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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	better_a	good_a	great_a	1,484	5	2.2112	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92852	England's preservation or, a sermon discovering the onely way to prevent destroying judgements: preached to the Honourable House of Commons at their last solemne fast, being on May, 25. 1642. By Obadiah Sedgwicke Batchelour in Divinity and minister of Coggeshall in Essex. Published by order of that house.	Sedgwick, Obadiah, 1600?-1658.; England and Wales. Parliament. House of Commons.	1642 (1642)	Wing S2372; Thomason E150_22; ESTC R212706	31,012	58

naught and good for no service It is bettter to cut it downe to the Roote then to hire men many dayes to out off the limbes There are three great mischiefes in all circumstantiall and slight acts One is The greatest causes of wrath are not met with Note A second is in a short time all the plashed evills will by a new influence from their rootes sprout up againe And the third is That when these evils once feele their strength and regaine their opportunity they will become more evill and mischievous then ever Histories and experiences witnesse enough of this Popery was hot in former Kings times but when it got out the bit by the death of Edward the sixth it burst out with more burnings and flaming cruelty in Queen Maries dayes 4. When they are only Coactive I meane such actings unto which there is little or no concurrence of a judicious and active will but are rather the sparkles which are forced out by the collision of flints elicited rather by the impressions of appearing and urging evills like Pharahos Obedience which was forced out of judgements and nothing else Marriners in a storme are very pious but then in a Calme turne as wicked as before the Iewes in their straites were as pliable as could bee desired they would part with any thing and do any thing for God but when the Sunne arose this vaine Cloud and dew were gone and scatterd If a Cloud of wrath bee it which puts us on to be and to do good a few beames Hosea 6. 4. of temporall safety will finde us flat and strangers againe The Acts of men doe spring sometimes from feare and sometimes from love those of feare may bee more strong and stirring for the present like a floud which runnes more violently then a River but those of love are most acceptable and constant voluntary acts though sometimes more slow yet are at all times more successefull Iohn in the Gospell ranne faster then Peter yet being at the Sepulcher Peter went farther then Iohn Iohn lookes downe but Peter goes downe an Arrow flies swifter and a man walkes slower yet a man may sooner walke to the marke then the Arrow can hit it Sirs No private or publike work of Reformation will come to good which is derived onely from a feare of evill and not from a love of good when the circumstances of evill are of the evill heart will shew it selfe evill again 5. When they are hypocriticall and vaine-glorious done by our selves and for our selves It is a strange thing to observe how the spirits of men are ballanced and mounted and keepe paralell with the ends which they propound unto themselves The Art and strength and length of our workings are ever moulded in our owne aimes and respects One man acts for God another acts for himselfe the workes of the one are blest and prosper the attempts of the other quickly languish and are blasted As vitious acts are under GODS curse so vaine-glorious acts are out of his blessing Sinceritie humble sinceritie is that which gives life findes acceptance and is crowned with successe If a man in his religious performances of praying and fasting and humbling of himselfe should seeke not God but himselfe as the Pharisees did his vaine glory would purchase onely the applause of men and rejection with God all his workes will bee lost and come to nothing Verily you have your reward said Christ a poore reward to have breath for breath And so in publike attempts if you should not entirely seeke God His Glory His Truth His Worship but your selves your worke will never prosper It will rest onely on your owne parts to act it and on your own strength to consummate and perfect it and what blessed issue can bee expected where weak man is left alone to bee the Author and finisher of great actions 6. Lastly when they are fickle and inconstant begun perhaps with some fervency but then laid aside by as much tepidity An aguish zeale hot in attempting but cold in effecting One day to act like penitents and the next day to live like sinners one while humbling and praying and after a while cursing and swearing Sometimes offering all our service and strength for CHRIST and Religion and See Hosea 6. 