Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	heart_n	let_v	word_n	4,583	5	4.2365	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34988	Charitable advice in a letter to the French Protestants, into whatsoever parts of the world dispers'd, by reason of their present sufferings and persecutions, from the hands of the Roman Catholicks / first written for the use of the French Protestants by Stephen Crisp ... ; and since translated out of the French, for more publick benefit.	Crisp, Stephen, 1628-1692.	1688 (1688)	Wing C6926; ESTC R37689	10,838	17

had their more private Congregations What was then become my Dear Friends of your Talent of Knowledge Did ye not know that as ye had received greater Understanding and more Light than others your Lives and Conversations ought to have shined with the greater lustre and to have been the more exemplary for Sobriety Temperance and the Fear of God to the Honour of his Holy Name and confusion of his Enemies For this would have had more efficacy and success in converting your Adversaries than all your Arguments formed by the Help and Rules of Logick Rhetorick or Philosophy These things when the Spirit and Witness of God in your Consciences shall have recalled to your minds and you shall be made sensible of the mis-spence of your past Lives you will see great reason profoundly to humble your selves and prepare your hearts to say as Saul once did to the Lord What wilt thou have us to do And the Lord on his part will not fail to draw nigh to you in a strange Land I mean to those who seek him diligently For all Nations are alike to him since every Nation or People which feareth him and doth that which is righteous is accepted by him through our Lord Jesus Christ and as David saith he teacheth the Humble and instructeth the Meek in his ways Pardon me I pray you dear Friends if I tell you in plain terms that the reason why you are such Strangers to the divine and inward motions of the Spirit of God is because ye are not enough humble and poor in Spirit which renders you insensible of your own wants and necessities so that you choose to you Teachers to please your Ears only whereby you are diverted from a diligent and earnest search into the ways of God and from hearkning to those holy motions of his Spirit by which he reproves you in your hearts II. In the Second Place it is a matter of the greatest consequence to you in the world diligently and attentively to consider what should be the occasion of your falling under so many Afflictions You will tell me perhaps that it was because ye could not in Conscience subscribe to certain Articles as ye were required nor practice certain things which ye did believe to be altogether contrary to the Will of God c. Ye say well but my Friends if Conscience be to be regarded and obeyed in these respects why is there not the same reason to hearken to and follow it in the whole course of our Lives and Conversations If our Consciences are enlightned 't is by the Light of Jesus Christ who lighteth every man that cometh into the World and if our Consciences are governed by this Light and we give up our selves to the conduct of our enlightned Consciences we are by the same Law of Conscience which is Light forbidden the committing any thing that may offend God For the same Light which doth convince my Conscience That it is a sin to fall down and to worship an Idol or adore a Crucifix doth also convince me that it is as much a sin to Lye to Swear to forswear to commit Fornication to speak any vain or idle Words or to let proceed out of my mouth any foolish ridiculous or insolent speeches Oh! what happiness would ye find what peace of Conscience would your hearts enjoy would ye observe this throughout your whole Lives And indeed the same reason should oblige you to it for if the dictates of Truth in the Conscience are as ye confess to be followed in some things why not in all and especially in those wherein we are as equally enlightned and convinced I would also demand of you If there be any one among you who is not fully and intirely convinced in his Conscience that Drunkenness Swearing Lying Hypocrisie and Pride are as contrary and disagreeable to the Holy and Pure Will of God as are the Adorations and Services that are paid to an Image or Crucifix or as are any subscriptions to the most superstitious Articles that can be exacted of you I believe there is not for the same Light of Truth which manifests the one discovers the other also as saith the Apostle Whatsoever is reproveable is manifested by the Light for that which manifesteth it is Light. But by the way it will not be impertinent to put you in mind that there are divers Operations in the Consciences of Men for all men do not make the same Scruples of Conscience in matters of Religion nor are induc'd thereto by the same Reasons and Causes for were it so they would be all of the same Opinion with Christ the Apostles and the Primitive Christians who while they had their Consciences governed by the Spirit of Jesus Christ continued alike and were all of one heart and one mind But there are three things chiefly which divert the Consciences of men from this Universal Rule of Holiness Faith and Charity leading them out of the Road of a Holy Life dividing them in their Faith and rendring them cold in their Charity These three Points I will in a few words treat of to the end that every Soul that is willing to search diligently may find some helps whereby he may know if any of them have the Government and Conduct of his Conscience They