Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
knowledge_n	gospel_n	light_n	shine_v	1,804	5	9.1365	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12604	The eunuche's conuersion A sermon preached at Paules Crosse, the second of February. 1617. By Charles Sonnibank, Doctor of Diuinitie, & Canon of Windsor.	Sonibancke, Charles, 1564-1638.	1617 (1617)	STC 22927; ESTC S114127	43,380	142

Eunuch The maine scope principall drift of the Spirit of God in this Scripture and history which I haue read vnto you is to shew and shaddow out vnto vs the large extent of the doctrine of the Gospel the kingdom of Christ and how the same is by the counsell and mercifull purpose of God to be propagated extended to the vtmost borders of the earth And therefore in this present history which I haue chosen at this time to treat of you may bee pleased to beholde how God vouchsafed to poure vpon the head of this Honorable Eunuch the precious ointment of the sauing knowledge of Christ that like as the sweete and precious oyntment that was powred on the head of Aaron ran downe from his head and beard to the skirts of his garments so also this fragrant and sweete oyntment might stream downe and flowe to the skirts as it were of his cloathing to the vtmost borders of his Countrie and first to open to him the fountaine of life and to let him drinke thereof and then by him as it were by a conduit pipe to deriue and conuey the sweete streames and waters therof to his countrie-men that dwelt a farre off euen to the people and inhabitants of Aethiopia Which thing came accordingly to passe for he being conuerted conuerted many brethren and as wee receiue it by tradition brought many of his owne nation to the knowledge of Christ The chiefe and principall points which I obserue in this Scripture and whereof I purpose by Gods assistance to speake at this time are these 1. An Angel disposeth of Philip assigneth him a place for his employment ver 26. 2. Who what he was to whom by the direction of the Angell Philip was sent First hee was of Aethiopia Secondly hee was an honourable Personage chiefe Gouernor to the Queen of that coūtrie and had the rule of all her treasure Thirdly he came or he trauelled to Ierusalem to worship ver 27. 3. In the third place wee will consider how this noble Eunuch was busied emploied in his returne homeward as hee returned sitting in his chariot he read Esaias the Prophet ver 28. 4. The fourth thing that I intend to speake of is Philips performance of that duty and seruice to which he was appointed ver 30. 5. Fiftly and lastly the effectes which his owne reading and Philips preaching of Christ wrought in this Eunuch they are three first he beleeued secondly hee was baptised and thirdly after he beleeued and was baptised he went homeward reioycing In the first place in that an Angel is appointed by God to warne Philip to hasten and meete the Eunuch for his conuersion it may teach vs how gratious and mercifull God is to the sons of men who for their sakes for their good will haue his Angels to bee seruiceable and helpfull vnto them By the help of Angels Lot was deliuered and preserued in the destruction of Sodome ver 19. An Angel of God went before the hoast of Israel and behinde the hoast and did deliuer them defend them from the Egyptians Exod. 14.19 An Angell of the Lord opened the prison doores by night and brought forth the Apostles and set them at libertie Acts 5.19 An Angel directed Cornelius to send for Peter and here an Angel is sent to warne Philip to ioyne himselfe to the Chariot of this Eunuch and to expound the Scripture vnto him So true is that of the Apostle Saint Paul Angels are ministring spirits sent forth to minister for their sakes vvhich shall be heires of saluation Heb. 1. last Happy are they who by the blessing of God doe make a wise and gracious vse of the ministration of Angels who by the cleannesse of their life and holy conuersation make glad those holy and blessed spirits which are beholders and eye-witnesses of all their actions and by their vnfained repentance giue them cause of reioycing For there is ioy in the presence of the Angels of God for a sinner that cōuerteth Luke 15.10 Which thing if wee shall doe then shall those Angels which reioyce in our wel-dooing and are by Gods appointment content to loue vs and to minister vnto vs heere in sterquilinio mundi in this dūghill of the world much more honour and loue vs in aula coeli in the Palace and kingdome of heauen and beeing glad of our conuersion in this life will bee more glad of our assumption and saluation in heauen 1. In the second or next place we haue to consider the person to whom by the direction of the Angel Philip was sent and hee is here said first to be a man of Aethiopia If any man shall vvonder how any sparke of the knowledge true worship of God should giue light shine in Aethiopia by the light whereof this great and noble man might attaine to any glimse of the knowledge of God and thereby bee brought to desire to performe any seruice and worship to him and that in the place principallie appointed thereunto namely in his holy Temple at Ierusalem especially seeing that howsoeuer the Commission of preaching the Gospel to all Nations though it were giuen sealed to the Apostles and Disciples yet it was not yet sped or as yet executed If any man I say shall wonder hereat he must knowe that although the light of the Gospell did not as yet shine either in Aethiopia or in the remote and vtmost kingdoms of the earth yet besides that knowledge which men might haue by nature and by the beholding of the creatures and the frame of the world the light of the law and the knowledge of God did in some proportion either more or lesse shine or shimmer foorth to all Nations singulis generum though not generibus singulorum as the Schoole speaketh to some of all Nations though not to all particulars of euerie Nation God hath not left himselfe without witnesses in any place but hath left in all the Nations of the world some prints footsteps of his knowledge of his power and goodnes And although it might be said in regard of the eminencie thereof that in Iurie God was well known that his tabernacle was in Salem yet was he knowne in other Nations also and he made his Name glorious in all the quarters of the world The prayer or wish of Noah that Iaphet might dwell in the Tents of Shem was in some measure in all succeeding ages heard and granted Gedeons fleece was not onely and alone watered but the whole threshing floore the Land of Iury was not alone bedeawed moistned with the heauenly deaw of the knowledge of God but the whole earth with the Nations that were farre remooued euen to the vtmost bounds thereof Some part of this heauenly deaw might light vpon this Eunuch's head and with some part of this holy oyntment his heart might be anointed The bookes of Moses and of the Prophets came into the hands and Schooles of many of the

