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_v	world_n	write_v	64	3	4.6951	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12478	An exposition of the Creed: or, An explanation of the articles of our Christian faith. Delivered in many afternoone sermons, by that reverend and worthy divine, Master Iohn Smith, late preacher of the Word at Clavering in Essex, and sometime fellow of Saint Iohns Colledge in Oxford. Now published for the benefit and behoofe of all good Christians, together with an exact table of all the chiefest doctrines and vses throughout the whole booke	Smith, John, 1563-1616.; Palmer, Anthony, fl. 1632.	1632 (1632)	STC 22801; ESTC S117414	837,448	694

to comfort and the other to paine Thirdly besides these both particular judgements that befall particular and speciall men and the private judgement that is at the day of death there shall also a generall judgement and a solemne arraignment of this whole World where every person shall be judged and arraigned as we beleeve in our Christian profession From thence he shall come to judge the quicke and the dead that is hee shall judge all sorts of people even every Man and Woman that hath lived in this World or shall live Now if any man demand what is the reason why there shall be a generall judgement seeing there is particular iudgements that light on particular men and the private judgement at the day of death I answere there be three reasons thereof First Because the Bodies must be judged as well as the Soules for seeing men sinne against God as well in their Bodies as in their Soules therefore both shall be judged as Revel 20. 12. the Evangelist saith And I saw the Dead both great and small stand before God they did not onely stand with bodies but with soules also for saith he The Sea gave up the dead in her and Death and Hell delivered up their Dead that were in them So we see the bodies rise againe to be judged as well as the Soules Secondly That there may be a declaration of the just judgement of God that all the World may see the judgements of God are just upon men for their sins as Rom. 2. 5. But thou after thy hardnesse of heart that cannot repent heapest upon thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath and of the declaration of the just judgement of God therefore besides the private and close judgement there must bee a generall and solemne arraignement in the view of the whole world that so there may be a declaration of the just judgement of God Thirdly Because they shall not be judged as private persons but as publike in the same body that they lived in either in the body of the Saints or in the body of the wicked for they shall be judged as they be members of the same body they rise in and as they are found to have done good or bad accordingly shal the division be made as appears Mat. 25. 31. where it is said And before him shall bee gathered all Nations and hee shall separate them one from another as a sheapheard doth separate his Sheepe from the Goats and he shall set the one at his right hand and the other at his left hand c. Now because this point is a great and a very waighty one and to be considered before others in a Christians life being like the great wheel of a clocke it turnes all the inferior wheeles so if a man be once perswaded of this that he must give an account to God for all his actions and must stand before God in judgement it will make him to passe his daies holily and vertuously while he lives here and therefore let us see briefly what bee the proofes and grounds that there shall bee a judgement which are chiefly these foure following The first is taken From the Truth of God because hee hath said it and therefore it shall come to passe for God is not as Man that hee should lye neither as the Sonne of Man that he should repent He hath said it and shall hee in doe it and hath he spoken it and shall he not accomplish it As it is Num. 23. 19. Therefore whatsoever he hath said it shall come to passe in the time that he hath appointed Now that Christ hath said there shall be a judgement day there bee many Scriptures for it As Matth. 10. 15. Truely I say unto you it shall bee easier for them of the land of Sodom and Gomorah in the day of judgement than for that Citie So also Matth. 12. 