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	light_n	shine_v	8,667	5	10.0024	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59953	A few vvords concerning conscience what it is; and what estate it was in before transgression. And how it became darkened, defiled and corrupted; and how again it may be enlightened, cleansed, purified and set at liberty, as it was before sin entred. Intermixt with a few words concerning persecution among the diverse sects in Christendom (and upon the face of all the earth); shewing, that they all arise for want of true liberty of conscience; and what that liberty is. William Shewen.	Shewen, William, 1631?-1695.	1675 (1675)	Wing S3421; ESTC R221163	20,764	49

the Image and Glory of God that appeared therein Every particular within themselves must come to know the Loss and full Crucifixion and Death of the one and the Life and Resurrection of the other before Restoration can be known became lost as the Image of the Selfish Will and Desire rose up and became prevalent the Image of God declined and departed and when man lost his Faith which was held in the pure Conscience † The same befals Mankind at this Day when they loose their Anchor which Faith was as an Anchor by which Conscience as a Ship in a Storm was staied for a while from being made a wrack I say when he lost this Faith in the Word and Command of God and believed the Serpent's Lyes he soon made Shipwrack of both and no sooner were their own Eyes opened but the Eye and Light of God which shined in them became stopped and vailed and they lost the Glory and Benefit of it no sooner their own Wisdom and Knowledge sprung up but the Wisdom of God departed and Innocency the heavenly Clothing became lost and Nakedness appeared Faith and a good Conscience destroyed Shame Guilt Fear and Hiding the Effects of it succeeded So though Conscience in its primitive Estate was Pure Clean and Undefiled * The same Danger is still even among such as are presented as a Chast Virgin to Christ and have attained to an innocent Sinless Estate and a Dwelling-Place in Paradise therefore the Duty of all such is to watch and pray that they enter not into Temptation and are beguiled as the Serpent did Eve yet was liable and capable to be corrrupted darkened and defiled even as the Mind departed from a due Regard and obedience of the Law and Command of God and sleighted his Light and Glory which shined and illuminated his Heart and Conscience then Clouds of Error and Mists and Fogs of Self-will thoughts and Imaginations soon arose and darkened the pure Air and ecclipsed the Glory of that Sun that before shined in him drew a vail before the Light of God's Countenance Gen. 3.10 which to behold was his Joy and Delight now become his Fear Terror now a Night come over him he runs in the Darkness thereof to hide himself among the Trees of the Garden from the Presence of God this was the Way and Work of the first Adam in the Beginning and his Children are found in the same at this Day upon the Face of the whole Earth he that readeth let him understand Now when this noble Part or Capacity in Man is thus clouded and darkened and defiled through Disobedience to the Law of his God he then goeth astray more and more corrupteth himself through his Imaginations and Inventions more and more and according to that he entertaineth and joins himself to so becomes even Darkness and a Child of it 1 Cor. 6.16 17. And of the most excellent and best Part of the Creation becomes the worst and the principallest Instrument in the Hand of the wicked One to lead even Nature it Self out of its Course and to burden oppress corrupt and abuse all Things under his Power verifying that Maxim among Men The best of things being corrupted become the worst Now in this Degenerate Faln Clouded Darkened and Corrupted Estate the Sun of Righteousness and holy Principle of Light which at first shined clear in the Conscience * Though Mankind fell from and lost the Light and Glory of God yet that in it self remain'd the same and became his Judge and Reprover which before was his Comforter remains in it self the same pure and undefiled and doth glance forth its Eternal Beams of Light into this Darkness and gives Mankind in that Estate some Sense and Knowledge of their Lost Degenerated Corrupted Miserable Estate and in the Cool of the Day calls Transgressing Man to an Account as it did Adam and Cain and convinceth them of their Evil Deeds and calls to a Repentance or Returning again into the same Way he went out of even by the Help and Guidance of that Light and Holy Spirit which at first shined in his Heart and Conscience wherein he enjoyed