parts of that prophecie and so his bare or onely reading therof was not in vaine or vnprofitable vnto him And farther I answer that there is great difference between such as haue neuer heard of Christ of faith or of the word of God such as are heathen people Infidels who indeed without an Interpreter cannot much profit by reading and between such who beeing borne of Christian Parents haue as it were suckt religion vvith the milke of their mothers and therefore by continual exhortation of their Parents and by their good example by beeing catechised in the principles of Christian religion and in some sort instructed euen of children as they are among vs Gods Name be therefore glorified I say betweene Infidell and heathen people and vs the case is diuerse for wee may euen by reading onely of the Scriptures or hearing them read in some measure profit in the knowledge of the truth To conclude this point against their exceptions that speake against reading without learned exposition it is most certaine that Scripture read and Scripture expounded chapters read and chapters expounded sentences read and sentences preached on expounded haue all of them one and the same passage to the soule outwardly by the sense of hearing and inwardly by the assent of the iudgement and vnderstanding the text is one and the same that is the word of God the Schoolemaster is the same the Spirit of instruction the meanes the same that is attention the helps the same which are godly motions the fruite the same that is peace of conscience and the end though not in degree yet in some proportion the same that is edification 4 In the fourth place I am now to speake of Philips performance of that duty and seruice to which he was appointed by the Angell ver 30. And Philip came thither and heard him read the Prophet Esaias And ver 35. Hee opened his mouth and began at the same Scripture and preached vnto him Iesus In which words wee may obserue three circumstances 1. First Gods ordinance vvho was pleased to vse the preaching of Philip and not the helpe of the Angel for this Eunuch's conuersion 2. Secondly I obserue Philips readinesse and godly discretion who tooke the present occasion beginning at that Scripture which the Eunuch then read of opening his mouth and preaching vnto him 3. Thirdly I consider what it was that he spake and vttered when he opened his mouth Hee preached vnto him Iesus For the first Philip opened his mouth and preached Iesus Not the Angel but Philip. In the building of the Church it pleaseth God to preferre the seruice of men before the seruice of Angels and to chuse that his holy and heauenlie truth contained in his word should rather be manifested made knowne by earthly and sinfull men than by celestiall and holy Angels And therefore although our Sauiour had the Angels at commaund so that he could haue commaunded and imployed whole legions of them if he had listed in that seruice yet in the busines of preaching his Gospel and the divulgation of his holy and sauing truth vnto the sonnes of men he chose rather to vse the help and ministery of men than of Angels of his Disciples and Apostles than of those holy and blessed spirits Paul was conuerted not by the instruction and ministery of an Angel but by the preaching of Ananias Cornelius was wonne to the faith not by an Angel but by the preaching of Peter The whole world afterwards was brought to beleeue in Christ not by Angels but by men And here this noble Eunuch is conuerted not by the Angel but by the preaching of Philip. Philip opened his mouth c. A reason whereof may be this As our Redemption was to be wrought and was performed onely in the nature of man and not of Angels no more was the preaching of the said Redemption to be declared by an Angel or any other creature saue onelie by man And this reason the Apostle seemeth to vse 2 Cor. 5.18 when hee saith All things are of God which hath reconciled vs vnto himselfe by Iesus Christ and hath giuen vnto vs the ministery of reconciliation From hence we may must learne this lesson Seeing it is the proper and peculiar dutie of the Minister to expound Scripture That although it be most true that God who is almightie and therefore can doe all things and that in such sort and after such manner as he listeth either by order or by miracle by means or without means Yet in the course of our conuersion the work of our regeneration we must not expect when God will send an angel from heauen to instruct vs or whē hee will immediatly and miraculously call vs and worke our conuersion vnto him but must content our selues make our best vse of those meanes which God in mercy offereth vs by the ministery and preaching of such as he hath by his owne dispensation holy designment appointed to waite vpon his Altar to attend his seruice and by preaching of his word to beget sonnes and daughters vnto him And therefore if wee desire either to knowe or to beleeue in God wee must attaine to that knowledge and to that faith by the onely effectuall meanes of the word of God and by the Ministerie and help of such men as God hath set aparte for the worke of the Ministerie and for the gathering together of the Saints which is the institution and holy ordinance of God himselfe For this is Gods own appointment and his owne holy ordinance That as children should expect receiue from their corporall Parents and Fathers of their bodies such corporall foode as is needful for the nourishment of their bodies So they should likewise expect and receiue from their Pastors and spirituall Fathers such as are appointed by God to beget them in Christ through the Gospell such spirituall food of knowledge instruction as is needfull for the spiritual nourishment of their soules and consciences And this was the manner and custome in former and ancient times they were wont to go to the Prophets and men of God for resolution of their doubts and for comfort in their heauinesse For resolution in their doubts The Priests lippes should preserue knowledge and they should seek the law at his mouth Mala. 2.7 So doth the Eunuch in this place desire Philip that he would tell him the meaning of these words of the Prophet which without an interpreter or a guide he acknowledgeth that he could not vnderstand For comfort in their heauiness One example for many The Shunamite trauelled to mount Carmell to Elisha the Prophet when her soule was full of heauinesse for the death of her onely sonne and shee was comforted 4. King 4. The reason why both in former and later times and indeed why in all times men and women should repaire to the Prophets Ministers of God both for the resolution of their doubts and for comfort in their heauinesse is