Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	aaron_n	find_v	lord_n	17	3	3.2810	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93061	The hypocrites ladder, or looking-glasse. Or A discourse of the dangerous and destructive nature of hypocrisie, the reigning and provoking sin of this age. Wherein is shewed how far the hypocrite, or formal professor may go towards heaven, yet utterly perish, by three ladders of sixty steps of his ascending. Together with a looking-glass, clearly discovering that lurking sin of hypocrisie. As also another glass to try sincerity of grace by. / By Jo. Sheffeild minister of the word at Swithins London.	Sheffeild, John, d. 1680.	1657 (1657)	Wing S3063; Thomason E1570_1	172,287	360

to sow See how thou canst answer Christs question Can you drinke of the cup I am to drinke of and bee baptized Mat. 20. 22. with that Baptisme that I am to bee baptized with Before you expect hee should answer your desire to sit at his right hand in his Kingdome Resolve first that it is a strait way or gate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a narrow Mat. 7. 14. and steep passage as that of Jonathan and 1 Sam. 14. 4. 13 his Armor-bearer climbing up on their hands and knees between the two sharp Rocks of Bozez and Seneh And that it will cost thee much labour and paines And then resolve further that it is a narrow way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a way full of affliction There are Lions and Anakims and Amalakites in the way all along and through tribulations is the way into the Kingdom of heaven Therefore as the Lord commanded when his people were to go out to battel they should make proclamation that if any was fearfull and faint-hearted hee should depart least his Deut. 20. 8. brothers heart should faint as well as his So doth Christ prolaime if any man come after mee Let him resolve to take up the Cross and to forsake father mother brother sister yea his owne life also or hee is no Luke 14. 26. 3● Disciple for mee 2 If thou wouldest go through with thy work having purged thy heart from that former base and slavish fear Get thy heart ballasted and filled with holy and Religious fear Salvation is not to be wrought out but with fear and trembling Nor is Phil. 2. 12. holiness to bee perfected but in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7. 1. Blessed is hee that Prov 28. 14. feareth alwayes in this sense Never fear him that feareth himself Fear God fear Satan fear sin fear the world fear thy own self bee jealous of thy own heart Omnia tuta time fear pride security decayes fear some secret sin spiritual sin tepidity luke-warmness ossitancy presumption non-proficiency fear taking cold leaving thy first love fear thy station and examine it fear and try thy profession fear and question thy faith thy comforts But above all feare security self-sufficiency hypocrisie and Apostacy 3 Keep a continuall watch and constant guard 1 Cor. 16. 12. Watch and stand fast are put together Watch in duty watch out of duty in prayer Watch and pray watch in hearing watch in thy Calling watch when alone watch in company Thy enemies are many mighty subtil and restless thy dangers are many great and for the most part unsuspected no place business imployment duty company secure therefore ever watch 4 Bee sure to keep conscience tender and pure tender as the Apple of thy eye to bee sensible of the least mote or dust where conscience is kept tender 1 It will not admit of the least sin it will not say of any sin Is it not a little one 2 It will not exempt and shelter any beloved sin to say Deal gently with my Absolom 2 Sam. 18. 5. 3 It is very sensible of and gives great heed to the private admonitions and smitings of his own heart as David when upon a small occasion 4 It dares not sleight 1 Sam. 24 5. a reproof from any hand Even a childe may lead such Isa 11. 6. 5 It dares not intermit any duty 6 Nor dare it performe any duty sleightly or cursorily offering 2 Sam. 24. 24. to God that which costeth nothing 2 Conscience is to bee kept pure And where it is so 1 All gross sin is forsaken and detested 2 All secret sin is shunned and avoyded 3 Vnknown and unavoidable sin is bewayled 5 Take heed again and look as much to thy self lest there should bee found in thee an evil heart of unbeleef in departing Heb. 3. 