Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
knowledge_n	jesus_n	light_n	shine_v	5,880	5	9.7269	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35122	A defence of the true church called Quakers (come and coming out of the wilderness, Babylon, and the dark night of the apostacy of Antichrist into their own land, which is Sion the mountain of holiness, there to worship the Lord in spirit and truth) against the several sects and sorts of people, called Independants, Separatists or Brownists, Baptists, Fift-Monarchy-Men ...	Crook, John, 1617-1699.; J. C. (John Collens), d. 1682.	1659 (1659)	Wing C7202; ESTC R35612	46,726	58

A DEFENCE OF THE True Church Called QUAKERS Come and coming out of the Wildernesse Babylon and the dark Night of the Apostacy of Antichrist into their own Land which is Sion the Mountain of Holinesse there to Worship the Lord in Spirit and Truth against the several Sects and sorts of people called Independants Separatists or Brownists Baptists Fift Monarchy-men Seekers and High Notionists of all sorts who by the True Light are found and discovered to be out of the same Written by J. C. According to the measure of Wisdom given unto him from God who is the giver of every good gift LONDON Printed for Thomas Simmons at the Bull and Mouth near Aldersgate 1659. WHen the Jewes outward Returned from the Captivity of Babylon which was the true figure of the Saints coming out of the long and dark night of Apostacy from the Doctrine and Life of the Apostles in the Primitive Times which was the Captivity of the spiritual Seed so great and many were their Enemies who endeavoured to cause their Work in repairing the desolate and ruined places of Jerusalem to cease that those who were imployed in that Work with one hand wrought and with the other held the Weapon even so is it and must it be now at the Return of the spiritual Seed not only within by exercising Faith and Prayer upon and to him that is able to save to the uttermost and in his strength wrestling against the Dragon and his Angels Principalities Powers and Spiritual Wickednesses in High Places and sundry temptations so quenching by the Armour of Light all the fiery Darts of the wicked one but also without both by holding forth the Word of their testimony and sealing it with their bloud and sufferings for the conviction and conversion of sinners so fitting stones for Gods spiritual building and also by stopping the mouths of gain-sayers who shall not be able to resist the Spirit by which they speak So standing in the gap and quitting themselves like Spiritual-men against the Beast and false Prophet and all the Armies of the Aliens Hear now therefore all ye that are called Independants Separatists or Brownists Baptists Fift Monarchy-men Seekers high Notionists of all sorts the Apologie or Defence that I in the wisdom and strength of my God for without him I can do nothing do make against you and for the true Church called Quakers against whom and whose standing Profession ye variously have prejudice and do contend And First for you called Independants ye assume a great Name but ye are not found in the Independant nature and so are not the true Church for although ye professe your selves as to the visible Administration of Church-power not to have dependance upon other Congregations or Churches as an inferiour on a superiour yet are there many things apparently seen amongst you which do un-Church you and remove your Candlestick far off for the true golden Candlesticks among whom Christ the Son of God walketh do hold up and hold forth the true light that it may shine before men but ye as do the common multitude reject it sleight it and Dispute against it as invalid and insufficient to lead in the way everlasting and so ye would have it kept under the bushel yea quite extinguished in the hearts of men and would have the Scriptures or Writings to be a light to it and not it an enlightener and opener of them whereby ye stumble at the Scriptures themselves and cannot discern of the times and seasons or of the Saints several states and conditions to God-ward who because they sometime witnessed a war and striving against the body of sin therefore say you they must alway while they live carry it about them as though the Saints fought as those that beat the Air or as though their labour were in vain in the Lord Oh! foolish people and unwise when will ye come to the true Teacher in your selves that ye may believe and know the Promise made unto the seed That there shall be no more a pricking Bryar unto the House of Israel nor a grieving Thorn of all that are round about them that despise them and they shall know that I am the Lord Also that their Enemies which they have seen to day they shall see them again no more for ever And that ye may see their interest in Christs Prayer whom the Father heard alwayes because he did alwayes the things that pleased him who said Neither Pray I for these alone to wit for the Apostles and Saints then in the world that they might be sanctified through the Truth but for them also who shall believe in me through their words that they all may be one c. I in them and thou in me that hey may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Mark This was a state of Saints Perfection in this world that worldly Spirits might be convinced thereby but ye being in the unbelief are even as the multitude alwayes hanging upon the lips of men whose tongues are not touched as the Prophets was with a Coal from Gods Altar who witnessed his sin purged and so are ever learning and never come to the true knowledge for the Pastors and Teachers of your Congregations have not yet witnessed the Vrim of the Sanctuary I mean the true spiritual Gift by believing and waiting on the true light which shineth in their dark hearts that should give them power from on high to minister in but are either men learned with the learning of this world or such who through strength of Brain and often reading of the Letter of the Scriptures can compose a Form of Words and deliver it unto you after a Priestly manner so that ye as still unsatisfied heap to your selves National Priests also for Teachers sometimes hearing the one and sometimes the other Yea some of your Pastors so called are National Priests also Oh! Friends it might shame you and make you blush for shame if ye could rightly consider to call your selves the Churches of Christ and Independants and be thus so dependant on mans Teachings Yea joyning with the National Priests about the way of sending out a Ministrie and bearing the Beasts very Mark in your Foreheads while ye are so called owning your Baptism in your Infancie to be true though ministred to a blank and by those who sprang from a Popish stock and sprinkling your own Infants now from a false apprehension of the Promise made to you and your seed after the flesh so calling that the seed whereas the true Churches of Christ knew no such seed nor owned any but that which sprang out of Christs womb in the Regeneration who is a quickning Spirit So Christ the Corner-stone and Head of the Church even the true and universal Light is come to fight against you with the sword of his mouth and to testifie to your faces That though ye call

