Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	lie_v	speak_v	word_n	3,929	5	4.2262	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40687	A sermon preached at St. Clemens Danes at the funeral of Mr. George Heycock by Thomas Fuller ...	Fuller, Thomas, 1608-1661.	1657 (1657)	Wing F2464; ESTC R6581	11,917	28

Sanctuary Thus Lot notwithstanding the soul fact of Incest committed by him is called a righteous man 2 Pet. 2.8 Men opprobriously taint and term people by the obliquity of one irregular act which with uncharitable tongues is enough to ecclipse yea extinguish the credit of all other graces in him but God doth Denominate and Epithite persons from the rectitude of the general habit of their lives yea by him such shall be reputed accepted received to serve our generation To conclude this point he was a witty man who first taught stones to speak by engraving of Epitaphs upon them But he was wicked man who first taught stones to lie abusing posterity with notorious untruths in flattering Inscriptions on many Monuments but I call malice it self to witness whether the ensuing Epitaph might not with modest truth be ingraved on Davids Sepulchre Here lieth interred the Corpse of him who when living was a dutiful Son a loving Brother a kind Husband a tender Father a faithfull Friend a loyall Subjct a provident Soveraign a gracious Saint in a word one who served his own Generation after the will of God But should I stop here I should not do right to Davids deserts Be it known that besides the serving his own Generation David did and doth serve all Generations in the world as long as time shall last as being the instrumentall Author of the Psalms Far be it from me to make odious comparisons betwixt either persons or things that are eminent or to set difference betwixt Gods Word as once the Disciples fell out amongst themselves which should be the greatest which is the most heavenly part thereof but surely the Psalms are inferiour to no part of the Old Testament The Rabins have a fond conceit that Manna did relish in the mouthes of men as the Eaters thereof did fancy to themselves having the Gust of flesh fish or fowl roast boyl'd or bak'd as the eater thereof did wish or desire I call this a fond conceit as contrary to an express in Scripture Exodus 16.31 wherein the taste thereof is confined to wafers made with honey But this I will boldly say and maintain that the Psalms of David shall relish to an hungry soul as he shall not out of humour and causeless fancy but judiciously desire it Wouldst thou have it taste bitter it shall taste bitter and reprove thee taste sweet it shall taste sweet and comfort thee taste betwixt both bitter-sweet it shall bitter-sweet counsel and advise thee Proceed we now to application It serveth to confute three sorts of people First the covetous who are so far from serving their Generation that they will scarce serve themselves and allow necessaries for their own comfortable subsistence Secondly the voluptuous man who only serveth himself and is good to no other These instead of saying Let us fast and pray say Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die Thirdly the superstitious man who immureth himself in a Cloyster crying his life up for an high piece of holiness burying both his parts and person therein Surely the Church and State he liveth in may justly commence a suit and have an action of debt against him for not repaying them proportionably to his abilities who by his laziness will not serve his Generation Others there are who are so far from serving their Generation That they dis-serve it and do much mischief thereunto either by their bad writings or vicious example Bad writings either scurrilous against modesty or scandalous against charity or blasphemous against piety as either in maintaining erroneous opinions or defending vicious practises such black broods are bad whilest in their nests concealed in the studies of their Authors but well worse when fledg'd and flown abroad into the world so that it is not in the power of the Hen to clock in her own Chickens again and recall what they have composed Secondly they are not only unprofitable but destructive servants to posterity who leave the Copies of bad examples behind them so that they know not when they have done sinning yea it is to be feared that whilst their souls are suffering in a wofull place they still may be sinning here on earth If it be true what * Symmachus saith Author est bonorum sequentium qui bonum relinquit exemplum By the same proportion he that leaveth an ill Precedent is the Father and Founder of all the evil which may ensue thereupon like Ieroboam seldom mentioned in Scripture but with his train sweeping after him the son of Nebat which made Israel to sin God grant that when we die our sins may be buried in our Graves or rather which is a more Christian expression and more conformable to the proportion of Faith that before we die our sins may be buried in Christs grave pardoned and forgiven unto us especially that we leave not behind us ill examples for the poysoning and perverting of such as shall survive us For as it is said of Abel Heb. 11.4 He being dead yet speaketh so is it sadly true of many who are dead and rotten that they still lye curse swear here on earth occasioning the same in others by their wicked patterns and practises they have left behind them Objection But some will plead themselves priviledged and exempted from serving their Generation because of the badness thereof David say they had some comforr in and credit by serving his Generation having for his Time-fellows so many Worthies in all professions Worthy Priests Abimelech Abiathar Zadock worthy Captains Ioab Abishar Benaia the son of Iehejedah worthy States-men Husha Adoniram worthy Prophets Nathan Gad c. Whereas I live in such a Generation that all the bad Epethite in the Old and New Testament may truly be applyed thereunto A stubborn generation a froward generation Psalm 78.8 A rebellious generation a generation that set not their heart aright and whose spirit is not stedfast with God A generation of vipers Mat. 3.7 A faithless generation Mat. 17.17 Whether you take it in Divinity for lack of belief towards God or in Morality for want of truth and trust towards man and who can find in his heart to serve so wicked a generation Some will say further to improve this Objection O that I had been born some years after the persecution in the Reign of Queen Mary that so my threescore and ten years the age of man might have run parallel with the prosperous times of Queen Elizabeth King Iames and King Charls and have determined and expired some years before the beginning of our late civil wars Had my nativity been fixed in that peaceable position O then I would willingly and readily and chearfully and joyfully and thankfully have served my own generation whereas now I have no list and less comfort to do it being condemned to live in so wicked an age made up of the dregs of time the badness whereof is more dangerous then difficult to describe and may with more safety be

