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A07626
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Quadrivium Sionis or the foure ways to Sion By John Monlas Mr of arts
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Monlas, John.
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1633
(1633)
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STC 18020; ESTC S102304
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90,305
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189
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King Hiram to build the temple of the Eternall 1. Reg. 5. That which Pagans have spoken without knowledge wee will speake with reason and knowledge That all sorts of feare is a fire in our soules which scorcheth and consumes us as long as it remaines there Bâ—t let us hâ—re endevour particularly to consider the Analogies and resemblances that there is betweene fire and the feare of God which is the subject of our text Fire is a furious hastie and active Element and â—o liâ—kewise are the points of apprehension and feare Fire is the cleanest the purest the wholsomest of all Elements Iâ— cleanseth it purifieth it drives out all filthinesse and corruption as being neither able noâ—â—apable to suffer in it selfe any impurity for it either consumes or expells it And all this agrees well with the feare of God which is the most wholsomest Physick that we can take to purge our selues of sinne and to purifie our heartâ— of all vncleanenesse for there is no viâ—e but it will purge and reject Fire is an Element which consumes and devoures all that is presented to it and the feare of God is a coale and flame which devoureth all our concupiscences To make straight a crooked peece of wood or timber wee use fire thereby to make it become more soft and flexible So to replace soules in the way of life when they are either crooked or gone astray in the by pathes of vice then the feare of God of all other remedies iâ—â—he best and most soveraigne Fire by Antiperistase as it heateâ— those who are cold so it refresheth and comforteth those who are â—ot The feare of God heates and enflames those soules to doe well who are most frozen in piety and contrariwise it cooleth those who are most enflamed with their burning sensualities and concupiscences To venemous Apostumes mortal Gangreens and desperate diseases wee for the last remedy apply Irons and fire to cure it To sinners inveterated in their wickednesse and as it were despairing of their salvation wee must apply the Iron and fire of the feare of God to make them apprehend and know his divine judgements if they remaine impenitent and vnrepentant Historians report that the Arabian Phoâ—nix the onely bird of his race is accustomed every five hundred yeares to build an Artificiall nest whereunto the rayes of the Sunne reflecting and darting it at one time reduceth to ashes both the worke and the workman So if wee desire to revive to the love of immortall beatitude and celestiall felicity wee must set fire to our vices by the art and flame of a true and lively repentance and burne them all together in the feare of God All the world is a field richly strewed and diapred with the miracles and wonders of God whereof man is the principall Master-peece and the chiefest workmanship of his hands and the sacred Scriptures are as it were the Eâ—itomie and Compendium thereof wherein I every way see nothing but Gods love of his side towards man and read nothing but subjects of honour and causes feare of man towards God But among divers other places I finde one exceedingly agreeable and concurring with our text which is Daniel Câ—ap 2.32 concerning the Statue which Nabuchadâ—nozer saw in his dreame The head of this Iâ—agâ— was of fine gold his brest and armes of silver his belly and thighes of brasse his legges of iron his feete part of iron and part of clay a stone was cut out without hands which smote the Image upon his feete that were of iron and brake them to peeces and having brâ—ken theâ— the Statue fell backwards and was reduced to Summer dust This Statue doth lively represent unto us a sinner By his golden head I understand Pride Vanity and Ambition which fumes and swims in the Head of a sinner who esteemes himselfe as pretious as gold and as rare as Pearles His brest and armes of silver markes unto us his affection to covetousnesse as having all his desires every way bent and levelled to rapine and extortion His belly and thigâ—es of brasse represents unto us his voluptuousnesse and insatiety His legges of iron shew us his cruelty His feete of earth depaynts us his weakenesse and fragility and this stone cut without hand from the mountaine of Sion is the feare of God which God casts and rolles at our feete to beat us to dust and to make us consider the nothing from whence we came The world the flesh and the devill the professed mortall enemies of our soule who will never want subtilty or malice to make us stumble in the way to life seeing that this feare of God is a soveraigne Antidote against all the diseases of the soule not being able to diminish its vertue by their artifice and deceipts at least they will make us lose the rellish thereof by their insinuations and perswasions figuring us out this feare of God to be so hard sharpe and bitter that it is impossible for us to enjoy any rest or tranquillity of minde as long as wee are possessed of that passion That the wayes to heavenly Sion are not so craggie and difficult but that they are all paved with silke with delights and contentments But the faithfull man fearing God ought to be as wise as a Serpent Hee must stop his eares to this false Imposter and Inchanter who would surprise him to strangle him Hee must remember the words which Christ Iesus spake and dictated to him by Saint Luke Acts 14.22 We must thorow much tribulation enter into the Kingdome of God And againe by Saint Matheâ— 7.13 Enter yee in at the sâ—raâ—t gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction No no let us not flatter our selues there aâ—e no Roses without prickles we shall never obtaine and carie away the incorruptible Crowne of glory before wee have first fought the good fight wee shall never put our foote in celestiall Canaan before wee have first past the red sea of the afflictions of this life and departed forth of the wildernesse of our sinnes and in a word before we have fought with the infernall Gyants and Devils who strive and endevour to prevent and hinder our entry thereinto For it is absoluâ—ely impossible ever to possesse or enjoy the love of God here belowe in Earth or much lesse above in Heaven befoâ—e we have first sworne to him a perfect feare honour and obedience Amoris Ianua timor est The feare of God is the entry and gate to his love as also Love is a feare entermix'd with care and anxiety Res est solliciti plena timoris amor In the 19. Chap. verse 4. of the 1. Booke of Kings the Prophet Elijah flying the persecution of Queene Iezabel being weary of his way hee sate downe slept under a Iuniper Tree where an Angell came and found him ouâ— and caried him a Cake baked upon coales which hee pleasingly eate and relished and so satisfied his heart and stomacke for forty