Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	believe_v	faith_n	lord_n	1,391	5	3.9699	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A84751	Foure speeches delivered in Guild-Hall on Friday the sixth of October, 1643. At a common-hall, vpon occasion of desiring the assistance of our brethren of Scotland in this warre. / Viz. the [brace] 1. by Mr. Solicitor. 2. by Mr. Edmund Calamy. 3. by Mr. Jeremiah Burroughes. 4. by Mr. Obadiah Sedgewick. Published according to order.	Gardiner, Thomas, Sir, 1591-1652.; Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666.; Burroughs, Jeremiah, 1599-1646.; Sedgwick, Obadiah, 1600?-1658.	1646 (1646)	Wing F1671; Thomason E338_1; ESTC R200837	38,460	48

remember in this Ordinance of Parliament you call it Advance money It is called an Ordinance to advance money towards the maintaining of the Parliaments forces and truly it is the highest advance of money to make money an instrument to advance my Religion the Lord give you hearts to beleeve this You shall have the Faiths of both Kingdoms ingaged in this Cause the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England and surely the Publique Faith of Scotland will secure the Publique Faith of England I speak now of secondary causes through Gods blessing I am informed by the Commissioners of Scotland that the Nation of Scotland are now taking the Covenant that wee took the last Lord● day in this City And you know that a Scotch Covenanter is a terrible thing you know what mighty things they did by their last Covenant you know that the name of a Covenanter the very name of it did doe wonders And I am assured by them that there is not one person in the Kingdom of Scotland that is not a Covenanter and there shall not one abide among them that will not take this Covenant and there shall not one of those 21000 that are to come over in this Cause not one of them shall come that will not take this Covenant but they must take this Covenant before they come O that the consideration of these things might work up your hearts to a high degree of Charity to a superlative degree and that the Lord would make you more active and more liberall in this great Cause For my part I speak it in the name of my self and in the name of these 〈◊〉 Ministers wee will not only speak to perswade you to contribute but every one of us that God hath given any estate to wee will all to our utmost power wee will not only say it● but v●●ite wee will not only speak to you to lend but every one of us as wee have already lent so wee will lend to our utmost power and blesse God that wee have it to lend for indeed it is now a time of action and not of speaking only because it is an extraordinary businesse therefore here is an extraordinary appearance of so many Ministers to encourage you in this Cause that you may see how reall the godly Ministery in England is unto this Cause The Gospel it is called a Pearl of price by our Saviour Christ and I hope all you Merchants will part with your goodly pearls to buy this pearl of price You Tradesmen the Gospel is called a Treasure hid in the field so our Saviour Christ calls it I hope you will bee willing to part with your earthly treasures to preserve this blessed treasure that is hid in the field you have parted with some goodly pearls already I hope you will part with your other goodly pearls There is an excellent Story of one Nonlu● a Roman Senator that had a pearl that hee did prize above his life and when Anthony the Triumvir one that was then in great power when hee sent to N●nius to have the pearl hee would not send it him and hee told him that if hee would banish him hee would bee willingly banished so hee might save his pearl if hee would take away his life hee would dye with his pearl hee did not regard his Countrey so hee might have his pearl hee regarded nothing so hee might have his pearl but hee would not part with his pearl what ever hee parted withall This pearl it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that you have professed in this City and I hope you have professed it with power and certainly you have the name of those that have professed the Gospel in the greatest purity of any under heaven This pearl is this Gospel I hope you will part with all willingly and cheerfully rather than part with the Gospel though you goe to prison carry the Gospel with you nay though you lose your lives ●t shall bee with the Gospel and for the Gospel I hope so There is one Argument more and then I have done and that is from the inveterate hatred they have at Oxford against the City of London and against you for your good because you have been so well-affected to this Cause Gentlemen I beseech you give mee leave that am no Statesman not acquainted with the affaires of policy yet give mee leave to put you in minde of this that surely the plundering Army at Oxford conceive that they shall finde a great treasure here in the City though many pretend they have no money Though certainly you have done well and lent much yet the plundering Army give out that if they get possession of the City they shall finde a treasury to bee able to pay all they have been at And if ever you should bee driven which God forbid to make your peace it would cost you twenty times as much then to procure your peace and such a peace