Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n
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A10557
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The Christian divinitie, contained in the divine service of the Church of England summarily, and for the most part in order, according as point on point dependeth, composed; and with the holy Scriptures plainly and plentifully confirmed: written for the furtherance of the peoples understanding in the true religion established by publike authoritie, and for the increase of vnitie in that godly truth eternall. By Edmund Reeve Bachelour in Divinitie, and vicar of the parish of Hayes in Middlesex.
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Reeve, Edmund, d. 1660.
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1631
(1631)
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STC 20829; ESTC S115773
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277,054
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457
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yee any better or any such againe as Christ Iesus is and his Doctrine Whose vertuous conversation and godly life the Scripture so lively painteth and setteth forth before our eyes that we beholding that patterne might shape and frame our lives as nigh as may be w 2 Cor. 3.18 Rom. 8.29 1 Ioh. 2.6 agreeable to the perfection of the same In the first part of the * T. 2 p. 258. Homily of repentance it is said wee must labour that we doe returne x Heb. 7.19 Micah 6.8 Gen. 5.22 as farre as unto God and that wee doe never cease nor rest till wee have apprehended and taken y Acts. 17.27.28 Song 3.4 hold upon him At the end of the first tome of s Eph. 5.9 10. the Homilies it is said concerning the Homilies of the second tome that they are aswell fruitfull as necessary to the edifying of Christian people the increase of godly living David speaking of the people of God saith They z Ps 84.7 goe from strength to strength every one of them in Zion appeareth before God Solomon saith The path of the just is as the shining light that shineth a Prov. 4.18 more and more unto the perfect day Saint Paul said to the Thessolonians Wee are bound to thanke God awaies for you brethren as it is meete because that your faith b 2 Thes 1.3 groweth exceedingly and the charity of every one of you all towards each other aboundeth To the Corinthians hee saith Wee all with openface beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image c 2. Cor. 3.18 from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Saint Peter saith d 2 Pet. 3.18 Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ Againe he saith Giving all diligence e 2 Pet. 1.5.6.7 adde to your faith vertue and to vertue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godlinesse and to godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and to brotherly kindnesse charity The which eight matters * His exposition of the seven stops one calleth the Ladder of Salvation and saith hee it is necessary that each step of it be understood lest when one is onely upon the first stop The true faith iâ— in most divine manner described in the three parts of the Homlly thereof he may deceive himselfe thinking that he is neere enough to Salvation when as he is farre from the state thereof Vnto faith there is to be added vertue strength or godly valour f Mark 9.23 All things saith Christ are possible to him that beleeveth g Mark 11.24 Whatsoever things yee desire when ye pray beleeve that yee receive them and ye shall have them Christ also said unto one As thou hast h Mat. 8.13 beleeved so bee it done to thee Of the strength in right faith Saint Iohn hath a remarkable sentence Whatsoever is borne of God overcommeth the world and this is the victory that overcommeth the world even our i 1 Ioh. 5.4 faith And Saint Paul sheweth who it is that maketh man so strong saying I can doe all things through Christ k Phil. 4.13 which strengtheneth me Flesh and blood thinketh it unpossible to love ones enemies but that one must needs l Mat. 5.43 hate them and m Rom. 11.17 recompence to them evill for evill and n 1 Pet. 3.9 and 2.23 reproachfull words for reproachfull words or writings Yet to o Mat. 5.44 love ones enemies is Christ Commandement a part of the yoke which he layeth upon us who hath said Take my yoke upon you and learne of me for I am meeke and lowly in heart and yee shall finde rest unto your soules For my p Mat. 11.29.30 yoke is easie and my burden is light And Saint Iohn saith q 1 Ioh. 5.3 His commandements are not grievous And because Christ Iesus in his Gospel hath commanded us nothing