Selected quad for the lemma: diversity_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A96523
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Three decads of sermons lately preached to the Vniversity at St Mary's Church in Oxford: by Henry Wilkinson D.D. principall of Magdalen Hall.
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Wilkinson, Henry, 1616-1690.
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1660
(1660)
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Wing W2239; Thomason E1039_1; ESTC R204083
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607,468
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685
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appetit scire Every man by nature is desirous of knowledg In point of knowledge the cry in generall is with the horseleeches daughter Give Give There 's no satiety in it Of all other goods knowledge is to be set at the highest estimate And of all sorts of knowledge the knowledg of Christ is superexcellent and if we raise the Climax higher that knowledg which concernes the Crosse of Christ is most excellent sweet and comfortable You see then that I am warranted by my Apostle to outbid all the knowledg in the world The knowledge of Christ transcends all the knowledge in the Universe This is the wisdome of God in a mystery 1 Cor 2. 7. It 's that which the blessed Angels desire to peepe into and they use more than ordinary diligence It s beyond the spheare of their apprehension Let 1 Pet. 1. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est intente â—t cum animi observatione prospicere intucri Gethar in Harm Evang. all humane learning unveyle to this Let all secular knowledge rise up and give up the bucklers Let the profoundest Philosophers those Glimmerers and as I may say Night-wormes in Divinity learne so much knowledge as to know their ignorance All their Lamps twinckle and cannot illuminate the soule of man What clouds and mists are there in the most exquisite Arts and Sciences untill they be dissipated by the sun of righteousnesse Extract the quintessence of the most elaborate volumes of Philosophers though things in themselves of precious value yet compared with the knowledge of Christ they are but brutish ignorance no better then those huskes which the Prodigall son fed on devoid of all reall solid nutriment In the discussion of this excellent knowledg for my more methodicall progresse I 'le resume the parts of my Text in their proposed order taking my rise at my Apostles profession 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I determined to know You heare my Apostles determination is unalterably fixt upon 1 part Concerning knowledg in generall this principle to be a knowing man He hath discovered a gemme in the feild of superlative value and therefore he digged hard in the mines of wisdome to get possession of it Non nisi sublato reperitur gemmula saxo T' is no mervaile that the Apostle should be so eager in the pursuit of knowledge The Minister of the Gospel as well as the Priest under the Law ought to be a man of knowledge For the Priests lips should keep knowledge and they should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts Mal 2. 7. Hence Calvin concludes that be ought to be a Teacher An ignorant minister * Hine sequitur a Jure Sacerdotii non posse divelli docendi munus prodigiosum est si sacerdotemse esse jactet interea non sit Doctor Calvin is none of Gods making for God gives gifts where he gives a calling How then can a man attaine unto the riches of wisdome unlesse he hath the key of tongues to open them unto him Hence it comes to passe that diversity of tongues are reckoned with the choycest persons and things as Apostles Prophets Teachers Miracles Gifts of healing Helpes Governments 1 Cor 12. 28. How much is a Divine accommodated by the knowledg of tongues For how can he beate out the meaning of the holy Ghost unlesse he understand his language Mee thinks then our desires should be raised to as high a pitch as Solomon intimates Prov 18. 1. Through desire a man having seperated himselfe intermedleth with all wisdome This seperation is lawfull * Qui se ab hominibus sejungit quaerit sapientiam prae desiderio sludio ejus consequendae itaque cum omni doctrin â sese immiscet omni hominum con sortio relicto ut liberius studiis incumbat Merc. in Loc. to leave company to study the harder as Mercer observes A schollar will find speciall use of Arts and Sciences they inrich the mind with knowledge and helpe to unty many knotty Controversies Let me then perswade you to compasse these spoyles of the Egyptians to leave no paines unattempted in the pursuit of learning Arts and Sciences caught a fall in Adam How prudent a course would it be for us to raise a building out of those ruins and to have that part of Gods image restored Solomen excelled the learned'st and put downe the skillfullest in their owne Art 1 Kings 4 30. There 's made up a catalogue of his knowledg in natural things And they passe under the seale and signature of the holy Ghost as being subservient unto Religion and therefore of great price dignity and value Moses who as they say lived in Hermes Trismegistus time was learned in the Mathematicks and all things that appertayn'd unto humane learning The Text is cleare And Moses was learn'd in all the wisdome of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and in deeds Acts 7. 22. If any be enemies to University learning I conceive with St. Jude v. 10. They speake evill of those things which they know not Their ignorance as * Incivile iniquum est sin vero quià respuunt malitiâ impietate vacare non potest Ium in Loc. Junius observes is uncivill unjust malicious and impious They may fitly be compared to the fox in the fable who say'd the grapes were over bitter because they were above his reach None but an Ignoramus is an enemie to knowledge Thus you see how we ought to prize knowledge where ever we find it But let us conferre our principall paines for the attaining of that knowledge which onely will make us wise unto salvation Throughout the whole booke of Proverbes a wise man and a godly man are convertible termes Religion is therefore called the way of understanding Prov 9. 6. And it is the high commendation of a wise man Prov 1. 5. That he will heare and increase learning and a man of understanding shall attaine unto wise counsels This is the end of Christs coming into the world to be a light unto it Ioh 1. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Clem. Alexan. strom 6. Lord is our illumination and that true knowledg into which we are translated so Clemens Alexandrinus By his knowledge shall my righteous Clem. Alex strom 6 to servant justify many I say 53. 11. And it 's Davids prayer O continue thy loving kindnesse unto them that know thee Psal 36. 10. Knowledge is the foundation of all other graces Faith Hope and Love are grounded on knowledge It 's Gods first worke to illuminate the understanding The seales fell off Pauls eyes before he became a preacher of the Gospell The promise is to those whom the father drawes Ioh 6. 45. that they should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all taught of God But this Promise excludes not the preaching of the Gospell as learned * Hoc verbo abutuntur hi quivâ—calem praedicationâ—m externum verbum vel scripturas