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	good_a	hew_v	2,777	5	12.1440	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96858	Gnōston tou Theou, k[a]i gnōston tou Christou, or, That which may be knovvn of God by the book of nature; and the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ by the Book of Scripture. Delivered at St Mary's in Oxford, by Edward Wood M.A. late proctor of the University and fellow of Merton Coll. Oxon. Published since his death by his brother A.W. M.A.	Wood, Edward, 1626 or 7-1655.; Wood, Anthony à, 1632-1695.	1656 (1656)	Wing W3387; Thomason E1648_1; ESTC R204118	76,854	234

his goodnesse to us that in the middest of judgements he remembred mercy and though by reason of sinne he might have deprived us of the very foot-steps and reliques of Naturall Goodnesse yet hath it pleased him still to lend us so much light as may be a witnesse unto himselfe and a Pole-star as it were to direct us in the paths of Goodnesse and Civility Admirable hath beene the effects which even this light hath produced from meere naturall men those rationall discourses and deep searchings into the bowels of nature those sublime and raised speculations in things Philosophicall those rare examples of Temperance Sobriety and Justice and what not amongst the very Heathens those curious inventions of Arts and Sciences their civill deportment and exact conformity unto the lawes and constitutions of their Superiours What are all these I say and many of the like nature but products and rayes of this Light But now as water the further it is from the fountaine the lesse pure and wholsome is it so that strength of Reason in the Heathen Philosophers by how much the more it wanders from God the Authour of it by so much the more deadly and poysonous was it unto them God did manifest unto the Gentiles many usefull and excellent things but saith the Apostle they glorified him not as God neither were thankfull but became vaine in their Imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned Marke the evill fruits of unthankfulnesse they did not acknowledge the Author of these gifts in them and what followed they became Vaine in their reasonings or disputations when God did once leave them unto their owne braines whereunto they ascribed all their learning What silly simple conclusions did they frame concerning him some even of their wisest denying his Providence others againe thinking forsooth that the management of the world would be too great a labour for One God devided the burden betweene Multitudes of them Jupiter Pluto Neptune and I know not whom of their owne stamp and making so strangely was their reasons infatuated that though they professed themselves to be wise yet they became fooles and changed the glory of the incorruptible God c. Wherefore it mightily concernes every one of us in speciall whom God hath advanced above the rude and ignorant multitude to ascribe all our parts and learning unto God as the Author of every good and perfect gift who as he can instill the greatest Knowledge into the dullest piece of earth so can he infatuate and destroy the wisdome of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent Let not then the wise man glory in his wisedome Alas without Gods blessing 't will prove unto him as one saith but as the pretious stone in a toad's head rather a disease then an ornament and as he said falsly of Paul we may say truly of many men that much learning hath made them mad for there may be a kind of rationall madnesse a man may cum ratione insanire and that when being unthankfull unto God for what he hath he makes his learning the fuell of his pride and so by his reason argueth himselfe into hell Remember the miserable end of Herod a wise and eloquent man without doubt for such did the plaudit of the people after his oration proclaime him to be and yet he was eaten up of wormes Why because saith the Text he gave not God the glory We are apt to ascribe all our wit and learning unto our owne reasons and inventions but take heed God resisteth the proud he can by one blast of his displeasure enfeeble and weaken the powers of the soule besott and infatuate the strongest judgement befoole and benumme the quickest wit he can send an Apoplexy upon thee to take away thy Memory as Pliny somewhere reports of Messala Corvinus that after a sicknesse he forgot his owne name he can lay asleep our understanding in a Lethargie yea he can in the middest of our pride and unthankfulnesse dissolve into nothing by a sudden death all our arts and learning and then where is the wise where is the Scribe where is the disputer of this world 3. The consideration of that knowledge of God and those morall vertues in the very Gentiles should shame and reprove many amongst us who even amidst the glorious Light of the Holy Gospell do fall farre short of them There are many men even in the Christian world who out of a certain proud curiosity and damnable Scepticisme will call into question the very being of God and thinke they are then more learned when they contradict the unanimous consent and current of all men and there are others againe who out of an affected kind of Atheisme and that they might better practise their impieties do endeavour to suppresse and smother all thoughts arising in them of God Providence Resurrection Heaven and Hell The former of these you may terme the Speculative the latter the Practicall Atheist then whom saith Picus Mirandula there is no greater monster in the world The Scepticisme or rather Atheisme of the one their owne consciences in this world may undeceive the flames of Hell in the next will more fully resolve the desperate wickednesse of the other if unrepented of must expect by so much the severer censure of Gods wrath by how much the light they sin against is the greater For tell mee thou wretch whosoever thou art what Hell what flames shall be prepared for thee when an Ethnick Cato shall come and plead before that dreadfull Tribunall his equity and justice and thou a Christian Magistrate shall be arraigued for thy partiality and wrong dealing when a Plato shall present before God his studiousnesse and temperance and thou a Christian Scholar shalt be condemned for thy Idlenesse and drunkennesse when a Stoick shall stand before the throne with his precisenesse and strict living and thou a Protestant shalt shake in the apprehensions of thy former loosenesse and irregular walkings What shall I say when a poore Heathen who had nothing but the dimme snuffe of naturall light to direct him shall be pronounced more righteous thē thou who hast lived many yeares together under the bright beames and sunshine of the Gospell of Jesus Christ Be afraid then and confounded ye sinners in Zion you that dare so audaciously to commit those sinnes under the glorious aspect of the Gospell which those who had but the faint glimpses of the Deity would have startled at Be ashamed that any man should have occasion to cry out O Holy Socrates Holy Plato and O Devilish Christian O wicked Protestant Our engagements are now greater to serve God and our accounts will therefore be more heavy if we disobey him the times of former ignorance God winked at but now the axe is laid to the root of the tree Every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewen downe and cast into the fire 4. Fourthly and lastly the consideration of the Insufficiency of