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
A30814	A glimpse of God, or, A treatise proving that there is a God discovering the grounds of atheism, with arguments of divers sorts against atheists : shewing also, the unity of the Godhead, and the trinity of the persons ... / by ... Mr. Thomas Byrdall ...	Byrdall, Thomas, 1607 or 8-1662?	1665 (1665)	Wing B6404; ESTC R14883	155,901	472

is the thing he so much requireth the service that is onely well-pleasing crowned with perfect reward and without this kind of perfection all glorious duties are no other in God's account than the cursed works of darkness The Exhortation is to a double Duty 1. To be perfect as God is perfect We may be we must be perfect as God is perfect We cannot be equally perfect as God we must strive after a perfection of resemblance although we cannot possibly attain to a perfection of equality created nature being uncapable thereof Now here I will shew how we may be perfect as God is perfect and then shew what it is to serve God with a perfect heart Now first That we may be perfect as God is perfect 1. Let us lahour to get all grace to exist in us As God's perfection is the fulness of all excellencies required to the nature of God so is a Christians perfection an having of all grace requisite to a childe of God as perfection of parts is requisire to make a man perfect Were there a defect but of one excellency in God he were imperfect were there but one member in a body defective it were an imperfect body so the want of one grace makes an imperfect Saint therefore the Apostle Peter exhorteth to add to faith vertue and to vertue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godlines and to godliness brotherlykindnes and to brotherly kindness charity 2 Pet. 2. 5 6. And St. Paul exhorteth us to be filled with the Spirit wherein there is no excess Ephes 5. 18. It is impossible for a man to be too holy too gracious Covetous men add ground to ground house to house field to field when they resolve to be rich thus Saints should add one vertue to another if they will be perfect as God is perfect 2. We must grow in these acquired graces the more we grow in them the more we come near God in perfection the more holy we grow the nearer we come to him that is perfectly holy as a growing childe comes near the stature and perfection of a man He is not in any wise perfect that grows not more perfect A dead childe grows not painted trees grow not and so will never come to perfection Thy holiness is but a dead holiness thy faith but a dead or painted faith if it grow not Gods perfections are eminent in him we must strive to be eminent as he is this was St. Paul's endeavour The perfection of Saints in this life is to be sensible of imperfections and to desi●e more perfection Take it my brethren for a sure rule that the work of grace was never begun in that heart where God doth not by dgrees perfect the work for he is perfect in all his works perfect in the work of Sanctification of his elect as in the Creation of them 3. We should extend the work of grace in us as far as possibly we can Let patience have its perfect work that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing Jam. 1. 4. Let patience have its perfect work in all afflictions and to all men There are two Graces wherein we should resemble God in our perfections First The one is in love to our enemies the sun of our love must shine upon them so doth God's perfect love and in so doing ye shall be like your heavenly Father Secondly In mercifulnes in the works of mercy to the distressed yea even to enemies themselves Luk. 6. 38. And in so doing ye shall be like your heavenly Father So that from those places we may see what it is to be petfect as God is perfect A merciful man whose mercy runs round the circumference is perfect as God is perfect a loving man that can pray for bless pardon even his enemies is perfect as God is perfect SECT 2. NOw I come briefly to the next branch of the Exhortation Is God perfect then serve him with a perfect heart God speaks to us as David to Solomon And now Solomon my Son serve God with a perfect heart and with a willing mind 1 Chron. 28. 6. Thus God speaks to every one of us Thou my son the son of my grace the son of my love of my mercy serve thou me with a perfect heart Now what it is to serve God with a perfect heart these three things will shew 1. To serve God with thy whole heart with all thy mind will and affections The whole soul must be taken up with God in his service lift up thy heart to God as well as thine eyes bow thy heart as well as thy knees do all thy duties with thy whole heart a divided a distracted heart is an imperfect heart 2. To set up pure aims and ends in thy heart in all services done to God A sincere heart is a perfect heart to serve God with such an heart is to serve him with a perfect heart Then do we serve God sincerely when we seek to advance God in all that we do we seek that God may be glorified and so in all acts of obedience Jehu's heart was not perfect because he did not seek God in doing the will of God A man may serve himself in doing God's will 3. To have in thy heart a full respect to all Gods commandments when it is in thy heart to do all God's Commandments with all thy heart to be wanting in no duty in no act of obedience this is to be perfect Such a man as this is a man after God's own heart Some give this reason why David is said to be a a man after God's own heart viz. because he was so zealous for God Others because he was so full of praises But this is the Holy Ghosts reason Acts 13. 