Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
fire_n	willing_a	work_n	work_v	22	3	6.4073	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43727	Apokalypsis apokalypseos, or, The revelation revealed being a practical exposition on the revelation of St. John : whereunto is annexed a small essay, entituled Quinto-Monarchiæ, cum Quarto Omologia, or, A friendly complyance between Christ's monarchy, and the magistrates / by William Hicks ...	Hicks, William, 1621-1660.	1659 (1659)	Wing H1928; ESTC R20296	349,308	358

go undiscovered that deserve such Titles better themselves or at least wise so to raise a Scar-crow to drive away the fearful and dis-ingenious from a full enquiring into the Truths of God that would discover the vanity and folly of their opposers But no more of this And here by the way I shall not be ashamed to acquaint you with one mistake of mine who once thought as most men do that God in his Providential disposing the Kingdoms o● this world and in exalting men of low degre● into the Throne of Princes and throwing down great Princes and their Progenies into the state of slaves it was only to manifest his Soveraignty over the Kingdoms of this world to give them to whom he pleaseth but more maturely considering the All-wise ordering hand of God in such great Transactions I have found the issue in all Ages to be very advantagious to the Church of God and the result of all such State-shakings and Revolutions to be in mercy towards his Church and People When God broke the great Caldeo-Assyrian Monarchy and transferred it to the Medio-Persian how vvonderfully and by vvhat strange providence did God raise Cyrus his servant or instrument for that work Who was exposed to be destroyed by the command of his Grandsire Astyages whiles an Infant upon pretence of some fatal Prophesie yet preserved and brought up amongst Shepherds as his Story goes that afterwards he became most providentially the great deliverer of God's people the Jews from their Assyrian bondage Moses the great Captain of Israel we are sure trod almost the same path under a strange providence of Preservation that at last he became the deliverer of Israel from their Aegyptian thraldome When Saul was set by who was of a Kingly Presence and by the Head and Shoulders above his brethren David was called from the Sheep-cot to the Throne the issue whereof was the exaltation of Israel and the downfal of their enemies If we shall but reflect since Christ's coming in the flesh on the example of Constantine the Great Son unto Helena a Brittish Lady who through many glorious and eminent Victories and Services was at last advanced to the Imperial Seat and how he at last became as a Temporal Saviour to the Church of Christ and Destroyer to the Kingdom of the Dragon is most marvellous to consider It is worth further the taking notice of how wonderfully God in late ages raised the Spirits of some obscure persons as Martin Luther and his Associates of the first Reformation with some other Reformed Ministers since that they have made the great Hierarchy of Rome to shake with their Power so that many Christian Princes then and since began to hate the Whore with the Wine of whose Fornications they were made drunken and now begin not only to hate her but to make her desolate and naked and to eat her flesh But yet that age was but the first fruits or Prodromus not the consummation of the work for she having since lifted up her head and endeavoured to cover her nakedness and to cure her self of her great Wound received but all in vain for her period drawing nigh God exasperates her sore more and more and makes those Horns those Princes that were once her strong Supporters to fall off from her and to hate her Indeed the first Reformers took off her outward garments and showed her nakedness in her false Doctrine and partly in her false Worship and then began to eat her Flesh in taking off some of her pompous Revenues but yet the main Work was left undone to its appointed time For as this great City rose not in one day but gradually so will also her ruine be by several Measures or Vials of God's wrath poured out upon her until the consummation of her ruine come with fire both Material and Analogical the one the fire of God's Word first destroying quite her false Worship which daylie goes on in perfecting the other God's fire of War and Judgements destroying quite up her outward State and Policy that her place be no more found And to the bringing about this great end God works very variously somtimes in moving on the hearts of Princes and so makes them willing unto this work somtimes in laying aside Princes of ancient and potent Families and raising up meaner and lower Persons on their Thrones as he most wonderfully hath done of late among our selves to whom he gives Hearts Spirits and Gifts meet for this great work and lastly in over-ruling the designs of others that though they go about to seek themselves and to advance their own Dominion and Power of Ruling yet the All-wise providence of God knows how so to order them as to bring about his predesigned end For