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
A60543	A patern of free grace, or, The exceeding riches of the free grace and mercy of God in Christ to believing and repenting sinners by the example of that admirable convert, or rather miraculous mirror of Gods wonderful love and mercy in saving the repenting thief on the cross : wherein is excellently handled the doctrine of true repentance, the exceeding sinfulness of sin, with the desperate danger of final impenitency, with the certainty of Salvation to repenting sinners by Christ / by Samuel Smith.	Smith, Samuel, 1588-1665.	1658 (1658)	Wing S4190; ESTC R25767	152,510	534

doe good Psal 34.13 but we must doe good In the worke of true repentance these two euer goe together Depart from euill and doe good Dauid there ioyneth these both together Esay 1.17 So Esay the Prophet Cease to doe euill learne to doe well And euen herein doth the Penitent shew the truth and the fruit of his conuersion according to that precept of the Apostle Paul Let him that hath stolne Eph. 4. stealt no more but let him labour with his hands that which is good And this truth is further cleared by the practise and example of all Gods people how vile and wretched soeuer they were in the time of their ignorance and vnregeneracy yet being called and conuerted haue not onely left their former euill wayes but put in practise the contrary vertues See here the mercy and compassion of this poor Penitent hee is now as rich in mercy and compassion towards the poore soule of his brother as euer hee was before full of cruelty yea such was his compassion towards him that hee seemeth to neglect himselfe his present paine and misery that now he suffered and fals to reproue his fellow makes a hearty acknowledgement of their sinfulnesse and the equitie of that their deserued punishment We may see this in Paul Acts 9. whose conuersion kept him not onely from persecuting the Church as in times past but set him on work to build vp the wals of that Sion hee had laboured before to pull downe The Taylor Acts 16.27 of a bloudy cruell and mercilesse tormentor of Paul and Sylas after the earth-quake and soule-quake that hee came to see his sinne and to be truely and throughly humbled for the same how pittifull and compassionate became hee vnto them washing their wounds and intreating them with all kindenesse and louc This was the whole tenor of the Baptists Sermon Mat. 3.10 Now is the Axe put to the root of the tree euery tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen downe and cast into the fire He doth not say euery tree that is barren or that bringeth forth euill fruit but euery tree that bringeth not forth good fruit Merosh is accursed Iudg. 5.23 why not for ioyning with the Midianites against Israel but because the men of that city came not out to helpe the people of God And our Sauiour sheweth what his manner of proceeding shall bee with wicked and vngodly men in the last day he will say vnto them Mat. 25. Come yee blessed c. not because they did not this or that cuill but because of this and that particular good as the feeding of the hungry the cloathing of the naked c. And this is indeed that speciall priuiledge that belongs vnto all the commandements of God that where they are propounded negatiuely they include an affirmatiue duty and where they bee propounded affirmatiuely they include likewise a negatiue part and there is a curse imposed as well for the breach of the one as the other Gods righteous law being violated and broken as wel by the omission of the good commanded as by the committing of the euil condemned And thus was the Fig-tree accursed by our Sauiour not because it brought forth euill fruit but because it brought not forth good fruit And the reason hereof may be taken from the nature of grace Reas 1 and of true conuersion which frameth the heart anew and causeth the same to bee fruitfull in euery good worke Mat. 7. Doe men gather grapes of thornes or figs of thistles saith our Sauiour implying that so long as the heart is sinfull and corrupt all manner of sinfull and corrupt abhominations spring therehence But when it comes once to be renewed and changed A good man saith he out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good fruit Secondly it is the end of a Christian mans election and vocation that we should shew forth the power of him that hath called vs put of darkenesse into a maruellous light Eph. 1. And surely this meetes with the vaine conceit that so many in the world are possest withall Vse 1 that glory so much in their innocent and harmelesse conuersation they doe no man wrong they say and pay euery man their owne and vpon this men rest for saluation but alas this maist thou doe and goe to hell when thou hast done The Pharisie was neither Adulterer nor Drunkard nor Rayler Luke 18. nor Swearer and yet far enough from the kingdome of heauen all this is but a negatiue Christianity which will not proue a man the childe of God This Penitent Thiefe did not rayle on Christ as the other did but that was not sufficient to proue his conuersion but wee see to the vtmost of his power he maintaineth Christs innocency and labours to stop the current of sinne in others few in these dayes proceed to this degree of Christianitie to plead the cause of Christ against all gaine-sayers and to stand out for the truth to rebuke others when they heare them blaspheme or any wayes dishonour God such cold friends hath Christ and his truth now a dayes Men thinke they haue done enough if they ioyne not with the enemies of the truth and runne not with others into the same excesse of riot but the Lord will iudge him an euill man that doth no good and will in the last day proceed against such I was hungry and ye fed mee not naked and yee cloathed mee not c. The very omission of that good men might haue done shall be brought in in euidence the last day to condemne the wicked Oh that our eiuill honest men as the world reputes them would consider this lay this truth to heart that in their outward ciuill conuersation they shew themselues but halfe Christians and if they ioyne not the doing of good to their abstaining from enill they can neuer approue themselues for sound Christians before God nor looke for the reward of the iust at last Secondly if such as abstaine from euill yet for want of doing good shall perish and be damned at the last good Lord in what a misurable case are such men in that are so farre from abstaining from euill as that in their whole life and conuersation they lye wallowing and weltering in all manner of smfull vile and vaine abhominations If These things be done to the greene tree what shall be done to the dry If the not doing of good shall be punished so seuerely where shall the vngodly and sinner appeare Psal 50.22 O consider this ye that forget God lest I teare you in peeces and there bee none to deliuer you And last of all this may serue to admonish euery one in the feare of God to the practice of well-doing as that which will yeeld sound comfort vnto our owne hearts of our conuersion that we are not hypocrites but such as in whom the worke of grace is truly wrought This was it that supported Iob

