Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	wonderful_a	work_n	work_v	62	3	6.5200	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A73546	A discourse of the sinne against the Holy Ghost Grounded upon Matt. Chap. 12. vers. 22.-23. Tending to the comfort of such persons as, being afflicted in conscience for their sins, are, by the delusions of Satan, brought to the brinke of despaire, through feare that they have fallen into that unpardonable sinne. Written some space of time since, by that godly and judicious divine M. William Bradshaw, sometime fellow of Sydny Colledge in Cambridge; and publish'd by his sonne Iohn Bradshaw.	Bradshaw, William, 1571-1618.; Bradshaw, John, 17th cent.	1640 (1640)	STC 3515.5; Wing B4156; ESTC S91179	48,035	158

if wee desire to keep our selves out of ●his bottomlesse gulph to take heed how we abuse the Gospell of Iesus Christ unto sinne against God especially the highest Mysteries of it It s a Corruption that we are too much subject unto It is a fearefull thing that our nature should be stirred up to sinne the more by the Law as it is that Sinne should take occasion by the Commandement Rom. 7.8 11. vers 9. to work all kind of Concupiscence in us that it should revive Sinne it us But much more fearefull is it when by the Gospell we shall there unto be stirred up yea by the principall parts of it 2 This may be a reliefe to a distressed Conscience that shall be tempted and persuaded by Sata● that he hath committed this Sinne Satan setteth before thine eyes t●● the end that thou mightst despai● of mercy and so grow profane an● an enemy to God some feareful● Sinne that thou hast committed ar● he telleth thee it s the Sinne again● the Holy Ghost This should mak● thee to try and examine what mov● and stirred thee principally to tha● Sinne. And if it shall appeare to the Eye of thy Conscience that the light of the Gospell and the chiefe Ordinances thereof did not irritate or provoke thee thereunto that Sin of thine cannot be this Sin against the Holy Ghost For he that commits this must be an enemy to the Gospell of Iesus Christ And as the presence of those whom a man doth hate useth to stir up in a man blasphemous and outragious speeches of him by making his stomack and choler to rise against him so the like effects doth the presence of Christ in the ordinances of the Gospell produce in those that be enemies and haters of him 3 Hence wee may have some sight why this Sinne is unpardonable because it is a Sinne stirred up and provoked directly by the pardon For what is the maine matter and principall Doctrine of the Gospell but an offer of pardon of Sinne ●o all those that will receive Iesus Christ And why should they bee vouchsafed pardon that doe not onely contemne the same but so hate it that they are by the offer thereof worse than before The Kingdome of God was come to these hellish Imps. God brought Iesus the Messias unto them Their owne Consciences acknowledge● it the light of Gods Spirit seale● and confirmed it What was all thi● but an offer of pardon which the● despise so farre forth that they as for the very offer of it the worse The fourth Conclusion It is not the light of the Gospe● in generall and in a confused manner shining or set forth in types an● shadowes and figures that did beg●● this blasphemy but some specia● and particular beam of Light bei●● palpably and evidently presented 〈◊〉 the Eye of their Conscience It s a experimentall knowledge that b●gat in them this Sinne. The D●ctrine of the Messias they knew w● enough and approved it as a●● they affected with great devoti●● those Mysticall Rites and Cerem●nies of the Iewish Gospell that s●dowed out the same this only was it which they could not endurre the direct light and truth of it in particular presenting it selfe to the Eye of their Conscience For example In Tapestry and Imagery wee can with delight behold the portraicture of Serpents Toads Foxes Wolves and other filthy Beasts that we cannnot when themselves in themselves shall be presented unto us but fly from them or pursue them to death Even so is it with many professors of Christ that though they seeme much affected to Christ in generall and much devoted to every shadow and semblance of him yet doe they notwithstanding indeed hate and malice him and would were he present in person with them pursue him even unto death Vse 1 1 Not to measure Religion by a generall profession and an outward conformity unto the Rites and Ceremonies thereof For even the most malitious and spightfull enemies that Christ hath are such as professe Christ yea and persecute Christ in the name of Christ 2 If in the houre of Temptation thou canst in thy