Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
knowledge_n	heart_n	light_n	shine_v	8,936	5	9.6862	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14096	The doctrine of the synod of Dort and Arles, reduced to the practise With a consideration thereof, and representation with what sobriety it proceeds.	Twisse, William, 1578?-1646.	1631 (1631)	STC 24403; ESTC S102470	142,191	200

the libertie of mans will and not in the appetition of the ende it being naturall to a man to be caryed to the liking of his ende necessarily according to that of Aristotle Qualis quisque est ita finis apparet And doth it become these men to dictate unto us not only a new divinitie but also a new Philosophy at pleasure As for the reason here added fetched from the aeternall and efficatious decree of God this is so farre from confirming their premises as that it utterly overthrowes them and confirmeth ours For we say with Aquinas that the efficacions will of God is the cause why some things come to pas●e contingently and freely as well as it is the cause why other things come to passe necessarily Was the burning of the Prophets bones by Iosiah performed any whit lesse freely by him then any other action of his O● the proclamation that Cyrus made for the returne of the Iewes out of the captivitie was not this as freely done by him as ought else Yet both these were praedetermined by God Nay I say more that every thing which cometh to passe in the revolution of times was decreed by God I proove by such an argument for answeare wherunto I chalenge the whole nations both of Arminians and Iesuits It cannot be denyed but God foresawe from every lastinge whatsoever in time should come to passe therfore every thinge was future fro● everlasting otherwise God could not foresee it as future Now let us soberly inquire how these thinges which we call future came to be future being in their owne nature merely possible and indifferent as well not at all to be future as to be future Of this transmigration of things out of the condition of things merely possible such as they were of themselves into the condition of things future there must needes be some outward cause Now I demand what was the cause of this transmigration And seing nothing without the nature of God could be the cause hereof for this transmigration was from everlasting but nothing without God was everlasting therfore some thing within the nature of God must be founde fitt to be the cause herof And what may that be not the knowledge of God for that rather presupposeth things future and so knowable 〈◊〉 in the kinde of things future then makes them future Therefore it remaines that the meere decree will of God is that which makes them future If to shift off this it be said that the essence of God is the cause hereof I further demaunde whether the essence of God be the cause hereof as working necessarily or as working freely If as working necessarily then the most contingent thinges became future by necessitie of the divine nature and consequently he produceth whatsoever he produceth by necessitie of nature which is Atheisticall Therefore it remaines that the essence of God hath made them future by working freely and consequently the meere will and decree of God is the cause of the futurition of all things And why should we doubt hereof when the most foule sinnes that have beene committed in the World are in scripture phrase professed to have beene predetermined by God himself Vpon supposition of which will and decree divine we confesse it necessary that things determined by him shall come to passe but how not necessarily but either necessarily or contingently and freely to witt necessarie things necessarily contingent things and free things contingently and freely So that contingent things upon supposition of the will divine have a necessitie secundum quid but simply a contingencye and that the same thing may come to passe both necessarily secundum quid and simply in a contingent manner ought to be nothing strange to men of understanding considering that the very foreknowledge of God is sufficient to denominate the most contingent things as comming to passe necessarily secundum quid I come to the consideration of the fourth 4. As touching this Article here objected unto us we have no cause to decline the maintenance thereof but chearfully and resolutely to undergo the defense as of the truth of God clearly sett downe unto us in the word of God The illumination of the minde is compared to Gods causing light to shine out of darkenesse in the creatiō 1 Cor. 4.6 God that commanded the light to shine out of the darknes is he which hath shined in 〈◊〉 heart to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ And for God to say unto Sion thou art my people is made aequivalent to the planting of the Heavens and laying the foundation of the Earth Es. 51.16 I have putt my wordes in thy mouth and defended thee in the shadow of my hand that I may plant the Heavens and lay the foundation of the Earth and say unto Sion Thou art my people Ps. 51.10 Create in me a cleane heart saith David and renewe a right spirit within me Yet was David a regenerate childe of God but when he fell into foule sinnes and sought unto God to restore him he acknowledgeth this his spirituall restitution to be a creation giving thereby to understand that the very children of God have savage lusts wild affections in them the curing mastering wherof is no lesse work then was the work of creation or making of the world 2 Cor. 5.17 If any man be in Christ he is a new creature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Gal. 6 1● In Christ Iesus neyther circumcision avayleth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature Now this new creature is all one with faith working by love Gal. 5.6 For there the Apostle expresseth the comparison antitheticall in this manner In Iesus Christ neither circumcision avayleth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith working by love And Eph. 2.10 We are said to be Gods workmanship 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 created in Iesus Christ marke a new creation unto good workes which he hath ordeyned that we should walke in them God made the world with a word but the new making of man cost our Saviour Christ hot water the very blood of the Sonne of God agonies in the garden agonies upon the Crosse and he must rise out of his grave to worke this The Schoolemen doe acknowledge this namely that grace is wrought in man by way of creation Otherwise how could it be accoumpted supernaturall And as for the power whereby God raiseth the dead It is expressely said Col. 2.12 that faith is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who raised Christ from the dead whereupon Cornelius de Lapide acknowledgeth that faith is wrought by the same power wherby God raysed Christ from the dead And Eph. 1 19. the Apostle tells us of the exceeding greatnesse of Gods power towards us which beleeve adding that this is according to his mightie power which he wrought in Christ whom he raysed from the dead And therefore most congruously doth the Apostle take into consideration that worke

