Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	service_n	spirit_n	worship_v	1,834	5	8.9813	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47309	The practical believer, or, The articles of the Apostles Creed drawn out to form a true Christian's heart and practice in two parts.	Kettlewell, John, 1653-1695.	1688 (1688)	Wing K380_VARIANT; ESTC R36226	263,804	566

dead I believe in the Holy Ghost the Holy Catholick Church the Communion of Saints the Forgiveness of Sins the Resurrection of the Body and the Life Everlasting Amen Quest. Doth this Creed contain all points of Doctrine necessary to be believed by every Christian Ans. Yes for it was given for a Confession of Faith that should fit Men for Baptism and shew any Person to be a Christian and they had better have made no Rule or Confession of Faith at all than an imperfect one Quest. What do you make the first Article in this Creed Ans. I believe in God the Father Almighty maker of Heaven and Earth Quest. How doth it appear that there is a God Ans. From this vast World that he has made Even as we are unquestionably assured of the Being of a Skilful Architect where we see a stately and well contrived House erected or of a learned Author from an excellent and well-penned Book or of an Ingenious Artificer from a Watch of exact and various Movements or other elaborate and curious piece of Workmanship And this shows us not only that there is a God on whom we and all this created World depend but also that he is most Wise Powerful and Good because the greatest Power Wisdom and Goodness are every where apparent in the contrivance and formation of it For the invisible things of God even his eternal Power and Godhead are clearly seen from the Creation of the World being understood by the things that are made as S. Paul says Rom. ● 20. Quest. Indeed nothing in reason seems more obvious than that all this World must have an Architect and that we and all the things about us which every where spring up and perish could never make our selves and that things of such admirable Order Harmony and Usefulness could not any one and much less all of them be put together by blind and uncontriving chance And therefore methinks this proof of God's Being from the voice of his Works must needs convince all his reasonable Creatures Ans. Yes and ever since the World began so it has There is neither speech nor language where their voice is not heard their ●i●e is gone out through all the earth and their words unto the end of the world Psal. 19. 3 4. On this or other Arguments all People in every Age and Nation believed and acknowledged that there is a God and delivered down that Belief to those who followed them And therefore no Person can ever oppose this and pretend to reason since thereby he sets up himself against all People of every place and time and against what passed for the plainest and most uncontestable Principle of humane reason ever since there was any such thing So that if therein he has reason he has it to himself alone and all the present World besides yea and all Ages too that went before him had none Quest. What things are we to know and believe concerning God Ans. First His God-head and Divine Attributes Secondly His Providence Quest. There is nothing in all Religion more necessary or useful for us than to have a right apprehension of Almighty God. Is he like any thing which we behold with our Eyes or feel with our Hands or discern by any Bodily Senses Ans. No in Scripture indeed he is said to have Ears and Eyes and Hands and Feet But therein as the Jewish Rabbins say the Law speaks of God with the Tongue of the Children of Men. And we are to understand not that he has any such parts but only that he has as full perceptions and performs the same things as we do by them The invisible God whom no man hath seen or can see 1 Tim. 6. 16. is a Spirit says our Saviour John 4. 24. And this must teach us in all our Services which we pay to him never to think of putting him off with outward Shows Gifts and Ceremonies but to be inwardly affected in all we do or say and always to offer him our Hearts and Spirits For he being a Spirit must be worshipped as Christ said in spirit and in truth John 4. 24. And moreover never to make any Bodily Images and representations of him or fancy to give him Worship and Honour by them since a pure unbodied Spirit is not represented but belyed not honoured but debased by any such thing Ye saw no manner of similitude of God when he came and spake to you said Moses to the Jews therefore take good heed left ye corrupt your selves in making any of him Deut. 4. 15 16. And thou shalt not make to thee any likeness of any thing either in Heaven or Earth to bow down to them said the Law Exod. 20. 4 5. Quest. But although we cannot see him with our Eyes yet we may apprehend several things of him in our minds And one you say is his God-head what mean you by that Ans. His Sovereignty or being the Supreme Being that depends on none and that all other things depend upon Particularly Men who were at first made by him and still absolutely depend on him In him we live move and have our being Act. 17. 28. Quest. If he depends on none he must be an eternal Being which never had beginning Ans. Yes because there was nothing before him to give beginning to him So that if he had not been from all Eternity he could never have been at all Quest. And if all things else but especially all Men do absolutely depend on him that will make all careful to serve and please him and found Religion Ans. Undoubtedly so it should And where it is not only believed but seriously laid to heart so it will. Quest. What are the Divine Attributes or Properties of God which will show us how he stands affected and what will please him Ans. He is all Holiness Goodness Justice Faithfulness Wisdom Almighty every where present and can never change Quest. What is meant by God's Natural Purity and Holiness Ans. His absolute exemption from all sin in himself and his perfect aversation and immutable hatred of it in all others He can take no pleasure in wickedness he hates all workers of iniquity and therefore evil shall not dwell with him Psal. 5. 4 5. Quest. If this be his unalterable Nature he can never be reconciled to Mens sins nor take delight in any Man whilst he goes on to be a sinner Ans. No as soon may we hope to bring Light and Darkness Snow and Fire to dwell together So far is he from living with it that he cannot endure to look upon iniquity Habak 1. 13. Quest. Since God's Holiness bespeaks such absolute abhorrence of all vice and wickedness I see it implies something more than barely his affectation of External Decency or his hatred to be treated rudely and unmannerly Ans. Yes so it doth It implies that too For God's Holiness often notes his supereminent Power and Greatness And to use this peerless Majesty or any things

