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
A78903	The godly mans ark or, City of refuge, in the day of his distresse. Discovered in divers sermons, the first of which was preached at the funerall of Mistresse Elizabeth Moore. The other four were afterwards preached, and are all of them now made publick, for the supportation and consolation of the saints of God in the hour of tribulation. Hereunto are annexed Mris. Moores evidences for Heaven, composed and collected by her in the time of her health, for her comfort in the time of sickness. / By Ed. Calamy, B.D. and pastor of the church at Aldermanbury.	Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666.; Moore, Elizabeth, d. 1656?	1657 (1657)	Wing C247; Thomason E1616_1; ESTC R209627	96,958	299

God for above a year with great and most grievous pains shall at the close of her life when shee is upon the very brink of eternity have such a sweet refreshing and heart-chearing impression upon her spirit when heart fails and flesh fails When shee can hardly speak to express the greatnesse of her joy then to hear a voice as it were saying to her This day thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise This in all probability was the voice of God and not of man This was the Lords doing and it is marveilous in our eyes I for bear saying any more Shee is gone from a prison to a palace from a purgatory to a Paradise Shee is at rest with God where all tears are wiped away from her eyes The Lord fit us by has grace to follow her in due time into the Kingdome of glory Amen Mris. Elizabeth Moores EVIDENCES FOR HEAVEN Collected by her self in the time of her health in such manner and method as they are here presented to Publick view 1 Her Design in this Collection IN the examination of my self I finde that my Aims and Ends why I desire to gather together and clear up my Evidences for Heaven if my deceitful heart doth not deceive mee are these following 1 THat hereby as a means I may bee inabled to glorifie God in Design 1 the great work of beleeving that hereby with Gods blessing the dimme eye of my Faith may more clearly see the Lord Jesus Christ to bee a Peace-maker and Reconciler and Surety for mee even for mee who am by nature a fire-brand of Hell The time was I am sure when I was the Devils picture and had the black brand of Reprobation upon mee and therefore it doth neerly concern mee to search and trye what Evidences I have to prove that God fetching Arguments out of his own bowels and the riches of his free grace hath redeemed mee out of this lost estate 2 MY Aime is to strengthen that Design 2 longed for grace of Assurance A grace which though it bee not of absolute necessity for the being and salvation yet it is of absolute necessity for the well being and consolation of a Christian without this grace I can neither live nor dye comfortably and I have been often exhorted by Gods faithful Ambassadors to gather together my Scripture Evidences and to have the approbation of some godly and experienced Minister or Christian and this by Gods blessing may bee a means to strengthen Assurance Yea I finde in Scripture that the Lord saith that the Priests lips shall preserve Mal. 3.7 knowledge and thou shalt seek the Law at his mouth for hee is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts 3 MY Aime is to obey God in his Word who hath commanded Design 3 mee by his Apostle to work out my own Phil. 2.12 2 Pet. 1. 10. 2 Cor. 13. 5. salvation with fear and trembling and to give all diligence to make my calling and election sure And I am exhorted to examine my self and prove my self whether I bee in the faith or no know yee not saith the Apostle that Christ is in you except you bee reprobates And if any man bee in Christ bee is a new Creature old things are passed away and all things are become new Now then to prove whether I bee in deed and in truth born again is my desire at this time the Lord help mee and give mee a sincere and upright heart and guide mee herein by his holy Spirit for the honour of his holy Name 2 A brief Collection of her Evidences for Heaven Blessed bee God who hath through his free mercy begotten mee to a hope Evidence First that I am regenerated and born from above and converted unto God Reason Because the Lord hath gone the same usual way with mee as with those hee pleaseth to convert to himself and this I shall make to appear in five or six particulars 1 The Lord by his Spirit accompanying the preaching of his Word caused the scales to fall from my eyes and opened them and set up a clear light in my understanding and made mee to see sin to bee exceeding sinful out of measure sinful and to look on it as the loathsomest thing in the world and on my self as a loathsome creature in Gods sight and in my own sight by reason of the Leprosie of sin wherewith I was over-run 2 The Lord brought mee to see the misery that I was in by reason of my sins I thought I was utterly forsaken of God and I thought that God would never accept of such a wretch as I saw my self to bee I could not think otherwise but that hell was my portion and that I by reason of my sins must go thither expecting every day when the Lord would glorifie himself in my damnation I saw my self in more misery because of my sins than I could then