Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	work_n	world_n	worship_n	183	4	6.4042	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89235	Miscellanea spiritualia: or, Devout essaies: composed by the Honourable Walter Montagu Esq.; Miscellanea spiritualia. Part 1.	Montagu, Walter, 1603?-1677.; Marshall, William, fl. 1617-1650, engraver.	1648 (1648)	Wing M2473; Thomason E519_1; ESTC R202893	256,654	397

the earth is thine In this verity he rejoyced extracted out of all his transitory felicity And King Ezekias having his treasury and cabinets filled with all pretious stores might have rejoyced in the truth of those blessings without deriving from them vanity and presumption as much as he boasted of them to the Babylonians so much untruth he found in that felicity whereof he seemed to have forgot the changeable property and was quickly instructed by the Prophet in the insecurity of such goods whereby he discerned how he had rejoyced in the untruth of his temporal happines out of which he might have extracted matter of a true and sincere rejoycing for Gods Spirit attesteth to us that he doth not cast away the mighty whereas he himself is mighty All the attainders lying upon great and rich men in the Scripture are brought against such as rejoyce in the errours and deceits of temporall goods such as either sacrifice all their wealth to the Idols of their fancy or such as make an Idol of their wealth and offer up all their thoughts unto it The voluptuous or the avaritious are those that fall under the sentence of the Gospell and their crime is not what they possesse but what possesseth them when they doe not rejoyce in the truth of their goods but delight themselves in contriving errours and fallacies out of them and as the Apostle sayes Change the Truth of God into a lie So that the defectivenesse of their happinesse ariseth out of their degression from Truth and whence doth all the blessednesse which Christian faith annexeth to sufferance issue but from this spring of verity which streameth out that joy and exultation is proposed to us in the afflictions of this life How come the thorns of sufferance to beare grapes the wine whereof rejoyceth the heart while our senses are prickedct wounded with this spinous or thorny matter Surely this cordiall is made of the Spirit of Truth which may be extracted out of all the asperities of this life first by considering the true state of Humane Nature designed to sufferings not only by sentence but by Grace in order to the aversing us from the love of this world next by contemplating the truth of those glorious promises which are made to a virtuous correspondency with Gods Order in his disposure of his creature so that both the materiall goods and evills of this life afford no legitimate joy but what the mind beareth when she is teeming with Truth we may therefore resolve with King David that when Truth doth spring out of the earth righteousnesse shall looke downe from Heaven §. III. The fallacies of some Objections solved and rejoycing in Truth concluded for our reall Happinesse BUt now me thinkes having determined the happinesse of this life in the loving and rejoycing in Truth many that thinke themselves unhappy wonder at this conclusion and conceive me disproved by their defeatures perswading themselves to have beene alwayes suitors and lovers of Truth when the Truth is that they doe not first seeke verity for the object of their love but conclude they have found it in what they have placed their love Supposing their opinions of such joyes as they pursue to be sincere and solid truthes insomuch as I may well resolve such sonnes of men that They love vanity and seek after lies In that region of the world which I have travelled the most I may reflect to the inhabitaints of it one raigning error which may convince many of insincerity in their addresses to Truth for the ground of their happinesse this it is the trusting the infidelity of fortune to others for our owne felicity designing our stock out of the spoiles of our fellowes and in this course doe we not fixe the hopes of our happinesse upon what can never passe to us but by such an infidelity as must assure us we are in continual danger of a like dispossession this must needs be our case when the expectance of the unfaithfulnesse of fortune is made the assignment of our prosperity And yet we see how Courts are commonly divided into these two partyes of some that are Sacrificing to their owne nets and others that are fishing for such nets the first is the state of such as are valuing themselves for what they have taken the second of those who are working and casting out how to catch what the others have drawne and in this manner there are many who pretend to be lovers of Truth that make these fallacies the very ground of that web of happinesse they have in hand This is so preposterous a course for ingenious spirits in order to true felicity as surely there is much of a curse in this method and God warranteth my beliefe both by the Prophets and Apostles when speaking by the voyce of Esay to this case he saith They have chosen their owne wayes wherefore I also will chuse