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_v	world_n	zeal_n	37	3	7.8506	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20531	Anwick his meditations vpon Gods monarchie and the deuill his kingdome And of the knowledge that man in this life may obtaine of the almightie, eternal, and most glorious godhed: with other thinges not only worth the reading but also the marking and the retayning.	Anwick, I.	1587 (1587)	STC 694; ESTC S108317	93,450	132

and fewest in nomber they waite in fearful patience what God is about to doe Some of them not well resolued in this sentence of the Sonne of God * Many are called and fewe are Mat 29. 16. Luc. 12. 49. chosen For they are greatly amased to see the true feruent zeale of Gods holy seruice euen the fyre that the Sonne of God brought into the World and wil●ed that it should burne in mens hartes to bee now almost quenched or at the least the substance wherein it should woorke ●o consumed that there resteth but only embers raked in the ashes And therefore seeing men regard not to maintaine that fyre of true zeale which the Lord himselfe willed to burne in mens hartes There are great likelihodes by many coniectures that God will shortly kindle the fyre of disturbance and in the end consume his enemies For euen now the angell of God speaketh vnto the diuers states as hee did vnto the congregations of the Laodicians saying * let him that hath an eare heare what the spirit sayth vnto the churches A men the true faithful witnes euen the beginning of the Creatures of God sayth these thinges I know your woorkes that yee are neither cold nor hote I would yee wer cold or hote so then because yee are lukewarme end neither cold nor hote I will spew you out of my mouth because ye say I am ritch and encreased with goods and need nothing and you know not that yee are wretched miserable poore blind and naked Therefore I counsell you to buy of mee Gold tried in the fyre that yee may bee ritch and white raiment that yee may bee clothed that your filthy nakednes do not appeare And annoint your eies with eie salue that yee may see As many as I loue I rebuke and chasten be feruent therefore and repent saith the Lord. Behold I stand at the dore and knocke if any man heare my voice and open the dore I will come in vnto him and suppe with him and hee with mee To him that ouercommeth will I graunt to sit with mee in my throne as I haue ouercome and sitte with my Father in his throne By this let them that haue eares heare what the Spirite saieth to the congregations They are monstrous may med bodies that want eares to heare the woord of God and yet haue eares doing their office in hearing all other thinges Now where the fault lyeth of this wauering zeale this dulnes in hearing this lukewarmnes in following this slownes in beleeuing and exercising the word of God or who deserueth the blame thereof I leaue that in question For to be an accuser of crimes is perillous namely wher the Iudges want vpright hearing there it is not only a lost labor and thankles office but also obtaineth vnwoorthy blame and hatred for good wil. Notwithstanding I say an accusation may bee made in Christian charity for the amendment of such as walke inordinatly whereupon I say proue it as I can that euery person is bound by duty to bee an eie and an eare to the maiestrate to declare vnto him in christian charitie the enormities which he seeth among the people because he can see no further then a mā except god do inspire som mā with more vertue that way thē cōmonly is in men Therfore whē falts be told the magistrats for charity sake duty to god those persons haue discharged the duty of good Christians And then if the maiestrates do not trie out the truth execute iustice the sinne is vpon him Therfore in praier I humbly beseech the almighty God for his dear sons sake to send his holy Spirite into the hartes of all that euen from the highest that sittes in the roiall throne vnto the lowest and simplest in whole kingdoms dominions that euery one may remember that the ende of their creation both in body soule is to glorify God And therfore let euery one that desireth saluatiō endeuour now themselues to walke vprightly and deale truly honestly and faithfullie in their vocation pray hartily to God in this time of vrgent necessity that the feruent zeale of Gods most sacred seruice according to his owne word may be surelie engrafted in the hartes of all and most chiefly in Princes counsellers Nobilitie magistrates and officers That the same true zeale and the vertue thereof may discend from them by degrees in good example into the harts of the commons euen to the poorest and basest subiectes That all with one found minde may praise the holy and dreadfull name of Iehoua the most glorious almighty and eternall God the onely Monarch of Heauen and Earth that in the name of Christ Iesus for whose sake our praiers are pleasant and acceptable vnto him for otherwise he can not abide nor brooke them As King Dauid was moued and sollicited doubtles by holy motions which were in him the woorke of the holy 2 Sam. 7. 