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
A45566	The safest convoy, or, The strongest helper declared in a valedictory sermon before the Right Honourable Sr. Thomas Bendish, Baronet, His Majesties ambassadour ... / deliverd by Nathanaell Hardy.	Hardy, Nathaniel, 1618-1670.	1653 (1653)	Wing H746; ESTC R28060	22,044	37

is with us and yet more fully the Church acknowledgeth this truth Psal. 124. If it had not been the Lord had been on our side when men rose up against us they had swallowed us up quick and the waters had overwhelmed us Indeed it is only an Almighty presence can command and stiil the ptoud waves The Story of Canutus once King of England is very memorable who sitting at a low water upon the river Thames commanded the water it should not come nigh him but the Tide returning ceased not to rise higher till it wet his feet whereupon he went home and set his Crown upon the Crucifix at Westminster It is none but God can stay the course of the water and it is the same hand must stop the current of wicked mens fury against his people thus God was with the three Worthies to quench the violence of the fire with Daniel to stop the mouths of Lions and with Jacob to bridle his Uncles envy 2. God is with us in the waters conservando as to bridle them so to preserve us Gods presence doth not secure from the water but in the water fond nature thinks that God should not let the winde blow upon his darlings and it was Gideons argument If the Lord be with us why hath all this befallen us Judges 6.13 Admirabatur quod simul starent haec duo viz. Deum esse cum eis pati eos tot mala He thought the presence of God and outward evils to be inconsistent he could not imagine that God should be nigh and trouble near too herein he shewed himself not skil'd tam Arte quam Marte and though a valiant souldier yet a bad Logician though God be with us yet the waters may come in upon us but not over us If God be with us who can be against us saith Saint Paul indeed who will not be against us but who so against us as to hurt us thus God is with us as Christ was with Peter when ready to sink into the Sea stretching forth his hand to uphold him The Lord is with us saith the Psalmist and what follows The God of Jacob is our Refuge Psal. 46.7 Divine presence exempts not from but is a refuge in the storm Moses expression is yet fuller The eternall God is thy Refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms Deuter. 33.27 A mans hand put under the chin keeps him from sinking into the water much more can the armes of a God uphold us in troubles and therefore these two are fitly joyned together Fear thou not for I am with thee I will strengthen thee yea I will help yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my Righteousnesse Isa. 41.10 3. God is with us in the waters consolando to co●●●●t our hearts and refresh our spirits in the midst of 〈◊〉 ●●●●ictions When the coldnesse of the 〈…〉 with flaggons of wine to revive us wh●n 〈…〉 ●ainting under trials he is at hand with 〈…〉 cherish us this David found verified in his own ●xperience when in the middest of the shadow of death he resolves to fear none ill because God was with him and his staffe did comfort him Psal. 23.4 Thus God stood by Paul when accused wrongfully by his enemies and breathed a word of comfort into his ears s●ying Be of good chear Acts 23.11 We reade Genesis 1.2 that the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters the Hebrew word is Emphat●call being a M●taphor from the Dove that sits upon h●r egges ch●●ishing them by her heat producing out of them a living creat●re like to her self ther●by signifying Praes●ntiam non qual●mcunque s●d amabilem peculiarit●r 〈◊〉 that ●miable and ●fficacious pres●nce of Gods Spirit which wrought so glorious a Fabrick out of that ●●de Ch●●s a ●it Embleme of the truth in hand it being the same Spirit that moves powerfully and comfortably upon the waters of affliction producing joyfull effects out of the saddest calamities that befall his people 4. God is with us in the waters dirigendo to steer our course guide our passage through the troubl●some waves what the cloud by day a●d the pillar of fire by night was to the Israelites when they passed through the desolate Desart into Canaan the same is Gods presence to his people while they wander through the wildernesse of this world to heaven David tels us God was with him by his rod as well as by his staff the Shepherds rod guides and governs the sheep so doth God in troubles direct his people When Jehoshaphat knew not what to do God was with him to advise and counsell what course he should take and when Elisha's servant saw no means of deliverance for his master and himself from the encompassing enemy God was with him at the Prophets praier to open his eyes that he might see his succour How oft is the Mariner when through the darknesse of the night or the strangenesse of the coast at a losse directed to steer his course by the appearing of a Star thus when Gods people are so environ'd about with waters that they can see no Land and darkned by clouds that they can see no light then doth his presence like a Star appear directing them in the way of safety 5. God is with us in the water eripiendo to deliver out of present trials and restore former or adde better comforts Friendly majesty is present to rescue oppressed innocency It is the promise which God himself makes to the beleeving soul I will be with him in trouble and what follows as the blessed effect of his presence but liberation and exaltation I will deliver him and honour him Psa. 91 15. It was the experience which the Church had of Gods falthfulnesse in accomplishing this promise we went through fire and water but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place Psal. 66.12 Thus is God with his people not only to comfort them in and support them under but to rescue them out and reward them after all their troubles according to that of the Prophet Jer. 30.11 I am with thee saith the Lord to save thee various and miraculous are the means which God useth to deliver his people out of the water Sometimes he provides an Ark as he did for Noah a Zoar as he did for a Lot a Cave as he did for the Prophets hiding his people from the raging waves the fury of their enemies Sometimes he sends a Nurse as he did for Moses to take him out of the waters he provides boards as he did for Paul and the rest of his company when the ship was split whereby they escaped safe to land he prepareth a Whale as for Jonah to swallow him that the Sea might not devour him and as Arion in Plutarch being cast into the waters by the cruel Mariners was brought to shore on a Dolphins back so he when thrown over-board by Gods justice was through his

