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
A68795	The case and cure of a deserted soule, or, A treatise concerning the nature, kindes, degrees, symptomes, causes, cure of, and mistakes about spirituall desertions by Jos. Symonds ...	Symonds, Joseph.	1639 (1639)	STC 23590.5; ESTC S3132	246,703	610

yet is in darknesse for his light is not the same light with the light of the Saints and the Saints though they see by a true light yet because it is weaker in some than others therefore there is such difference in themselves and in their lives yea in the same man there is great difference according as his light varieth x Vis Gulielm Paris de retribut Sanct. Twofold light It 's light makes men to be what they are This light in the Saints is two fold as the Moon hath a light in herselfe and a light from the Sunne so the godly have a light fixed and set up in them by the spirit as dwelling in them and a light which floweth from the Spirit of light as from an externall cause as he pleaseth and when he pleaseth to conferre it and as the Moone is very obscure if the streames of the Suns light be cut off from her so their habituall light is dimme and dusky if the communicated light from heaven cease The godly as they are made light and are taught of God by receiving opened understandings so are still in learning the Spirit revealing more and more the mysteries of godlinesse By the way I will in a few words explaine a little this enlightning work of the Spirit The spirit enlightens There are foure things in it 1 Removing impediments from the eye 2 Manifestation of the object 3 An application of the eye to the object 4 Holding it to the object 1 Removing of impediments of sight There may be light without in the aire By removing impediments of sight yet a house may be darke within because the light may be kept out by shuts And the Sunne may shine brightly and make all things clearly conspicuous yet the eye through the impediment of some humour or filme oppressing it may see but darkly if either externall light be dammed or cut off in the medium or internall light be hindered in the organ there can be no cleare sight now as he that draweth aside the shuts from before the windowes is said to make the house light and he that removeth the humour or filme from the eye to give sight so it is in this case which we have in hand When the Saints are first translated out of the state and kingdome of darknesse into a state of light They receive a minde to know God 1 Joh. 5.20 and they that were blinde receive a seeing eye But many filmes of lusts and mists of sinfull distempers are wont to darken their light therefore God is graciously pleased to helpe their infirmities and by his power to cure their distempers as by a precious eye-salve Apoc. 3.18 2 Manifestation of the object Manifestation of the object a Revelatio est vel ex parte potentiae per infusionem luminis vel ex parte objecti haec est 1 externa per verbum 2 Interna per spiritum immediate agentē in intellectum eique intellectualiter loquentis Baron apolog con Turneb tract 9. punct 6. §. 6. shewing himselfe unto the soule For as the best eye cannot see except things shew forth themselves so except he present himselfe and Jesus Christ and the things of his kingdome we cannot know them There are three wayes or media of spirituall sight The creatures VVord Sacraments Now doth not experience shew that you see more of God in these at one time then at another and one maine cause of this difference and inequality in apprehending God is the different manifestation of himselfe The same sermon is as a cleare vision unto one unto another as a riddle God shining to one in his ordinance and not unto another unto some The Gospel is hid and the light of it doth not shine unto them 2 Cor. 4.3 4. but unto others in the preaching of the same Gospel God that commands light to shine out of darknesse shines in their hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ vers 6. yea and as he manifests himselfe by an habituall light so by an actuall by which his people see all things more clearly at one time than at another it 's sometimes day with them and sometimes night 3 In this enlightning there is an application of the eye to the object Application of the eye to it The spirit as in other parts of the new man so in this gives both habituall principles and inward dispositions and also draweth those dispositions into act both a seeing eye and the seeing of the eye both the power and the act are from the spirit As in the body the eye hath a fitnesse in it selfe to see but yet the faculty or power and the act of seeing is from the soule for the soule actuates every part all our conceptions and apprehensions of spirituall things are formally the acts of the renewed minde but originally they are from the spirit which stirs up and strengthens the minde to worke and directs it in working 4 Holding the eye to the object that it may not slip and wander from it Holding the eye upon it naturally our thoughts are very vaine and scattered and never more unsetled then when they are pitched on that which is good and this giddinesse and instablenesse of our mindes is a great impediment to our full comprehension and understanding of spirituall things as I shall have occasion more to declare anon Now the spirit comes with assistance to the tottering and straying spirit of his people and holds their eye and stayeth their thoughts upon their objects that the soule may drinke down knowledge more fully transient views let in but little light Thus you see what this influence of the spirit is upon the minde of the godly and by this you may better conceive how darknesse dimnesse befals the Saints in the time of desertion there must needs be an abatement of brightnesse of understanding where the mind is left clogged with fogs and mists of lusts lusts doe darken the minde as mud doth the water and as dust doth the aire and as glasse the fouler it is the lesse light it hath in it Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God not onely hereafter but here in the world Matth. 5.8 The secret of God is with them that feare him Psal 25.14 Prov. 3.32 A good understanding have all they that doe his commandments Psal 111.10 But when the heart is infected with pernicious lusts they corrupt the minde seducing deceiving and diverting also from all serious study of and enquiry into things spirituall In like manner when God doth not present himselfe and things spirituall how can it be but a man should be in much darknesse nothing can reveale God but himselfe as the Sunne is not seene but by her owne light and when God hideth himselfe all things are hid he seeth lesse in sinne in grace in Christ in the Gospel in all things that seeth