it may bee that would bee rather a Warre than a Peace and a death better than that peace which now you may have for a very little a most happy Peace There is a famous story of Zelimus Emperour of Constantinople that after hee had taken Aegypt hee found a great deal of treasure there and the Souldiers came to him and asked him what shall wee doe with the Citizens of Aegypt for wee have found a great treasure among them and wee have taken their Riches O saith hee hang them all up for they are too rich to bee made slaves and this was all the thanks they had for the riches they were spoyled of And it may be● though some of you that stand neute●● or some of you that are dis-affected to the Cause of the Parliament may think that if the Lord for our sins should give up this City unto the Army that is with the King you may think that you shall escape yet bee assured that youngoods will bee Roundheads though you bee not your goods will bee Gybalins though you bee Gwel●s as 〈…〉 is Certainly there will bee no distinction in the plundering of your goods between you and others and therefore let mee beseech you that as the Lord hath made you instruments to doe a great deal of good already for indeed you are the preservers of our Religion and you are the preservers of our Parliament by your liberality and by your former contributions and by your assistance and the Lord hath made you mighty instruments of our good let mee beseech you that you would persevere and now wee are come to the Sheat Anchor wee are now come to the last cast I beseech you you would persevere and hold out and O that my words might adde somewhat to help forward this contribution It hath pleased God to make mee a setled Ministery in this City and I have now been here almost five yeers in this City and though I had never done any good in my place I should now think it a great

peace that may bring a massacre with it a French peace if you would have such a peace it may be had easily but if you would have a peace that may continue the Gospel among you and may bring in a Reformation such as all the godly in the Kingdome doe desire I am concluded under this and am confident that such a peace cannot bee had without contribution towards the bringing in of the Scots and that is the reason for the promoting of this peace this blessed peace that we have appeared here this day and me thinks Gentlemen the very sight of these worthy Divines me thinkes so many Divines so many Orators so many silent Orators to plead with you to bee willing to engage your selves to the utmost to help forward the Nation of Scotland to come to our help And likewise I would put you in mind of the 10 of Numbers there you shal read that there were two silver Trumpets and as there were Priests appointed for the convocation of their Assemblies so there were Priests to sound the silver Trumpets to proclaime the Warre And likewise in the 20. of Deuteronomy you shall finde there that when the children of Israel would goe out to Warre the sonnes of Levi one of the Priests was to make a speech to encourage them And certainly if this were the way of God in the Old Testament certainly much more in such a Cause as this in which Cause Religion is so intwin'd and indeed so interlac'd that Religion and this Cause they are like Hippocrates his twins they must live and die together And Gentlemen if Religion were not concerned in this Cause and mightily concerned and if Religion did not live and die with it we had not appeared this day And I hope this will be a sufficient answer unto this Objection But there is another Objection which I will answer and then briefly give leave to my other Reverend Brethren that likewise are prepared to speake here The great Objection of all is this that the City is already exhausted and so much Money hath been lent already that there is no hope of lending any more this is the grand Objection But truly Gentlemen for my part this is one of the chiefe Arguments I have to perswade you to lend a little more because you have lent so much give me leave to put you in minde of that Story in the 2 Kings 13. the Story of King Joash that came to visit the Prophet Elisha when he was ready to breath out his last the Prophet Elisha gives him a bow and arrows and bids him shoot hee shootes and bids him smite hee smites the ground thrice and then he ceased the Prophet was exceeding angry with him and tells him you should have smote the ground 5 or 6 times and then you should have utterly consumed the Assyrians whereas now you shall smite them but three times Give me leave to apply this Gentlemen you have smote the ground thrice you have lent once twice and thrice indeed you have been the fame of England and the Repairers of England and the Ornaments of England you have lent much but let mee tell you you must smite the ground 5 or 6 times if ever you look to consume the Assyrians if ever you look to bring this Warre to a happy Peace that your posterities may rejoyce in this Peace you must shoot one arrow more and then through Gods blessing you may utterly consume these Enemies that you and your posterity may rejoyce in a happy peace It is a famous story of Johannes Eleemozinarius that when hee had given even almost all hee had to the poore his friends were exceeding angry with him and told him