Selected quad for the lemma: water_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
water_n	air_n	element_n	fire_n	13,062	5	7.1789	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69028	The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as it affordeth both milke for babes, and strong meat for such as are at full age / by ... Nicholas Bifield ; ... now published ... by his sonne, Adoniram Bifield.	Byfield, Nicholas, 1579-1622.; Byfield, Adoniram, d. 1660.	1626 (1626)	STC 4233.3; ESTC S113882	419,023	572

3. Yea thirdly this glory of God should swallow vp all the glory of men this very work of making Heauen and Earth should check vs for admiring and esteeming so much of the creature whatsoeuer since we haue such a perpetuall and surpassing cause of admiration of the Creator Acts 14. 16. 4. Since God made all things we should submit our selues to him and let him dispose of vs and all his creatures as he will he hath iust power in Heauen and earth to giue or take away or dispose at his owne pleasure Ier. 27. 5. 45. 3 4 5 6. 5. It should teach vs not to set our hearts too much vpon the world for that God that set vp this mighty frame of nothing can and will pull it all downe againe 6. It should breed in vs the feare of God and care of seruing him and obeying him that hath not onely supreame right vnto vs being his workemanship but soueraignty ouer all things Psal 119. 73. Psal 33. 8 9. 95. 6. all creatures else doe his will 7. It should teach vs in all straights and neede to flie to God for helpe as Dauid shewes our helpe standeth in the Name of the Lord which hath made Heauen and Earth Psal 121. 2. 124. 8. 8. We should learne hence not to abuse the Creatures of God to ill ends seeing God hath assigned his Creatures to their right ends for his owne glory It is abominable to fight against God with his owne weapons Thirdly the Doctrine of the Creation of the World ought to be terrible to wicked men because God by his workes hath reuealed so much of his glory as they will be left without excuse Rom. 1. and besides hauing appointed them to certaine ends in which they haue corrupted themselues hee will destroy them as a Potter that sees his vessell will not be made fit dasheth it to peeces And besides hence they may know that God can want no meanes to destroy them seeing he hath such Armies of his owne creatures in Heauen and Earth which are all as his mighty ones and sanctified ones for his anger against them There is no way for them but one which is to meete the Lord betimes by Faith and true Repentance Amos 4. 13. Lastly this is very comfortable doctrine for the godly for from the Creation of the world they may gather 1. That God will not cast them off because they are the worke of his hands Iob 10. 3. 2. That all aduersaries shall be defeated whatsoeuer is prouided against them shall not prosper because God made the Smith that blowe●h in the Coales and he will suffer no creature of his to be turned against them Esay 54. 17. 3. That God is able to prouide for vs seeing the earth and heauens are his and all that is therein Psalme 146. 5. 6 24. 1. 4. That all the spirituall worke that belongs to our soules may bee effected hee that created the world and made vs good at the first can create the fruit of the lippes to bee peace and can create cleane hearts in vs Esay 57. 19. Psalme 51. 8. 5. That our bodies shall rise againe that God that could make all things of nothing can restore them out of the dust of the earth Thus of Creation in generall Now wee are in particular to consider what was made viz. Heauen and Earth Heauen By Heauen is ment all that part of the world which is aboue the Earth and so it is taken Genesis 2. 1. 24. 5. And so Heauen consists of three parts and euery parte beares the name of Heauen The first part next to vs is the Ayre and all that is betweene vs and the Moone so foules of the Ayre are called the foules of Heauen Gen. 1. 26. The second part is the Firmament in which are the Starres Sun and Moon Psal 19. 7. The third part is the Habitation of God and Angels the seate of the glory of God and his blessed one where the body of Christ now liues Marke 16. 19. and is called the third heauens 1 Cor. 12. 2. and this is the Heauen especially meant Gen. 11. for when there he saith God Created heauen and earth and the earth was without forme c. he notes that God vsed a twofold way of Creation some things he made immediately of nothing as the Heauen of the blessed some things he made of matter which was first made of nothing for out of that Chaos mentioned Gen. 2. did the Lord extract and forme all this visible world both the firmament and light and the elements and all creatures only spirits and the Heauen of the blessed hee made of no praeexi●●ing matter and that honour haue the soules of men which are immediately created of nothing First then we are to intreate of that Heauen where God in his glory Christ in his glorious body are and seeing by Heauen is meant al that is contained in it by Creation we are there to consider of the Angels too and both that Heauen and the Angels belong to the inuisible world and the rest to the visible Concerning that blessed Heauen wee are to wonder at the glory of the Lord in creating it if we consider 1. The names giuen to it It is called the Heauen of Heauens Deut. 10. 