Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
knowledge_n	life_n	sacrament_n	tree_n	1,539	5	9.0601	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28622	The guard of the tree of life, or, A sacramental discourse shewing a Christians priviledge in approaching to God in ordinances, duty in his sacramentall approaches, danger if hee do not sanctifie God in them / by Samuel Bolton ...	Bolton, Samuel, 1606-1654.	1644 (1644)	Wing B3520; ESTC R33239	55,356	184

morning And this is fearfull to return with the dog to the vomit 2 Pet. 2.22 But God's people cast them away Isa 30.22 as a menstruous rag never more to have to do with them 2. Get your hearts further strengthened to service Here is in this Ordinance a mutuall sealing of Covenants between God and you As God seals to thee so thou seals again to God God seals to the first part of the Covenant pardon mercy grace and thou seals to the second part of it service subjection obedience God gives Christ to thee here in this Ordinance and thou gives thy self back again to Christ As there is matter of bountie from God to thee so there is matter of duty from thee to God God here in bounty bestowes Christ upon every humble broken hearted and believing receiver They take him and re-give themselves back again to him for subjection and obedience There was never any soul to whom God said in this Ordinance I am thine whose hearts did not eccho again the same to God Lord I am thine This head is thine to contrive thy glory this hand is thine to work for thee this hart is thine to love thee He that sayes my beloved is mine sayes again and I am his Cant. 2.16 Cant. 2.16 Let us then labour to see our hearts further strengthened to service let this inable thee to walk 1. More strongly The Sacraments are our spirituall baitings and refreshments which God affords us to strengthen us in our journey to Heaven They are spirituall meat drink to strengthen us in the performance of al spirituall obedience such meat as will not only inable a man to work but to work more strongly And 't is to be feared that they who are never the stronger for service feed not upon the substance but upon the shadow they feed upon the elements but never tast of Christ the staff of nourishment Purum elementum non est alimentum and t is true here the meer element is no nourishment 2. More willingly and cheerfully Then shall wee be able to run the wayes of God's Commandements Psal 119. when God once here inlarges our hearts It is said of Jacob that when he had been refreshed with the presence of God he plucked up his feet and went on cheerfully So here when the soul hath been refreshed with the presence of Christ he will be able to walk more cheerfully in the wayes of God The food we feed upon is Angels ' food and will inable us to Angels ' imployments h. e. to do our work with an Angels spirit with all alacrity cheerfulness joy and delight though not in the same equality yet in the same quality Siquid boni tristè feceris fit de te magis quam à te Prosper though not in the same measure yet in the same manner And thus much for the second generall viz. How we must sanctifie God in an Ordinance Wee will now come to the third generall which is the Reasons why Who ever have to do with an Ordinance of God must sanctifie God in it 1. Reason Because God commands it God saith hee will be sanctified and God's will is our law God doth not only command the substance but the circumstances not only the matter of worship but the manner And though the matter be good if the manner of performance be naught God doth not regard it You see what hee saith to the Jewes He that sacrificeth is as he who killed a man and hee that kils a Lamb as if he cut off a Dog's head and he who burneth incense as hee who blesseth an Idoll Isa Isa 66.3 66.3 These seem strange expressions What were not these such duties as God commanded Doth not God command sacrifice c. Yes but because they did them not in that manner God commanded therefore were they abominable to him If therefore thou gives God the bulk of outward performance without the spirit of devotion thou deals by him as Prometheus by Jupiter who did eat the flesh and present him with nothing but bones covered over with skin Or to use the Scripture phrase you compass God with a lie Hos 11.12 Hos 11.12 Thou gives him the shell of outward performance but not the kernell of inward devotion thou gives him a body without a soul And as the body without the soul is dead and stinks so doth that service which wants the spirit As God's will doth command service so our will and affections must perform service Though our will must be no instrument of devising service yet it must be an instrumēt in performing service Though God will not own will-worship in regard of prescription yet he will own it in regard of performance and none else Thus you see God commands it and therefore c. Impü Petram lambunt sed indè nec mel nec oleum sugunt c. Ambr. Ser. de coena 2. Reason Because otherwise wee get no good by this Ordinance no good of Comfort nor none of Grace If indeed the Sacraments did ex opere operato confer Grace or if that this Sacrament were an Instrument for the begetting of Grace in graceless hearts then might you get good though you came unpreparedly The word it is set up for that end to be the instrument of regeneration and therefore though you come unpreparedly thither yet you may be wrought upon there * Nemo bonus qui non ex malo bonus Aug. Many that have come to the Word with purpose to scoff to taunt to deride nay to insnare and accuse who yet have been wrought on there and sent away other men Were the Sacraments set up for such an end to beget grace where there is no grace then might you get good though you come unpreparedly and unsanctifiedly thither but as I have told you it was never set up for such an end here its true habenti dabitur to him that hath shall be given he that hath grace shall in the exercise improve his graces but he that comes graceless hither goes graceless away nay worse then he came which is the next Reason 3. Reason Because otherwise we get much hurt The Ordinances are not idle but operative they either work for life or they work for death As Paul said of the Word it was the savour of life and of death so I may say of every Ordinance There is never a time you come to hear the Word but you are set a step neerer heaven or hell so never a time you come to receive the Sacraments c. The fruit of the tree of Knowledge of good and evill might be wholsome in it self yet Adam did eat his death when he tasted of it contrary to God's command So here the Sacrament though in it self it be good yet it becomes the bane and destruction of those souls who partake thereof unworthily As the Ordinances of God are precious things when God is sanctified in them so