Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
knowledge_n	light_n	sin_n	sin_v	2,662	5	9.9466	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33961	Defensative armour, against four of Sathan's most fiery darts viz. temptations to atheistical and blasphemous impressions and thoughts, self-murther, despair, and presumption : wherein is discoursed the nature of these temptations, the several tempters to these sins, the arguments ordinarily used by the tempters in the inforcing of them, and some proper advice is offered to those who are exercised with them / by J.C. D.D. ...	Collinges, John, 1623-1690.	1680 (1680)	Wing C5312; ESTC R12985	145,095	356

it pleaseth not God to renew them by Repentance if thou findest an heart to Repent to bleed for Sin and turn from it there is no Reason for thee to Despair or to conclude it is too late for thee It is a true saying That True Repentance is never too late for it always hath the Promise of Pardon and Forgiveness annext 4. Fourthly as to that Text Heb. 10. 26. If we sin wilfully after we have received the Knowledge of the Truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for Sins It is not to be understood strictly as the words seem to sound as if it concerned all Persons that sin against their Light and Knowledge but onely of some degrees of wilful sinning for all the Sons and Daughters of Men would be in a sad state if there were no Sacrifice for sin remaining for any that after the receiving and owning of the Truth did in any degrees knowingly and wilfully sin against God But this also appeareth by the Con●ext and the Text Heb. 6. to which this is apparently paralel 1. It speaketh of Adversaries v. 27. 2. Of such as trod under foot the Son of God and counted the Blood of the Covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing It is apparent he spake of Christians that made a total open Defection from the Doctrine of the Gospel to Judaism This is that which v. 26. He called the forsaking the assembling themselves together forsaking the Communion of all Christians and a malicious contempt and despising of Christ and of his Blood counting it an unholy thing The Truth which he here speaketh of is undoubtedly the Truth which he had before opened in this Epistle wherein he had enlarged in a Discourse to prove that Christ was truly God and truly Man and the true Messias shadowed out by the Jewish High Priest Now saith he if a man sin wilfully that is having owned and acknowledged and professed this Truth afterwards reject it deny it apostatise from the profession of it leaving the Assemblies of Christians shall joyn himself to the Assemblies of those who are the Adversaries of Christ and continue and maliciously go on in that apostacy and defection What ever Remedy he may dream of finding in the Jewish Sacrifices he will indeed find that there is none of their Sacrifices will do him good nor will Christ expiate for him so there will be no Sacrifice for his Sin This I take to be much of the sense and import of that Text according to which it will not much concern one in thy Circumstances 4. Temptation But will some Soul say There is a Sin that shall never be forgiven our Saviour hath told us so Math. 12. 31. Mar. 3. 28. Saint John calls it a Sin unto death The Apostle admiting those two Texts Heb. 6. 6 7. and Heb. 10. 26 27 28. be to be restrained to that saith of it that those who are guilty of it cannot be renewed by Repentance and that there remaineth no more Sacrifice for it I have committed that Sin and therefore I know there is no hope for me I have nothing to do but to look for that fiery Indignation which is to devour the Adversaries Thus speaks the Tempter Thus after him doth the poor Soul speak that is Tempted To which I Answer 1. It is very unreasonable for thee to conclude that thou hast sinned the Sin against the Holy Ghost the unpardonable Sin till thou canst tell what the Sin against the Holy Ghost is if thou canst not tell what it is how canst thou tell that thou hast committed it Now it is not like that thou shouldest be able to determine a Question which hath exercised so long the greatest Divines and yet remains not determined by them at least not agreed in by any considerable consent Some make it a Sin of which we are not now capable the d●nial of the Divine Nature of Christ after they had seen his miraculous Operations which God alone could do and Reviling Reproaching and Persecuting him notwithstanding all they had seen in him or heard from him And it is plain this is that which Christ in those Texts of the Gospel doth primarily and immediately speak of But those Texts in the Epistle to the Hebrews cannot be thus interpreted yet what this specifical sin is is not agreed amongst the best Divines 2. Secondly Many of those from whom we hear these complaints apparently have not Light enough I mean not knowledge enough to be under the guilt of this Sin for that is apparent from Heb. 6. that whatever this sin be it must be the sin of knowing enlightened Persons such as have been