Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
fire_n	earth_n	water_n	world_n	5,553	5	4.9981	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29934	The certainty of the future judgment asserted and proved in a sermon preached at St Michael's Crooked Lane, London, Octob. xxvi, 1684 / by Matth. Bryan ...	Bryan, Matthew, d. 1699.	1685 (1685)	Wing B5246; ESTC R19907	26,200	46

For this they willingly are ignorant of That by the Word of God the Heavens were of old and the Earth standing out of the Water and in the Water whereby the World that then was being overflowed with Water perished But the Heavens and the Earth which are now by the same Word are kept in store reserved unto fire against the Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men The summ and force of which Argument is briefly this God made the World for it could not make it self and having the power over it did once destroy it i. e. the face of it with the things in it by water and he has the same power over it still and can destroy it as he has told us he will by fire If he could do the former he can as easily do the latter Noah prophesied of the former and it came to pass and the Prophets yea the great Prophet Christ himself has prophesied of the latter and why should we not believe it To this I might add that other Prophecies in Scripture concerning Christ have been fulfill'd particularly that concerning his coming in the Flesh and why should we dis-believe this of his coming to Judgment Secondly The Nature of God and his Measure and Account of Time ver 8. Be not ignorant of this one thing that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day q. d. You think it a long time e're Christ come to Judgment and therefore conclude he will never come judging of the Lord by your selves not understanding and considering his Divine Nature which is Infinite Immense Omniscient and Eternal He does not look upon things and measure time as we do He is not subject to succession and mutation as we are He suffers no Flux of Time There is no time past or to come with him He does by one infinite Act of Intuition behold and comprehend all things past and to come as present they all exist before him in one eternal Now. There is nothing to speak strictly and properly short or long in his sight or account of things One day which seems so short with us is with him as long as a thousand years and a thousand years which appear so long to us are with him as short as one day Those Periods of Time that seem so long unto us are with him but as a moment So Moses observes Psal 90.4 A thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past which is infinitely less than yesterday when it was present and as a Watch in the Night This the Heathen were sensible of by the Light of Nature ascribing Immensity to their Gods 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 says Pythagoras There is nothing long with the Gods And Divine Plutarch speaking of the late vengeance of the Deity observes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All the Interval of humane life is to the Gods nothing This Saint Peter observes these Scoffers are wilfully ignorant of at least inconsiderate and therefore talk at such a mad and sensless rate and give way to and indulge their Atheism and infidelity And against this ignorance and inconsideration of the Nature of God and his measure and account of Time he cautions even the Friends of Christ that they might not be discouraged with the thoughts of the Lord's slackness in coming to Judgment or be tempted to entertain an Atheistical Anti-Christian Opinion that he will never come and so laugh and mock at the Doctrine with these Scoffers here and therefore he greets them with an endearing compellation Beloved which is an evidence that he speaks to the Saints But Beloved be not ignorant of this one thing of which these Scoffers are wilfully ignorant and inconsiderate that one day c. 3. This Scoffing and Infidelity owes it self to their wilful ignorance and inconsideration of God's patience and long-suffering v. 9. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness but is long-suffering to us-ward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance The Lord is not slack as some men count slackness i. e. as if he had chang'd his purpose or broke his promise or were unwilling or unable to keep it and fulfil it He is not slack that stays long but that stays beyond his appointed time or that comes not at all The Lord will not defer his coming to Judgment one moment beyond his appointed time He that shall come will come and will not tarry i. e. beyond his own appointment 'T is not then because he has forgotten his promise or cannot keep it or has over-slipt his appointed time that he deferrs coming to Judgment but out of infinite compassion and kindness to Sinners being long-suffering not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance Which these ungrateful Wretches are not sensible of and therefore scoff and mock kick and spurn at the Divine Bowels abuse that clemency which keeps 'em out of Hell trample upon that patience which bears with their follies and waits for their repentance despise that love and goodness which suspends the fearful vengeance How passionately does the Apostle expostulate with such as these Rom. 2.4 Despisest thou the riches of his Goodness and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the Goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance O that my Voice could this Day reach the ears and pierce the heart of every scoffing Atheist and hardned blaspheming Sinner in this Kingdom I would be bold to ask him seriously Dost thou think O man that the God that made thee is not able to punish thee that he that created and preserves thee cannot judge thee that he that governs and upholds the World is not able to deal with such a weak silly Creature as thou art that he in whom thou dost live and move and hast thy Being is not able to destroy thee and execute vengeance on thee and therefore dost dare him to his face and bid him do his worst against thee and accelerate the slow-pac'd vengeance laughing and mocking at the Divine threatnings and the Doctrine of the future Judgment as a thing which thou dost not fear and shalt never feel sporting with Hell and the Devil bidding him take and rot and sink thee laughing at the Great Judge and bidding him damn thee if he can what else is the meaning of those direful Curses those horrid God-damn-me-Execrations which pollute the Air and wound the ears of God and men I do not think that these men seriously desire damnation but out of a daring bravery mock and deride God himself and affront him to his face telling the World that they do not fear him nor his threatnings nor all the powers of Hell which he can set against them that they are so little afraid of his damning power that they will damn themselves in a frolick or bid him damn 'em if he can and hasten his threatned Judgment A very ill and