Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
knowledge_n	faith_n	grace_n	temperance_n	1,784	5	11.4380	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09386	A C[hristian] and [plain]e treatise of the manner and order of predestination and of the largenes of Gods grace. First written in Latine by that reuerend and faithfull seruant of God, Master William Perkins, late preacher of the word in Cambridge. And carefully translated into English by Francis Cacot, and Thomas Tuke.; De prædestinationis modo et ordine. English	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Cacot, Francis.; Tuke, Thomas, d. 1657.	1606 (1606)	STC 19683; ESTC S103581	116,285	285

is i● very deede to beleeue The publican● and ha 〈◊〉 t s and those which are held captiue at the diuels will doe repent and are conuerted and therefore they doe not onely receiue power if they will but of ●illers and st●bbor●e r●pugners they are made actually willing Thirdly there are and haue been many nations which have had no knowledge of the faith or which haue not kept it and without this knowledge there is not any sauing grace Answer is wont to be made that man receiuing naturall light is not to bee excused for the want of supernaturall knowledge because if he would doe by Gods assistance that which liech in him God would enlighten him with supernaturall grace For thus the sch●olemen do vsually speake Although no man is able by Greg●●d Va● the ministry of men to know the nature of faith of ●e neuer heard any thing of it yet he may by Gods helpe if hee liue morally according to Gods law so much as in him lieth to doe For then God will succour him either by himselfe or by some other to wi● either man or Angell by propounding of faith vnto him For as in naturall things so in supernaturall God doth minister grace when man is not wanting to himselfe I answere that this is false For if grace be giuen to him which doth that which lieth in him to do by the strength of nature it is giuen either by merite or promise Not by merit because there is no merit before faith and we do nothing acceptable vnto God before wee haue faith Augustine Thou bringest in a kind of men which can please God without the f 〈◊〉 th of Christ by the law of nature This is Cont. Jul. the cause why the Christian Church doth especially detest you And it is not giuen by promise because there is no promise or diuine law to bee found in the scriptures that grace should by and by bee giuen vnto him that doth that which lieth in him to doe It is also false to say that God doth minister all things that make for the felicitie of nature or this present life For some are borne lepr●us blinde foolish very poore vnmeet for this temporarie felicitie neither do they euer attaine vnto it This opinion also is against experience because many die in their infancie and many are foolish and mad all their life long vpon whom we cannot say that this vu 〈◊〉 fall grace is bestowed 〈◊〉 also cō●rary to most plaine places of 〈◊〉 ture Saluation is not in him that willeth 〈◊〉 in him that runneth but in God that s●●weth mercy And he hath mercie on whom he will and whom he will he hardneth It is g 〈◊〉 uen to the disciples to know the secrets of the kingdome of heauen but to them it is not giuen Mat. ●3 〈◊〉 The wind bloweth not in all but where it Ioh. 3. 8. listeth The sonne doth not reueale the father Ioh. 6. vnto all but to whom he will All doe not beleeue but those which are drawne and predestinated Acts 13. 49. unto life All doe not heare but those to whom eares are giuen for to heare Furthermore it is some impayring of effectuall and Christian grace so to place it in mans power that hee may if hee will receiue it and that he may also if he will not refuse and despise it and to say that God hath giuen vnto men no other grace then that against which the flesh or peruerse will may preuaile in all men and against which it doth preuaile indeede in the greatest part of mankind because God will not restraine it To conclude let vs also heare the restimonies of the fathers The author of the calling of the Gentiles saith thus If so bee that the grace of the sa●er doe passe by some as we see it doth it is to be referred to the hidden iudgements of diuine iustice Augustine Nothing deliuereth vs from this wrath whereby wee are all vnder sinne sauing the grace of Lib. de p●● ●erit c. 21. God by Iesus Christ. Why this grace commeth to that infant and not vnto this the cause may be vnknowne but not vniust Againe It was by diuine dispensation that Pharaoh did not tractably consent but obstinately resist because that there was not only In Ex●d qu●st 18. a iust punishment but a iust punishment euidently prepared for such a heart whereby those which feare God may be corrected Againe The iudgements are vnsearchable wherefore of two wicked men being of yeeres Lib. de hon ●ers cap. 8. aged one should bee called so as that he should follow the caller and the other should either not be called at all or not called so as that he should follow him that calls him And again He giueth to whō he will