Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	evil_a	good_a	reason_n	2,746	5	5.3703	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97221	Mans fury subservient to Gods glory. A sermon preached to the Parliament at Margarets Westminster Febr. 20. 1656. it being a day of publick thanksgiving. With the addition of an applicatory discourse about the mutuall animosities of Christians, which was omitted for want of time when the sermon was delivered. By John Warren, M.A. minister of the gospel at Hatfield Broad-oak in Essex.	Warren, John, minister of Hatfield Broad Oak, Essex.; England and Wales. Parliament.	1657 (1657)	Wing W974; Thomason E916_7; ESTC R207491	21,447	40

reall subjection of the soul to the Authority and power of Godlinesse and this I propound as a good way to safety among men Follow peace with all men and holinesse Heb. 12.14 Though Holinesse will make men angry with you yet which may seem a Paradox it is the way to overtake peace Meanes 2 Secondly Be Harmlesse to all men It is the Apostles exhortation Phil. 2.15 Be harmlesse as the sons of God in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation Indeed the word is Hornlesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be not like Beasts that push and gore their fellows when they have got them in a corner Do violence to no man though you have the sword in your hands Be not oppressive be not injurious to the worst of men when it is in the power of your hand to do them hurt David sayes of his enemies They came about him like bees Psal 118.12 A man may passe through a great swarm of Bees if he goes calmly and quietly along but if he beats and laies about him he is like to have many stings in his skin quickly A man may walk much more safely among adversaries if he walks quietly and harmlesly among them but if he be rough and violent he shall find them as angry as Bees as we use to say David overcame Saul at last by sparing him when he had him in his power and disarmed him by sending him his spear again Meanes 3 Thirdly Be Kind to all not onely to the good but to the evil that you may be like your father which is in heaven We have a brave invitation to this duty Rom. 12.18 19 20. If it be possible as much as in you lieth live peaceably with all men Dearly beloved avenge not your selves c. If thine enemy hunger feed him if he thirst give him drink for in o doing thou shalt heap coles of fire on his head that is melt him if he be ingenuous or else burn him at the last Christians you never had and if you should live these hundred years for ought I know are never like to have a better opportunity to put this duty in practise then now Many of you are full of the goods of this world and many of your enemies are hungry feed them they want rayment clothe them they are reduced to extreme necessity relieve them You will say we have little encouragement to this we see their malice is invincible This is but a poor objection put on courage and charge them with love again be not overcome with evil but overcome evil with good I am speaking to you now as in the capacity of Christians onely not of Magistrates But say some in so doing we may be thought to flatter enemies and to dislike our former heartinesse in a good cause against them I answer You have wayes enough before you to manifest your constancy and fidelity to your principles if you will but if any man will refuse to act in good and just designes for his friends such a one may thank himself if he he suspected and misinterpreted in his charity to his enemies Truly it is a very bad nature which may not be overcome by kindnesse I believe the Devil as bad as men are has a pretty hard taske of it to move them to violence against those godly men that have used them kindly in their need Meanes 4 Fourthly Behave your selves wisely towards them that are without Coloss 4.5 The Apostle propounds this as a way to redeem the time that is to redeem it from the evil of it and make it better A wise carriage among men serves to make the worst of times much better to the godly then otherwise they would be David makes very good shift to live quietly by behaving himself wisely 1 Sam. 18.5 Yea he made Saul though his mortall enemy afraid of him because he behaved himselfe wisely ver 15. When our Saviour sent out his Disciples as Sheep among Wolves he bid them Be wise as Serpents and innocent as Doves I have spoke of the latter already Doubtlesse Christians by their froward rude and unstudied carriage towards wicked men do many times make them much more their enemies then otherwise they would be Meanes 5 Lastly Follow God with earnest prayer for protection This is of excellent use even when other means fail David complaines of his Enemies Psal 109.4 For my love they are my adversaries What should a man doe next in such a case If Love and Kindnesse will not overcome an Adversary what will But if it procures a man enemies or makes them more his enemies what can he doe then I le tell you sayes David what course I take I give my selfe to prayer The Hebrew is short and sweet I to prayer That was my fefuge presently