Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

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

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93362	To the meek and open hearted lambes, and flock of heaven, in meekness of love, with greetings of peace from the seat of infinite mercy; tendered unto and sent to be read among them all, who live in the humble state.	Smith, Humphrey, d. 1663.; Baley, Charles.	1662 (1662)	Wing S4081A; ESTC R214019	7,137	8

To the meek and open hearted Lambes and Flock of Heaven in meekness of Love with Greetings of Peace from the Seat of Infinite Mercy tendered unto and sent to be read among them all who live in the humble State THere was a time of blackness and darkness which covered all flesh and the guilt of sin was upon all consciences and hardness of heart possessed every vessel and the minds of all was a stray from God and their souls in the bonds of iniquity in the day when none was able to deliver his brother O who can utter the distress and the languishing state which the sheep then scattered were in O the secret groanes of the outcasts of Israel which God hath now gathered why should it be forgotten who could pluck their feet then out of the snare or deliver their soul from death had not the Lord in mercy looked down from Heaven surely many had sunk in the pit of misery and never come to see the light of the morning for the which the bowels of the humble yearned in secret and the sights were deep in the sollitary place And then did the Lord in the bowels of his mercy let open his eare and for his own names sake had regard unto the complaint of the poor and needy and he caused light to break out of darkness and truth to spring from its secret hidden place and life to grow up in the midst of death and to break through the powers of darkness and the Lord in his power gave utterance to his servants and messengers and then were the words of his truth as food to the hungry and with much gladness of heart was the sound of the way of life by many received then did love begin to arise in the heart and a tenderness in the bowels and a willingness in the mind and then was a joy like the joy of harvest among the people and many began to invite one another saying come and we will return to the Lord and we will resolve to walk in his paths for ever then was the voice of thanksgiving among the People and the wayes of the Lord became more delightsome then Gold and the footsteps of righteousness more pleasant than all the Treasure in the world O it even melts the heart to remember the dayes that are past and to consider the infinite goodness of him that is the God of the poor and needy then were many made willing to run and to leave their filthy garments behind them even before they well knew how to do it O how loathsome was sin in that day and how wearisome was the land of darkness and how desirable even beyond expression was the unsatisfied thirsting soul after the presence of God could the treasure of the earth then have given peace or could Silver have satisfied the hungry heart or could the choysest love of the most nearest relations have quenched the thirst of the perched ground Surely none but the Lord was then desired yea other lovers became as loathsome and other delights became burthensome to the weary Travellers and all vanities began to vanish as a vapour of smoak and the wind of Heaven was dayly a scattering the chafe and the barren Womb mourned for the quickning life of God who had put it into the hearts of his long afflicted scattered ones to follow him in the wayes of truth and equity and then did the Lord visit such again and again in his loving kindness by his servants whose living words of truth through them did yet more open the understandings and hearts and satisfie the judgements of the humble people in the knowledge of the way to rest and peace in leaving the evil and chusing the good and to walk and come to live therein for ever And then came the time of tryal and exercise when the cross must be taken up to the worlds wayes and also foolish vanities left behind and the needless words no longer used nor that religion continued any longer in which made nothing perfect then did the people gaze and wonder and the relations and the acquaintance stood like as from David afar off and then was every ones greatest enemy with the light found in his own house then did the Tribes of the earth mourn then did the Draggon stretch forth his power then did the doubtings and fears and thoughts and unbelief come roleing in like floods O the straights that many then were in even seeming greater than any before and none but the Lord could deliver so that then the cries were doubled and the secret groanes came on a fresh again and the greater the cries of such were the more they prevailed with him that was to help but with his rod he forced them to submit unto his will by departing out of that which had caused him to frown upon them and by leaving that which had polluted their dwelling and as they began to obey him therein so he began to let forth the smiles of his favour towards them and when they offended again he chastized them sore and scourged them for their negligence and corrected them because they forgot their obedience to his will and as thereby they drew neer unto him he eased the stroak of his Iustice let them tast of his mercy sometimes invited them with love as a father draweth the child and thus he left not working with them and in them by his own secret wisdome and power until he had brought them to be after the desire of his heart that he might delight in them for ever and that they might never more be scattered upon the ba●ren hills nor yet the dark mountains And as obedience in truth and Innocency was willingly yeilded to the Lord peace began to take hold and satisfaction got some entrance and a little secret hope there was which became as an Ancker to the soul against the stormy time and also in the midst thereof and as Iniquity was departed from so there came into the humble heart some satisfaction from God and some stability in his way of righteousness and then refreshings of life attended the heart in the morning and the water which revieweth the Thirsty began to open it self in the midst of a barren Land and then nothing was more desired then the living upon that food with which the God of heaven doth nourish only his Children which he freely gave and brought down even neer to the Tents of Israel and he caused them to know his statutes and his judgments and he put his perfect Law in the midst of them and his mercy Seat within the Vaile that they might aske Counsel at the living Oracle and he gave them his spirit which all the circumcised of heart do rightly know to be the cheifest good and to this end did he bestow that most pretious gift upon them and gave that spirit of life into them even to guid counsel and direct informe instruct reprove defend and succour them and nourish