Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
knowledge_n	law_n	sin_n	sinful_a	1,296	5	10.4091	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13732	The soules alarum-bell Wherein the sicke soule (through the horror of conscience) being awakened from security by the sight of sinne, hath recourse to God by meditation and prayer. By H. Thompson.	Thompson, Henry, fl. 1618.	1618 (1618)	STC 24024; ESTC S100563	111,521	484

God with the eye of contemplation first know thy selfe poore in miserie and then know God rich in mercie first know thy selfe groning and backe broken vnder the burthen of sinne and then know God easing and refreshing thee thus laden first know thy selfe Deaths free-hold possession and then know God the breaker and bruser of the Serpents head first know thy selfe to bee the weake subiect of all mortalitie and then know God in the donation of his Spirit the earnest-penny of mans immortalitie Man must know that hee is no long liuing creature that as soone as he is borne he is coupled with famine with thirst with heat with cold and many more infirmities And for his death hee may bee compared to snowe quickly come and as quickly gone or like to a rose at morning faire at euening withered Therefore seeing wee are so suddenly gone here to day to morrow vanished man must first know from whence he is and then let him blush for shame secondly where hee is then lament with grones thirdly whither he will and then tremble with feare At his naked natiuity hee laments with crying at his worldly entertainment trembles with feare for his doubtfull end what shall become of him O let man blush for shame he is flesh and therefore farre from God let him lament with grones that he is in the world for therefore is he wide of heauen let him tremble with feare that hee must die hee being obuious to the iawes of hell To bee briefe man must know himselfe aright both within and without behinde before and on all sides before his peruerse and ouerthwart nature will know the right way to follow God in his steps But on the contrary man is prone to euill and to the sweet and pleasing remembrance of that which is bad on this side lacke of patience in aduersitie on that side too much pride and haughtinesse in prosperitie nay what vice is it that man wants on euery side wounds and nothing but wounds imprinted stamped in his soule and fraile flesh by the custome of sin yet vpon his repentance hee shall finde God aboue him powerfull beneathe him plentiful before him watchfull behinde him wonderfull on this side bountifull on that side carefull and on euery side mercifull mercifull in forgetting mercifull in forgiuing our sinnes and the onely pathway to perfection Heraclitus a Heathen in superstition a Philosopher in profession on a time triumphing as it were with himselfe how hee had spent the day cried out with a loud voice The honour of the well-spent day is this I haue sou●ht my selfe which of al knowledge next to God is most necessary for man in knowing himselfe knowes God It is an hard thing to be tongue-tide in secrecy to dispose the time rightly or to suffer iniuries patientlie it is an hard thing to tolerate aduersity with quietnesse and as hard a thing it is to bee a good Man The hardest lesson that a man can learne is to know himselfe what is the stile of Mastership in Arts if a man perfectly knowes not himselfe Knowledge puffeth vp but selfe-knowledge pu●leth downe Knowledge is so far wide of true knowledge that in ignorance of God it crieth with Pharoah Exo. 5. But selfe-knowledge plunged in the depth of its owne knowledge aspireth to know the true knowledge of God Exod. 18. Iethro confesseth the Lord is greater then all Gods Knowledge mounteth vpon the wings of pride boasteth with Lucifer I will make the starres my foote-●toole But selfe-knowledge couered with the veile of humilitie falleth downe with Iob and worshippeth knowledge But selfe-knowledge is not hasty in pace nor multiloquious in words keeping time in going and obseruing a meane in speaking and at once breakes vp the chest of his heart vnto the Lord for his mercifull fauour herein Aristotle by nature coueted knowledge and that itching desire of Eue as soone as she was out of the shell testifieth no lesse for the hope of much knowledge shee lost her selfe in ignorance swallowing as shee thought the bait of knowledg which turned in the end to the bane of ignorāce Yet if knowledge suffer a difference and men beare more then an indifferent minde vnto it there is none more pleasing none more