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	patience_n	temperance_n	1,484	5	11.2902	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49244	Grace: the truth and growth and different degrees thereof. The summe and substance of XV. sermons. Preached by that faithful and painful servant of Jesus Christ, Mr. Christopher Love, late minister of Lawrence Jury, London. They being his last sermons. To which is added a funerall sermon, being the very last sermon he ever preached.	Love, Christopher, 1618-1651.; Cross, Thomas, fl. 1632-1682, engraver.	1652 (1652)	Wing L3156; ESTC R214001	127,409	242

they be placed alone in the midst of the earth that you give all diligence to adde to your faith vertue and to your vertue knowledge and to your knowledge temperance and to your temperance patience and to patience godlinesse and to godlinesse brotherly-kindnesse and to brotherly-kindnesse charity that these graces may be in you and abound that you may be neither barren nor unfruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus No Christian should content himselfe with any measures of Grace attained for he is like to make use of all the grace he hath had he a Benjamins portion The time is comming when one dram of true grace will be of more worth then all the world The comforts of grace the joy and peace of believing will be Cordials to you when you are dying and will set up such a light in the soule which the shadow of death shall neither damp nor darken But alas most men are labouring more after wealth then faith more after greatnesse in the world then true grace of whom when they die it may be said They had laid up goods for many yeers but it cannot be said In them was found some good thing towards the Lord. Men doe usually lay up riches for a deare yeere they 'l say they know not what need they may have before they come to die Be then as wise and provident for your precious souls Your temptations and trials may be such that you may have use for all your faith and patience Eate said the Angel to Elijah for the journey is long It is no short way to Heaven nor is the opposition small thou shalt meet withall in thy passage thither Oh then get thy soule well stored with spirituall provision of grace and the comforts of it It is true thy safety is in the being but thy comfort stands in the strength and activity of thy graces Weake Grace is saving but strong Grace is comfortable truth of grace shal be rewarded with heaven growth of Grace doth as it were antedate heaven The least true grace wil bring thee to Heaven but the more Grace thou hast the fitter for and surer thou wilt be of Heaven The Lord make these and all the labours of his servants profitable to his Church Ye therefore beloved seeing you know these things before beware lest ye also being led away with the errour of the wicked fall from your own stedfastnesse But grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to him be glory both now and for ever Amen Reader we remain Ready to serve thee in thy Soul-affairs EDMUND CALAMY SIMEON ASHE JEREM. WHITAKER WILLIAM TAYLOR London February 13. 1651-52 Sermon I. At Lawrence J●y London March 9. 1650 1. 1. KINGS 14. part of the 13. verse Because in him there is found some good thing towards the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam THis Chapter conteins in it Ahijahs Prophesie foretelling what dismall judgements should befal Ieroboam and his posterity for his Idolatry in worship and defection from the Government and house of David For which sins God did destroy him and his posterity and not only the bad but the good were punished for their fathers guilt For so it is intimated in this verse out of which the Text is taken Here was a young man Ieroboam's son that should die for the fathers fault and yet here was a mitigation of the punishment that he should not die after the same manner that the rest did he shall goe to his grave in peace because in him there is found some good c. Behold the goodnesse of God! a little good in him and yet the great God takes notice of the little good in him God found as it were one pearle in a heap of pebbles one good young man in Jeroboams houshold that had some good in him towards the Lord God of Israel In the whole verse three parts I. A lamentation