14. 1 King 8. 27. Psal 11● 16. The Temple of God Psal 11. 4. ●8 7. Paradise Luke 23. 42. The heauenly Ierusalem or Ierusalem that is aboue Gal. 4. 26. Heb. 12. 22. and in the same place Mount Sion The most holy place Hebrewes 10.9 Our fathers house Iohn 4. 2. The place of the Habitation of God and his holinesse Deut. 26. 15. Psal 33. 14. Abrahams bosome Luke 16. 22. The Citie of the Liuing God Heb. 12. 22. a Cittie hauing foundation whose Maker and builder is God Heb. 11. 10. our Countrie Heb. 11. 13. 14. 2. The substance of it which is conceiued to be of a marueilous excellent nature farre more perfect and subtile then the substance not onely of the Elements but of those visible heauens which diuers gather thus As any creature is higher then the earth so is the substance of it lesse grosse and materiall As the waters are thinner then the earth and the Ayre then the waters and the Element of fire according to the common opinion of Diuines and Philosophers purer then the Ayre and the Essence of the mighty Firmament yet more pure then the foure Elements as consisting of a fift Essence as they say in Schooles and accordingly we see creatures fitted to each of these places Fishes that cannot liue in the bowells of the earth liue in the waters and foules of a more spirituall being flie in the Ayre Now when we are ascended so high as the highest visible heauens then do our minds conceiue of that glorious place of the blessed made of a more pure Essence then any of these And though Diuines say that the sustance of these heauens must needs be corporeall and

all this heate of Anger flie to Christ Iesus and neuer cease begging of mercy from him to thy soule The wrath of God is such a fire as all the water in the Sea cannot quench It is a fire can bee quenched onely with bloud and teares No bloud will doe it but the bloud of Christ and no teares but the teares of the offender himselfe And let men take heede of Procrastination for euen the longer men stay in sinne the fiercer will his fire grow GOD heapes vp wrath as men heap vp sinne It may come to that at length that Gods anger may come to that degree as to be expressed by these words to be called Ira furoris sui magni the anger of his great fury Ira indignationis the furie of his Indignation Deut. 29. 24. Psal 78. 49. then God may sweare they shall neuer enter into his rest Let men therefore take heede how they abuse Gods patience and mercy any more Godly men also from the consideration of the fearefull Iustice of GOD towards wicked men may learne foure things 1. To get out from amongst them and euery one deliuer his owne soule from the fierce anger of the Lord which will fall vpon the wicked Ier. 51. 45. 2. Neuer to fre●●● their prosperity seeing so fearefull things abide them 3. When they see Gods hand vpon the wicked they should sanctifie and exalt the God of Iudgement Esay 5. 16. 4. Euer the more terrible the wrath of God is towards the wicked the more heartily they should kisse the Sonne and make much of Christ by whom they are deliuered from so great wrath Psal 2. vlt. Hitherto of the Iustice of God The Glory of God followes The Glory of God is his wonderfull excellencie aboue all things and so his Glory is either absolute or Relatiue The absolute Glory of God is that in which hee is glorious in himselfe without relation to any other and so he is glorious foure waies 1. In the Excellencie of his Nature 2. In his Blessednesse 3. In his Liberty 4. In his Maiesty 1. The Glory of his Nature is nothing else but his surpassing Excellenc●● 〈◊〉 all the praises belonging to his Nature and so he is glo●●●s in knowledge goodnesse Iustice greatnes omnipotencie c. And this glory of God is described in the doctrine of his Attributes and was the glory shewed to Moses Exod. 33. 18 c. 2. His Blessednesse is his essentiall glory whereby he is after a matchlesse manner most happie in himselfe 1. Tim. 1. 11. and his happinesse is to be adored 1. Because he abounds with all that can be possibly good to him any way and is seated in such felicitie that no euill can come neere him 1. Tim. 6. 15. 1. Ioh. 1. 6. 2. Because he perfectly knows all his happinesse and so hath infinite liking and ioy in his condition 3. Because he is sufficient to himselfe and from himselfe so as he needs not any good thing from vs or any thing without himselfe Psal 16. 2. 50. 7. 14. 