Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
knowledge_n	darkness_n	glory_n	shine_v	2,497	5	9.0823	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77515	Two treatises the one, handling the doctrine of Christ's mediatorship : wherein the great Gospel-mystery of reconciliation betwixt God and man is opened, vindicated, and applyed. The other, of mystical implantation : wherein the Christian's union and communion with, and conformity to Jesus Christ, both in his death and resurrection, is opened, and applyed. / As they were lately delivered to the church of God at Great Yarmouth, by John Brinsley, minister of the Gospel, and preacher to that incorporation.	Brinsley, John, 1600-1665.; Ashe, Simeon, d. 1662.	1652 (1652)	Wing B4737; Thomason E1223_1; ESTC R22919	314,532	569

A supernaturall light the light of divine and heavenly knowledg to shine forth into their Hearts God who commanded the light to shine out of darknes hath shined into our hearts saith the Apostle to give the light of the knowledg of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ 2. Cor. 4.6 Gods Ministers being his Instruments in the work of Conversion they communicate that light of knowledg unto others which themselves have received making known the glorious grace of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ revealed and manifested in and by him without which Illumination there is no Regeneration Baptisme anciently called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Illumination and why Hence was it that the Greek Fathers anciently called Baptisme which is the Sacrament of Regeneration by the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Illumination taking the ground of it as is conceived from that of the Apostle Leigh Critic sacra Heb. 6.4 where he speaks of those that were once enlightned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Syriack renders Grotius Beza ad loc qui ad baptismum descenderunt such as had been baptized And not unfitly may it be so called in as much as all those who are baptized with the Holy Ghost they have their minds illustrated with the beams of this divine and heavenly light Without such illumination no regeneration Hence is it that the twofold state of man the state of nature and the state of grace are called the one darknesse and the other light Ye were sometimes darknesse but now ye are light in the Lord Ephes 5.8 And the work of Conversion is described to be a turning from darknesse to light Acts 26.18 and a calling out of darknesse into a marvellous light 1 Pet. 2.9 Now have we received this Spirit of Illumination Hath this light shined forth unto us shined into our minds and shined into our hearts Into our minds enlightning our understandings with some measure of speculative knowledge in spiritual heavenly mysteries Certainly without this there can be no true work of Conversion no spirituall Resurrection God doth not bring men out of their graves blindfold He first openeth their eyes Paul was sent to the Gentiles to open their eyes Acts 26.18 to turn them from darknesse to light from the darknesse of ignorance to the light of knowledge which shineth into the mind And into the heart He hath shined in our hearts saith the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And so he doth in the hearts of his people giving them not onely a speculative but an affective knowledge not onely to know the truth but to be affected with it to love it believe it embrace it to receive a love of the truth for the want of which those Apostates fell away 2 Thes 2.10 Now hath this light thus shined not onely into our minds but into our hearts then may we conclude that we have received the Spirit of Christ even this quickning spirit beginning this work of a spirituall resurrection in our souls Whereas otherwise Do we stil sit in darknesse surely we are as yet in the shadow of death 2. This Quickning Spirit 2. A Spirit of Faith is a Spirit of Faith So it is to all who have any part in this first Resurrection We having the spirit of faith saith Paul to his Corinthians 2 Cor. 4.13 that is the Spirit of God working faith in the soul This it doth in all whom it quickneth first revealing Christ unto them then it inclineth their hearts to close with him upon those Gospel terms upon which he is offered to receive him as a Saviour and as a Lord. And so it uniteth them unto him ingrafting them into this Stock from whence they receive this quickning vertue and are made conformable to Christ in his resurrection This is conveyed unto believers through faith That we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith saith the Apostle Gal. 3.14 The Promise he there speaketh of is the promise of the Spirit of Regeneration as Diodate expounds it This is the promise which the Prophets make such frequent mention of Isai 44.3 Jer. 31.33 c. Now this promise of the spirit is received by faith faith on Jesus Christ which is the purifying grace Putrifying their hearts by faith Acts 15.9 The sanctifying grace Them which are sanctified by faith in me Acts 26.18 and the quickning grace by and through which this spirituall life is conveyed from Christ into the soul Expresse is that of our Saviour John 11.25 I am the resurrection and the life He that believeth on me though he were dead yet shall he live Though he be dead in sin yet shall he live a spirituall life upon his believing Which life is therefore called the life of faith because faith is both the beginning and the principall Act of this life The just shal live by his faith Rom. 3.11 The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God Gal. 2.20 He that liveth and believeth on me saith our Saviour ver 26. of that 11th of John speaking of this spirituall life whereof saith is both the first and principall Act. Now have we received this Spirit of Faith Have we felt this work of the spirit upon our hearts drawing and inclining them thus to receive Jesus Christ thus to close with him thus to rest upon him thus to give up our selves unto him If so surely we are in the number of those that have part in this first Resurrection Otherwise being yet in a state of unbeliefe we are also in a state of death 3. 3. A Spirit of Holinesse This Quickning Spirit is also a sanctifying spirit a spirit of sanctification Such was the spirit whereby Jesus Cbrist was raised He was declared mightily to be the Son of God according to the spirit of sanctification by the resurrection from the dead Rom. 1.4 That Spirit which raised up Jesus Christ was the same divine spirit which sanctified his humane nature wherein it dwelt And such is this quickning Spirit to all in whom it dwelleth Being to them a Spirit of Faith it is also to them a Spirit of Sanctification purifying their hearts through faith Hence is it that the Apostle puts these two together Sanctification of the spirit and beliefe of the truth 2 Thes 2.13 Faith and Holinesse never go asunder Where the Spirit of Christ is a Spirit of faith it is also a Spirit of holinesse changing the heart putting into it a new quality of holinesse turning the bent of it from and against all sin unto holinesse and righteousnesse working in it an unfeigned hatred of the one and love to the other Now have we received this Spirit also Do we find such an inward change wrought in our hearts Do we find the Law of God a Law of Holinesse written upon them A law contrary to the law of sin so the Apostle calleth that sinfull corruption which dwelleth and reigneth

