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
A64243	The true light shining in darkness and dispelling the mists of errour arising from the darkness of man's heart, &c. promoted by the prince of darkness against the truth of God; in the matter of our justification: shewing, that by the deeds of the law, or mans own righteousness, no flesh can or shall be justified in the sight of God. The first part. By Tho. Taylor, the meanest and unworthiest of the servants and ministers of Jesus Christ; and now pastor to a small congregational church in Cambridge.	Taylor, Thomas, 1618-1682.	1693 (1693)	Wing T559; ESTC R219692	113,014	241

or accept them in their Worshiping of him A guilty Conscience and an unsanctified Heart is always hypocritical and playeth false and loose in worshiping God hence Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience and our bodies washed with pure water and the heart must first be sprinkled from an evil Conscience and body washed with pure water by the Blood and Spirit of Jesus Christ before any Man can worship God in Spirit and in Truth and I do and dare too affirm it from the Word of God that there is not a true and spiritual Worshipper of God in all the World but such as are so inwardly sprinkled and washed with the Blood and Spirit of Jesus Christ all others do worship God carnally and hypocritically not in Spirit and in Truth not sincerely and inwardly Oh therefore you that are in Christ see look to it that you worship God in the Spirit and in Truth for else there is none in all the World to do it 3. To worship God in the Spirit is to worship him in and according to his own holy Institutions Ordinances and Appointments and not according to Humane Inventions not according to Mens Traditions there is neither Spirit nor Truth in that Worship that hath not the stamp of Divine Authority upon it Voluntary Humility and Will-worship and all things of mans devising in the Worship of God and that hold not the Head Christ Jesus can minister no grace or spiritual nourishment to the Members and Joynts of the Body Eph. 4.16 compared with Col. 2.18 19 20 21 22 23. A little Leaven will leaven the whole lump and a little Superstition and Will-worship after th● Doctrines and Commandments of Men 〈◊〉 render the whole Worship vain and fruitle●● to your selves as well as displeasing provoke●ing and unacceptable to God and so whe●● all the ends of Worship are lost it becom● altogether vain as Mat. 15.9 But in va●● they do worship me teaching for Doctrine t●● Commandments of men and who hath ●●●quired these things at your hands will 〈◊〉 day dash in pieces the confidence of all suc● Worshippers and evidence the vanity as we●● as the impiety of all such Worship Human● Traditions and Impositions of Men unde● what name or pretence soever whether of E●●clesiastical or of holy learned and judicio● persons or the Authority of the Civil Magistrate are not sufficient to warrant us i● our worshiping of God No no we mu●● to the Law and to the Testimony and i● they speak not according to this Word ther● is no light or morning in them And whe●● men have once rejected the Word of th● Lord what Wisdom is in them yea wha● Holiness is in them what Learning is in them yea professing themselves to be wise they are become fools and why then should you that are in Christ follow them or be led by them wherein they do not follow Christ or are led by his Word and Spirit 'T is time for us to leave them who have left the Head Jesus Christ and have gone a whoring from under their Gods What though all the World wander after and worship the Beast yet those whose names are written in the Lambs Book of Life must not comply with them Rev. 13.7 8. Ye that are in Christ are the Temple of the Living God for God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them What agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols wherefore come out from amongst them and be ye separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing 2 Cor. 6.16 17 18. And again Rev. 18 4. And having therefore dearly Beloved these promises viz. of God's receiving us and of being a Father to us and our being his Sons and his Daughters as before Let us cleanse our selvet from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7.1 And let it be considered by you that if you be rejected of the World for not worshiping with them after their Rudiments ye shall be received of God in Christ as the true Worshippers that worship him in spirit and truth i. e. that worship him in Christ sincerely and according to his own Institution and whether it is better to please God or Men to be rejected of Men and to be received of God or to be received of Men and rejected of God judge ye for to be j●stified by Works and our own Righteousness and to worship God by Humane Inventions are equally hateful and abominable with God tho' highly esteemed amongst Men Jer. 44.4 Oh do not this abominable thing that I hate And Luk. 16.15 Ye are they which justifie your selves before Men but God knoweth