Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n
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A36185
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The nature of the two testaments, or, The disposition of the will and estate of God to mankind for holiness and happiness by Jesus Christ ... in two volumes : the first volume, of the will of God : the second volume, of the estate of God / by Robert Dixon.
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Dixon, Robert, d. 1688.
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1676
(1676)
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Wing D1748; ESTC R12215
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658,778
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672
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ordinari ut de posteriori nemo sibi polliceretur qui non de priori habet aliqualem certitudinem aliquoties That is He that hath the least security Title or evidence for Heaven here in this Life cannot fail of the enjoyment of his Hopes in the Life to come The certitude of the object and of the subject and of the promise still continuing the Faithful must needs be sure De se de Jure de Re of themselves of their Right and of the state of God And now let any Man tell me what confidence or assurance a Soul can have of Heaven and Happiness more than that which is here described Et erit mihi magnus Apollo Let there be therefore a holy Faith a holy Life a Holy doctrine a holy worship a holy Hope an holy patience a holy experience and there will be a holy confidence in Life and death and to all Eternity Wherefore give all diligence to make your calling and election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 for if ye do these things ye shall never fall An old MS. reads more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Latin much after that sort saying that the Greek he used had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By these exceeding great and precious promises 2 Pet. 1.4.5 c. we are partakers of the Divine Nature having escaped the corruption that is in the World through lust Besides all this giving all diligence to add to our Faith Virtue and to Virtue Knowledg and to Knowledg Temperance and to Temperance Patience and to Patience Godliness and to Godliness Brotherly kindness and to Brotherly kindness Charity For if these things be in us they make us that we shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledg of our Lord Jesus Christ Deus facit quod suum est nos quoque quod nostrum est faciamus God hath done his part and we must do ours and then all is done This is to work out our Salvation with fear and trembling Phil. 2.12 and to strive to enter in at the strait Gate Thus he that seeketh findeth he that asketh hath and to him that knocketh is the gate opened 1 Cor. 5.7 Purge out therefore the old leaven that ye may be a new lump as ye are unleavened c. If a Man therefore purge himself from these he shall be a vessel unto honour sanctified and meet for the Master's use and prepared unto every good work Draw nigh unto God and he will draw nigh unto you 2 Tim. 2.21 James 4.8 cleanse your hands ye sinners and purifie your hearts ye double minded Put off concerning the former conversation the Old Man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and be ye renew'd in the Spirit of your mind and that ye put on the New Man which after God is created in Righteousness and true Holiness For it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure The CONTENTS Doctrine of Masses Of no Salvation without the Pale of the Church Of lying still in sin Imputed Righteousness Collections Cautions Obstructions Rules Election TITLE IV. Of the abuse of Assurance THe Doctrine of Assurance is of great concernment but hath been strangely handled by the School-Men and Casuists so that we cannot by them know well what to make of it And therefore I have been forced to go quite another way to work as well as I could Mart. Siseng One saith Ex hoc uno Articulo quantumvis minutus à plerisque putari queat universus Papatus dependet From this one Article of Assurance although it may seem inconsiderable the whole Papacy takes his rise Mart. Luth. Another saith Etiamsi nihil praeterea peccatum fuisset in Doctrinâ Pontificiâ quà m quòd docuerunt nos debere vagari fluctuare ambigentes dubios de remissione peccatorum gratia Dei salute nostrâ justas tamen habemus causas cur ab Ecclesiâ infideli nos sejungeremus Although there had been no other cause of offence in the Church of Rome than that they have taught us to wander and toss to and fro in doubts and fears concerning Remission of sins the Grace of God and our own Salvation nevertheless we have just causes to separate from them Every one desires comfort content and happiness here and hereafter and if there be no assurance of any such thing how can a Soul enjoy it self quietly Varro is said to reckon up two hundred eighty and eight opinions concerning Summum Bonum But if it be so uncertain what it is or how to come at it where shall we fix Such scepticks are all out of the way they are become vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart is darkned Without this Assurance fluctuat Socrates Aconitum bibens trepidat Adrianus ad mortis pallorem alii aestuant alii stupent alii ululant sub calamitatibus mortis dolore Dum placide Stephanus c. obdormiunt sub tormentis ut Ignatius optat propera ad bestias ut sit frumentum Domini irridet Laurentius Tyrannum tortorem sub craticulâ Christiani tortoribus fortiores That is without this Assurance Socrates trembles while the Cup of Hellebore was at his mouth Adrian quakes at the ghastly countenance of Death others rage and take on like mad Men others are amazed and confounded others howl and roar under their calamities and pangs of death while Stephen and the Martyrs fall asleep peaceably under their tormentors hands As Ignatius who hasted and longed to be ground by the teeth of wild Beasts that he might be good Bread for God Laurence derides the Tyrant and hang-man upon the gridiron and undauntedly bids them turn him and rost t'other side So were the Christians more couragious than their Tormentors Most deplorable was the despair of John de Cunis the Florentine Physician Qui in extremis constitutus ita misere expiravit Mox sciam an Anima sit immortalis That is he being at the point of Death did thus breath out his last breath I shall shortly know whether my Soul be immortal Likewise he whosoever he was that uttered such words as these O Animula blandula tremula vagula In quas Regiones c. O poor Soul of mine whither art thou bound all alone naked and frighted c. Or he that said Dubius vixi dubius morior quò vadam nescio I have lived doubtfully and I die doubtful and I know not what shall become of me Bellarmine reports of an Advocate Bell. de Art Mor. who in his last hour being exhorted to repent and believe with a constant mind spake thus to God Ego Domine concupivi alloqui Te non pro me sed pro Conjuge meâ Liberis meis ego enim propero ad Inferos neque est ut aliquid pro me agas That is Lord I have a great desire to speak with thee at this time not for my self but for
