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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	call_v	lord_n	sin_n	1,482	5	4.3991	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90065	A sermon, tending to set forth the right vse of the disasters that befall our armies. Preached before the honourable houses of Parliament, at a fast specially set apart upon occasion of that which befell the army in the west. In Margarets Westminster, Sept. 12. Anno 1644. / By Matthew Newcomen, Minister of the Gospell at Dedham in Essex.	Newcomen, Matthew, 1610?-1669.	1644 (1644)	Wing N913; Thomason E16_1; ESTC R18134	39,055	48

their soules inquire and say What have I done Vt nemo in sese tentat descendere Nemo Pecl. The Lord hearkened and heard but no man spake aright No man repented him of his evill deeds saying What have I done There is indeed an opinion That Beleevers the Children of God ought not to thinke that their sinnes have any influence into the Judgements that are upon a people A soule perverting a Land destroying opinion it is The Lord preserve us from it I am sure David was not of this opinion Lo I have sinned and I have done wickedly saith David 2 Sam. 24. when Israel was consumed by the Pestilence and the Spirit saith expressely 2 Chron. 32.25 That for the sinne of Hezekiah and for the pride of his heart came wrath upon him and upon all Ierusalem And yet David was a Beleever and a Child of God Hezekiah was a Beleever and a Child of God If Hezekiah to his former pride that brought wrath upon Jerusalem had added this further pride to thinke that his sin had not at all provoked that wrath because He was a Beleever a justified Person ô what a provocation would that have beene The Lord deliver all his people from such pride of heart it is too bad out of a slightnesse and carelesnesse of spirit not to take notice of our sinnes in our Disasters But when this proceeds from an opinion from a fixed Principle of Judgement and Reason This makes it much worse In the second place Is it the will of God that his people should take notice of their sinnes in the disasters of their armies Then I beseech you let us labour to doe this will of God and as before I called you to take notice of the Blow to be sensible of that so let me now call you to take notice of the sin and the Lord help us that we may be sensible of that The Lord speakes to us in this Disaster as he did here to Joshua Israel hath sinned But who shall give us a particular discovery of the sinne or sinnes that are the cause of this Disaster we cannot goe and as Joshua did here or as Saul did 1 Sam. 14.38 cast the lot that we may know and see where this sinne hath been Who is the prudent man that knoweth this and who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken that he may declare it for what the land perisheth Jer. 9.12 Oh that we could discover it It is a Discovery that might more advantage England then the Discovery of as much Treasure as is in both the Indies It might be the saving of the rest of our Armies of the Cause and therein of All. What may we think the sinne the cause of this Disaster to be I will tell you what we may not thinke it to be We may not we must not thinke that there is sinne in the foundation of the Action That the Ground and cause of the warre is unjust and sinfull because of this Disaster no more then Ioshua's here or the Benjamites Iudg. 20. no though God should frowne yet further upon us and breake us with breach upon breach We must yet say as the Church Psal 44.17 18 19. All this is come upon us yet have we not forgotten thee nor dealt falsly in thy Covenant Our heart is not turned back neither have our steps declined from thy way Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of Dragons and covered us with the shadow of Death Never repent that we have imbarqued our selves in the quarrell for the sinne lies not in the cause it selfe But where then I professe sincerely I cannot tell you where if I could I durst not be so unfaithfull to God to your soules to the Kingdome as to conceale it All that I can say is That as God in this his Providence hath frowned upon not onely our Armies but the Parliament the City and the whole well-affected Party both Ministers and People so All have sinned and possibly all our sinnes have an influence into this calamity that is now upon us And therefore let All of us Parliament-men Commanders Souldiers Citizens Ministers People All of us ô let us search our selves and enquire in our severall Orbes and Activities what our wayes have been that so if possible we may find out what and where this sinne is There is a spirit in man which is as the Candle of the Lord searching the innermost parts of the belly Prov. 20.27 that consulted with will discover hidden things Now therefore every one of you consult your owne spirits And first you that are Members of the Honourable Houses of Parliament for I must speake to you God and your selves have called me hither this day to what end if not to speake to you Oh how doe I feare least some sinnes of yours may have a great influence into this Disaster that is now upon us This I am sure of Parliament sinnes and sinnes of Parliament men are great Provocations Looke how much honour God hath put upon every One of you singly more then upon others of your Ranke that are not