Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n
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A94749
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A synopsis, or, Short view of essential Christianity in part, in which the first fruits unto God, (or saints) in the Apostles dayes lived. : According to the doctrine of Christ ... : With some explications or enlargements thereupon. : Tending to the edification, comfort, and refreshing of all sorts of people ... / By William Tomlinson ...
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Tomlinson, William.
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Wing T1853; ESTC R185375
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44,494
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him back from the error of his wayes but he had not this Holy abideing Unction And so may others have the gift of Prophecy and understand many mysteries c. and yet be destitute of this Anointing as its plain from the Scriptures Psal 68.18 Mat. 7.22 1 Cor. 13. But I am sparing of speaking of these things because the same gifts may accompany the true Anointing and these gifts are serviceable for the edifying of the Babes of Christ Therefore let none think that I would undervalue such precious gifts or teach others to despise Prophecying that is not my purpose but only to give the right understanding of that which is essential to Christianity and a Heavenly life in which true believers walk with God Who doe not alwayes bear the greatest show in their profession by such gifts nor bear forth themselves the highest among their Brethren but yet their lives are most innocent in the World I have seen in several professions of Religion this humble seed this plain hearted this true hearted Jacob bowing under his rough Brother Esau and like a little shrub under tall Cedars which flourish and spread forth themselves over his head for their inclination is to exalt themselves his care to keep out of vain-glory and to walk humbly with his God Thus in some measure the Children of light who are the first Fruits unto God are distinguished from the Children of darkness who are of the World and therefore love the World and the things that are of the World namely the lusts of the Flesh the lust of the Eyes and the pride of life I doe not mean that hereby they are made so distinct one from another that they may certainly and fully be known in the World but my endeavour is so to discover the essential life of Christianity to themselves that they may not rest in a formal and circumstantial profession of Christianity without the true life and power thereof wherein true peace and fellowship with God is enjoyed and lived in which indeed is the Kingdom of God Which at first may be but like a grain of Mustardseed but it is of a growing nature Therefore many may for a time in an outward profession outshine those that are entring yea and entred into the Kingdom But these last will become first and those first will become last For the seed of the free Woman or new Covenant born by promise and begot by Faith will become Heir when the seed of the bond Woman borne after the Flesh must be cast forth These things here written are no new things but according to the current of the Doctrine of Christ and his Holy Apostles left upon Record But it may be some Objections may be made against them by some For Truth doth usually meete with Opposition Obj. Perhaps some will say these things speak of the Kingdom of God here in this life but we look for the Kingdom of God after this life Answ True the Kingdom of God is here spoken of to be entred into in this life but not in opposition to the Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven hereafter but as an entrance into the everlasting Kingdome which shall have no end For the Kingdom of Heaven is begun here and entred into by faith which works by love and purifyes the Heart And therefore when Christ Jesus our Lord sent forth his Disciples to preach and to heal the sick he bid them preach saying The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand And he told the Jews that the Kingdom of God commeth not with outward observation but that the Kingdom of God was within And the Apostle tells us wherein it doth consist namely in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit For the Spirit that comforter administers that joy And this is the earnest of the everlasting inheritance and it is the beginning of his Kingdome into which the Saints witnessed an entrance formerly Col. 1.13 who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the Kingdome of his dear Son And the Apostle Peter tells us how an entrance shall be ministred unto us abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 1. A place of Scripture worthy to be Printed in every ones Heart seeing it teaches an abundant entrance into the Kingdom of God In which things there written the Saints then living were found walking and yet being of so great importance the Apostles care was to put them still in minde of them that after his decease they might alwayes have them in remembrance I shall give you some of the words and leave you to read the rest in your Books Peter writing to those believers who had obtained like precious Faith with him and other Apostles through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ note not through their own rightousness but through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ he exhorts them to give all diligence to add to this Faith vertue and to vertue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience Godliness and to Godliness Brotherly kindness and to Brotherly kindness love For if these things be in you and abound they make you that ye shall not be barren argues slothfull nor unfruitfull to the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ But he that lacketh these things is blinde and cannot see far off and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins Wherefore the rather Brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure for if ye doe these things ye shall never fall For so an entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Now take notice that it is not the knowing of these things but the walking in them that gives an abundant entrance into the Kingdom If ye doe these things saith the Apostle Obj. Doubtles It is a happy thing to walk and live in these Admonitions of the Apostle may some say But who is there that do so We know but few if any that do so then how few enter into the Kingdom if so great and high things are to be lived in Answ For answer hereunto consider these things following 1. That there be various stations in Religion and so some are nearer and some further off from the Kingdom of God Some are seeking it with their faces thitherward as it s said of Sion some are weeping and mourning and hungring and thirsting after Gods Righteousness These if they hold on are under a blessing and promise to be answered and filled and though they be poor in Spirit yet theirs is the Kingdome and in due time they shall possesse it and enter into it Some are near the Kingdom as that young man was who had keept the precepts of the Law from his youth which Christ looked upon and loved though he was not yet able to enter into the Kingdom because of his riches
