Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	hate_v	love_v	persecute_v	3,099	5	9.6553	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

that can destroy them not for the love of his great power tha● burns and consumes sin and drosse in them they fear him because they are sinfull and do not convert and change but live in sin love it and plead for it But because God hates sin and sin is of such a defilin nature and makes us that we cannot be vessels for him therefore should we hate it Search and examine your selves ye sons of men tha● say you know God and are Christians and hope to b● saved by Christ Do you know God If you did yo● would know his people his Word his will his power his love his mercy his goodnesse and his tender compassion Can people say they know God and hate an persecute his Saints despise his Word resist his will regard not his power take nothing from God as love to them but what doth appear visibly in the things of the world that cannot see God mercifull to them when he doth afflict them that cannot conceive that God made them men out of his goodnesse that cannot apprehend God to be tender unto them in delivering them from their lusts from the snares of Satan and from the allurements of the world that cannot praise God for afflictions and rejoyce under crosses that fear death and being never renewed nor changed cannot tell what Heaven is neither is their desire to any other heaven than that that is like the happinesse of this world Should there be such a strict survey and enquiry made of the knowledge of God among us we should finde very few that do know God aright and truly as they ought and as the Saints of old did but imaginarily by relation by hear-say and by writings Who is it that knoweth God experimentally not onely to be his Creatour but to be his God Who is there that sheweth forth in a lively practice that he was made to glorifie God with and in his heart minde soul and strength that doth witnesse to the world that all his members and sences were deputed in their severall orders and places to honour and glorifie his Maker and not to make them vassals and drudges in the service of sin and Satan Who is there that doth exercise his affections in the things of God onely that leapeth and danceth as David did because of the Ark of God 2 Sam. 6.14 that was recovered and brought again among the people of God Or who doth grieve and mourn to the death as old Eli and his daughter Phineas wife did 1 Sam 4.13 Jerem 9.1 Isai 22.3 because the Ark of God was taken they would not be comforted The glory is departed from Israel therefore life was nothing to them Are mens affections carried on or off according to the tenour of Gods will as for the glory of God Or are they set on the world and carried on to the contrary then there can be no true knowledge of God Who is there that the passions of his minde bends to the glory of God that is angry when the Lord is dishonoured his people abused truth despised Where is the zeal that David had Psal 69 9. which did eat him up he was not himself his zeal had devoured him Who is there that will adventure his life liberty goods estate credit or reputation for God If there be any such as are here enquired of surely they know the Lord. And all others that live onely in the Heathenish nature and run together with the multitudes to do they know not what and to they know not whom The Lord will make as many as doth belong to him to know him by his furnace and acknowledge him to be just holy and good as he hath declared himself to be so shall his people finde in themselves if there were no Scripture by their own testimony which is the best evidence and proof for no true knowledge can be but by the inward testimony other knowledge deceiveth for when men boast of their knowing God to be all-sufficient and that he knoweth best what is fit for them and if this be not radicall within by inward testimony when trouble and affliction cometh and the evil day approacheth they are ready to murmure against God and disdain his dealings whereby they testifie to their own hearts their own failings and that recoileth back that should go forwards witnessing by their impatiency and unquiet spirits that their knowledge of him was not true neither can there be any thing true but what will hold the fiery triall that makes us to know the Lord and to know our selves The people of God that are and have been melted they onely shall know the Lord and his indignation they shall not need to fear the wrath to come for wrath seizeth on them here they shall know the Lords wrath that it hath past o●er them and that there shall be no more and that his triall is that they might be the better that they might know God knoweth what all men are though men know not themselves Where no triall hath been and none of Gods indignation hath past over to melt refine purifie and purge out the drosse the filth and corruption which lieth hidden and covered within what ever metall-like shining there is or what gilded profession soever there is or whatsoever art or worldly wisdom there is there is nothing but death To know God inwardly savingly experimentally in all his attributes in all his dealings to know that his wrath here his indignation here worketh for