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	spirit_n	worship_v	6,337	5	9.5072	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40772	The faithfull pastor his sad lamentation over, heart-rending challenge and dreadfull thunders against, sharp reproof of, and seasonnable warning to his apostat-flock. In a letter written by a French minister to those over whom the Holy Ghost had made him an overseer upon their wofull defection, renouncing the faith, and joyning in idolatrous worship. Now carefully translated. Together with a word to mourners in Zion who by grace have kept the faith, to sleepers under the storm, and to the almost Christian; Sad lamentation over, heart-rending challenge and dreadfull thunders against, sharp reproof of, and seasonnable warning to his apostat-flock.		1687 (1687)	Wing F279; ESTC R216409	68,644	59

thô it comply for the benefit of others as there is occasion It allwayes intends well but changes its style according to different conjunctures It comforts at one time it censures and threatens at other times What account then can you give me of your apostasie o people whom I dare not call the people of God since you have been ashamed of his name What injury has God done you wherein has he offended you that you have so easily revolted from his service What have you found in him to deserve the indignity you have done him Have you observed any imperfection in his being or any lye in his Doctrine In a word what have you found in his Covenant worthy of your Disdain Or what have you found in the new Religion you have embraced preferable to the Religion of Jesus Christ and his Apostles If you have wel comprehended the infinite difference there is between Idols and the living of God how could you have revolted from him to throw your selves into the party of Idol-worshippers But perhaps you have not made so great an improvement in the Gospell of Christ as to understand all the depth of its mysteries but tho for the time you have been instructed you might have attained to perfection yet you continue in the state of Infancy Never the less you have at least Learn'd the first principles of Christ and that is enough to render you inexcusable and stop your mouth in the presence of God when he shall reveal the secrets of our hearts and bring to light the hidden things of darkness You knew enough then when you sinned as to forsee the greatness of your fall You have Learned that God will be worshipped in Spirit and in truth that he gives not his Glory to another that the will not hold the guilty innocent that Idolatry is an open declaration of warr against him and that in the Scripture-phrase its idolatry to hate God as also that to honour images with veneration and to fall down before them is to hate him What is it then that hath engaged you in an interest so contrary to his holy Will as to embrace a profane superstitious and idolatrous worship where the Creature is set up in ye place of God where human traditions make void the Commandments of God where it is not God who doth reign over the heart but man that tyrannizeth over the Conscience You have learned that God is great holy powerfull and glorious Cloathed with light and Majesty why then have you entred into a communion where he is other wayes represented to you Where they adore a God of their own making whom they carry and shut up in a Box whom they break in pieces and eat Have you so learned Christ in the Gospell is this the truth according to Godliness which he has revealed You have promised to worship God which you cannot do till the seed grow up which you have sown in your fields a God which cannot be without the Priest and whom the Priest cannot make untill the Baker has prepared the matter for him a God that owes his Divinity to the intention and word of a man who cannot be God untill it please the Priest to make him so as Tertullian said of the Heathen Gods whom they consecrated by Humane authority Lastly a God that can preserve his Divinity no longer than the consecrated matter lasteth Speak your Conscience Have you thus Learned Christ Has this Mystery any thing in common with the mistery of Godliness Has the Doctrine of the Gospell taught you that you are redeemed by a Saviour which the Priest can make and unmake at his pleasure How oft have you heard with indignation the words of the Israelites who cryed out in honor of the golden Calf Behold thy God who brought thee out of the Land of Egypt And therefore how oft have you condemned your sin before you committed it There is no difference between you and the blinded Israelites You have promised to take for your Saviour the Bread which the Priest pretends to transubstantiate And tho you cry not Behold thy God as often as you see it in the streets or in the Churches the worship at least that you have promised to give it is what belongs only to the true Saviour all the steps you are obliged to make all the acts of your publick profession cry louder then the Israelites that you acknowledge this new made God for him who saved you out of the Spiritual Egypt You have learnt in the Gospell the nature and excellency of the Sacrifice of Christ (a) Hebr. 10. who by one only oblation has perfected for ever those that are sanctified the infinite price whereof (b) Heb. 9. has parchased for you an eternal Redemption You have