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	patience_n	temperance_n	4,962	5	11.6128	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28173	The sinners sanctuary, or, A discovery made of those glorious priviledges offered unto the penitent and faithful under the Gospel unfolding their freedom from death, condemnation, and the law, in fourty sermons upon Romans, Chap. 8 / by that eminent preacher of the Gospel, Mr. Hugh Binning ...	Binning, Hugh, 1627-1653.	1670 (1670)	Wing B2933; ESTC R6153	246,575	304

of these hath the preheminency that he is If the spirit be indeed elevated above all sensual and earthly things to the life of Angels that is to communion with God then a man is one after the Spirit an Angel incarnat an Angel dwelling in flesh but if his spirit throw it self down to the service of the f●esh minding and favouring only things sensual and visible then indeed a man puts off humanity and hath associated himself to beasts to be as one of them And indeed a man made thus like a beast is worse then a beast because he ought to be far better it is no disparagement to a beast to mind only the flesh but it is greatest abasement of a man that which draws him down from that higher station God had set him into to the lowest station that of beasts and truly a Nebu●hadnezzar among beasts is the greatest beast of all far more bruitish then any beast Now such is every man by nature that which is born of the flesh is flesh even man as he comes out of the womb is degenerated and fallen down into this bruitish estate to mind to savour to relish nothing but what relates to this fleshly or temporal being The utmost sphear and comprehension of man is now of no larger extent then this visible world and this present life He is blind and seeth not far off 2 Pet. 1.9 Truly such is every man by nature whereas the proper native sphear of the spirits motion and comprehension is as large as its endurance that is as long as eternity and as broad as to reach the infinitness of God the God of all spirits now through the slavery and bondage of mens spirits to their flesh it s contracted into as narrow bounds as this poor life in the flesh he that ought to look beyond time as far as eternity and hath an immortal spi●it given ●or that end he is now half blind the eye of the mind is so over-clouded with lusts and passions that it cannot see far off not so far as to the morrow after death not so far as to the entry of eternity And truly if you compare the context you will find that whosoever doth not give all diligence to add to faith vertue to vertue knowledge to knowledge temperance to temperance patience and to patience godliness c. He that is not exercised and imployed about this study how to adorn his spirit with these graces how to have a victory over himself and the world and in respect of these accounts all things beside indifferent such a man is blind and seeth not far off he hath not gotten the sight of eternity he hath not taken up that everlasting endurance else he could not spend his time upon the provision for the lusts of the flesh but he behoved to lay such a good foundation for the time to come as is here mentioned If he saw afar off he could not but make acquaintance with those courtiers of Heaven which will minister an entrance into that everlasting Kingdom But truly while this is not your study you have no purpose for Heaven you see nothing but what is just before your eye and almost toucheth it and so you savour and mind only what you see Is not this then a wide difference between the children of this world and the children of God Is it not very substantial all others are circumstantial in respect of this this only puts a real difference in that which is best in men viz. their spirits The excellency of nature is known by their affections and motions so are these here the spiritual man savours spiritual things the carnal man carnal things every thing symphathizes with that which is like it self and is ready to incorporat into it things are nou●ished and preserved by things like themselves You see the Swine embraces the dung-hill that stink is only savoury smell to them because its suitable to their nature but a man hath a more excellent taste and smell and he savours finer and sweeter things Truly it cannot choose but that it must be a nature more swinish or bruitish then ● swine that can relish and savour such filthy abominable works of the flesh as abound amongst some of you The works of the flesh are manifest Gal. 5.19 and indeed they are manifest upon you acted in the very day time out-facing the very light of the Gospel you may read them and see if they be not too manifest in you Now what a base nature what abominable and bruitish spirits must possesse men that they apprehend a sweetnesse and fragrancy in the●e corrupt and stinking works of the old man O how base a scent is it to smell and savour nothing but this present world and satisfaction to your senses Truly your scent and smell your relish and taste argues your base degenerat and bruitish natures that you are on the worst side of this division after the flesh But alace it is not possible to perswade you that there is no swee●ness● no fragrancy nothing but corruption and rottennesse such as comes out of Sepulchres opened in all these wo●ks of the flesh till once a new spirit be put in you and your natures changed no more then you can by eloquence perswade a sick man who●e pallat is possessed with a vitiated bitter humour that such things as are suitable to his vitiated taste are indeed bitter or make a swine to believe that the dunghill is stinking and unpleasant Truly it is as impossible to make the multitude of men to apprehend to relish or savour any bitterness or loathsomnesse in the wayes and courses they ●ollow or any sweetness and fragrancy in the wayes of Godlinesse till once your tastes be rectified your spirits be transformed and renewed And indeed when once the spirit is renewed and dispossessed of that malignant humour of corruption and fleshly affection that did present all things contrary to what they are then it is like a healthful and wholsome pallat that tastes all things as they are and finds bitter bitter and sweet sweet or like a sound eye that beholds things just as they are both in colour quantity and distance Then the soul savours the sweet smell of the fruits of the Spirit vers 22. Love joy peace long-suffering meekness temperance c. these are fragrant and sweet to the soul and as a sweet perfume both to the person that hath them and to others round about him and to God also these cast a savour that allures a soul to seek them and being possessed of them they cast a sweet smell abroad to all that are round about and even as high as Heaven a soul that hath these planted in it and growing out of it is as a garden inclosed to God These fruits are both pleasant and sweet to the soul that eats them and as the pleasantness of the apple allured man to taste it and sin so the beauty and sweetnesse of these fruits of the Spirit

