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

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47199	The way to the city of God described, or, A plain declaration how any man may, within the day of visitation given him of God, pass out of the unrighteous into the righteous state as also how he may go forward in the way of holiness and righteousness, and so be fitted for the kingdom of God, and the beholding and enjoying thereof : wherein divers things, which occur to them, that enter into this way with respect to their inward trials, temptations, and difficulties are pointed at, and directions intimated, how to carry themselves therein ... / written by George Keith in the year 1669 ... : whereunto is added the way to discern the convictions, motions, &c of the spirit of God, and divine principle in us, from those of a man's own natural reason, &c.	Keith, George, 1639?-1716.	1678 (1678)	Wing K235; ESTC R33462	109,527	235

suffered Death for Sin gave us a most convincing Example that we should Die unto it and suffer it no more to live in us Now it is to be observed and remembred that in all these Steps the Sufferings and Death of Christ c. have these Influences upon us not as they are presented unto us barely in our own Spirit or as we do bring them to our remembrance thereby and so make a working upon our selves in our own thoughts and motions for in so doing we shall never profit our own Souls either in Dying unto Sin or Living in Holiness unto God Indeed we may thereby raise sparks of our own kindling in the affectionate part and work some effect in our hearts which may be a shadow or likeness of these things but can never be the things themselves but as they are inwardly presented to the Soul in the Light Life and Spirit of Christ Iesus and applied thereby and that instantly and continually For it is his Light Life and Spirit alone which both gives the true Understanding of the Vse and End of these things and also gives unto the Soul the living sense and feeling of them and in a living and effectual way doth only and can apply them unto the Soul and whole Powers thereof for the Working such suitable Effects and Impressions as are proper thereunto But some may say Seeing the outward Coming Sufferings and Death c. of the Lord Iesus Christ as it is known and improved by the Soul is so effectual to work Faith and Love in it towards God and for its Mortification unto Sin and living in Holiness unto God would it not therefore seem that the knowledg of the outward Coming Sufferings and Death of Christ as aforesaid is of absolute necessity unto every one for the attainment of these things For how can a Soul believe that God will be Gracious unto it or is reconcileable with it but as it looks upon that Testimony of his Mercy and Love in sending his Beloved Son outwardly into the World to Suffer and Die for our Sins in order unto our Reconciliation and Peace with God Also how can it love God with that Purity and Fervency of Love which is according to the Gospel but as it regards and considers that Testimony of his Love in the Coming Sufferings and Death of Christ in the outward ANSW Indeed the knowledg of this outward Coming Sufferings and Death is of very blessed use and advantage and all who have it should be very thankful unto God who hath given us this Testimony of his Love Good-will Long-suffering and Power in the outward coming of Jesus Christ for the more abundant helping and enabling us to believe in him and love him Yet this I say though express knowledg of his outward Coming Sufferings and Death is very profitable to beget Faith and Love in men towards God as aforesaid and ought to be highly valued in its place nevertheless this express knowledg is not of absolute necessity unto Faith and Love forasmuch as the outward Coming Sufferings and Death of Christ may have and hath a real and true Influence upon them who know it not expresly For seeing he hath tasted death for every man and given his Life a Ransom for all it cannot be but that it should have an Influence upon all Yea the Apostle expresly mentions what it is Rom. 5.18 19. how that by the Righteousness and Obedience of Christ the Free Gift is come upon all to Iustification of Life Look then as many of Adam's Posterity suffer disadvantage by his disobedience who never knew it expresly so why may not many receive an advantage by Christ the Second Adam's obedience even in the outward who never knew it expresly Yea certainly they have for how many Thousands have been Saved before Christ's coming in the outward who knew it not expresly And many who knew something of it it was but very darkly and under Vails and Figures yea the very Disciples did not for a good time know of his Death so that when he told them of it they were astonished and yet they had both Faith and Love in some measure seeing then that some had Faith and Love to God and were saved without the express knowledg thereof before he came outwardly why not also after his coming where his coming outwardly hath not been preached nor revealed Yea has not God a way of saving Infants and the Dumb and Deaf who have not that express knowledg For now Christ is inwardly come in a Seed of Life and Light in all which is the Word of Reconciliation by which men may be Reconciled with God as they joyn and apply their minds thereunto and in this the Lord God doth give a sufficient testimony of his love mercy good-will Long suffering and Power unto every man for his Salvation whereby it is possible for him to attain unto the true Faith in God and the true Love towards him even according to the Gospel And in this Holy Seed the Sufferings of Christ and how he bore the Iniquities of the Soul and makes Intercession or Attonement unto God may be learned in some measure with many other things concerning Christ in relation to him and his doings and sufferings in the outward which was an outward and visible Testimony of his inward doings and sufferings in all ages in men and women in the Holy Seed And indeed we find that this is only the true and effectual way of knowing the use and work of his Coming and Sufferings and Death in the outward by turning and having our minds turned inwards unto himself near and in our hearts in the Holy Seed to know by an inward feeling and good experience his doings and sufferings in us by being made conformable thereunto In which Holy Seed as it ariseth in us such a clear Light shineth forth in our hearts as giveth unto us the true knowledg of the Vse of his inward Doings and Sufferings hence also such a precious sweet and powerful Life springeth up from and in the same Holy Seed which doth with much sweetness and comfort enable us to follow his example in the outward in Faith in Obedience in Love in Purity in Patience in Godliness in Righteousness and Temperance and all other things wherein we are required to imitate him And this is the great loss we find people at generally who seek to know the Vertue and Vse of his Coming Doings and Sufferings in the outward by what they can outwardly hear or read of him while as they remain estranged from his Light Life and Spirit in the Holy Seed in their hearts and yet they can never know the same but in this And Oh! at what great pains have many poor Souls been to imitate Christ in his Heavenly Vertues by setting him as their Example before him but meerly as the Letter or History declares of him By which way yet they can never attain unto the true imitation or following of him for

