Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	hour_n	worship_n	worship_v	1,875	5	9.5128	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93739	The exceeding great comfort and benefit of having walked before God in truth, and with a perfect heart, and of having done that which is good in his sight set forth in several discourses on Isaiah 38. 2, 3 / by Richard Stafford ...	Stafford, Richard, 1663-1703.	1699 (1699)	Wing S5118A; ESTC R43773	94,501	125

therefore it was that just at the Time he was to be removed out of the City of Jerusalem by Death and he then would fain be removed up into the Heavenly City Therefore he addresses himself to God in the first Place Remember how I have walked before thee in Truth For in very deed as such a Path way or Road leads to such a Place so the Truth leads to Heaven According as we may further Gather from what is elsewhere written Lord Who shall abide in thy Tabernacle Who shall dwell in thy Holy Hill He that walketh uprightly and Worketh Righteousness and speaketh the Truth in his heart Psal 15. 1. 2. So that whatever Truth is in our heart Provided it be the Truth of God and arising out of his Word It ought to be spoken forth Yea the Plain and Simple Truth the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth For although there is a common saying abroad in the World agreeable to the Wisdom of the Flesh which is for Sloth ease and Present safety that all Truth is not to be spoken yet as sure as the Spirit of God in the Scripture last Quoted doth teach the way of Heaven and lay down the foregoing Qualifications and Conditions which we must have and do before we come there whatever Divine and serious Truth is in our heart We must and ought to speak it come what will thereof if we do not intend to be Disappointed of Heaven at the last And if the doing should bring Trouble or suffering on our loins fo● this Objection the Worldly Wise Man hath against this Duty and therefore he will refrain to utter it VVe must do it nevertheless This being that manifold kind of Trib●lation which we must go through before we enter into the Kingdom of God Take another Scripture how that the Truth ought 〈◊〉 no wise to be concealed but it is to be spoken out I ha●● not hid thy Righteousness within my heart I have declar● thy Faithfulness and thy Salvation I have not concealed 〈◊〉 Loving Kindness and thy Truth from the Great Congregatio● Psal 40 10. So that to speak constantly the Truth 〈◊〉 whole Truth and nothing but the Truth and this 〈◊〉 for a Day or two or for a Week Month or Year 〈◊〉 throughout our whole Life is pleasing and acceptable 〈◊〉 the sight of God our Saviour who would have 〈◊〉 men to be saved and to come to the Knowledge of the Truth Notwithstanding all the Arts of Dissimulation Deceit Secresie Evasion Equivocation or such like by which Satan's Kingdom stands all which are contrary to Simplicity and Godly Sincerity I have observed in my Experience That to confess and speak out the Truth of the matter in most instances Things have then succeeded more prosperously with me than when I have done otherwise And the Truth hath gained and been esteemed of more than all the Little Arts of Falshood Honesty is the best Policy and it is best to Live within the streight Lines of Duty and never to transgress at any time So it may be affirmed in all cases It is the best way to speak the Truth whatever will be the Consequent thereof We may Read what a great Value and Estimation God himself puts upon it Run ye to and fro through the Streets of Jerusalem and see now and know and seek in ●●e Broad Places thereof if ye can find a Man if there 〈◊〉 any that executeth Judgment that seeketh the Truth and ● will pardon it Jer. 5. 1. By which last is imported as 〈◊〉 seeking the Truth would almost make atonement and Exp●ation for other sins His Spirit goes on to add O Lord Are not thine Eyes upon the Truth Verse 3. Even ●●e Eyes of Complacency Delight and Approbation herein The Time would fail me to mention all those seve●●l places of Scripture wherien the word Truth is spo●●n of But in every one of them it may be observed ●hat very Excellent and Glorious Things are spoken ●oncerning the Truth and the Drift and Design there●f is to exhort the Inhabitants of the Earth to think ●eak and do according unto it all Times Even ●●at they may keep the Truth speak the Truth in their ●eart and Walk before God in Truth There hath been a Proverbial saying as if Thoughts ●●re free Every one might think what he would in 〈◊〉 deep of his heart But such people do not Know 〈◊〉 rather they do not consider That they are to be ●●dged by the word of God which is a discerner of the Thoughts and Intents of the Heart Neither is there any Creature that is not manifest in his sight but all thing● are naked and opened unto the Eyes of him with whom 〈◊〉 have to do Heb. 4. 