Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
knowledge_n believe_v faith_n ignorance_n 1,362 5 9.1101 5 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A02181 Paramythion tvvo treatises of the comforting of an afflicted conscience, written by M. Richard Greenham, with certaine epistles of the same argument. Heereunto are added two sermons, with certaine graue and wise counsells and answeres of the same author and argument.; Most sweete and assured comfort for all those that are afflicted in conscience, or troubled in minde Greenham, Richard.; Greenham, Richard. Two learned and godly sermons. 1598 (1598) STC 12322; ESTC S103418 97,808 214

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

our selues of faith because he saith that we beleeue not knowing that he is not only a murderer but also a lie● from the beginning and the father of lying Now he that was neither ashamed nor afraide to charge God himselfe with vntrueth will make lesse scruple to deale fal●ly with vs that therfore we vtterly reiecte his witnesse as the witnes of a notorious treacherous deceauer vnworthie all credit and whome we cannot beleeue euen in the truth it selfe without danger For which cause he was so oftentimes silenced by our Sauiour Christ and his Apostles euen then when after his deceiuable man the bare wit●es vnto the truth Againe when the qu●stion is of our faith in Christ wether we beleeue in him or not we must beware that we stand not here vpon perfection of knowledge which in the best Diuines is vnperfect nor vpon the perfection of our perswasion which in all flesh is mingled with imperfection It is enough for our present cōfort to the silencinge of our aduersarie that we haue a cōpitent knowledge of the misterie of our saluation by Christ far remoued from that ignorance and implicit vnderstanding which Sathan hath planted in the kingdome of Antichrist For perswasion also we acknowledge that partly by the corruption of nature and partly by his assalts by the grace of God it is such as the same is oftentimes assailed shaken Yet faileth not nor falleth vnto the ground but standeth inuincible against all his attēpts inuasions whatsoeuer And finally for that faith wherby we rest for our saluation vpon Christ Iesus we glory not in our own strength but we say euery one for himselfe whi●h him in the Gospell wee beleeue Lord helpe thou our vnbeliefe For if faith be as it is in deede a repose setling placing and putting of our trust and confidence for saluation in Christ whome the father hath sealed Then we doubt not to prooue against Sathan and all his instruments of inside litle that wee doe beleeue and that the weakenesse of our faith wich we willingly acknowledge and that remnant of vnbeliefe which yet hangeth vpon vs is so farre off from dismaing vs that it is both a warning and motiue vnto vs of great force to sturre vs vp and to set vs a worke by all good meanes to establish and to increase our faith wherein wee finde the good hand of the Lord not to bee wanting vnto vs and his eares not to bee shutte vp against our prayers in which wee alwaies say with the Apostles of Christ Lord increase our faith If it shall be obiected that because we haue not the same sence and feeling of faith which some times we had as Sathan himselfe could not then deny therefore wee haue nowe noe faith but haue vtterly lost the same wee may answere the argument followeth not for euen in many diseases of the bodie it is so with them that haue them that they seame little better then dead corses and yet there is life in them which hidden for a time after is recouered and raised vp againe so it is many times with the children of God that being ouerborne and distressed with extremitie of affliction and temptation they seeme for the time both to themselues and others to haue lost the life and light which once they enioyed Yet so it is that when the tempest is ouerblowne and the gratious countenance of the Lorde againe beginneth to shine vpon them the faith which was as it were hid for the time taketh life and sheweth forth it selfe plainly prooueth that as the trees when they bud in the spring time and bring fourth their fruit ware not dead in the winter as they seemed to be so the faith of Gods childrē springing a fresh after the stormy winter of temptation declareth manifestly that it was not dead when it seemed so to bee but was only respited for the time that afterward it might bring forth more fruit wheras the afflicted soule desireth nothing more then to beleeue though it feele not a present operation of comfort by faith euen that desire argueth a secret sence that cānot easily be discerned together with assurance of better estate in time to come according to that of our sauiour Christ. Blessed are they that hunger thirst after righteousnes for they shall be satisfied that of the blessed virgin he filleth the hūgry with good things but the rich he hath sent empty away Also that bewaling deploring of vnbeliefe which is found in the afflicted is not only a steppe vnto their former comfort but a certaine proofe demonstration of the returne thereof For the Lorde working by his spirit in the hearts of his children gronings that cannot be expressed therby assureth them that in his good time hee will heare them and grant their requestes And so much the more we may be perswaded hereof because the loue of God towards vs as it began not of vs as S. Iohn sayeth so it depēdeth not vpō vs but vpō the truth constācie of him with whom there is no change nor shadow of change Againe the temptation it selfe frō which our afflictiō doth arise though it haue of it selfe a most bitter sharp tast euen vnto the wounding of our soules neare vnto death yet hath it also in it argument of cōfort the Lord himselfe out of darknes raising vp light vnto his children For euenby this that Sathan so busily and so fearcely assaileth vs it doth appeare that as once helost his possession in vs and was cast out by one more mighty then himselfe which is Chirst so now he findeth no peaceable entrance but a strong mighty resistance that therefore there yet remaineth such part of the former worke he could not hitherto ouerthrow nor shall be able foreuer which is the secret seede of faith still sustained nourished by the spirit of god when we would think it were vtterly extinguished For as the fire when it wrasteleth with the water throwne vpon it ceaseth not till it haue ouercome so this resistance of the spirit against the flesh will not cease vntil the full victory be obtained sathan himselfe troden vnder our feete Neither is there any more sure testimony either of our present deliuerance begun or of our full perfect victorie in time to come then this that by the worde of God we do though but weakly resist the tentations of the enimy continue in the battaile against him mourning in deed traualing vnder the bou● then of afflictiō but yet standing vpright before the enimie so that he cānot fully preuaile against vs much lesse ouerthrow destroy vs. But here one thing must carefully be loked vnto that we be not so far discouraged either with want of feling or ouerborne with desire of that we haue not as we forget what mercy hertofore we haue receiued When Iob so earnestly as on would thinke impatiently wiseth the good