for the death of this son of Jeroboam It is said all Israel shall mourn for him and so they did v. 18. which argued there was goodness in him for if he had not been desired and prized while he lived he would not have been so lamented at his death II. A limitation of his punishment he only of Jeroboams family shall come to the grave the rest of his posterity that died in the City dogs should eat and him that dieth in the field should the fowles of the ayre devoure vers 11. III. The commendation of his life in him was found some good c. of this I am now to treat He is commended by the Holy Ghost for his goodnesse is set forth 1. By the quality of his goodnesse it was a good thing not a good word only or a good purpose or inclination with which too many content themselves but it was a good action 2. By the quantity of it it was but some little good thing that was found in him and yet that little good God did not despise or over-look 3. By the sincerity of his goodnesse there are two notable demonstrations of this young mans goodnesse 1. It was towards the Lord God of Israel 2. It was in Jeroboams house 1. His goodnesse was towards the Lord God of Israel This argued Pauls sincerity that in his speaking writing and actions he could and did appeal to God That Religion saith the Apostle is pure and undefiled that is so before God and the Father Many Hypocrites may be good towards men who are not so towards God to be rich indeed is to be rich towards God True repentance is repentance towards God and he is unblamable indeed that is void of offence towards God as well as towards men 2. He was good in the house of Jeroboam A wicked man may seeme good in a good place but to be good in a bad place argues men to be good indeed To be good in Davids house this was not so much but for this young man to be good in the house of Jeroboam his father whom the Scripture brands for his Idolatry that he made all Jsrael to sin and yet could not make his son to sin this argued he was sincerely good as it did argue Lots sincerity to be righteous in Sodom for Job to be good in Chaldea and to be Saints in Nero's Palace and to feare God in Jeroboams family this is goodnesse indeed There is onely one difficulty in the Text viz. What was that good thing that was found in Abijah For answer to this 't is true the Scripture doth not particularly expresse what that good thing was which was found in him but Tostatus and P. Martyr affirme from the Hebrew Rabbins that when the Jews of the ten Tribes did on their appointed times repair to Ierusalem to worship according to the command of God and Jerboam commanded Souldiers to intercept them this Abijah did hinder the souldiers to kill them and gave

One siphorus v. 16. from whence may be observed That the good example of good men should be an argument to us to increase in goodnesse If it referre to the 15. verse This thou knowest that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes and thus Theodoret refers it Then observe That other mens Apostacy from the Profession of grace should make the godly more careful to grow strong in grace But I shall handle the text without any relative consideration Be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus Timothy may be considered in a double capacity either as a Minister or as a private Christian If as a Minister then the force of the exhortation lies in this that he should increase in ministerial gifts and graces whence may be observed That Ministers of all men should grow in the truth and in Ministerial gifts because as they grow so will the people grow under their Ministry Ministers do receive grace and Apostleship for obedience to the faith among all Nations Rom. 1. 5. And grace is given unto them that they may preach unto others the unsearchable riches of Christ Eph. 3. 8. 