learned that God suffers not any Rivall of his Glory nor our saviour any in the work of our salvation How then could you swear to make saints Angels Sharers of your Religion I know not how you understand it but I am sure if you invocate the Creatures you must necessarily acknowledg them either for Gods of an inferior Order to whom you have promised to give a proportionable adoration or for Intercessors by whom you hope to attaine of God the success of your prayers Choose which of them you please the Crime of invocating them is the same For either you have promised to have more Gods then one which is to rob the true God of that service you ow him which is to adore no other but him alone or you give to Christ Companions of Mediation and of his priestly Office whereof Intercession is anessentiall part which is to rob Christ of his saveing Offices that are incommunicable The frivolous distinctions of the Church of Rome are only good to ignorant and wavering men But God is not put off with such miserable Shifts which may as well justifie the most abominable worship of the Pagans as the idolatries of the Religion you have imbraced God in whose sight the most secret things are naked and open will not own a Religion to be true because its Idolatry is masqued with some frivolous distinctions and these absurd excuses are not a shield strong enough to bear of his vengeance and Curse from those who put any part of their trust and confidence in Creatures Have not you yet learned in the word of God the aversion he has to Images and Idols How then could you promise to serve those that are adored in Popish Churches Could you beleive they are not Idols because the Doctors of that Church affect rather to call them Images as if the Changing the name of things were to Change their natares Or thinke you that the hommage payed them in that impure Religion is not to adore them because its Guides who are ashamed of their own worship dare not confess that they give them true adoration But can they deny that they salute them serve them and fall down before them Is not

giving the least token of Repentance What and do you yet expect to recover yourselves How long will ye put off your conversion that is so necessary Who promised you that the patience of God would not be wearied out with your delayes but would attend your leasure Come out of Babylon my People too much estranged from God! Come out of Babylon that you may draw neer unto him If you will not do it for fear of her sins do it at least for fear of being partakers of her plagues You have time to escape seing vengeance is not yet begun but you cannot avoid it except you seperate from that impure Church on whom the justice of God who is the Protector of Truth is ready to be revealed You know there is a kind of wilfull sin after having received the knowledge of the Truth that is never pardoned a sin for which there remains no more sacrifice a sin that leaves no issue to sinners but a fearfull looking for of judgment and of fire which will consume without mercy I will not say that yours is of this nature I think and hope better things of you I would a wake your Consciences by just fears but I would not sound a mortall alarme to you I would grieve you but not put you into despaire Happy I if I could work in you a sorrow that conduceth to your salvation I would then bless the severity of my complaints I would rejoice to have made you sorrowfull not because you sorrowed but because your sorrow wrought Repentance in you Therefore I will not say that the sin that you have committed against God is that sin for which there is no remission I will only say they do not much differ Nor shall I aggravate your Crime tho I say there is but one step between you and death You have sinned against truth after you had handled the word of life and were enlightned with the knowledge of God Your sin is accompanyed with such circumstances as give ground to beleive you sinned wilfully and deliberately against the dictates of your mind and the motions of your heart Would you know if there be any ground to hope for pardon It is easily known there is one Character that distinguisheth the unpardonable sin from all others It is impossible for those that commit it to recover by repentance Repent therefor and you may be assured your sin has not yet proceeded to so dreadfull a degree but repent quickly I have already told you that Repentance delayed grows every day more difficult and if the freshness of your sin be not enough to strike you with horror and remorse you will come to it more uneasily when sin is rendred familiar to you by a long continued practice (a) Cypr. Ep. ad Pompon You must carefully with draw your ship from dangerous places lest it split against the shelves and rocks you must quickly save your goods from burning before the threatning fire reach them It is impossible to be secure if you remaine long on the frontiers of danger It had been glorious for you to have continued Stedfast and not to have given to your enemies the joy of vanquishing your faith But every one has not the courage to overcome by heroick actions it is necessary therefore for those that have stumbled and fallen in the way to the Heavenly Kingdom to recover and establish themselves by repentance Tho the Crown be properly for those that run the race without