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

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10916	The glory and happines of a true Christian A sermon preached by Master Rogers at Needham in Norfolke the 28 of Iune. 1617	Rogers, John, of Chacombe.	1618 (1618)	STC 21186; ESTC S100039	21,430	65

vse no meditation good conference and harty prayer c. Alas If it were not for the world many would be far better then they are Many Christians are like Vrchings that grow not they increase not in grace Wee call such Children as doe not growe and thriue Changelings and so are many Christians that stand at a stay and say they hope yet Christ dyed for them Doe they say so Why doe they not run on chearefully in their race and say what shall they render to God for their redemption Thou art deliuered as it were from the Red Sea and seest so many behinde thee scramling and scrawling in the same Doth this deserue no better seruice to God and thanks If thou hopest for saluation is it so little a mercie that thou giuest him so cold and lazie seruice I would saith Christ c The Lord loueth not the lazie seruice of Christiās nor their cold hearing of his word or cold praying If wee serue him chearefully heere we shall haue some present blessing and a farre greater heereafter but otherwise let vs be assured we shall finde little comfort in cold seruice Hitherto of the reprehension of the two former sorts of Christians whereof the first were stone dead The second decayed and drowsie ones Be awake or be watchfull and strengthen the things which remaine that are readie to dye for I haue not found thy workes perfect before God After the reprehension for their deadnes and sleepines he commeth now to shew them the remedie that they may recouer their dangerous estate which is by bidding them Awake and strengthen the things that are ready to dye Wee know that such as cast behinde their company in a Iorney had neede ride faster then others And they that are cast behinde hand in the world had neede also rise earlier and worke harder then their neighbours Euen so these drowsie and dead harted Christiās had neede now awake betimes and rise sooner then they were wont and fall harder to worke and vse all good meanes for their good and to recouer their estate which once they had or should haue had And being awaked in this sort let them consider what it was that cast them behinde hand and rowsing vp themselues by earnest prayer let them call to minde what was the hinderance of their zeale whether it was the neglect of the meanes as Prayer hearing of the word or else this vilde worlde and hauing found the causes thereof let them euer after shake and cast them off Awake God will not haue men that professe religion to lie snorting in sinne Is this a time for Christians to sleepe euen in the midday of the Gospell He that sleepeth in haruest time is the sonne of confusion When will men be zealous for God if not now when wee haue so many meanes to incite vs thereunto as the preaching of the Gospell peace in our land c. Are not they very lazie that will lie and sleepe till ten or a leuen of the clocke Is this a time of sleeping when the Lord doth shoote off so many warning peeces by our eares As namely so many strange sicknesses and diseases fearefull fiers and invndations of waters vnseasonable weather both in winter and sommer The Lord doth not so much looke at the prophanes of the world as at the deadnesse coldnesse and drowsinesse of Professors This moueth him to anger that they be no better although by the Ministers of his word and by his Iudgments he doth cry aloud vnto vs yet most men are still a sleepe Awake for shame thou that now sleepest The Lord seeketh to rowze vs vp out of this greedy loue of the world for why doth he else take away so many of our neighbour goods some by fire some by water Hee pincheth vs of our former allowance but not to the end wee should esteeme of this world Our long peace hath brought in riches and that hath eaten vp religion Many haue a desire to be doing some good dutie but alas it is dōe very poorely They pray but it is very coldly and faintly They heare the word but without meditation and so it becommeth as it were in a manner vnprofitable And strengthen the things that are ready to dye Here is still more good counsell Wee must strengthen then our selues in graces receiued and grow stronger therein then when wee first receiued them Euen as children the older they grow the stronger and taller euen so must Christians grow stronger and taller in grace The Apostle Peter wisheth vs to ioyne Vertue with Faith and with Vertue Knowledge and with Knowledge Temperance c. And the Apostle Paule also sayeth Couet after spirituall giftes 1 Corin. 14. 1. We should be couetuous after grace As men are not content to haue a little poore Cottage to hide their heads in and so much as may keepe them poorely to keepe life and soule together but they are more desirous to grow more wealthy so as they may well maintaine themselues and their familie yea to haue also somewhat more to releeue and helpe others if neede be when they come vnto them So ought Christians to grow so in graces of the spirit as they may haue not onely sufficient for their owne store and necessitie but also so much as may helpe to further others in godlinesse that they may as it were keepe open house for their friends If wee haue much grace wee shall the more glorifie God and draw on others towards saluation but hee that hath little grace God shall haue little glory by him Where God vouchsafeth the meanes of attaining to grace abundantly God thereby expecteth that wee should grow strong and wealthy Christians But some man may say they hope they be Gods children but they cannot very well tell There are a number of Christiās that are so poore in grace that if they had any lesse they should haue none at all If thou hast beene sicke art thou content that thou art aliue and canst onely crawle vp and downe thy chamber No but thou wouldst faine be so strōg as thou maist goe abroad about thy worke So likewise i● wee haue got ten a little wealth in our soules wee should desire to become strongmen like Dauids worthies But there are many poore Christians who would doe some good thing but they know not how to goe about it They haue a little faith and a little zeale Now if persecution shonld arise in the Church these men would be ready to runne away for all this That being so let vs blow vp the fier of our zeale as a maide seruant in the morning finding but a little fire in the hearth doth put fit matter vnto it cherish it till it be much increased So seeing the Lord giueth vs his word which is the meanes to kindle to cherish and increase grace in vs as his word Sacraments godly companie c Let vs labour to blow vp the fier of zeale and of godlinesse which was languishing and

