c1450 tr. Jan van Ruusbroec Treat. Perfection Sons of God (BL Add.) (1957) 252 Owre schadowe ȝit in so mykylle of the lyght of the sonne is schyned that we maye lere discernynge of vertues.

1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. OOvi The discernynge of trewe reuelacyons..from false illusyons.

1570 J. Dee in H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. Math. Præf. sig. *.j^v The discretion discerning, and distincting of thinges.

1641 Ld. J. Digby Speech in Comm. 21 Apr. 11 The eye if it be pretincted with any colour, is vitiated in its discerning.

1693 T. Urquhart & P. A. Motteux tr. F. Rabelais 3rd Bk. Wks. iii. xxxii. 273 It is not a sensitive discerning or perception in it of the difference of Wafts and Smells.

1749 J. Mayhew Seven Serm. 5 Men are naturally endowed with faculties proper for the discerning of these differences.

1796 Theol. Mag. 1 39/2 This discerning and sight of moral beauty.

1855 H. Spencer Princ. Psychol. ii. xvii. 284 Perception is a discerning of the relation or relations between states of consciousness, partly presentative and partly representative.

1879 Rep. Brit. Assoc. Advancem. Sci. 459 There has been both a large accumulation of facts and a clear discerning of their relation one to another.

1911 S. S. Hebberd Philos. of Future ix. 132 Every such minute step is an induction, a discerning of the universal in the particular.

1991 N. Rotenstreich Immediacy & its Limits xi. 87 His thinking about reality or his discerning of different components of it do not take him out of reality.

1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear iv. 222 Either his notion, weaknes, or his discernings are lethergie. View more context for this quotation

1644 J. Milton in tr. M. Bucer Ivdgem. conc. Divorce To Parl. sig. B2 If it be in mans discerning to sever providence from chance.

1685 tr. B. Gracián y Morales Courtiers Oracle 35 Exaggeration is a kind of lying: by Exaggeration one gets himself the reputation of a man of bad discerning.

1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 149. ⁋4 If they are Men of discerning, they can observe the Motives of your Heart.

1746 P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Satires i. ix. 12 ‘What's your will with me?’—‘That one of your profound discerning Should know me’.

1812 W. Combe Tour Dr. Syntax 8 So small her share of true discerning, She turn'd her back on all my learning.

1820 T. Mitchell tr. Aristophanes Acharnians in tr. Aristophanes Comedies I. 85 It asks not his nicer discerning To observe [etc.].

1904 L. H. Weeks Automobile Biogr. 22 Selden..had made his own deductions, and with clear discerning had concluded what, to his mind, would be the vehicle in the future.

1998 D. R. Slavitt tr. Ausonius Three Amusem. 7 In our best moments, men of discerning can recognize you, that special grace and style was all your own.

1560 Bible (Geneva) 1 Cor. xii. 10 And to another the operations of great workes: and to another, prophecie: and to another, the discerning of spirits.

1603 S. Harsnett Declar. Popish Impostures vi. 23 The gift of discerning of spirits..being..ceased in Gods Church, it becommeth a point of highest difficultie in the old, and new exorcising craft, by what meanes a man shall come to be certaine, whether the partie affected be possessed, or no.

1759 T. Edwards Doctr. Irresistible Grace ii. 179 The discerning of spirits; which..included the being able to distinguish, or discern, by what spirit they were actuated, who pretended to divine revelations.

1821 Maryland Gaz. & Polit. Intelligencer 3 May There is in Salisbury a Methodist preacher, who publicly professes to have the gift of prophecy and discerning of spirits.

1915 Tongues of Fire Sept. 7/3 Let us pray earnestly for the gift of ‘discerning of spirits’, that, recognizing the voice of God we may obey Him, and be kept from all deviations from the Way of Holiness.

2011 C. LaMattina Gift Holy Spirit xvii. 134 By the manifestation of discerning of spirits Paul knew that this girl was possessed and he received divine wisdom to cast out the evil spirit.

1574 R. MacIlmaine tr. P. de La Ramée Logike ii. vi. 79 The proposition segregatiue is, whose coniunction dothe segregate: and therfore it speakethe only of disagreable argumentes. It is parted into discerning propositions and vnioynyng.

1660 Bp. J. Taylor Worthy Communicant ii. § i. 119 Are we improved by the purification of the discerning flames?

1832 J. Anstice tr. Aeschylus Agamemnon in Sel. Choric Poetry 27 So Time's discerning hand hath art To set the good and ill apart.