22. David is called a man God's after own heart because he fulfilled all Gods will to do all which God commandeth We say the eye is perfectly drawn in a picture when it equally looks upon all in the same room So that is a perfect heart which equally looks to all Commandments of God Now to stir you up to serve God with a perfect heart consider these Motives Motive 1. Where perfection of heart is there the weakect performances are accepted the Widows Luk. 21. 2 3. two mites were better accepted then the great largesses of the rich the infirmities of the Saints in their faithful services because done with a perfect heart Job had bitter temptations and murmrings and many impatient fits yet all were forgotten for what saith the holy Ghost have ye not heard of the patience of Job Jam. 5. 11. 2. God will surely protect such they are his jewels the Lord highly prizeth them and would have all the world take notice of such men God even boasteth of such men Job 1. 1. the Lord saith of Joh that he was a man that was perfect and upright he speaks it in the commendation of his perfectness Vse 6. Is God perfect the very

Christian that hath tasted how gracious God in Christ is to him and how bitter sin is knows both better than that Minister that hath onely read a thousand books or that Christian that hath onely heard a thousand Sermons of both When we preach of the sweetness of God and his ordinances to men that never had any experimental knowledg we do but commend dainty meats to dead pallates and commend the Sunne to men that are blind knowledg in the soul is both the eye and light if the light that is in a man be darkness how great is that darkness Why do the Generality of the world take phancy for faith presumption and conceit for faith is it not because they want this light of saving knowledg to discern the right hand of faith from the left hand of phancy and presumption now craving pardon for this my boldness my prayer for you to God shall be that you may not be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledg of God and now when the World is blew with envy green in malice and withered in goodness and when many great persons provide delitiously for their bellies gloriously for their backs and poorly for their souls you may always be doing good laying up in store for yo●● selves a good foundation against the time to come and laying hold of eternal life that when others shall be found among the foolish virgins with their sic dicentes so saying you may be found among the good servants with your sic facientes so doing I humbly take my leave and rest Much honoured Sir and Madam Your Worships most humble Servant in the Gospel W. GEARING May. 1. 1665. A Discourse shewing that there is a God with Arguments against Atheism of divers sorts HEB. 11. 6 But without Faith it is impossible to please God for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him CHAP. I. Sect. 1. THese words have reference to the foregoing Enoch was translated from this earthly vale of misery into a full possession of heavenly happines before he was translated he had communion and fellowship with God and now he enjoyeth eternal fellowship with his God without interruption for a moment because he had this Testimony that he pleased God hence I observe That there is no heavenly happiness to be expected after death without pleasing God on earth Heaven is an holy place and will not admit rebells Abraham's bosome is no lodging-place for unbelieving miscreants How came Enoch to please God the Apostle sheweth in this verse it was by faith Without faith it is impossible to please him By faith I understand a Justifying faith a fiduciall recumbency upon God in Christ By pleasing God two things are understood 1. Approbation By faith Enoch was approved of God or Enoch did approve himself before God 2 That he was justified accepted of as a righteous person his faith made his person acceptable and his obedience well-pleasing the gift sanctifieth not the altar but the Altar the gift the gold is therefore pretious because it is the gold of the Temple the same may be spoken of our persons and of our works our good works make not our person good but our person makes our works good 't is by faith our