Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	authority_n	church_n	great_a	2,167	5	3.1621	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87668	King Solomons's infallible expedient for three kingdoms settlement: or, Better men make better times. Delivered in a sermon preached in the renowned and famous city of Gloucester, the Lord's day before their election of burgesses for Parliament. By Samuel Keme S.S.T.B. rector of Allbery, near Oxon.	Kem, Samuel, 1604-1670.	1660 (1660)	Wing K251; Thomason E1021_9; ESTC R208389	12,634	22

deviseth mischief continually he soweth discord Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly suddenly shall he be broken without remedy Blessings are on the head of Righteous Prov. 14.34 Righteousnesse exalteth a Nation Prov 16.6 By Righteous mens Actings Iniquities shall be forgiven Prov. 21.12 The Righteous teacheth the House of the Wicked Vse 1. Of Information in these particulars following 1. That Nationall felicities and happinesse consists in Righteousnesse and Holinesse not onely in greatnesse but goodnesse 2. The true cause of the sad aspect of the three Kingdomes for some years past is a want of Righteous men in Authority and unrighteous Actings I need not be your Remembrancer of them It would take up all my time and revive your trouble to rake in the puddle of noysome stinking mire and dirt 3. It informs us of a Nationall Remedy for the malady viz. to endeavour to have Righteous men in Authority 4. Whom we are to look upon as Friends of the Nation and Keepers of its Liberty Not a Committee of Safety not I know not who but Righteous Rulers and Righteous Men in Authority For they form joy of Heart and introduce every Mercy Use of Exhortation I am come from the Lord to beg this one thing from you in this your Opportunity To Elect and endeavour to fix Righteous men in Authority as your Representatives And observe the severe directions that God hath sent me withall to you this Day 1. Men that preferr Piety before Policy and not Men that preferr Private Interest before National Good that preferr God and his Churches Settlement before their own Advancement That will build his House before their own 1 King 5.5 The People returning from Captivity did so Ezra 4. And although it was obstructed by force some years yet in the next opportunity they fell to it with Swords in one hand and Trowels in the other manger all opposition Ver. 23. Oh! Chuse Men that keep Faith and a good Conscience 2. Men of known Integrity and Fidelity to God and Man and not of discovered Apostacy and Hypocrisy Men that will lose their Lives and Preferment rather then not keep their Covenant and seek a Settlement Armor of Proof formes security men that can endure Banishment Imprisonment c. A Weather-Cock in Church or State is fitter to hang in the Wind than to be in the House 3. Men that preferr Mercy before Cruelty Prov. 14.21 The Wicked despiseth his Neighbour but he that hath mercy on the Poor is Blessed Math. 9.13 1 Sam. 24.7 And he said unto them The Lord keep me from doing the thing to my Master the Lord 's Anointed to lay my hand upon Him for He is the Lord 's Anointed 4. Men of Courage and Activity that preferr Publick Good before Personal Safety such as Hester If I perish I perish Not such who in the Duke of Alva's time of Tyranny are pictured in Holland with their Fingers on their Lips but such as will venter Life and Liberty to Speak and Act to redeem the People out of Slavery that dare say Mori possum tacere non possum 5. Men of Gravity and Majesty yet preferring Humility to Self and Vain-Glory and the just Cause of Poverty before the unjust Cause of great Men in Authority Mordecai before Haman 6. Men that preferr Verity before Heresy Christ before Antichrist Gospel-Reformation before former Interest-sake or abominable Toleration 7. That preferr Unity and Order in all the Churches of Christ and his Members before Seperation or Division 8. Men of Grandure and experienced in Authority with whom is Wisdom Sobriety Moderation good Education and Ability the Head and not the Tayl of the People The list or fag-end may patch but never can make a beautiful Garment Lastly Chuse Men of sensible and tender hearts that Sympathize with the Nation and your Selves in and under all your Greivances and miserie that may be sensible to call home the Banished relieve the Oppressed Injured the unjustly imprisoned Sequestred And now I shall give you some means by which you may gain such righteous Men to be in Authority and some motives and a word to the Elected and so I have done 1. Meanes Be very frequent and fervent in prayer to the Lord who gives righteous hearts to men to give them so qualified to you and that He would providentially shew who are so indeed So the Disciples prayed Acts 1. and pray much for them Shew us whom thou hast chosen 2. Meanes Be very Circumspect as to secret guilt of gross and habituall sin God doth often punish the sins of a People by giving them unrighteous Superiors in his wrath Prov. 28.2 For the transgressions of a Land many are the Princes thereof but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged 3. Meanes Exactly to observe the Character and Rules I have set before you whom to Chuse 4. Mean To set a