Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n
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A42680
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XXXI sermons preached to the parishioners of Stanford-Rivers in Essex upon serveral subjects and occasions / by Charles Gibbes.
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Gibbes, Charles, 1604-1681.
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1677
(1677)
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Wing G644; ESTC R25459
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268,902
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472
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and the pleasing of him as our End Insomuch that if we can acquit our selves so as to have his Favour and good Liking of us we must not care what we lose or what Obloquy Censure or Disgrace we incurro from men Our Righteousness and Holiness should not be in shew but in truth Eph. 4.24 4. In Following of that which is Good we should doe it zealously with our Minds our Affections and our Studies We should give all diligence and study that we may abound in Faith Vertue Knowledge Temperance Patience Godliness Brotherly love Charity 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7. We should follow Peace with all men and Holiness Heb. 12.14 pursue after it as Hunters after a Prey or Enemies after Enemies This one thing I doe saith the Apostle Phil. 3.13 14. forgetting the things that are behind and reaching forth unto those things that are before I press or pursue towards the Mark for the price of the high Calling of God in Christ Jesus A lazy slack Following of Good is ineffectual such a Seeking as the old Saints are said to have used is that which is required of them that will inherit the Promises Heb. 6.11 12. 5. Yea we should not onely follow that which is Good our selves but animate others to follow it too He loves not God nor his Brother that seeing him in Want doth not relieve him when it is in his power so neither doth he follow God that seeing his Brother erre doth not as he hath opportunity endeavour to convert him from the Errour of his ways that doth not lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees Heb. 12.12 that doth not avoid giving such Offence as may cause the Lame to fall in the way or to turn out of it that doth not encourage others in that which is Good comfort and heal the sorrowfull Spirit and lead others by Example Instruction and Prayer Such as are of God doe good even as he doeth who benefits all invites all is Bonum universale an universal communicative Good 6. Our following of Good must be with Constancy We must always be zealous in a good thing Gal. 4.18 all our days in youth and age in all Companies in all Estates on all Occasions not by sits and starts We must cleave to that which is good Rom. 12.9 as a Wife adheres to her Husband as Ruth did to her Mother-in-law We should be stedfast and unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord as knowing that our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15.58 Which brings me to the other Particulars propounded to be considered in which I shall be very brief III. The Harm that they who are zealous Followers of that which is Good are secured from This is indeed all sorts of Evils the chief whereof are the Wounds of Conscience and the Wrath of God While men follow that which is Good they are not obnoxious to those Lashes of a guilty Conscience which are consequent upon the remembrance of lewd Pranks in youth Deceits and Covetous practices in age cruel Murthers horrid Perjuries unjust Bribes Purloining Stealing and such other Evils as do vastare Conscientiam violently torture the Mind and are as scorching Heat in a man's Bones Gall and Wormwood in his Belly as when God wrote bitter things against Job and made him possess the Sins of his youth These Tortures were resembled in the Poets by the Affrightments of Furies and are Forerunners of Hell-Torments Nor shall those who follow what is Good be liable to the Indignation and Wrath Tribulation and Anguish which God inflicts on them that are contentious and obey not the Truth but obey Vnrighteousness Rom. 2.8 9. These are indeed the grand Harms that are like the stinging of a Scorpion but my Text intends likewise all Afflictions incident to us from mens Injuriousness and Malignity such as are Reproaches Derision Slanders privation of Liberty Livelihood Life which though they be but Flea-bitings in comparison of the other yet are they very harmfull as being extreme trouble-some and grievous Yet by Following of that which is Good there is Security from them if not altogether at least in a great measure if not from the Feeling of them yet from the Oppression of them if not from the Buzzing and Disquieting of them as of Flies yet from the Sting of them as of Scorpions if not from the Molestation of them yet from the Deadliness of them which will be better discerned if we consider our next Particular IV. Who they are from whose Harming they are secured They are either Men or Devils neither of whom can mortally and eternally wound us Fear not them saith our Lord that can kill the Body and when they have done that can doe no more but fear him that can cast both Soul and Body into Hell-sire Matth. 10.28 Luk. 12.4 Men and Devils may interrupt our Peace but cannot damn our Souls Neither Tribulation nor Distress nor Persecution nor Famine nor Nakedness nor Peril nor Sword neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor Height nor Depth nor any other Creature can separate them that follow that which is Good from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. But in all these things they are more then Conquerours through him that hath loved them as S. Paul saith of himself Rom. 8.35 37 38 39. Yet are they sorely assaulted by both these Enemies insomuch that the Apostle tells us there vers 36. for God's sake they are killed all the day long and are counted as Sheep for the slaughter They are as Sheep among Wolves who are ready to worry them Satan casts some into Prison ten days that they may be tried Rev. 12.10 He goes about like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour 1 Pet. 5.8 There is a spitefull Spirit in all that are of the Wicked one yet sometimes God restrains the remainder of their Wrath. He cuts off the spirit of Princes he is terrible to the Kings of the earth Psal 76.10 12. He rebukes an Abimelech in a Dream so as that he dares not touch them Gen. 20.6 He suffers no man to doe them wrong he reproves Kings for their sake saying Touch not mine Anointed and doe my Prophets no harm Psal 105.14 15. When a man's ways please the Lord he maketh even his Enemies to be at peace with him Prov. 16.7 Sometimes the Luster of a Good life doth either attract the favourable Aspect or dazzle the Eyes of those with whom they live Sometimes the benefit of Laws and Government secures their Peace they are Ministers to them for good Rom. 13.4 By these and many more means are they that follow that which is Good indemnified whenas his own Iniquities take the Wicked himself and he is holden with the Chords of his Sins Prov. 5.22 V. When it is that they are secured But then this is not perpetually so it falleth out sometimes otherwise When
