Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	day_n	great_a	time_n	4,794	5	3.3956	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96422	Strength out of weakness. Or A glorious manifestation of the further progresse of the gospel amongst the Indians in New-England. Held forth in sundry letters from divers ministers and others to the corporation established by Parliament for promoting the gospel among the heathen in New-England; and to particular members thereof since the last treatise to that effect, / formerly set forth by Mr Henry Whitfield late pastor of Gilford in New-England. ; Published by the aforesaid corporation.	Gouge, William, 1578-1653.; Whitfield, Henry, 1597-1660?; Eliot, John, 1604-1690.; Wilson, John, 1588-1667.; Leverich, William, d. 1677.; Bessey, Anthony, 1609?-1657?; Mayhew, Thomas, 1621-1657.; Endecott, John, 1588?-1665.; French, William, 1603?-1681.; Allen, Thomas, 1608-1673.; Society for Propagation of the Gospel in New England.	1652 (1652)	Wing W2002; ESTC R223436	37,294	59

as they might propound and to stirre them up to call on God I did accordingly and sent him a Present by them but the proud Sachem did little lesse then despise the offer though hee tooke the Present So they thought they should have returned without successe but when they came among the people especially such as were a little more remote from the great and proud ones they received them with great gladnesse one Company taking one of ours among them others taking the other of our men amongst them they asked them many Questions expressed their readinesse to call upon God if they had any to teach them expressing likewise that they did not expect their Sachems would pray to God because they vvere so proud by which I doe perceive that the Lord is preparing a plentifull harvest and not onely by this but by many other Evidences There is a great Countrey lying betweene Conectacott and the Massachusets called Nipnet where there be many Indians dispersed many of which have sent to our Indians desiring that some may be sent unto them to teach them to pray unto God And sometimes some of our best men doe goe to severall places for a little while and returne againe and not without successe These things being so the worke which vvee now have in hand will be as a patterne and Copie before them to imitate in all the Countrey both in civilizing them in their order government Law and in their Church proceedings and administrations and hence great care lyeth upon mee to set them right at first to lay a sure foundation for such a building as I foresee will be built upon it and in this matter I greatly need pray The order of proceeding with them is first to gather them together from their scattered course of life to cohabitation and civill order and Government and then to forme them the Lord having fitted them into visible Church-state for the guidance whereof I have instructed them that they should looke onely into the Scriptures and out of the word of God fetch all their Wisedome Lawes and Government and so shall they be the Lords people and the Lord above shall Reigne over them and governe them in all things by the word of his mouth Sundry of these which pray unto God have formerly subjected themselves unto the English So that in this Government among themselves they doe reserve themselves in that poynt to owne them as their superiours to make appeales unto them as neede may require and experience for these many yeares shew that though they have so subjected themselves yet the onely benefit they have is protection as for hearing and determining their causes the difference of language and paucitie of Intepreters prohibits and if their causes come they be so longsome and yet of small importance that it is of necessitie that either they must have no government as hitherto it hath been or else they must have it among themselves Besides all or many of their differences and causes they usually brought to mee which was not convenient and I was willing to avoyde themselves also found great need that some should be over them to judge their causes and end differences and much desired it Therefore upon the sixt day of the sixt Moneth of this present yeare their Pallizadoe Fort being finished they had a great meeting and many came together from diverse parts though sundry were hindred and came not at that time where with prayer to God I read and expounded to them the 18th of Exodus which I had done severall times before and finally they did solemnly choose two Rulers among themselves they first chose a Ruler of an Hundred then they chose two Rulers of Fifties then they chose Ten or Tithing Men so I call them in English for so they were called as is reported in England vvhen England did flourish happily under that kinde of Government And lastly for that dayes worke every man chose who should be his Ruler of ten the Rulers standing in order and every man going to the man he chose and it seemed unto mee as if I had seene scattered bones goe bone unto his bone and so lived a civill politicall life and the Lord was pleased to minister no small comfort unto my spirit when I saw it After this worke was ended they did enter into Covenant with God and each other to be the Lords people and to be governed bythe word of the Lord in all things The words of which Covenant are these in English Wee doe give our selves and our Children unto God to be his people Hee shall rule us in all our affaires not onely in our Religion and affaires of the Church these wee desire as soone as wee can if God will but also in all our workes and affaires in this world God shall rule over us Isa. 33. 22. The Lord is our Judge the Lord is our Law-giver the Lord is our King Hee will save us the Wisedome which God hath taught us in his Booke that shall guide us and direct us in the way Oh Jehovah teach us wisedome to finde out thy wisedome in thy Scriptures let the grace of Christ helpe us because Christ is the wisedome of God send thy Spirit into our hearts and let it teach us Lord take us to be thy people and let us take thee to be our God This Act of forming themselves into the Government of God and entring into this Government is the first publique Record among the Indians and for ought I know the first that ever was among them and now our next worke is to prepare them for Church-estate to which end I doe instruct them that the Visible Church of Christ is builded upon a lively confession of Christ and Covenanting to walke in all the Administrations of the publique worship of God under the Government and Discipline of Jesus Christ I doe therefore exhort them to try their hearts by the word of God to finde out what change the Lord hath wrought in their hearts and this is the present vvorke vvee have in hand Give mee leave much honoured Friends to goe a little backe in my relation that I might be more particular because these Letters I prepared in the sixt Moneth after they had chosen their Officers as I was propounding and teaching them the above-written Covenant for that I did often before wee did solemnely accomplish it that so they might doe it as an Act of knowledge and faith Now let mee relate the order of our proceeding Having againe and againe read this Covenant to them and instructed them in the meaning of it it pleased God to wrack Mr Webbers Ship at Conahasset though the Lord dealt favourably most goods were saved though much spoyled this was on the first day of the 7th Moneth wherefore at a Lecture at Natik on the 10th of the same Moneth I informed them of the plentifull supply which the Lord had made your selves his instruments to send unto them for the

