Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	saviour_n	spirit_n	worship_v	2,314	5	9.2452	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08025	Iacob's ladder consisting of fifteene degrees or ascents to the knowledge of God by the consideration of his creatures and attributes.; De ascensione mentis in Deum per scalas rerum creatorum opusculum. English	Bellarmino, Roberto Francesco Romolo, Saint, 1542-1621.; Isaacson, Henry, 1581-1654, attributed name.; H. I., fl. 1638.; Marshall, William, fl. 1617-1650, engraver.	1638 (1638)	STC 1839.5; ESTC S122555	138,468	472

a resemblance with GOD his Creator that I know not whether a Man may ascend with more facility to the knowledge of GOD any other way then by the consideration of his owne soule And therefore man is inexcusable if he have not knowledge of him seeing he may attaine to it Gods grace assisting without difficulty by knowing his owne soule First then Mans soule is a spirit for so doe the holy Fathers expound those words in Genesis And the LORD formed Man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nosthrils the breath of life and Man became a living soule and that of Tobias Command my spirit to be taken from me and that of the Preacher Then shall the dust returne to the earth as it was and the spirit shall returne to GOD that gave it For although the word spirit agreeth to the wind also of which it is said in the Gospel Spiritus spirat ubi vult The wind bloweth where it listeth and in the Psalmes Spiritus procellarum as S. Ierome Wind and storme as our translation yet without doubt that spirit the wind is a most thinne body which for its great subtilty and raritie doth more imitate and resemble the spirituall nature then any other body But the soule of man is properly a spirit not a body neither is it produced or made of any matter but is immediately created by GOD. And here begins the excellencie of the soule in the resemblance to GOD for GOD is a spirit as our Saviour saith and they which worship him must worship him in spirit and truth But though GOD be a spirit and mans soule be a spirit also yet GOD is a spirit uncreated and the Creator and mans but a spirit created by which it followes that there is a great disproportion betweene the spirit which is the soule and the spirit which is GOD. And in this respect how greatly may the soule rejoyce that it is in the kind of a spirituall substance and so of a higher and more noble nature then heaven or the Starres and againe it should be the more humble and obedient to GOD because it was made of nothing and of it selfe is nothing Againe the soule of man because it is a simple spirit is also immortall for it hath nothing in it from whence it may be divided or severed And in this regard how much may it boast above the soules of bruit animals which die with their bodies and so behold and admire the great excellencie of the creator who is not onely immortall but everlasting For the soule of man sometime was not and came to a being by the onely will of GOD and by the will of the same GOD may againe be reduced to nothing although in it selfe it have no beginning of corruption therfore truly said the Apostle of GOD Who onely hath immortality for he onely cannot be dissolved neither by force chance or ought else because it is his property to be he is life it selfe and the fountaine of being and life Thirdly mans soule is endued with the light of understanding for it is not onely able to know and distinguish of colours tasts smells and sounds heate cold hard soft and other things of the like kind which are plaine to the sences of the body but is able to judge of substantialls and of things singular and universall and knoweth not onely things present but can conjecture at things to come transcends the heavens dives into the deep searches effects from causes and from effects hath recourse to causes Lastly by the eye of the mind it comes to the knowledge of GOD himselfe which dwelleth in inaccessible light and this is the light of which Saint John speakes This was the true light which enlightneth every man that cometh into the World which David calls the light of Gods countenance Of the light of the understanding the same Kingly Prophet saith Be ye not like to horse and mule who have no understanding Certainely this is a great priviledge and dignity of the soule by which man becomes like to GOD and unlike the beasts and by this a man may also conjecture of the excellent sublimity of his cre●●●● for though the soule of man be endued with this light of understanding yet GOD is the light and understanding The so●l● as is said runnes from causes to effects and againe from effects to causes and therby hunts as it were with great labour to attain this knowledge but GOD with one aspect and at the first sight knoweth all things The soule understandeth those things which are so that his knowledge depends upon things GOD by his understanding bringeth to passe that things are so that the existence or being of things depends upon his knowledge The soule doth but conjecture of things to come GOD beholds all things past and to come as perspicuously and plainely as if they were present The soule wants many things to exercise the office of its understanding as the object forme fancie and the like GOD wants nothing for essence it selfe is his all things even his owne essence is his understanding Lastly the soule whi●e it is in the body neither seeth GOD the Angels nor it selfe nor any substance though corporeall properly and is deceived in many things is ignorant in many of many things he hath but an opinion and of few things the true knowledge but GOD is ignorant of nothing thinks nothing is never deceived never erreth All things are naked and opened c. Therefore if Man hath such an opinion and esteemeth so much of his knowledge as that according to the Apostle his knowledge puffe him up how much ought he to admire the knowledge of his Creator to whose if mans be compared it is no knowledge but ignorance There is also another kind of knowledge in the soule of Man which consists not in speculation but in action from whence it cometh that there are so many Bookes of Philosophers which treat if vices and vertues so many Lawes of Princes Lawyers and others so many institutions to acquire the art of living well In which appe●●eth mans admirable light of reason by which alone he differs farre from beasts in excellencie but all this is nothing to the eternall Law which is powerfull in the mind of the Creator from whence as from a most plentifull fountaine all other Lawes flow and are derived for there is one Law giver and Iudge which is GOD as St. Iames tells us He is Truth Justice and Wisedome By whom Kings raigne and Princes decree Iustice So that we shall never find out the Art of living well and happily till we come to the Schoole of CHRIST who is the true and onely Master by whose word and example we shall learne that righteousnesse which exceeds the righteousnes of the Scribes and Pharisees yea and of Philosophers too whose end is love out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and