profitable then this selfe-knowledge pleasing in respect of God profitable in respect of man Gen. 28. It is the ladder of Iacob that reacheth from earth to Heauen that Geometricall square that squareth out Man at a spanlength and then measureth Psal 39. God the Alpha and Omega vvhich filleth Heauen and Earth that Arithmeticall Calendar of Mans age that first declareth his time to be three●●ore yeeres and ten and then vvith Moses ascendeth the Mount to take a suruey of Gods eternitie The dee●er Man vvadeth into the s●lfe-knovvledge the neerer he shall arriue to God himselfe It shall bee more then Thomas his Credo to conceiue God inwardly Ioh. 20. then to thrust thy finger into his side it shall be more then the Centurions Mat. 27. testimonie to acknowledge him in thy heart then before the multitude to confesse him vvith the lippes it shall be more then Simeons Nunc Dimittis to take hold of him in a troubled spirit then to imbrace his infancie in the flesh it shall bee more then Philips sufficit to view Iohn 14. him in thy selfe then to behold him in the heauens Looke not on the superficies and outside of thy selfe saith the Poet but rather let thy conscience bee thy looking-glasse whereby thou maiest dresse and attire thy selfe fit for heauen that will tel thee how to get the wedding robe by innocencie of life that wil teach thee how to put it on by a liuely faith that will tell thee what his progenitors haue been that will teach thee what thy state is now that will tell the histories of Adam that will tell the lessons of thy selfe that will tell thee that Adam brought sinne into the world that will tell thee therfore how thou maist study the law of God we must study it because it is a school master to bring vs vnto Christ and there like a true Naturalist shalt thou finde the causes of thy sinne hanging vpon record and there like a true Historian reade what others haue done before thee how thou maiest study the Law by reading it with a glosse of the Gospell is because the Gospell is a true interpretation of saluation briefly that will tell thee how thou wast borne vnder infestuous Planets this will teach thee how thou must bee borne againe vnder that Prince of Planets the Sunne of righteousnesse Iob. 3. Defend thy selfe from that which will not teach thee law and learn true perfect knowledge of God whereby thou maiest betake thy selfe wholly vnto him that hee may betake himselfe wholly vnto thee and that thou maiest striue to be bathed in the remission of sinnes rather then to be drenched in the sea of desperation Man and his waies are

sinfull therefore let vs call vpon God still pray vnto him being our Sauiour and mercifull Redeemer it is no shame to bee sorrowfull or to cry to God for the forgiuenesse of our sinnes it is no reproach to beg Gods mercies or hurt to vs to pray his Maiestie to be mercifull in the remission and forgiuenesse of our sins it is no discredit to confesse our faults vnto God and to tell him we are miserable wretched sinners This is the means to quench the extremity of thirsty sinne and to obtaine a refreshing cup with a beaten breast and broken heart to cry vnto God to be a mercifull father vnto vs and to giue vs remission of all our sinnes If lamentable pictures wofull tales carry their force with them to inforce teares from the hearers and beholders eyes then cannot wee but turne prodigall in tears when wee behold this liuely counterfet of sorrow where euery colour hath a speaking griefe euery griefe a mourning tongue to extort and wring teares from the beholders eyes Iacob did Gen. 37. neuer rent his garment in so many peeces for the losse of Ioseph as the true penitent sinner doth his soule for the burthen of his sinnes laying them vpon the ra●ke of repentance stretching them from earth to heauen from himselfe to God Agar be●ng turned out of her ma●ters Gen. 21. house made her eyes ●●e plaintifes of true contri●●on to her solitary wan●ring but the penitent in ●eart being turned out of ●is masters fauour makes ●is hand his heart his eyes ●is tongue and all labour to ●essen the griefe of his dis●ase with a true sorrowfull ●emorse his hands like the ●ellowes blow the fire of ●ontrition to his heart his heart like a limbecke distilleth the soueraigne water of repentance into his eyes who like full cesternes not being able to look vpward returne their streams backe vnto the heart that being ouercharged driues the floud of his affection to his tong his tongue like Aarons censer conuayes the sweet perfume of his precious distillation into