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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	kindness_n	lord_n	love_a	1,686	5	9.5041	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A22481	A commentarie vpon the epistle of Saint Paule to Philemon VVherein, the Apostle handling a meane and low subiect, intreating for a fraudulent and fugitiue seruant, mounteth aloft vnto God, and deliuereth sundry high misteries of true religion, and the practise of duties œconomicall. Politicall. Ecclesiasticall. As of persecution for righteousnesse sake. ... And of the force and fruit of the ministery. Mouing all the ministers of the Gospell, to a diligent labouring in the spirituall haruest ... Written by William Attersoll, minister of the word of God, at Isfield in Suffex.	Attersoll, William, d. 1640.	1612 (1612)	STC 890; ESTC S106848	821,054	582

Doctrine 4. True religion must be openly confessed professed Heereby wee learne that faith and the fruits thereof must be openly professed True Religion must not onely bee inwardly beleeued and in the heart acknowledged but must outwardly be confessed and professed in the world before men We see this in Daniell and the three Children hee was cast into the Lyons den they into the hot fiery furnace because they thought it not sufficient to worship God closely and secretly in their hearts but publickly declared what God they serued and what religion they embraced The Apostle writing to the Hebrewes calleth Christ Iesus a Heb. 3 1. 10 23. 13 15. the High-Priest of our profession that is of the trueth which we professe and beleeue And afterward he saith Let vs keep the profession of our faith without wuuering And againe Let vs by him offer the sacrifice of praise alwaies to God that is the fruite of the lippes which confesse his name This duty of acknowledging and confessing the truth haue all the seruants of God practised made conscience of from the beginning giuing witnesse to God his truth When the Apostles were conuented before the counsel they did not hide their faith but said b Acts 4 8. 19 20. 5 30. Ye Rulers of the people and elders of Israell forasmuch as we this day are examined of the good deede done to the impotent man to wit by what meanes he is made whole be it known vnto you all and to al the people of Israell that by the Name of Iesus Christ of Nazareth whome yee haue crucified whom God raysed againe from the dead euen by him dooth this man stand heere before you whole And when they were charged to ho de their peace and to speake or teach no more in the Name of Iesus they aunsweared Whether it bee right in the sight of GOD to obey you rather then GOD iudge ye for wee cannot but speake the thinges which wee haue seene and heard The Apostle Paule vseth this boldnesse of speech before Felix c Acts 24 14 15. I confesse vnto thee that after the way which they call Heresie so worship I the God of my Fathers beleeuing all thinges which are written in the Law and in the Prophets c. And as the Apostle himselfe practised this dutie so Timothy is commended and praised by him for the same d 1 Tim. 6 12 13. Fight the good fight of Faith lay holde of eternall life whereunto thou art also called and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses wherein also hee followed the steppes and example of Iesus Christ which vnder Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession All these as a clowd of witnesses serue to confirme vs in the assured truth of this doctrine that God requireth this duty of vs to confesse his word boldly to manifest our faith openly to shew our Religion publickely that so wee may confesse before the Lord his louing kindnesse and his wonderfull works before the sons of men Reason 1. And howsoeuer these Testimonies may serue and suffice for the strengthning thereof yet it shall appeare more plain and euident vnto vs if we waigh the Reasons First the profession of our faith hath a great promise of a rich reward ioyned with it and added vnto it and the starting backe from it as a deceitful bow hath a sore threatning of a grieuous curse following after it It is that which our Sauiour teacheth his Disciples whom he sent out as Sheepe among Wolues and foretelleth them of afflictions and persecutions that should be raised against them e Math. 10 32 23. Marke 8 38. Luke 9 26. 