Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	holy_a	lord_n	spirit_n	8,095	5	5.0560	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20782	The iaylors conuersion Wherein is liuely represented, the true image of a soule rightlye touched, and conuerted by the spirit of God. The waightie circumstances of which supernaturall worke, for the sweete amplifications, and fit applications to the present time, are now set downe for the comfort of the strong, and confirmation of the weake. By Hugh Dowriche Batch. of Diuinitie.	Dowriche, Hugh, b. 1552 or 3.	1596 (1596)	STC 7160; ESTC S111947	34,879	82

estate Therfore the Lord sent them the voice of a more terible preacher which shooke both bodies and houses all at once assaying by this meanes to bring their impenitent harts to some shaking feeling and feare of conscience for their sinnes But as Which was felt about the yeare 1580. that Earthquake shewed them so our last Earthquake and other tokens sithens shew vs plainely now the estate wherin we stand which is that we yet continue in our sinnes That we despise the voice of the Gospel neede a more sharp preacher it openeth our securitie it threatneth Gods iustice in seueritie it promiseth our punishment shews vs that it is very neere the last time of warning Happie wee see are they which come when the Lord calleth them for many bee called but few are chosen few come What callings should we looke for more then wee haue had Wee haue had our daughter diseased our sonne sicke our seruant like to die wee haue seene fearefull signes ouer Ierusalem we haue heard of the gatherings of the confederacies and conspiracies of many nations against vs we haue found little faith in our friends little loyaltie in our owne naturall children great falsehoode in friendly face great diuisions quarrels and hartburnings amongst our selues many Malcontent dayly rising and a thousand other such callings besides the consideration of the silly threede of our happie estate depending vpon one and in earthly respects but one onely the vncertaintie of all things when God shall visite vs the turmoyles and hurliburlies that we may long before plainely see if God of his mercy helpe not These thinges are considered of few of many not accounted of and feared of none What will the ende of these things bee Let all the inhabitants of England crie Lord saue our Noble Queene Elizabeth from treason at home and from forraine enemies abroade Lord forgiue her her sinnes and vs our wickednes and graunt if it be thy will that she may yet long and long time in peace and in saftie preserue this her Noble Realme of England Amen Lastly we learne the great mercies of our God For he chideth before he stricke hee warneth before he destroyeth he punisheth not till he haue vsed all meanes to haue vs returne Hee giueth sinners both grace and space to repent and to seeke which waye they may be saued with this sinfull Iaylor The fift and last circumstance The time when he fell to haue this care what hee might doe to be saued He neuer fell to this consideration till the Lord drew him vnto it by his spirit For in the nature of mā ther is no good thought motion or power to returne from euill to consider and see our sinnes or to lament and be sorrie for them and at the word to seeke for remedy against them but rather a desire will and affection still to remaine in them Therefore Christ said No man can come vnto me except my father draw him This man Iohn 6. 37. 44. 3. 27 had his part of two motions The one outward by the miracle the other inward by the holy Ghost Application Doctrine Where first we see that all our labour trauaile is lost in preaching and opening the Scripture outwardly to the eare except the spirit also preach inwardly to the heart For men are of themselues deafe and dull till God doe open their harts and giue them a new vnderstanding as he gaue to Lidia to this Iaylor and many other Againe we see how naked weake miserable we be of our selues and that if wee were not gouerned and nourished by better power then our owne how quickely miserably wee should perish Therefore this consideration may serue to conquer the spirit of pride in our freewill men when they shall know that in their flesh and humaine nature ther is no goodnes at all that they can performe nothing that is good without him that said Without me ye can do nothing 1. Cor. 4. 7. Act. 20. 35. What hast thou saith Paule which thou hast not receiued We learne that faith is not in the power nature of mā to beleue or not to beleue whē Ep. 1. 18. 19 1. Cor. 12 ● 9 11. it pleseth him but that it is the free gift of God for Christs sake vnto those that are his chosē For if it were in the nature of man then all Phil. 1. 29. 