all sin be in the World God's Holiness and I may add his Goodness too are not to be charged as if they had not abundantly done their part but only the obstinacy of Mens own perverse wills which are not to be forced and will not be dissuaded from it by all that can be fitly and reasonably offered to them And therefore it may still be most justly said of God as the Scripture doth What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it Isaiah 5. 4. The Lord is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance 2 Pet. 3. 9. As I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but had rather that the wicked man would turn from his way and live Ezek. 33. 11. Quest. Another of God's Attributes you mentioned is his Goodness Is God's Goodness an undistinguishing Indulgence that lights promiscuously on all Persons Ans. No 't is a Wise and Holy Goodness that respects qualifications 'T is the Goodness of a just God not of a fond Man and so is prone to all tenderness that is consistent with Wise and Holy Ends and Governing Justice But tenderness and indulgence to ill things and for ill purposes and effects is not goodness but dotage Quest. So that God's Goodness doth not bespeak such tenderness as relents at the very sight of all miserable objects Ans. No when Love and Kindness have been finally abused by them affronted Goodness gives way to inflamed Justice and can see Men smart and suffer without being grieved for them Quest. Then we must not fancy God's Mercy is such an effeminate softness and fond pity as starts at the thoughts of any severity though most wholesome and necessary Ans. No it is Mercy to the Penitent and Pitiable but can well bear to see tormenting Cures wrought on diseased and straying offenders or Vengeance executed on obdurate Criminals Quest. Neither is his Goodness such easiness as will be won or wearied out purely by the confidence in requests and meer importunity of obdurate sinners Ans. No this good and easie God can be inflexible to any impious or unreasonable request And if they have been deaf to him in his time of calling he will shew himself Just as well as Good and requite them in their own kind and be deaf to them in theirs yea when the extremity of their distress makes them cry to him with utmost importunity and loudness When their fear comes says he as desolation to lay all waste and destruction as a whirlwind to sweep all before it then though they call and seek me early will I instead of relenting laugh and mock at their calamity Prov. 1. 26 27 c. Quest. But when this Goodness puts such difference between Objects is it as some fancy a blind and partial benevolence that fixes by chance or humour on some and when once it is fixed heaps all favours and sees no faults in them Ans. No by no means God's Goodness is not guided as fond Man 's often is by blind fancy but always by highest discretion He is infinite in Goodness but yet so as at the same time to be equal in Justice and Wisdom too So that he will do good to all that have not incapacitated themselves by their own fault but to none against just and wise reason Quest. By this it seems this good God has not more love of any Persons as they are his Creatures or Favorites than as they are endowed with certain qualifications And that his hatred is stronger against sin than his Love is for any Favorite or created Being Ans. Yes he never loves an evil work out of favour to the workers but as the Scripture often tells us he hates the workers for the sake of their evil works So that no Persons must ever fancy they are such Favorites of God that he will tolerate them in any wickedness Or that having once fixed his Love upon them or made Decrees in their favour he will not see sin in them nor impute it to them nor hate them for such things as are most hateful to him in others Quest. If it is none of these things what is it we are to understand by God's Goodness Ans. His perfect delight in doing good Which I shall note especially in two things viz. his forwardness in rewarding good Services and his great Patience and Easiness in passing over offences Quest. Is he mindful of his Servants and careful to reward all their good Services Ans. Yes and that he would have all Men undoubtedly to think by him that so they may be encouraged to serve him For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him Heb. 11. 6. Quest. Is he also Patient and Merciful upon their Offences as well as Bountiful upon their good Services Ans. Yes when they repent and turn from them For he proclaims himself long-suffering keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin Exod. 34. 6 7. He shows wonderful Patience in bearing with the sins of Men and Mercy in pardoning when they truly repent of them Quest. And is not this Mercy some incouragement to those who go on in their sins Ans. No because as I said he will have Mercy on those only who repent of them His long-suffering with sinners is only to give them time and lead them to repentance Rom. 2. 4. And his forgiving them is only when they do repent For even there where he proclaims his Mercy he declares he will by no means clear the guilty Exod. 34. 7. If we are impenitent to the last there is no expectation of Mercy to forgive but of Justice to punish us Quest. You say God shows this Goodness in bountifully rewarding good Services Doth he not also show the same in estimating what Services are good and fit to be rewarded by him Ans. Yes as far as is consistent with truth and reason He is by no means captious or exceptious like one that studied to find faults and make the worst of our performances Nor stiff and rigid in standing upon the extremities of things but is ready to make all fair abatements and allowances which are reasonably and justly pleadable in our case as I shall have occasion to observe afterwards Quest. What mean you by God's Justice or Righteousness Ans. His doing Right and Equity both first in giving Righteous Laws and secondly in passing Righteous Judgments according to them without respect of Persons Quest. Is God Righteous as a Law-giver in imposing only just and Righteous Laws Ans. Yes The Gods of the Gentiles indeed which S. Paul says were Devils injoyned their Worshippers the most sinful foul and cruel things They served Bacchus in the Idol-Feasts called the Bacchanals and other of their Deities with Revellings and Drunkenness and Profligate Uncleanness and so S. Peter says whilst they wrought the will of the