the presence of God himselfe And as the Angels celebrated the birth of Christ with a ioyfull hymne so he welcomes his second birth with a sad lamentation much like to Peter when he denied his Master Mat. 26. Sicke men cannot away with any melancholy Sauls frensie could not indure Dauids 1 Sam. 18. Harpe Salomons thousand songs cannot mitigate the smart of the sinners disease that runnes altogether vpon the heart-string not the Harpe-string the spaces falles and rises of a melancholie ditty the first note being raised high to him that is aboue all the second with a temperate stop moued to a meane the third with a heauy touch fitted to the base Heauy O heauy is the note of man and therefore it calles for moderation of God O heauy too heauy is the note of sin and therfore it craues the voyce of mercy Wee may iustly obserue in the penitent sinner first his inuocation to God secondly his humble petitions thirdly his condition in his meditation by vertue whereof hee attaineth to know himselfe to bee the greatest offender and God his only Sauiour and Redeemer Dauid being in the depth of meditation his Psal 39. heart was hot the fire of his zeale was kindled and hee spake Lord teach me to number my dayes in the same precinct and streits of meditations is the penitent sinner his armes like the Phoenix wings hath set his heart on fire by that his zeale is inflamed by his zeale his tongue is inlarged and cals to God for his mercies hee speakes as Dauid in his meditation with iudgement discretion he speakes in his meditation what he wants his prayer directing to obtaine his wants at the hands of his mercifull Sauiour Lastly he speakes speaks authorised with a prouiso and respect to whom hee speakes What is it hee speakes The first regard is the reuerence of the person to whom he speakes God His second consists of a twofold property one drawen from himselfe being a miserable sinner the other from a necessity that GOD would bee mercifull to our mis-spent life The third is couched not so much in quantity of words as in quality of affection his praier is short but very sweet in regard of zeale His last regard aimes at the time for sinne like Noahs floud euery day getting strength was almost Gen. 7. 17. come to the top of Ararat and had almost ouerspread the whole earth so it was high time to stay the swelling rage and fury of it and therefore hee striues to bring it back to a low ebbe and with a smooth calme of an humble petition speakes in a serious meditation to God to forgiue him his sins and to bee mercifull vnto him but helples man cannot helpe but only God in whō and with whom is al cōfort I will not runne vnto the wise man with Pharoah I call not vpon any Idols with the Priests of Baal but with Exod 7. sorrowfull Sara in the gaule of bitternesse with wrinckled Tob. 3. faced Iob smitten on the cheekes with a reproach I Iob. 16. beginne my confession vnto the Lord. I pray not for the strength of body with Samson with Elisha for my enemies Iudg. 16. blindnesse with worldly Balaam for earthly treasures but with the faithfull 2 Pet. 2. Cananitish woman once Math. 15. againe reiected I begge for crummes of thy mercy that thou wilt bee a Sauiour for my sinnes euen I the sonne of sorrow present my selfe vnto thee and as the Leaper Math. 8. intreated for his own cleansing euen so I pray that God will shew his mercy compassion vpon me being wea●ed a long time from the Teattes of thy loue and nourished with the corrupt milke of sinne It is euen I that haue refused thy heauenly Manna and delighted my selfe with the leauen of Aegypt now at the length strucke with the whip of repentance retire and for the ●asing of my griefe presume to solicite thee in this manner O Lord bee mercifull vnto me and forgiue me the great and hainous crimes which I haue committed against thy omnipotent Maiestie I am not of Simon Peters mind that said Lord go Lu. 5. 8. from mee for I am a sinfull man but rather Lord come to mee because I am a wret ●hed and sinfull man Neither doe I crie out with the possessed Iesus thou Sonne of God what haue I to doe Mat. 8. with thee but rather Iesus thou Sonne of God I haue to doe with thee Oh let me haue some interest in thy loue which like a veile couereth the multitude of sins and vniteth the peece-rent heart of the sorrow-beaten sinner It is not with mee as it was with Cain to say my Gen. 4. sinne is greater then can bee pardoned neither am I as yet clasped in that desperation and distrust as to equalize and compare thy mercy to my sinnes I know thy piety to