1 4. suddenly intent only to our owne delights and wayes forgetting like them who are much in complements all our zeale and professions What a vanity will this prove What harvest will insue when the Husbandman will one houre sow an handfull of seed and a weeke after goe home and do nothing It is observed in Nature that many remisse acts which have no proportion to effects and some strong acts soone remitted will equally come to nothing If there be to weake a strength in the root or if all the strength shootes out at once little or no fruit will follow yet this deceit cleaves much to mans heart that it wil either be constantly bad or else inconstantly good It hath some degrees of heate to begin but wants that prudence of patient endeavour and comming to finish and perfect like him in the Gospel who began to build but did not make an end Whereupon results a vanity and successelesnesse to our workes the ripenesse of which is betrayd many times more by our owne remissenesse then by others oppositions they sticke and dye in the birth because wee continue not in our strength to helpe and bring them forth I see that the time and your wearied patience call upon mee to hasten and finish Give mee leave to make some usefull application of all this and then I have done the application shall bee in this as in the former part a word First To all of us and then Secondly To you of great employment and publike service 1. To every one of us Vse 1 WEE stand here this day before the Lord and seeme to doe the worke of a solemne Fast-day We confesse Our sinnes Wee pray Wee humble our selves and professe that wee will Repent and reforme and obey the Lord Here hath been much seed sowne prayers are seed Teares are seed Sermons are seed But if all this sowing should bee but a sowing amongst thorns if all this should be so managed by us that our prayers that our confessions that our hearings that our resolvings should come to nothing and prove nothing If after once twice thrice many humblings we yet should not be humbled if after all the changes which befall our times our hearts yet should not be changed but sins remaine as strong and judgements remain as neare If after all this God should not be reconciled unto us our transgressions should not be pardoned judgements should not be withdrawn mercies should not be sent downe what a bitter and sad thing would this be for a man to perish though hee prayes and to bee destroyed though he fasts and a Nation to be made a curse and an hissing and a desolation after it hath seemed to meet the Lord

Christ Now their h●●ts were pricked and when Nathan drawes his parable out of the cloud and unclothes his Message to David saying Thou art the man Now 2 Sam. 12. 7. Psalme 51. Davids's heart begins to breake and take on O see the subtile heart of man will endure and beare all the Historical Notions of sin as we can the names and natures of diseases and medicines without any aking and sicknesse But when the Lord brings downe sin from being a notion to be an obligation and enters an action against the soule within the soule now and not before the heart-workings and heart-breakings doe begin 3. A Conscience affliction which in respect of 3. Affliction degrees and quantity is in some more and in others lesse for Gods Spirit is an Arbitrary agent in the Graduall effects of bondage as well as in those gracious effects of Adoption Neverthelesse though the degrees of working be different yet the worke it selfe is certaine The heart will never bee rightly broken for sin till Conscience which Saint Bernard calls Accuser Witnesse Judge and Tormentor begins to be awakened and quickned And believe it if The terrible workings of conscience Conscience which hath been so much stirred begins to stirre if Conscience which hath beene so often wounded begins to wound the spirit of man will eftsoone faile and breake within him O saith Conscience What hast thou done thus and thus to provoke the Holy and Righteous and Great God I know the severall acts of thy sinnings and times and places and persons and circumstances and I have sad newes to tell thee that great God against whom thou hast so much and so often sinned hath commanded and deputed me not only to speake no peace but also to speake His wrath and displeasure unto thee and in His Name I charge upon thee all thy sins and all his just wrath revealed against them And now the proud and stout heart of a sinner begins to throb and feare and tremble He thinkes that every threatning which he reades is a Cloud of Tempests against him hee thinkes that every judgment hee heares of another is a Sword drawne to cut him off also He thinkes that all the hell and torments thereof mentioned in the Scriptures will ere long bee his portion whereupon his distracted soule cries out ô that I had never beene ô that I had never sinned ô that I might never bee If I should now dye good Lord what will become of mee If I should yet live will the Lord ever bee mercifull to me The sins which I see are many the wrath which I feele is great and that which I feare is infinite If I live I see I am an accursed creature and if I dye ô let me not yet dye I feare I shall bee for ever ô my soule breakes at that endlesse word of misery for ever a damned sinner But yet cries out this sinner Lord Lord Is there no mercy nor hope of any mercy for mee a most vile sinner With these minde racking-breaking thoughts away hastens this burdened broken sinner unto his Closet and shuts the doore and downe hee fals on his knees and with much confusion of thoughts and feares hee spreads