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
A90811	Authentēs. Or A treatise of self-deniall. Wherein the necessity and excellency of it is demonstrated; with several directions for the practice of it. / By Theophilus Polwheile, M.A. sometimes of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, now teacher of the Church at Teverton in Devon.	Polwheile, Theophilus, d. 1689.	1658 (1658)	Wing P2782; Thomason E1733_1; ESTC R209629	246,682	521

beholders after it now there is nothing doth this so much as Self-denial Self-denial makes one lovely in the sight of men of Saints and of God himself 1 In the sight of men a Self-denying man is as the h Suctoraus Historian saith of Titus the Roman Emperour Delicia humani generis the delights of Man-kinde the very darling of the World Even Natural men have a perceiving of the lovelinesse of Self-denial so that although they cannot affect a man for his Religion which they doe not understand yet so sarre as they discover any thing of Self-denial in him as in matters of Justice in which they have some skill they are wonderfully taken with him It is said of those Converts in the second of the Acts that they continuing daily with one accord in the Temple and breaking of Bread from house to house did eate their meat with gladnesse and i Simplicito de coeur Fren. singlenesse of heart praising God and having favour with all the people Act. 2.46 they were such as did walk uprightly or as it is elsewhere 2 Cor. 1.12 in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdome pretending one thing and acting another for the carrying on of their owne ends but their practices did exactly accord with those Principles of godlinesse which they did professe and this brought them into favour with all the people and many joyned themselves to them daily vers 47. 2 In the sight of Saints There are none that the hearts of Saints doe more run out upon than those that are most eminent in Self-denial My heart is toward the Governours of Israel that offered themselves willing among the people saith Deborah Judg. 5.9 That is I doe exceedingly k Deodati in loc love them because notwithstanding their peaceable Offices and Dignities they have been willing to partake in the labours and dangers of the Warre against the enemies of God and his people somestayed at home minding their owne businesse vers 16 17 and neglecting the care of the Publike but these laid aside all respect to their private concernments and whereas others it may be were prest to the service these were Voluntaries and came of their owne accord and for this it was that Deborah was so much affected towards them Oh! saith she my heart is towards them I see an amiablenesse a desireablenesse in them 3 In the sight of God this makes one amiable and desirable not only in the eyes of men and of Saints but of the great and glorious God himselfe the desire of his soul is to the beauty of Self-denial By this very Argument the Spouse is exhorted to deny her self Psalm 45.10 11. Hearken O daughter and consider and incline thine eare forget also thine owne peole and thy fathers house here is Self-denial Now mark what follows so shall the King greatly desire or covet thy beauty to note that her Self-denial is her greatest beauty and that which renders her most pleasing and acceptable to her Husband Oh! what a Beauty is here that pleaseth every eye that looks upon it and how transcendently excellent that even ravisheth the eye of him that is Beauty it self Three things as l Ad pulchritudinem tria requiruntur Primo quidem integritas sive perfectio Quae enim diminuta sunt hoc ipso turpia sunt debitae proportio sive consonantia iterum claritas Vnde quae haebent colorem nitidum pulchra esse dicuntur par 1. q. 39.8 c. Aquinas observeth are required to a perfect Beauty Integritas proportio debita claritas First Integrity that there bee all the parts and nothing lacking to make up the whole Secondly Proportion that there be a suitablenesse in the several parts one to another Thirdly Cleernesse that they bee all well-favoured now see all these in Self-denial 1 Integrity Self-denial lets every grace have its perfect work for it is only Self that hinders and so a Christian comes to be perfect intire and lacking in nothing which is the Argument of the Apostle whereby hee exhorts to patience Let patience have its perfect work that yee may be perfect and intire wanting nothing Jam. 1.4 Self-denial carries a man forth after them perfection of every Grace in all the degrees and acts of it A Self-denying man will be adding faith to faith till hee come to have all faith and love to love till hee come to have all love and patience to patience till hee come to have all patience Col. 1.11 and as hee will bee adding one degree and act to another of the same grace so of every other grace to that grace Hee will give all diligence to adde to his faith vertue and to vertue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godlinesse and to godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and to brotherly kindnesse charity 2 Pet 1. 5 6 7. till hee come to the fulnesse of the stature of a perfect man in Christ Jesus Ephes 4.13 hee aymes at perfection in all parts and points of Christianity hee hath respect unto all the Commandements of God with David Psal 119.6 not only the tythe of Mint and Cummin with the Pharisees but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the weightier matters of the Law which they neglected Matth. 23.23 Hee makes conscience to doe all that God commands and to doe all that God commands and to leave all that God forbids bee endeavours to have a good conscience in all things Heb. 13.12 both towards God Acts 23.1 and towards men Acts 24.16 hee labours to be holy as he that hath called him is holy in all manner of conversation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in every creek and turning of his conversation 1 Pet. 1.15 this is that that makes his conversation truly lovely and wonderfully wel-pleasing in the sight of God Therefore the Apostle praies on the behalf of the Colssians That they might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good worke Col. 1.10 without this there is no beauty as in the Natural body when some principal part as an Eye or an Arme or Legge is wanting therefore no beauty in one that doth not deny himself for though hee doe never so many things yet still there is something lacking as in the young man Luk. 19.21 being weighed hee is found wanting Daniel 5.27 Christ doth not finde his Workes perfect before God Revelations 3.2 therefore hee is not well-pleased with him therefore though hee love him as he did that young man it is but with a common love not that love that he bears to a Saint in whom is the beauty of Self-denial who followes him fully as Caleb Numbers 14.24 and fulfills all his wills as David did Acts thirteen twenty two Besides this there is 2 Proportion which is m Comliness ariseth out of the fit proportion of diverse members to make up one body where every member hath a beauty in its self and is likewise well suited to