2. If he be considered as a private Christian then he is exhorted not to content himself with grace received but to labour after more strength of grace Be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus Grace may be said to be in Christ two waies either 1. As the subject recipient of grace or 2. As a fountain redundant and overflowing to his people Grace is in Christ in all fulnesse from whence his people receive grace for grace There are two observations which I shall note from the words considering the exhortation without reference to what went before or follows after That believers are not to rest satisfied in weak measures of grace already received but to endeavour to attain greater strength of grace That Christ is the subject in which all grace is and the fountain from which believers must receive all their grace In the opening of the first doctrine the first thing is to make it appeare That believers must not rest satisfied with weak measures of grace received but must labour after more grace And this I shall prove 1. By instances of two sorts 1. That believers have grown from weak grace to strong grace who out of weaknesse were made strong There are expositors who refer this place to Hezekiahs recovery 1 Kin. 20. but it may have a more general extent and application The Psalmist speaking of Gods people saies he They go from strength to strength every one of them in Zion appears before God It is true the proper reference of these words is to the Jewes going up to Jerusalem to worship when the males went thrice a yeere up to Jerusalem to worship according to the law Exod 23. 14 17. yet Ainsworth understands it of our growth in grace so we are said to be changed from glory to glory that is from little degrees of grace to greater grace is but glory begun and glory is but grace perfected true grace is still aspiring unto perfection and therefore sayes Paul if by any means I might attain the Resurrection of the dead his meaning is that I may attain that perfection of holinesse which accompanies the state of the Resurrection a Metonymie of the subject for the adjunct he is still pressing forward that he might attain further degrees of grace and for that end Paul he forgat what was behind and reached forth to those things that were before ver 13. And though Paul Eph. 3. 4. had very great knowledge in the mysterie of Christ yet he stil desired to know more and more of Christ 2 By instances wherein Gods people have prayed for the strength of grace I how my knees sayes Paul unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ that he would grant unto you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthned with might by his Spirit in the inner man And speaking of the Romans Rom. 15. 13 14. he sayes I am perswaded you are full of goodnesse and knowledge yet because the best and most learned know but in part and see but darklie through a glasse 1 Cor. 13 12. he prays that God would fill them with all joy and peace in believing that they might abound in hope through the power of the holy Ghost So he prayes that their love might abound more and more in knowledge and in all judgement and that they may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spirituall understanding that they might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing and be fruitfull in every good work increasing in the knowledge of God Thus Gods people have prayed for a further increase in grace Paul after his conversion increased more in strength whereby he was enabled to confound the opposing Jewes at Damascus Acts 9. 22. 2. By Commands Leaving the first principles of the doctrine of Christ we must goe on to perfection we must give diligence to adde grace to grace so we are commanded to be strong in the Lord to stand fast in the faith to quit your selves like men and be strong and to abound more and more Many such commands are scattered up and down the Scripture which shews our duty to grow more and more and to attain unto greater measures of grace 3. By promises that Gods people shall do so The path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day that is they shall increase more and more in strength Gods gentlenesse makes his people great and inlargeth their steps under them The feeble among them at that day shall be as David and the house of David shall be as God as the Angel of the Lord before them Pareus in his short notes which he cals his Adversaria saith He that is weak in faith shall be as David strong in faith Why should believers not rest satisfied with the first beginnings of grace but labour to be grown and strong Christians The reasons may be drawn 1. Partly from the necessity of it Why you must doe it And 2. From the danger If you doe it not 1. From the necessity of it there are these reasons 1. If you consider the strong temptations you are like to meet withall from the divel We are therefore commanded to be strong in the Lord to put on the whole Armour of God that we might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against Principalities and Powers and against the Rulers of the darknesse of this world Now shall the divel be strong and armed and shal we be content to be unarmed and weak Christians it is worth your noting in the

