Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n
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A74976
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Vindiciæ pietatis: or, a vindication of godliness, in the greatest strictness and spirituality of it. From the imputations of folly and fancy Together with several directions for the attaining and maintaining of a godly life. By R.A.; Vindiciæ pietatis. Part 1-2
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R. A. (Richard Alleine), 1611-1681.
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1665
(1665)
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Wing A1005; ESTC R229757
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332,875
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576
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that it might have the same good speed as Peter's last had Luke 5. 6. It would then pay the Charges though the Net break God hath sent me among you as an Husbandman to plow and to sow and I am now come to cover what hath been sown What is my aim in Preaching let be yours in Hearing Oh that both Preacher and Hearers might heartily joyn in this Desire This once more God speed the Plow In this Desire and hope I drive on In the Text observe A Precept A Promise An Entail of the Promise on the Precept In the Precept we have 1. An Act Do. 2. An Object The things that ye have learned received heard and seen The Promise is in these words The God of Peace shall be with you The Entail of the Promise on the Precept you have in the Connective Particle And which knits them up together Do the Work and have the Reward Obey the Precept and enjoy the Promise Do what you have received and heard and the God of Peace shall be with you Be careful of the former and be not careful about the latter If the Precept be performed the Promise shall be made good Doct. 1. Christians must be Learners before they can be Doers What you have learned that do Doct. 2. He hath learned well that hath learned to do well Doct. 3. Christians Eyes as wel as their Ears 〈…〉 Religion Or The Holy Examples 〈…〉 should be living Sermons to peopleâ— What you have seeâ— in me Therefore the Apostle â—xhorts Phil. 3. 17. Mark them which so walk as you have us for an example and 1 Cor. 11. 1. Be ye followers of me as I am of Christ that is either I have been a Follower of Christ be ye therefore Followers of me or else Be ye Followers of me as far â—orth as I have been a follower of Christ Those Ministers may go off the Stage with Honour and Coâ—â—â— who have left behind them the good Seed of â—ouâ—d Doctrine and the good savour of an Holy Example For mine own part what my Doctrine and manner of life hath been among you you are witnesses and God also And however I have great reason to judge and condemn my self before the Lord and to bewail it that my Conversation hath been less exemplary and useful than oh that it had been yet I go off from you with this Testimony upon my heart that I have not been of those who bind heavy Burthens and lay them on other mens shoulders but will not touch them with one of their fingers but my endeavour hath been to press on mine own Soul and to hold out in my own practice that Word of Life which I have preached to you and therefore am bold in this sence to exhort you in the words of the Apostle Be ye followers of me as far forth as you have seen me a follower of Christ Doct. 4. Godly Ministers when they are parting from their People would fain leave God behind them Though it be not unusual when the Lord sends them away he goes with them God and his Messengers do not seldome take their farewel of people together yet their earnest desire is that though they must away yet the Lord would stay Doct. 5. Faithful Ministers would be Messengers of Peace going as well as coming As the Apostles first words were to be Peace be unto you Math. 10. so some of this Apostles last words were The God of peace shall be with you Doct. 6. When-ever Ministers part with their People if they can but leave Godliness in them they shall certainly leave God with them Or Those that obey the Gospel whatsoever or whomsoever they want shall ever be in a peaceful and blessed condition These things do that is live in the practice and power of that Doctrine of Godliness which you have received and heard and then fear not the God of Peace shall be with you This Doctrine I shall fully prove to you after I have premised That the Doctrine which I have preached to you is the Doctrine of Godliness the sum whereof take in these four particulars 1. That Jesus Christ who came into the VVorld to save sinners came also to sanctifie and purge them from their sins 2. That those that believe in Jesus must be careful to maintain good works or to live a Godly Life That this Godlinesse is not such a flight and easie and empty thing as the mistaken VVorld imagine but stands in an exact conformity of the whole Man Heâ—â—â— and Life to the whole VVill of God 4. That as whosoever believeâ— not in Jesus so whosoever is short of this true sincere Godliness cannot be saved This is the summe of that Doctrine which I have preached unto you which being the eternal Truth of God I herein imbarque my own Soul and Life desiring to be found in that same Jesus and to be found walking in that same way of Righteousness which I have declared unto you 2. That my Design and Aim in preaching this Doctrine to you hath been to beget in you and through the influence and assistance of the Eternal Spirit to bring you to this true Godliness I have travelled in birth with you that Christ might be formed in you that I might leave you possessors and partakers of that Grace which accompanies Salvation that your Faith might stand not in the VVisdome of men but in the power of God That your Repentance might be Repentance unto Life not to be repented of that you might obey from the heart that Form of Doctrine that hath been delivered unto you that you might stand compleat in all the VVill of God that you might be holy and harmless the Children of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked Generation amongst whom you must shine as Lights in the VVorld holding forth the VVord of Life that being rooted and grounded in love you might comprehend with all Saints what is the height and depth and length and breadth and might know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge and be filled with all the fulnesse of God To this end have I taught every one and warned every one that I might present you perfect in Christ Jesus 3. That as far forth as the success hath answered my Design and aim upon any of your Souls so far forth stand you entitled to this glorious Promise in the Text The God of peace shall be with you Look how many Souls there are amongst you that live in the power and obedience of those Truths you have received to so many can I with confidence give this Farewel of the Apostles without Its or And 's the God of peace shall be with you To whomsoever the Lord hath been a God of Grace to them will he be a God of Peace Whoever amongst you have this God of Grace dwelling and ruling in you shall certainly find this God of peace dwelling and abiding with you As for all others though I can heartily make this my
