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
A81715	The captives returne, or, The testimonys of John Danks of Colchester, and Elizabeth Danks, his wife, to the mercy and goodness of God, in calling them back to his everlasting truth, after their ont-runnings [sic] and seperation from the same. : Also being warnings to those that still continue in enmity and seperation from the pretious truth and from the people of God, that they may returne while the Lord calls and while the day of their visitation continues. : With a short testimony to the truth by way of preface / written by John Furly, junior.	Danks, John, 1631 or 2-1697; Danks, Elizabeth.; Furly, John, 1618-1686.	1680 (1680)	Wing D210A; ESTC R171684	7,867	17

The Captives Returne OR The Testimonys of JOHN DANKS of Colchester and ELIZABETH DANKS his wife to the mercy and goodness of God in calling them back to his Everlasting truth after their out-runnings and seperation from the same Also Being warnings to those that still Continue in Enmity and seperation from the pretious truth and from the people of God that they may Returne while the Lord Calls and while the day of their visitation continues VVith a short testimony to the truth by way of Preface written by JOHN FURLY Junior Printed in the Year 1680. The PRAEFACE To the READER Friendly READER SInce the dawning and breaking forth of Gods glorious day and revelation of his blessed truth after a long night of darkness many have been the devices of the enemy of mankind through his subtile and divers workings to hinder the knowledg of the glory of it from the Sons of men and the adversaries of it have been of divers sorts But it being against the Truth they have been confounded in their work so that we have seen it fulfilled that no weapon formed against the truth hath prospered And tho some from among us by going from the power of truth which once reached to them have come to suffer loss and in that lost estate have accused us of falling away from what we first were and in the Spirit of enmity have rose up and wrot against us yet the Lord sometimes bath reached to such again and made them beare testimony to the truth against their own out-runnings that where they have been an occasion of stumbling by any thing acted or brought forth by them in that state of separation from God and his people they might as much as in them lyes remove the same by bearing witness against the fruits of that Spirit which then acted them while they stood up pretendedly for the truth in a Spirit that was out of it Now this having been the state of this person Iohn Dankes he found it as a necessity upon him to bear testimony against that book of his publisht under the name of Christodulus Ecclestone long since answered by VV. G. that if it hath or may come to the hands of any who may thereby have let in or may be strengthened in prejudice against the truth and the friends or it that have abode faithful to it the prejudice may as far as in him lyes be removed and this his testimony be as publik as his aforesaid book which is the reason of the printing of it and also that it might be a warning to others that either have or hereafter may run into the same Spirit of prejudice and enmity against the truth and those that live in it not to appear so openly and so rashly to accuse us of apostacy while themselves are the apostates For let such know assuredly that tho their pretences may be specious in their own eyes as his were they must come to judgment and it wil one day prove as a load too heavy for them to bear And now thou to whom this may come who hast had or still mayst have desires to be satisfied in our principles and dost incline to the path in when we walk its worthy thy consideration tender Reader how many wayes truths and our adversaries have appeared and that not onely through open but private enemies and how their Charges against us have been directly contrary one to the other One sort of them upbraiding us with holding doctrines not consistant with the Scriptures of truth while other of them being better informed of our principles say they are good but that we are not now the same in principle as at the beginning where as that is onely their ignorance of our principles then Others that have rose up against us from amongst us bearing testimony to our being the same in principle alledge that we are not so in life and conversation Thus I say it 's worthy the honest readers serious consideration how our opposers accusations have been divers as also how that those latter that have gone out from us being as the apostle said not truly of us doe yet generally bear testimony to the truth of our principles in particular to that divine Spirit Grace or Light of Christ Jesus that discovers sin and iniquity and the sufficiency of it so salvation to all that obey it And therefore my advice in these few lines to those that are inquiring after the Lord is Let not these Contradictions and aspersions that we have met with all either from without or from such as for a season have walked among us but through not keeping judgment to the Line have started a side like a broken bow deter thee in thy sincere desires after the Lord but incline thy mind to the divine principle of life in thy selfe which will cleanse thee from that which hath made thee destitute of Gods presence as thou keeps to it and removing that which hath hindred good things from thy soule will give thee a sence of the divine being and keep thee a clean and holy habitation for himself through thy pilgrimage in this Earthly tabernacle untill thou finish thy cours and thy race here be run and thou enter into thy rest and haven of Everlasting blessedness not heeding the occasions which through the wiles of the enemy either in thy self or from others without may be offered thee to return nor regarding those that may fall on the right hand or on the left for offences will come but woe to them by whom they come but blessed are they saith Christ Jesus who are not offended in me that this may be the portion of all whom the Lord hath or may yet visit by his power that is now going forth for the visiting of the nations is my soules desire who tho I have here reprehended that spirit that watches for advantages and there-from takes occasion to Cast stumbling blocks in the way of the simple am far from justifying those that give the occasion of stumbling but do advise all to walk as becomes the Gospell professed by them JOHN FURLY Junior Colchester this 6th Moneth 1680. The TESTIMONY OF ELIZABETH DANKS. c. A True and faithfull warning to all those who have had a Convincement of Gods truth upon their hearts and have received of his blessed refreshings to their soules in often meeting together with the people of the Lord. But the way that leadeth to the kingdome of heaven being a strait and narrow way Oh! there be many that cannot enter through it it is too straight and too narrow for them that rather chuse the broad way that leadeth to everlasting destruction for a little mirth merryment and vaine glory which will stand them in no stead when death seises upon them but will rise up in judgment against them for their disobedience unto the Lord. Therefore all yee who have backslidden from Gods Eternall truth which once yee were made partakers of in some measure Oh!