other such an Interpreter was Moses who went betwixt God and the people at the giving of the Law making his mind and will known unto them And in that respect he may not unfitly be called a Mediatour That Text in Deutronomie Deut. 5.5 imports no lesse where Moses speaking to the people I stood saith he between the Lord and you at that time to shew you the Word of the Lord. Which the vulgar Latine renders Ego sequester medius I was a Mediatour a Middler betwixt God and you And so Beza Beza Gr. Annot Theodoretus Germadius citat per Claudium Espencaeum de Mediatore cap. 4. and some others and that as I conceive most properly understand that place of the Apostle fore cited Gal. 3.19 where he saith of the Law that it was ordained by Angels in the hand of a Mediator 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 meaning therby Moses who was an Internuncius an Inter-messenger betwixt God and his people in the promulgating of the Law in making the mind of God known unto his people Thus was Moses a Typical Mediator And thus is the Lord Jesus Christ truly said to be the Mediator In as much as he is his Fathers Interpreter Imparting the mind of God to man by whom the mind and wil of God is imparted to the sons of Men. No man hath seen God at any time saith Saint John the only begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father near and dear to him and intimately acquainted with all his secrets he hath declared him John 1.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He it is that giveth the true clear and full knowledg for that is properly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Beza Aretius Piscator note upon the place of God and of his will unto the sons of Men which otherwise were unsearchable No man knoweth the Father save the Son and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him saith our Saviour Matthew 11.27 By him it is that the hidden things of God the mysterie of his will is revealed unto the Sons of Men. In this respect among others it is that he is called the word John 1.1 In the beginning was the Word c. ver 14. The word was made flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In as much as by him God revealeth his will unto men A word is an Interpreter of the mind and so is Jesus Christ of the minde of his Father And hence also it is that he is called A Prophet Acts. 3.22 and The Prophet John 7.40 and That Prophet John 6.14 In as much as this was one part of his office to impart the wil of God to the sons of men Which he hath done And that as in other passages so specially in declaring and making knowne the gracious purpose of God towards his Elect for the Reconciling Specially concerning the way means of Reconciliation and bringing them to life and salvation In this respect it is that he is called the Angell or Messenger of the Covenant Malachy 3.1 It is spoken of Christ who was the publisher of the Gospel Covenant the Covenant of Grace And in this respect also among others it is that he is called the Mediatour of the Covenant in those places forenamed the new Covenant Even as Moses was the Mediator of the Old Covenant for to him the Apostle there alludes the Publisher of it So was Christ of the new Covenant Gods Messenger and Ambassador sent and imployed by him to declare the Gracious purpose of God towards his Elect held forth in that Covenant Here is now the 2d staff of this Ladder the second step in this great work of Christs Mediatorship He is a Mediator betwixt God and Men viz. as an Interpreter an Intermessenger betwixt them Imparting the mind of God to Man And in this way doth he promote this great design Thereby promoting that great designe of Reconciliation the Reconciling of men to God viz. by enlightning of them This is his work He is that true light which enlightneth every man that cometh into the world John 1.9 Enlightneth them with a Common Naturall light of Reason and understanding So he enlightneth all Men. Enlightneth them with a speciall supernaturall light of saving knowledge Thus he inlightneth all that are so enlightned And by this means he beginneth to dissolve the work of the Divell It was the way whereby Satan first estranged man from God by blinding his eyes And by the same means it is that he holdeth him under that estrangement by continuing him under that blindnesse This is Satans grand designe as the Apostle sets it forth 2 Cor. 4.4 In whom the God of this world hath blinded the mindes of them which beleeve not least the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God should shine unto them And by this means he maintaineth confirmeth increaseth that alienation and estrangement betwixt God and Man which was at the first by himselfe introduced This is the great barr which hinders all communion betwixt God and the soul Ignorance The Apostle speaking of the Gentiles Ephes 4.18 he saith They were alienated estranged from the life of God But how came they so to be The Reason followeth Through the Ignorance that was in them because of the blindnesse of their mindes Thus are men estranged from God Now for the effecting of a Reconciliation Christ's first work is to dispell this darknesse to open these blind eyes and to make known unto men the things which belong unto their peace which he doth by the revelation of his word and Spirit making known the good will of God unto them causing that Grace of God that bringeth salvation to appear unto them To shine not onely upon their Heads but into their Hearts as the Apostles say of themselves 2 Cor. 4.6 God who commanded the light to shine out of darkenesse hath shined in our hearts working in them an effectuall knowledge of God and his will whereby they are brought in to comply with God and to close with him upon his own termes the terms of Faith and Obedience Thus in this way is Christ a Mediator of Reconciliation Even as at the first being a Mediator in the work of Creation for so he was By him God made the worlds Heb. 1.2 he laid the foundation of that work in light that being the first Creature that was produced Gen. 1.3 Even so in this new Creation in effecting this great worke of Reconciliation he layeth the foundation of it in light even the light of supernaturall knowledge the knowledge of God and his will By that means making way for peace But to passe on Having done with the two first and lowest steps of this ladder come we now to the two next both which belong to the Priestly office of Christ as the two former did to his Propheticall This our Mediator as he was an Arbitrator betwixt God and Man and an Interpreter or Messenger making knowne the mind of God unto