the Light of God's Countenance and walked and lived in his Presence without Rebuke But being Departed Degenerated and Turned in his Mind from the Good into the Evil from the Glory and Light that once shined in him and and was pleasant for his Eye to behold into Sin and Transgression he is by it pursued reproved and convinced in order to turn him back again And whosoever hearkens to this Reproof and obeyes the Spirit of Truth ‖ The Way to Paradise and a Undefiled Estate again which convinceth of Sin and loves the Hand that smites them and submitteth to the same shall come to witness and enjoy the Undefiled Regenerate Happy Estate again and enter in through the Gate into the City and Paradife of God again But he that hates the Reproofs thereof and rebells against the Spirit and humbleeth not himself under the Mighty Hand of God which smites for Transgression goes forward into utter Darkness stumbles falls and rises no more to the Resurrection of Life and Felicity but is filled with Fear and encompassed with Terrors round about upwards and downwards nothing but Tribulation Anguish and Vexation of Spirit attends Mankind in this Estate wherein his chief Companions are a Guilty Defiled Conscience ☞ wherein are written Grievous Things against him and a Wounded Spirit a Burden too heavy for Cain to bear though but the Fruit of his own Doings and the Crop of his own sowing Now in this State of Loss Misery and Bondage wherein the Heart and Conscience is defiled and Corrupted there is great Working and Contriving in the minds of Mankind how to find that again which is lost and how to be delivered from the Misery and Bondage wherein he is faln and this is the Nature of all Mankind in the Fall to seek out many Inventions and to go down to Egypt for Help and to walk by the Light of his own Fire and the Sparks that he hath kindled and in the crooked Wayes of his own finding out and to reject the Help Counsel and straight Way of the Lord he being darkened and deceived and the Light of Christ in his Conscience vailed he ever did and doth at this day in that Estate take one thing for another viz. Degenerate man in all Ages ever was Mistaken and alwayes took one thing for another Good for Evil and Evil for Good Light for Darkness Darkness for Light c. which Mistake is the Ground of all Error and Mischief in the World in matters of Religion Good for Evil and Evil for Good Light for Darkness and Darkness for Light c. And being thus far deceived exalts and sets up the one for the other so when he hath found out a Way and Worship that liketh him and sewed something together though but

able to deliver himself nor to purifie his own Conscience nor enlighten his own Understanding nor can any man deliver the Soul of his Brother nothing less then the Knowledge and Experience of the Light Spirit and Mighty Power of God's appearing and shining in the Conscience and enlightening the Mind and Understanding breaking the Prison-Doors of Opinion and pulling down the Strong Hold of Imagination is able to effect those things therefore all such as have their Consciences purified their Minds and Understandings thereby enlightened are delivered and redeemed from the Spirit of Envy and Cruelty and from all private Opinions and Bondage of Darkness and lives and walks in the Light of the Glorious Gospel of Christ Jesus which brings Peace on Earth and Good-will to Men and such never Envyed any nor Hurt any about Religion though Jews Turks and Infidels Oh! the Weight and Burden of this envivous Bloody Spirit of Persecution in Christendom which is sate down in the Throne of Conscience and wrapt about with the Mantle of Zeal for Religion is very great and ponderous it is the greatest Burden the Earth bears and the greatest Troubler of the World of Mankind 't is the great Whore that John saw ride upon the Scarlet coloured Beast and sate upon the Waters and it is the Beast he saw rise out of the Earth with two Horns like a Lamb yet speaks like a Dragon and makes Fire come down from Heaven in the Sight of Men and causeth all both small and great rich and poor free and bond to receive a Mark in their right Hand or in their Fore-Heads that no Man might buy or sell save he that had the Mark or the Name of the Beast or the Number of his Name this Spirit is the Womb out of which springeth all the Force and Violence and cruel Inventions of Torture and spoil of Bodies Goods and Liberties about Difference in Opinion Faith and Worship which as is said before is cruel unreasonable and unnatural because by the Laws of God all good Men ☞ no Man ought to suffer but according to the Nature of his Offence if his Offence be visible