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
A34597	The country-curate's advice to his parishioners, in four parts I. Directs us, how to serve God on the Lord's day, II. On the week day, III. How to discharge our duty in our several relations, as husband and wife, parents and children, masters and servants, IV. How to prepare for death / by H.C.	H. C. (Henry Cornwallis), 1654?-1710.	1693 (1693)	Wing C6333; ESTC R37664	30,893	81

endeavour by your own good Works to let your Light so shine before Men that they may see your Works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven As thou art putting on thy Apparel remember some of them were at first given as coverings of shame being the effect of Sin and that they are made of the Excrements and Offals of dead Beasts so that thou hast very little cause to be proud of them Nay indeed thou hast great cause to be humbled at the sight thereof seeing the richest Apparel are but the fine covers of the foulest shame Therefore as thou art Cloathing thy Body endeavour to Cloth thy Soul with Christ's Righteousness as with a Garment Lest while thou art richly apparelled in the sight of Men thy Soul be found to walk naked in the sight of God Before thou betakest thy Self to thy Closet breath forth thy Soul to God at thy first awaking in this or the like short Ejaculation O Lord God as thou hast awakened my Body from last Nights sleep so by thy Grace awaken my Soul from the Lethargy of Sin that at the general Resurrection I may arise to Eternal Glory Amen CHAP. III. Of Closet-Prayer and the Preparations to it HAving thus fitted thy Self for thy Closet before thou prayest take the wise Man's Counsel Ecclus 18.5.23 Prepare thy Self and be not as one that tempteth God Now for thy better preparation observe these few Rules 1. You are to remember when you settle your self in Prayer you then place your self in the presence of God whose Eyes indeed are upon all Men but in a more especial manner upon those that call upon him in Prayer 2. The consideration of his presence is to put you in mind with what humble reverence both of Soul and Body you ought to appear before so great a Majesty 3. Lay aside all wrath and malice against your Neighbour I will saith the Apostle that men lift up holy hands without wrath 1 Tim. 2.8 St. Hierom confesseth this of himself that when he was angry he durst not enter into the Church but totum animo corpore contremuisse He trembled very much both in Body and Mind The Spouse of Christ is compared to a Dove which some say is sine felle without Gall. The very Heathens when they offered Sacrifice threw the Gall of the Beast away and wilt thou offer to God the Gall of wrath bitterness and revenge with the Sacrifice of Prayer 4. Banish all Worldly thoughts out of your Heart Our Saviour when he taught us to pray by the Preface to the Petitions telleth us where our affections in Prayer should be viz. in Heaven Our Father which art in Heaven Therefore before you begin to pray you are to resolve within your self seriously to intend the Duty you are about that your heart may not wander but go along with your Prayers Or if through weakness it happens to stray to call it back again and ask Pardon for it in some such Prayer as this Lord strengthen me and restrain me and lay not this weakness to my charge Having entred thy Oratory propose these few Questions to thy Soul and engage thy self to an Answer O my Soul Wherefore art thou now retired into this place What is thy design What are thy Pretensions Where is thy God whom thou comest to treat with Is he present Doth he hear thee Is he merciful Will he help thee What is the business thou art to negotiate Is it the saving thy Soul or the satisfaction of Earthly desires What words wilt thou use to move God to hear thee What humble Gesture What profound Reverence Dost thou know who thou art before Is not Gods Eye upon all to observe Head and Heart Lip and Life Darest thou suffer thy thoughts then to wander Will he be pleased with that Sacrifice he hath accursed of drawing nigh to him with our Lips when our Hearts are far from him Answer thy self briefly to every one of these Interrogatories as thy own Conscience dictates to thee for by this Discourse made to thy self thou shalt be better prepared to discourse with God Having thus prepared thy self for Prayer thou maist then fall down on thy Knees and to thy ordinary Prayers which must not on this Day by any means be omitted add these following Heads of Prayers suitable in some measure to the solemnity of the Day 1. You are to pray for the Minister that God would give him the door of utterance that he may open his mouth boldly to publish the mysteries of the Gospel that he may speak the word truly sincerely powerfully and profitably delivering that which is sutable and seasonable to your condition 2. You are to pray for your selves that he would banish out of your Head all wandring worldly thoughts which may distract your minds in the hearing of the word and so choak that Heavenly Seed make it Fruitless and that he would give unto you as attention to hearken so Understanding to conceive Wisdom to apply Judgment to discern Faith to believe Memory to retain and Grace to practise what you shall hear So that the word may prove unto you not a Savour of Death unto Death but of Life unto Life all which you may do in this following Prayer O Lord God from whom alone are the Preparations of the heart the day is now come which being holy unto thee I am to spend in thy more solemn Worship many Sins there are by me not duly repented of which may justly bring upon me a Curse instead of a Blessing especially my crying Sins Here mention thy particular Sins which thou hast found thy Self guilty of and also the Sins committed by thee the last Week that may make my Prayer an Abomination to thee Accept O Lord this my Confession and at least desired sorrow for them turn my heart from them for the future and through the blood of my Saviour so remove the guilt of them that they may not hinder good things from me Let the effusions of thy Grace both upon me and all the Congregations of thy People be ever plentiful Let my heart be fixed that no vain or worldly thoughts harbour there while I am in thy House Quicken me with thy holy Spirit that I may draw near unto thee with a true Heart that I may be fervent in Spirit serving thee and that receiving thy word with an honest and good heart I may understand and keep it and bring forth fruit with patience and to perfection Remember thou thy Servants which are to dispence thy mysteries unto thy People and especially him upon whose teaching I wait Pardon their Sins and Frailties open their Mouths guide their Minds and Tongues that they may deliver thy truths in the demonstration of thy Spirit and let thy Work so prosper in their hands that they may both save themselves and them that hear them that both may be built up in our most holy Faith to the perfecting thy Church and Eternal Glory of thy

