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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	evil_a	good_a	great_a	3,686	5	2.7944	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92843	Englands condition parralelld with Iacobs for [brace] troubles. Salvations. Hopes. Laid open in two sermons, lately preached at Marlborough in Wilts. By Iohn Sedgwick, Batchelour in Divinity and Pastor of the Church at Alphage neere Cripplegate, London.	Sedgwick, John, 1600 or 1601-1643.	1642 (1642)	Wing S2360; Thomason E115_23; ESTC R18288	48,093	63

looke for good from God notwithstanding all the evills I feele and suffer Object Object But happily you will object and say Sir have godly men alwaies a doore of hope in distressed times Remember whose speech was that My hope and strength is perished from the Lam. 3. 18. Lord and againe Our bones are dryed and our hope is lost wee Ezek. 37. 11. are cut off from our parts Answ Sol. I have considered of these Scriptures which speak out the Saints infirmities they do not say that they had no doore of hope but they shew the weaknesse of their faith to apprehend the same the Well of water was nigh to Hagar yet untill her eyes were opened she could not see it the question is not how clearly Christians doe see the doore of hope or how strongly they are able to raise up their expectations but whether they have not a ground for to hope for good in evill times wicked men can neither actually nor habitually hope for they have no ground the godly have a constant ground and cause for hoping and when they cannot actually yet they can habitually hope Vse 2 Secondly this may raise up our hearts this day unto much Vse 2. comfort and confidence it is true that we have a doore of great misery standing very open before us there is a threatning and a trembling doore setting up in the Land it may bee such a door which may enter us into a bloody and civill War the very beholding whereof may strike us with sadnesse Let me now tell you for your comfort Grounds of comfort 1. That there neither is or shall be set up within this Land any doore which shall enter us into misery but such as the good Lord whom we love and feare and serve shall permit and suffer God must suffer all our sufferings it is not all the power plots and projects of our revolted Nobles and Malignant party that can set up a doore of misery at their pleasure God who hath the hearts and the preparations thereof in his owne hands hath the hands of them all in his hands even to check controll and turne them at his own will 2. That if ever God suffer men to set up a foredoore of misery he will bestow upon his a backdoore of hope God is as able as willing to set up doores of hope for his Doores of hope 3. That God hath given to us this day many doores of hope I shall name these unto you The doore of the promises 1. The full and precious promises of mercy and succour abundant is God in his undertakings to relieve distressed Christians And what are all those engagements of God for good unto his but the letting fall of some hints of mercy before the soule to raise up hope had we no promises we could have no doore of hope Remember saith David thy word unto thy servant Psal 119. 49. upon which thou hast caused me to hope Object But we have no particular promise of deliverance and therefore how can wee make the promises a doore of hope Sol. It is the promises of God in generall that are the doore of hope so that if we can finde our particular condition in them we may expect mercy and deliverance The doore of experiences 2. Experiences of former times this was Davids and Pauls 1 Sam. 17. 36. 37. 2 Cor. 1. 10. doore of hope and we should make it our doore of hope what God hath done at one time he can also doe at another time nay he puts out himselfe at one time that future Ages may make him their hope at all times Could we looke into dayes of old and recall the yeares of the right hand of the most high and see what God hath done for miserable Churches and distressed Christians before us nay could we but live upon our owne particular experiences of the many passages of God among us I thinke we should have as wide a doore of hope as ever any people had The doore of prayer 3. Enlargement of spirit God hath poured out the spirit of prayer upon the people of the Land some nay many thousands there are who come to the Throne of Grace and doe mightily and daily wrastle with God for a blessing upon England and this is a strong doore of hope it is that which keepes heaven doores open we usually say that when the Cock begins to crow thick then the day is nearest breaking and this is my hope that England shall not miscarry because she hath such a p●aying people in it goe into all the corners of the I and and you shall finde many Jacobs many Daniels and many Nehemiahs who doe exercise themselves in praying surely a childe of so many prayers cannot perish The humbling daydoore 4. Frequency of humiliations God hath set up in England by authority twelve solemne humbling dayes in