Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	call_v	good_a	sin_n	1,729	5	4.5767	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86505	A sermon preached before the Parliament, the Councill of State, the Lord Major, aldermen, and Common Councill of the city of London, and the officers of the Army, in Christ-Church London, Octob. the 6th. A.D. 1659. Being the publick day of Thanksgiving appointed by the Parliament, to be celebrated in the cities of London and Westminster, and parts adjacent, for the suppression of the northern insurrection. By Doctor Nathanael Homes.	Homes, Nathanael, 1599-1678.	1659 (1659)	Wing H2577; Thomason E1001_1; ESTC R207844	20,201	48

all that we shall speak is briefly to resolve a case of conscience and pertinently to the point in hand viz. Seeing afflictions may prove mercies to believers and so to be praised for Psal 119.67 Before I was afflicted saith David I went astray but now I have kept thy word And ver 71. It is good for me that I was afflicted that I might learn thy statutes Why do believers pray to prevent or remove afflictions and praise for deliverance from them To make way for a distinct resolution of this case I must premise some previous propositions by way of distinction 1. That there are two sorts of afflictions some are killing afflictions depriving of naturall life Others are onely correcting afflictions sparing naturall life Of which we must note these five propositions or distinctions 1. That those correcting afflictions are not simply good inse in their own nature but conditionally and instrumentally to such an end as to keep us from evill or cure us of evill of sin As chvrurgery using Phlebotomie scarifying or lancings is not good in it selfe but as it cures the sick or diseased patient And therefore afflictions are somtimes called by God himself evills as Amos 3.6 Shall there be EVILL in a City and the Lord hath not done it 2. Nor are they conditionally and instrumentally good so viz. to such an end to keep off or cure of sin as immediate necessary causes or media but per accidens that is per aliud by the help of another viz. by the speciall influence of God in and upon our correcting afflictions blessing and sanctifying them unto us As sometimes the Chyrurgions Phlebotomizing scarrifying or lancings may cause ranckling Gangrenes or festering without timely application of his Balsom c. We see good Jonah a godly Prophet in his prophesie though the better for his Sea-affliction in the Whales belly was the worse for a time for his Lana-affliction when God blasted his shaddowy succouring Gourd 3. God doth oftentimes onely show and shake his rod to give us warning which if we take he lays away his rod and lays not on the stroaks Prov. 22.3 The prudent sore-seeth the plague and hideth himselse but the simple posse on and are punished And Hebrews 11. verse 7. By Faith Noah being WARNED of God of things not seen yet moved with FEAR prepared an Ark to the saving of his house 4. When wee are brought off from our sins and nearer to God the work is done the use of the rod is at an end in GOD'S usuall way of afflicting Isa 27.7 8 9. Hath he smitten him to wit Israel as he smote those that smote him c In measure when it shooteth forth thou wilt debate with it He stayeth his rough wind and By this therefore the iniquity of Jacob shall be purged and this is all the fruit to take away his sinne So Jerem. 31.18 19 20. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himselfe thus Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised c Surely after I was turned I repented Upon this see there what God saith Is Ephraim my deare Sonne Is he a pleasant child For since I spake against him I remember him still Therefore my bowels are troubled for him I WILL SURELY HAVE MERCY ON HIM saith the Lord. Add Hosea 5 last verse I will go and return to my place TILL they acknowledge their offence and seek my face in their affliction they will seek me early Fifthly The afflictions of believers may be an occasion of great evill in the hearts and hands lips and licenciousnesse of the wicked who thereupon may tryumph over if not trample upon the people of God or their religion and blaspheam the name of the God of that religion and of that people Of which David complains oft Psal 25.21 Psal 42.3 Psal 71.11 that the wicked cry where A●…a is their God God hath forsaken them c. Now things thus prepared take our answer to the case in these positions 1 There is no doubt but we may pray against Killing afflictions and praise for deliverance because we live to