12. from the living God It is an evill that hath caused many a one to fall yea the mighty have been wounded by it Moses and Aaron were for one act of unbeleef kept Numb 20. 12. out of Canaan Take heed of questioning Gods power faithfulness truth love mercy protection assistance especially of with-drawing thy whole dependance upon Christ In quietness and confidence thou wilt finde safety 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In hoc vinces This is Isa 30. 15. to bee strong in the Lord and in the power Epl. 6. 10. of his might When in our feares wee flye to Christ and awake him as the Mat. 8. 25. Disciples did or call upon him as the Gibeonites did on Joshua slacke not thy Josh 10. 6. hand wee have put our selves under thy protection then hee holds his honour truth and Covenant engaged for thee When I am weake I am strong saith the 2 Cor. 12. 10. Apostle What time I am afraid I will trust in thee Whither should the Bird flye but Psal 56. 3. to her hill and the Cony but to the Rock Then wee have not onely the Armour of the Lord on us But the Arme of the Lord stretched out for us Scanderbegs Sword and his Arme the one without the other could do little Let thy military word bee the sword of the Iudg. 7. 20. Prov. 18. 10. Psal 60. 12. Ex. 17. 15. Lord and of Gideon The Name of the Lord is my strong Tower through God I shall do valiantly Jehovah Nissi the Lord is my Banner or in God I will set up my Banners This faith made the people of God valiant and victors in sharpest conflicts and put to flight all Armies of men and Devils How heroically was that spoken by Luther If I knew there were as many Devils to oppose mee as there bee Tyles on the houses at Wormes in the Name of Christ I would go on 6 Learn to prize and to submit to a plain powerfull quickning sin-discovering and heart-searching Minister and take heed of forsaking the Assemblies as the manner of too many now adayes Heb. 10. 25. is and whither have wee seen such arrive at length but to make a fearful shipwracke of faith and a good conscience And learn to prize such acquaintance and Christian friends as will strengthen thy hand in God 1 Sam. 23. 16. And flye as out of Sodome from such a companion whose example or counsel may corrupt thee and stop thine ears against such Charmers and Seducers as under pretence of New Lights would draw thee from the old pathes and take heed as much of a detestable Neutrality or utrality a halting between God and Baal lest wanting love zeal Ier. 6. 16. and courage for the truth God should give thee over to strong delusions to beleeve a 1 King 18. 21 2 Thes 2. 10. 11 lye 7 Learn conscientiously to make use of the holy Ordinances of God 1 By holy preparations before Jam. 1. 21. and stirring up quickning desires and affections 1 Pet. 2. 2. that you may grow thereby 2 With an awfull and religious acknowledging and sanctifying

THE Hypocrites Ladder OR LOOKING-GLASSE OR A Discourse of the dangerous and destructive Nature of HYPOCRISIE The Reigning and Provoking Sin of this AGE Wherein is shewed how far the Hypocrite or Formal Professor may go towards Heaven yet utterly perish by Three Ladders of Sixty Steps of his ascending TOGETHER WITH A Looking-Glass clearly discovering that Lurking Sin of HYPOCRISIE As also another Glass to try Sincerity of Grace by By Jo. Sheffeild Minister of the Word at Swithins London Matth 8. 11 12. And I say unto you that many shall come from the East and West and shall sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdome of heaven But the children of the Kingdome shall bee cast out into utter darkness c. Vt generationi huic a fermento Pharisaorum quod est hypocrsis si tamen hypocrisis dici debet quae jam latere prae abundantia non valet proe imputentia non quaerit Scrpit hodie putida rabies per omne Corpus Ecclesiae quo tatius eo desperatius eoque periculofius quo interius Bern. in Cant. Serm. 33. LONDON Printed by R. I. for Tho. Newberry at his Shop at the Three Golden Lions in Cornhil 1658. TO THE Right Honourable the Lady ELIZABETH Countess Dowager of EXETER And to the Honourable the Lady MARY ARMIN. Right Honourable I Do with much confidence presume to joyn your Ladiships two Great Names in the Dedication of this plain Treatise as so well knowing how long and how firmly you have been joyned in heart by the best hand and in the best bonds of mutual Love to each others persons and mutual rejoycing in each others Graces and Vertues and especially in these two viz. 1 The truth of love to God and his people and wayes which are in your Ladiships esteem the onely excellent and wherein is your whole delight 2 The love of the Truths of God which you have kept fast in this houre of Tentation which hath come upon all the earth to try the approved Rev. 3. 