I cannot believe that they will be all pious good Princes and right in their ends that shall be employed about this work for they are the ten Horns or ten Kings that receive power one hour with the Beast and were Members of him that shall destroy the Whore and burn her with Fire Rev. 17.12.16 I am of the minde that few conclude that Hen. 8. and some other Princes were so justifiable in their ends in expelling the Authority of Antichrist as they should have been and yet God employed them as his Instruments in this Work and when they have done his business God knows how to lay them by and all such self-ended persons as useless or at least make them but as Gibeonites or Hewers of Wood in the House of the Lord. Lastly Your Worship may be pleased to take notice that some conceive those and the like Interpretations of dark Prophesies to be but the issues of distempered brains and of little certainty To whom I answer Seeing that this is a Book that hath the publique impress of the Spirit in it and left as it were as its last Legacy of this sort in the Church of Christ I profess soberly I know not what tolerable sense to set on this Book of the Revelation if it be not for an historical discovery under Types and Figures of all the Changes and Revolutions with their Periods and Issues that should befal the Church of God and their Oppressors and Enemies until the end of all I confess there may be some difference in Interpreting and in not rightly Applying some of the several Characters Periods and Visions of this Book and in other circumstantial parts thereof and wherein I fail I entreat not only your Worship but all others to remember my weakness and our common attribute Humanum est errare and especially being amongst such Prophetical deeps and difficulties which may well plead for his failings who is conscious of his insufficiencies for so high and difficult an undertaking Yet this I dare be bold to say that the substantial part of this Prophesie is here cleared and discovered And if any receive light hereby to the better understanding the dark Mysteries thereof give me leave to say with Daniel cap.

so called for on the performance of every condition by vertue of compact it hath a legal influence merit and causality unto the production of its end Neither indeed is there any such compact in the Word since the fall of Adam that on the performance of any conditions be they never so Evangelical as Faith Repentance c. Justification or life was promised thereupon only the condition of the old covenant between God and man was death upon disobedience and life upon obedience Man having forfeited the one by his disobedience Christ steps in as the Mediator of a better and surer covenant and makes his soul an offering unto death which was the full performance of the penal condition due unto the sinner and so absolutely purchased a blessed seed unto himself and on such stable conditions performed altogether by himself that they cannot possibly forfeit their inheritance being in so sure a hand and are still heirs though whiles under years they differ not from servants that is whiles under sin and unregeneracy are still in bondage until faith come to discover their heirship and interest unto the purchased possession and in the mean time by evil works they are as enemies strangers and aliens to God and the commonweal of Israel according to the old Legal distinction they have notwithstanding Jus ad Rem though not Jus in Re. And though I deny faith or repentance to be conditions properly so called in the covenant to life or justification yet I say they are required in the same new Law Covenant or Testament as conditions improperly so called or as conditions in order preceding one the other and as benefits of the same covenant But seeing the word condition is of late glown so rampant and overmuch perfumed with the Spiceries of Rome I shall willingly let it lie as that other term of merit which in their first births were more innocent and inoffensive and shall rather call them as duties and qualities required in the new covenant by Christ as necessary in all his redeemed ones to life and salvation And when I say they are duties necessary I would be understood not absolutely necessary but virtate precepti and virtute medii unto all such as are capable of their duties but not unto Infants or Idiots that want the use of reason for to believe and repent are acts of the will and understanding which Infants or Idiots are not capable of and therefore we exempt them from salvation dying so if the condition of faith was absolute and peremptory as Augustine once dreamed and therefore was called durus pater Infantum and all others must conclude the like harsh judgement on them also that hold actual faith and repentance as absolute necessary conditions unto justification and life But again If it were true what the Arminian says That none are saved but on the condition of the To credere or act of faith and none damned but for unbelief then I re-assume that some persons according to this are neither damned nor saved for Infants dying such as aforesaid