to perform Nor must it be forgotten that David was a King in which respect it was proper for him to rule and command his own Generation and yet it is said he served the same Princes are not priviledged by their greatness only to tyranize over others but are accountable to God how well they discharge their duty to all such to whom they are respected Proceed we to see how David served his generation which he did in an eight-fold capacity First as a dutifull son to his Father and Mother 1 Sam. 22.3 And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab and he said unto the King of Moab Let my Father and Mother I pray thee come forth and be with you till I know what God will do for me And he brought them before the King of Moab and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold The case was thus David foresaw that the tempest of Sauls fury would fall full heavy on his Fathers family he soresaw also that though he himself might be alwaies on the wing hunted from place to place as a Patridge on the Mountain yet his aged P●rents could not keep pace with his suddain uncertain unseasonable late and long removeance and therefore as a dutifull son he provided for them a private place of peaceable repose Secondly he served his generation as a very loving Brother witness the dangerous visit which at his Fathers command he gave his Brethren in the Camp when Goliah was in the field victualling them with all necessary provision on the same token that he received nothing for his pains save a jeer from Eliab his eldest brother 1 Sam. 17.28 Why camest thou down hither and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness I know thy pride and the naughtiness of thine heart for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle Thirdly he served his generation as a kind and carefull Husband I will not excuse his Polygamie having many wives at once nor dare I flatly condemn it God conniving thereat in the antient Patriarchs However David cannot be charged with want of love amongst his store of wives Once I confess he made a tart and sharp return to Michal 2 Sam. 6.21 mocking him for dancing before the Ark But was there not a cause when through the sides of David she struck at all true devotion and smartness on such occasion is zeal and no trespass against Marital affection Fourthly he served his generation as a tender Father indeed he faulty it was in the excess being over-indulgent to Absolom and Adonjah whom he never took to task nor called to account 1 Kings 1.6 Why have you done so and seeing he would not use the rod on them God therefore used them as a rod on him such cockering we confess is a catching disease amongst us parents but to give David his due for the main he behaved himself no doubt as a discreet and tender Father to his numerous issue Fifthly he was a fast and faithfull Friend witness the exchange of hearts as well as cloathes which passed betwixt him and Ionathan yea David made a tripartite expression of his affection 1. He loved Ionathan in his life 2. Lamented him at 3. Shewed mercy to him after his death 2 Sam. 9.3 in restoring Mephiboseth to all his lands and making him Fellow-Commoner at his own Table So that we may truly say and justifie the expression There was two men Jonathan and David and it will be made good by the Rules of Amity if any question the phrase in the Rule of Grammer Sixthly he was a loyall Subject whereof he gave two signal testimonies like to find more to admire then to imitate them amongst posterity if any should chance to be estated in his condition with the same advantage For being Reversion'd to the Crown he twice had an opportunity if so pleased to put himself into the present possession thereof Once when he had Saul in the Cave 1 Sam. 24.5 and his heart smot him for being over-bold with Gods annointed though he did but cut off a skirt of his Garment Again 1 Sam. 26.12 when he found Saul asleeping and if so disposed might have left him a sleeping till the sound of the last Trumpet should summon him to awake A surly General walking the Round and finding one of his Centinels asleep nailed him with his spear to the earth and excused his act with this jest whether witty or cruel let others judge Dormientem inveni Dormientem reliqui Sleeping I found him and sleeping I left him David might have done the like especially seeing Abisha not to say Providence impelled him thereunto but would not as having a principle of piety within him which remonstrated against such proceedings Seventhly he was a prudent Soveraign both in peace and war in Court and Camp for the space of full forty years going in and out before the people of Israel whom he ruled prudently with all his might I confess his son Absolom taxed him with neglect of the affairs of State 2 Sam. 15.3 that no man was deputed by him to hear the causes and redress the grievances of his oppressed subjects But what saith our plain proverb Ill will never speaks well And therefore I listen to Absoloms words as to a loud Libell and we should be no less injurious to our own judgements then to Davids innocence in giving credit to a proud ambitious son against an holy and humble Father Eightly and lastly David served his generation as a gracious Saint this was the Diamond of the Ring and I have kept the best wine for the last to close and conclude Davids character therewith He is termed in this Chapter ver. 22. a man after Gods own heart being the best transcript or copy of the best Original Objection But you wittingly and willingly and wilfully will some say have suppressed and concealed a necessary truth because tending to Davids disparagement Saint Paul saith Titus 3.3 that some men serve divers lusts and pleasures and so did David himself He did not serve his generation but his own wicked wantonness when he imbroydered his Adultery with Bathsheba with the Murder of Uriah Answer O not a word not a syllable not a letter not a tittle hereof God hath forgotten it why should man remember it God hath cast it behind his back why should we cast it in the teeth of Davids memory let us never mention it to his disgrace but for our own direction Partly to teach us not to trust in our selves lest we fall into sin partly to comfort us that after sin committed pardon is obtainable on our unfeigned repentance Yea this is a very comfortable consideration That though there be many faults failings and defects in our performances yet if there be sincerity Gospel perfection therein if our hearts be set to seek the Lord God of our Fathers God will be mercifull unto us though we be not purified according to the purification of the