hee had undone himself what was his answer O saith hee I have not yet shed my blood for Jesus Christ Jesus Christ hee emptied himself of his Divinity to make us rich hee became poore and shed his blood for you You have not yet made your selves so poore as Jesus Christ was that had no house to lodge in and he did all this for your sakes You have not yet shed your blood for the Cause of Christ Wee read that Moses was willing to bee blotted out of the book of life for the Cause of God and wee read of Paul that hee was willing to bee accursed for the people of Israels sake And will you not bee willing to venture your earthly provisions for so good a Cause as this is which I say England was never engaged in the like Religion hath produced all the wealth you have all your wealth is but the childe of Religion wee have a saying Religio peperit divitias divitiae devoravunt matrem Religion hath begot wealth and the Daughter hath devoured the Mother ●●lia devoravit matrem but give mee leave and I hope through Gods blessing you will invert this saying Religion hath got you all the wealth you have you Gentlemen and I hope the Daughter now will preserve the Mother I hope Riches will preserve Religion and not destroy Religion A famous example of Polan●● Noli●●● that when hee had given all that hee had away and being asked why hee would give so much to the poor hee gave this answer V● levi●● ascenderem s●alam Ja●c●i that I might the easier get up Jacobs ladder And let mee assure you in the word of a Minister the contributing to this Cause for Gods sake and for the glory of God and for the peace of the Gospel I say will bee a means to make you the sooner ascend up Jacobs Ladder not for the giving of the money but for the evidence of your Faith through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ by your giving of the money And certainly that man will never get up Jacobs Ladder that hath the ●ust of his money to ●●ar witnesse against him at the day of Judgement especially at such a time as this Give mee leave to put you in minde of one other story and that is of one Bernardinu● 〈◊〉 that was so liberall to the poore that every penny that hee gave to the poore hee would call it a holy penny and a happy penny and hee would blesse God that hee had that penny to 〈◊〉 indeed hee was a Papist and his ordinary speech was O happy penny that hath purchased immortality to mee indeed this speech was not good for it is not our money that doth purchase heaven that is an evidence of the truth of our Faith that layes hold upon Christ for salvation But let mee tell you if ever Gentlemen you might use this speech O happy penny you may use it now Happy money that will purchase my Gospel happy money that will purchase Religion and purchase a Reformation to my posterity O happy money and blessed bee God that I have it to lend And I count it the greatest opportunity that ever God did offer to the godly of this Kingdom to give them some money to lend to this Cause And I

before hath done If you say why doe wee doe all What if God will give the City the speciall honour yet the Countrey will bee required for a great part besides but the Lords work now to bee done it must bee done especially by his servants and wee know in Ezra when as the adversaries of Judah would have come and helped in the work they would not suffer them to come and help in the work I say not wee should doe so but onely to satisfie ●s in this that wee should not think it much that God should especially honour us in such a work as this is But yet besides know that your interest in this businesse it is more than the interest of other men for other men care not what becomes of Religion what care they for Reformation they are willing to bee slaves to some that they might have others slaves under them But you desire Reformation you therefore shall have the greatest share in the blessing of the issue of this work and therefore if others doe not so much yet you should bee willing to bee forward in the work you are now called to and if you bee willing it is like in a little while you may get such power that you may bring others to doe whatsoever may appear to bee just If it shall bee said I but a great deal is done but to little purpose all this while O my brethren say not so it is an unthankfull voyce this for much hath been done there hath been a check given to the adversary the stream of tyranny and slavery it hath been stopped your lives have all this while been preserved by what hath been done If you think but it is too late and all will bee lost that wee doe Say not so neither this is below a Roman spirit the Romans when Hannibal was at their gates yet would sell their fields at as great a rate and as great a consideration as at any other time Even the field where the Enemy was found buyers when it was put to sale there were enow to buy that field Your spirits would scarce rise so high to give a valuable consideration for the field of your Enemy to bee Fee simple to your selves hee not discouraged you have not only the Faith of both Kingdomes that hath been offered but wee as Divines may offer you this day the Faith of Heaven the Faith of the promises of Heaven they are offered to you and there is nothing will blast that work more than a discouraged heart You know that the very