2. Thes 3 2. men shuld beleue But Al men haue not faith therefore it is in vs a worke supernaturall wrought by the spirite of God onely The want of the presence and working of which spirit in the harts of men makes them that they haue no desire to heare the word and when they doe heare it they take no profit by it for it is saide But the word which they heard profited them not because it was not mixted Heb. 4. 20 with faith in them that heard it Where wee see a notable relation betweene fayth the word The one can neuer be effectual without the other They goe both together Therefore as soone as there was a fayth kindle in the hart of this Iaylor by the holy Ghost he seekes presently for the word as the body for the soule For as the body is a dead thing without the soule so the word also hath no life effect or motion without faith Now wee see why many Gentlemen Countriemen and others are yet either Atheists ●esters in Religion or despisers of the word because as yet with this Iaylor they haue not receiued the gift of faith c. Here we vnderstand that all shall not be saued against the error of Origen for without faith none can be saued but none haue faith but they onely whome God the father gaue vnto his sonne Christ But hee saith I pray not for the world but for them which thou Ioh. 17. 9. hast giuen me Therefore the elect which are separated from the world that is the reprobate by the free election and donation of God and are garded by the continuall prayer of Christ are they onely that shall bee saued Of which number wee see now this Iaylor by his calling and faith to bee one For Gods election oftentimes lyeth hid vnder a wicked life till the time of their conuersion come which the Lord hath appointed All are not wee see drawne to Christ in one manner for there bee many which professe Religion and talke much of Christ whome God the father by his spirite neuer drew but either their bellie hope of honor vaine glorie c. No maruaile though they belieue not rightly and though they continue not long in a good course Such are many of our earnest Iesuites Papists and libertine professors of the Gospell of Christ Lastly when it is saide that this Iaylor was drawne to this Religion to this godly care and in like manner all the elect wee learne what vnwillingnes what slacknesse what negligence wee vse in our comming to Christ and that wee of our owne nature haue no list affection or good will to come longer then God by his spirite moueth vs and compelleth vs. Therefore if Christ should looke for vs till wee should come of our selues wee should surely neuer see him nor haue any part in him Let vs therefore desire the Lord that as he by his holy spirit drew this Iaylor from the miserable thraldome of ignorance error and iniquitie and planted a desire in him to seeke the truth and by the same gaue him both comfort saluation So in like manner that he will by the same spirite moue our hard hearts to lament our sinne open our blinde eyes to see our imperfection and draw our proude stomakes to humble our affections to the obedience of the word and kindle in vs a loue to like and seeke the same that wee also in our most extremities may by Christ receiue light helpe and euerlasting comfort which the Lord God graunt vnto vs for his deare Sonne Iesus Christs sake to whome with the holy Ghost three persons and one eternall God be al honor power praise glorie and dominion both now and euer Let all praise and glorie be giuen to God alone FINIS

Christ said that Tyrus and Sidon and the Queene of the South should rise in iudgement against the hard-harted vnbelieuers of Ierusalē so no doubt this Iaylor as he condemned the proud Pharisies then so he shal be a heauie condemnation to our blinde Papistes and our carnall and licentious professors of the Gospel now which hauing the truth haue loued error more then the truth hauing the light haue desired darkenesse more then the light and hauing saluation offered by Christ haue chosen rather damnation in following their owne deuises and wilfully continuing the course of their sweete olde sinnes For our Papists notwithstanding all the preaching of Christ will be still Moses Disciples they wil not forsake the customes of their fathers and the ignorance of that time wherin they were Christened they will neuer suspecte that there can bee hypocrisie error and deceite vnder the graue habites and demure countenances of their old Doctors Priests Scribes and Pharisies They would be loth to depart from the vnitie as they call it the consent of so many ages counsels and learned fathers to belieue the new doctrine of Paule and Silas strangers wanderers but lately heard of but euen now come to the towne These and many other stops were laide in the laylors way to haue kept him from obedience to the truth but when the arme of the Lord was reuealed vnto him and when by the spirite of God his hart was Act. 16. 