Selected quad for the lemma: knowledge_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
knowledge_n	love_n	patience_n	temperance_n	1,817	5	11.3534	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90811	Authentēs. Or A treatise of self-deniall. Wherein the necessity and excellency of it is demonstrated; with several directions for the practice of it. / By Theophilus Polwheile, M.A. sometimes of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, now teacher of the Church at Teverton in Devon.	Polwheile, Theophilus, d. 1689.	1658 (1658)	Wing P2782; Thomason E1733_1; ESTC R209629	246,682	521

beholders after it now there is nothing doth this so much as Self-denial Self-denial makes one lovely in the sight of men of Saints and of God himself 1 In the sight of men a Self-denying man is as the h Suctoraus Historian saith of Titus the Roman Emperour Delicia humani generis the delights of Man-kinde the very darling of the World Even Natural men have a perceiving of the lovelinesse of Self-denial so that although they cannot affect a man for his Religion which they doe not understand yet so sarre as they discover any thing of Self-denial in him as in matters of Justice in which they have some skill they are wonderfully taken with him It is said of those Converts in the second of the Acts that they continuing daily with one accord in the Temple and breaking of Bread from house to house did eate their meat with gladnesse and i Simplicito de coeur Fren. singlenesse of heart praising God and having favour with all the people Act. 2.46 they were such as did walk uprightly or as it is elsewhere 2 Cor. 1.12 in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdome pretending one thing and acting another for the carrying on of their owne ends but their practices did exactly accord with those Principles of godlinesse which they did professe and this brought them into favour with all the people and many joyned themselves to them daily vers 47. 2 In the sight of Saints There are none that the hearts of Saints doe more run out upon than those that are most eminent in Self-denial My heart is toward the Governours of Israel that offered themselves willing among the people saith Deborah Judg. 5.9 That is I doe exceedingly k Deodati in loc love them because notwithstanding their peaceable Offices and Dignities they have been willing to partake in the labours and dangers of the Warre against the enemies of God and his people somestayed at home minding their owne businesse vers 16 17 and neglecting the care of the Publike but these laid aside all respect to their private concernments and whereas others it may be were prest to the service these were Voluntaries and came of their owne accord and for this it was that Deborah was so much affected towards them Oh! saith she my heart is towards them I see an amiablenesse a desireablenesse in them 3 In the sight of God this makes one amiable and desirable not only in the eyes of men and of Saints but of the great and glorious God himselfe the desire of his soul is to the beauty of Self-denial By this very Argument the Spouse is exhorted to deny her self Psalm 45.10 11. Hearken O daughter and consider and incline thine eare forget also thine owne peole and thy fathers house here is Self-denial Now mark what follows so shall the King greatly desire or covet thy beauty to note that her Self-denial is her greatest beauty and that which renders her most pleasing and acceptable to her Husband Oh! what a Beauty is here that pleaseth every eye that looks upon it and how transcendently excellent that even ravisheth the eye of him that is Beauty it self Three things as l Ad pulchritudinem tria requiruntur Primo quidem integritas sive perfectio Quae enim diminuta sunt hoc ipso turpia sunt debitae proportio sive consonantia iterum claritas Vnde quae haebent colorem nitidum pulchra esse dicuntur par 1. q. 39.8 c. Aquinas observeth are required to a perfect Beauty Integritas proportio debita claritas First Integrity that there bee all the parts and nothing lacking to make up the whole Secondly Proportion that there be a suitablenesse in the several parts one to another Thirdly Cleernesse that they bee all well-favoured now see all these in Self-denial 1 Integrity Self-denial lets every grace have its perfect work for it is only Self that hinders and so a Christian comes to be perfect intire and lacking in nothing which is the Argument of the Apostle whereby hee exhorts to patience Let patience have its perfect work that yee may be perfect and intire wanting nothing Jam. 1.4 Self-denial carries a man forth after them perfection of every Grace in all the degrees and acts of it A Self-denying man will be adding faith to faith till hee come to have all faith and love to love till hee come to have all love and patience to patience till hee come to have all patience Col. 1.11 and as hee will bee adding one degree and act to another of the same grace so of every other grace to that grace Hee will give all diligence to adde to his faith vertue and to vertue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godlinesse and to godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and to brotherly kindnesse charity 2 Pet 1. 5 6 7. till hee come to the fulnesse of the stature of a perfect man in Christ Jesus Ephes 4.13 hee aymes at perfection in all parts and points of Christianity hee hath respect unto all the Commandements of God with David Psal 119.6 not only the tythe of Mint and Cummin with the Pharisees but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the weightier matters of the Law which they neglected Matth. 23.23 Hee makes conscience to doe all that God commands and to doe all that God commands and to leave all that God forbids bee endeavours to have a good conscience in all things Heb. 13.12 both towards God Acts 23.1 and towards men Acts 24.16 hee labours to be holy as he that hath called him is holy in all manner of conversation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in every creek and turning of his conversation 1 Pet. 1.15 this is that that makes his conversation truly lovely and wonderfully wel-pleasing in the sight of God Therefore the Apostle praies on the behalf of the Colssians That they might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good worke Col. 1.10 without this there is no beauty as in the Natural body when some principal part as an Eye or an Arme or Legge is wanting therefore no beauty in one that doth not deny himself for though hee doe never so many things yet still there is something lacking as in the young man Luk. 19.21 being weighed hee is found wanting Daniel 5.27 Christ doth not finde his Workes perfect before God Revelations 3.2 therefore hee is not well-pleased with him therefore though hee love him as he did that young man it is but with a common love not that love that he bears to a Saint in whom is the beauty of Self-denial who followes him fully as Caleb Numbers 14.24 and fulfills all his wills as David did Acts thirteen twenty two Besides this there is 2 Proportion which is m Comliness ariseth out of the fit proportion of diverse members to make up one body where every member hath a beauty in its self and is likewise well suited to