because he is mercifull Cap. 12. which though he should not giue yet he is iust Againe he doth not giue to the to whom he will not that he might make knowne the riches of his glorie vpon the vessels of mercie for by giuing vnto some wh● deserue nor he will haue it to be his free and by this also his true grace and fa 〈◊〉 r. Againe Whosoeuer are set apart from originall Ibid. cap. 7. damnation through the boun●●e of Gods grace it is no doubs but that it shall he procured for them to heare the Gospell and to beleeue when they heare it Againe We know that Gods grace is not giuen vnto all men Epist. ad Uital 107. Lib. de spirit li● c. 34. And againe Why one man is so exhorted that he is perswaded and why it is not so with another O the depth of the riches Thomas As he doth not open the ere 's of all that C●n● gent. lib. 3. c. 161. are blinde nor cure all that are crazie that in those his power might appeare and that in the other the order of nature might hee preserued euen so he doth not by his helpe preuent all that ●inder grace but some in whom he willeth that his mercie should 〈◊〉 so also that the order of iustice should be manifested in others Isidore Spirituall grace Sent. lib. 2. cap. 5. 6. is not distributed to all but is only giuen to the elect Againe It is giuen to him because he is euill that would be good another neither willeth neither is it giuen him that he might be good Cameracensis Although God be an vniuersal agent ouer all so as that In lib. sent 1 q. 12. art 2. he giueth vnto all some gifts of grace as being life knowledge c. yet he giueth some gifts of speciall grace vnto one which he giueth not to another as namely faith and the grace which makes vs gracious and such like which are the effects of predestination Finally Augustine and almost al the Scholemen make two kindes of infidelitie the one negatiue in those which neuer heard the Gospell the other priuatiue in those that refuse and contemne the

Cities that haue beene are and shall be can not shew such dignities such royalties and such immunities giuen them by man as I haue shewed to belong to Gods Elect and obedient children The consideration of these benefits and priuiledges should mooue vs First to acknowledge and lawd Gods infinite loue Secondly in way of thankefulnes to dedicate our soules and bodyes and all that we haue vnto GOD. Thirdly to admire the condition of Gods children Fourthly to be afrayd to disgrace them whom the Lord doth so grace and countenance Fiftly to vndergoe couragiously all aduerse blasts and all the crosses of this life Sixtly to alienate our hearts from the world Seuenthly to roll our care vpon God and to rely vpō his prouidence Eightly to desire the comming of Christ and not to feare death too múch The sooner we dye the sooner we come to our crownes Lastly the cōsideration of these benefits and priuiledges should stir vs vp to seeke by all meanes to be enrolled amongst them and neuer to rest till we be in some measure certaine certainly perswaded that we are elected and preordained to saluation Whē Ahashuerosh had honoured Mordecai and shewed fauour vnto the Iewes the Scripture sayth Hest. 8. 7 that much people of the land became Iewes So seeing the Lord hath thus dignified the Elect let vs behaue our selues like them and labour to be accounted of their company Claudius Lysias gaue a great summe of money for the freedome Act. 22. 28. of the Romanes how much more ought we to seeke for these freedomes and royalties which do more surpasse the other then the heauen doth the earth and the precious pearle doth the poorest pibble They are not indeed to be named or compared together and yet these may be had without money though they can not be had by money And thus much for the Priuiledges I come now briefly to set downe the notes of Election vnto life and to shew how a man may come to be truly perswaded in his conscience that he shall be saued Let a man that would attaine to the knowledge of his election vnto saluation 1. heare the word of God often and attentiuely For faith whereby wee Rom. 10. 17. are perswaded of Gods speciall grace vnto vs is ordinarily wrought by hearing of the word preached 2. Let him wage warre with his infidelity and let him not listen to Sathan tempting him to doubting or desperation 3. Let him beware of pride and presumption neither trusting to his owne goodnes nor obliuious of Gods infinite iustice 4. Let him often and earnestly pray for this benefit and desire that GOD would giue him his Spirit which may witnes with him that hee is the chosen childe of God 5. Let him reuerently receiue the Sacrament and meditate often of his Baptisme For the Sacraments are pledges of Gods loue and serue to increase our faith Hee that receiueth them with an honest and humble heart may assure himselfe of the remission of his sinnes and of the saluation of his soule Lastly let him expend and duly 6. Consider diligently Gods ●atherly d 〈◊〉 g with thee cons●der the notes of Election to eternall life by the which a man may know that hee is ord●ined to be saued No●e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Iaylour demaunding 〈◊〉 Paul and Silas what hee ●●ould do to be ●●●ed they made him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be●eeue in the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt be saued Secondly Act. 16. 