your hearts for that which is highly esteemed amongst Men is abomination in the sight of God And for us to think within our selves that we can be justified in the sight of God by our own Works or Righteousness or that we can worship God by Humane Inventions or Mens Traditions is to think that God is altogether such an one as our selves for which certainly he will reprove us Psal. 50.21 22. And there is a secret yet strong connexion betwixt these two grand Errours viz. to be justified by Works and to worship God by and after our own Inventions for they commonly go together and stand and fall together And those that are corrupt or loose in the Doctrine of Justification are accordingly as corrupt and loose in Worship And therefore when a Professing People grow loose in the Worship of God 't is an ill Omen and just ground of godly jealousie and fear that such are unsound and loose in the Point of Justification Hence Gal. 4.8 9 10 11. And that they are not fast knit by a sincere Faith unto Christ the Head Col. 2.19 20 21 22. Let us therefore as many as are perfect be thus minded to rejoyce in Christ Jesus have no confidence in the flesh and worship God in the Spirit then and not till then are we the t●ue Circumcision then and not till then do we walk after the spirit and not after the flesh As therefore ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk ye in him And the God of Peace shal● be with you Amen The Second Part of the True Light Shining in Darkness To give to us the knowledge of Salvation to guide our feet into the way of Peace OR The Righteousness of God Manifested opened and declared as the True and only Matter of our Justification before GOD through Faith in Jesus Christ. Being one Sermon or Doctrine of five more remaining upon Rom. 3.21 22. But now the Righteousness of God without the Law is manifested being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets Even the Righteousness of God which is by Faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe for there is no difference Preached first in and about the City

5.17 18. Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new Creature old things are passed away behold all things are become new and as old things are passed away and all things are become new so particularly the old Covenant and old Righteousness by the Deeds and Works of the Law is passed away and a new Covenant and a new Righteousness brought in not of Works but of Grace not by the Deeds of the Law but by Faith in Jesus Christ and all things are of God as verse 18. i. e. all things of this new Creation and so this Righteousness which is by Faith of Jesus Christ is of God in a new and more peculiar and glorious way under a new head i. e. not Adam but Jesus Christ and by a new Covenant not of Works but of Grace and by a new Birth not after the Flesh but after the Spirit not of the Will of Man but of God Job 1.13 Jam. 1.18 Gal. 4.28 31. And so this Righteousness is called by a new Name The Righteousness of God as God is the Author of it and hath created it and brought it forth after a more peculiar manner and this will appear more plainly in the consideration of these three particulars namely 1 Particular First In that God of his infinitely free and soveraign Grace hath in and through his Son Jesus Christ designed and conferred this Righteousness upon us by Faith in his Son I say God of his free Grace hath conferred this Righteousness by Faith upon the Heirs of Salvation and that from all eternity the purpose and counsel of his Grace designed and conferred this Righteousness by his Son before the World was 2 Tim. 1.9 10. But according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ before the World began But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ who hath abolished death and hath brought immortality and life to light through the Gospel What is that which is made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ but this Righteousness of God as in the Text But now the Righteousness of God is manifested Now by this Righteousness of God is death abolished and immortality and life brought to light through the Gospel Now whence is this Righteousness of God and so immortality and life brought to light was it from or according to Works no but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ before the World began so that it was not our Works but God's free purpose and grace which designed and conferred this Righteousness and if you will know when this purpose and grace or this purpose of grace in God moved him hereunto it was from all eternity before the World began and this Righteousness of God is not a Righteousness of Work or by Works but a Righteousness of Grace given us in Christ not as a reward of Works and of Debt but as a gift of free and soveraign Grace and so it is called Rom. 5. v. 17. Much more they which receive abundance of Grace and of the Gift of Righteousness and all that are justified by this Righteousness which is by Faith in Christ are said to be