Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
knowledge_n	commit_v	sin_n	sin_v	2,906	5	9.7075	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11458	Two sermons preached at Paules-Crosse London The one November 21. the other Aprill 15. 1627. By Robert Saunderson, Bachelour in Divinitie, and sometimes Fellow of Lincolne Colledge in Oxford.	Sanderson, Robert, 1587-1663.	1628 (1628)	STC 21709; ESTC S112209	107,028	135

last to forgiue me all my Ignorances will serue the turne I may runne the same course I doe without danger or feare God will bee mercifull to mee for what I doe Ignorantly Not to preclude all possibility of mercy from thee or from any sinner Consider yet there is a great difference betweene their state and thine betweene thine ignorance and theirs They had but a very small enioyance of the light of Gods word a Math. 5.15 hid from them vnder two bushels for surenesse vnder the bushell of a tyrannous Clergy that if any man should be able to vnderstand the bookes hee might not haue them and vnder the bushell of an vnknowne Tongue that if any man should chance to get the bookes he might not vnderstand them Whereas to thee the light is holden forth and set on a candlesticke the bookes open the language plaine legible and familiar They had eyes but saw not because the light was kept from them and the land was darke about them as the b Exod. 10.21.23 darkenesse of Egypt But thou liuest as in a Goshen where the light encompasseth thee in on all sides where there are c Ioh. 5.35 burning and shining lamps in euery corner of the land Yet is thy blindnesse greater for who so blind as he that will not see and more inexcusable because thou d Math. 13.15 shuttest thine eyes against the light least thou shouldest see and be conuerted and God should heale thee Breefly they wanted the light thou shunnest it they liued in darknesse thou delightest in it their ignorance was simple thine affected and wilfull And therefore although wee doubt not but that the times of their ignorance God e Act. 17.30 winked at yet thou hast no warrant to presume that God will also in these times winke at thee who f Luk. 7.30 rejectest the counsell of God against thine owne soule and for want of g 2. Thes. 2.10.11 loue and affection to the truth art justly giuen ouer to strong delusions to belieue fables and to put thy confidence in things that are lyes So much for that matter Secondly here is a needfull admonition for vs all not to flatter our selues for our ignorance of those things §. 20. The second Inference Not to flatter our selues in our ignorance that concerne vs in our generall or particular Callings as if for that ignorance our reckoning should be easier at the day gf Iudgement Ignorance indeed excuseth sometimes sometimes lesseneth a fault but yet not all ignorance all faults not wilfull and affected ignorance any fault Nay it is so farre from doing that that on the contrary it maketh the offence a Ignorantia directe per so voluntaria auget voluntar●ū per consequen● peccatum Aquin. 1.2 qu. 76 4. much more grieuous and the offender much more inexcusable A heedlesse seruant that b Luk. 12.48 neither knoweth nor doth his Masters will deserueth some stripes A stubborne seruant that knoweth it and yet tra●gresseth it deserueth more stripes But worse then them both is that vngracious seruant who fearing his Master will appoint him something hee had rather let alone keepeth himselfe out of the way before hand and ●ieheth in a co●ner out of sight of purpose that he may not know his Masters will that so he may after stand vpon it when he is chidden and say Hee knew it not such an vntoward seruant deserueth yet more stripes Would the spirit of God thinke you in the Scripture so often call vpon vs to c Prou. 2.3.4.7 23.23 get the knowledge of Gods will and to increase therein or would he commence his d Hos. 4.1 suite against a land and enter his action against the people thereof for want of such knowledge if ignorance were better or safer Oh it is a fearefull thing for a man to e See Prou. 1.24 c. shunne instruction and to say he desireth net the knowledge of God f Psal. 36.3 Noluerunt i●telligere vt bene agerent When men are once come to that passe that they will not vnderstand nor seeke after God when they g Ioh. 3.20 hate the light because they take pleasure in the h Eph. 5 11. workes of darkenes when they are i Impia mens odit et am ipsum intellectum homo aliq●a● so nimium mente peruersa timet intelligere ne cogetur quod intellexerit facere Augustin de