Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
fire_n	day_n	night_n	pillar_n	4,391	5	10.4587	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35001	Several sermons, or, Declarations of Mr. Stephen Crisp, late of Colchester in Essex, deceased exactly taken in characters, or shorthand, as they were delivered by him at the publick meeting-houses of the people called Quakers, in Grace-Church-Street and Devonshire-House, London / and now faithfully transcribed and published ; together with his prayer at the end of every sermon.	Crisp, Stephen, 1628-1692.	1693 (1693)	Wing C6941; ESTC R32375	87,023	199

on in every ones Bosom when the Question is stated I would have you really Answer it Shall I guide my Actions and Words according to this unerring Rule or no I cannot tell what to say say some there is danger in it What danger can there be to answer that which a Man knows to be Truth I will tell you what danger The World is Perverse the most men Live out of Truth and the Devil is a Cunning Adversary and he would have none Live in it He abode not in the Truth and he would not have us live in it nor regulate our Words and Actions by the Truth in our own Souls What if most Men in the World pervert the Truth What if so few walk in the Narrow Way and so few come to Life Eternal therefore is that an Argument I must not come there should it not stir me up to greater diligence that by any means I may be of the number of that few that shall obtain Salvation and not go with a agreat company in the Way that leads to Destruction If we improve our Times and Seasons and Opportunities and Mercies and Blessings that are vouchsafed to us we at last may obtain Life Eternal But some may say I must sit down in Despair for I cannot come thither of my self though I do what I can to Work out my own Salvation There is a Decree against me what though I should Pray never so much and spend my Nights in Grief and Sorrow If I be Decreed to Eternal Damnation there is no help for me no hope that I should escape it And if I be Decreed to Salvation though I take my Liberty to Sin and be Loose and Wanton as others it cannot hinder me from attaining Salvation at last For this Reason many have laid aside the Spiritual Warfare against Corruption and their Spiritual Travel that they will do do nothing in order to their Everlasting Happiness therefore they think they had as good take their Pleasure But my Friends the case is not now so with us Let every Soul among us praise the Lord for his mercy in expelling that thick Cloud of Darkness which is vanished and gone This I know and I hope you do all believe that God doth every where and in every Nation call Sinners to Repentance and that He delighteth not in the Death of him that Dyeth but rather that they would turn and Live and in order thereunto he hath given his Son Jesus Christ to be a Saviour and a Mediator and he hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our Hearts to give direction to us in our Way Now our Duty is to make improvement of those Visitations of Mercy that God hath bestowed upon us in order to our Salvation and not Live in Rioting and Drunkenness Chambering and Wantonness Strife and Envying and following the Fashons of the World But we must Work out our own Salvation with Fear and Trembling But some will say Is not this done already Is it not already wrought by our Saviour and Mediator Christ hath tasted Death for every Man and laid down a Price for the Soul of every Man But there must be a change wrought in us There is a Translation of our Souls from one state to another This is called in the Scriptute Regeneration and being born again this is called a being baptized into Christ and described also by other expressions But the matter is to Change thy Life for there is a sinful Source of Wickedness that is stirred up by the Motions of the Powers of Darkness and our own concupiscence but God is always ready to bring us under the Government of his Holy Spirit that will lead us into into all Truth and this cannot be done without a Cross but the Question lies here Shall I take up this Cross or no if I do it will Crucifie me to the World Let me see How much do I Love the World A great deal But do I Love the World better than my own Soul What will it profit me to gain the whole World and lose my own Soul Or what shall I give in Exchange for my Soul I cannot get to Heaven without denying my self let me take care of my Immortal Soul I am a poor Creature I will serve the Lord my Maker and make it my business to Glorifie and Please him He can snatch me away by Death when he pleaseth therefore I will labour that my Thoughts Words and Actions and Conversation may answer to that rule that he hath set before me as a Standard of Truth to square and regulate my actions by I will not live any longer in vanity as many do I do not know but my Breath may be stopt to Day before to Morrow therefore To Day while it is called to Day I will hear Gods Voice and not harden my Heart but receive that Counsel that is offered to me for the benefit of my Soul I am bought with a Price I am none of my own I will live to him that died for me I have more Reason to live to Christ and serve him that shed his precious Blood for the Redemption of my Soul and to be subject to him then to be subject to Christs Enemy to the Prince of the Power of the Air that Rules in the Children of Disobedience I will take up a Resolution to serve God but I can do nothing of my self but The Grace of God which brings Salvation will teach me to deny Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts and to live Righteously Soberly and Godly in this present World Take heed of being deceived and beguiled for there is no way will bring you to Heaven but an Holy and Undefiled way Therefore come and take this Standard of Truth in your hands to guide you in your way that you may neither turn to the Right hand nor to the Left this will shew you the way you should walk in and be like the Cloud and Pillar of Fire to the Israelites in their journey to Canaan which was a Type of Heaven the Cloud they could see by Day and the Pillar of Fire by Night so this Standard of Truth will direct you in your Travel to the Heavenly Canaan Let this be the Rule and Measure of your Thoughts Words and Actions If a workman that is a Builder hath a Rule to work by if he goes on and never examines his Work by his Rule but makes his Eye his Rule if he doth not bring his Rule to his work every little while to see whether his work be right if he worketh on and never mind his Rule What sad work willl he make But a Prudent Skilful workman will say I will not trust mine Eye too much but I will look to my Rule my Rule will not fail me if there be bad work it will discover it to me that I may mend it before I go any further Thus a discreet Workman will bring his Rule to his Work and use his Line and Plummet

