Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	ancient_a	church_n	father_n	2,767	4	4.9407	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B03556	The mischiefes and danger of the sin of ignorance, or, Ignorance arraigned, with the causes, kinds, and cure thereof. As also, the excellency, profit, and benefit of heavenly knowledge. / By W. Geering, minister of the word at Lymington, in the county of Southampton.	Gearing, William.	1659 (1659)	Wing G436A; ESTC R177550	110,322	239

or beasts spoil it Such Parents have commonly as little comfort of their children being grown up as they had little care in bringing them up in the knowledge of the Lord. 2. How are those Parents also to be reproved that are so far from teaching their children good things Quorum vita turpū eis objurgandi libertas eripitur Plutar. Turpe est doctri cum culpa redarguit ipsum as they teach them evil things either by giving them evil example or by acting or talking of what evil they have done with a kind of delight for of such it is true as Plutarch saith They lose their authority of reproving others whose lives are filthy and vitious Clitipho in Terence scorns his Fathers grave counsell because he was apt now and then to break out and discourse of his own knaveries for youths are apt to think that such men envy that to them that age deprives themselves of Therefore the Romans would not have a Father and his son seen in a Bath together and Cato sharply censured a Senatour for kissing his wife before his daughter because onely it might carry a shew of levity though no dishonesty yet by circumstance indecency What then shall we say of such Parents as teach their Children as soon as they can speak to sweare and to swagger to dice dance and drink and think these good qualities for them to be like their Fathers surely without the great mercy of God they traine up their children to the devil such children will curse their Parents at the last day and wish that they rather had been the off-spring of a Toade or a Dragon than the Children of such Parents then will they cry out for judgement against them Let Parents therefore be exhorted to teach their children the principles of Religion to which no course that I can conceive is more fitting then catechising both by the Minister in the congregation publiquely Praestat multum quam multa audire Seneca Mark catechised at Alexandria then Clement and after him Origen Vide Catechisme Cyril Hierosol Catecheses mysiago● cas and themselves privately that they may be spiritually built in the knowledge of the principles of Religion having faith the foundation in the Articles of the Creed the walls of hope in the Lords Prayer and the roof of Charity in the ten Commandements that which Seneca saith of reading is true also of hearing It is better to hear understand and learn of one thing then to hear many things and of them to understand and know little or nothing therefore was the course and custome of catechising first invented which hath been an ancient custome in the Church but little younger then the world as I have shewed before Vid Tract Angust de catechizandis rudibus Item Tract de Symb. ad Carechumenos this was the practice likewise of the Ancient Fathers in the Primitive Church to compile compose Catechismes or Introductions containing the summe and substance of Christian Religion That the Apostles and their associates did urge those to give some evidence and testimony of their faith and of their purpose to walk with God in newnesse life whom they drew out of Judaisme and Gentilisme is apparent John Baptist began Matth. 3. and the rest followed And some learned men think that the order of asking questions of the Baptized dost thou believe dost thou renounce is very probable to have been in use in the Apostles time whereunto that saying of Peter gives a good colour where speaking of Baptisme he mentioneth the Answer of a good conscience 1 Pet. 3.21 the stipulation of a good conscience the baptized affirming that thus and thus he believeth and thus and thus he engageth And in the Primitive Church there was a certain form or rank called Catechumeni who were first trained up in the knowledge of the grounds of Faith before they were babtized they being converted from Gentilisme the chief of which grounds the Apostle sets down Heb. 6.1 terming them the doctrine of Baptismes because they were the heads in which they that desired to be numbred among Christians were instructed before they were baptized And it is a generall opinion that the Creed was digested into such a form as seemeth to be an answer to a question The baptized was demanded what dost thou believe he answered I believe in God the Father c. And divers Divines of later times have compiled short Catechismes containing the heads of the Christian Faith that hereby feeding their people at first with milk they might fit and prepare them for stronger meat wherein doubtlesse they had been well advised and taken the right course for to presse deep mysteries of Divinity to an ignorant people not well catechised or instructed in ground● and principles of Religion were but t● build a great frame to an heavie burden upon a weak foundation which will not bea● it It cannot be denied but plain an● ignorant people coming to hear a learne● and eloquent discourse may be moved an● well affected therewith but they cann●● profit half so well as if they understood ho● it were gathered from Gods word or to wh●● point and head of Divinity or Christian d●ctrine it belonged and might be referre● as Master Perkins proveth in his Epistl● before a little Treatise of his called T●● six Principles of Christian Religion an● surely the learning of short Catechisme and especially the shorter Catechisme the late Assembly of Divines cannot but concerne us all whether we be learned or ignorant strong or weak Christians if we be weak and ignorant we should hereby be taught and instructed and hence get knowledge or otherwise if we have some competent measure of knowledge already then hereby we may be occasionod to rub up our memories and call to mind what formerly we have learned or at leastwise be called upon to practise what we know already And if any one shall object the hardnesse of learning good things Prov. ● 7 let him labour to have the feare of God planted in his heart The feare of God is the beginning of knowledge and let not the seeming difficulty of obtaining it hinder thee from using any good meanes to get it It is said of Apelles the painter that drawing but every day a line in a short space he became an exquisite and exact Painter and surely if wee could every day learn but one line or but some little short Lesson in Divinity we should in short time perceive our selves to have made some proficiencie Thus you see that instructions and good directions are very necessary for youths and young men of whose Age a witty man in his time said that it is incredulous and and also unexpert unable to direct it self Javenilis aetas incredula simul inexperta est contemptrix alieni consilii inops sui Petrarc de remed utr fort 1 Reg. 12. and despising the counsels of others the truth of which assertion is corfirmed sufficiently by that wofull

