Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
fire_n	body_n	soul_n	torment_v	2,474	5	10.1615	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70084	Truth maintained, or, Positions delivered in a sermon at the Savoy since traduced for dangerous, now asserted for sovnd and safe / by Thomas Fvller.	Fuller, Thomas, 1608-1661.; Fuller, Thomas, 1608-1661. Sermon of reformation.	1643 (1643)	Wing F2475; ESTC R222778	73,801	126

better to beat the earth To fight as they did against dust and ashes bodies of men long before buried except they thought by this similitude of burning dead bodies to worke in silly people a beliefe of Purgatory fire tormenting soules deceased Now when it came into question whether the Ordinances and Decisions of those Reformers should be ingrossed in Parchment or in paper a Doctor Swinborne Master of Clare Hall gave his opinion that paper would doe the deed well enough as being likely to last longer then those decrees should stand in force as afterward it came to passe they being all rescinded in the next yeer being the first of Queene Elizabeth Two things more must here be well observed First that there is a grand difference betwixt founding of a new Church and reforming of an old For the former Saint Paul outstript all men in the World The Papists bragge much of King Edgar who is said to have founded as many Monasteries as there be weekes in the yeer Surely more Churches in Asia and Europe were built from the ground by Saint Paul who strived to preach the Gospel not where Christ was named lest he should build upon another mans foundation Romans 15. 20. But reforming of Churches is an easier work as not giving a Church the life but the lustre not the birth but the beauty either repairing what is defective or removing what is redundant Thus we acknowledge Solomon the sole founder of the Temple though Ioash repaired it amending the breaches thereof Iotham enlarged it adding the beautifull porch thereto and Ezechiah adorned it covering the pillars with silver therein However it is worth our observing that Reformers are sometimes ambitious to entitle themselves to be founders as being covetous of credit and counting it more honour to make a thing then to mend it Thus Nebuchadnezzar boasted Daniel 4. 30. Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the Kingdome by the might of my power and for the honour of my majesty Whereas Babylon was built by Nimrod or as others say Semyramis many yeers before Nebuchadnezzars cradle was made Yet he no doubt did encrease strengthen and beautifie it on which title see how he engrosseth all the glory unto himselfe as first and sole founder Is not this great Babylon that I have built Let none in like manner brag that they are now the first Founders of a Church in England built long since therein time out of minde We deny and defile such Papists as say that Augustine the Monke was the first Apostle of this Island where the Gospel long before had been preached though not to the Saxons our Ancestors yet to the Britans our Predecessors Yea having cause to search who first brought Christianity over into Britanny my endeavours have been still at a losse and left at uncertainty Perchance as God Deuteronomie 34. 6. buried the body of Moses That no man knoweth the place of his Sepulchre unto this day to cut off from the Jewes all occasion of Idolatry So it seems his wisdom hath suffered the names of the first founders of Religion Here to be covered in obscurity to prevent posterity from being superstitious to their Memories However if justly we be angry with the Papists for making the Brittish Church a tall stripling grown to weare swadling cloathes againe more cause have we to distaffe the pens and preachings of such who make their addresses unto us as unto pure Pagans where the word is newly to be planted A b Moderne Author tels us a strange story how the servants of Duke D. Alva seeking for a Hawke they had lost found a new country in the Navell of Spaine not known before invironed with Mountaines and peopled with naked Salvages I should wonder if such a Terra incognita could be found in England which what betwixt the covetousnesse of Landlords and the carefulnesse of Tenants is almost measured to an Acre But if such a place were discovered I must allow that the Preachers there were the first planters of the Gospel which in all others places of the kingdom are but the Continuers thereof I hope Christ hath reaped much goodnesse long ago where these now new pretend to plant it And if England hath not had a true Church hitherto I feare it will not have a true Church hereafter The second thing I commend unto you is this That a perfect Reformation of any Church in this world may be desired but not hoped for Let Zenophons Cyrus be King in Plato's Common-wealth and Batchelors wives breed maides children in Mores Vtopia whilest Roses grow in their Gardens without prickles as Saint Basil held they did before the fall of Adam These phansies are pleasing and plausible but the performance thereof unfeisable and so is the perfect reformation of a Church in this world difficult to bee described and impossible to be practised For besides that Sathan will doe his best or rather his worst to undoe it Man in this life is not capable of such perfection Look not to finde that in man out of Paradise which was not found in man in Paradise continuance in an holy estate Martin Luther was wont to say he never knew good order in the Church last above fifteen yeares in the purity thereof yea the more perfect the Reformation is the lesse time it is likely to last Mans minde being in constant motion when it cannot ascend higher will not stand still but it must decline I speake not this to dis-hearten men from endeavouring a perfect Reformation but to keep them from being dis-heartned when they see the same cannot be exactly observed And yet there are some now adayes that talke of a great light manifested in this age more then ever before Indeed we Modernes have a mighty advantage of the Ancients whatsoever was theirs by Industry may be ours The Christian Philosophy of Iustin Martyr the constant Sanctity of Cyprian the Catholick faith of Athanasius the Orthodox judgement of Nazianzen the manifold Learning of Ierome the solid Comments of Chrysostome the subtill Controversies of Augustine the excellent Morals of Gregory the humble Devotions of Bernard All contribute themselves to the edification of us who live in this later Age But as for any transcendent extraordinary miraculous light peculiarly conferred on our Times the worst I wish the opinion is this that it were true Sure I am that this light must not crosse the Scripture but cleere the Scripture So that if it affirmeth any thing contrary to Gods written Word or enforceth any thing as necessary to salvation not exprest in Gods Word I dare boldly say That such a light is kindled from Hell As for the opinion of Christs corporall visible Kingdome to come within few yeares I will neither peremptorily reject it nor dare absolutely receive it Not reject it lest I come within the compasse of the Apostles reproofe 2 Peter 2. 12. Speaking evill of the things they understand not Confessing my selfe