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

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91899	Safe conduct, or The saints guidance to glory. Opened in a sermon preached at Dunstans in the East London. November the second, MDCLIV. At the funerall of the vertuous and religious gentlewoman, Mris. Thomasin Barnardiston, late wife of Mr. Samuel Barnardiston, merchant. / By Ralph Robinson, pastor of Mary Wolnoth, Lumbardstreet, London.	Robinson, Ralph, 1614-1655.	1655 (1655)	Wing R1711; Thomason E823_7; ESTC R203376	61,656	101

this work of guidance Providence without the VVord may deceive us but when wee lay the VVord before us for our direction Providence will wisely and powerfully conduct us to the end of our journey according to that blessed light Thus much for the first Doctrine which ariseth from the words considered as a Prayer Before I make the Application of this point I shall open the other which is the result of the Text as it lays down a Spiritual privilege and then I will apply them joyntly It is this That all true Saints shall be guided in this life by the The second Doctrin The godly shall have Divine guidance Counsel of God This happiness the Prophet desires this blessing hee doth confidently hope to enjoy And what David or Asaph as beleevers did expect may upon the same grounds be expected by all beleevers The very same Charter the very same Covenant of Grace the very same Inheritance which appertains to one Saint belongs to every Saint The Salvation of Gods people is called the common Salvation Jude 3. not because it is common to all men but because it is common to all Saints One Heaven shall hold all the faithful all the precious Wheat shall be gathered into this one Garner The great and main privileges of the Covenant of Grace belong to one Heir of promise as well as another When the Children of Israel were come out of The point proved by Scripture Aegypt and were to travel through that vast howling VVilderness unto the Land of Canaan the Lord did create a miraculous guidance for them He went before them by day in a pillar of a Cloud to lead them the Exod. 13. 21 22. way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light to go by day and by night He took not away the pillar of the Cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people For forty years together did the Lord Jehovah lead his people by this strange guidance which way soever the VVinds blew this Cloud kept its motion neither wind nor storm could disperse it or put it for one moment out of its course This conduct of the Israelites to the Land of Canaan was a figure of that Conduct which God affords all his people through the VVilderness of this world to the Coelestial Canaan he will never leave them till he hath put them into possession of that heavenly Country hee hath prepared for them If we search the Scriptures wee shall meet with many places wherein this is promised to the Servants of God The Prophet amongst divers other privileges of Beleevers makes this to be one He that hath Isa 49. 10. mercy on them shall lead them even by the springs of water shall he guide them The text alludes to the guidance of the Church through the VVilderness by that pillar of Cloud which God had provided As hee led the old Church so he will lead the Gospel Church while God continues to be a merciful God hee will be a guiding God to his people Divine guidance is built on Divine mercy And elsewhere the same Prophet makes mention of this privilege by way of promise The Lord shall guide thee continually and satisfie Isa 58. 11 thy soul in drought A beleever hath as good reason to beleeve that God will guide him as he hath to think that God will feed him And yet again doth the same Prophet assure the Saints of this I will bring Isa 42. 16. the blinde by a way that they know not I will lead them in paths that they have not known These things will I do unto them and not forsake them VVhen the beleever is in such an entangled and perplexed condition that hee knows no more which way to walk than a blinde man in a VVilderness then will God take him by the hand and make darkness light and crooked things straight before him VVhen all our counsel is perished then may we expect the shinings forth of Gods counsel As God hath promised this guidance so we shall finde that beleevers have with much confidence hoped for it It is one Article of a Beleevers Creed that God will bee his guide This God saith the Psal 48. 14. Church is our God for ever and ever he will be our guide even unto death He that hath reason to beleeve that God is his God may with all the confidence of his heart beleeve that he will bee his guide VVhen God engaged himself to be our God he did solemnly undertake to be our Guide he could not bee our God if he were not our Guide and therefore doth the Prophet put them together Isa 48. 17. I am the Lord thy God which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go The Prophet David very confidently promiseth this to himself speaking of God he saith He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for Psal 23. 