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	moses_n	unbelief_n	13	3	9.5356	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A55028	The necessity and encouragement, of utmost venturing for the churches help together with the sin, folly, and mischief of self-idolizing applyed by a representation of 1. some of the most notorious nationall sins endangering us, 2. the heavy weight of wrath manifested in our present calamities, yet withall, grounds of 3. confidence, that our church shall obtain deliverance in the issue, 4. hopes that the present Parliament shall be still imployed in the working of it : all set forth in a sermon, preached to the honorable House of Commons, on the day of the monethly solemn fast, 28. June, 1643 / by Herbert Palmer ...	Palmer, Herbert, 1601-1647.	1643 (1643)	Wing P243; ESTC R21704	67,757	76

him through the work though he also had his failing in not searching in time for Achan So after God had cast off Saul he so assists David notwithstanding his failings also as when he died Israel was delivered from all enemies round about and no adversary left unsubdued 1 King 5.3,4 And so after he had the second time set on Zerubbabell and Jeshua upon the work of his Temple after their long lingring he carries it on by their hands and so promised them Hag. 2.4 Zach. 4.7.9 And specially having raised up faithfull Nehemiah extraordinarily who yet acknowledges he had need of sparing according to the greatnesse of Gods mercy Neh. 13. 22. he was continually with him and mightily prospered him for his Churches good every way 3. God doth this usually to encourage both such instruments to engage themselves to the utmost for him and others to associate themselves to such persons as to standards by him set up to revive unite and strengthen his people The faith of the best is not so strong but it needs experimentall encouragements as well as generall promises For which end specially the Scripture examples of deliverances are recorded which yet would stand in very little stead if extraordinarily raised and fitted instruments should be usually cast by and not used Nature hath seen this and so made a Proverb That an Army of Harts if led by a Lion may be victorious The discovery of somewhat extraordinary in any Leader seems a promise of successe which mightily raises the spirits of those that follow who else were ready to droop and fall away 4. The manifold Promises of blessing to the Church and successe to those that engage themselves for it in time of danger do fall most strongly to the share of such Eminent and extraordinarily raised persons To him that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance He that had five talents being faithfull is blest with the gain of five more and hath the unprofitable servants talent cast in besides Matt. 25. 28 29 Luke 19. 24 26. Insomuch that Finally scarce any if any example can be given of any such hopes disappointed but the cause to wit their failing in some main point of duty hath been as manifest as their disappointment We finde it in Saul 1 Sam. 13. 15. and even in Moses and Aaron their unbelief Numb. 20. Nay not so much but the very delayes have their causes assigned or at least they may be gathered God expressely chides the Jews for their neglect Hag. 1. And he that shall diligently observe the time that the Temple was in hand before Artaxerxes Decree specially if it were Artaxerxes Longimanus as many think or even let it be Cambyses or Smerdis the Mage will see cause to think they made but slow hast with it when they had liberty enough So that delay in Joshua's time was plainly for want of enquiry after Achan and doing justice on him and the stop of the Ark from Jerusalem was a wrong order taken in the carriage of it which occasioned Vzzahs medling beyond his calling and Gods breach upon him for it But where we finde none of these miscarriages the instruments prosper in their undertaken work for the Churches help and good The Use of this Point is at once to Encourage and warn the Parliament and all Prime Instruments to continue in faithfulnesse for the Churches utmost help You have heard in the former Point that Deliverance and enlargement shall arise some way or other This tells you There is great hopes You are the men God intends to use in it To this purpose consider 1 1. What great things God hath already done for you 2. What by you I will onely name some heads for your meditations though they deserve the descant of Volumes 1 Your comming to the authority you are invested with and so power to help the Church was more strange all things considered then Esthers comming to be Queen 1. That any Parliament should be called 2. That such a Parliament should be chosen 3. That before the Act of continuance it should appear a ruin to dissolve you as formerly 4. But specially that any ruin was not hazarded rather then the passing that Act of continuance an Act of such wonder as we can scarce beleeve our senses our experience our understandings that it is credible or possible All this makes up your authority and power to help the Church incomparable beyond all your Predecessors 2 2. The preserving your authority in the hearts of men after so many invective aspersions and in the midst of so many difficulties even in the hearts of many loose men Whom also your enemies carriages have as much alienated from them 3 3. Your famous preservations from the Northern Army the armed Cavaliers the late Conspiracy and all other attempts of fraud or force 4 4. The graduall victories and deliverances obtained by those imployed by you and for you some of them of singular remark and importance particularly Manchester preserved from force and Bristoll from treachery besides sundry other Towns that should have been betrayed 5 5. Your being helped often at a dead lift Your adversaries have scoffed at it But you have found it that as oft as you have been at a stand God hath afforded some discovery or some victory to set the wheeles agoing again 6 6. Your spirituall helps beyond all other Parliaments Such powerfull preaching so neer you and all the City over specially your monethly Fasts never the like in any Age 7 7. An Army many armies of prayers all the Kingdom over more for you both from hope and fear then ever for any of your Predecessors 8 8. That which makes all the rest most hopefull that all these things together Mercies and Dangers and Deliverances and means of grace have made you grow in zeal for God and his Church Witnesse your Protestation Declarations your beginnings of reformation of Idolatry Superstition Sabbath-breaking scandalous Ministers your late Covenant and calling the Assembly What now means God by all this But that you should think He loves you and means to use you further for his glory if you will your selves and be faithfull And that as oft as you are afraid lest after all you should be destroyed you should encourage your selves as Manoahs wife did her husband If the Lord were pleased to kill us he would not have done so and so to us Iudg. 13. 23. 2 For consider also what he hath done by you in one word Doe but except that you are not yet delivered and that you were to be brought into dangers troubles What one main thing have you attempted effectually for the war or for the Church wherin you have not been greatly and effectually assisted to a remarkeable degree I cannot have time to name particulars But your Journalls and Records will tell you And I beseech you think often and

