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
A64642	Eighteen sermons preached in Oxford 1640 of conversion, unto God. Of redemption, & justification, by Christ. By the Right Reverend James Usher, late Arch-bishop of Armagh in Ireland. Published by Jos: Crabb. Will: Ball. Tho: Lye. ministers of the Gospel, who writ them from his mouth, and compared their copies together. With a preface concerning the life of the pious author, by the Reverend Stanly Gower, sometime chaplain to the said bishop.	Ussher, James, 1581-1656.; Gower, Stanley.; Crabb, Joseph, b. 1618 or 19.	1660 (1660)	Wing U173; ESTC R217597	234,164	424

some shew of Religion in it He whipt both out not only those that had residence there but those that passed through he would suffer none but those that could justifie what they did by the Law Now as God would not have sin lodge make its abode in the soul so he would not have it made a thorow fare for sin he would not have vain thoughts come up and down in the hearts Now By the Law comes the knowledge of these secret sins Reason is a glasse much to be esteemed for what it can shew but it is not a perfect glasse sometimes it shewes a sin but m●ny times diminishes it that we cannot see it in full proportion The Apostle makes this use of the Law that by it sin became exceeding sinful Thou mayst see sin to be sin by natural reason but to see it exceeding sinful this morality comes short of thou must have this from the Law of God 5. There is another false glasse when the Devil transforms himself into an Angel of light when he preacheth Go●pel to a man Beware of ●he doctrine when the deceiver preacheth This may be his doctrine He that believeth and is Baptized shall be saved From this by Satans cunning delusion the natural man thus concludes A meer heathen shall be shut out of Heaven gates but I believe in the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost therefore I am in a good condition Why then should I trouble my self any further there is no man can accuse me and my own good works will testifie unto me that I do enough Str●ctnesse in Religion is troublenesse and it is an unreasonable thing to do more but this is but a meer delusion of Satan for there is nothing more quiet and satisfies a man then Religion there 's nothing in the world more reasonable then the service of God First then know thy disease and then apply those sweet balms It is no easie matter for a man to believe we block out the strait wayes of God if we think it an easie matter to believe of our selves It must be done by the mighty power of God It 's as great a work of God as the Creation of the world to make a man believe It 's the mighty power of God to salvation Such a one must not receive Christ as a Saviour but as a Lord too He must renounce all to have him must take him on his own terms He must deny the world and all looking before hand what it will cost him Now for a man to take Christ as his Lord denying himself the world and all to resolve to pluck out his right eye cut off his right hand rather then to part with him and account nothing so dear to him as Christ is no small matter Thou canst not be Christs Spouse unlesse thou forsake all for him Thou must account all things as dung and drosse in comparison of him and is not this a difficult thing is this an easie task Easily spoken indeed not as easily done it must be here as in the case of mariage a man must forsake all others yea the whole world else Christ will not own him Observe the speech of the Apostle Eph. 1.19 What is the exceeding greatness of his power to us ward that believe c. Mark is to believe so easie a matter think you why unlesse the mighty power of God be engaged for it with that strength as it was engaged in raising Christ from the dead it cannot be When thou art to believe and be united unto Christ the agreement is not that thou shalt take him as thy wife and thou shalt be his husband No he must be thy husband and thou must obey him Now for a man to be brought out of his natural condition and to take Christ on any termes so he may be saved by him in the end is not so easie Canst thou think there is no more required but onely the outward Baptism or that there is no more in Baptism but the outward washing of the flesh No He 's not a Jew that is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is in the flesh but he 's a Jew that is so inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart Thou then entrest into Gods livery Mark this for by it I strive onely to bring thee back to thy self Thou entrest into covenant with him thou bindest thy self to forsake the world the flesh and the Devil and we should make this use of Baptism as now to put it in practice When we promised there were two things in the Indenture one that God will give Christ to us the other that we must forsake all the sinful lusts of the flesh this is that makes Baptism to be Baptism indeed to us The other thing required is that we forsake all Rom. 6.2 It is not confined to the very act but it hath a perpetual effect all the dayes of thy life I add it never hath its full effect till the day of our death till the abolition of the whole body of sin That which we seal is not compleat till then