cannot have by reason of their incapacity the act of faith nor unbelief which is a privation by refusal or resistance of the truth made manifest Indeed such absurdities do they incur that assert such absolute conditions in the covenant of grace to be done on man's part yet I say they are absolute and peremptory on Christ's part to be performed and he having fully finished all the conditions for his elect ones by his death though some of them dying Infants yet are saved by vertue of that everlasting covenant made with Christ in for and on the behalf of all his chosen ones of whom he will not lose one which the Father hath given him From this precedent discourse you may plainly conclude that though I grant repentance a necessary Gospel duty and for divers good ends it is ordained so yet do not in the least place it in any subordinate causality joyntly with Christ in the work of our salvation but only as our duty thorowfare or way thereunto commanded and instituted by Christ as part of his new Law that he himself might have the pre-eminence in all things and the name and glory alone of our salvation And this hereon shall suffice See more hereon v. 23. Observ 2. Another Note hence is That the doctrine of judgments and threats is a very useful Gospel doctrine When Christ hath passed with his doctrine of grace and offers a reconcilement freely if the sinner will but turn from his iniquities and repent and yet the sinner will refuse his gracious terms he hath another burden to tell him that after he hath refused so great salvation he can cast both soul and body into hell fire the most obdurate and incorrigible child must have the sharpest rod a smile or a love-token will work upon the ingenious but saith Solomon a rod is for the back of a fool Neither is judgement a strange work unto Christ for as he is related unto his church as a Saviour and a Father respecting his grace and loving kindness so he is as well a Judge and a Legislator and so may justly chastise his church as contemners and transgressors of his Royal Law If he calls us to repent which is part of his new covenant Law as he did the church of Ephesus and yet go on obstinately in sin justly may he remove his candlestick from amongst us If his Lamb-like quality of mercy and grace will not invite us to return he can roat as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah which will cause us to call upon the mountains to fall upon us and to hide us from the presence of the Lamb wherefore they are much mistaken that would shut out as useless the doctrine of threats and judgements from the Gospel which are to be preached soberly and conditional not peremptory and absolute for if there were not a curb and fear of loss and punishment the wanton straying soul would hardly be reclaimed though the more tender hearted the apprehension of grace and love might reclaim and mollifie Observ 3. Another Observation is To take off God's candlestick or to unchurch a Nation or people is the most grievous of all God's judgements Christ could not afflict the church of Ephesus with a greater loss then to remove his church from among them for hereby First Privatively His glory and special presence of grace and favour is withdrawn Secondly The guidance light and comfort of his holy Spirit is departed Thirdly His Ordinances are all defiled and vanished Fourthly His special protection is withdrawn also Fifthly and lastly Instead of his gracious presence they have his presence in wrath judgements and fiery indignations Instead of his Spirit of light and comfort they have the dismal spirit of darkness errour and despair instead of Christ's holy Ordinances they have the Divel's sacrifices and instead of God's special protection over them they are carried captives by Satan to all foul and

both small and great Rev. 19.18 and this is to be executed by the sword that proceeded out of his mouth v. 21. and how this can be effected by the word of his mouth I know not otherwise then by moving and working powerfully on the hearts of such instruments as God shall command and employ to take the material sword in hand for the ruine of antichrist and to effect this work of wrath and judgement Collate to this the Notes on the two precedent verses 14 15. And his face shone as the Sun shineth in his strength This shows farther the resplendency of this vision His face is likened to the Sun in his glory There was much and great glory in this vision and yet all this is but like the Sun in his glory If it were the glory of ten thousand Suns united in one yet would be short of the essential glory of the Son of God it is neither expressible nor comprehensible by any of all the creatures but here is presented by things beneath its excellency that according to man's weakness we may perceive a little of his glory for no man yet ever could see the glory of God and live Hence Note That the execution of Justice and Judgement is a glorious administration Christ's face shone as the Sun in his strength when he was about to call his delinquent and offending churches to an account for their backslidings in chap. 10. v. 1. 