Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bring_v	good_a	king_n	1,792	5	3.4864	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50772	The robbing and spoiling of Jacob and Israel considered and bewailed, in a sermon preached at Westminster before the Honourable House of Commons, at the late solemn fast, Nov. 29, 1643 / by William Mevve ...	Mewe, William, ca. 1603-1669.	1643 (1643)	Wing M1950; ESTC R16684	38,436	56

of the fury of his anger which is not yet turned away but his hand stretcht out still Surely then we may know by that sad token the duty is not yet done which the Lord will have done by us before he hath done with us he grants the Land may mourn to him and yet no man lay it to heart so that there is something more to be done then hath been done yet which we shall doe well to enquire after and to that purpose give leave to your unworthy remēbrancer in Gods name to demand Is it done or is it not done lay your hands on your hearts and feele and answer whether these sins premised and this duty required have been laid to heart doe you know what God hath done and our land hath suffered since this great breach hath let in the robbers and spoilers upon us What a strange question you wil say is this to be put to knowing men are the heads of our tribes such strangers in Israel as not to hear and know that which makes the ears and hearts of our State to glow and tingle do not they know what multitudes of men and sums of money have been lavisht and lost amongst robbers and spoilers what hopefull plants of our Gentry and Nobility too have been either cankred or cropt off in the bud what deadly fewds are dayly increased betwixt family and family as if linage and language were to be confounded at once Can other Nations ring of this and ours not know it Can the threats of the sons of violence and the cries of the oppressed scatter the noise of this like so much tempest and thunder and we not hear of it True this is to hear of it by the ear and perhaps at an uncertain sound as many doe that having taken reports upon trust make it matter of discourse others of gain and some make it matter of wit and sport as if fools were seasonab●● in a Tragedy and might have leave to throw darts and say Am I not in sport Shall I praise them that doe this or those amongst us that like and suffer this I praise you not Are Nationall robberies such light matters that Nationall Mercuries may have leave to jeast upon them It was not the Apostles mind but the Corinthians Levity to suffer fools gladly It satisfies not to say that the Court set the kingdome or city on work and that the foole must be answered according to his folly It were safer far to let that folly rest in the bosome where it first began and not to suffer those that should be wiser to fight with the Devill at his own weapons when doubtlesse he will have the ods and the last blow I hope a word in this will be enough to the wise that know this is not the way to lay these things to the heart by tickling the ear with them nay grant we heard these things with the right ear yet is not that enough to work home this duty for the ear may hear more then the eye sees and what the eye sees not we say the heart rues not Yea but some of us you may say are more then ear witnesses of these things we have seen with our eyes enough to make our heartsake we have seen whole Troops and Regiments of as brave and daring men as the earth bears any such as would have made our common adversary tremble to see their courage or fury rather acted in other kingdomes These have we seen to butcher each other in their own countries soyling their land with their own blood as if they meant to make a plentifull harvest for the great destroyer we have seen goodly Lordships plundered and fired upon no greater quarrell but because their owners could not defend them Yea we have seen whole towns upon the like quarrell storm'd and surprised and fired because the Inhabitants durst not or could not be at cost and charges to keep themselves safe within their own wals these are things we have not taken ●pon bare report but our eyes the trustiest sense of all the rest have seen these things and can speak them feelingly as those that have heard with our ears and our eyes have seen them It may be so too yet for al this these things may not be laid to the heart it is true indeed the seeing eye and hearing eare are both the gift of the Lord Prov. 20. 12. but this implies what is said else where that there is an eye that sees not and ear that hears not and yet both wide open and such as can take in sounds and sights very readily and what if there should be such amongst us too that have heard seen as much as can be spoken or heard and are hereby ennbled to write stories and furnish tables with the sad relations of these things O Sirs as eating is not health and drinking is not strength but the means to procure both so the hearing and seeing of these things is not properly the laying of them to heart but the way and means with Gods blessing to doe it the Priest and Levite that past by the wounded traveller in the Gospel may be supposed not only to see the bleeding spectacle but to hear his languishing groans but it was the good Samaritan that properly laid his case to heart that laid him upon his beast poured oyle and wine into his wounds and left him not before some hopes of recovery And hath not our State done this too as far as in them lies have not they took full information of our common calamities sate out many a sad day and night month and some years to consult upon these things and are able for a need to give the world an accompt frō what quarters this dreadfull storm was first blown in upon us what unhappy constellations and conjunctions are ghest to be the second causes what dammage it hath done by Sea and Land Yea they can tell what goodly grounds this Land-flood hath spoiled and on the other side what durty dit●●es it hath fild good for nothing but to breed toads and Efts In a word they can ghesse who have been gainers and losers by this sorry bargain And truly this is worth the knowing the blessing of him that dwelt in the bush be their cloud by day and p●llar of fire by night that their Assemblies may be directed and protected till judgement be brought to victory It is good learning to know Gods wayes in the whirlewind the outgoing of his displeasure in the effects and happy they that can make good advantage of them so but happier they that know them in the right causes they are wise that know how and where these sad distractions began but they are wiser that know where they will end and put forth all within them to be serviceable in that work It is good that these things be laid to the head and that there are so

