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	sin_n	sin_v	1,544	5	9.4687	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A73905	Three sermons preached by that learned and reuerend diuine, Doctor Eedes, sometimes dean of Worcester, for their fitnesse vnto the present time, now published by Robert Horn ...	Eedes, Richard, 1555-1604.	1627 (1627)	STC 7527; ESTC S100344	78,692	109

walke no longer in the flesh but in the spirit or good way of life and lanch foorth Luke 8.22 or saile forward as a Ship gone out of the Hauen from the shore of the new birth to the Hauen of our peace in death Many are at a stand in knowledge and rather goe back-ward then forward in the way of grace Such grow but vntowardly and prooue dwarfes and not men of any stature in Christ But in viâ virtutis non progredi est regredi in the way of true vertue not to goe on is to goe backe and as it cannot be a member of a growing body that groweth not as the body doeth so neither can it bee any liuely member of a true Church that prospereth not as that Church doth with the increases of God All non proficients therefore in the degrees and schoole of regeneration are bad Christians and not members growing into Christ but members pro forma that is for fashion onely and so are as farre from the end as they fall short of the meanes of being as it followeth An holy Temple in the Lord c. For how can that bee a fit Temple or habitation for God by his Spirit to dwell in which groweth not into a building What man can conueniently and will contentedly dwell in a house that is but begun to be built and before it haue any either roofe or couer And will the high God dwell in any house in his Ierusalem below whose neither wall is builded nor roofe couered but to proceede the words that follow haue two points in them of speciall consideration as the qualitie of this Temple it must be holy and the reason thereof it is the habitation of God by his Spirit It is called a Temple by allusion to the Temple that was at Ierusalem which was a type of the spirituall Ierusalem and Church of Christ and this is either of all the stones together which is the Church framed with the corner-stone which is Christ or of the stones considered separately by themselues euery one of which makes a singular temple as all together makes an vniuersall in Christ So many Christians therefore so many liuely stones toward the building of the generall Temple and yet euery true Christian is a Temple to God 1 Cor. 3.16 6.19 And this Temple both the whole and euery stone in it must be holy that is endewed with holinesse and purged from the lust of concupiscence which was the lust of those which knew not God 1 Thes 4.4 5. which worke of reformation though it shall be hindred by many as the second Temple at Ierusalem had many aduersaries Neh. 4.1 2 7 8 2.19 20. yet shall it proceede to the perfection of the body of Christ as that other building went forward and was finished notwithstanding all that either malice or craft could doe against it Onely let vs not hinder it our selues by liuing in vncleannesse and by neglecting to purge our selues that wee may be a peculiar people to God zealous of good workes Tit. 2.14 And what we beleeue let vs practise wee beleeue a holy Catholique Church let vs therefore practise holinesse that our practise be not against our faith Let vs labour to be holy as hee is holy that hath called vs. 1 Peter 1.15 16. And seeing hee hath washed vs who hath giuen himselfe for vs let vs not plunge our selues againe in the mire Ephes 5.25 26. to wit in the mire of our first corrupt nature VERS 22. In whom you all are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit FOr who will prepare for a great man his friend in a foule house or lodge him in a stable And is any person greater or friend better to vs then God Or is any house or roome of the house fowler then an vnpurged conscience And what stable is more loathsome then the loathsome stable or rather stie of a wicked heart But how doeth God dwell in vs Resp Ministerially by his Word and Sacraments and principally by his Spirit For his Word therefore seeing hee dwelleth in vs by it wee must resolue to giue to it as to himselfe our best entertainement lodging it in the best roome of the house the heart and not in the out-house of the eare And for the Sacraments chiefely that of the Supper the chamber must be trimmed wherein Christ will eate that Sacrament with his Disciples Marke 14.15 16. And for that which is chiefe and expressed in my Text the Spirit seeing it is the Spirit of God and very God wee must take heed how wee sinne against it that is the good motions of it in our hearts wilfully and dispitefully for that is a sickenesse to death for which there is no Phisicke by repentance This is a sinne of men enlightned with the trueth The Gentiles without God cannot commit it neither the Iewes that are without Christ A sinne wherein a man falles away generally and malitiously from God yea for euer and vtterly from him in all the effects of a reprobate heart and heart that cannot repent This is that great sinne which Satan hath so blacked that it can neuer bee made white a sinne that shall not bee forgiuen to a man either in this World or in the World to come that is neuer Mat. 12.32 Quest But is not the sinne against the holy Ghost a sinne against the Father and Sonne as well as him Ans This sinne if we consider the person of the holy Ghost it is no more against it then it is against the persons of the Father and the Sonne but because the holy Ghost immediately both conuinceth conscience and enlightneth it therefore when we sinne against knowledge and the light of our hearts we are said properly and directly to sinne not against the Father or Sonne but holy Ghost But a Christian may sinne against the Spirit though in a farre lesser degree of sinne against him then by this which is so bitterly offensiue against all his graces in our hearts To know how wee must first know how and in what respect the holy Ghost may be said to dwell in a Christian or God by him And this is not in regard of substance for the whole substance of the holy Ghost which cannot bee diuided cannot bee shut vp within the body or soule of man but in respect of some particular worke or operation Now a Christian may sinne against this worke of the Spirit in him either when grace is offered and not accepted of or accepted of and not well vsed For example grace was offered to the old World by Noah and hee warned them for a hundred and twenty yeeres by preparing the Arke but they had neither eares to heare it nor hands to receiue it and so the Arke that is the time of repentance offered by it condemned them Heb. 11.7 Sodom was exhorted to repentance by iust Lot and a pleasant land yet shee reiected the Spirit that spake by these vnto her 2 Pet. 2.6

