Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
knowledge_n	christianity_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	11	3	8.6107	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02178	The workes of the reuerend and faithfull seruant af Iesus Christ M. Richard Greenham, minister and preacher of the Word of God collected into one volume: reuised, corrected, and published, for the further building of all such as loue the truth, and desire to know the power of godlinesse. By H.H.; Works	Greenham, Richard.; Holland, Henry, 1555 or 6-1603.; Hill, Robert, d. 1623.	1612 (1612)	STC 12318; ESTC S120843	1,539,296	988

I am I am sure he hath infirmities as others haue we are no Angels our nature is corrupt we are but flesh I am sure you would not haue vs Gods Thus the diuell commeth to tempt but he apparrelleth himselfe in another sute when he commeth to accuse and then of a flye he makes an Elephant of the very smallest pricke of a pinne a globe of the whole earth of a molehill a mountaine and presseth sillie soules with feares and terrors that they know not how to winde out themselues If he cannot bring them to make no conscience where they should make conscience he will labour to bring them to make conscience where they neede make no conscience He careth not whether thou wilt be remisse or superstitious so thou be one of them If he cannot get you to follow the Epicurisme of the world as Libertines in diet and apparell he will make you so precise as to thinke it a hainous sinne to eate one bit of meate or to weare one rag of cloath more than for necessitie How needfull therefore it is to saile with an euen course we may coniecture by other things which will bewray the corruption of our nature In the time of a plague we shall see some will be so bold that without any lawfull calling or godly warrant they will rush into places infected and then falling sicke their conscience prickes them for their tempting of God by an vnaduised boldnes in the houre of their death Others plunged as deepely in a quite contrarie extremitie are too fearefull when they doe but heare of the sicknesse and for very feare haue beene brought to deaths doore only by imagining thēselues to haue been infected when they haue been most free who oftentimes haue euen died and that without any naturall cause that euer could be knowne but onely through immoderate feare and the iudgement of God comming vpon them for their infidelitie and vnbeleefe Thus it is with vs in Christianitie in that as well the oppressing our selues with too much feare to be ouercome as the carnall securitie in not fearing to be ouercome may bring sinne vpon vs God his children must labour for a measure and that must be sought for in the word which will teach them how they shall neither decline on the right hand nor on the left but will guide them in the narrow way shewing in euery thing what is vertue what is vice what is the meane what is the extreame Among many examples let vs consider of zeale a most precious vertue in Christianity so long as it is free from the extremities Otherwise if we be cold in zeale it is a sinne on the left hand if we be zealous without knowledge it is preposterous and becommeth a sinne on the right hand But can we not come to some perfection No if you vnderstand it for an absolute vnspottednes albeit to that perfection which the Scripture taketh for soundnes trueth and sinceritie of heart which is voide of carelesse remisnes we may come Neither doth the Lord deale with vs after our sinnes nor reward vs after our iniquities in whose eyes the most glorious actions of men are but as waters flowing purely from the Conduit but defiled by passing through a filthy chanell Wherfore hauing these imperfections let vs not seeke to be more righteous than we can be saying for euery error of this life Oh I am none of God his sonnes I am none of his daughters for I cannot finde that perfection in me which is to be required But let vs comfort our selues in the truth of our hearts and singlenes of our desires to serue God because he is God and so we shall be accepted of God I speake this to this end that poore soules might haue comfort and know that if they abhorre sinne as sinne if they examine themselues for it if they grone vnder it if they mislike themselues for it if they feare to fall into it the Lord will not pursue them with the rigor of his law but will giue them the sweetnes of his promises they are no more vnder the curse but vnder grace But further to inforce our exhortation to auoyde too scrupulous a feare which hindereth the true examination of our hearts let vs thinke that it happeneth in the spirituall conflict as in ciuill warres We reade that many cities lying in great securitie haue suddenly both beene assaulted and ouerthrowne as also how some Countries too much negligent in the meanes through an excessiue fearefulnes haue incouraged their enemies with more greedy violence to pray vpon them With which kinde of stratagems our aduersarie me diuell being well acquainted