1 Chron. 17 22. Ghost to build a Temple vnto the mighty God of Israell which when hee had purposed to doe and prepared much costly stuffe for the building Nathan the Prophet warned him to the contrary God would not haue it of his dooing And why Euen because of his bloody handes Therefore hee commaunded to leaue it to his son Salomon by whose innocent handes God would haue that most famous and glorious figure wrought before Satan should corrupt his vnderstanding leade him captiue for a time as afterward hee did in most shamefull wife as in the 11. of 2. booke of Kinges Euen so I by like motions from time to time haue bin and am continually sollicited to meditate vppon Gods Monarchie and the Deuils Kingdome But whether the Lord worke in mee to the end I may rightly frame and performe it and time to finish the same to the benefite of his Church because of my bloudy handes and sinnes of my youth the Lord Iesus knoweth and not I. Yet through his grace woorking in mee for my selfe I can not thinke a good thought I haue gatherd togeather good and sound stuffe for some other that labor in Gods vineyard to frame the same or like peece of woorke Men ought to examine al doctrines by the word of God and chiefly consider what is spoken or written and not so much regarde the speaker or writer For it is a grosse error to thinke and more blockish to bee spoken That the true interpretation of holy Scriptures should rest onely in ●●ole men Whereas wee finde by daily experience that many of them are enemies to the glad tidinge of Christ Iesus Now if any man obiect or take exceptions against the auctority of the bookes called Apocripha out of which I haue heare and there alledged somewhat I answere thus that in all pointes wherein they doe agree with the Canonicall Scriptures they are in my opinion to bee preferred to all other mens writinges Doctors what or who soeuer which canonicall Scriptures God hath most miraculously preserued

the glory of God but how they doe hee best knoweth that is forepoynted to audice their accomptes And although Satan and his trayne both bodily ghostly do euermore deuise mischiefe as is their nature for they can not doe otherwise yet God as often as pleaseth him turneth their wicked purposes the contrary way As when Ioseph his brethren by Satans working in some of them did seeke to kill the poore Innocent the holy ghost wrought in other some of them to withstand that wicked purpose and when some of them had executed their malice by selling him into Egypt for a slaue because hee was so dearly beloued of his father they hated him their malicious entent was neuer to haue seene him agayne And yet it pleased God to turne their mallice and spitefull wicked entent to goodnes vppon themselues Gen. 45. 5. 8 * as Ioseph told them when he made himselfe knowne vnto them yea Ioseph denied it to bee their deede and sayde playnly it was the woorke of God and not theirs And yet it is most true they did it in hatred by Satans working in thē If wee marke the course of holy Scriptures deuour mens writinges on the same wee shall finde it manifest that euen frō the beginning the holy ghost hath euer wrought in those whom God hath chosen to their saluation And Satan and his Angels in those whom God hath left vnchosen euer worketh to their damnation And the same seueral working shall continue vnto the ende of this world for as in euery kingdome vertuous or vitious folks are in auctority the common weale for religion frameth accordingly If wee note well the succession of the kinges of Iehudah among two or three and twenty kinges euen from the first king vnto the captiuity of Babilon there are scant fyue praysed for truth honesty and zeale in holy religion Gods true seruice And likewise of the nobility counsellers and maiestrates not one among twenty y● rightly and zelously fauoured holy religion which notwithstanding was their profession as now it is ours they bragging stil of the temple of the Lord and wee of the Gospel And yet indeede they did neyther rightly esteeme of Gods holy Law nor yet of his holy seruice in his temple The Princes and states of Israell were reproued for their Ier. 7. 