Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	believe_v	gospel_n	preach_v	1,882	5	6.7867	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01737	The stewards last account Deliuered in fiue sermons vpon the sixteenth chapter of the gospell by Saint Luke, the first and second verses. By Robert Bagnall, Minister of the Word of God, at Hutton in Somersetshire.	Bagnall, Robert, b. 1559 or 60.	1622 (1622)	STC 1187; ESTC S119158	78,252	118

Prodigall Sonne was such a Steward for he craued his portion of goods which belonged to him and got it of his Father and not many dayes after when he had gathered all that he could together hee tooke his iourney into a farre Country there he wasted his goods with ryotous liuing Euery man that hath good gifts giuen him of God and doth mis-imploy them is guilty of this sinne of wastefulnesse And so much concerning the hainous crimes whereof the bad Steward is accused The end of the second Sermon THE THIRD SERMON NOw next of his calling in these words And he called him God may bee said to call a man many wayes Sometimes he louingly inuiteth inticeth and calleth vs vnto him by his benefits shewing himselfe very bountifull vnto vs and patient to draw vs hereby as the Father doth his Child with an Apple Rom. 2.4 or some pleasing thing to repentance And thus kindely God dealt with the Iewes Ier. 5. but all the Lords louing kindnesses towards them were lost the people were so vnthankefull Againe the Israelites were thus called and inuited For they had Moses and Aaron to declare the Law of God vnto them to guide them and which by prayers put away all hurtfull things from them and by the same obtained all necessarie things for them euen Manna from Heauen but they like wanton and vndutifull children abused the goodnesse and lenitie of God towards them And thus the Lord calleth and inuiteth vs. For what singular blessings hath the Lord bestowed vpon vs not onely common and generall to all his people as our Election Redemption Vocation Iustification and other spirituall and perfect good things but priuate also which other Nations want For wee haue a most gracious learned godly and vertuous King peace and all other good things vnder him which other Nations doe lacke For which the Lord make vs thankefull God calleth man by castigations and the Rod of correction Reu. 3.19 Heb. 12. which are arguments of Gods loue to his children and proceed from it The Lord saith Whom I loue I correct And againe My sonne despise not thou the chastening of the Lord neither faint when thou art rebuked of him For whom the Lord loueth he chastneth and he scourgeth euery sonne that he receiueth Afflictions are the rod which our louing Father taketh in his hand and wherewith he whippeth his children round to make them repent and obey his calling and this may be a great comfort to Gods children that their heauinesse and afflictions are but short they haue a prosperous issue a speedy deliuerance for heauinesse endureth for a night and ioy commeth in the morning As after stormes and tempests comes sunne-shining weather and after a bloudy and red euen a faire bright morning Euen so after momentanie afflictions patiently endured the Children of God shall haue a farre more excellent and an eternall waight of glory 2. Cor. 4.17 Hereby the Children of God are bettered in this life For as iron is more bright when the rust is scowred from it Wheat more pure when the Chaffe is blowne from it and the Weeds sifted out and Gold when it is tryed in the fire is more precious So are the Children of God when they are tryed in the fiery furnace of afflictions and found faithfull This makes them to repent to seeke vnto God to pray vnto him to hope for deliuerance from him and to end as it were in a word is the plaine high way to Heauen Act. 14.22 For through many tribulations wee must enter into the Kingdome of Heauen Wherefore all yee that suffer in a good cause take the comfortable exhortation of Saint Iames Iam. 1.2 3 4. My brethren count it exceeding ioy when yee fall into diuers tentations knowing that the trying of your Faith bringeth forth patience and let patience haue her perfect worke that yee may bee perfect and entire lacking nothing God calleth man by his Word and this calling is two-fold Generall Speciall The Generall calling is an inuitation and bidding of all good and bad tagge and ragge to come from the kingdome of Satan sinne and darknesse to the Kingdome of Christ of grace and light executed by the outward preaching