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

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97181	The gayne of losse or temporall losses spiritually improved in a centurye & one decad of meditations & resolves. By John Warner M.A. sometimes of Magd: Hall in Oxo: & one of the ministers of the London Brigade in the late western expedition 1644.	Warner, John, b. 1612 or 13.	1645 (1645)	Wing W904; Thomason E1194_1	48,265	180

him for the accomplishing whereof the performance of two Christian duties are most helpfull The first is prayer and supplication and this is a duty that must not onely respect our selves but the publick Psalm 122.6 even those Countries which now are as Aceldama's fields of blood Though God had decreed the restitution of Israel from captivity Ezek. 36.37 Ier. 29.11 yet for it he would be enquired of by the house of Israel Though God doth not conferre mercies on us because of our duties yet he will not conferre them without our duties O then if you would have the Sun arise on that land of darknesse in the West Cant. 2.8 Mal. 4.3 pray that Christ would come skipping over the mountains arising with healing under his wings and enlightning them that have a long time sate in darknesse Luke 1.79 Dan. 6.10 and the shadow of death Look towards them as Daniel did towards Jerusalem out of his chamber beseeching the Lord to perfect his own praise and their deliverance that the Lord would save his people from the West country Zach. 8.7 that so they might feare his name from the West Isai ●9 19 The time of the desolations of Israel was known to Daniel by his books Dan. 9.2 v. 3. then being informed of it he sets his face to seek the Lord by prayer and supplication Now though we cannot have such a distinct knowledge of the time of deliverance for a motive to our praiers as Daniel had yet it is an infallible signe that the Lord doth hasten to deliver when he enlargeth the hearts of his people with a mighty spirit of supplication As therefore we may be confident Psal 102.13 that there is a time appointed when the Lord will have mercy upon Sion so we may be assured that the Lord will observe his time and keep his day * See Exod 12.41 Hab. 2. Psal 5.8 In the mean time we must stand upon our watch by prayer and hearken when the Lord will speak peace to his people The second duty is more particular concerning our selves viz. Meditation Hereby a soule acquaint it selfe with God out of his word or works either of mercy or judgement A dejected mind is hereby set on wing and made to look above sufferings and danger Want of calling place and usuall accommodation doe sad the spirits of many and by Satans concurrence fill the hearts of many with discontent murmuring repining It is the Devils policie having impaired our outward estate to endevour to deprive the inner man of true comfort It should be our care therefore to cast out such fretting carefull vexing thoughts and put on heavenly meditations A true Christians glory is inward unseen to the world his happinesse is above which is * Psa 45.13 reserved for him and for which he is * 1 pet 1.4 1 pet 1.5 kept it being beyond the reach of the men of this a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epictet l. 3 cap. 22. Aliae divitiae nec verae nec vestrae Bern. de bono desert 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aeneas Gaza Epist 5. world so that all which his enemy can deprive him of is only accessory to his wel being not essentially required to his being Raise up therfore thy meditations to contemplate on thy high calling and the high price of that calling and then in these times of losing thou mayst say with that Philosopher who when the Citie was plundered and hee turned out naked being asked what hee had lost answered Nihil perdidi b Seneca de Sap. Const e. 6. What though the Lord takes all from thee and gives thee more of himselfe c Perdiderat omnia quae Deus dedit sed habuerit ipsum qui omnia dederat manet qui dedit abstulit quod dedit Deus substraxit data nen datorem Aug. in Psal 66. Omnia perdidit Iohus plenus erat Aug. de divers 12. That man growes rich to whom God draws nigh and from whom the world withdrawes Hee only hath lost all that hath lost his God Now if God bee thine thy country and dwelling is thine or else a better Psal 42.12 Psal 45.4 It was not the Sword or Bow of our Fathers that did plant them there at first but the right hand of God and the same right hand of God may teach him as terrible things by replanting us Till which time if this Manuell of Meditations may as a Flaggon taken from the Lords Cellar stay thy fainting soule Cant. 2.5 it shall be the happinesse of the Auther that he hath comforted others with the same consolations wherewith hee was comforted 1 Cor. 1.4 Yours and his Countries in the Lord John Warner Temporal Losses Spiritually improved I. SUch is the degenerate nature of some spirits that in meane losses they discover great impatience but if the losse of their estates befall 〈◊〉 they cannot but therewith ●●●e themselves also The love of the world doth herein strongly appeare when not onely the fruition of things present doe ravish mens hearts with joy but the imagination of them absent overwhelmes them with more sorrow The Mammon of this world is a God and is served by the men whose portion is only here in a most affectionate obedientiall manner for if the world and the things thereof keep neere them they serve and love it if it leave them they follow and pursue it with as much earnestnesse as Laban did his gods It should bee our care then that when wee lose our goods wee may not lose our wits and that when they leave us and take the wing to pursue them with a godly hope and moderate endevour not with an immoderate sorrow or desperate behaviour II. PHilosophers observe that the higher the Element is the purer it is Bac. nat hist water purer then earth aire then water fire purer then aire And it is the observation of a Naturalist that by Art water may be conveyed as high as the Fountain from whence it did arise O my soule remember from whence thou art inspired from how high and holy a place remember also of what a divine nature thou art made partaker dwell not therefore on these earthly objects but let the consideration of thy heavenly nature cause thee to contemplate on heavenly things or if thou busiest thy selfe about these things below let it bee to extract some divine quintessence from them God hath removed these perishing things from thee that thou mayst seek for and think of thy incorruptible inheritance The soul which is confined to earthly meditations forgets whence it came and whither it should goe A heavenly spirit hath its conversation in heaven III. VVE read of some of the wisest Heathens that cast away all and became voluntarily poor Some might impute this to pride others to madnesse others to wisdome and discretion as if two objects were too large to busie the minde on with profit Mat. 16 24. Our Saviour