Righteousness Enoch walked with God Noah walked with God Good company will make any way pleasant how craggy or dirty soever our way may be under foot it 's pleasant to see the Sun shine over us Psal 50. 23. To him that ordereth his Conversation aright will I shew the Salvation of God The Lord meets his people in his Wayes and causes all his goodness to pass on before them proclaiming his Name The Lord gracious and merciful slow to anger and of great kindness This Vision of God makes all the labours and difficulties of this way sweet pleasant to them certainly this is a blessed way for God is in it Where is blessedness to be had but in God how is blessedness to be had in God but in beholding and enjoying of him wherein stands the blessedness of Heaven but in the Vision and Fruition of God Christians let all the ungodly world say all they can to disgrace and disparage the way of Righteousness as a wretched disconsolate and contemptible way yet till they can confute your senses and make you not to believe what you taste and see be not discouraged neither let them delude you into any better opinion of their ways of sin from any pleasure credit ease or gain that is in them God is in the way of Righteousness and there alone to be found and enjoyed and therefore this is the most blessed and excellent way 4. It is the way of the Kingdome the proper excellency of the means stands in this That it will certainly bring about its end that 's our best way that will bring us safely home This way is called the way of life Psal 16. 11. Thou wilt shew me the path of life 2 Pet. 1. 5 11. Add to your faith vertue to vertue knowledge to knowledge temperance patience godliness c. For so an entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom If there were no other excellency of this way yet this is enough to commend it and exalt it above all other ways that it 's the way to Heaven If the way of Holiness and Righteousness were in all other respects as despicable and uncomfortable a way as the world imagine it If Godliness were in it self as great a burden and bondage as carnal men account it If all the reproaches and slanders and calumnies and lying reports that ungodly men cast upon the way of the Lord were true yet this that it 's the way to everlasting blessedness would answer all that is spoken against it If you were to go to London upon a business wherein your life and all that ever you had were concerned you would not stand reasoning thus Is not the way to York a better and more pleasant way Whatever the way to London be how long or how dirty or how dangerous or how hard to finde soever it be yet your life estate depending on your going thither leaving all other wayes disputes about them you would take the way that leads thither The way of the Lord whatever you have to say against it to discourage or make you unwilling to travel it yet 't is the only way you have to save your souls the only way to eternal blessedness when you have made all your objections and all your excuses you must take up this holy course of life or you can never come into the Kingdom of God The way of carnal Jollity and Merriment is as you think a more pleasant and delightful way But is this your way to Heaven The way of covetousness and worldliness you count a more gainful and profitable way but is this the way of life The way of sloth fulness and idleness is you think an easie way but is this the way of the Kingdom The strict and severe way of Holiness hath little carnal delight ease and worldly profit in it but is not this the way to everlasting life Heb. 12. 14. Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see God Now if all this be so search sinners search and consider if it be not so consult the Scriptures consult your Reasons and Consciences and see if you find them not all bearing witness to this Truth and if these things be so as hath been said then come all ye foolish and vain-hearted persons and judge of the unreasonableness of these scoffing demands of the looser sort to the people of God who in scorn and derision will be often asking of them why must you be so nice Why so precise Why so strict and making so much ado about every small matterâ— Why cannot you be content to do as others and take the same liberty as others Why 't is all one as if they should demand of them Why will you keep your way the way of Life Why will you be saved Why can't you be content to be damned as well as others Is there not a great deal of wisdom and reason in such questionings and scoffing demands If you stood by a dangerous mighty Bogue through which there was one narrow tract of firm ground and should see a company of poor Creatures even sunk and almost swallowed up and choak'd in the mud and mire on the one hand and the other and yet should you see them laughing and mocking and jeering at those who keep the narrow tract of firm ground that would bring them safely over Would you not say they were all mad or bewitched This is the case of foolish Worldlings they are sunk in the Mud they are even swallowed up and choaked with their lusts and ready to perish and yet they fall a laughing and deriding of them who will keep the sure way Sinners what do you mean you are sinking you are sinking a few steps further and you will be swallowed up Why will you not come back and get into this safe way Leave your scoffing at the Saints and learn of them leave your judging and censuring and follow them in the same holy steps that they are going in before you II. They are upright and exact in the way they walk on in the straight way with a staight foot Psal 119. 1. Blessed are the undefiled in the way or the perfect or entire in the way Psal 32. 1. I said I will take heed to my wayes that I offend not It 's said of Caleb Numb 14. 24. That he followed the Lord fully Luk. 1. 6. 2 Cor. 1. 12. This is our rejoycing the testimony of our Conscience that in all simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the world 1 Thes 2. 20. Ye are witnesses and God also how holily and justly and blamelesly we behaved our selves among you Observe it they lived a holy harmelesse blamelesse life and that holinesse which appeared upon them was not a cheat or juggle to ' deceive the world but was really what it appeared to be and for this they appealed to a threefold witness 1. A witness in their breasts the