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	mercy_n	3,985	5	6.6454	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90384	The fear of God: vvhat it is, and exhorted to as one of the great lessons God calls upon men to learn by his great dispensations in the last days. In a sermon preached unto the Church of Christ meeting in Petty France London, the tenth day of the sixth month. Anno 1656. By the faithful servant of Christ John Pendarves a little before his death.	Pendarves, John, 1622-1656.	1657 (1657)	Wing P1137; Thomason E907_3; ESTC R3183	20,112	38

not sleight it that you are not like those that in Prov. 1.29 hated knowledge and did not chuse the fear of the Lord. But if you do really desire to fear God to help you forward in it I shall give you somewhat by way of Direction which if you observe and practise may bee useful by Gods blessing to work this fear in your hearts Direct 1. Then bee much in the consideration of Gods Sovereignty and power over thee and his great Works of Creation and Redemption and Preservation what a God hee is with whom you have to do and the vast disproportion that is between you and him consider his absolute Power and Authority over you how you are in his hands who can do with you what he pleases and as soon as thou hast had any vain thought or spoke any vain word or done any sinfull action hee can if he pleases send thee immediately to Hell without giving thee leave for one moment longer to breathe in the world and therefore consider this and this may cause you to stand in awe of him and to fear to offend him But again Direct 2. That which will further conduce to the working of this fear is the serious consideration of Gods goodness For there is mercy with him that he may be feared Psal 130.4 And indeed the soul cannot have a true filial fear without this but when the soul seeth the great God in whose hands he is to invite him to be reconciled to him and tendring grace to his soul promising him forgiveness if hee will but fear him this melts the heart Oh! to consider that the great God of Heaven and Earth should offer to give himself to poor souls with all his fulness for a supply of their wants if they will but fear him surely this if beleeved and considered will cause you to love God and serve God and fear to offend this God which is so good and gracious unto you Direct 3. Again If thou wouldest have the fear of God wrought in thy heart Go to the Word of God bee much in reading and hearing and meditating of it that will shew you your duty and the many arguments to it and possibly hereby God may work this fear Direct 4. Be also much in the observation of Gods hand of Providence abroad and at home labour to eye God in every dispensation that befalls our selves or others see God in mercies and eye God in afflictions when his chastising hand is upon us for were our hearts in such a frame as to eye God continually it would much work and increase this fear But then Direct 5. In the next place go to God for this fear cry to him and pray to him to work and increase this holy fear This was Davids prayer Psal 86.11 Unite my heart to fear thy Name And therefore all you that have any buddings of the Spirit in you in any measure make it your continual request to God to put this fear in your hearts and therefore be diligent in the use of all these means in order to the begetting and increasing of this fear and I shall conclude with that of Salomon Prov. 2.4 5. If thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for bid treasures then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and finde the knowledge of God Quest But perhaps some tender hearts that have the fear of God in truth may bee apt to say I much question whither yet I have the fear of God in my heart in truth Answ Now as this question may proceed from some tender hearts and conscientious souls that have the fear of God in them I would apply that word in Nehemiah which I have found much comfort in to my own soul and would commend it unto you it is in the first of Nehem. the last verse Let now thy ear be attentive unto thy Servant that desires to fear thy name Nehemiah a good man yet when hee comes before the Lord he durst not own that he feared him but his desires was that he might fear him and therefore if thou canst not take the comfort of such Promises as are made to those that fear the Lord yet if thou hast desire in thy soul to fear him and pressest after this fear of God thou maist take comfort in the saying of this good man Nehemiah who was one that had a desire to fear Gods name But let none deceive himself with this for every common Protestant will say that hee desires to fear God but if you desire it in truth your souls will bee much in seeking to God for it and endeavouring after it and to such souls I would commend that word in Jer. 32.40 I will put my fear in their hearts and they shall not depart from mee which promise belongs not to the Jews onely but to the Gentiles also who are fellow heirs with them and partakers of the promise in Christ by the Gospel Eph. 3.6 and therefore apply this promise to thy soul It may bee thou hast a light vain spirit and art apt to forget what thou hearest and to turn aside and depart from God but God hath promised to put his fear into the hearts of his people and then saith hee They shall never depart from mee The fear of God it will keep a soul from a backsliding spirit and therefore if thou wouldest have this fear look upon this promise and pray over it as David did upon a word of God as you may see 1 Chron. 17.25 For thou Oh my God hast told thy servant that thou wilt build him an house therefore thy servant hath found in his heart to pray before thee And if wee would have our hearts brought into a praying frame wee must fasten upon the promises and see what promises God hath made that suit our condition and plead the promise with him and when you finde free promises made through Christ without any worth on merit in the creature Oh come to God by faith in those promises and plead them with God ask God what his wayes are wherein hee will make good his promises and wait upon him therein and particularly as to the matter in hand concerning the feare of God say as David did in another case Lord thou hast promised to put thy fear into my heart and therefore thy servant hath found in his heart to pray unto thee Good Lord let it bee according to thy word Wilt thou put thy fear in my heart that I may never depart from thee And now let mee beseech you to receive this Exhortation as in the fear of God and apply your hearts with all your might to learn this great Gospel Lesson of the Feare of God Consider that Promise and Prophesie in Hosea 3. last where it is said of a people They shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter dayes And oh that the fear of the Lord may rest upon every heart that hears before him this day Surely his judgements call upon us to fear him and his mercies call upon us to fear him 1 Sam. 12.24 Onely fear the Lord and serve him in truth and with a perfect heart for consider how great things hee hath done for you Oh that you might now go away with serious spirits weighty spirits for God weigheth the spirits that you may bee no more light and vain but may make this your first prayer to God how you may most honour God and bring glory to him in your Generation But so much for this time FINIS