himself and fittest to declare himself But then there is yet a higher rise of the mystery or a lower descent of God for it s all one God descending is the wonder ascending he sent his Son mans admiration is already exhausted in that but if there were any thing behind this which follows would consume it in the flesh If he had sent his own Son might he not have sent him in an estate and condition suitable to his glory as it became the Prince and Heir of all things him by whom all were created and do subsist Nay but he is sent and that in a state of humiliation and condescendency infinitly below his own dignity That ever he was made a Creature that the Maker of all should be sent in the form of any thing he had made O! what a disparagement there is no such distance between the highest Prince on the throne and the basest beggar on the dung-hill as between the only begotten of the Father who is the brightness of his glory and the most glorious Angel that ever was made And yet it would be a wonder to the World if a King should send his son in the habit and state of a beggar to call in the poor and lame and blind to the fellowship of his Kingdom It had been a great mystery then if God had been manifested in the nature of Angels a great abasement of his Majesty But O! what must it be for God to be manifested in the flesh in the basest naughtiest and most corruptible of all the Creatures even the very d●eg● of the Creation that have sunk down to the bottom All flesh is gra●s and what more withering and fading even the flower and perfection of it I●a 40.6 Dust it is and what ba●er Gen. 18.27 and corruption it is and what vi●er 1 Cor. 15.44 and yet God sent his Son in the flesh Is this a manifestation nay rather it is a hiding and obscu●ation of his glory it s the putting on of a dark vail to eclipse his brightnesse yet manifested he is as the intendment of the work he was about required manifested to reproach and ignominy for our sin This is one and a great point of Christs humiliation that he took not on him the nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham Heb. 2.16 But yet to compleat this mystery more the Son descends a third step lower that the mystery may ascend so much the higher in the likeness of flesh not so but in the likeness of sinful flesh If he had appeared in the prime flower and perfection of flesh in the very goodliness of it yet it had been a disparagement if he had come down as glorious as he once went up and now sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high if he had been alwayes in that ●e●plendant habit he put on in his transfiguration that had been yet an abasement of his Majesty but to come in the likeness of sinful flesh though not a sinner yet in the likeness of a sinner so like as touching his outward appearance that no eye could discern any difference compassed about with all these infirmities and necessities which are the followers and attendants of sin in us a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs a man who all his life time had intimat acquaintance and familiarity with grief grief and he were long acquaintance and never parted till death parted them nay not only was he in his outward estate subject to all these miseries and infirmities unto which sin subjects other men but was something beyond all his vi●age more marr'd then any mans and his form more then the sons of men Isa. 52.14 and therefore he was a hissing and astonishment to many he had no form of nor comeliness in him and no beauty to make him desirable and therefore his own friends were ashamed of him and hid their faces from him he was despised and rejected of men Isa. 53.2 3. Thus you see he comes in the most despicable and disgraceful form of flesh that can be and an abject among men and as himself speaks in Psal. 22.6 a worm and not a man a reproach of men and dispised among the people Now this I say is the crowning of the great mystery of Godliness which without all controversie is the mystery in all the world that hath in it most greatnesse and goodnesse combined together that is the subject of the highest admiration and the fountain of the sweetest consolation that either Reason or Religion can afford The mysteries of the Trinity are so high that if any dares to reach at them he doth but catch the lower fall it is as if a worm would attempt to touch the Sun in the Firmament But this mystery is God coming down to man to be handled and seen of men because man could not rise up to Gods highnesse it is God descending to our basenesse and so coming near us to save us It is not a con●ounding but a saving mystery there is the highest truth in it for the understanding to contemplat and admire there is the greatest good in it for the will to choose and rest upon It s contrived for wonder and delight to M●n and Angels these three which the Angelick song runs upon are the Jewels of it Glory to God peace on Earth and good will towards men SERMON XII Rom. 8.3 For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son c. OF all the works of God towards man certainly there is none hath so much wonder in it as the sending of his Son to become man and so it requires the exactest attention in us let us gather our spirits to consider of this mystery not to pry into the secrets of it curiously as if we had no more to do but to satisfie our understandings but rather that we may see what this concerns us and what instruction or advantage we may have by it that so it may ravish our affections I believe there is very palpable and grosse ignorance in thousands of the very thing it self many who professe Jesus Christ know not his Natures or his glorious Person do not apprehend either his highness as God or his lowness as man But truly the thing that I do most admire is that these who pretend to more knowledge of this mystery yet few of them do enter upon any serious consideration about it for what use and purpose it is though it be the foundation of our salvation the chief ground of our faith and the great spring of our consolation yet to improve the knowledge of it to any purpose of that kind is a thing so rare even among true Christians that it is little the subject of their meditation I think indeed the lively improvement of this mystery of godliness would be very effectual to make us really what we are said to be that is Christians There is somthing to this purpose 1