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
A57582	The Christian-Quaker distinguished from the apostate & innovator in five parts, wherein religious differences amongst the people termed in derision Quakers, are treated on : George Fox one (at least, if not the chief) reputed author thereof, is deducted : doctrines of truth owned by the children of light (and cleared from objections) are laid down according to Holy Scriptures and revelation of the Spirit / by William Rogers, on behalf of himself and other friends in truth concerned.	Rogers, William, d. ca. 1709.	1680 (1680)	Wing R1858; ESTC R17833	416,424	648

darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God Acts 26.16 17 18. This eye that was to be opened was not the Carnal Eye that so thereby they might be turned from outward darkness to outward Light for though Paul beheld the Light that shone from Heaven which we take to be a Light visible to his Carnal Eyes yet he after continued three days blind through the Glory of that Light and then afterward the Lord appointed him to be his witness and sent him to the Gentiles to open their eys that they might turn from Darkness unto Light and from the Power of Satan unto God This Eye that he was sent to open was the inward eye of the mind and the Darkness spoken of was that wherewith their Hearts and not their Outward Eyes were overshadowed so that they could not behold the Light of the Glory of God shining in their Hearts to give unto them the knowledge of the Truth CHAP. III. Touching Infallibility and Perfection THe Doctrine of Infallibility held by the People called Quakers hath been accounted ridiculous because either Occasion hath been given through Weakness amongst them or else taken by their Opponents whether given or no to assert that the People called Quakers are infallible Be it as it is such a bare Assertion without Distinction or Explication must be either the Fruit of Weakness if proceeding from any really of that People called Quakers or else Slander and envy if proceeding from their opposers without occasion given them so to say That therefore the enquiring Reader may be truly informed what Doctrine in relation to Infallibility is held forth owned and received by such amongst them unto whom God hath revealed of the mysteries of his Kingdom 't is not remote from the present purpose on this occasion to give this ensuing Testimony There is an outward man and an inward man according to the Apostle's Testimony 2 Cor. 4.16 and therefore the word Infallible or Infallibility may have relation to External and Internal things Touching External things the outward man with his outward senses is excreised but as to things internal the inward man with his inward senses Acts 1.3 't is thus said To whom also he presented himself alive after that he had suffered by many Infallible tokens being seen of them by the space of forty days and speaking of those things which appertain to the Kingdom of God Obj. This shews there is an Infallibility but then it may be said This seems to respect the outward senses of the Apostles in seeing Christ their Lord and Master and in hearing the things he spoke which appertained to the Kingdom of God and this Infallibility is readily confest unto but how can it be proved that there is an Infallibility accompanying the inward senses of the inward Man seeing many have pretended to give true Infallible Judgment from their inward Sense which hath proved notoriously wrong and detectable by our outward Senses Answer It must be confest if any should so object 't is very true but yet it may in truth be asserted that there is an Infallibility viz. the Spirit of God accompanying the inward Senses of the inward Man whereof the Faithful have an Assurance from the Evidence of the Light of Christ and Spirit of God in their own Hearts and if any pretend to any other Infallibility accompanying them we understand it not Obj. How then comes it to pass that men endued with the Spirit of God are deceived and fallible Ans We ought to distinguish betwixt Man and the Spirit by which he came to be renewed in the Spirit of his Mind unto God That by which man comes to be renewed and circumcised in Heart which is the Spirit of God is infallible but that which is so renewed may be deceived if not exercised in and by that Spirit in which preservation is for there is no Estate on this side the Grave wherein it is not needful to watch and therefore did Christ our Lord thus say What I say unto you I say unto all watch It hath been a common Assertion That the Church of Christ is infallible and cannot err and therefore have many assemblies of men assuming the title of the Church of Christ declared their Sentences Judgments and Decrees infallible To this may be said That since the Apostasieentred it is not unknown what Visible and Outwardly Glorious Church hath publish'd this Doctrine with Application to her self by which Door a Body of Darkness Usurpation and persecution hath entred and on this score thousands have been deceived and led from the Gift of God in themselves to follow the Dictates of fallible men But yet as it hath been so 't is the Faith of many that the Lord never will raise any people whom by his Spirit he will lead to publish such a Doctrine with respect to outward and visible Societies of Men on Earth that may be outwardly describable as needful to be believed in order to the building up one another in the most holy Faith this Faith being not inconsistent with the Testimonies of the Scriptures of Truth is grounded on the Evidence of the Light of Christ within for that the contrary would have a plain tendency to draw the Sons and Daughters of men from the Anointing in themselves to the Lo here 's and the Lo there 's again For what religious assembly in Unity and professing themselves Christians will scruple to say We are the Church of Christ And albeit we must acknowledge that that Church which is built on the rock Christ cannot whilst abiding on the rock be prevailed against yet no Argument from hence may rationally be brought to prove any one Member of this Church whilst on this side the grave not liable through temptation to Err and depart from the Rock whilst there is an enemy ready to enter all if they watch not And now as to Perfection we have this to say Though we do believe that all the Gifts of God and Works of Righteousness brought forth through the Operation of his Spirit are perfect and that in that sense it may be said we are Partakers of a Measure of that which is Perfect even as the Apostle testifies Jam. 1.17 Every perfect gift is from above if any man offend not in word Jam. 3.2 the same is a perfect man Yet we do not believe that there is any such perfect estate attainable on this side the Grave wherein it is not needful for man to watch and wait in the Light of Christ that so he may not only be preserved in that perfect state whereunto in measure he hath already attained but also come to know a Growth and Encrease in the Encreases of God For though Paul had attained unto such a state as appears by these his words Let us therefore Phil. 3.15 as many as be perfect be thus minded Phil. 3.14 Yet we find that that very exhortation had relation unto a pressing toward the