mention of waters so rivers of waters noting the variety and perpetuity of the Churches troubles Multitudes of drops concur to make up a River and yet not one but many Rivers must be passed through standing pools are soon dry but Rivers run continually Sorrows seldome come alone it was Jobs complaint that God brake in upon him with breach upon breach and David that one deep called upon another at the noise of the water-spouts and Paul that he was in perils often by Sea by Land in City in Countrey that complaint of Megara in the Tragoedian justly befits the Church Nulla lux unquam mihi secura fuit finis alterius mali gradus est futuri wicked mens malice is boundlesse no wonder Sions troubles are lasting and the end of one misery proves the fore-runner of another so true is that of the Apostle through many tribulations we must enter into Gods Kingdome But whence may some say are these waters and rivers I answer Partly from the bottles of Heaven above which being opened pour out waters upon the earth affliction comes not out of the dust nor befals us by chance but by divine providence those cruelties to which the Saints are exposed by whomsoever acted are by God disposed both the abundance and continuance of those waters are at his appointment true it is the waters that fall from the clouds above are bred of the vapours that ascend from the earth below and it is our sins that are the cause of all troubles which are sent by God upon us we deserve he inflicts we provoke he chastiseth our iniquities are the meritorious his equity the efficient cause of all calamity Partly as many Rivers are fed by Springs out of the bowels of the earth so these waters arise out of the depths of hell it is Satan that opens the fountain of malice in wicked mens hearts whence the streams of oppressions flows upon good men heads it is the winde of diabolicall instigation which raiseth the waves encreaseth the water augments the rage of Zions adversaries thus both heaven and hell concurre to the sending forth of these waters but on a different ground and to a different end God justly Satan unjustly God for our sins the devil for our righteousnesse Finally Gods end is to cleanse our filth and wash away our pollutions the devils to overwhelm our persons and sink us into the depth of misery To apply this Oh let us be wise to look for and provide against these slabby steps in our Christian race he that goes to Sea must resolve before-hand to meet with many a cold blast dashing wave rolling tempest ere he come to his harbour let all who engage for heaven do the like sit down and consider what pains and sufferings it must cost them ere they come thither by this means we shall the lesse fear and the better bear troubles when they come praemeditati mali mollis ictus that evil which is fore-thought of by us will prove the more easie to us They say of the Basilisk that if it first see a man it kils him but if the man first see it he is safe let it be our prudence to foresee evils ere they come that we may the better undergo them when they come and surely if we consider things aright we have no reason to be discouraged at these waters for 1. It is an Argument we are in the direct way to our Countrey the path to hell is miry through corruptions to Heaven watery through afflictions Saint Pauls assertion is universall All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution 2 Tim. 3.12 Christianus non est qui non crucianus Christianity entitles her professors to the crosse the way to blisse is not strewed with Roses but hedged with thorns he that lives in pleasure and enjoys the worlds favour may well suspect himself as a wanderer in the broad way but he that findes hatred and persecution from ungodly Samaritanes may at least probably conclude himself in favour with God and a Traveller in the way to Jerusalem 2. It is but a passing through not a dwelling in the waters Afflictions may be violent they shall not be permanent Athanasius said of the persecution in his time it was Nubecula citò transitura a cloud that should soon vanish a showr that would quickly cease The wicked are said to dwell with devouring fire the faithfull only passe through the Scriptures usuall Metaphor resembles Saints to strangers and pilgrims who only passe through or sojourn for a time but make no long stay why should they wonder at or be troubled with that ill usage they finde in their passage The world is fitly compared to a Sea and the Sea is no place to continue in dangers we must expect to meet with so long as we are sailing but that sailing will not be long And 3. Consider not so much through what as whither thou passest look beyond the waters to the shore the passage is calamitous the Countrey where thou art going glorious it is to possesse thy inheritance and receive thy crown O let the sweetnesse of the end mitigate the badnesse of the way and the pleasantnesse of the Countrey make amends for the tediousnesse of the journey Finally know to thy comfort thou shalt passe through these waters no remora shall withhold nor contrary windes impede thee though thou maist be molested yet not overflown by those waters which leads to the second Generall The Churches preservation in her afflicted condition they shall not overflow thee habet unumquodque periculum unde timeatur every thing threatens its peculiar danger which makes us fear the fire burning the water drowning but quod aliis exitio ipsis innoxium that which is destructive to others shall not be hurtfull to the Church let persecutions be as fire yet the Church is like Moses Bush which was burnt but not consumed let them be like waters the Church shall be as Noahs Ark which still arose higher as the waters encreased these waters may arise from the ankles to the knees from the knees to the breast from the breast to the chin but they shall never overflow the head collo licet tenus mergaris non patior te omnino demergi premendus es non perimendus we must be washt we must not sink crusht we may be killed we shall not be The boul or bladder may be dipt cannot be drowned the house that is built upon the rock may be shaken but cannot be overthrown and they that trust in the Lord saith the Psalmist shall be as mount Zion that cannot be moved Excellent to this purpose is that of S. Paul we are troubled on every side yet not distressed perplext but not in despair perscuted but not forsaken cast down but not destroyed 2 Cor. 4.8 9. And again in the Chap. 6.9 10. As dying and yet behold we live as chastened and not killed as sorrowfull yet