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	spirit_n	word_n	8,255	5	4.2520	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54073	A touchstone or tryall of faith by the originall from whence it springs and the root out of which it grows : held out by way of expositions of the 12 and 13 verses of the first chapter of Iohn's gospel and of the six former verses of the third chapter which treat expressly about this point ... : to which is added The spirituall practice of Christians in primitive times.	Penington, Isaac, 1616-1679.; Penington, Isaac, 1616-1679. Spirituall practice of Christians in primitive times.	1648 (1648)	Wing P1216; ESTC R27464	24,581	40

heart by the power of the truths of Christ conveyed thither and working there There are three great effects of this water It begets it washeth it nourisheth It begets a dead man to life it begets a man unto God for it is a living and active water or rather it is the seed whereof a man is begotten and born or at least the vessel that living vessel which containes it It is that also wherewith he is washed after hee is born though there be a washing with blood too And it nourisheth him after hee is both borne and washed hee lives upon the very same water that he was borne of and with It is the first of these effects that is here spoken of that stroke that water hath in the generation and birth of the new creature He is born of it It is by letting in these waters upon the soule and into the soule that God changeth it and maketh it a new Our change in our spirits and our conversion to God proceedeth from and is to be attributed to that power of truth that God lets in upon us and to that the Apostle ascribeth it as in many other places Rom. 6. 17. Iam. 1. 1● As our first change from God was by drinking of the Devils waters which were waters of darknesse and death waters of errour and deceit so this great change to God againe is wrought by drinking of Gods waters his spirituall waters of life which are his truths which hee holds out unto us wherein there is no darknesse nor deceit at all but they are cleare living and substantiall 3. What is it to be born of the Spirit It is to have this change from these waters wrought in us by the spirit A man can never change his own heart by any of the truths of God but it must be the spirit that must doe it This water is too spirituall a seed for any man to sow in his own heart No man no creature can sow anothers seed this is the spirits seed and hee must sow it if it be sown Christ himselfe openeth and illustrateth this further in the eigth verse of the third Chapter The winde bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it commeth nor whither it goeth So is every one that is borne of the Spirit The Spirit breathes his own breath blowes his own blast makes his own sound of life himselfe in our spirits and thus are wee born of him It is not all the changes a man can make by the light of naturall truths nay by the light of spirituall truths working them upon his heart with never so much paines that will amount to a new birth but it must be the spirit of Christ breathing this seed into him and forming him into a new creature by this seed As it is water or the word of truth whereby we are begotten So it is God alone who begets and that hee doth of his own inclination too Iam. 1. 18. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth 4. What is it to enter into the Kingdome of God The Kingdome of God is his spirituall dominion in Christ to which every spirituall thing belongs and in which all spirituall excellencies and blessednesses are laid up To enter into this Kingdome is by a spirituall act of the soule to come within the verge and bounds of it even that very act which Nicodemus was speaking of vers. 3. namely an act of true saith by laying hold on Iesus Christ and becomming one with him a man presently hath right unto and entrance into this Kingdome Now saith Christ it is impossible for any man to doe this who is not first new borne hee can never truly mount upward whose earthly nature is not first changed A man may talk of spirituall glories and his right unto them but of a truth he is not entred into the Kingdome nor cannot by true Faith who is not born againe and that both of water and the spirit To partake of the priviledges of Christ to have life and blessednesse from him requires a birth of water and of the spirit There must a new birth of water and the spirit precede there without which the person is not in a capacity of it he must bee made up againe of water and that not of his own forming neither but of the spirits forming and then by Faith he enters into the Kingdome and becomes entituled to all the priviledges of the Kingdome which without this birth fore-going cannot be done Vers. 6. In this verse Christ layeth down a position to confirme the truth he had spoken in the former verse There is a necessity of being born of water and the spirit or else a man cannot enter into the Kingdome for that is a spirituall act and a man can act no higher then hee is and hee is not spirituall he is but flesh if hee be borne but of flesh That which is borne of flesh is flesh Flesh here is not to be taken in its latitude but for that part of it which is powerfull in spirituall generation and production for that power of man together with the meanes and engines that hee can come by whether naturall or spirituall whereby he works a change in his own heart or upon others in imitation of that change which God alone doth and can work by his Spirit Nature Reason Art with all the advantages they can possibly desire or have Nature enlightened and purified by reason and art Nature furnished as much as may bee with the knowledge of God with desires to be like God to recover his image to obey him c. This is here meant by flesh and doth more directly thus reach the state of Nicodemus to whom Christ spake whose present conviction was wrought by Christs Miracles meeting with his reason and ingenuity then if it were understood in a more grosse ence To bee borne of the flesh denotes the greatest change that possibly can be made in a man by this power with all the meanes that it can use The change is so great that a man is new born becomes a new man is changed inside and outside both to his own appearance and in the thoughts of others It is an imitation of that work whereby God brings a man forth a new man The flesh will take his tooles set about his work and seem to produce the same effect bring forth the New Birth but in truth and substance it fals short of it for it is but flesh This birth when a man hath done all he can used all the spirituall meanes hee can yet it is but flesh The fruit can have no more vertue or strength and spirituality then the root had from whence it did proceed which was but flesh and though there were never so many spirituall engines in the hand of flesh yet this will not alter the case for those engines cannot work of themselves and the flesh cannot make them work

