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	spirit_n	worship_v	3,077	5	9.0447	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93343	Symptomes of growth & decay to godlinesse in LX. signs of a living and dying Christian. With the causes of decay, and remedies for recovery. / By Francis Smith.	Smith, Francis, fl. 1657-1689.	1660 (1660)	Wing S4030; Thomason E2114_2; ESTC R212664	107,653	255

Doth not he here consider their inward constitution and prepare his dish to their stomack and is not this Heavens road-way to bring in the greater by an orderly first bringing in the lesser witness this holy Apostles carriage 1 Cor. 12. 17 18 19 Did I make a gain of you by any of them I sent to you I desired Titus and with him I sent a brother did Titus make a gain of you We speak before God in Christ we do all things dearly beloved for your edifying he had respect to the great design Edification and when requiring their performance of a lesser duty to wit giving their temporals to them from whom they received spirituals even as the Lord hath ordained that they that preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel yet as I said but now if the calling for the performance of this duty will not stand with their edification in the main he will rather preach the Gospel of God freely 2 Cor. 11. 9. But when I was present with you And Wanted I was chargeable to no man and in all things I have kept my self from being burthensome to you and so I will keep my self you see though he wants necessaries he will take nothing of them but rather over-burthen other Churches that are better spirited to bear it then among this people labor in vain may not all mourn for Gospel loss through the want of such walking one towards another in our dayes How prosperous in probability may not I say in certainty had the truth been over it is through our Nation had it not been for those divisions that now are among the Churches whose beginnings came in this way I do secretly rejoyce to think what a blessed issue would have been reaped of general harmony amongst Gods Children while all persons in all places and among all people spoke the same things Doth not the adversary hinder the building greatly while he can truly say do you not see how they are divided among themselves and lay low one another doth not also the conscious seeker stumble greatly at this and say what shall I do where to settle I cannot tell Doth not the carnal Christian because of this please himself that he is got into the world of liberty from all Church way O that the Lord would be intreated to awaken the upright yet to make it their prayer and care night and day how they may in places times things especially in the main both to speak and do the same thing this will be blessed with better success to God and Gospel in one year then the best indeavours of another kind for time past hath been in some years I have done and the good Lord begin to set this my humble caution to Churches home that they all may take the good Apostles rule 1 Cor. 14. 26. How is it then brethren when you come together every one hath a Psalm hath a Doctrine hath a tongue hath a revelation hath an interpretation Let all things be done to Edifying CHAP. XXVIII Shewing the necessity of humble waiting and confident depending upon the holy Spirit to help in the great work of mortification the necessity whereof is shewed in seven particulars with six directions how to get and keep this holy Spirit SIGN XXVIII VVHen the holy Spirits help to the great work of mortification seems not of absolute need to you That is its working help and way is not taken heed to necessity of the holy Spirits help in this matter of great concernment cannot be known so as to be to this great end worthily improved without knowledge to a good degree how in this great work the holy Spirits help is concerned and whether so concerned that without its help mortification of sin in its right order cannot be brought about Now where the holy Spirit is sought unto and humbly waited upon for help he doth show himself helpful in these particulars First in fortifying the mind of a Christian with spiritual materials meet to wage war with the spiritual adversaries flesh world and Devil all which are strongly ingaged against a poor convert Gal. 5. 7. The flesh lusteth against the Spirit desiring and striving to do what is directly contrary to the Spirit like a perfect opposite aiming and striving to set up all impurity contrary to or against the Spirits purity Now the mind being the most noble part in man that the flesh is most ingaged against so that Peter in his 1 Epist 2. 4 12. cautions to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul or mind therefore saith the holy Apostle St. Paul Rom. 7. 23. I see a Law in my members warring against the Law of my mind to lead me captive to the Law of sin in my members And saith Jesus Christ Mat. 22. 37. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soul and with all thy mind All which together proving the mind to be the most noble part at which the holy Spirit to possess with good the adversary to possess with bad hath a chief only aime knowing right well that conquest there carries away the whole man and therefore the actions of good men and wicked men are more or less reputed good or bad as they are more or less managed with the Mind Nehem. 4. 6 17. The builders that wrought upon the wall with one hand held a weapon and with the other hand wrought in the work for the people had a Mind to work which notes how mightily a willing mind doth contribute to a succesful work that this is greatly esteemed of by God read Isa 26. 3. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee thou wilt keep them such are the proper subjects of Gods great care whose minds on God is stayed and they shall have peace peace that is peace in its best performances and in all its degrees peace at home abroad in stormes in calmes within without equivolent with that blessing annexed to commandement keepers Deut. 28. beginning But on the contrary Prov. 21. 29. The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination to the Lord how much more when he brings it with a wicked Mind So that at the best the wickeds sacrifices are abominable but how much more when they come with a mind set on wickedness Phil. 3. 18 19. For many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping they are enemies of the Cross of Christ who mind earthly things now all this premised be speaks the necessity of the holy Spirits help to fortifie the mind with spiritual materials meet to wage war with the spiritual adversary for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness righteousness and truth proving what is acceptable to God and is therefore put in opposition to the works of the flesh Ephes 5. 9 10. Gal. 5. 22. But the fruits of the Spirit is love joy peace meekness long-suffering gentleness goodness faith now a mind destitute of this