works are denominated good A thousand duties and glorious works will no more benefit an unbelieving person then crowns of gold and diamonds and Garlands of roses a filthy putrifying Carcass all moral perfections how glorious and gratious soever to outward appearance yet are as St. Augustine calls them Splendida peccata glittering sins speaking of moral vertues in the unbelieving Heathens you may learn hence these three things 1. Whatsoever graces are in men yet faith is the grace which makes them the delight of Gods eyes the Apostle nameth not one grace in Enoch but his faith Faith is the rich diamond in the ring of grace 't is the rose of Sharon in a garland of Lillies 2. All unbelieving men what glorious vertues soever are in them yet cannot nor shall obtain salvation the knowledg of God from the creature was too dark a lant-horn to guid the Philosophers feet in the way of etern●l peace and salvation 'T is no better then an ignis fatuus which leads men into the p●t of destruction it is only the light of the Gospel which like the star that guided the wise men to Christ must bring us to Christ and so to salvation 3. The best works and duties of unregenerate men please not God for want of faith God throws them away as execrable things he will not touch them because they are unclean Sect. 2. Now in the next words the Apostle sheweth what Faith is here are two things 1. Here is Credere Deum a man must first be perswaded that there is a God or that God is 2. Credere in Deum a believing in Credere Deum God or a reposing of confidence in God as a bountifull rewarder of all them that seek him Or thus there are two things Credere in Deum required in all that look to be made partakers of eternal and glorious communion with God in heaven 1. There must be certa notitia veri Dei a true and right knowledg of the true God 2. There must be fiducia a trust and Fiducia Ass●ns●s in int●llectu ●t co●sensus in volu●tate confidence in God There must be assensus in intellectu consensus in voluntate the Mind must apprehend God and the Will must embrace God this is true faith which makes a man to please God for what is faith but a fiduciall knowledg of God or a knowledg of God in Christ with application But I will further open these three Phrases and shall enquire 1. What is this coming to God 1. By coming to God some understand believing in God faith is called a comming to God in Christ No man can come unto me i. e. no man can believe in me unlesse the Father draw him or raise him up to believe 2. By Coming is rather meant a fruition of God as the chief goodnesse and happines for in the following words he speaks of believing A man must first believe that God is and that he is a bountiful rewarder of such before he will come unto him 2. We are to enquire the meaning of that phrase Must believe that he is I answer He must believe either that Bez. annot in loc there is a God or els as Beza hath it that God is true and faithful in his free and gracious promises 3. What is meant by the other phrase And a rewarder of them that diligently seek him I answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is Beza's observation that there is mutuall relation betvveen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praemium ultroneam promissionem a free reward or gift and a free gracious promise and not inter mercedem merita between a

whether God is CHAP. III. THe use of this point is first for conviction of Atheists but oh tha● they were convinced that doubtlesse there is a God! never was there a miracle wrought to convince an Atheist because any creature is sufficient he cannot op●n his eyes any way but he may s●e a world of arguments to convince him What! canst thou behold the works o● God which none can do ●ut G●d and be an Atheist What an Athiest when as thy inward conscience by her gripes will tell thee there is a G●d W●at an Atheist and yet in sickn●sse and trouble call upon God if there be any among us that will not now acknowledg there is a God yet when death cometh they shall then find and approve that there is a God and if there be any here that will not be convinced let him alone God shall put him to School to the D●vil and he will learn him this lesson that there is a God Now I will shew the severall sorts of Atheists and the grounds of Atheism 1. Some such there have been and oh that there were none of th●t generation left who profess outwardly there is no God ●t all Such a one was Sueton in Calig Caligula the Emperour and yet in time of Thunder and Tempest and such fearfull passages did tremble as no man more and would many a time hide himself in a Vault as Histories relate 2. There are David's fools who Psal 41 ●1 durst not for the shame of the World outwardly say there is no God yet in their hearts either wish there were no God at all or would perswade themselves there is no God at all or to use David's phrase Say in their hearts Senec● there is no God Seneca hath a remarkable speech of these two sorts Mentiuntur qui dicunt se non sentire Deum esse nam etsi tibi affirm●nt interdi● noctu tamen dubitant They lye saith he who say they perceive not ●here is a God for although they affirm it to thee in the day time yet by night they doubt of it 3. Every wicked man is an Atheist what boasts soever they make of their knowledge of God their abominable works do deny God Tit. 1. 