natural and corporal belonging to things of this world then his Punishment ought to be natural and corporal and visibly executed upon him if his Offence be spiritual and relating to the invisible Things of the Mind Heart and Conscience in Matters of Faith and Worship towards God the Life World to come then their Punishment is to be spiritual and executed spiritually and the Weapons to be used against such are not to be carnal The Bodies of Men ought not to be inquisition'd and tortur'd What Persecution is nor their Goods spoyled for the errors of their Minds or the Difference of their religious Perswasions where-ever this is sound and practised it may be justly called cruel and unreasonable and bloody Persecution though under the Pretence of Conscience and Zeal for Religion And the true Christian and Church of Christ never had nor ever will have a Hand in such Work it is the Whore the false Church and her Children The Beast the Whore the false Prophet the three unclean Spirits Mystery-Babylon the great the Mother of Harlots c. rules and reigns not only at Rome in Italy Spain and other popish Countryes where the Romish Sect prevails as some private Opinionists have imagined but is universally to be found reigning throughout all the Sects in Christendom and in the whole World the great red Dragon that gets into Heaven and the Beast that ariseth out of the Sea or Waters on which the Whore sisteth and the false Prophet and the three unclean Spirits like Frogs that come out of their Mouths that corrupteth the Earth and fills it with Violence it is this Woman this Mystery Babylon the great the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth that is drunk with the Blood of the Saints and with the Blood of the Martyrs of Jesus and by her Sorceries are all Nations deceived and in her was and is found the Blood of Prophets and of Saints and of all that were and are slain upon the Earth Now the Voice from Heaven is heard which saith Come out of her my People that ye partake not of her Sins and that ye receive not of her Plagues And all that hear obey and follow this heavenly Voice come to be led out of Mystery Babylon into the heavenly City Jerusalem which comes down from God out of Heaven and to be made Citizens thereof who are at Unity within themselves and though the Gates stand open there shall in no wise enter any thing that defileth neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a Lye but they which are written in the Lamb's Book of Life Here all is shut out that entered in through Sin and Transgression and through the Subtilty and Lyes of the Serpent and a Redemption and Restoration into the glorious primitive Estate that God made Mankind in in the Beginning where his Mind Heart and Conscience is set at Liberty cleansed and purified from all that did defile them and here he is delivered from following all his carnal Inventions ☞ private Opinions and Notions where the Envy Anger and Wrath is exercised into the peaceable universal Light and Love to the whole Creation of God But while People are carnaly-minded and their Consciences darkened defiled they are captivated by a private selfish Spirit and are bound under some dark affected Opinion or other about Religion in this State some will be for Paul some for Apello some for Cophas but none for Christ some of one Sect or Opinion and of one Sort Form of Worship and some of another but all bound under one Link or other of the Chain of Darkness and are Slaves to the Prince thereof who hath got the Rule in their Minds Hearts and Consciences and such of his Vassals as are inclined to seem religious he will furnish them with a Form Likeness and Patern if need be even of Heavenly Things themselves according to the State Place and Country they inhabit and the Region of Darkness and Shadow of Death they dwell under whether in Christendom or in any other Part of the World hence many are bound in their Consciences to worship according to the Precepts and Commands of Mahomet or the Turkish Alcoron others according to the Traditions of the scattered Jews and Indians others according to the Pope and his Mass Book and other Invented Trumpery others according to the divers Sorts of invented Liturgies and Forms of Worship Likenesses and Images which they have set up in their carnal Minds and darkened Understandings wherein their corrupt Faiths and defiled Consciences are imployed as Champions to contend for and vindicate every one his own private carnal Opinion Tradition and Form of Worship And the same Spirit of Darkness that leads into these Diversities of Opinions humane carnal Inventions about the Worship of God The