Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
fire_n	work_n	work_v	zeal_n	37	3	7.8847	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90672	A firebrand pluckt out of the burning. A sermon preached at Margarets Westminster, before the Honourable House of Commons, at their late solemn fast, Novemb. 27. 1644. By Benjamin Pickering, Minister of Gods Word at Buckstead in Sussex: and a member of the Assembly of Divines. Published by order of the said house.	Pickering, Benjamin.	1644 (1644)	Wing P2150; Thomason E23_4; ESTC R18962	22,587	38

dysaster or for any present weaknesse or miserie we are in the Lord carrieth on the worke of restitution and salvation of his Church and people in a mysterie when we are at the top of misery the Lord will be seene Iehovah iireth the Lord will be seene or will see even in the Mount his footsteps are hardly knowne the Sunne ariseth and shineth upon Sodome then the Lord rained fire and brimstone from the Lord out of heaven Gods people lie as buried or burnt up in Babylon then the Lord sends from heaven and saveth them from those that would swallow them up This is the season not for shrinking but for zeale 1 Chron. 14. the Lord hath gone out before you and broke in upon the enemies as the breaking in of many waters therefore now bestirre you Those of Issachar are commended because they had knowledge and understanding of the Times 1 Chro. 12.32 and knew what Israel ought to doe This will be your wisdome to take notice that to hazard that Christs kingdome is in by Enemies abroad and Schismes and Divisions among our selves in this season requires all your diligence skill and power to bring present healing and aide And so now when Babylons rage crueltie is at the height it is the time it is the time to render to her double as she hath done to you In this season we are in straits as when the children are come to the birth and there is no strength to bring forth Is it not time for us then to stirre in these straits strive and extend your selves to get Gods children and the Lords worke drawne out of the wombe let not that be your spot which was the spot of Ephraim in the like case the sorrowes of a travelling woman are upon him He is an unwise sonne for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children Hos 13.13 Now we are in the fire let your zeale hence be enkindled take fire from this fire Every man especially Reformers Repairers Deliverers must be salted with fire as every sacrifice was seasoned with salt Mar. 9. be ye therefore thus seasoned with this heavenly fire of zeale without which all will be unsavorie that you may goe on in promoting the great workes you have in hand Further to provoke you I adde some further incentives First Observe that the builders and reformers had as many discouragements as are now they had a great worke before them many enemies about them and the Kings Authoritie and expresse command against them E●●a ● 2 yet they went on and prospered there were Mountains before them Zach. 4.7 8 9. but God made all plaine in a strange way of providence Not by Army nor Power but by my Spirit saith the Lord He will doe the like for you Onely as it is said to Ioshua Be of good courage The Lord can rebuke the Devil and all his Instruments with a word and make them as still as a stone Secondly If ye faint and grow cold ye lose all that hath gone before ye Worthies ye have done much in pulling downe Poperie a Tyrannous Hierarchie and the strength of Babylons Armies ye have begun a glorious Reformation and your Zeale hath set you upon high undertakings and effected such things as we through our basenesse of spirit neither looked not hoped for you suffered as much as did ever any Parliament hazarding your Persons Estates and Families indured much contradiction of sinners and many reproaches ye have had many acknowledgements and thankesgivings from Citie and Countrey O then lose not all that hath gone before let your last be more then the first Will ye do will ye suffer so many things in vaine Thirdly Ye worke with God and the Lord will work with you It is an honour to the noblest to put their necks to this worke The Sonne of God appeareth upon a Red Horse going out in a fiery appearance against the enemie He is among the Myrtle trees that is in the midst of his people who are his delight and with him there are Red Horses also Michael hath his Angels to take vengeance on the Dragon and his angels also there are speckled Horses usefull every way both for defence and offence Fourthly The great oppositions you have should stirre up zeale the god of the world is against you Antichrist and all that have the marke of the Beast upon them are against you You are ingaged in the greatest worke that ever lay upon the children of men therefore there is required strong endeavours O be strong ye Zerubbabels he for the Lord of Hosts who hath beene zealous for you and withall take notice that your opposition is from devilish and malignant spirits Satan and his Instruments who stand at your right hands to resist Then up and be doing goe on your cause cannot but be good Firfthly Take courage and goe on else ye open the mouth of iniquitie you will be tried with cruel mockings by those that looke and gape to see your spirits flat and cold Oh how will they of Gath and Askelon insult this will pierce as a sword Saul chose rather to fall on his owne sword and die then to be mocked by the uncircumcised Philistines and Zedekiah would not yeeld but let come on him whatsoever it was because he feared to be scorned and mocked And consider I beseech you that we have made out boast of God and gloried in such instruments let not our confident boasting make us ashamed Sixthly Thus if you goe on you and we may leave happinesse to our posteritie if through our slacknesse and pusillanimitie the enemie prevaile we shall have nothing left to bequeath but Slavery and Popery Sevently Antichrists end is neere Babylon is and that shortly to be destroyed therefore faint not you have given her a deadly wound follow on your stroke let that wound never be healed the Beast roares and struggles and bestirres her selfe she recollects spirits but it is but as in a dying man naturea ultimus conatus which we call a lightening before death then now is the time to extend your selves to make a full end of the Whore to dispatch her with swords as the Prophet speakes and to burne her houses with fire Then keepe your spirits up fall not to an indifferencie or base neutrality They that be not with Christ are against him They that come not out to the help of the Lord suppose they be inoffensive moderate men are cursed with a double bitter curse Judg. 5. The history of the men of Iabesh Gilead may be for our learning on whom these sad times are come They assisted not the Beniamites in protecting those Delinquents sonnes of Belial nor associated with the Tribes of Israel in their just Warre which was as this Warre now to bring such wretches to judgement and punishment Vpon inquiry these being found Neuters were dealt withall as utter enemies they were all smitten with the sword both