falling yet there remains praise and honour to those who rise by repentance (b) Cypr. Ep. 55. ad Cornel. The first degree of happiness is without doubt not to sin but the second is to acknowledge the fault amend And the second doth not so much differ from the first when the amendment is not delayed We do not find in other persecutions that all those who fell continued in their defection they very oft recovered before they departed from the presence of their Judges The faithfull of Lions gloryed that those whom fear struck down were raised with honour and returned to the Combat with renewed courage Bibliade a woman who denyed thorow weakness and whom the Devil thought he was already sure of regained her courage in the midst of her Torments and Confessed she was a Christian many others guilty of the same sin were restored with her Those who had already escaped death and were restored to their life and liberty by the Orders of the Emperours who then as it is now in use recompensed Cowardize and punished Constancy who were exposed in publick to be absolved of the reproach of being Christians those I say recovered their first zeal and made open Confession of the name of Christ loving rather to die in the communion of the truth than to enjoy life and liberty as the price of their denying it (c) Cypr. Epist ad Cornel. St. Cyprian congratulating Cotnelius Bishop of Rome for the Constancy of his Church writes thus How many fell who were restored by a glorious Confession and who became more bold and valiant in the battle even by the anguish of repentance It was without doubt a great joy to that faithfull Bishop to see his Church imitat his zeal who was so far from seeing it diminish'd by the defection of its children that he saw it encreased by the publick Conversion of those who had faln in the former persecution What a glorious spectacle in the eyes of God what joy of the Church in the presence of Christ to see her march to the battle offered by the enemy not souldiers singly but a whole army of generous Confessors You have fallen very short of this example You among whom not one would signalize himself by a single discovery of Constancy But do not add to the singular property of your fall which has been common to all another fault more shamefully singular by continuing in your defection It is enough that you could all fall but it would be a prodigy if in so generall a fall none of you should rise again Repent then and let your Conversion be as generall if possible as your sin You have hitherto had some pretence of not awaking from this sleep of sin The same affrightment that was the cause of your sin has made you persevere in it the same love of your estates that perverted you has detained you in your error the same complyance that made you forget God has deprived you of the courage of reconciling yourselves to God lest you should offend men since that time you have learnt of none who has laboured to bring you back or thought of curing the deep wounds that you pierced your souls with you have not been ashamed of your fall because there was none who reproached you with it But the case is now altered I come to awake you with my cryes and to call you to repentance Take heed that my Labour be not in vaine and that you be not offended with my

that Idol mistaken miscalled Satan serving God dishonouring self destroying SELF keeping still such Court in the heart tho in part renewed and having such power and credit with us while in this state may readily be Intertained and insinuat it self where it is least suspected in our professions religious perfirmances humiliations sufferings for and labours in the Gospel yea and with our Zeale unless we be very humble watchfull circumspect and that dead flie in the apotchecaries oyntment will make it stink what we do for self will not be reckoned as service done to Christ Matt. 16. v. 24. Gal. 6. v. 7 8. hence 9. Be much at home and at the work of self examination be not strangers where ye ought to converse most and with what ye should be best acquainted O Be diligent students in the book of your own hearts and Consciences search after and diligently examine What have been and are your works and way and whatever Business you may slight or neglect forget not seriously to try and examine whether ye be in the faith or not to Commune much with your own hearts bringing your hopes and expectations your profession and persuasion your works walk and way to the touchston of the sancturay the word of God. Psa 4. v. 4. Psal 77. v. 6. 2 Cor. 13. v. 5. 