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
A42429	A description of the unregenerate and the truly Christian temper or state in a sermon preach'd before the University of Cambridge, on commencement Sunday, in the forenoon, June 30, 1700 / by John Gaskarth ...	Gaskarth, John, d. 1732.	1700 (1700)	Wing G286; ESTC R10111	23,817	34

John 14.17 Now when we have arriv'd at this as I may say Science of God thro' our honest Compliance with the first Motions of Divine Grace as also faithfully pursu'd a Vertuous Attainment in every respect to purchase farther Measures thereof and so have obtain'd in these Heavenly Enlightnings a more convictive Assurance of his infinite Goodness so abundantly exemplify'd to us-ward his Fatherly Providence or care of us here and the everlasting Joys the Rewards he has prepar'd for our Christian Obedience after this frail State is ended when by this means we have arriv'd at these more enlarg'd notices of God and more fully discover'd that he is Love we must needs be induc'd these certain Conclusions laid up in our Minds cannot but have a prevailing Efficacy on Humane Liberty to a more vigorous and earnest Endeavour of a Gospel-Holiness if it were only in Gratitude to our great Benefactor that we should not offend him and not a means of our own Bliss which Gospel-Holiness will ever draw down more plentiful Influxes of the blessed Comforter the Spirit of Truth into our Minds in the same degree that it self is and ever augment this Science of God a Gospel-Knowledge and Vertue or Piety being mutual Causes of one another Let us now observe what attends this Christian Habit how it recompences Men for their Pious Diligence their Honest Labours in acquiring it what its happy Effects are And when our Actions answer the true bent the first inclination stampt on our Souls are under the direction of free Reason and the more plentifully display'd Beams of the Spirit when our Behaviour is thus govern'd in all respects how secure shall we be from every thing that can interrupt our Happiness whether the Disturbances that always accompany a sinful Instance in any particular a pursuance of sensual Affection too far or Diseases of Body or Remorses of Mind that immediately follow the sinful Instance or will not long stay behind especially this latter and worse sort that at least will awaken in another World if perchance thro' the deceitfulness of sin they be stifl'd here when being stript of all sensitive Delights we shall have nothing to afford never so little interruption to them But we shall not only be thus negatively happy by this means but as far as our Natures are Purify'd and Capable enjoy all the positive Degrees of Happiness every sensual Extravagancy repress'd every Allurement or Temptation repell'd founds a Satisfaction much above what results from our shameful Compliance with it which will be no momentary transient Business but ever endure and be a comfortable Reflection in our Minds The subjecting of our inferiour Natures and the government of our selves according to our best our reasonable Faculties and the holy Spirit influencing these must needs afford us the most pleasurable Resentment one of the chiefest the truest Happiness belonging to Men. But when these best Faculties of ours in the light of Grace are determin'd on their proper their most suitable Object viz. God towards which they can never move with too much Transport what a Theatre of Heavenly Thoughts will this offer to them or they be then furnish'd withal such as answer our Natures and can satisfie all the Capacities of our Souls and which will ever entertain them with fresh wonders while they are fixt on a perfection that has no bounds and can never be comprehended by created Beings And as to the quiet enjoyment of our Lives these farther Discoveries into this vast Ocean where there is still an infinite Prospect or Sight beyond viz. God how will they establish our Affiance in him render us secure in our dependence on him not only advance a resign'd temper or submission in our Spirits with regard to his sundry Methods with us but a chearful Obedience to his hardest Precepts tho' we should not discern the Reasons of either the one or the other because being then more fully persuaded of his both immense Wisdom and Goodness we shall be certain that he can order nothing in our behalf but with relation to our true advantage our chiefest good And with reference to Prayer the indispensable Duty of our sort of Creatures so frail so indigent as we are these clearer and farther notices of God can only support a true Devotion enable us to pray with a due Attention considering his awful his tremendous Majesty and for Blessings in