once enlightened as have tasted of the Heavenly Gift So that ignorant Persons cannot be under this Guilt they must be knowing Persons and such as have made a Profession 3. Thirdly It is also thus far agreed That there must be a Total and Final Falling away from the Profession of Faith which Men have made and this must ●e conjoyned with Malice expressed in Words or Deeds or both such as may ●e interpreted a doing despight to the ●pirit of Grace a trampling under-foot the ●lood of the Covenant an accounting it an unholy thing a Crucifying Christ a-fresh 4. Fourthly There must be a Perseverance in this Apostacy and Blasphemy to the end without Repentance or it cannot be this Sin for the Apostle saith of such as commit this Sin that it is impossible they should be renewed again by Repentance and Christ saith That it shall never be forgiven Now it is certain any Sin that is repented of may and shall be forgiven I must confess when I consider what woful Apostacies some in the days wherein we live have made from the Doctrine of Godliness and what Blasphemies come from their Tongues and Pens against the Operations of the Spirit imputing that to Melancholick Fancies and Dreams and to Impressions from the Devil which are from the Holy Spirit of God and its Impressions Teachings and Operations and when I also consider with what an heat and passion of Madness many are carried out i● Persecuting the Servants of God and th●● in an age so ferrtile of means that they either have known do know or may know other things My Heart akes and trembleth for many poor Souls and I cannot but fear many more than we are aware of are under this tremenduo● Guilt nor know I how they can evince the contrary but by a timely sense of their Sins Repentance and Sorrow of Heart for them and taking a new course but yet I say final Impenitency must go to make up this Sin which unless thou findest thou hast no Reason as to it peremptorily to conclude against thy self The Evidence of this truth often puts the Tempter to his last shift and we hear often the poor Tempted Soul saying thus 5. Temptation Ah! This this is my case I know I have not so sinned but if I could Repent if I could Believe in Christ I might

as he tells him was ready to have done greater things for him against all this he sinned in the matter of Bathsheba and in the matter of Uriah It is true this cost him many Tears many Prayers yet he obtained Mercy Peter was a Man of great Light and had been made the Object of great Love Christ had said to him Thou art Peter and upon this Rock will I build my Church yet this Peter cursed and sware and denied his Master and after this when he had gone out and wept betterly Christ remembred him and I doubt not but you believe Peter is in Heaven Thou canst not say that thou hast sinned against greater Light or greater Love than these two eminent Saints in Glory sinned against To have sinned out our Light indeed that is to such a degree as we have no more Checks no more Rebukes of Conscience this is very sad and the Interpretations of it be to the Enemies of God To be past Feeling that is sad but by thy Trouble and Complaining it appeareth that is not thy Case but it is plain that many have sinned against Light much Light and against much Love too whom God hath from the infiniteness of his Mercy forgiven and rereceived up to Glory 3. Temptation But will such a Soul say It is true had I in time turned unto God there might have been hope but alas time is past time is past with me had I turned to God in my Youth but I am in the declining part of my Life God hath said His Spirit shall not always strive with Man The Fig-tree was Cursed after Three years in vain expecting Fruit. God hath a long time been looking for Fruit of my Soul and hath found none I have sinned wilfully after I had received the Knowledge of the Truth there remaineth now I fear no more Sacrifice of Sin but a certain fearful looking for of Judgement and fiery Indignation which shall devour the Adversaries Heb. 10. 26 27. To which I say 1. This is indeed a very sad and bitter Reflection and I desire that such Complaints as these when we hear them may be sanctified to all that have time before them to take heed how they mispend it and trifle it away but where this Counsel is too late the Question that we have in hand is Whether there be a sufficient Warrant for a Souls Despair 2. The sadness Secondly of this Case is aggravated from the appearances of Scripture for this Temptation It is generally held by Divines That as Countries and Nations have their Periods of Grace so particular Persons have their Days of Grace too and Periods beyond which Gods Spirit shall not strive with them and it appeareth by that Text Heb. 10. That there is a wilful Sinning after the Knowledge of the Truth after which there will remain no Sacrifice for Sin But what that degree of wilful Sinning is and how it must be circumstanced that is another Question But to speak more directly to the Temptation 1. In the first place I would have thee scriously consider