10. Be Nathaniels Christians Indeed abhorring Hypocrisie as the bane of the Cristian profession seek not a name but to get the new name Rev. 2. v. 17. and to have the name of God engraven on thy holy Conversation Rev. 3. v. 12. do not perform religious duties with sound of trumpet Mat. 6. v. 5 17 c. Say not pulchrum est digito monstrari ac dicier hic est Put not on more sail then ye have ballast and set not up a sign at the door for what is not within let not the wind of applause fill the sails if your Course be heaven ward the less dinne and noise ye make your profession will be judged the more fincere and since so many are ready to mock at Religion because of the Hypocrisy of some empty professors with what care should we abstain from all appearance therof that none have occasion to laugh at us for a piping voice affected tone a sullen and austere countenance Artificiall sighs and groans Oh that in such a day so many should desire rather to appear then be and rather to shine then have light O let your sincerity appeare as in your zeal for Gods worship and truth so in your upright and righteous dealing with men and in your civil courteous Kind carriage to wards them I would * Farevvell Serm. p. 157. saith Mr. Watson try a morall man by the duties of the first table and I would try a Professor by the duties of the second table O study to answer your relation and conscientiously to discharge your Relative duties these being the touchston of our sincerity who will account him an honest Christian who is not a good husband parent Child servant neighbour who is not upright in his dealing faithfull in his promises and sincere in his Professions O let none have occasion to say he met with a cheat while he had to do with one who had a name in the Church Joh. 1. v. 47. Rom. 2. v. 21 28 29. 1 Cor. 8. v. 5. hence 11. Beware of a haughty heart and supercilious carriage and doe not exercise thy self in great matters and in things too high for thee above thy reach and without thy Sphere Psa 131. v. 1 2. stretch not your self beyond your line and leap not over the hedge lest a serpent bite you zeale is precious it is a heavenly spark but fire not kept within the chimney may consume the house when we medle with things without our reach and play the Bishops as the word 1 Pet. 4. v. 15. importeth in another mans Diocess as we act without Gods warrant so without his blessing and may fear his hand Ah from whence doth all mischief and confusion Come but from mens pride driving them beyond their line and to act without their Sphere and O what a quiet world should we have † Christ arm part 2. Chap. 2. saith Mr. Gurnal if every thing and person knew and kept its own place and O if they and how many such are there who are guilty herein would ponder what he further writeth concerning such turbulent medlers what thou doest without a call cannot sayeth he be don in faith 2. when thou thus actest thou putest thy self out under Gods protection 3. thou canst have no comfort in suffering for what thou doest without thy Masters call and warrant 4. such as dare go without their Sphere know not by what spirit they are led it must be an erratique spirit that carrieth us out of our place 5. men would consider from what principle their irregular and eccentricall motions must flow viz. 1 Pride 2 discontent with their condition 3. unbelief supposing that God did stand in need of their sinfull and unruly motions to carry on his work 4. blind and misinformed zeale Ah if the eccentricall motions of the time were rightly analized I fear it might be found that much of that which is fathered upon faith and trusting in God and zeal for his glory would be resolved in unbelief impatience carnall policy and self ends 12. Prize and esteem persons and things according to their relation to Christ 1 Cor 2. v. 2. Coloss 3. v. 11. 1. as to persons love for Christ and with BVCER all in whom ye see any thing of Christ tho they be not of your persuasion as to matters controverted among the faithfull 1 Cor. 13 v. 2. and make conscience of these duties towards the Bretheren to which this love doth engage thee v. 4.5 art thou persecuted take heed thou doe not persecute and wound by thy tongue these who are persecuted for Christ Wo to them who add affliction to them who are afflicted for his name by their Censorious and uncharitable speeches and by a tongue set on fire of hell tho under a pretence of zeal for heaven 2. as to things prize his word and prize and own his truth while so many now are ashamed of him and it Buy his truth but sell it not ye know not its worth Prov. 23. v. 23. if ye sell ye will loose on the bargain and repent of your folly chuse suffering rather then sin and to endure hard things rather then to part with this precious pearle but tho ye should prize every truth and make Conscience of every duty on which ye see Christs signet yet Lay out your zeal mainly for what is of most concernment tho ye must not disown or deny any truth yet ye should mainly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints Jud. v. 3. and tho we must not abandon any duty yet we must not with Hypocriticall Pharisees prefer duties of less concernment Matt. 23. v. 23. Be not

from it but by the back door of sin that looketh hell wards do not thou that has not yet resisted unto blood say the worst is past and thus feed thy fancy with hopes of better dayes but tho thy mountain stood as strong as Jobs once seemed to do if with him thou would carry sutably under it with him Job 3. v. 25. forecast and with a fear of vigilancy but not of distrust and dejection provide against it A warned man we say is half armed ask thy soul then what thou wouldst suffer for Christ and if thou darst ‡ Rom 8. v. 35. say shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword seperate me from the Love of Christ or make me deny him and his truth God forbid there are said a worthy Divine none in heaven but Martyrs and doth not our Blessed Lord say the same Mat. 16. v. 24 25. Mat. 10. v. 33 37 39. Mark. 8. v. 38 c. If thou be not ready to part with life and all at Christs call thou cannot be his disciple But thou mayst thus offer up thy self to Christ as Abraham did his Isaac tho he hold the hand of persecutors as he did the hand of Abraham and suffer thee to escape and if there be a ready mind ye need not be discouraged through the apprehension of the greatness of the tryall the cruelty of persecuters c. Or of thy own weakness he will proportionat the burden to thy back and if he lay more on he will give more strength and hath he not told thee what to do when thou findest it heavy And bidden thee cast both it and thy care upon himself promising that he shal sustain thee Psal 55. v. 22. 