Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
fire_n	evil_a	fruit_n	tree_n	3,899	5	10.3735	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29932	Dwelling with God, the interest and duty of believers in opposition to the complemental, heartless, and reserved religion of the hypocrite / opened in eight sermons by John Bryan ...	Bryan, John, d. 1676.; Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1670 (1670)	Wing B5243; ESTC R31994	149,472	465

I am dealing with may and ought to take comfort in this that they cannot deny but that they have been truly humbled though in a lower degree It being the truth and not the measure that warrants sinners to come to Christ and qualifie them for faith in him He saith not come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden in such a degree But all that labour and are heavy laden in a true degree Qu. What is the lowest degree of true Humiliation Answ It is that which brings him into the Beggars case Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the c. When is a Man so Answ When out of a sense of his own emptiness and apprehension of Divine Justice to which they are indebted he is wrought upon by God's gracious promises to seek supply from Christ's fulness As when a Man is extream poor and knows himself to be so having never a Penny in all the World and owes a very great Summe and that to such a one as will not abate one farthing of the Debt but exact the whole and for default of payment will cast him into Prison there to lye and rot nor has he a friend in all the World to help him only he hears of a rich Man that is able to pay all he owes who hath discharged the Debts of many in his case but alass he dares not adventure for a good while to go and speak with him because he hath no interest in him In this case he is exceedingly cast down not knowing what to do yet at last necessity forcing he is resolved to go to him and seek supply from him relying wholly upon his goodness having heard how mercifully he hath dealt with all that have so done Is not this thy case poor despondent Christian Hast thou not seen thy Soul totally empty of Grace yet indebted to God Ten Thousand Talents whose Justice thou knowest will exact the utmost Mite do'st not thou see fulness in Christ and all-sufficiency that he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him to discharge their debt were it ten thousand times greater Though thou did'st not dare to go to him for a while yet at last did'st adventure being encouraged by what others in as bad a condition have found and by sundry gracious invitations and promises excluding none that have an heart to come Upon which promises thou do'st in great humility roll thy Soul and resolvest therein to rest Thus the Prodigal saw an emptiness in himself knew there was fulness in his Fathers House was moved to go to him trusting in his gracious disposition So the Syrians Behold now we have heard that the Kings of the House of Israel are merciful Kings Let us put Sack-cloath upon our Loynes and Ropes upon our Heads and go to the King of Israel peradventure he will save thy Life So they put Sack-cloath upon their Loynes and Ropes upon their heads and begged their Masters Life Qu. How shall I know I have this poverty of Spirit Answ By the signes of a poor Beggar He is full of complaints to such as can relieve him full of requests No need to teach him rhetorick Industrious to get maintenance out he will though the Law be against it The Belly hath no Eares If he be blind he will get some to lead him if lame he will get a Crutch to uphold him He is more-over meek patiently bearing checks and reproaches content to stay his leisure of whom he begs and expects an Almes full of observance also towards him ready to obey his commands trembling at his frownes and greatly thankful if he give him but a Crumb And if he hath offended is at no rest till his anger against him be appeased and his favour and good will regained Thou canst not but finde all these signes in thy self in reference unto God and therefore mayest take comfort in thy poverty Add unto this another sure evidence of true humiliation namely thou esteemest sin the greatest evil and Jesus Christ the greatest good put naked Christ in one Scale and all the pomp and glory of the World in the other and whether of these would weigh the most in thy judgment and valuation Obj. But thou knowest not the time when thy heart was broken and humbled Ans Suppose thou sawest a good Crop of Corn upon a piece of Ground wouldst thou not think it had tillage good enough though thou sawest not when it was broken up Nor how deep the Plow went The fruits thou bringest forth of holiness righteousness sobriety and charity argue the fallow ground of thy heart to have had sufficient plowing Though thou know not the time when nor the means whereby this was done Thou walkest not in the counsel of the ungodly much less standest in the way of sinners least of all sittest in the seat of the scornful But thy delight is in the Law of the Lord and in his Law thou meditatest Day and Night As thy affections are such are thy words seasoned with salt such as discover Grace in the Speaker Minister Grace to the hearers and thy conversation accordingly and actions such as become the Gospel Herein thou exercisest thy self to have a Conscience void of offence towards God and toward Men. Thou dost good to all especially to the houshold of faith Art ready to distribute willing to communicate Ye shall know others by their fruits do Men gather Grapes of Thorns or Figges of Thistles even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit Thou mayest and oughtest to pass judgment upon thy self that certainly the Root of the matter is in thee That thou art a Tree of righteousness the planting of the Lord wherein he is glorified Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much Fruit so shall ye be my Disciples Ye shall shew your selves to be truly such doing acts worthy of such a Title And if you be indeed Christ's Disciples you need not question your dwelling in God Obj. 2. These Godly doubting Christians are so far from acknowledging any such fruits or taking comfort in them that they deny there is any good in them any good fruit brought forth by them They believe themselves would have you believe so too That their Vine is of the Vine of Sodom and of the Fields of Gomorrah Their Grapes are Grapes of Gall. Their Clusters are bitter their Wine of the poyson of Dragons and the cruel Venome of Asps instead of good fruits They will tell you your hearts and tongues and lives are full of evil fruits Vain and vile thoughts and idle and ungracious words unprofitable impious and unrighteous actions Fruits not tending to Life but Death That they are Trees not for fruit but for the Fire Corrupt Trees at best whose fruit withereth which have neither life nor sap to bring forth any fruit unto God Even like Trees after Autome Yea quite pluckt up by the Roots

