Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
fire_n	earthquake_n	lord_n	wind_n	4,960	5	10.8107	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67484	A still and soft voice from the scripture vvitnessing them to be the vvord of God.	Walwyn, William, 1600-1681.	1647 (1647)	Wing W692; ESTC R38023	8,703	18

A STILL AND SOFT VOICE From the Scriptures VVitnessing them to be the VVord of God 1 Kings 19.11.12 And he said to Eliah come out and stand upon the Mount before the Lord. And behold the Lord went by and a mighty strong wind rent the Mountaines and brake the Rocks before the Lord but the Lord was not in the wind and after the wind came an Earth-quake but the Lord was not in the Earth-quake And after the Earth-quake came fire but the Lord was not in the fire and after the fire came a still and soft voice And when Eliah heard it he covered his face with a Mantle c. Printed in the Yeare 1647. A Still and Soft Voice A She who is arrived to the full age of a man and seriously considers the severall passages and progresse of his fore past life what he did or understood when he was a child a youth a young man a meere man or before he came to be advised and to consider all things by true rules of reason is best able to deale with every one in every age and condition to shew them their vanity ignorance and mistakings and to point them out the path of vertue Experience making the best Schoole-master in things naturall and morall Even so is it in Religion he only can best judge advise and counsell others who hath observed and most seriously considered the severall passages and progresse of his owne knowledge in things divine yet who are so forward to judge and comptrole therein as meere smatterers and such as have least experience I suppose it will be acknowledged by ail experienced Christians that the greatest number of men and women in the world are drawne into the consideration and Practice of Religion by education and custome of the place where they are bred and that many never have any other foundation nor motive to continue therein then the reputation it brings them all other religions or wayes of worship being discountenanced and out of credit such as these are Champions for what 's in fashion ever running with the streame and crying downe all contrary minded Vox populi Vox dei the Major voice then which nothing is more uncertain in Religion is to these as the voice of God and when they are zealous for vulgar opinions they thinke they are zealous for God and his truth when they revile abuse and hale men before the Magistrates and even kill and destroy them they think they doe God good service being zealous of the traditions of the times for though truth should be publickly professed yet to such as hold it only by education and custome it is in them traditionall and they are not truly religious but meere morrall christians utterly ignorrant of the cleare Heavenly brightnesse inherent in pure and undefiled Religion But though it be evident that there are too too many who hold their religion on this fraile foundation yet it is very comfortable to behold the sincerity of multitudes of good people in our dayes who not content to possesse their knowledg in a traditionall way doe accustome themselves to try and examine all things Yet as it is a hard thing unto men bred so vainly as most men are to keepe the golden meane in naturall or morrall Reformations so is it difficult to preserve from extreames in matters of religion the reason is because in our tryalls and examinations we have not that heedfull care which is absolutely necessary to free our Judgments from absurdityes or improper things common and uvlgar arguments catching fast hold upon us too suddenly and so we engage over violently averring and maintayning without giving due time to our consideration to worke and debate it selfe into necessary conclusions The first sort of these religious persons are deadly enemies to examination and tryall of things we say they are not fit to Judge or these matters ne sutor ultra crepidam is commonly in their mouthes the Cobler ought not to goe beyond his last what are the learned for if these high things fall within the compasse of our capacities why chuse wee wise and juditious men more able then our selves but to reforme and settle Religion if you draw them into any discourse and endeavour to shew them their weakenesse their only aime is how to entrap you in your words and if it be possible to make you obnoctious to authority If their ignorance and superstition appeare so grosse and palpable that in loving tearmes and for their better information you demand how they come to know there is a God or that the scriptures are the word of God their common answer is doe you deny them it seemes you doe otherwise why doe you aske such questions if they offer to proove by some common received argument and you shew the weakenesse thereof they 'le goe nigh to tell you to your face and report for certaine behind your back to all they know or can know that you are an Athiest that you deny there is a God and deny the Scriptures to be the word of God nor doe they hate any sort of men so much as those who are inquisitive after knowledge judgeing them as busie bodyes men of unquiet spirits that know not when they are well or when they have sufficient for their parts they are constant in one for the substance their principles are not of yesterday but of many yeares standing and the most learned and wise are of their way and why should not others be as well content as they is it fit say they that every one should follw his owne understanding in the worship of God wee see what comes of it when men once forsake the beaten Road the Kings high way in Religion into how many by-pathes doe they runne nay whether would they not runne if our care were not to hedg and keepe them in And thus ignorance becomes many times Judge of knowledge and the most grosse and slothfull comptroler of the most active in Religion Of this sort of men there are very many and they are made very much use of by worldly Pollititians who have found by constant experience that superstition is the easiest meanes to lead a multitude this way or that way as their occasions and purposes may require and on the contrary that true Religion is in it selfe as oppsite to their unjust ends as it is to superstition and therefore if they observe any man who out of the principles of true Religion opposeth their ends at him they let loose these ignorant and morrall christians furnish them with reproachfull tales and falshoods against him call him Athiest Infidell Heritick Scismatick any thing which is as eagerly effected as wickedly devised and how to stop these mens mouthes is in my apprehention no lesse a worke then to make white a Blackamore Those others who are startled in their consciences and roused by the word of God out of this worldly way of religion or running with the streame it is a hard matter to