verb. Apost serm 13. afraide to know too much least their hearts should condemne them for not doing thereafter when like the k Psal. 58.4.5 deafe adder they stoppe their eares against the voyce of the charmer for feare they should be charmed by the power of that voice out of their crooked and serp●ntine courses when they are so l Ex intentione voluntatis ad peccantū prouenit quod aliquis vult subire agno vantia d●mnum propter libertatem peccandi Aquin 1.2.76.4 resolued to take freedome to sinne that they chuse to be still ignorant rather then hazard the forgoing of any part of that freedome what doe they but euen runne on blindfold into Hell and through inner poast along vnto m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Math. 25.30 vtter darkenesse where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth n Bernard de 12. grad numil Frustrà sibi de ignorantia blandiuntur saith Saint Bernard Qui vt liberius peccent libenter ignorant Saint Paul so speaketh of such men as if their case were desperate o 2. Cor. 14.38 If any man be ignorant let him be ignorant as who say if he will needes be wilfull at his perill be it But as many as desire to walke in the feare of God with vpright and sincere hearts let them thirst after the knowledge of God and his will as the p Psal. ●1 2 Hart after the riuers of waters let them q Prou. 2.3.4 cry after knowledge and lift vp their voyces for vnderstanding let them seeke it as siluer and dig for it as for hid treasures let their feete tread often in Gods courts and euen weare the thresholds of his house let them delight in his holy ordinances and reioyce in the light of his word depending vpon the ministery thereof with vnsatisfied eares and vnwearied attention and feeding thereon with vncloyed appetites that so they may see and heare and learne and vnderstand and belieue and obey and increase in wisedome and in grace and in fauour with God and all good men But then in the third place consider §. 21. Inference 3. against sins done with knowledge that if all ignorance will not excuse an offender though some doe how canst thou hope to finde any colour of excuse or extenuation that sinnest wilfully with knowledge and against the light of thine owne Conscience The least sinne thus committed is in some degree a Presumptuous sinne and carryeth with it a contempt of God and in that regard is a Quo

therefore as to any intent of doing wrong to the husband he was altogether innocent But for that which he had not done in not touching her because hee tooke her into his house with an vnchast purpose hee passeth that ouer in silence and not so much as mentioneth it So that his Answere so farre as it reached was just but because it reached not home it was not full And now Almightie God fitteth it with a Reply most conuenient for such an Answere admitting his Plea so farre as hee alledged it for what he had done in taking Abrahams wife hauing done it simply out of ignorance Yea I know that thou diddest this in the integrity of thy heart and withall supplying that which Abimilech had omitted for what hee had not done in not touching her by assigning the true cause thereof viz. his powerfull restraint For I also with-held thee from sinning against me therefore suffered I thee not to touch her In the whole verse we may obserue §. 3. and Division of the Text. First the manner of the Reuelation namely by what meanes it pleased God to conueigh to Abimelech the knowledge of so much of his will as he thought good to acquaint him withall it was euen the same whereby he had giuen him the first information at vers 3. it was by dreame And God said vnto him in a dreame and then after the substance of the Reply wherof againe the generall parts are two The former an Admission of Abimelechs Plea or an Acknowledgement of the integrity of his heart so farre as he alledged it in that which hee had done yea I know that thou diddest it in the integrity of thine heart The later an Instruction or Aduertisement to Abimelech to take knowledge of Gods goodnesse vnto and prouidence ouer him in that which he had not done it was God that with-held him from doing it For I also with-held thee from sinning against me therefore suffered I thee not to touch her By occasion of those first words of the Text And God said vnto him in a dreame §. 