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	wrath_n	1,461	5	9.1221	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29526	The spirituall vertigo, or, Turning sickensse of soul-unsettlednesse in matters of religious concernment the nature of it opened, the causes assigned, the danger discovered, and remedy prescribed ... / by John Brinsley.	Brinsley, John, fl. 1581-1624.	1655 (1655)	Wing B4723; ESTC R25297	104,504	248

〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In this way they did not profit them under the Law Much lesse can they or any of the like nature now profit Christians under the Gospel Feathers and Thistledown may as soon ballast a Ship as Ceremonial observances establish the heart This cannot the Ceremoniall Law do No nor yet the Morall For that the Apostle is no lesse expresse Rom. 8. 3. where speaking of the Christians liberty which he hath by Grace his being made free from the Law of sinne and death he sheweth this to be a thing which the Law cannot do for him giving this as a Reason of it In that it was weak through the flesh Time was indeed when the Law was able to Iustifie and save viz. when it was given to Adam in his state of Integrity because then he was able to have fulfilled it But so it is not now Man being fallen from that state is grown impotent unable to fulfill the Law Nay through the Corruption of his Nature averse to it So as by this meanes the Law is as it were enervated it hath no such power as sometime it had no possibility of Justifying and saving of a man And consequently it cannot be of use in this way as a foundation for a Christian to ground and build his confidence upon and so to establish his heart No this is but a tottering foundation So much that great Cardinal Bellarmine however he was no great friend to free Grace yet was inforced to acknowledge Propter incertitudinem propriae justitiae etc. A mans own Righteousnesse saith he is an uncertain thing a man may easily be deceived in it And therefore it cannot be safe to put any confidence in it So far he Which we accept especially coming from an Adversary owning it for a Truth though not the whole truth Advance we a step further A mans own righteousnesse is uncertain Nay it is certain being certainly defective and imperfect Such are the best duties and services of the most sanctified persons upon earth being clogged with many weaknesses and imperfections which though they do not render and denominate them peceata Sins yet peccaminosa sinful This is the Churches Confession Isai. 64. 6. All our Righteousnesses are as filthy rags Not onely their Ceremoniall services but even their morall performances they were all mixed with Hypocrisie Vain-glory or some such like tincture of Corruption as rendred them loathsome in the sight and presence of God And truly the like may we say of the best actions and services of the best of men and in the best manner performed yet still they are contaminated and defiled with some imperfections which might deservedly make them as filthy rags odious and abominable in the sight of God should he look narrowly into them with an eye of Justice and judge of them according to the exact tenour and Rigour of his Law Such an influence hath Corruption upon the best of men and the best of duties This is that which regenerate Paul complaines of in himself that when he would do good evill was present with him Rom. 7. 21. Evil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sinful Corruption either hindering him from doing it at all or else in the manner of performance from doing it in such a manner as he both ought and desired to have done And if so here can be no establishment for the heart in this way In thy sight saith the Psalmist speaking unto God Psal. 143. 2. shall no man living be Iustified that is by the deeds of the Law So the Apostle expounds it Rom. 3. 20. Therefore by the deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified in his sight For which he giveth a Reason in the words following For by the Law is the knowledge of sin This is the proper work of the Law to discover sin and wrath sealing up condemnation unto the sinner but Iustifie it cannot And if not justifie the sinner then not satisfie the soul not quiet the Conscience Disquiet and unsettle nay torment and excruciate it with the terrours of it it may But in this way to settle and establish the heart it can never do No this is a Gospell-work the fruit of Grace issuing from the Doctrine of Gods free Grace in Christ rightly apprehended and firmly believed This it is and onely this that establisheth the heart And this can do it And how so Because this is like unto the Authour of it the God of all Grace He is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All-sufficient And such is his Grace This is that which the Lord from heaven tells Paul when he was conflicting with that thorn in the flesh some violent Temptation or other as is most probably conjectured My grace saith he is sufficient for thee 2 Cor. 12. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sufficit or Sufficiat It is sufficient in it self for thee and so let it be unto thee for the quieting settling establishing of thy heart and spirit And so may it well be to every true believer It is that which the Preacher saith of Money Eccl. 10. 19. Money answereth all things What ever it is that a man desireth if it be to be got Money will procure it for him And we may truly say the like of Grace Grace answereth all things What winds are there that can arise in the heart of a Christian which this one word Grace is not able to lay What doubts which it cannot resolve Are his sinnes many and great this is sufficient to pardon them are his Infirmities many this is sufficient to heal them are his wants many this is sufficient to supply them Thus is Grace this Grace of God in Christ sufficient All-sufficient And being so well may this be attributed to it as the proper effect of it to satisfie settle and establish the heart of Man What then remaines to make Application of this Branch but that all of us who desire to be made partakers of this choice blessing declining all other wayes put our soules upon this way of obtaining it 1. Decline all other wayes Not hearkening to any other Doctrines which hold forth to us Iustification and Salvation by any other way and means This is that which the Apostle here driveth at in the Text to take off his Hebrewes from being carried about with any of those divers and strange doctrines which were held forth to them by the false Apostles and seducers of those Times whose design was to remove them from their Gospel-foundation directing them to the Law and that to the Ceremonial part of it promising to them great matters from those external observances But the Apostle would have them to turn away their eyes from them as being things which were not able to profit them in that way And truly so is it with all things besides Iesus Christ and the free Grace of God in him They can do nothing to the true establishing of the soul. Disquiet it they may as I said and trouble it Nay