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	transgression_n	3,416	5	11.8881	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65694	Eighteen sermons preached upon several texts of Scripture by William Whittaker, late minister of Magdalen Bermondsey, Southwark ; to which is added his funeral sermon preached by Sam. Annesley.	Whittaker, William, 1629-1672.; Annesley, Samuel, 1620?-1696.	1674 (1674)	Wing W1718; ESTC R29271	230,495	446

may be heretical in their lives as well as in their Opinions to these the Apostle gives advice here in the Text that he should charge every one that names the Name of Christ to depart from iniquity How many are there that rest satisfied with a form of Godliness but deny the power of it these are the persons whom St. Paul gives Timothy advice here that he should labour to redeem from those formalities in which they rested that they should not think it enough to name the Name of Christ but they should express their sincerity therein by departing from iniquity In the words you have these two particulars 1. The persons to whom this advice is given that is to such as name the Name of Christ I shall shew you how it is used briefly in the Scripture There is a naming of the Name of Christ by profession they that own the Truths and Principles of Religion they that profess the Doctrines which our Saviour hath revealed in the Gospel Micha 4.5 it is spoken there of two sorts of persons of those that worship false gods and of those that worship the true God For all the people every one will walk in the Name of his God that is they own those Rules and acknowledge those Principles and we will walk in the Name of the Lord our God for ever This is a naming of Christ by way of profession 2. There is a naming of Christ in all the duties of Religion as in our Prayers Whatever you ask in my Name of the Father he will give it in our duties all must be offered up in his Name God hath given him a Name above every Name above all things in heaven and earth that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow that is in prayer Now in the former sense the naming the Name of Christ by profession is to be taken in opposition to Heathens who name the Name of other gods Pour out thy wrath upon the Heathen that know thee not and upon the families that call not upon thy Name Psal 79.6 3. There is a naming the Name of Christ in our Vows and Covenants and thus in our Baptism we vow to become his and hence it is that we are said to baptized in the Name of Christ which doth not only imply a desire to partake of those priviledges which Christ hath purchased but an obligation which we lay upon our selves to own him as our Lord and to submit to all his Commands and to be guided by his Will and Laws Acts 19.5 They were baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus 4. There is a naming the Name of Christ in our expectations and hopes when we build all our confidence upon him alone The desires of our Souls are to thee and to the Remembrance of thy Name We look for no other mercy but what the Lord gives and no other help but what he vouchsafes these are the persons to whom St. Paul gives this advice Secondly Here is the advice and counsel it self Let all such persons depart from iniquity the Word in the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let him be an Apostate from sin and Satan When Luther was challenged by the Jesuites for being an Apostate because he had renounced his old Principles says he I confess I am but it is from the Devil Such an Apostacie is no reproach to a person nay such is of absolute necessity for we are all by nature servants to sin and in subjection to Satan Now let him depart from iniquity depart from the practice of it and from the love of it and as much as he can from any inclination to it you can never reconcile the profession of Christ and the practice of sin together that is the meaning of the Apostle doest thou name the Name of Christ and go on in sin Your lives are a contradiction to your profession Let every one that names c. depart from iniquity But then observe the extent here let every one not only those that so name the Name of Christ as having the Doctrine of Christ committed especially to them to communicate to other thus we read of naming the Name of Christ they taught in his Name but it is meant of all that profess the Name of Christ let every one in any way though he be but in a way of outward profession only let him make it his designe to depart from inquity The Observation is this Doct. There are special obligations upon all to depart from iniquity who name the Name of Christ I shall spak to these two heads in opening the Doctrinal part 1. That here are great ingagements upon all men to depart from iniquity this I shall prove from these Arguments 1. The first may from the nature of sin what is sin but our disease our burden and that which endangers our utter ruine should men be in love with poyson Should men hug that viper that will sting them to death the right knowledge of sin doth sufficiently evidence this now what is sin It is a transgression of Gods Law it is a trampling upon Gods Authority it is a refusing him to rule over us it is a making God our enemy it is a daring of him in the open field Do you provoke the Lord to anger are you stronger than he dare you enter the lists with the great God you will pity those distracted persons that labour for their own ruine and would hasten their own death by some kind of violence or other this is the practice of every sinner 2. In respect of God that obligation that lies upon all sorts of persons to have more reverend and high thoughts of God then to slight his Laws we are all his Creatures we owe our very beings to him it is God that made us we are his Creatures and the workmanship of his hands God may very well expect those beings which he hath given us should be imployed for him Shall a man plant a Vineyard and not eat of the fruit thereof If God hath made us men and bestowed natural endowments upon us and hath put us into a capacity for his service may not God reasonably expect that he should receive the fruit of all his charges and pains upon his account it was that God was so 〈…〉 with his antient people for all the 〈…〉 he had shewed to them says he When I looked for grapes behold they brought forth with grapes I have made you capable of my service will you imploy your selves in the service of other Masters your beings you have received from me is it not reasonable they should be imployed to his Glory since they have been received from his bounty Again in respect of Gods continuance and preservation of our beings this is from him Alas should not God support us every moment we should sink into our first nothing Heb. 1. Vpholding all things by things by the Word of his power it was God that first breathed life into us