3. his names sake The same God which puts a Beleever into the path of righteousness at first will lead him in that path For the opening of this point it will be necessary to discusse briefly these three Particulars 1 In what respect God will guide the Beleever The Doctrine opened 2 VVhy God will guide him 3 How a Beleever can wander seeing God doth guide him First In what respect God will guide Beleevers 1 In what respect God guides Beleevers How will God guide them what this promise of Divine guidance hath reference unto This Promise refers to two things 1 To matters of Faith 2 To matters of Practise First God will guide his people in matters of Faith he will teach them what is truth and what 1 In matters of faith is falshood he will direct them in point of Judgement as well as in point of Practise 1 God will give them understanding to discern the truth 2 God will give them hearts to embrace the truth 3 God will establish and settle them in the truth And 4 If through ignorance or temptation they bee drawn aside God will reduce them and bring them back to the truth The Scripture promiseth divine Conduct in point of faith as well as in point of practise to the people of God Yee shall know the truth saith our Saviour to Joh. 8. 32. them that beleeved in him and the truth shall make you free And when he promiseth the Holy Ghost the Comforter he mentions this as one branch of his Office He shall lead you into all truth Though the Joh. 16. 13. people of God may be ignorant of some truth though they may be leavened with some Errour yet shall they by the conduct of the Holy Ghost the perfect Master of truth be preserved from all fundamental errours in point of faith Men may perish as well through the want of the Doctrine of faith as of the grace of faith As there are damnable Practices so the Scripture tells us that there are damnable Heresies or

Bless God for this guidance of Divine guidance When you have any occasion to go to a Lawyer for Counsel you give him his Fee without asking VVhen you hire a guide to conduct you in the way you are willing to give him satisfaction God expects that his people should with thankfulness acknowledge his great kindness in laying his VVord before them in putting his Spirit within them in making his Providence subservient for their safe conduct David wisely and Psal 16. 7. graciously resolves upon this I will bless the Lord who hath given me counsel my reins also instruct me in the night seasons God did not only give him his VVord to advise him but his Spirit to teach him The Holy Ghost did stamp such powerful impressions on his affections which he calls his reins that hee was effectually bowed to embrace the Counsels of the VVord VVhen the Wise Men that went to finde out Christ saw the Star the text saith they were exceeding Mat. 2. 10. glad had not that directing Star gone before them they had never found the Babe Jesus No doubt the Children of Israel lift up their hearts and glorified God when that pillar of Cloud and Fire was erected among them And should not the Beleevers heart rejoyce and leap for joy that hath as certain a guide to go before him as that was Let mee but hint some advantages which accrue to the people of God by reason of this guiding Counsell and they cannot but see cause of continuall thansgivings I shall but instance in three particulars First By vertue of this divine guidance you are 1 Hereby are wee preserved from sin preserved from those sinfull waies in which others walk to their everlasting ruine The Prophet David found this benefit Concerning the works of men by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer hereupon he praies in the very next words hold Psa 17. 4 5. up my goings in thy paths that my footsteps slip not Why is it that the Saints do not defile their precious Souls with those horrid blasphemies wherewith others are infected but because they are guided by the Counsell of God That you are not Drunkards Murtherers Covenant-breakers Idolaters Lyers is from hence because God is pleased continually to guide you That you do not swim down the stream with others in a corrupt age that you keep faith and a good conscience in a faithlesse and adulterous generation it is to be ascribed to this guidance of heaven That you do not deny Christ that bought you that you do not reject the Scriptures that you do nor forsake the Ordinances and Ministry as many do that you have not washed your hands in innocent blood and conspired against the life of the righteous it is because God hath led you by the Counsell of his word and spirit The best and holyest person in this assembly would have acted his part in the most horrid designs that others have been imployed in carrying on if God had left him to his own heart If you therefore account it a mercy that you have not stained your hearts and hands and consciences with the black and bloody guilt of the worst of sinnes bless the Lord who hath given you Counsell Secondly By means of this guidance you are kept safe from those dangers whereby others have been 2 Hereby are wee kept from danger overtaken It was by reason of the Pillar of Cloud that the people of God escaped the fury of Pharaoh Exo. 14. 