thing that caused God to deprive the children of Israel of Canaan when they were at the borders it was because they were discouraged and said There are children of Anak here and let us not go The Lord is bringing of us to a blessed 〈◊〉 it is true wee are in a wildernesse but wee know God hath brought us into the wildernesse and hee will speak comfortably to us in it and let us not bee afraid of difficulties lest wee bee deprived of that good Land that God is bringing us into and little cause have wee to bee discouraged for those wee have to deal with their spirits are base and vile why should wee fear those uncircumcised Philistines And wee see God hath been with us in every thing that wee have undertaken Wee have never shown our selves like men but God hath shown himself to be like a God for us If you say Well but were it not better wee bent all our forces to some Accommodation To that wee answer you thus You have to deal not only with his Majesty but with a Popish party that are about him and what security you can ever have of your peace as was worthily said before except the Scottish Nation comes in for to fasten it it is easie for any one to judge I will tell you but one story about that and because it is suitable unto you I will therefore relate it here It is a Story that I finde in the Chronicles that in the dayes of King Edward the fixt King Edward sends to this City for assistance against the Lords and the Lords send to the City for their assistance likewise against the Protectour the Earl of Somerset and the Common Councell was called I suppose in this place and there stands up as the story saith a wise discreet Citizen in the Common Councell and makes this speech unto them First hee acknowledges that the cause was right for the Lords for the Kingdom though it were against the will of the King because the King would not then put in execution those Laws that should bee but hindered them but yet saith hee let mee reminde you of that that I have read in Fabians Chronicle it was one George Stadley that stood up let mee reminde you of that when there was a fight between the Lords and the King the Lords send for assistance to the City the City granted their assistance the Lords prevailed the King was taken and his Son a Prisoner afterwards they were both released upon Composition and amongst other things this was one that howsoever the City should bee preserved that the City should suffer nothing for what they had done and this Composition was confirmed by Act of Parliament but saith this Citizen what came of it did the King forgive No nor forget for afterwards all our Liberties were taken away strangers were set over us for our Heads and Governours the bodies and the estates of the Citizens were given away and one misery followed after another and so wee were most miserably persecuted and here was their Accommodation Wherefore then to close all you have heard before that wee come not onely to perswade you but to ingage our selves as well as to perswade you and to doe that that wee would have you doe For our parts as wee have in some proportionable manner done it already so wee are ready to doe it further and it beseemes us well to doe it Wee read in the 3 of Nebemiah that the first that did help to repair the City it was the Priests of the City and about the middle of the City the Priests of the Plain I suppose it is meant the City Ministers and the Countrey Ministers and you shall finde in that Chapter severall sorts of people were there there were the Rulers these specially mentioned I suppose their chief Rulers as their Aldermen c. they were very forward in that work of the Lord Yea there were the Tradesmen there you read much of the Goldsmiths two severall times in that Chapter you read of the Goldsmiths more then others and you read of the Apothecaries that they were ready in their work yea and you read of the Daughters of men how they forwarded their Parents I would I had to speak to many young ones this day I hope I should prevail much with them to bee great forwarders of you that are more ancient that you may doe this freely which you are

here exhorted to Have not many of you spent your blood in this Cause yea how many young ones in this City have lost their blood Mee thinks a spirit of indignation should rise in you to vindicate the losse of the blood of your Servants and Children many precious ones that might have lived many yeers to have done good service for the Lord Even the children of the City they rise and cry Hosanna Hosanna O blessed is ●ee that commeth in the name of the Lord O then l●t old Citizens bee forward mee thinks Elders should ●ee forward in this Cause for ●●e thinks they should not think themselves men of this world In the 17 of John Christ speaks of himself when hee was going out of the world I am not in the World and so should you going out of the world even say you are not in the world and therefore let your close in going out of the world be a happy close in such a blessed work as this is And know there shall come a day wherein you shall bee calling and crying to God for mercy the successe of this evenings work will bee recorded against that day when you shall cry for mercy I conclude all with applying the words of Jotham to the men of Sechem in the 9 of Judges 7. Hearken to