Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	day_n	lord_n	week_n	2,982	5	9.9436	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92204	The fiery change: or, Almighty God, his melting and refining of his people, purging out their drosse and drossy metals, making them like unto himself and to his Son who is the pure Word. Wherein is discovered, by the comparison of metals, how the visible church is corrupted, consisting of men of all degrees and conditions and how God hath begun to refine them: which have past in the world a long time for good metal: but now is discovering by fire. / By Robert Read.	Read, Robert, fl. 1653-1656.	1656 (1656)	Wing R440; Thomason E899_3; ESTC R206741	92,260	122

world Ye men of trafficke take heed to your selves Luke 21.34 that ye be not ovrcome with the cares of the world for worldly things cannot produce any comfort it is one of the greatest baits the evill one hath to catch men by what profit is there in winning the world and losing the soul by it How hardly can a rich man enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Strive therefore in the exercise of piety and God-like life and not by grovelling in the earth as an earth-worm but cast off the evil desire of gayning which causeth oppression cruelty and exaction and much detaining of the labourers hire be ye renewed from the condition of old man which is from the earthearthy 1 Cor. 15.47 Labour not for the meat that perisheth but for that that endureth vexe not your selves in the anxiety of your mindes that you are not so rich and have such large possessions as others neither strive in the attaining of riches as the manner of the world is and that among professors having dark deceiveable lights false weights and measures fraud cousenage and lying with swearing Take heed of these things you that say you are Christians these things ought not to be among them the Lord seeth all your actions and will punish the evill doers yea even him that is as the Wolfe that devoureth his neighbour by subtilty to increase unto himself unlawfull gain and also the usurer that commonly drinks the blood of the poor these like to a Wolfe that hath blinde whelpes go down into the pit with their children the one for gathering and the other for scattering Fourthly and lastly the poor of the world are here to learn whether impotent poor or aged poor to be rich in God Ask of God in faith and he will give freely he giveth to all that asketh and upbraideth none you that are still ready to open your lips to the men of the world your brethren for relief call and cry mightily to God for his mercy learne to be of a poor a low spirit what wil you do if poor and not poor in spirit you shall not see God You poor that are hungry learn to hunger and thirst after righteousnesse Mat. 5. and you shall be satisfied a strange saying that the hungry shall be satisfied and the full sent empty away so it is that the fulnes that is in men cording to the wisdome of their flesh agreeable to the lusts thereof speaks satisfaction to the carnall minde 1 King 8.38 but it is the plague of the heart Better it is for a vessel to be empty then to be filled with filthy corruptible and evill matter Let no outward ingagement make you that are poor to offend and sin against God or to forsake him for the Lord is with you while you be with him 2 Chro. 15. ●… in what state or condition soever but if you forsake him he will forsake you Hazard all endure all that you may enjoy your God your Saviour and the gifts and graces of his Holy Spirit subject your selves to none whereby you might break your peace with God do nothing for any mans sake friendship or money but what may stand with a good conscience spend what time you may in the service of God and in accompanying his people and if the necessary endeavours for bread takes away preparation know thus much that God doth accept of all those that cleave to him with all their hearts 2 Chr. 30.19 though they may not be outwardly cleansed the poor Publicane was commended and justified through the fervency of his short prayer being not with with ostentation but in humble confession contrition and animadversion The poor may take comfort in this that they are not in the way of sinners the great enormities and impieties Psalm 3. that are committed by the wanton ones of the world they are bard from them through their poverty as not fit companions being not fitted in outward deportment for such company neither can they so walke in the counsell of the ungodly for ungodly counsels are most among the wealthy of the world happy are they that are expeld from such ungodly counsels that do conspire against God and Christ and that are not exercised Psal 2.2.1 2 c. in the seat of the scorners usually the proud and the rich of the world are sornefull it is a haynous sin to be a scorner Prov. 1. the Lord will laugh at their destruction many plagues are denounced against them if men are blessed that are none of these then happy are the poor that are not so Take heed thou that art poor and be low in thine own estimation walk humbly with God because thou art constrained to walke humbly to man let God be in all thy thoughts he it is that will blesse thee and give thee thy hearts desire Psal 37. if thou delight in him he will feed thee Commit thy way to him