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
A42679	A general epistle given forth in obedience to the God of peace. [part 1] for the preservation and increase of charity and unity amongst the professors of Christ Jesus, and the teachings of his divine light within / by ... William Gibson.	Gibson, William, 1629-1684.	1682 (1682)	Wing G684_pt1; ESTC R18589	75,922	183

fleshly Liberty and unchristian Loosness in which they are but therein do oppose War against the children of the Light because they will not joyn and walk and have Unity with them in their dark Words Works But in the Councel of God Witness against the same 8. Observe If these blind Self-conceited ones do not take Christ's Councel viz. Anoynt their Eyes with Eye-Salve that they may see and repent then their Latter End will be Miserable much worse than their Beginning was Oh that such might yet seek and find a Place of Repentance This would be matter of great rejoycing to the Children of Light who are calluminated reviled opposed and greatly abused by them Again the Apostle Peter writ to the Saints in Light viz. Giving all Diligence Add to your Faith Vertue and to Vertue Knowledge and to Knowledge Temperance and to Temperance Patience and to Patience Godliness and to Godliness brotherly Kindness Charity for if these things be in you and abound they make you that you shall neither be barrennor unfruitful in the Knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ but he that lacketh these Things is blind and cannot see far off and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old Sins Wherefore the rather Brethren give All diligence to make your Calling and Election sure for if you do these things ye shall never fall c. 2. Pet. 1. 5. to the 11. Read the Chapter through 1. Observe All you that profess the Light of Christ within what things you are to be found in Which will render you that you are not barren nor unfruitful in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2. Observe That he that professes to be plentiful in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ And is not found in the Possession and Practice of those before-mentioned Christian fruits he is blind as the Apostle saith and too like the self-conceited blind Laodiceans 3. Observe That there are some at this day who do profess themselves to be followers of the Light of Christ within Who do lack these before-mentioned good Things and so according to the Apostles saying These are blind and the blind cannot see till their Eyes be opened So they cannot see their Duty nor the Duty of the Children of Light till their Eyes be open'd Such of them who Have not yet sinned out the Day of Gods Uisitation to them I Exhort and warn to retire out of the Self-conceit and vain Imaginations to the pure Divine Light of Christ within and thereunto diligently attend that thereby the Eyes of their Understandings may be anointed and opened that therein they may see their Duty and by vertue of the same be led into it and kept in it and also may see the Duty of the Children of Light and have Unity with them therein Again Hear what the Apostle Paul saith concerning Blindness viz. But if our Gospel be hid It is hid in them that are lost in whom the God of this World hath blinded the minds of them which believe not lest the Light of the Glorious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God should shine unto them for we Preach not our selves but Christ Jesus the Lord and our selves your Servants for Jesus sake for God who commanded the Light to shine out of Darkness hath shined in our hearts to give the Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ but we have this Treasure in the Earthen Vessels that the Excellency of the Power may be of God and not of us 2 Cor. 4. 3. to 8. 1. Observe That it is the God of the World who blinds the Minds of People designing thereby to hinder them of the Benefit of the Light that so they might be kept blind and in Blindness Conceit themselves to be wise and knowing in the Things of God and Gospel of his Kingdom and in their Blindness to oppose and contend against those whom God hath made Wise unto Salvation in opposing their Christian Counsel Advice and Conversation 2. Observe That the Apostles of Christ did not Preach Themselves but Christ Jesus the Lord and Themselves their Servants for Jesus sake and so doth the faithful Ministers of Christ in this day praisEd be the Lord for the same and the Excellency of the Power by which they are enabled to serve God and each other is of God and not of Themselves Therefore the Glory belongs to him forever Again Hear what the Apostle Paul saith concerning the darkened and blinded viz. For the Wrath of God is revealed from Heaven Against all Ungodlyness and Unrighteousness of Men who hold the Truth in Vnrighteousness because that which may be known of God Is Manifest in them for God hath shewed it unto them Because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were they thankful but became vain in their Imaginations and their foolish Heart was darkned professing themselves to be Wise they became Fools Rom. 1. 18 19 to 23. 1. Observe That the Wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all Ungodlyness and Unrighteousness of Men for holding the Truth in Unrighteousness That is holding a Profession of it Without Subjection and Obedience to it because they do not obey the Truth in forsaking that which it shews them to be evil chusing doing that which it shews them to be good 2. Observe That when they through their Negligence and Slothfulness continued and multiplied Disobedience and Rebellion are come to be darkned and made Spiritually blind so that they neither see know or desire to Know their Duty or to do it yet this their Darkness and Blindness doth not render them Excusable or uncondemnable either in the sight of God or his Faithful People but on the contrary Inexcusable and condemnable in the sight of God and also in the sight of his Faithful People .. 3. Observe The cause why they became so darkned and blinded was that when they knew God they glorified Him not as God neither were thankful therefore they became Vain in their Imaginations and their foolish Hearts were darkned professing themselvee to be Wise they became Fools 4. Observe What it is to Glorifie God as God when Man knows Him for there are several Degrees of the Knowledge of God all proceeding from one Cause and are of one kind though Not all of One Quantity or Largeness Certain it is that to Glorifie God as God is not only to believe that He is a Mighty Powerful Just and Holy God but also to Reverence fear and stand in awe of Him and to obey Him according to that Knowledge received of him His Blessing is upon will continue and increase upon all those who do so Glorifie Him for He hath promised who cannot lie That he that is Faithful in a little shall be made Ruler over much and shall enter into the Joy of his Lord. Again The same Apostle writ to the believing Gentiles at