me that God may hearken to you So I say hearken to that worthy Member of the House of Commons unto that Reverend Divine before and to him that shall come after Hearken unto ●s this day that God may hearken unto you Mr. Obadiah Sedgewick his speech in Guild-hall on Friday the sixt of October 1643. Gentlemen I Am commanded by the Assembly of Divines and they by a command from the House of Commons to bee present at this solemne and publike meeting and from them to move for that which I confidently presume is granted already a helping heart and a helping hand to preserve O that we must be forced to say so and yet blessed be God that we are alive to say so to preserve our Religion our lives and the lives of ours It is I confesse my happinesse that I am not to speak unto such who have made our troubles and that laugh at them but unto them that see our distresses know how to compassionate them the perswasion is the more hopeful when the compassion is beforehand afoot if that honorable Gentleman that spake first had bin sent with fire to destroy your City or others with Swords from that grave Senate to have destroyed your lives or with armed power to have compelled and plundered your estates there I confesse a refusall nay a contempt had been the most proper answer But Sirs their addresse unto you is paternall it is humble and full of efficacy it is but to request you to preserve your own lives it is but to request you that you would not suffer your selves your wives your children your City your Religion to be destroyed I confesse that I had prepared divers things to have worked on you but they that have spoken before me have scarce left me any new matter to say but all which I wish with all my heart were wrought in you as well as in my selfe nothing lest but to doe The Religion that we have all our lives professed if it bee not worth thy money trample it under thy feet Religion brethren is an invaluable thing it is farre above our estates farre above our lives nay it is far above our soules For our estates the Heathen say so much That our estates were not to be insisted on when Religion was in danger and therefore some of them have according to their imaginary Religion the strength of it they have neglected their goods to preserve their Gods nay they hare as Alvinus did neglect his owne wife and children to take care of that vaine Deity that they sacrificed unto It is I confesse to mee a most remarkable thing that Pliny reports and good Gentlemen let not Heathens exceed Christians in love either to their Country or Religion You know that Hanniball was a sore enemy to the Romans and the Romans when they to maintaine themselves against them had exhausted all their publique treasury a Consull in the Senate bespake the people that they would all ●ring out their personall estates something like what is this day moved unto you it was so instantly it was so universally relished that all ●orts of people brought in abundantly and might I give but a suggest unto the grave Senators that the Citizens and 〈…〉 Senator in Rome left not himselfe so prodigall was 〈◊〉 for th●●●fety of the publike he left not unto himselfe for to keep himselfe and houshold above the value of 16 Crowns O shal heathens be so prodigall to preserve themselves against a Hanniball shal not Christians be as carefull to preserve their Religion against Antichrist Well Sirs as that which you are desired to expend something of your estates for is Religion that is farre beyond all your estates so it is that that is farre beyond all your lives For I beseech you what are all your lives for value unto Religion what will your lives bee to you for comfort when the Sunne is taken out of the Firmament and the Gospel is removed out of this English horizon if you should outlive the Gospel why the Lord bee mercifull to you what would your lives availe you were it not better to make Religion and the Gospel your Executors then to make Idolaters your Executors were it not better to make Religion your Executors then to make your selves or your posterities heires of Idolatry When Troy was taken Anchises disdained to take his Sonnes counsell to save his life Away live when Troy is taken And truly Friends if there bee in any of you a● I perswade my selfe there is in all of you that heare me this da● a sense of God a sense of your soules a sense of the Gospel of Christ why you must acknowledge now that all your comforts are lost that all your hopes on earth are lost and all your hopes in heaven are gone if the Gospel if that Religion bee gone Nay as I said at the beginning it is that that no not your soules can stand in competition with I confesse the soule of man is a precious thing it is as the ring of Gold yet if I doe not mistake my selfe Religion is the most precious Diamond in that ring The busines of Religion why it is the salvation of your souls no lesse then your souls and higher I cannot speak And if this will not move you at this time to lend out your strength to preserve your lives your estates your Religion that which preserves your soules to eternity I can say nothing more But then Sirs observe one thing there is not onely this dignity in Religion that may challenge all that you are and have but there is likewise an efficacy in Religion It is one of the best Masters and