shall hunt the Violent Man to overthrow him The punishment which he hath deserved for his persecution shall persecute him until such time as like unto a Beast forced to some City he fall and perish Be sure your sin will finde you out The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all Ungodliness and Unrighteousness of Men who hold the truth in unrighteousness indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every Soul that doth evil The wicked shall be turned into Hell and all the People that forget God Upon the wicked he shall rain snares Fire and Brimstone and an horrible Tempest this shall be the Portion of their Cup. Say to thy self Is this my portion O wretched Man that I am who shall deliver me out of this dark and damned estate If Paul cryed out so lamentably because of the remnant of natural corruption which was as grievous to him as if a dead-body had been tyed to him and he compelled continually to carry it about with him What cause have I to lament that am in the state of corrupt nature and gall of bitterness Till Men have this knowledge and sense of their misery in being out of God they are not so much as called to come into him 2. See and apprehend how happy you should be transcendently happy had you a God to dwell in David's Refuge the most high The Psalmist having signified the happiness of those People that were to enjoy health of Body abundance of Fruit Heards and Flocks of strong Cattel and publick Peace Corrects himself concluding his enumeration with this gratulatory Epiphonema or pleasant ending Yea happy is that People whose God is the Lord. And so Moses after celebration of Gods great goodness to Israel in being a most glorious and powerful protection unto them In dispossessing their Enemies and bringing them into their Land He elevates their happiness and celebrates their exaltation above all other People in having the Lord for their God and Habitation If God be for us he is so far for all them that are in him his houshold of faith the Lord taketh my part with them that help me Who can be against us None to hurt us all things co-operate for our good Afflictions Sin Satan All. If it sounds harsh to say sin turnes to our good certainly it turnes to our good if the Christian riseth with greater shame and hatred of it after his fall Put not your trust in Princes nor in the Son of Man in whom there is no Salvation happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help whose hope is in the Lord his God who hath him for his Habitation Blessed is the Man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto Thee that he may dwell in thy Courts We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy House Let your judgments be throughly convinced that the happiness of Man lies in the enjoyment of God and that it can never be well with you till you have possession of this resting place and that then your happiness will be superlative 3. Let your desires be carryed after God vehemently and constantly like the desires of a hungry thirsty Man after Meat and moysture whom nothing of any other kind will satisfie And like the desire of an Infant after the Milk of its Nurses Breasts who will cry it self to Death if it be kept from it Many promises are made to such desires Such an affection we finde to have been in the People The desire of our Soul is to thy Name or to the remembrance of Thee with my Soul have I desired Thee in the Night As the Hart panteth after the Water brooks so panteth my Soul for thee O God! My Soul thirsteth for the living God When shall I come and appear before God Whom have I in Heaven but thee And there is none upon Earth that I desire besides thee Let the same inward earnest constant affection be in you and express your desires asking the way to this House as those returning Captives did with their Faces thitherward And as those punctually pierced sinners did Men and Brethren c. And as the terrified Jaylor Sirs what must I do to be saved Yea do as Simon Magus did pray them that have interest in the Lord to pray for you Yea your selves take with you words and turn unto the Lord saying take away all iniquity and receive us graciously 4. Because this House cannot be had but by buying nor any of the goods of it Take our Saviour's advice I counsel thee to buy of me Gold tryed in the Fire that thou mayest be rich and white Rayment that thou mayest be cloathed Come ye buy and eat yea come buy Wine and Milk to buy is properly to get a Commodity by giving the due price of it thus this House cannot be bought nor any spiritual gift Thy Money perish with thee because that thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with Silver But to obtain a thing by other means as to part with something for it or by pains and labour is in Scripture phrase buying Thus Paul was contented to part with any thing how dear soever and to be at any pains to gain Jesus Christ and so must you if you would gain the most High for your Habitation Many there are that think this House not worth the cheaping bid nothing for it God is not in all their thoughts They will part with nothing no not with the beastliest lusts be at no pains at all for God If he and Heaven will be had for nothing without any labour perhaps they would accept thereof but upon any harder term● you may hear them bidding God depart from them Others there are that bid seeming fair but will not come up to the price This did that young Ruler he yielded obedience to the Commandments of the second Table and his Obedience was Universal and constant and more than this he proffereth his desire to know and do more The five foolish Virgins did more than he they kept themselves undefiled from the World made open profession of Christ had faith and convictions to keep their profession alive nor was their profession idle they performed Christian duties frequented Gospel-Ordinances their Companions were Christ's whom as they owned so sought after and finally expressed their earnest desire of saving grace Those Hypocrites of old seem to bid more than these They sought God diligently and constantly delighted to know his ways practiced good were stedfast to their Principles faithful to their profession desired to be guided and counselled by God took delight in approaching to him afflicted their Souls with fasting Judas left all to follow Christ continued long with him in his temptation preached the Gospel zealously and so demeaned himself that none of his followers had any suspicion of