are these three 1. Education 2. Worldly Interest 3. A blind subjection of the Conscience to the government of another whereby it becomes passionately devoted to his interests and vehemently enamour'd with all his inordinate affections I. As to the first of these we must consider Education in a twofold respect 1. Good and 2. Bad. A good Education has a grand influence upon the Spirit in regard of Doctrines Principles Forms Manners and Ceremonies of Divine Worship Not that this is the only means whereby the Life and Power of Religion are conveyed from the Teachers to the Disciples no that is reserved to the immediate operation of the Power and Spirit of Jesus Christ and it is therefore the Duty of every one how-good-soever his Education may have been and whatsoever pure and solid Doctrines he may have received to desire wait for and entertain this Divine Operation on his heart that he may be thereby rendered pure and holy and fit to bear witness to the Truths that he shall at any time hear delivered by word of Mouth for otherwise all his Religion will be but dead and formal and without any inward Life to animate his Actions and so he may be without any Oyl in his Lamp although his Teachers be never so well provided and yet such a person as this though destitute of the life and vertue of Religion within himself may make great Conscience of this or that formality of Religion and prefer the way wherein he was born and bred before any other whatsoever but will for all this be never the better Christian and it will stand him in little stead in reference to the great and principal end of man which is

Regeneration without which all Divine Service all Religious Worship all Confessions and Absolutions all Alms and Prayers are nothing worth For Vnless a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven And you my Dear Friends who at this time are under so great Sufferings dispers'd here and there in several Countreys only because ye could not conform to a Religion which ye judge to be Idolatrous You I say cannot Exercise your Minds to better Purpose than in an exact and faithful View and Examination of your selves and your own Souls to find out what were the Reasons and Motives of such your Refusal Namely whether your Education or worldly Interest or Dependance upon another or some mighty Empire and Authority of others over your Consciences Or lastly whether it was only the Light of the Word and Spirit of Jesus Christ directing your Hearts and guiding your Understandings to perceive the Errors and Idolatries of the People of the Land that so enclin'd your Consciences to obey God and his Grace and Truth and did finally give you Courage rather to abandon the Land of your Nativity and all your Worldly Endearments than defile your Consciences by sinning against that Light and Grace which the Father of Lights had bestowed upon you If there be any among you that know this to be their Case what Consolation have these Men under all Adversities With what Joy must they needs be filled when they feel the Testimony of God in their Consciences bearing them witness that it is only upon this Account that they undergo all these Sufferings and Persecutions O! What Advantage will ye reap as many of you as give up your selves to this way of Conduct in all things In the mean while try search and examine if there be not yet something in your Consciences contrary and repugnant to that Light which shineth in your Hearts if there be not something that is heavy and cumbersome to your Souls and which hinders your Reconciliation with God The more ye set your selves after this manner to sound prove and search your Words and Actions by this Light which shineth in your Hearts the more clearly will ye see the Necessity which ye have to amend and reform your Ways your Manners and your Lives in the sight of God and will also be so far from believing that ye have done enough in obeying the Spirit of God in one particular that you will not cease to go on and persevere in bearing your Crosses all your days until ye have vanquished and surmounted all that stands in Opposition to the Holy Will of God so that in the end ye lose not the Reward of what ye have hitherto done For it is not Faithfulness in one thing only that will be accepted and approved by God but he expects and absolutely wills that we be obedient to him in all Things And thus Moses heretofore Prophesied of Jesus Christ And it shall come to pass saith he that the Soul which heareth him not in all things shall be cut off The most sure Way then to have Peace with God and to be reconciled to him is to follow the Lord intirely as did Joshua without any Reservation or Excuse that is to say Ye ought to forsake quit and abandon all that is Evil in your selves as well as the Idolatry of others who would have you run with them to the same Excess of Riot In the second Place I would advise you to consider what good Effects your present Sufferings have had upon you in Order to your Sanctification for this is the great Care and Concern of a truly Christian-Soul to grow better under what Degree of Afflictions soever God shall think fit to send to Kill and Crucifie in his People whatsoever is contrary to him that they may be like Gold tried in the Furnace of Tribulation It will be not a little advantageous to you to consider now if you seriously set your selves about the Work of MORTIFICATION and to Examine Whether that Vain and Giddy-headed Temper which Reigned so much in you in your own Countrey prompting and perswading you to follow and