Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	jesus_n	lord_n	spirit_n	7,577	5	4.8812	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43755	The cause of God and His people in New-England as it was stated and discussed in a sermon preached before the honourable General Court of the Massachusets Colony, on the 27 day of May, 1663, being the day of election at Boston / by John Higginson ...	Higginson, John, 1616-1708.	1663 (1663)	Wing H1955; ESTC W37706	22,798	29

remembrance of that which the Text here points us unto namely to commit this Cause to the Infinite Wisdome and good pleasure of the Lord our God whose name is upon us and who dwels in the midst of us to interest him and engage him in the maintaining of it This was Holy counsell given to Job in the midst of his plunges and distresses Iob 5 8 9. I would seek unto God and unto God would I commit my Cause which doth great things and unsearchable and mervellous things without number who disappointeth the devices of the crafty to set up on high those that are low that such as mourne may be exalted unto safety Say Brethren I beseech you is not this that you would have that the Cause of Religion and those that love it may be in safety then here is the way for all the servants of God to commit this cause unto him which doth great things and unsearchable and marveilous things without number unto him who hath maintained who doth maintaine and will maintain his Own and his Peoples Cause according to the Counsel of his own will for the Praise of his Glorious Grace Quest Now if it be demanded But now should we commit this Cause unto him that he may be engaged in the maintaining of it above all that we can ask or think Answ I Answer breifly in this one direction which will be useful to the Honoured worthies of the General Court and yet will also reach the meanest in the Congregation that you commit the safety of this cause to the Lord himselfe in the same way as you do commit unto him the Salvation of your own soules I say that we do all commit this cause unto the Lord even in the same way as we do every one commit unto him the Salvation of our Soules You may see the bottom of this direction in 1 Pet. 4.19 where the Apostle adviseth Christians in evil times to commit the keeping of their Soules unto God in w●l●ing as unto a Faithfull Creator I doubt not but there are abundance here that are acquainted with this when in the midst of Spirituall distresses you commit your Soules to the mercy of God in Christ in the promise you do also remember the way of well-doing the way of Gods Commandements the narrow way to life which our Saviour hath told us of and in that way you do commit your Soul into the hand of Jesus Christ Sanctifying him as your onely and alsufficient Saviour As David in Psal 31.3 5 6. into thy hands I commit my Spirit thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of truth for thou art my rock and my fortress for thy name sake lead me and guide me in thy way for I hate lying Vanities but I trust in the Lord. Now in the very same way we should all commit the safety of the Cause of Religion to the Lord himselfe That is 1. In the way of Well-doing 2. In the way of Humble Prayer 3. Sanctifie the Lord himselfe as the maintainer of this Cause I entreat that I may borrow but a little of your time and patience to explain these three Particulars and then I have done 1. In the way of well doing Commit this Cause to the Lord in the way of well doing thus the Apostle informs us that this is the will of God that we keep in the way of well doing 1 Pet. 2.15 and upon this ground he Exhorts in the same place verse 13 14. Submit your selves to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake Civill Government in Genere is an Ordinance of God the higher powers are Ordained of God R●m 13.1 but in Spe●●● it is an Ordinance of man though every form of Civil Government is to be subservient unto Religion as its ultimate end yet hic aut iste singularis modus as divines use to speak this o● that particular forme of Civil Government is an Ordinance of man it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a humane Creature Now mark I beseech you what the Apostle sayes Submit your selves to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether to the King as Supream or unto Governours sent by him This is our case his Majesty the King whom the Lord hath set upon the throne is the Supream Civill Governour under God and over us and the Government setled here by the Charter of this Colonie is a subordinate Government we are to remember our duty to both and that for the Lords sake for so is the will of God that with well doing you put to silence the ignorance of foolish men as the Apostle there speaks verse 15. This way of well doing is a narrow way as every way of duty is there are by-pathes and down-falls on either side it is not good intentions nor p●aefrau●es that will excuse from going out of the way of well-doing but here lyes the exercise of Godly wisdom to keep in the narrow way of well-doing shewed in the word of God to fear God and Honour the King to give unto God the things that are Gods and unto Cesar the things that are Cesars The Counsel of our Saviour is to be remembred be wise as serpents and Innocent as Doves the Serpents ey in the Doves head becomes a Christian well it is for the honour of Religion when the Servants of God cary it so as Paul did so as to give no occasion so as to cut off occasion from them that seek occasion that we may be able to say as he did neither against the Temple nor against the Law nor ●gainst Cesar have I offended any thing Act. 25.8 and so as Daniel did in whom there was an excellent Spirit Dan. 6.3 and the excellencie of his Spirit did appear in this that he behaved himselfe so as those that sought to find occasion against him could find none for as much as he was faithfull neither was there any Errour or fault in him then said these men we shall not find any occasion against this Daniel except we find it against him concerning the law of his God My Fathers Brethren this is for our Admonition and this will be for the Honour of Religion when such as have the managing of Publick affaires are understanding in the times to know what Israel ought to do● 2 Chron. 12.32 not what they can do or what they will do but what they ought to do not what their liberty is but what their duty is and what their liberty is according to their duty To serve the times in matters of Religion we must not we must obey God rather then men if it come to a stress but in managing publick affairs in such times as Daniel lived in the matter did so require for him to be so carefull as that no errour nor fault might be found in him This is for our imitation The Holy Ghost informes us it is the Wisdom of the prudent to understand his way Prov. 14.8 And a wise mans heart discerneth of time and

