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	good_a	tree_n	3,486	5	10.2364	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12506	The admirable convert: or the miraculous conuersion of the thiefe on the crosse With the finall impenitency of the other. By Samuel Smith, minister of the word of God.	Smith, Samuel, 1588-1665.	1632 (1632)	STC 22834; ESTC S101704	154,074	540

way bettered by their afflictions this is a signe of a fearefull induration and of a hard heart and surely the case of such a one many times proues desperate for the Lord commonly reserueth affliction and the rod of correction for the last place and if that fayle Ier. 6. the cure many times proues hopelesse and helpelesse as siluer mettall being put into the fire if nothing come out but drosse it is found to be reprobate siluer so men that haue beene fined in the furnace of affliction if they be not humbled and brought home by the same these will bee found reprobate men and the Lord will cast such off as a desperate people Esay 1. Wherefore should ye be smitten any more for yee fall away more and more saith the Lord. Secondly wee haue others againe Vse 2 that whilest the rod of God is vpon them their thoughts are in the stocks they dare not but speake and thinke humbly as a Rogue whilst he is in the stocks speakes faire to the officers but when he is out miscals them againe How many haue wee that in time of affliction will confesse their sinnes cry downe their former euill wayes and make vowes and couenants with God of new obedience like vnto Pharaoh Exod. 10. I and my people are sinfull But when the rod of God is remoued and they deliuered with Pharaoh they returne againe vnto their old sins like the dog vnto the vomit These men vse repentance as many a man vseth an old garment which they put about them in time of a shower but cast it away againe as soone as the weather is faire or as many of our Papists vse our Churches when they feare any trouble they fly thither for shelter Whereas the childe of God being once truely humbled walkes the more holily and obediently before God for euer after Vse 3 Thirdly seeing that it is not affliction of it selfe but affliction sanctified vnto a man that produceth this happy fruit of conuersion vnto God This should teach vs to be earnest with God in prayer especially in times of affliction that hee would be pleased to sanctifie the same vnto vs and to second his corrections with the inward working of his owne spirit whereby we may be moued to lay the same to heart and to bring forth fruits worthy amendment of life But the other rebuked him The Euangelist setting out the conuersion of the penitent Thiefe sheweth his behauiour at this time namely that hee did not onely leaue off his stealing as before but is now exercised in the contrary good rebuking his fellow and seeking by all meanes possible to stop him in a course of sinning and herein will teach vs Doct. 4 To cease from euill is not sufficient we must doe good Psal 34 13. That vnto true repentance a cessation from euill is not sufficient 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. steale 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 Acts 16.27 The Iaylor 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 loue 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 Iudg. 5.23 Merosh is accursed 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 euill 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 euill 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 Reas 1 And the reason hereof may be taken from the nature of grace 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 Reas 2 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 out of darkenesse into a maruellous light Eph. 1. And surely this meetes with Vse 1 the vaine conceit that so many in the world are possest withall that

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 Were mingled amongst the heathen Psa 106.35 and learned their works And hence is it that when the Prophet Dauid would approue himselfe vnto God faithfully to serue him he declareth the same by this Psal 11.63 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 Reas 1 First 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 Reas 2 Secondly there is a disposition in wicked men to make others like themselues yea they count it their master-peece to corrupt all that haue fellowship with them that their owne sinnes may not appeare so exceedingly sinfull vnto others And this our Sauiour obserueth to be that height of wickednesse in the Pharisees that They would compasse sea and land to make one Proselyte Mat. 23.15 and when he was made they would make him twofold more the childe of hell then themselues Thirdly there is a kinde of infectious Reas 3 nature in the words and actions of wicked men which as the Apostle saith Fret like a gangrene And indeed the soules of men are more subiect to the contagion of sinne then their bodies can to any manner of disease This serues then in the first Vse 1 place iustly to blame and condemne such as are carelesse of their company that can be as familiar and merry in the company of Atheists Papists yea be they as prophane as Esau all is one to them as if there were no danger at all to bee corrupted by such and indeed such men need not Sathan to tempt them for they will tempt themselues Which they do whilest without a calling they remaine in the company of wicked men Such men proclaime to the world that they make no conscience of sinne for did they would they not then make conscience of the occasions of sinne Vse 2 Secondly let this serue to admonish euery man in the feare of God to decline as much as possible they may the company of wicked men Pro. 1.15 My sonne saith Solomon walke not in the way with them refraine thy foot from their path Yea if it lye in our power to remoue them and to banish them our presence Psal 101. So Dauid I will not suffer any euill person to abide in my house He that telleth lyes shall not tarry in my sight Many wise men by such haue beene seduced many strong men by them haue fallen and many who began to walke in the wayes of godlinesse haue by this meanes fallen backe againe when they haue beene daily conuersant with those who haue beene enemies to godlinesse But may we not somtimes Quest and vpon some occasion bee in the company of such Yes Ans these cautions being considered First that we rush not into their company without a calling for it is lawfull to hold commerce with them in the affaires of this life for otherwise wee must out of the world Secondly that we be not silent at sinne but by one meanes or other at the least by a frown in our browes shew our dislike at their wayes Thirdly that we get our hearts to be grieued within vs for their sinnes as Lot was with the Sodomites Whose righteous soule was vexed with their abhominations Text. If thou be Christ saue thy selfe and vs. Secondly we may note further in this Impenitent Thiefe thus scoffingly desiring deliuerance by Christ Doct. 2 That it is a note of a wicked and gracelesse man to be giuen to mocking Propertie of a wicked man to be giuen to mocking and that such a one is come to a wonderfull height of sinne And surely this is such a kinde of sinne that is found for the most part in the most dangerous and desperate wicked men Cain was a mocker Gen. 9.22 Ismael was a mocker notorious wicked men The Athenians mocked Paul Act. 17. What will this babler say The Scribes and Pharisees notorious wicked men these mocked Christ Hayle King of the Iewes Mat. 26. ●8 The Iewes mocked the Apostle Peter when he had preached the word of life vnto them saying These men are full of new wine Act. 2.12 When the wicked man commeth saith Solomon then commeth reproach Prou. 18.3 Psal 25.15 None scoffed more at Dauid then the Abiects and the Drunkards made songs of him The children of Bethel mocked the Prophet saying 2. King 2.22 Go vp thou bald head This was the complaint of the Prophet Ieremy Ier. 20.7 O Lord saith he I am in derision daily euery one mocketh me And this was the complaint of that holy man Iob Iob 30.1.9.10 speaking of the most notoriously wicked of his time saith that he was their songs their daily talke yea they spared him not to spit him in the face And when the Prophet Dauid comes to speake of that growth in