Whether the Freeness of Divine Grace in the Remission of Sins be duly thought of by thee who objectest thus against thy self Take heed thou hast not some Thoughts within thee that thou shouldest recompence God by thy future Holiness for thy past Provocations and whether that which discourageth thy hoping in God and looking up unto him for Mercy be not a prospect that thou art not like to have time enough to make this Recompence If thou hast any such Thoughts as these thou dost not well attend to the Promise of Pardon which runs thus I will blot out thy Transgressions for mine own Name sake and we have Redemption even Forgiveness of Sins through his Blood The end which God aimeth at in the Forgiveness of any Souls Sin is his own Glory the glorifying of the riches of his Grace not receiving the Homage of an Holy Life though that be thy Duty and what God requireth of thee yet I say that is not Gods great and ultimate end He will have Mercy on whom he will have Mercy and extend Compassion to whom he will extend Compassion The Consideration upon which God doth it is the Price paid and Satisfaction given by the Blood of his Son It is not for our sake nor for our future Works sake but for his own Name sake and for his dear S●n's sake that he granteth unto any Pardon and Forgiveness of Sin Now although the time of thy Life yet to come in probability will not be commensurate to the time of Life which is past and spent in Sinning and Dishonouring God yet why may not the great God glorifie the Riches of his Grace in the free Forgiveness of thee Why may he not exalt the Blood of his Son in washing thy Soul 2. Secondly It is not for us to know times and seasons which are in Gods Power onely It is true God seemeth to have revealed that every Soul hath a set time beyond which be will shew it no favour and that this is not onely the end of our Life but may be sometime before our dying day but we know not what time that is and therefore it is rashness for any Soul to conclude my time is past Where have we any Directions from the Word of God to fix any such time or to conclude it as to any period of time We know the Master of the Vineyard called to some to come and Work in his Vineyard at the 11th hour and we know also that the Thief upon the Cross was told in the last hour of his Life that he should that Night be with Christ in Paradise Secret things belong unto God Revealed things onely to us and to our Children Unless we had some certain Rule to determine the Time to us we have no Reason to determine it our selves to discourage us from what his Word commandeth us as our certain Duty 3. Thirdly Supposing there be an heart found in us to be sorry for our Sins humbled for them and to turn from them to God and to accept of the Lord Jesus Christ and his Salvation tendred unto us in the Gospel it is certain our time is not yet past The Reason is because the promise of Pardon and Salvation is made unto such So that no Soul hath reason to conclude there is no hope for him in God but that Soul that laboureth under impenitency and hardness of heart and findeth in it self a resolution yet to go on in its sinful courses And therefore you shall observe in that dreadful Text Heb. 6. the Apostle saith of them that have been once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly Gift and the Powers of the World to come and have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost c. if they fall away it is impossible they should be renewed again by Repentance if they could Repent it were not impossible they should be Pardoned or obtain Eternal Life and Salvation but

died f●r all a sad Doctrine which gives Judas as much comfort as Peter Others think he purchased a certainty of Salvation for the Elect but a possibility for all Others believe he died onely for the Elect. But admitting the last to be true which some think to make Redemption conform to the Decree of Election and not understand how Christ should purchase an impossible possibility which must be as to some if there were any that were passed over in the Eternal Purpose or any to whom God resolved not to give those effectual Aids of his special Grace necessary in order to those Exercises of Faith and Holiness by which Salvation must be obtained But what Market can the Devil make of this He can tell them they are not Elected and so Christ died not f●r them But the Soul can reply He was a Lier from the Beginning and none of Gods Privy Counsellors and that its Non-election can onely appear from its prodigious sinnings continued in to the end without Repentance and Faith in Christ And the others telling them Christ died for all will not relieve them for Judas notwithstanding that proved a Son of Perdition and went to his own place when he had hang'd himself It is also true that many great Divines do think none can be saved without the special Grace of God working together with the Word in their Hearts and effectually renewing turning changing and sanctifying and that this is not in a Man 's own Power but the work of God What