have a Triumphal image and super scription upon them to this day they being so notably instrumental in destroying the Kingdome of Sathan and Antichrist 2 The Operation of the Spirit 1 Cor. 1.2 4. There are diversity of Gifts but the same Spirit that is the Author of them all This the Apostle proveth by induction vers 8 9 10. For to one is given by the spirit the word of wisdome to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit to another the working of miracles to another prophesie to another discerning of spirits to another divers kinds of tongues to another the interpretation of tongues But all these saith he worketh that one and the self-same spirit dividing to every one as hee will Hence such as have received Gifts are said to bee made partakers of the Holy Ghost Heb. 6.4 And in respect of Gifts it is as well as of Grace that the ministration of the Gospel is called the Ministration of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3.8 and the Manifestation of the Spirit 1 Cor. 12.7 And therefore hee that reproacheth Gifts reproacheth the Spirit of God 3. Of special use and service in the Church Eph 4.11 12. He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Wherefore Gifts are of excellent use and wee cannot say Wee have no need of them Were it not for Gifts the Church would bee in a sad condition How should the Scriptures bee interpreted How should the mouths of the Adversaries bee stopped but for Gifts All are not Interpreters all are not able to manage an Argument nor answer an Objection Therefore Gifts must not bee contemned but highly prized 2 It is not to deny the respect and honour which should bee given to those that have them Many persons misinterpreting that of the Psalmist In whose eyes a vile person is contemned Psal 15.4 And that of the Apostle Henceforth know wee no man after the flesh 2 Cor. 5.16 Think there is no honour to bee given to any for their Gifts while they give no evidence of their Graces It is true indeed Wee must not give them that honour which belongs unto men as they have Grace but yet we must also beware that wee deny them not the honour that is due to men as they have Gifts Men may bee honourable in respect of some good thing which they have though concemptible in respect of some better thing which they want Though men have nothing but Gifts yet they are amiable and honourable for their Gifts sake Christ loved the young man for the excellency of his moral parts Mar. 10.21 Now if Christ loves such why should not wee Next unto those that have Grace come they that have Gifts though the men bee bad their Gifts are good and there is an honour due unto them The Spirit of God will bee acknowledged in Gifts as well as in Grace seeing hee is the Author of both 3 It is not to deny the labour and industry which ought to bee bestowed in acquiring of them Austin makes mention of some that neglected the means of knowledge because it pufs up and were willingly ignorant that they might bee humble But this is by flying the shadow to imbrace the body of sin It is not the fault of knowledge nor of any other gift that it puffeth up but of our corruption which takes an occasion thereby to make us swell If through corruption a man is apt to bee proud of his graces as Mr. Fox once said of himself Sometimes I get hurt by my Graces and sometimes I get good by my Sins for by my sinnes I am made more humble and by my Graces I am made more proud Wee need not wonder if through the same he be apt to grow proud of his gifts But if this bee no Objection against our endeavours for Grace why should it bee pleaded against our endeavours for Gifts Wee may not neglect our duty for fear of any evill that may accidentally come thereof It is not onely lawfull but a duty to desire and endeavour after gifts Covet earnestly the best Gifts saith the Apostle to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 12.31 It is the study of some that they may bee general Scholars that they may bee some body in every thing so it should bee in the School of Christ Whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report If there bee any vertue and if there bee any praise wee should think on these things Phil. 4.8 Christians should strive to excel one another not onely in Grace but in Gifts also For though Grace be sufficient for a mans self yet not for himself relatively considered Every member hath a double office one to receive in for himself and another to a Eph. 4.16 give forth to the rest Now Grace inables a man to receive in but Gifts onely to give forth Many have a good treasure within but want language and other gifts to bring it forth and therefore have need to pray that they may interpret the meaning of their own hearts for the edification of others 2 Affirmatively For those that want Gifts to deny self in respect of Gifts is 1 Not to murmure at the dispensation of God in giving unto others that which for the present is denyed to themselves It is an evil that such as are defective in any thing wherein others doe excel are by nature very subject to To think that God deals unequally with them What hard thoughts of God have many that are poor because they are not so rich as others and many that are black because they are not so comely as others and many that are diseased because they are not so healthy as others and many that are in thraldome because they have not the liberty that others have What hard speeches against God doe many of these sometimes utter Cursing the day wherein they were born and accusing the influences of the Stars c. Thus many not discerning in themselves such abilities and perfections of minde as they discover in others are ever and anon quarrelling at the Workmanship of God as if he had not sufficiently polished his work as if hee had not done it so exactly as he should wishing rather they had never been made than made so imperfect and some mens dislike of themselves has been so great that growing impatient of beholding any longer their own imperfections they have laid violent hands upon themselves and made themselves instruments of that small measure of annihilation which they are capable of The serious consideration of the absolute soveraignty of God over