right to earthly things Iusad rem non in re Aquin though not in them but they have a right to and in heavenly things All things then are theirs as well what they want as what they enjoy Yet seeing in this life a Christian is in his nonage hee hath not actuall possession of all that he hath title unto However he shall not want what is required to maintain him hee shall have comforts yea and afflictions and wants so as to further him in the way For sanctified afflictions are not the least tokens of Gods love or of a godly mans possession here XLVIII THe summe of all promises is comprised in this Heb. 13. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Parents friends lands goods may leave and forsake us or we may leave and forsake them but God neither will nor can leave us How can I give thee up O Israel sayes God Now God is all in all Am not I better to thee then ten sonnes said Elkanah to Hannah So may God say Am not I better to thee then many goods many friends They may leave thee I will not God may for a while seeme to leave us but 't is onely as a parent doth the child to try it how 't will goe or stand by it self nay when his hand is off them hee guides them with his eye Gods children stand him in as much cost him as deare as any mothers child and yet a mother may forget her sucking child yet he Lord cannot forget his Therefore let the world and all in the world leave me forsake me yet I will not be cast down if God say but this to me I will never leave thee nor forsake thee XLIX GEt thee out of thy Countrey Gen. 12.1 and from thy fathers house unto a land that I shall shew thee sayes God to Abraham A strange command fit onely for him who was the father of the faithfull Against this command first naturall affection might plead not to relinquish his kindred and fathers house then common reason might plead for his right which he had in his native countrey and to part with a certainty for an uncertainty yet this and all that could bee said by Abraham was silenced by Abrahams faith hee makes no put-offs he reasons not with flesh and blood he craves not time he needs not an Angell to hasten him as Lot did out of Sodome but away he goes yet 't is a question what Abraham would have done if he had not had a promise given him as large as his command For the most part the obedience of the best is mercenary we have an eye to the recompence of reward What God did command and promise Abraham the same doth Christ command and promise to all that follow him viz. that they forsake all and then his promise is that whosoever forsaketh father mother sister brother lands goods for my Name sake bee shall receive an handred fold not eight or ten in the hundred but an hundred for one Lord how grievous soever thy command be to me how contrary to flesh and blood I will not dispute but obey and obey because thou commandest I will bleeve because thou promisest Thus if I have Abrahams faith I must have Abrahams obedience and shall have Abrahams reward thou wilt be unto me as thou wast unto Abraham an exceeding great reward L. AFfliction is Gods furnance whereby he doth as t were with fire purifie his people called therefore the fiery triall Now as the drosse and corruption is so doth God heat his furnace The Lord is willing to doe away these spots by more gentle means by water but they are so grounded in us that they cannot bee done out but by fire In the younger dayes of the world sin did abound and then the Lord took it away be water but as the world growes older it growes worser and is more abundant in sinne and therefore 't will want fire to doe it away Now though for the present this triall be grievous yet the issue is the peaceable fruit of righteousnesse Though we are put into the fire by the sonnes of men yet the Sonne of God abides with us in it as hee did with the three children God will either abate or suspend the power of the fire or else encrease our patience so shall wee come out with more glory and lesse corruption this being all the fruit to take away all the drosse Lord thou hast kindled a fire among us which among others hath consumed my estate my comfort is that though by reason thereof I am left the poorer yet I shall be found the purer LI. THe Apostle would not have us to think strange of the fiery triall 1 Pet. 4.12 i.e. as if it were a strange thing and unusuall seldome seen or heard of However the thoughts of most are otherwise of it when they murmure and say Never were the times so bad never such a time of losing Thus they who are afflicted of God become so many spectacles to others as if they were so many monsters But grant we all this that these trials are strange yet the Lord is just who therefore sends them because he findes in us as strange corruptions as strange fashions strange swearing haunting after the strange woman I will think it strange then if no strange judgment follow when sinne is more then ordinary LII IT is usuall with men to complain of the times badnesse whereas the times might as justly complain of their badnesse For as many are made worse by the times so the times are made worse by many If ever therefore we looke to see better times we must looke to be better persons God must first mend us and then the times will mend themselves LIII FEare not Isai 41.14 O worm Jacob sayes God though thou walkest through the fire it shall not burne thee and through the water it shall not overwhelme thee for I am with thee Gods presence sanctifies and sweetens any estate What makes heaven but the presence of God And what makes hell but the absence of God Let God be present in any condition and it shall be full of comfort though it bee full of trouble and usually God is more present with his in adversity then in prosperity It is not affliction but sinne that separates God from us It should be our care then to seek for his presence in troubles comfort our selves in it in troubles behave our selves so as he may not withdraw it for as David having Gods presence feared nothing though walking in the valley of the shadow of death yet when the Lord hid his face hee was troubled LIV. VVHen we see some escape scotfree from the overflowing scourge and suffer no losses through neutrality or malignancy some there be that envie their happinesse Hos 4.14 but when we read that the Lord chastiseth every sonne be receiveth and loveth and sayes being angry I will not punish your daughters they should