Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	light_n	see_v	spirit_n	4,161	5	5.1950	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86313	A friendly perswation and Christian exhortation to all, who profess the guidance of the spirit of Christ and Christianity, to keep out of false-reports, whisperings, and backbitings which disturbs the peace of the Church, and are the occasion of offences.	Heywood, John.	1684 (1684)	Wing H1756A; ESTC R177982	3,785	1

A FRIENDLY PERSWATION AND Christian Exhortation To all who profess the Guidance of the Spirit of Christ and Christianity to keep out of False-Reports Whisperings and Backbitings which disturbs the Peace of the Church and are the occasion of Offences OFten it hath been on my heart the Consideration of the great Love of God who visited me in my tender Youthful days for then was I earnestly seeking after the Knowledge of God and Life Eternal in solitary Places where I might be alone there did I often Mourn Cry and Travel in the Bitterness and Anguish of my Soul till he appeared who gives relief to the Oppressed and Needy And blessed be the God of Israel who took pity of me in my distressed state and did for the Cry of the Poor and Sighing of the Needy arise in an acceptable day to give my Soul relief from those disquietings and dissatisfactions I was then under while I was amongst the Professors of God in that day Now since Gods blessed day hath dawned and his Arm of Salvation hath reached unto me I can say it hath been a great Care upon my Spirit to keep to that Sure Rock Foundation Habitation and quiet peacable Dwelling which he hath in some measure given me a possession of and an Inheritance in that Eternal Life that is with the Father External praise to his Name for ever Now Friends the intent of this Paper is earnestly to perswade all who profess the Truth to keep out of those very hurtful Evils of Strife Debate and Division that are too commonly agravated and heightned by letting in Jealousie False Reports Whispering and Backbiting This I have seen with grief of Spirit in the light of the Lord hath been the means by which the Enemy the evil Seeds-man the Devil the Common Enemy of mans temporal and eternal Good hath wrought to break that Sweet Unity and Heavenly Conversation amongst Brethren The Apostle Paul in the 1st Romans 29. had a sight of these evils and declares them as his Judgement to be tokens of a deelining and reprobate mind when they did not like to retain God in their knowledge God gave them up to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient being filled with envy murder debate deceit malignity Whispering and Backbiting 1st Whispering Backbiting and False Reports are the common Enemies of Civil and Spiritual Society it hath a Secret and Close way of smiting in the dark and goes about from one to another and privately vents its slander not with an intent to make it less publick it 's a Malitious Enemy this way the Whisperer hath to deliver false reports that thereby he may make them the more believed and spoken of too for that person that receives a false report as a secret from one thinks to please some body else by delivering it as a secret to others also so it passes from one to another till at last it spreads over City Town and Country This thing whoever thou art that is guilty herein proves very injurious to thy Neighbour therefore I earnestly warn all to watch against this growing evil for mark you in more publick Accusations the person grieved may have remedies to clear himself and detect his Adversary but here against the Whisperer there is no possibility of that because the Whisperer and Backbiter smites in the dark and we know not who it is till at length his Whispers break out Ah the Tongue is a little Member but doth much mischief and is used oftentimes as a sword that wounds the reputation of innocent persons by false reports Solomon speaks of it in 18 Proverbs A Whisperer separates Chief Friends 2ly I beg of you to watch against the Whisperer and False Reporter as neither to give way to or to be an encourager of those that come with slanders for they that entertain them give encouragement to them that practise it we have a Proverb in England That if therewere no Receivers there would be no Thieves so if there were none that would give an Ear to Tales there would be no Tale-bearers if we are subject to give too easie credit to them this encourages the Whisperer and Backbiter and so begets an ill opinion of the person which is a great evil to believe ill without a just ground when the Enemy hath thus far gained his end upon any to receive the accusation then the next thing is to report it to others and so become a Companion with the Whisperer and Backbiter and after he hath unjustly withdrawn thy own good opinion of thy Neighbour endeavourest to rob him of that with others also for he that can take delight to hear his Neighbour reproached may well be presumed to give us to believe will not stick to spread the slander Therefore Friends take my Christian Advice to keep in innocency in this matter and not in the least to encourage any that are given to false Reports by which the Sweet Conversation and Unity comes to be broken 3ly This sin of Whispering Backbiting and False Reports is a mischievous Enemy that lessens if not wholly destroys the Credit of man not only in Spiritual things but Natural 1st Consider the thing he is robbed of 2ly The difficulty of making satisfaction a good name is better than Riches a thing to be accounted in great esteem to every innocent man very near to a mans life now the making of Reparation for the injury done in this case of Defamation is very hard nay it seems allmost impossible for mind you when men are possessed with an ill opinion of a man it is no easie matter to remove it out of their minds Therefore these things being considered how wary how careful and how conscientious should we be in this matter how we speak of or give entertainment to such as are Tale-bearers Whisperers and False-reporters that do such great mischiefs to men 4ly In your common conversation or visiting one another keep out of these reports and rather let it be in the love of God stirring up one another to Love and Charity and Good Works according to the gift that is in you that your visits may be in the edifying and building up one another in the most holy faith telling one another of your experiences and what the Lord hath done for our souls who is watering daily his pleasant plants and causing them to grow as fruitful plants to the praise of the good Husbandman and here as we are opened one to another we shall be kept fresh and green and tender in the Love of God here none will be hurt but rather if any are gone out of the way or have slipt to restore such with the spirit of meekness and tenderness this will be far from loading any with scorn and calumny which doth but drive farther from God and from Unity with the Brethren read the 14th Ephes 31 32. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil-speaking be put away from amongst