not to set up our selves by them but to perfect this unity to build up one another in Faith in knowledge and that so we may in all things grow up into Christ the head vers. 7. to 16. Secondly The World towards them we must walke wisely Chap. 5. 15. First taking heed of partaking with them in any evill nay of countenancing the least evill in them Chap. 4. 17. Chap. 5. 7. 11. Secondly redeeming the time from them as much as may be for converse with God Thirdly doing as much good as we can to them while we are with them both which are included in that phrase of redeeming the time vers. 16. Thirdly those in neare relations to us whether brought home to Christ or in their naturall condition we are to observe the strict Lawes of that relation we stand debtours to them in which wee are not to faile in towards them bee they superiour or inferiour how ever they act towards us Chap. 5. vers. 22. to the end of the Chapter and Chap. 6. to vers. 10. Our engagement to Christ does not set us free from our relations and duties in any kinde to men but onely layes a bond on him to furnish us with free spirits and power to fill up what wee owe in every relation Christ gives us not freedome from but freedome unto every thing that is of God 4. To stand upon our guard not to be driven from the sweetnesse of the Gospel nor from acknowledging and admiring God in every step of his love mercy wisdome power and grace nor from this walking worthy of the Gospel by any enemy any temptation or any thing that befals us in any kind Chap. 6. 10. 11. but to stand armed against our enemies who are spiritually mighty and lay the sorest temptatious and baits in spirituall things vers. 12. We are to stand armed thus 1. With an understanding having its light clear about it and with a will having an holy disposition ready to act in any kind God shall please to call it out unto vers. 14. To have an understanding ready to put forth it selfe knowing how to carry it selfe how to obey how to suffer how to embrace how to resist and a will graciously disposed to either whensoever God shall call it forth Our loynes commonly are ungirt our light is to seek our grace hangs loose about us that we are unfit to act for God at all much more unfit to doe it in the face of that opposition which we are still likely to meet with in every spirituall undertaking And for want of this piece of armour we lie open to our spirituall enemies 2. With an holy resolution to act for Christ according to that light hee shall give in to the conscience to meddle with no evill to omit no duty of any kinde this is that brest-plate that keeps the heart or conscience pure and safe vers. 14. when the Devill do●s not finde us resolved against sinne or resolved for duties bee it how it will with us hee commonly takes us in his snare 3. With affections taken with the sweet truths of the Gospel as pardon of sinne c. and ready to hold out these truths for the Gospel to make out its way into mens hearts vers. 15. Troubles and ●fflictions wee meet with within and without will quickly damp our affections if they bee not well fenced with these 4. With Faith over all these defending even these as well as our selves in other respects by Faith by Faith interposing the power of Christ between us and every enemy that may come to assault us in these or in any other respects that may come to ungird us and make us unfit to act to damp our holy resolution for God to deaden our affections towards the sweet truths of the Gospel which prepare the way for Christ or to wound us with any temptation whatsoever Faith is a true shield it defends both the person and the rest of his armour as we know a shield does the Devill cannot prevaile in any point against a believing soule vers. 16. Alas we can doe nothing our selves doe no good avoid no evill all our strength lies in trusting God with our selves in every condition and with every spirituall advantage and help hee hath given us to manage it as he pleaseth for us 5. With hope of salvation by grace both for eternity and from any present distresse in GODS time Because many seeming miseries may befall the believing soule contradictions to his Prayers Desires Faith yea to all the motions of GODS Spirit in him hee must have an helmet of hope vers. 17. as well as a shield of Faith And this will keep up his spirit that hee shall not feare looking up to GOD what ever befals him 6. With the sword of the Spirit the Word of GOD the living Word the Word which is Spirit and Life This will kill all false reasonings and every thing that exalts it selfe against CHRIST this will make enemies flye from the soule for they hate the Word of life they know it is their death and it will also make the soule it selfe subject unto CHRIST vers. 17. And all this and every thing else must bee done by Prayer vers. 18. wee can doe nothing not gaine this armour not put it on not use it all must be done by Prayer by intreating another to doe it for us wee cannot believe wee must pr●y for Faith neither can we pray we must believe for prayer we cannot doe either both must flow from the spirit and be done in the spirit praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the spirit Oh how are we stripped when every motion sends us out of our selves to another and yet withall tells us wee are altogether unable to goe out of our selves or step the least step towards that other And wee must watch unto prayer catch opportunities to breathe out our hearts to GOD to doe that in us which he bids us doe not being discouraged with any difficulties but persevering in our requests for our selves and all the people of God vers. 18. Behold ô Christian thy spirituall employment thine easie and painfull employment easie to thy spirit painefull to thy flesh and as yet somewhat painfull to thy spirit also by reason of the cumberance of thy flesh the weaknesse of thy spirit the power and fury of thine adversaries FINIS