Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A12202
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The spirituall favorite at the throne of grace. By the late learned, and reverend divine Richard Sibbs Doctor in Divinity. Published by the authors owne appointment, subscribed with his hand; to prevent unperfect copies
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Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.
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1640
(1640)
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STC 22512; ESTC S103004
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21,096
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106
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their desires But how are the truth of these desires knowne I will name a few signes The truth of those desires may be tryed thus if they be constant desires and not flashes for then they come from a new nature Nature is strong and firme Art is for a turne to serve a turne when men personate a thing they doe it not long creatures that are forced to doe so and so they returne to their own nature quickly but when a man doth a thing naturally he doth it constantly So constant desires argue a sanctified frame of soule and a new creature they argue that the image of God is stamped upon the soule Therupon wee may know that they are holy desires that that they spring from a holy soule if they be constant if they be perpetuall desires and not as a torrent that is vented for the present on a sudden and then comes to nothing after they are constant And likewise if these desires be hearty strong desires and not onely strong but growing desires desire upon desire desire fed with desire still never satisfied till they be satisfied Strong and growing desires argue the truth of desires as indeede a childe of God hath never grace enough never faith enough never love enough or comfort enough till he come to heaven They are growing desires more more the Spirit of God that is the spring in him springs up still further and further till it spring to everlasting life till it end in heaven where all desires shall be accomplished and all promises performed and all imperfections removed till then they are growing desires still Wee desire to feare thy Name and to please thee in all things Againe true desires they are not onely of the favour of God but of graces for the altring of our nature as Nehemiah here he desires not the favor of God so much as he desires to feare Gods Name Now when desire is of graces it is a holy desire You have not the worst men but would desire with Balaam to dye the death of the righteous c. that they might injoy the portion of Gods people but to desire grace that is opposite to corrupt nature as fire and water this is an argument of a holy principle of grace in us whence this desire springs when we desire that that is a counter poyson to corrupt nature that hath an antitipathy to corruption Therefore when a man from the bottome of his heart can desire oh that I could serve God better that I had more liberty to serve him that I had a heart more inlarged more mortified more weaned from the world Oh! that I could feare God more And of all graces if it be a true desire it is of such graces as may curbe us of our sinfull delights and restraine us of our carnall liberty and knit us neere to God and make us more heavenly minded the desire of these graces shew a true temper of soule indeed True desire is carried to grace as well as glory and the desire of heaven it selfe A true spirit that is touched with grace with the Spirit of God it desireth not heaven it self so much for the glory and peace and abundance of all contentments as it desires it that it is a place where it shall be freed from sinne and where the heart shall be inlarged to love God to serve God to cleave to God for ever and as it is a condition wherein he shall have the image and resemblance of Iesus Christ perfectly upon his soule Therefore wee pray Thy Kingdome come that is we desire that thou wouldest rule more and more largly in our soules and subdue all opposite power in us and bring into captivity all our desires and affections and let thy Kingdome come more and more Let thy will be done by us and in us more and more In earth as it is in heaven Here is a sweet prayer now serving to the first petition the hallowing of Gods name when we desire more to honour God and to that purpose that he may rule in us more and make us better these desires argue an excellent frame of soul as we see in Nehemiah our desire is to feare thy Name True desires are likewise to the meanes of salvation and to the meanes of salvation as they convay grace as sincere milke as you have it 1 Pet. 2. As new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the Word Where a man hath holy desires of any grace and hath them in truth hee will desire those meanes whereby those graces may most effectually bee wrought in his heart therefore hee will heare the word as the word of God hee comes not to heare the Word because of the eloquence of the man that delivers it that mingles it with his owne parts hee comes not to heare it as the tongue of man but he sees God in it it is the powerfull Word of God because there goes the efficacie of the Spirit with it to worke the graces he desires Therefore a man may know by his tast of divine truth whether he desire grace hee that desires grace desires the meanes that may convay grace and especially so farre as they convay grace As new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the Word You cannot still a childe with any thing but milke he desires no blending or mixing but onely milke so a true Christian desires divine truthes most because the Spirit of God is effectuall by them to worke grace and comfort in him I will not inlarge my selfe in the point The comfortable observation hence is this that weak Christians that finde a debilitie and faintnesse and feeblenesse in their performances hence they may comfort themselves by their desire to feare God and to worship God and to serve him if their desires bee true Therefore in Isaiah 26. the Church alledgeth it to God in the way of thy judgements have we sought thee c. The desire of our soules is towards thy Name they bring it as a prevailing argument to God So when we come to God The desire of our soules is toward thy Name Lord our indeavours are weake and feeble but the desire of our soules is to thy name and thou wilt not quench the smoaking flax therefore wee come to thee with these weake and poore desires that we have The Lord will fulfill the desires of them that feare him Psal. 145. If they be but desires if they be true and growing and constant desires and desires of grace as well as of happinesse as I shewed before The reason why God accepts them is partly because they spring from his owne spirit these desires they are the breathings of the spirit For even as it is in places where fountaines and springs are digged up they are knowne and discovered by vapors the vapors shew that there is some water there some spring if it were digged up so these desires
