Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
fire_n	wrought_v	zeal_n	zealous_a	14	3	10.0427	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59072	God, the king, and the church (to wit) government both civil and sacred together instituted ... and throughout all, the Church of England ... vindicated : being the subject of eight sermons, preached ... / and now published by George Seignior ...	Seignior, George, d. 1678.	1670 (1670)	Wing S2417; ESTC R19835	158,466	284

they fall foul one upon another cutting themselves with Knives and Lances till the blood gush out upon them these are the heats of Brethren in iniquity a friendship turned to the worst of hatred till amongst them many times blood touch blood whereas that zeal which conerns it self for God and for his Glory is the peaceable fruit of Righteousness it is a coal brought by the Ministration of Cherubims and Seraphins those Spirits that are a flame of Fire with which both mouth and lips being touched all sin is purged away and the zeal because Permanent and Constant is therefore Good Good a word that speaks all perfection as much as finite Beings are capable of it is what the B. Apostle recommends to the Galatians in the Text after he had given them an account in the verse preceding of the Temper of their Seducers a description of their wicked Zeal to pervert them from the Faith he would not have the Galatians in the last to abate any thing of their Christian Fervours for God and for his Truth It is God that answereth by fire in them against their opposers and Gainsayers and therefore let him be God this fire let it be preserved alive yea though St. Paul be absent from them For it is good to be zealously affected alwaies in a good thing and not only when I who have authority and a jurisdiction over you am present with you but out of love to the thing it self when in my care of the other Churches I have occasion to withdraw and to be absent from you In the words which are the commendation of a Pious and a holy Zeal we have these two Parts as I have before mentioned 1. Approbatio ipsa The Approbation it self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is good to be zealous 2ly Ratio Approbandi The reason of this Approbation which is Three-fold First Ab Objecto From the Object of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it must be in a good thing Secondly Ab Habitu From the Habit which must be as unlimited as the Object is universally good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it must be always Thirdly Ab Occasione From the Occasion of expressing it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not only when I your Apostle am present with you First The scope of the Text being such a Zeal commended to us as is it self a Moderation that is a Medium between luke-warm indifference and hot-headed Phrenzey in the general it is laid down as the Foundation of all That it is good to be Zealous Zeal is many times the Product of a true Repentance 2 Cor. 7.11 In that ye sorrowed after a godly sort what carefulness it wrought in you yea what Zeal certainly then it is not alwayes it self to be repented of nay it was the Command of him who sat in the midst of the Seven Golden Candlesticks whose eyes were as a flame of Fire and his feet like unto fine Brass as if they burned in a furnace unto the Church of Laodicea that Church which was neither hot nor cold Rev. 3.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be thou zealous and Repent Zeal is like the Element to which it is often compared a good Servant though a bad Master a Good Servant when in subjection to in subordination with that obedience which we are to pay unto our God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When we are fervent in Spirit serving the Lord but a Bad Master when it rules not only in us but over us transporting us so much that we forget either our Duty to God or our Charity to our Brother As bad as some may esteem of Zeal who care not to put themselves to over-much trouble for God and for his service who consult their own ease and quiet so much that they are not sollicitous what becomes of the outward Professions the publick attestations of Holiness and Piety who are for doing their own business but nothing else let the World go how it will they are not concerned so they may be permitted a lazy retiredness and unusefull privacy yet zeal is Good when it walks abroad to be seen of men when it is not a candle under a bushel but on the house top or set upon a hill the holy hill of Sion that all the Passengers may behold it and be directed by it it is transcendently Good and that in the three common acceptions of Goodness jucundum honestum utile it is a pleasant Good it is honest and of good report it is every way profitable First Zeal is Good that is it is bonum jucundum it is a pleasant good though it be the exerting of our passions there is great complacency and satisfaction in it whilst we are musing the Fire burns and we have no rest till at last we speak with our tongues the result of it is great peace to a mans Conscience when at any time he supposes that he has disburdened his Soul in the cause of God it is a comfortable reflection upon a spiritual and a holy magnanimity when a man is satisfied with himself that he is not afraid or ashamed to speak and write his mind and to act according to an honest Principle maugre all opposition and discouragement when it is rightly qualified it is an excellent pre-requisite disposing a man to be a resolute Confessour or a joyful Martyr it fits a man to suffer with great joy and gladness the spoiling of his goods the loss of his life any thing rather then make shipwrack of his faith and of a good Conscience It is not requisite therefore that a true zealot should be an ill-natured person one that is contented with any thing rather then his present state and condition of life it is not like the peevishness of Jobs wife upbraiding its self with its own integrity as if we had served our God for nought and washed our hands in innocency to no purpose therefore upon every little and light affliction we must presently curse God and die neither is it like the fretting and fuming of Jonas displeased because God is gratious because the sentence of judgment against the evil works of the sons of men is not executed speedily therefore Jonas thinks that he does well to be angry even unto death No there are the comforts of life in the heats of a holy zeal and that life is the light of God Nay further yet This Supererogating grace I want a name for it it is somthing more then Love the surplusage of it not by it self a distinct vertue for once therefore allow me the expression I say this Supererogating grace is not onely a pleasant good that is warmth and refreshment Peace that passeth all understanding to the pious soul where it is seated but it is likewise comfort and encouragement unto others how many have taken fire at such heats as these to see a Martyr die with courage and resolution was the great inducement for others chearfully to embrace the same flames the Phoenix providing

