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
A66580	Infidelity vnmasked, or, The confutation of a booke published by Mr. William Chillingworth vnder this title, The religion of Protestants, a safe way to saluation [i.e. salvation]	Knott, Edward, 1582-1656.	1652 (1652)	Wing W2929; ESTC R304	877,503	994

Christian Faith is only a probable assent he must affirme that it doth not necessarily require the peculiar supernaturall assistance of the Holy Ghost But why do J vse any proofe since we haue his owne express words in the same Pag. 37. n 9. Some experience makes me feare that considering and discoursing men being possessed vvith this false principle that it is in vaine to belieue the Gospell of Christ vvith such a kind or degree of assent as they yeeld to other matters of tradition And finding that their faith of it is to them vndiscernable from the beliefe they giue to the truth of other storyes are in danger not to belieue at all or else to cast themselues into wretched agonyes and perplexityes as fearing they haue not that without which it is impossible to please God and obtaine eternall happiness Do not these words declare that faith sufficient to please God and obtain eternall happiness is of the same kind and degree of assent as men yeeld to other matters of Tradïtion and truth of other storyes for the beliefe of which no man did euer say that a speciall motion or grace of the Holy Ghost was always necessary And it is to be obserued that he speakes of considering and discoursing mē as still reducing Faith to Reason wheras contralily experience teacheth that oftentymes simple persons belieue with humility and deuotion when the wisest mè of the world turne fooles in matters belonging to God or if they embrace the Faith of Christ they doe it not always with such strength of beliefe as many vnlearned people doe which shewes that Faith relies on some more high and diuine foundation then the only forces of naturall Reason XVIII To this we may add what he teacheth Pag. 62. n. 24. That our assurance that the Scripture hath bene preserued from any materiall alteration and that any other booke is incorrupted is of the same kind and condition both morall assurances And Pag. 141. No 27. For the incorruption of Scripture I know no other rationall assurance we can have of it then such as we haue of the incorruption of otherr ancient bookes such I meane for the kind though it be far greater for the degree of it And if the spirit of God giue any mā any othe assurāce here of this is not rationall and discoursiue but supernaturall and infused Marke how still he requires as necessary only a rationall discourse for the incorruption and preseruation of Scripture from any materiall alteration and yet Protestants acknowledging Scripture to be the only rule of Faith and beliefe of all Christian Mysteryes can be no more certaine of such mysteryes then they are assured of Scripture it selfe and still speakes of supernaturall infusea assurance as of an extraordinary thing And yet further Pag. 116 N o 159. he sayth We haue I belieue as great reason to belieue there was such a man as Henry the eight King of England as that Iesus Christ suffered vnder Pontius Pilate I suppose he will not say that a speciall grace of the Holy Ghost is necessary to belieue that there was such a man as Henry the eight Therfor he will and must say the same of the Article of our Faith that Iesus Christ suffered vnder Pontius Pilate since he saith there is as much reason for the one as the other Which yet is made more apparent by what he sayth Pag. 327. N o 5. in these words Men may talke their pleasure of an absolute and most infallible certainty but did they generally belieue that obedience to Christ were the only way to present and eternall felicity but as much as Caesars Commentaryes or the History of Salust I belieue the liues of most men both Papists and Protestants would be better then they are By which words it is cleare that either most Papists and Protestants want true Faith necessary to saluation or that Faith sufficiēt to saluation need be no greater concerning the Mysteryes of Christiā Faith then the belief we yeld to profane Hystoryes and certainly this requires no speciall Grace or motion of the Holy Ghost To conclude since he professes that Christiā Faith is of the same kind with rationall discourse and belief of other matters of Tradition and humane Historyes it clearly followes that it is in its essence naturall and in kinde different from supernaturall and therfor cannot vniuersally require the particular motion and assistance of diuine Grace XIX But les vs confute this proud Heresie by Holy Scripture S. Ihon. C. 6. V. 29. saith This is the worke of God that you beleeue in him whom he hath sent V. 44. No man cā come vnto me except the Father that sent me draw him and afterward he expourds what it is to come vnto him namely to belieue V. 64.65 There be certaine of you that beleeue not Therfor did I say that no man can come vnto me vnles it be giuen him of my Father V. 45. Euery one that hath heard of the Father and hath learned commeth to me Mat. 11.25.26 Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast reuealed them to little ones Yea Father for so hath it well pleased thee And C. 16. V. 17. Blessed art thou Simon Barjona because flesh and bloud hath not revealed it to thee but my Father which is in Heauē Which Text must be vnderstood of internall Grace and not only of the externall Reuelation or Proposition of the Object which was made to the wise and prudēt as well as to little ones and to many other beside S. Peter who yet were not therfor blessed as S. Peter was declared to be Isai 54.12 All thy children taught of our Lord. Act. 13.48 There belieued as many as were preordinated to life euerlasting And Act. 16.14.15 A certain woman called Lidia a seller of purple of the citty of the Thyatirians one that worshipped God did heare whose hart our Lord opened to atted to those thinghs which were sayd of Paul And when she was babtized c. Rom. 5.2 By whom Christ also we haue access through faith into the grace wherin we stand and glorie in the hope of the glorie of the sonnes of God If by faith we haue access to the hope of glory which is supernaturall Faith it selfe must also be supernaturall and require the speciall motion of the Holy Ghost Rom. 8.26 The spirit helpeth our infirmity For what we should pray as we ought we know not but the spirit himselfe requesteth for vs with groanings vnspeakeable Rom. 12.3 To euery one as God hath diuided the measure of faith 1. Cor. 12.3 No man can say our Lord Iesus but in the Holy Ghost V. 9. To anoter faith in the same spirit 2. Cor. 3. Not that we be sufficiēt to thinke any thing of our selues as of our selues but our sufficiency is of God 2. Cor. 4.6 Because God that hath cōmanded light to shine of darknes he hath shined in our harts to the illumination of the knowledge of the