be so heynous then it must needes be a great sin to cause it Now when we walke so as that we doe either directly or occasionally worke dishonour to the spirit we grieve the spirit and so procure the effects of offence and grievance Gods withdrawing himselfe from us and leaving us to the unhappy state of a withering and languishing spirit CHAP. XVII The second meanes of grieving the Spirit is disobedience and resistance of the Spirit THe Spirit may be resisted in 1. Others 2. Our selves The Spirit may be resisted in others even by the godly Spirit resisted first in others 1. By envious workings against their spirituall gifts when out of a displicency of minde against the lustre and life of grace and knowledge By envying their gifts and graces which shines forth in others we set our selves with detractions discountenance defamations that by such or the like sinfull courses we may cloud and darken them we may and ought to emulate others but not to envy any x 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The mist apud Plut. de cap. exhostib util The roote of envy is pride the fruit is opposition and this is a grievous sinne and a sin against the Spirit tending to the nipping and weakning of grace in others in which way we worke against the Spirit for what he builds we destroy and what he plants we pluck up and what he cherisheth we withstand But such envious spirits shall be brought low for God gives grace to the humble but he resisteth the proud James 4.6 2. By stubborne rejection of the counsells of the godly Rejecting their counsells especially the ministers thus the Iewes are said to resist the Holy ghost Acts 7.51 because they rejected the Doctrine and counsell of the Holy ghost in his servants when the Prophets spake to them it is said the Spirit spake and their disobedience is counted disobedience against the Spirit Neh. 9.30 and though this be a sin of high nature yet so have the people of Israel beene transported through the heat of lust that they have not onely rejected the counsell but have quarrelled also with him that gave it so Asah did the Prophet had reproved him for his fault in seeking to the King of Syria and for this Asah was wroth with the Seer and put him in a prison house for he was in a rage with him because of this thing 2 Chron. 16.10 When the Spirit comes in his servants to convince correct perswade and we grieve those by our slighting refusing and rejecting them wee grieve the Spirit Luke 10.16 Secondly we resist the Spirit in our selves The Spirit resisted in our selves 1. By not doing good required 2. By sinning against light 3. By impenitency 1. When we hang off from that good to which we are strongly moved Pro. 8.35 so the Israelites were much pressed to repent and to turne from their evill waies to God By hanging backe when it draweth strongly yet were rebellious insuasible as God complaines of them Heare oh my people and I will testifie unto thee oh Israel if thou wilt hearken to me c. But my people would not hearken to my voice and Israel would none of me but what followed So I gave them up to their owne hearts lusts and they walked in their owne Counsells Psal 81.8 11 12. God dealt with them as the Physitian doth with an unruly patient whom if he will not be ordered he gives up here is a main cause why God hath retyred himselfe y Certissi●e noverimus nullum fidelium a Deo nondiscedentem relinqui Prosp l. 2. de vocat gent. c. 12. Fulgent de re hac fusius I. 1. ad Mon Deus nisi deserentem se non deserit non nos deserit fons si nos fontem non deseramus Aug. in Joan. 32 you have quenched and resisted his spirit which by inward pulsations and perswasions would have drawne you to a more holy walking but you would not but have with-held the truth in unrighteousnesse Rom. 1.28 For this sin God gave up the Gentiles to a reprobate minde z 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to a minde without judgment which could not discerne things aright but they called darknesse light and light darknesse their foolish hearts being full of darknesse yea he gave them up to most vile affections And consider what a grievous sin it is to draw backe from that holinesse which God doth secretly draw thee to 1. It is contempt of his Soveraignty and Authority It is contempt who is thy God and guide Of his Soveraignty and to whom thou hast given up thy selfe and who hath power to judge and condemne thee 2. It is a contempt of his goodnesse Of his goodnesse for to what doth he call thee but to that which is thy good thy peace thy crowne thy life If thou hadst followed the Lord wholly how would he have filled thee with his goodnesse he would have had thee nearer him that he might have blessed thee with greater riches of grace and peace and seest thou not how he leaveth others to walk in a wofull way of darknesse and licentiousnesse yet of his grace he came to call and to draw on thy soule to more communion with himselfe oh why didst thou so ungratefully despise such riches of mercy how often hath he sought thee how long hath he waited on thee and hast thou contemned this abundant kindnesse 3. It is wilfull disobedience It is a wilfull disobedience because thou wast not onely enlightned but with frequent long and strong perswasions moved and the more thy rebellion is voluntary the more it is sinfull and causeth God to depart he that sinneth against him sinneth against his owne soule Prov. 8.36 4. It is enmity It is enmity against holinesse else it could not be resisted resistance is betweene contraries and if thou walke contrary to God what wonder if he walke contrary to thee Levit. 26. 2. By lustings against light When a man sins against light and strong arguments of disswasion a Parcit Deus eis qui mala faciunt potius ignoratione boni quam appetitione mali Plut. de his qui sero c. there are two degrees of sin 1. desire by both the spirit is resisted 2. act by both the spirit is resisted Quest Whether it be worse to will evill than to doe it Answ We must distinguish of the will There is a will Incompleate Compleate An incompleat will is that which is not fully and maturely set upon its object and it hath these two things in it or one of them 1. it is not deliberate but sudden rash precipitant when a thing is not done out of judgment and reason it is not fully voluntary thus that which is done out of passion as feare anger c. is not a compleat act of the will because not deliberate 2. It is not determinate so not so much a wil as a velliety