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	night_n	pillar_n	4,723	5	10.5941	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34898	A cabinet of spirituall iewells wherein man's misery, God's mercy, Christ's treasury, truth's prevalency, errour's ignominy, grace's excellency, a Christian's duty, the saint's glory, is set forth in eight sermons : with a brief appendix, of the nature, equity, and obligation of tithes under the Gospell, and expediency of marriage to be solemnized onely by a lawfull minister ... / by John Cragge, M.A. ...	Cragge, John, M.A.	1657 (1657)	Wing C6783; ESTC R4552	116,039	199

preached by such a man key-cold when more learnedly more powerfully more sincerely by another They pray after such a manner because such an one who is their Paul their Apollos their Cephas their Demi-god does so Run so many miles to hear a Sermon leaving a better at home behinde them because such an one makes conscience of such things conscience to disobey the Ordinance of God conscience to be singular conscience at the best to be zealous not according unto knowledge which is as good a conscience as a painted man is a man Now we come to true zeal true in regard of the Object Gods glory Righteousnesse Heaven and spirituall things true in regard of the measure and degree neither too cold by remission nor too hot by superstition True in regard of the means and grounds not builded upon ignorance which is blinde zeal nor upon profit or pleasure which is counterfeit zeal nor upon men our Idoll-gods which is idolatrous zeal Of this here more briefly because we stood more largely upon false zeal For as rectum curvi so curvum sui recti index in the glasse of false zeal we may judge of true zeal But that we may distinguish this true fire of zeal from many wildfires true heat from feavourish heat Amphitryo from Jupiter Juno from the Cloud Salam ●nder-like let us abide a while in these flames For what is true of conscience may be said of zeal each man each Heretick pretends a zeal the Turks die for their Mahomet it is their zeal the Jesuits stab Kings dethrone Princes it 's their zeal the Arrians go to the Stake for denying the Divinity of Christ it 's their zeal the Israelites offer their Children to Molah it 's their zeal thou leaves divine Ordinances the Sacraments perhaps thy weighty Calling it 's thy zeal Well but all that say they are Israelites are not of Israel Therefore if thou wouldest have the touchstone of tryall observe these marks well and thou maist discern true zeal by them First the matter and subject of thy zeal must be good Gal. 4. 18. It is good to be zealously affected in a good matter This is a fire that burnes in no Lamp but the Lamp of the Sanctuary a fire that feeds upon no oyle but the oyle of the Sanctuary that is kindled upon no Altar but Gods devoures no Sacrifice but Gods If the matter and subject of thy zeal be evill thy zeal is evill No fire but ignis erraticus will feed upon stinking ditches no fire but ignis lambens will feed upon thine own carnall humours If thou be zealous with Saul against Christianity it is blasphemy if thou be zealous with the Pharisees to compasse Sea and Land to make a Proselyte of thy groundlesse opinions it is diabolicall Heresie Thy zeal is a fruit that must not grow upon the forbidden tree Though thine eyes be now blinded yet hereafter they may be opened that thou maist see the blindnesse of thy zeal Secondly true zeal is zeal according to knowledge Rom. 10. 2. this knowledge must be the Scriptures truly understood guiding us as a pillar of fire by night a pillar of cloud by day No fire might kindle the Vestalls Lamps but from the Sun no fire will kindle this Lamp of zeal but the Sun of Righteousnesse Christ who as Ignatius saies as he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the essentiall Word by which all knowledge was created so he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word of life which is a light unto our feet and a lanthorn unto our steps For this cause Bernard compared knowledge and zeal to two wings knowledge without zeal cannot flie so high as to pierce the clouds zeal without knowledge is beatt back again like a whirlewinde Take with thee both wings Zeal and Knowledge if thou wouldest flie to Heaven As is fire to a Child that walks among barrells of Gunpowder so is zeal without knowledge a cause of incendiaries and combustions in Common-weales This zeal without knowledge slashed and gashed the Priests of Baal this zeal without knowledge armes the ignorant Papists to maintain that with sword and blood and persecution which they cannot defend with the Word This zeal without knowledge makes many ignorant people in our nation as preposterously as if one should ring the Bells backward at the sparkling of a Smith's Forge or fire the Beacons at the discovery of a poor Dunkirkers Vessell to be up in armes against every thing that crosses their humours This blinde zeal works three dangerous effects in the soul 1. Pride 2. Uncharitablenesse 3. Impatience of admonition First Pride that like Lucifer the morning Star they are bright in their own conceit like