question viz. VVhat are the notes the Scripture layes down of strong and grown Christians We are to know there are marks in Scripture both of the truth of grace as also of the strength of grace and these must not be confounded but distinctly considered Our present question is about marks of growth in grace 1. Such as are grown in grace do ordinarily enjoy a grounded assurance and comfortable manifestation of the love of God in Christ to their souls So St. John saith Perfect love casteth out fear The more perfect love is the lesse of tormenting fear is in the soul and the reason of our fear and doubting is for want of love We cannot comprehend the great love of God in Christ to our souls till we are strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inder man which you will see in the Apostles Prayer for the Ephesians that God would grant unto them according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit that Christ might dwell in their hearts by faith and that they might be rooted and grounded in love and that they might be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ c. So that the more strength of grace is in the soul the clearer is our comprehension of Christs love to the soul 2. Strong and grown Christians are able experimentally to comfort others with the same comfort wherewith they themselves are comforted of God and when they are converted they are able to strengthen their brethren as Christ speak● to Peter By Conversion in that place is not meant the first work of grace wronght in the soul for that was wrought in Peter before his fall but the meaning is Peter when thou art strengthened and recovered from thy fall when thou hast recovered strength again then see that thou be careful to strengthen others who perhaps may fall into the same weakness with thy self If any man be overtaken with a fault saith Paul to the Galatians you that are spiritual restore such a man in the spirit of meeknesse You that are spirituall i.e. you that are grown and experienced Christians see that you do indeavour to recover such a fallen brother Paul prayes for the Philippians that their love may abound yet more and more in all knowledge and judgment that is that they might have knowledge with judgment and experience so as they might use their judicious knowledge in love for the edification of others that were but weak in grace and in the Epistle to the Romanes the same Apostle layes down this Character of a strong Christian I am perswaded of you my Brethren that you are full of goodnesse filled with all knowledge able also to admonish one another from whence we may gather the Character mentioned that the more perfect any Christian is in knowledge or any other grace the more able he is to admonish others for their edification Grown Christians are such as understand the great and profound mysteries of Religion they are not only such as use milk and understand only the first and plain Principles such as the Apostle calls Babes and unskilful in the Word of Righteousnesse but they are such as are able to digest strong meat i.e. the deep mysteries of the Gospel they doe in some measure understand and have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil that is to judge between true doctrines and false Strong and grown Christians have such an eare as is able to try words as it is in Job even as the mouth tryeth meats It is an observation of the learned Mercer that the same word in Hebrew which signifies an Eare in the duall number signifies a pair of ballances to note thus much that an experienced and judicious Christian will weigh whatsoever he heareth before he believeth it For as the tongue of the ballance standeth as a Judge between the two scales so should the heart of every man weigh what he hears