robbers Did not the Lord he against whom we have sinned For they would not walk in his ways neither were they obedient unto his Law Therefore he hath powred upon him the fury of his anger and the strength of battell and it hath set him on fire round about and he knew not and it burned him yet he laid it not to heart WHich words as you may perceive Honourable and beloved are a text so sadly open'd to our hand a Prophesy so clearly fulfilled in our eyes that he which runs may reade it as an Hand-writing upon our wals foretelling the ruine and period even of our Israel also unlesse it please the Lord graciously to step in betwixt us and the wrath to come I shall not need therefore by way of clearing a passage to the words to say much more then what our Saviour did in opening a Prophesy in this book which after reading the words he closed up again and told them This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears and they all bare him witnesse Nor shall I need by way of preface to say more then the Prophet here doth immediately before the Text to quicken up your attention Who amongst you will give ear to this who will hearken and hear for the time to come where he lifts up his voice like a Trumpet to make way then follows the Lords Declaration in the words which I have read Who gave Iacob for a spoil c. Briefly to come in upon them with the best speed I may this whole Sermon of the Prophet beginning at the first v. of this chapter and ending at the 13. verse of the next is a Prophecy so strangely enterwoven with threats and promises that it appears as so much Checker-work of Judgements and mercies hear a little of the one then as much of the other with line upon line judgement upon mercy very suitable to his hearers which we may conceive to have been a mixed number for it is well known that the sinners in Sion and mourners in Sion in those days were so blended and mixt together that there needed a Divine hand to mark the one from the other In the former part of this chapter we have the Lord Jesus exhibited to us as one most eminently set off with all the gracious endowments that might win upon the hearts of the worst of men to this purpose the Prophet tels us ● Negatively what by his office he was not and then Positively what he was 1rst no quarreller or striker so far from that unpleasing work that he was not to cry nor lift up nor cause his voice to be heard in the streets v. 2. so far from raising uproars or tumults that he appears not in the strong wind or Earthquake or fire but in a still voice which should neither break the bruised Reed or quench the smoaking Flax v. 3. That sword which he brought into the world with him was not to bee drawn if peace spoken to the heathen might prevail his meaning is he would not by force of arms drag or drive his conquered number into obedience this was not his office but 2ly the course of his office positively was to find eyes and feet for his followers or at least to knock off the bolts and chaines that they might be at liberty to follow him freely and faithfully v. 7. Now if notwithstanding all this there should be a perverse party amongst them of the sons of Beliall that would refuse his gentle yoak and break his bands asunder close up their eies against the light and fight it out in the dark the Lord will see the quarrell of his son or as he cals him ver. 1. his servant revenged to the full upon that people ver. 13 14. If the Prince of peace were silent the Lord of Hosts would speak in his cause yea and fight too very severely not onely cry and roare but destroy and devour at once yea the longer he held his peace the lowder he would be when he comes to complain the farther he drew back his hand the deeper would be the wound when he comes to strike Which by the way may serve as a warning caution to that Nation or people suppose it be ours that have had more of Christs company then they care for more of his proffered Grace then they are willing to accept or acknowledge when God comes to reckon for this though that Nation were as neer and dear to him as Iacob or Israel of whom he speaks with honourable mention Hos. 12 45. one that was excellent at the duty wherein we are now imployed could weep and make supplication and by his strength had power with God Yet if the prevailing party amongst them were strong enough to trample down those Honourable Laws which he had magnified on purpose for the advantage of his people when he is thus provoked by a lawlesse number he professes openly he will have an holy though an heavy hand in the ruine and spoyl of that people and when he hath done leaves it with the world to judge whether there were not all the reason in the world for what he did when he gave Iacob to the spoyl and Israel to the robbers c. and thus we are come through the context to the words Which being very clear and plain I conceive it would be time impertinently spent to give accompt what Interpreters say of the words or dash their judgements one against the other this I take it were but to strike fire and light up a candle at noon-day to seek for that which is neither hid nor lost this is no time or place to be luxuriant in Criticismes and as for parts if I had not learned that Aeque confusa est divisio nimia ac nulla I would spare divisions were it not to prevent confusion briefly therefore to help our memories you may cast up the full sum of the words into these three generall parts 1. A penalty inflicted Iacob Israel given to the plunder spoyl the robbers and spoylers have it in Commission under Gods hand to plunder him this is the penalty and as we shall see a very sad and shamefull one 2. The cause alleaged together with the vindictive party that appears in it let me put them both together for better expedition and satisfaction in case it be demanded Is this legall shall not the Iudge of all the world doe right will the King of Kings leave such a precedent upon record to his vicegerents to plunder their own subjects to which he answers there was a cause and there was this cause upon which he avouches the fact under his hand in words at length and not in figures Did not the Lord which with the Hebrew Emphasis doubles the Answer ●q d. I did it and will justifie it 3. The acknowledgement required with the most serious consideration that may be as appears partly by the quickning preface wherein the