Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
knowledge_n	brotherly_a	love_n	temperance_n	1,285	5	11.2878	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10945	Seuen treatises containing such direction as is gathered out of the Holie Scriptures, leading and guiding to true happines, both in this life, and in the life to come: and may be called the practise of Christianitie. Profitable for all such as heartily desire the same: in the which, more particularly true Christians may learne how to leade a godly and comfortable life euery day. Penned by Richard Rogers, preacher of the word of God at Wethersfield in Essex.	Rogers, Richard, 1550?-1618.	1603 (1603)	STC 21215; ESTC S116354	833,684	644

established in their faith as the graine of Mustard seede which after rooting becommeth a stalke and hath branches and boughes and as that groweth so shall sound peace and safetie and strength against their corruptions yea and these meanes whereby it is preserued how wearisome soeuer they haue been sometime shall become easie and pleasant and from time to time more and more so that they may be assured that they haue cause in all things to be thankfull And that should be thought a rare and speciall benefit if wee consider how many thousands haue not an houre of this comfort through the yeere no not through their whole life And thus much to shew who is the Lords and how the weake beleeuer is to be vpholden and how he differeth from him who is not and what graces accompanie them who beleeue and how hee who hath faith should grow till hee be setled and what ease and gaine is found thereby And by that which hath been said in this treatise it may bee gathered that although this faith bee in substance one and the same yet that there are three degrees of it The first is the weakest and least measure when there is yet no assurance in the beleeuer and yet inseparable fruits and infallible tokens of it as I haue set down The second degree is when some assurance is wrought in the beleeuer at some time but very weake and is often to seeke and wanting and recouered againe by entring into due consideration of his estate and of the truth of God who hath promised it The third is the highest degree of it though more strong and better setled in some then in other and this hath assurance accompanying it for the most part vsually vnlesse the beleeuer doe quench the spirit in himselfe or the Lord to shew him that he standeth by grace do leaue him to himselfe for his owne glorie and the better establishing of him afterwards This I haue said for their cause who being tender and weake in faith would desire some helpe herein the larger handling of the helpes is to bee sought in the third part of this treatise where the helps to preserue the whole heart and consequently faith and all godlines in the beleeuer is set downe Now I thinke it conuenient to leade forward this beleeuer to set this faith of his a worke by a godly life and teach him what manner of course and estate that is which is the second treatise of this booke The end of the first part of this Treatise THE SECOND TREATISE SHEWING AT LARGE WHAT THE LIFE OF THE TRVE BELEEVER IS AND THE CONuersation of such as haue assured hope of saluation CHAP. 1. The summe and order of this second Treatise HItherto I haue shewed who are they whom the Scripture calleth beleeuers and the sonnes and daughters of the Lord Almightie Now it is necessarie and followeth in order to shew what the life of the true beleeuer is and how he who hath faith must behaue himselfe throughout his whole conuersation for as yet nothing hath been said of that But that treatise namely what the life of the true beleeuer is was reserued to this place for auoiding confusion and without it a man could neither well see the excellencie and beautie of faith which without workes is dead neither could the beleeuer know how to occupie himselfe throughout his life but must of necessitie be idle and vnprofitable who yet must ioyne with his faith vertue knowledge temperance patience godlines brotherly kindnes and loue c. This I say is the argument and matter to be handled in this treatise And seeing there is much difficultie about this point as about the other in the former treatise and seeing it is of greatest weight and moment of all other except that it must with like care be looked into and laid forth For some thinke that repentance and godlines is nothing else but griefe for some offence committed and so Iudas might haue been godly Some thinke that to amend some thing which was amisse is godlines especially if they also doe some good therewith and so Herod that caused Iohn to be beheaded might haue been godly For he reuerenced Iohn and when he heard him he did many things Some thinke that if they haue been well moued at the hearing of the word of God and doe bowe themselues before God for the time in outward signes of repentance only that then they be godly in deede but so might Ahab haue been godly Some if they can shut vp all their vaine talke bad dealings foolish iestings with such other merriments at their meetings