doth often practise this policie If he see vs without all feare too quietly to rest in our selues he thinketh his assault must needes be the stronger because our resistance is the weaker Againe if he descrieth in vs a cowardly feare and fainting of heart before we once begin to ioyne battell with him he will set vpon our immoderate feare and as villainously as suddenly stab vs to the heart and make a present spoyle of vs. Common practise doth further teach vs that when we can heare the word without all trembling at God his iudgements when we can pray without all feare before the Maiestie of God when we can come to the discipline of the Church without all reuerence of the ordinance of the Lord all is in vaine Againe let vs heare with too much trembling and we shall learne nothing let vs pray with too seruile a feare and our worshipping of God will be without all comfort and vncheerefull Thus if we neither lessen sinne that is sinne indeede neither make sinne of that which is not sin in truth it is good to proceed to this three-fold examination to lay the edge of this doctrine more neere our affections because many will be sound in this ripenes of knowledge and barrennes of conscience to speake dispute and declaime of all these things very skilfully which flickring in the circumference of the braine and not sitting at the ground of the heart doe seale vp a more iust sentence of condemnation against them To helpe this euill we must meditate deeply of the Law and of the Gospel together with the appurtenances of them both that finding ourselues farre from Gods blessings promised to the keepers of the law and seeing our selues neere to the curses due to the breakers of the law we may raise vp some sense of sin in our selues Yet herein we must not stay our foote but giue a further stride for whereas many by a diligent view of the law haue come to the sense of sinne in themselues and saw plainly their owne condemnation yet because they laboured not to see the guiltinesse acquited by the remission of sinne in Christ they plunged themselues into a bottomlesse sea of sorrowes Others hauing passed these degrees and hitherto made these steps to auoyde the wound of conscience haue come

themselues some thinke their gifts proceed from God but by their owne deserts some acknowledge Gods gifts to be free and vndeserued but they are proud of them 87 It is strange that we should not abide to be threatned and yet can be content to be afflicted when as naturally wee rather desire the lesse euill or we would leuer bee admonished of an euill then punished with an euill Now a threatning forewarnes but plagueth not an affliction punisheth rather than forewarneth Howbeit this bewrayes the great pride of mans heart in that hee had rather be pressed vnder the hand of God than reproued of a man 88 In the estate of mariage choise may well be made of foure things First wee are to looke the woman be religious Secondly that she be chaste Thirdly that she be louing to her husband Fourthly that she be an huswife For other things if God cast them on vs they are not to be refused if we want them we must remēber godlines is the best dowrie 89 As God his children haue the greatest ●l●ssing● so haue they oft the greatest crosses which would seeme strange but that God his wisdome must stay our ranging wits It is good therefore to promise this assurance that we belong to God which will most comfort vs though affliction so belongs to vs. 90 Because a truth may be taught and not an whole truth it comes to passe that many learned men though not of purpose open the doore to many heresies 91 As in receiuing of a purgation a man shall thinke himselfe sicker then in receiuing a cordiall and yet in the end hee is not so so it is incident to troubled mindes to thinke themselues worse in hearing threatnings than in receiuing of the promises and yet it is not so For by hearing of the Law both their title is better to the promises and the promises more appertaine to them 92 As no gift or bribe doth so much whet vp the minde of a good Physition or skilfull Lawyer as to r●lie and rest in their Arte and faithfulnes for which they will doe farre more then for any other thing so there is nothing doth more drawe out more assurance from GOD as when hee seeth that throughly and confidently yet with all humilitie we depend vpon his promise prouidence and power 93 It is a danger to make a priuate offence publike because priuate offences would be priuately admonished Howbeit if we see that notwithstanding our priuate dealing the sinne doth still growe then wee are rather to make some hole into the same than to loose the soule of such an offender and in such a case not wee but they haue published their owne names 94 Although we are not to accept persons yet we may make difference of persons because some are more capable of good things than others In which respect our Sauiour Christ tooke some of his Disciples with him to pray and yet but two ●●d those of choise shewing and teaching vs thereby that as wee