and reading of the Word For God which is rich in mercy and would haue all men to be saued 1. Tim. 2.4 and to come to the knowledge of his Truth vouchsafeth his meanes to all would haue his Gospel to be preached to all Math. 28. that all might beleeue yeeld their obedience and bee saued or else wilfully contemning their calling be left inexcusable This we may see to be true by his bountifull feast and the liberall inuitation which he made and appointed Luk 14. This is and hath been euen from the beginning the administration of the Lords Kingdome Thus God called Adam saying Adam Where art thou Thus hee called the people in Noah his time by Noah himselfe and so the people in the Prophets time by the Prophets themselues So he called them in the New Testament by Iohn Baptist Mat. 3. Math. 11. Yea Christ himselfe so called saying Come vnto me all ye that trauell and are heauy laden c. And hee commanded the Apostles so to doe giuing them their message saying Goe ye and teach all Nations c. Mat. 28.19 20. Mar. 16. And now Ministers doe it yea and shall doe it in Christs stead to the end of the world 2. Cor. 5.20 Now then saith the Apostle are wee Messengers for Christ euen as though God did beseech you through vs so pray we you in Christs stead that yee be reconciled vnto God But alas this generall Calling this bountifull offering of Grace takes no place among the wicked moues their hearts nothing at all For although their soules are almost famished and they are euen sicke vnto death yet they refuse all Physicke and reliefe and therefore are left inexcusable Musc and worthily perish Meritò perit aegrotus qui medicum non solùm non vocat sed vltrò venientem recusat that is the sicke man worthily perisheth which not onely refuseth to call a Physician but when hee is come repelleth him Some being called say as the rebellious Iewes said Ier. 44.16 17. The word that thou hast spoken vnto vs in the Name of the Lord we will not heare it of thee But wee will doe whatsoeuer thing goeth out of our owne mouth as to burne incense to the Queene of Heauen c. Others are persecuters of them that call them as they that were bidden to the great wedding who tooke the Kings seruants and intreated them sharpely Mat. 22.6 and slue them Such a one was Herod to Iohn Baptist Mat. 14. who could not abide him calling him from his filthy incestuous sinne with Herodias his brother Philips Wife Mark 6. but as soone as he was reprooued tooke a light occasion instigated by the curtizan to put him to death But now God

rich in grace for he is called the God of all grace All which graces and gifts he giueth vs in his Sonne Christ Iesus the most plentifull fountaine of all goodnesse in whom and by whom all these and many other good gifts ineffable are conferred vnto vs Chap. 1.16 as Iohn well proueth saying Of his fulnes haue all we receiued and grace for grace as if he should say grace vpon grace or graces heaped one vpon another The consideration of this doctrine should make vs in faith and full assurance to pray to this rich God and to none other for vnto whom should wee pray and of whom should wee craue for all good things but of him which hath all to giue and from whom euery good giuing and perfect gift commeth Iam. 1.17 Gen. 17.1 who is able to helpe in all extremities for hee is omnipotent is present with vs and neare vs as hee is vnto all that call vpon him faithfully And lastly he is willing to helpe and saue for hee would haue all to bee saued and to come to the knowledge of his truth 1. Tim. 2.4 And therefore our Sauiour Christ calleth all vnto him promising vnto all that come vnto him in repentance and faith refreshing Math. 11.28 Math. 28. He commands his Gospell to be freely preached vnto all and he biddeth all to his great Supper Luk. 14. O let vs in repentance and faith come vnto him and pray vnto him continually for he is the rich man here ment able to grant our requests Againe if all the good things we haue come from our rich God it should make vs most thankfully to acknowledge him to be the giuer and to returne all laude and praise to him from whom the benefit commeth for as all the waters come from the Sea and returne thither againe so all the benefits which we receiue come from God Iam. 1.17 and by our thankes-giuing should returne to him againe O let vs be thankefull and say with Dauid from our hearts and speake to our owne soules as he did Praise the Lord Psal 103.1 2 3 4 5. O my soule and all that is within mee praise his holy