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
A58850	The method and means to a true spiritual life consisting of three parts, agreeable to the auncient [sic] way / by the late Reverend Matthew Scrivener ... ; cleared from modern abuses, and render'd more easie and practicall.	Scrivener, Matthew.	1688 (1688)	Wing S2118; ESTC R32133	179,257	416

must only be owing to such divine Revelations Before we speak of which particularly we shall in the next place give some account of the three main branches of our present Methode SECT II. A brief description of the Illuminative Purgative and Vnitive way in Religion 1. THE seeds of Religion being sown in the heart by God himselfe and some smaller and dimmer strictures cast into man by the same hand directing man to God it is the duty of every one to improve the same by orderly progressions to the measure of the stature of Christ as the Apostle speaks Ephes 4. To this end Antiquity not without competent grounds in Holy Scripture hath pitched upon three more considerable states of a Christian and ascents of the Soul towards God by Religion though not absolute yet necessary to Salvation For Saint Johns words 1 Epist 12 13 14. seem to tend to this distinguishing little Children Young Men and Old Men or Beginners Proficients and Perfect not so absolute as God may not finde fault with yet so as before man they may be irreprehensible and allowable by God according to the scantlings and infirmities of Flesh and Blood. And agreeable to this Cassian in his Collations with some others have observed that Solomon wrote three Books One for instruction and illumination in wisdome which we commonly call the Book of Proverbs initiating young beginners in the knowledge and fear of God which is there called the beginning of Wisdome and good understanding laying the foundation to eternal Life The other Book of Solomon called Ecclesiastes represents to the eye and understanding the vanities of the world and the pollutions of earthly joyes with a tacite disswasion from the use of them to the dishonour of God which performed introduceth a man to the third and last degree of perfection in this world contemplation of God and divine matters whereby such a sensation of the divine goodness is so far wrought in the Soule that it becometh united more entirely with God which we call the Vnitive way and seems to be figured out to us by that Song of Songs called commonly Solomons And this threefold Cord binding the Soule to God seemeth to have some little insinuation made to us from the wisdome of the world the Ancient Pythagoreans teaching three manner of wayes of attaining happinesse Labour and Action about Vertue Meditation conducting to Knowledge of God and Love of God which is the true conjunction of the Soule with God. 2. Such concurrence then there being of divine and humane wisdome to justifie such a partition of Religion no wonder that the reputed Dionysius the Areopagite took hold of such an occasion given to him to commend this tripartite doctrine of the Illuminative Purgative and Unitive way of serving God in which many have imitated him and much and perhaps too far advanced it From whom I take the libertie so far to varie as to make Illumination the foundation and first step to all regular ascent to Godward as proceeding from that faith which is the foundation of all Christian graces For by it we come to have the eyes of our understanding opened and judge our selves and purge our selves and fit our selves for an higher and neerer conjunction with God as will appear more fully hereafter SECT III. Of the necessitie and use of Illumination and of Faith with its subordinate graces properly conducing thereunto 1. FAmous is the distinction of St. Paul of Theologicall Vertues into Faith Hope and Charitie as of them upon which all other Christian duties and vertues are founded and move towards that perfection competible to believers in this life Faith illuminating Hope purging and Charitie or love of God uniting us unto God. For the naturall man is blinde and cannot see afar off as St. Peter teaches us And naturally we all lye polluted in our blood and so naturally are aliens from God and unreconcileable by any other name or meanes but that of Christ Jesus in whome to believe is to know God and our selves For as the Wise man saith Proverbs 19. 2. That the soule should be without knowledge is not good Faith with Christians begetteth knowledge properly divine in Christians being the light and eye both of the soule regenerate So that as it is not possible for the blinde man to work any curious work without the use of his eyes but every act tending that way must be a fault and errour For how can it be expected that any man should sew well that cannot thread his needle so they on whom the light of the Gospell shineth not who are not enlightened The first thing that God produced in creating the world was light not that he absolutely needed it but that the creatures did and to intimate unto us the order of true Regeneration that it must begin with Illumination And therefore God who more immediately of old revealed himselfe to his chosen servants did in following ages set up and fix a light in his Church the written word of God which received by faith should become a constant Guide to our Feet and Lanthorne to our Pathes passing through this dark Vale towards the Mount and true City of God. 2. For without this the Philosophers of this world professing themselves as St. Paul speaks Rom 1. 22. wise became fools erring in the very first step and prime principle of divine knowledge which teaches the only true God they for their part in groping after God changing the glorie of the incorcorruptible God into an Image made like unto corruptible man as St. Paul allso observeth v. 23. which is much the same as to turne the image or very substance of man into God. But when it pleased God that the Day-star should arise in our hearts as St. Peter speaks which is Christ revealed to the world and minds of men and when as St. Paul speaks 2 Corinth 4. 6. God who commanded the light to shine out of darknesse shined in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ then did the shadowes of darknesse and ignorance flee away Holy David having foretold of this when he said Psalm 36. In thy light shall we see light So that as Christ saith of himselfe He that gathereth not with me scattereth in like manner may it truly be said Whoso enlighteneth not with by and from him darkeneth as it happened to those subtile and wise disputants Jobs Friends Job 38. who darkened counsell by words without knowledge 3. And too near do they approach to the like errour who darkening of late the doctrine of Faith and the use of it imagine the strong perswasion they have of the goodnesse of God and Grace of Christ sufficient to the great end of light and salvation and that the Instrument whereby they should work is the work it self to be performed by them and such in which a man might acquiesce as having fulfill'd the whole Will of God and thereupon entertain such a perswasion