Conscience assure thy selfe that thou wast never thus affected when the Gospell and Christ Iesus was presented unto thee that thy minde did never rise nor lift up it selfe against it but ever liked and loved it yea if thy Conscience tell thee that thou art so farre from this affection that the more knowledge thou hast had of Christ the more thou lovest him thou mayst assure thy selfe that this Sinne is not so much as breeding in thee The second part The Birth of this Sinne. YOu have heard before how this Blasphemy was conceived by the beames of a Divine Truth that shined to the Eye of their Conscience whereby these Scribes and Pharisees discerned indeed that Christ was the Sonne of God This first quickned this Monster and made it to swell and grow in the wombe of their hearts Now wee are to consider the Birth of this Sinne by what means it was brought forth of them This is set downe verse 23. For when the Scribes and Pharisees did not only see the wonderfull works that our Saviour Christ wrought but did also perceive that the people came thereby to the light of that Truth which they laboured to the uttermost to smother and extinguish as soone as ever they began to descry that that the people were astonished at the wonderfull workes of Christ and that in this their astonishment they began to conclude that he was surely the Christ they could not then containe any longer but presently breathe out this fearfull Blasphemy So that the sight of the peoples astonishment and the hearing of their words wherby they began to give glory to Christ as the Messias and Saviour of the World was the Mid-Wife that brough forth this Sinne. Whence observe we these Conclusions concerning this Sinne. The first Conclusion The cause that irritateth and provoketh men unto this Blasphemy is not within themselves but out of themselves The matter of this Sinne was within themselves but the irritating cause was out of themselves For if this divine Light had shined never so brightly upon their owne Soules howsoever they might have maliced the same yet they would never in that manner have spit out Blasphemies into the cares of men against it For they knew well enough that it was not so as they said and therefore had it not been more in regard of others than themselves they would never have said so And thus it is in the extreme malitious speeches of many concerning man men are wont by seeing other mens respect unto him to be provoked and stirred up thereto Vse This may serve to informe men truly in another point concerning this Sin to wit that those thoughts and words that are suddenly begotten and hatched in man himselfe knoweth not how nor which way cannot be properly said to bee ●his Sinne. For that which stirreth up a man to commit this Sinne

this Truth they had never committed this Sinne but as it is apparent they committed it because of that Truth The Vse whereof may be 1 For information of ou● Iudgment concerning this Sin We see many commit many strange and desperate Sinnes against the light of Gods Word of Conscience yea of Nature it selfe and that also most wilfully and stubbornly obstinately yea with this height of desperate resolution that though they were sure they should goe to hell for it yet they would doe it Though such Sinnes be a fighting against the Truth yet are they not this unpardonable Sinne except the first and principall motion of it doe arise from that divine Truth in such a manner that he would not commit that Sinne but for that divine Truths sake For this is a Sin the very first motions whereof are conceived by the sight of a divine Truth so that it is a Sinne not only committed in the light and against the light but by means of it and even for the Truths sake 2 Sith by reason of the Corruption of Mans minde the divine Truth of God the principall Organ or Instrument of all grace and goodnesse in the Soul of Man especially the Doctrine of the Gospell may work and breed such monsters in the Soule it behooves us to doe our uttermost endeavour to purge and sweep our Soule as much as we can especially when we are in such places where these divine Truths shine and appeare most For else a thousand to one but some Monster will arise in the Soule Neither is there any divine Truth that present● it selfe to the eye of the Conscience but doth breed some Monster or other in a corrupt Soule though not so huge a one as this yet that which may be a spawne a fry and seed to this As therefore in the mud of Aegypt cast up by the overflowing of Nilus are ingendred many vile and filthy creatures by the beames of the Sunne so by the overflowing of Sinne there being as strange mud cast over the Soule strange