4. The Nature and vse of Dreames c. if we should enter into some enquiries concerning the nature and vse of diuine Reuelations in generall and in particular of Dreames the discourse as it would not be wholly impertinent so neither altogether vnprofitable Concerning all which these seuerall Conclusions might be easily made good First that God reuealed himselfe and his will frequently in old times especially before the sealing of the Scripture Canon a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 1.1 in sundry manners as by Visions Prophesies Extasies Oracles and other supernaturall meanes and namely and among the rest by b Numb 12.6 Ioel 2.28 Iob. 33.14.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Homer Iliad ● Dreames Secondly that God imparted his will by such kinde of supernatural Revelations not only to the Godly Faithfull though to them most frequently and especially but sometimes also to Hypocrites within the Church as to c 1. Sam. 10.10 Saul and others yea and sometimes euen to infidels too out of the Church as to d Gen. 41.25.28.28 45. Pharao● e Numb 24 2.4 c. Balaam f Dan. 2 28.4● Nebuchadnezzar c. and here to Abimelech Thirdly that since the writings of the Prophets and Apostles were made vp the Scripture-Canon sealed and the Christian Church by the Preaching of the Gospell become Oecumenicall Dreames and other supernaturall Reuelations as also other things of like nature as Miracles and whatsoeuer more immediate and extraordinary manifestations of the will and power of God haue ceased to be of ordinarie and familiar vse so as now we ought rather to suspect delusion in them then to expect direction from them Fourthly that although God haue now g Esa. 8.20 tyed vs to his holy written word as vnto a perpetuall infallible Rule beyond which we may not expect and against which we may not admit any other direction as from God yet he hath no where abridged himselfe of the power and libertie euen still to intimate vnto the sonnes of men the knowledge of his will and the glory of his might by Dreames Miracles or other like supernaturall manifestations if at any time either in the want of the ordinary meanes of the word Sacraments and Ministery or for the present necessities of his Church or of some part thereof or for some other just cause perhaps vnknown to vs he shall see it expedient so to doe He hath prescribed vs but he hath not limited himselfe Fifthly that because the Diuell and wicked spirits may suggest dreames probably foretell future euents foreseens in their causes and worke many strange effects in nature applicando actiua passiuis which because they are without the sphere of our comprehension may to our seeming haue faire appearances of Diuine Reuelations or Miracles when they are nothing lesse for the auoiding of strong delusions in this kinde it is not safe for vs to giue easie credit to Dreames Pro●hesies or Miracles as diuine vntill vpon due tryall there shall appeare both in the end whereto they point vs a direct tendance to the advancement of Gods glory and in the Meanes also they propose vs a h See Deut. 13.2 c. conformity vnto the reueyled will of God in his written word Sixthly that so to obserue our ordinary dreames as thereby to i Contra Onire triticos See Aquin 2.2 qu. 956. Ioh. Satisb 2. Polyer 17. Petr. Bles. Epist. 65. diuine or foretell of future contingents or to forecast therefrom good or ill-lucke as we call it in the successe of our affaires is a silly and groundlesse but withall an vnwarranted and therefore an vnlawfull and therefore also a damnable superstition Seuenthly that there is yet to be made a lawfull yea and a very profitable vse even of our ordinary dreames and of the obseruing thereof and that both in Physicke and Diuinity Not at all by foretelling particulers of things to come but by taking from them among other things some reasonable coniectures in the generall of the present estate both of our Bodies and Soules Of our Bodyes first For since the predominancy of k Secundum morum humorum varietates variantur semnia Alij namque vident sanguinei alia cholorici alia flegmatici alia melancholici Auctor de spic anim cap. 25. apud Augustin Tom. 3. Choler Blood Flegme and Melancholy as also the differences of strength and health and l Iuntae etiam infirmitaetum diversitates diversa accidunt somnia Ibid. dis●ases and distempers either by dyet or passion or otherwise doe cause impressions of different formes in the fancy our m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist. cap. 1. de divinat ex insom● ordinary Dreames may be a good helpe to leade vs into those discoueries both in time of health what our naturall constitution complexion and temperature is and in times of sicknes from the rankenesse and