our eternall good is the right knowledge that God will indue his people with for the true knowledge of God and a pure minde goes together being attained unto by the Crosse and by the true revelation of the Son of God made manifest in the flesh by his sufferings that as he overcame death and now sits at the right hand of the Father so might we also overcome and be fellow-heirs with him Away with the knowledge the world hath that cannot apprehend God to be good to them in time of distresse sorrow misery and calamity in the time of their triall but deem that they are out of Gods favour and lie down either despairing of happinesse looking without themselves and revile others which they conceive have been the cause of that that is fallen upon them The case of England is so at present because men cannot enjoy their pleasures and profits as heretofore and things are not according to their wils they lie down in discontent and rage against those that rule over them emulating reviling of them if not seeking their destruction Mark and behold what man is he is a polluted Psal 3. Isai 6. unclean filthy and a defiled creature how unable is he to do any thing to the cleansing of himself and to enter into life he cannot let him be what he will except he be cleansed as the brasse cannot make it self to be gold nor the Tin to be silver so cannot man approach neer to God

I will pardon all The same that Israel was in her time the same is the Church now scattered upon the face of the whole earth the Gentiles being succedaneous to Israel whereof England is a particular How hath God dealt with this Nation from time to time delivered it out of the hands of the Romish power Antichristian heresies and worship and from all the tyrannicall government and lords over our consciences Heavie things were upon us and some of us not sensible of it the innovations bowings and cringings at the name of Jesus and to the Altar Jure divino like to be long lived reformation feared as much as vassallage yet Almighty God with his own arm saved us and snatched us as brands out of the fire from the violence that was lately and delivered us from our enemies and hath wrought some reformation for us he lookt upon us as a people that were drosse and hath begun to refine But we like the Egyptians love the garlick and onions of our Countrey that that hath been vomited out would we willingly take up again And these few yeers wherein God hath shewed us much mercy and love both to our spirituall and temporall beings in much tranquillity and peace we have abused to our own lusts and have not followed that light which God hath sent amongst us but the dark and foggie mists of our own carnall hearts despising and persecuting the same so that we have given the Lord just occasion to complain of us that we we the church of England is drosse as the house of Israel was yet neverthelesse take comfort thy God wilt melt thee and thou shalt be as the word pure silver Secondly The house of Israel is drosse to me saith God as drosse and the drosse of silver Almighty God is a pure a holy and a good God there is nothing can remain or dwell with God but holinesse and purity holinesse becomes his habitation Hag. 2.9 the gold and the silver are his the drosse and drossie metals are ours By gold is understood the gifts and graces of Gods holy Spirit and by silver the word of truth the word of God yea the word God There can be no union between gold and silver and drosse for drosse is that imperfect matter which doth accompany metals and is to be severed from them at the first rise of them out of the earth and taken from the metall as the scum and film of the metall by a refining and a purging fire Drosse likewise is found among metals subject to rust and apt to receive into it self corruption being in vessels and this likewise by melting and refining is cleansed and made clear Drosse of it self is worth nothing yet it fixeth and abideth in metals and may be by the skilfull refiner brought to something being washed and purified Is England drosse see are they not like the house of Israel that were Idolaters and other kindes of sinners what sin is there that is not committed in England Hath not God lately and now at present made triall of us Mark 12.1 ● as the Husbandman did of those that kept his Vineyard he hath sent his servants to see what fruit we have for him and we yeeld him none at all but beat revile reproach and persecute his servants That light that he hath sent amongst us our fathers scarce heard of it but never saw it that discovers Antichrist the Beast and the Whore Antichrist to be man exalted in the flesh man the righteousnesse of man in us the Beast to be the man of sin that is man deceiving himself Gal. 6.3 thinking to be something when he is nothing for man of himself is nothing without God but as a beast and the Whore to be man that seems to live with God in the outward appearance or Church and lives on the traditions and inventions of men cleaving onely to the wisdom and fashions of men and not desiring God to be all in all Do we not hate the messengers of truth and sin with an high hand against the bounty and love of God falling to spirituall whoredoms and fornications like the Concubines and Harlots having a seeming heart