all times to help the travelling Soul but yet there are some times more especially wherein the Lord doth give more abundant access and opportunity unto the Soul which every one is to observe within himself and improve the same Let none therefore strive or wrastle in their own will or natural strength to attain to this Silence but let them be faithful to God in what they know to be his will and be diligent in some honest and lawful imployment and carefully attend the meetings of the faithful when they meet together to wait upon the Lord and speak the Word of the Lord to one another as they are moved and to worship and call upon him in Spirit and in Truth For the Life of the faithful and of such as are near unto the Lord who are become strong men in Christ hath an exceeding great influence upon the weak to help them and gather them to the true silence and the presence of the Lord is more abundantly manifest where the faithful meet together in his Name as ●e hath promised whereunto many can set their seal And thus every one who is sincere and faithful to what they know and have received will naturally and as it were by a natural growth in the Truth attain by degrees more and more unto such a state until they perfectly come to enjoy and possess it so as to see Jerusalem a quiet habitation and to behold the King in his beauty and see his goings in the Sanctuary which will cause the Soul to sing with David and to say as it is Psal. 84. ver 1 10. How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord of Hosts For a day in thy Court is better than a thousand But of this I warn thee that if thou hast time enough to spare as thou think'st to rest from all outward affairs that thou mayst the more abundantly apply thy self to this Silence and silent waiting yet thou mayst exceed through a wrong and blind zeal and so mayst indanger and hurt thy self For such a silence as doth not allow us to mind and be employed in our honest and lawful affairs is not alwaies required of us but at certain times that we set apart unto that end either in private or publick as the Wisdom of God doth teach us and his Spirit doth move Which times although they be frequent yet ordinarily are not to be of long continuance for it is the will of God that so long as we are in these earthly tabernacles we be exercised in bodily and external actions whereof Christ himself gave us an example who went about doing good and at times retired with his Disciples and sometimes alone to watch and to pray and again returned unto the people to minister unto them both in Soul and Body what they had need of Nor doth the moderate use and exercise of the body in lawful affairs hinder as is said the true silence in some degree that is sufficient for the present time but doth rather help and contribute unto the same but the highest degree of it is neither alwaies required of us nor is indeed at all times possible to be performed by us for unto all things there is a measure and what is within measure is good but to exceed is hurtful and dangerous GEORGE KEITH In the Prison of Aberdeen the 15 of the 4 month 1678. The Way to the CITY OF GOD. CHAP. I. Holding forth Certain Doctrinal Principles of the TRVTH whereof a M●n being convinced by the Spirit of God it contributes much to his making a right entrance into the way of Holiness A Man doth not nor can he enter into the way of Holiness but he must first have his understanding some way opened by the Spirit of Truth so as to receive some convincement of certain Principles of Truth For how can a man enter into a way and know nothing thereof neither more nor less It is the usual method and order of the Spirit of God first to convince a man of divers things before he proceed further so as to convert him into the way of Holiness or carry him on wards therein Therefore I shall in the first place lay down a few certain Principles the knowledg of which is of great advantage unto beginners for their first entrance into Holiness and I shall at this time but name and suppose them as known rather than prove them referring their probation to other Treatises And though I may not say that none ever attained unto any measure of Holiness without the clear distinct and explicit knowledg of all these Principles hereafter delivered yet I am very free to say that the knowledg of them all doth very much conduce to beginners for their entrance into Holiness and the ignorance of them hath been a grievous let to many a Soul which though it hath not made the entrance absolutely impossible yet hath it made it extream difficult even much more by far than it is indeed and in Truth or is found to be by those whose Understandings are well informed in these Principles I. That all men in their natural and unregenerate state are unholy and unrighteous altogether and so as such unable to do any thing acceptable to GOD and unfit for fellowship and communion with him II. That GOD hath not left men wholly in this condition but hath given unto all and every one of them an occasion in a day or time of Visitation whereby it is possible for them to come out of their first state of unholiness and unrighteousness which is also a state of Spiritual blindness and death into a state of holiness and righteousness which is a state of enjoying spiritual Light and Life of GOD. III. That this occasion is ministred unto every one through Jesus Christ who is freely given of the Father unto every man that comes into the world for Salvation as attainable by every man through him IV. That the coming of Jesus Christ into the world both outwardly and inwardly was necessary unto mans Salvation so that the one is not to be understood in opposition to the other for that both have their great uses and blessings unto men Hence all who are saved are saved no less by the benefit and grace of his outward coming in his becoming man suffering dying and resurrection then by that of his inward coming as a Light and quickening Spirit c. Yet that the knowledg of his inward coming is that which is the more needful and in the first place as being that by which the true and comfortable use of his outward coming is alone sufficiently understood V. That the Lord IESVS according to his inward coming is come a Light into the world lightning every man that cometh into the world that all through him might believe and by believing might have eternal life VI. That his coming in the inward is in a Divine and Heavenly SEED which the Father hath given from Heaven unto every man and hath sown in the