Selected quad for the lemma: evil_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
evil_n	good_a	know_v	knowledge_n	3,077	5	7.3450	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44245	Motives to a good life in ten sermons / by Barten Holyday ...	Holyday, Barten, 1593-1661.	1657 (1657)	Wing H2531; ESTC R36003	137,260	326

saying God had not forbidden them boldly and craftily he calls it into question as if he would make a doubt of it yea has God said ye shall not eat of every tree In the Garden To which when shee had answered that they might eate of all save one but not of that one least they dye he denies not the first part of her answer which concern'd God's prohibition of one Tree knowing that shee knew the contrary as well as himselfe he replyes therefore only to the last part of her answer which was a matter of Faith that they should not dye at all But because this his reply was an untruth Least she should as was most likely examine with her selfe he gives her not the respite to collect herselfe but to make her forget That presently addes that in the day they eat thereof they should be as Gods knowing Good and Evill which was too true and God testifies the same Gen. 3.22 Observe then ye may the method of his cunning first he brings but an imperfect Truth then an Absolute untruth and lastly an absolute Truth thus wrapping up the poison of a Lie like a sugar'd pill in the pleasantnesse of Truth Farther observe that he overcame her Faith by overcoming her Feare and overcame her Feare by the contrary passion Hope For such was the Issue of the Temptation when he had made her forget Feare by Hope and seeing the tree to be good for food and pleasant to the eie nay such a tree as could make one wise shee takes of the fruite and eates and makes her husband eate also such is the society in evill the unhappinesse of unhappinesse In which last action we may see that though in their fall they got a knowledge of good and evill or rather only of evill since better knowledge they had of good before yet the wisedome they now got came farre short of that wisedome by which they were overcome Nay you may see that the Devill knew they should by their fall obtaine but a wretched wisedome and such a one as upon even termes he should be able at any time to overcome This was the wisedome of the Serpent a a wisedome almost in every part Yet may you see subtilty also in his whole body which like a Circle upon occasion he wrappes as a defence about his head his Head in which his subtilty is principally resident Lastly you may see a subtilty in his honour which doubtlesse for his wisedome has in all ages of the Heathen world been given unto him He has been honoured by the most wealthy Nations did not the Babylonians worship Bel and the Dragon he has been worshipped by the most powerfull Nations did not the Romans worship the Epidaurian Serpent He has been worshipped by the Fiercest Nations was he not worshipped by the Thessalians and the Epirotes He has been honoured by the Rudest Nations was he not worshipped by the Easterne Indians For ancient times let Maximus the Tyrian witnesse for latter times let a travailor Ludovicus Barthana witnesse Was he not worshipped by those that inhabite the darknesse under the Northern Pole and within these three hundred yeares by the Lithuanians in the view of Christendome Did they not nourish Vipers for their House-Gods Did they not Sacrifice unto them Milke and Cockes Let Cromer witnesse Briefely he has been honoured by the most witty Nations did not the Athenians the Masters of Wisedome worship a live Serpent make it the keeper of their Tower and offer monthly Sacrifices to it as to a God All which varieties of Idolatries must we not Judge to be the reliques of that subjection to sinne and the old Serpent into which mankind fell in the fall of our first Parents But still you see the winning subtilty of the Serpent and therefore easily now may you understand the supreame wisedome of our Saviour's precept Be yee wise as Serpents Unto which wisedome whiles he exhorts us behold him as a true instructer beginning the Practice A principall point of wisedome it is to learne wisedome of our Enemy and therefore a singular instruction is this to teach us to overcome the Serpent by imitating the Serpent to overthrow his cunning by his own cunning This is like the remedy found in the Serpent against his own poison some Physitians esteeming it as a speciall cure against the biting of a Serpent to put the intrailes of a Serpent into the wound The poison likewise of the Viper as some tell us is helped by the liver of a viper So the venome of the Scorpion in hot Countries where they are troublesome is speedily cured by the oile of the Scorpion Now this precept of our Saviour is such as most will be ready to put in practice in which that they may not erre they must remember to take also the other part of the precept with them least otherwise whiles they think to become wise they become guilty like our first Parents in eating the forbidden fruite It is observ'd of he diversits of Physique that Galen's is the safer but slower in Operation but that of Paracelsus which deals much in Mineralls is much more powerfull but more dangerous so that the skill in the Paracelsian is to know how exactly to allay his Physique by a judicious preparation due chastizing the virulency of the Ingredients Now this precept of our Saviour is such Paracelsian Physique the wisedome of the Serpent is a subtile Ingredient and therefore our Saviour as a true Artist does most wisely moderate it with the innocency of the Dove Before therefore we see how by example we should be as wise as Serpents we will as our Saviour does joine also the other part of the precept and first remember you that you must also be Harmelesse as Doves And harmeles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Innocent simple it is worth the observing that the Roman Church when it intends to Canonize any one for a Saint cōmands that there be especiall inquiry made whether the person to be canoniz'd were famous for Simplicity of Life as Sylvester Prierus notes out of Innocentius Hostiensis other Canonists which Inquiry whether or no it be made with as true Innocency as the command pretends to seek I need not Judge but sure it is that the Inquiry is an eminent subtilty Indeed simplicity is a vertue which so moderates the Actions of man and so refines the affections of the soule that S. Ambrose not without a Sobriety of mind aptly called it the sobriety of the mind Nay it so sublimes man and purifies him from wordly wisedeme that the wise men of the world as S. Cregory complaines count this simplicity Folly and by a licence of speech commonly call one of small understanding or as they phrase it a Foole an Innocent But this vertue is most intimately expressed by devout Climacus who calls it a habit of the mind without variety Without variety what 's that Why when Beauty tempts the innocent man it workes no variety in him