Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
fire_n	cloud_n	day_n	pillar_n	4,681	5	10.5980	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14736	A coal from the altar, to kindle the holy fire of zeale In a sermon preached at a generall visitation at Ipswich. By Samuell Ward, Bach. of Diuinity.	Ward, Samuel, 1577-1640.; Wood, Ambrose.	1615 (1615)	STC 25039; ESTC S103052	29,222	94

lets in the way and puls them in when there is no cause so doe the fearfull that shall bee without but zeale either finds no dangers or makes them none it neither feares to doe well or to reproue ill doers let whoso will be displeased Some indeed care not whom they offend they are so harsh and fiery they can beare with nothing Will true christianity allowe vs to beare with any sinne Can tinne or hot iron choose but hisse againe if cold water be cast on it can a righteous soule choose but vex it selfe at open euill Such Ostriches as can digest oathes profane and filthie speeches shew what metall they haue for the Lord of hosts who yet will be ready enough to offer the challenge or stab for the least disgrace to themselues or their mistresse Phineas had rather if it were lawfull fight in Gods quarrells then his owne All are not by nature of so hot dispositions or so fiery-spirited as others If there be such a dull flegmaticke creature as hath no life nor spirit in any thing he goes about or whom nothing will moue hee may plead complexion and yet grace is aboue nature but the best way is See euery man cōpare his deuotion in matters of God with his spirits and metall in other affayres wherein his element or delight lies if the one equall not the other the fault is not in nature the oldest man hath memory enough for his gold and the coldest constitution heate enough where it likes Well our hearts may be as good as the best though we cannot shew it Fire cannot bee long smothered it will either find a vent or goe out zeale will either finde word or deede to expresse it selfe withall All haue not the gift of vtterance Violent affections haue made the dumbe to finde a tongue If it be lowe water the mill may stand but aboundance of heart will set the wheeles on going What earnest discourses will vnlearned mariners make of their voiages huntsmen of their game c. All haue not ability and meanes many haue great charges Loue and zeale are munificent make money their seruant not their master wheresoeuer the heart is enlarged the hand cannot bee straitned where the bowells are open the purse is not shut Herod for his pleasure cares not for halfe his kingdome what will not some gentlemen giue for haukes and hounds not only the poor woman that spent the rich ointment on Christ the widow that gaue all her substance the conuerts that sould all and threw all at the feet of the Apostles but euen the bounty of the superstitious Papists shall rise in iudgement against such as professe a religion wil giue it good words countenance but be at no cost with it and know a cheaper way to saue charge withall Al haue not so much leasure to spend so much time and study about matters of religion they haue somewhat els to doe There are indeede many vanities which distract and diuide the minde of worldlings but zeale counts one thing needefull to which it makes all other veile and stand by Is there any so good an husband of his time that will not steale some houre for his pleasure that cannot spare his God and his soule halfe an houre morning and euening that bestowes not idly as much time as a Sermon or two would take vp in the weeke The soule I confesse hath his satiety as well as the body but why should wee sit on thornes more at a Sermon then at a Play thinke the Sabbaths longer then holidaies but for want of zeale If thou beest not a vaine and willing deceiuer of thy selfe and others deale honestly and plainely with thy soule try thy selfe by these few rules and if thou iudgest thy selfe to come short of them amend and bee zealous After the sparkles once by these meanes kindled cherish and feed them by reading the word Let it dwell richly in thy heart excite thy dulnesse by spirituall Hymnes Loue-songs enflame not lust more then the Song of Songs doth zeale Reade or sing the 119. Psalme and if thou beest not zealous euery verse will checke thee in thy throat Meditation is another helpe approued by Isaacks and Dauids practice An Art lately so taught as I shall neede onely to point at the choise theames suiting and furthering this argument I need not go far to fetch this fire I may strike it out of euery word of this Epistle to Laodicea Behold the Lord God especially thy Lord Christ in his glorious titles and Maiestie for so hee beginnes his visions to Iohn and his Epistles to the Churches exciting their dull hearts By such apparitions did hee set on fire the heart of Moses in the burning bush and enflamed Stephan his first Martyre answerable and proportionable to which are our serious contemplations Behold him as one that seeth thee and knoweth thy works the rowsing preface of all these letters Caesars eye made his souldiers prodigall of their blood The Atheist thinks God takes as much notice of him and his prayers as he doth of the humming of flies and bees and therefore no maruell if his seruice be formall and fashionable The faithfull Christian by faiths prospectiue sees him at home and heares him saying Well done thou good seruant which maketh him to work out his heart Behold him as the beginning of creatures especially of the newe creature Oh! what loue hath hee shewed thee in thy redemption out of what misery into what happinesse by what a price to what end but that thou shouldest be zealous of good workes Behold him as the faithfull witnesse that witnessed himselfe for thee a good witnesse and here faithfully counsels thee to follow his patterne Behold him as a speedy and royall rewarder of his followers Take thy selfe into paradise represent to thy selfe thy crowne thy throne thy white robes looke not on the things that are seene but on the farre most excellent waight of glory look vpon these and faint if thou canst Behold also hee is a consuming fire a zealous God hating lukewarmenesse not onely destroying Sodom with fire and brimstone and prouiding Tophet for his enemies but awaking also his drowzie seruants by iudgements as Absolon Ioah by firing his corne his Israelites by fiery serpents whom hee loueth hee chasteneth and keepeth them in the fornace of fiery tryalls till they come to their right temper Hee standeth and knocketh if nothing will arouze vs a time will come when heauen and earth shall burne with fire and Christ shall come in flaming fire to render vengeance with fire vnquenchable We therefore that know the terrour of that day what maner of persons ought we to be From God turne thine eyes vnto man set before thee the pillar and cloud of fiery examples that haue led vs the way into Canaan Hee is but a dull Iade that will not follow The stories of the scriptures the liues of