till we have final grace The water of Baptism quenches the fire of Purgatory for it is not accomplished till final grace is received We are now under the Physicians hands then shall we be cured Baptism is not done onely at the Font which is a thing deceives many for it runs through our whole life nor hath it consummation till our dying day till we receive final grace the force and efficacy of Baptism is for the washing away of sin to morrow as well as the day past the death of sin is not till the death of the body and therefore it s said we must be buried with him by Baptism into his death Now after death we receive final grace till when this washing and the vertue thereof hath not its consummation Let no man therefore deceive you with vain words take heed of looking on your selves in these false glasses think it not an easy thing to get Heaven the way is strait and the passage narrow There must be a striving to enter there must be an ascending into Heaven a motion contrary to nature And therefore it 's folly to think we shall drop into Heaven there must be a going upward if ever we will come thither EPH. 2.1 2 3. And you hath he quickned who were dead in trespasses and sins where in times past you walked according to the course of this world according to the Prince that ruleth in the Aire the Spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience Amongst whom also c. THe last time I declared unto you the duty that was necessarily required of us if we look to be saved that we must not onely take the matter speedily into consideration and not be deluded by our own hearts and the wiles of Satan but that we must not do it superficially or perfunctorily but must bring our selves to the true touchstone and not look

shew forth our thankfulnesse and express that we are so in heart by our obedience to our utmost power Here 's all the strictnesse of the Gospel If there be a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to what a man hath not 2 Cor. 8.12 God takes well the desires of our mind This is then our blessed condition under the Gospel it requires not perfect obedience but thankfulness for mercies received and a willing mind Suppose we cannot do what we would that 's no matter God looks to our affections and the willingnesse of our minds if it be according to the strength that thou hast it is received with acceptance Here then arises the second point of difference and that is 2. The Law considers not what thou now hast but what thou once hadst If thou say I have done my best and what would you have a man doe more then he can doe The Law heeds not that it considers not what thou doest but what thou oughtst to do It requires that thou shouldst perform obedience according to thy first strength and that perfection once God gave thee that all thou doest should have love for it's ground that thou shouldst love the Lord thy God with all thy soul mind heart and strength Here the Law is very imperious like those Task-masters in Egypt that laid burthens on the Israelites too heavy for them to bear They had at first materials and then they delivered in the full tale of bricks But when the straw was taken from them they complain of the heavinesse of their burthen But what 's the answer You are idle you are idle you shall deliver the same tale of bricks as before So stands the case here It 's not enough to plead Alas if I had strength I would doe it but I have not strength I cannot doe it But the Law is peremptory you must doe it you are compell'd by force you shall do it The impossibility of our fulfilling it does not exempt us as appeares by comparing Rom. 8.3 with Rom. 7.6 although it be impossible as the case stands for the Law to be by us fulfilled yet we are held under it as appears plainly thus If I deliver a man a stock of money whereby he may gain his own living and be advantagious to me and he spend it and when I require mine own with increase he tells me True Sir I received such a summe of money of you for this purpose but I have spent it and am disinabled to pay Will this serve the turn will it satisfie the Creditor or discharge the debt No no the Law will have its own of him If thou payest not thy due thou must be shut up under it It 's otherwise under the Gospel that accepts a man according to what he hath not according to what he hath not And here comes in the third point 3. Under the Gospel although I am fallen yet if I repent the greatest sin that is cannot condemn me By repentance I am safe Let our sins be never so great yet if we return by repentance God accepts us Faith and Repentance remove all The Law knows no such thing Look into the lawes of the Realm If a man be indicted and convinced of Treason Murther or Felony though this man plead True I have committed such an offence but I beseech you Sir pardon it for I am heartily sorry for it I never did the like before nor never will again Though he thus repent shall he escape No the rigour of the law will execute justice on him there is no benefit had by repentance the law will seize on him he should have looked to it before If thou committest Murther or Burglary it 's not enough to put one good deed for another to say I have done thus and thus for the King I kept