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	implicit_a	1,688	5	13.6300	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38422	England's remembrancer being a collection of farewel-sermons preached by divers non-conformists in the country.		1663 (1663)	Wing E3029; ESTC R36570	328,646	530

reason and manner of things except they may see things plainly they will not believe Yet there is no sound Christian but he believes all Divine Truth implicitely that is he believes the Scriptures to be most certainly true and all things therein contained though there are many things to be found there which he hath no distinct knowledge of I pray mistake me not I am not for a Popish implicite Faith a believing as the Church believes but for our giving an assent universally to all that God hath said As there is a general repentance and humiliation for unknown sins so a general implicite belief of unknown Truths And further the true Christian hath an explicite belief of all Fundamental necessary Truth He must first stedfastly believe ere he can sincerely make a profession of the Truth or chearfully suffer for it Again some are unresolved concerning the present Truth As the times vary so doth mens opposition against the Truth Sometimes one Truth mainly opposed and sometimes another Now it is of very great consequence to be setled in the Truth of the Season As the Apostle Peter sayes of those to whom he writes 2 Pet. 1.12 that they were established in the present Truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. in the Truth of the Gospel Non tantum promissa sed reipsa exhibita as Beza Christ was the Truth and substance of those Types and Shadows under the Law but he was further off from them then he is from Beleivers under the Gospel Therefore those legal Types and Shadows give place the Body and Truth being come This is one sense given of that passage But there is another interpretation given of it which is to my present purpose established in the present Truth i. e. in that Truth which at this present time is most under debate As that was the great question of those dayes Whether the way of the Gospel the Christian Religion or Judaism was the true way And thus several ages have raised controversies about Religion In every age there is some special Truth which is as a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Shiboleth a mark of distinction betwixt sound Professours and such as are spurious As v. g. this Truth That Jesus is the Christ was the tryal of men at first when the world stormed at him and at all that confest his Name Afterwards when Arrianism sprung up and prevailed in the world the Deity of Christ His being one in essence with the Father was the touch-stone whereby Professors were tried Where Arminianism is rife the point of special Free Grace becomes a main note of discovery Sometimes that false and absurd Opinion of Christ's real corporal presence in the Sacrament hath been cried up by men of corrupt minds as their great Diana and persecution set on foot and raised up against those who would not come over to that grosse conceit then those that were sound in the Faith would be at more then ordinary pains to be clear in the Doctrine of the Sacraments Where Popery prevails and mens traditions and inventions are set up in the room of and as of equal credit or profit with the Ordinances and Institutions of our Lord Christ the Authority and absolute perfection of the Sacred Scriptures together with the Glorious Offices of Jesus Christ are plainly struck at desperately undermined Which points if men be not clear and stedfast in when the temptation comes they will easily be carried away with the error of the Wicked It is nothing to condemn old errors that are laid in their graves long since while one is not established in the present Truth Either not to hold this or to hold it loosely is of very dangerous consequence Only I grant in controversies about lesser matters men of sober and pious spirits may be either at a stand in the dark or of different apprehensions Yet it is to be noted that where such are in the dark and doubtful they would gladly be informed heartily pray for satisfaction and would be as thankful for it if once obtained so what opinion such embrace or receive it is not because such an opinion would some way accord with their worldly interest but because in their apprehension it looks likest to Truth A sound Christian receives the Truth in the love of it and you need do no more to work him to the entertaining of any truth in Religion then only satisfy his judgment that it is a truth He receives not Divine Truths for self-ends or by-respects neither dare he out of respect to carnal self reject any Truth But for any to cherish doubts in their minds upon design that they might have something to say for their parting with the Truth when it is dangerous to hold on in the profession of it to adventue no farther to Sea then if a storm should come they might soon get to shore again to engage no further in the profession of the Truth then they might face about and make a fair retreat when this meets with opposition though the men of this world will judge it a point of Policy yet indeed it is an argument of base hypocrisie and treachery And such studied Scepticks in Religion are next neighbors to downright Atheists But a thin mud-wall betwixt them that is soon broken down But so much of halting in principle Again there is halting in practice Unevenness in conversation when that is not ordered aright Now it must be acknowledged the best men on earth walk not so evenly with God as they ought But here take a distinction or two There is an halting in some particular steps or acts and in ones ordinary in a continued course I say 1. There is an halting in some particular steps or acts This is incident to the Saints themselves Such as walk uprightly in the main yet at one time or other have their sinful slips Faithful Abraham halted before Abimelech Yea that Grace which seemed strongest even his Faith was sinew-shrunk sometimes As Job's patience was otherwhiles sinking under his burdens So David the man after God's own heart turned aside once shamefully in the matters of Vriah Peter halted with the Jews Gal. 2. He is there charged amongst others that he did not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 foot it aright Thus the best of God's Saints have sometimes trod awry 2. But then there is halting in a continued course This is worse than the former The Faithful too oft meet with rubs in their way that for the present stop them but they recover themselves again and proceed on in a right course Whereas all natural men are quite upon a wrong byass Their heart is bent to backsliding from God As there is a phrase Isa 44.20 A deceived heart hath turned him aside Hypocrites have a corrupt byass within that is still drawing them aside into crooked paths And the double-minded man is unstable even in all his wayes Again there is an halting through infirmity from the remainders of corruption and a resolved deliberate

