Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	disciple_n	know_v	mystery_n	1,896	5	9.7001	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87095	The first general epistle of St. John the Apostle, unfolded & applied. The second part, in thirty and seven lectures on the second chapter, from the third to the last verse. Delivered in St. Dionys. Back-Church, by Nath: Hardy minister of the gospel, and preacher to that parish.; First general epistle of St. John the Apostle. Part 2.	Hardy, Nathaniel, 1618-1670.	1659 (1659)	Wing H723; Thomason E981_1; ESTC R207731	535,986	795

things of God which a natural man may know but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the things of the Spirit of God to wit the truths which are purely Evangelical hee receiveth not nor is it said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he doth not finde them out but when they are found out and revealed to him hee doth not receive them nor is it only a reception of them into his will but understanding which is intended for it followeth hee cannot know them nor is it onely said hee doth not but hee cannot it being impossible for him meerly by the help of natural reason to attain the knowledge of them and this because they are spiritually discerned that is the Spirit of God which revealeth them must also inable to discern them Indeed Socinus would explain the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee receiveth not that is hee findeth not out the things of the Spirit of God but this notion of the word findeth no parallel in the New Testament nay is against the nature of the thing for receiving supposeth some thing offered which when it is applied to Doctrins the offering is the revealing them nor is it lesse incongruity to interpret this of St. Paul hee receiveth not that is hee findeth not out than if one should expound that of S. James receive the ingrafted word that is finde it out which will so much the more appear if you observe the reason annexed why the natural man receiveth them not to wit because they are foolishnesse to him and if these things were to bee found out how could the natural man apprehend them to bee foolishnesse I have been so much the longer in the Explication of this Scripture because it is an explication of the Text and the truth in hand For the prevention of those Objections which may bee made against and the further confirmation of this position be pleased to know that 1 The Reasonable Creature is the subject of Evangelical Doctrin this Spirit doth not bestow his Oile upon Trees and Plants Beasts or Birds nor doth hee raise up of stones and blooks children to Abraham all Divine knowledge is grafted upon the stock of Natural Reason 2 By that Native light of reason within us wee may attain the knowledge of many things delivered in the Gospel those I mean which are common to the Holy Scripture with other writings How many things Historical Moral Speculative Practical are there in the sacred books which wee meet with in Heathen Authors Our gracious God would not so over-whelm humane infirmity in the patefaction of Evangelical mysteries that there should bee nothing for reason to fix upon and yet withall hee would not have all things so suitable to reason that there should be no need of faith 3 The litteral sense of the Scripture words may through industry bee attained to by the help of Reason Skill in the Tongues though it was for a time immediately and extraordinary conferred upon illiterate persons by the Holy Ghost yet is such a gift as may bee attained to by common helps and the same industry which renders a man expert in giving the Grammatical sense of other Authors may no doubt inable him to do the like in reading the books of the sacred Pen-men nay more the Spirit of God in Scripture doth not affect that obscurity of Language which some other writers do and so the sense of it may more easily bee gathered 4 The Spirit of God inlightening us to understand those truths which are purely Evangelical maketh use of Reason this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 flower of the soul is not blasted but rather the more opened by the blowing of the blessed Spirit when a man commeth to bee initiated into the School of Christianity hee is not commanded to throw away his Reason onely to subjugate it Indeed every Christian must deny his Reason but that is as hee must deny his affections as it is not the extirpating but the moderating of his affections so it is not the casting away but the captivating of his Reason to the obedience of faith which Christian Religion requireth In one word whilest the Spirits grace is acknowledged to bee principium the principal efficient cause I shall not deny Reason to bee instrumentum an instrumental cause whereby wee come to the knowledge of Divine things 5 And therefore lastly this still remaineth as a sure maxim That Natural Reason by what helps soever improved is altogether insufficient without the Spirits grace to the savoury apprehension of those supernatural and purely Evangelical verities which are revealed in the Holy Scriptures It is not unfitly observed that as nature hath its Secrets and Arts their crafts so all Religions have their mysteries which are not known but to them who are brought up in them It were easy to instance in the Persians Indians Syrians Grecians Egyptians Romans who had their mysterious rites which the Devil taught them and accordingly were taken up in imitation of the true Religion which both in the Jewish and Christian Church never wanted its mysteries such as none can comprehend neither can any apprehend but those who are taught by the blessed Spirit This is expresly asserted by Christ himself when hee saith to his Disciples It is given to you to know the mysterys of the Kingdome vobis datum non vobiscum natum this knowledge is not born with you but given to you if then innate reason were sufficient what need it bee given nor is it onely by outward revelation for so it was to those Scribes and Pharisees the wise and prudent from whom yet those things are said to bee hid to wit because their eies were not spiritually inlightened to discern them if you would know what it is that was given to these Disciples let one of them the beloved Disciple inform you and that in this very Epistle where hee saith The Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding to know him that is true so that not onely the Revelation of that we are to know but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 understanding it self whereby wee know was given by Christ and this as a peculiar grace conferred on some whilest it s denied to others To this purpose tend those metaphors of opening the eies and opening the heart plainly intimating that in the work of Conversion there is not onely an outward but an inward work nor are Evangelical truths onely revealed by the Word but the rational faculties are rectified by the Spirit what more pregnant instance of this truth than Nicodemus to whom the Evangelical Doctrin of Regeneration was preached by Christ himself and yet by whom it was not understood for want of the Spirits illumination no wonder if Gods Promise to his people runs I will give them an heart to know mee without which though hee had showed his Word and Statutes to them they would still have continued ignorant as to any

