Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A33502
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A salutation to the suffering-seed of God wherein the things are declared and signified before-hand that must shortly come to pass / by Josiah Coale.
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Coale, Josiah, 1632?-1668.
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1663
(1663)
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Wing C4755; ESTC R26611
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7,144
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12
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to be read in their Assemblies in the Lord's fear POSTSCRIPT ANd Friends not in any wise to forsake the assembling of your selves together in as much as you know the exceeding benefit you have received thereby and you know full well that it was the usual practice of the servants of God by whom you were begotten into the Truth and instructed therein of whom some remains amongst you unto this day and some are fallen asleep I say it was their usual manner to exhort you and to stir you up to that obedience of assembling your selves together And when did you meet together to wait upon God and your hearts kept stayed upon him but that you received your expected end Wherefore let the remembrance of these things encourage you to continue in this well-doing while you have a being and liberty so to do And though there were such in ages past whose manner was to forsake the assembling of themselves together and some such there are at this day also Yet my Friends let not them be your example to walk by but every one to walk as you had and have them for examples amongst you who begat you into the truth and by whom the Way of Life hath been made known unto you be ye followers of them even as they were are of Christ For this my Friends I say unto you There are some sprung up amongst us who have in effect laboured to disswade Friends from their usual way and manner of meeting and assembling together with whose Spirit and proceedings therein we have not unity but must in the Spirit of Christ Jesus the Lamb of God give testimony against them and forewarn you not to receive that Spirit which goeth about to divert you from your usual way and manner of assembling together in which you have had the comfort of the presence of the Lord and received the Justification of Life and thereby your growth hath been much added unto So that certainly my Friends that Spirit which would turn you aside from this godly practise of assembling together is a dangerous spirit and is not of God whatsoever it pretend or though it cover it self with never so fair expressions Wherefore my dear Friends have Salt within you to savour withal and keep your first Love and your first Faith through which you received life eternal and hold fast your first simplicity and your former integrity and gad not abroad to change your ways but meet together in the Name and Fear of the Lord as your wonted manner hath been so shall you find the presence of God with you in your Assemblies as in the days past and his wonted goodness and love you will feel which will warm your hearts and refresh your souls by which you will be kept living unto him and a good savour and be to the praise of his Name who is God over all blessed for ever J. C. After the writing hareof this following Paper came to my hands which I judge very seasonable to publish herewith To all that believe in Christ YE that believe in Christ Jesus the Light of the World and are convinced of the way of God's Truth and know it by his Light in your own Consciences continue all of you in this Faith and be stedfast in it all your days and let there be no neglect in any of you of meeting together but approve your hearts to God to his people in this thing of assembling your selves together to wait upon the Lord for it is his will thus to do and it is according to the example of the Saints in former days and it is according to our practice who are the first fruits to God and to the Lamb in this last age and by the Spirit of the Lord and in the Name and Power of Christ Jesus we have given example therein and instruction and exhortation thereunto again and again even that all that believe in Jesus and are convinced of his Truth in their Consciences should assemble themselves together once or twice a Week or as the Wisdom of God teacheth for in such practice of so meeting together we have found much of the Lords presence many times refreshing our souls yea many have received of the Lord in their Assemblings together the sence and virtue and peace of the Lord in an unexpressible manner and we can certifie to all that it is the way of the Lord and he is found in it when people are turned to the gift of the Spirit of Christ in them in their Meetings the Lord descendeth amongst them every one being turned to their own then the Lord is near unto them And therefore again and again I exhort all Meet together in the Name of Jesus and you will find the Life Peace and Comfort of Jesus amongst you For if any being convinced and believing and will not assemble themselves together it shews such to be unfaithful negligent and of a careless heart and not regarding the honor of the Lord nor their own peace and amongst the disobedient must such be accounted when the Lord comes to reward every one according to their works And forasmuch as this very thing of our meeting together is become the main concroversie at this day between us and them that would destroy us and out of their envy against God and his People and to destroy the way of his Truth do they contend against us in this case Therefore as ye love the Cause of God and would have it prevail against its Enemies and as ye would not give the wicked one that occasion to say he hath overcomed and as ye would not give God's Cause into his Enemies hand I say unto you neglect not to meet together that the Lord may delight to dwell with you and to reveal the Mysterie of his glory unto you and that the Enemy of his Truth may be overcome both within and without And hereby shall all know you to be the Lord's People and that he hath a people that will serve him above the fear of this World Edward Burroughs THE END