a yeare which is such a mercy that England never enjoyed and these dayes are in many places solemnly kept in these dayes multitudes meete together even whole Armies of Christians beset God the considerable part of the Land doe weep and mourne humbling themselves for their sins before the Lord and seeking mercy and pardon for the Kingdome The doore of utterance The erection of further and greater meanes of light and knowledge the doore is set open for painfull and conscientious preachers in such parishes and places in the Kingdome that for many yeares past never enioyed the soule-saving Ministry the spirituall food in many places is doubled and trebled an excellent evidence of much good to this poore Island The doore of ac●●p●ation 6. The acceptation of sacrifices and services God hath had respect to the prayers and humblings of his people there hath scarce been a day of solemn meeting which God hath not crowned with some seasonable and answerable returne which is another doore of hope when Manoah was afraid thought that he should die because that he had seen God his wife doth comfort him saying If the Lord were pleased to kill us he would Judg. ●3 23. not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands neither would he have shewed us all these things neither would hee have told us such things as these q. d. Man what talkest thou of dying so long as God is accepting The doore of Reformation 7. The foundations that are laid for a glorious Reformation God hath raised up glorious workmen who have carried out much of the old rubbish cleared in gre●t measure the foundation and brought in place many good materials tending to the beautifying of the Church I dare say that is laid in which all hellish opposition shall never be able to overthrow The doore of the Parliament 8. The zeale and courage of the worthies assembled in Parliament they are men so raised up in their spirits and so united among themselves that no threates or discouragements can

since there began to be a Nation unto that same time 2. The strength of these grounds if any man will bee satisfied in the causes of the Churches troubleous times they are these Reason 1 First Meritoriously troublous times doe spring from the 4. Causes of the Churches troublous times sinnes of the Churches of God as the needle drawes on the threed so our sinfull dayes being upon us our miserable dayes there is nothing which doth enter men into sorrowes more than their sins sin is the mother and trouble the daughter there had never been a bad day or sad houre upon earth had not man sinned this is the Achan that troubleth Israel when Israel sinned then Psalm ●8 32 33 God consumed their dayes in trouble and brought them down Ahab meeting Elijah calls him the troubler of Israel the Prophet deales plainely and roundly with the King and tells him to his face that it was he and his Fathers house in forsaking the commandements 1 Kings 18. 18. of the Lord and following Baalim that troubled Israel Hence is it that God saith Make a Chaine for the Land is full of bloudy crimes the City is full of violence wherefore I will bring the worst of the heathen and they shall possesse their houses I Ezek. 7. 23. 24 25 26 27. will also make the pomp of the strong to cease and their holy places shall be desiled destruction commeth and they shall seeke peace and there shall be none mischiefe shall come upon mischiefe and rumor shall bee upon rumour the King shall mourne and the Prince shall be clothed with desolation and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled I will doe unto them after their way and according to their deserts will I judge them reason 2 Secondly furtheringly troublous times do flow from the Malignant Party Satan and his angels Satan himselfe is full of rage and malice against the Church the glory thereof is his envie and therefore he doth put out himselfe in the power of the Dragon and in the policie of the Serpent to create what trouble hee can to the same hee is the great kindle Coale hee it was that stood at the right hand of Josuah the High Priest standing Zech. 3. 1. before the Angell of the Lord to resist him he it was that stood Rev. 12. 4. before the woman which was ready to bee delivered for to devoure the Child as soone as it was borne and hee is that Serp●nt ver 15. which cast out of his mouth wter as a floud after the woman that hee might cause her to be carried away of the floud when Satan is let loose and hath his houre he will set the whole world into combustion Nay wee have another Malignant party who are Rev. 2. ●● the spirit and spawne of Satan men of prophane hearts and lives who doe act over the Devill and worke that businesse for him which hee cannot worke for himselfe I am sure where grace is wanting and prophannesse raigning there the spirit of spite and misery of disturbance is to bee found men desperately set on sin have imbitterd spirits against the quiet of the Church yea such an enmity is there betweene the two seeds that wicked men are alwayes bending their wits laying their plots and putting out themselves to disturbe the quiet in the land these are so set on sire of hell that they decline peace and delight in bloud and Warre Ishmael like they must have their hands against every man and Salamander like they love to live and lie in the fire Whence did all the tumults and uproares in Thessalonica arise Acts 17. 