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	lord_n	sincerity_n	1,662	5	9.7763	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64967	The perfect man described in his life and end In a funeral discourse upon Psalm XXXVII. 37. Occasioned by the death of that pattern of uprightness Mr. Edward Lawrence. By Nathanael Vincent, M.A. minister of the Gospel. Whereunto are added some passages out of two letters, written by two excellent ministers concerning Mr. Lawrence; who were well acquainted with him, and with the worth of him.	Vincent, Nathanael, 1639?-1697.	1696 (1696)	Wing V416; ESTC R218124	22,953	36

your perfection 2 Cor. 13. 9. Certainly his Charity began at home and he wish'd his own perfection also These longings after unspotted Purity and to do the will of God on earth as it 's done heaven God observes and is well pleased with David did not build the Temple yet the Lord tells him he did well in that it was in his heart to do it 2 Chron. 6. 8. What was in heart to do God reckons as done and well done Abraham did not actually Sacrifice his Son Isaac yet 't is said again and again that he offered him up Heb. 11. 17. The Will for the Deed is accepted The perfect man's Will to be every way perfect is very well taken The more there is of a willing Mind the more there is of a perfect Heart 1 Chron. 28. 9. In the second place I am to shew wherein the perfection of the perfect man lies it lies in his being upright I have described him in part already but I shall farther give you the perfect man's Character by setting him forth in his uprightness This uprightness does not only include Integrity in opposition to Partiality but it includes Truth and Power in opposition to Shew and Form for Form wants the principal Dimension of Uprightness which is Depth and Substance I shall tell you in several particulars how the Scripture represents the upright man Let Conscience diligently mark the representation that you may discern whether you are upright or otherwise 1. The upright man acknowledges his sin without allowed guile He has no secret regard to any iniquity so as to connive at it himself so as to refuse to acknowledge it to God He freely and ingenuously confesses to the Lord the worst he knows of himself and while he thus declares his Sin and dislikes it and himself for it God covers it and no longer imputes it to him Psal 32. 1. 2. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven wh●se sin is covered blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guile Holy Job was censured by his Friends as unsound in his Religion but by many Arguments he vindicates his uprightness Job 31. And among the rest by this ver 33. That he had not covered his transgression like Adam by hiding his iniquity in his bosom To excuse Sin is inexcusable to defend Sin How offensive is it unto God! The upright man in his Repentance exposes his Sin with its many Aggravations till it appears as it is out of measure sinful and concludes it beyond measure hateful He is ready to speak all he knows amiss in himself and that which he sees not he desires may be detected that he may be cleansed from it Search me O God says upright David and see if there be any evil way in me Psal 139. 23 24. He was sensible of the wickedness of his Heart and begs that God would create in him a clean one and because of the deceitfulness of his Heart he prays that a right spirit might be renewed within him Psal 51. 10. 2. The upright man keeps himself from that sin which in a special manner may be called his iniquity He is so well acquainted with himself as well to know and much to observe what Sin or Sins do most easily beset him and he sets the strongest guard against those Corruptions which he takes notice that naturally he is most strongly addicted to Psal 18. 23. I was also upright before him and I kept my self from my iniquity The upright man who is naturally inclined to Covetousness watches and prays against the love of worldly wealth as that which is the root of all evil If his Constitution inclines him to impure Lusts he endeavours to prevent or to quench these hellish sparks at first kindling and to possess his heart as well as vessel in sanctification and honour If he be of an hasty Temper what pains does he take to keep Passion under and to be adorned with the meekness and gentleness of Christ He is an upright man who because God has been so often displeased by it can banish and hate that which was once a darling sin 3. The upright man is a lover of the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity Cant. 1. 4. Draw me we will run after thee we will be glad and rejoyce in thee we will remember thy love more than wine the upright love thee The upright man is what he is by the Grace of Christ that Grace made his Heart a good and honest one which naturally was no better than the Hearts of others and even now he cannot stand in Law because of his many Faults and Failings were it not for Jesus the Mediator his very uprightness could never be accepted He has his all from Christ he does all by his strength and what he does is through him acceptable to God Well may his love to the Lord be strong to whom his Obligations are vastly great His love to Christ is not in Word and Tongue only but in Deed and in Truth Love to Christ constrains him to live to him that died for him 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. and rather than be separated from Christ and from his love he resolves by the glorious Spirit 's aid to part with the most desirable outward Comforts and with Life it self It was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an uncorrupt and fervent love to the Lord Jesus which made the Apostle full of earnest expectation and hope that in nothing he should be ashamed and very willing that Christ should be magnified in his body whether it were by life or death Phil. 1. 20. 4. The upright man walks before God in truth He sets himself before God unto whose pure and piercing eye the inmost secrets of his Heart are open and naked and he is sensible the Lord can take no pleasure in him without sincerity 1 Chron. 29. 17. I know O my God that thou triest the heart and hast pleasure in uprightness The upright man sets God before himself also Psal 16. 8. I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved The Psalmist studied to approve himself to God who always observed him and he stays himself on God's everlasting arm and strength that he might be upheld against all Temptation and Opposition and be kept immoveable in Well-doing Upright Hezekiah walked before God in truth and with a perfect heart and did that which was good in his sight Isa 38. 3. His heart was in what he did and he had the Heart-searcher's Approbation and his Conscience giving a Testimony for him he has confidence towards God An upright man may be influenced by the fear of punishment They were the Friends of Christ to whom he speaks thus Be not afraid of them that kill the body and after that have no more that they can do but I will forewarn you whom you shall fear fear him which after he hath killed hath power to

