Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
knowledge_n	add_v	grace_n	temperance_n	1,529	5	11.6033	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44513	The crucified Jesus, or, A full account of the nature, end, design and benefits of the sacrament of the Lords Supper with necessary directions, prayers, praises and meditations to be used by persons who come to the Holy Communion / by Anthony Horneck ...	Horneck, Anthony, 1641-1697.	1695 (1695)	Wing H2823; ESTC R35435	411,793	617

Industry of the Husband-man The End must ever be procured by the Means and they only betray their Folly and Simplicity that talk of adding to their Faith Vertue and to Vertue Knowledge and to Knowledge Temperance and to Temperance Godliness and to Godliness Patience that have not escaped the Pollutions of the World through Lust 2 Pet. 1. 4 5. This is to invert the Method of Grace and to expect that a Tree should begin to grow at the Top before it hath a Root or that Bread should be baked before the Oven be heated These Pollutions must first be removed and the Ground being cleared of the Rubbish you may go and superstruct the intended Edifice 4. To eat and drink unworthily is to eat and drink without sincere Resolutions of Obedience This is consequent to the former Article for Obedience is a necessary Concomitant of Repentance and when the Repentance ends not in Obedience the Repentance is a Cheat. A Man may by some Reasons and Arguments be prevail'd with to part with Sins that are of the bigger sort when he thinks of coming to this Sacrament but except he at the same time seriously resolves to obey Christ in every thing he commands him and particularly in things which are levell'd against his Worldly Interest and is heartily willing to endeavour after those Vertues which are the proper Characteristicks of his Disciples he certainly deceives his own Soul To shake Hands with scandalous Sins and to think that now the Work is done without an holy Readiness to venture on those Graces which render'd the Apostles and the Primitive Believers what they were i. e. amiable in the Sight of God such as Humility Meekness Overcoming the Evil with Good c. In a Word to lop the most luxuriant Branches of the evil Tree and not to take care that it may bring forth good Fruit is to do the Work by halves and the Way to eat and drink unworthily For 1. Such Persons continue in Rebellion against God What is Rebellion but not to obey when we know his Will and have all possible Opportunities to know it If God will have me do a thing and I pass it by as if I heard him not and when it is often inculcated and pressed upon me in Sermons and my Memory refreshed with the Duty and yet still I look upon it as needless or a thing which doth not concern me what is this but Obstinacy And I need not tell you that Rebellion is as the Sin of Witchcraft 1 Sam. 15. 22. Thus Samuel tells Saul upon his Disobedience to the Command of God of extirpating the Amalekites 'T is probable Saul had his Excuses and thought God might not mean it in that rigid Sense that the Prophet's Words imported or that if he executed part of the Order it would be sufficient But these are not things that avail much with God notwithstanding all this the Prophet calls his Neglect Rebellion I know and am sensible that a very worthy Communicant may sometimes ignorantly neglect a Duty and yet preserve an Interest in God's Love because as soon as he comes to know his Errour he doth not encourage it in himself but reforms it But this differs very much from Disobedience to things peremptorily commanded and which every Day that we hear or read the Word are represented to us as necessary Here not to resolve to do those things is opposing our Wills to God's Will and though we do not do it openly yet in effect we do it and whereas God thinks such a Vertue necessary to Salvation we will not think it so and notwithstanding his assuring us that without such Accomplishments we cannot inherit Eternal Life we fancy we may And what is this but crossing the Will of God And how much does this want of Rebellion and thinking our selves wiser than God And surely these are not very good Qualities to dispose a Man to eat and drink worthily at this holy Table 2. Such Persons discover their Desires to be their own still their own Masters their own Governors and at their own dispose contrary to the express Assertion of the Holy Ghost That they who pretend an Interest in Christ's Blood are their own no more And the Reason is exceeding strong for saith he ye are bought with a Price 1 Cor. 6. 19. 20. He that redeems a Slave out of Turkish Captivity redeems him with this Intent That for the future he shall not do his own Will but his Master 's that hath ransom'd him The same we must think of the Son of God who we may suppose would never have freed us from the Devil's Yoak by a voluntary Death to give us leave to do what we list but that we might be at his beck and act like Persons that have in a manner nothing to do with our selves but are to mind only what our Master who bought us would have us do Now he that comes to this Sacrament without sincere Resolutions to obey Christ in those commanded Virtues which may cross or go against his Interest discovers his Regret at the Mystery of Redemption dislikes Christ's redeeming him for this End that he might not be his own betrays his Wishes and could have been contented that he had redeemed him upon softer and more favourable Terms and in a manner declares and expresses his Desire that he would be his own still after that wonderful Price that was paid for him which though unthinking Men do take no notice of yet he that searcheth the inward parts of the Belly doth and cannot look upon such a Person as a worthy Receiver 5. To eat and drink unworthily is to eat and drink without a Speculative Esteem of Christ Jesus Where Men are not satisfied or not persuaded that his Love deserves sacrificing all to his Interest and in case Times of Trouble and Persecution should come are unresolved to hate Father and Mother Wife and Children Lands and Houses even Life it self for Christ and with this Irresoluteness come to this holy Sacrament they certainly want that which must make them worthy Receivers For 1. He hath expresly told us that he that loves Father or Mother more than him is not worthy of him Matth. 10. 37. And if such a Person be not worthy of him how can be worthily receive him in the Sacrament Not to be worthy of him is to have no part in the Inheritance incorruptible undefiled and reserved in Heaven for his faithful Servants It is to have no Share in his Intercession no Right to his Comforts no Right to the Act of Indemnity he hath published for the Benefit of those who adhere to him in all Dangers no Right to his Promises no Right to the Privileges he communicates to those that continue with him in his Temptations no Right to the exceeding Greatness of his Power towards them that believe And how can Christ dwell in such a Person that looks upon the Pelf of this World and his outward Accommodations as greater