neither is there any liberty without this Citie nor inheritance but in this family to which necessity there commeth this dignitie as it were recompence that this Citie is the fellowship of Saints and this fellowship of Saints the very houshold of God And what greater prerogatiue seeing that hereby he who dwelleth aboue the heauens vouchsafeth to haue an habitation vpon his footstoole the earth and by such a consociation with his people to vnite the true members of this earthly house to that Ierusalem which is aboue and free the mother of vs all And albeit there be in this Citie many times enemies as well as friends and strangers as Citizens also vessels of honour and dishonour children of promise and children of wrath yet of this Citie there are none nor of this house but they that are sealed with the bloud of the Lambe and with the word of his testimony to newnesse of life and to be holy and without blame before him in loue Ephes 1.4 who because they are the true members and liuely parts of this spirituall habitation of God therefore and for their sakes it is called the Citie of the Saints and houshold of faith and by Dauid the Prophet the congregation of the iust Psal 111.1 the benefit whereof howsoeuer they that little know doe lesse regard yet they that haue any feeling of the Spirit must needes confesse and say with the same Prophet that they are blessed that may dwell in this house and that for the time one day in those Courts is more worth then a thousand yeares elsewhere Psal 84.4.10 yea here they will wish rather to be doore-keepers that is meanest in office and least in place then to be great or highest in the tabernacles of wickednesse ver 10. the reason is here the Lord God is sunne and shield vnto them their sunne in the mists of aduersitie and their shield of defence in trouble ver 11. here they may behold the beautie of the Lord is to see his goodnesse in the face of Christ and to be satisfied with his pleasures is to receiue of his fulnesse that grace or measure of grace that causeth true ioy and bringeth entire and sound comfort with it to the perplexed spirit of man both which imply a change of our vile estate and as it were a new birth in it by the which not onely the blinde eyes of our vnderstandings are opened and the old man cast off with his workes but our hard hearts are softned to the will of God and the new man raised vp in vs to righteousnesse and true holinesse in the obedience of faith according to the Gospell They that thus behold the beautie of the Lord are no longer in darknesse for in his light shall we see light and as it fared with the children of Israel who had light in their quarters when the rest of Egypt was couered with palpable darknesse so howsoeuer the Prince of darkenesse doth cast a mist of errour and spread a cloud of ignorance vpon the children of vnbeliefe yet the Sunne of righteousnesse in this Citie of his spirituall Israel and in the proper horizon of the children of faith shall make continuall day-light so scattering all clouds mists and ouer-castings that no night shall be therein neither any going downe of the Sunne Esay 60.20 which Sunne because he shineth in our mindes and giueth his word to this Citie as his beames in our hearts therefore would he haue vs to frame our selues to this cleare light of the Gospel which is preached to vs and to walke as in the day furnished with the armour of the light in the true knowledge of the same Gospell with faith and sound obedience and warring against the darknesse of our ignorance and the Prince thereof so as we may be called no longer darknesse but light in the Lord Eph. 5.8 And therefore the Church in the Reuelation is said to be cloathed with the Sunne and to haue the Moone vnder her feet Apoc. 10.1 so the inhabitants in the Church must be cloathed with Christ and his workes and tread downe the world and his vanities as contemptible things They that doe so that is put on Christ doe fully by that faith they haue in him enioy all the liberties and whole freedome of this Citie as that there shall be no condemnation to them Rom. 8.1 that all things euen their very sinnes and the diuell their tempter to sinne shall worke to the best for them that they haue the right of sonnes and by such right a lawfull interest to Christ and his merits that the hand-writing or obligation of Lawes that was against them is done away and an acquittance sealed to them in his bloud and death who tooke vp their bond and as a booke vtterly cancelled fastned it to his Crosse neuer to be of force any more that they behold a most seuere Iudge in the face of a Sauiour and by him may challenge their generall pardon in his death that they haue free accesse to God the Father by Iesus Christ and may be sure to receiue whatsoeuer they aske in his name that besides large immunities from all kinde of bondage to sinne they are endowed plentifully and richly with the graces of the spirit to righteousnesse that by the Word and Sacraments rightly administred they get and retaine that peace of conscience that no man euer well conceiued but he that first receiued it and in a word that they haue for assurance of saluation in the God of their saluation these are and are sure to be the franchises of Citizens and sons that are in Christ and are followers of Christ And who rightly considering this in heart may not cry out with the Apostle O altitudo O the deepenesse of the riches both of the mercy and loue of God to mankinde Rom. 11.33 that when we were nothing he should make vs and when we were worse then nothing hee should doe so much so exceeding much for vs that when we lay polluted in our bloud hee should wash vs with his owne precious bloud and when we were sold vnder sin redeeme vs with a price from the condemnation of sinne that he should giue himselfe for so vile creatures and vndertake so shamefull a death for so shamelesse offenders or as Cyprian notes he should be that which we are that we might be that which he is It is a strange thing that the Poets faine of Amphion that with the sweetnesse of his Musicke he drew trees and stones together to the building of Thebes the morall is that by his wisdome and sweet elocution which was as musicke to their cares he drew a rude people that dwelt in woods to ciuilitie and manners and to liue in societie that liued sauagely before That which the Poets haue fained of Amphion and Thebes is most true in Christ and his Church for with his word as with the musicke of heauen he called the Gentiles and of them as of stones raised vp children to