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
A90641	Philadelphia, or, Brotherly love to the studious in the hermetick art. Wherein is discovered the principles of hermetick philosophy, with much candor and plainness. / Written by Eyreneus Philoctetes.	Philoctetes, Eyreneus.; Starkey, George, d. 1666.	1694 (1694)	Wing P1982A; ESTC R204402	19,199	104

there are steps to knowledge so likewise there are steps beyond it as the Holy ManDivinely sets forth and admonisheth that Faith and Virtue precede Knowledge then to add to Knowledge Temperance to Temperance Patience to Patience Godliness to Godliness Brotherly Kindness and to Brotherly Kindness Charity O happy Attainment O Divine Chain of Perfection Therefore we must say with the Inspired Apostle That altho' we should understand all Mysteries and all Knowledge and had not Charity it would availe nothing Farr hence therefore ye ungodly ye prophane and Covetous for neither these Divine nor Natural Mysteries are your Portion But for the Virtuous Prudent and well Accomplished Students and Lovers of Chymical Philosophy I have written this short Tract in Brotherly Love not indeed by way of Invitation to the Art tho' its truth and excellency would warrant it there being too many rashly Concerned therein already but to Instruct those rightly seeking and also if possible to prevent all from attempting to effect our Magestery by fruitless and vain Operations by which they not only bring Disgrace to the Art but Poverty to themselves And I may assure the Ingenious that it is the very desire of those that have obtained a reward of their Labour and study to be helpful But I hope such are not ignorant of the Difficulty of the Task for as nothing Gratifies us more then being understood in our own Philosophical Sence so nothing is more regretting then the thoughts of Introducing wicked and blocking Men. Hence is required a peculiar Method in Writing that we may Instruct the one and conceal from the other and indeed many weighty Reasons perswades us to perform the Latter with what skill we can Yet considering that we necessarily must for the Instruction of Tyroes Candidly Write the Truth and that every Treatise when published is lyable to be perused by all we conclude therefore on good Grounds that the Event is more owing to Providence then our Cunning. But indeed the Writings of the Envious together with those of the Ignorant which are not a few have proved a sufficient Bulwark against the rash and confident Approachers and they have also yielded an occasion and opportunity to the more Candid and Knowing to Write the more plain and Familiar And indeed the first Care of a Tyro ought to be the Distinguishing of Writers that he may not only shun the false but envious and Converse with those only that are knowing and Candid And therefore for the Instruction of those that are not capable to make a true distinction between the true false Writings it being indeed difficult for Tyroes for they have Written equal in their Promises both of their Candor and the Readers Reward or rather the latter have excelled I shall recommend the more Candid as well as knowing Masters in this Science with advice to the Studious they need not doubt their Sufficiency to Instruct them in all things necessary without consulting any others tho'true ones by which they may not only shun the false but envious Writings I dare affirm there is nothing more tends to to bring the Searchers of this Art to the knowledge thereof then only to read Candid and knowing Authors nor nothing more confounding than the reading true and false Books with equal Credit I shall therefore recommend the Writings of Hermes Artesius Flammel Riply Trevesan Sendivogius the Author of the Hermetick Secrets which are all Candid Authors and to shorten the reckoning all others that are quoted by these But above any I must recommend one of our Moderns who stiles himself Eironaeus Philalethes Cosmopolita whose Writings are the best Piece of Chymical Philosophy extant and indeed has performed that for the Lovers of Art that Challenges the Garland of Praise from all others for whereas he with many more were fain to acquire the knowledge of the Secret of the Philosophers Magnes from one of their Magical Chalibs from another the use of Diana's Doves from a third the Air or rather Chamelian of the Philosophers from another the gross Preparation of their Menstruum in another the number of Eagles in another all which together with Internal Fires and Proportions secret and Manual operation with their Circumstances he has Philosophically and Methodically taught with more Candor and freedom then those before him Let Tyroes therefore rely upon this the Authors mentioned are abundantly sufficient others may be read to confirm the studious but such that cannot conceive the truth from these would never from all others they can read reap the Knowledge of our Secrets And for the Instruction of the Studious I will Inform them what is requisite to be known in the reading these Authors mentioned and what must be acquired before they conclude they are understood For it is not sufficient if a word or two in one and another seem to harmonize and all the rest seem superfluous and of no value no have no such mean thoughts of the knowing Adepts as tho' either their Subjects were so mean or they so Barren I can assure you their Writings abound with requisite Matter and Concurring Truths and unless they are so read and understood as an Egg is eaten viz. throwing away only the shell which is a small proportion they are not comprehended nor understood aright notwithstanding any Conceit to the Contrary Therefore till they are thus understood go not to practice any Theory with expectation of Success In order therefore to a right understanding I shall lay a sound Foundation for the studious Tyroes and whosoever Builds thereon according to Art shall find it sure and the foundation of all Philosophers Nature therefore forbidding all Generation and Multiplication of Species out of kind let none foolishly endeavour to effect it for as in it self it is impossible so also it is against that unanimous admonition of all Philosophers apply all things to the possibility of Nature Know therefore the Generation and Multiplication of all things is effected no other way than by their own Seeds and proper Matters not from the Commixtion of four Elements as some fondly Imagine The Seed of Animals Resteth in their Reins the Seeds of Vegitables are produced into the Air the Seed of Metals resteth in their Profundity but is only to be found in the Perfect for untill any thing bearing Seed be come to a degree of Perfection it cannot emit its Seed as is seen in an Aple or Pear if pluckt from the Tree before its time it cannot yield Seed likewise the same is known in Humane Youth no more can imperfect or unripe Metalls tho'as in the other the potentiality truly exist How foolish then do many act who not only forsake the perfect which alone can yield seed but even seek a Metaline seed from an Animal or Vegitable O Gross Ignorance exceeding the Vulgar who never expect Wheat without the Seed of Wheat nor a Horse but by a Horse Leave off therefore you foolish and vain Operators seeing the meanest Capacity is