and England in the fire Let the whole house of Israel bewaile the burning which the Lord hath kindled let your compassions be toward the Palatinate that Vine that had strong rods for the Scepters of them that beare rule but fire is gone out of a rod of her branches which hath devoured her fruit Ezek. 19. ult so that there is no rod for a Scepter to rule This is a lamentation and it shall be for a lamentation let your compassions be kindled so that they may set you on a course to help them out of the fire use means as the Lord hath put into your hands if so be there may be balme for their healing if we shall still look on without contributing to their reliefe looke for the like measure from others in our miseries Who shall pity thee O England or who shall bemoane thee or who will turn aside to aske how thou dost we have beene too much and too long wanting unto Gods distressed Churches feare lest the fire of Gods anger be kindled against us because we have beene a staffe of reed unto the house of Israel Ezek. 29.6 Secondly let the Lord be magnified by us First for giving warning he sets us on fire round about before his wrath kindle upon us It is the Lords mercies that we are not consumed let your praise be continually of him for keeping off this fire when the enemy hath been coming in like a floud the Spirit of the Lord hath lift up a Standard against him he hath appointed barres and limits unto these raging waves of the enemy and said Stay there thy proud waves and goe no further Secondly blesse the Lord for chastising in measure for that he hath not powred out all his anger he might have scattered Brimstone upon our habitations and made us as Sodome and Gomorrah Blesse our God ye people c. For thou O God hast proved us thou hast tried us as silver is tried Psa 66. we went through fire and through water hence we have good hone that the Lord hath not ordained us to wrath for when we are judged we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world Thirdly magnifie the Lords Omnipotencie that hath kept his Church in the midst of flames Numb 21. The bush burneth and is not consumed Israel was preserved among fiery Serpents so are we kept amongst a Malignant company the brood of the Serpent who are set on fire Magnifie the God of Truth who hath spoke with his mouth and with his hand fulfilled it When thou walkest through the fire Isa 43.2 thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon thee Is it not marvellous in your eyes that the religious in France have beene preserved in Massacres and Butcheries and the Protestants in England in the fires in Queene Maries reigne and since from the damnable Powder-Plot and many a time since from the Antichristians set on fire against us and their Adherents brutish men skilfull to destroy Fourthly let the Lord be magnified for making some impressions on the Antichristian party The Lord God of recompences hath begun to give burning for burning Let all give glory to the Lord for stirring up the spirits of our Worthies to hate the Whore to make her desolate to eat her flesh and burne her with fire O glorifie ye the Lord in the midst of the fires Thirdly let us not think our selves exempt the Lord hath brought this fire upon all his people and shall we be free First therefore shake off securitie and bestirre your selves to prevent and keepe our selves out we have been as brands in the fire The burnt child dreads the fire Our neighbours house is on fire we cannot but be concerned in this I will not meddle in Politiques onely advise thus Therefore first kindle not the Lords jealousie by superstitions cast not a favourable eye toward the Whore of Rome leave not an hoofe of the Beast in England Secondly tempt not God complaine not of his wise administration thinke not say not as Israel Can God doe this can he perfect Reformation can he give pure Ordinances can he subdue such a people as we are to his Scepter can he ordaine Peace can he worke all our workes for us When the Lord heard this he was wroth so a fire was kindled against Iacob Psal 78.21 and anger also came up against Israel Thirdly purge out every cursed sinne by repentance let this be manifested in a holy indignation against all remainders of Idolatry and Superstition as you have zealously begun make the stones of the Altars as Chalke-stones beat them to pieces Isa 27. Every sinne makes us as readie to take fire even as Gun-powder let us therefore have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly feare for first Our God is a consuming fire and secondly this fire of the Enemy is dreadfull A fire devoureth before them and behinde them a flame burneth all that is desireable will be consumed by them Gods Sanctuary shall be laid waste his Worship his Ordinances polluted we shall lose communion of Saints the excellencie of our strength the desire of our eyes no fire makes such a desolation as this An Idolatrous Army is the abomination of desolation Ezek. 24. And if the Lord have stretched out his hand so that we cannot put it back but that this fire doe kindle upon us I shall prescribe the same course Turn to him that smiteth take away the sting from the fiery Serpents that is our sinnes The sting of death and every deadly evill is sinne sinne is as fuel and bellowes both increasing the flame and the wrath of God as a streame of Brimstone If we could have broken hearts the Lord would binde up our broken State our broken Church If we be not found in our sins the fire can have no power over us Dan. 3. Satan shall not be at our right hand so as to prevaile But if we continue in our neutralitie like warmenesse divisions and heats one toward another in covetousnesse pride injustice unthankfulnesse despising the day of small things and contempt of the Gospel grieving Gods holy Spirit by which he still striveth with us the Lord wil be turned to he our enemie how then can our hearts endure or our hands be strong in the day that the Lord shall deale with us hereunto will be added the burning of an evill conscience Ezek. 22. a terrible devouring fire and thus the fire will be as Nebuchadnezzars furnace Heb. 10. seven times hotter Be instructed lest the Lords soule depart from you let this fire that the Lord hath kindled be a Refiners fire lest the Lord come from his place as a consuming fire and everlasting burnings Our God hath beene trying to purge us a long time he hath smitten us with Pestilence after the manner of Egypt but we have not turned to him he hath now drawne