Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A40937
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A loving salutation with several seasonable exhortations contained in two general epistles sent unto all the saints and persecuted people of God in the houshold [sic] of faith to be red [sic] among them before they be banished as bond-men and bond-women out of the land of their nativity for their religion and righteousness sake.
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R. F. (Richard Farnworth), d. 1666.; Salthouse, Thomas, 1630-1691.
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1665
(1665)
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Wing F491; ESTC R16033
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8,192
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14
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whom these is sent as a Salutation and visible manifestation of my unfeigned love for I am moved and constrained in this day of my confinement to write unto you seeing I cannot verbally declare what is in my heart concerning the great Salvation which hath been spoken of among you and hath appeared unto you that as a worker together with you by way of remembrance I may be instrumental to stir up your pure minds in these perilous times and to provoke you to persevere in that perswasion that cometh of God and in the practise of Christianity now when persecution ariseth because of the Word Dear Friends despise not the day of smal things neither say yee in your hearts that the Lord delayes his coming for the Son of God is come who hath given you an understanding to know the invisible things of him who is the Creator of all things and he hath sown among you that seed which is blessed and greater is he that is in you then he that is in the world and the Light hath shined in your hearts to give unto you the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ Wherefore Friends you that have by the Light of the glorious Gospel received the knowledge of the onely true God glorifie him as God walk as becometh Saints let your Conversation be as becometh the Gospel worship God in the Spirit and in the truth speak often one to another as the Spirit gives you utterance and as you are instructed by the Inspiration of the Almighty and forsake not the Assembling of your selves together as the manner of some is whose love waxeth cold whose folly is made manifest and who goeth out from us because they are not of us with whom the Lord is displeased and by whom the hands of evil doers are strengthed and the mouths of gain-sayers opened who waites for an occasion to speak evil of that way in which we worship the only true God of our Fathers according to the practise of our Predecessors stand fast therefore in the liberty where Jesus Christ hath made you free and grieve not the holy Spirit of promise by which you are sealed unto the day of Redemption and wait to be inwardly refreshed and abundantly satisfied in the true sence and feeling of your invisible Union with the Spirits of just Men made perfect and with the Saints in Light whose Names God hath written in his Book of Remembrance and who are numbred among his Jewels against whom no Weapon that is formed can prosper nor no Inchantment can prevaile and Friends fear not the frowns of them that afflict you for he that commands the Winds sets bounds to the Sea saying hitherto shalt thou pass and no farther and he can restrain the wrath and fury of mortal Man in a moment and turn their hearts as Rivers of Water that his Saints and Servants may dwell in safety from him that puffeth at them for a Sparrow cannot fall to the ground without your Heavenly Fathers permission and surely the least among you is of much more vallue then many sparrows Oh therefore faint not in the day of adversity nor fear none of the things that you must suffer for truth and Righteousness sake but rejoyce rather in as much as you are made partakers of Christs sufferings who for the joy that was set befoâ—e him indured the Cross and despised the shame whose reproaches are greater riches then the treasures of the Kingdomes of this World and the pleasure of sin which is but for a season And dear Friends forget not the wonders which the right hand of the Lord hath brought to pass in order to your deliverance out of the Land of Egypt and the works which he hath wrought for you since the day of your Infancy in the Immortal life and his tender mercies from time to time towards you his little flock hath not he divided the Waters of the Sea and prepared you a high way through the Wilderness and how haâ—h he carried you in his armes and upholden you by the right hand of his Righteousness when you were young and tender and under many temptations and tryals of cruel mockings when you had no certain abiding place nor no City to dwell in when you were set as signes and wonders among your Kinsfolks and former familiers and could not follow the multitude to do evil nor ran with the World into excess of ryot as formerly How hath he fed you with the Milk of the Word and refreshed your Souls with the water of Life from the Wells of Salvation how hath he drawn you as with the cords of a man and brought you into his Banqueting house where his banner over