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
A77983	Four books on the eleventh of Matthew: viz: I. Christ inviting sinners to come to him for rest. II. Christ the great teacher of souls that come to him. To which is added a treatise of meekness and of anger. III. Christ the humble teacher of those that come to him. IIII. The only easie way to heaven. By Jeremiah Burroughs, preacher of the Gospel at Stepny and Cripple-Gate, London.	Burroughs, Jeremiah, 1599-1646.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.	1659 (1659)	Wing B6072_pt3-4; Wing B6116_PART; Thomason E965_1; ESTC R207640	203,123	309

from thence the word comes My Burden is light The meaning in the original is this it is such a light burden as man may have it upon him and dance with it leap and dance have joy and delight with this burden upon their back● other burdens presseth down makes a man go heavily but this burden is so light that those that have it on it makes their hearts light and easie that they can go and skip and dance with this burden upon them that is the word in the originall we have not a word in the English to express it thus and the word that you have in 2 Pet. 1. 5. hath some likeness to that that Christ means Add to your Faith Virtue and to Virtue Knowledg and to Knowledg Temperance and to Temperance Patience and to Patience Godliness and so multiplies particulars And now the word is in the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to lead in the dance and these virtues one to another it is true it signifies the ministring of the supplies that Members have from the Head only in your English it is said Add to your Faith Virtue it either signifies the ministring of the Head to the Members that which the Members receive by the ministring of the Head and so ●t is proper there that all the virtues we have they are but added one to another from the virtue that is ministred from Christ our Head to us Members Or else the word signifies to lead in a dance as first one goes and the other follows so Faith goes first and that leads on the other it signifies the delightfulness in Christianity when Faith goes before and al the other virtues coming after there is a delightfulness in all the waies of Godliness and Christianity and in the excercising of Virtues That for the meaning of the word My Burden is light such a Burden as will make the heart light and that one may have a Burden on and go lightly and skipping as if he had none Only one thing more for the opening of the words My Yoke is easie and my Burden is light I confess these two expressions many make but all one Yoke and Burden and others think there is a little difference tha● by Yoke is meant what Jesus Christ requires of us in the Gospel to do and by Burden is meant what we are required in the Gospel to suffer both active and passive obedience the coming under the rule and government of Christ in the Gospel that is a Yoke I but it is a very gentle Yoke and so when we come under the obedience of Christ to be professors of the Gospel we must expect to suffer much and bear great Burdens of affliction in the world I but saith Christ these Burdens of afflictions if they come and persecute you never so much here you shall find them but light burdens all that I require of you to do shall be easie and all that I require of you to suffer shall be light So that from hence we have this Point of Doctrine for I shal not handle them asunder but put them both together CHAP. CXXXIIII Doct. The way of the Gospel that brings to Heaven is an easie way This confirmed and explained in Six particulars DOCT. THat whatsoever Jesus Christ requires of us either in doing or in suffering it is very easie and very light The way of the Gospel that brings to Heaven is an easie way That is the Point And when we name it I suppose it will seem one of the strangest points that ever was preached or that you have heard of That the way of the Gospel to bring People to Heaven is an easie way it seems contrary to other Scriptures Strive to enter in at the straight Gate for straight is the Gate and narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that find it and Ministers tel us the way to Heaven is a very difficult way and many times it is made an evidence of men that are but carnal and have not the power of Godliness in them that they find so much ease in their way I suppose these you have heard of Well before we have done with the Point we shall reconcile all these things only for the present seeing they are the words of Christ we must yeild them to have a truth in them That the Yoke of Christ whatever it is that Christ would have us submit unto it is easie whatever Burden he would have us bear in this world it is a light Burden Let all those that are continually complaining of the difficulties that lie in the waies of Godliness take notice of this Point many there are that make it their Religion to be continually complaining of difficulties that there are in Gods waies as if by that they would shew that they saw somewhat and felt somewhat more than others did and are never in waies of thanksgiving or in waies of rejoycing but alwaies complaining of the waies of God and what difficulties they find in them let them take notice that whatever thy thoughts have been heretofore or what thy Speeches have been about them yet Jesus Christ himself saith that his Yoke is easie and of his Burden that it is light Now therefore First I shall confirm it by Scriptures and then come to branch it into several particulars for the opening of it For Scriptures take these three the first is in Psal 119. 44 45. So shall I keep thy Law continually for ever and ever and I will walk at liberty for I seek thy Precepts The Soul that doth truly seek Gods precepts to be under the command of the precepts of God such a one walks at liberty never hath so much liberty as at that time when he seeks Gods precepts You may think that to be under the command of the word and especially that in seeking the commands of the Lord it will bring you into bondage There is no such liberty in the world as being under the command of God and seeking the commands of the word And then in Prov. 15. 19. The way of the slothfull is as a hedg of Thorns that is there is a great deal of difficulty in the way of the slothful now this is an opposition to the waies of the s●othfull But the way of the righteous is plain there is no such difficulty in his way a righteous mans way to Heaven it is a plain way a plain path he may go in it with ease it is not a rigid way it is not a stony way a thorny way but it is a plain way that a man may go easie there Now if you be walking in any place from Town to Town if you walk in a place where is plain way in the fields it is easie all the while Now you go to the City and you walk in the fields it is plain it is easie but when you come upon stones it is more difficult So it is here The way of the righteous is plain