Monsters will arise out of the same by occasion of the divine light of Truth shining thereupon 3 Hence observe the persons that are most capable of this Sinne they are such as are most capable of divine Illumination and most apprehensive of all Truth A dullard a blinde person that hath no eyes to looke above that which is humane cannot commit this Sinne but those that are able to see and behold the divine Truth So that in this respect Ignorance is an advantage to a man For a narrow braine will not suffice to conceive this Sinne. The Scribes and Pharisees Iulian the Apostata and those that come neerest to this Sinne the grand Arch-persecutors of any divine Truth they are men admirable for gifts There are indeed many insolent Dunses and Sots that are malirious but they receive this malice from the spirits of great wits themselves are but axes and beetles in their hands So that it is not a Mouse that can bring forth this Elephant nor a Wren that can lay and hatch this Eagle 4 Learn hence how to prevent this Sinne. Many there bee indeed that take a most vile course to prevent it they will not know the divine Truth because they will not wilfully resist it and so desperately perish through their wilfull want of it But let our course be for the preventing of it to adore every divine Truth that we receive and not to admit of the least thought against the same Of all Sinnes this should be killed in the wombe For other Sinnes may be cast out of possession and Kingdome this never The second Conclusion The Sinne against the Holy Ghost is not conceived by means o● every divine Truth but of a supernaturall divine Truth that is to say an Evangelicall Truth So that a● every light is not a means to produce and quick●n things but the light of the Sunne onely so every Truth is not a means to breed and animate this Sinne but some Evangelicall Truth onely The Truth hereof appeareth in this Example That divine Truth that here stirred up this Sinne was this that Christ Iesus the Sonne of Mary was the true Messias This it was that stirred up their minds to this Sinne. So that a naturall Truth cannot stirre up such a Sinne as this unpardonable one but as it is plaine Hebr. 6.5 it must be a Truth concerning the Life to come Vse 1 Hence wee may observe the Climate of this Sinne in what Region it is begotten and hatched for the most part if not altogether even in the Church of God it is a Church-Sinne As therefore the greatest Sinner that ordinarily is in the World even that man of Sinne sitteth in the Temple of God so the the greatest Sinne that can bee committed by man is committed in the Church where onely or specially those beames doe shine that stirre up this Sinne in the Soule of Man For as the deadliest Serpents abound in the hottest countries so the deadliest and desperatest Sinnes in those places where the Gospell of God shineth forth in its greatest strength 2 In Temptation the Childe of God may make use of this Conclusion For let the Sinne that he is troubled in Conscience for be never so hainous and desperate against Conscience yet if by the light of the Gospell they have not been stirred up unto it it is not this unpardonable Sinne. The third Conclusion This Sinne is not engendred and stirred up by every Evangelicall Doctrine and Truth but by the maine and fundamentall Doctrines of the Gospell For this was it that begat this Sinne in them that this Christ whom they so horribly revile is that Messias and Saviour of the World This was it that made them spit out this blasphemy because they saw he was so Though therefore there is no Legall nor Evangelicall Truth but it hath this property through the Corruption of mans nature to stirre up the minde to Sinne yet no Truth but a maine and Fundamentall Truth the excellentest Truth and that which being presented to the Soule of an elect Childe of God doth stirre up in him the most principall Graces of God and beget in him an unspeakable Love of God the same Truth it is that begets in the reprobate if God leave them so far unto themselves the highest and most horrible Sinne. For that which is an Instrument of holinesse to the good is an Instrument of impiety to the wicked and so by degrees that Illumination which is the means of the greatest Grace in Gods Children is the means of the greatest Sinnes in the Reprobrate The Doctrine of the Law begetteth many Graces in the heart of Gods Childe the Doctrine of the Gospell more Every Evangelicall Truth is a means of much Grace the Fundamentall and high points thereof much more So on the contrary It is therefore an high Evangelicall Truth that is the stirrer up of this high Diabolicall Sinne. Vse 1 This should admonish us