unto vain jangling 1 Tim. 1. 5 6. Again ver 18 19. he chargeth Timothy to hold Faith and a good Conscience which s●me having put away concerning Faith have made shipwrack Again Chap. 3. ver 9. The Mystery of Faith is held in a pure Conscience The Apostle Peter writes to the Believers thus viz. Having a good Conscience that whereas they speak evil of you as of Evil-doers they may be ashamed that falsly accuse your good Conversation in Christ 1 Pet. 3. 16. Concerning evil Conscience THE Apostle writes thus Now the Spirit speaketh expresly that in the latter times some shall depart from the Faith giving heed to the seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Devils speaking Lyes in Hypocrisie having their Consciences seared with an hot Iron 1 Tim. 4. 1 2. Now the Prince that begets and upholds this evil Conscience hardened and seared is the Devil who abode not in the truth in whom there is no truth he is that Prince of the power of the Air who works in the hearts of the Children of Disobedience as the Apostle saith This is he who leads into the fleshly Liberty from the Cross of Christ into the fleshly Lusts which war against the Soul and drowns such men in predition who become Enemies to the Cross of Christ This Liberty is not to be given way unto nor to be pleaded for by any true Christian this is not the Liberty of the Sons of God which he hath promised to restore them into who believe in Jesus Christ and take up their daily Cross and follow him giving and taking Liberty to this evil Conscience brings into corruptible Bondage yea it vassalizeth the Creature Soul and Body to Satan and if this Liberty be continued in it brings everlasting destruction both upon Man and Woman Paul writ to Titus saying Unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure but even their Mind and Consciences defiled they profess that they know God but in Works they deny him See Tit. 1. 15 16. Again the Apostle writing to the Hebrews saith Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience c. Let us hold fast the Profession of our Faith without wavering for he is faithful that promised and let us consider one another to provoke unto Love and to good Works not forsaking the Assembling our selves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another c. See Heb. 10. 22 23 24 25. Oh my dear Friends All tenderly consider that the great work of God in and through Christ is to put away this evil Conscience and to work in man a good one yea to redeem out of all corrupt sinful fleshly Liberty which Liberty embondageth the Creature under Satans power as I said before Now Christ the patient and innocent Lamb of God was sent by the Father to take away the Sins of the World which John Baptist in his Eternal Light saw and testified of and in the same Divine Spirit and Light of Christ Daniel the Prophet saw and testified of saying He shall finish Sin and Transgression and shall bring in everlasting Righteousness Blessed are all they who in Faith and Patience wait to see this great Work carried on and finished in the appointed season of the Father O my Friends Seriously consider how enclinab●e apt and prone Men and Women are after they are come to some degree of the knowledge of God and of Christ and of the daily Cross to hearken to the Serpents voice who deceived Eve who leads into this ungodly Liberty who by his Transformations hath deceived some in our Age after they knew God and Christ as aforesaid and he has promised them Liberty and great things as he did Eve and has brought them into misery as he did her and through this his accursed work a Root of Bitterness is sprung up in some which is in danger to defile many which God through his tender Mercy put a stop unto confound and drive backward This is the earnest desire of my Soul The Apostle Peter writes against the fleshly Libertines with which the Church was exercised in his day which became matter of much Travel and Grief to the faithful Apostles of them he thus writes viz. These are Wells without Water Clouds that are carried with a Tempest to whom the mist of Darkness is reserved for ever for when they speak great swelling words of vanity they allure through the Lusts of the Flesh through much Wantonness those that were clean escaped from them who live in errour While they promise them Liberty they themselves are the servants of Corruption for of whom a man is overcome of the same he is brought into Bondage c. See 2 Pet. 2. 16. to the end Dear Friends Something more is upon me to write concerning Conscience The Apostle writing to the Church at Corinth speaketh of the Idolatry of the Gentiles viz. As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto Idols we know that an Idol is nothing in the World for though there be that are called Gods whether in Heaven or in Earth as there be gods many and lords many But to us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge for some with Conscience of the Idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an Idol and their Consciences being weak are defiled But meat commendeth us not to God for neither if we eat are we the better neither if we eat not are we the worse But take heed lest by any means this Liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak for if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the Idols Temple shall not the Conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are sacrificed to Idols c. Read 1 Cor. 8. 4. to the end of the chap. Observe here that some with Conscience of the Idol did eat things sacrificed unto it and their Consciences therein and thereby were defiled The Christians who knew there was no other God but one were warned by the Apostle that they should not sit in the Idols Temple at Meat with those who eat their meat unto the Idol lest their so doing should embolden those ignorant Idolaters to persist in their Ignorance and Idolatry for though some might say they did not eat it to the Idol as the Idolaters did but for strength and sustenance to the outward man yet this would not answer the Counsel of the Lord in the Apostle nor the Light of Christ in their own Souls but they were to abstain from eating with them at such Sacrifices thereby to prevent emboldening them therein And in chap. 10. ver 20. take his Testimony against this sort of Idolatry in these