the fathers the acts and monuments of the Church haue a speciall vertue for this effect The very pictures of the fires and Martyrs cannot but warme thee If thou canst meet with any liuing examples followe them as they followe Christ frequent their company euen Saul amongst the Prophets will Prophecie No bangling hauke but with a high flier will mend her pitch the poorest good companion will doe thee some good when Silas came Paul burnt in the spirit a lesser sticke may fire a billet If thou findest none let the coldnesse of the times heate thee as frostes doe the fire Let euery indignation make thee zealous as the dunstery of the Monks made Erasmus studious one way to be rich in times of dearth is to engrosse a rare commodity such as zeale is now if euery they haue destroyed thy lawe It is now hie time to be zealous Consider and emulate the children of this generation to see how eager euery Demas is for worldy promotion How did that worthy Bishop disdain to see an harlot more curiously to adorne her body vnto sinne and death then he could his soule vnto life euerlasting It angred Demosthenes to see a Smith earelier at his Anuile then hee was at his Deske When thou hast thus heat thy selfe take heede of catching cold againe as many haue done and brought their zeale to deaths doore This fire may go out diuerse wayes first by substraction of fewell if a man forbeare his accustomed meales will not his naturall heat decay The Leuites that kept Gods watch in the Temple were charged expressely morning euening if not oftner to look to the lights and the fire He that shall forget at the least with the Curfeau-bell in the euening to rake vppe his zeale by prayer and with the day-bell in the morning to stirre vp kindle the same if not oftner with Daniel I cannot conceiue how hee can possibly keepe fire in his heart Will God blesse such as bid him not so much as good-morrow and good-euen He that shall despise or neglect prophecie must he not needes quench the spirit haue I not marked glorious professors who for some farme sake or other commodities haue flitted from Ierusalem to Iericho where the situation was good but the waters nought and their zeale hath perished because vision hath failed Such as reade the Bible by fits vpon rainy dayes not eating the booke with Iohn but tasting onely with the tippe of the tongue Such as meditate by inatches neuer chewing the cud and digesting their meat they may happely get a smackering for discourse and table-talke but not enough to keepe soule life together much lesse for strength and vigour Such as forsake the best fellowship and waxe strange to holy assemblies as now the manner of many is how can they but take cold Can one coale alone keep it selfe glowing Though it goe not out for want of matter yet may it be put out by sundry accidents when it is newly kindled it may be put out with scoffes and reproaches if Peter take not heed and fence himselfe well against them but if once throughly growne such breath will but spread and encrease it It is possible fire may be oppressed with too much wood and heat suffocated with too much nourishment ouermuch prayer reading and study may be a wearinesse both to flesh and spirit but it so rarely happeneth that I neede not mention it and yet the soule hath it satiety There be some such perchance ouer-nice men in this sense also who haue not learned that God will haue them mercifull to themselues It is oftner smoothered for want of vent and exercise Let such as vse not and expresse not their zeale bragge of their good hearts surely they haue none such or not like to haue them such If Nichodemus had not buried Christ by day wee might haue feared his zeale had gone out for all his comming by night Yet this is not so ordinary as to extinguish it by the quench-coale of sin grosse sinne euery man knowes will waste the conscience and make shippewracke of zeale but I say the least known euill vnrepented of is as a thiefe in the candle or an obstruction in the liuer I feare Dauid serued God but reasonably till hee published his repentance he that steales his meate though pouerty tempt him yet giueth thankes but coldly zeale and sinne will soone expell the one or the other out of their subiect can you imagine in the same roofe God and Beliall the Arke and Dagon Lastly and most commonly foraine heare will extract the inwarde and aduemicious heate consume the naturall The Sunne will put out the fire and so will the loue of the world the loue of the Father they cannot stand together in intense degrees one cannot serue both these masters with such affection as both would haue Seldome seest thou a man make haste to be rich and thriue in religion Christs message to Iohn holdes true The poor are most forward in receiuing and following the Gospell as thou louest thy zeale beware of resoluing to be rich lest gaine proue thy godlinesse take heede of ambitious aspiring least Courts and great places prooue ill aires for zeal whither it is as easie to go zealous as to returne wise Peter whiles he warmed his hands cooled his heart Not that greatnesse and zeale cannot agree but for that our weakenesse many times seuers them If thou beest willing to dy poore in estate thou maiest the more easily liue rich in grace Smyrna the poorest of the seuen Candlestickes hath the richest price vpon it The diligent practice of these courses will make easie the practice of this counsell Be zealous c. The sixt part Which little round fire-ball comming to hand as Dauids small stone by ordinary lot knowing the insufficiency of my owne I pray that God with his arme would scatter it farre and wide into those wide parts of the world without the pale of Christendome which lie so frozen and benummed in their Paganisme that they feele not the coldnesse of their religions as also in those regions that being within the Tropickes of the Church haue iust so much and so little heate as to thinke they haue enough and need no more Chiefly mine affections burne within me for the good of mine owne nation for which I would I had but so much zeale as truely to wish my selfe Anathema vpon condition it had heate sutable to the light For I must beare it record it hath knowledge I would I could say according to zeale But the spirit knowing that which is spoken to all to bee in effect as spoken to none directs mee what I would speake to Churches to speake to particular Angels Now the principall in our Church vnder that Archangel of the couenant I most willingly acknowledge to bee my Lorde the King as an Angel of light And why not that very Angel who by his writing hath begunne to poure out the fift viall vpon the