proue the truth of Christian Religion aboue all other and consequently that men may pray for the conservation and encrease of that infallible assent from which we see diverse do fall and others would do so without Gods speciall Grace for which therfor we may and ought to pray Heer by a parenthesis it may be asked what you meane in saying that we are to belieue the Christian Religion we are and may be certaine as if any were actually certaine and yet could not be certaine Ab esse ad posse surely is a known good argument It had bene better sayd we may be and are certaine Men haue a certaine assent that there is a God and yet some belieue this certainty with more perfection than others an all may pray God to encrease it since we see so many turne Atheists Lastly this very Objection wherin you measure the perfection of charity by the perfection of Faith and thence inferr that if Faith be perfect and infallible Charity must be perfect and that no man could possibly make any progress in it I retort vpon your selfe For seing charity may be encreased by prayer and obedience while we liue vpon earth according to that in the Apocalips 21. V. 11. He who is just let him be justifyed yet Faith also must be capable of greater intension and increase in all sorts of persons euen in those who you say by degrees may arriue to a certainty in belief Therfor still we infer from your owne tenets that absolute certainty consists not in an indiuisible poyat but may be encreased and persited 48. By what hath bene sayd I conceiue your objection to be not only sufficiently answered but also confuted and demonstrated to make against your selfe Yet by way of supererogation I must add two considerations First The Apostles praying to Christ to encrease their Faith Domine adauge nobis Fidem Luc. 17.5 Lord encrease faith in vs makes nothing to the purpose of prouing any thing at all touching Faith necessary to saluation because that prayer of the Apostles did concerne fides miraculorum the Faith of working miracles as is manifest by the same Text of S. Luke compared with S. Matthew C. 17. V. 19. Where to the Disciples asking why they could not cast out the diuell our Saujour answered Propter incrednatatem Vestram By reason of your incredulity and yet it were impious to thinke that the Apostles vnder such a Maister were ignorant of Articles necessary to saluation in those tymes and therfor their want was only of Faith required to work miracles and accordingly our Sauiour in both those Euangeitsts tooke that occasion to speake of the faith of miracles wherby they would be able to remooue mountaynes Therfore this your proofe taken from the prayers of the Apostles for increase of their faith is manifestly nothing to the purpose as neither is the Argument which you bring Pag 37. N. 9. out of those words Lord I belieue helpe my vnbelief which concernes only faith of miracles of deliuering that mans sonne from a deafe and dumbe diuell Marc 9.23 Woe be to Protestants if faith of working miracles be necessary to Saluation In the meane tyme you were wise enough not to set downe the particular places of Scripture which you say speake of a weake strongh little great faith c least vpon examination they might haue bene found subject to this or some such cleare exception 49. My second consideration is that wheras he saith Euery Text of Scripture which makes mention of any that were weake or of any that were strong in faith of any that were of little or any that were of great faith Euery such Text is a demonstratiue refutation of this vaine fancy all this proues nothing at all vnless when mention is made of a weake and little faith he had proued such a weak faith to be sufficient for Saluation or that such a faith though strong in it selfe yet be not called weake in comparison of a stronger as Diuines teach Faith to be obscure compared with some more euident naturall or supernaturall knowledg though it selfe be a great light according to that To a candel shining in a darke place 2. Pet 1.19 and all true Acts of the vnderstanding are lights Our Sauiour sayd Marc. 10.18 None is good but one God because all created Goodness though in it selfe it be truly good yet compared to God is as if it were not In this comparatiue way some may be sayd to be weake in supernaturall Hope or Charity and yet euery least degree of those vertues is in it selfe very great and strong as I explicated aboue I suppose you will not affirme euery weake kind of faith to be sufficient for saluation since Pag. 37. N. 9. you say God will accept of the weakest and lowest degree of faith if it be liuing and effectuall vnto true obedience which supposes that some faith may be so weake that it will not be accepted and therfor when the Scripture mentioneth a weak faith you must proue that such a faith is sufficient to saluation or if it be sufficient you must then shew that by a weake faith is vnderstood a faith only probable and fallible in it selfe and not only compared to another stronger faith otherwise you will be found to say no more to the purpose than when your Objection spoke of faith of miracles in stead of Faith necessary to saluation And yet we must take such proofes as these for demonstratiue refutations and conuincing arguments for so you stile these your reasōs 50. No better than these is your Argument Pag. 37. N. 9. where you say He commands vs to receyue them who are weake in faith and therby declares that he receiues them I know not what command of our Sauiour you meane vnless it be that of which S. Pauie speakes Rom. 14.1 Insirmum in side assumite non in disceptationibus cogitationum Take to you the infirme in faith not in disputations of cogitations Which Protestants translate Him that is weake in faith receyue you but not in doubtfull disputations And in the margent or not to judge his doubtfull thoughts And in the argument before this Chapter men may not contemne nor condemne one an other for things indifferent All which shew that the Apostle speakes not of Christian Faith necessary to saluation which cannot be esteemed a thing indifferent but of some other matter as indeed he doth namely of a doubt amongst Christians at that tyme about eating certaine meates once forbidden to the jewes which some made a scruple to doe others not and so weakness in faith signifyes only a scruple or tenderness of conscience for this particular case and therfor the Apostle in the next verse mentions the contrary perswasion of others One belieueth that he may eate all things that is is not troubled with scruple of conscience in this matter What is this to our question about faith and belief of Articles necessary to be belieued by all Christians Or how