advantage now can the Devil make of this Doctrine to persw●●e the Soul to cast away all hopes of the Mercy of God through Christ for the pardon of its Sins and for the obtaining of Eternal Life and Salvation He can suggest to the Soul That God never bestowed upon it this effectual Grace nor ever will If he doth not add the later he saith nothing for what Ground have I to cast away all hope if yet there be hope that although I have not yet repented and believed yet God will give me his Grace though at the Eleventh hour that I shall repent believe and be saved Now suppose him to suggest so How shall he evidence this to me but from the guilt of my sin or my abiding in it It is therefore that whatever bluster some Sciclists make in the World to load the Opinions of some great and eminent Divines with Envy and Obloquy yet in very deed the Devil can urge Despair of the Pardon of Sin and obtaining Eternal Life with any colourable reason upon no Soul but from Sin nor indeed do we in our Experience find any thing else stick with Souls in an hour of Temptation Now here he must either say Thy Sins are so many they cannot be forgiven or Thou hast sinned so long a time that thou canst not be forgiven Thy hour is over thy time is past or Thou hast sinned some particular sins which are of so hainous a nature or so deep a dy that God will never forgive them What the Soul may answer to all these we shall God willing by and by consider CHAP. III. Means to prevent Despair Clear and distinct Knowledge Taking heed of inveterate Sinnings Prodigious Sinnings All Sinnings against Light Such Sins especially as come nearest the unpardonable Sin YOu have heard the Nature of this Temptation you have also heard from whence Temptations of this nature come what seeming good enticeth the Soul to listen to them and also what Arguments the Tempters have alone to use to inforce them Let me now come to shew you what is to be done by Christians in order to the repelling and resisting of them And because as I told you in my Discourse referring to the former Prevention is the best way let me first advise what is proper to all of us upon whom this hour of Temptation is not come that we may never fall into this snare of the Devil 1. And here let me first commend to you all a sound and distinct Knowledge of the Truths of God The Devil in an hour of Temptation hath a great advantage upon an ignorant Person above what he hath upon a knowing Christian Solomon tells us true That a Soul should be without Knowledge is not good He that hath a sound and distinct Knowledge of the Nature of God the Doctrine of Faith the Covenant of Grace and the Promises of the Word of God seldom falls into or lieth long under this Temptation How easie a thing it is for the Devil to fright ignorant Souls with telling them They are not Elected that Christ did not die for them that their Sins are too many or too great or have been too long continued in to be pardoned or that they have not truly repented or believed or that they have sinned the unpardonable Sin or an hundred such things O do not slight Knowledge no not a notional Knowledge of the things of God You are not able to prophecy of what use it will be to your Souls in an hour of Temptation A knowing Christian may be tempted and it may be some time before he can get his Hand upon the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God to draw it out for his purpose but if he hath it by his side if he be mighty in the Scriptures he will have no long work with an Enemy of this kind I pity such as cannot read or if they can yet have lost their time and not improved it to learn the Scriptures be acquainted with Catechisms which should ground them in the Doctrine of Faith Thou that despisest Knowledge neglectest yea despisest thy own Soul and all its Peace and Comfort and seemest to presume upon a Miracle to be shewed for thee in an hour of Temptation 2. Secondly Take heed of going on in a course of Sinning especially against thy Light and Checks of Conscience Inveterate Sinning and prodigious Sinnings and Sinnings against Light and Checks of Conscience and particularly some Sins and such especially as come nearest to the Sin unto Death give the Devil very high and great advantages as to this Temptation 1. I say first Inveterate Sinning When Sin hath grown up with a Man from his youth he hath lived and walked and wallowed in it many years it makes the Devil a great Market We find it hard to believe that God who can have from us but the homage of a few days or hours will forgive us the Sins of so many years It is rare that old Sinners are brought to Repentance and Converted you shall most generally observe that if God changeth a Man or Womans Heart it is either in their Youth or middle Age seldom in Child-hood and seldom in Old Age and if in Old Age they are ordinarily infested with great Temptations Take heed of Sin growing Old in thy Soul An old habit is hardly put off How can you that are accustomed to do Evil do Well An old Ulcer is hardly Cured beware of growing