1 Pet. 5. v. 7. and that he will not suffer that to be tempted above that thou art able but will with c. 1 Cor. 10. v. 13. O said one I cannot burn for Christ but shortly after he was burnt in his shop by an accidentall fire what canst thou not burn for Christ but must for a lust canst thou not for a short while endure burning on earth but wilt rather dwell with everlasting burnings and be a prey to these for ever 27. Put a good construction on providence as knowing and firmly believing that all the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to such as keep his Covenant Psal 25. v. 10. that he is a father when he smites as wel as when he smiles and that tho provoked by the miscarrriages of his Children yet smiteth in love and thus dealeth with them as sons and never taketh the rod in his hand but if need be and alwayes for their good Heb. 12. v. 7 8. 1 Pet. 1. v. 6. hence 28. Let us hope and patiently wait for the salvation of God do not say the dayes are evil and we will neever see it better let us look over our deservings and up to the bowells of our kind father who tho he cause grief yet will have compassion according to the multitude of his Mercies Lam. 3. v. 31 32. hence it is good that a man should hope c. v. 26. the false Prophets of old prophesied of peace and prosperity and thou mayest prove a false Prophet in fortelling evil and adversity the Lord hath a way of soveraignity unsearchable to us and in which he often walked towards his people in their deliverances from the sadest adversity look on Israel in Egypt in Babylon c. And consider what their frame was whither it called for such a Mercy and deliverance as they were tristed with many sleep in the furnace and O what an evidence of stupidity must that be untill the Lord open their eyes by an astonishing deliverance Ezek. 16 v. 61 62 43. O then do not limit the Lord either as to a work of mercy or judgment hence 1 be not secure but provide for a storm a more boisterous storm and hoter surnace yet 2. cast not away your considence but live by faith waiting upon him who hideth his face untill he appear for the comfort of his people standing upon thy watch tower to see what he will say as knowing the vision is for an appointed time and that at the end it will speak and not ly and therfor tho it tarry we should wait for it because it will surely come yea tho to our apprehension it may yet beyond the fit and best time it will not tarry Habb 2. v. 13. Heb. 10. v. 37. Psa 102 v. 13 it ill becometh his Children to be jealous of such a father it cannot but be acceptable to him as to look up to him so to wait for and expect good from him 1. if we make not hast 2. if with submission 3. if in humility and 4. if in a way of obedience and hearkning to his voice and what evil I pray can there be in it if we look to see him appear for our comfort a Job could say tho he slay I will trust Job 13. v. 15. can the case be more sad the provocation greater and the distress more remediless then it lookt to be then while the Lord by his Prophets called his people to hope and wait for his salvation Lam. 3. v. 24 25 26. Mic. 7. v. 78. Hab. 2. v. 1 c. 29. Let me Intreat that under these humbling dispensations ye would carry humbly and o let your deportment sute your Condition as to your garments Is not the Lord to day saying to us what once he said to that people Exod. 33. v. 5. put off thy ornaments c. Ah what a provocation must it be in a day of the Lords wrath and of zions sad distresse to indulge and satisfie a vain airy humour in conforming your selves to the frothy empty prodigalls of the time whose work is to adorn the body scarce minding they have a soul What a sad sight then must it be to behold the exiles for Christ walking in Satans Livery and to see their prodigality levity vanity engraven on their apparell And O how Great is the guiltiness of the preachers of the Gospel if they have not learned of their Master Mat. 11. v. 29 to be meek and lowly in heart and if they be not parterns of humility and Gravity as in their apparell so in their whole deportment abhoring a high look saucy carriage and every thing that might look like an indication of pride and of high and overvaluing thoughts of them selves as they would have their Ministery succesfull seriously considering that PRIDE covetousness profanity in the preacher do most effectually preach up Atheisme and Infidelity in the hearers especially let novices and young preachers take heed they be not lifted up with pride and fall into the condemntion of the Devil 1 Tim. 3. v. 6. Oh what a sad prognostick of wrath is it that this generation yea lately and so quickly in vanity and prodigality especially as to apparell attendants table and adorning of