Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
fire_n	die_v	hell_n	worm_n	3,808	5	10.0013	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60157	Some account of the holy life and death of Mr. Henry Gearing, late citizen of London who departed this life January the 4th. 1693/4. Aged 61. By John Shower. The second edition. With the trial and character of a real Christian, collected out of his papers, for the examination of himself: from which several other particulars are added, for the instruction, encouragement, and imitation of Christians.		1699 (1699)	Wing S3692; ESTC R221466	72,960	188

Happiness for ever And when I thought of the Torments of Hell the Fire that must never go out and the Worm that shall never die this I looked upon as the due Desert of my Sins and as my Portion I had renounced all my own Righteousness I could see nothing in my self but what deserved Hell I wondred at the Patience of God to me I could justifie him tho' he should damn me I thought my self unworthy to eat or drink or breathe or tread upon the Earth I looked every Day when God would glorifie himself in my Damnation but this I kept to my self Tho' others could not but take notice of the Sadness of my Spirit and wondred at it yet I did not tell any how it was with me My Heart was very full and I longed to vent it but I knew not how To God I durst not go being conscious of my own Vileness I was ashamed to make known my Condition to Man it was so bad I thought none ever had such blasphemous Thoughts as I had I wished some of the Saints did know my Condition that they might direct me and pray for me but I could not tell to whom to apply my self Thus was I in Perplexity tossed to and fro and not comforted And tho' the Lord was pleased to uphold me and keep me from falling into the Pit of Despair yet I was very near it I was encompassed about with so many and great Temptations and they came so strong upon me that I could not hold out any longer to conceal my Trouble Then the Lord put it into my Mind to acquaint my Unkle Gearing with my sad Condition but the Devil endeavoured all he could to hinder it by perswading me that it was a foolish thing to declare my Wickedness to one that was so holy that I should but purchase his ill Opinion of me and cause him to hate and abhor me and do my self no good at all by telling him of it Yet still I had a Desire to do it and I had no Rest in my Spirit till I had done it But sometimes I wanted an Opportunity and sometimes when I would have spoken I could not But at last a fit Opportunity was presented upon a Sabbath-Day Night all being in Bed except my Unkle and my self I was resolved to open my Heart freely to him When I began to speak my Mouth was as it were stopped but with trembling I forced my self to speak and made known my sad Condition I told him what grievous Blasphemous Thoughts I had and that I was affraid I had committed the Sin against the Holy Ghost and thought therefore I should certainly be damned and had no Hopes of Salvation but I desired his Prayers for me and his Advice in a Matter of such Consequence It pleased the Lord to affect his Heart with my Condition He told me it was not my Sin to be tempted if I did not yield to the Temptation And therefore it should not drive me to despair of God's Mercy He said it was a Sign I had not committed the Sin against the Holy Ghost because I was affraid I had committed it He spoke much of the gracious Nature of God and of his Willingness to save Sinners and as I remember he told me of many and great Sinners in Scripture to whom God had shewed Mercy as Manasseh and Mary Magdalen and the Thief upon the Cross He also directed me to many sweet Promises in Scripture but that especially which is never to be forgotten Ezek. 36. 25 26. Then will I sprinkle clean Water upon you and you shall be clean from all your Filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you A new Heart also will I give you and a new Spirit will I put within you c. He told me every one might lay hold on this Promise When he read these Scriptures to me my Heart rejoiced and I began to hope God would pardon me and give me a new Heart and cause me to walk in his Ways He also gave me very good Counsel particularly to be constant in the Excellent Duty of Secret Prayer and told me the great Benefit I should find thereby c. Now having made known my Condition and declared my Trouble and hearing these gracious Promises to poor Sinners I found some Ease and Satisfaction in my Mind and the beginning of Comfort in my Soul I resolved to put these Duties in practice Secret Prayer Self-examination Meditation c. But I was altogether a Stranger to these inward Heart-Duties I knew not how to perform them as I ought How many times have I kneeled down to pray and knew not what to say but wanted not Sighs and Tears And so my Necessity and the Sense of my Vileness my earnest Desires after Christ and his Grace put Words into my Mouth Tho' my Duties were miserably lame and defective yet they were performed with much Earnestness and Importunity and I think I may say in Sincerity surely then my Heart was in every Word and in every Duty I did not then dally with God I was in good earnest for my Soul and that Promise was comfortable to me If there be first a willing Mind it is accepted with God c. I found that Scripture made good to me Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord. And that in Isa 40. 16. I will bring the Blind by the way that they knew not I will make Darkness Light before them and crooked things strait These things will I do unto them and not forsake them saith the Lord. These and such Scriptures were sweet and I began to search the Bible to find them And when the Lord was pleased to set them home upon my Heart they were as Cordials many times to my fainting Soul But tho' I had some Comfort and Support yet was I not free from Temptations and Trouble of Mind My spiritual Enemies strove hard to hinder my Godly Course and turn me from it had not the Lord been stronger than they My Sin was a heavy Burden to me and I had earnest Desires after Christ yet I found it very hard to believe Satan laboured to perswade me that I was not elected to Salvation and therefore whatever I did I should never be saved This was no small Trouble to my Spirit but it pleased the Lord to direct me to a Book in which I found much Satisfaction concerning this Matter Then Satan told me He that believeth not should be damned and therefore because I was full of Unbelief and Doubting I was condemned already But when I was in great Trouble about this it pleased the Lord to cast in this Scripture If we believe not yet he abideth faithful he cannot deny himself This did very much support me and so did these following Promises which I had not taken notice of before nor applied to my self Isa 55. 1. and all this Chapter and Mat. 11. 28. Joh. 7. 37. Rev. 22. 17. Joh. 3. 16.