36. But I say unto you That of every idle word that men shall speake they shall give an account at the day of judgement And verse 41. The men of Ninevie shall rise up in judgement with this Generation and shall condemne it because they repented at the preaching of Ionas We see the Testimony of the Lord is plaine for this that there shall bee a judgement day Augustine saith God hath made us many promises and hath performed them and shall wee not thinke that the judgement day shall come according as hee hath foretold us It is said Psal 144. The Lord is righteous in all his waies and holy in all his workes If the Lord hath promised any thing it shall come to passe for the Lord hath left his Scripture which is his hand-writing to assure us of the truth of it And therefore dost thou not beleeve that there shall bee a day of judgement The Lord himselfe shall answere thee thou hast the hand-writing of GOD and what must thou doe Looke into that and see what a company of things hee hath promised in his Word as unlikely as this which are all come to passe he hath promised that He would send his Sonne into the World to worke thy Redemption Looke into his Word thou hast his hand-writing hath he performed this promise Then assure thy selfe likewise that one day he will come to iudgement Hee hath promised that Hee will send downe his spirit that should lead them in all truth thou hast his hand writing see if this promise be come to passe then assure thy selfe withall he will come to judge this World hath he promised He will preach the Gospell to all Nation looke into the Scriptures hath hee performed it Why then never doubt but that thy body also shall rise because he hath foretold it The second is because it is the nature of Gods Iustice to give to every man according to his due desert good things to good men and evill things to evill men but it is not so here in this life but the best men bee in the worst estate for the most part and evill men in the best for as Salomon saith Eccles 9. 2. All things come alike to all there is one event to the just and to the wicked to the pure and to the polluted and to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not as is the good so is the sinner and he that sweareth as he that sweareth not or feareth an oath so the worst be in the best estate and the good be in the worst estate hereof Habakkuk complaines Chap. 1. 13. Thou art of pure eyes and canst not behold wickednesse wherefore dost thou looke on the transgressors and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than be here in this life there be many aberrations and swervings from the right rule of justice therefore there must bee a judgement to bring that which deflects from the rule to rectitude and straightnesse Againe Augustine speaking out of Pssalm 101. saith God hath

will be operations and motions of the Spirit it will not be idle A ship on the Sea lies still when there is no body in it but put marriners therein then they will weigh up their anchors hoist up their sailes and away they goe so men lye idle in the wayes of God but if the Spirit of God be in them it will stirre and moove them to performe good duties to prayer to repent of their sinnes to duties of love and such like therefore when wee be idle and doe not feele this stirring and moving unto good things the holy Ghost is not in us because hee would be sure to stirre and moove us as Ezek. 1. 21. it is said of the wheeles that when the beasts went the wheeles went with them and when they stood they stood and when they were lifted up from the earth the wheeles were lifted up besides them for the spirit of the beasts were in the wheeles they had all one spirit so if the Spirit of God be in a man if Christ moves he will move and when Christ makes a stand he will stand and when Christ lifts up himselfe hee will lite up himselfe Hence we may be taught his sure marke that when a man feeles nothing is not stirred up to the duties of repentance prayer holinesse and love feeles no operation nor working of the Spirit in him let not that man wilfully put out his owne eyes for then of a truth he may see and there is no work of grace yet wrought the holy Ghost is not in him And thus much of the generall Now for the particular there be divers degrees for all have not one measure of the Spirit but some more some lesse therefore every one is to consider of his estate whether he be a beginner in religion or a strong Christian or whether he be weakned by sinne and temptations the weaker Christian hath weaker motions actions and operations the stronger hath stronger motions actions and operations of the Spirit we see in the life of nature that God gives divers degrees of life to his creatures there is not that degree of life in a little childe that is in a man who is come to his full growth therefore the actions and operations of a man are stronger than a childes Againe there is no man so strong but he may be weakened by sicknesse and distemperature so it is in the life of grace there be divers degrees of the Spirit in a weake Christian the actions and operations of the Spirit be weake in a strong Christian they be stronger and yet a strong Christian may be weakned by sinne therefore if a Christian would give a right judgement of himselfe whether he have the Spirit or no he must consider in what ranke hee is and in what estate whether a beginner in religion or a strong Christian or whether he be weakened by some sinnes If hee be a beginner in religion then he may looke to two things 1. Whether there be a right worke of the Spirit 2. Whether there be a right use of the worke First he must looke for a right worke of the Spirit and that we may consider in foure things First whether they have beene truly humbled for their sinnes and cast downe in the sense and feeling of them seeing that they were in an estate of damnation and under Gods curse till they be brought home to Christ as Act. 9. 