20. and his host when they did pursue them with such impoysoned malice The Pillar came between the Camp of the Egyptians and the Camp of Israel so that the one came not neer the other all the night Gods guiding presence with beleevers is for protection as well as direction As God marcheth in the Vann of the Army to shew his people the way so his presence is in the ●ere to prevent their danger Thy righteousnesse shall go before thee saith the Prophet to the beleever and the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward Isa 58. 8. The fiery darts of Devills would long since have gangren'd your flesh and the venom of their Arrows drunk up your spirits if God by his guiding presence had not stood by you for defence The same God that hath been a wall of fire for your protection hath been a wall of fire for your enemies destruction When Israel saw themselves on dry land and the Egyptians dead on the shore then they sung praises to God Exo. 15. 1. It is by vertue of the fiery Pillar that you have to this day escaped the rage of your Pursuers let the remembrance of it inflame your hearts into the highest praises 3 Hereby is our way sweetned Thirdly by means of this guidance the way of your pilgrimage hath been sweetned to you A good guide doth not only preserve the passenger from dangerous paths but by his discourse and company renders the journey comfortable Through Gods guiding presence that hath been with you in the way you have enjoyed sweet communion with him you have had many a daies comfortable converse with God you have hereby had opportunity to open your souls to him to lay your doubts fears temptations before his face God did not only direct the people of Israel by the Pillar of Cloud but hee did from thence reveal himself to them upon all occasions Hee spake to them saith David out of the fiery Pillar God in guiding Psa 99. 7. the Saints by his Counsell doth familiarly make himself known to them who is this that commeth out Cant. 8 5. of the Wildernesse leaning upon her beloved The phrase doth not only signify conduct but familiarity God by the guiding of his people gives them opportunity to see the boylings of his affection towards them and to unlock all their secrets unto him Hee tels them many a pleasant story whereby their drooping hearts are cheered and gives them leave to declare all their griefs whereby their souls are dis-burthened Now let mee again beseech you and charge you O yee holy ones of God by all the sinnes from which you have been preserved by all the dangers from which you have been delivered and by all the sweet comforts which you have received by the guiding Counsell of God to get your hearts fired into flames of holy praises Secondly Bee willing to submit to the guidance 2 Submit to this guidance of Gods Counsell Do not pull away the shoulder do not harden your hearts be not stiff-necked but where Gods bids you go thither resolve to go The Children of Israel did move when the Pillar of Cloud moved and they went which way soever it went and when the Pillar stood still then they pitched their Tents At the Commandement of the Lord they journeyed and at the Commandement of the Lord they pitched Num 9. 17 18 19 20 21 22 23. their Tents

into vulgar Languages it is not only useful but of absolute necessity How can men follow the guidance of Gods counsel in the Scripture if they do not understand the Language of the Scripture All the Counsels of God in his Word will be Riddles and Parables to me if I do not understand the Language in which they are delivered If the Trumpat give an uncertain sound who shall prepare himself to the 1 Cor. 14. 7 8. battel It is an Argument which the Apostle brings to prove the absurdity of worshipping God in a strange Tongue I may urge it with the same strength to the Point in hand Things without life giving sound whether Pipe or Harp except they give a distinction in the sounds how shall it be known what is piped or harped We are doubly engaged to God in that through the abilities he hath given to men the Divine guide does speak to us in a Language that wee can understand Fourthly What a happiness is it to Beleevers that the Spirit of God dwels in them It is one of the 4 The indwelling of the Spirit a rich privilege great privileges of the Saints that they are made an habitation of God through the Spirit When Jesus Christ left his Church in regard of his bodily presence hee promised to send the Spirit who should abide with it Joh. 14. 16 17. for ever He had purchased the Spirit as a Guide to his Church and he promiseth to pray the Father to make his purchase good The blessedness of this privilege appears in this amongst many other things because the Spirit with the Word is that heavenly Counsellor by which we are guided The direction of the Word would not be effectual without the teachings of the Spirit The Word shews us the way and the Spirit guides our feet in the way The Word is a Chrystal Glass which shews us our duty the Spirit gives us sight to see our duty and hearts to perform it The Word is the Christians Compass to instruct him which way to shape his course the Spirit is his Pilot which steers him in that course If God had not put his Spirit in our hearts as well as his VVord in our mouth wee should never have arrived at the fair havens of peace Fifthly It teacheth us that beleevers are very dear to God they are exceeding precious in his sight 5 True Beleevers are precious to God Severall Arguments may be given to confirm this conclusion All hee hath laid up for them all that hee laies out upon them testifieth how much the Lord delights in them This privilege of which I am speaking is a sufficient testimony of it Hee would not be so ready to guide them if hee did not respect them his Eye is upon them because his heart is upon them Because they have the affection of his soul therefore they have the protection of his hand They have been Elected in his eternall Counsells and therefore they are guided by his revealed Counsells Saith David know that the Lordhath separated him that is godly for himself Psa 4. 