and he will bring it passe that for thy povery here he hath eternall riches for thee hereafter Now seeing that all sorts of person signified by these metals have had advice from the Lord in particular let them here take warning in this their day and repent for the day of the Lord is drawing neer if we be washed cleansed purified purged then are we fit vessels for him if not then know that notwithstanding all that we boast of as concerning Oidinances Ministers Churches Professions and Services we are no way fit but without God in the world in carnall sacrifices O that England did know the day of its visitation and could but see how gracious merciful the Lord bath bin still is in forbearing and forgiving and standing at the door there knocking waiting when we will open unto him that he may come in and sup with us his kindnesse is so great that he would have us eat of the same that He doth that there may be both union and communion He would not have us lay out our mony and not for bread that that doth not profit but would have us to come and buy milke and wine without money yea to buy Gold of him and eye salve to anoint our eyes that we may see But foolish people as we are we think our selves happy in our old customary services and do not consider from whence they were derived and had their rise And that the night of Apostacy hath been over the face of the whole world this many hundred yeers It appeareth plain that England as well as Israel is drosse and who is there that hath the spirit of discerning but doth perceive the very fiery beginnings that God hath made among us as to destroy and consume all will of man fleshly wisdome and Antichristian church policy which hath kept us from the sincere and the most pure and unblameale service of God in the spirit Know thy self O England to be not that what thou boastest thou art Thou art ready

that hate you and per●ecute you and they neither blesse nor pray except they pray to have mi chief fall upon such as would shew them their blind●nesse and hypocrisie which they do discover by their converse with the poor for what is said unto the poor weak and ignorant by them is voted for good commended and applauded they speak well of them that know them not for many do live by the rule of custome and so the Minister is honoured more out of ignorance and custome or for some preingagements then any other way else but forsowing of pillowes under the●e bowes of men of higher degree Ezek. 22.28 Jer. 6.14 8 11 1 Thes 5.3 and speaking peace when they have no warrant from the Lord this makes the rich worldling also to hold with them and plead for them 3 Furthermore besides Tin mixing with metals it doth also beautifie other metalls it doth put a fairer glosse and luster upon metals then they have of themselves it becomes as a coat or a cloake on them as for example Tin covering brasse makes it very like Silver as that we call Alkemy how many have been deceived by this sort of contrived metals in vessels instruments and in coine taking it for good Silver when being Brasse it hath onely a coat of Tin upon it Thus doth the Clergy they put another hue and countenance upon the Magistracy then they have of themselves their associating with them their frequent conversing with them their discoursing with them and their advizing and counselling of them makes the world seeing their familiarity to judge them to be as they are which suppose to be the pure metall of Silver and so as in their judgement they conceive well of the Minister so do they of the men in Authority because are together often in converse and in discourse Thus the world comes to be deceived to build their confidence upon hay and stubble which the fire will consume although the praise the minister giveth makes the party the more in respect it is but of the men of the world but the Almighty God knoweth the heart and that one doth spoil and corrupt the other Esa 5.20 for the Ministers as well as the old false prophets are apt to call evil good and good evill and so there is a wo pronounced against them Again Tin it doth beautifie iron and makes it seem as Tin by which iron we understand the worldling he that is nothing but Iron that regardeth nothing but the world and the profits of it it makes him seem to be that he is not to be as the Tin is that is like his Preacher and his teacher witnesse many wretched worldlings whose intimacy with their Preachers Amos. 3.3 their resorting to him their familiar society walking and talking with them as agreed makes the people of the world to take them for no worse then their Preachers although like Iron they be never so hard and cruell lying as iron in the earth untill the earth hath turned them to earth Thus doth the Ministry for their worldly ends keep company with the men of the world as long as they live and sometimes before they die like Ravens about a beast they visit him often for their prey sake and when they are dead they put an eternall fame upon them worth sometimes five pounds This good man this just and upright man this man that loved the word a constant hearer and frequenter of the Church and the Ordinances of God and charitable to the poor as appeareth at his death he is now in Heaven after which if a monument of him pietas virtus sanctus if not sanctissimus c. must be part of his