3. He is glorious in his liberty and so he excells in a threefold liberty as he is free from compulsion from seruitude and from miserie He is free from compulsion because he is not tyed to second causes nor maistered by any higher cause but is and doth whatsoeuer he will without the Coaction of any necessity without himselfe Psal 115. 3. Esay 40. 13. Daniel 4. 35. He is also free from seruitude he is bound to none indebted to none subiect to none Rom. 11. 35. 36. He is also free from the burthen of miserie hee alone being such by nature that no kinde of miserie either of fault or punishment can befall him 4. He is glorious in his essentiall Maiesty which is an vnconceiueable splendor or beauty and shining brightnesse beyond all that Maiesty can befall any creature Thus God is said to be light and to dwell in the light which no man can approach vnto 1. Tim. 6. 16. and thus hee is the King of all Kings And in this absolute Glory God doth excell all the Kings of the earth 1. Because his Glory is aboue all praise and blessing so is not theirs Nehemiah 9. 5. Psal 145. 3. 2. Because the Kings of the earth doe giue him glory and praise him owe their Homage to his glory Psal 138. 4 5. God exceedes them in Glory more then they exceede their meanest subiects Daniel 4. 35. and no wonder seeing the glorified creatures in heauen throw downe their crownes before him as acknowledging him onely worthy to receiue honour c. Reuel 4. 10. 11. 3. Because their Glory is mortall but God is a King immortall and his Glory endureth for euer Psal 104. 31. 1. Tim. 1. 17. 4. Because hee hath it in himselfe and from himselfe as was shewed before Thus of his absolute Glory The Glory of God as it is in relation is either internall or externall The internall Glory of God as it is in relation is the personall Glory and so is the Glory either that is proper to each Person in the Trinity or else that peculiar Glory of the second Person in the Trinity as he is called the brightnesse of his Fathers Glory Heb. 1. 3. The externall Glory is that which comes vnto God from the creatures as hee stands in relation to them and so his Glory shines 1. In his workes which are therefore called his Glory and so both his works of Creation Psal 19. 1. and his workes of Iustice vpon the wicked Exod. 15. 6. 7. and his workes of Mercy in deliuering and sauing his people Psal 85. 9. 102 15. 16. 108. 5. Zach. 2. 5. and workes of omnipotencie and wonder Rom. 6. 4. 2. In the signes of his presence such as he gaue extraordinarily on earth as the cloud and pillar of fire Exod. 16. 8. 11. or that likenesse of consuming fire on the toppe of the Mount Exod. 24. 17. the cloude that filled the Temple 1. Kings 8. 10. 11. or the formes mentioned in Ezek. Chap 1. 28. 3. 23. 10. 4. 18. 11. 22 23. or else such as hee giues in heauen in the presence of his Glory to the Saints and this was that Glory of God which Stephen saw Acts 7. 55. 3. In his word especially the Gospel which is the doctrine of the Glory of the blessed God 1. Tim. 1. 11. 2. Cor. 4. 4. 4. In his children Israel he calls them his Glory Esay 46. 13. and so are the godly called because they resemble God and in that respect excell all other people All other men haue therefore failed of Gods Glory because they haue failed of his Image Rom. 3. 23. And in these foure waies of relation God is glorious but it is with a glory which himselfe hath printed and stamped vpon these things There is another way of glory which is in a speciall manner also called Gods glory and that is the glory which the reasonable creature giues vnto God

opening the windowes of Heauen as hee did in the destruction of the old world Iob. 36. 31. he reserues these against the day of battell Iob 38. 23. Esay 24. 17 18. 37. 13. 2 At the first he made the Clouds to be a garment for the Sea when it was first brought out and a swadling band for it Iob 38. 8 9. 3 By the Clouds as in a Chariot God rides about this nether world to visit it Psal 104. 3. 4 He vseth the Clouds to hold backe the face of his Throne by spreading it vpon it Iob 26. 9. 5 To shew his power he often with his Cloud couereth the Light and commandeth it not to shine by the Cloud that commeth betwixt Iob 36. 32. 6 God hath made himselfe a Pauillion to sit in with waters and thick Clouds 2 Sam. 22. 12. 7 By these God waters our Land as wee doe our Gardens and by the vertue of them hee giueth meat in abundance Iob 36. 31. 37. 11. Psal 65. 9 10 11 12. 5 For the interest that God hath giuen vs vnto these things and therefore they are called our Heauens Deut. 33. 28. and therefore no man can be poore that hath so great substance The vse is especially to set vs in an euerlasting admiration of God not onely for these things which he hath reueiled concerning these things but euen for the intimation that there are many things we know not but are aboue our reach Behold saith he God is great and wee know him not if wee should but consider that one thing that seemes the least of many it is too wonderfull for vs euen Gods making of the drops of raine so small and yet so proportionall among themselues when God causeth them to distill vpon man Iob 36. 