14. opened he cast of these fantastical shadows and obeyed the effectuall calling He might haue aleaged against the Apostles euerye way as much as any Papist in the world can say against the Gospell and the Lords instruments which in this last age hee commaunded and appointed to vnrake the truth from the dull ashes and misties shadowes in which it lay long time for sinne inclosed the worlde being not worthie of it Now the Papistes must condemne this Iaylor to be a foole for consenting so quickly to strange doctrine for giuing credit to a fewe against many to strangers against men that were knowne and for reuolting so easilye from the faith wherein hee was baptised or if they will not condemne him whome the word doth commend they must needs condemne themselues for not belieuing the same worde and obeying the like callings Especially seeing they haue many and diuers other examples that vrge and teach the same as Elisha who ranne after Elias vpon a 1. King 19 20. small calling to our iudgement The Disciples also vpon smal acquaintance were content to forsake shippes nets occupation Mat. 4. 18. gaine friendes and father to follow Christ assone as hee called them Mathew being a Publican was content at one word to arise to leaue his Office his profit his glorie his masters and former teachers to follow an other Mat. 9. 9. master that had now called him What should I recken Paule Cornelius Lidia with infinite others which obeyed the same calling that our Iaylor did Surely if the like should happen now if any should fall away from Poperie from superstition to follow Christ or belieue the doctrine of the Apostles if Elisha if the Disciples if Paule if Cornelius now liued they should bee condemned by the Pope to be rash foolish and rancke heretiques It is time for vs which haue beene so long and many waies called at length to bid farwell vnto your pleasures delightes deceite hypocrisie c. This Iaylor will rise in iudgement against vs. The Popish chaine of vniuersalitie was now not yet coyned or of this man little esteemed which at this time is one of the great Ankers which holdes the Popedome that it sinckes not and keepes so many simple fooles in bondage vppon great bragges and vaine ostentation of a Monster in the ayre which neuer was That all the worlde forsoth is of their Religion or was not long sithens If this be true where was then I say not the popish vniuersalitie for that hath alwaies beene an vniuersalitie of error but where was any vniuersalitie of the truth at all when first the linage of Seth then of Abraham and his kindred in all the world Israel among all nations onely Iuda among all the tribes onely Iohn Baptist in al Iudea Christ only and his Apostles in all the earth Paul Silas only in all Macedonia Luther and a few others in all Germanie gaue testimonie of the truth Had it not beene a foolish thing for this Iaylor to haue iested at the truth because there were but a few that professed it Euen so grosse an absurditie it is now in our Papists to say that we haue not the truth because it is not vniuersally credited and belieued of all men and in al places receiued when as it is certaine that the truth hath neuer beene vniuersally receiued nor euer will but rather it hath alwaies beene by the wicked and most part of the world vniuersally persecuted and kept vnder and so will continue till the daye of Christ We see that if the opinion of wisedome grauitie and learning if gray haires strange formes of apparell with braue and gorgeous shewes if the riches pompe pride and glorie of the world in the dumbe Scribes and Pharisies could haue pacified the troubled conscience of this poore man hee needed not to haue come to the Apostles But wee learne that though error and the illusions of Sathan bare a gallant face and delightfull countenance outwardly to the world to blind and deceiue the sences of the simple yet there is nothing can pacifie with true peace the conscience wounded for sinne but onely the word of God For I pray you what is he in all the time of Poperie that can say that he was either comforted in conscience or conuerted from sinne by any of the masking shewes in apparel by the melodie sencing perfuming images painting guilting crossing shriuing or any other such Apish toyes vsed for a pompe without preaching or expounding the word Saint Paule alowes not any thing to be vsed neither by the minister nor in the Church Rom. 15. 2. 1. Tim. 1. 4. 1. Cor. 14. 26. 