name Praise the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefits which forgiueth all thy sinne and healeth all thine infirmities which saueth thy life from destruction and crowneth thee with mercy and louing kindnesse which satisfieth thy mouth with good things making thee young and lusty as an Eagle Let vs praise God our selues and exhort others to doe the like for it is good and godly so to doe And therefore the Prophet said 147. O praise the Lord for it is a good thing to sing praises vnto our God yea a ioyfull and pleasant thing it is to bee thankefull Thus much concerning the person meant by the rich man to wit God Now of his Steward The iudgement of ancient Writers concerning this Steward who he should be what should be his name haue been diuers euery man hauing a seuerall opinion and speaking as he thought quothomines tot capita tot sententiae Look how many men so many heads so many opinions which thing is to be deplored that so many learned men and famous in other matters should in this point bee so much deceiued Rom. 15.7 as to restrict this parcell of Scripture written for all our learning to one particular Man People or Nation it being also parabolically spoken Whereas it deepely concernes vs all and is to bee applyed particularly to euery seuerall man of vs. Some haue thought that Saint Paul was this Steward Act. 9.4 For he was a bad one vntill he was called of Iesus Christ and of this iudgement was Theophilus Bishop of Antiochia Some affirmed that the Iewes were this Steward and the Gentiles these Debtors Of this opinion was Tertullian lib. de fuga cap. 13. Gaudentius writing to Germinius supposeth that this Steward was the Diuell mis-implying all his gifts his wit and power to tempt men to their destruction Many others haue diuersly and strangely set downe their opinions which I thinke more fit to omit then to fill my paper with friuolous matters Let vs harken to them who come neerer to the scope of the place In this number I place Ambrose in his Commentaries Aug. in quaest Euang. Augustine in his Euangelicall questions Theophilact others who affirme that this Steward is all mankind further say that the word OIKONOMOS a Steward doth signifie not only Villicum a Bayly of Husbandry but one to whom all manner of goods and possessions in a Farme are concredited committed to t●●● to wit a generall Steward best expressed by the word dispensator which signifieth an Officer laying out money for an houshold vnder another man And therefore these reade the words following Render account of thy Stewardship for thou mayest be no longer Steward Thus Redde rationem dispensationis tuae non enim poteris amplius dispensare So then this Steward is all mankinde For euery man hath receiued of God the proper owner of all one good gift or another in trust which he ought to dispose and employ not as he listeth but as God the proper owner of al would haue him and must yeeld an account to him euen as the earthly Steward doth to his earthly Master For this cause euery man must needs be a Steward and a disposer of some good gift of God Kings then are Stewards to the highest of all acknowledge their aduancements to come frō the Lord and therefore in their stiles of Dignity vse these words by the grace of God Ministers are Stewards of the Lords House which is the Church and ought to breake the Bread of Life to their Flockes to preach the Word in season and out of season and must render an account 2. Tim. 4.7 All Magistrates are Stewards of the common house which is the weale publique and ought to consider that they are set ouer the people for the punishment of euill doers 1. Pet. 2.14 and for the praise of them that doe well Masters are Stewards of their owne Houshold and ought not onely to dispose all things in order but especially to make this resolution that they and their housholds will serue the Lord. Iosu 24.15 All men are Stewards of their owne bodies and of the priuy closet of their own conscience as Pontan hath There is none so mighty that is greater or so meane and base that is lesse then a Steward to the King of Kings to the Highest of all and what goods or goodnes he vseth hee hath receiued them all of the Father of Lights Iam. 1.17 1. Cor. 4.7 For what hast thou that thou hast not receiued He it is that deliuereth to his Seruants his Talents to some more and to some lesse Which doctrine confuteth the Pelagians Math. 2.5 and all such as ascribe all that they haue to their owne industry Whereas all that is good