worke to perfection For so he dealeth with other thinges in the world Some corne is sowen and neuer riseth some springeth and yet shortly withereth some groweth vp to an eare and yet then is stricken or blasted and other some at his good pleasure doth come to a timelie ripenesse In like manner some trees are planted and neuer take roote some take roote but yet not blossome some blossoms and yet neuer bring forth fruit other some through his goodnesse do bring foorth fruite in good season If the Lorde deale so with the plant and herbe of the field why may he not deale so with vs the sonnes of men If we cannot conceiue the reason of this we must holde our peace for all the workes of GOD are done in righteousnesse and all our knowledge is vnperfect therefore we must heerein rather accuse our selues of ignorance then the Lord of vnrighteousnesse nay we our selues doe deale in like sort with those thinges which are vnder our handes In Colledges Fellowes are first chosen to be probationers and if they be then approued they be made full Fellowes otherwise they are not If a man beeing childlesse do take vnto him some friendes childe to make him heire of all his goods he will keepe him vppon liking if his manners be honest he shall be preferred yea it may be set ouer all his house and yet afterward for some fault be quit cast off Some other man taketh an other childe for the same ende and maketh him his heire indeed Therfore we must thinke it righteous in the Lorde to deale thus with vs seeing we are in his hande and we must not be offended though he call some and doe not inlighten them and although hee inlighten some and do not continue them and doe of his greate mercy continue some euen vnto the ende let vs rather see what vse we must make of this doctrine First we must take heede that wee neuer quench any grace or gift that GOD bestoweth vppon vs. Secondlye wee must still laboure to haue greater measure of giftes for the wicked may come to haue some small giftes and such as may bee quite taken away from them Lastly it doth put a playné difference betweene the Godly and the Godlesse beweene them that beare a shew of holinesse and them that are indeede the holy ones of the Lorde for the one endureth but for a time and the other lasteth for euer Now if we require a further tryall whereby we may knowe whether we haue receiued that spirit which lasteth but for a time or that which will abide for euer with vs then let vs marke these rules which put a plaine difference betweene them First we must marke that inlightning and insight wee haue in to the worde of God Ce●taine it is that both the godly and wicked are inlightned but the inlightning of the godly is one and the insight of the wicked is an other for that knowledge and insight which the godly haue receiued is certaine and distinct and therefore in particuler thinges they be able to apply the threatning of Gods iudgements to the humbling of themselues and the promises of God to comfort themselues Againe their knowledge is sufficient to direct them both generally and in euery particular deuty And last of all it neuer sayleth them but directeth them vnto the ende But the knowledge of the wicked is not so for it is confused general and vncertaine And therfore though they haue a general knowle●ge of the threatnings and of the promises of God yet can they not make perticular vse of the same Their knowledge is insufficient nor able to direct them in their particular actions and therfore it doth leaue them in the ende Therfore as the knowledge of the godly for the clearenes the certaintie and the sufficiencie of it is compared to the Sunne so the knowledge of the wicked is compared to the lightning which doth not giue any certaine light it doth not continue any time and when it is gone men are worse then they were before So doth it fall out with the wicked for beside that their knowledge doth soone vanish there is also in them afterwardes greater and more dangerous darkenes then there was before heerein then we do see one plaine and manifest note of difference Secondly we come to our affections Certaine it is that the wicked doe desire the helpe and the fauor of God but looke to the cause and that will shewe a difference betweene them and the godly The wicked doe onely seeke helpe because of some extremitie which they suffer they onely desire to be in the fauour of God because they woulde be freed from griefe and therfore it is common with them to say Oh that I were out of this payne Oh that this my sorrowe were taken from me By which speaches they shewe that so they might be at rest or liue at their case they woulde little weigh of the helpe or fauour of God But the godly finde such sweetenes in the fauour of God that for the desire thereof they can be contente to forgoe all the pleasures of this life yea they can be content to suffer much and endure the crosse patiently so that at the last they may assuredly enioy Gods fauour Not the godly onely but the wicked also are grieued when they haue sinned but the wicked do therefore sorrowe because their sinne hath or will bring some punishment vppon them And the godly sorrowe because they haue offended God and giuen him occasion to drawe his fauour from them therefore his correction doe they beare patiently but the remembrance of their sinne that toucheth them still at the verie quicke Then in their ioy and in thei● sorrow may appeare a seconde difference The thirde difference is in loue for though both of them doe loue GOD yet it is after a diuerse manner the one of sinceritie the other for wages A poore childe that is taken vp fedde and cloathed will loue him that doth thus feede and cloath him but if he receiued no more of that man then of another he woulde like him and loue him no better then another Euen so is it with the wicked if their bellies be filled their barnes stuffed and they haue their heartes desire they loue God indeede but yet onely for their belly and their barnes Thus did Saule loue God but it was for his kingdome Thus did Achitophell loue God but it was because he was aduanced to be a councellour And thus did Iudas loue God but it was because he was chosen to be an Apostle and caried the bagg But what became of their loue the histories doe testifie Saule was a little afflicted and forsooke God Achitophell somewhat crossed in his deuises hangeth himselfe and Iudas for againe of money betrayed Christ. Some experience of this wee may see among vs Courtiers will be professours and Schollers of ripe wittes will be religious if Courtiers may come to be Counsellers and if Schollers may