Church a great deale so as he grudges and shrinkes at any more offered to be cald for what need soever there may be If any man think ought lesse then all enough he hath yet done as good as nothing in Gods account Whether it be fear or covetousnesse or sensuality or any other lust that causes him so to stick of which the Doctrines and Reasons forementioned may convince him if he will throughly lay them to heart as he should 2. Let us next examine how we have prayed what speciall helps sutable to the Churches speciall dangers we have that way afforded And if we find neglects here as I much doubt all or most may either in omissions or in sleight performances Of these specially relating to secret prayers and when others have prayed in our hearing publikely or privately there can no possible cause be given but our wretched corruption prophanenesse uncharitable want of compassion stupidity and unbelief and such like too too-far prevailing lusts which make our neglects very culpable in Gods fight and so should they be in ours 3. Let us next examine what example we have shewed whether we have helped the Church any way effectually in this or contrary Here let me speak a word to three sorts among us 1 1. Some there are I am afraid too many that are as far from helping the Church against sin by their examples in the least as the professed enemies are from helping her against their own companions There are men who in stead of professing godlinesse which yet in spight of their hearts their very baptisme and name of Christians and comming to Church cannot but continually professe do little lesse then openly professe Libertinisme who make it their boast that they are not of the preciser-sort as they scornfully term them Such though without any solemn examination they may and doe know their own practises yet I wish that they would but even this day and this houre by light of the former Doctrines and Reasons examine the guilt of those practises and the displeasure that hangs over their heads even for the mischiefe done to the Church and Nation hereby in stead of the help they owed And with them 2 2. A second sort no lesse guilty if not rather more and indeed more in some respects are those who though they desire to make a speciall shew even of Piety and conscience and goe under the name of Professours as the phrase hath been much and is yet still partly among us doe yet notoriously and scandalously live in one ill course or other being known by such as live neer them and branded ascovetous false in their dealings filthy riotous in some companies devilish in their families and the like to the great reproach of Religion among all those that know or hear of their ungodly and loose behaviours These also need not so much examine themselves about their practises which they cannot be Ignorant or almost forgetfull of as about the wickednesse of them even in reference to the Churches prejudice and danger thereby they being her great shame and disease and most undeniable causers of her judgements and therefore lyable to the most exemplary severity of God in his judgements presently or at what other time he shall please to reckon with them for it But besides both these there is yet 3 3. A third sort whom I must also call to examination and herein I shall exempt none though I shall now accuse none particularly whom their conscience accuses not yet let me ask even the best of this Assembly even those that have the greatest reputation of Honest Conscionable and godly but one or two questions 1. You are and that deservedly well esteemed of in the generall yet for all that doth there not lye upon you some unhappy note of reproach a But of some ignominy A good man But too eager of his pleasures A zealous man But too self willed A religious woman But too much given to the fashion and worldly pompe and bravery If I durst tarry upon this point I could make many more unhappy instances in this kind But let me in one word put it home to every ones conscience by the second question Are not the best at least sometimes guilty to themselves of such outward miscaraige as were it not for the Doctrine of the Saints infirmities it would shame and dishearten them utterly But though by that doctrine and the grace of Christ they may indeed wel think themselves discharged of those miseariages in regard of guilt redounding to damnation yet let me charge them back upon them thus farre as to call them to examine the offence of such infirmities this day as things that besides the personall evill of them have done mischief in the example and bardned some sinners and multiplied many sinnes while 1 Some thereby take liberty to themselves to practise the same evils often which they saw in them but once and to practise others upon this pretence Such have their sins for their turn and this is for mine 2 Others to reproach all religion as hypocrisie even for such a single infirmity And 3 others again call their enormous customary sins infirmities and will count themselves children of God for all that as supposing those in others in whom they saw even once such an infirmity to offend so often or in other kindes And so by one root of bitternesse springing up as it is Heb. 12. 15. many are defiled and many more may be And all is mischievous to the Church in stead of helping it in its time of need I have one piece of Examination more to put to every conscience which is what help we have afforded the Church groaning under the burden of sin by endeavouring an effectuall reformation according to our utmost strength and authority whether Domesticall or Friendly Ministeriall or Magisteriall 1 1. Domesticall We should all that have families to govern have done like Abraham Command our children and houshold to keep the way of the Lord Like Ioshua to resolve that not we onely but our bonse shall serve the Lord Like David to endure no deceitfull persons tellers of lies any wicked ones to abide in our houses in our fight But to make our Families Churches as it is phrased of sundry Saints in the New Testament But will our consciences now say We have done so How many are there whose servants are ignorant while themselves abound in knowledge and even while they keep Ministers in their houses too How many who while they go to Church their servants either stay at home or go to the Tavern or perhaps worse places Their Cooks specially seem priviledged to keep no sabbath take no other care of their own souls then by providing meat for their Masters and the Families bellies And their Coach-men and Footmen serve God sufficiently if they looke to their horses at the