be awakened be awakened unto righteousness Oh! hast hast with true repentance to meet the Lord before his wrath be kindled against you for your disobedience unto him whom yee have pierced time after time and day after day Oh! all yee who are still turning your backs upon the truth and returning as a dog to the vomit again Oh! be fore-warned what yee are going about to doe If yee forsake the Lord and his truth woe and misery will be your portion no peace will yee have wheresoever yee flee the judgments of the righteous God will pursue you These things can I declare unto them to be true for this was my Condition once after I for sooke the Lord and cast Truth behind my back as a thing of nought Oh! then I could have no peace no true rest could I have wheresoever I became The Lord pursued me night and day which even brake my heart and there was an earnest crye entred my heart The spirit of the Lord will not alwayes strive with man and woman Oh! then I began to Consider how often the Lord in his everlasting loving kindness had strove with me and I said in my heart surely this is the last striving the Lord will have with me Therefore if yee will hear his voice harden not your hearts but incline your ear hearken dilligently and be truly obedient to the Lord and your soules shall live and not dye Oh righteous God! Thy loving kindness hath been large unto me thy tender bowels of Love and Compassion were towards and over me in that long night of darkness where I wandred long as one weary and heavy laden and where to get rest I knew not untill the Lord God in his own due time visited me with a sore visitation of sickness in which he brought me even to the brink of the grave and to the Eye of reason not like to live Oh when death was set in order before me and my slighting of Gods truth which I once witnessed and lived in came over me Oh! then was my heart broken unto the Lord and these were my Cryes unto him Oh righteous God! if it be thy will mix thy judgments with mercy and spare me if it be thy will that I may live to thy glory and praise forever and evermore that this my so re visitation may work my everlasting salvation and tend to thy glory and everlasting praises forever and evermore Oh thou righteous god who in thy everlasting loving kindness hast plucked me as a brand out of the fire and hast set my face Sion wards againe Oh! living praises be unto thee thou righteous one O●… thy Love and tenderness there is no end I have great cause to declare it amongst you for I have received it in a large measure He hath brough● me unto a dying daily unto enmity and a living unto righteousness where I find a quiet habitation through true obedience unto the Lor● in whatsoever he maketh known unto me and herein have I peace with the Lord. Oh! all yee that are backslidden from Gods Eternall truth consider what yee are doing If yee goe on in rebellion and cast reproof behind your backs woe and misery will be your end i● yee repent not with speed Remember the spirit of the Lord will not alwayes strive with man and woman therefore if yee love and render the good of your own soules and your everlasting welfare with the Lord return return unto him whom yee have forsaken with your heart continually bowed before him Friends these things opened unto me in the time of my affliction that if he raised me again I should be faithfull in what he had made known unto me and now the Lord hath laid it upon me to hast it forth that all may be fore warned of their backsliding from the L●●d before the day of their Everlasting destruction overtake them for then it will be too late ELIZABETH DANKS. Written in the 6 Moneth 1680. The Testimony of JOHN DANKS. Here is a weary wanderer in the wilderness who by hearing the voice of him that Cryes behind this is the way walk in it is returned home into his tent where by still and quiet waiting upon his God the Lord has shewn and set in order before him the by-paths and mis-steps which he has troden ever since the day he returned his Captivity and brought him out of the house of bondage and set his face towards the Land of rest OH my friends I am constrained to declare of the great loving kindness and long-sufferance of the forbearance and patience of my God towards me ever since the day that I was convinced of the Eternall truth of God which he has manifested in this our age and generation who by his faithfull servant and messenger Iames Parnell turned my mind from darkness to Light which Light discoverd unto me the wofull state and condition that I was in as to God-wards which when I saw it I was filld with horror and anguish and the righteous God set up his just judgments in me which took such sure hold that I could neither drink nor eat nor talk nor sleep nor walk in quiet but all was for judgment that ever I did Sorrow compast me round in sorrow I layd down at night and in the morning I rose up in sorrow and this never ceased untill it had broke my will to pieces and subdued and brought under my evill affections and so brought me to wayt upon God in the measure of Light made manifest in me in the true silence of my spirit And thus the Lord by his judgments wrought a good reformation in me and redeemed me from my vaine conversation and then a secret hope of Eternall life was begotten in me and a love towards the Lord and his people sprang up in my heart with a great pitty towards those which were without which were strangers in their minds to God And when any of the servants of the Lord declared the truth of God Oh! what earnest desires would arise in me that some such might be reached and be brought to a sence of their Conditions and it was my joy to see the prosperity of the truth both within and without and thus the Lord by his judgments brought me near to himself tho once afar off and here my afflicted soule found some joy and comfort and here was some reconciliation with God Oh happy and blessed day Oh Lord let the remembrance thereof never more depart from me till the day of my death But through disobedience I soon lost my condition For my evill inclinations sprang up again and I being careless and from off my watch my will broke out and my old adversary the devill soon catched hold on me and led me into by-paths and into dark holes and Corners of the earth and upon the hills and mountaines of imagination untill I was bewildred and I went I knew not whither stumbling and falling sometimes on the right hand and