and so will every grown and judicious Christian He will not take up truth upon trust but he considereth first and believeth afterwards Nor will a grown Christian take up with inferiour knowledge but will like a grown Scholler be searching after the deep things of God A grown experienced and strong Christian is most conversant and imployed in the most strict and severe exercises of Religion which tend most to mortification weak Christians are all for easie and ordinary exercises as hearing and reading good books but a strong Christian is much in spirituall watchfulnesse secret prayer frequent fasting self-denyal and heavenly meditation and such like duties as have a special influence upon the mortification of sin and corruption A childe whose parts and strength is weak is not conversant about such arduous and great undertakings as a grown man He can believe the accomplishment of Promises and Scripture Prophesies though Gods Providence seeme to make against them and though there seem no outward probabilities for them Thus it argued Abraham was strong in faith who against hope believed in hope and being not weak in faith he considered not his own body now dead There were severall things might have staggered Abrahams faith had it not been very strong 1. There were fifteen years at least between the making of the promise of giving him a son and the fulfilling of it 2. Abraham was about an hundred yeares old before he had a son and so unlikely to have children 3. Sarah's womb dead and no ordinary hope of Procreation 4. And after the promised sonne was born God calls upon Abraham to offer him up and yet notwithstanding all this he staggered not at the promise ●of God through unbeliefe but was strong in faith giving glory to God and was fully perswaded that what he had promised he was able also to performe A strong believer can suffer as well as do for the sake os Christ Greater strength of grace is required to suffer for the truth then to professe the truth and therefore our Saviour propounds this to the ambitious suitors the sons of Zebedee Are yee able to drink of the Cup that I shall drink of and to be baptized with the Baptism wherewith I am baptized withall implying thus much that they did not well understand their own strength that there was more grace required to suffer for the name of Christ then to believe on the name of Christ and accordingly as is our strength of grace so is our courage for the cause of Christ lesse or more Nicodemus when he had but little grace he came to Jesus but yet in the night by stealth he durst not openly appear for Christ but afterwards as he grew in grace and knowledge of Christ so he grew in courage for Christ And when the cause of Christ was

and Gods Fan 68 VVhy Timothy called Pauls son 70 How grace is said to be strong 72 Strong grace because strong temptation and oppositions and strong corruptions 76 Signes of strong Christians 81 Suffering for Christ a duty as wel as doing for Christ 83 Sins of Gods people provoking 99 Superciliousnes towards weak Christians 109 Gods Soveraignty to give or withhold comfort 133 Sleightnesse of Spirit 137 Christ Sun of Righteousnesse 178 Neither Satan nor Sin shall hinder grace 194 Goe to Christ for supply of grace ib. T. MAny dare not Trust God for outward things 25 Government of the Tongue 84 Great and strong Temptations consistent with strong grace 90 Temptations shall not exceed grace 91 Devils tempts best most of which instances 93 95 VVhen temptations strong 93 Reasons why best most tempted 96 God by temptations aims at our good 97 Jesus Christ was tempted 102 Natural temperature disposeth to some sins 104 Types of Christ 180 181 V REligion makes neerest Union 70 Unity in the Church 87 Uncompassionatenesse 138 Ungrounded comfort and joy 143 Christ gives grace voluntarily 192 W WEake easily seduced 23 Weak in knowledge ib. Weak in judgement 24 Weak Christians not bear Reproofe ib. Weak Christians must not be discouraged 25 Gods wisdom seen in the variety of measures of grace 31 More weak then strong Christians 32 How we must carry our selves to weak ones 60 Gods care over weak Christians 68 Of weak gifts 144 Directions to weak Christians 163 Works of the blessed Trinity relative to the creature undivided 181 Y COmmendable to good in Youth 6 Youth subject to temptations ib. Examples of good young men 7 Sins of youth trouble us when old 8 9 Gods indulgence to young convers 125 FINIS Libri rerum non verborum soecundi Heb. 5. 