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
B00422	The golden chaine of mans saluation, and the fearefull point of hardening, opened and set downe in two seuerall sermons preached before the king. / By Anthony Maxey Batchelar in Diuinitie, and chaplaine to his Majesty in ordinary ...	Maxey, Anthony, d. 1618.	1606 (1606)	STC 17685.5; ESTC S94149	45,259	102

Then is the estate of condemnation certaine when foule sinnes are not onely commited but are delightfull also The sixt staire is Desiderabile when through 6 Desiderabile delight men grow to such a custome that they inwardly desire to sin so that as S. Gregory said Si nunquam moreretur nunquā vellepeccare desineret such a mā if he should neuer die he would neuer cease to sin for though he did not commit it in action yet still he would desire it in thought The seauenth staire is defensibile When hee hath 7 Defensibile gotten a forehead of brasse ●say 48. 4. as the Psalmise saith whē the tyrant doth boast that he can Psal 1. 1. do mischiefe when hee sits in the seate of the scorner when hee doth not onely by habit desire to sin and delight in it but nowe he will take vpon him to defend it Peccatum porta mortis defensio Origen est lumen inferni Sin is the high way to death but the defence of sin is the very next step into hell At this point were the Iewes who being reproued for idolatry the Scripture saith they said desperately we haue loued strange Gods and them will we follow againe they refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder stopped their eares and Zach. 7. ●● made their hearts as an Adamant stone Impius cùm ● 2. 25. ●0 18. 3. venerit in profundum contemnit a dissolute liuer once growne to the height of sin becomes desperate Thus Sin first it is importable secondly heauie thirdly it becomes light fourthly past feeling fiftly delightfull sixtly desired and lastly to be defended Here is descensus Auerni these be the stayres that lead to the chambers of death the stepswherby the reprobate do descend vnto final destruction Indeed at the first when sin is importable that we are wonderfully grieued for cōmitting of it there is great hope of recouery he that so feeling the wound of sinne doth there stay the course of it it is an excellent signe of saluatiō Initium salutis notitia peccati the first step of repentance is the first finding out acknowledgement of sin In the second of the Acts whē they saw and knew their sin they cried out Men brethern what shal we do to be saued This horror this troubled mind it made them seeke for comfort and so brought them to repentance Secondly when sin is a burden vnto our soules so that we would faine be eased of it there is yet good hope We may see it by Dauid in the 38. Psalme 4. verse Mine iniquities are gone ouer mine head and are as a burden too heauy for mee to beare The weight of this burden made Dauid in the 18. ver following to confesse his wickednes and to be sory for his sin it made him flie vnto God for ease O cast your burden vpon the Lord for he will not suffer the righteous to fall for euer Thirdly when men make light of sin surely danger is not far off for a threefold cord is not easily broken and the third letting of bloud in the same veine is exceeding dangerous but yet still there is some hope for though in the hot chase of our blinde and youthful desires though then for a time we account it a light matter to commit this or that sinne yet God may touch our hearts Christ may looke backe vpon vs as he did on S. Peter who denied him thrice His word may so strike vs that we may come to know our selues to see in what case we are to bewaile our infirmity so turne vnto god by praier repētāce All these things as Iob saith will God worke twice Iob. 33. ● O bew● and sin more or thrice with a man But if we come to Insensibile the fourth stayre so that we grow past feeling we sin daily and haue no sense of it if there be no remorse no griefe nor dislike of sin wo be vnto vs 2. Amos. 6. For three transgressions and for foure I will not turne to Israel saith the Lord. Without the infinite and extraordinary mercie of God we are the sons of wrath for thē followeth this deadlie wound of Hardening It is a principle in Phisicke grauissimè is aegrotat qui se non sentit aegrotare if a man bee sicke and know it not out of question hee is very dangerously and deadly sicke hee that findes in himselfe no want of any thing as the Church of Laodicea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I stand not in need of any thing This deadnesse ●uel 3. 17 this vnfeeling numnesse it is a plaine foreteller of death for example if a man haue taken a grieuous wound in his body if it ake if it pricke and shoote if it paine him eyther it is healing or else there is hope to heale it but as Saint Augustine saith Quod non dolet non pro August sano sed pro mortuo computandum if the wound be such that it neuer causeth griefe if it neuer ake nor smart vndoubtedly it is dead flesh of necessitie it must be cut off To commit actuall and presumptuous sinnes when a man 's owne knowledge and Gods spirit cryeth in him to the contrary these are wounds and grieuous woundes vnto the soule and whosoeuer hath gone on so far that he doth delight in these sinnes so often so long that his minde is neuer troubled his thoughts neuer checked his soule neuer grieued surely such a one being vtterly past feeling is very neere to this fearefull estate of hardening Thus haue I shewed how and after what sort men become Hardened not of my selfe but as S. Augustine saith Ligatus teneor non ferro alieno sed meaferrea voluntate velle meum tenebat inimicus et inde mihi funes fecerat et consuetudini dum non resistitur fact a est necessitas A man becomes hardened he is fettered not by any other chaine but by the cordes of his owne sinne the deuill by deceit gets power ouer the will and so doth snare vs and because in the beginning wee did not resist custome at length it groweth to necessity This is the very same in effect setdown by Saint Paule in the 4. to the Ephesians 18. where this manner of Hardening is also expressed first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the minde is darkened they cannot rightly discerne what to do then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they become ignorant thirdly comes in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when the soule for want of heauenly dewe beginnes to wither and harden fourthly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 past feeling and lastly giuen ouer to commit all sinne with greedinesse Most wofull to be hardened NOw what a grieuous and lamentable estate is it to be hardened let it please you with patience to obserue a while you shall briefely vnderstand The comfort of mans life in this world it consisteth in the enioying either of temporall or spirituall blessings But the strong