you is love where the light of his Candle hath shined on your heads and his secret upon your Tabernacle Hath not he spread his skirts over you and put beautiful Garments on you and chosen you out of the World and entred into a Covenant with you that you may serve God acceptably in your Generation as a people saved by him and chosen to publish his Name to the Nations who is perfecting his praise out of the mouths of Babes that no flesh may glory in his Presence Oh how hath the Spirit of the Father spoken through many of you who are the weak things of the World in the defence and vindication of truth when called before Rulers and judgment seats where you have been called to confess Christ before Men and to contend for the faith once delivered to the Saints and how often have you seen the arm of the Lord revealed and his hand stretched out for your deliverance out of the dark Dungeons Dens Caves and nasty holes of the earth unto which you have been exposed for your Religion and Righteousness sake in the day of your Pilgrimage upon the Earth Let these experimental Confiderations confirm your confidence and strengthen your faith and patience and provoke you to perseverance in that perswasion which cometh of God And dearly beloved being compassed about with so great a Cloud of witnesses that in former ages and in these last dayes have sustained great sufferings for the name of Christ think it not strange concerning the fiery tryals and persecutions which you do or may endure as if some strange accident or new thing had hapned in your dayes for the tryal of your faith patience and principles is very pretious and all these things are working for you a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory then either eye hath seen or eare hath heard or hath ever entred into the heart of Man to conceive for we know that all things shall work together for good to them that love the Lord Jesus in sincerity and truth And Friends let none think worse of the way in which we worship the only true God of our Fathers because wicked Men desires not the knowledge of it for truth is as precious as ever and the eye of the Lord is over his People in all their Tryals and he is with them in all their Tribulations and in all their afflictions he is afflicted and whosoever toucheth them toucheth the Apple of his Eye and his Eare is attentive to the Cry of the Poor the sighs of the needy and the groanes of the Prisoners and the supplication of the souls under the Alter hath entred within the vaile and the Cry of the Oppressed is come before the God of the whole Earth who will not alwayes keep silence and suffer the rod of the wicked to lye upon the lot of the righteous for it is a righteous thing with the Lord to recompence Tribulation to the Troublers and Persecuters of his People and to you that are troubled rest and peace and refreshment and everlasting consolation when he cometh to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired of all them that know him and let not the Tryal of cruel mocking spoyling of goods bonds nor banishment fright you for the Lord whom you serve is God of the whole Earth and the Angel of his Presence which is with you to guide you and preserve you in the Land of your nativity will be with you in the vast howling Wilderness and in the Islands afar of to direct your steps and to administer unto all you who are heires of eternal salvation such necessary accomodations as is convenient and sutable at all seasons for he feeds the Ravens and cloatheth the Lillies and takes care for Oxen and opens Springs in the Desert where the wild Asses quench their thirst and will he not much more manifest his Fatherly care and kindness unto you who are his peculiar treasure and of more value then the Cattle upon a thousand Hills So Friends manifest your mindfulness o◠〈◊〉 Eternal Inheritance by your faithfulness to the Lord in your â—â—â—blick Testimony whether it be by doing or suffering that whâ—â—â—our Testimony is finished an entrance may be administred unto you into that Eternal Inheritance which fadeth not away Thomas Salthouse White-Lyon Prison Southwark the 3d. Moneth 1665. THE END
A Loving SALUTATION With Several Seasonable Exhortations Contained in two General Epistles Sent unto all The Saints and Persecuted People of God in the houshold of Faith to be red among them before they be banished as Bond-men Bond-women out of the Land of their nativity for their Religion and Righteousness sake Blessed are yee when Men revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsly for my name sake Rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in Heaven for so persecuted they the Prophets that were before you Matthew 5.11 12. They wandred in Sheep Skins and Goat Skins in Desarts in Mountains in Dens and Caves and Holes of the Earth for their God hath prepared for them a City Heb. 11. Printed in the Year 1665. A Loving Salutation c. Dear Friends WHom I dearly love and not I only but the Lord also whose love is largely manifested unto you and whose Fatherly care is over you all dwell together in a spiritual communion that yee may be partakers of the Tree of Life and feed of the hidden Manna come down from Heaven as you sit together at the Table of the Lord who are admitted as well as invited to