or now expresse to any body I looked upon God as a consuming fire and on my self as stubble ready to bee consumed by him c. 3 The Lord brought mee to a spiritual astonishment that I cried out What shall I do to bee saved and said with Paul Lord what wouldest thou have mee to do Do but make known to thy poor creature what thy will is and I thought I could do any thing or suffer any thing for the Lord. But since I have had some more knowledge of the holy Will of God woe is mee what a barren and unfruitful heart have I a heart that can neither do nor suffer any thing for the Lord as I ought to do But this I can say that the astonishment I was in by the sight of my sins and the misery I was plunged into put mee on the performance of holy duties especially prayer 4 The Lord took mee off my own bottome off my own righteousness and made mee to see that that was but a sandy foundation and would not hold out I was not taken off from the performance of holy duties no I thought with my self that I am commanded by God to perform holy duties which is the way and means whereby wee may meet with God For hee is ordinarily to bee injoyed no where but in his own ordinances but the Lord took mee off from resting and trusting in Ordinances And as hee made mee to see that without the practise of them hee would not accept of mee so also hee made mee to know that it was not for holy duties for which I was accepted The sins that cleave to my best performances are enough for which the Lord may justly condemn mee if I had no other sins 5 The Lord brought mee to see a Superlative beauty and excellency in the Lord Jesus Christ and my soul was deeply in love with him even with whole Christ in all his offices and if I know any thing at all of my own heart I desired Christ as much to bee my King and Prophet to teach and guide mee and subdue mee

mee again beseech you to take heed of worldly-mindednes This will quickly betray you into Apostacy from Christ and from the truths of Christ A man who loves the world will Judas-like betray Christ for thirty peeces Hee will part with his Religion rather than with his estate This sin is the root of all evill it exposeth a man to all temptations to hurtful lusts to all errors and all 1 Tim. 6. 9 kinde of sorrows It will drown your souls in perdition Hee that seeks things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 below shall have his Heaven below The Apostle saith expresly that they who minde earthly things their Phil. 3.19 end is damnation Therefore let mee once again repeat it Take heed lest you bee like the Thorny ground Let not the cares riches and pleasures of the World choak the good seed that is weekly sown in your hearts 8 Let it bee your morning and evening thought what shall become of you Momentum unde pendet aeternitas to all eternity and labour so to use things temporal as not to lose the things that are eternal Remember that this life is a moment upon which eternity depends and according as you spend this Momentancum quod delectat aeternum quod cruciat moment so you shall bee for ever happy or for ever miserable Remember that the pleasures of sin are but for a moment but the punishments of sin are everlasting 9 Look upon Sin as the greatest of evils greater than poverty imprisonment banishment or death it self chuse the greatest affliction rather than commit the least sin If Hell Anselme were on the one side and Sin on the other chuse rather to go into Hell than to sin against God For Sin is a greater evil than Hell because it is the cause of Hell and more opposite to God who is the chiefest good than Hell is For God is the Author of Hell which hee hath provided for all unbeleevers and impenitent persons But it is blasphemy in the highest degree to say That hee is the Author of Sin Look upon Christ as the greatest good greater than health wealth liberty or life Love Christ more than you love your estates or lives Hee that loves Christ more than the world will not for sake Christ to imbrace the world Hee that fears sin more than affliction will not sin to avoid affliction 10 Rest not contented with that measure of grace you have attained unto but labour to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ Remember that the Scripture doth not only perswade you to get into Christ but to grow up into Christ not only to bee Righteous but to bee filled with the fruits of Righteousness c. Remember Eph. 4 1● Phil. 1.11 that saying of Christ to whom much is given of them much is required Luk. 12. 