justified freely Rom. 3.24 Being justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ And it is very much to be considered that Mans Works are always excluded and the Grace of God and the Gift of Righteousness magnified and mentioned in the business of Justification Titus 3.5 6 7. And for as much as this purpose and grace or this gracious purpose of Righteousness by Faith was given us in Christ before the World began it is manifest that Man not having then a Being or having done good or evil not Mans Works or Worthiness but Gods own free Grace and Goodness moved him to confer and bestow this gift of Righteousness as the Apostle argueth concerning Esau and Jacob Rom. 9. v. 11. For the Children being not yet born neither having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to Election might stand not of Works but of him that calleth So that this Righteousness which is by Faith of Jesus Christ is the Righteousness of God as his Grace his free and soveraign Grace in Christ hath created designed from all eternity and freely conferred the same on all them that believe And thus no other Righteousness but this of Christs only is or can be called the Righteousness of God because whatever other use there may be of other Righteousnessess either Original Legal or Moral amongst men in this World yet certain it is that this Righteousness only was designed and conferred as the Gift of God's free Grace in Christ as that wherein only Man can be be justified in his sight 2 Particular This is the Righteousness of God as his Infinite Wisdom alone hath contrived and found it out For considering the case of Man now faln under sin by the transgression of the first Covenant and the first Adam and every individual person of Mankind comprehended in him were now become sinners and had lost all hope and possibility of Righteousness by the Law it was above the reach and understanding of all created Wisdom and would have put to a non-plus all the Wisdom of Men and Angels to have found out a way how Man that had lost his own Righteousness and all hope of it by the Law could ever become righteous again and be justified in the sight of God and that God might be just in justifying Man that 〈◊〉 once a sinner and transgressor of his 〈◊〉 Law And had God put the question Adam who had as much natural Und●●●standing and Wisdom as any Man ever ha● I say had God put the question to him 〈◊〉 me Adam now that sin and death have 〈◊〉 the dominion over thee and all thy Poster●●● by thy transgressing of my Law how sin 〈◊〉 death may be destroyed and Righteousn●●● and Life brought in my Law be fulfille● my Justice satisfied and Glory preserv●● and thou saved his mouth had been stoppe● and his tongue silent without any answer could not have entred into the heart of Ma● to conceive such a Mystery of Grace as th●● is And as there was none amongst Men 〈◊〉 none amongst the Angels in Heaven tha● could have been his Counsellor in this matte● or have first given unto him as Rom. 11 34 35. Who hath been his Counsellor and wh●● hath first given unto him No no God hath been his own Counsellor in this matter his own Wisdom hath contrived this way of Righteousness by Faith in his Son Jesus Christ as Rom. 11.33 Oh the depth of the riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his Judgments and his Ways past finding out For I had not ●he Wisdom as well as the Grace of God ●revented Man with the revelation and ma●ifestation of this Righteousness it had ne●er entred into the understanding of Men or

thou beest cloathed with change of Raiment i. e. the perfect Righteousness of Jesus Christ Which unless thou puttest on by Faith neither thy person nor service can be accepted of him For as there is no salvation out of Christ so also out of Christ and his Righteousness there is no acceptation to any person under Heaven And that thou Oh man mayest yet be more fully convinced that thou canst not stand before God in the best of thine own Righteousness but only and alone in this Righteousness of God which is by the Faith of Christ unto all and upon all them that believe Consi-that thou canst not stand before thine own Conscience in the best of thine own Righteousness And if thy Conscience be an awakened and enlightened Conscience it will witness against thee yea it will judge and condemn thee in the best of thy Inherent Righteousness of inward qual●ficat●ons and external performances We will suppose and thou mayest say thou hast Faith but hast thou not unbe●ief as well as Faith And is not thy unbelief more than thy Faith And many times dost thou not act at least in some case● as if thou hadst no Faith And doth not thy Conscience reprove and judge as Christ doth his Disciples Mat. 4.40 Thou wilt say also thou dost repent and thou hatest tha● which is evil well but dost thou not find also impenitency and hardness of Heart at least some times and in some cases Dost thou not find thy Heart sometimes to be without all tenderness And to be even hardened from Gods fear so that neither the Word of God nor yet the Rod of God do make impression upon thee Isa. 63.17 Yea neither the Mercies nor the Judgments of God dost thou lay to Heart as thou oughtest to do Isa. 42.24 25. Thou wilt say thou art Humble but is there not Pride also in thy Heart And doth not Pride prevail many times in thy Heart as it did in Hezekiah 2 Chron. 