Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n
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A54010
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Invisible realities, the real Christian's greatest concernment in several sermons on 2 Cor. 4. 18 / by Henry Pendlebury ...
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Pendlebury, Henry, 1626-1695.
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1696
(1696)
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Wing P1140; ESTC R6886
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66,843
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144
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you of this Temper Sirs do you live loosely and profanely securely and carelesly in a sinful State and Way and yet say we have made a Covenant with Death and are at an Agreement with Hell we fear not Hell we care not for Hell 1. Either it is not Or 2. we shall escape it Or 3. it will not prove so hot as we are told why I say your Covenant with Death shall be disannulled and your Agreement with Hell shall not stand you 'l find there is a Hell and this Hell will be what now you are told of Alas alas you have not seen what it is 1. To be turned into Hell 2. To go into Perdition 3. To be punished with everlasting Destruction from the presence of the Lord 4. To fall into the Condemnation of the Devil 5. To be thrown into the great Wine-press of the Wrath of God 6. To be cast alive into the Lake of Fire burning with Brimstone 7. To be tormented Day and Night for ever and ever 8. To feel an endless Rain of Snares Fire and Brimstone and a burning Tempest 9. To suffer the Vengeance of an Eternal Fire 10. And to have the Smoke of your Torment ascend for ever and ever You have not seen these I say you see not what is lying in their Womb but they will come in sight and know to day that as light as you make of them they will cause you change Chear for ever Mat. 25.30 There shall be Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth this is their Case who are now in outer Darkness and tho you may laugh at it now it will be your Case there there 's no laughing or jesting in Hell but only weeping and gnashing of Teeth Pray think of it you that are going for Hell you little think what a Place and Things you are going to what you shall both see and feel there the things thereof are things that are not seen and it 's not safe to make light of that you see not nor good to praise Hell before you have try'd it and wo to you if you come to try it once for that once will be for ever Thirdly The third Question under the Doctrine is how these things are unseen You see there are unseen things and what these unseen things are the things of Death Judgment Heaven and Hell Now the next inquiry may be this in order to the clearing of the Point viz. How they are unseen or what this imports or implies that they are not seen Now this Phrase implies these four or five things viz. That they are things which 1. Are not seen with Eyes of Flesh they are not seen that is they are not visible to our bodily Eyes not beheld with the Eye that looks upon visible Objects and things under the Sun Eye hath not seen them My Beloved your Eye hath seen a great Number and a great variety of Objects you are not able to tell how many Things and how many kinds of Things you have seen since you begun to look out at these Windows but I can tell you what you have not seen among all the Things which you have seen Day after Day you have never seen the things of Death the things of Judgment the things of Heaven nor the things of Hell these have all along been out of your sight 1. Hast thou seen great Things great Transactions great Revolutions thou hast seen no such great Things as the Things of the great Day of the Lord. 2. Hast thou seen good Things Things that were exceeding amiable lovely and desirable in thine Eye that thine Eye was much taken with yet thou hast seen no such good lovely and desirable Things as those of Heaven and Glory are 3. Hast thou seen ill Things Things that have been Dreadful Terrible Astonishing and Amazing to thee that have frighted thee that have put thee into a Consternation why yet for all that thou hast seen no such terrible or astonishing Things as the things of Hell and Damnation this is one these things are not seen by the Eye of the Body 2. It imports that these unseen things are n t known they are not seen that is they are not fully known and understood by us as they are things which are not seen by the Eye of Flesh so they are things which are not seen fully by the Eye of the Mind the Eye sees them not neither doth the Mind reach them proportionably to the Nature of them Alas it 's but a little that we understand of these things our Knowledg of them is mighty obscure dark confused and imperfect as Job says of the Knowledg of God Job 26.14 Lo these are but parts of his Ways and how little a Portion is heard of him the Thunder of his Power who can understand i. e. all that we hear and know and conceive of God is little low and nothing to what he is all our Thoughts Meditations Apprehensions are infinitely below his infinite Majesty So may I say of these unseen Things lo these are part of them these Things we have hinted at but how little a Portion is heard of them it's but little very little exceeding little that we do or can conceive of unseen Things to what they are and what we shall find them to be The Italians have a Proverb Qui Venetias non videt non credit qui aliquandiu ibi non vixit non intelligit So it is in this Case he that hath not seen these Things not seen cannot believe enough of them and he that hath not had some Experience of them cannot understand them as they are One of the Fathers branches things under three Heads 1. Things that are known 2. Things that are knowable that may be found out by Search and Enquiry 3. Things that are neither known nor knowable but reserved for another World and of this sort are these unseen Things they are not now known or knowable but the Knowledg of them is reserved for another World Alas the Secrets of Nature are much above us there are many thousand Things there that we either have no Knowledg of or know but very darkly the Secrets of Grace are more above us but the Secrets of Glory are most of all above us the Knowledg of them is too wonderful for us we cannot attain unto it Says Zophar Job 11.7 8 9. Canst thou by searching find out God canst thou find out the Almighty unto Perfection It is as high as Heaven what canst thou do deeper than Hell what canst thou know The Measure thereof is longer than the Earth and broader than the Sea It 's as high What 's as high Why God's Perfection this is as high So may I say here canst thou find out unseen Things by searching to Perfection alas no no they are as high as Heaven what can we do deep as Hell what can we know Paul who was a Man of eminent Attainments extraordinary Revelations and stood on a higher rise of Ground than any now living