Members of this Honourable Body and looke how much more honour God hath put upon you joyntly as a Parliament more then upon other Parliaments so much the greater is your Engagement unto God and if you sinne it is so much the greater Provocation ô that you would ever remember it Was there ever Parliament that had so many Prayers Deliverances Wonders waiting upon it as you Was there ever Parliament that had God so neere unto them in all things ô such a Parliament should as Caesar said sometimes of his wife be free not only à culpâ sed à suspitione In the Name of Iesus Christ whose Minister I am and to whom I must give account of the discharge of this dayes service I beseech you Right Honourable let this hand of God under which you are met to humble your selves this day cause every one of you seriously and impartially to review your wayes not as men but as Parliament-men commune every one with your owne hearts and say What have I done How have I discharged the trust that God and man have committed to me ô remember God and man have entrusted you with that which is dearest to them both God hath entrusted you with his Gospell with his Glory with the affaires of the Kingdome of his Sonne with the welfare of that Church which he hath purchased with his owne Bloud Men have entrusted you with their Estates Liberties Lives ô that these things were written upon the wals of the Houses where you daily sit as over the gate of the Senate house in Rome was written Ne quid Respublica detrimenti capiat Let the Common-wealth receive no dammage But your care must be not only for Common-wealth but for the Church and Religion to both are committed to your Trust But ô that you would inquire this day how you have discharged this Trust Every

saith God both rendring the Reason why Israel was smitten and directing Joshua to what he would have done Israel hath sinned Whence observe Observ 5 That God would have his People in all the Disasters that befall their Armies take notice of their owne sinnes Vp Joshua wherefore lyest thou upon thy face What doest thou weeping and breaking thy heart There is other worke for thee to doe Israel hath sinned goe find out that You know this was that which God instructed his people in long before that nothing should ever cause their Armies to miscarry but their owne sinnes so Levit. 26.14 17. If you will not hearken unto me and will not doe all these Commandements I will set my face against you and you shall be slain before your enemies and ver 36. upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintnesse into their hearts in the land of their enemies and the sound of a shaken leafe shall chase them c. so Deut. 28.15 25. If thou wilt not hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God to doe all that I command thee the Lord will cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies thou shalt goe out one way against them and flee seven wayes before them And in all experience the people of Israel found it so They never were worsted in their battles but when they had sinned against their God Israel from the time of their comming up out of Egypt had been but once put to the worse before their enemies till this Time and the Story of that you have Numb 14. ult The Amalekites came downe and the Canaanites which dwelt in the hill and smote them and discomfited them even unto Hormah But the reason of this you may collect from the former verses Israel had sinned And all along the whole Story of the Bible you shall constantly find it thus when Israel was faithfull with their God they ruled with their God and prospered in their warres whithersoever they went Nay even Balaam himselfe could tell that while Israel kept themselves from sin God would keep them from mischiefe in their Army The Divell himselfe should not hurt them Numb 23.21 23. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob nor hath he seene perversnesse in Israel Vide Drus ad diff loc Numer Ainsworth ad locum Weems upon the Morall Law part 1. The true meaning of which Scripture what ever sence the Antinomians would put upon it in favour of their opinion That God seeth no sinne in his people is this That at this time when Balaak hired Balaam to curse Jacob and defie Israel there was no Peccatum flagrans no sin lying upon the Congregation flaming in the eye of God or stinking in his Nostrils that might provoke his wrath against them or cause him to suffer any calamity to befall them therefore ver 23. saith he Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob neither is there any Divination against Israel No it is in vaine for men and divels to plot mischiefe against the Armies of Gods people when there is no sin among them to pull that mischiefe upon them All our Disasters of this kind they are the fruits of our owne sinnes and God would have us look upon them as so God would have his people in the Disasters that befall their Armies to take notice of their owne sinnes And that Reason 1 First that they may hereby be preserved from Atheisme and Apostacy from God from thinking either that there is no God or that the God whom they have commended their cause unto is a God that cannot will not succour them a thing that the Nature of man is very subject to you may remember what is said of King Ahaz 2 Chron. 