man hauing once got possession when a man is fallen away from grace and his heart Hardened how fearefull how mournfull a case it is it may manifestly appeare in this for that such men they can haue no true ioy of temporall things in this world nor any true comfort of the sweete graces in the life to come First concerning spirituall blessings There is nothing more cheerefull vnto man then the knowledge of his minde nothing more excellent in him then the light of his vnderstanding This knowledge this light of nature this vnderstanding and iudgement is vtterly extinguished Suffocatur naturae lumen cùm ad huius abissi ingressum Cal● accedimus the light of nature is choked whē they once enter into this gulf of Hardning In man there is a threefold light The light of the body which is the Eye the light of the mind which is Reason and Faith the light of the soule Eph. 1 1● 1 Cor. 4. ● by which we discerne things that are not seene In the obstinate their bodilie eye is full of adultery and cannot cease to sinne 2. Pet. 2. 14. 2. Pe. 2. ● The light of Reason which is the law of nature is extinguished Rom. 1. 28. Lastly Faith which is Rom. 1. 2 the light of the soule is wholy blinded for such cannot see to take hold of the mercies of God nor to apprehend his comfortable promises Ebre 4. 2. Now if the Eye which is the light Ebr. 4. 2. of the body if Reason which is the light of the minde if Faith which is the light of the soule be dimmed If all that light which should bee in vs bee darknesse Iustissima poena vt qui sciens Aug. de li 〈…〉 be arbit lib. 3. rectum non facit amittat scire quod rectum saith Saint Augustine it is a punishment that hee who knowing doth not well at length should loose the knowledge of wel dooing so is it with the Hardned as Iob. saith The light of the vngodly Iob. 18. ● shall bee darkened and the wicked shall become blind Zeph. 1. 1 because they haue sinned against the Lord. The iudgement of the minde beeing thus peruerted and Faith which in all stormes and temptations should guide the sterne being ouerthrowne there fellowes a generall shipwrack of conscience The word of God is said to bee sharper then a ●br 4. 12. two edged sword it pierceth the very sinewes marrow it diuideth the soule and spirit asunder how wonderfull it is in operation how mightie to conuince our thoughts howe powerfull to quicken the soule how comfortable to strengthen our faith I doubt not but most here to their endlesse comfort do effectually know This word this mighty word which for the piercing operation is resembled to fire able to soften yron this word it cannot mollifie the hardened But as the bright beames of Sunne doe harden clay and soften wax and as the sweete drops of raine do mollifie earth and harden sand so the heauenly and eternall word returneth not in vaine but by reason of different disposition in the subiect it illuminateth it melteth the rightous it obdurates and Hardens the wicked their Esay 6. 9. heartes being fat their eyes heauie and their eares shut they shall heare indeed but shall not vnderstand they shall see and not perceiue Where the word of God cannot preuaile there can be no repentance It is true The scripture saith at what time soeuer a sinner doth repent Eze. 1● him of his sin frō the bottom of his hart God wil put all his wickednes out off his remembrance Therevpon many take their pleasure glut themselues in sin at last they thinke to make all good by repentance Indeed it is true if they can repent but they must obserue what S. August saith Qui promittit paenitenti veniam non promittit peccanti paenitētiam God who promiseth vnto euery one Aug. that repēteth forgiuenes doth not promise vnto euery one that sinneth repentance Repētance is the gift of god such as are hardened because in times past they despised the riches of his bounty grace his long suffering mercy that did cal them to repētance when they wold they cānot repent Ro. 2. 5. after hardnes the heart it cānot repēt If there can be no repentance then lamentation teares are bootlesse Teares they are the bloud of the soule and the Wine of Angels most Bern. pleasing and acceptable in the sight of God Yet the hardened though they should wash thēselues in their owne teares it will not preuaile Nihil prosūt lamenta si replicantur peccata tears are not accepted where sinnes are still and againe double Ebr. 12. 17. Esau found no place to repentance Ebr. 12. 1● though he sought the blessing with teares The holy blessed Sacraments now presently to be administred are Pledges of Gods loue and Seals of our saluation By Baptisme he breaks the Rom. 4. 1● heads of the Dragons in the Waters et per Baptismum coeli ianua aperitur And by baptisme euen the dore of heauē is set open The sacrament of the Lords supper it is canalis gratiae et lauacrū animae 〈…〉 l. 74. 14 the coduit of grace the bath of the soule What can be more ioyful then by receiuing the signe of the crosse to fight vnder the banner of Chirsts loue to be knit into the misticall body of his saints what can be more ioyful then to receiue that pure princely blood the least drop wherof being able to redeeme a thousād worlds I may rest assured it is a full perfect satisfactiō for all my sinnes so that if my body hath sinned his body hath made amēds if my soule haue sinned his soule hath made recompence therefore both soule and body are his and so we firmly and fully setled in a Christian ioy for euer These holy and heauenly Sacraments are not effectuall in the obstinate Iudas notwithstanding he was a disciple of our Sauiour and that blessed hand which after for his sake was nayled on the Crosse did reach him the bread of life yet he was so hardened with secret sin a trayterous disposition that as soone as he receiued the sop the deuilentred into him tooke ful possessiō 〈…〉 h. 13. 27. of him so brought him to a most feareful end Prayer what maruailous things it hath brought to passe and indeede what greater comfort can there be to a distressed minde then to open our griefe to poure out our complaints and ease our wounded hearts by making our mone vnto God by faithful and humble prayer yet in those that are Hardenedned prayers of themselues are frutelesse Ioh. 9. 31. God heareth not the prayer of sinners that is of such as reteine a will to sinne Dauid saith He that enclineth his heart vnto wickednesse Psa 6● God will not heare his prayers To hope in the prayer of