Alkahest some Ignorant Boasters that neither knew the one nor the other having taught that they are both the same shall so far shew their Difference that no Tyro but may effectually distinguish them in his Theory Know therefore and note well this short Distinction there is no Affinity between them either in Matter or Operation they Differ in Matter as much as one Species doth from another the one being Metalline the other Saline They Differ in their Operations as much as Love and Wrath the one in Love preserving the other in Wrath destroying Life and Motion I cannot but admire notwithstanding the real Care and great Labour of many knowing and candid Philosophers to prevent Errors in admonishing the Studious to beware of Subtilty Sequestring the Art from the many Sophisms and Calling their Principles by their proper Names to see men studious in this Art so foolish in their Conclusions and operations some proposing to make our Secret and great Elixir which is a Fire-abiding Purrity and perfect Tincture from impure and Combustible Matters as Ordure Wine Vrine Nitre Blood Dew Rain-water Earth Vitriol and many others too tedious to reckon being led thereto by their own sordid Fancy or having read perhaps thereof in the Writings of the wise men for they have by Analogie called their matters almost every thing hence no Sophister no Ignorant Worker but pretends to Justifie his Proceedings tho' upon these fordid Subjects from their Writings but their End will be Disappointment if not Disgrace and Poverty These indeed go on in Errors with this Comfort that many of the Adepts do say they erred oft and one particularly two hundred times but tho' they should erre the same Number yet not being supported by a true Theory nor understanding the nature of the thing desired are Chusing as many Matters almost as Operations and so find the possibility of the Multiplication of Errors ad infinitum tho' not of Tincture truely perfect and Permanent Oh miserable Blindness O inextricable Laborinth whose miserable state take from Geber subtile witted indeed enough but of his Candor be jealous most miserable and unhappy is he who after the end of his Work God denies to see the Truth for he ends his Life in Error who being surrounded with all manner of misfortune and infelicity constituted in perpetual labour looseth all the comfort and joy of this World and spends his life in sorrow without any benesit or reward I will add my own Opinion their reward is just who provoke God endeavour to force Nature abuse the Adepts and abound in ignorance and folly Therefore as many as expect better fare let them seek rightly first call upon God and know your hearts to be purged from Impurity and Faith to have possession by which you may attain to Virtue then pursue Knowledge also be sure to attempt nothing contrary to Nature and with great respect acknowledge the Love and Care of the Adept Brothers that have communicated their Experience and hinted the way then pursue our Diana with great Industry whose Beauty is singular and qualitys excellent she is more fair more grave and yet lively and more fit for Generation then any other Marry her to the Sun and their Off-Spring shall be your Reward And for your Instruction know and note it well that our water or Mercury is a Compound-Simple Compound in respect to quality simple in respect to Matter and Homogeneity The Matter is Watry the Quality Fiery which are reconciled by Air according to the Doctrine of Elements but according to the Principles thus the Matter is Mercurial the Quality Sulphureous Reconciled by Salt which also may be and sometimes are called the Water the Spirit and the Blood or Body Soul and Spirit take it either way but be sure to understand them Scientificially or Practically the necessity of which learn from this following Discovery Salt prepares Sulphur Salt and Sulphur prepares Mercury Mercury preserves them So that without Salt Sulphur cannot be prepared or set at liberty from his Prison it being the only Key thereto without Salt and Sulphur Mercury cannot be qualified and without Mercury Salt and Sulphur can effect nothing it being their proper Vessel or Matrix But be sure all be Homogeneal or the Mercurial simplicity will be impossible therefore make the latter Judge of the two former for all Metaline things are tryed in a Mercurial Ballance First learn these things Theoretically and see the same confirmed by many Philosophers before you enter upon Practice this is safe and delightful And then altho Errors should happen which expect yet being supported by a true Theory they will Instruct but till then confound and Distract Believe me and take this candid Advice Therefore as many as sets about this Work let them first know what they seek and what they would effect It is no small thing to be capable to inform matter and that in an instant consider who it imitates did not our Lord effect this at the Marriage in Canaan on the Water which was the matter of Wine Think not therefore it is attained without a Blessing from him profound Meditation Herculean Labour and Cost Diligently therefore attend and note well what I say Matter is informed by Light of which matter and form all created Concrets consists Light being the form in all Concretes and life of all Beings which Light is ineffable not known abstract from matter as we see in the most beautiful Creature either humane or other as also in the curious Flowers of the Earth how through the withdrawing of an invisible fire or Spirit they become dead Opake and fit only for Corruption that Nature may again react and communicate form such are her viscissitudes but she also has her Darling and last perfection wherein she has firmly united form with pure matter yea so firmly that without the help of Art she can hardly alter the same and seeing the perfection of matter is Form why should any studious in Philosophy neglect to Contemplate the perfection of Gold which is thus perfected by Nature And truly if its Permanancy and Beauty be not sufficient to Captivate his Thoughts and Hands from working on things impure and fading I must tell him his off-spring will not be long lived for such as the Tree is such is the Fruit such as the Father is such is the Son This Form is called Sulphur by the Author of the new Light and in his Dialogue thereof thus Writes He is the Maker of a thousand things he knows how to make Metals better and Correct Minerals and is the heart of all things he teacheth Animals understanding knows how to make all kinds of Flowers in Herbs and Trees and is Chief over them Corrupts the Air which he amends again he is maker of all Odours and Painter of all Colours Again Know that Sulphur is the Virtue of all things Here let the studious in Alchymy open their Eyes and behold what Reason we have to Proclaim