but what in some good measure to performe hee will give us more more strength if we in faith r Ioh. 14.13 Iam. 1.5.6 aske the same and withall use all other meanes for to attaine the same according as he in his holy word hath prescribed holy Church in the Collect for Saint Stephens day hath taught us to pray saying Grant us O Lord to learne to love your enemies by the example of thy Martyr Saint Stephen who prayed for his persecuters Of the knowledge S. Peter saith next Adde to your vertue knowledge True knowledge doth consist in experience Ioshua and Galeb and the rest of the Israelites which subdued the Canaanites knew experimentally that they were conquerable And afore they manfully fought against theÌ„ hoping to overcome them for that they had faith in Gods word who s Exod. 3.17 Deuâ— 1.29.30.31.32.41 expresly pro mised unto theÌ„ victory over them they so fighting against them as Gods Spirit should direct them But such as beleeved nor the promise of God and through t Num. 13.31.33 unbeliefe were faint hearted or cold or lukewarme in courage unto the battels of the Lord their carcases u Num. 14. â—9 fell in the wildernes they could not enter into the rest of the Lord because of w Heb. 3.19 unbeliefe Likewise such as now beleeve not the Gospels sentence The God of Peace shall x Rom. 16.20 bruse or tread Satan under obedient beleevers feet shortly they attaine not to have an experimentall knowledge what is the exceeding y Eph. 1.19 Col. 1.29 2. Cor. 13.3 Of TemperaÌ„ce greatnesse of Gods power unto and in his holy ones S. Peter also saith add to knowledge temperance A faithfull Souldier and servant of Christ as we are all instructed to bee by the divine Service read wheÌ„ the signe of the Crosse is in making on the fore head of one baptized having fought manfully under Christs bannour against sin the world the devll and by z 1 Cor. 15.57 Phil. 4.13 Christs helpe having overcome some spirituall enemies a Phil. 3.14 Presseth hard toward the marke for the price of the high calling of God in Iesus Christ hoping to have like good successe against the rest of the spiritual enemies to have the victory over theÌ„ more more through the Almighty Lord Iesus Christ doth therefore as Saint Paul did or at least faithfully and unfainedly endeavoureth thereunto who saith Know ye not that they which runne in a race run all but one receiveth the prise so runne that ye may obtaine And every one that striveth for the mastery is b 1 Cor. 9.24 25 26 27. temperate in all things Now they doe it to obtaine a corruptible crowne but we an incorruptible I therefore so runne not as uncertainely so fight I not as one that beateth the ayre but I keep under my body bring it into subjectioÌ„ lest that by any meanes when I have
a Sunne and sheild the Lord will give grace and glory f Psal 84.11 no good thing will he with-hold from them that walke uprightly Saint Iohn saith Whatsoever we aske g 1 Ioh. 3.22 we receive of him because wee keepe his Commandement and doe those things which are pleasing in his sight And Isaiah saith unto Christs Church Behold the darknesse shall cover the earth and grosse darknesse the people but the Lord shall arise upon thee and his glory shall be seene upon h Isa 60.2 thee Saint Paul saith to the Ephesians In Christ also after that ye beleeved ye were i Ephes 1.13.14 sealed with that holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance untill the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory Yea Saint Peter signifieth that if faith vertue knowledge temperance patience godlinesse brotherly kindnes and charity be in us and abound we shall never k 2 Pet. 1.10 11. fall but so an entrance shall be ministred unto us abundantly into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ Many more are the blessings which accompany Gods true Religion now in this life present which a devout soule may observe signified throughout all the Scriptures and the books of Divine Service Read Deuteronomy 28. Isaiah 60. and observe the 7. sundry blessings promised by Christ in Mat. 5. and to what conditioned people they are made likewise the 7. promises or blessings signified to the seven Churches of Asia in Rev. 2 3 CHAP. 100. Against separating from the Church of England by law established under the Kings Majesty in any manner IN the third part of the * T. 1. p. 36. Homily concerning good works it is signified That the world from the beginning untill Christs time was ever ready to l Exod. 32.1 7 8. fall from the Commandements of God and to seeke other meanes to honour and serve him m 1 Sam. 15.21 22 23. after a devotion found out of their owne heads and