Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
fire_n	earth_n	great_a	world_n	2,396	4	4.4621	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85418	Theomachia; or The grand imprudence of men running the hazard of fighting against God, in suppressing any way, doctrine, or practice, concerning which they know not certainly whether it be from God or no. Being the substance of two sermons, preached in Colemanstreet, upon occasion of the late disaster sustain'd in the west. With some necessary enlargements thereunto. / By John Goodvvin, pastor of the Church of God there.	Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.	1644 (1644)	Wing G1206; Thomason E12_1; ESTC R5086	47,494	57

saith came to kindle to suppresse the Gospel to cut off those wayes of righteousnesse and holinesse from the knowledge and practise of men which are therein recommended and held forth unto the world These are the bands which they set themselves thus to cut asunder and the cords which if it had been possible they would have cast from them Saul Saul saith the Lord Christ from Heaven unto him as he was travailing towards Damascus Why persecutest thou me And he said Who art thou Lord And the Lord said I am Jesus whom thou persecutest c. Act. 9. 4 5. To persecute Christ and consequenly God himselfe who is in Christ 2 Cor. 5. imports every whit as much as to fight against Christ and somewhat more But why is Saul here charged with persecuting Christ What course of hostilitie did he run or practice against him It is said ver. 2. that he desired Letters of the high Priest to Damascus to the Synagogues that if he found any of this WAY whether they were men or women he might bring them bound to Jerusalem Whereby it appears that the precise opposition against Christ upon which Saul was arrested from Heaven as we heard under the termes of persecuting him was his attempting with so high and bloudy an hand to destroy out of the world that WAY of worshipping serving God which Christ in his Gospel recommends unto and chargeth upon the world Men and women were not the precise and formall object of his hatred and persecution but that way of Christ in the Gospel which they maintained practised and taught who were persecuted by him If he could have told how otherwise to have gotten this WAY out of their hearts tongues and lives and consequently out of the world then by molesting vexing and persecuting them it is not like that he would have proceeded against them with so rough and cruell an hand It is said Revel. 12. 7. That there was warre in Heaven Michael and his Angels fought against the Dragon and the Dragon fought and his Angels Whether Michael in this Scripture be Christ himself as ancient Interpreters generally carried it or some prime Angel appointed by Christ to be as a Generall or Head to his Saints and servants in those warres and fiery conflicts wherein they were for a long time engaged against Satan and his bloudy Agents in the Roman Empire as some later Expositors conceive is not much materiall But it is here expresly said that the Dragon and his Angels that is the Devill and his Instruments ignorant and bloud-thirsty-men fought viz. against Michael and his Angels i. against Christ himselfe in those appointed by him to hold forth the way and Gospel of his Kingdome unto the world But why or how are they said to have fought against Christ What was their ingagement or attempt against him Questionlesse nothing else but the extirpation and ejection of the Doctrine and Way of his Gospel out of the world by the torments slaughter and ruine of those who professed them and by this profession gave them a speciall subsistence and beeing in the world For that rule Doctrine or way which is not practised or professed in the world languisheth and is little better then dead I adde but one Scripture more and then I have done with the proofe of the Point in this kind Then cometh the end saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. 24. when he i. Christ shall have delivered up the Kingdome to God even the Father when he shall have put downe all rule and all authoritie and power Why the end should not be untill Christ hath put downe all rule and all authoritie and power i. all kinds of rule Authoritie and power this reason is rendred ver. 25. For he must reigne till he hath put all enemies under his feet I demand why should all rule all Authoritie and power as well Ecclesiasticall as Civill be looked upon as enemies unto Christ What is the enmity or hostilitie they exercise against him Doubtlesse no lawfull rule Authoritie or power are enemies to Christ either in their nature or institution but are confederate with him It is their degeneration in their exercise and actings that renders them of an hostile interpretation to him There is none of them all but is apt ever and anon to be fighting against him and that by some peremptory and stiffe opposing and suppressing some way Doctrine or practise of his where they have to doe And this is the quarrell which the Lord Christ hath to the whole fraternitie or association of them for this he counts them his enemies The reasons of the point which we shall briefly touch are three First He that attempts or seeks by an high hand to suppress any Doctrine Way or Practice which is from God may well be conceived and said to fight against God because he opposeth and that with vehemence and might the will of God and that in a very considerable act motion or desire of it There is no Way Doctrine or Practice which is from God but his will stands strongly bent for the propagation and spreading of it in the world I am come saith Christ to send or cast fire on the earth and what WILL I or what is my desire as the former translation had it if it be already kindled meaning that his desire to see the Gospel on foot to see it well taken and sufficiently rooted in the world was so great that when he once saw it he cared not how soon he left the world So Luke 22. 15. And he said unto them With desire have I desired to eat this passeover with you before I suffer meaning that he even longed to erect and found that great Ordinance of the Supper for the use and benefit of the world in after times before he left the world Many other Scriptures there are that speak this over and over viz. that the heart and soul of God are firmly and deeply set within him to have such Wayes Doctrines and Ordinances as come from him published maintained preached and held forth unto the world Therefore they who ingage themselves with all their strength and all their might to resist this will of his in the accomplishment of it what do they else but fight against him Secondly Hee that magnifies himself to suppresse quash or keep down any way Practice or Counsell which is from God proportionably opposeth the glory of God and doth what in him lies to keep God from being magnified in the hearts and lives of men at least as far as that Way Practice or Counsell which hee seeks to suppress tends to such a magnification of him And will this being weighed in the ballance of the Sanctuary be found any whit lighter then a fighting against God Certain it is that God hath as it were a stock of glory in the hand of every Way Doctrine and Practice which he recommends unto the world yea in all and every of these he hath a peculiar