their delusions and by Saint Paul the holy Spirit saith Because they received not the love of Truth for this cause God sends them strong delusions that they should beleeve a lie Let the worlds darlings examine what they confide in for the security of their joyes and they will finde it is the Father of lies they trust for the truth of their felicity who being not able to diminsh the increated verity sets all his art to deface all created Truthes which worke in this region of the world I now treat of he designeth by such a course as he used with the Person of Truth it selfe when he was upon earth for he carryeth up our imagination to the highest point of esteeme he can raise it of earthly possessions from whence he exposeth to our fancies the glories and beauties of this world in deceitfull apparencies as if they were permanent and secured fruitions and our wills are commonly perswaded to bowe downe and reverence such false suggestions whereof the infidelity augmenteth by the degrees of our Devotion in that beliefe since the more we confide in their stability the more falshood doe we admit for our happinesse and thus are we abused in the possession of Truth while we affect all our delights under that notion by the subtilty of the great enemy of Truth we are as Saint Augustine saith elegantly brought to hate Truth by loving those things which we love only as we imagine them to be true for the impermanency of this worlds goods is odious to us which is the truth of their nature and we affect in them their assurance as a truth without which we would not love them and yet that opinion is a meere delusion This may satisfie many who account themselves unhappy by the mutations of fortune and the dispossessions of their secular commodities for they shall finde themselves unfortunate but in the same measure they misapprehended the true nature of such fruitions by as much as they over-loved them so much are they distressed by their losses so the

god-head she could in number have made up that losse of quality she brought in all the celest all bodies into the account of Divinity serving the Militia of Heaven instead of the maker and we may call to minde that as humane bodies grew Giants mindes seemed to shrink into dwarfs when they fell in love as I may say with the daughters of men that is the conceptions of their owne naturall Reason in this point of Divinity And we may well suppose that the Giants soules in the law of nature became so by espousing this daughter of God which we may properly call Grace whereby their heads passed the skie and touched Heaven it selfe in this beliefe of the unity of the godhead and by this conjunction with grace reason produced their issue of a rectified Religion hence is it that we finde the Patriarks frequently visited by celestiall spirits as the allies as I may say of this daughter of Heaven they had espoused and most doe conclude that all those who in the law of nature continued in a rectified belief and worship of God were maintained in that state by grace supplementall to the virtue of single Reason How far humane Reason may alone finde the way to rectified Religion is a question to exercise curiosity rather then excite piety and very commonly reason in the disquisition of faith doth rather sink the deeper into the earth by falling from her over aspiring then she doth six her selfe upward in her proper station and besides this danger me thinkes there is this difference betweene them that are working upon reason to extract Religion and those that are feeding upon sincere faith that the first are labouring the ground for that fruit which the last are feasting on or that the first are plowing while the last are gathering of Manna I shall indeavour therefore to serve in this spirituall refection ready to be tasted treating of faith already digested rather then to be provided by ratiocination for devotion is faith converted into nourishment by which the soul contracting a sound active strength needs not study the composition of that aliment it finds so healthfull §. II. Treating the best habit of mind in order to the finding a rectified Religion ME thinks Religion and Devotion may be fitly resembled to the Body and the Soule in Humanity The first of which issues from an orderly procession of nature by a continuing virtue imparted all at once to mediate causes the last is a new immediate infusion from heaven by way of a creation continually iterated and repeated So Religion at large as some homage rendred to a supreme relation flows into every mind along with the current of natural causes But Devotion is like the Soule produced by a new act of grace directed to every particular by speciall and expresse infusion and in these respects also the analogie will hold that as Religion hath the office of the body to containe Devotion so Devotion hath the function of the soule to informe and animate Religion And as the soule hath clearer or darker operations according as the body is well organized or disposed so Devotion is the more zealous or remisse proportionately to the temper and constitution of the Religion that containeth it Sutable to the Apostle