all his sinnings before God confessing one and then another and then with fervent agonies begges of the Lord more than for his life Mercy Lord mercy mercy for a lost for an heinous for an undone sinner Canst thou pardon me Wilt thou pardon me O Lord pardon mee O Lord bee reconciled unto mee O that I might have any hopes the least hopes that thou wouldest be mercifull unto me And now up riseth this sinner with these or the like thoughts well I will reade the Bible I will heare such a Minister I will open my condition unto him and conferre and inquire whither there bee no balme in Gilead whither there be a mercy Seate a Citie of refuge to entertaine such a sinner as I am and after a while upon carefull search he findes that yet there is hope that there is an immeasurable sufficiencie in the bloud of Christ an Ocean of ful and free grace in God and that God notwithstanding all his former sinnings against him is most willing and ready to accept of him into mercy if so bee hee bee willing to forsake his sinnes and imbrace a Mediator 2. The formall Ingredients HEreupon followes the second principall working Ingredients of heart breaking two Ier. 31 19. which formally makes up Evangelicall Contrition and it is 1. Pudor 2. Dolor shame and griefe Such kindnesse from the mercy-seate makes him now as Ephraim confounded and ashamed and his heart to breake into most melting flouds of teares that ever he should bee so monstrously vile to offend such tender and gracious bowels of mercy which hee now apprehends yerning towards him in and through Christ As before the apprehensions of divine wrath did distract and shiver him so now the apprehensions of divine love doe totally dissolve and melt him though there were not Heaven hereafter to Crowne him yet he must grieve and though there were not Hell hereafter to burne him yet he must exceedingly mourn for sinning against such a God This is that right Evangelicall Contrition which I presse for at this time called in Scripture a softnesse of heart and a contrite Heart and a mourning and a bitter mourning and a great mourning like that of Hadadrimmon in the Valley of Megiddon which Zac. 12. 10 11. Saint Ambrose calls Cor liquescens an heart melting and dissolving and Saint Hierome magnum planctum an exceeding lamenting and St. Austin grave lamentum a very heavie griefe The Casuists and Schoolmen affirme it to bee the Sorrow for sin the greatest sorrow in 4. respects Adrianus Scotus Soto greatest of all sorrows 1. In conatu the whole soule seemes to send springs into it out of every faculty 2. In extensione It is a spring which in this life more or lesse is continually dropping 3. In appreciatione the changed soule doth ever judge that a good God offended should be the prime cause of greatest sorrow and Lastly In intensione For Intension of displicence in the will there being no o●her things with which or for which the will is more displeased with it selfe then for sinning against God And therefore some of the Schoolemen propounding this question Sot in 4. Sent. d. 17. q. 2. art 4. whether there should be more griefe for sin then for the p●ssion of Christ Resolve it Affirmatively that there is more cause of griefe for sinning then for the death of Christ and their reason is this because in the death of Christ there was Aliquid placens Something that did please God so farre as it was a Redemption but sin is simpliciter displicens there is nothing in it which is not altogether displeasing unto God consider it formally as sin 3. The consequent working WHich rather shewes and declares then makes a broken heart and it

Interpreters abound in their opinions concerning For the sense of the words these thorns By them Chrysostome understands Idols as entangling and piercing as the sharpest of Briars and thornes Origen and Hierom by the thornes understand covetousnesse and the cares of the world which likewise are scratching and wounding others understand all our sinfull corruptions ' there are spinae in corde saith Bernard thornes in our hearts as well as in our Fields and some understand by the thorns mixtures of worship crept into the worship of God amongst the Iewes as Sanctius and others But with the favour of all these and yet with submission I conjecture that these words Sow not among Thornes are a proverbiall speech and suggest onely this unto us That as the Iewes were to breake downe what was evill in themselves and the Church and State so they were to set upon the doing of all good in private and publike In such a manner and order as that their pains and endeavours might not come to nothing but might prove effectuall and successefull be to some good purpose indeed c. As an Husbandman who sowes will so sow that hee may reape and not loose his seed and labour and therefore will not sow among Thornes For this were an improper worke and would prove in the event utterly unprofitable It is a thousand to one if ever his seed comes up for Thorns have a stealing withdrawing and frustrating quality or if it doth come up yet it will be lost it cannot be gathered there is no comming at it with sithe or sickle Thornes have an hindering malignity as well