high value on righteousness to bring it in fashion to cry it up to exemplifie it teach it to youth c. by daily instruction Chatechising to diffuse it every one to each otherby examplary life Last Means To repent in this joynt of Time Nationally Personally I shall say as Mr. Bradford in flames of fire so I to you and the Kindgom in flames of affection Repent O England Repent Do not obstruct God in his work of Mercy by omitting this Duty you can expect no good or righteous Actings for time to come till you repent of all your unrighteousness past Repent of all pretended holiness of omitting to practise righteousness Repent of all sin yea the very appearances of evil but especially Nationall sins for which you have never bin grieved nor troubled in the powerful Actings of it For although you could not prevent it you ought not to connive nor comply with it but complain to God of it I shall tell you of some sins which if you would be righteous God expects you should Repent of 1. National dissatisfaction with our real Mercies that God afforded to us I mean not at the dressing of our quailes after the Romish mode but at quailes themselves our opposing Moses and Idolizing Calves of our own making and approving This sin you have pencilled out 1 Kings 12. 9 16. Let all such Enemies repent of their unrighteousness that offer'd violence to the Parliament that they might carry on more cleverly the King's death 2. Repent of your Solemn League and Covenant-Fraction as to God and Man in all the branches of it Numb 30.3 If a man Vow a Vow unto the Lord or swear an Oath to bind his soul with a bond saying This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded Deut. 29.24 25. Even all Nations shall say Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this Land what meaneth the heat of this great anger Then men shall say Because they have forsaken the Covenant of the Lord God of their Fathers which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the

Land of Egypt 3. Repent of countenancing all Errors and Factions against Scripture-Truths or besides or above them or without them Gal. 2 4.5 The Apostle gave not way to this sin for an hour 4. Repent all that have had a hand in Ministery-Deformation Defamation that under pretence of probation and trying them as to gifts and grace and a Ministry-Reformation had if the Lord had not prevented it by a miracle of mercy brought it nigh to the brink of desolation I being able to account with any upon good proof and men of known integrity of two hundred Trades-men Lawyers Clerks Chirurgions and the like try'd approved of admitted into Livings and of good Value besides those in the Army and Navy Many more without Ordination such as have rendered us ridiculous to reformed Churches abroad The fairest and fattest was ever for the Lord. Such with Jeroboam have made themselvs guilty of that cursed sin of making Priests of the lowest of the People which were not of the Sons of Levi 1 King 12.31 1 Tim. 4 15. God required men should give themselvs wholly to the Ministry In this City of Gloucester I see a man two or three cutting out shoos and others cleering Guns forming up Swords c. on the week-dayes that have Rectories with Augmentations within 6 or 7 miles off this City 1 Tim. 5.22 Lay hands suddenly on no man 1 Tim. 3.6 Not a young Schollar and then not on one that is no Schollar 5. Repent of Interest-extollation before Righteousness and Truth and Peace Settlement and Preservation and all Prophaness and Error 's Extirpation with prophane Esau preferring a glorious Messe of Pottage to fill their greedy bellyes before a Birth-right 6. Repent of all formalities Hypocrisies as to that sacred and solemn excellent Ordinance to divert Judgments and procure Mercies when sincerely and heartily performed I mean dayes of Fasting and Humiliation when immediately the fruit hath been Opposing Superiours in Authority against Oaths and solemn Covenants dethroning beheading Magistracy and Ministry Oh! This is for a Lamentation and let it be to us surviving a cause of cordial Repentance and Humiliation Lastly Let us all repent of all our Un-betterness under all God's Judgments that have been several years upon us our Unteachableness under all the Lectures which by his variety of eminent Providences and Dispensations he hath read to us and for all our Unfruitfulness under Gospel-Ordinances to this day the very best of us and that to prevent that sad Doom Matth. 21.43 The Kingdom shall be taken from you and given to a People bringing forth the fruit of it God hath other Nations under Promise will be glad of it He is not beholding to England for Professing his Gospel if we practise not nor then neither for it is our duty And do all we can we are unprofitable Servants Therefore as a demonstration of thy fruitfulness and betterness Repent and seeing you expect a compleating of Mercy to you in this day of hope Omit not your duty of real Repentance from sin all sin before the Lord Cease to do evil learn to do well put away the evil of our Doings and by this means you will become Righteous men fit for Government and so shall the Nation become a Kingdom of Righteous men wherein the Lord will delight to dwell Motives To be curious in your Choyce as