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	world_n	wrought_v	69	3	7.3808	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69820	The expiation of a sinner in a commentary vpon the Epistle to the Hebrevves.; Commentarius in Epistolam ad Hebraeos. English	Crell, Johann, 1590-1633.; Lushington, Thomas, 1590-1661.	1646 (1646)	Wing C6877; ESTC R12070	386,471	374

granted and for a ground that Christ is the supreme God because all this testimony out of that Psalm is manif●stly spoken of the suprem God but that Christ should be that God is not intimated by any word in all that Psalm And therefore if the Author had taken this for graunted that Christ is the supreme God certainly the Author had discoursed very impertinently and ambiguously to furnish himselfe with such store of arguments and so many Testimonies of Scriptures and those much more obscure then the point to be proved thereby to evince that Christ was better then the angels the Creatour better then the creature This had been to bring proofs no way necessary for a point no way doubtfull seeing all might have been dispatched in one word We must therefore further observe that this Testimony out of Psalme 102. containes three clauses The first concerning the Creation of the world 2. Concerning the destruction of the world 3. Concerning the Duration of God for these three things are the subjects of three verities contained in that Testimonie and all three are spoken supremely and primarily of God the Father But the first can no way be referred to Christ because as is before noted it could not make for the Authors purpose The last referres both to God and Christ for the Duration of Christ is perpetuall and everlasting yet this clause makes nothing for the Authors purpose to prove Christ better then the Angels because for Duration the angels are equall to him seeing they also are immortall and incorruptible perpetuall and everlasting The second clause referres to God supremely and primarily and to Christ subordinately or secondarily for God by Christ will destroy the world God hath given to Christ a transcendent power to destroy and abolish heaven and earth And this makes fully to the Authors purpose and proves Christ clerely better then the angels who have not this power granted to them Now to the words of this Testimony in particular Thou Lord in the beginning God when first he began the world even in the first beginning of ●is visible workes Hast laid the foundation of the earth He alludes to buildings which are raised upon a foundation for the earth is as it were the foundation and ground-work of the world And hee mentions the earth in the first place because in the raising of all buildings men begin from the foundation Now the earth is termed the foundation because it seemes immoveable and fixed as all foundations ought to be And the heavens are the works of thine hands The heavens are all those vast bodies which doe circumvest the earth and one another And they are called heavens plurally because they are built and raised to the height of three regions or stories each above the other The first and lowest heaven is vulgarly called the aire wherein flie the fowles of heaven and therein are the supernall waters that are said to be above in the heavens as clouds raine haile and snow The second or middle heaven is vulgarly called the firmament wherein are all the fires that give light and heat to all the world as the Sunne Moone and Starres The third and highest heaven is called by St. Paul Paradise wherein God and Christ and the angels doe manifest themselves All these are the workes of Gods word and were wrought at his command For God said Let them be and they were so Gen. 1.6 God commanded and they were created Psal 148.5 Yet the Psalmist terms them the works of Gods hands alluding to the speech of the vulgar whose hands and not their words are the instruments of their works which therefore are called the works of their hands Hitherto of the first clause of this Testimony concerning the Creation of the world referred to God onely who only was the Author of it 11. They shall perish Now followes the second Clause of this Testimony concerning the destruction of the world referred to God supremely and primarily but to Christ subordinately and secondarily because the power to destroy the world is given to Christ and therefore principally serves to the Authors purpose to prove him better then the angels They shall perish The heavens and the earth shall perish or be utterly destroyed and abolished as this Author phraseth it afterward in this Epistle chap. 12.27 they shall be removed as things that are concussible and corruptible And as St. Peter saith more expresly 2. Epistle 3.10 The heavens shall passe away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth also shall be burnt up Now things that passe away and are no where must needs have no being and a thing burnt up must needs perish Here we have a clear testimony that this present world shall be destroyed and abolished For if as some have imagined it shall only be endued with perfecter qualities and be changed into a better state so to remaine under that state how is it said to perish Certainly things changed into a better state to be permanent under that state cannot be said to perish Shall the Saints be said to perish when they are changed from mortall and corruptible creatures to become immortall and incorruptible and be made partakers of a nature and state far more pure and perfect then they had before certainly no. Or if the world shall have a perpetuall permansion or abiding for ever how is it opposed to Gods and Christs permansion or abiding for ever which is the scope of this reasoning as appeares in the words immediatly following But thou remainest and thy yeers shall not fail And they shall wax old as doth a garment The heavens are compared to a garment because as hath been said before they doe circumvest envelop and enwrap the whole earth round about as a garment envolves the body and therefore the attribute of a garment which is to veterate and wax old is by a Metaphor fitly applyed to the heavens Not that the heavens doe insensibly wax old and wear out with length of time as garments usually doe but because at last they shall wholly be abolished therefore they are said to wax old as a garment because a garment waxen old and worn out is at last wholly abolished and cast away For veteration or waxing old is a motion or passage toward destruction and abolition Seeing that which decayeth and waxeth old drawes neere to vanishing away as this Author expresseth it afterward in this Epistle cap. 8. v. 13. But how shall the heavens wax old if they shall be renewed into a better state Is a garment said then to wax old when it is new drest by making it somwhat better and neater 12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up When a garment is waxen so old that we have no minde to weare it any longer then wee usually fold it up and lay it aside for properly a garment is a loose vest which we use to weare outwardly over the rest of our clothing and therefore