such a Fort or I won such a Town this will not serve thy turn it will not save thy neck the law takes no knowledge of any good thing done or of any repentance This is thy estate Consider then what a case they are in that are shut up under the Law until a man hath faith it admits no excuse requires things far above thy power to perform it will accept no repentance And therefore we may well make this Conclusion in the Galathians As many as are under the law are under the curse as it is written cursed is every one that continues not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them But now where are we thus shut up It 's under sin as the Apostle tells us For the Law discovers sin to be sin indeed that sin by the commandement may become exceeding sinful Rom. 7.13 The Law makes us see more of it then we did or possible could come to have seen Rom. 3.20 By the Law cometh the knowledge of sin I had not known sin but by the law Yes peradventure I might have known Murther Adultery c. to have been sins but to have known them to have been exceeding sinful I could not but by the law To know what a kind of plague sin is in it self so as not to make a game of it or a small matter as many usually make it to see the uglinesse of it I cannot without the law But that we may know what sin is and that we may see it to be exceeding sinful I here bring you a few Considerations which I would have you ponder on and enlarge them to your selves when you come home 1. Consider the basenesse of him that offends and the excellency of him that is offended You shall never know what sin is without this twofold Consideration lay them together and it will make sin out of measure sinful See in David The drunkards made songs and ballads of him He aggravates the indignity offered him in that he was their King yet that those wretched and filthy beasts the drunkards made songs of him See it likewise in Job Cap. 29. when he had declared unto them in what glory he once was that he was a King and Prince in the Countrey Then see Cap. 20. They that are younger then me have me in derision whose fathers I would have disdain'd to have set with the dogs of my flock He aggravates the offence First from the dignity of the person wronged a King and a Prince Then from the baseness and vileness of those who derided him They were such as were younger then he such as whose fathers he would have disdain'd to have set with the dogs of his flocks A great indignity and mightily aggravated by these circumstances that a King should be abased by such vile persons Now some proportion there might be between David and the drunkards Job and these men but between thee and God what proportion can there be Who art thou therefore that darest set thy self in opposition and rebellion against God What a base worm that crawleth on the earth dust

were to discuss a Controversy or handle a subtile point of Learning in the Schools Thirdly In condiscending publiquely and privately to the Capacity of the meanest that heard or conversed with him herein his wisdom was like unto Solomons stiled the Preacher because he was wise he did still teach the people knowledge yea he gave good heed and sought out and set in order many proverbs the Preacher sought to find out acceptable words and words of truth and as our Saviour that was greater then Solomon he would let truths substantially proved into the understanding wish apt similitudes and would Encourage any to move their doubts unto him in private so that notwithstanding his greatness good Christians might be very familiar with him visit them in their sickness supply their wants beg their prayers and Countenance them in whatsoever Condition all men might see his delight was in the Saints and that he was as that King after Gods own heart a Companion of all them that feared God in a word he was a great proficient in that Lesson of our Saviour Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart This I say was the reason he grew so high in favour with God and man he honoured God and therefore God honoured him A great and good draw-net he was that fished for souls and catched many and let two sorts of Ministers gather from hence their respective Instructions First let all those that list not to follow him in these paths of holiness painfulness and Humility Take notice of Gods Justice in dealing with them as they have done with him His Covenant is with Levi of Life and Peace and he gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared him and was afraid before his name the Law of truth was in his mouth and Iniquitie was not found in his lips he walked with God in peace and equity and did turn many a way from iniquity for the priests lips should keep knowledge and they should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts but saith the Lord ye are departed out of the way ye have caused many to stumble at the Law yee have corrupted the Covenant of Levi saith the Lord of hosts Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people according as you have not kept my waies but have been partial in the Law Had we all the means in the world to make us great if we either do not teach or do not make our selves Examples of what we teach t is just with God