pray and praise This is Davids own Argument Psal 6.4 5. Return O Lord deliver my soul O save me for thy mercy sake FOR IN DEATH THERE IS NO REMEMBRANCE OF THEE IN THE GRAVE WHO SHAL GIVE THEE THANKS So Psal 28.1 c. To thee I cry be not silent O Lord LEST I BECOME LIKE THEM THAT GO DOWN TO THE PIT So upon such grounds Hezkiah prayed that he might not dy by that his disease which in likelihood was the Pestilence or some such Ulcer as appears by the Plaister Isa 38. compare 2 Kings 20.1 c. 2. For correcting afflictions that spare life we may lawfully pray unto God to prevent them or remove them in these four cases 1 When God warns and believers take the Alarm and are warned they may pray to God to prevent the affliction by divine warrant Amos 4.12 And because this I will do unto thee PREPARE TO MEET thy God O Israell Thus did Niniveh Jonah 3. commended by our Saviour for so doing Mat. 12.41 2 To pray for prevention of Afflictions or removing of them when they may be occasion of sinne to us is warrantable by Scripture Prov. 30.7 Two things have I required of thee deny me not afore I dy Remove far from me vanitie and lies give me not povertie least I be poor and steal and take the name of my God in vain 3 When Correcting afflictions have been sanctified to us making us better God having had his end we may lawfully pray for their removall by divine example Psal 119.71 David having acknowledged and praised God that he had been bettered by his afflictions that it was good for him that he had been afflicted c. he presently prays in vers 76 77 78. that God would remove his afflictions 4 When in and by our afflictions the wicked are animated against us and our profession insulting over us and it we may lawfully pray to God on that accompt that God would remove them Thus did David Psal 35.22 23 24 25. Psal 42.9 10. Psal 71.12 13. And beside we have a promise Psal 76.10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise God and the remainder of wrath God will restrain And Zech. 1.15 God professeth I am sore displeased with the Heathen that are at ease for I was but a little displeased and they helped forward the affliction By which two last places of Scripture it appeares we may lawfully pray for what God hath promised and against that with which God is angry The Disciples and the Church with them likewise pray in opposition to the enemies insultations and persecutions Acts 4.23 c. to 31. verse The close is that as in those five cases aforesaid believers may lawfully pray for prevention or removall of afflictions so we may warrantably give praise when they are prevented or removed For 't is a sure Rule What we may lawfully pray to have we may lawfully

part of the verse of my Text ushering it in thus REJOYCE in the Lord O ye righteous PRAYSE is comely for the upright joy being of the definition of Heaven Psal 16. last In thy presence is fulness of joy at thy right hand are pleasure for evermore There are prayses and Alleluja's or Halelujah's the language of Angells Isai 6.3 The Seraphims cryed saying Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts c. And Luk. 2.13 There was with the Angell a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying Glory to God in the highest c. And the Churches business as represented in Heaven are Allelujaes Rev. 1 3 4 5. I heard a voyce of much people in HEAVEN saying Alleluja c. And again they said Alleluja And the 24 Elders and the 4 Animals worshipped God saying Amen Alleluja And a voice came out of the Throne saying praise God No creature of the earth so heaven like and heart exhilerating as Musick and therefore used in Scripture both in the Old Testament and in the New to typifie the heavenly joy in the Holy Ghost and the joies of Heaven * In praise we testifie So in the Psalms oft and in the Revelation oft Psal 57.8 Psal 108.2 And at least ten times more And Rev. 5.8 Rev. 14.2 Rev. 15.2 wee feel the first in our affections and see the other in our faith and hope And thus we have brought comlynesse to the highest hight and so put a period to our speech of that 2. Our mercies call for our praise And here I must rather Epitomize then Anatomize to dissect and read a lecture upon every part I could mind you of that of the Psalmist Psal 25.10 ALL the paths of the Lord are mercie and truth unto such as keep his Covenant his Testimonies And upon this ALL I might enlarge to every finger toe and nail on them as our Saviour saith Mat. 10.30 The very hairs of your head are all numhred I might also mind you of devout Austins platform of praise Quid est totâ die id est sine intermissione laudare In prospe ris quia consolâris in adversis quia cocrigis antequā essem quia secisti me Cum essem quia salutem dedis●…i Cum peccassem quia ignovisii Cum conversus essem quia adjuvisti Cum perseverassem quia Coronasti Aug. super illud Psal Totâ die repleatur os meum laude viz. To praise God in prosperitie because he comforts in Adversitie because hee corrects For that before we were because he made us For that when we were because he hath given us salvation For what when we had sinned because he pardoned For what when we were converted because he helped For that when we have perseverd he Crowneth us I might also run over the mercies mentioned in this Psalm wherein is my Text argumentatively pressing the performance of it But for compendiousness it shall suffice to touch on some of them by and by which Concentre with this days commemoration Where I shall not delight to digg into the wounds of others miseries but duly set forth the dignity of our own deliverance 1 'T is a matter of praise worthy Senators and Christians that this day we may praise viz. That we live to praise have leave to praise do meet to praise have a mind to praise have means to praise especially in this mode and majestie of solemnitie * as in a day of a princely marriage The place Consedere Duces vulg stante Corond the face of this Congregation seem to mee to have written upon them Vnion Vnion Vnion Union of hearts of Parliament City and Armie which Vnion is the foundation of marriage The Sermon mainly designed to espouse you all to the Lo●d in true joy praise and thankfulness and in that Tertio to one another And this union is greater then that of marriage For they that are joined to the Lord 1 Cor. 6.17 are ONE SPIRIT The praises now dictated or sung by us are the Epithalamia i. e the Spirituall marriage-songs so wee mean that mind our business to sing and give praise for the uniting mercies of this day Your Prince-like Feast interpreted expresly by that common vote of good people is your interview for union and therefore justly called a marriage Feast And here is your Minister to pray hearty for you that God would for ever unite you in the truth and love and love of the truth And upon that solemnly and seriously to pronounce those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder I say no man no Devill no Jesuit Amen But 2ly If this be matter of praise that we may praise how much more the cause of this days praise to witthe grand stupendious deliverance of this Common-wealth comprehending three Nations and all the Churches and the thousands of the people of God in those Nations And therefore it is though I say no more our justice to praise God Suum cuique tribuere to give God his due whose justice to the weeds was mercie to the Corn according to the 5. and 10. verses after my Text in that Psalm pressing my Text The Lord loveth righteousnes and judgement the Lord bringeth the counsell of the Heathen to nought he maketh the devices of the people of none effect And of this our justice in praysing God there is a kind of Comlinesse too For if of every morall acquired virtue there is a transcendent beauty that would ravish the sonns of men if they could visibly behold it So Cicero hath it out of Plato How much more of infused grace called the divine nature So that our duty is like the cause both being glorious 2 Pet. 1.4 For our deliverance is like the cloud that was the convoy of Israel in all their deliverances from Egypt to Canaan viz. Darkness to our enemies but glorious light to us if wee consider these four Qualifications of it 1 The matter from which we are delivered Not from proclaimed warning War like generous enemies but rather from a hidden hellish plot 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 looking like an intended Massacre Not from forreigners strangers abroad but from them at home of our own bowells Not from dropps but a deluge of blood for all the godly of the Land to drink from the hand of the wicked Cavalliers for on them I look as the principall the rest but as decoyed by them I say to be drunk from the hands of the Cavalliers intending yea and endevouring jointly and universally to rise at once in all parts of this Nation at least He that denies this tells me there is no Sun in the Firmament and would perswade us not to believe what some of us have seen with our eye and heard with our ears from the mouthes of the enemies themselves 2. The Moment of our deliverancee It was like that of Isaac Ger. 22.10 when the blow was fetching Like that of Moses