David tells us the like Psal 36.1 they have not this true Son-like fear natural men are unacquainted with it 2 That this fear comes by union with Christ and his Spirit that is the cause of it you may see Psal 86.11 Vnite my heart to fear thy name this fear of God it comes by vertue of an union with Jesus Christ by faith for the spirit of the fear of the Lord it is given to Christ Isa 11.2 And he received of that annoynting to shed it abroad amongst his Members and to give it to those that are united to him and no further then we live in union with Christ by faith can we bee partakers of this gracious frame of spirit to fear the Lord in truth this is a Lesson which the Spirit teaches and therefore it was by the Spirit that David cries out Come yee children and hearken unto mee and I will teach you the fear of the Lord Psa 34.11 and this God hath promised to give to his people Jerem. 32.40 I will put my fear in their hearts and they shall not depart from me But if you ask me how the Spirit works this in the heart of a Beleever 3 I say it is through the discovery of the glory of God in his Word and Works by Christ by the Glory of God I understand his Attributes when Moses desired to see Gods Glory he shews him his Attributes in Exod. 34.5 6. he proclaimed the Name of the Lord and what is it why The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long suffering and abundant in goodness and truth This is the discovery of Gods Glory the discovery of his Name 1 Hee begins with his Attribute that denotes his Soveraignty and Dominion The Lord Salomon tells us The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdome and indeed until a Soul understands something of the Soveraignty and Dominion of God over him hee never comes to make a right use of Gods love and goodness for until the Soul comes to see that God orders all things in Heaven and Earth and that he is in the hands of the great God to dispose of him as he will and that he can destroy him and cast him to Hell if hee pleaseth he cannot finde any sweetness in the tenders of Grace in the Gospel nor apply his Soul in reality to them and therefore I finde that when the Prophets of God of old time brought Gods Message to the Sons of men they usually spake to them as from the Lord saying Thus saith the Lord you have it sometimes twice in a verse setting forth Gods right of Soveraignty over them to whom they delivered their Message and this is that which is exceeding needful to bee set upon the hearts of the Sons of men when they come to hear Gods Word or have any thing to doe in his Works when the Soul considers Gods Soveraignty over him it causes him to stand in awe and fear before him and therefore by this you may try your selves whether this fear of God be in you or no Did the Lord ever shew himself to you as the Soveraigne Lord and make you to lye at his feet as dust and ashes and as clay in the hands of the Potter for if ever God have wrought this fear in your heart this was your frame I know many have a notional knowledge of Gods Soveraignty and are able to write Books of it but are your hearts really affected with it so as to lye low before the Lord in the apprehensions of it I finde it hard in every action to know this God to be the Soveraigne Lord of all and that he ruleth in all things and wee are to obey him in thought word and deed and to fear continually before him But 2 There is Gods goodness which is another thing wherein his glory appears he is the Lord God merciful and gracious and this following the former much conduces to fear him when the Soul considers that the great God that made the Heavens and the Earth and before whom all Nations are but as the drop of a Bucket should offer tenders of Grace and Mercy to be reconciled to such a poor sinfull Creature this inclines the heart to hearken to him and fear before him knowing this that he is the Lord that exerciseth loving kindness judgement and righteousness in the earth Jerem. 9.24 and that he is good to all those that fear him Psal 34.9 10 11. this brings the heart over to God indeed when Gods greatness and goodness is displayed before the Soul together this works up the heart in reality towards God O how doth David admire Gods love when he considers the great Works of God in Psal 8.3 When I consider the heavens the works of thy fingers the Moon and the Stars which thou hast made what is man that thou art mindful of him and the Son of man that thou visitest him and at vers 9. O Lord how excellent is thy name in all the earth he could not but admire and fear and fear and admire Gods great name But again 3 Let us also consider Gods power which much conduces in the hand of the Spirit to work this fear of God in our hearts and therefore you shall finde when God calls upon his people to hearken to him hee useth such kinde of expressions as these Thus saith the Lord that made the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth that they cannot bee moved And what a strong influence it hath you may see in Jer. 10.6.7.10 12 13. There is none like unto thee Oh Lord thou art great and thy Name is great in might Who would not Fear thee thou King of Nations the Lord is the true God and the everlasting King at his wrath the earth shall tremble and the Nations shall not be able to abide his indignation he hath made the earth by his power he hath established the world by his wisdome and hath stretched forth the heavens by his discretion hee maketh lightning with rain and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures Very gloriously you see the Prophet sets forth the greatness of Gods power when he comes to declare a message to the people from him So also the Prophet Isaiah in the 40. Chap. 12 13 14 15 16 17. sets forth Gods Power as he hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and meted out heaven with a span and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the Mountains in scales and the Hills in a ballance Behold the Nations before him are but as the drop of a bucket and as the small dust of the ballance he taketh up the Isles as a very little thing and all Nations before him are as nothing And if that bee not enough he tells you They are counted to him less than nothing and vanity So vers 22. It is hee that sitteth upon the Circle of the earth and the Inhabitants thereof are as grashoppers that stretcheth out