the Element of fire over all Elements nay as good as in Heaven in their own conceit cast in the same mould with Nebuchadnezar's Image their head is of Gold but their feet of Clay Secondly this zeal without knowledge is Uncharitable censuring nay condemning all like the fire of Eliah not sparing the Elders This made the Jewes crucifie Christ for reproving their traditions the Arrians persecute the Orthodox Christians more then did the Heathen Emperours the Papists more zealous for their Canons of the Councill of Trent than for the Articles of their Creed Thirdly zeal without knowledge is impatient of admonition it is as deafe as an Adder though you charm it never so wisely be earnest and it flies with the sting in your face This zeal made the Pharisees impatient when our Saviour rebuked them for their blindnesse made Zedekiah impatient of Michaiah's admonition And for these causes a worthy Divine saies Zeal without knowledge is more dangerous in Church or Commonwealth then knowledge without zeal The third mark of true zeal is that it burnes fervently within the Furnace of the Heart before the flame burst out at the crevises of the body thy Soul and Conscience must be truly zealous within before thine eyes sparkle with zeal to affright others thy tongue be tipped with zeal to censure and rebuke others thy feet be shod with zeal to pursue others thy hands be armed with zeal to wound others Many Zealists now adaies are like the Heathen God Momus carp at all doe nothing themselves like the Flies ingendred from the wild Fig-tree provoke others to ripen but are barren themselves finde fault with every corner in the streets never sweep before their own doors are informers controulers in every Calling practises none themselves and as if they were Metropolitans of the whole VVorld they keep continuall visitations and corrections of all mens manners especially the Churches who if judged by true zeal scarce belong to the Church Zeal hath many more marks which if I should prosecute my zeal of the Subject would seem to outrun my discretion of the Time I 'le onely name them The fourth Mark is that we must be zealous in weighty matters The fifth that we must look as well to our purity within as our holinesse without The sixt

them back again Thus much this forequoted speech of Solomon imports as if he had said You that solace your selves with all delights in the heat of your blood well go on in your courses banish dull and sad thoughts with the purest Wine shake off your fits of melancholly with peals of laughter sleep on in the laps of your Dalilah's chear up your selves with Pipe and Tabret and the sweetest Musick yet a little more sleep a little more slumber live on as though there were no Heaven no Hell no Wrath no Judgment Yet know this and know it you must that God hath his hook in your nostrills and ere long his wrath and fury shall wax hot against you like fire Job goes about to inform gluttons and worldly minded men men hardest of beliefe in the truth of this Doctrine Job 20. 23. When he is about to fill his belly God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him and shall rain it upon him while he is eating 27. The heaven shall reveal his iniquity and the earth shall rise up against him the increase of his house shall depart and his good shall flow away in the day of his wrath Even the Church of God it selfe that like a wanton Minion had put far from her the evill day was glad to confesse this and that with ruefull moan to complain Lam. 1. 12. Is it nothing to you all ye that passe by behold and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow which is done unto me wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger A day of anger indeed Lam. 2. 21. The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword thou hast slain them in the time of thine anger thou hast killed and not pittyed Gods anger is such a flame as cannot be quenched his day of anger such a day as neither wisdome nor honour nor riches nor gold can ransome us from Ezek. 7. 19. They shall cast their silver in the streets and their gold shall be removed their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. It is not Crownes imperiall nor Thrones nor Diadems that can escape this day Ps 110. 5. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through Kings in the day of his wrath Therefore the holy Ghost to note the certainty of Gods anger calls it a day of wrath of fierce wrath a day of displeasure hot displeasure heavy displeasure a day of Gods vengeance Jer. 46. 10. A day of the Lord and a cloudy day Ezek. 30. 3. A day of darknesse and of gloominesse a day of clouds and thick darknesse Joel 2. 