these stragling Christians The third sort are happie and blessed euen such as haue not defiled their garments such shal be with Christ in white that is in glory heereafter for they are worthy Oh that I had an heart and tongue that I might so speake and you so heare that such of you that be naught become good and those that be decayed and cold may become better Touching the first sort of men to be spoken of they haue a name to liue but indeede are starke deade that is they boast and bragge that they haue that which they haue not and are that which they are not such wee haue now and such were in the Prophet Esaie his time there were many that complained that they had ●asted and that they had sacrificed to him but it was not regarded But they were told by him that they had fasted to strife c. their sacrifice was as much esteemed of God as if they had cut of a doggs necke So likewise in Ieremie they did much boast of the temple of the Lord and of their seruice done there but yet saith the Prophet will yee lie steale Murther comit adultery sweare yet stand before the Lord in his house Also Iohn Baptist he told such as boasted that Abraham was their father that they were a generation of Vipers And our Sauiour told those that bragged they were free borne and Abraham his sonnes that they were of their father the diuell for his workes they did and did so much resemble him in their cōditions were so like him as if they had beene spued out of his mouth So likewise the Church of Laodicea did boast that shee was rich and needed nothing yet they were wretched miserable poore blinde and naked They deceiued their owne hearts through pride and ignorance as many others doe saying they were rich and did not knowe indeede they were poore Now besides these the diuell he commeth tels such kinde of persons that their state and case is well inough and would perswade some of the sorwarder sort that their condition is starke nought But be not deceiued for flesh and blood shall not inherit the Kingdome of God Againe be not deceiued for no fornicator c. 2 Cor. 6. 9. Againe Be not deceiued saith Iames the Apostle in seeming to be religious and yet canst not refraine thy tongue this man his religion is in vaine So I say be not deceiued for though a man refraine many sinnes and yet retaine one knowne sinne which he is loath to forsake that man cannot be saued till hee hath repented of it also But now to come to particulars there be diuers sorts of men that haue a name to liue who in truth are but dead The first sort are ignorant persons that want knowledg of God and of religion and of this kinde are many of the poorer sort but yet you shall neuer heare them complaine of this their wretched estate but will rather say they hope to be saued But how euen by their good meaning and good prayers and good seruing of God c. These men in their owne account are fish whole The second sort are such as liue in some grosse sinnes as Swearing Lying Cursing and banning Drunkennesse and Vncleannesse Pride Vsury and Couetuousnesse and such like damnable sinnes yet they thinke their estate good enough but if they be rebuked for their sinnes and told of Gods condemning of them then they hope they be not so great sinners but God can pardon them and doe make account to dispatch all in the end with a Lord haue mercie vpon mee The third sort of dead persons are the worldlings and such as d●● nothing else but busie th 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worldly busines not respect●●g ●●●gion These men are like vn●● 〈…〉 ‑ les that run in the earth and are cunning to know euery muse in the ground but if they be taken out of it they are at their wits end and they be also like vnto fishes when they are taken out of the water The fourth sort bee ciuill men who hauing some restraining grace doe liue in a ciuill manner among men abstaining from common grosse sinnes which are breaches of the second table and can say with the old phrase I thanke God I am not as ther men But yet these men make no conscience to performe the duties of the first Table and yet are taken among their neighbours to be very honest men but yet for hearing of the word praying with their families they care not Notwithstanding such men doe not thinke that they haue any neede of Christ and indeed Christ hath no neede of them Now such miserable persons which thinke a ciuill life can bring them to heauen although ignorant of the grounds of religion these men are in a miserable condition howsoeuer their neighbours haue dubbed them to be faire conditioned men yet they are farre of as yet from the state of saluation yea Many Publicans and sinners may goe to heauen before them The fifth sort of dead Christians are such as though they doe heare the word of God diligently and thereby get knowledge and make much of their ministers yea are able sometime to beare checks for their profession of the Gospell yet bee like the thorny ground and doe retaine some vile sinne as Pride Vncleannesse Couetuousnesse c. They being neuer truely humbled and not hauing the gift of sauing faith such men may fall away from their former profession some sooner and some later and may be without true sauing grace to doe them any good All these fiue sorts before described shall not be seuered in their seuerall estates as sure as the Lord is in heauen and why because they are all borne dead in trespasses and sins and vntill they be ioyned to Christ who is the fountaine of spirituall life for there is no life but in him they be starke dead euen as the diuell sauing onely their possibilitie to be saued Thou art as a Toad yea as a rotten carrion and till thou hast true faith thou art starke deade Many haue common gifts others knowledge which may afterwards proue persecutors and fall away I can tell thee thou wert once dead now if thou canst tell me when thou wert made aliue If thou canst truely say thou liuest the life of grace and art dead to sinne and not in sinne then being dead aliue take heede this life of grace doe not decay in thee nor goe out like a Candle then shalt thou goe to heauen as sure as God is in heauen Thou Ignorant man prophane worldling ciuill person or Hyppocrite thou not hauing true faith and the spirit of sanctification learne to know as yet thou art in the state of damnation and if thou dyest in this condition thou must goe from this first death to the second death which is endlesse Now when you haue taken these fiue sorts of dead Christians out of your congregations I