Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	spiritual_a	worship_n	worship_v	1,653	5	9.0507	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09958	The doctrine of the saints infirmities Delivered in severall sermons by John Preston Doctor in Divinity, Mr. of Emanuel-Colledge in Cambridge. And late preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.; Ball, Thomas, 1589 or 90-1659.; Marshall, William, fl. 1617-1650, engraver.	1636 (1636)	STC 20219; ESTC S115062	47,226	230

the secret closet of the heart 1. Sam. 16. 6. 7 And hee looked on Eliab and said Surely the Lords anointed is before him But the Lord said unto Samuel Looke not on his countenance nor on the height of his stature because I have refused him for the Lord seeth not as man seeth For man looketh on the outward appearance but the Lord seeth the heart And accordingly yee have the doome of almost all the Kings of Iudah according to the goodnesse or badnesse of their hearts 2. Chron. 25. 2. Hee did that which was right in the sight of God but not with a perfect heart And the like is also testified of many other of them 3. The heart is the hardest peice to manage and manure and therefore he that keepes that well in tune is not likely to bee wanting in the other if in a Violl I finde the Treble string in tune I make no question of the Base that goes not out so easily Symon magus had composed the other parts Acts 8. 13. He did believe and was Baptized but this string was out of tune the Apostle findes this jarring ver 21. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this businesse for thy heart is not right in the sight of God in his owne sight no question but hee thought it so but it was not so in Gods sight And indeede the heart is so deceitfull that it will deceive the very owner and possessor of it like to your Juglers that will doe a thing before your face and yet you shall not see him do it 2. King Why weepeth my Lord saith Hazael Why saies the Prophet for the great evill that I know thou wilt doe unto the Children of Israel their strong holds thou wilt set on fire c. And Hazael said Is thy servant a dogge that hee should doe this great thing There were Characters of of cruelty ingraven on his heart which himselfe had never read nor beene acquainted yet withall Who knoweth saith the Apostle 1. Cor. 2. 11. the things of a man but the spirit of man that is within him One would think a man should read his owne hand yet some do write so bad that they cannot reade it when they have done and so did Hazael he had hatcht such cursed thoughts within him that he could not see unto the utmost terminus and end of them if a man hath a spot upon his face hee is warned of it by every body else because it s knowne hee cannot see it but he may have a thousand spots upon his heart and neither he nor no man in the world beside be able to discover it he therefore that hath wel prepared this part will hardly bee defective in the rest 4. The heart is the spring and first wheele of all that curious Clocke-worke of the soule so that if that be but ordered and kept aright it will direct and order all the rest and this is the reason that the Holy Ghost is pleased for to give Prov. 4. 23. Out of it are the issues of life If a man had a Wel or Fountaine in his Garden out of which came all the liquors that he used he had neede be very diligent to keepe that cleane if that were poisoned it would be hard for himselfe long to escape Now the heart is such a fountaine Rom. 10. 10. With the heart man believeth to righteousnes And from within even out of the heart proceed evil thoughts c. Mar. 7. 21. the Gentiles were accounted common prophane before Christs time but after their hearts were purified even Peter himselfe the Apostle of the Circumcision durst venture on them Act. 15. 9. For God put no difference betweene them the Iewes after that by faith he had purified their hearts give me never so bad a man make but his heart right and I dare venture to close with him if ye take out the Serpents sting hee may bee played with or otherwise imploied without either danger or other inconvenience Let us everyone be hence encouraged to examine well and looke unto our hearts for if they be any way difordered and out of tune our actions and performances will not be relished Remember what the Apostle saith Heb. 3. 12. Take heede brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbeliefe to depart from the living God an unbeleeving and evill heart will evermore bee drawing backe from God will not come at him by its good will Mat. 15. 8 9. They honour mee with their lips but their hearts are remooved far from me And what then became of all their worship why surely it came to nothing In vaine they worship mee A hartlesse worship is a worship that God regards not but if the heart bee framed and prepared as it should be God lookes not at the many imperfections that may bee found in circumstantiall matters But it will be heere demanded how one may know when his heart is truely qualified and fitted for a duty When he is perswaded of a speciall and peculiar eye of God upon him in the duty that God in a speciall manner doth behold him and observe him how hee doth it he must beleive that God is at his Elbow Heb. 11. 6. He that commeth to God must beleive that God is that is must have his heart delivered from that blindnes wherein by nature al mens hearts remaine What was the reason that the Gentiles even in their solemne worship of their Gods were so abhominable oftentimes because their hearts were darke and blinde in spirituall and celestiall matters Rom. 1. 21. 22. 23. Their foolish hearts were darkned and then they changed the truth of God into a lye and worshipped the Creature in stead of the Cretor c. But when the heart is seriously convinced that God is present records and registers all our deportments whatsoever it makes us circumspect and carefull even those that are otherwise regardlesse of their duties yet when their masters eie is on them will consider what they doe and therefore the Apostle requires of Christian Servants more Ephes. 6. 6. Because the Heathen would doe thus much the very Asse when shee saw the Angel in the passage behaves her selfe accordingly Numb 22. 23 If a man would therefore know whether his heart be fitted and prepared for any duty let him seriously examine whether hee is thus perswaded of the speciall eye of God upon him in it 2. The heart is then prepared for a duty and service unto God when it is sequestred and taken off from other things when the drosse and staine of natural selfe-love and earthly mindednesse is gotten out as we see men bring not filthy vessels unwashed and uncleansed to their Masters table Yee may see perhaps an impure and filthy vessell in the Kitchin but upon the Table it is not tollerable These men that came unto the Passeover although not washed according to the purification of the Sanctuary yet were no question