28.23 Ahaz sacrificed to the Gods of Damascus which smote him and said because the Gods of the Kings of Syria help them therefore I will sacrifice unto their Gods that they may helpe me also There is a Root of this Atheisme and Impiety in the heart of every man And such as God doth not teach to reade the cause of their defeats in themselves are ready to thinke the enemies cause Religion God to be the better Now that his people may be preserved from this God will have them know that their sinne is the cause of their Disasters And secondly God will have them take notice of this that they may with the more quietnesse submit to these dispensations of God and say The Lord is righteous That they may not murmure repine nor be too querulous at such a time as this therefore the Lord saith to us as it is Ier. 4.18 Thy way and thy doings have procured this unto thee this is thy wickednesse and as it is againe Ezek. 14.23 Ye shall know that I have not done without cause all this that I have done saith the Lord. That our hearts and mouths may justifie God God will have us know that our sins are the cause of our Disasters It is not enough to Take notice of the stroke and Mourne for that But we must Take notice of the sin and mourne for that Vp Ioshua wherefore lyest thou upon thy face Israel hath sinned Application In the first place This may serve to fill our faces this day with shame before the Lord would our God have us in all the Disasters that befall our Armies take notice of our owne sinnes Ah Lord when did we doe thus Is this the first time that God hath frowned upon our Armies No no who hath not heard of the disappointment at the Vises where a glorious victory slipt out of our hands when we were almost possest of it The losse of Bristoll The raising of the Siege at Newarke I know the mention of these things may expose us to the scorne of our enemies And let them scorne us so we may give glory to our God But have we in these disasters taken notice of our sinnes as the Causes of them Nothing lesse Men that are not led by Principles of Judgement and Conscience but by successe that doe not owne the cause for it selfe they upon such Providences as these are ready to desert it and take over to the enemies And others are ready to impute it to Cowardize or carelesnesse or falshood or treachery to something or other in those who are the instruments of managing the businesse as if there were not those sinnes among us that might provoke the Lord to crosse the endeavours of the most able and faithfull Instruments as if we could all say with that Romane Emperour Antoninus Philosophus ut refert ●u●at Gallic●n A●●dro Gassio Non sic Deos coluimus aut sic vivimus ut ille nos vinceret We have not so served God nor doe we so live as that such an enemie should overcome us We still cry out of Treachery Treachery and accuse others But O how few are the men that upon such occasions as these enter into their Chambers and there between God and

Supplications that God would please to shew us where this sinne is and say with Job Chap. 10.2 Shew us wherefore thou contendest with us And if you please to take but one view more of the Text God may please to shew us something more then we yet see Israel hath sinned saith the Lord and they have also transgressed my Covenant wherein the Lord lets Joshua understand that as sin in generall so in particular breach of Covenant was the cause of the disaster Israel hath sinned and they have also transgressed my Covenant Whence I commend this to your observation That the violation of the Covenant of God is such a sinne as will make Israel turne their back before their Enemies I doe not intend a large discourse about violation of Covenant to set out the odious provoking nature of that sin I shall only briefly doe two things First I shall shew how a Covenant may be called the Covenant of God Secondly I shall proove that the breach of any Covenant that may be so called is such a sinne as will make Israel turne their backs before their Enemies For the first of these How a Covenant may be called a Covenant of God For of such a Covenant the Text speakes They have transgressed My Covenant and so the Doctrine the violation of the Covenant of God c. Now a Covenant may be said to be a Covenant of God two wayes 1 Either per modum obligationis or 2. Per modum attestationis First per modum obligationis when we do directly and immediately ingage and bind our selves unto God when God is the Party covenanted with as in our Sacramentall Covenants and in all Covenants purely Religious both for matter and manner Or else a Covenant may be said to be the Covenant of God per modum attestationis when a Covenant though made betweene two equall parties is yet made in the Name of God and in the Sight of God God is called to be a witnesse to it and an avenger of the Breach of it So in that Covenant that Laban made betweene himselfe and Iacob Gen. 31.44 Come let us make a Covenant I and thou and marke what he saith after this Covenant ver 50. God is a witnesse betweene me and thee Such a Covenant as this wherein the Obligation is unto Man made in the Name of God God counts his owne no lesse then a Covenant the Obligation whereof is immediately to himselfe so you find Ezek. 17. the Covenant which the King of Iudah had made with the King of Babylon God calls his Oath and his Covenant ver 19. Mine Oath that