A SALUTATION TO THE Suffering-Seed OF GOD WHEREIN The things are declared and fignified before-hand that must shortly come to pass By a Servant of the Lord Josiah Coale I will send you the Spirit of Truth the Comforter and it shall shew you things to come John 16.13 LONDON Printed for William Warwick 1663. A Salutation to the Suffering-Seed of God c. DEarly beloved Friends Brethren and Sisters Babes Lambs and Children who are of the Election of Grace and of the true Shepherds Fold whom it hath pleased my heavenly Father in his Love Life and Spirit to gather out of the World and to separate from amongst men to be the first fruits unto Him and to the LAMB in this Day of his Power and glorious Appearance and hath manifested his Power and revealed his glorious Arm of Strength in and amongst you and hath made known his blessed sweet refreshing Presence in the midst of you whereby you have been refreshed comforted and strengthened in the midst of many Trials Tribulations and Temptations which have been suffered to come upon you for the trial of your Faith since you were a People unto him you know right well that he hath not been wanting unto you in any state or condition that you have been brought into as you abode faithful unto him And the mighty things which he hath done for you and the great deliverances which he hath brought unto you in the time when you were in great distress surely cannot be forgotten by you but is worthy to be had in everlasting remembrance And the things which you have seen of this kind and the endless loving-kindness of God unto you therein manifested is and I hope will be for ever sufficient to engage you to walk with the Lord in singleness and uprightness of heart that in all tryals of what nature or kind soever that you meet withal for the future time you may hold fast your testimony for him and your Faith and Confidence in him and and be nothing daunted in your minds hearts nor spirits but in all things give up unto the Lord and resign up your Cause unto him alone and he will certainly plead for you in the hearts of your Enemies and they shall assuredly know that his controversie is very great with them for your sakes For he hath regard unto your sufferings and the cryes and deep groans of his oppressed suffering Seed is continually before him and he is near to bring deliverance unto all who in patience and contentedness wait upon him and that trust in him with an upright and with a perfect heart Wherefore I say unto you all my beloved Friends Lambs and Babes of God be patient and therein wait upon God for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh and the day of a great deliverance is at hand wherein lie will do and bring to pass such things which cannot be believed by many though they should be told unto them Therefore murmure not against the Lord in any wise because of these things which are come to pass and happened unto us nor because of the greatness of the rage of the Adversary for it is because he hath but a very short time and though you have born long and suffered much in divers kinds and the oppressive yoke of Antichrist is not yet removed nor taken away yet I say my Friends Fear not nor faint not in your minds but endure to the end in the Faith and Patience of Jesus and when the things determined shall be accomplished and the measure of iniquity shall be filled up then shall the day of a great deliverance come unto you and your eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation the praise of the whole earth And then shall the Lord God Almighty be known to reign in the Kingdoms of Men and his Glory shall spread forth its self to the ends of the world and be declared of throughout all the Nations of the Earth and the Knowledge of God shall cover the Earth as the waters cover the Sea These sayings are faithful and true and things that must shortly come to pass and be fulfilled the Lord hath spoken it and blessed are all they who believe and obey the Word of the Gospel and waits for the fulfilling of these things VVherefore my dear Friends dwell low in God's fear and in his Covenant of Light into which you are gathered and wait to receive his pure Divine Heavenly wisdom to order you and be you ordered thereby and that will keep you out of all extreams so that none will be lifted up above what is meet because of the Promises of God nor yet be cast down because of the threatnings of the Enemy that so you may neither turn aside to the right hand nor to the left but that you may walk on in the even way which is the path of peace and feel the Eternal Life which is of God to remain and abide in you so will you be kept fresh and lively in the beauty of Truth and Holiness and shine as Lights to the World For you are the Salt with which the Earth must be seasoned and with which all things must be salted to make it savory unto God acceptable unto him For as the state of the World is in which they now lie they are unsavoury unto God and not at all a pleasant smell neither hath he any delight in their Sacrifices for even their prayers are abominable unto him and their solemn Assemblies he hath no pleasure in but his soul even loaths and abhors them and he will certainly work a Reformation in the Earth and he will beat down Babylon with a mighty blow and will bring a great desolation upon her amongst her Merchants shall the noise of a great howling be heard and all her delicacies shall come to nought and all her costly attire the works of cunning Workmen shall be consumed for she is come into remembrance before the Lord and as she hath loved blood so must she have blood to drink for the Cup of God's Fury is already filled into the hands of the Saints of the Most High to pour out unto her And as she hath lived deliciously and glorified her self so much torment and sorrow must she have given unto her yea she shall have doubled unto her according to all her works and then shall the Saints Prophets and holy Apostles rejoice over when God shall have avenged us on her And now my beloved Friends this I say unto you in and by the Spirit of the Lord That the time hastens and draweth nigh in which these things must be brought to pass yet nevertheless the things decreed and determined of the Lord must first be accomplished So that although the power of darkness hath been long working and doth still work as it were in a prevalent manner by which sufferings and tribulation are brought upon us yet I say it is by the permission of the hand of the Lord that these