Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	know_v	soul_n	spirit_n	3,987	5	5.1512	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28519	A consolatory treatise of the four complexions, that is, an instruction in the time of temptation for a sad and assaulted heart shewing where-from sadness naturally ariseth, and how the assaulting happeneth : hereto are annexed some consolatory speeches exceeding profitable for the assaulted hearts & souls, written ... March 1621 / by the Teutonicall philosopher, Jacob Behmen.; Trost-Schrift von vier Complexionen. English	Böhme, Jakob, 1575-1624.; Hotham, Charles, 1615-1672?	1654 (1654)	Wing B3402; ESTC R19729	29,679	98

damned during the time of this life for the heavenly sign of the Cross remains yet upon which the door of grace standeth wide open The soul shut up in the Melancholy-chamber must likewise carefully preserve herself cleer from covetousness yea with the greatest diligence for it is a thing no less banefull to her than anger For Covetousness is an earthly desire the complexion is also earthly and this chamber being as was said empty and void its desire does naturally attract the earthly substance into its empty mansion and fills it with such dark matter wherein the meer wrath of God with all unrighteousness and falshood lies enclosed with much other evil of the nature of the terrene property which make the complexion being it self an earthly desire yet stronglier and faster tied to the earth than before Upon which earthly matter the soul-feeding with her imagination feeles afterwards upon the awakening of conscience the fierce judgement of God burning in her firy Vehicle who is inflam'd and made hot by that evill fewell of falshood and unrighteousness which covetousness had pil'd up in store Now the poor soul finding herself thus burning in Gods wrath and encompassed only with that vast congeries of that evill earthly matter of falshood and unrighteousness when this fire is still more and more kindled cannot but fall into an excess of doubting and despair of the grace of God Know therefore of a truth That for the Melancholy spirit there is nothing better than to lead a simple retir'd life in a mean condition where there is no temptation to pride and where he live soberly and temperately not having his mind charged with multiplicity of worldly cares which if he be necessitated to sometimes he must begin and end all in the fear of God and constant exercise of prayer which will carry him on with profit thorough all his emploiments For the Melancholy chamber thus prepar'd is an excellent Councellhouse it hath a door open Heaven-ward while it keeps it self in a watchfull posture of sobriety It pierces every whit as deep as the Sanguine but without Gods fear it obtains nothing beyond the shallow comprehension of the natural reason if she stand open and have her nativity in a signe of which ♄ is Lord she layes a foundation of the great mischief which hath plagued mankind almost from the beginning of the world for she builds Babel and all deception to himself and others of that nature to which with her native austerity she gains power and reverence among the sons of men Therefore let a man that is thus complexiond however knowing as he thinks of that he hath in hand attempt nothing without prayer Let him alwayes in the first place commend his heart thoughts mind will and actions into the holy hands of the highest God to be directed by his wisedom to the performance of his good pleasure and pray earnestly that he will be the sole regent in all his desires and undertakings so may the complexion freed from its delusions by the in-dwelling wisedom of God be in his hand a serviceable instrument of much good Without this none thus complexiond can in the publick office perform ought that 's good and well-pleasing to God Of the other three Complexions A generall Looking-glass wherein their severall natures and properties are represented to the discerning eye very briefly describ'd as it was out of the light of Gods grace set before the eyes of my understanding in the Spirit 1. Of the Cholerick THe man that hath his best treasure the noble Soul in habiting in the Cholerick Complexion must above all things exercise himself in humility els he stands in very great danger he must powre this water of humility and meekness into his fire that his noble Image be not therewith inflam'd above measure for she is full of pride severity and sudden anger and is therefore of all men fear'd and highly extoll'd but truly loved by few except the Divine water from heaven viz. The noble humility descend down and incorporate with her fire then doth her fire break forth into a glorious mild and harmless flame which gives light and warmth and attracts to it the affections of all men For this chamber hath a native lustre of its own in it self in the outward nature but is commonly void of mildness and humility except she have Jupiter or Venus Lord of the ascendent of her Nativity Yet hath she invelop'd under Venus his soft mantle her Devill which tortures her day and night with strong temptations to unchastity and I tell it now for a warning that there is great danger in this complexion yea much greater than in the melancholy For here comes the Devill in his Angells visard of light which as the natural proceed of the fire of the complexion tickles the souls with the pleasing sense of her native light whence she growes highminded he represents all things to her imaginations as slightly to be regarded and so she swallows down glibly and without any remorse of conscience all his poysoned baites of sin as swearing cursing light and lascivious talking so that to despite and unhallow the holy Name of God in the soul is a thing usually practis'd in this chamber the wrathful firy essence bears up the minde that it can very hardly especially in a right repentant abstinence sink it self down into a divine temper of true spiritual love and meekness It rather adheres rigidly to its wrathfull principle will subdue all by terror and make all stand in awe of him If withall its nativity happn'd to be in an earthy signe there is then small good that may tend to Gods honour to be naturally hop'd for from this complexion He therfore that hath his pretiousest treasure lockt up in this storehouse had need be very circumspect both over his inward life and outward actions For the poor deluded soul fixes her imagination thereupon and thence rejoycing in the slight comfort of that natural light takes no notice that she hath still her residence in Gods wrath in the hellish fire till either it awaken it self in her or till she come to be bereft of her outward firelustre by the death of this body Then appeares she in her native colours a proud angry Devill and must have her abode in the eternal darkness Therefore is it good for such a soul not to labour to purchase to it self any high degree of worldly power and honour but if in the way of divine providence they fall to her lot then not to please her imagination with reflecting upon the thoughts of her greatness For she hath naturally a proud fire-eye easy to be inflam'd An earnest and humble casting down of herself in prayer before God is her best security This kind of soul is easily by her firy complexion into the false complexion of a triumphant natural joy which she oft mistakes for the lively emanations of Gods Spirit but t is a gross error the approaches of the Spirit