as a stifling power From this exposition I observe onely this proposition Namely Doct. 2 That all penitentiall and reforming worke must bee so managed and acted that it may not prove a vaine and fruitlesse worke but may come to be a successefull and profitable work It must not be a sowing among Thorns but such a sowing which may in the issue produce an harvest for as good never a whit as never the better You read in Scripture of many Sowers 1. The evill man did sow Tares wee have had of Foure sorts of sowers late many such Sowers not onely professed Priests and Jesuites but some also amongst ourselves who have sowen Popish Arminian Socinian and superstitious Tares 2. The cunning man and he sowes divisions and dissentions There have been and still are too many who sow division twixt the King and the Parliament twixt Ministers and Ministers twixt Ministers and people twixt people and people 3. The foolish man and hee sowes hee cares not what in respect of the seed nor where in respect of the soyle nor when in respect of the time and so all is lost and comes to nothing 4. The wise man who in his sowing lookes to the seed that it bee good and cleane and to the soyle that it bee prepared and right and to the season that it bee fit upon which through Gods blessing the seed sowen takes roote prospers and proves an harvest Of this I now speake in the proposition which whither you limit it to a Repentance that is personall or extend it to a Reformation that is Nationall holds true in both and the Text will beare both The one and the other must bee so dispersed that it may not prove vaine and lost but effectuall and successefull Sirs Though penitentiall workes rightly done are never without successe and blessing yet pretendingly penitentiall agents may so carry on these works materially good that they may never prove formally and eventually good or beneficiall and therefore you read in Scripture that many prayings and fastings and solemne meetings and teares and other doings have found no acceptation with God nor wrought any subjective alterations in persons nor change from misery to mercy in a Nation read the Prophets concerning the Jewes and that will be testimony sufficient In sixe cases they prove in the event to bee nothing but onely a sowing amongst thornes 1. When they are but externall not acted by any inward principles the effects rather of art and parts then of the heart and grace Shels not kernells teares of the eyes but not teares of the heart prayers of the lips but not of the soule Shadowes and pageants of Repentance seeming to bee so to the eye of man but not heart-workings which onely are interpreted to be true and solid to the eye of God The Swanne in the Law was white in fethers yet reputed uncleane and unmeet for sacrifice because the skinne under them was black Religious workings you know stand in Gods account according to the quality of the worke-man the heart of whom is all in all for acceptance or rejection God reputes nothing done which the heart doth not Art may take man more than nature but with God the more art the lesse acceptance A painted Repentance which is onely externall will doe our selves and the Nation as much good as a painted sword as a painted staffe and as painted Fire That will not cut this will not helpe the other will not heate no more will a meerely externall Repentance prevent any judgements or obtaine any mercies 2. When they are but partiall A putting down of some sinnes and a keeping up of other sinnes will bee as vaine as to cure the Palsey and yet to neglect the plague or as to mend the pumpe and yet to neglect the leake Iehu's Golden Calves made an end of him though hee made an end of Baals Images and Priests And so in the doing of good it will come to nothing though some good bee done and yet the best good is neglected The Pharisees did many acts of Righteousnesse but lost them and themselves because they opposed and rejected Christ who was the chiefest and only Righteousnesse There is beloved such a naturall concatenation twixt all vices and so there is amongst vertues That they in a formall working ever include an universall hatred or an universall love No man can be interpreted good who is at defiance with any knowne particular good nor doth hee cease to bee wicked who doth not hate and oppose every knowne evill particular and exclusive actings in the one and in the other serve onely to the disacceptance of the workes and to the greater condemnation of the persons Though Imbecility shall never bee any prejudice to our works yet subtiltie and partialitie shall 3. When they are but circumstantiall though a multitude of lesser evills bee crushed if yet the greater are spared to survive This Reformation will prove like Sauls discretion with the Amalekites Read Ier. 48. 10. who spared the fattest and destroyed the poorest but he lost the kingdome by it Circumstantiall reformations I grant are more easie and quicke but those which are most deepe are ever most safe a Cloath will stoppe up the wound as soone and perhaps sooner then the plaister but the plaister which searcheth to the quicke heales much better If the Tree bee starke