how they did set up their owne n Mat. 15.3 6 9. traditions as high or above Gods Commandements which hath happened also in our times the more it is to be lamented no lesse than it did among the Iewes and that by the corruption or at least by the o Mat. 13.25 26. negligence of them that chiefly ought to have preserved the pure and heavenly doctrine left by Christ What man having any judgement or learning joyned with a true zeale unto God doth not see and lament to have entred into Christs Religion such p 1 Tim. 4.1 2 3. false doctrine superstition idolatry hypocrisie and other q 2 Tim. 3.1 2 3 4 5. enormities and abuses so as by little and little through the sowre leaven thereof the sweet r Rev 11 3 7 8. bread of Gods holy Word hath been much hindred and layed apart For the reforming of the which the like things amisse the holy Fathers of the Church of England by the assent and consent of the Royall Majesty set forth the book of common Prayer the book of Homilies and the booke of ordering of Bishops Priests and Deacons for to declare the true worship of Almighty God and to be used in the publike performance of the same They also for the avoiding of diversities of opinions and for the stablishing of consent touching true Religion composed 39. Articles concerning fundamental matter in religion And for to keepe decency order and uniformity of Christian life throughout the whole Church there are made Constitutions Canons Ecclesiasticall 141. Moreover for the instruction of scholers in schooles and likewise for the use of all other people there is set forth by publike authority a Catechisme of a larger and of a shorter forme which is commonly called Nowels Catechisme And it expoundeth the 10. Commandements the 12. Articles of the Creed the 6. Petitions of the Lords Prayer and the Sacraments Baptisme the Supper of the Lord There is also the booke called God and the King which every subject ought to have for to be minded most constātly resolved according to the information of the same booke These aforesaid books are the bookes of the established doctrine discipline of the Church of England Now besides those books the law instruction or teaching of the Church our ſ Prov. 6.20 21 22 23. mother There is also the whole holy Bible by the appointmēt of the royal Majesty the ministery of learned Doctors in the Church t 1 Cor. 14.12.19 Hab. 22. Psal 67.2 set forth into our mother tongue and so published as that every man woman child may enjoy it for to u Ps 119.9 conforme their minds lives according to all the everlasting commandements of the same Seeing then that the Church of England doth thus w Phil. 2.16 hold forth the word of life eternall cherisheth nourisheth up her members therin even from their very infancie for so it is her ordinance that every particular person should be educated how greatly doe they sinne which doe in any manner x Iude 19. separate from her But some will say That shee her selfe is separated from other Christian Churches with which shee was at unity in times past Let us heare the words of the Church her selfe concerning this matter written in her 30 Canon where it is said So farre was it from the purpose of the Church of England to forsake and reject the Churches of Italy France Spaine Germany or any such like Churches in all things which they held and practised that as the Apologie of the Church of England confesseth it doth with reverence retaine those Ceremonies which doe neither endamage the Church of God nor offend the mindes of sober men and onely departed from them in those particular points wherein they were fallen both from themselves in their ancient integrity and from the Apostolicall Churches which were their first Founders There are others of sundry kinds which say we separate not from the Church but from her errors and from her superstitions or from her imperfections If any one will unpartially by all Gods expresse word examine what those wise ones in their owne eyes doe finde fault withall in any of the aforementioned bookes of the Church and what they doe y Isa 50.11 Ier. 16.20 setup to themselves for to follow hee cannot but by the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ which at length z Psal 25.12 13 14. Iohn 7.17 Mat. 7.7 8. bringeth every one into the way of truth which unfeinedly seeketh it for to walke faithfully therein unto his lives end plainly perceive that such have no more cause to separate in regard of any particular than others have in regard of the generall deliveries by the aforesaid Church of England in the bookes above named To God onely wise bee glory through Iesus Christ for ever Amen FINIS