10. as knowing from whom you have received them and that they are able alone to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus And truly these two Graces TRUTH OF DIVINE LOVE and LOVE OF DIVINE TRUTH I reckon the two richest Jewels which can adorn a Ladies breast They are the Evangelical Urim and Thummim Such were you both I can speak of my own knowledge for about this Thirty years and such you are still And as it was the highest glory of the Highest Elizabeth of this Land the glory indeed of her Sexe so it will bee your Ladiships to bee Semper Eaedem while so many others have to their shame left their first love if not Rev. 2. 4. to their damnation forsaken their first 1 Tim. 5. 11. faith I have had the happiness together with many others long to know your Ladiships pious exemplary conversation manner of life faith charity humility meekness patience constancy under sundry and great trialls In which regard I must say of your Ladiships what was once said of Timothy I know none or very few like-minded Phil. 2. 20. Yet truly when I consider that as it is the nature of Hypocrisie which takes up one part of this Discourse like Hagar presently to swell and lift up it self upon the first Conception though of a Bond son Gen. 16. 4. So of Sincerity which makes up the other part of this Discourse like Elizabeth to keep in and hide her Luke 1. 24. self after her conception of a reall God-son a childe full of grace and of the Holy Ghost chusing with Rebeckah or with Moses to put on a vail to hide that beauty and glory from the view of the world which is best seen of him who sees 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and looketh into the hidden man of the heart And further when I consider the common vanity that I say not greater crime of this present age as in Funeral Sermons so in Dedicatory Epistles to over-lash or break out into exuberant and excessive and often undue praises of the persons spoken of in the one and spoken to in the other I confess I was resolved to chide my Pen and to lay my hand upon my mouth remembring that of the Poet Haec amat obscurum But when I call to minde again on the other side that even the holy Apostles in their Canonical Epistles have spent some good part of their holy lines in the ample commendations of those eminent Saints to whom they wrote as Paul in his to Philemon and John in that of his to an Honourable Lady and that other to a meaner Gaius and that they went not behinde the door as wee say to whisper but as on the house top did proclaim the Religious and pious practises of those more choice Christians to the imitation of others And further when I consider again in the sight of God that with like truth that may bee asserted of both your Ladiships which the Apostle speaketh of Demetrius a rare and not ordinary Testimony Demetrius hath good report of all men 3 Joh. v. 12. and of the truth it selfe and wee also beare Record and wee know that our Record is true Or what is recorded of 2 Chron. 31. 20 21 Hezekiah Thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah and wrought what was good and right and truth before the Lord his God And in every work that hee began in the service of the house of God and in the Law and Commandements hee did it with all his heart and prospered And in hope that like use might bee made of such examples as of the Corinthian forwardness which the holy Apostle therefore commended That your zeal and forwardness might provoke others I then resolved Cupit haec or decet haec sub luce videri What and if the wise and sober take offence to behold rotten wood and base copper covered over with gilt and paint is there any just cause that the envious world should take offence to see the gold and chrystal appearing in their native purity and splendor which neither ignorance or malice can make any detraction from nor Art nor Eloquence make any addition unto The character and testimony given unto your Ladiships is that which thousands will attest Even every eye that hath seen you hath blessed and every ear that hath heard you as was said of Job hath born witness to you and every mouth of such as have had Job 29. 11. knowledge of you will break out in the words of Solomons mother Many Daughters many Ladies have Prov. 31. 29. done vertuously but you have excelled the most of them all What were your Ladiships when you lived there but the two Eyes or Breasts of your Country The two Pillars of two great and eminent Families The two Staves of Bands and Beauty Two Beacons set upon two Mountains Or two Glasses for Ladies and Gentlewomen to dress by Such