underneath you and you shall be able both to do and suffer all things through him that strengthneth you Upon all these and many more accounts Ascribe the strength unto God his excellency is over Israel and his strength is in the Heavens The God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his People Blessed be God From the third property of your Habitation Viz. Largeness Learn rightly to conceive of this property holding forth the infiniteness immensness and omnipresence of God being without quantity and measure every where both within and without the World filling all places with his essence as the whole Soul is said to be in the whole Body and in every part of it so is God whole and wholly in every part of the World Behold the Heaven and Heaven of Heavens cannot contain thee His greatness is unsearchable infinite and incomprehensible The Heaven is my Throne and the Earth is my Footstool Am I a God at hand saith the Lord and not a God afar off Can any hide himself in secret Places that I shall not see him saith the Lord Do not I fill Heaven and Earth Yea and Hell too If I make my Bed in Hell behold thou art there This must teach us to banish all gross conceits of God out of our mind and to detest the making any Picture of him by which he is denyed to be incomprehensible and to see him though invisible to be present with you where ever you are his Eye beholding whatsoever you are doing This Consideration filled David's heart with shame and sorrow for his sin and made it to lye so heavy upon his Conscience I have done this evil in thy sight All my care was to be secret to hide my sin from the Eyes of Men but all this while thine Eye was upon me There is no Man but would be restrained from many sins if they knew of any body that was by them to see what they did The Murderer Adulterer are brought in by Job imboldening themselves No Eye shall see me As if he had said if they knew there was any Eye to see them they durst not do it Moreover in all their Meditations Contemplations of God take as full a view of him as you can Hear him saying behold me behold me Especially take notice of the largeness and greatness of his goodness and bounty All the dimensions of its breadth length depth and heighth with admiration O how great is thy goodness which thou hast for them that fear thee As high as the Heaven is above the Earth as the space is between the East and West I will mention the loving kindness of the Lord his great goodness the multitude of his mercies And labour for largeness of heart in some sort answerable From the rest of the properties of this your habitation and from all the furniture in it and from each of the conveniencies belonging to it I shall leave you to gather comforts and duties in abundance having this one thing only more to do Namely to acquaint you with some of the Statutes Lawes and Ordinances of the House and earnestly to press upon you the Observation of them by promises and penalties annexed The general Laws of this House binding all that live in it are partly natural and partly supernatural The natural are Ten in Number called in Scripture Ten Words and some where One Word The Divine Law teaching and commanding Moral good and forbidding evil known by the Name of Moses Law Uttered and promulgate with God's own Mouth by his immediate Voice delivered in Fire and therefore termed a Fiery Law in the hearing of all Israel Afterwards written with his own Finger by a mere and miraculous divine Operation in Two Tables of Stone to signifie the perpetual use and continuance of it to the end of the World and so published and committed to the Church for all Ages as the Moral Law for Obedience to God our Soveraign Lord and King This self same Law did God engrave in Man's heart even when he created him For that before the written Law of Moses there was an unwritten Law of Nature must needs be granted because needs must they be bound to God who had their Beeing from him Nor could they have sinned against him if they had had no Law from him For where no Law is there is no transgression Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the Law But sin Men did all this space of time and were punished with a witness Witness Cain the old World Sodom Onan and innumerable of others and they were punished for the sins forbidden in Moses Law and the Apostle expresly teacheth that the Gentiles who never had the written Law of Moses had their Natural Law even this Law though less perfect imprinted in their Souls by which they were instructed and bound to do well and debarred from doing evil which are the two properties of all Lawes And these two properties called The work of the Law written in their Hearts they shewed their Conscience bearing witness their Hearts accusing or excusing one another The Conscience being but a correspondency and relation of a Man's Spirit unto the Law to bind or unbind condemn or absolve him Moreover the good Laws the Heathen made to punish the evils forbidden and to draw People to practice the good commanded in the Law of Moses and the endeavour of many of them to act accordingly argues the Unity of both Laws The reason of which unity is the unchangeableness of God who is alway the same Qu. What need was there of the repetition and renovation of this Law Or if there was need Why was it not sooner Answ To the former Branch though Nature brought the same things yet it did it very weakly and many conclusions were obliterated and others much obscured and all Mens hearts were weakly drawn to obey this Law very strong to obey the Law of sin And although the Law of Nature could scarce never have been extinguished in Principles and Grounds yet it might and was and would have been more in Applications Men took evil for good and good for evil and grew more and more vain in their imaginations To the latter Branch Man's heart was not after his Fall throughly humbled but thought his own reason sufficient for his Guide therefore God would leave the World a while to try them and let them see their own weakness Besides sin was not come quickly to such a pitch and height as afterward it did and yet we finde that God did by peece-meal and occasionally teach them this Law presently and almost equipollently before its solemn Proclamation The Unity of these two Laws lets you see as the constancy and Immutability of your God who is not as other Law-givers who build and pull down and whom a Man knows as well how to