furtherance of this our worke and also how the Lord had frowned upon it and undoubtedly it was a fruit of sinne and therefore the Lord called them to repentance and make peace with God besides wee were beginning a great worke of civill Cohabitation and Governement and they wanted wisdome to carry on such a worke and the Lord had promised if any want wisdome aske it of God who gives liberally citing that of James which I had formerly preached on Moreover wee were in preparation for a Church-state and that was a great matter to seeke the Lord in and lastly they having chosen Rulers and intending to enter into a Covenant to promise unto God to be his people and to be ruled in all things by his Word Gods appointment is that such a Covenant should be entred into in a solemne day of fasting and prayer and all these causes concurred to put us on unto that worke Now though wee never yet had kept such a day unto the Lord yet I had instructed them therein for in the Spring wee had a generall day of humiliation in all the Churches and thereupon they moved this question Why the English often fasted and prayed and I never yet taught them so to doe to which I did answer by that of Christ unto the Disciples but told them that when wee set upon the great vvorkes of God to be his people governed by his Word and to gather a Church then they should be called of God unto it c. and now it came to passe my motion they deliberated on with some conference as their manner is and finally did consent unto it then I told them it was needfull they should pray and teach that day sundry of them and wee agreed that all such as vvere called to be Rulers should exercise that day or so many as wee had time for their exercise Before that day came even then when it was appointed Cutshamoquin the chiefe Sachem and therefore chosen the chiefe for hee is constant in his profession though doubtfull in respect of the throughnesse of his heart was in the Countrey neere Narragan set about appeasing some strife among some Sachems In which Journey some of those bad Indians and Cutshamoquin with them did buy much strong Water at Gortons Plantation and had a great drinking from which the wiser sort did withdraw themselves but Cutshamoquin was in it though not unto drunkennesse yet his Act was scandalous Before vvee solemnly appeared before God and made the above-written Covenant I advised with Mr Cotton about it and his Counsaile was to add these words in the beginning Wee are the sonnes of Adam wee and our forefathers have a long time been lost in our sinnes but now the mercy of the Lord beginneth to finde us out againe therefore the grace of Christ helping us wee doe give our selves and our Children c. When the day came this Act of Cutshamoquin being broken out wee suffered not him to teach onely he began the day with confession of his sinne and made a short prayer wherein he confessed Satan acted in his heart begged pardon and that the Spirit of God might dwell in him and act in him for time to come and so ended Then another of them began with prayer and for his Text tooke that in the 7th of Luke 36. to the end though they doe not know the Booke Chapter or Verse but distinguish my Lectures by the first materiall word in it Christ being invited by Symon the Pharisee the Woman washt his feete with her teares c. At vvhich Symon stumbling Christ spake the parable of the two Debtors both freely forgiven with the application all which he repeated pretty well and after his teaching he prayed againe and ended The second tooke for his Text the Lords Prayer because it is said he a day of prayer The third tooke for his Text the 7th of Matthew 19. to the end Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is cut downe c. And upon that parable of the two Builders on the rocke the first the other on the sand c. By this time the day was well up then I taught out of the 9th of Ezra 3. 9. where I described a day of fasting and the right carriage of it yet by the parable of a Nut I shewed that outward acts are as the shell which is necessary but a broken and believing heart is the kernell and so ended the forepart of the day After a little respite in which time a Question came to mee if it were lawfull to take a pipe of Tobacco we met againe the first took his Text Joh. 3. 16. 22. and his Preface was I reade or rehearse this and let every one reade it in his owne heart The second took his Text Matth. 13. 24. to 31. from the parable of him that sowed good seed and the enemie came and while they slept sowed tares c. The third took his Text Luke 3d. 4 5 6. ver. Prepare yee the way of the Lord make his paths straight c. By this time night drew on then I took for my Text Deut. 29. and the 1. to 16. where Israel entred into Covenant with the Lord and finally our Covenant in the forerecited words I expressed and they joyntly consented unto first the Rulers then all the people then was the Collections for the poore and by dark night wee finished our worke Thus have I briefly described that blessed day wherein these poore soules solemnely became the people of the Lord this was on the 24th day of the 7th Moneth 1651. Upon the 8th of the Oct. Moneth which was our next Lecture for it is in that place but once in a fortnight I houlding a Lecture each other weeke still at any other place it pleased our Governour with many others attending him to visit our poore workes and day of small things where they viewed our house our Fort our Bridge advised about a place for a Mill c. At the season they came unto our Lecture and observed the carriage and behaviour of things and men among other things one of our Indians did as we are wont exercise which they tooke so much notice of and were so farre affected with as that it pleased the Governour to advice me to write the substance of that which he spake which is as followeth his Text was Matth. 13. 44 45 46. Againe the Kingdome of heaven is like vnto treasure hid in a feild the which when a man hath found he hideth and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath and buyeth the feild 45. Againe the Kingdome of heaven is like unto a Marchant-man seeking goodly pearles 46. Who when he had found one pearle of great price he went and sould all that he had and bought it The substance of these words he did twice rehearse then for instruction he first propounded what is this treasure which is hid in a feild he answered it is Repentance for