12 8. Whosoeuer shall confesse me before men him will I confesse also before my Father which is in Heauen and whosoeuer shall denie me before men him will I also denie before my Father which is in Heauen It is an hard matter to stand when the storme falleth and to confesse Christ in time of daunger when persecuters arise and enemies shewe themselues but the earnest consideration of this that Christ will confesse vs in the glorie of his Father and before the Angels of God will be a forcible meanes and motiue to put life and courage into vs to enable vs and perswade vs to this practise For what can be more right and reasonable and stand better with the Lawe of equity then that the seruant should not feare to professe what Maister hee serueth who will know him and confesse him when he is entred into his glory If a Prince should come to a man among a great company and single him out by name if he should acknowledge him among a thousand others and speake kindly vnto him it woulde encourage him to liue and die in his quarrell euen so seeing Christ Iesus the sonne of God and the heire of al● things will at the last day do vs this honour to confesse vs to be his owne children and giue vnto vs the Crowne of glory how should we bee stirred vp in loue to him againe and strengthned in the inward man to waxe bold in the faith and feruent in spirite to giue out a cleare Testimonie before all the worlde whose Seruants wee are and in all troubles to cleaue vnto him with full purpose of heart On the other side wee must bee terrifyed from denying him least hee bee ashamed of vs and denie vs before his Father which is in Heauen Reason 2. Secondly confession is a necessary fruit and consequent of faith where true Faith is in the hart there wil follow confession with the mouth This is it which the Prophet speaketh in his owne experience f Psal 116 10. I beleeued therefore did I speake for I was sore troubled This is made a note of Faith what it beleeueth it speaketh albeit the confession of the truth be accompanied with daunger And least any should imagine this to be peculiar to the Prophet not common to others the Apostle draweth it likewise vnto himselfe g 2 Cor. 4 13. Because wee haue the same spirit of faith according as it is written I beleeued and therefore haue I spoken We also beleeue and therefore speake He that is afraid to confesse Christ hath no true faith but he that beleeueth in him will not be ashamed of him and his Gospell Reason 3. Thirdly the Faith of Christes true Religion is a most glorious thing containing in it the great praise and glory of Gods wisedome power mercie and righteousnesse and it deliuereth the matter of mans saluation and eternall happinesse This was it that mooued the Apostle to preach the Gospell freely and boldly h Rom. 1 16. I am not ashamed of the Gospell of Christ for it is the power of God vnto saluation to euery one that beleeueth to the Iew first and also to the Grecian Seeing therefore Christ hath promised to confesse vs before his Father seeing faith is manifested and shewed by

the truth but to haue our harts and affections sanctified to follow it It behoueth therefore not to rest our selues satisfied with generall notions but so to ensue after them as that we make speciall application of thē Dauid in general knew that Adultery was euill Noah knew that drunkennesse was beastly Peter knew the denying of his Maister was fearefull yet in the brunt of tentation though the minde had knowledge of it the affections would not refuse it but yeelded as a Cittie besiedged by an enemy Fourthly the Apostle putteth Philemon in minde that seeing there was so neere a coniunction between them twaine that they were become as it were one man and had one minde in two bodies it followeth that whatsoeuer was ioyned to one of them ought of necessity to bee ioyned to the other Whereby we see that such as are our friends ought to be also the friends of our friends that is of those that are ioyned vnto vs. Philemon was the friend of Paule and therefore if Onesimus were the friend of one he must needes be the friend of the other Paule and Philemon were as two Brethren if then Onesimus were the Brother of Paule he ought also to be accounted the Brother of Philemon and therefore he would haue him receiued as himselfe It is no true friendshippe when one taketh profession to loue another man and yet hateth him which is his cheefest and dearest friend for if indeede we loued him we would for his sake loue the other that loueth him This we see in the couenant made with Abraham n Iam. 2 23. who is called The friend of God whereby it appeareth o Gen. 12 3. that the Lord promised to be a friend to his friends and an enemy to his enemies Fiftly in the amplification of the conclusion he addeth As my selfe thereby shewing that he would haue him regarded no otherwise then himselfe Whereby we learne that our loue to the Brethren ought not to be in word or in tongue or in shew but in deed in truth and in hart This is Christian loue this was in Christ toward vs and this should be in all of vs one toward another 1. Iohn 3 18. Rom. 12 9. 