5 6. did not the unbeleeving Jewes who were moved with envie take unto them lewd fellowes of the baser sort a company of vagabonds and wicked fellowes These are fit instruments to trouble a Church and State and Kingdome I have observed that there are sixe things in wicked men making them troublous to Gods people 1. Their ignorance of the wayes and Religion of God These ● Things make wicked men to betroubl us Ioh. 1● ●● things will they doe unto you for my names sake because they have not knowne him that sent mee And again They shall put you out of the Synagogues yea the time commeth that whosoever killeth you will thinke that hee doth God service and these things will they doe ●● 16. 2 unto you because they have not knowne the Father nor me Your blackest clouds and darkest nights do foretell the greatest storms and wh●re ignorance and blindnesse doth most possesse the mind there is your grea●est opposition against God and his cause Paul was then a persecutor when hee was under ignorance 1 Tim. 1. 13. 2. Their Pride of spirit a spirit of pride is a spirit of contention a proud heart will set Kingdomes on sire if Haman cannot get the knee from Mord●c●i he wil devise a bloudy decree against the Iewes if Herod and Domitian feare the loosing of their Crowns and Honours they will command that all those who are of the stocke of David in Iwry bee slaine and if proud and accursed Prelates bee put off their Cushions and cast out from honours what mischiefes will they not further They will sell themselves to their shirts to recover their places through pride commeth contention 3. Their exceeding Covetousnesse of heart filthy luker and horrid cruelty are seldome disjoyned when Demetrius and the crafts men saw that the hope of their gaine was gone now they stirre against Paul and Sylas and raise a mighty storme in Maccdonia Acts 16. 19 20 21 c. can you imagine that those covetous wretches whose godlinesse is their gaine are idle at this day and doe not blow the Coale Certainely Covetousnesse which is the Roote of all evill must bee the cause of much trouble 4. Their envious spirits it was the spirit of envie in Caine 1 Iohn ● 12. which made him to murther his brother Abel and the Caldeans and Courtiers envying the advancement of Daniel and his fellowes above themselves devised a meanes to destroy them Dan 3. 8 6 3 4. 5. Their pronenesse unto Idolatry heate is not more inseperable to sire then cruelty is unto idolatry the love of Idols in all ages hath beene the Churches trou●le what stickling was there at Acts 19. 28. 34. Ephesus for Diana and we know that Iezabels Idols disturbed the kingdome of Israel 6. Their contentednesse with formality in Religion when men must have Religion in mans dresse and are taken up more with formes of godlinesse then the power of it this makes the times to be troublous and perillous 2 Tim. 3. 1 4 5. Out of all this you see that troublous times are from wicked men who never cease from troubling untill they dye these are Iob 3. ●7 the earewigs and the biting Fleas still troubling the state of Gods people Reason 3 Thirdly inflictingly the Churches troublous times arise from

that the Israelites under Pharaohs bondage cried to God and plyed him with prayers now this very practise of theirs did not a little further their deliverance from Pharaoh I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my Exo. 2 23 24 25 Psalme 34. 4. 6. feares againe this poore man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles 3. That Gods Churches and people must be revived and restored and sweetly refreshed after their stormes and sufferings thou which hast shewed me sore and great troubles shalt quicken me againe and shalt bring mee up again from the depths of the Earth Psalme 7. 20. Againe I have seene his wayes and will heale him I will lead him Esay 57. 18. also and restore comforts unto him and his mourners one more I Ierem. 30. 17. will restore health unto thee and I will heale thee of thy wounds saith the Lord because they called thee an out-cast saying this is Zion whom Esay 57. 16. no man seeketh after how could this befall them if that they were not saved out of their miseries if they were still held under their spirit would faint and faile within them 4. That the Church of God must have the free and comfortable 〈…〉 use of Ordinances when they were in a strange Land they 〈…〉 could not sing the Lords Song the very sacrifices of the Israelites were the abomination of the Aegyptians 5. That Songs of praises for deliverance must be found in the mouths of Gods people according to that saying of David Thou 〈…〉 art my hiding place thou shalt preserve me from trouble thou shalt compasse me about with Songs of deliverance Sclah which could never bee unlesse they received salvation from the Lord. Vse 1 In the first place we may take notice of the singular priviledge of the Church of God that hath the priviledge of deliverance and salvation Ob. 1 But you will say wicked men partake of deliverance out of dangers 〈◊〉 1. as well as the godly and how then doe you make the Churches deliverance such a priviledge I answer that wicked men are many times kept from and Sol. 