general without determining him or particularizing upon him which always proceeds from some unsubdu'd Carnal-Affections that are ever most eager for their proper Gratifications such as we should continually be restrain'd from and so these will place us indifferent as we should be in the disposals of Heaven the special distributions of the Divine Foresight with respect to any of us that God sees most convenient for us or our present state most requires As these enlarg'd Evidences of God will abundantly satisfie us that whatever he does in our private Concerns every particular Dispensation of his to us-ward is determin'd from Goodness and the kind working of a Fatherly Love So they alone can furnish us with the Reasons of Thankfulness at all times and beget that pious habit in our Souls Now these assur'd Doctrines of a Soveraign Being which can only be advanc'd from a due conquest of the Fleshly Affections and the freedom of Reason especially imploying it self on the Inspir'd Writings and the more liberal the less hindr'd Influences of Divine Grace by that means seeing the natural and proper Effects of the love and benignity of our Heavenly Father are again open'd and let loose towards sinful Men thro' Christ Jesus these assur'd Doctrines of a Soveraign Being what grounds of undisturb'd Contentment and Happiness must they be in every state of this present Pilgrimage 't will be impossible that any Events should discompose us when we are firmly possess'd of these several Articles of Faith in God But then still farther as we more put forth these proper Duties of Faith in him Prayer Affiance Resignation and the like we form our selves more into his Image or Similitude and become more capable of his pure Emanations the only true Light and Wisdom proceeding from him and he actually too displays these more in our Minds that we shall apprehend and know thro' them that is with respect to the reveal'd Truths which only are of true concernment to us much above the reach of our own Faculties or what they could attain in their best state by any Improvements they are capable of these reveal'd Truths being the most important Objects of our Knowledge will appear more evident and brighter to our Souls in the Beams of the Spirit more plentifully diffus'd or acting upon them when by means at least of some degree of a suitable frame a more advanc'd Gospel Temper there is less Impediment to those Heavenly Shinings Whence our principal Thoughts our main Desires the Themes of our Converse the delights we take in the Society of our Brethren will

being fully deliver'd by such Miraculous Testimony as cannot reasonably be deny'd so that those who will not be induc'd in the exercise of their Freedom to study this Revelation which God be thanked he has given us in Writing and observe or practice the Terms of their Happiness it proposes can never certainly be prevail'd upon by any other Courses that Heaven can design nor do I mean that this Spirit should dictate words to People which perhaps he never did either to Prophets or Apostles only presenting a Scheme of Divine Truths to their Minds but leaving the Language to themselves to be express'd according to their different ways of Education and the prevailing Temper in them as we may observe their Figures and Stile ever answer'd these I say I do not mean that the Spirit should dictate words to People enable them to speak even the known Doctrines or Rules of the Gospel after an Extempore manner which would supersede their own Faculties and probably be an occasion of their Neglects in Heavenly Knowledge as it would greatly administer to Spiritual Pride and Contempt of others both which we may see the example of in a sort of Men among us that only conceit these things of themselves But my meaning is that the Spirit communicates such Light and Grace such clearer Informations of all saving Truths with respect to the Understanding such stronger Motives towards the rectifying of the Will upon our compliance with the means afforded us our due perusal of the Sacred Volumes the Dictates of this Spirit our honest Endeavours in the ways of Godliness according to the Precepts deliver'd in those Volumes as will secure us from any dangerous Error in point of Doctrine and enable us against all our evil Affections for every Vertue of a Christian Life we ever obediently following his Guidance and comporting with him This I mean by the larger Gifts of the holy Spirit in a Gospel-state that being dispens'd on our due Concourse with his first Motions a Vertuous Temper by that means after some measure obtain'd in our Minds they are only in order to our farther attainment of that Temper to afford our infirm lapsed Natures