in this manner Lord haue mercie vpon vs we are all sinners that then they haue repented and so the common sort of wicked ones may be said to repent and to be godly And lastly popish contrition auricular confession and satisfaction is thought in poperie to be good repentance which as they vnderstand them are as farre from it as any of the former These are some few of a great many opinions about this matter all which are most dangerous and erronious It is therefore very necessarie that we may vnderstand the will of God aright concerning this and what to leane vnto that we be not deceiued My purpose is therefore in this treatise to set downe at large what a godly life is and wherein it consisteth that he who desireth it may see whether his course and behauiour be such or no and the triall of this must be made of him who hath tried himselfe by the former that the one may be seene to goe with the other and both together as twinnes so that he who hath not both may be truely said to haue neither And in laying forth this matter I will follow this method and order to referre all that shall be spoken about it to foure generall heads or parts The first that a godly life must of necessitie goe with the faith before spoken of and that it is the foundation and ground thereof whereby we receiue and giue credit not only to the promise of our saluation but also to all other promises of temporarie benefits appertaining to this life and also to the whole word of God with a mind to relie vpon it and to be guided by it This is the first head of this treatise The second that there must be a pure heart in him who must lead a godly life a pure heart I say renued and changed from that it was before as Ezekiel speaketh I will take away your stonie or hard heart from you and put a new heart in you This must of necessitie be in him who shall liue godly and so consequently that the whole man be changed Thirdly I will set downe the first part of a godly life and shew that it is a renouncing and forsaking of all sinne both inward and outward And fourthly I will adde the other part of godlines declaring that it

and carnall and that we doe but fauour our selues in worldlines or profanenes idlenes and ease when we reason against it as being too precise The publike duties are the reuerent assemblies of Christians in the preaching of the word in prayer and administring of the sacraments on that day especially to be vsed howsoeuer on other dayes by occasions oft intermitted All of them are most blessed helps for the establishing of vs in an holy life Of the priuate some doe particularly concerne our selues alone some are as well for the benefit of others as for our owne comfort for our selues we are to meditate on the works of God vpon his wonderfull workes which he hath done for the sonnes of men that so we may feele his goodnes many waies and from the sweetnes which we perceiue in the creatures we may be lifted vp to behold the beautie and fauour of the creatour We are also to thinke of the doctrine which we haue heard that it may the easilier be imprinted in vs. And on this day we are more freely to consider of our estate how we proceede in the religious keeping of our couenant with God and how we grow in the assurance of Gods mercie and our redemption or whether we goe not backe or stand not at a stay And euery way as our neede shall most require we are to vse our examinings of our selues meditations and thanksgiuings on this day not only for our present comfort but for our more fruitfull walking all the weeke following Conference of good things tendeth as well to the edifying of others as our selues Beside the which there are other duties to be don to them as to do the workes of mercie to them as well in visiting them in their sickenes releeuing their necessities breaking off their disagreements and reconciling them who were at variance as in spirituall comfortings of them as God doth inable vs. And these al laid together are as a continuall direction for the holy vse of the Sabboth to vs euen as the daily direction which I shall adde afterwards is to serue a Christian daily as long as he shall liue for the profitable and heauenly spending of the Sabboth is the market of the soule in the which he who is wise will prouide and store himselfe for all the other dayes of the weeke wherein it is like he shall haue little helpe but much discouragment as in the world may be seene And this holy passing of the Sabboth must be religiously regarded of al the Christian family as the charge giuen to the gouernor thereof doth shew and of the stranger also who shall come vnder his roofe This is the sum of the holines which we are to shew towards God he that desireth to heare more fully of this matter which I may not handle at large let him reade such treatises as are written of that argument CHAP. 16. Of certaine duties to men in the fift sixt and seuenth commaundement the obeying whereof is a part of the godly life NOw followeth another branch of the second part of this godly or Christian life requiring of vs righteous dealing towards all men Where