2. Arguments and reasons further to confirm it may be these The first is drawn from the nature of God who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity unpunished a consuming fire that the stubble is burned up before him a God of glory that Dagon cannot stand in his presence a light that cannot dwell with darknesse a jealous God that burnes the chaffe with unquenchable fire wounds Kings and spews all workers of iniquity out of his mouth For in Creatures wherein by reason of the antipathy of their nature and humours there is but a finite distance there can scarce be any agreement the Vine will not thrive in the same place with the Colwort the Elephant is enraged at the sight of a Ram one Bird and Beast pursues another with eager pursuit Then how much more shall God who is infinitely holy everlastingly good eternally happy threaten punish be angry at take revenge upon sin that abuses his mercy despises his justice defaces his image What man will not take care to break a Cockatrice eggs and kill a Serpent And shall not God in the day of his fierce wrath take revenge upon sin which that old Serpent Satan brought into the world The reason why men are not angry at those crimes that deserve Phinehas his zeal and Samuel's indignation is because our understanding cannot see the hainousnesse of them our wills cannot sufficiently desire revenge our affections with eagernesse pursue them But God understands and wills and hates as things are in themselves and as they deserve The second Reason may be drawn from Gods Will who justly decreed to poure down the fierce Vialls of his wrath in the day of his wrath upon all disobedient persons See Deuter. 28. the curses and comminations God in his anger threatned to bring upon the people See if he do not set apart the wicked for fuell of his wrath against this day Prov. 16. 5. The Lord made all things for himselfe yea even the wicked for the day of evill Now if God be willing to poure out his heavy displeasure upon those that displease him what can hinder his mighty arme for performing Creatures indeed may be angry but oftentimes like Drones without stings cannot hurt as Canons charged with powder without shot onely makes a roaring like the Popes Bulls threatens many hurts none but them whose consciences are enslaved Saul may be angry at David but cannot finde him out but from Gods all-piercing eye none can hide himselfe Satan may desire to kill Job Jonah may be angry till death for N●niveh's preservation yet God puts a bitt in both their mouths which if he be angry nothing can be holden out of his reach Princes if they take captives may have the rescued from them again as Lot was from the King of Sodom bought with a price as Joseph of the Ishmaelites But no power can rescue us from Gods anger no ransome but Christs blood redeem us Gods Will being set afoot all his Attributes follow if his Will say Be angry his Eye seekes out the object of his anger and findes it his wisdome tempers the cup his hand whets the sword his arme strikes the blow Thus you see there is a time of Gods anger for sin because he will have it so The third Reason that there is a time when God is angry is drawn from the cause which in generall is sin and in speciall the contempt and contumacious despight we offer unto God in every sin we commit The Apostle uses the same reason Rom. 2. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Despisest thou the riches of his goodnesse and forbearance and long suffering The conclusion he infers is this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou treasurest up to thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God Nebuchadnezzar was angry at the three Children for contempt of worshipping of his Image and threw them into the hot fiery Furnace Daniel for the like was throwne into the Lions den Shall Kings wrath burn thus like fire for despising of their unlawfull decrees and then shall not God who is a consuming fire be angry at us vile wormes for despising of his pure holy and wholsome Lawes which the Angells dare not

Banner Matth. 16. 24. If any man wil follow me let him forsake himself and take up his crosse and follow me Saint Paul saies to Timothy All that will live godly in Christ Iesus must suffer persecution We are Christians and our lives begins baptismate fluminis consecrated in the waters of affliction goes on baptismate flaminis confirmed in the fire of affliction and oftentimes ends baptismate sanguinis waft on Rivers of blood covers our Hearse with a scarlet die towards Heaven and that for these causes First thereby God proves us whether we be constant and true and manifests to others our sincerity they are a touchstone of tryall to examine whether we be pure or reprobate gold The Eagle tries her young ones whether they be bastards by making them look at the Sun so God tries us by the heat of tribulation As Gideon's Souldiers were proved at the water so we at the waters of affliction Faith that before was but fained will then vanish into smoak like Sodom's apples guilded hypocrisie into vapours but true Faith set upon the file will be more resplendent Hope more certain Zeal more blazing Charity more perfect Secondly afflictions are a means to wean us from the world and win us unto God as Mirrhe and Aloes to lay on the paps of worldly pleasures to make us flie to Christ a Pharaoh to pursue us out of Egypt unto Canaan they are a rod of God to turn our Rivers of delight when we are bewitched with them into blood they are a worm to make our Manna stink when we lust after it This brought the prodigall Son to his Father