proper Assistances for that end not to operate in fluent Discourses or particular Revelations when we already have a complete Book given forth by this Spirit of our Faith and Practice that is of our whole Duty what God enjoyns us or is requir'd of us in the nature of Things with regard to our eternal Bliss and especially we cannot suppose this holy Inspirer thus to operate after this manner where Men imploy not their main Industry do not diligently Meditate in this Heavenly Book which Moses with respect to the Old Testament commanded his Charge the Israelites to do Night and Day Deut. 6.7.11.19 nor prepare their Minds by a more eminent degree of Gospel-Morals or Holiness of Life as some People who must be Conscious of their Defects in both these Instances unreasonably maintain of themselves and others that they are enabl'd whether to Preach or to Pray and I am apt to think as much without Fore-thought or Study too as the Apostles were And then as to this Doctrine of Habits the establishing the Spiritual Life the Heavenly Felicities and Joys upon them which I all-along here do as I do likewise the more liberal Gifts of the blessed Comforter in our Souls tho' this may not possibly be admitted by all but a pure Obedience not as it any ways disposes us for them accounted the Term of those great Rewards yet this Doctrine I think however it may be rejected plainly appears to be the Import of the Gospel-Law as this is not satisfy'd with outward Performances Opus operatum bare Acts of Obedience but every where condemns such giving them their deserv'd Stile of Hypocrisie when they are alone and requiring a compliance of the reasonable part a reconcilement of the Heart to its several Precepts that these be observ'd or conform'd withal in our very Thoughts which would be quite a needless Discipline unless an inward frame thus attainable were necessary for the Graces our Lord purchased the Joys he proposes And besides our blessed Saviour expresly says he repeats it to us that we must be born again or else we cannot enter into the Kingdom of God John 1.13.3.3 5. that is as he explains it we are to obtain a new Nature quite in opposition to the Desires of Flesh have another Temper advanc'd in our Spirits according to the Mind and Will of God so as that we may be capable of his Heavenly Bliss And the Apostles frequently tell us in Emblematical Phrases with reference to Christ that we must put off the Body of the Sins of the Flesh be altogether dead to them buried with our blessed Redeemer in Baptism when taking upon us his holy Profession we are to renounce those abominable Practices and likewise thro' the Faith of the operation of God his Almighty Power declaring it self in our honest Endeavours We must be raised with him to righteousness of Life Col. 2.12 Rom. 6.3 That we must crucifie the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts whatever proceeds from that evil Principle Gal. 5.24 that we being Dead as Christians should be to these Worldly Enjoyments and our true Life hid with Christ in God we must mortifie the Members of our Unregenerate Man which are set upon the Earth Earthly Interests or Pleasures there recounted by that Apostle Col. 3.3 5. This old Man we are injoyn'd again to put off which is corrupt according to the deceitful Lusts and to put on the new Man which after God is created in Righteousness and true Holiness Eph. 4.22 24. Col. 3.9 10. we must be transform'd by the renewing of our Minds Rom. 12.2 All which places being so many Testimonies of the holy Spirit besides the plain Assertion of our Saviour evidently set forth that 't is something beyond a mere Obedience which duly distinguishing may be accounted the Effect thereof where sincerely perform'd from just Motives viz. a Habit of Piety as our Minds are recover'd from the Affections of Body a Spiritualiz'd Temper with such sort of Appetites or Desires in it that disposes Men for their eternal Bliss not the pure Instances of Obedience only which may possibly be perform'd even habitually too thro' a kind of Mechanism or for sinister Purposes without any amendment of Spirit or reformation in the Soul the sensual Nature with its proper Offspring still being the reigning Principle in such Persons And the Apostle expresly confirms this that it must be a Habit of Christian Purity a Triumph or Mastery over the Desires of Flesh that founds the Disposition for our true Happiness declaring likewise that an Indulgence of these lower Appetites is the Genuine Cause of our eternal Sufferings the fruitful Parent or Seed-plot of our Miseries whence they naturally spring To be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and Peace And again if ye live