Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
fire_n	bring_v	fruit_n	tree_n	11,470	5	9.5299	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62123	An answer to all the excuses and pretences which men ordinarily make for their not coming to the Holy Communion ... by a divine of the Church of England.	Synge, Edward, 1659-1741.	1697 (1697)	Wing S6375; ESTC R1735	15,409	38

those who have better opportunity for such performances And thus much for the Second Impediment Thirdly Some pretend that when they do endeavour to prepare themselves for the Holy Communion they find they cannot do it as it ought to be done and therefore they do not come To the several Scruples of which sort of Men I shall return brief and distinct Answers Some then do apprehend that they are not fit to come because they are Ignorant and not well grounded and instructed in the Principles of Religion To this I Answer that indeed if a Man be Ignorant of those things which are ordinarily necessary to the Salvation of every Christian it is evidently not fit that he should come to the Holy Communion until such time as he be better Instructed But such Instruction as this is so easy to be had at least amongst us that it must be every Man 's own fault if he wants it For how easy is it for every Man who either reads the Scripture or hears it read and Expounded in our Congregations sufficiently to learn all the great and necessary things of Christian Religion As for Example that God Created all things that Jesus Christ is the Son of God that he came into the World and took our Nature upon him to Suffer for our Redemption that after he had Suffered he rose again from the Dead and Ascended into Heaven where he remains for ever in the Glory and Majesty of God making Eternal Intercession for us and that he shall come again at the end of the World to Judge both the living and the dead who shall at that time be raised again and to sentence every man either to Everlasting Happiness or Eternal Misery That every Christian is to be admitted into the Church by Baptism that it is his Duty to live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World and that it is by the assistance of the Holy Ghost who is the giver of Spiritual life unto us that we are alone enabled to perform these Duties And Lastly that in remembrance of the Death and Passion of our Saviour Jesus Christ we are Commanded to Eat of that Bread and Drink of that Cup which he has appointed and which is the Communion of his Body and Blood that is to say the means whereby we do Communicate in the benefits of the Sacrifice which he offered and in the merits of his Passion which he underwent in his Body and by the sheding of his Blood for our sakes as I have already said All this I say is so easy to be learnt and understood that it is a great shame for any one who Lives in a Christian Country to be Ignorant of any part of it And he who is thus far Instructed in his Religion and endeavours according to his ability to encrease his knowledge of Divine things and hereunto adds the Honest and Sincere Practice of what he understands needs never fear that God will reject him for want of more knowledge For altho' we must according to our Capacity add to our Vertue Knowledge yet it is not abundance of Knowledge but much Honesty Charity and true Piety that renders us acceptable and Pleasing to God see 1. Cor. 1. 19. to the 7th verse of the 2 d. Chapter Again some do find their Faith to be weak and wavering and perplexed with doubts and Scruples in matters of Religion and therefore are afraid to come To this I answer that indeed the stronger and Firmer a Mans Faith is so much the better and we ought to endeavour as much as in us lies that our Faith may ever be built upon sure and solid Principles as well for our own comfort satisfaction as that we may be the better able upon occasion to give an Answer to every one who shall ask us a Reason of the hope that is in us 1. Pet. 3. 15. But when a Man has done what he can to strengthen and Confirm his Faith if it still continues Infirm and weak yet if he be Honest and Pious in his Life and Practice he is never the less acceptable to God for the weakness of his Faith For strength of Faith is not a thing in our own Power and therefore not so much a Duty in us as a Reward which God is pleased to bestow in such a measure as he thinks fit upon those who are sincere and diligent in his Service And he that is weak in the Faith may yet be a very good Christian and fit to be Received into the Church of Christ altho' he be not qualified for doubtful Disputations Ro. 14. 1. As long as a Tree continues to bring forth plenty of Fruit we are sure it is alive nor do we presently cut it down and cast it into the Fire because it is not altogether so well fixed at the root and therefore it may be subject to be shaken by the violence of the Wind And the weakest Faith if it produces abundance of good Works shall be accepted by God when the strongest Faith if barren and unfruitful shall be rejected and set at nought by him See Jam. 2. 14. c. Whenever therefore an honest and well disposed Man finds his Faith to be any way weak and wavering let him take up the good Man's speech in the Gospel Lord I beleive help thou mine unbelief Mar. 9. 24. And let him never fear but that God who is infinitely gracious and merciful will accept of him Some again are afraid that they do not love God as well as they ought and the reason of this fear is because they do not find in themselves such warm and affectionate motions of their mind towards him as they apprehend to be suitable to his infinite excellency and goodness And for this Reason they dare not venture to come To this I answer that indeed the more ardent and Affectionate our love to God is so much the better is that as well as our Faith for being strong and unshaken But as our Faith is to be judged of by its fruitfulness rather than its Firmness as I have just now shewn so the Holy Scripture teaches us That the Love of God consists altogether in Keeping his Commandments 1. Joh. 5. 3. Some people are Naturally of such a temper as more easily to be moved with a Passionate affection towards those they Love then others are And yet others who do not find such warm Motions within themselves may be as ready and willing as they to do acts of Kindness where they profess a Friendship Nor is the Love of the later sort ever the less to be Valued because it appears to be Seated and fixed more in the Judgment and will which are Subject to less alteration than the Affections As the true Love of a Wife to her Husband is to be measured by her readiness to obey and please him in all things much rather then by the fondness which she expresses to his Person If therefore a Man finds himself stedfastly