the Altar the Priests could not bring fire from Heaven to consume it but God sent it and so shewed that it was accepted wee may lay the wood together but cannot bring fire from heaven But Christ is a Priest of an higher order than was Aaron hee will kindle this fire of Sanctification and encrease it and keepe it still burning it 's his office so to doe and therefore doubt not but Christ will receive you Oh but this were some comfort if I had assurance that I had but one sparke of true grace in me therefore how shall I know that I answere there bee 5 signes laid downe in the Text whereby a man may come to know this First in these words He will bring forth judgement into victory That is the first thing that Christ doth even to set up a right Judgement in thee When the Apostle prayes for the Philippians hee prayes That they may abound in knowledge and judgment Secondly there is life in a bruised Reede as in the strongest Oake Thirdly there is fire though never so small as in the strongest Oake Fourthly there is a Combate Fifthly there is victory Now for the first of these consider whether Christ hath set up his judgement in thee when the Apostle praies that the Philippians may abound in knowledge and in all judgement That is that they may discerne of things that differ and hee takes it for granted that it was right else hee would not pray for the encrease of it So that when a man can discerne of things that differ when hee can put a difference betweene the waies of God and sin between spirituall priviledges and outward vanities between trueth and falshood then there is a light come into a man and this makes them pure and blamelesse fills them with the fruites of righteousnesse now then if thou hast this in any degree thou hast the spirit of Christ As it was in Christ Esay 11. 2. 3. Hee had the spirit of wisedome and understanding the spirit of might the spirit of knowledge and of the feare of the Lord. So is it in all his members they have the same spirit and doe not judge according to the sight of the eye or the hearing of the eare but judge righteously for there is a two fold judgeing first when our eye or eare judge and wee judge according to that when wee send out our spirits and heare what they report and this is ready to bring in a false report to say that sinne is sweet and pleasant and it will represent grace as vile because it judgeth according to outward appearance and the outside of Christianity is base in regard of misreports that are brought up of it As the tenne messengers brought an evill report upon the land of Canaan and in regard of the outside of it in those that professe it who are many times poore contēptible men in regard of the infirmities and failings of the Saints Now if a man judge by the eye that sees nothing but the outside he will esteeme of religion as base But it is otherwise when a man hath the spirit of judgement he will looke further into things he pries into the inside and then he will not judge of the wayes of God and of sin as the world doth But will see a basenesse in sin and an excellency in religion because he is enabled to judge aright For Christ as he makes his Princes and Priests so he makes them Prophets likewise to judge and discerne of things aright and this he doth by opening the eyes Act. 26 18. that is good things in themselves are very excellent and desireable but wee see them not till our eies are opened there is a vaile drawne over our eies till Christ removes it and opens them What is that Why Christ he elevates and raiseth up that light which wee have unto an higher degree and that is by putting a new light into their soules Iohn 1. 9. that is the true light which lightneth every one that commeth into the world Before the Creation was compleate there was some light the first day after the Sunne was created and after the fall he enlightned every one that came into the world that is all men have some light or other by Jesus Christ before there was no sparke of light in us but all that wee have is by Christ that glimmering light which is in naturall men is but a sparke of the new Image which Christ hath put on us But in this Christ raiseth up the light higher and higher and when this new light is put in us then a mans eyes are said to be opened when hee can see round about him and discerne that excellency in grace and that basenesse in sinne which were in them before but they could not see it As the Chariots and horsemen were with Gehezi but his eyes were not opened to see them And so the Well was neere Hagar but shee saw it not till God had opened her eyes and shewed it unto her So death and destruction may be very neere an unregenerate man and he not see it till God opens his eyes so also a Christian may have ground of comfort and he not know it till God sheweth it unto him Now where a mans eyes are opened that hee can see thus round about him then hath Christ set up this judgement in a man But here now all the businesse will bee to discerne between the common judgement of a man and this right judgement which Christ sets up in him which difference is seene by these particulars First they differ in the authors of them another mans judgement is borne and bred with him but this comes from above from God it is a new judgement yea a renewed judgement Ephes. 4. 23. Be yee renewed in your spirits minds When thou hast such a judgement of sin and godlinesse which thou hadst not before this is a new judgement Secondly they differ in regard of the subject this new light is alwaies in a pure heart the other not so long as the heart is overwhelmed with lusts so long the eye of the soule is dimme as in a mist that wee cannot see before us but Christ takes away this mist Titus 2. 11 12 13 14. When the Grace of God hath appeared c. Then wee see cleerely wheras the unregenerate man never judgeth aright of an holy way because his heart is full of lusts which are as mists that they cannot see Thirdly they differ in the measure Common light wil perswade you of common truth or of truths in generall that such and such things are commendable but if you come to a particular action and practice that you must do this and this here it failes him But this right judgement helpes a man to doe particular actions it inlightens him in every particular takes away all objections and guides you in the right way 2. Tim. 2. 7