26 27 28. We haue great cause to stand still and wonder we know not the wondrous works of him that is perfect in knowledge We cannot order our speech in these things by reason of darknesse If a man speake he shall bee swallowed vp with the greatnesse and difficulty and glory of these things Iob 37. 14 16 19 20. Touching the Almighty in these things wee cannot finde him out he is excellent in power and in Iudgement and in plenty of Iustice euen by these things Iob 37. 23. Men should therefore feare him for as he sheweth by reasoning from these things in another place the onely wisdome of a man were to feare God Iob 28. 28. Secondly wee should learne of these things how to serue God they keepe their seasons and they returne not to Heauen againe but doe the worke God sent them for Esay 55. 10. Luk. 12. 56. Mat. 16. 2 3. 3 We should bee wonderfull thankfull to God euen for these blessings of Heauen They were wont in the first ages of the world to thinke they had cause to praise God for the very dew of Heauen Gen. 25. 28 39. Deut. 33. 13 28. Wee are exhorted to sing praise to God who couereth the Heauen with Clouds and prepareth raine for the Earth Psal 147. 7 8. Men vse to giue a great deale of mony to buy a little land and yet cannot praise him that giues them what is more worth then that they buy for it is God that giueth the dew and the snow and the raine and so the Grasse and the Corne without which the Land were worth nothing 4 Seeing God hath wrought wonderfully in these things and that they are so precious for our vses we must learne if at any time God restraine these blessings of Heauen to seeke them by prayer and repentance for our sinnes Iames 5. 18. 2 Chron. 6. 27. 28. and if we would haue them continued to vs we must looke to the paying of our Tythes duly Mal. 3. 10. 5 Wicked men are but in ill taking for besides that by these things GOD can plague them hauing reserued them for the day of warre as was shewed before the Lord by these things hath left them without excuse hauing from them witnesses to pleade for him against the wicked as is shewed Acts 17. 14. 6. We must take heede of doubting Gods prouidence in sending these blessings from Heauen we may reade of a man that was troden to death for doubting whether God could furnish mans wants by these things 2 King 7. 19 20. To conclude we must make conscience of it to learne these things and what else God teacheth vs by them and the rather for the wonder of Gods printing that can make his letters so great that a man may see and reade so farre off and therefore remember to magnifie his worke Iob 36. 24 25. As for the Raine-bow two things only I will note 1 What we may obserue by the sense of seeing and that is the strange varieties and perfection of colours that God by his power gathereth in that manner into the Ayre which Ayre of it selfe is without any colour raised and dissolued againe after a little time without any remnant of these colours left 2 What we may reade in Scripture of it and that is both concerning the Author of it and the end of it The Author of it is God who calleth it his Bow and the end is by Gods owne appointment to secure and assure man that the world shall neuer be destroyed by waters any more which is the more wonderfull because the Rainebow in it selfe is often a fore runner of Raine as experience shewes and by the descending of the two hornes of it to the Earth and Seas doth drinke vp vapours and carry them into the Ayre to breede Raine Gen. 9. Hitherto of Heauen the Earth followes Earth The terme of Earth here comprehends as I conceiue the dry Land as also the waters of the Sea that lye vpon the Earth and therefore I would first briefly consider of the Sea Concerning the Sea these things in Scripture are taken notice of 1 What it is and so Moses describes the Sea to be the gathering together of the waters into a heape which before did flow ouer all the face of the earth and this collection of the waters vnder the Firmament God himselfe named the Sea Gen. 1. 10. 2 The Originall of these waters and that God claimes as a glory to himselfe to haue made the Sea as well as other vast Creatures the Sea is his and hee made it Psal 95. 5. he is the God that made the Sea and the dry Land Ionah 1. 9. and for the manner of making it as it had diuers things common with other creatures as to be made of nothing and by the Word of God and so the waters in speciall are said to haue the Spirit of God to sit vpon them as the Hen sitteth vpon the Chickens to giue it forme and digestion Gen. 1. 2. 3 The wonder of Gods power in placing and disposing of the Sea and that in many respects as 1 That he hath made these waters to be of such vast greatnesse and vnsearchable depth Iob 38. 16. Esay