Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n
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B09729
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An antidote against desperation and presumption. or, A consideration of that most solemn oath of the Lord God in Ezek. xxxiii. by Charles Phelpes.
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Phelpes, Charles.
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1680
(1680)
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Wing P1971D; ESTC R181759
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103,519
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256
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14. 1. Oh then as the Use of all we have been saying give me leave to say Turn ye turn ye for why will ye die Why will we die may some say We have no power of our selves to turn and God doth not give us power so to do And therefore we cannot turn but must necessarily perish in our sins Ans To this Answer hath been given before abundantly in which we have sufficiently shewed the falsness of what is here objected And do therefore refer to what hath been fore-written But to fortifie their Objection these persons may say There are many sober and zealous Divines who have been great searchers into the holy Scriptures and they assure us That God doth not give sufficient grace unto all whereby they may turn from their evil wayes And the number of these diligent searchers is also very considerable they are five who so assure us to one sober Minister that speaks otherwise and therefore we have most reason to believe them Answ If it should be granted what these Objectors affirm That there are five to one who thus Teach yet it is not good for us to have our faith standing in mens wisdom or number or appearing zeal and holiness but in the power of God even in the Gospel of Christ which is the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth 1 Cor. 2. 1-5 with Rom. 1. 16. We are directed to have recourse to the law and to the testimony And if any man or number of men speak not according to this Word be we well assured it is because there is no light in them Isa 8. 20. Let these Objectors remember former things Moses by Gods Command sends forth twelve men to search the land of Canaan and to bring a true account of it they after they had made a diligent search return again and agree herein That the land was a good land flowing with milk and honey But then as to the possessing of it they disagree ten of the twelve propound such difficulties that they discouraged the hearts of their brethren Deut. 1. 28. They tell the People That the Cities of the inhabitants of the land were walled and very great and there they saw the children of Anak And they said we be not able to go up c. The other two sav We are well able to overcome all difficulties and yet they were no free-willers for their meaning was as they afterwards explained it that God was with them to enable them Did the people of Israel well in hearkening to those discouraging spies or searchers who for ought is said of them might be otherwise sober persons because they were five to one odds I trow not for they smarted most severely for so doing as may be seen in Numb 13. and Ch. 14. And surely we are instructed to behold Israel after the flesh whose miscarriages are written for our admonition and warning 1 Cor. 10. 1-6-11-18 Take we heed then of such discouraging searchers how great soever their number be or how zealous holy or sober soever they appear to be Hearken not to the words of these Prophets who tell you That though God swears he hath pleasure that the wicked should turn and live yet he gives the most of them no true saving or effectual grace so to do for herein they speak a vision of their own heart not out of the mouth of the LORD It was a right saying which dropt from the pen of a zealous Opposer of the grace of God in Christ to all mankind I mean Mr. Perkins in his Golden Chain touching Free-will Pag. 915. When saith he God in the Gospel commands men to repent and to belive at the same time he enableth them both to will or desire to believe and repent as also actually to repent and believe 2. Let me say again Turn ye turn ye for why will ye die Why will we die May others say Why we have committed that unpardonable sin the sin against the Holy Ghost spoken of in Matth. 12. 31 32. Mark 3. 28 29. Luk. 12. 10. or We have been guilty of that great iniquity of falling away and sinning wilfully after the knowledge of the truth was received by us mentiened Heb. 6. 4-6 and Ch. 10. 26-29 or We have sinned that sin unto death in 1 Joh. 5. 16. And therefore our case is hopeless and it is impossible we should be recovered again yea we are not to be prayed for and therefore though God give grace to others he will give none to us but our state and condition is desperate and there is no hope at all for us Ans Now in answer hereto and for the sakes of some who conclude their case to be wholly hopeless and utterly remediless when it is not so I shall desire with what brevity I may to consider and speak something to those several Scriptures fore-mentioned viz. 1. As to that Sin or Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost set down in Mat. 12. 31 32 c. Mind we these things to wit 1. The nature of this hainous sin And that is It is a sinning against the evident and convincing Demonstration of the Holy Spirit in his glorifying Christ as may be seen in the Evangelists however in Matthew and Mark. Thus it is exprest in the former Whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man namely as I conceive against him as one that had no form nor comeliness who appeared as a worm and no man a reproach of men and despised of the people and so spake against him through ignorance and as carried an end by the common stream of others it shall be forgiven him But whosoever speaketh or blasphemeth Luk. 12. 10. against the Holy Ghost that is to say against the clear evidence and demonstration of the Holy Spirit in his bearing witness of Christ it shall not be forgiven him c. Now that this is the nature of this Sin or Blasphemy doth plainly appear by the occasion of our Saviour's thus speaking which was this Our Saviour had wrought a very great miracle in healing one that was possessed with a Devil blind and dumb Matth. 12. 22. whereat all the people were amazed and said Is not this the Son of David They were by this miraculous cure convinced that he was the Messias But when the Pharisees and some Scribes Mark 3. 22. beard it they said as persons that would not see when Gods hand was so highly lifted up This fellow doth not cast out Devils but by Beelzebub c. Now upon this occasion our Saviour speaks the words fore-expressed and so shews what the hainous nature of their sin was namely an attributing that to the work of the Devil which was evidently wrought by the spirit and finger Luk. 11. 20. of God The which is also clearly signified by St. Mark thus He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness but is in danger of eternal damnation Which words Christ spake unto them Because they said