he hath dispised and my Covenant that he hath broken even it will I recompense upon his head Now the Doctrine comprehends both these and tels us that the violation of the Covenant of God that is of a Covenant either made directly and immediately with God or made with others in the name and in the sight of God is such a sin as will make Israel turne their back before their Enemies For the proofe of this which is the second thing I have to doe besides the Text before us I shall onely bring a Text or two looke in the 78. Psal ver 9 10. you shall reade there the children of Ephraim being harnessed and carrying bowes turned back in the day of battell They kept not the Covenant of God The Children of Ephraim were daring men couragious men mighty men of valour for so we reade of them in Scripture The children of Ephraim being Armed that is with defensive Armes it may be as compleatly armed as that gyant of Gath that had a helmet of brasse and a shield of brasse and greaves of brasse Armed they were and carrying bowes furnished with offensive armes that could eminus ferire reach their Enemies at the best advantage at distance The children of Ephraim being thus armed and carrying bowes turned back in the day of battle what ayled thee ô Ephraim that thou wert affraid what ayled thee ô Ephraim that thou fleddest backward They kept not the Covenant of God There there 's the reason had they kept the Covenant of God God would have kept them but they kept not the Covenant of God and therefore it was not their Bow nor Harnesse that could keepe them being armed and carrying bowes they turned back in the day of Battle They kept not the Covenant of God So Ezek. 17.11 Iehoiakim King of Iudah had made a Covenant with the King of Babylon to be his Tributary afterwards repents him breakes his Covenant with the King of Babylon sends to Egypt for horses and much people and a mighty Army Now saith God shall he prosper shall he escape that doth these things shall he breake Covenant and be delivered vers 15. No Pharoah and all his mighty Army shall doe him no good They shall all fall by the sword and they that remaine of him shall be scattered towards all winds ver 21. His breach of Covenant shall breake his army were it never so mighty and make it be as dust before the winds So Ier. 34. The Princes and people of Iudah had made a Covenant ver 15. that at the end of seven yeeres they would every man let his brother an Hebrew that had bin sould unto him go free according to the law of God in that case Exod. 21.2 Deut. 15.12 yet afterwards they violated this Covenant and caused their servants whom they had set free to returne againe to their service therefore thus saith the Lord ver 18. I will give the men that have transgressed my Covenant which have not performed the words of the Covenant which they had made before me when they cut the calfe in twaine and passed betweene the parts thereof I will even give them into the hand of their Enemies and into the hand of them that seeke their life See the proper punishment of breach of Covenant is giving up to the lust and will of blood-thirsty Enemies To these stories recorded in Sacred writ I shall adde but one of latter times the memorable story of the famous battle of Varna ●●ales ●●lefior● Chr●● Carton Lib. 15. fought Nov. 10. 1444. between Amarath the sixt Emperour of the Turkes and Vladislaus King of Hungarie one of the gallantest Souldiers the Christiā world thē had which Vladislaus having made a solemne League or Covenant of peace with the Turke Knolls his Turkish hast ●y was afterwards perswaded by Iulian the Popes Legate to violate that League and make warre upon the borders of the Turkish Territories whereupon the Turke rayseth a mighty Army takes the field they joyne battell the first Skirmishes seeme to promise victory to the Christians the Turkes were even almost put to flight when Amurath plucks out of his bosome the writing wherein the late League was comprehended and holding it aloft in his hand with eyes cast up to Heaven saith thus Behold thou crucified Christ this is the League thy people in thy name

made with mee and now have violated without cause If thou be a God as they say thou art shew thy power and powre out thy wrath upon this perjured people Dictum factum God did justice upon the Appeale of an Enemy a Turke who in his very appeale spake Blasphemy yet God will doe him Iustice presently the battel turnes and it prooved a very bloody fatall day to the Christian Army the King and many of their chiefe Commanders slaine the whole army routed a great part of that Country lost nothing the cause of all this more then breach of Covenant The Violation of the Covenant of God is such a sinne as will bring disaster upon any Army under Heaven Now to apply this to our selves I am sure you have not forgotten for it is not yet a full yeare since you did with your hands lifted up to the most high even in this place Sweare a SOLEMNE LEAGUE AND COVENANT in a most solemne and religious manner I may say to you as Ioshua did unto the people when they had renewed their Covenant with God Ioshua 24.27 Behold these stones are a witnesse unto you that you have made a Solemne Covenant with God as ever people made Sure you have not forgotten it I am sure God hath not God remembreth it God hath remembred it in mercy all this