Embrace all the Modes and Customs of a Corrupted World be not still living in you at this Day And if ye have not too earnest Inclinations to suit and fashion your selves to the Wicked and Degenerate Modes Ways and Manners of the Countries whither ye are scattered O my Friends Had ye a true Sence of your Estate and Condition What Gravity Modesty and Sobriety would ye not express in all your Words and Actions This would easily perswade those among whom ye now live that it was out of a good Principle of Religion and Holiness that ye abhorred the Superstition and Idolatry of your own Countrey and not meerly upon the Account of some Forms and Ceremonies of Religion not agreeing with yours For ye are not ignorant that Religion consists not barely in Forms and Ceremonies since by them one Man is not made better than another Moreover ye cannot but remember that ye have read That the Apostles and Primitive Christians would have no Communication with those Men who though they observ'd the same Rites and Ceremonies would not be obedient to the Power of Godliness And indeed herein lies the Essence and Life of Religion and the Glory and Crown of all Sufferings that one can undergo for the sake of Religion to wit when those who are afflicted feel in their Souls during the time of their Sufferings the Power and Life of him for the Love of whom they bear up manfully under all their Torments and Agonies and do wholly abstain from the defilements and pollutions of the world Thus did the ancient Disciples of Jesus Christ behave themselves who were by Persecutions driven from one Coast to another into Asia Cappadocia and Bithynia but were not content only to undergo great sufferings but were also accompanied with a remarkable savour of life for we read That the Word thereby grew and spread it'self abundantly But what advantage will a Protestant have above a Papist so long as they both continue the Subjects of the Prince of the Air who rules in the hearts of the Children of disobedience of what Religion Profession or Sect soever they be Wherefore I pray and exhort you by all the compassion that the love of God can suggest not to vaunt and boast your selves of the small Reformation already among you but rather to observe and consider what yet there is behind to be reformed and corrected before ye can arrive at that end toward which ye should always direct your aim to wit a life altogether pure and conformable to the blameless life of God himself in whose presence ye hope one day to appear and dwell for ever Now since we cannot attain hereto by good works but only by Grace all those therefore who are subject to the Pure and Free Grace of God are hereby engaged on the one side to renounce all sort of impiety and concupiscence and on the other side to live righteously soberly and godly in this present evil world Tit. 2.11 Try then and examine well your selves and see how your Lives Manners and Coversations answer that Grace and that Light of the Truth which has been communicated to you by Jesus Christ the Fountain of all Grace and Light and according to what I have before told you ye may know by your own souls how to make a true judgement for they will dictate to every one of you in what a condition he is in the sight of God. I have but one thing more to put you in mind of which is to excite you to all humble acknowledgments and thanksgivings to Almighty God that it hath graciously pleased him to open the hearts of many Kings and Princes to entertain and assist you as also of a great part of the world to succour you in your necessities This as ye ought to esteem it a great mercy of God's so ought the serious consideration of so many kindnesses infinitely to oblige you to put your whole trust in the Lord and to serve him Religiously in all places where God shall appoint your Lots in requiting as much as in you lies his love and bounty For his mercies and loving-kindnesses should strongly engage your hearts to love the Lord above all things in the World by which also the hearts of all others who love him will be more and more enlarged to assist you in those things which ye shall have need of both Spiritual and Temporal Truly my dear Friends I have often looked upon you with great sorrow considering you as a people under great afflictions and trials and wishing these sufferings and persecutions would have had better effects upon you than I fear they have produced Upon this account it was that I thought fit to visit you as I do at this time with these few Considerations being moved thereto by the pure love of God and hoping that most of you will accept my Advice with the same love and sincerity that it was indited And I pray God that what I have said may in some measure engage and affect your hearts with a desire of those Spiritual Qualifications which ought constantly to be your aim But if on the contrary any of you shall slight or reject my good Counsels and shall spend his time in cavelling and criticizing either upon my Person or the stile in which I express my self let such a one know he can do me no harm but only his own Soul and I cannot be any way affected thereby unless it be with grief for such a person for I have not said any thing but faithfully to discharge my own Conscience My reward I expect of the Lord only who hath taught me by his Holy Spirit to love all men and do what in me lies for the good of every one for I know full well it is not the will of God that any one should perish but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth that they may be saved FINIS