name thereby through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour Amen You may also add this Prayer O Lord Holiness becometh thy House and dutifulness becometh me to go into thy Courts and wait upon thee and this is the great day of thy Service thou that hast given me to see the light of this day make me careful to do the duty of it timely to present my self unto thee and reverently to behave my self before thee that when I go hence I may return with fruit and favour from thee for Jesus Christ's sake Amen When you go to receive the Sacrament use this Prayer O Thou in whose Temple every man speaks of thine honour whose Glory no mortal man can sufficiently express whose Goodness no tongue is able to display whose Holiness transcends all the perfections we see here below overaw my Spirit when I go with the multitude to the House of God with the Voice of Joy and Praise O let me consider that it is the All-seeing God in whose presence I stand and that holy Angels are sent to observe my Devotion Give me sober Thoughts holy Affections devout Postures steadiness of Mind ardent Desires modest Looks and a grave Behaviour especially now I am going to receive the Sacrament Now let all that is within me turn into holy breathings banish from me all undecent thoughts and if thou dost not think fit to free me from temptations before they come give me Grace vigorously to resist them that I may show my Zeal to thy Glory by my abhorrence of all imaginations that exalt themselves against the obedience of Christ Jesus Amen CHAP. IV. Of Family-Duty ere we go to God's House AFter thou hast fitted thy Self for Church thy next care must be carefully and conscientiously to perform Family-Duties Jos 24.15 Let others do what they will I and my House saith he will serve the Lord. In order to the performance of which duty take along with you these following Rules 1. See that your Servants and Children waste not away the Morning in sleep and idleness 2. Cause them to join together in Prayer reading or any other Godly Exercise Gen. 18.19 3. Make them accompany you to Church command their Bodies though you cannot their Souls 4. Inform your selves and them what a great and glorious Majesty and Master you are to serve a God so glorious that the very Angels vail and cover their Faces not being able to behold the brightness of his Glory And if this lowly Reverence be performed by them who are in such nearness to God what posture is low enough for us who in comparison of those Heavenly Spirits are viler than the ground we tread on 5. Make them sensible what poor Worms and wretched Creatures they are Dust and Ashes their Hearts full of Putrefaction and a sink of Sin and therefore ought to come crawling crouching and trembling to the Throne of Grace 6. Examine what Preparation they have made for the Sabbath whether they have not spent more time and care to dress their Body for the Eye of Man than to deck their Soul for the Eye of God Whether they have prayed in private for a blessing on God's Ordinance 7. Inform them seriously of the great work they go about what a weighty work it is how that their Weeks Works are but toys and trifles in comparison of it What are Sheep Oxen or Shops to Grace Christ and Heaven Exhort them all to be careful and serious in God's work in Soul-Salvation-Work and therefore they ought to prepare themselves with all their might Remember the Fourth Commandment binds you to look to all within your care both Man-Servant and Maid-Servant c. Whosoever rides them unnecessary Journeys on that day the groans of the tired Beast will rise up in judgment against them and condemn them for breaking God's Command As Motives hereunto consider 1. That it is God in a Family not Man only that maketh it to prosper so that if thou wouldest have it go well with thy Family then oughtest thou to set up the worship of God in it The Lord blessed the House of Obed-Edom for the Arks sake so God will bless thy House if the Ark that is his worship be there Wouldst thou have thy Family flourish set up the worship of God in it Let no wicked Person remain in thine House He that will not pray and join in the worship of God with thee Let him not eat with thee Make Joshua's resolution As for me and my House we will serve the Lord. 2. Remember you must be accountable to God for those Souls he hath committed to your charge you ought therefore to take care that they be trained up in the fear of the Lord. See that none of your Family be given to any Vice viz. Swearing Drinking Lying or the like Make choice of such Servants as fear God chuse for him somewhat and not altogether for your self Enquire in the first place whether they will submit to his word if not let them not come under thy roof As thou wouldst not have the Devils Company in thine House so do not entertain any of his Friends and Servants but rather let it be an Harbour and Habitation of God's Children for so shalt thou be blessed You know that God blessed Laban for Jacob's sake so may you likewise expect a Blessing if you entertain such in your House A Family-Prayer before we go to Church O Lord encrease our Faith and by thy holy Spirit prepare our hearts to pray as we ought and for Christ's sake accept this Morning Sacrifice of Prayer though weak and imperfect which in his Name and by his Mediation and Intercession we offer up to Thee We humbly and heartily acknowledge thy infinite Wisdom tender Love and Fatherly Goodness towards us thy unworthy Servants most vile and wretched Sinners in that it hath pleased thee not only to give us a liberal allowance of time to do our own Works and follow our own Callings and Recreations for the health of our Bodies and the necessities of this present Life but also to appoint us one day in seven to attend upon thee do thy Work and fit our selves to keep with thee an Everlasting Sabbath in the highest Heavens We know O Lord that we are bound in Conscience to serve and worship thee every day of the Week and every day to set apart some time for Spiritual and Heavenly Exercises yea and when we are in Earthly business to carry Heavenly minds about with us yet it hath pleased thee further to allow us one day in seven to attend wholly upon thee and more throughly to acquaint our selves with thee with thy ways and with our sinful and deceitful hearts to wean them from the Love of this World and set them upon Heavenly Joys And now O Lord as thou hast given us a day to serve thee fit and prepare every Soul to worship thee as we ought To this end give us the assistance of thy holy Spirit that we