shake off the dust of your feet Verely I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for the Land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment then for that City Matth. 10.14 15. The like expression he uttered concerning Chorazin and Bethsaida in the next Chap. viz. Chap. 11.21 22. Because they repented not when they saw the mighty works which he had done in them It shall be more tolerable saith he for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment then for you Hence its plain that there 's a day of judgment yet to come for those Cities that have been so long since destroyed And that it shall be more tolerable for them at that day then for those that have had more means of knowledge and true understanding afforded them and yet cast it behinde their backs and remain impenitent This being rightly considered may make the stoutest Heart to tremble who goes on in the paths of wickedness as it did Felix Act. 24.25 As Paul reasoned of righteousness temperance and judgment to come Felix trembled or was made fearfull struck with fear For he that is to judge is no respecter of Persons and hath all power given him in Heaven and in Earth and from him can none flee for shelter Therefore to the unrighteous and ungodly that day is terrible But to the upright in Heart who in sincerity and Truth desire to please the Lord in walking obediently before him in a good conversation and innocent in the World to them the day of judgment is a ground of Hope Why Because they shall receive good at the hands of the Lord He will appear to their comfort Judge you how comfortable a thing it shall be at the last day to the righteous and mercifull when Christ shall say to them come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the World Matth. 25. But because that portion of Scripture doth so eminently set forth the day of judgment with some remarkable circumstances thereof let us view it a little more fully in the preparation to it and also in the matter of fact upon which judgment is to passe and the Sentence of judgment it self The preparation is this The Son of man shall come in his glory and all the Holy Angels with him and shall sit upon the Throne of his glory ver 31. there 's the preparation of the judge And before him shall be gathered all Nations ver 32. there 's the preparation of the People to be judged And he shall separate them one from another as a Sheepherd divideth his Sheep from the Goats and he shall set the Sheep on his right hand but the Goats on the left Here now is his secret judgment of them in himself who knowes the wayes and thoughts and Hearts and lives of all men Then follows his open expressed sentence of judgment upon them First to those on his right hand this comfortable sentence come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the World ver 34. And then he gives the reason of this his righteous judgments For saith he I was an hungred and ye gave me meat I was thirsty and ye gave me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in I was naked and ye cloathed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came unto me Then shall the righteous answer Lord when saw we thee so and so or did so unto thee Take notice Their sentence or judgment of matter of fact runs wholy upon Acts of mercy which by them were not had in remembrance or at least little set by for they had herein minded the Counsel of Christ in not letting their left hand know what the right hand had done But though they minded not what they had done yet the righteous judge of all the World recorded what they had done and brings up again their mercy into remembrance to their joy and comfort Yea a Cup of cold Water given to one of his little ones in love to them because they belong to him shall not be forgotten Then on the other hand he shall say to them on his left hand depart from me ye cursed into everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels And then he gives the reason of their sentence which is only a defect in mercy For saith he I was an hungred and ye gave me no meat I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink I was a stranger and ye took me not in naked and ye cloathed me not sick and in prison and ye visited me not Then these shall plead for themselves as the others did against themselves saying Lord when saw we thee an hungred or a thirst or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not Minister unto thee Then shall he answer them saying Verely I say unto you in as much as ye did it not to one of the least of these ye did it not to me And these shall go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into life eternal Here you see this Scripture doth not only hold forth a day of general judgment but upon what grounds also the sentence of judgment shall passe And its worth your observation to take notice that the sentences run wholy upon Acts of mercy and the want of mercy It runs not upon this or that profession or united Society of men It runs not thus come ye blessed of my Father for ye are Catholiques or Papists and have been absolved by your Priest or ye are Protestants reformed in part from the superstition and Idolatry of the Papists or ye are of the Episcopal or Presbyterian or Independent or Anabaptist or fifth Monarchy or Quakers Society But ye have been mercifull ye have shown forth the nature of your Heavenly Father who is love and mercy and therefore now mercy is extended to you For seeing God is love surely he must needs have most respect to his own nature where it is found As on the other hand he shall have judgment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy Oh therefore list up your heads you tender hearted humble mercifull men in hope of a righteous day of judgment to come and faint not in doing good or in your patient waiting for the comming of the Lord though you be under affliction and tribulation in the World For the day will come that will make amends for all and satisfy you to the full So that your labour of love in what kinde soever shall not be in vain or forgotten of the Lord. Divers other Scriptures do confirm the general resurrection of the dead and Eternal judgment which were principles in the Doctrine of Christ and not to be confounded with the first Spiritual resurrection out of the Grave of sin or with the particular secret judgment of God inwardly in a mans Spirit For these are before death natural the other come after These first are