and it is God that keeps our breath in our nostrils we should otherwise every moment be breathing out our last have we received our beings from him and do we still live upon him then there is all the obligation upon us that can be that we should have reverend thoughts of God and not despise nor contemn him nor prefer other things above him Besides all our supplies are from God it is God that furnisheth us with all our comforts that we enjoy those refreshments that others want and with those mercies that others are denied all this is from the goodness of God and consider how it fares with others and how much better it is with you than it is with them that are your betters and certainly there is very great reason upon this account that we should not thus slight him but depart from every thing that is offensive to him Nay consider not only all our supplies for the present but all our hopes for the future are this God Hast thou any hopes of Heaven and happiness in another world hast thou any right to or any hopes of eternal blessedness all is built upon the goodness of God in and through Christ Nay all our hopes of spiritual mercies even in this world are in God Do you now complain of hardness of heart of Soul distempers it is only God that can be your Physitian Alas means are nothing and instruments are nothing unless God owns them 3. In respect of the welfare of our own Souls there is nothing but iniquity can make us hateful in the sight of God Our afflflictions and outward miseries cannot these may be many times the effects of Gods displeasure but never the cause of his displeasure there is nothing can render us hateful to God but only sin God is angry with nothing but sin now if we would escape the wrath of God we must keep our selves from all sin we must depart from iniquity Why will ye die O house of Israel Ezek. 18.27 30. if you will go on in sin if you will not depart from iniquity there is nothing to be expected but death hell and wrath You can never look that God should be a friend to you while you continue an enemy to him you can never expect that he should be reconciled to you on his part whilst you will not be reconciled to him on your part if sinners will have their will against God God will have his will upon them There is no other way to be free from this curse in all conditions but by departing from iniquity for we make every condition a curse when we mix iniquity with it our comforts then are stumbling-blocks our enjoyments then are snares and temptations whilst we have a sinful nature but they highly encrease our guilt when we abuse these by sin and unless we depart from iniquity all the mercies that we enjoy outward mercies and spirittual mercies are overspread with a curse 2. There are special engagements that lie upon them that name the Name of Christ to depart from iniquity 1. Those that name the name of Christ only in profession appearance must not take the name of Christ in vain God hath expresly said He will not hold them guiltless that take his Name in vain Now this is a taking the Name of God and Christ in vain in allowing our selves in any kind of iniquity this is clear from the Prayer of Agur Pro. 30.9 he prays there against extremity in both conditions he would neither have too much nor too little of this world he prays against fulness Lest I be full deny thee and say who is the Lord or lest I be poor and steal and take the Name of my God in vain that is lest I take any irregular courses for the supplies of my necessity lest I take they Name in vain While we allow our selves in any kind of sin we do but take the Name of God in vain notwithstanding all our profession but this is not all Rom. 2.24 you read of an highter expression than this For your sakes or by your means or reason of your practice the Name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you for Circumcision verily profiteth if thou keep the Law but if thou be a breaker of the Law thy Circumcision is made uncircumcision Here the engagements laid upon them that profess Gods Name because he hath given them so much knowledge to understand the great Mysteries of Salvation and acquainted them with those Principles that are of absolute necessity to understand their own eterrnal good and for them to break those engagements is but to take Gods Name in vain nay it is to blaspheme his Name amongst them that are strangers to him But for them that name the Name of Christ in sincerity there are special obligations God hath laid upon them there are singular engagements from God upon them and obligations from them unto God that oblige them to depart from iniquity 1. There are singular engagements that God hath laid upon them to depart from iniquity as First not only vouchsafeing them the means of Grace but in Accompanying those means with the efficacious concurrence of his Spirit How many parts of the world live without any knowledge of the true God at all it is a mercy therefore to enjoy the means of knowledge yea it is a great mercy that the Psalmist highly values Thou hast not dealt so with every Natin as for his Judgments they have not known them Psal 147.20 and how many thousands are there that live under the Gospel to whom it is no more than a dead Letter they hear the noise or sound of the Gospel but it makes little impression upon their hearts Now on all those that do profess the Name of Christ there is a special obligation upon them because of the great things that God hath done for them Consider what Christ hath done for thee hath Christ broken off the yoke of Satan and wilt thou put it on again hath he taken off thy burdens and cured the Diseases and art thou fond of thy burdens and in love with thy Diseases hath he st thee at liberty hath his Spirit made thee free and such are free indeed and wilt thou again become entangled Again hath Christ washed away thy filth by his blood and wilt thou return again like the Sow that is washed to wallow in thy former mire hath he taken off the guilt of thy sin and wilt thon run upon a new score is this sutable to the engagements that lie upon thee Consider if thou art one that doth relie upon Christ there lies an high Obligation upon thee on that account hath he redeemed thy poor captive Soul out of the hands of that grand Usuper and Tyrant and wilt thou become like one of those servants that would have his ear bored and become a servant while he lived to his old Master this is to despise the kinduess of Christ is to undervalue