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	heart_n	shine_v	3,010	5	9.0570	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A37077	A motion tending to the publick good of this age and of posteritie, or, The coppies of certain letters written by Mr. John Dury to a worthy Knight at his earnest desire shewing briefly vvhat a publik good is and how by the best means of reformation in learning and religion it may be advanced to some perfection / published by Samuel Hartlib ...	Dury, John, 1596-1680.; Hartlib, Samuel, d. 1662.	1642 (1642)	Wing D2874; ESTC R18081	34,674	40

setled the aime which ought to be had in seeking a Publique good let us consider the meanes that leade thereunto Of the Second The meanes to attaine unto the life of God is none other but Christ for in him alone is the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily and it is the Fathers pleasure that in him all fulnesse should dwell Therefore the Father will bee scene no where and cannot bee scene anywhere but in his Sonne who is the brightnesse of his glory and the expresse Image of his person now hee hath revealed in the Scriptures the manner how hee is to be knowne in his Sonne and how by that knowledge his life is conveyed unto us and this we will indeavour to lay open First then the manner how the Father is knowne in the Sonne is expressed 2 Cor. 4. 6. thus God commanded the light to shine out of darkenesse doth shine in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ where wee must observe that the Apostle doth speake of himselfe and the rest of the Apostles to declare the manner how God did make himselfe knowne unto them And as he made himselfe knowne to them so he is this day to be knowne to every one For God is but one and the manifestations of his life is the same in all to whom it is made manifest although it may be differenced according to the severall degrees of height by which it is perceived But here we have the substance of this manifestation in these particulars First That God is the authour of it by the power which hee hath to command light to shine out of darkenesse whereby is intimated that we are nothing but darkenesse till it please God to command light to shine in us Secondly That the light whereby God is made manifest unto us is the brightnesse of God himself for he saith that God doth shine whereby is also intimated that it is of the meere free Grace of God imparting himselfe unto us that we come to know him and not of any free willing choyse or rationall parts in us that we should bee able to chose out the objects of true knowledge or when they are proposed unto us by others that wee should be able to dive into Gods nature thereby or to make better use of the meanes whereby God is knowne then others doe But all this is Gods free grace to us Thirdly That the place where God doth shine is a mans heart that is the prime Center and Seate of this living soule where the spirits maintaining his life are begotten For as there be materiall spirits rising out of the blood in the materiall heart So there are incorporeall spirits arising out of the mindings of the soule in the heart of our spirits which is conscience for in the conscience God hath his Seate in all men and there he doth appeare to all converts at first where he also doth ever continue more or lesse shining unto them according as they deserve to see his bright or his cloudy countenance Therefore if any man will fit himselfe to see God he must purifie his conscience For blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Fourthly That the effect for which God doth shine in our heart is to give a light to us God is nothing but light and in him is no darknesse at all but he is in himselfe a light which is inaccessible which no man hath seene nor can see except God give him eyes to see it For Christ saith Math. 11. 17. No man knoweth the Son but the Father neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and he to whom the Son will reveale him Therefore although God doth shine both in himselfe and towards us yet he may be unperceptible and unperceived even by those that are his own except he be pleased to give the the light of perception For it is said that not only the light shineth in darknesse and that darknesse comprehended it not but also that this true light came into the world and was not known by the world and that it came unto his own and was not received by them but to such as received it the priviledge of being the Sons of God was given by it Now then the ability of receiving or perceiving the light when it shineth is also the gift of God for he must open our eyes to perceive his light and except this effect follow upon his shining in our hearts I say except this reflexive Act of perceiving this light be granted by God and freely given to us we cannot apprehend his life and being in us although he should shine otherwise never so brightly Whence again we see that it is not of him that runneth or willeth but of God that doth shew mercy And that it is not one Act of grace that will serve our turne as to have once begining and then to be left unto our selves but there must be a continued Act of Grace for Grace that is of one Grace fitted to embrace and make use of another Grace namely of a latter Grace to make use of the former for as we cannot will nor know any thing of the life and light of God at first so we cannot performe any thing answerable to that life and light except God also give the performance according to his owne good pleasure Fiftly That this light is the light of knowledge now to know is the Act of a mans understanding and the understanding is the same faculty in the soule which the eye is in the body As the eye then when it is not blinde doth perceive the visible appearance of a thing that is it receiveth the image of the shape there of within it selfe as within a looking-glasse and keepeth every image which it receiveth distinctly seperate from each other So is it not with the understanding when it is not darke and muddy it also receiveth with in it selfe as in a spirituall looking glasse and keepeth distinctly seperate the intellectuall appearances of the images and shapes of spirituall things For although spirituall things cannot be said properly to have images and shapes yet became our understanding in conceiving of the same doth receive intellectuall notions and Ideas wherein spirituall matters do appeare to it and in respect that these notions or mindings have something in them like unto the representation of an image therefore we must speak thus And so much the rather because the Scripture doth continually expresse the Acts of the understanding by the Analogie of the eye as Ephes. 1. 17 18. the Apostle prayeth That God nould give the spirit of wisedome and revelation in the knowledge of Christ the eyes of our understanding being enlightned that we may know c. Thus then to be able to know that is to receive and distinctly to perceive things represented unto us we must make use of the faculty of our understanding in