Possessions And I can think little more reverently of the frequentation of Visions and Revelations celebrated in the Lives of those three famous Women published together viz. Hildegardis Elizabeth Micthildis which afford us such instances by bushells as it were I will not instance in Jacobus de Voragine his Golden Legend nor Caesarius Heiberstachius as I could to the great disadvantage of that Cause which was intended to be advanced thereby as such at which the modester and graver of the Roman Communion need not any other to put them upon blushing at they doe it of themselves But when I read in the Visions of Katharine of Sienna sainted a perpetuall storie of God himselfe appearing to her and preaching in person to her almost through the whole book though I like the Sermon very well and must needs acknowledge the Documents deliver'd to be many of them very Divine and usefull I cannot assent unto the Scene there given us If these Revelations as we say of Phanaticall and pretended Inspirations and gifts of Prayer in Publick were so Divine as reputed and affirmed why doe they not become Canonicall Why are they not equallized to the Holy Scriptures But things are not come to that height thankes be to God unlesse with them who glorying immodestly of a Light within them and the Word and Will and Wisdome of God given into them contemne the written Word themselves for this very reason becoming suspected convicted and detestable 10. But those Visions which are so practicall and grosse as that they end as in their consummation in the gratifying of our senses outward and them the grossest overthrow in my opinion the spiritualnesse and even the honesty of Revelations and notably shake the reputation of that Religion which countenances them If it were recorded only in an unapproved Author what I finde in the Sermon of an eminent Preacher Granatensis Vol. 5. pag. 387. concerning the same Katharine of Sienna Granatens Vol. 5. Conc. 3. in Cathar pag. 387. it might have been lesse scandalous to read of the great and frequent familiarity between Christ and her so that termes of wooing passed between them for a long time till at length she was sensibly espoused to him but what were the consequences of that Wedding I know not This to my apprehension is a true consequence of such Revelations that it must be the Devill rather than Christ that so appeared and led away a silly Woman laden with sinne in the midst of her profession of Sanctity or that these Talemongers have shamefully belied that reputed Saint And on the other side the like instances might be given of such who were so vehemently devoted to the Virgin Mary as to win her love so far as to condescend to suffer her breasts to be handled by her Saints A little more cleanly and credible is that story in the Remains of Gregorie Thaumaturgus Bishop of Neocaesarea of an Exposition of the Faith which he received from Saint John the Evangelist by the meanes of Mary the Mother of God. But the Romanists themselves are so modest we thank them as not to hold it to be the same we now have under that name And we are so bold to tell them that their Visions Miracles and Revelations so much sometimes with the ignorant sort boasted of have done them more discredit with the wiser than good or honour 11. And to these another note of true and false Illuminations and Alluminations which I may call all outward Discoveries made to the senses may be that made by the observation of the Masters of such Learning That in the true and near approach of God and his Holy Spirit to the sense outward or minde inward first great trouble surprisement consternation and deep humiliation are wrought upon the spirit of him the Lord vouchsafes so to honour with his presence as it appears by Ezechiell the Prophet Daniell and before them by Manoah who were struck with dread and confusion at the Revelations made unto them as likewise was the Blessed Virgin at the aspect and Annunciation of the Angell Gabriell but in the winding up and conclusion they were all refreshed and comforted aboundantly On the contrary the specious Pageantry and Insinuations of Evill Angells are begun with great delight of the deluded minde and in the conclusion bring shame sorrow and confusion answerable indeed to the method of the tempter in all other Cases in which the good Wine is brought forth first of which when men have well drunk followes the bad but Christ first sets before his faithfull servants the bad and keepeth the best to the last of all that he might humble thee and that he might prove thee to doe thee Good at the latter end as it is said Deuteron 8. ver 16. Brisk Pert and vaunting are the gifted by Evill Spirits reflecting upon such their perfections above others but modest humble and grave are they who are indeed taught of God. 12. And thus having briefly prepared the true Christian with a prospect given him of the nature use and necessitie of true Spirituall Illuminations translating him out of the Kingdome of darknesse into the marvellous light of saving Knowledge and Faith before due progresse can be made to the life and power of Faith in holy Conversation and likewise shewed the hazards of miscarrying through mistaken Light I proceed to the Second Part of Christian walking with God by walking according to that Light consisting principally in Spirituall Purgation or Sanctification A Prayer for Spirituall Illumination O Allmighty God and Heavenly Father the Light and life of the world lying in darknesse Who by thy Son Jesus Christ coming into the world enlightenest every one that cometh into the world and whome to know is eternall Life But who can know thee the Father but the Son and he to whome he shall reveale him and yet none can come unto the Son unlesse the Father draw him and none doth the Father draw unto him but by his holy Spirit teaching all things Send down I beseech thee that Spirit of light life and truth into my minde and heart that they may preserve me prevent and informe me and rule me that by that key of knowledge the door of my heart may be opened and the eyes of my understanding to perceive the things of God which are only spiritually discerned and that I may not love darknesse rather than light because my deeds are evill But grant that in thy light I may see Light and know how to choose the good and refuse the Evill not calling darknesse light nor light darknesse nor bitter sweet nor sweet bitter nor good evill nor evill good Various are the Mazes and Labyrinths of this World and many are lost in them Difficult is the road and strait is the way that leadeth unto trueth and life and few there be that find them Dangerous it is to lean to mine own understanding or wisdome who am but of yesterday and know nothing as I ought