The Perfect Man described in his Life and End IN A Funeral Discourse Upon Psalm XXXVII 37. Occasioned by the DEATH Of that Pattern of Uprightness Mr. EDWARD LAWRENCE By Nathanael Vincent M. A. Minister of the Gospel Whereunto are added some Passages out of Two Letters written by Two Excellent Ministers concerning Mr. Lawrence who were well acquainted with him and with the Worth of him LONDON Printed for B. Aylmer at the Three Pigeons against the Royal Exchange in Cornhill 1696. Mr. VINCENT's Funeral Discourse Occasioned by the DEATH of Mr. EDWARD LAWRENCE TO THAT CONGREGATION Who had Mr. EDWARD LAWRENCE For their PASTOR My much respected Friends WHen I preached this Sermon which now I present especially to you I was so far from having the least thought of Printing it that I had not written so much as one word of it and when your Desires were express'd that it might be Publish'd I discovered a great averseness because I knew how much averse my deceased and most true Friend was from a Discourse relating to Himself and much more would he have been against the Printing any thing concerning Him But your reitereated Desires prevailed being seconded by that Argument that Mr. Lawrence himself went contrary to the declared Will of an Eminent Christian in Preaching a Funeral Sermon and giving him his deserved Commendations Adding that because that Excellent Saint was against his Preaching therefore he was the more forward to do it So that I have only made bold to mete the same Measure to my Friend who is dead and gone which He did mete to his Friend that died before him This Sermon for the Substance of it was taken from my Mouth in Short-hand and brought to me written out in Long. And since you have importuned the making of it publick I desire you may give it a serious perusal A perfect Man is the most glorious and lovely of all visible Creatures How much of the Image of the invisible God does shine forth in him The Grace of God in Truth whereever t is wrought what a blessed Change does it make Out of the rubbish and ruins of corrupt Nature there is built an Holy Temple for the living God! And in this Temple how is He honoured and served The perfect Man hath an high Aim and a commendable Emulation he desires to do the will of God on earth as it 's done in heaven And Heaven is esteemed a blessed place because there he shall be able fully to do what he does desire I have heard your deceased Pastor express his longings to be in an holy and happy Eternity Tho he had many other Loads Sin was his heaviest Burthen and perfect Holiness was look'd upon as a great part of his expected Blessedness He was a powerful and a profitable Preacher and this must be added that he preached continually His serious Looks his edifying Communication which administred Grace to the Hearers his holy just and unblameable and shining Conversation were greatly instructive and by these he was ever speaking to all that observed him that it was much for their Interest to be like him And now being dead he yet speaks to you that the Counsels he gave you which are the Counsels of God should not dye with him nor be buried in Oblivion The Flock of such a Pastor should be Eminent for Contempt of the World serious Holiness and Heavenly-Mindedness else they will be far from resembling their Faithful Shephard I cannot wish you better than that the Lord would direct you to settle under a Minister most like him who is taken from you and who will naturally care for your Spiritual Estate I wish his Family may be cared for by that God whom he served in Truth and Sincerity whose mercy is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him and his righteousness unto childrens children to such as keep his covenant and remember his commandments to do them Earth is emptying apace of them who are ripe for Heaven I wish the Death of those that are gone may make both Ministers and Saints that remain and survive to be more lively and diligent in their Lord's Work The Time of Labour is short but to Eternity it will be found that labour is not in vain in the Lord. My Friends I commend you and yours to the Great Shepherd of Souls and to the Word of his Grace and wish your Perfection and Peace living dying and for ever Your Servant for Jesus sake NATHANAEL VINCENT PSALM XXXVII 37. Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace ALTHO Liberty to Preach the Gospel is justly esteemed the privilege and pleasure of my Life and tho a Regal Throne or a Triple Crown is to me contemptible in comparison of a Pulpit yet I must needs confess that I come with a sad heart to preach the Word this day and the reason of my Sorrow is the loss of that Excellent Man and Minister of Christ who dwelt in this place who is now effectually silenced by Death and must be heard to Preach no more for ever This burning and shining Light a great many Years ago was put under a Bushel which was worthy to have been set in a Golden Candlestick but now alas in a sense 't is quite extinguished He is gone into darkness and the shadow of Death where there is no order and where the light is as darkness He had in his life-time declared his Will against a Funeral Sermon for he was far from affecting those Praises and Commendations which are usually given in Funeral Discourses but I must say that the less he desired the more he deserved to be praised and commended having such a large share of Humility joyned with his other great Ministerial Accomplishments When the news of his Death came first to my ears I said what I thought and had good ground to be perswaded of Now there is a Man gone out of the World that was one of the best Men in it Good Men may truly be called Pillars of the Earth and when a very strong Pillar is thrown down there should be great Lamentation and the Earth may tremble at the fall of it But tho he is gone down to the Dust where his Face is bound in secret and must be seen no more till this World be no more yet methinks I have a view of him plainly in the Text I have chosen here we have his Character both Living and Dying Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace In which words I shall offer these particulars to your Observation First Here is a remarkable Man and he is the perfect Man Secondly Wherein the perfection of this Man lies it lies in his being upright Thirdly What the perfect and upright Man is worthy of he is worthy to be marked he is worthy to be beheld Fourthly What of this perfect and upright Man our eye in a special manner should be upon