by the way this is to be carefully regarded that seeing there is an apparant distinction and difference betwixt those forenamed duties of holines to God and these of righteousnes to men which shal follow and yet both alike commaunded therefore that no man disioyne in his practise or separate the one from the other seeing the Lord hath set them downe ioyntly together I speake this because there are many who delighting in hearing the word preached and prayer and reading which are duties directly appertaining to God yet are very negligent in performing that which is due to men as in doing workes of charitie to the poore liuing peaceably and comfortably in mariage or in shunning hastie iudging of their brethren and in being dutifull to superiours as magistrates parents maisters when yet they commaund in the Lord and so contrarily some shall be found doing many things commendable to men and no religion in them towards God Which thing if it be of ignorance is a shamefull blemish in them who are guiltie of it seeing they haue had so long a time graunted them of God in which they might haue learned better but if after it bee knowne it remaine still it plainely testifieth that there is in them a wilfull disobedience against God and that the best of their workes are in vaine And before I enter into the particular duties of righteousnes to all sortes of men it is here as in the fittest place to be taught which cannot be afterward so conueniently added That we haue this minde in vs that we beare loue towards all men euen our greatest enemies from which ground and roote of loue we may be readie to performe all the duties which we shall know to belong to them from vs required particularly in the commaundements following And secondly that we ioyne with it an other generall vertue which is brotherly kindnes to Christians which are brethren with vs which is an holy and especiall loue of one faithfull brother towards another And these two are those which Saint Peter speaketh of when he saith ioyne with brotherly kindnes loue where this vertue is they haue learned to giue euery one of the faithfull their brethren according to the knowledge wherewith God hath inlightened them the seuerall duties required in the second table A rare and singular gift of God which if we could see the practise of it what light of good example it giueth and what profit it would inflame vs wonderfully to the practising of it Now follow the seuerall parts of righteousnes to men as they are distinctly set downe in the sixe commaundements following to be performed of Christians and which helpe to make vp the second part of a godly life In all which although there are many more particular duties to be mentioned then were in the former part because we haue so many dealings and that with infinit persons yet I will set them downe with the like breuitie as neere as I can that I haue done the duties of holines to God leauing the reader to learne the other as I haue said before by other ordinarie meanes And first the dutie which men owe as they are inferiors to others and the superiors to them againe come here to be considered both generally and one particularly towards another Where this is required of all inferiours that they so carry themselues in their whole course to them which by Gods appointment are aboue them or excell them that they may shew in their whole course that they honour them for so the will of God is not to require any one especiall action or dutie of them but that their whole conuersation be such towards them that the person which they take vpon them and the place wherein they are may haue more credit and estimation

times dangerous outstrayings neither finde the going about it so pleasant as toilesome and tedious And it is so in great part because it is a worke whereto they haue not been trained but as they partly see by the examples of others and partly also doe gesse themselues but not able to direct their waies soundly as Gods word teacheth Now the generall rules are these First knowledge of dutie with a delighting therein Secondly practise of that which wee know the which practise or indeuouring to follow that which we know is that liuing by faith or labouring to keepe a good conscience which the Scripture so oft and diligently commendeth vnto vs. And for the better furthering of vs herein these vertues are necessarie vprightnes diligence and constancie And to begin with knowledge as it is in all sciences professions and trades that they who goe about to practise therein must needes haue some cleere and good vnderstanding of those things which appertaine to the same so much more in this practise of Christian duties it is requisite that he who beleeueth in God for such an one onely can be a practiser here should haue some true knowledge what is good and godly that he may discerne it from the contrarie and of things good which are the best so that by knowledge I meane such an inlightening of the minde to vnderstand the will of God about good and euill that wee haue with it spirituall wisedome to applie and referre the same to the