Epitaph and so the ministers doe not only vernish and colour the worldlings and the corrupt minded here while living but indeavor to perpetuate and eternize their fame and all this for the succeding expectation of the like reward Saint Paul became all things to all men that he might gain some that is some to Christ into the house of God into the Kingdom but shame it is that Ministers are become all things to all men that they might gain some of the world with them but to gain them to God to Christ if a sermon or two once or twice a week will do it well if not what care they they look for their fleece and therefore they do with their people of eminence as servants that flatter their masters fearing their frownes and that they shall be losers if they speak out their mindes really and not to their masters affection or to his gaine being asked is this well don though perhaps ill don yea say they it is well done or otherwise if they say it is best or may it be lawfull for me to do thus or thus though perhaps unlawfull saies the servant knowing his masters affection and the purpose of his minde yea you may lawfully do it if otherwise that the master be crost away then if they speak contrary to their mindes and waies Should a Minister speak against a rich world●ing and come to him as Nathan did to David and say thou art the man it is as much as his place is worth witnesse certaine places and towns that might be named where it is in the power of the chief men of the place there the preacher must be wary Lastly it doth colour and set a glosse upon the earth it makes that to shine for all the earthen vessels Matth. 6. that are shining white vessels they are made so with Tin very fair clear● and pure to the eye but the matter chiefly whereof they are made is earth The Clergy doth beautifie and colour the earth and earthly minded people who as their Disciples do follow them making them to seem that they are not for they appear to men to pray to hear to live orderly among others when they are but onely civilized there is nothing within that is changed the same that came into the world the same remains inwardly in their hearts yet honest men good men this is the Tinny approbation they give them when poor ignorant souls there is nothing in them but blindenesse of minde darknesse of understanding and clean contrary to God and his Word meer earth They are told by their Minister If they come and hear him and pray and observe their Church duly they need not be so scrupulous and so full of inquiry after things that do not concern them tradesmen should not come from off their shopboard and leap into Election and Predestination Bishop Pearce of Wells but follow their callings so holding them in the outward forme feeding cherishing and nourishing them in blinde hypocrisie they cannot percei●e what the change means Iohn 3.4 like to Nicodemus they wonder at a new birth and yet they think themselves to be as good Christians as any in the world they see themselves to be full Deut. 32.1 Isa 34.1 Jer. 6.19 22 29. and to

hammer will fashion him to any thing to this condition or to that to any forme In all the●e qualifications the poor seemeth to be the best of all Mo●t true it is that there are a sort of poor that in all the equalities do appear in the world beyond the men of the world whom our precedent discourse hath made mention of for the wisdom of Almighty God is such that he knoweth what is best for us and to some in his great and rich love doth he give a very small pittance of the outward things of this life that being hereby pinched they might be still calling to God who is the giver of all things meat and drink apparell houses and other necessaries they are gifts of God Dantur bonis quia non mala dantur malis qu●a non bona good men may be bettered by them and e ill men may be made worse however it be yet God is good and loving to Israell and to all them that are true of heart they shall want nothing that is good for them Ha●h God appointed the poor to serve the rich and are they th●s p●i●b●e ●o●t and gentle unto their earthly masters Let us by them yea let all the great ones of the world learn to be p iable to their Maker in all t ings as the poor man is to his master be willing to go to come to be easily perswaded by the Word of our God and not to live being ignorant according to our own judgements and understandings but according to the will of our God Psalm 7● David when he saw the prosperity of the wicked he was cast down and thought he had cleansed himself in vain But afterwards when he had been at the Sanctuary of God he understood c. and said Thou wilt guide me with thy counsell and after that receive me to Glory In this let us learn of the poor and be poor in spirit for they shall inherit the Kingdom of God the poor takes any impression call him what you will he is not angry neither offended so should it be with us take all manner of wrongs and injuries patiently not seeking revenge but be Mal eable under the hammer of God to be beaten and fashioned to what he will have us to be Again Lead is waighty and in that quality it is like Gold for that is the weightiest of all metals But this lead being a waighty and heavie metall it serveth in the world to make weights wherewith most commodities that are sold by weight are weighed and