13. But too many in our days hav● improved this a little further as if Talk and commo● Discourse was free and there was no account to be made or given of it hereafter For how many Li●● and Falshoods are now uttered forth in common Conversation VVhether it be in talking of News or publick affairs According to the side they rank themselves o●● they do not much Regard whither the Thing be true 〈◊〉 false which they Utter forth to Uindicate one side an● run down or slander the other And so it is in reference 〈◊〉 to Common Neighbours Prejudice seldom or never speak 〈◊〉 well If it be concerning any Person against whom the● have an Enmity Hatred or Grudge They do not refu●● to speak Evil falsly of him or to utter Reproaches an● Revilings against him As saith the Wiseman In th● Multitude of Words there wants not sin so in the Wor● and talk of this Nature there is a Multitude of sin committed Herein is found true And the Tongue is a Fir● a World of Iniquity So is the Tongue amongst our Members that it defileth the whole Body and setteth on Fire 〈◊〉 course of Nature and it is set on Fire of Hell Jam. 3. 〈◊〉 Although the Common talkers of the World do not mu●● Regard this yet whoso truly fears God He dares 〈◊〉 speak one false Word of another although it be of 〈◊〉 greatest Enemy he hath in the World For he kno● that speaking falsly of any one would not be a walkin● before God in Truth and therefore he refrains from speaking Evil falsly of any Man So speak ye and so do as th● that must be Judged by the Law of Liberty James 2. 12. There are other Instances of walking before God 〈◊〉 Truth as in the Worship of God And here we are 〈◊〉 see well to it that our Worship be in Spirit and in Tru 〈…〉 But the hour cometh and now is when the true Worshipp●● shall Worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth For 〈◊〉 Father seeketh such to Worship him God is a Spirit 〈◊〉 they that Worship him must Worship him in Spirit and 〈◊〉 Truth John 4. 23 24. Notwithstanding all controv●●sies Disputes and different Congregations which are n●● 〈◊〉 this Nation and throughout Christendom

perceive somewhat more as we come near to the end of our Hope the Day of Death which is indeed to the Children and Servants of God the Birth-Day of Immortality Therefore only it is that we have not more Profit because we did not so much as we should walk Mournfully but we should have walked yet more closely before the Lord of Hosts To walk Mournfully is according to the Reproach and manner of Speech of the People of the World for they imagine and say as if Religion and the Service of God was a Melancholly and Irksome thing whereas if it be True and Universal Inward and Real it is the greatest satisfaction and Peace to the Soul of Man of any thing in this World In a Dying Hour when all things fail and slip from us God and Religion are the only Resort My Soul cleaveth fast unto thee saith the Psalmist by the Spirit But though hardly ever any one in a dying Condition did say that it would have been vain for them to have served God we have heard of Thousands sad Examples on the other Hand crying out upon their Death-beds of the Misery and Deceitfulness of Sin with Anguish Bitterness and Vexation of Spirit that ever they themselves should give way unto it and really and sincerely then wishing that themselves had lived otherwise Then they confess and acknowledge that it was an evil and bitter thing to have forsaken the Lord and that his Fear was not in them And they have not cried unto me with their Heart when they howled upon their Beds Hos 7. 