Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	seek_v	spirit_n	worship_v	7,034	5	9.8542	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94353	Elijah's mantle: or, The remaines of that late worthy and faithful servant of Jesus Christ, Mr. John Tillinghast. Viz. I. The conformity of a saint to the will of God. On Act. 21.14. II. The will of God and Christ concerning sinners. On Gal. 1.4. III. No condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. On Rom. 8.1. IV. Christs love to his owne. On Joh. 13.1. V. True gospel humiliation. On Zach. 12.10. VI. The most effectual means to kill and subdue sin. On 1 Joh. 2.2 VII. The advocateship of Jesus Christ, a great ground of saints comfort and support under sins and infirmities. On 1 Joh. 2.2. VIII. The only way for saints to be delivered from the errors and evils of the times. On 1 Tim. 6.11. IX. Of the Old Covenant, from Gal. 4.30. being so farre as the author had proceeded, in a treatise of the two covenants, before his death. Published by his owne notes.	Tillinghast, John, 1604-1655.; Manning, John, d. 1694.	1658 (1658)	Wing T1172; Thomason E1557_1; ESTC R203796	263,858	498

in it making that the maine laying the stresse of their whole religion there Now I desire this may bee considered of us all that the maine Gospel-walking is the Spirit and though I am to walk in outward formes so farre as they are of Christs institution and to use them yet the maine of Christian Gospel religion lyes not so much in the outward forme as in the inward spiritual worship Therefore Paul speaking of Gospel-worship makes in principally to consist in this as Rom. 1.9 For God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his Son c. and Chap. 2.28 29. For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter whose praise is not of men but of God and Phil. 3.3 For wee are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit and rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh and so Christ himself opposing the Legal and Gospel worship Joh. 4.21 22 23 24. shewes us that Gospel worship is chiefly and mainly worship in spirit Jesus saith unto her Woman beleeve mee the hour cometh when yee shall neither in this mountaine nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father yee worship yee know not what we know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews But the hour cometh and now is when the true Worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth And therefore in Psam 45. which is a Prophesie of the Church of the New Testament it is said that the Kings daughter is all glorious within shewing us that the Saints of the New Testament their glory should be chiefly in inward graces This is the difference betwixt Old Testament worship and New Testament in the time of the Old Testament their worship did lye mostly in outward things outward observations of times and places c. the inward worship it was vailed under the outward So in the New Testament the maine worship is inward worship in spirit and the outward in many things seems to be vailed under that yet as then the outward worship did not exclude the inward but the inward was required and without in the outward was nothing so now the inward worship doth not exclude the outward but the outward is also required and where it may bee performed and is not I may say without it the inward is little or nothing as to Gods acceptance thereof Therefore I say let us not put too much in the outward forme though were are not to despise it yet let us not put too much therein Quest But when may a man be said to put too much in an outward forme Ans 1. When a mans whole religion lies in that when a man hath nothing to shew him to be religious or to make him so but some outward forme Many there are which goe with some outward forme upon their backs and doe but strip them of this their garment and they have no more Religion than the most irreligious man living they have nothing to shew them to be religious or to difference them from other men who have no religion at all but live without God in the world save only this they are in such an outward way or they doe now and then performe such an outward duty take them out of their way and from their duty and they have no more religion than a Horse all their religion it lies in the outside they have as little in their heart though they seeme to have much on their backs as any other men And indeed it is a very usual thing with many persons who faine would be rellgious and love to be so accounted and have no stock within to trade with to drive on a trade for a while as long as they can in this way Now I say when all a mans religion lyes in the outward forme it is evident such a one puts too much in it Thus it was with the Jews in Christs and the Apostles times their whole religion lay in this that they were the Sons of Abrcham and circumcised c. but see what Paul saith to them Rom. 2.28 29. For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God 2 When a mans love and charity is bounded up within the line of his own form or the way hee is in or opinion hee holds When a man hath no charity to spare for any but those that jump with him in his own way or opinion or if hee have charity for them yet because they do not fully accord with him in every thing hee can allow them but a little of his love or of the exercise of this his charity I have known some my self who have been so high against baptising of Infants that their charity would not allow that man one grain of grace who could not set his seal presently to this their opinion I speak not this to throw dirt in the faces of any but only to shew how that some men there are who put too much in Forms Paul undoubtedly you will all grant it had as much cause to bee confident of the truth of those Ordinances and Traditions hee delivered to the Churches as any man now living hath of his own way or opinion and yet hee had so much charity as to allow him to bee a brother which did not come up to his Traditions 2 Thess 3.14 15. And if any man obey not our word by this Epistle note that man and have no company with him that he may be ashamed yet count him not as an enemy but admonish him as a brother 3 When a man is so addicted to his owne way or forme that he cannot with patience hear what in a way of Christian love or humility is or may be said against it I speak of such things as are disputable where godly men have somewhat to say pro and con as we say now when a man is so set upon some outward forme that hee walks in or hath taken up as that hee cannot without flying out and shewing much passion much of man hear a word against any thing or principle by him taken up it argues hee puts too much in that outward forme though he may be in the right as to the thing yet this argues him to put too much in it Thus the Jews in the two and twentieth of the Acts they gave Paul audience till he came to those words Depart for I will send thee farre hence unto the