40. but such things onely as concerne a godly decencie and are knowne to edifie Lastly here is a glasse which neuer failes to shew vs the true proportion of such as be A true glasse for al estats rightly touched at the touch-stone of Gods spirit We see this man after he was touched how little ashamed hee was to confesse his blindnesse to condemne himselfe to desire helpe how little afraide hee was to venter credit office liuings life and all to obtaine that saluation which he desired of which he now felt the want This was a sure token in him and so it is in all to know them that are rightly called from the hypocritical professors For it is as possible that they which be rightly touched should continue in their olde couetousnesse whordome drunkennes blasphemie malice negligence and iniurie as it is for the spirite

of the Gospell make the glorious word and preaching of Christ to be blasphemed among the Papists and they hinder many from professing and beleeuing the same because they walke not wisely toward them that are without because there is as much whordome couetousnes drunkennes vsurie periurie simonie subtiltie briberie iniurie amongst them as euer was among the Papists or can be among the Turkes and infidels because there is as little faith as litle regard of promise or word or lesse then euer was in the time of ignorance c. But what shall become of these wicked hypocrites of these Painted wals of these stincking Sepulchers and fruitlesse Figtrees which defame their callings abuse their places pollute their Offices and dishonor the Lord by their sinfull liues Surely they shall leaue a deadly curse vpon their posteritie the filthie mawes of the hungrie Dogges shall bee thought to be a Sepulcher worthie and sufficient for such cursed carrions The Lorde shall plague them by taking from them their sonne begotten in a dulterie their Offices their dignities and the thing they loue best the Lord shall punish them by rebellion in in their sonnes in their subiects and heauie mishappes within their owne houses Some of these wicked abusers of their Office and calling the Lord doth notwithstanding as we here see cal home to a consideration of their miserable estate to the knowledge and sight of their sinnes to a true humiliation of their proude stomackes and to an effectuall repentance because it is certaine and sure that the wickednesse of man cannot alter the purpose of the Lord. Where we learne that as God doth suffer his elect for a time to be seduced and to wander out of the right way as Dauid by his lust Paule by blinde zeale Mary Magdalene by lewde concupisence and this Iaylor by crueltie blindnesse yet as many as pertaine to Gods election haue the times and meanes of their conuersion appointed and they at that calling obey as we see here this Iaylor doth though before oftentimes they haue refused Here we see the great mercy of the Lord which calleth all sortes of men which despiseth no Office nor the vilest callings which refuseth not to thinke vppon the greatest sinners in the middest of all their blindnes but vseth louing and fit meanes to call sinners to repentaunce As according to the qualitie greatnesse and continuance of any sinne so wee see his motions to repentance fitted for them Dauid had not long beene forgetfull neither remained any great time in the sincke of his sinne therefore the voice of the Lord in a simple man wrought a sorrow and repentance in him Peter had not long continued in his Apostasie hee was brought vnto that forgetfulnes of his good master and duetie by the frailenes feare that was in his flesh and bloud and not by any malice or wilfull contempt therefore the voice of a Cocke was sufficient to awaken him to make him see the foulenes of his finne and to lament his weakenes with bitter teares But of the contrarie where the sinne is setled of a long continuance where the sinners after admonition haue taken delite in it haue continued it with mallice and wilfull contempt there the Lord must vse great and mightie motions to remoue them as Earthquakes throwing downe some tower in Siloe stirring vp great enemies and shewing great and vnusuall wonders c. And yet these great motions moue not all for there are some which pertaine to the Lords inheritance that are conuerted by them as this Iaylor and many other But such againe as bee none of this number but those whome the Lord hath forsaken and cast off cannot be moued nor conuerted by all the signes wonders and Earthquakes that can bee shewed such were the Scribes and Pharisies the masters of this Iaylor such was Pharao such were the sonnes of Elie and many in Ierusalem such are our great and grounded Papists such are our libertine professors and fleshly Gospellers such are our Atheists and Iesters in religion c. 2. His Charge It seemeth