have these things in my memory and keep them in my paper and do them not in my life and conversation I say therefore in brief He that hath ears to hear for every one hath ears to hear let him hear as well as he can And he that hath eyes to see for every one hath eyes to see let him see as well as he can And he that hath a heart to understand for every one hath a heart to understand let him understand as well as he can And he that hath a memory to remember for every one hath a memory to remember let him remember as well as he can And he that hath a will to choose for every one hath a will to choose let him choose as well as he can And last of all he that hath a hand to act for every one hath a hand to act let him act as well as he can Fac quod in te est Use thy Talent to the best advantage and God shall reward thee with a Well done good and faithful Servant thou hast been faithful in a little thou shalt be Ruler over much In a word Add to your faith vertue and to vertue knowledge and to knowledge temperance 2 Pet. 1.5 c. and to temperance patience and to patience godliness and to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness charity For if these things be in you and abound they make you that ye shall never be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ but he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see far off and hath forgotten that he was once purged from his old sins Wherefore the rather Brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure for if ye do these things ye shall never fall SECT VII 1. If therefore Election be a Decree then it is no Promise but a Necessity A Promise may be freely made and effected and may not but a Decree must be made and effected by consequence of Justice upon sin A Promise may take effect by the will of the Accepter but a Decree must take effect against the will of the Sufferer 2. If Election be a Promise then it is no Decree but a thing voluntary A Promise is free to be made or not made a meer grace upon consideration of pity and bounty for Reward undeserved But a Decree is a peremptory sentence in judgment of Law upon consideration of guilt of sin for revenge and punishment 3. If Faith be the Approving and Choosing of God that first approved and chosen us This is Election 4. If Infidelity be the Disapproving and Rejecting of God that hath therefore disapproved and rejected us This is Reprobation 5. A Reprobate is rejected for his Wilfulness 6. An Elect is accepted for his Willingness Ergo From these Premises I conclude with all humble submission to better Judgments 1. That Election with God is not as it is with Men A particular Free Grace of a certain picking and culling out of some few and passing by all the rest though as well deserving and standing in as much need and as willing every way to come in if they could with all their hearts and thank them too that should do them that great favour and benefit 2. But Election with God is an Universal Free Grace offered to all men that they might be saved and willingness that none should be damned upon no desert at all but meerly for love in his Son provided only that they be but a willing People which is the least thing that can be desired namely to accept of Gods choice and to choose him again or else they must needs reprobate themselves and judge themselves unworthy of eternal life Quod erat Demonstrandum Now what mad work have the Disputes of this World made upon this plain Question I leave to the wiser sort of the World to judge 'T is high time for such men and no shame at all to learn better Religion prudence and manners than to think and speak of God in this point after such a fashion I appeal unto the unconceivable Mercies of God to his poor Creatures and to the universal scope tenour and purport of the whole Scriptures of the Old and New Testament Amen The CONTENTS Transition Contracts Real and Personal Marriage Devil an Enemy to Marriage Excellent Laws for Marriage Originals of Marriage Definitions of Marriage Effects of Marriage Who may lawfully marry Members of Christs Church Just Generations of Men. Virginity Why Marriage was ordained Benefits of marriage Abuse of marriage Bastardy Rights by marriage Laws about marriage Age of Persons Quality of Persons Infamous Captives Pupils Officers Kinds of marriage Confarreation Co-emption Vse Rights of a Wife Two Wives at one time Concubine Annus Luctûs Coelibate Marriage for all Estates and Degrees of men TITLE VIII Of Marriage THE Church is the Spouse and Wife of Christ Transition Contracts are either Real by which men communicate or convey their Estates and Patrimonies one to another or Personal by which their very Persons are as it were communicated and conveyed one to another Of this nature are Feudal Personal Contracts and Leagues Contracts Real and Personal where persons covenant to be true and just and loving one to another as if they were of one Soul both in rule and subjection betwixt King and People and in fellowship and communion of the Head with the Members and of the Members one with another unto which are subordinate real feudal Contracts and Conveyances of giving and receiving of holding and keeping the use and profits of the Lords Allodium and propriety upon a Personal Contract of Faith and Allegiance homage and service to him the said Lord and to his heirs and successors for ever Personal Contracts of this nature are the highest endearments and strictest obligations of love friendship and unity that can be imagined because they are the unions of Souls which must be more than of Bodies or Estates because they are Covenants for pure love not for honours or profits or pleasures of goods Because to give our Estates and Honours is a great grace but to give our selves our Souls and Bodies one to another is the greatest grace that can be given Such are the Covenants and Leagues between friends and their Allies and such is the Contract of Marriage which is for communion of Soul and Body in all temporal and spiritual things such are not the Quasi-personal Contracts of Tutor and Pupil Curator and Minor c. SECT I. Marriage Therefore this Title of Marriage with those that follow relating thereunto are not any ways exotick or disproportional with the design of this present book For as in all Feudal kingdoms the Kings are Fathers to their Subjects so in the Church the Fathers of Families are kings to their Children who as Subjects hold in Fide Amore Honore as much as Subjects do to their Princes Subjects are so by election to their Kings and Children