〈◊〉 ●●ue o● our 〈◊〉 for theyr 〈◊〉 ty We know say●h Iohn that we are transl 〈◊〉 d f●om death to life because we 〈◊〉 Iohn 3. 14. loue the brethren Thirdly the feare of God where●y wee are loth to offend him chiefly because we loue him and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Blessed is the man that feareth Psa. ●12 1. the Lord 〈◊〉 Blessed then Elected 〈◊〉 y h●rty confe●sion and lothing of 〈◊〉 s●nnes He that confesseth and forsaketh Prou. 28 13. his sinnes shall finde mercy But God vouc●●afeth his speciall mercy only to his 〈◊〉 people Fif●ly confidence and affianc● in God O Lord of hosts blessed is Psal 84. 12. the man that 〈◊〉 in thee The condition of Reprobates is cu●●ed ●he Apostle sayth Our confidence hath great Heb. 10. 35. recompence o● reward Sixtly sincere and true calling vpon the n●me of God For Paul sayth Whosoeuer shall call vpon Rom. ●0 13. the Name of the Lord shall be saued Seuenthly carefull and constant indeu●uring to keepe all ●he commandements of God ●o● Blessed are they that do h●● Reuel 22. 14. commandements that their right may be in the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the ●ity As the Lord promised to establish the kingdome of Salomon if 1. Chron. 28. 7. he did constantly indeuour 〈◊〉 keepe his commandements so the 〈◊〉 e Lord will establish vs for euer in the kingdome of heauen if we will indeuour constantly to serue and obey him Eightly p●●ient bearing of affliction for the truths ●●ke Blessed are they sayth Christ which suffer Math. 〈◊〉 10. persecution for righteousnes s●k● for theirs ●s the kingdome of heauen Nint●●y 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nest and harty desire to be w●●hed in the blo●d of Christ and to be inu●sted in the white robes of his righteousnesse Blessed Math. 5. 〈◊〉 are they which hunger and thirst for righteousnes for they shall be filled To him that Reuel 21. 6. is a thirst I will giue of the well of the water of life freely Tenthly Christian humilitie and pouertie of spirit when a man seemeth naked and base in his owne sight and ascribeth all to Gods grace Blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the kingdome of heauen Eleuenthly a lusting Math. 5. 3 and longing after the comming of Christ. Paul sayth that the righteous Iudge will giue a crowne of righteousnes 2. Tim. 4. 〈◊〉 vnto all those that loue his appearing Twelfthy Dauid in the 15. Psalme asketh the Lord who shall dwell in his tabernacle and rest on his holy mountaine and receiued answere as it were by oracle frō God that he shall who walks vprightly and worketh righteousnes and speaketh the truth frō his heart And Peter hauing cōmanded vs to make our election and calling sure addeth saying that if we do These things wee shall neuer fall but shall be sure and certaine Now 2. Pet. 1. 10. what these things are he sheweth to wit that we adorne our hearts and liues with 2. Pet. 1. 5 6 7. vertue knowledge tēperance godlines loue To cōclude he that is sure of his Adoption may be also certaine of his Election for none are adopted but such as are elected Now a man may know his Adoption if he find in himselfe the properties of an obediēt louing son I will set downe some 1. Property As a little child whether in learning good or leauing euill is either woon by a faire word or awed by a check or feared by a

message which they haue heard of Christ. And it is to be noted that by this distinction they doe consesse that God hath not vouchsafed so much as an outward calling to euery man Obiect I. The promise of the seed of the woman is made in Adam to all and to euery man Answer It is made to Adam's posterirle indefinitely not vniuersallie When saluation is promised to all men all De vocat gent. statuit lib. 1. cap. 3. men are named for a part of men The heads of the nations Cain Cham Esan c. knew the promised Messiah but those which came after knew him not neither had they the meanes how to know him So saith Isaias Me haue they not knowne of me haue Jsai 52. 66. they not heard The nations also next adioyning to the Iewes peraduenture heard somthing and had Proselytes but the nations a fat off seated in the vttermost parts of the earth had no affaires with the Iewes and no Proselytes And therefore it is false which some affirme to wit that the chusing of the people of Israel was onely a kind of greater curtesie shewed to this nation or a more gentle entreating of it and no peculiar and diuers fauour whereby hee shewed himselfe to be their father and redeemer onely And to make or maintaine a hidden and inuisible Church among the Gentiles before the comming of Christ is altogether to contend against y ● word God is only knowne in Iudah The Israelites onely are called my Psal. 76. People in Hosea And they only were Hos. 1. Christs sheepfold because Christ when hee Ephes. 