to righteous Men. 1. Because such are the Favourit of the great God the King of Kings they have an Interest in Heaven they can do much for you there as to your Felicity here Prov. 15.29 The Lord is far from the Wicked but He heareth the prayer of the Righteous Prov. 10.24 God grants the desire of the Righteous 2. They are interested in the Value of Princes and excellent in the sight of all good Men They shall stand before Kings Prov. 12.26 He is more excellent then his Neighbour 3. That you may reap the Fruit and Benefit of their Actings and relish it in Peace Plenty Holinesse and all Happiness And now a word to you who may be elected I come to you in the words of Jesus Christ Fear not them that kill the body Trust that God that hath kept you to this day Be gallant still shew it by your Humility and let God alone with the Proud count it more honour to be sifted like Wheat than setled on the Lees and at last found bottomed with much Dreggs And as a poor Pledge of my sincere Love accept of this Motto to subscribe your Blazons Crescit in Adversis Virtus and for your encouragement know more Saepe telo Jovis quercus adusta viret and again for your practise Tu ne cede malis sed contrà ardentior ito And I beseech you have the Afflictions and unjust Sufferings of poor Joseph in your minds when you are advanced Gen. 40.14 23. Yet the Butler remembred not Joseph but forgat him Oh remember bought and sold wounded divided oppressed and impoverished England Scotland and Ireland and say as David speaks of the Children of Israel in Captivity Psal 137.6 If I do not remember thee let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth let my right hand forget its cunning if I prefer not thee to my chief joy Be not like the Priest to the man wounded Luke 10.30 robb'd of his raiment half dead the Levite passed by when he saw it but like the good Samaritan ver 33. he had compassion on him went to him and bound up his wounds powred in Oyl and Wine put him on his own beast brought him to an Inn made provision for him c. 35. defray'd his charges Oh go and do likewise Me-thinks I seem to see the three Kingdoms at this day as this poor man robb'd by theevs of the beautiful garment of Religion in purity as to Doctrine and Discipline all tattered and torn stark naked in many places as in Wales robb'd of Ministers and Maintenance and robb'd of intended Charity for their good collected to buy Bibles but cannot hear of any distributed for there are none hardly to be found in Wales unless they are in Mr. Craddock's Library and there by his propagating Chimistry converted into a great Trunk full of Coyn with a Crucifix at top as was lately discovered by eminent persons attested Wounded to astonishment for her wounds am I wounded c. Is there no Balm in Gilead no Physitian there Yes God hath formed us a Gideon a Joshua Blessed be his Name and will put it as a return of many solemn daies of sincere Fasting Prayer in that famous City of London by his faithful Ministers and Servants there and elsewhere in the Nation into the hearts of all to choose righteous Physitians that may not skin over only but perfectly heal our Wounds wounded within without in repute abroad in condition at home half yea almost dead after a cold winterly season of blasting biting trouble Oh be ye not like the Lady to her Almoners who pittied them whilst in the cold her self but in the house forgat who with hungry bellies and naked bodies waited at the door But do as good Nehemiah in delivering the oppressed of his time Nehem. 5. that you may say as he in the 19th Verse Remember me O my God in goodness according to all I have done for this People And as in the 13. Chap. Neh. 10.11 Verses When I perceived the Portions of the Levites had not bin given and every one fled then reproved I the Rulers and said Why is the House of God forsaken and I in the next Assembly set them in their Places And then may you say as in Neh. 13.15 Remember me O God herein and wipe not out my kindnesse I have shewed to the House of my God and the Officers thereof I conclude all with that Scripture Isa 16.3 Gather a Council Execute Judgment hide them that are chased out bewray not him that is fled Let my banished dwell with thee be thou the Covert from the face of the Destroyer For the Extortioner shall end the Destroyer shall be consumed the Oppressor shall cease out of the Land And in mercy shall that Throne be prepared and he shall sit on it in stedfastnesse and judgment seeking Judgment and hastening Justice The yoke of the burthen the staff of the shoulder the Rod of the Oppressor hast thou broken as in the day of Midian And the mighty God the Prince of Peace whose name is Counsellor guide and furnish you all with Wisdom and Counsel that all the Foundations that are out of course may be once again Centred the Fences of God's Vineyard repaired the Walls of our Jerusalem builded all Phanaticks whatsoever discouraged and the Gospel in Power and Purity countenanced a boundless Toleration annihilated yet sincere and tender Consciences considered that we be no more a Reproach abroad not a grief to the Reformed Churches in other Nations The Lord strengthen all your hearts and hands for good and by You do all the Three Kingdoms good AMEN