32.25 And doth not thy Conscience reprove thee for thy Pride as his did verse 26 Thou wilt say also that thou dost Love God but dost thou love him withall thy Heart and all thy Soul and all thy Strength Dost not thou love thy Carnal Self also and the Creature more than God at least sometimes and in some particular cases And doth not the love of thy Self and of the Creature prevail above all the love of God in thy Heart And so of the rest of all thy Inherent Qualifications And then for thy external performances thou wilt say that thou prayest and callest upon God in thy Close● in thy Family in and with the Congreation of the People of God And thou hearest the word and that with joy and delight thou receivest the seals of Gods Covenant and thou joynest fasting with thy Prayers and chastenest thy Soul therewith Well but Oh Man doth not sin mix it self with thy best duties and iniquity creep into all thy holy things And doth not thine own Conscience tell thee and reprove thee for these things And thou art put to it after all to cry out Lord be merciful to me a Sinner a Wretch an unclean thing Now if this be true and these things be so that thou canst not stand before thine own enlightened and awakened Conscience in the best of thine own Righteousness either of inherent qualifications or external duties How canst thou think to stand before God who is greater than thy Heart or Conscience and knoweth all things as 1 Joh. 3.20 Yea he knoweth more evil by thee and seeth more sin and iniquity in thee and in thy holy things than ever thou didst or canst do Psal. 19.12 Jer. 17.9 10. Therefore he is greater than thy Heart and knoweth all things as thine own Heart condemns thee in all those things he will condemn thee also for thou canst not stand before him in these rags in these filthy rags Is it not therefore Oh man whoever thou art that hearest the word of God this day I say is it not thy duty and thy interest also to comply with and submit unto this Righteousness of God and seek a better Righteousness out of thy self by Faith in his Son Is not this Righteousness better than thy own Are not the royal robes better than filthy rags Canst thou stand before the great King of Heaven and Earth in filthy garments And will he accept thee Will not his Wrath burn against thee and Say friend how camest thou in hither not having on the wedding garment and will not he say Take him hence bind him hand and foot and cast him into outer darkness There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth And wilt not thou be left speechless and without excuse as Mat. 22.11 12 13 14. Oh therefore put on this wedding garment and wear i● always when thou comest before the King and treadest in his Courts be sure thou beest in it having it on and never dare to look God in the Face without it as Phil. 3.9 But be found in it whilst thou livest when thou comest to die and at the Day of Judgment That the shame of thy nakedness do not appear to thy everlasting confusion Infer 5. But then again fifthly Hence we may also Infer and A●gue how greatly it is the duty and work and as well the interest also of every Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be himself well instructed in the knowledge of this Righteousness of God and understandingly faithfully and clearly to Preach and declare this Righteousness of God which is by the Faith of Christ unto all and upon all them that believe And that it is your Duty and Interest to understand and know this Righteousness of God and to be well instructed in and acquainted with this Mistery of Faith and to Hold it in a pure Conscience as the Apostle doth command 1 Tim. 3.9 will appear by the Considerations following 1 Consid. This Righteousness of God by Faith in his Son Jesus Christ is the great foundation truth of the Gospel and as it concerns every wise and skilful builder to look well to his foundation upon which the whole building and his success therein and also his reputation as a workman doth depend So it doth greatly concern every Gospel Minister that he may be a skilful builder in the Church of God to look well to the foundation of the Faith and Hope not only of himself but also of the whole Church of Gods Elect For other foundation can no man lay than what is already laid which is Jesus Christ the same yesterday and to day and for ever as 2 Cor. 3.11 If a Minister lay his foundation in the works of the Law and mans Righteousness it will never hold whatever hope or confidence he builds upon this foundation in himself or others will certainly fall when his work shall come to be tryed and himself and all those that hear him and whom he builds upon this foundation will certainly perish unless