1 Cor. 4. 8. Now yee are full now yee are rich yee have reigned as Kings without us and I would to God yee did reign that wee might also reign with you Wee are fools yee are wise wee are weake yee are strong yee are honourable wee despised They were such as Paraeus saith thought themselves above Pauls Superbi regnum gerunt in capite c. ita Corinthii persuasum habentes se jam absolutos esse in Christianismo nec Pauli opera indigere amplius Par. in loc teaching they cared no more to hear him they were so rich and full and wise and absolutely perfect Here was much grace in shew little in truth So wee read of some beleevers who could beleeve in Christ but hee durst not trust them ever the more for their beleeving Joh. 2. 23 24. But wee read of strange and monstrous beleevers Joh. 8. 30. Many beleeved on him it is said yet were they such as gloried and rested in their carnal priviledges that they were Abrahams seed beleevers that were strangers to the state of spiritual bondage in sin vers 33. Beleevers who went about to kill the Messias because his word could finde no room in their hearts vers 37. Beleevers that were the children of their father the Devil vers 44. Beleevers that must not be reproved nor hear the ttuth from Christ himself but they will flye in his face vers 40. 45 46 47. Beleevers that reproach Christ as an Impostor a Samaritan and one that had a Devil vers 48. Read the whole story Joh. 8. from vers 30. to the end and you will see the picture of strange beleevers who glory they are the chidren of the Church Sons of Abraham never were other than the children of God c. 2 Hee may bee so well as to make no question of his salvation at all but pity others more The Pharisee had no doubt of his own salvation in the world hee Luke 18. 11. pitied the Publican Laodicea so rich in Rev. 3. 17. spirituals as shee wanted nothing if Esau could say hee had enough of worldly goods shee could say shee had grace and gifts and hope enough if Jacob and Gen. 33. 9. Phil. 4. 18. Gen. 33. 11. Paul could say they had all shee will not come behinde any of them Micah 3. 11. The Lord complains they leave not sin yet leave not leaning on him Yet will they lean upon the Lord and say is not the Lord among us none evil shall come upon us They lean so as they will not bee shaken off This leaning is a heavy treading on God as a Cart is full of sheaves Am. 2. 13. God is loaden with their sins but most with their confidence Job 18. 14. They carry their confidence and it them to the King of Terrors that is to hell Jer. 2. 37. God rejecteth their confidences but they will not reject them though they never prosper worse than I thirst for Thirstiness I weep for tears well-pleased I am to bee displeased thus The onely thing I fear is want of fears Suspecting I am not suspicious Amidst these restless thoghts this rest I find For those that rest not here there 's rest behind Famous Gataker of himself when they presume most Hence some have said Hell is full of Assurance and presumption Heaven full of fear and trembling of doubting and mourning Christians The sincere man seeks to hold his Integrity the hypocrite onely to hold his confidence but a little integrity is worth a great deal of confidence The sincere Disciples are noted all to bee self-suspicious onely Judas scorns to change his colour and to bring himself into the least suspicion I read of a Monk that dying blasphemously said Da mihi vitam aternam quam debes 3 Hee may be a man of excellent discourse and language Ahitophel was for wisdome of words an Oracle Jethro a moral Pagan gives instructions to Moses the greatest Prophet about managing civil affairs and matters of Judicature Exod. 18. 17 18 19. Very good Christians may go to School to Plato Aristotle and Seneca to learn morality and finde in them many Exod. 18. 17 18 19. wise and weighty sentences How did Balaams words drop piety zeal and Num. 23. 