14. Pro. 27. 23 a Gen. 4. 3. b Ex 9. 27 c 1 Kings 21. 27. d 1 Sam. 24. 16. e 2 Kings 10 16. f Mat. 27. 3 g Act. 8. 13 h Mar. 6. 20. i Acts 24. 25. Plus scientiae minuf conscientiae Isa 5. 8. 2 Pet. 1. 6 7 8. Plus valebit conscientia pura quàm marsupia plena Rev. 13. 10 1 Kings 19. 7. 2 Pet. 3 ● 7 18. a 1 Kings 15. 29. b 2 Cor. 12 19. Gal. 1. 20. c Jam. 2. 27 d Luke 12. 21. e As 20. 21. f Act. 24. 16. 1. Observation g 1 Kings 16. 26. 2. Observation 3. Observation 4. Observation Isa 57. 1. 1 5. Observation 6. Observation Rom. 2. 28. 1. Doct. h 1 Kings 18. 12. i 2 Tim. 3. 15. k Joh. 13. l Jer. 2. 2. m 2 Epist John 4. n Mar. 10. 21. o 2 Tim. 2. 22. 1 Vse Ps 71. 9. compared with v. 5. 1 Sam. 16. 11 12. p Gen. 48. 14. q 1 Cor. 7. 33. r Quae fueru●● inania juven●utis gaudia haec sunt ac●rba senectutis gravamina Job 13. 26. Job 29. 11. 1 Tim. ● 6. Tit. 2. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Tim. 2. 22 Eccl. 11. 10 Prov. 7. 7. Eph. 4. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 movit de loco in locum Mat. 19. 22. 2 King 2. 23. Job 30. 1 12. Eccl. 11. 9. Judg. 14. 10. Job 1. 4. Prov. 31. 1. Rev. 2. 13. Phil. 4. 22. Heb. 12. 15 Vse 1. 2. Isa 6. 〈◊〉 Psal 120 5 Gen. 25. 13 2 Pet. 2. 7 8. 3 Phil. 2. 15. 4 Gen. 20. 11 Non ego s●m ambitiosus sed nemo Romae aliter vivere potest non ego sum sumptuosus sed urbs ipsa magnas impensas exigit Sen. 5 6 Bonus mali consortio fecilè pej●ratur Jude 23. Lev. 15. 4. Deut. 22. 10. 1 Cor. 5. 9 10. Psa 26. 4 5 7. Pro. 13. 20 Doct. Mat. 12. 20 Verba p●●iu● ad cor nostrum quàm ad cor Dei accommodata Psal 51. 17 Cant. 2. 13. Cant. 7. 1● 1. Propsition 1 Quest 1. Answ s Rom. 15. 1 t 1 Cor. 3. 1 1 Joh. 2. 14 u Isa 61. 3. Psal 92. 12 Mat. 12. 20 x Cant. 1. 8. 1 Joh. 21. 15 16 17. y Isa 4. 4. 2 Answ z Gal. 4. 19 1 Pet. 1. 23 c. 2. 2. 1 Joh. 2. 13 ibid. Cant. 2. 14 Brightman 2 Quest Answ 1. Aasw 2. Answ 3. Rom. 14. 1. Rom. 15. 1. * Rom 14. 21. 1 Cor. 8. 7. c. 9. 2. Answ 4. Dr. Sibbs Answ 5 1 Cor. 3. 1 4. Jam. 2. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Answ 6. Eph. 4. 14. 2 Pet. 3. 17 18. Answ 7. Heb. 5. 12 13. a Luke 9. 45. b Mar. 9. 10. c John 10 16 17. Answ 8. Answ 9. 2 Sam. 12. 7. 2 Chron. 16. 10. Ans 10. Mat. 6. 30. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 16. 8. 1 Vse Mat. 17. 20 2 Vse 3 Quest Answ Heb. 12. 23 Eph. 4. 13. 1 Cor. 12. 21. Pro. 30. 26 Cant. 2. 14. 2 Cor. 12. 9 10. Ver. 10 1 Kings 18 44 45. Ezek. 47. 3 4 5. 1. Posit Jon. 4. 11. Quò perfect●●res ●ò pauciores Jer. 46. 23. 1 Sam. 20. 36. 2. Posit Heb. 5. 12. Mat. 19. 30 3. Posit Miserationes Dei sunt merita nostra Deus coronat non merita nostra sed dona sua Cant. 2. 14 Cant. 1. 15 Cant. 1. 10. Cant. 4. 1 2 3 4 c. Ezek. 16. 14. 4. Posit Mat. 8. 26. compared with Mar. 4. 40. Rom. 14. 1 c. 15. 1. Gal. 6. 1. Luk. 22. 32 Mar. 16. 16 17. Pareus Vers 14. Joh. 16. 12 Joh. 15. 8. 5. Posit Luk. 19. 17 1. Vse Mat. 13. 31 32. Mat. 13. 33 1 Kings 18. 44. Ezek. 47. 3. 4. Arbor procera Cypressu● Mat. 12. 20 Phil. 1. 6. 1 Thes 5. 24. Heb. 6. 1. Luke 14. 28 29. Psal 138. 8. 2 Pet. 1. 1. Isa 27. 8. 1 Cor. 10. 13. Isa 57. 16. Rev. 3. 8. A case of conscience resolved 1. Thes 4. 1 Psal 119. Acts 26. 18 Job 33. 30. Luke 15. 17 18. Greg. Psal 32. 5. August Psal 17. 3. Psal 119. 106. Act. 11. 23. Mar. 9. 24. Mat. 5. 3. Rom. 8. 26. Perkins Curae leves loqueuntur ingentes stupent Neh. 1. 11. compared with Neh. 5. Isa 26. 8 9. Mat. 5. 6. Joh. 7. 37. Isa 55. 1. Rev. 21. 6. Psa 145. 19 Psal 10. 17. Psal 4. 6. Numb 23. 10. Veluntatem fi●is non mediorum Bern. 2 Cor. 7. 11. 2 Cor. 8. 11. Pro. 21. 25 Conales cupiunt Christum consequi sed non se quinon cu rant quaerere quem desiderant iavenire Bern. Psal 119. 20. Psal 42. 1. 2 Cor. 7. 11. Psal 42. 2. Psal 63. 1. Psa 119. 20 1 Pet. 2. 2. 1 Joh. 3. 14. 1. Caution Heb. 6. 1. Isa 32. 17. 2 Pet. 1. 9 10 11. Mat. 8. 26. compared with Mar. 4. 40. 2 Pet. 1. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Caution 3. Caution 4. Caution 1 Cor. 1. 5. v. 7. 1 Cor. 3. 1 3 Rev. 3. 17. Rev. 3. 8. 1 Cor. 12. 31 1. Comfort Luk. 22 32 1. Joh. 4. 4. 2 Cor. 12 9 Isa 26. 4. Jude 24. 1