we grow contemptible and vile for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Thy teachers have transgressed against me therefore have I prophaned the rulers of my Sanctuary The Lord giveth this for a general Rule as they that honour him he will honour so they that despise him shall be despised Secondly Let all holy painfull and humble Ministers who make it their designe as this fair Copy did before them to advance God and fulfill the work of their Ministry trust to his faithfulness for vindicating their esteem No sort of men have greater promises for provision protection from and in trouble and for revenge of wrongs done unto them then they have What a dreadfull and prophetical prayer is that Moses made for Levi smite through the Loins of them that rise against him and of them that hate him that they rise not again What though a generation of men Call even the best of such Antichristian Lyars false Prophets and what not did they not after this manner use Christ and his Apostles before them They speak evil of the things they know not None of Gods blessed truths and holy Ordinances have been otherwise used by them their general outcry is upon all truths Ordinances and wayes of Religion among us as Antichristian The Apostacie of the present age makes men fall from all things in Religion and with an impudent face to deny and deride them all But did God leave these Jewels amongst men to be trodden under feet by such swine shall they not dearly pay for it Oh! that they would remember what words came out of the mouth of him that is the very promptuary of all sweetnesse and how highly he is provoked when such words are drawn from his blessed lips that drop honey let them take them to whom they appertain viz. Whosoever shall fall upon this stone shall be broken but on whomsoever it shall fall it will grind him to peices If their own destruction will not take them off from touching the Lords anointed and from plucking the stars out of his hand let yet the Anguish and vexation that shall accompany their destruction either deter them or confound them for he hath said it who will make it good that there shall be a Resurrection both unto Gods truths and to such as bear Testimony thereunto Mean while let this satisfie such as are faithful whilest God and those that truely fear God prize faithfull Ministers It matters not what the rest think of them As King David said in not much an unlike Case of those shall they be had in honour I have now done with the most famous Author of these sermons of whom I may as one very Learned said of Mr. Calvin That famous Man and never to be named without some Preface of Honour Or as another of a Learned and Godly Man God hath so provided that they who lived in Heaven whilst on Earth shall live on Earth whilst in Heaven That they shall leave their Names for a blessing when others leave them behind them for a Curse Or rather with the Apostle of Demetrius he hath a Good Report of all men and of the truth it self A word now concerning these Sermon Notes of his by occasion of the publishing whereof I have thus inlarged I suppose whosoever readeth and well considereth the two prefixed Epistles one in Latine the other in English and the Arguments therein contained and knoweth the Reverend Framers of them for such testimonies are as the Testes when he considereth I say 1. Their High Esteem of the most famous Preacher of them 2. The mighty power of God upon themselves and many others when they were preached 3. The care they took to put them forth 4. The ingenuous owning of any infirmities which the Reader may charge that seemes not to speak himself in the Publication of them He will not think either the will of the most Learned Bishop broken or the Caution of the Learned and Reverend Dr. that writes his life not heeded viz. That if any sermon notes taken from him have been printed in his life time under his name or shall be hereafter which divers have of late attempted the Reader is to take notice that it was against his mind and that they are disowned by him which as he endeavoured to his utmost to

formerly No but his Light is greater his eyes are open'd and now he sees more clearly what sinne is When the Sunne shines and its rayes come in what a number of motes do we discover which before we saw not Not as if the Sunne-beames made them or the Sunne raised the dust no there are here as many motes and as much dust flying about as if the Sunne shined here What 's the matter then Why this the Sunne discovers them to us So that here 's the point Our sinnes in our souls are as motes in the ayre and are not more than they were before conversion but we cannot see them till the glorious beams of Gods Spirit shine upon us The sight of sinne and of the danger that comes by it is the work of Gods Spirit The Spirit discovers sinne unto us John 16.8 When the Spirit cometh he shall convince the world of sinne the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Spirit shall convince them and the same word is used Heb. 11.1 where Faith is said to be the evidence of things not seene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heretofore we had a slight imagination of our sinnes but to have our mouth stopped and to be