3. he speaks I conceive chiefly of Gods setting him a part for the Kingdome but yet there is a truth in it if wee carry it higher Beleevers are Jedidiahs they are Hephzibah's they are Gods darlings Gods delights upon all the glory shall be a defence Isa 4. 5. because they are glorious God becomes their guide Therefore doth hee guide them because hee loves them A ragged Saint is dearer to God than a glittring Emperour that wants grace Sixthly Observe from hence the safety and security 6 The safe estate of beleevers of true Beleevers They have many enemies but they have one guide that hath more strength than all their enemies He that is a guide to the Saints is a destroyer to them that would crush the saints The same Exo. 14. 19. 20. Pillar of Cloud which was a guide to Israel to shew them the way was a protection to them against the Egyptians It was both a guiding Pillar and a defensive Pillar It was a Pillar of fire to the Israelites but a cloud of darknesse to the Egyptians Gods guiding of his Saints speaks his protection Saints are better guarded and guided than the Princes of the earth they have hosts of men for their defence but the beleevers have the Lord of hosts for their Salvation Hee that meddles with Gods Saints assaults God himself He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of my eye Zech. 2. 8. The apple of Gods Eye is the beleevers guide and the beleevers guard hee that toucheth him with an intention to hurt him smites at Gods Eye which is upon him And he that lifts up his hand against God shall find Gods destroying hand stretched out against him I will lye down in peace saith David and sleep quietly because Psa 4. 8. thou Lord only makest mee dwell in safety T is not a rich bed nor a band of Souldiers that causeth sweet sleep A galled conscience will work disturbance through all such fences The guard without the door will not quiet fightings within But he that can say God is my guide my guard may sleep quietly upon the top of a Mast It is the Beleevers portion to have God for his guide and because of this portion hee is secure whatever stirs are in the world God will either lead him through the storm or hee will guide him some other way to avoyd the storm or else if hee fall under it God will by the storm lead him to that place where neither storms nor tempests are nor shall be ingendred to eternity which is indeed the best guidance of all Thus I have dispatched the first use which was Information I go to the Second which is for Reproof Secondly These points which have been handle 2 Use Reprehension to those that make other guides minister occasion of sharp reprehension and sad mourning Is it the desire of the godly that God would guide them Is it the portion of the godly that God will guide them by his Counsell may wee not then sigh even to the breaking of our Loyns that there are so many that forsake this heavenly Pillar and create other guides and other Counsellors to themselves There are very few that desire to be guided by Gods Counsell there are very few indeed but they do reject Gods Counsell and that both in matters of Faith and matters of practise this is and shall be for a lamentation There are divers guides which men create to themselves First Some there are who make their own reason 1 Those that set up Reason for a guide their guide they will march under no other conduct than reason either in matters of faith or matters of practise they will beleeve nothing but what reason dictates they will not receive the gold of the Sanctuary unlesse it be touched by the blind Assay-master of reason All the mysteries of Religion must be

weighed in the ballance of reason and if they be allowed by it they will receive them but if reason disapprove them they are rejected as spurious and illegitimate Alas Alas Reason is an unsufficient guide to direct us especially in matters of faith Our Saviour sends men to Scripture in all such cases not to Reason Search the Scriptures for in them yee think to have eternall life Joh 5. 39. and they are they which testify of mee And elsewhere to the Law and to the Testimony God needed Isa 8. 20. not have set his pen-men on work to have written his will if Reason had been a sufficient Umpire in such matters To make reason a guide in matters of Faith is to unscripture the Scriptures Reason is not high enough though it stand on tipetoe to see to the bottome of those deep mysteries of Faith which are revealed in scripture Reason loseth it self grows mad when it dives into these deeps Reason is vitiated and corrupted by the fall as well as the Will the carnall Rom. 8. 