1. 10. 5. 1 Cor. 1. ● 6 Mat. 20. ●6 negligence in Gods seruice * And Saynt Paul telleth vs that not many ritch not many noble not many of high degree are called to saluation much lesse chosen For * many are called but few are chosen of mankinde in generall And this I say that the greatest punishment that God casteth on mankind in this lyfe is to withdraw his holy spirite from him and turne him loose to follow his owne lustes wherein Satan dandles him like a poppit and none are sooner trapt in Satans sna●e then some mighty by reason of nobility and wealth being often so affected that none may admonish them without their displeasure But such as can flatter lye and vse pleasant speach suffering them to follow their lustes and desyres such they haue in great estimation Example When the forepoynted tyme of Ahabs confusion drew neare Satan put an ambitious toy in his head to conquer Ramoth in Gilead and when hee sought counsell concerning his enterprise * God sent lying 1 Reg. 22. 20. spirites into the mouthes of foure himdreth of his Prophets to encourage him in his purpose whose counsell hee followed to his destruction hee went on greedily thinking to haue returned a conquerour and was brought home a dead carcas Micheas the prophet of God told him the truth onely hee was beaten for his labour and put in prison Thus as * all thinges worke for the best to them that loue Rom. 8. 28. God euen so to them that loue him not all thinges woorke to the contrary Experience teacheth that the Eliments water ayre earth fyre al the planets signes as Sunne Mone and Stars blustring winds tempests venemous wormes wilde and cruell beastes are Gods instrumentes which he giueth in to satans power sometimes to execute Gods forepointmēt vpon the reprobate alwayes to theyr confusion sometime vpon the elect for punishment of their sins God thereby calling thē to repentāce as he did Dauid c. The text is plain satā was y● executioner of gods holy work vpō Iob other his seruāts Therefore let vs note the discourse by what meanes Satan The meanes and instrumentes by which God worketh Ephes 22. wrought and what instrumentes hee vsed to afflict Iob. * First he stirred vp the Shebās on the one side which slue his seruants draue away his Oxen. Secondly Satan brought fire from Heauen * hee being the Prince that ruleth in the ayre and burnt vp his Sheepe and seruantes Thirdly hee stirred vp the Caldeans who came with violence on the other part and both slew his seruantes and draue away his camels Fourthly with a mighty blast of wynde he threw downe the house vppon his Sonnes and Daughters and kild them all so much as God gaue into his power so much hee vtterly deuoured according to his tyrannous nature And yet very ill content that hee could not touch Iobs person which at length hee gaue into his power sauing his life And what sayeth the Text Satan went foorth from the presence of the Lord and smote Iob with sore byles from the soale of the foote vnto the crowne of the head Note it wel he went foorth from the presence of the Lord to doe those things For by this history of Iob it appeareth that deadly enemies Theeues the fyer and the tempestious windes were Satans instrumentes by God his sufferance to afflict Iob and to try his fayth whom neuerthelesse God himselfe commendeth for an vpright iust man fearing God eschewing euil whose witnes is very sufficient to approue the honesty of man Now if the opinions of Heathen Philosophers and some called Christians bee true that the corruption of the ayre commes by concurrences and influences of the planets and signes and of their distemperature commes murrians pestilences botches blaynes burning feuers and other diseases then it should seeme by their opinion that those insencible creatures worke of themselues and cast foorth their effectes at a venture here and there without Gods forepointment which to graunt is a great absurdity and derogation of Gods almightines Yea there are verie many men that haue their wittes so entangled with fancies of Astrologie and Astronomie that they wil take on them to giue a naturall reason for the secret workes of God as though they were subiect to mans corrupt sences Or as though the Elementes planets and signes could breake their naturall courses without Gods forepointment But in this matter of Iob there is no mention of planets nor signes albeit I confesse them to be Gods creatures made to his glory and vse of mankinde and instrumentes by whom hee woorketh his good pleasure for the