him and yet be never a jot the nearer to Peace with the living God and how many have deceived themselves this way and like children quieted themselves a while but afterwards conscience and they have more fallen at odds then before for the soul being invisible and immortal an outward Declaration or promise cannot satisfie it because that is received in by the sences of seeing or hearing the sound and sight whereof vanisheth but the voice of the Lord in the invisible and immortal and Eternal light and love makes up all breaches in the soul be they never so wide applying unto the wounded conscience the blood of sprinkling and washing and cleansing and so speaks in Truth and reality better things then that of Abel Neither after the work of regeneration begun and in measurewitnessed can any one that believes not in nor stayeth his mind on the invisible immortal light within him be preserved against the snares and subtilties that do attend him and the many Temptations and sundry tryals that do befall him whereby he should endure to the end and be saved for the Light is his Armour the Word nigh in his heart and mouth is his sword which are to be with him continually the light is the leaven of the Kingdom that works into and preserves in the savoury Life it is the immortal hand that keeps the Soul fast to it self that it maketh not ship-wrack of Faith and a good Conscience and though there may be never so many opinions in the World taken up and contended for with or about the Scriptures or never so many Atheistical opinions contradicting the Scriptures yet the immortal Eternal light residing and and shining in the heart being believed and waited in becomes the Anchor of the Soul sure and stedfast reconciles the Scriptures and makes the Soul to triumph over all Ranting and Atheistical spirits to rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God and to strive against every thing that may Eclips it So shut not your eye oh ye Professors neither cavil against the Universal saving necessary light of the Lamb for though Christ Jesus be light and Life in himself yet that can avail you nothing unless he be so in you till which time all the light and knowledge that is in you from without is darkness and then how great is it And now Oh ye Fift Monarchy-men as ye are called must you be searched and tryed by the Ballance of the Sanctuary to see whether your sword of steel be the right weapon which the man of God must use to prepare and make way for Christs Kingdom in the world that ye are very great opposers of the true light within I know and must needs be while ye are in this Principle that there were four eminent worldly Monarchies or Kingdoms to wit the Assyrian Persian Macellonian and Romane I grant who had their time to rise and fall so that the Tyrany of the last of these which is the worst of these is drawing nigh to its period and that in the dayes of these Kings the God of Heaven hath and will set up a Kingdom that shall never be destroyed as saith the Prophet Daniel I know and see but that this Kingdom shall be Ushered in by such grosse outward observation and Bussle as ye imagine or that it shall be administred when set up in such a way and manner as ye think I utterly deny for if ye will come to the Scriptures which ye seem much to adhere to though in a very literal sence let us see what they testifie both of the way of setting it up the nature of the King or Monarch that ruleth and the manner of his Government when Christ the Son of God the first born among many brethren was bringing into the World before the Tyrany of Antichrist got up this very Kingdom was approaching and there was a messenger sent to prepare his way even John the Baptist who was a plain man of plain raiment and mean fare crying in the wilderness prepare ye the way of the Lord make his pathes straight which was to be done by repentance from sin for saith he Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand Now at that very time was the Romane Empire or Monarchy at a great height and Tyranized over the subdued Jews and was grosly and heathenishly Idolatrous and the blind Jews thought Christ their King when he came would have redeemed them out of that thraldom by some external power so restoring as they imagined the Kingdom to Israel but alas they were much deceived in those their expectations for his Kingdom was of another nature so that John his fore-runner came onely Preaching Repentance and bearing witness to him as the true light that lightneth every man to be believed in which should lead thereunto neither did Christ himself while on the Earth or any of his Disciples in that time use any other means or Preach any other Doctrine in order to this Kingdom which before some of them should taste of death he testified they should see it come in power neither hath Christ two Kingdoms the one spiritual and the other Personal as ye distinguish for in his Personal appearance he suffered and was despised but in his spiritual appearance he rejoyceth and triumpheth World without end Nor was the Reign of Antichrist the ruine and destruction of that his Kingdom which was set up in the Apostles dayes for he still made good his Title in the hearts of some one way or other in the darkest times as he that had right to Reign but onely was withdrawn a while that he might the second time come upon the necks of his enemies with the greater force but it must still be in the same spiritual way for the Kingdom is but one now as before wherefore doth he now prepare his way as in times past by calling upon all men to repent forsake the evil of their ways by believing in his light within them which discovers it unto them that they may feel his living power and so saith John in his Revelation That the Lamb makes War with the Beast by the sword which proceedeth out of his mouth and with the breath of his lips must he slay the wicked so that all ye who treasure up carnal weapons which ye say are to be reserved against a day of slaughter when ye shall by the Lord as ye suppose be bid to strike are no fit instruments in Gods hand or in his work yea ye have no part nor lot in this matter but are carryed on with a Jehu's zeal breathing out threatnings which if ye stop not your furious course will end in your destruction for he that smites with the sword shall perish by it Consider also what a King or Monarch this is who is to Reign in righteousness over all that ye seem to be so zealous for I give my Testimony with Paul as I have felt him in my measure thus concerning him I charge