must auoide popularitie to seeke our owne glorie so we must not hinder God his glorie nor cease to doe pure things before others who for their faithfulnes haue vpright harts and for their wisdome can discerne of things to be well iustructed thereby 95 It is one thing to haue as it were the pricke of a point of a needle and another to haue a wound with the dint of a sword It is one thing to bee stung with the tongue of Serpent and another thing to be hissed a● of a Serpent hauing lost his tongue it is one thing to drinke the cup of gall and poyson to the dregges and another to drinke of a cup the bitte●nes whereof is drawne out Balme placed in the steed of ●t it is one thing to drop a fewe teares and another to sweate drops of bloud it is one thing to be grieued in measure and another thing to be heauie vnto death it is one thing to feele the wrath of God for sinne in our selues but discharged in another another thing to haue the sinne committed of another and sustained in our selues 96 It is a good thing to looke to ones hart in all things especially for vncleannes euen creeping vpon vs in holy things and with most holy persons as when one shall desire in comforting afflicted mindes to doe it rather with women then with men and with beautifull women rather then with others and with rich women rather then with poore women wherein the heart is very corrupt and full of matter to humble vs. 97 The diuell is a skilfull pyrate as for emptie Barkes he neuer makes after them but for those that are po●sed and furnished with best wares those he pursues with maine sailes so those that haue nothing in them the diuell esteemes them no preye but if once wee be fraught with Gods graces then hee malignes vs and hoysteth euery saile to take vs as his spoyle 98 No man hath so good a memorie but hee shall forget a benefit no man hath so ill a memorie but he shall remember an iniurie 99 It is worthie to be marked that Paul saith flie Fornication and Iame● saith resist the diuell for Fornication must not be stood long withall but to put our safetie out of question let vs flee all occasions of it and contrariwise Sathan must not be fled from for that will embolden him but he must be resisted by the word and by prayer and the power of Christ. 100 It is a maruellous thing that a young man should be so zealous in youth and about 40 or 50 yeares should be honest and hold his owne but haue no such vigor as before But we must know that euen his heate is mixed much with heate of youth which shooteth and thrusteth out a little with a great heate and outward shew in the beginning and that afterward the strength of godlines being sounder a man shall be lesse vehement but farre more solid at what time his pure zeale being naked in it selfe for that his yong heate forsakes him seemeth happily to be lesse but sure it is more sound and substantiall than it was before 101 It may seeme strange that we are so much moued with the sermons of godlie men at our first calling and after we haue long beleeued that we should find ourselues so coldly and seldome mou●d Here we must know that at our first entrie to Christianitie there is a more combustible matter in vs that euery little sparke of fire would inflame vs that is that we had such great ignorance that euery principle of knowledge did affresh vs and such prophanenes that euery precept tooke hold on vs but afterward being much purged and clensed both in life and iudgement wee are not so lightly moued we are not so soone caried away euery course di●t will not satisfie vs as at the first Againe the graces of God are sweetest

not Here then is a mirrour of Gods children the worldly minded men would alwayes keepe one tenour and neuer bee moued but the children of God doe thus change they cannot finde this wisedome and comfort at the first but then when they are brought lowe Many when they heare a promise thinke to haue it by and by but they ma●ke not that a promise and the fruition of it is not all at once for the lawe will make them fit before they enioy it This causeth many to fall from the promises which seemed to beleeue because they haue not helpe at the first but the children of God melte and cleaue to the dust and yet trust in God and waite on him and then feele comfort● others in the beginning of trouble pray and waite a little but if helpe come not quickly then cast they all away But the child of God hath a patient spirit and therefore feeleth comfort when the hasty minded man wanteth not his woe He marketh the deliuerance of others and hopeth for the same and so waiteth still on God Hee was as good as dead and saw no helpe but the word The nature of man is readie to trust in meanes so long as hee hath them therefore God pulleth all meanes from vs that we may onely trust in him Let vs thinke that God hath deliuered others and therefore hee will deliuer vs. ¶ Vers. 26. I haue declared my wayes c. VEers 59. He considereth his wayes that is his inward imperfections outward aberrations from the straite and st●eight wayes of God and here he is not ashamed to declare them that is to acknowledge and confesse that all this came vpon him because hee was forgetfull to do● Gods will My soule claue vnto the dus● because I claue not to thee I haue declared my wayes of wickednes teach thou me the wayes of rigt●eousnesse I haue declared my wayes Our wayes are our sinnes or rather that course which we followe in sinning wee ought with the Prophet to declare them that is wee must deale with our sinnes as the iudge dealeth with malefactors 1 Apprehende 2 A●ra●g●● 3 Condemne our selues as guiltie before God For he that hideth his 〈◊〉 sh●k not pr●●p●r Pro● 28. 