more as it is faine to bee suppressed in silence and disguised with humbleness thus when men grow proud of their gifts do they usually discover their pride Three things therefore are required of all such as have gifts in full of this first particular of Self-denial Not to bee proud of them 1 Not to think too highly of themselves because of their gifts 2 Not to contemn others because of their want of gifts 3 Not to hate others because they doe excell in them We have all these in Rom. 12.3 4 5. where the Apostle speaking to all those that have gifts and commanding them not to be proud of them gives a three-fold reason of so necessary a Commandement all which conclude against this threefold pride which usually as we have seen discovers it self in such as are proud of their gifts The Commandement is in the former part of the third verse set down both in the negative For this I say through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think and in the affirmative But soberly The reasons of both are in the latter part of that and in the two verses following 1 From the efficient Cause or Author of Gifts and that is God according as God hath dealt or distributed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What Gifts soever any one hath he hath them all from God Nemo igitur superbiat ut suis let no man therefore bee proud of them as if they were his own In as much as God gives them it shews that wee have none of our own this should put us in minde of our own penury and emptiness which would bee an humbling consideration It is a very uncomely thing for a man to boast of that which is not his own for one that lives by borrowing to glory in his great estate and it is very unjust too in as much as the glory which is due to his friend by this means hee transferres upon himself By this Argument the Apostle endeavours to take down the pride of the pust up Corinthians a 1 Cor. 4.7 Who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou didst not receive now if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as if thou didst not receive it Such stinging interrogations as these would wee but expostulate in this manner with our own hearts would quickly prick the bladder and let out the wind 2 From the proportion of Gifts * Nemo est in Dei famil●â qui ralenium non acceperit public●m aut privatum Paraens in loc according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith God hath not given all to one man but something to every man There is in the Body of Christ that which every joynt supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part Ephes 4.16 Nemoigitur alium contemnat Let no man therefore contemn another for what he wants but esteeme and honour him for what he hath 3 From the communion of Gifts for as we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office so we being many are one body in Christ and everyone members one of another so that the Gifts of one member are not his alone but anothers whatsoever one hath that all the rest have in as much as that one hath it who is a part of themselves all have an interest in it and benefit by it Nemo igitur alio invideat nemo alium odio habeat * Hared first generates envie and this again doth reciprocally encrease hatred and both joyn in mischief Reynolds Treat of Pass 156 Let no man therefore envie or hate another but every one improve his talent for the good of the whole body In the Natural body one eye doth not hate the other that sees as well or better than it self the right eye doth not wish the left put out that so it might see alone one ear doth not wish the other stopt that so it might hear alone one hand doth not wish the other bound up that so it might work alone nor one foot wish the other cut off that so it might walk alone the one doth his office the better for the other Again the eye doth not hate the eare because the eare hears which the eye doth not nor the eare hate the eye because the eye sees which the eare doth not the hand doth not hate the foot because the foot walks which the hand doth not nor the foot the hand because the hand works which the foot doth not but are mutually serviceable one to the other in procuring the good of the whole body whereof they are joynt members b Cotton Eccles c. 4.4 And therefore if wee were united in brotherly love one to another the gifts of one member would be the joy of the rest and the honour of one member the joy of the rest 1 Corint 12.26 one finger envieth not another that weareth a Gold Ring as taking it for an ornament of the whole hand yea of the whole body And thus much of this first particular wherein those that have Gifts are to deny Self in respect of Gifts In the next place For those that have Gifts to deny Self in respect of Gifts is 2 Not to presume upon them As some that have Grace without c i. e. Some particular Gifts which they desire Gifts are sometimes ready to despair so others that have Gifts without Grace are most times ready to presume As their gifts and personal endowments fill themselves with conceit and admiration so they expect they should produce the like effect in others that doe observe them yea that God also should respect them the more for them And these are of two sorts such as presume upon their Natural gifts and such as presume upon their Spiritual gifts 1 Such as presume upon their Natural gifts these look upon themselves as curious pieces of Natures Workmanship and therefore perswade themselves they are the objects of heavens love They argue themselves into a delusion thus God hath imprinted so many Characters of his Image upon my person enabled my person with so many rare endowments embrightned my understanding with orient beams of knowledge by which I can finde out the most hidden secrets of Nature recovered unto reason that dominion and authority which my unruly and seditious passions had usurped and extorted from it beautified my body with purity of complexion eminency of stature proportion of parts and shall I not hence conclude that I am greatly beloved of God Are such Silver vessels made to dishonour Is there not rubbish enough in the world besides to be thrown out of the City of God Must the same fate take hold on me likewise I cannot thus perswade my self Surely these communicated excellencies from God himself are strong arguments to me of the love and good will of God towards me more than to