Christ's Light and in Subjection unto the Laws appertaining unto his Government which are not written in Tables of Stone but in the Heart according to the Tenour of the New-Covenant Heb. 8.9 10 11. And that those who are Invested with Power from on high may be Instruments in Gods Hand according to the Dispensation thereof given them of God to stir up the Pure Mind in others sometimes by way of Admonition Exhortation and sound Doctrine and sometimes by Charge or Command according as the Spirit of the Lord moves and operates and yet every one of these Operations according to the Dispensation of God is only to stir up the pure Mind that so through a sensible Closing with the Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God shining in the Heart God's Witness in the Conscience may be raised in Dominion for that 't is according to Truth to affirm that the Admonition Doctrine and Exhortation Charge or Command of any whatsoever cannot be rightly received and imbraced otherwise than according to the Leadings of Christs Light that so it may appear that the Excellency of that Power is of God and not of Men read 2 Cor. 4.5 6 7 8. That the Holy Scriptures give not the least Testimony that the Apostles nor any Persons under the Notion of the Church of Christ endeavoured to Establish any Outward Orders and then term them the Order of the Gospel the Power of God much less so to Establish any Outward Order or Form of Discipline in the Church as that not only a Deviation therefrom but a not Imbracing those Outward Forms or Orders by such Believers who were never in the Practice thereof should be a Token that they were departed from the Faith but their Labours were to Establish the Churches in the Faith and in the Power rather than to build up Forms or Orders having them so Establish'd to be in the Practice of that Form which the Power either had or should lead them into and therefore the Apostle might well say Be ye not unwise but understand what the Will of the Lord is he doth not say what the Will of the Church is but what the Will of the Lord is submitting your selves one to another in the Fear of God According to which Submission I appeal to Gods Witness Whether it may not become as well the Duty of the Brethren to submit to one or two as one or two to submit to the Brethren and whether these kinds of Submission have not been practised amongst the People of the Lord called Quakers in these latter Days And though I say as aforesaid not the Church but what the Will of the Lord is yet hereby I would not be understood to render Christ and his Church divided but rather to shew that his Will who cannot Err is a surer Foundation to Build upon than the Wills of those who if they depart from Christ their Rock may Err. R. B. in his sixth Section treating how far this Government extends Page 39. thus saith This Order reacheth the composing differences as to outward things And further saith We do boldly aver as a People gathered together by the Lord unto the same Faith c. that we have Power and Authority to decide and remove these things amongst our selves On which I thus observe If Differences happen between two Brethren and not through the least intention to wrong each other then the Power of Truth in themselves will constrain such to choose Faithful Brethren skil'd in the Matters wherein they differ to decide the same and accordingly to submit and all this of a willing and ready Mind through the Power of Truth in themselves and not through constraint of others and so in this case here 's no need for any to come to their Brethren and say We do Boldly aver we have Power and Authority to decide c. But suppose this ensuing case should happen viz That two Brethren are at variance touching their Properties and Outward Concerns relating to Meum and Tuum as R. B's terms are and one of them is so departed from Truth in himself as that he will not of a ready Mind submit his Cause to the hearing of Persons to be chosen by themselves indifferently but being Contentious will either go to Law or else so abound in his own sense as nothing shall serve but to be Judge in his own cause If we now enquire what Christ the Truth doth in general direct and wherein this Case may be comprehended which is so great an offence to the other Brother whom Truth constrains to submit his Cause to the Hearing and Judgment of Persons indifferently chosen and that of a willing and ready mind we shall find he thus saith Mat. 18.15 16 17. If thy brother shall Trespasse against thee go tell him his fault between thee and him alone but if he will not hear thee then take with thee one or two more if he shall neglect to hear them tell it unto the Church if he hear not the Church let him be unto thee as an heathen man Christ's words do not here import that the Church hath Power over any man's Worldly Property or Outward Concerns it only saith If he neglect to hear the Church let him be unto thee as an Heathen Man And when a Brother is through the declaration of the Church become so to the other Brother against whom he hath trespassed then the Offended Brother may Justly seek his Remedy if the Offence and Trespass be touching Outward Concerns according to the Just Lawes of men relating to Property But perhaps some may Object thus This relates not to Outward Affaires but to Offences that are of a Spiritual Nature In Answer it may be said As to that the Scripture is wholly silent and therefore every Case wherein one Brother may trespass against another may according to Right Reason be comprehended in it and since the Case is stated between two Brethren and that on an orderly proceeding and admonition of the Church the sentence for not hearing the Church is Let him be unto thee as an Heathen Man to me it seemes to import that the Trespass intended was such an one as in a particular manner is against one Brother more than another and so as probable to be about their outward concernes as any thing else Besides if we do but consider that if a Brother be so much departed from the Truth as after Admonition by the Church not to Joyn with his Brother with whom he is at Variance in the choice of one or more to decide the matter 't is a certain Token that he is out of that which was the bond by which he became center'd into the Heavenly Fellowship of Christ's Body the Church And so then if it really were so that any Assembly under the Notion of the Church of Christ should assume to themselves Power and Authority to decide in Cases relating to Property yet in this and the like Case there can be no