convinced is not a work of flesh and blood but of Gods Spirit Rom. 3.19 Till we are awakened by his Spirit we cannot see nor feele the mountains and heaps of sinnes that lie upon our souls Thou art dead in sinne Rom. 8. Thou art in bondage and to know it is a work of the Spirit not of nature The spirit of bondage what is that Why however we are all bondmen untill the Son hath made us free in a woful estate slaves to sinne and Satan yet till Gods Spirit convince us and shew it us and make us know it we sleep secure are not afraid but think our selves the freest men in the world and see not this to be a time of need This therfore is the first preparative when God brings his people by Mount Sinai Heb. 12.18 For you are not come unto the Mountain that may be touch't and that burned by fire nor unto the blacknesse and darkness and tempest so Gal. 4. Mount Sinai is made a figure of the Law which begets bondage Not that Mount which might be touch't and that burnt with fire where was the sound of the Trumpet and voice of words such a sound as never before was heard nor never will be till one day we shall hear the same The sound of the Trumpet which sounded at the delivery of the Law Exod. 19.19 where it is described for when the voice of the Trumpet sounded long and waxed louder and louder that Moses heard it was such a noise a great noise at first but it grew higher and and higher and at last it came to that heighth that it was almost incomprehensible then Moses spake And what spake he The Holy Ghost sets not down what he spake in that place Look in Heb. 12.21 So terrible was the voice that Moses said I exceedingly fear and quake Such a kind of lightning and loud voice this was the Lord commands such a voice as this Esay 58.1 Cry aloud spare not lift up thy voice like a Trumpet and shew my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins When God shall sound with the voice of the Trumpet of his holy Word of his Law and shew thee that thou art a trayterous Rebel and that there is an Execution gone out against thee body and goods when God sounds thus to the deaf ear of a carnal man then cometh the spirit of bondage of necessity on him which shews that we have a time of need The Law must have this operation before thou comest to the Throne of grace None will flie to the City of Refuge till the revenger of blood be hard at his heels Nor any to Christ till he sees his want Thus the Lord makes us know our need by turning the edge of his Axe towards us Offenders when they are brought to the bar at Westminster for Treason have the edge of the Axe turned from them but when they have received the sentence of condemnation and are carried back to the Tower the edge of the Axe is turned towards them Thus is it here The Law turns the edge of Gods Axe towards us and therefore it 's said of St. Peters hearers Acts 2.38 That they were pricked to the heart The Law puts the point of Gods sword to our very brests as it were and brings us to see that we stand in great need of heaven This is the first preparative when God enlightens our minds to see our dangerous estate and then there must of necessity follow fear and desire to be rid of this condition for the will and affections alwayes follow the temper of the minde And hence when a man hath a false perswasion that he is in a good case that he is safe and well what works it but pride presumption confidence and security So on the contrary contrary effects must follow If a man be in health and jollity and on a sudden be proclaimed a Traytor that he must lose his life and goods is it possible it should be thus and he not wrought on nor have any alteration So when news comes from the Law that thou art a dead man and everlastingly must perish the Law then works wrath that is it manifests unto us the wrath of God When it is thus there follows a shaking and a trembling and it 's impossible but with Moses thou shouldst exceedingly quake and tremble 2. For all this there is a Throne of grace erected God hath not forgotten to be merciful though thy sins be never so great This is the next preparative for faith namely the discovery and acknowledgement of the Gospel of Christ Jesus We see in Ezra 10.2 We have trespassed against our God and have taken strange wives of the people of the Land yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing we have trespassed What then must we be the subjects of Gods wrath No Yet notwithstanding though we have committed this great offence there is hope in Israel concerning this thing What though we have provoked God to indignation must we be the matter for his wrath to work on No There is balme in Gilead Jer. 8. ult Is there no balme in Gilead Is there no Physitian there Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered What though then we are sick to death yet there is an help in time of need And this knowledge of the people that there is a Throne of grace is the first comfort comes to a miserable and sinful soul. A man that hath a deadly disease though the Physitian do him no good which he hath made use of yet this he comforts himself in when he sees a Physician that hath cured the same disease he sees then there is some hope Thus it is with a sinful soul. When the