ballanced So are they the poor of the world they are as the weights wherewith the dealings of men one with another and towards themselves are by them weighed and considered all their unjust actions their oppressions fraud injuries and hard dealing is by them seen and felt and known more then to others for by such means men are made poor and kept so and therefore the pressure of it lying on them chiefly it is by them weighed and considered and also by them judged censured and execrated Lead also is waighty in another respect and that is in respect of the poor themselves being heavie and burdensome to the places they are and do remain in some of them being aged lame impotent and blind and destitute these poor are chargeable and burdensome and such as these are alwaies in the world and to be provided for Thete is also poor that are vagarants rogues theeves and poor prisoners the which are troublesome to the Common Wealth and burdensome where they are these the civil Magistrate should take in hand to restrain punish and suppresse Here we see that the poor here understood by the metall Lead are of two kindes the one are very flexible and tractable and doth resemble the silver that is in the Lead as it lies in the drossy body unseen The other poor is as the drossey body of the Lead which must by refining be brought to a separation forth from the Silver and so the one makes a vessell for the refiner and the other is as a weighty and burdensome people in the world Take Lead as it is in the originall and ye cannot perceive any Silver to be in it So the poor they are such that have some graces and discoveries of God unto them but they cannot shew it they are so trampled on by the men the world and kept low in a despised forlorne and mean condition that they cannot exercise their graces as they should it lies inwardly in the heart and doth not appear outwardly This is the condition of many and yet the rich justifie themselves very much by the carriages of the poor being contrary to them for they frequent publike preaching and use long prayers pay their dues speak the truth without avowing and do acts of charity being sober and chast outwardly whereby it comes to passe that the rich man in his demeanor and carriage blesseth himself that he is not such a one as the poor like the proud Pharisee that did thank God he was not as other men he did fast twise a week c. whereas there is a great difference between them the rich can very well spare the time to be seen of men and spend much in the outward visible matter of service and nothing troubles him all things is in store for his use without seeking after it But the poor man he must get his bread and be imployed at all seasons for that end to have to sustain nature but seeing the difference he crieth to the Lord from his heart God be mercifull to me a sinner and so getteth inward comfort and solace though outwardly he cannot shew it to the world Other poor that is signified by Lead being parted from the Silver is that fort of poor that are wicked of these there are that are mockers raylers revilers and verbal persecutours slanderers of men in high places for good acts of Justice Piety and Charity having nor the fear of God before their eyes they are ready to do any evill as coadjutors to others being thereunto engaged wherein men of eminence outwardly civil forbear in their own persons and force and compell those poor whom they can command And thus the designes of evil men are brought to passe and executed as in these dayes against the pure people of God who are drawn from the the common practice of the world to live more neerer with God and to commune with him out of the worlds ordinances these are much abused and mocked Some of these poor are such that are discontented that they are poor falling from one wickednesse to another and most rudely do abuse the Name of God his people his creatures and all the things of God impatient passionate and charging of God for aflicting them some as it hath been heard say said Could God do more to me then he hath done some also that were before A poor man at Cardiffe of some ability and means having lost it

so that the cruell and wicked practices of the one is the means of purging out the defilements of the other being set in opposition through the wisdom of our most holy God Comfort thy self O Christian thy God will purge thee through the fiery contentions that is among true Beleevers and hypocrites the fire is kindled Jer. 6.28 and the bellows do blow thy drosse shall be clean purged out and thou shalt be as the silver and gold for the Lord hath enough and he will fill thee out of his own fulnesse Read the thirteenth of Zachariah and the three last verses God saith there of the small number of his people Zach. 13.7 8. 