Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	aaron_n	call_v	jesus_n	12	3	5.2308	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39910	A discourse concerning God's judgements resolving many weighty questions and cases relating to them. Preached (for the substance of it) at Old Swinford in Worcester-shire: and now publish'd to accompany the annexed narrative, concerning the man whose hands and legs lately rotted off: in the neighbouring parish of Kings-Swinford, in Staffordshire; penned by another author. / by Simon Ford ...	Ford, Simon, 1619?-1699.; Illingworth, James, d. 1693. A just narrative or account of the man whose hands and legs rotted off.	1678 (1678)	Wing F1484; ESTC R28411	53,261	98

this alone is not a sufficient character to warrant us to pronounce such a stroke to be a Divine Judgment how severe soever it be except there appear as evident and notorious a crime in conjunction with it For the judging by the former mark singly misled Jobs friends in his Case and the men of Melita in the censure they passed upon St. Paul Acts 28.4 when they saw the Viper hanging on his hand And it may mislead us in like cases For if we interpret all such great and remarkable severities on whomsoever they fall to be Divine Judgments we shall be often endangered unjustly to condemn the Generation of Gods best Children Psal 73.15 But where both these in the same persons meet with equal Evidence we can hardly be mistaken except all Mankind be supposed to be so too who commonly argue in such cases from this character in calling such Providences Judgments of God or if we be mistaken it is in a sort a safe errour as that which if we make a religious use of our apprehensions about it will mislead us only into such affections and actions as tend to Gods glory and our own benefit and advantage 3. And a far greater evidence is given in this Case many times to make Divine Judgments manifest by the fair and legible Impression and Image of the very offence it self upon the punishment inflicted Exod. 14. The drowning of Pharaoh and the Egyptians in the Red Sea was a punishment so like their sin in drowning all the male Children of the Israelites in the River Exod. 1.20 Levi● 10.1 ● the burning Nadab and Abihu with a strange fire from Heaven was a Divine stroke so aptly suted to their offence in offering Incense with strange fire to Heaven the incestuous defilement of Davids Concubines by Absalom 2 Sam. 12.11 had so express a signature of the defilement of Vriahs wife by David and to mention no more Examples at present the cutting off the Thumbs and great Toes of Adonibezek himself Judges 1.7 was so signal a requital of the like cruelty shewed by him to 70 Kings before that no man needs to doubt the lawfulness of calling them by the Name they have always born that of remarkable Divine Judgments And it can rationally be no matter of scruple to any one to give Providences of the like stamp the same name still 4. And it makes much to the strengthning the Evidence in such matters when such remarkable Divine strokes tread close upon the heels of some notorious offence as oftentimes they do yea so close as to surprise the offender in the very Act. Gen. 19.11 The striking the Sodomites blind in the very attempt of a foul sin not to be named and the firing of the whole City the next morning with a storm of flaming Brimstone Num. 16.32 the cleaving of the Earth to swallow Korah and his company even whilst they stood daringly in the face of God and the Congregation to avouch a foul Rebellion against Moses and a sacrilegious usurpation of Aarons Priesthood the running through of Zimri and Cosbi Num. 25.8 in the very act of bold and audacious uncleanness the slaying of Belshazzar the very night following his profane debauch acted by the abuse of Gods Consecrated Vessels to drunkenness Dan. 5.30 at an Idols feast the turning of his Grandfather Nebuchadnezzar a-grazing among oxen when that vaunting brag was scarce out of his mouth Dan. 4.31 32 33. Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the Kingdom by the might of my power Acts 5.5 10.12.22 23. the smiting Ananias and Saphira dead with a lye in their mouths to cover their sacrilege the eating up Herod by worms so closely attending upon his owning the blasphemous flattery of the people and many more like Instances to these none ever gave a softer Title to than that of Divine Judgments And wherefore the drunkards breaking his neck in his drunkenness and the hectoring challengers being slain in a Duel and the perjured persons being smitten dumb or dead in his perjury and the like penal events befalling other sinners in the very act of other sins of as hainous a nature may not still by a parity of Reason pass for Providences of the same denomination I cannot imagine 5. When such penal Providences are the evident and notorious consequents of provoking and daring Appeals Applications or Addresses to God of any kind or of contests with him there is all the Reason in the world why we should take them for Divine Judgments extorted by an impious importunity or provoking Insolence 1. In case of Appeals to God implicit or explicit When the bitter water under the Law envenomed by the imprecation of the disloyal wife against her self in case she was guilty of the fact she was suspected of caused her belly to swell and her thigh to rot Num. 5.22 the implicit Appeal to Gods Decision in this case made the event evidently to be a Divine Judgment When Korah and his Complices dare put it to a Divine determination Num. 16.5 whether they had not as much right to offer Incense as Aaron and his Sons The Event in this Case declared that God judged the cause in which he was thus appealed to against them And when the wicked Jews by tumultuous out-cries call on Pilate to crucifie Jesus for a Malefactor and encourage him when his Conscience boggles at so foul an act of Injustice with this fearful imprecation in the nature of such an Appeal that if he were not guilty God would lay his blood on them and their children and the Event of so many Ages hath declared the said guilt not to be yet washed off from their whole Posterity None but an hardened Jew will ever doubt whether there be a Divine Judgment in this case or no. Lastly When holy Job against the unjust charges of his censorious friends who among other crimes taxed him with breaking the arms of the fatherless Job 22.9 i. e. That by his power he had so crushed them that they were disabled to maintain their right against him had appealed to God for his vindication and imprecated against himself that if he were guilty of this Crime his Arm might fall from his Shoulder-blade Job 31.21 22. and be broken from the bone i. e. That the flesh might rot from the bone till his Arm fell from his Shoulder if a little after that Arm had dropped off according to ☜ his Execration and some concurring evidence withal had appeared to prove him guilty of the fact which he so disclaimed I say if it had so faln out which it did not because he was innocent had not his friends been justified if they had cryed out in the words of the Psalmist Behold the Lord is known by the Judgment that he executeth 2. In case of Address or Application to him in matters of another nature As in promissory Oaths