that his Charge was very great and that it stoode greatly vppon him to restore againe such as he had receiued It shuld appeare that these Apostles were deliuered vnto him with such a straite commaundement that if he did let them escape his life should go for theirs For being now awakened by the suddaine shaking of the earth rysing out of his bed at midnight in great feare and comming vnto the prison and finding the doores open and thinking assuredly that his prisoners had beene fled in a desperate minde determined rather to kill himselfe then to stand to the curtesie of that sentence which his good masters the enuious Scribes and Pharisies should pronounce against him Which wicked act the fearefull and desperate man had committed in deede had not Paule by the spirit of God in the darke seene his intent and with this ioyfull voice at that instant comforted him Do thy selfe no harme for we are all here Application and Doctrine First by his straite Charge which the Scribes and Pharisies gaue for the keeping of these Apostles we learne with what great heate and hateful mallice the wicked world with the blind potentates thereof doe persecute the truth wheresoeuer they shall see it but once to shew it selfe or appeare neuer so little and how loth they are that the messengers of this newes should escape with life or libertie when they once come within their fingers The estate of Gods trueth in this world is maruelous and miserable For the euerie murder whordome drunkennes c hath alwaies found more friendship in it and hath beene better alowed of then the simple truth There was a theefe and a murderer preferred before Christ himselfe The illusion of Sathan and a Deuill that deceaued them by blinde toyes and telling of fortunes was a great deale better accepted in this blinde Cittie of Phillippie then Paule and Silas the true preachers For wherefore were Paule and Silas cast into prison with so straite a commaundement after they had beene buffeted and whipt most cruelly before Surely the holy Ghost layeth downe no other causes but these First They preached the truth and assayed to turne them from their Idolatry blindnesse Secondly They cast out the Deuill that did deceaue them Where wee learne how vnwilling the world and the wicked are to haue the Deuil cast out of themselues of their sonnes and daughters especially if the Deuill bring any kinde of commoditie with him as this Deuill did For that was the cause of this commotion because Paules new doctrine could not agree with their olde Deuill because they might not follow Paules Religion and yet still retaine their former profite and commoditie By which we see how hard a matter it is to plant the true Religion among the couetous and worldly minded wretches Wee see now the cause why the godly in the primatiue church why the blessed martyrs in Queene Maries

forsake renounce and detest for euer this Pharisaicall superstition And seeing this course that I haue taken can doe me no good I pray you whō I now know to be the seruāts of the liuing God prechers of the truth Tell mee at length what course I must take what I must do that I may be saued By which words wee see that he did not only suspect but vtterly by the spirit of God renounce that which the same spirite had tolde him to be wicked and abhominable And I wish in perfect charitie that all those which are now blinded with Poperie and lie yet drunken with the cursed wine of the great whore of Babilon al what euer they be either in Italy France Spaine or England may if they pertaine to the Lords election feele the like motions the like hartquakes to assault their cōscience open their eyes that they may once feele see their blindnes their errors and their sinnes certaine damnatiō that they may once with this Iaylor perfectly bid farwell vnto al the Romish Pharisies blind guides deceiuing hypocrites that now so monsterously abuse them Againe seeing this Iaylor seekes to be saued let vs consider what saluation it is that he desireth The Greek word signifieth such a kind of sauing as that a man may continually remaine assured and without feare The Syrian Paraphrase hath it what must I doe that I may liue Which is as much to say as to be preserued which teacheth vs that hee sought not for the temporal present sauing of his life the feare of the earthquake being passed and they being that way able to doe him no good neither did he as the wicked are wont to do which seing the iudgements of God for a time tremble quake but the rod being past they return againe vnto their former wickednes But this man being rightly touched and fearing more his sin then the Earthquake earnestly sought for the saluation of his soule the comfort of which might continue with him for euer If he desired the right waye the verie truth and life it selfe whome did he desire but Christ If hee desired Iohn 14. 