2. 14. Iob. 10. 16. came made one sheepfold of the Iewes and Gentiles Obiect II. There is infolded in Gods prouidence that care of God touching all those things which concerne the blessednesse of man But the Gentiles knew this prouidence of God and that his goodnes was so great that hee would passe by nothing which might make for the happinesse and saluation of man Therefore the Gentiles did after a sort obscurely and by an infolded knowledge know the doctrine concerning the redemption of mankind Answer This faith of things vnknowne is a ●●cere siction For faith of the owne nature is a certaine knowledge Moreouer although the generall doe include in it selfe the species or kinds and the whole his members yet hee which knoweth the generall and the whole doth not by and by know all the kinds and parts thereof The mind may so know the generall that yet for all that it may in the meane time bee ignorant of the speciall kinds thereof Wee must therefore beware of the Schoolemens opinion who say that saluatiō was giuen before Christs comming for the implicite or infolded faith concerning the redeemer in generall namely when men did beleeue that there is a God and that hee is a rewarder and the giuer of all gifts which concerne the good either of soule or bodie especially the remedie of sinne But this is nothing else then to imagine a certaine sauing faith Church which hath no word of God at all either written or any other way reuealed Furthermore this is to accuse Paul of falsehood who teacheth the 1. Cor. 1. 21. contrarie in these words Seeing the world by wised●me know not God in the wisedome of God it pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to saue them that beleeue It is also most certaine that wee ought to know Christ the redeemer in speciall This is Iob. 17. 3. life eternall that they know thee to be the only very God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. The same affirme the auncient fathers Ireneus They being ignorant of that Lib. de haeres 3. c. 21. Emmanuel who is borne of the Virgin are depriued of his gift which is life eternall Hietome We cannot bee his sonnes before Jn Eph. 1 vnlesse wee receiue the faith and vnderstanding of his son Iesus Christ. Augustine saith that those which were iust in old time whatsoeuer they were were deliuered onely by that faith whereby we are deliuered to wit by the faith of Christs incarnation Againe What trueth soeuer thou sa●●t was in those which Lib. 2. cont 2. epist. Pel. cap. 21. were iust in old time the faith only of the mediatour saueth them who shed his bloud for the forgiuenesse of sinnes Obiect III. a Propositiō The power of God is known vnto the Gentils Rom. 1. b A●●i●mptio Christ is the power of God c Conclusion Therefore Christ is knowne to the Gentils Answer I distinguish of the proposition The power of God is either the power of creation or of redemption The power of God in the creation was knowne vnto the Gentiles but not the power of God in the redemption which is Christ himselfe the preaching of whom is foolishnesse vnto the world Obiect IIII. The fathers say that sauing grace is vniuersall First I answere that the sayings of the fathers are to bee vnderstood of the grace of the last time which is common to all men and nations Ireneus The Lord hath reconciled vs in the De haeres lib. 5. cap. 17 last times by his incarnation being made a mediatour betweene God and man reconciling the father vnto all giuing vnto vs that cōuersion which is to our Creatour Origen saith God hath a greater care to saue Hom. 20 in Num. men then the diuell hath to destroy them The onely begotten the sonne of God himselfe I say is present with vs hee defendeth keepeth and draweth vs vnto himselfe for he saith in another place When I shal be lifted vp I will draw all things vnto me Chrysostome Grace is shed abroad ouer all it passeth by and disdayneth neither Iew nor Grecian nor Barbarian nor Soythian it is alike affected vnto all it sheweth it selfe gentle vnto all it calleth all with equall honour and lee those who neglect the helpe of grace ascribe this their blindnesse vnto themselues For considering that a way to enter in lieth open vnto al and is forbidden to none some desperately wicked doe refuse to enter through their owne corruption Cyrill saith He is the true Lib. 1. in Job cap. 15. light and sendeth forth his brightnesse vnto all but as Paul saith the God of this world hath blinded the minds of vnfaithfull men that the light of Gods knowledge may not shine in them Ambrose The earth is full of Serm. 8. in Psal. 1 18. the mercie of God because pardon of sinnes is giuen vnto all The mysticall sonne of righteousnesse is risen vnto all is come vnto all hath suffred for all and hath risen againe for all And if any beleeue not in Christ he depriues himselfe of this generall benefit Hee shutteth out the grace of common light from himselfe Gregorie saith The ●edioine which In Iob. l. 35. cap. 14. is from God meeteth vs in euery place because hee hath both giuen vnto man commandements not to sinne and