became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened Unthankfulnesse for light received makes way for darknesse blindnesse and ignorance Direct 9 Labour to be humble and poor in spirit he hath promised to teach the humble Psal 25.9 Prov. 11.2 Jam. 4.8 Luk. 1.53 with the lowly there is wisdome God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble he fills the hungry with good things Pride keeps a man farre from God and makes him unfit to come near him that which brings a man near is humility without humility it may be said to us as Didimus said to proud Alexander that we want vessels to receive Gods gifts and graces Hoc est humilitatis miraculam ut elatio deorsum humilitas sursum rendat Aug. de Civit. 4. Dei lib. 1. cap. 13. for as full vessels will hold no more liquor so a soul stuffed with pride and vain glory cannot receive in nor hold Gods gifts graces the proud shut their windows and will not receive in the light of saving knowledge God is not so prodigal of his grace as to cast it in upon those that are not willing to entertain it heavenly mysteries are hid from the prudent but revealed unto babes This is a wonder of humility saith Augustine that pride tends downward humility upwards the more true knowledge a man hath the more he is sensible of his want of knowledge and that which he hath is nothing to what he wants Quest Now peradventure some may step in and ask me what shall we do with our knowledge having attained to a competent measure thereof Resp I shall shew you what is to be done with it Direct 1 As you know what to do so now you must do what you know put in practice what you know In Paradise there was a Tree of Life as well as a Tree of Knowledge and as one saith well Rom. 2.20 Aliud est habere legem Dei in corde Aliud habere cor in lege legem in corde habent qui veritatem sciunt cor in lege habent qui veritatem diligunt One apple of the Tree of Life is worth twenty of the Tree of Knowledge We read in Scripture that there is a form of Knowledge as well a form of godlinesse A form of knowledge is nothing else but an Idaea of truth floating in the brain that hath no influence on the heart or life like a Winters Sun which shines but warms not knowledge is as the eyes to direct us practice as the hands and feet to perform that direction knowledge alone is as the eyes without feet and hands and practice without a solid knowledge is as strong legs and nimble hands in a blind man light and life are best together if naked knowledge be sufficient 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then the Devill is a most perfect creature who hath one name from the greatnesse of his knowledg all men in the world do come short of him in the knowledge of good and evill he knoweth good but not to love and seek it he knoweth evill but not to hate and flee from it his actions and affections are set close unto his knowledge as Devils are called understanding spirits Eph. 6. ●2 so also they are stiled spiritual wickednesse his serpentine subtilty hath purchased him the name of an intelligent spirit but his wickednesse calls him Sathan an enemy to God It is said of the Cherubins that there were hands under their wings Ezek. 1.8 The word Cherubin signifies light intimating where there is the light of knowledge there should be hands to put that light into practice The Egyptians in their Hieroglyphicks painted a tongue and an hand under it to shew that knowledge and speech is good when that which is known and spoken John 13.17 is put in practice If you know these things sayes our Saviour happy are you if you do them It is nothing for one to have the Trumpet at his lips as Gideons souldiers who hath not the Torch in his hand saith a Father Greg. Naae the voyce of Athanasius was a thunder-clap and his life a lightning flash saith he because words never thunder well if examples enlighten not True wisdome is a prudence of works not of words saith Cyprian He that knoweth to do good and doth it not to him it is sin It is a great sin not to know what thou doest Jam. 4.17 a greater not to do what thou knowest saith Ambrose Grave est peccatum non scivisse quod facias gravius non fecisse quod scias Ambr. de offic lib. 2.20 for as one saith at the last day we shall not be demanded Quid legimus sed quid egimus nec modo quid diximus sed quomodo viximus what we have read but what we have done nor so much what we have spoken as how we have lived Bernard Knowledge and practice must go together for else as the saying is true amongst the Philosophers that power is to none effect which is never produced into act So it is as true in Divinity that it is a vain and idle intention Frustrà est potentia quae nunquam producitur in actum Scientia contemplativa practica contemplativa quae docet ies sibi subjectas scire tantum contemplari cujus finis est ipsa cognitio haec sufficit in Mefaphysicis Physicis Mathematicis altera practica seu activa dicitur quae non s●lùm d●cet scire sed agere operari aliquid eorum quae cagnoscimus hujus finis est actio haec requiritur in disciplinis Ethicis Oeconomicis Politicis Perter Physic lib. 1. cap. 5. August 83. Quest that is never put in execution The end of knowing Gods will is to do it There is say the Philosophers contemplative and practical knowledg contemplative or speculative is that which teacheth a man to understand things in their own nature and only to contemplate whose end is bare knowledge and this is sufficient in Metaphysicks Physicks and Mathematicks Practical or active knowledge is that which not only teacheth a man to know but to do the things which he knowes the end of this knowledge is action and this is required in Disciplines Ethicks Oeconomicks Politicks and Religion consisteth not in a bare naked profession but in action and practice all the bells of Aarons garments ring out a loud peal of practice and it is the common tenent of all the Fathers that Religion consisteth not so much in the fine faire leaves of knowledge profession and good words as in the sound and savoury fruits of practice and good works Yea even some of the Heathen have taught this truth for Aristotle affirmeth that felicity or happinesse consisteth not in the Theory or Knowledge but in the practice of vertue a man that hath knowledge without practice is like a man that carrieth a Lanthorn behind him to give light to others but breaks his own shins or like Noabs