Saint James his intimation to us that Pure Religion keeps us unspotted from the world I shall not take upon me the spirituall Physitian to consult the indispositions and remedies of differing Religions but relying more upon the Testimony of confessed experiments then the subtilty of that litigious art I shall prescribe one receipt to all Christian tempers which is to acquire the habit of Piety and Devotion for this in our spirituall life is like a healthfull aire and a temperate diet in our naturall the best preservative of a rectified faith and the best disposition to recover from an unsound Religion for the Almes and Prayers of the Centurion were heard and answered when they spoke not the language of the Church and the Angel was sent to translate them into that tongue in which God hath chose onely to be rightly praised that which his Eternall Word Christ Jesus hath peculiarly affected and annexed to his Church this shews the efficacie of piety and the exactnesse of Gods order who hath inclosed his eternall graces within those bounds into which he brings all that shall partake of them and so doth naturalize all such strangers as he intitleth to them doth not allot any portions to aliens but reduceth all them he will endow into that qualification he requireth which is into the rank of fellow-citizens of the Saints and of the houshold of God he leaves none with a dispensation of remaining forreiners The Angel that called the Centurion directed him to the gate of the Church Saint Peter did not bring him a protection to rest in his owne house with the exercise of his naturall pieties and so for those that are straying without the inclosure of the Catholique Church if they walk by the light of naturall charity morall piety and devotion in their religious duties this is the best disposition towards the finding of the way the truth and the life of whom the Psalmist sayes He is neere to all those that seeke him and those who are thus far advanced in morality may be said to be in atriis Templi in the Church-yard which is in a congruous disposition for farther advance into the body of the church I shall endeavour then to affect every one with the love of purity and holinesse of life for to those that are already rooted and growing in the Church this disposition will be are that fruit the Apostle soliciteth for them that their love may abound more and more in knowledge and in all judgement And in those who are yet strangers and forreiners as he calls them this reverentiall feare of God seemes to chase the wax for the seale of the holy Spirit for Prayers and Almes doe as it were retaine God for their Counsel and as his Clients open their cause to him in these tearms of the Psalmist Lord cause me to know the way wherein I should walk for I lift up my soule unto thee And such may be said to be halfe way towards their end that doe worship in a zealous spirit and are likely never left there but helped on to the other part of worshipping in truth by him that hath ordained our worship to consist of Spirit and Truth so that devotion sincerity in any Religion are the best Symptomes of our designation to the true and sincere Religion Wherefore having made this generall presentation of piety and virtue to all parties I shall not stay to wrastle in the Schooles but rather strive to set such Church-musick as all parties may agree to meet at the service and this I presume may sound in tune unto most eares that where consort and harmony in faith appeareth it is a good note of that

defect will still result out of the distance of our joy from this principle of rightly possessing and rejoycing in Truth for all our reall unhappinesse riseth by the same degrees that Verities are diminished from among the Children of men There is one familiar scruple raised against our perswading the active life to this constant intendment of Truth which is that this fixure of the minde upon verity rather then leaving it a little loose to opinion taketh off the point and edge of our spirit in the activenesse and commerces of this life Whereunto I answer that spirits wher and sharpned upon the errours of imagination are subject to turne their edge upon the least encounter of disappointment when mindes temper'd by the consideration of truth and thereby set and whetted for action keep their edge cutting against the haire as I may say not blunted or rebated in any adverse occurrencies nor doth this breast of Verity as some suppose nourish only the minde and pine the senses but feedeth them also with healthfull and convenie 〈…〉 pleasure and teacheth the soule how to keepe the senses in their true degree of servants managing their trusts only upon account which the minde taketh so exactly of them in all the commerce of their delights as they can never runne out much in prejudice of her estate and in this order the rationall part doth the office of the good steward in the Gospell Feeding the family with their portions in due season And surely this orderly oeconomy in the managing of all worldly goods Reason presiding and the senses entertained with competent satisfaction is the best state of happinesse this active life can