48 God hath given you much you have plentiful means of salvation and you have had them for many years hee expects from you not only good fruit but much good fruit not only thirty-fold and sixty-fold but an hundred-fold Where the Husbandman bestows most cost hee expects most fruit The more a Merchant adventures by Sea the greater return hee looks for God hath done more for you than for many others and therefore hee expects that you should do some singular thing for him Hee looks you should bee more humble more heavenly more knowing than others If the Sun should give no more light than a little Candle to what purpose hath God given it so much light If you that have Sun-like abilities do no more good than those who have but half your abilities to what purpose have you them It is a true saying As our Crescentibus doni● crescunt rationes donorum gifts increase so must our account increase You shall answer at the great day not only for your gifts but for the measure of them Remember that God doth not only require service from you but service proportionable to the means and mercies you injoy Hee that hath but one Talent shal● answer but for one but you that have five or ten Talents must bee answerable according to the quantity as well as the quality of them 11 Labour to diffuse those grace● which God hath given you and to communicate them to those with whom you converse True grace i● of a spreading nature and therefore compared to leaven which diffuseth i● self into the whole lump and to Salt that seasoneth all those things with which it is mingled Assoon as the woman of John 4. 29. 30 Samaria had found out the Messias shee leaves her water-pot and goeth into the City to tell others what God had done for her Assoon as Cornelius had received the Message from the Angel to send for Peter hee calls together his kinsmen and neer friends that they together with him might bee made partakers of Gospel-grace A true Act. 10 24 Christian is like a Needle touched with the Loadstone A Needle truly touched draweth another and that will draw another and that another Whosoever hath his heart truly touched by effectual grace will labour to convert others and they others Philip will draw Nathaniel Andrew will draw Peter And Peter being converted will labour to strengthen his Brethren There is a natural instinct in all creatures to make others like themselves as fire will turn all things that come neer it into fire and there is a spiritual instinct in all converted Christians to convert others It is as natural to a true Christian to make others true Christians as it is for a man to beget a man True grace is not only of a communicative but of an assimilating nature See then that you labour by seasonable and religious admonitions and exhortations by communicating of experiences and especially by the shining pattern of a holy life and conversation to bring all those with whom you converse unto Jesus Christ That man hath not grace in truth who put sit in a dark Lanthorne 12 Labour to bee good in your Relations good Husbands and good Wives good Parents and good Children good Masters and good Servants Remember that that man cannot bee a good man who is not good in his Relation Hee cannot bee a good Christian who is not a good Husband or a good Child or a good Father c. Shee cannot bee a good Christian who is not a good Wife and so of the rest and the reason is Because the same God who commands the Husband to love God commands him to love his Wife the same God who commands the Woman to obey God commands her to obey her Husband There is the same stamp of authority upon our duties towards our Relations as upon our duties towards God therefore bee sure to make conscience of relative duties 13 Joyn works of mercy and charity together with your profession of piety and holiness For God hates a penurious niggardly and covetous professor of Religion Let that saying

Disciples and makes them beleeve it is God that appears and not the Devil Thus hee appeared to Saul in the likenesse of Samuel And if God should now at this day discover his way of worship and his divine will by Revelations how easily would men bee deceived and mistake diabolical delusions for divine Revelations and therefore let us bless ' God for the written word which is surer and safer as to us than an immediate Revelation There are some that are apt to think that if an Angel should come from Heaven and reveal Gods will to them it would work more upon them than the written word but I would have these men study the conference between Abraham and Dives Luk. 16. 27 28 29 30 31. Habent Mosen Prophetas c. They have Moses and the Prophets if they will not profit by them neither would they profit by any that should come out of Hell or down from Heaven to them For it is the same God that speaks by his written Word and by a voice from Heaven The difference is only in the outward cloathing and therefore if Gods speaking by writing will not amend us No more will Gods speaking by a voice O bless God exceedingly for the written Word let us cleave close to it and not expect any Revelations from Heaven of new truths but say with the Apostle Gal. 1. 8 9. Use 2 Let us prize the Word of God Use 2 above gold yea above fine gold Let us read it diligently reverently praying to God to give us the same spirit that wrote it to inable us to understand it and conscienciously to practice it Let us make it the joy and rejoycing of our heart and as it is in the Text Let us make it our delights but of this I spake in the former point The only motive I shall now use to perswade you to make the Word your delights shall bee this in the Text. Because it will keep you from perishing in the time of your greatest affliction It will comfort you when you have most need of it that is under heart-sinking afflictions and at the hour of death and it will comfort you when all outward comforts and creatures fail It will bee food to strengthen your weak Faith physick to cure the remainders of corruptions it will bee a cordial to revive your drooping spirits and fainting souls It will make you more than conquerors over all temptations and distresses Quest But now the great question is How a child of God ought to manage and make use of the word of God so as to make it a conduit of support and comfort in the day of his greatest afflictions Answ To bee able to do this there is a great deal of spiritual wisdome and understanding required For the word to many people is like Sauls armour to David which was so cumbersome to him that hee could not wear it There are many know not how to use the Word so as to bee comforted by it As the woman of Samaria told Christ Joh. 4. 