypocrisie then howe much more will he spare his owne children that vse it in sincerity and trueth Therfore let this example also somewhat incourage vs with hope of good successe that wee shall finde the Lorde mercifull vnto vs in thus seeking vnto him in this time of great need And wee haue great reason so to doe if we doe but well weigh the dealing of one man towards another that when in affliction they haue submitted themselues vnto them they haue founde fauour with them By humble sub●ission and p●a●er men haue found s●uou● with their enimi●s though they had greatly offended them before the onelie hope of this hath mooued them to seeke after this maner euen to those which were their professed enimies before and they haue done it not in vaine For thus it is written of Benadad king of Aram that when he was ouercome in two battels of Ahab king of Israel 1. King 20.29 and receaued so great an ouerthrow in the latter that in it were slaine of the Aramites an hundred thousand footemen in one daie and so was out of hope of anie safetie for himselfe at the length by the aduise of his seruants he put his companie into sackcloth with roapes about their heads and so came to the kind of Israel and intreated for their liues hoping by submitting thēselues vnto him after this maner to obtaine pardon as indeed they did For the messengers when in this araie they came vnto him 1. King 2● 33 said Thy seruant Benhadad saith I praie thee let me liue vsing all words and behauiour of great submission and Ahab answered he is my brother is he yet aliue goe bring him to me and when hee came hee made a couenant with him and let him goe See what is the fruite of true humiliation and humble supplication and if men will humble themselues and sue earnestly vnto men in hope of pardon 〈…〉 G●d howe much more should they doe it vnto the Lorde whom they haue more offended and who hath greater power to punish them and if vnto those of whom they had no promise before of obtaining any thing but come to them altogither as it were at aduenture then much more to him of whom we haue so manie gratious promises in the Gospell to allure and encourage vs and if vnto those which were their open and professed aduersaries then most of al vnto him that is reconciled vnto vs by the blood of his sonne and is become our father in him and if vnto them where we haue none to speake and intreat for vs but our selues then especially to him where we haue an aduocate and mediatour 1. Ioh. 2.2 euen Iesus Christ the righteous who is also the propitiation for our sinnes and if vnto them of whose loue we neuer made triall before then vnto him much more who as he hath first shewed it aboue all measure in giuing his sonne to die for vs and that when we were his enimies hath since confirmed it vnto vs many waies that we need not doubt of it And on the other side if so great mercy hath beene thus found of men who haue scarce one drop of that compassion in them which is like a great deepe sea in the Lord then may we be assured that we shall not misse of it at his hands if we continue seeking and waite vpon him for it as we should and if a man hath found it of his enimy then much more of his God to whom he is reconciled and if where none speake for him but mortall men like themselues then much more where Iesus Christ the sonne of God maketh continual intercession for vs. So that euery waie we see we haue cause to doe as we do hoping assuredlie that we shall not doe it in vaine 〈…〉 praier Therefore if the commandement of God did not compell vs to the obedience of this humble submission as it doth yet the liberall and most certain promises which are made to them that shall vse it and especially the experience that we and other haue found of the vndoubted trueth of them should prouoke vs to this holy exercise of fasting and praier which if men will not come vnto so farre as they be able what remaineth for them and what other thing can they looke for but that if they will not humble themselues with the people of God to finde mercie they shall taste of his wrath with the wicked and if they wil not weepe now for their sinnes with the one they should houle in the punishment of them when it shall be too late with the other and if they wil haue no part nor portion in the obedience of Gods commandement giuen to his people both vnder the Law and the Gospell that they should haue part with them in the promises of reward made to them in them both Euen as the Lord himselfe in plaine words hath threatned that