6. saluation what desired hee but Christ which is the onely Sauiour of the faithfull Blessed saith Dauid is he whose wickednes is forgiuen whose sin is couered If no man Psalm 32. 1 can bee blessed happie ioyfull and saued but they that haue their sins forgiuen then wee see what saluation it is that this man sought namely an assurance that his sinnes should be forgiuen the meanes by which hee might attaine vnto this This saluation the Pharisies coulde not teach this Iaylor then and our Papistes purely without corruption will not haue it taught now Further we learne here if we see any cruell wicked and malicious persecutors of the truth or any other abhominable sinners not to proceede in rash iudgement against thē to cōdemne for reprobates but rather to leaue this iudgment to the Lord who only knoweth what they be that are his because wee know not whether the Lord haue appointed both time and meanes for their conuersion as hee had for this Iaylor c. Lastly we learne that this care and desire of the Iaylor condemneth the cares and desires of many of vs that haue beene longer ●h 10. 41. 42. taught Christ said once to a worldly minded Martha Martha thou carest art troubled about many things but one thing is needefull c. This one needfull thing is to desire to heare the worde of God and the meanes how to bee saued and haue our sinnes forgiuen This one thing had the Iaylor nowe found this one thing he desired no more Whosoeuer therefore neglecting the word of God and care of saluation applyeth his mind to any other exercise pleasure or profit his care is needlesse vaine foolish and wicked For all our cares studies and endeauors wherin we haue not a principal regard vnto the glorie of God and our owne saluation are accursed of the Lord and therefore can neuer bring a blessing vppon vs. The counsels and conspiracies of the wise Achitophels 2. Sam. 17. the Lord for his Dauid shall ouerthrow by his appointed Hushais No prouision counsell or determination for the gouernment or safetie of any common-welth can euer stand long or bring a blessing vpon that land where the principall marke of all their deuises tend not to the establishing and setting forth of the truth the honour of God and saluation by Christ Iesus our onely Sauiour Hospitalitie is good a reasonable prouision of things necessarie is alowable an earnest desire to bee diligent in our vocations occupations and callings is commended but yet to loue follow or be busied so in any of these that we neglect at times conuenient and when occasions be offered to heare the Sermons of Christ or neglect the learning of the knowledge of our saluation is in Martha by Christ greatly reprehended There bee many Marthaes in England which trouble themselues about many vaine pleasures offices and deuises while in the meane time they neglect the best dutie As Gentlemen that trouble themselues to build faire houses gorgeous palaces which yet care not for the building of the Lordes house and as little for their owne saluation countrie men that are careful to prouide for their posteritie yet carelesse for their owne safetie and helpe of their soules Ministers which either for ignorance negligence or contempt of the word leauing the consideration of their calling giue themselues som to be husbandmen farmers grasiers c some to be Physitions Lawyers and other secular officers as though that one blessed calling of theirs were not needful only sufficient to preach the word of God truely and to liue thereafter to bring the simple ignorant to know which way they must be saued c. The fourth circumstance What it was which brought this man to this Consideration The text shews vs that it was the iudgement and hand of the Lord which he felt in the Earthquake and the holy Ghost also inwardly working which wrought this care desire in him and made him to haue a consideration of his sins c. Application and Doctrine First we see that it is a profitable good thing for a man to feel the iudgements rods and scourge of the Lord oftentimes to awaken him out of his securitie and also to cast downe his pride that he may learne to humble himself before the Lord. For ease peace and quietnesse bring vs a sleepe harden our harts make vs to contemne the messengers and worde of the Lord But feare and his rod when it is seene maketh vs more apt to learne and willingly to seeke for comfort helpe Therefore said Dauid It is good for me Psal 119. 67 71 that I haue beene afflicted that I may learne thy statuts For before I was troubled I went astray but now I keepe thy word The worldly mindes which are