that no goodnesse is wanting to him but rather ●o great and infinite goodnes and holines as that he may be justly stiled onely good onely holy And therefore it cannot be ●aid that there is faith in GOD a ●heologicall vertue because 〈◊〉 is the evidence of things which are not seene but GOD seeth all things neither may Hope be said to be in GOD for hope is an expectation of things to come and that which is seen is not hope but GOD expecteth nothing because he enjoyeth all things from eternity Repentance for sinne is not in God because God cannot sinne Humility is not in God because this vertue keepeth a man backe least he vainely ascend above himselfe and causeth him to keepe his own station but God hath nothing above himselfe to ascend unto being the most high But most ample love and almost infinite and immense is in God for he loveth himselfe with infinite love because hee onely perfectly knoweth infinite goodnes which is his owne essence he also loveth all his creatures Thou lovest all things which are and hatest nothing that thou hast made saith the Wiseman for God knoweth by his wisedome to sever evill from good that is defect from nature even in Devils and the worst of men and nature hee loves because he made it defect he hateth because he made it not Lastly love is so true in God as that he would be called by that name God is love saith St. Iohn But our love compared with his is most streight and little There are very many things which we love not because we know them not many of those things also which we know we love not because we easily discerne not good from evill in them and we love not many good things well and in that regard with true love because we are evil our selves and rather leane to concupiscence then to love And we love God but with an unperfect love not onely because we love him not so much as his goodnes deservs to which measure or perfection of love the Angels themselves attaine not but also because we love him lesse then we should and lesse also then we might if we would give our selves more carefully and diligently to prayer and meditation This verture of love is accompanied in GOD with many other vertues as with singular magnificence liberality overflowing goodnes humanity patience long suffering more then fatherly gentlenes truth faithfulnes never failing mercy filling heaven and earth most upright justice and impartiall lastly most pure holines and so cleare that the Starres are not cleane in his sight and the Cherubims astonished at it cry Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabaoth Oh that thou wouldst consider this seriously with what feare and trembling wouldst thou performe thy prayers and praises to him But to proceed to the rest The longitude of the divine Justice consists in truth and faithfulnes Of his faithfulnes wee read in diverse places of Scriptures Thy faithfulnes reacheth to the clouds saith the Psalmist and Faithfulnes is the girdle of his reynes saith the Prophet Esay Great is thy faithfulnes saith Jeremy God is faithfull saith the Apostle in diverse places He abide the faithfull and He is faithfull that promised He is faithfull and just saith St. Iohn and King David God is righteous or faithfull in all his waies that is the promises of God pronounced by the mouthes of his Prophets many ages since never shall never were voyd or of no effect but are more sure and stable then heaven and earth for so saith our Saviour Heaven and Earth shall passe but my words shall not passe and It is more easie that Heaven and Earth should passe away then tha● one title of the Law should fall away where our Saviour understands by the Law the truth not onely of his commandements but of his promises for whatsoever God hath commanded are either to be kept or those to be punished that breake them and what he hath promised are established with everlasting stability The word of our God shall stand for ever saith the Prophet Esay and the Apostle God is true and every man a lyar and againe It is impossible for God to lye the reason of which speech is because he can neither be deceived being wisedome nor deceive being goodnesse nor faile being omnipotence But Men although wise good and mighty may be deceived and deceive because they neither know all things nor can performe all things which they can for though they be good when they promise a while after they may become evill and not willing to performe their promises Wherefore if thou be wise put thy confidence in God alone cleave onely to him and cast all thy care on him alone Walke humbly and carefully with God and he wil be carefull of thee take heed that thou offend not his justice and his mercy will ever protect thee neither shalt thou need to feare what the Devill or man can do against thee The altitude or height of Gods Iustice is seene in the retribution of the heavenly reward which hee as supreme Iudge hath prepared for those which live well and godly and we shall soone know what the height of this Iustice is 1 If we compare the Iudge God with men Iudges 2 If we compare reward with reward that is the reward which God gives with that which men usually give 1. Men Iudges and Princes too have many lets or hinderāces from fully rewarding those which serve them For first either they cannot for want of sufficient meanes to reward every ones deserts 2. Or either they know not the merits of their followers or cannot justly value them 3. Or out of the wickednesse and covetousnesse of mind or some other perverse affection they will not duely reward them which deserve 4. or lastly either they which should give or they which should receive their rewards are prevented by death from giving or taking But God gives to all good men not onely according to their desers but above them for what more meane desert can be imagined then to give a cup of cold water to a thirsty soule yet GOD hath promised that this small worke of mercy shall not loose its reward and the largenesse of the reward S. Luke describeth Good measure pressed downe shaken together 1 Nor is there any danger that GOD will not be of ability to performe with us being Lord of all things and can by a word speaking increase and multiply all things infinitely 2 Neither is it to be feared that GOD should be deceived in the number or value of our deserts being the most wise and all things lying open to his eyes and he searching the reynes and hear●s of his well doing servants and understands with what minde intent fervor and diligence they have done any thing 3 Neither may any suspect that GOD hath any evill meaning to defraude his poore servants and children of