13. See what declarations or rather declamations the Saints m●●e against themselues 2. Sam. 12. Psal. 32. 51. Neh. 9. 33. 34 35. Da● 9 5 6. 7 8. 9 10. It were good for vs in our life time to keepe a register of all our sinnes to recount them often before God that hauing from him our est●ere ●ere wee may not hereafter bee called to an account Men carefully looke how they stand in the world but are carelesse to see how they stand before God and therefore may iustly haue the statutes of bancke-rupts sued against them And thou heardest me This is the benefit that commeth vnto vs vpon the vnfained confession of our sinnes He that confesseth and forsaketh them shall fin●e mercie Prou. 28. 13. Vncouer thou God will couer declare thou God will heare In the seate of Iustice vpon earth we say open confession open confusion here it is farre otherwise 1. Ioh. 1. 9. And thou heardest me God heareth our prayers two wayes first in mercie when he granteth the requests of such as call vpon him in the feare of his name Secondly hee heares mens prayers in his wrath Thus he gaue the Israelites quayles at their desire Psal. 78. 29. 30. 31. and Hos. 13 10. 11. Thus men often times curse themselues and others yea their children ca●tell and accordingly they haue their wish Dauid was not euer heard at the first neither are we ouer heard at the first It pleaseth God to deale with vs as with the woman of Canaan Matth. 15. 24. 1. To proue vs by delay 2. To exercise our faith 3. That we may acknowledge from whom we haue receiued that which we praied for 4. That wee might more esteeme of the graces giuen by importunitie 5. To whet on our desires after such things as we pray for and 6 that others may learne that he that beleeueth will not make hast Isay 28. 16 Nay it pleaseth God oftētimes not to heare vs at all 1 Because we thē know not to aske as we ought Matth. 20. 22. 2. Because wee aske amisse Iames 4. 3. 3. Because they are not good for vs 2. Cor. 12. 7. But because the Prophet saith thou heardest me after what māner doth God heare the prayers of his seruāts Answer 1. By graunting the thing which was asked according to his wil. 2 By denying the thing desired by giuing something proportionable vnto it We aske temporall he giues spirituall blessings we aske deliuerance he giues patience The Cup was not remoued at Christs prayer his manhood was inabled to beare Gods wrath The pricke in the flesh was not taken from Paul but he heard this voyce My Grace is sufficient for thee Teach me thy statutes This often repetition of this one thing in this Psalme argueth 1 The necessitie of this knowledge 2 The desire he had to obtaine it 3 That such repetitions are not then friuolous when they proceed from a sound heart a zealous affection and a consideration of the necessitie of the thing prayed for 4 That such as haue most light haue little in respect of that they should haue 5. As couetous men thinke they haue neuer gold enough so christian men should thinke they haue neuer knowledge enough ¶ Vers. 27. Make me to vnderstand the way of thy precepts and I will meditate in thy wonderous workes HE goeth on in his former petition and considering that euerie man is a beast in his owne vnderstanding like the owle that cannot beholde the sunne and the Mole that wanteth sight hee desireth that God would partly by his spirit partly by his ministers partly by afflictions partly by studie and labor make him to haue a right and sounde vnderstanding not onely of his statutes but of the w●y of his statutes that is after what sort and order he may liue and direct his life according to those things which God hath commaunded him in his Lawe Learne heere first how hard a thing it is for man ouerweening himselfe in his owne wisedome to knowe Gods will till God make vs to knowe wee are fooles and slowe of heart to belieue all that is written in the Worde till CHRIST open our eyes Luke 24. wee say with N●c●demus how can these things be Iohn 3. Secondly it is not enough to vnderstand the Word but to knowe the waye to walke in it that by it wee may be directed what to doe when where and how wee ought to performe euery action And I will meditate or as some reade speake of it as if he should say if thou teach me I by thy grace shall teach others and surely to what ende doth God giue knowledge but that wee should be carefull to edifie others by it Wee may not desire this knowledge onely to know