because after a sort it puts the lye vpon God his word and promises and so likewise vpon all those excellent attributes of his such as are his power wisedome truth goodnesse and mercy an heart fraught with infidelity credits none of these 1. Ioh. 5.10 He that beleeueth not God hath made him aliar Then the which what greater disgrace can be put vpon any then to giue him the lye Secondly the sinne of Infidelity is a mother sinne and is the cause of many other euils and enormities in the hearts and liues of men And hence is it that the Apostle ioynes these two together an euill heart Heb. 3.12 and an heart of vnbeleefe as the cause and the effect for as Faith is a mother grace and produceth feare loue obedience c. So where insidelitie beares sway there must needs all manner of impietie raigne and abound This serues first of all to let vs see in what a cursed and miserable estate and condition Vse 1 all wicked and vngodly men are in that are void of faith and full of infidelity Such men can neuer please God in any thing they take in hand For Rom. 14.23 Heb. 11.6 Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne And without faith it is impossible to please God Their hearing of the Word receiuing of the Sacraments prayer and the like holy duties are all abhomination to the Lord when they are not done by a beleeuer To an vnbeleeuing heart neither the power of Christs merits nor the infinitenesse of Gods mercy Word Sacraments can neuer profit but all tend to the destruction and the increase of the condemnation of an vnbeleeuer Secondly seeing that this sinne of Infidelitie aboue all other sins is such a stumbling blocke in out way strikes at God and all his attributes and seemes to put the lye vpon them all makes the Word Sacraments prayer and all other the ordinances of God vnprofitable vnto a man O how should this prouoke euery man euen as he tendereth the saluation of his owne soule to take heed of this sinne O vnhappie If was this vnto this poore man that shut vp heauen gates against him Take we heed of that thought at any time that shall seeme to question the truth of Gods word But rather let vs labour daily more and more to haue our hearts confirmed against all diffidence and distrust of God Saue thy selfe and vs. Text. These words were spoken in an ironicall and taunting manner Scoffingly desi●ing deliuerāce after the manner of the chiefe Priests and people who mocked our Sauiour likewise at this time saying Mar. 15.29 If thou be the King of Israel come downe from the Crosse And againe He saued others Mat. 17.29 himselfe he cannot saue This impenitent thiefe trades in their steps and followes their example and mocketh Christlikewise Whence we may note First Doct. 1 Euill examples dangerous how powerfull examples are with men either to the imitation of that which is good or euil As men meete together vsually they traffique together by their interchange of words and manners whether they be godly or wicked But especially of great men and men in authoritie their examples being euill hurt many As the Chiefe Priests and Elders here they giuing such an euill example in mocking Christ no maruell though the common people do the same likewise We may see this in Herod in this Chapter when he began to offer indignity to our Sauiour the Men of warre yea all his traine were ready to do the same 1. Kin. 22.24 Let Ahab but declare himselfe no friend to Micha the Lords Prophet and Zidkijah the Kings Chaplaine will dare to sinite him on the face So true is that of Solomon Pro. 29.12 If a Prince hearken to lyes all his seruants are wicked We may see this by daily experience that they that associate themselues with those that are vile and sinfull sauour of their manners and are made worse by them Pro. 13.10 He that walketh with the wise shall be the wiser But he that vseth the company of fools shall be the worse Yea Gods people themselues when they haue liued in sinfull places and haue had to do with wicked persons they haue receiued some blurs and blots of their filthinesse and haue not escaped free from their sinne but haue made good that of Solomon He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled We may see this in Ioseph Eccl. 33. who liuing a while in the Court of Pharaoh how quickly had he learned to sweare By the life of Pharaoh And we know that it was in the high Priests Hall and amongst the high Priests seruants that Peter had learned to curse and to sweare And for this cause the Lord giues that straight charge vnto his seruants concerning Babylon Come out of her my people Reu. 18.4 that ye be not partakers of her sinnes and that ye receiue not of her plagues And so likewise when the people of Israel were to come into the Land of Canaan amongst an idolatrous people the Lord chargeth them after this manner Thou shalt make no couenant with them Exod. 23.32 nor with their gods neither shall they dwell in thy land lest they make thee sinne against me And againe Deut. 7.2 Thou shalt make no marriages with them Thou shalt not giue thy daughter to his sonne nor take his sonne to thy daughter And the reason is giuen For they will cause thy sonne to fall away from mee And how true the word of the Lord herein was the euent made it manifest for they neglecting the Lords commandement the Psalmist saith Psa 406.35 Were mingled amongst the heathen and learned their works And hence is it that when the Prophet Dauid would approue himselfe vnto God faithfully to serue him Psal 11.63 he declareth the same by this that he was A companion of all them that feared him and kept his precepts And againe Psal 119.115 Away from me ye wicked I will keepe the commandements of my God Intimating thereby as it may easily be gathered that Dauid could not set himselfe as he should to the performance of any good duty so long as any wicked men were about him So that it is a most cleare truth that the examples of wicked men are very powerfull to draw men into sinne and by being companions of such to bring them to partake of their euill wayes And the Reasons I take to be these First Reas 1 that naturall disposition that is betwixt this nature of ours and sinne there is no two things in nature wherein there is a more neare coniunction as betwixt fire and gunpowder then this sinfull and corrupt nature of ours and sinne Visa movent maxime it is ready to take fire with the least sparke the least occasion or prouocation especially the examples of others are dangerous excitements vnto euill Secondly there is a disposition in wicked men to make others like themselues yea they