yeare hitherto and now God seemes to begin to remember it in Iudgement Me thinkes this stroake of God upon us so neere that time Twelve-moneth wherein we tooke the Covenant seemes to speake as if God intended once a yeare to require an account of this Covenant at the hand of England ô that we could call our selves to account this day The Iewes have a proverbe Non est paena super Israelem in qua non sit unci● vituli There is no punishment upon Israel in which there is not one ounce of the Golden Calfe meaning thus That was such a transgression as it is in Gods remembrance every time he plagues them and hath some influence into every calamity that falls upon them In like manner we may say Non est poena super Angliam in qua non sit uncia Foederis We fall under no punishment but there is an ounce of our Covenant in it I beseech you please to review a little some of the chiefe Articles of that Covenant and see how we have observed it In the first we engage our selves sincerely really and constantly to endeavour the Reformation of Religion in England and Ireland in Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government according to the Word of God and the Patterne of the best Reformed Churches A blessed and glorious worke which as it hath the first place in our Covenant so challengeth and deserveth the first and chiefe in our hearts But what hath been done in this great work since the Covenant was taken It is that God and man enquire after What hath the Assembly done what hath the Parliament done in the Reformation of Religion When will some Order be setled for the Worship of God When will the Government of the Church be established according to the Word of God I feare God takes it very grievously that since we have made a Covenāt for Reformation we have spent now a year done so litle in it We have covenanted in like manner without respect of Persons to endeavour the Extirpation of Popery Prelacy Superstition Schisme Prophannesse and what ever shall be found contrary to sound Doctrine and the Power of Godlinesse And blessed be God for the extirpation of Popery Prelacie and Superstition much hath bin done But I know not by what unhappinesse it is but so it is that this last yeare since we all covenanted to endeavour to our utmost without respect of Persons to endeavour the extirpation of Heresie and Schisme Heresie and Schisme have encreased upon us more then ever We are grown beyond Arminianisme Brownisme Anabaptisme we are come I meane many among us to down-right Libertinisme There are two opinions which if encouraged they are encouraged if connived at will open a door to Turcisme Iudaisme Atheisme Polytheisme any monster of opinion The one is That every man is to be left to the Liberty of his own Religion an opinion contended for by the bloudy tenets John Baptist Liberty of Cōscience and the like Pamphlets An opinion most pernicious and destructive as to the souls of men so to the Common-weale of the Kingdome Gerhard 〈◊〉 com de Magistratu § 199. Libertas illa quidlibet credendi saith Gerhard nihil aliud est quam libertas errandi c. That Liberty of beleeving what men will or of holding what faith they please is no other then a Liberty of erring and of erring in a matter that concernes the Eternall Salvation of the Soule wherein to erre cannot but be most dangerous and destructive and therefore saith he as it cannot be safe for sheep to be left alone to wander in mountaines and deserts and graze in what pastures they please Lest they fall upon some unwholesome herb or become a prey to the Wolfe And as it cannot be safe to leave a Ship to it selfe to be driven by the windes and waves without any guide or Steerage lest it dash it selfe against the Rockes So it cannot be safe for Magistrates to leave people to a Liberty of being of what Faith and what Religion they please Lest being carried away from the true Faith and Religion they become a prey to destruction Nor is any thing almost more destructive to a State or Common-weale Praecipuum Concordiae vinculum est Religionis similitudo de cultibus Divinis Consensio Likenesse of Religion and agreement in the Worship of God is the strongest Bond of Concord Bucholc in Chronol Nor is there any thing that doth more unite the Mindes of men then the same opinions of God and Communion in sacred things On the contrary Diversity of Religion dis-joynts and distracts the minds of men and is the Seminary of perpetuall hatreds jealousies seditions warres if any thing in the world be and in a little time either a Schisme in the State begets a Schisme in the Church or a Schisme in the Church begets a Schisme in the State That is either Religion and the Church is prejudiced by Civill Contentions or Church controversies and disputes about opinions breake out into cruell warres Quod à nobis avertat Deus Men will at last take up swords and speares in stead of Pens and defend by Armes what they cannot doe by Arguments Nor doe we want Examples that tell us that Bella sacra are managed with more enraged mindes then common warres are Gualth in Luc. cap. 10. For as another saith Constat nulla esse atrociora odia c. It is apparent that no hatred is so cruell no dissention so bitter as that which ariseth from difference in Religion For such is the Power of Religion that it possesseth the whole man and if once it