10. 24. 3 4 5 15. contempt of the world Gamaliels speech was very seasonable to stop persecution Festus speech was full of Justice How Act. 25. 16. ●lt discreetly did that Scribe discourse with our Saviour Mar. 12. 33. Good words are cheap Many mens tongues are like Naphtalies hinde let loose that give goodly words whose hearts are not like Ashers bread full of Royal Dainties Gen. 49. 21 22 Joh. 12. 5 6. Judas himself had words of oyl and butter for his speech hee was the most charitable of all the Apostles the poor mans friend piety and charity and all grace seemed to bee poured into his lips The other Apostles were all taken tardy in their speeches one time or other of Judas I never read hee was taxed An hypocrite may bee more wary in his discourse than sometimes a gracious man is the more the pity James and John overshot themselves Luke 9. 53. Philip Joh. 6. 7. Andrew Joh. 6. 9. Judas not Iscariot Joh. 14. 22. Thomas Joh. 20. 25. Nathaniel Joh. 1. 46. Peter very often as Luke 5. 8. Matth. 16. 22. Joh. 13. 8. 21. 21. To say nothing of his denying swearing cursing once when time was Judas was no curser swearer nor inconsiderate speaker but a cursed hypocrite hee was 5 The hypocrite may have strange stirrings and pangs of conscience at times as if the Spirit began to move them at times as it did sometimes to Sampson Judg. 13. 25. Felix had once a trembling fit Magus a shaking fit when Peter came up and closed with him Thou art in the gall of bitterness c. Nebuchadnezzar had a falling fit Dan. 2. 46. hee fell down before Daniel and worshipped yet Chap. 3. 1. hee was setting up a golden Image and it must bee worshipped and hee that said of Daniels God Chap. 2. 48. Of a truth it is that your God is a God of Gods and a Lord of Lords and thereupon at Daniels request promoted Shadrach Meshach and Abednego in the next Chapter hee must have these men fall down and worship him or his Image or into his furnace they must bee cast and impiously asks what their God could do for them Who is that God that can deliver you out of my hands Pharaoh had his relenting Exod. 8. 28. 9. 27. 10. 16 1 Sam. 24. 16 fit and Saul a weeping fit and as fits they came and went away again They returned from repenting to repenting from a good repenting to a bad from repenting of sin to repent of their repentance Now wee reckon a man to bee of such a temper as hee is constantly of not a man hot who is so in a Feaver-fit or cold who shakes in an

of God in them Lev. 10. 3. 3 And with a serious self-recollection and examination after Luke 24 32. As the Disciples asked each other If they did not feel their hearts burn within them while Christ opened to them the Scriptures 8 Study to keep down high and swelling thoughts and dwell much in thy own heart to keep thee humble Tecum habita noris quam sit tibi curta supellex Reflect upon former miscarriages or defects and as Schollars that aim at a progress Look back upon former exercises to correct and amend the weaknesses in them Let thy profiting daily bee seen to thy self and others none take hurt that 1 Tim. 4. 15. are looking forward and going on It is the Carters Proverb Cart never overthrows going up hill Fear descents and declinings And study thy present wants and pray Lord make mee to know how fraile I am The horse wee say were a dangerous creature if hee knew his own Psal 39. 4. strength man is a more dangerous no danger in an humble knowing thy own weakness In te st as non st as said holy Austin when thou standest in thy own strength thou staggerest and when thou risest in thy own strength thou risest to take a fall And let the forwardness and higher growth of others lately thy equals or juniors if not shame yet provoke thee to a holy emulation and ambition to out-strip both thy selfe and them as Paul who when time was had profited in the Jewish Religion above all Gal. 1. 19. his equals and after in the Christian Religion 2 Cor. 11. 5. hee came behinde none of the chiefest Apostles but could say in truth 1 Cor. 15. 10. Hee had laboured more than they all 9 Seek to get a heavenly heart and pray much for such a heart that thou mayest even rejoyce in the Lord alwayes and account it thy meat and drinke to bee Phil. 4 4. Jo. 4. 34. doing his work Work never goes on well till wee take delight in our employments neither do men thrive in their Callings till they take a kinde of felicity in them Set thy affections on things above especially get that pitch of spirit as Col. 3. 