Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
fire_n	contrariety_n	sin_n	toad_n	30	3	15.9422	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A32724	A supplement to the several discourses upon various divine subjects by Stephen Charnock.	Charnock, Stephen, 1628-1680.; Charnock, Stephen, 1628-1680. Works of the late learned divine, Stephen Charnock.	1683 (1683)	Wing C3711C; ESTC R24823	277,473	158

mind Eph. 4.23 and he hath the Spirit of a sound mind 2 Tim. 1.7 His judgment is regulated by the Law of God he judges of sin as it is in its nature a transgression of the Law Can we imagine that a Man restored to a sound mind and that hath his natural madness and folly cured should act after this cure as much out of his wits as before If he hath his constant frenzies and madness as much as before where is his cure Can any Man in the world act always against his judgment though he may be overpowered by the importunity of others or over-ruled by a fit of passion to do something against his judgment can you expect always to find him in the road of crossing the dictates of his understanding An unregenerate Man hath a natural light in his Mind and Conscience and so a judgment of sin but he hath not a judgment of sin adequate to the object he doth not judge of sin in the whole latitude of it he hath not a settled judgment of the contrariety of his beloved sin to God He looks not upon it in the extent of it as malum injucundum inhonestum inutile if he looks upon sin as dishonest he regards it as profitable if neither as honest or profitable yet as pleasant so that the natural light which is in the understanding when it dictates right is mated and over-ruled by some other principle the pleasure or profit of it and swayed by the inherent habits of sin in the Will The Devil that works in them hath some principle to stir up or dim this natural light and cast a mist before the Eye and so they direct their course according to that particular judgment which is befriended in its vote by sense 2. 'T is against the nature of a renewed Will Grace is the law of God in the heart and is put in to inable us to walk in the ways of God and shall it endure such wilful pollutions in the Creature when it is the end of its being there to preserve from them The Spirit is given in the Heart 2 Cor. 1.22 sent into the Heart Gal. 4.6 the Law put into the Heart Heb. 10.16 Since therefore there is an habit of grace in the Will a Man cannot frequently and easily lanch into sin because he cannot do it habitually the remainders of sin being mated with a powerful habit which watches their motions to resist them Doth God put such a habit there such a seed an abiding seed to no purpose but to let the Soul be wounded by every temptation to be deserted in every time of need Grace is an habit superadded to that natural and moral strengrh which is in the Will Man by natures strength meerly or with the assistance of common grace hath power to avoid the acts of gross sins for he is master of his own actions though he is not of the motions tending to them the Devil cannot force a Mans Will And when grace a greater strength comes in shall there be no effects of this strength but the reins be as stiff in the hands of old lust and the Will as much captive to the sinful habit in it as before Grace being a new nature it is as absurd to think that a gracious man should wallow in a course of sin as it is to think that any creature should constantly and willingly do that which is against its nature A gracious man delights in the Law of God Psal 1.2 His delight is in the Law of the Lord and in his Law doth he meditate day and night if he delights in it can he delight to break it Do Men fling that which they delight in every day in the Durt and trample upon it or rather do they not keep it choicely in their Cabinets If it be also the Character of a good man to meditate in the Law of God he must have frequent exercises of faith reflections upon himself motions to God which cannot consist with a course of sin Grace doth essentially include a contrariety to sin and a love to God in the Will 'T is a principle of doing good and eschewing evil and these being essential properties of grace are essential to every regenerate man and in every one As a drop of Water or one spark of Fire hath the essential properties of a great mass of Water or a great quantity of Fire so every renewed man hath the same love to God and the same hatred of sin essentially as the most eminent Saint though not in degree yea which those in heaven have though not in the same degree As a spark of fire will burn a drop of water will moisten though not in so eminent a measure Now upon the whole consider whether is it possible to bare reason that a regenerate man should customarily do those things which are against the essential properties of that which is in him in his will and doth denominate him a new Creature 3. Proposition A regenerate man cannot have a fixt resolution to walk in such a way of sin were the impediments to it removed Though unregenerate men may actually as to the outward exercise abstain from some sins yet it is usually upon low and mean conditions If it were not for such or such an obstacle in the way I would do such and such an act This temper is not in a good man he cannot have a fixed and determinate resolution to commit such an act if such bars were taken away Such resolutions are Common in unregenerate men Jer. 44.25 We will surely perform our vows which we have vow'd to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and Isa 56.12 We will fill our selves with strong drink and to morrow shall be as this day and much more abundant we will have as merry a meeting as we had to day The same character is ascribed to such an one Psal 36.4 He deviseth mischief upon his bed He sets himself in a way that is not good He ahhorreth not evil He modells out his sinful designs with head and heart he settles himself as an army settles in their ground when they resolve to fight 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He abhors not evil He starts not at such motions but by a Meiosis he huggs and caresseth them with a wonderful delight Regenerate men fear to sin wicked men contrive to sin One would starve it the other makes provision for it This temper cannot be in a Regenerate man 1. 'T is Diabolical And so falls under that in the text He cannot Commit sin as the Devil doth 'T is a stain of the Devil who is resolved in his way of malice to God and mischief to man but for the strait Chains God holds him in his resolution is fixed though the execution restrained He goes about seeking whom he may devour 1 Pet. 5.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to drink at one draught Seeking both for an opportunity and permission Unwearied searches manifest fixed resolutions His