1869 Evangelical Repository Dec. 130 But the discerning flames, while consuming the heretical, had scrupulously respected the saintly document, and given it up unharmed.

1907 P. T. Forsyth Positive Preaching v. 172 It has the tone of the press rather than of the Gospel. It has not the accent of the Holy Ghost, not his solemn rushing wind, nor the piercing of his discerning sword.

2007 S. Pollack tr. I. Vitale Reason Enough 67 I would like a ring of discerning fire to liberate the pure.

1583 Answeare Def. Censure Charkes Bk. f. 3 Al this cannot deceaue vs, to whom the Lord hath vouchsafed mercie, and hath giuen a discerning spirite.

1608 D. Tuvill Ess. Politicke, & Morall f. 49^v Directed..by a better discerning wisdom.

1683 W. Soames tr. N. Boileau-Despréaux Art of Poetry iii. 50 A glance, a touch, discovers to the wise; But every man has not discerning eyes.

1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 261. ¶9 Before Marriage we cannot be too inquisitive and discerning in the Faults of the Person beloved.

1744 M. Akenside Pleasures Imag. iii. 117 Melodious Philomela's wakeful strain Attemper, could not man's discerning ear Thro' all its tones the symphony pursue.

1821 European Mag. Oct. 332/1 I do not remember any one else who appeared to pay you more than a general homage and attention; but perhaps my old eyes were not very discerning.

1895 M. Fisher 25 Lett. on Eng. Authors xxiii. 337 The infallible test of all good work is truthfulness. It proves some thing, the clearly discerning eye and ear and the power to express what is seen and heard.

1900 A. Meynell John Ruskin i. 38 The beauty that so delights our discerning senses as to cause us to refer the felicity to qualities of God.

1992 D. L. Hall Arimaspian Eye v. i. He could not help wondering if a truly discerning eye might detect in his gait the staggered rhythms of a zombie.

1594 R. Carew tr. J. Huarte Exam. Mens Wits i. 10 The Vniuersities alwaies made prouision of good teachers, endued with sound learning, and a cleere discerning wit, to the end they may not instruct the ignorant in errours and false propositions.

1656 J. Beadle Jrnl. Thankful Christian iii. 70 If he be a man without God, he falls in the thoughts and estimation of such as are spirituall, and can discern him, though they may acknowledge him a very discerning man.

1729 W. Webster tr. L. Maimbourg Hist. Arianism II. viii. 107 Gisericus, who was a discerning man, took care not to let slip so fine an opportunity of making an alliance with a person, by whose means he proposed one day to acquire great advantages.

1782 W. Cowper Conversation in Poems 231 True modesty is a discerning grace, And only blushes in the proper place.

1820 A. D. Macquin Tabella Cibaria 15 [A gormand] seeks for peculiar delicacy and distinct flavour in the various dishes presented to the judgement and enjoyment of his discerning palate.

1840 T. B. Macaulay in Edinb. Rev. Jan. 346 Every discerning and impartial judge will admit, that there was really nothing in common.

1920 F. M. Howard Happy Rascals (1922) 209 The mayor cast a cold, discerning eye over his caller.

1968 Times 29 Oct. 7/2 His store will be there to cater to the discerning customer right through her shopping life.

2002 Food & Trav. Oct. 36/1 Carnaroli is the risotto grain of choice for discerning home cooks and many top chefs.

1677 F. Bampfield All in One 154 That there is a defectiveness in this Art, as commonly studied, professed and practised, is confessed by the Discerning and Ingenious.

1713 R. Laurence Second Pt. Lay-baptism Invalid Pref. p. ii Their Performances of that kind will meet with the Deserved Censure of the Discerning and Judicious.

1837 O. A. Brownson in H. Martineau Soc. Amer. III. 347 With the discerning it has already become more honourable to call one simply a man than a gentleman.

1888 Atchison (Kansas) Daily Globe 16 Feb. It is supposed that a subtle vein of British humor runs through the text. The discerning may be able to find it.

1921 Internat. Jrnl. Ethics 31 301 The discerning among you will observe that I have been thinking of your rôle of pedagogue as well as in your rôle of philosopher.

2008 M. Leech Naples & Sorrento (ed. 4) 82 [Ischia] is a place for the discerning, deserving a special trip.