1 Pet. 4 8. These particular obseruations and sundry others might be stood vpon and farther enlarged but I haue only pointed them out and will leaue them to your farther consideration I wil onely stand vpon the Doctrines that are more principally intended and more particularly purposed which consist in the strength of the reason and in the truth of the words in themselues considered If thou account our things common receiue him as my selfe This reason is drawne from the working cause Where to moue Philemon to graunt his petition he alleadgeth the communion that was betweene them If I bee partaker with thee and thou with mee of the common benefites so that the same thing which is mine is thine and the same thinges which are thine I may account mine thou being my Friend canst not deny to loue and receiue him that is my Friend Indeede if we had onely a priuate respect vnto our selues so that my things were mine owne and not thine and thy things were thine owne and not mine thou mightest deny me my request but seeing thou art another my selfe and deare vnto me as mine owne soule it is a forcible reason to stirre thee vp both to heare and graunt that which I desire and request of thee Doctrine 1. The consideration of the cōmunion one with another ought to moue vs to regard one another From hence we learne that the consideration of the mutuall coniunction that we haue one with another giueth vs an interest one in another and ought greatly to moue vs to heare and regard each other So then the acknowledgement of our communion ought to stirre vs vp to haue such a care one of another that nothing requested vpon good ground should be denyed This is it which the Father of the faithfull calleth vnto Lots remembrance p Gene. 13 8. Actes 7 26 Let not vs striue for we are Brethren So dealeth Moses toward the Israelites he shewed himselfe vnto them as they stroue and would haue set them at one againe saying Sirs ye are Brethren why doe yee wrong one to another The Apostle telleth the Ephesians that they were as one Body and one Spirit they had all one Faith and Baptisme and hope of saluation q Ephe. 4 3 4. and thereupon perswadeth with them to endeuour to keep the vnitie of the Spirit in the Bond of peace Thus he teacheth the Corinthians r 1 Cor. 12 13 By one spirit we are all baptized into one body whether we be Iewes or Grecians whether we be bond or free and haue been all made to drinke into one spirit so that the gifts giuen vnto vs are giuen to profit withall The Apostle Iohn speaketh to this purpose Hereby haue we perceiued loue that he laid downe his life for vs therefore we ought also to lay downe our liues for the Brethren This appeareth in the practise of Christ ſ Iohn 11 11. he said vnto his Disciples Our friend Lazarus sleepeth but I go to wake him vp Where we see he maketh the friendship that was betweene them a motiue to go to Bathania to raise him vp from the dead This is offered also vnto vs in the parable propounded by Christ Which of you shall haue t Luke 11 5. a friend and shall go to him at midnight and say to him Friend lend me three loaues c. declaring thereby that he which hath a friend indeed resteth vpon him and is bold with him in the time of his necessitie Al these places and examples teach vs to be ready to performe all duties of loue and kindnesse one to another seeing there is or ought to be a common fellowship among vs. Reason 1. The reasons of this truth are very plaine and apparant For first of all we haue all of vs one common Father we are al his children we haue one common Maker we are the worke of his hands If then we be so neerely tied so closely linked yoked one to another we ought to haue a great care and respect one of another This is it which Iob considered to moue him to mildnesse toward his Inferiors u Iob 31 15. He that hath made me in the wombe hath he not made him Hath not he alone fashioned vs in the womb Where he sheweth that the Maister and the Seruant haue one and the same Creator so that they are so straightly ioyned together as that they are bound to bee beneficiall one to another To this purpose Salomon saith x Prou. 22 2. The rich and the poore meet together the Lord is the maker of them all that is they liue together in a common fellowship and one standeth in need of another Reason 2. Secondly as we haue one common Father so we haue one head and