quieting of his Spirit by remembrance of God's Covenant of Grace in Christ the Love of Christ in giving himself for him in the assurance of his Perseverance to the end and the knowledge of his Integrity Yea Holy persons do often go mourning all their days charging themselves with Hypocrisie with Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost with Apostasie condemning themselves as Reprobates uncapable of Pardon destitute of all Grace and so no better then Fire-brands of Hell and this even while they pray for Pardon repent of Sin are of so tender Consciences that they fear to sin against God and would rather die a thousand Deaths then once speak the least evil of Christ or God If none of these Clouds do darken the Joys of Holy men here yet there are other things which do and will certainly while they are on Earth much diminish them The Sins which they see committed by others are no small Vexation to Holy men Just Lot was vexed with the filthy Conversation of the Wicked for dwelling among the Sodomites in hearing and seeing he tormented his righteous Soul from day to day with their unlawfull deeds 2 Pet. 2.7 8. The Sufferings of the Saints are no small Affliction to their Fellow-members If one Member suffer all the Members suffer with it as if one Member be honoured all the Members rejoyce with it 1 Cor. 12.26 Much more are their Sins The incestuous Corinthian's sinfull taking his Father's Wife was matter of Mourning to the whole Church So the Schisms in that Church the Disorders in their Assemblies their Yielding to communicate with Idolaters in their Idolatries their going to Law one with another before Infidels and not composing their Differences between themselves were matter of Affliction to S. Paul I fear saith he 2 Cor. 12.20 21. lest when I come I shall not find you such as I would lest my God will humble me among you and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already and have not repented of the Vncleanness and Fornication and Lasciviousness which they have committed The Ignorance Unteachableness Unfruitfulness of his Hearers much more their falling away into Errours and scandalous Practices is no small Grief to a Godly Pastour which makes him walk heavily and complain to God serving him with many Tears and Temptations Yea the deferring of a Christian's Hope makes his Heart sick he is weary with waiting so that he cries Come Lord Jesus come quickly Our selves which have the First-fruits of the Spirit even we our selves groan within our selves waiting for the Adoption to wit the Redemption of our bodies Rom. 8.23 In this we groan earnestly desiring to be cloathed upon with our house which is from Heaven For we that are in this Tabernacle do groan being burthened not for that we would be uncloathed but cloathed upon that Mortality might be swallowed up of Life Being confident and willing rather to be absent from the Body and to be present with the Lord 2 Cor. 5.2 4 8. But they that are in the Presence of God have all Good They have the most high Descent as being born of God the most perfect Beauty in Soul having the Image of God perfectly restored and at the Resurrection their Bodies fashioned like unto the glorious Body of Christ They become fully Rich being made Heirs of God Joynt-heirs with Christ Rom. 8.17 When they have overcome they shall inherit all things God will be their God and they shall be his Sons Rev. 21.7 They have advancement to Honour and Greatness To him that overcometh saith our Saviour Rev. 3.21 will I grant to sit with me in my Throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his Throne I will not say that the Blessed Saints and Angels that stand in God's Presence are omniscient They know not the Secrets of Mens hearts much less the secret Counsels of God whose Ways are unsearchable and whose Paths past finding out That Conceit of some of the Papists about the Speculum Trinitatis the Glass of the Trinity as if by seeing God they could see all things in him according to that saying of Gregory Videt omnia qui videt Videntem omnia is most false though some of them make use of it to excuse their abominable Invocation of Saints deceased whom they absurdly and foolishly pray to for all sorts of Good things though they know neither them nor their Necessities much less their Hearts But I may safely say with the Apostle 1 Cor. 13.9 10 12. Now we know in part and we prophesie in part But when that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall be done away Now we see through a Glass darkly or in a Riddle but then face to face now I know in part then shall I know even as also I am known The Beatifical Vision of God will perfect our Holiness and Wisedom so far as to free us from all Errour and Folly which now do miserably mislead us from all Ignorance which now doth sadly perplex us it will enlighten us with that Knowledge which will be sufficient to glorifie our God and satisfie our selves As the Light of Heaven exceeds the Light of the Sun so the Light of the Soul in those that are with God exceeds all the Light that was in Adam by Creation in Moses S. John S. Paul or any other of the most inlightned Saints on Earth by Revelation In a word there is no kind of Good which is meet for a created Being and an adopted Child of God to have but it is conferred on those Holy persons that are in the Presence of God which makes their Joys unspeakable and full of Glory But they are still more sweetned from the consideration of the Fountain whence they flow which is next to be considered III. What is the Cause and Motive from whence these Good things these Joys do proceed And that is the Love and Purpose of God which is immutable Ointment and Perfumes rejoyce the Heart so doth the sweetness of a man's Friend by hearty Counsell saith Solomon Prov. 27.9 The Love and hearty Welcome that a man meets with makes the Feast the more pleasant Eat not thou the Bread of him that hath an evil Eye neither desire thou his dainty Meats For as he thinketh in his heart so is he Eat and drink saith he to thee but his heart is not with thee The Morsell which thou hast eaten thou shalt vomit up and lose thy sweet words Prov. 23.6 7 8. Oftentimes men are invited to a great Feast but it is not out of Love but for some sordid Ends to engage them in something which they will find cause after to repent of it is not with True-heartedness which makes many sad at Feasts as fearing an After-reckoning Joseph's Brethren when they sate at meat with him marvelled one at another Gen. 43.33 not well knowing whereto that Invitation tended When men believe they are welcome indeed and that they are feasted in