11. The well is deep and thou hast nothing to draw with So may I say The word of God is a deep well Isa 4. it is a well of salvation but it is deep and the deeper the sweeter but most people want buckets to draw with they want a spiritual Art to fetch out of these wells of salvation divine supportation and consolation and therefore to help you in this great work you must know That the word of God may bee divided into three parts Into Commanmandements The word of God divided into the commanding threatning and promising Word Threatnings and Promises And though a Christian must not neglect the commanding and threatning word yet if ever hee would make the word a channel of divine comfort hee must study the promising word for the promises are a Christians magna charta for Heaven All comfort must bee built upon a Scripture promise else it is presumption not true comfort The promises are pabulum fidei anima fidei the food of faith and the soul of faith As faith is the life of a Christian so the promises are the life of Faith Faith is a dead Faith if it hath no promise to quicken it As the Promises are of no use without Faith to apply them so Faith is of no use without a promise to lay hold on And the great reason why the people of God walk uncomfortably in their afflictions is because they do not chew the promises they are rare cordials but as a man cannot taste the sweetness of a cordial unless hee chew it no more can wee receive any spiritual refreshment from the promises unless wee meditate on them The promises are as a Mine full of rich treasure but as Mines unlesse wee digge deep into them wee can never get the gold and silver hid in them no more can wee injoy the soul-ravishing comfort of the promises unlesse wee digge into them by a serious consideration of them They are as a garden full of rare flowers able to sweeten any condition But because wee do not walk in this garden and pick out these flowers hence it is that wee live so disconsolately and dejectedly under our afflictions There are many rare stories declaring the comfort that some of Gods Saints have received from the promises in the day of their distress Mr. Bilney that blessed Martyr was much wounded in conscience by reason of the great sin hee committed in subscribing to the Popish errors but hee was much comforted by reading those words 1 Tim 1. 15. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of which I am the chief Beza was supported under his troubles by the words of Christ John 10.27 28 29. Mr. Bolton tells us of one that was upheld under great affliction and comforted from Isa 26. 3. Of another from Isa 57.15 I knew a young maid that went triumphantly to Heaven by the refreshing shee found in that well known Text Matth. 11. 28. and many that have been wonderfully cheared by reading the eight chapter of the Romans and by that Text 1 Joh. 3. 14. VVee know that wee have passed from death unto life because wee love the Brethren The truth is there is no promise but if God bee pleased to illighten it and shew us our interest in it will afford a harvest of joy It is with promises as it is with Sermons That Sermon which once heard did not at all work upon us the same Sermon heard at another time may exceedingly affect us And the same Text of Scripture which sometimes doth not at all comfort us may at another time convey much comfort to us Two men troubled in conscience may both of them read the same chapter and hear the same Sermon and one of them may have his troubled minde pacified and the other continue troubled and the reason is because the Spirit of God makes the Word

mee or I have relation to them in regard of outward obligations but because they bear the image of God upon them and manifest it in their holy conversation I love them whether rich or poor And though I did never know some of them but only hear of their holiness and piety yet I could not but exceedingly love such Therefore I hope that I am passed from death to life because I love the Brethren 1 Joh. 3. 14. I do not only love God and the Evidence Twelfth children of God but I labour to keep his Commandements and they are not grievous to mee But I pray with 1 John 5. 3 David O that my wayes were directed to keep thy statutes Lord inlarge my Psal 119. 5. v. 32 34 heart and I will run the wayes of thy Commandements Give mee understanding and I shall keep thy Law yea I shall observe it with my whole heart for therein do I delight I finde I am one that is very thirsty after Jesus Christ and the grace of E ∣ vidence Thir ∣ teenth Christ and I thirst to have his image more and more stamped upon mee and I would fain bee assured by Gods Spirit that I am transplanted into Christ and therefore I long and indeavour after a true and lively Faith because that Grace is a soul transplanting and uniting grace Now Christ hath promised to satisfie the thirsty Matth. 