for God but wholly yeelding of it up to the service of the Devil the world and the flesh hating those that tremble at the word of God casting them out for his names sake and say Esa 66.5 Let the Lord be glorified but mark the end the one shall have the appearance of God to their joy and they the others shall be ashamed What is the demeanour of the people of England in their profession Is it not meerly outside The more mercy and love God doth bestow on us the more we lift up our heels against him when we should live and praise him in the admiration of his bounty beholding our great dignity in and through Christ he hath called us to be his sons heirs of a Kingdom that cannot be shaken and fellow-heirs with Christ in that Kingdom he calleth us unto a union with himself my Tabernacle shall be among men Ephes 1. ult Col. 2.19 as he hath said We are his portion and he is our portion we are his fulnes having the increases of God yet notwithstanding all this we are wedded to fleshly services and forms and content our selves with the bare names of Christians denying the life and power of Christianity and do hate those that live in that power Our services and worship of God are as dead things not being done by our selves but by an Attourney we do not call on God by a dead Saint but by a living man who may be as dead having not the life of God in him neither hath attained to the first resurrection a poor service that is not in our own persons with our own hearts Many there are that neither call on God themselves neither do assent to the prayer of another but custom and fashion causes them to bring their bodies to a publike place where the poor blinde heart cannot tell what he comes for neither is he carefull being benummed what the issues of his sencelesse comming will be Is this the coming to Christ for life Is this the way to get acquaintance with God No this is that drosse and more there is like to it that doth accompany the good metall but it shall in time be cast out and then we shall learn of Christ for he is meek and not learn of those that are proud boasters haters of God inventers of evil things and despisers of the pure light and truth O that the Lord would shew men the deceitfulnesse of their own hearts that can be content with the husk and shell of Religion be ful of glorying in that Righteousnesse which they have gotten by outward meanes in their own wisdoms and imaginations and utterly neglect refuse and abhor the inward binding of their souls up in union by Christ with the Father in the free Covenant of Grace and

of the truth of what they do speak for Saint John saith The testimony of Jesus Rev. 19.10 is the spirit of prophecie They are not to teach by letter or by another mans lines nor by transmission of other authors for that is as theft which the Lord by his prophets complains of and also they are not to teach the visions the divinations the falsities vanities Jer. 14.14.15 and deceitfulnesse of their own hearts but cleerly and exactly what is within themselves of the truth of God and of the power and life of the Spirit of God Wherefore let all the Teachers that are at this day who have took upon them to teach examine and try themselves whether they are of the same Spirit that their Lord Christ was of when he taught upon the mount Matth. 5. after he had foiled the Tempter he pronounceth happinesse and blessednesse to divers As to the poore to the mourner to the meek to the hungry to the mercifull to the pure to the peace-makers and to them that are persecuted proove your selves yee teachers of men whether the same minde be in you as was in Christ Jesus he was according to all these severall sorts of people he giveth them comfort whom comfort belongeth unto and blessednesse to them that are pure c. Is it so with you do you do the like then are you the Light of the world and the Salt of the earth It is to be feared that the worlds preachers are not so to be found but rather in stead of being poor in spirit they are rich like the Laodiceans Revel 3. in stead of mourning for the abominations that are in the land as spirituall whoredoms they are blinde to it and think themselves to be the very Spouse of Christ and rejoyce in the fleshly service of God which is not accepted in stead of being meek they are filled full of envie breaking out into revilings persecutings in stead of being hungry they are full they have need of nothing Luke 2● when they are poor blinde and naked in stead of being mercifull they are cruell Incendiaries to authority against the innocent in stead of being pure in heart they are pure in tongue they prophesie in the name of God but God may say unto them I know you not I have had no inward acquaintance with you in stead of being peace-makers I would it could not be said that they are the greatest peace-breakers dividing rending railing fomenting and dissenting with those that they suppose are risen up to justle them out of their livings Are the teachers of the world contrary to Christ Surely then they are not to be heard Take heed how you hear saith our Saviour Come learn of me saith he also Those that have the holy Spirit of God in them have the gift of discerning 1 Joh. 3. and they are guided to hear nothing but what the Spirit speaks he