good notice of these words The seed of the Woman shall bruise the Serpents head Canst thou not find it Stay a little and I will light a candle to help thee it stands registred in the same place with Adams fall where immediatly upon the denuntiation of Judgment from Gods wrath upon man followes this sentence of wrath upon thee and of mercy to the fall'n Sons of Adam That the Womans seed should crush thy head This is another receipt will please him no less than the former But if he will not yet be gone but shall still urge Thou art a gross sinner hast purposely committed this or that heinous sin which thou knewst to be an offence yet would still cover the deformities with the outward mantle of Gods gace when as the principle of Gods wrath was indeed kindled in thee and that therefore thou art now the Devills propriety Thus by the injections of the Devills imagination is the poor soul oft cast into such affrighting thoughts as these thou hast been a most heinous sinner and for this cause God hath forsaken thee Now will the Devill lay hold on thee and throw thee headlong into the bottomless pit whence she growes exceedingly afraid of him But when he signifies his approach by these his discomforting harbingers take again a fresh courage out of Christs armory against him and say I have yet something for thee Devill in store that may if thou canst use it help thee to thy Angells shape again here take it and say if thou canst the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all our sinns Item the Son of Man is come to seek save that which was lost What wouldst thou give O Devill that God might become man in thee I have always an open door of grace to these saving promises but thou hast not so thou art now as always a liar pack hence thou hast not the least share in me If I be a sinner the guilt is principally thine thou thorough thy deceit wroughtst the sin in me take to thee what 's thine own the sin is thine the suffering and death of Jesus Christ is mine He for this purpose became man that he might free us from the guilt and infection of sin Thou wert he that wrought the sin in me keep it as thy own portion and my Lord Jesus Christ hath wrought in me that righteousness that is accepted with God this I will keep to my self his death and passion for mans sin is mine He died for my sinns that I have committed and is risen up in his righteousness and has receiv'd my soul into his satisfaction Christ is in me and I in him my sin is in thee and thou in Hell Mock him further saying go too thou glorious Angell that couldst not stand one day in Heaven That wast created an Archangell but now boasts thy self of the sin-register the filthy sins of mens transgressions Take thou hang-man my sins into thy beggers wallet art thou now become sins servants carry them to thy masters so shall I be rid of them so will Christs merit only remain with mee Christ hath said My sheep are in mine hand and no man can rend them thouce from me the Father that hath given them me is greater than all How art thou bright Angell turn'd to a drudge to bear about that sack full fraught with sins from a Prince to a base Executioner Get thee hence with thy load of sin and take mine in to make up waight for 't is mens sinns thou hast most need of nor doth ought else belong to thee in my soul thou hast not the least share here I stand devour me if thou canst. But see I have in me a signe or mark viz. the sign of the Cross whereon Jesus strangled sin and death destroy'd Hell and bound up the Devill to remain a prisoner within the Dungeon of Gods wrath-principle eat up this Recipe with the rest and they may perhaps remetamorphose thee into an Angell Suffer not by any means thy thoughts to dispute with him neither be terrified at his presence Let nothing make thee dispair by day or by night he dares do nothing to thee though thou mockst him never so bitterly he giving cause for it otherwise mock him not If the inward anguish or terror of soul be not accompanied with a kinde of outward terrifying astonishment then is the Devill not there present but t is the souls amazement which is affrighted at the inward risings of the dark Abyss or principle of Gods wrath in her She thinks oft when the melancholy complexion is kindled by some angry sour influence of the Starrs that the Devill is there when indeed there is no such matter When he comes 't is either with vehement astonishing terrors or in an Angells behaviour or rather in a flattering posture like a fawning hound If he comes to thee in the dark and skares thee thou being in the dark stir not a foot from thy place she not from him he is not worthy a man should do him that honour Mock him in the dark saying how-now art thou there I thought thou hadst been an Angell of light and dost stand as a theef in those dark lurking holes there had need be provided for thee whoswillest up so greedily the foetid exhalations of sin some other more stinking abode Let this when he ther comes be his entertainmēt but otherwise give him not by causeless provocation any occasion of drawing neer A stout-hearted man that starts not back for all his menaces he doth not lightly assault especially if withall he take courage and mock him for he is proud and would be Lord wheresoever he be so if the man he assaults will not flinch nor give back his ground it much troubles him he will not stay long there and if as most commonly at his departing he leave a stinck behind him then leave the place for that time saying Fie thou stincking hangman how strong thou smellest of thy own dungeon the draught-house smells not so odiously thus repuls'd with scorn he will have small mind to return again in hast with his vapours against the manly soul Entertain as I said no dispute with him in thy mind for he is not worthy the spending an argument upon Fix this one following sentence in thy imagination which will be enough nor shalt thou in the greatest affrightments need more comfort The blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God cleaseth us from all our sins Herein wrap up all thy thoughts let for the time no other issue out of thy heart let the Devill suggest to thy imagination what he will know all what he sayes is a lie but this sentence is a firm truth hold it fast as thine own maugre all his sly suggestions to the contrary Make not provision of many sayings against the assaults of terror he is too subtle for thee steales the first best out of thy heart that thou forgetest or doubtest of it Wrap up thy