their people for without a little Dissimulation their could be neither Living nor Livelinood But certainly God has no need of such mens Hypocrisie to Manifest his Glory nor the Church of their Dissimulation to preserve its peace He that is a Friend to all Religions or to all perswasions in Religion so far that according to the circumstances of his life he can ingage in or defend any of them is in truth of no Religion at all he is ready to Apostatize with Julian and should there arise an eleventh Persecution against Christianity he is never like to be either a Resolute Confessour for the truth he has own'd or a Faithful Martyr for the Faith into which he was baptized but this will be his sad Conversion quite contrary to the blessed alteration which was in St. Paul Is not this he that preached Christ but now he destroys all those who call upon that name delivering them up to bonds and imprisonment even to death it self God grant that we may never know such times as will put these men to their tryal and he preserve and continue his Church in Unity and Uniformity amongst us that it never stand in need of them to be Champions for its Faith or Discipline But whither such an eager industrious sollicitude of being indifferent of appearing all things to all men wresting St. Pauls practice as bad as they have done his writings out of a desire not to gain Proselytes but credit and profit to themselves I say whether such a zealous studious luke-warmness in things sacred and holy is not in the direct consequence of it a pre-requisite disposing a man to turn Jew Turk Pagan Infidel any thing does not in the formal notion of it promote Atheisme both in practice and speculation I leave this to the Disputers of this World to the curious speculative heads of our times seriously and soberly to consider But as for us let us be careful of a Temporary Faith of a Religion ours in the profession of it only because suited to the Climate we live in and the air we breath in to the popular breath we daily suck to the soil of the Countrey to the humours of Multitude Let us be stedfast in our holy Profession persevere in the way of Godliness as knowing that Pure Religion is to keep our selves unspotted from the World it is Heaven-born God on high is Worshiped and man upon Earth is saved in the celebration of it this being our Assurance that we are accepted and a comfortable satisfaction to us that our zeal is rightly qualified when in the integrity of our hearts and the uprightness of our soul it is as permanent as it is passionate it is the same continued flame bright and pure to the last bending it self one way tending upwards though it be fire it is not seated beneath the concave of the Moon I mean spent upon sublunary changing perishing Designes but it is cherished by influenced upon and clothed with the Sun of Righteousness and the reward of its Constancy shall be Everlasting Felicity for him who is thus piously zealous unto Death there is laid up a Crown of Life And so I pass to the 2. Reason of this Apostolical approbation and that Taken from the habit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It must be alwayes And here as in the Application of the first Discourse was mentioned we must be careful that we distinguish the habit of zeal from the constitution of the Body whether it be not the overflowing of the Gall rather than the result of Grace from the heart True indeed being called unto Grace and Holiness whatsoever were our passions before they are Crucified now with Christ in mortification and with him they are risen again and sanctified unto his service and so our zeal may at the same time be in some sort the natural temper of our Bodies and the pious frame of our Minds but then in other circumstances of life our zeal for Charity must alwayes take place of Passion neither must the Sun at any time set somnum nec rixa facit nor are the shadows of the night to be spread over our wrath So then be our Constitution what it will if in the personal occurrences of our lives our Moderation be known unto all men our zeal for God and Religion because perpetually the same is therefore Good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it must be Alwaies Thunder does root up Foundations the effects of it are as dreadful as the noise is terrible but then the Lightning which doth accompany it is momentany it is but a sudden flash and we see it again no more There is a Madzeal or a Phrenzy rather like Thunder it pretends that it will clear the air when it makes the earth to tremble nothing but Desolation and overturning where-ever the Bolt lights it makes havock of all before it be it never so pleasant or desireable but the Lightning transcient the promising overtures are but some sudden glances which have more of terror and amazement than of comfort and refreshment we see them indeed or hear of them no sooner are they seen or heard but no where are they to be found whereas a Holy zeal is like the Sun breaking through a cloud though intercepted with the mists and foggs of errour and seduction yet it will make its way and spread the day where e're it comes it ariseth in its strength and in its beauty and rejoyceth to run its course it s going forth is from Heaven and its Circuit to the end of it again and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof such a thing is a pious zeal like unto the Ordinances of Heaven abiding the same for ever day after day tells the World its Piety and night after night in a satisfactory contemplation upon its own constancy sheweth unto the Devout Soul that such a zeal thus fixed and unalterable is according unto Godliness True zeal is not like Herods Devotion who sometimes heard John Baptist gladly and for his sake when the humour took him did many things that were good it is not like Agrippa's half Perswasion and yet not perswaded to be a Christian very near and so the farther from the Kingdom of Heaven it is not like Felix his pannick fit of trembling while he hears St. Paul reasoning of Temperance of Righteousness and of Judgment to come soon shaked off in a colder Dismission go thy way for this time when I have a more convenient season I will send for thee it is not a sudden motion an ecstatical rapture an impetus that may cast Saul himself amongst the Prophets it is not a hot burning fit which comes and goes as some unhealthy humours ferment more or less in the Body or wild fancys work disturbedly and confusedly in the brain such a zeal as this which is not constant to it self is not unlike to Sauls evil Spirit when the Lord was departed from him it wants Davids Harp the sweet Singer of Israel the