admit So is it the knowledge and love of Truth seated in our understanding and our affections which can only consort this harmony of a constant rejoycing And doubtlesse while our fancies doe but counterfeit that truth they expose to our affections we can no more justly complaine of the insufficiency of that object in point of affordingus felicity then of a painted fires not warming us be it neverso wel drawn For commonly they are but designs of our imaginations coloured over with vaine apparencies of Truth which they exhibite to our affections for the true substances of our happinesse wherefore I may me thinkes fittly illustrate this familiar errour of the world by this story of Zeuxis the famous Painter who having made the figure of a boy with a cluster of grapes in his hand being told the birds sate upon the boyes hand to peck at the grapes answered this was no true praise of his art because it was a signe he had painted the grapes better then the man otherwise the birds would have been afraid of that figure In like maner may I say that these imaginations which figure such a truth of happinesse in sensible delectations as their affections take them for the reall and sincere felicity of this life are not to be commended for this vivacity for it is a signe they represent more lively to our reason the fruits of this world which the man hath in his hand then they doe the nature of our humanity the constitution whereof if it were truely imaged and figured to our understanding would fright our affections from setting themselves upon the fruit of temporalities by considering the state of man which inadvertency is now familiar by this partiality of our fancy in figuring the grapes more to the life then the hand that holds them if the images which Truth it selfe hath drawn of the condition of man in this life were well impressed in our imagination of being but a blast a vapour or a shaddow this would undoubtedly divert our mindes from taking never so well coloured images of riches honour beauty or dominion for the true substances of humant felicity If there be any then that wonder they are not happy pretending they have alwayes held Zerubbabels party preferring truth before all competitors of empire beauty and pleasure if they are in any great de●ection of spirit let them take this course to undeceive themselves in this their supposed rectitude of intention which if it had beene sincere could not have let their mindes sinke into any deepe depression let them I say examine first whether they have rightly apprehended the state of our humane Nature and the condition of all temporall fruitions and then whether they have squared their loves to such delights by the measure of a rectified apprehension of both their nature and their own for the same disproportions there are betweene our affections and the true property of those things we love the same deficiencies must be consequent in our happinesse and upon this reflection Truth may tell most of the world This people honoureth me with their lips but their hearts are farre from me and as the increated Truth told the Pharisees who pretended to have great interest in God the Father that if what they alledged had beene true They would have acknowledged him also because he proceeded from the Father So in the name of the created Truth which is to be found in all Gods Workes I may say to many such pretenders if they had truly loved the Originall Verity they would have beene possessed of the true nature and use of the creature which notion issueth and proceeds out of an application to the first Verity Having shewed how the beames of Truth enlighten both hemispheres of the contemplative and active life and infuse into each of them their respective happinesse I may conclude with the Wisemans confession upon his loving of Truth above health or beauty that hers is the only light because it is inextinguishable and that all other goods come together with her and Devotion may lawfully use the words of her great master and assure her followers If you continue in my word then are you truly my disciples and you shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free The eighth Treatise Touching the meanes of possessing that Truth wherein the happinesse of this life is stated In two sections §. I. Diffidence in point of obtaining Spirituall lights reprehended and prayer proposed in order to this designe NOW me thinks I am called upon as one that hath advised a traveller not to lose his way to give some nearer directions for the finding it as a further contribution towards the securing his journeyes end then a simple caution against the danger of deviation For as Solomon telleth us The lame man in the way maketh more hast then a Courser out of it And by reason there may be many different humours that may ask this question of Saint Thomas How can we know the way to this so excellent possession of truth I may well premise this consideration before my answer that there was a wide difference between Pilat's Interrogatory concerning truth when he asked our Saviour What is truth and Saint Thomas his question about finding the way to it saying How can