direct way it can onely be produced by that which is good There is no more friendship or fellowship naturally between good ends and ill means then is between light and darknesse Christ and Belial But 4. and lastly There being nothing in all this speech excepting onely the historicall instances the truth of which it seems was generally knowne among the Jews and is attested by Josephus their great Historian but what is fully consonant with the word of God unquestionably so acknowledged elsewhere the credit and authority of it for matter of truth is one and the same with those other Scriptures corresponding with it What we here learne saith Gualter upon the place should be unto us as an Oracle viz. that the counsells of God are not to be defeated or hindred by any strength of man but for the counsells of men they fall and sink and come to nothing of themselves In the words there be these six ensuing Points of Doctrine faire and large besides many others of a more collaterall and illative observation First From those words ver. 38. And now I say unto you Refraine from these men and let them alone for c. Observe that it is a point of much wisdome to forbeare the oppression or suppression of such persons Doctrines and wayes which men have any reasonable cause at all to judge or thinke that they are or may be from God Secondly From those doubtfull expressions of so great a Doctor of the Law and one that knew how to measure and estimate the Authoritie and weight of a Councell-determination and besides can no wayes be suspected of any disaffection or prejudicatenesse against such Authoritie from those doubtfull expressions I say of this man If this counsell or work be of men c. And againe If it be of God c. Observe That the determination of a Councell or of the major part of a Councell against a way Doctrine or practice is no demonstrative or sufficient proofe for any wise man to rest or build upon that such a way Doctrine or practice are not from God The whole Councell as you heard this one man excepted had peremptorily concluded the Doctrine and practice of the Apostles to be not from God but from men and thereupon were in high consultation to suppresse them and that by death yet all this did not satisfie Gamaliel in point of judgement or conscience he was still but where he was doubtfull and in suspence with himselfe about the businesse Thirdly From that clause If this counsell or work be from men it will come to nought Observe that every invention contrivance way or device of man especially in things either appertaining or pretending to appertaine unto God in matters of Religion will in time weare out into nothing and be dissolved Fourthly From the Connexion or dependance between the former and latter parts of ver. 39. But if it be from God yee cannot destroy it lest c. Observe That for any man or men to attempt the suppression of any Doctrine way or practise that is from God is to fight against God himselfe Fiftly From that significant phrase or expression of being FOVND fighters against God ver. 39. Observe that many who possibly for the present may conceive and thinke and that with much confidence that they fight for God when the truth comes to an unpartiall and perfect scanning will be found to have fought against him Sixtly and lastly From the importance and weight of that emphaticall particle even in the last clause Lest yee be found EVEN fighters against God Observe that fighting against God is a most dangerous posture or ingagement for a creature to be taken or found in by God at any time The dread and terror of such a misprision as this is the base and ground-work upon which Gamaliel builds the fabrick of that important counsell and advice which he gives unto his fellows thoroughout his discourse or speech made unto them We shall for the present passing by all the rest pitch upon that Doctrine mentioned in the fourth place the tenor and effect whereof was this That for any man to endeavour or attempt the suppression of any Doctrine practice or way which is from God is to fight against God himselfe For the sense and true import of the Doctrine I shall need to adde little beyond what was said in explication of the words here we briefly shewed what was meant by fighting against God I now onely adde this which is somewhat more particular that it is not every degree or kind of opposing a way Doctrine or designe of God which either the text or the Doctrine calleth a fighting against God but onely such an opposing which is peremptory and carried on with an high hand so that those Agents or Instruments of God which he hath anointed to hold forth that way Doctrine or Designe of his in the world are not suffered to execute their Commission but are countermanded either by the Authoritie or over-bearing strength and power of men It is one thing to oppose or contend against a Doctrine or way of God per modum Doctoris as when a Minister through a mistake or weaknesse of judgement pleads for Baal against God preacheth error up and truth downe which may befall the best and faithfullest of men another to doe it per modum Judicis as when men will assume an Authoritative power whether Ecclesiastique or Civill to suppresse or silence the publishing practising arguing or debating of such wayes or Doctrines with the judgements and consciences of men It is true even this kind of opposing them is sometimes incident to men otherwise upright in the maine before God but the children of this contention and contestation against their Maker must expect to be taught r●ore wisdome and reverence towards him with briars and thornes If men fight against God after any such manner as this upon such termes as if they were Gods too this will ingage him to take up armes also in his own defence and provoke him to fight against those who fight against him This for opening the Doctrine For the confirmation of the truth of it wee shall not need to cause many Scriptures to labour the word will be sufficiently established in the mouth of two or three of these Witnesses Why doe the Heathen rage saith David and the people imagine a vaine thing The Kings of the Earth set themselves and the Rulers take counsell together against the Lord and against his Anointed saying Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us c. Those expressions of raging setting themselves taking counsell together against the Lord and his Anointed amount every whit as much as to a fighting against the Lord And what was it that the Heathen people Kings and Rulers of the Earth did or attempted to doe against the Lord and against his Anointed meaning Christ Was it any thing else but to quench that fire which Christ as himselfe