such a piece of land but to reject and leave it That which the husbandman doth to an evil ground the same doth God to men that resemble evil ground for God will bestow no more labour and care upon them but will reprobate reject and leave them And is nigh unto cursing The husbandman can hardly forbear from cursing such an evil piece of ground for it cannot be farre from a curse So such men as are like evil ground are not far from the curse of God but are like the barren fig-tree which Christ cursed when he found no fruit upon it Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever Matth. 21.19 If this curse fall upon fruitlesse men then there remaines no hope of repentance and amendment But the Author would rather say that such ground is nigh unto cursing then already cursed For though fruitlesse men deserve Gods present curse yet God doth not presently lay his curse upon them but for a long time delayes their punishment and expects fruits of repentance as in the parable of the barren fig-tree the Lord of it stayed three yeares without any fruit of it and yet forbare it a fourth yeare at the request of his vine-dresser Luke 13. Whose end is to be burned When a piece of ground failes of his croppes and brings forth thornes and briars or light straw without corne the manner of husband men is to kindle fires upon it and burne it So men barren of good workes shall at length have a fire kindled vpon them and be burnt with everlasting torments Of which fire the Author speakes afterward chap. 10.27 Now that barren land by burning is not impaired but amended this in this simily is not regared For it is sufficient to the Authors intent that both are burned and land is burned for the barrennesse of it as it were to punish the fruitlesnesse But herein is the difference that the burning betters the barren land but it finally destroyes fruitlesse men and makes them most miserable For in every similitude as we say there is also some dissimilitude 9. But beloved In these words he seemes to meet with a tacite objection and withall returnes to what he had before intimated that if need were they should not altogether despaire of his laying a foundation againe The Hebrewes might thinke or gather from his words of falling away c. that he had no hope at all of their salvation Therefore he shews that he doth not account them for reprobates and accursed persons who are for no other purpose then to be punished with eternall fire neither doth he beleeve them in so miserable and deplorable ●n estate but that he hath a better opinion of them and therefore wrote not the former words as if he esteemed them such but onely to cast some feare into their minds and diligently to warne them of taking heed that they became not such Beloved This place was very seasonable for that terme lest they should imagine themselves in his hatred but thereby might perceive that he carried a Christian love toward them and love makes us alwayes imagine the best of them we love and when we let fall a sharp word it is not done with intent to hurt but to reforme them We are perswaded better things of you Better things then to thinke you reprobates and rejected of God so that God should for the present curse them and for the future ordaine them to be burnt with fire unquenchable And things that accompany salvation Here he opposeth salvation to malediction or cursing q.d. I am perswaded that ye are yet in that state that ye may be saved if ye have a will to it Though we thus speake q.d. My former speech of those which fall away and are like barren and fruitlesse ground in a miserable and unhappy state doth nothing let but that I am perswaded you are in a better estate which is not therefore as if that which he had affirmed were lesse certaine and true So that in these words he would tacitly mollifie what he seemed before to have said a little too severely But that either those Hebrewes were not fully fallen into the state of such as fall away because they yet ministred to the Saints were endued with excellent vertues and had not yet cast off the Christian Religion but did cleave unto it Or else that God as appeares by his following reason had great cause to release unto them that severity and therefore seeing he is not unrighteous but full of all equity and kindnesse it might well be hoped that he would release it For although these Hebrewes had not yet plainly revolted from Christ yet they were fallen into such negligence that in a manner they had need to be taught againe the first principles of the Christian Religion Whence it appeares what cold and dull Disciples of Christ they were for which offence if God would deale severely with them they were worthy to be reprobated and finally rejected But because it is Gods manner to deale mercifully and kindly with men and to moderate his penall Laws with equity and mercy therefore the Author hoped better things of them 10. For God is not unrighteous Here he shews the reason why he is perswaded better things of them then that God should reprobate and reject them And the reason is because God will not forget their worke and labour of love And this he confirmes by this because God is not unjust whence it would follow that God should be unjust if he should forget them Some man may here demand how this can stand with what God hath testified of himselfe Ezeck 33.13 If the righteous commit iniquity all his righteousnesse shall not be remembred but for his iniquity that he hath committed he shall dye for it We answer that God in a diverse respect is said to forget a mans former vertues and in a diverse not to forget them He forgets them in respect that he justifies or frees from punishment no man by reason of his former vertues if he recede from them in which case Ezekiels words are to be understood And God doth not forget them in regard he spares a man the longer for his former vertues and doth not instantly reprobate or reject him but expects and assisteth him for repentance especially if he be adorned with some eminent vertues such as charity and bounty toward the godly as these Heb●ewes were by the acknowledgement of the Author But should God be unrighteous or unjust if he had no consideration of this Wee answer Righteousnesse as also unrighteousnesse may be taken two wayes For righteousnesse may bee taken either for that equity which consisteth in giving every man his proper right and contrarily unrighteousnesse may signifie that iniquity which infringeth another mans right Or righteousnesse may denote such an equity as inclines rather to be neficence and kindnesse and consisteth in giving those things whereto a man hath properly no right yet there may be some causes which