simplicity of the Gospel on the right hand and on the left and many in the last dayes very many that have the form but deny the power of Godlyness Hence the cause of Religion much obscured and ready to be spoyled in the hands of those that profess to be the lovers of it That is the first Reason Reas 2. Taken from the Malice of the Devil and his Instrumentie Satan from the beginning hath had an old grudg against the seed of the Woman and he never wanted instruments who either by force or fraud or both have done what mischief they could against the Church and cause of God Thus in the story of Exodus Pharoah at first works wisely to undermine afterwards he works proudly to overtake and destroy the Israel of God Thus also in Psal 83.1 2 3. Keep not Silence O God for ●thine Enemies make a tumult they have consulted together they have said come let us cut them off that the name of Israel be had no more in remembrance and then there is mention made of Gebal Ammon and Amalek and many others And in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah no sooner had Zerubbabel and Joshua and the rest of the poor People of Israel begun to reform and set themselves about the work of the Lord but Sathan stood up to resist them as it is in Zech. 3.1 he had instruments at hand presently Sanballat and Tobia with their complices Nehem. 4.11 and our adversaries said they shall neither see nor know till we be in the midst amongst them and Slay them and cause their work to cease thus also in Ezr. 4.9 you read of Rehum the Chancellor and Shi●shi the Scribe with the rest of their companions pleading much the damage and dishonour of the King as in verse 13. and when they had got a commission they went up in hast unto Jerusalem to cause the work to cease and in the verse 23. they made them cease by force and power though it was but for a time as it appeares afterwards And if you look into Rev. 12.12 you shall find there in relation to the last times it is said Wee to the inhabitants of the Earth and of the Sea for the Devil is come down amongst you and his rage is great because he hath but a short time the shorter the time the fiercer the rage of Sathan against all that keep the Commandements of God and the Faith of Jesus where ever he can prevail down goes the divine Authority of the Scriptures and up goes the Commandements of Men in the Worship of God and all that will not doe must suffer and all that bear witness to truth and Holiness must be in sackcloth until the time of the End Now from hence againe the cause of Religion is much endangered by the haters of it That is the Second Reason Reas 3. The last Reason is taken from afflicting Providence He the great God changeth the times and the seasons Dan. 2.21 the History of the Church in all ages hath informed us of this that after a time of peace comes a time of trouble after a time of l●berty to be as good as men would be and as they should be there comes a time of restraint and sometimes even in the valley of vision there is a day of perplexitie and treading down and that from the Lord God of Hostes as it is in Isai 22.5 And though it hath been questioned whether Dioclesians persecution or Julians Toleration were more pernicious to the Church of God yet without question neither of these was without the Providence of God When the People of God know not how to use their peace and liberty when they have contracted the guilt of the Sins of such times it is but righteous with the Lord to bring them into bondage that they may know the service of the Lord with such a kind of Knowledg as Adam had after his fall to know good by the want and evil by the feeling of it by terrible thing● in righteousness wilt thou answer us O God who yet art the God of our Salvation and the confidence of such as are in the ends of the Earth Psal 65.5 But from hence also the cause of Religion comes to be in the same condition as the ship in which the disciples went when Christ was asleep there came down such a storm upon the L●●● and they were so covered with the waves and in such Jeopardy they were faine to cry out unto him Master save us or we perish Gather up the Reasons briefly If the lovers of the cause of Religion be so unable to preserve it if the haters of it be so sedulous to destroy it and if the Lord himselfe seem to withdraw from it then it is no wonder if the times be such and the case be such as the maintaining of the cause of Religion doth need and require more then ordinary help from the Lord himselfe By this time you see the truth of the Doctrine Now let us consider the good of it in Application to our selves and that but in a couple of Uses The one for the Information of our Judgments The other for direction in point of Practice Vse 1. We may hence informe our selves not only what the Cause of God and his people is in other parts but what it is here with us I say to informe us what is the cause of God and his people in New-England This is the first use A mistake in this may be of dangerous consequence the true stating of this cause and the right understanding of it may be of no little help unto us in the times that are come upon us For it is more then our lives and as much as our soules are worth to own the cause of God and to be faithfull to it in our generation to confess or deny this cause is in Scripture interpretation to confess or deny Christ himselfe and you know what he hath said in Mat. 10.32 Whosoever shall confess me before men him will I confess before my Father which is in Heaven but whosoever shall deny me before Men him will I deny before my Father which is in Heaven and in the eighth of Mark and verse 38. Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful Generation ●f him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with all his Holy Angels Give me leave then I beseech you Honoured and Beloved to present a few things unto you about this Caus● I confess I should be utterly inexcusable in adventuring to shew my weakness in such a place at such a time as this were I not able to call the Most H●●h to Witness that nothing but Conscience of my duty put me and kept me upon this Subject when I received the Summons of the Honourabl● G●● to preach it this time it was desired that some suitable word might be spoken now whether the stating of