all other petty redemptions whatsoever they are Hee that hath given us Christ that hath not spared his owne Son but gave him to death for us all how shall he not with him give us all things else Rom. 8. He that hath been so large and bountifull as to give us his own Sonne that gift to admiration So God loved the world how cannot we plead with him for all other favours whatsoever whether they concerne the life of grace or glory or our present condition while we live in this world Wee may pleade it much more I say Thou hast redeemed us But these things I will not presse further now In the eleventh verse he comes to presse it still and repeates that which hee had said before Lord I beseech thee let thine eare bee attentive to the prayer of thy servant and of thy servants that desire to feare thy Name Let thine eare be attentive to the prayer of thy servants It is a prayer and thou art a God hearing prayer They be thy servants and thou regardest thy servants Here are but a few petitions in this large request remember be attentive and give me favour The most of the prayer is spent in a preparative considering the Attributes of God and in confession strong reasons from the Word of promises and threatnings and from their relation and then he makes good the relation Wee are thy servants because wee desire to feare thy Name To shew that indeed It is an excellent skill and art in Prayer to have strong Arguments THen the suit comes off easily As in Psal. 90. It is a prayer of Moses the man of God and yet the least part of the Psalme is prayer Teach us to number our dayes c. That is all the petition though the petition be short yet it is efficacious when the heart is warmed and strengthened with strong reasons before when the heart is elevated and raised with the consideration of the Majesty and the truth of God and when the heart is strengthned with strong convincing reasons that God will heare when wee presse him with his word I say when the heart is thus raised and warmed all the petitions come easily off Therefore it is an excellent thing Beloved to study the Scriptures and to study all the arguments whereby holy men have prevailed with God in Scripture and to see in what case those Arguments were used they are of use and force to prevaile with God It is a pittifull thing now for Christians under the glorious light of the Gospel to come to God only with bare neked petitions if they come from a true heart they have their force that GOD should regard them and have not reasons to presse God out of his own word they cannot bind God with his own promise nor with Arguments that hee hath been bound with before Let a child but cry to the father or mother there is reliefe presently for the very cry but if it bee not one that is a child but is of growne yeares the Father lookes for arguments that are mooving to presse him with So here Nehemiah he presseth God with moving strong arguments and hee repeates and forceth them hee doth not onely alleadge them but inforceth them Oh Lord I beseech thee let thine eare he attent to the prayer of thy servant and of thy servants that desire to feare thy name He desireth God to bee attentive Hee presseth God and indeede he doth it to warm his owne heart forwhen we have humbled our heart low enough and broken it with the consideration of our own unworthinesse and then warmed it with the consideration of Gods goodnesse and strengthened it with the consideration of Gods promise and truth then wee are sure of a gracious successe Let thine eare bee attent to the prayer of thy servant and of thy servants How did they know that they were thine Because there was no other people in the world that knew God but they And hee knew that the Saints where ever they were had a spirit of prayer and would remember the case of the Church therefore he saith remember my prayer and the prayer of thy servants For if the prayer of one righteous man prevaile much much more the prayer of many If there had beene but ten righteous in Sodome Sodome had beene preserved Now this hee aleageth to God remember the prayer of thy servant of mine and the prayer of thy servants As Tertullian an anciant Father saith very well when men joyne together they offer a holy kind of violence to God prayer is a kinde of wrastling and contending with God a striving with him Let me alone saith God to Moses It is a binding of him with arguments and promises of his owne and it is so forcible that he desires as it were to bee let alone Now if the prayer of one be a wrestling and striving and forcing of him as it were against his will that he said Let me alone as if he could doe nothing except he gave over praying What are the prayers of many when there is a multitude of them Therfore we may looke for a comfortable issue of our prayers and humiliation that is performed at this time The desires of so many Christian soules touched with the spirit of God and with the case of the Church which God doth tender cannot bee unefectuall it must needs draw plenty of blessings from heaven I will not enter into the common place of prayer having spoken of it upon another occasion but surely you see the holy man Nehemiah stood so much upon it that hee hoped to speede because hee and others prayed holy Daniel and others with him It was such a gracious messenger to send to heaven for helpe and for all good that Daniel though it cost him his life that he should be cast into the Lyons den hee would not omit it for his life Take away prayer and take away the life and breath of the soule Take away breath and the man dies as soone as the soule of a Christian beginnes to live he prayes As soone as Saul was converted behold hee prayeth A child as soone as hee is borne hee cryes and a Christian will not loose his prayer for his life as we see in holy Daniell For what is all the comfort that he hath but that that is derived from God and God will be sued unto for all the favours hee bestowes Whatsoever is from his favour it comes as a fruit of prayer for the most part though he goe beyond our desires many times yet ordinarily what we have if we bee his children we have it as a fruit of prayer Therefore I beseech you let us be stirred up to this dutie as we see Nehemiah here remomber the prayer of thy servant c. And when wee pray to God let us presse him as we see here bee attentive verse 6. and here againe be attentive he presseth upon God It is no sinfull tautologie