Wilderness for there is no bread neither any water and our souls loath this light bread Here Gods own institution that once was welcome to them and being now they was mighty eager after it in so much that they could dispence with breaking a law to gather it as Exod. 16. at large proves where we read of its first institution this Manna that the Holy Ghost Psal 78. 25. calls Angels food they now loath and call light bread this Manna though Gods own appointment that fed them to the full and was to continue with them till they come to eat the old corne in the Land of promise Josh 5. 12. yet this they loath under its constant injoyment and wish for Egypts food again How zealous were persons in this age ten or twelve years ago when truth begun more clearly to break forth no cost or early pains mattered happy were they that could come soonest then were assemblies crouded good men incouraged to labor Gods name delightfully worshipped in so much that without wrong one might say since such dayes the Kingdome of Heaven have suffered violence and the violent take it by force is Gods hand shortned that such workings of heart are not now as was then is not now assemblies thin performances small seldome and late is it because God is a Wilderness to his people is it not because they surfeit under fulness Doth not many run too and fro that knowledge is increased and sons and daughters prophesie How then may this serve to rebuke that sloathful Spirit in any that are careless to assemble and calls on them to be restless with God till they are again restored to such a Spirit of zeal as they had in the dayes of their first Espousal lukewarmness here being that inlet sin to spiritual spoiling disappointing God of gratious opportunities to inrich them and thorow this neglectance offers daring occasion to the Devil to tempt them Doth not the holy Apostle Rom. 10. 14 15. plainly imply an impossibility of believing in him of whom they have not heard And how shall they hear saith he without a Preacher as it is written how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things doth not this saying in so many words declare the reason of perishing to be want of knowledge Hos 4. 6. And the cause of ignorance the want of preaching How doth this then commend Gods high approbation of assembling it being the proper season for preaching Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his name In an evil time when many grew weary and said it is a vain thing to serve the Lord what profit is it that we have kept his ordinances and walked mournfully before him then such as met often were high in Gods account Alas alas is not preaching though accompanied with never so much inward and outward pains-taking then matter of scorn to standers by who live vainly also a joy to the Devil our grand adversary when few attend it and of those most part flat low indisposed and weary having little spiritual life or vigor in them on whom common custome to assemble hath eaten out the spiritual relish that should be in them but I shall close this with Gods counsel Heb. 10. 24 25. Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works Not forsaking the assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another and so much the more as we see the day approaching For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin Doth not this dismall conclusion ver 26. proffer it self as the most probable end of such as cease to assemble and makes way for their fearful and inevitable ruine shall any dare then to content themselves with light excuses to hinder their assembling and not rather provoke and exhort one another to so good a work I shall conclude this first Sign of dying to Christ with offering briefly three Remedies how it may be removed where begun or prevented where like to come First consider and lay to heart That to assemble is a very weighty duty and requires all your heart Isa 35. 3. Encline your ear come unto me hear your souls shall live see Prov. 8. 34 35. Blessed is the man that heareth me watching dayly at my gates waiting at the posts of my doors for who so findeth me findeth life and shall obtain favour of the Lord. Plainly noting that diligent hearkning which cannot be without assembling is the way to life therefore not to be slightly looked at Acts 3. 23. Every soul that will not hear this Prophet shall be cut off from amongst the People Persons may think it a light thing to forbear hearing and an offence onely to the assembly but God will count it a despising him and the means he hath ordained The Chrildren of Ephraim being armed and carrying bows turned back in the day of Battel they kept not Gods Covenant but refused to walk in his Law therefore the Lord heard this and a fire was kindled in his wrath against Jacob For their hearts was not right with God Let us take heed therefore that we refuse not him that spake from Heaven but as we must consider that it is a weighty duty to assemble so it requires that we come with all our hearts this God calls for and where it is wanting performances will not be acceptable This people draw nigh me with their mouths and honour me with their lips but their heart is far from me Isa 29. 13. it is Gods complaint by Jeremiah Juda hath not turned to me with her whole heart but fainedly with a heart and a heart a heart as much a contrary way as that way they were indifferent as willing not to turn as to turn this makes offerings to be abhord the contrary by Christians must be made at Blessed are they that seek him with their whole heart Psal 119. 25. Lesse then the whole heart begets jarring prevents harmony hinders the spiritual building A second Remedy is to consider that it is not possible to prevent this spirit of indifferency but by continuing as industruous to keep what ye have gained as you were to get it the prayers the teares the searchings of heart the attentive hearing and frequent assemblings that you in order to your first Espousal did diligently follow you must still hold on in that you may keep and increase the same for the promises run in no other channel Prov. 2. 4. If thou seek for wisdome as for silver and search for it as for hid treasure Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God Hos 6. 3. Then shall we know if we follow on to know the