3. his face was as it were the Sun in that appearance also but then presently followed thunders and voices as when a Lion roareth to denote unto us when Christ was going forth with terrible judgements upon the world his carriage and appearance therein was most glorious and it is said in Exod. 15.6 upon the destruction of Pharaoh and his host in the red Sea Thy right hand O God is become glorious in power thy right hand hath dashed in pieces the enemy and in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee The acts of God's power and justice do shine so clearly in the world that they dazle mens eyes and hearts and makes them tremble before God So likewise it is amongst the children of men not any Magistrates Commonweals or Nations are more honourable shining and dreadful to their enemies then such as keep close to the rules of Justice and judgement against offenders Never was Solomon more glorious in all his reigne then when he executed justice between the two Harlots and called for the Sword to decide the controversie How honourable was Phineas and what a high reward he got for executing justice and judgement It was an old saying Fiat Justitia ruat Coelum If our chief Magistrates keep close to Justice in our Land and Common-weal our Nation will shine as the Sun in its strength none of the Nations round about will be able to look us in the face for the power and glory of the Lord will be upon us Verse 17. And when I saw him I fell at his feet as dead then he laid his right hand upon me saying unto me fear not I am the first and the last Verse 18. And I am alive but I was dead and behold I am alive for evermore Amen And I have the Keys of hell and death When John had taken a view of this appearance of the Son of man and of that great and dreadful Majesty and Glory that he appeared in it struck him as dead at his feet Hence Note That the sight of Divine glory is the most effectually and humbling sight When the Prophet Isaiah had a sight of this glory he could cry out I am a man undone and of unclean lips for mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts Isa 6.5 When a soul comes to see this glory it brings him to a true sight of his own worthlesness and to an abhorrency in his own eyes There is no greater or more efficacious way to take off our hearts from the creature then to behold the vast disproportion between the glory of God and our poor selves All flesh is as grass and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field Isa 40.5 6. and why Because the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together And when Job had a sight of this glory he cryed out Job 42.5 Now mine eyes see thee I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes Observ 2 That Revelations of Divine glory are dreadfully glorious They struck John as dead There did but Angels appear in an inferiour glory unto Gideon and Manoah and made those Worthies quake Judg. 16. 13. Apparitions of glory works strongly upon the spirits and quickly overwhelms them And if the glory of the creatures is so resplendent how is the glory of God to be born who dwells in the light which no man can approach unto 1 Tim. 6.16 Paul could not behold that glorious light that shined about him Acts 9. but was strucken to the ground and blinded with it In the Earth Heavens and World we may behold the glory of God in part and as in a glass but his essential glory as it is himself wherein he makes his habitation is that light which no man can approach to or comprehend and live and therefore when it is but left out to appear but in some likeness or similitude of man Fire or the like it works such terrible effects upon the beholders of it Abraham fell to the ground when he had this glory appeared to him Gen. 17.3 The three Disciples when they had but a taste of this glory at the Transfiguration in the Mount they fell upon their faces to the earth Now the reasons that the appearance of Divine glory is so dreadful are First Because the Majesty of God is partly in those visions and the luster that accompanies it is too high and burdensom for mortal eye Secondly That it may breed an awe and reverence in us of and unto the Divine Majesty When Israel saw the lightning and heard the Thunder in the Mount all the people in the Camp trembled Exod. 19.16 Thirdly It is to prepare a soul for entertainment of what God hath to speak unto it Our souls are quite out of temper by reason of lusts cares fears and the world to have converse with God This prepares them for this Divine communion Quest Here a question may be made whether the blessed heavenly Spirits Angels or blessed Souls or glorified persons after the resurrection shall or do see the essential glory of God Though it were granted mortal eye cannot see this glory yet those blessed glorified creatures may I answer That I am swayed for the negative My reasons are Because God's essential glory is himself and God is invisible and that glory inaccessible and no farther and in no other way to be seen and comprehended by any created being then himself thinks good to propound it in and this hath