Where you have 1. A chiding expostulation How long halt ye Why halt ye How inexcusable is it you should halt in so plain a path be in doubt unresolved where the case is so clear Again that you should continue so long unsetled contracting an ill habit to your selves As an arm or leg put out of joint and not looked to in time hardly ever keeps its right place again 2. A serious Exhortation If the Lord be God follow him What is here added if Baal follow him is spoken by way of concession but indeed forbids the worshipping of Baal til it could be made out that Baal was God How long There is an Emphasis here Thus the Prophet sets an Accent upon their sin of halting Note That long continuance in any sinful course is a great aggravation of sin It is sad at any time to fall into sin but far worse to lie in sin Therefore he says not Why halt ye but more emphatically How long Many such expostulations in Scripture Exod. 16.28 HOW LONG refuse ye to keep my commandments Num. 14.11 HOW LONG will this people provoke me And HOW LONG will it be ere they believe me for all the signs which I have shewed among them Jer. 31.22 HOW LONG wilt thou go about O thou back-sliding Daughter Hos 8.5 HOW LONG will it be ere they attain to innocency How long halt ye The speech is metaphorical to set forth their inconstancy unresolvedness in Religion their dividing betwixt God and Baal As one that halts inclines his body now to one hand and straightway to the other so the Israelites would profess themselves the people of God and seemed in some things to follow his Word when in other things they were quite turned aside to Idolatry They were circumcised and thereby engaged to the service of the true God and yet were drawn over to the Worship of Baal and bowed to that Heathenish Abomination Now but that I like not to strain Metaphors and writhe them besides their proper scope I might hint this note from the phrase of speech here used that they are but lame Services and Sacrifices that men of divided hearts present unto God If the Lord be God follow him Here the Prophet assayes to reason them out of their Idolatry to argue them into the right way the true Worship of God As the Lord reasoneth with them Mal. 1.6 If I be a Father where is mine honour If I be a Master where is my fear Note by the way That nothing is more reasonable than the true Religion The Lord never enjoined his servants to pluck out their right eyes No we may be his servants on better and more honourable terms I grant indeed some points of Doctrine to be believed are most mysterious yet what duties to be performed that are not plain It must be confessed some Articles of Faith are above the reach of Reason so that we cannot comprehend them e.g. the Trinity of Persons in the Unity of the God-head the incarnation of the Son of God c. yet being revealed by God in his Word our belief of them is most reasonable Because it is impossible we should have greater evidence of the truth of any thing in the world than the Testimony of the God of Truth who can neither deceive nor be deceived What better proof can we desire than the Word of God that cannot lye But then as for the Rules of practice laid down in God's Word how sweetly do these comport with right Reason As Reason will demonstrate that there is a God an Eternal Infinite Essence who hath His being of Himself and gives being unto all things else so it will teach us that this God ought to be worshipped should have homage from all his creatures And that he ought to be worshipped according to his own Will and Mind as he himself is pleased to prescribe and appoint rather than according to mens fancies and inventions That the honour which is due to God should not be given to others to idols As Elijah here If the Lord be God follow him but if Baal then follow him They that fall off from the true Religion fall from right Reason too They th●● do not act like men that forsake the true God to follow idols as is implied Isa 46.8 Remember this and shew your selves men q. d. One would not think ye were men who would take you for reasonable creatures if ye dare to prefer or compare dumb idols to the living and only true God Now the Doctrine I would speak to from these words you may observe from the first clause here Doct. Halting in Religion is very sad and sinful This point I shall endeavour with the Lord's assistance to explain first then to confirm and last of all to apply First For explication that you may understand what it is to halt in Religion take a few distinctions Thus there is an halting in Principle and again there is halting in practice Again Halting in Principle is two-fold As this evil quality is seated either in the directing or in the commanding-power of the soul There is an halting in the heart or will and in the mind or judgement 1. When the heart is unfixed unstedfast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the double-minded man he that has an heart and an heart is partly for God and partly for Mammon he that is not resolved for God that is not brought to center wholly upon God and that cleaves not to him with full purpose of heart is one that halts in God's sight be his outward course and carriage before men never so fair and smooth The Weathercock may point towards the Sun while the wind is in a right corner or it may seem to be fixed when cross winds are not abroad and yet it is a Weather-cock A false heart an hypocrite may seem to look towards God and Religion for a time may seem well-grounded in Religion who yet will turn aside will turn about when the winds are contrary 2. When the Judgement is not setled when men are wavering in opinion like Reeds shaken with the wind like children tossed to and fro now of one perswasion by and by of another It is sad thus to halt How can the traveller go on chearfully who is uncertain whether he be in the way or no Indeed some are too credulous Prov. 14.15 The simple believeth every word but the prudent man looketh well to his goings The sober wise traveller when he is a little at a stand he deliberates with himself and when others tell him his way lies here or there if he understands the coast of the Countrey that helps him to judge whether they set him right or no. But the simple is ready to believe every one he meets with and hence he is oft turned out of his way I say some are of too easie belief Again some are slow to believe like Nichodemus How can these things be Like Thomas except they may see and understand the