Iudcorum mos absurdus sordidusque 2. Concerning Christians whom he describes to be Hominum genus propter flagitia invisum This is delivered of Christians in the dayes of holy Paul who teacheth us not to doe evill that good may come thereof nor to recompense evill with evill but to overcome evill with goodnesse Yea and commandes every soule to be subject to the higher powers even then when soules were at best and powers at worst And then let us proceede a littl● further and turne direct Atheists maintaining the world to have bene from everlasting and that all things come to passe by necessitie of nature because fo●sooth in the judgement of Aristotle God being goodnesse it self not good by a concrete denomination but essentially goodnesse naturally and necessarily communicating it self doth bring all things to passe by necessitie of nature as Iacobus Naclantus observes in the first of his 4. Tractates which is of the creation of all things by God and that according unto Aristotle but by necessitie of nature which utterly overthrowes all providence divine Againe Zosimus that bitter Atheist and enemye to Christians who writes so basely of Constantine the great Doth he not reproch our Christian profession upon these very termes that we offer the free forgivenesse of all sinnes to all them who shall embrace Christian faith And shall we thinke the worse of Christianity for his distasting the doctrine of free justification of all by faith in Christ which distastfullnesse of his is not a thing feigned by us or barely presumed of as this Authors course is meerely to represent the fictions of his owne braines but left upon record by the reall profession of Zosimus himselfe in his history I have read of an Arrian executed at Norwich for blasphemy against Iesus Christ in the dayes of Queene Elizabeth that being mooved to repent that Christ might pardon him should reply to this effect And is that God of yours so mercifull indeed as to pardon so readily those that blaspheme him then I renounce him and defie him Now shall such a wretches judgement any thing moove us so much as to waver in our faith as touching the Deitie of Iesus Christ the Sonne of God as also touching his facility even to pardon blasphemies delivered against him in case of true repentance What is the Socinian Tenet at this day concerning Christ doe they not professedly deny that he came into the world to make satisfaction for sinne For as much as God they say can pardon sinne without all satisfaction So that the preaching of satisfactiō made by Christ is no way fitt to worke upon thē it is so distasted by thē But shall we think the worse of our doctrine in this particular for that Consider what is the generall judgement of infidells concerning Originall sinne Doe they thinke it just for God to condemne an Infant dying in originall sinne unto aeternall fire Or can they digest our Christian doctrine concerning the generall condition of all mankind as borne in originall sinne and therewithall borne Children of wrath Especially in case the soule of the childe proceedes not from the parents but immediately from God as who by infusing it creates it and by creating it infuseth it Shall therefore we be awed by their judgements frō hearkning to Gods word both touching the sinfull condition wherein we are all borne and touching the condigne punishment thereof Nay rather as the Apostle professeth of the Gospell in generall so let us be bolde to professe of every mystery thereof in particular that If it be hid it is hid from them that perish in whom the God of this world hath blinded their mindes even of Infidells that the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ which is the image of God should not shine unto them Yet that God who commanded the light to shine out of darkenesse is he which hath shined in the hearts of many Infidells to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ. And in like sort hath God caused the light of this truth as touching the absolutenesse of Reprobation to shine in the hearts of many who in the state of nature were no better then Infidells being borne children of wrath as well as others But come we to grapple with this man of warre and try the mettall he is made of The Infidell he saith will tell him that goeth about to convert him that he knowes not how to love nor yet beleeve that God to be good and just which onely for his owne pleasure hath destined the greatest part of mankind to everlasting torments without the least consideration of any sinne or at least only for the sin of one man c. Observe first how this Tragaedian caryeth himself in the making of his plea to serve his owne turne For Po●ta cum primum animum ad scribendum appulit id ●ibi negoti credidit solum dari populo ut placerent quas fecisset fabulas And therefore he feigneth that before any man setts hand to the converting of an Infidell the Infidell is acquainted already with our doctrine concerning absolute reprobation This is like the making of his owne bed that he may lye the more easily Secondly what if he will not love such a God or beleeve such a doctrine shall the doctrine be the lesse true for this In the sixt of Iohn we reade how some distasted the doctrine of our Saviour concerning the eating of his flesh and saide that this was an hard saying and thereupon many of his disciples departed from him was our Saviours doctrine the lesse true or did it deserve the lesse credite for this If a man should preach unto an Infidell that doctrine of Paul where he sayth Before the children were borne and when they had neyther done good nor evill that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of workes but of him that calleth it was said The elder shall serve the younger As it is written I have loved Iacob and have hated Esau. If an Infidell will not beleeve this nor love such a God as is sett forth unto us herein what therefore shall not we beleeve it and acknowledge God to be good and just notwithstanding this what Christian that is not infatuated doth not perceive the vanitie and absurdity of this Authors argumentation and that in the investigation of divine truth we are not to regard how an Infidell is likely to be affected with it in our fancie but whether such a doctrine be agreable to Gods word or no Now by the Apostles argumentation which is this Before Esau and Iacob were borne or had done good or evill it was sayde The elder shall serve the younger ergo election is not of workes to witt of good workes but of the mere pleasure of God who calleth whom he will as afterwards it is sayde that he hath mercy on whom he will It doth as manifestly follow 1. Concerning Election that as