the other two The waies of God indeed and Religion and walking in the waies of God we must needs acknowledg to be easie but there is two other things as the Discipline of Jesus Christ and the sufferings that Jesus cals us unto How will that be made out to be easie to us Now I verily beleeve that Jesus Christ had an aim at these two as well as to any other to let them know what Discipline and Goverment he would have his people come under in the times of the Gospel and indeed we cannot be the Disciples of Jesus Christ as we ought except we be willing to put our necks under the yoke of the Discipline of Jesus Christ the Goverment of Christ as it is in his Church we must not think it sufficient meerly that we profess Religion and profess God●●ness that we keep from the sins of the world that we walk close with God in our Families but Christ requires likewise that we should come and sub●it our selves to what Goverment he appoints in his Church and that is a part of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ as wel as his ruling in our hearts indeed that is the principall work of Christ in ruling in our hearts but Christ hath a Kingly power in ruling in his Church the main yoke is inward but there is an outward yoke too for Christ would not have men live as they list in a disorderly way but it is the mind of Jesus Christ that all his Saints though some in one place and some in another should joyn together in exercising such Ordinances as he hath appointed in the externall governing of his Church and yet so that all these are very easie to a spiritual heart though it may seem very difficult to a carnal heart for I should wrong the Text and not be faithfull if I should not give you what I verily beleeve is the scope of the Text I say this yoke is the order of Christ in his Church if it be neglected by people it is a great dishonor unto Jesus Christ and hinders them exceedingly in the waies of Religion and though it be very hard to carnal hearts it is very easie to spiritual hearts I am verily perswaded that one of the greatest things that causeth so much malignity in this Kingdome at this day it is the fearing of the yoke of Christ men are afraid of the goverment of Christ in his Church they are afraid they shall not have that liberty for their lusts and wickedness as formerly but that there shall be yokes to restrain and keep them from those loose waies that formerly they lived in and you may see plainly it is so who are they that joyn with the malignant party that have such spirits but such as have loose spirits they are those that live very loosly others that have meer civility and know little of the power of Godliness they are afraid of this and Oh how is it said by most we will not have this man reign over us they even said they will break his bonds asunder and cast away his cords that is the controversie that it is come to at this very day and that Prophecy in Psalm 2. seems to be fulfilled at this day at verse 2. The Kings of the earth set themselves and the Rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying Let us break their bonds asunder and cast away their cords from us he that sitteth in the Heavens shall laugh the Lord shall have them in derision Then shall he speak to them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion for al this I wil set my King upon my holy hil Certainly Christ is not set up as King as he ought to be whatever profession we make except we be willing to come in put our necks under the yoke of Christ and Oh what a heavy burden and yoke it is For instance That Men and Women should not make a meer verbal profession and say I beleeve and I hope to be saved by Christ but should give an account of their Faith and give an account of some work of God upon their hearts that God hath called them out of the world certainly that is one thing that Christ doth require in his peoples joyning together to set up the Ordinances as they ought to be that they should have some knowledg one of another knowledg of some work of the Holy Ghost upon their hearts You will say that is secret I but though the Holy Ghost worketh in secret yet certainly this may some way or other appear we cannot know it certainly for there may be many Hypocrites no question in the Church of God and it is a very vain cavil for men to say can the Church of God be without Hypocrites that is taken indeed for granted and no body in the world denies it I but there must be that in the judgment of Charity so as by the judgment of Charity we may see so far as we are able to see that the Holy Ghost hath been working upon the Soul of this Man and Woman and hath called them out of the world this is the first thing in coming under the yoke of Christ in his Church Now how hard is this to carnal hearts the very mentioning of it is enough to make a mutiny in many places What! have we lived al this while and must we now come to give account of our faith But now it is an easy thing to a gracious heart what is more easy to a Gracious Heart then to speak of the work of God upon his Heart to give Glory to Jesus Christ in manifesting the work of God in calling him out of the world and bringing him out of the Kingdom of darkness and translating him into the Kingdom of his dear Son the manifestation of this is exceeding delightful to a gracious Heart And whereas many think that some wil lay a greater yoke upon them by coming in and submitting to the gouerment of Christ in his Church they say they wil make them to enter into a solemn Covenant before they wil admit them I confess were it so that this were urged as a thing necessary that they should not come in and joyn in the ordinances of Christ without an explicit solemn Covenant then I cannot but acknowledg it were a yoke that I think Christ never laid upon his Church not an explicit solemn Covenant to urge it as necessary that they cannot come and joyn in the ordinances without it and as for my part I know not any that urge it as necessary though it is used it is true because it is the way of manifesting themselves one way or another and some way they would have for the manifestation of the grace of God and of their willingness to joyn with them in all the Ordinances of Christ so far as is revealed to them and I