first to make a promise and afterwards to give the thing partly in regard of himself Ut in iis quae non habemus largitorem habeamus debitorem saith St. Austine excellently that where hee is not a Donor hee may become a Debtor and may glorifie not only his goodnesse in giving the thing but his faithfulnesse in making good his word partly in regard of us that he may give us occasion of exercising our faith hope and patience since on the one hand if it were presently given there were no use for hope to expect and patience to wait and on the other hand if it were not promised there were no ground for faith to beleeve 2 Eternal life is promised to not deserved by us I confesse these two are not necessarily opposed there is a promise which is an act of Justice as when a Debt●r promiseth the payment of his debts or a Master promiseth the Labourer his hire the Servant his wages but withall there is a promise which is an act of grace and mercy as when a King promiseth a Malefactor a pardon or a friend promiseth another a courtesie and of this latter sort are all Gods promises to us especially this of eternal life which is infinitely beyond whatever wee can or whatsoever he requireth we should doe or suffer Ireckon saith St. Paul and I hope he is not out in his reckoning that the sufferings surely then the doings of this present life are not worthy the glory which shall bee revealed Devout Anselme said truly Si h●mo mille annis serviret Deo ferventissime non mereretur ex condigno dimidium diei esse in regno caelorum If a man could serve God most fervently a thousand years together it would not deserve one half days much lesse an eternal fruition of that life Indeed the promise being past it is just with God to perform it in which respect St. Paul expects this crown from God as a righteous Judge but withall since meer mercy moved him to promise and what we doe as the condition is no way equivalent to the reward it is a gift of meer grace and therefore our Saviour teacheth his Disciples to expect it from God as a merciful Father It is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom and the same St. Paul expresly calls it a gift eternal life is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord and so much in answer to the first question 2 If it shall in the next place be enquired why eternal life is called the promise the answer is given by St. Peter where speaking of the promises of eternal life hee calls them exceeding great and precious 1 The promise because an exceeding precious promise all other promises whatsoever being put in the one scale and this in the other this will infinitely preponderate them look what the paper and pack-thread are in respect of the commodity for which wee bargain that are all the promises of this life in respect of those which concern that to come circumstantials and of no value Not only so but 2 The promise because an exceeding great promise it is as it were the center in which all other promises meet it is such a promise as without which all the other would afford little comfort what a figure is to the Cyphers that is this promise to the rest without which they signifie nothing it is the fundamental promise upon which all the rest are bottomed because God hath promised eternal life therefore he will not stick at any thing else yea whatsoever promises he hath made are in order to this therefore hee promiseth earthly things that they may help us to heavenly nor are temporalls any further within the promise than they are subservient to eternal therefore hee promiseth his Spirit and the graces of his Spirit that by them we may be fitted for glory therefore he promised to send his only begotten Son that wee might through him obtain eternal life and since it is as it were the alpha the first the chief of all promises yea the omega the end to which they lead it may well bee called the promise And so you see the second particular unfolded which is the certain conveyance 3 The eminency of the Author by whom this promise is made cometh next to bee considered in the Relative He. If you cast your eyes on the preceding verse you will finde the Antecedent to this Relative namely the Father and the Son our Saviour tells the Disciples it was the Fathers good pleasure to give them the Kingdom and it is his good pleasure in the mean time to give them the promise of it but because the Father promiseth it by the Son therefore interpreters look upon the Son as the Antecedent so much the rather because throughout this Epistle when the Apostle useth this pronoun Hee hee meaneth Christ Indeed a Caution must bee here inserted that if wee understand this Hee to bee the Son wee doe not so construe it as if eternal life were not promised before Christ came As the Father hath spoken to us in these last days by his Son so he spake to them that were before at divers times and divers manners and that concerning eternal life I well know that the Socinians positively assert the first promise of eternal life to be made by Christ and it is not to bee denied but that some of the Fathers seem to incline to this opinion St. Hierom where hee saith The Kingdom of Heaven was not promised in the Old Testament Theophilact who maketh this distinction between the Law and the Gospel that to the Law only temporal promises are annexed but in the Gospel eternal promises are revealed but how improbable this opinion is will appear by several considerations The Author to the Hebrews saith of the Patriarcks Abel Enoch Noah Abraham that they desired a better Country that is an heavenly and could they have desired it if they had not known it and could they have known it if God had not revealed it In the same Chapter it is said of Abraham in particular that he looked for a City which hath foundation whose builder and maker is God Is not that City the Jerusalem which is above and could hee with any confidence have looked for it if God had not promised it That recompence of reward which Moses had an eye to when hee forsook the honours and pleasures of Pharaohs Court to suffer affliction with the people of God was certainly more than temporal for otherwise how could it have justly preponderated the contentments he might have had or recompenced the sufferings hee made choyce of nor could he have had respect to it if it had not been set before him Not to enlarge when our blessed Saviour referres the young man to the Law of Moses for answer to the question What shall I doe to inherite eternal life and when he exhorts the