6. we see Paul was first humbled and cast downe before God did raise him and give him comfort and so Act. 2. 37. the converts were first pricked in their hearts and cried out Men and brethren what shall we doe to bee saved before they were raised up by the ministery of the Apostles I have shewed you heretofore when a man appoints a tree to build with he first takes an Axe and cuts it downe by the root and layes it flat on the ground then he cuts off the boughes and branches and leaves it naked before he takes it into his building even so the Lord doth when he doth purpose to take us into his building he first comes with the axe of his Law cuts us downe and layes us on the ground then he cuts off the boughes and branches and leaves us naked without any hope of our owne merits or deserts before hee pluckes us into this same heavenly building And this is first worke of the Spirit Secondly the worke of the Spirit is an earnest desire to be reconciled to God to bee at one with him The hungry man doth not more desire his meat nor the thirsty man his drinke than he longs and desires in this estate to be in the covenant of grace as Act. 9. 22. Paul eat no meat for three dayes together but prayed and cried unto the throne of grace and could not be quiet till hee was certified by Ananias that his sinnes were pardoned A poore prisoner when he is condemned to die all he doth is for a pardon say what you will and doe what you will hee regards nothing else so it is with a Christian when he sees he is condemned by the Law of God and guiltie of eternall death say and doe what ye will all his mind is for a pardon which till he hath obtained nothing will quiet him nothing will content him till hee hath his discharge from God Thirdly It stirres up a man truly to lay hold on the sweet promises that God hath made to him in Christ So as he labours to be found in him and to renounce himselfe saying Lord I am a sinner but Christ hath satisfied thee for my sinnes I am uncleane but Christ hath washed me in his bloud I come short of that which thou requirest but Christ hath satisfied the Law for me so Act. 15. 11. Peter was bold to stand up and say We beleeve through the grace of the Lord Iesus Christ to be saved even as they doe so also Luke 1. 69. Zachariah blesseth and praiseth God because he hath raised up a horne of salvation unto us and Matth. 8. there was Leper that came to Christ and said unto him Lord I am an uncleane person but if thou wilt thou canst make me cleane in like manner the Spirit of God drives a man to Christ and makes him to say Lord though I am a Leper though I am an uncleane person and polluted yet if thou wilt thou canst make me cleane and therefore Lord wash me in thy most precious bloud that I may be found unblameable before thee Fourthly It workes a setled course to walke with God so farre forth as frailtie will permit so Psal 119. 106. David saith I have sworne and I will performe it to keepe thy righteous judgements and Act. 9. 6. Paul newly called saith What wilt thou that I doe before Saint Paul was stubborne and would not bend nor buckle to the will of God but now he is readie to yeeld to

Levit. 4. 3. there was a sacrifice appointed for the Ignorance of the Priests and People and Habakuk 3. the Prophet intitles a prayer for the Ignorances Therefore the Church may bee ignorant of some things as the Church of Ierusalem was Acts 11. 10. The Church was ignorant of the calling of the Gentiles till they were informed by Peter and in Cyprians time there was rebaptising held in the true Church So in Augustines time it was held as a thing needfull to salvation for Children to receive the Lords Supper contrary to Saint Pauls rule 1 Cor. 11. Let a Man examine himselfe therefore it is out of question their may be errors in the true Church But the difference is twofold First that they doe not erre in the foundation their errours doe not strike at the heart and let out the life-blood of religion but it is like the scratching of a Thorne and therefore it remaineth Holy in the foundation Secondly Though it fall into errour it is so assisted by the Power of grace as it doth not rest till it recover againe as mud being throwne into a fountaine rests not till it workes it out and settles againe so though the Church fall into errour it is so assisted by the power of grace as that it recovers againe as Iohn 16. 