Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A90266
|
Eben-ezer a memoriall of the deliverance of Essex, county, and committee, being an exposition on the first ten verses of the third chapter of the prophesie of Habakkuk in two sermons. The first preached at Colchester before his Excellency on a day of thanksgiving for the surrender thereof. The other at Rumford unto the committee who were imprisoned by the enemy Sep. 28. a day set apart unto thanksgiving for their deliverance. / By John Ovven pastor of the church of God which is at Coggeshall.
|
Owen, John, 1616-1683.
|
1648
(1648)
|
Wing O742; Thomason E477_8; ESTC R203085
|
54,742
|
64
|
know where to lie down in peace Here he would have us secure our shallow bottomes in this quiet Sea this infinit ocean whither neither wind nor storme do once approach Those blustering temptations which rage at the shore when we were halfe at Land and half at Sea halfe upon the bottome of our own reason and half upon the Ocean of providence reach not at all unto this deepe Oh if we could in all trials lay our selves down in these armes of the Almighty his Al-sufficiency in power and goodnes oh how much of the haven should we have in our voyage how much of home in our pilgrimage how much of Heaven in this wretched Earth Friends throw away your staves break the arme of flesh lie down here quietly in every dispensation and you shall see the salvation of God I could lose my selfe in seting out of this wherein I could desire you would lose your selves in every time of trouble Hast thou not known hast thou not heard that the everlasting God the Lord the Creatour of the ends of the earth fainteth not neither is weary there is no searching of his understanding He giveth power to the faint and to them who have no might he increaseth strength Even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall But they that waite upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not be faint Isa. 40. 28 29 30 31. To convince the unbelieving world it self of his power providence and love to them that put their trust in him that they may be found to cry verily there is a reward for the righteous verily he is a God who ruleth in the earth When the Aegyptian Magicians see reall Miracles beyond all their jugling pretences they cry out this is the finger of God Exo. 8. 19. profane Nebuchadnezzar beholding the deliverance of those three worthies from the fiery Furnace he owns them for the servants of the most high God Dan. 3. 26. Daniel being preserved in the Lyons den Darius acknowledgeth the power and Kingdom of the livingGod Dan. 6. 26 Glorious appearances of God for his people beyond the reach of reason wrests from the World amazement or acknowledgement and in both God is exalted He will appear in such distresses as that he will be seen of his very enemies they shall not be able with the Philistians to question whether it be his hand or a chance happened to them but conclude with the Egyptians that fly they must for God fights for his people Ex. 14. 25. If God should never give blessings but in such a way as reason might discover their dependance on secondary causes men would not see his goings nor acknowledge his operations But when he mightily makes bare his Arme in events beyond their imaginations they must vayle before him Consider whether the mercy celebrated this day ought not to be placed in this series of deliverances brought from beyond the ken of sense and reason from above the reach of much pretious faith For the latter I leave it to your own experience to the former let me for the present desire your consideration of these five things 1. By whom you were surprised and put under restrant Now these were of two sorts 1. The heads and leaders 2. The tumultuous multitude For the first some of them being dead and some under durance I shall not say any thing nullum cum victis certamen et aethere cassis I leave the streame from the flint to your own thoughts 2. For the multitude an enraged headles lawles godles multitude gathered out of Innes Taverns Alehouses Stables Highways and the like nurseries of piety and pitty Such as these having gotten their Superiors under their power their Governors under their disposall their Restrainers under their restraint their Opressors as they thought under their fury what was it that kept in their fury their revenge which upon the like occasions and advantages hath almost always bin executed Seaech your stories you will not find many that speak of such a deliverance For a few Governors prevailed on unto durance by a godlesse rout in an insurrection and yet to come off in peace and safety is surely a Work of more then ordinary providence 2. Consider the season of your surpisall when all the Kingdom was in an uproare and the arme of flesh almost quite withered as to supply The North invaded the South full of insurrections Wales unsubdued e The great City at least suffering men to lift up their hands against us So that to the eye of reason the issue of the whole was if not lost yet exceedingly hazardous and so to the Eye of reason your captivity endlesse Had they gone on as was probable they would whether you had this day bin brought out to execution or thrust into into a dungean or carried up and down as a Pageant I know not but much better condition I am sure rationally you could not expect 3. The end of your surprizall Amongst others this was apparently one to be a reserve for their safety who went on in all ways of Ruine You were kept to preserve them in those ways wherein they perished Whether could reason reach this or no that you being in their power kept on purpose for their Rescue if brought to any great straight with the price of your Heads to redeem their own that they should be brought to greater distresse then ever any before in this Kingdom and you be delivered without the lest help to them in their need It was beyond your Freinds reason who could not hope it it was beyond your Enemies reason who never feared it if you believed it you have the comfort of it 4. The refusall of granting an exchange for such persons as they accounted more considerable then your selves and whose enlargement might have advantaged the cause they professed to maintaine exceedingly more then your restraint what doth it but proclame your intended ruine This was the way of deliverance which for a long Season Reason chiefly rested on the maine pillar of all its building which when it was cut in two what could in it be seen but desolation 5. The straights you were at length reduced to betwen your Enemies swords and your friends bullets which intended for your deliverance without the safeguard of providence might havebin your ruin peircing more then once the house wherein you were Surely it was then an eminent work of Faith to stand still and see the Salvation of God The many passages of providence evidently working for your preservation which I have received from some of your selves I willingly passe over What I have already said is sufficient to declare that to Reasons Eye you were as dead bones upon the Earth For our parts who were endangered spectators at the best we were but in the Prophets frame and to any