the Israelites from Captivity the diseased unto Christ Is the Arke taken and the glory of Israel departed then the House of Ely will begin to think upon God Is David banished unto Gath then happy are they that are but dore-keepers in the house of God or the sparrowes that may build their nests there Is Israel led into captivity then will the daughters of Jerusalem hang up their Harps upon the willowes when they remember thee O Sion Is any afflicted then surely they will pray Thirdly afflictions are medicinall restoratives by which sinners may be awaked to recover their health by repentance they are the launcing knife in the Phlebotomie of the soul to wound us that neither the Plethora or ranknesse of blood honour riches preferment pleasure choak and stifle the spirit nor the Cacochymia or pestilent humours of sin as covetousnesse pride intemperance bring us into the Hectick feavour or incurable disease of hardnesse of heart rebellion or sin against the holy Ghost They are a rod to scourge us in a Lethargy As Physicians in a Lethargy use to burn the hair of the patient and smoak it into his nostrills so afflictions burn vanities and darling pleasures which are but as excrements and casts them as dung into our nostrills They are preparative potions to repentance pills of contrition purgations of naturall corruptions vomits of sin tents to search our wounds scarrifications to draw out ill humours And though no afflictions be pleasant for the present yet afterwards they are cordialls of comfort restauratives of grace Thus God taught Miriam by leprosy to leave her murmuring he awakened Jonah out of sleep by casting him into the Sea he cured Zacharie of his infidelity by striking him with dumbnesse delivered Saul from his evill course by blindnesse David from pride by the plague cured him of adultery by killing the child Blessed is the man whom the Lord thus correcteth Fourthly as afflictions are restauratives for maladies by-past so they are preservatives and antidores to prevent the evill to come As a man whose blood is consumed in a lingring feavour is not so apt to take the pestilence so neither a man afflicted to be puffed up with pride or burn with lust he need not fear the swelling of that Carbuncle They are salt to hinder us from putrefaction a stormie winde to save our standing pools from corruption a fiery Cherubim to keep us out of the forbidden paradise of sin As the golden hair was to Nisus a safeguard from his enemies so the crosse of affliction armes from the flesh the world and the devill As is said in the Fable of Achilles so far as he was dipped in the water so far he was unpiercible by any weapon so far as we are plunged in the waters of Marah our spirituall enemies have lesse power over us God sent an Angell of Satan to buffet Paul not so much for any evill he had done as to prevent sin for the time to come lest through the abundance of revelations he should be exalted above measure If God inflict upon us malum poenae the evill of punishment it is to prevent malum culpae the evill of sin Fiftly by afflictions we are prepared and polished for Heaven that as the one scale of tribulation presses us down the other of grace may mount us up Our Oyle of grace is a quintessence that must be extracted by fire our cordiall waters of comfort by distillation our Grapes squeazed in the Wine-presse of sorrow our Wheat flayled in the threshing-floor of tribulation our Flowre grinded between the milstones of pressure We are Gold that must be purified seven times in the Furnace before we be carryed into the Sanctuary Trees that must be pruned before they bring forth any fruit living Stones that must be polished and hammered before they be brought into the heavenly Ierusalem So that to a Christian all his whole life is as it were a threshing death is the fan to winnow the pure wheat from the chaffe that we may be gathered into the heavenly Granary where no unclean thing shall enter Well then if every Christian must feel the sting of these fiery Serpents before he come at Canaan learn we to make account of them not murmur mutter wonder at them In this vale of tears we must look to be fed with the bread of affliction to drink the bitter water gall wormwood and eat the soure grape of sorrow Shall the heavens mourn the clouds shed their tears the earth tremble the fruits be blasted the sea rage the creatures groan for our sins and we not sympathize with them Shall the Prophets and Apostles go through the fire the Martyrs have their robes dyed in scarlet our Saviour sweat water and blood conflict with hell Satan death and we go to heaven in a bed of roses tread on carpets ride still in triumph upon the wings of pleasure True it is in former times we enjoyed Halcyon daies of peace sitting under our own Vines and Fig-trees singing the song of Sion and tuning our own harps in a melodious harmony having no Townes but Salems no men but friends if we had gone into the fields we should have seen no spears but standing corn have heard no drums but tabrets no out-cries but harvest-homes had no years but of Jubilee no daies but of rejoycing But now of a long