11. saith Christ When hee is come that is the Spirit He shall lead you into all Truth that is possesse them with all truth and lead them in all Truth Peter himselfe did not know all for he was ignorant of the calling of the Gentiles till he saw the vision And then it was revealed unto him so though the Church of God be ignorant for some time it shall not so continue but the Holy Ghost will lead it into all truth Now with the holinesse of their Faith they must joyne holinesse of life as 2 Pet. 1. 5. saith he moreover joyne with your Faith vertue and with vertue knowledge and with knowledge temperance c. with saith there must be joyned good life as of 1 Tim. 1. 19. saith S. Paul of some having faith and a good conscience which some have put away and as concerning faith hath made Shipwracke they were not wise enough to joyne to the holines of their faith holines of life but cast away a good cōscience made no conscience of known duties and so made shipwracke of all the pretious graces that they had imbarked In the 2 Thes 2. 10. it is said Because they received not the love of Truth that they might be saved therefore did God send them strong delusions that they should beleeve lies Therefore if men will not receive the love of the truth that they may be saved it is just with God to send them strong delusions to beleeve lyes therefore it must bee our care that with holinesse of our faith we joyne a Holy life Secondly the Church is holy by the imputation of Christs righteousnesse as 1 Cor. 1. 30. it is said Christ is made to us of God the Father wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption so Christ is not onely our justification but our sanctification for his holinesse is imputed to us In the Law as wee may see Rom. 11. 16. In the first fruits all the rest was sanctified though they ●●re not brought into the Temple nor presented before God yet by th● first fruites the rest was made Holy by a certaine power to the eate● and users of them so because Christ is the first fruits that was offered to God in all the puritie that might bee therefore the Church of God is made holy by relation from him To this the Schoolemen agree for saith Aquinas every imperfect thing presupposeth some certaine thing that is perfect that it might be helpt all our holinesse is unperfect in our selves therefore it must bee made perfect by the holinesse of Christ In all accusations of the Divell and conflicts of our consciences wee should come to God and say Lord though I am a sinner uncleane and have infinite wants in my selfe yet in my Head Christ I am sanctified and made Holy so that whatsoever I want in my selfe it is made good in him We see chrystall though it have no light nor lustre in it selfe yet set it in the Sunne and it receiveth the Sunne beames so although we have no light nor manner of lustre in our selves yet if we be brought to Christ wee receive all the graces of Christ therefore in the Revelation the Church is said to bee apparelled with the righteousnesse of Christ Thirdly the Church is holy by inherent holinesse because there is never a true member of the Church but doth labour to be holy though they be incumbred with a number of sinnes Therefore Heb. 3. they are called holy brethren and Esay 65. 12. It is said of them and they shall call them the holy People the redeemed of the Lord for it is the care of every true member to be holy though they be troubled with many incumbrances weaknesses and sinnes Therefore whosoever thou art that art not holy at all for wee cannot obtaine to bee perfectly holy in the estate of corruption labour to bee holy in some measure use the meanes and have care to rid and remove thy sinnes for otherwise thou art no true member of the holy Church A man may live in the Church till his flesh rot or his eyes fall out of his head and yet be no true member of the Church no more than a wodden legge is a true part of a Mans body which though it moove and goe with the body yet may be laid in the fire when the body is in safety because it is not joyned to it to draw life and motion from it in like manner a man may live in the Church and bee no true member thereof because hee is not joyned to Christ nor can approve himselfe to his owne conscience or to the conscience of others therefore as it is the care of every true member to be holy so it must be the care of us that are in the Church Fourthly the Church is holy because there be the meanes of holinesse It is not so holy as Corah Dathan and Abiram said Numb 16. 3. to Moses and Aaron ye take too much upon you seeing all the congregation is holy Thus to have no neede of Magistracie and Ministerie were a dangerous errour for any to thinke for the Church hath neede of all the meanes of holinesse though there be some beginnings of it yet they have neede of Moses and Aaron of Magistracie and Ministery as Psal 77. 20. it is said that The Lord led the People of Israel like Sheepe by the hand of Moses and Aaron the Lord led them with great tendernesse and respect hee led them like sheepe but it was by the hand of Moses and Aaron as long as the Church is in her Pilgrimage it hath ne●de of all meanes of holinesse to guide and