well ordering of our particular actions that we rest not in seeing the truth onely but approoue and allow of it as that which is fit to counsell and guide vs but yet so as euery one is able to conceiue and attaine vnto that which I say that both he may grow and increase in this knowledge who is indued with the greatest measure of it alreadie and he may not be discouraged that hath any true measure of it at all This knowledge S. Peter saith must be ioyned with faith that particular duties as patience temperance and such other like may be practised and that not in the letter onely but in the spirit And it is that of which our Sauiour Christ saith If ye know these things happie are you if ye doe them This heauenly vnderstanding if it be loued and delighted in of vs and desired as gold and sought after as siluer and not weighed and esteemed of vs as a thing common and of no value will with her beautie so inflame our hearts and set vs on fire with the loue thereof that we shall thinke long till we haue been led by it to the practising of that which we know being the way to the King palace which is farre more pretious then the knowledge it selfe and will most certainly follow the same Therefore Salomon saith If knowledge once enter into thine heart and wisedome delight thy soule then shall vnderstanding preserue thee and counsell shall keepe and direct thee And they who haue not this knowledge in greatest account and delight not in it whatsoeuer learning or wisedome they haue they are as farre from practise of it or bringing foorth the fruite thereof in their liues otherwise then ciuilly as if they were blinde and ignorant like the common sort which in Nichodemus a great man in Israel and other of the Pharisies and Scribes is easie to be seene And this is the cause why many which are learned and of the Ministerie or otherwise wittie and acquainted with the Scriptures are farre from a godly life indeede for that they haue not their hearts led by Gods spirit to loue and delight in this knowledge of Gods sacred will vnles it be for some earthly aduantage which they hope for thereby or for vaine glorie more thē all other things beside nor spiritual wisedom to square their actions therby to the end they may follow it as their guide in their whole course as seeing it worthy to set their delight therein but account that a foolish thing and easie to be attained when yet it is the most pretious and the hardest of all other yea a farre more hard and difficult matter then the getting of all their learning by labour and studie What then doe I say that their learning and great knowledge is nothing or doe I goe about to deface and make both odious No I am farre from it but rather I say freely that they are great and excellent gifts of God and by many degrees they may be neerer to an happie estate who haue them then such as want them But yet this I say that many which haue them haue not therewith that which giueth an edge to them and which maketh them profitable sweete and pretious both to themselues and others they haue not the salt of grace which onely maketh them sauourie nor the loue which onely maketh them fit to edifie whereas knowledge without it pusseth vp and the tongues of Angels to expresse it were but as a tinckling cymbale Neither haue they eye-salue to see that except in humilitie they be content yea glad to be led in their dailie conuersation by the light and helpe of the same they haue no other fruite of it then earthly and transitorie in ostentation and comparing with others to disgrace them and to be counted great masters when they attaine to great applause when yet indeede many of them haue not the sweete fruite of it themselues nor shew that amiable vse of it to others as some meane countrie men which labour faithfully to make conscience of that which they know And I say with the Psalmist that he who hath fewer gifts of vnderstanding so as he liue after them which he hath is wiser then they for thus hee saith Thou hast made me wiser then my teachers then the ancient or men of experience because I haue kept thy commaundements Therfore with the Wiseman I conclude that the delighting in this spiritual knowledge which I haue spoken of is one speciall thing necessarie to the leading of a godlie and vpright life without the which the minde is not good and consequently the life cannot bee approoued so that they who care but little for knowledge to guide them haue as small pleasure in the godlie life whatsoeuer they thinke of themselues to the shame of such I speake it who say in their hearts they know enough for their parts for if they knew more they must follow more Therefore condemning both bare literal knowledge without the loue of and delighting in it and much more the loathing and contempt of it I proceed to shew that with such a well affected heart we must practise that which is commaunded vs that is seeke to walke worthie the Lord and please him in all things And this practise is the second rule to direct vs to the life of the beleeuer and is both inward and outward inward when in resolution of our minds and