9 that after he hath refined them then he wil be their God and they shall say The Lord is my God where no drosse is to purge out there God will not cast into the fire but he will there dwell and abide for ever thou shalt never need to mourn for the want of a Minister for God will be thy Minister and he will minister light and peace unto thee the Sun shall shine seven times brighter than at noon for the Lord himself will be thy light When Almighty God hath melted his people and burnt up their drosse and utterly consumed it then shall they come to be in union with him living and abiding with him for ever This is that new Jerusalem that John saw that came down from God out of Heaven wherein there is no temple nor ordinance being there is no need In the time of the Apostacie after the Apostles dayes which yet remains although wounded then there was a need of Pastours and Teachers as the onely means of distributing light to the world like unto the light of the Moon alwayes changing somtimes Popery somtimes Episcopacie sometimes Presbytery Independent and Baptized So that God was alwayes well pleased to make some cloudy discoveries of himself by the ministery of men But the day of the Lord being now dawned Christ who is our light shall appear again and the power of Antichrist which waxed so great shall be clean taken away and the rent that was made shall be made whole God will cement his people to himself and he will be their light and defence Psal 83. ult And this is Babylons plague yea the vexation of the grand Professours that are now full and will not obey the true light but do persecute it calling it the new light or new lights being blinde to the discoveries that God hath made to his people of the Whore and of her destruction and of the purest flesh and the glory thereof which must be burnt that God may be all in all in his people and never be any more forms Rest not then oh thou doubting soul untill thou hast found the Lord Cant. 3. as the Church in the Canticles he it is that gives light and life he is our peace he shall be thy Minister and thy Church and the house thou livest in for the Temple of Christ is within you and thou shalt hear Christ teach within thee incline therefore thine heart to the temple within cast away all thine abominations and bring thy will to the Father regard not the glory and vanity of the world but humble thy self under his mighty hand and know that there is no time to be when the holy Spirit of God will force it self into the will of the hardened But thou must bring thy will into the holy Spirit and then shalt thou hear it teaching thee by another way and means than formerly thou hast waited in for most certain it is that the change is now begun and God will finish that long expected and waited for Psal 45.6 7. even his own presence and fellowship with the Saints prize thy dignity and give praises yea eternall praises to the Lord of glory that sheweth himself unto thee in the fellowship of sufferings Oh the height the depth the breadth and length of the love of God that doth invest poor worms into such glory that neither eye hath seen nor ear hath heard neither can enter into the heart of man to conceive the riches of that glory Now seeing that there must be such a fiery change as is spoken of which through the great mercy of God doth free us from wrath to come What manner of persons ought we to be now in the body of flesh We ought to attend and wait on the inward calling of God and to obey the light that shineth into our mindes living according to our measure exercising our selves in all godlike conversation redeeming the time because the dayes are evill shaking off the things that cleave so close to us even our lusts crush the Serpent in the head kill the Cockatrice in the shell wait upon God with weeping fasting and mourning praying and ever praying that the Kingdom of Christ may be enlarged that the wickednesse of the world may be abated and the drosse among his people utterly consumed that the Nations that yet know not the Lord may be insightened and instructed to know him glorifying God the Father that he hath been so gracious so long suffering so mercifull and so patient in bearing with such a wicked and hypocriticall a generation as we are You that are enemies to the pure truth now declared and despisers of the light of Jesus made manifest and do live in contention for the upholding of the outward profession being blinde to the inward and invisible power that should rule within Learn to know that there are but two wayes the broad way and the narrow way the one a way of death the other of life the one without God in the world the other God with us living and abiding with us the one way directeth and leadeth to God as a mercifull Father and all-sufficient Redeemer the other way directeth and leadeth to God as a terrible Judge and Avenger knowing this Be you led by the light that shineth in you the light of Christ to the narrow way to the strait gate thorow which you cannot enter untill you are new born new creatures new moulded new melted which cannot be with the taking of the ease pleasure and profits of the world living in an externall professed and visible way of outward observances but it must be by the inward breaking bruizing and killing of that serpentine life will and wisdom of the carnall man Either you must fall on the stone and be broken Luke 10.18 or else it will fall upon you and it will grinde you to powder there is no middle way to life salvation and happinesse Either you must yeeld bow submit and embrace Christ upon terms of losse and death to the carnall or else you cannot have Christ at all keeping the carnall minde although never so much covered and gilded Seek the Lord while he may be found call upon him while he is neer get oil into your lamps now there is an opportunity of having of it come