2. Psal 37. 4. Psal 73. 28. to delight in the Lord to say It is good for mee to draw nigh to God The warme wings of the Hen makes the drooping Chicking to thrive and battle The comfort of Gods presence makes all grace to thrive The joy of the Lord is the Christians Neh. 8. 10. strength it is said it is the strength of his heart of his graces of his duties as well as of his joy and comfort When the poor Israelitish servant saw hee was well used and could not tell where to mend himself for a Master hee would not change but offered his ears to bee bored so will it bee with us Seek to get a love and Exod. 21. 5 6. liking to thy Master and to his work and thou wilt never repent thee of it 10 Lastly to name no more Bee much in Prayer and pray the Lord himself to bee thy keeper to keep thee as the Apple of his eye and to give thee a heart Psal 17. 8. Prov. 7. 2. to keep his Commandements as the Apple of thine eye Beg of him according to his gracious promise to Circumcise thy heart to put his fear in thy heart that thou mayest never depart from him and that hee Deut. 30. 6. Jer. 32. 39 40. will not depart from thee to do thee good While Moses his hands were lifted up Israel prevailed Amalek when they hung Exod. 17. 11. down and if you note you shall finde then have many been intangled and overcome by error worldliness impiety and Apostacy when they have restrained and intermitted prayer before God Urge the Lord with the like Arguments that Joshua and Sampson sometimes used When Israel accustomed to continual victories came to receive a foyl from the men of Ai Joshua falls on Josh 7. 6. 7 8 9. his face cries out Alas Lord What will become of us And what will become of thy great Name Would to God wee had never come over Jordan Wee fear now the Canaanites will gather head and cut off our name from off the earth c. q. d. Wee reckoned our selves now in sight and as good as in possession of Canaan now to meet with such a disaster it amazeth and breaketh our hearts So mayest thou say Lord shall all my profession end and break off thus Would to God I had never gone so far or ever been a Professor at all rather than not to hold out Lord what is become of all my former hopes and thy wonted helps But for thy Name and Honours sake I urge and importune thee I have no greater Argument then to say What wilt thou doe unto thy great Name Lord who shall lose more I or thou Whose Name will have more dishonour Thine or mine If my name were blotted and blotted out from under heaven it were no great matter but I would bee loath to live to see the day when thy Name should receive the least blot or blemish by my means Or with Sampson say Shall I after such a deliverance and victory over the uncircumcised now perish with thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised again hee throws away his Jaw-bone which was the instrument of his victory and falls to prayer and the Lord cleaves a hollow in the Jaw-bone and a spring breaks out whereof hee drinks and recovers himselfe and to make the Well more memorable hee calls it Enhakkore as if hee should say Here is the fruit of prayer Here is the Well of prayer Judg. 15. 18 19. So mayest thou say Lord I have by thy help overcome some of these uncircumcised and now shall I fall under their hand or shall I after such experiences and encouragements dye of a spiritual thirst I shall not in despondence cast away my profession and faith as hee did his Jaw-bone but I will to prayer as he did and I may have an Enhakkore too a Well to quench the thirst of him that called on the Lord. All my fresh springs Psal 87. 7. are in thee and so both digged Wells at first and opened when stopped as the Philistims had stopped the Wells that Abrahams servants digged Gen. 26. 18. Prayer is that which opens them and makes them flow CHAP. XIX The Conclusion with an Use of Comfort HAving now gone through the maine Vses of the point I shall close up with an Vse of Comfort that our Sun may not set in a cloud and our Ark bee left in the deep tossed with the waves of a long continued Deluge but resting on Gen. 8. 6. the mountains and wee will uncover the top to let in a little light of comfort from heaven upon a perplexed soule And if I should bee the shorter herein you need not marvel for the Text hath not