5. 6. and such Christ hath earnestly invited to come though they have nothing to bring but what may make against themselves yet to come empty and hee hath promised to fill them Isa 55. 1 2. I am willing to confesse and with all my heart to forsake all my sins I am E ∣ vidence Four ∣ teenth willing to give glory to God in taking shame unto my self I acknowledge my self a guilty malefactor and judge my self worthy of the just condemnation of the righteous Judge of all the earth And I do not only confess my sins but with all my heart I desire to forsake them and to turn to the Lord Now hee hath said he will have mercy on such and will abundantly pardon them For his thoughts are not as our thoughts nor his wayes as our wayes Isa 55. 7 8. It is my constant indeavour to dye to sin to live to newness of life And this is my comfort and hope that hee who hath begun a good work in mee will perfect it For it is hee that worketh all our works in us and for us Isa 26. 12. and hee that hath wrought in mee to will to do that which is pleasing in his fight will work in mee to do also and that of his good pleasure Phil. 2. 13. I hope I am one whom God hath taken into Covenant with himself because Evidence Fifteenth hee hath bestowed upon mee the fruits of the Covenant because hee hath circumcised my heart to love him and hath put his fear into mee and hath wrought an universal change in mee and hath given mee a new heart and a new spirit yea his own spirit which hee hath put within mee even the Spirit of Truth which will guide mee into all Truth It is his own promise to give his holy Spirit to them that ask it of him as I have done often Luk. 11. 13. and I hope that God will make it in his due time a witnessing and a comforting Spirit I will wait upon him for the accomplishment of all his promises both of grace and to grace Hee hath said hee will bee a sun and a shield hee will give grace and glory and no good thing will hee with-hold from them that walk uprightly And hee hath promised to subdue our sins for us and hath said that sin shall not have Dominion over us Rom. 6. 14. that hee will bee our God and wee shall bee his children and hee will save us from all our uncleannesses I hope I have a share in this blessed Covenant of free grace As for my Affliction that lieth upon Evidence Sixteenth mee though it bee in it self very heavy I much more desire the sanctification of it than the removal I earnestly labour to learn all those lessons which God teacheth mee by affliction I know I should not bee scourged nor bee in tribulation but that I have need of it it is for my profit to make mee partaker of his holinesse Afflictions are an evidence of Sonship Heb. 12. 6 7 8. God hath promised that all things shall work together for good to them that love and fear Rom. 8. 28. him And I have had much experience of his faithfulness who hath not suffered mee to bee tempted above what hee hath inabled mee to bear therefore I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him Hee hath chastized mee less than mine iniquities deserve Hee chastizeth mee here that hee may not condemn mee hereafter Faith is the condition of salvation Beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ and E ∣ vidence Seven ∣ teenth thou shalt bee saved And this is his Commandement that we should beleeve in his Act. 16.31 1 John 3. 23. Son Jesus Christ Now I finde nothing so hard to mee as to beleeve aright to cast away all my own Righteousness as dung in point of justification and to cast away all my unrighteousness so as that bee no bar to mee and to role and cast and venter my immortal soul upon Jesus Christ and his Righteousnesse for life and salvation by him alone and to see my self compleat in him this is supernatural Yet I must and will give glory to God and say Lord I beleeve help thou my unbeleef And by this I prove that this precious grace of Faith is wrought in mee because Jesus Christ is to mee very precious and I finde in the Word that to them that beleeve hee 1 Pet. 2.7 is precious and I am willing to take Christ upon his own termes as hee is tendred in the Gospel and am willing to give up my self soul and body wholly to him and my love to God and to the children of God is a fruit of my Faith as also my desire to bee made like unto him For hee that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as hee is pure 1 John 3. 3. And I trust that I am kept by the power of God through Faith unto salvation 1 Pet. 1. 5. I know whom I have beleeved and I am perswadad that hee is able and willing to keep that which I have committed unto him which is my immortal soul 2 Tim. 1. 12. Thus I have according to the Apostles exhortation indeavoured to give a reason of the hope that is in mee What have I but what I have received The desire of my soul is that God may have all the glory And if I bee deceived the Lord for Christs sake undeceive mee and grant that if I have not true grace I may not think I have and so bee in a fools Paradise And the Lord that is my heart-maker bee my heart-searcher and my heart-discoverer and my heart-reformer Amen FINIS