and Temple wherein were the Ark of the Testimony the Mercy-Seat the two Tables the Pot of Manna Aaron's Rod the Golden Censor before which there was a great Vail drawn that none might see them but only the High Priest who entred once a Year Exod. 26.31 And thou shalt make a Vail of Blue and Purple and Scarlet and fine twined Linen of cunning Work with Cherubims shall it be made In allusion to this I say the things of Heaven are said to be within the Vail i. e. covered and unseen As there was a Vail between the People and that which was in the most Holy Place so there is a Vail between us and that which is in Heaven 1. The things in Heaven which are set down in Scripture by the Names 1. Of a better Countrey Heb. 11.16 A Countrey where there is no Hunger Rev. 7.16 no Death Rev. 21.4 no Night Rev. 21.25 no Curse Rev. 22.3 2. By the Name of Paradise the Place where there is fulness of Joy and Pleasures for evermore Psal 16.11 3. By Christ's Father's House John 14.2 In my Father's House are many Mansions 4. By a City which hath Foundations whose Builder and Maker is God a City whose Foundations are precious Stones Gates Pearls Streets pure Gold Porters Angels and that hath no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for the Glory of God doth lighten it and the Lamb is the Light thereof Rev. 21.23 5. By an Inheritance an Inheritance that is incorruptible undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven 1 Pet. 1.4 6. By a Kingdom a Kingdom of Heaven a Kingdom of God a Kingdom of Christ a Kingdom that cannot be moved a Kingdom that is Eternal Everlasting 7. By a Crown of Righteousness of Life of Glory 8. By Glory Heavenly Glory an exceeding and eternal Weight of Glory I say the things of Heaven set out by all these Names and Titles are all unseen things And so also Secondly the things which are shadowed out to us 1. By the World to come 2. The New Heavens 3. The New Earth 4. The Throne of God and the Lamb 5. The Temple of God 6. The pure River of the Water of Life clear as Chrystal 7. The Tree of Life which bears twelve manner of Fruits Rev. 22.2 are unseen things And Thirdly the things set out 1. By sitting down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven 2. By sitting with Christ in his Throne as he is set down with his Father in his Throne 3. By being called to the Marriage-Supper of the Lamb 4. By eating and drinking at his Table in his Kingdom 5. By eating the hidden Manna are all hidden unseen things Fourthly we see not yet what it is 1. To see God 2. To see his Face 3. To see him face to face 4. To know as we are known 5. To be before the Throne of God 6. To have him that sitteth on the Throne to dwell among us 7. To walk with him in White 8. To follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth 9. To have the Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne to feed us and to lead us unto living Fountains of Water 10. To be made Pillars in the Temple of God and to have the Name of God and the Name of the City of God which is new Jerusalem and Christ's new Name written upon us 11. To be ever with the Lord 12. To have him all in all all these things are things which are most clearly reported to and most surely believed among the Saints but are not yet seen Fifthly And so 1. The Life of Saints that 's hid with Christ in God 2. The Hope of Saints that 's laid up in Heaven 3. The Glory to be revealed in Saints in Heaven and 4. The Inheritance of all things are yet out of sight O Christians 1. You that are going for Heaven to Day have not seen what a Country City Kingdom Company you are going to what things you are going to see 2. You that have seen something of the workings of Grace in your Hearts from Heaven have seen nothing of the Preparations of Glory for you in Heaven These are things which Eye hath not seen O be stedfast be immoveable stablish your Hearts until the Day break and the Shadows fly away the Day when all these unseen things shall be seen and enjoyed for evermore this Day will bring to light and into sight more than our thoughts can at present reach Fourthly The things of Hell are unseen things things which are not seen as Heaven so Hell is hidden from the Eyes and sight of all the Living The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denotes a place unseen and our English word Hell is from Hil an old Saxon word that signifies to be hid hilled over or covered such is that Place such are the things of that Place things which are hill d over things which are not seen 1. The things in Hell which are set out in Scripture by the Names of 1. The second Death 2. The bottomless Pit 3. Of Perdition 4. Of Destruction 5. Of Damnation 6. Of the Wrath to come and 7. Of the Wine-press of the Wrath of God Almighty are things which are not seen These dreadful Expressions are Expressions that carry in them Rivers of unseen Woes Seas of unseen Vengeance yea whole Oceans of unseen and unutterable Torments 2. The things shadowed out to us 1. By Darkness outer Darkness everlasting Darkness 2. By Chains Chains of everlasting Darkness 3. By the Wine of the Wrath of God 4. By a Worm a Worm that shall never die 5. And by a Fire a Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels a Furnace of Fire a Lake of Fire a Furnace and Lake of unquenchable and everlasting Fire I say the things shadowed out by all these to us are unseen things O Sirs you that live impenitently and securely in Sin that Scoff and Swear and Drink and Whore and profane the Lord's day and make light of Threatnings Warnings Admonitions as if you had made a Covenant with Death and were at an Agreement with Hell as they who said Isa 28.15 We have made a Covenant with Death and with Hell are we at Agreement when the overflowing Scourge shall pass through it shall not come unto us for we have made Lies our Refuge and under Falshood have we hid our selves that is as if they had said Death and Hell are at amity with us we fear no more harm from them than we do from those that are in League with us than we do from Confederates we are at Agreement with Hell Hell shall not hurt us or as if they had said we are in no more fear of Hell than we are in fear of our Confederates for Hell is but a Fable a Bug-bear to fright Children and Fools let Preachers say what they will we care not for Hell either it is not or it is not so terrible as they tell us Are