7 mind is emnity against God Mans head is by nature as full of rottennesse as his heart Reason hath need of the tutorage of the word as well as the affections The light of reason is but as the light of the Gloworm but the light of Scripture is as bright as the Sun Reason doth stand in as much need of the correction of Faith as sense doth of the correction of reason St. Paul tells 1 Cor. 2. 14. us that the naturall man take him in his highest attainments receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned Reason is now become like the wise Counsellors of Pharaoh brutish The Heathen that followed their own reason how Rom. 1. 21. 22. did they wander from the truth They became vain in their imaginations their foolish heart was darkned professing themselves to be wise they became fools as the Apostle speaks It is precious counsell which Solomon gives Pro. 3. 5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thine own understanding Hee had a longer line of reason than any of Adams posterity that succeeded him and yet hee prefers Faith in God before the deepest reason He that makes reason his guide doth in effect make it his God Hee that is acted according to the direction of Reason especially in matters of Faith will see cause to bewail such unreasonable actings The high scaling ladder of Faith must be set upon the head of reason if ever we would get a true apprehension of the things of God He that makes reason his guide especially in matters of Faith may find it a Pillar of Cloud but hee shall never find it a Pillar of Fire Reason is a good staff but no good guide I shall add this for a conclusion of all It is the highest and best reason to forsake our own wisdome and in all divine matters to stick to the unerring Counsel of Gods word and Spirit Reason though a very glorious thing is but the handmaid of Scripture Secondly Others there are that make men their 2 Those that make men their guide guide If wee examine narrowly wee shall find thousands in the world that set up no other guide besides this They walk according as they see others walk and they beleeve according to the belief of others It cannot be denied but it is a duty to tread in the steps of good men There is much of Gods Light in their Light wee are many times incited to walk according to the holy patterns of gracious men It is the Apostles advice Remember them which have the rule over you who have spoken unto you the word of God whose faith follow considering the end of their conversation Ministers are Heb. 13. 7. guides by Doctrin and they are guides by life and it is a duty lying on the flock to follow their holy example as well as their Doctrin And therefore doth the same Apostle in his Epistle to the Philippians Phil. 3. 17. give this Counsell Brethren bee followers together of mee and mark them which walk so as yee have us for an example God hath for this purpose set up his graces in his Saints that by the light of them others may bee able to see the way to Heaven more clearly But yet to make men the best and holiest of men absolutely our guide either for Doctrin or Life is unpleasing to God and unsafe for our selves For First VVe ought not to esteem of men above that which is meet or as the Apostle saith above that 1 Cor. 6. 6. which is written It is an honour too high and too glorious to be put on any man to make him an universal guide VVe are commanded by our Saviour to call no man Father on earth it is not unlawful to call men Fathers Mat. 23. 9. upon earth the Fifth Commandement enjoyns Pa●ernum honorem falso hominibus tribui si Dei gloriam obscurat Calv. both the name and the honour but we are not to call men our Fathers so as thereby to obscure the glory of God as Calvin expounds the place Now to make any man our guide in opposition to the Counsel of God is to call man our Father in a sinful sense Hee that thus makes man his guide makes man his God which is a breach of the first Commandement Secondly The best of men is an insufficient guide the wisest of men need the guidance of God The best of men are fallible Men of low degree are vanity and Psal 62. 9. men of high degree are a lye The best of men are imperfect both in Knowledge and Holiness they are like the Moon that hath a dark side as well as a bright God hath scattered his Graces among his people but he hath not given any one Saint all his graces I mean not all degrees of any grace the best and most perfect hath grace in imperfection The wicked are seducing guides the godly are defective guides and therefore not to be followed any farther then they follow the Counsels of God The Apostle puts in that condition when he propounds his own example Be yee followers of me as I am of Christ It is a limitation 1 Cor. 11. 1. that must never be left out It is no dishonour to any man to dissent from him when he dissents from the Counsel of God Thirdly VVhatsoever wee do if wee have no higher a rule for it then man will not be accepted of God To assent to Divine truths only because they are beleeved of men is to assent to them but with an Human faith To do what God commands only because men do the same is but a Human obedience which God will not reward Thou hast charged us saith Psal 119. 4 5. David that we should keep thy precepts diligently And then he