come unto him who easeth the weary hearted and overcharged in Spirit by giving of his strength unto them to ease them that are both weary and heavy laden for in him the weary finde rest peace and ease who are returned out of the way and spirit of the World and are entred into and entertained of God who filleth the hungry Soul with good things when he sendeth the Rich wise self conceited ones empty away and lets them not tast of his Eternal virtue and sweetness it was David that tasted of the virtue and sweetness of God who was of the Seed of Faith when his heart was fixed upon God then it indited that which was good and meditated upon the Law of God who tasted of the switness of the Eternal Word and power of God and David had received a spirit of Faith or power of believing whereby he gave Testimony to the Truth and bore witness for God for he said I believed and therefore I spake and the Davids of God or true Israelites after the Spirit have declared of the goodness of God which they have tasted of who had tasted how good and gracious the Lord was as now he is unto us who are of the Seed of Election and in their Declarations they related unto David and said of him I believed and therefore I spake and concerning themselves who were of the Seed of Faith they said we having received the same Spirit of Faith as David did receive of the Law we believe and therefore we speak or bare witness for God and it was given them on the behalf of Christ Jesus not only to believe on him but also to suffer for his Names sake and so it s now given to us the true Spiritual Israelites who are of the Seed of Abraham which is the Seed of Faith who have received the Spirit of Faith or power of believing to carry us forth to give Testimony to the Truth and speak on the behalf of the Lord not only to believe on Christ Jesus but also to suffer for Righteousness sake and as none can believe to Salvation but they who are of the seed of Faith which is the seed of Election to whom the Spirit of Faith is given so none can stand in a trying time to endure to the end in every trial that attendeth them under a suffering condition but them to whom eternal life is given for it s given to them that suffer to whom the spirit of Faith is given so that the seed of faith is attended with sufferings for the seed of Faith is that which doth the will of God with delight and therefore God grants unto it the desire of its heart and it endureth for ever because they who are of the seed of faith are they that do the will of God power is given unto them to do or to suffer according to his good wiâ—l and pleasure and they are known to be of the seed of Faith and Christs true and loving friends because they abide in his Spirit love one another and obey his commands and because they who are of the seed of Election which is the seed â—f Faith do receive the spirit of faith to believe on Christ and be obedient unto him therefore are they attended with a suffering condition and such are the sheep of Christ who are of the seed of faith and he giveth to them eternal life which is a mark of Christ set upon his sheep or character that they shall never perish Oh my dear Friends who are of the seed of Abraham after the Spirit you have received the spirit of Faith which God gives to them that are of that seed and because they are true Believers you are true subjects unto Christ and because you cannot deny the faith of Gods elect which purgeth and purifieth your hearts nor withhold your obedience but do love the truth and give your obedience to the spirit and power of Christ Jesus Therefore you are hated without a cause and persecuted by the Spirit of the World because your Mother is not Jerusalem from beneath but Jerusalem from above which is the mother of us all that are of the seed of Election which is the seed that is appointed and ordained of God to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven to you its given to know the mysteryes of the Kingdom but to others in Parables that hearing they might hear and not understand and seeing they might see and not perceive least at any time they be converted and healed So though many hear the everlasting Gospel preached yet the seed of Faith are the receivers thereof into a good ground and right understanding and those Divine Mysteries or glorious Truths are made plain unto them which others understand not to whom the gift of understanding is not given who are Sons of the Bondwoman and live after the flesh to whom the Divine Truths are as Parables and though they may see what a great work of Reformation is wrought in the Nation yet they perceive not the mind of the Lord nor receive not the people of God in whom that work is wrought but reject them and cast them out as it was then so it is now he that was born of the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit whereby it is evident that the Regenerate are not persecutors nor ever were such in any age that we read of but they were and are persecuted and that by the degenerate and such as live after the flesh who daily erre and go astray from the wayes of God and are persecutors of them who are born of water and the spirit who live a new life in Christ Jesus Therefore all you that live in the spirit walk in the Spirit be not desirous of vain