16. The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart that there is no fear of God before his eyes Psal 36. 1. The drunkennesse of the Drunkard is a denial of God if the drunkard were perswaded there were a God he would not give himself up to such swinish brutishnesse the like may be said to those that delight in secret sins 4. Such as deny God in any thing through their gross Atheisticall thoughts of God 1. Such as shut up God in Heaven as a blind and ignorant God not knowing or not regarding what is done here below they imagine him a forgetfull God or a God that seeth not The Psalmist gives us the lauguage of such men Psal 73. 11. They say how doth God know and is there knowledg in the most high So they deny God's Omnipresency and God's Omnisciency which to think is as it were to un-God God 2. Such as conceive God to be made all of mercy and no justice as the ignorant think or all made of justice and no mercy as all despairing persons do CHAP. IV. Sheweth the grounds of Atheism IN the next place I shall lay down the grounds of Atheism 1. The first is that naturall blindnesse and ignorance of God that is in our hearts Atheism is one branch that sprouts from that cursed root of bitternesse in us when David tells us that the fool hath said in his heart there is no God Psal 14. 1. it followeth in ver 2. The Lord looked down from heaven to see if there were any that did understand and seek God there is a naturall Atheism in all which faith and saving knowledge expelleth it is through ignorance that carnall men have such gross conceits of God 2. A second ground is their sensuall desires of satisfying their base lusts because men give themselves up to sensuality and to work all manner of wickednesse and would not be crossed in their courses but would have an uncontroulable liberty hence they perswade or at least would perswade themselves there is no God 3. 'T is through the just Judgement of God upon ungodly men that they are given over to such thoughts that there is no God for when men shall labour to quench the light of Nature and although the invisible God be visible in his works yet will not they acknowledge him but even wilfully study to be Atheists God bereaves them of the thoughts and notions of God and inflicts upon them a reprobate mind that they shall not retain him in their thoughts 4. The impunity of wicked men makes Atheists because they sin and go unpunished sin against God and against Heaven and no wrath and vengeance is revealed from Heaven upon them hence they flatter themselves with Atheisticall thoughts either that there is no God or that God is blind and either sees not or regard's not what is done here below Psal 50. 21. or else they think that God is altogether such a one as themselves not considering there is a day of the revelatiof the righteous judgement of God coming upon them when vengeance shall be paid and not considering the drops of Divine vengeance that have already fallen upon some Atheisticall persons like to themselves 5. A seared and hardened Conscience is another cause of practicall Atheism because they feel no workings of conscience no gripes nor accusations of conscience no fears nor terrours as others but live in the habituall practice of notorious sins publique and private and conscience is dead within them in regard of it's operations hence it is that fools say in their heart that there is no God and so because God and Conscience let them alone they throw the rains upon their necks do live most abominably and fill up the measure of their sins and treasure up wrath against the day of wrath God abhorrs them and gives them up to their lusts and rese●ves them for wrath and wrath for them this is their punishment for the present and it will be most bitter hereafter and when they shall feel the power of his Almighty wrath and are blaspherning under it then shall they acknowledge that there is a God CHAP. V. THis should cause every one of us to humble our selves for those cursed seeds of Atheism that are in all our hearts and cause us to oppose Atheism as one of the most detestable sins that is among us we should hate and oppose it 1. As a sin that is most against the light of Nature every creature the least Gnat and Fly and the meanest Worm will confound a man that dispute's whether there be a God 2. We should set our selves against this sin as that which is most of all opposite to God against the very being of God himself because it denyes his