sensible of no higher Felicity than what a good Crop and a full Purse affords Now that to receive with no higher Aims or from no better Principles is to receive unworthily will appear from hence 1. Because such Persons receive without being affected and touched with the Riches and Treasures opened revealed discovered and offered in this Sacrament Treasures greater than those the Wise Men laid down at the Feet of the Infant Saviour Treasures beyond all Gold and Myrrh and Frankincense and all the Gums the Happy Arabia yields Treasures of higher value than those the Queen of Sheba brought to Solomon the Great Treasures richer than those the King of Judah shewed to the Babylonian Ambassadors To shew their Excellency above all Earthly Treasures were to prove that Light is better than Darkness and a Ball of Diamond than a piece of Turf or that the Wisdom of a Minister of State exceeds that of a Sucking Babe For if it be true as without doubt it is that God was crucified or that he who was God humbled himself to an ignominious Death for our sakes and that this Love with all its Benefits is proclaimed in our Ears and tender'd to our Souls in this Sacrament there is not a Child but must grant that all that this World affords must be mere Pebles to it And as this Treasure of the World's Redemption is the rich Mine discovered in this Sacrament so he whom Custom and Company only brings to it must needs receive unworthily because he sees not he feels not he is sensible of no such Treasure which if he were he would go to it as a poor Beggar almost starved goes to a rich Man's House there to receive a vast Sum of Money beyond his Expectation and come wondering at the Honour that God intends him wondering at the Favour God designs him wondering at the Riches he shall be presented with wondering at himself what God should see in him to be thus liberal and bountiful to him wondering to see what God hath provided for him 2. Such a Man eats and drinks in this Sacrament as if it were common Bread and Wine that is set before him he approaches and makes no more of it than if it were a private or ordinary Table he considers not what this Bread and Wine represent and as the Apostle's Phrase is discerns not the Lord's Body discerns not that the Body of him who was the Creator of Heaven and Earth is pointed at in these Elements 'T is true materially considered it is the same with the Bread and Wine set upon our Tables at home but the signification of it makes it Celestial Food separates it from common Use raises it above vulgar Diet and the Stamp God sets upon it makes it truly the Bread of the Lord and the Cup of the Lord. He whom Custom only carries to the House of God distinguishes not the Mysteriousness and Holiness of this Food which if he did he would touch it with the same Awe and Reverence that the Woman troubled with a Bloody Issue touch'd the He● of Christ's Garment Quaking and Trembling Mar. 5. 33. 3. To eat and drink unworthily is to receive without true Repentance Where Men either do not think it requisite to leave their Sins or pretend that they do part with them when they do not where they mistake the present Damp that is upon their Spirits for a Change of Life or the melancholy and sullen Humour that hath surprized them for the new Nature Religion is to give them or forbear the external Acts of their Sins they have formerly hugg'd and run out into but are not resolved to mortifie their secret Desires after him where they mistake their Act of Preparation for the Act of pulling down the Strong Holds of Iniquity so that their Lusts and Love to Sin remain where they give the Devil leave to retire a while but are loth to take their Everlasting Farewel of him and therefore after the House is swept and garnished even after Receiving open the Door to him again Where it is so there Men eat and drink unworthily For 1. Such Persons instead of doing Honour to Christ affront him are still in League with that which killed him pretend Sorrow for their Sins yet secretly espouse them give out they have sent them a Bill of Divorce but still keep close Correspondence with them would make God and Men believe that they are Christ's Servants when they are still his Enemies would persuade others that they have brought their Necks under his Yoak when the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or that which bears rule in their Souls is their Carnality and Sensuality In this Sacrament a most solemn Profession is made and ought to be made of our Weariness of a sinful Life which is the reason why the Church in her Publick Office doth particularly address her self to such Persons as find it and to such that comfortable place of St. John is usually applied If any Man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous 1 Joh. 2. 1. that is If any Man sin so as to be truly weary of it or if he hath sinned and feels such a Remorse that he detests himself for having done so and thereupon bids Defiance to the Works of Darkness We have an Advocate that will plead for us prevail with God not to cast us away because we have forsaken him and by his Merits make our Repentance valuable that it shall prove a Propitiation for our Sins But he that professes Weariness yet is not tired with his sinful Course not only mocks God but gives himself the Lye and seems to fancy that he who dwelleth on high sees not the secret Intrigues and Intentions of his Soul Which is Profanation of Religion 2. Such a Person destroys the End for which he pretends to come to this holy Sacrament for that End is Growth in Grace And how shall he grow in Grace that is unresolved to part from those Sins which do so easily beset him These things are and cannot but be Obstacles and Impediments to that Growth And Worms and Caterpillars are not more noxious to young Trees than these unrepented Sins are to this Growth and a Man may as well hope that an Elm in his Ground will within a few Years be tall enough to over-shadow his whole House when there is nothing but Rock at the bottom Unrepented Sins make the Heart mere Stony Ground Goodness may peep forth but having no Earth it must necessarily wither and come to nothing People may pull and hale a Ship with their Arms long enough before they can make it move while the Anchors are not taken up Their unrepented Sins are the Anchors that keep the Soul fixed to Earth and Hell and to think Grace will move or advance while that Anchor holds it is to imagine that an House will be built without Materials or a Field bring forth Corn that was never sown or never felt the Labour and