that hath ears to hear hear what the Spirit saith to the Churches They were all faulty and would our Churches now were not so It is the scattered people in Babylon the despised remnant that deserteth the worlds fashions that are persecuted by the Churches that are now gathering together by the hands of the Almighty which will be the people that will grow up to an invincible mountain which shall for e●er stand Can the Teachers of the world say that they are the light of the world Job 18.6.21.17 and live in blindnesse and darknesse and have not the true light shining in them can they give light to others that have no light They may have a certain kinde of light in dark and obscure places like that rotten wood that is called Dadock which shineth untill the true light comes and when It comes no light at all appears in it Can they say they are the salt of the earth Salt is of that quality that it doth as it were give life to that which is dead it preserveth from putrefaction it is medicinall and of a healing quality Sal sapit omnia It is an embleme of love would this were so that the teachers of the world were as salt that they could introduce into their dead hearers the living and eternall Gospel of God that it might be to them as life and that their exhortations instructions rebukes and comforts were medicinall and healing to the diseases and wounds of their peoples souls and spirits as salt is to the body and that there were pure love and a godly jealousie in them as was in Saint Paul 2 Cor. 11.2 that had prepared the Corinthians for one husband to present them as pure virgins to Christ but feared they were beguiled as Eve was by the Serpent and their mindes might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ None should be teachers of others but those that are Beleevers for the simple and plain Beleever is the best speaker David said I did beleeve therefore I spake Psal 116.10 intimating had he not truly beleeved he had not been capable of speaking a true Beleever may be a right Expositour and a right Interpreter But pity it is that where the Teacher is defective there is joyned the traditions of men with the pure Word with Christs commands carnall paganish Philosophy with the anointing of the Spirit the orders and degrees of Schools rudiments of the world with the ministery of Christ which is from Heaven These things cannot stand together and therefore there is a great rent made and will still divide and rend untill all be made new for new wine must be put into new bottles the old bottles of the flesh cannot hold the wine of the spirit of God the new Covenant requires another manner of obedience then the old did Prov. 4.18 and the Gospel ministration is for the perfecting of the Saints the way of the righteous is light that shineth more and more to the perfect day to build them up into the unity of faith and to lead them from faith to faith into the perfect knowledge of the Son of God to be a perfect man into the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ When will the time come that there shall be no more complaint against unsavoury salt blinde guides divine Merchants Surely the time is now coming it is begun that the Lord will expell and drive out from his Church all those that are pernicious unnecessary unprofitable teachers and guides who by the will of man are educated and brought to learning and humane art fitted as to the eyes of men for to teach and instruct and no way as by the election of God inwardly posited and habituated by the Lord but rather suffered and continued for the sins and transgressions of the people who do collect matter together out of Authours keeping it in memory to deliver it not fixed by the Spirit in themselves but are as a channell or pipe that conveyeth to the outward certain

us in a mystery so that our knowledge without the mystery becomes a snare a bar to keep us from the life and light of God being proud thinking thou art something when thou art nothing Gal. 6. Get out of thy self into single-hearted humility deny the glory and same of thine own wit wisdom and understanding which is sprung up in thee from that evil seed is become that drosse in thee that hath defiled and corrupted the good metall so shalt thou finde the Lord and he will teach thee and instruct thee Psal 16.7 Psal 45. he it is that will give thee counsell without which thou art Antichrist and of the Whore let thy profession be never so shining for the Kings daughter is all glorious within Try and examine thy self O England whether thou dost obey the Lord thy God whether thou dost love him with all thy heart with all thy minde with all thy soul with all thy strength thou hast been catechized unto this Psal 81.8 but where is the exercise of it Hadst not thou need to learn it again of the Lord hear what God saith of Israel If they would have hearkened unto him and not have any other gods what blessings would he have brought upon them c The like might the Lord say of England See and behold thy gods of silver of gold of high places lands livings friends trade and the like Are not thy teachers thy gods whom thou servest and praisest Dost not thou idolize them for their parts of wit art humane learning and invention speaking things agreeable to thy palate and dost despise reject and refuse the inward teachings of God being thereunto wilfully blinded Why dost thou take the Covenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest to be reformed Psal 50.20 Esa 1. 