saith I feared that the Lord had forgotten me and had passed me by and had done with me but I see he Visits me again and he hath Visited my Soul this Day inclining me to walk more answerably and suitably to his Love he hath doubled his Power upon me and hath kindled a holy Fire in my Heart and caused me to seek after him He hath touched my Heart and I will Pour out my Soul in Supplication seeing he hath touched me He will take hold of ●e by his Power and he will keep me from being any more drawn away I will live in the sense of his Power and mercy that keeps me Night and Day that I may encrease in it and grow in Grace When the Lord meets with such a one he will draw him to the way that he hath appointed none can come unto me saith Christ except the Father which hath sent me draw him If I am drawn into what form shall I go now And what Ordinance shall I take up now This is all under Feet This is none of my Work I will come to Christ the Mediatour and he will take the Government and Rule of me It is not my best way to study for a form and an outside Religion I will wait upon that Power that hath thus touched my Heart that he may by degrees bring me to the Obedience of Christ But some are ready to say Who and What is this Christ Jesus that you are speaking of that Immediate Christ Jesus that is extant and present that I am to have to be the Object of my Faith That I may believe in him and come to Acquaintance of him that I may partake of the Life of Christ Jesus and have it Communicated to my Soul It is true we have not a thought or a word to speak that may Derogate from the wonderful Grace of Christ who died in his person on Earth for the salvation of our Souls Yet we must know that the Lord Jesus Christ may be Spiritually present with us and take the Government of us and we are to be subject to him How shall this be I am speaking of one that hath felt the Fathers Drawings when he draws them to his Son and draws them to something that is Holy and Pure This God the Father hath begotten we read in Scripture that God hath begotten Christ who is the only begotten of the Father It is strange you will say to speak of begetting Christ again God begets Christ again that is spiritually he being the first born in many Brethren in every true Believer and there is a travel of Soul that Christ may be Formed in him See what Travel of Soul the Apostle Paul falls into the second time for the Galatians They were a brave People they worshiped God in the Spirit and believed in Christ Jesus and afterwards they came to be seduced by false Prophets and false Teachers that set them about their Works and told them that they could not be Justified and saved without their own Works These false Teachers that came among them were as bad as Popish Priests and Friers It is not your Obedience to Christ and the Spirit will save you you must be doing So these Poor People were deluded and bewitched to give you the Apostles own Words and so they were Infatuated and drawn away from the Simplicity of the Gospel and they thought by the works of the Law to obtain Salvation The Apostle writes a Letter to them and tells them that he traveled in birth again till Christ was formed in them If this was not Scripture it would look like a strange work there must be a forming of Christ a Birth there must be and a begetting Who must beget in this and that moment But the same that begat from the beginning the same is the Father he begets Christ in all that believe and obey the Gospel He is begetting something in me that is Holy though I be unholy the Father by the Operation of his Divine hand begets something in me that is Holy This I find though I am not so good as I should be I have that given me that will tell me that the more I adhere and joyne my self in my desires and Affections to this good Principle the more I shall pertake of the Quality of it this good Principle though it be like a little Grain of Mustard-seed I cannot tell what to compare it to for Littleness in comparison of the Great Lump and Mass of Sin Corruption and Filthyness that Wars against it This will Overspread all that is bad and make me Holy as that is Holy Pure as that is Pure and to have a Love to Him from whence it came even to God and Christ It will gather the Affections from Corruptible things and place them upon things above This Faith tells People that it is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen such a one lives by Faith such a one that comes to be joyned to that that is begotten of the Father He lives by the Faith of the Son of God and can do nothing of himself but through Christ that strengthens him They say unto God I perceive I can do nothing without thee I cannot Pray unto thee nor serve thee of my self I can do nothing acceptably but through Christ the Mediator such a one becomes like a little Child and he must be Led and who must Lead him but the Spirit of Christ You cannot Preach saith one to him unless you be moved by the Spirit You cannot Pray till you be moved by the Spirit How should I No without him I can do nothing I cannot Preach nor Pray nor do any thing Acceptable to God the Father but by Christ and he hath Revealed him in me This is no new Doctrine we see the new and Living way It was an old way to old Christians and a new way to the new and so a Thousand Years hence if the World last so long Men will see that they cannot do any thing pleasing to God but as they are gathered into Christ they will see their own Righteousness works and doings will avail them nothing at all This is all laid at the feet of Jesus whom God hath exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to be Lord and King Now my Friends we are engaged in this Age abundantly engaged to offer thanks to God through Jesus Christ that he hath provided and opened a way for the sending forth the Spirit of his Son And that God hath gathered a People and hath made known to them the way of Life that they might walk in it but there is no walking in it but through a Daily Cross and self-denial It is not likely that a Man should be brought back to God the same way that he went out from God and the Prophets and Apostles do allude to this turning to God When thou turnest aside to the right Hand or to the left thou shalt hear