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
A66073	Characters of a sincere heart and the comforts thereof collected out of the Word of God by Hen. Wilkinson.	Wilkinson, Henry, 1616-1690.	1674 (1674)	Wing W2229; ESTC R27587	61,872	145

as many as be perfect be thus minded Phil. 3. 12 13 14 15. This progressive motion David laies dowor is a sign of such who are blessed Psal 84. 6 7. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well the rain also filleth the pool They go from strength to strength every one of them in Zion appeareth before God Their indeavors are indefatigable and their motions are continued and progressive in the service of God Hence judicious Calvin observes upon the place That the faithful recollect Ae si dicerunt fideles collectis subiade viribus ascendere ad moatem Zion nec lassitudiae ullâ tardari donec conspicia at Dei faciem Calv in Psal 84. vers 7. their strength and ascend unto the mount of Zion and are not hindred by any weariness till they behold the face of God Our grand indeavor should be to get grace and truth of grace and to be diligent in searching whether we have got special and more than common grace and whether we mistake not parts for graces We must still be sitting examining and trying whether our grace be true and genuine sincere and saving grace And our indeavor must be continued to get growth in grace and more accessions thereunto If we would be preserved from apostacy and back-sliding we must grow in grace for growth in grace is a special preservative to keep us from falling from our stedfastness For so saith the Apostle 2 Pet. 3. 17 18. Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know these things before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness A sovereign remedy to prevent the danger of Apostacy is prescribed in the following words vers 18. But grow in grace and in the knowledg of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ A growing Believer is a new born Christian As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby 1 Pet. 2. 2. Likewise augmentation of every particular grace is required We must labour for true grace as to the quality of it and as to the quantity of it we must still be adding thereunto So saith the same Apostle 2 Pet. 1. 5 6 7 8. Add to your faith virtue and to virtue Est insignis hic locus si quis alius verae Christianae vitae summam descriptis illius veris tum crusis tum effectis spectandam praebens Beza knowledg and to knowledg temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godliness and to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness charity For if those things be in you and abound they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the the knowledg of our Lord Jesus Christ We have need of every grace and the more we have of any grace in sincerity and in truth the more we shall value it and the more we shall beg supplies of God and increase from him The Apostles pray'd Lord increase our Faith If we have any grace already really wrought in us we shall be sensible what need we have of and shall pray for a continual augmentation Sect. 2 To instance in particulars Have we faith let 's fift narrowly and examine thorowly whether our faith be a saving faith whether it be a justifying faith Rom. 5. 1. such as works by love Gal. 5. 6. and purifies the heart Acts 15. 9. for this only is of the right stamp or whether our faith be only historical dogmatical and only temporary If we search exactly upon mature and deliberate reflections upon our selves we shall find some failings and deficiencies in our faith For though questionless the Thessalonians had true faith yet they had something lacking in their faith And yet they were such for whom the Apostle gave thanks to God in an especial 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. omnibus 〈◊〉 ris fidem vestram aa huc imperfectam absolvamus Beze in Loc. manner 1 Thes 3. 9 10. For saith he what thanks can we render again to God for you for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God night and and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face and perfect that which is lacking in your faith And as we should labour for more faith so should we labour for more love more meekness more humility and more self-denial If then through the pride of our own hearts we should flatter our selves as if we had grace enough already it 's evident that we never had any grace at all in sincerity and in truth for where-ever true grace is planted in the heart it fructifies in the life and conversation Grace is no withered dead plant but a living and growing plant where the seed of grace is sound in the heart it takes root downward and brings forth fruit upward throughout the practice of our whole lives He then who labours Qui desinit prosicere incipit deficere Bern. not to grow better begins to grow worse as a Father saith Though covetousness and a greedy carking care after the World are unlawful yet here is a lawful covetousness for to desire more grace is a holy covetousness To be rapax tenax i. e. to get get and grasp all that one get and not to be willing to part with any thing are characters of covetous Earth-worms but to be eager 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Stadium exigit majorem quandam in compara●dis soiritualibus cupiditale Theoph. and greedy after increase of every grace and when we have got grace to be careful to the utmost to keep it this is the only lawful kind of covetousness recommended by the Apostle 2 Cor. 12. 13. Covet earnestly the best gifts And grace is the best gift Christ himself only excepted Gifts of Tongues and gifts of Wisdom and Understanding c. are highly to be valued but this gift of Grace is of far greater value Grace is Quid constitutivum i. e. that which constitutes a true Christian Though Tongues and Arts and Sciences are precious in their kind yet many bad men may have them and many good men may want them but Grace is of absolute necessity for without it we cannot come to Heaven and without holiness we shall never see the Lord. Wherefore let us cry out for Grace as Solomon makes mention of the Horsleeches two Daughters Give give Prov. 30. 15. Wherefore we should not rest satisfied contented with these measures of Grace whereunto we have at present attained but we should make it our great business study and indeavor to grow from one degree of grace unto another We must no● only follow holiness Heb. 12. 14. but perfect holiness in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7. 1. We must strive after perfection of grace though we are incompassed with many imperfections in this World yet we must not allow our selves in them but mourn for them and still go on in adding grace to grace here till at length grace be