Gentiles and they gave him audience unto this word and then lift up their voyces and said away with such a fellow from the earth for it is not fit that hee should live vers 21.22 This because it did derogate from their outward priviledges and their way of a National Church that now the Gospel should goe from them unto the Gentiles they can bear no longer but passionately cry out Away with such a fellow from the earth for it is not fit that he should live 4 When a mans glorying and boasting lyes chiefly in that when a man makes this the great matter of his glorying and boasting that hee is in such or such a way as many poor souls will do they boast of this that they are for or of such a way of those that hold such an opinion c. When a man makes any outward thing the matter of his glorying hee puts too much in that This Paul would not do and therefore when the false Apostles made a glorying in outward things as Circumcision c. hee saith Gal. 6.14 God forbid that I should glory save in the crosse of the Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world is crucified to mee and I unto the world hee makes spiritual things as the Cross of Christ the Death of Christ and his being crucified with Christ and dying with Christ and that in opposition to outward things as Circumcision c. which the false Apostles gloried in the only matter of his glory shewing us that when we make our greatest boast and glorying of outward things we put too much in those things and also that the great glorying of a Christian should bee in inward things his being crucified with Christ being like Christ c. Yea such glorying in outward things hee calls a glorying after the Flesh 2 Cor. 11.18 Seeing that many glory after the flesh I will glory also the best of outward things when we come to glory in these and make our boast of these our glorying and boasting will be found but a carnal fleshly boasting 5 When a man likes that truth which otherwise he loves the worse because it comes not to him fully in his owne way it argues he puts too much in that outward way As suppose two godly men deliver the same Truth one in an Independent as they say the other a Presbyter and put the case I were a Presbyter I dislike the Truth because it is an Independent one of another way speaks it another is an Independent hee dislikes because a Presbyter speaks it both these shew that they put too much in their owne way because they love the Truth which only is to be loved and embraced for it self the better or the worse because it comes in or out of their way Truth was truth in Apollos his mouth and Aquila and Priscilla heard him when hee preached in the Synagogue yet it is said that hee knew only the Baptisme of John and had but a dark and confused not a perfect knowledge in the way of the Lord till afterwards Aquila and Priscilla took him and expounded the way of God to him more perfectly Acts 24.25 26. From which instance I conclude this that a man may and it was the practise of Primitive Saints to hear those who were not Members of visible Churches but strangers to them if so be the things they taught were truth for Aquila and Priscilla Church-members hear Apollo who was either a stranger to them and if so then it was an use to hear strangers of it known to them which is most likely hee was not till afterwards then did they know that hee knew only the Baptisme of John and was not clear as yet in his principles for the way of the Lord and yet they heard him Vse 5. Then you which are Gospel Saints follow the Spirit the mistakes of the Saints doe not arise from the want of the Spirit to teach them and guide them so much as from their not observing the way of the Spirit and following of it Saints have the Spirit promised to teach and lead them but they do not follow their Leader and hence grow all those mistakes and errours that are in Beleevers from their not following their Leader Had wee but so much heavenly wisdome and grace as observe the goings of the Spirit and to follow him in his owne way or path we should not misse the will of God so frequently as wee doe seldome doth a Saint mistake but he shall finde if he doe but look back where his mistake began that there he did cease to follow his Leader either he did turne aside to pride curiosity or somewhat which he should not have done and there the Spirit which before sensibly went along with him left him so that he went about groping after that truth which before he saw by another inward secret light only by the light of his owne reason and natural understanding so that sometimes a Soul which is taught by the Spirit can say here and here I left to follow my Leader and ever since I have been in the dark whilst I went along humbly seeking after truth and the will of God as God should make out the same to me I saw thingsclear and with much evidence and inward light things were made out to me but at such a time I remember after I had got a little light into such a truth I grew proud and self-conceited and wanton with what I had attained and there I sensibly found the Spirit left me and ever since I have been seeking after that truth but have not had that inward light to direct me nor than evidence nor clearness concerning the things I have found out as before I had Quest But how shall I come to this to follow the Spirit Answ 1. Observe when the Spirit of God goes before thee either in the discoverie of any truth or helping thee in any thing that concerns thy practise sometimes the Spirit of God goes so manifestly with a Beleever either in the helping of him in the knowledge of some truth or performance of some duty that a Beleever can say Now I know of a truth that the Spirit of God is with me and here and here he hath helped me Hee beholds himself to see things with another light than at other times he hath done and such a light as though hee would give a world for the same yet can he not attaint it when hee would and he feels himself to bee helped and assisted by another strength so as that he can say I know now I have light from the Spirit and strength from it the Spirit of God is with mee goes before me hitherto it hath helped me Now observe such times as these are when the Spirit of God goes before thee Quest But put the case the Spirit of God goes before me and I doe not know the same how shall I come to know it Answ There are three things or three waies by