of Senacherib's Invasion Isa 6.13 The holy seed shall be the substance thereof Growth in sin ripens judgments turns Blossoms and Buds into Fruit Rods into Scorpions Grief for it turns scorpions into Rods lessens a judgment if not wholly prevents it The Water of repentance is the best way to quench the flames of sin and sparks of wrath If good Men fall under a common judgment it may be often for a defect in this temper This was Austins opinion * A●gust de Civit. Dei ib. 1. Cap. 9. That many good men are taken away with the wicked in Common Judgments because though they do not Commit the same sins yet they connive at their iniquities and so are lasht with their rods temporally chastned but not eternally punished 3. It will sweeten Judgments Such may say of Judgment as Paul of death Oh Judgment where is thy sting 'T is a double burden to lye under the weight of common Judgments and the weight of common sins grief for them is a means to remove the guilt and thereby to ease thee of a Judgment If we are concerned in mourning for sin we shall be more fit to honour God if he makes us fall under his stroak A holy sorrow will bring us into a submissive frame Aaron had been without question humbled for his timorous compliance with the people in the making of the golden Calf and when God came to strike him near in his own Children he held his peace Levit. 10.3 No doubt but his former humiliation fitted him for his present patience 4. Our repentance for our own sins was never right unless we are of this temper Repentance is a justice towards God and therefore is conversant about other mens sins in a hatred of them 'T is for sin as sin and sin is sin in whatsoever subject it be and worthy of hatred according to right reason and therefore that grace whereby a Man hates it in his own person will engage him to hate it wheresoever it is and we alwaies grieve for the encrease of that which is the object of our hatred A truly just man hates the injury committed against another as well as that against himself That filthiness which displeaseth a penitent in his own act displeaseth him in anothers act there being the same adequate reason and sin being of the same nature against God in another as in himself 'T is All abominations in the text this is an argument of sincerity to mourn for one may be from self interest to mourn for all must be from a pure affection 5. 'T is an argument of a true affection to God To mourn for sin when it is rare though gross is not so much a sign of sincerity as to mourn for it when it is Epidemical when the Foundations of godliness are out of course and the graces contrary to those sins are generally discountenanced as it is a greater sign of sincerity to love the word when it is generally slighted than to love it when all admire it What a noble affection had that Lady in Samuel 1 Sam. 4.19 c. that grieved not so much for the loss of her Father Husband Friends but bewailed the departure of the glory of Israel and implicitely at least the sin that occasioned it How did her affection to God drown all carnal affections Her sorrow for the ark stifled the sorrow of her travel and the joy at the birth of her Son She regarded it not This is an evident token of affection when we mourn most for the sins which most dishonour God and the sins of those persons that seem to be nearer to God and cast most reproaches upon his name 6. Shall we be outstript by Idolaters The mourning for others sins was a custom kept up in Israel after their revolt from God unto Jeroboam When Naboth was put to death for a pretended crime of blasphemy a fast was proclaimed to lament his sin 1 Kings 21.12 and though with a wicked intention to palliate a murther with the cloak of religion yet it evidenceth this mourning for the gross sins of others to be a common sentiment among them and practised upon the like occasions 7. We have just fears of judgments We know not whence they will come from the North or from the South God sets up his warnings in the Heavens we behold him frowning and preparing his arrows and are we careless in what posture we shall meet him He hath Spit in our faces made us a by-word and reproach should we not be humbled Numb 12.14 If her Father had spit in her face should she not be ashamed God seems to be departing He hath as it were kept open market a long time he seems now to be putting up his wares removing his Candlestick withdrawing the power of his Ordinances recalling his Messengers the light is almost in the socket The voice of God is received with a deaf ear the reproofs and admonitions of God have not a kindly operation the signs of judgment amaze us and the amazement quite vanishes We start like a man in a dream and fall back upon our pillow and snort out our sleep Can we expect God to stay He seems to be upon the threshold of the Temple come down already from the Cherubims and is it not high time to bewail our own sins and the Common abominations that have so polluted the place of his habitation that we may say we cannot see how God can stay with honour to himself If we bewail the sins that provoke him to it God may stay if he will not let us at least shew this affection to him at parting This is not a thing unbecoming the highest Christian Doth not the Spirit grieve for the sins of others which play the wantons with the grace of God Eph. 4.30 Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God The holy Spirit hath no sins of his own to grieve for Shall we be above that which the Spirit of God thinks himself not above Shall we refuse mourning for that which goes to the heart of the Holy Ghost Let us therefore examine what are our own sins what are the abominations of the times and places wherein we live make inquisition for the one that we may drag them out before the Lord And in our places endeavour to stop and reform the other As the true fire of Love to God will melt us into tears so it will heat us into zeal He is no friend that will complain of a toads being in another's bosom but not strive to kill it It will shew either Cowardice or falseness That zeal is wild-fire that is not accompanied with an holy sorrow and that sorrow is crude which is not accompanied with a godly Zeal A DISCOURSE FOR The Comfort of Child-bearing Women 1 Tim. 2.15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in Child-bearing if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety I Shall not take my rise any higher than v. 12. where the Apostle