14. That is upon their Sick and Dying Beds By the Phrase of Howling the Holy Ghost doth seem to allude unto that kind of Noise which Dogs usually make when they are in Pain and Misery the Sense or Smart whereof makes them to Howl when they have no Reason of Soul to comfort and mitigate the other Even so the Sinners and Hypocrites when they are under violent Pains of Body or the languishing of Pining Sickness and yet much more from that fearful Expectation of those dreadful things of the Invisible World all this will sometimes make them cry out and howl and yet at the same time they do not cry out with their Heart to God for that hath been a long time at enmity and distance from him and indeed they are ignorant and unacquainted with him In a Dying Hour things will appear in a just and real value and then will be discerned what was best to have been done Then shall ye return and discern between the Righteous and the Wicked between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not In the latter Days ye shall consider it perfectly It is certain that we must give Account for all and the several Talents which we have received as Knowledge Health Riches Time and such like Now to instance in this last which is most proper because we are here speaking of a Dying Hour When Time is ended and shall be no more which do you think will tend to better Reckoning when we come to give an Account for so many Days and Hours spent Either so many Days or Hours were spent in Hearing or Reading or Meditating on the Word of God in his Law doth he meditate Day and Night Psal 1. 2. Item So many Hours in Worship and Prayer Item So many Hours expended in good Works and the Duties of Christianity Item So many Hours in Honest Labour in our Trade or Employment which is a complying with that Prime Ordinance of God In the Sweat of thy Face shalt thou eat thy Bread till thou return unto the Ground Gen. 3. 19. All these will turn to Good and Profitable Accounts that we may find Mercy Comfort and Reward from the Lord in that Day 2 Tim. 1. 18. But then comes in also the Account which some must be forced to make on the other and worse Hand Imprimis So many Hours spent in serving divers Lusts and Pleasures Item So many Hours in Cards and Dice and in other vain and unnecessary Recreations Item So many Hours in Carnal Visits and Company Item So many Hours in Pride and Dressing Item So many Hours in Stage-Plays Item So many Hours in Taverns or Ale-Houses Item So many Hours expended in serving of Mammon Covetousness and getting of unjust Gain All these and such like will tend to Loss and Punishment at that Day This Question is easie to be answered and it will be seen which of these Two will tend most to Mens and Womens Happiness at the Last Day Seeing we must all unavoidably give Account for so many Sabbaths as we have had Will it not tend to better Account to have spent the remaining Hours thereof after the Publick Worship is over in Hearing the Scriptures and what Truths do flow from them for on the Sabbath-day besides the double Burnt Offering was to be a continual Burut Offering Numb 28. 9 10. The Holy Ghost thereby signifying that that Day was to be wholly and throughly spent in the immediate worship of God and Hearing Reading or Meditating on his Word Or the very same Time expended in Worldly Company and therein speaking their own Words contrary to Isa 58. 13. Or in Carnal Perambulation in the Fields Ay but here some will be apt to say S●ould not they who are Working and Trades People all the Week long have some Delight and ●ecreation on this Day of Rest To which I answer they should call the Sabbath a Delight and delight themselves in the Lord Isa 58. 13 14. And delight to do thy Will O my God Psal 40. 8. And so to Hear his Will for if Heaven is not thus begun with them whilst on Earth as to delig●t in that which is good it will not be their Portion when they come to die As Isaac went out to Meditate in the Margent there it is to Pray in the Fi●ld at Eventide Gen. 24. 63. So it seems to be no Sin to walk out into the Fields in the Evening of the Sabbath if it be for Meditation or Prayer or to discourse together only of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God But it seems to be sinful to spend the Evening of the Sabbath or Lord's Day in Loytering and Idleness or standing by the Walls or in the Doors of the Houses Ezek. 33. 30. when they will not go to hear what is the Word that cometh forth from the Lord as the same is truly and faithfully alledged from the Bible Some of my Kindred according to the Flesh have despised me upon the Account of my Preaching in a little Meeting or Assembly of Christians as if it was mean little pitiful and unbecoming that Birth Education and Family I am off Good God! what kind of Imaginations do lurk in the Heart of Man Can any one be too good to serve thee And is it beneath those of what 〈◊〉 called a Genteel Birth and Extraction which eccho like 〈◊〉 a Voice and nothing else for they