〈…〉 delivered out of dangers but yet they have not the deliverance of the Church For 1. They are delivered as creatures not as Children 2. They are delivered by common providence not by any speciall promise made to them or applyed by them 3. Their deliverance is so farre from being a blessing that it is turned into a curse unto them it were farre better for them to lie in Chaines and to die under misery then to bee delivered for by their deliverance they take an occasion to be more free and forward to commit ungodlinesse it is to them a very snare and doth mightily enthrall them into the hands of Satan 4. Their deliverance is not out of any love or respect which God doth beare unto their persons but under deliverances they are hated and abhorred of God 5. They have onely an outward deliverance for in the meane time they want all spirituall deliverance and shall never enjoy an eternall deliverance though they escape from Babylon they shall never escape hell whereas the Church is delivered by the Covenant yea and all their temporall deliverances were but types unto them of their spirituall and eternall deliverances Ob. 2 But you will say that the Church is not alwayes delivered maby a Church doth lie and die under miseries To this I answer 1. Sometimes the Churches may have deliverance and will Sol. Hebrewes 11. 35 not accept thereof it is written that they would not bee delivered because they looked for a better resurrection 2. That though the Church in its parts and members have not alwayes deliverance yet in the whole it is saved and delivered an Army may bee said to escape though many Souldiers which made up the body thereof are slaine wee may not imagine that when God maketh this promise of deliverance unto Iacob that none of the Iewes died or perished in their Captivity Iacob in the general was saved out of it though not every particular Israelite 3. That though God doth many times deny actuall deliverance from troubles unto his yet he doth equall and exceed that deliverance in giving them delivery from sinnes power which is a greater mercy then a thousand outward deliverances or in giving them strength and grace to endure death and thereby translating them unto heavenly glory But Israel shall be saved in the Lord Esay 45. 17. with an everlasting salvation Vse 2 Secondly That it is the safest and wisest course to be with the Church of God and to joyne and side therewith God is now putting us to it and we must shortly shew our selves to be of one side or other wee cannot long bee neuters what now is to bee dene shal we desert the Church and its cause out of slavish feares if so we are undone for without the Church there is no salvation Extra 〈…〉 〈…〉 as Paul said in another case except these abide in the Ship yee cannot be saved the same say I to you if that you desert and disclaime the Church yee cannot bee saved deliverance goeth along with Iacob the Churches side is the strongest side and the surest side because its cause is the best cause O my brethren what meane you to meditate a flight and now to turne polititians even a people so shie and subtill in your Religion as if that your policy not your piety should secure you I conceive that Church leavers and Church forsakers are in the greatest dangers it s not your disclaiming from the Saints that wil save either your estates or lives I have read a story how that when the Papists in England were complotting with the Spaniard abroad to bring in their cried up Armado the time drawing nigh for their comming over the English Catholikes sent over to the grand contrivers of that designe to know what course they had taken for their safety unto whom this answer was made we know you to be Catholike but we feare your goods wil be Lutherans no further security can we Vos catholici 〈◊〉 vestra Lutherani undertake for it is no security to men either to be of no Religion or to be of a false religion if you will be safe be of the true religion be with such who have the promise with them I know that every man wisheth his own and his families safety in these times now our safety is by cleaving to the Parliament not by joyning with the Cavaliers the former are men of piety fidelity gravitie goodnesse and loyalty the latter a base swearing whoring stealing and murderous company who stinke in all places where they come being the abominations and burdens of all the Northerne parts can you imagine that the safety of you and your posterities is bound up any where then within the walls of the Parliament Loose this Parliament