1 Cor. 4.5 Mat. 10.26 Or why shouldest thou think that God is as thou art consider this ye that forget God he will reprove you by his creatures the Ox and the Asse and other creatures by his judgements and by thine own conscience Forsake therefore thine hypocrisie and leave off thy lip-labour go from the falshood dwell no longer in Babylon neither delight thy self in the abominations of the Whore for her flesh shall be burnt and happy are they that have attained to this in particular and who are by the teachings of God made like to himself he that is built on the Rock need not fear undermining Tremble all you that live in blindnesse and ignorance that see not the mystery of God manifested among men God in union with man being new created cleansed purged purified and refined Will you still continue as young children to be bound up and swadled in swadling clouts Time was when the Church was in its infancie that it was needfull that it should be bound and limited with ordinances and fed with a little at a time being chewed by the Pastour which used Catechisticall forms having then no other attainments which salting kept the Church from a farther declension or putrefaction being introducible to a further and more cleare demonstration which now is lifted up and held forth namely the accomplishment of the promises whereby we do not only enjoy by faith the benefit of Gods goodnesse mercy and love as dis-joyned but his presence and abiding with us Are you not glad to hear of the beginnings of that which your forefathers did long to see are you content with the rudiments and traditions of men and forsake the inward teachings of God Take heed you do not turn the grace of God into wantonnesse and consult with the arm of flesh and be found fighters against God and his pure truth accounting the times of darknesse to be better then the taking up the Crosse by embracing and obeying the pure light without which you shall never see light nor enjoy the Crown Much might be said concerning the times and of the people that are in controversie in these our dayes the one would have this way the other that way every one seeking to be master over others their words and actions yea of their spirits too contemning one another and contending one with another insomuch that England is become as it were a Chaos of confusion and a nursery of Sects and Orders some binding up the spirit of Christ to the forms and orders of disputation setting foolish reason to be the Master or Judge in things concerning the kingdom of Christ giving out the meaning of the spirit of God without inward testimony perverting the holy Scriptures to their own destruction and others in severall various wayes broaching new doctrines not consistent with the minde of God insomuch that brotherly love hath been much impaired divisions increased and many revolted and rebell in their mindes against the Law and love of God Some stand much upon the ordinances and divine orders in stone-houses called Churches that their devout duties of lip-labour and preaching wherein is counterfeited somewhat of Christ is the onely way to life calling themselves the true Church and their Teachers true Apostles Others spend rheir time in disputing contending and brawling about sects idolatries opinions and judgements so that one party doth condemn and sentence another so that the ears and hearts of the Auditours are much infected with gall and bitternesse wilfully opposing one another crying down that for diabolicall that is not their own judgement whence proceedeth very dangerous effects of daily and most deadly provocations through a secret inward pride of minde working by envie and malice generated and bred in that gall exercising and urging one another by evil entreating by which it doth appear 1 Joh. 2.18 that there are many Antichrists in the world one persecuting and speaking evil of another Ephraim against Manasses and Manasses against Ephraim and both against Judah These contentions among us do perfectly declare that the war spoken of is begun Rev. 12.7 betwixt Michael and the Dragon they that have received the unction 1 Joh. 2.20 Saint John speaketh of they know all things they need not be taught of men but they speak of it and that great tribulation shall be such as was not from the beginning all to bring to passe the promised thing It is much that the Devil the great red Dragon should make Heaven his place to war in so it is he is now warring against Michael in Heaven that is in religion in and among the Professors therof but the comfort is he shall not prevail although his angels make sport and recreation to fulfill the anger of God being the very fire of God and his bellowes also to blow up the fire they do onely his will in purging away the drosse of his people by their most fiery contentions brawlings revilings Zach. 8.10 Isa 66.5 and persecutions as if it were the very zeal of the Lords glory The people of God knowing that the Lord will purge and refine them do willingly yeeld themselves thereunto to be tried and purified