when other helps failed and proved inefficacious Were the spirit of Prayer in as much vigour among us now as it was some yeares agoe we might confidently expect it would as powerfully keep our adversaries down now as it brought them down then These and such like may be good meanes to keep the fire of mans wrath from breaking out into a slame upon us but yet if it should get an egresse as I confesse its very like it will ere long Christians be not discouraged let not your hearts be troubled There are indeed very threatning clouds gathered over our heads and there is much danger unlesse we could accord better in the means of prevention that our Cities and Townes must feel the fire again shortly our Streets be washt with blood our Fields made fat with the bodies of the slain and our selves and those that are dearest to us be made the subjects of such cruelties as were lately acted upon the poore English in Ireland and the Protestants in Piedmont But I should draw too many black lines upon the face of this dayes Solemnities if I should more fully speak my apprehension of the state of things God grant us many more Thanksgiving daies But yet Christians be not terrified at the wrath of man be it never so hot it is and shall be so managed by the power of God that in all its issues and results it shall contribute to and promote his praise Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee This is the second thing propounded to your consideration in the Text and I confesse the principall Doctrine of it but I must handle it very briefly having exceeded in the former Doctr 2 The wrath of wicked men against the people of God is very tributary to his praise I shall first prove it by some instances in which the wrath of man against the godly turns eminently to the glory of God and then conclude in a word or two of Application First It puts them upon many subtil Devices and cunning Stratagems in frustrating of which the wisdome of God and his care of his Church is very much illustrated Hamans anger made him tenter his wit and policy to contrive that wicked plot

MANS FURY SUBSERVIENT TO GODS GLORY A SERMON preached to the Parliament at Margarets Westminster Febr. 20. 1656. it being a day of publick Thanksgiving WITH The Addition of an Applicatory Discourse about the Mutuall Animosities of Christians which was omitted for want of time when the Sermon was delivered By JOHN WARREN M. A. Minister of the Gospel at Hatfield Broad-oak in Essex LONDON Printed by J.G. for Nathanael Webb and William Grantham at the black Bear in Paul's Church-yard near the little North door 1657. CELSISSIMO HONORATISSIMOque SENATUI TOTIUS ANGLIAE SCOTIAE ET HIBERNIAE IN PUBLICIS CONCILIIS REPRAESENTATIVO CONCIONEM HANC QUALEM QUALEM NUPER APUD EUNDEM HABITAM IN HUMILLIMAE OBSERVANTIAE ET OFFICII MONUMENTUM D.D.D. Servorum Christi Minimus JOHANNES VVARREN A SERMON Preached before the PARLIAMENT FEBRUARY 20. It being a Day of THANKSGIVING PSAL. 76.10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee the remainder of wrath wilt thou restrain THe Psalm is for the day Eucharisticall a Psalm of Praise and hath as many learned men conceive a Propheticall Respect to the great Deliverance of Ierusalem from the Assyrian Army and the miraculous Destruction of that Adversary by the hand of an Angel of which we read 2 King 19.35 Indeed some passages in the Psalm seem to look a little that way Non est ut pro certâ aliquâ historiâ assignandâ ad quam hic psalmus respiciat anxiè laboremus Muscul and the Septuagint have added to the title these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Song against the Assyyrian which 't is like hath carried some Interpreters But whether the Psalm were calculated purposely for that point in the circle of Providence or no a question in which I labour not it may serve indifferently for the use and comfort of the people of God in all ages upon all rejoicing occasions especially such as respect their preservation against their enemies In the Psalm we have Ecclesiae omnium aetatum psalmus est intelligendus Moller 1. Materialls of Gods Praise propounded in the 10. first verses 2. An Exhortation to it subjoyned ver 11. The Matter of praise here gathered up may be reduced to two Heads 1. Gods gracious Presence and Manifestation of himself in his Church v. 1 2. 2. His eminent Appearance for them against their Adversaries v. 3 to 11. In the Latter he is celebrated under a double habitude 1. Of a Mighty Champion discomfiting the Enemies v. 3 4. to 8. 2. Of a Supreme Judge deciding the Quarrel between them his people v. 8 9 10. And in his Judgement observe 1. The publicknesse of it It was heard from Heaven 2. The Majesty of it It imprest fear and silence on the earth v. 8. 3. The Effect of it The salvation of the Meek on earth v. 9. So the people of God are often called in Scripture O that the Character were more agreeing to us in these dayes 4. The End and Design of it exprest in the manner of an Epiphonema a Rhetoricall closure to the rest in the words which I have chosen Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee c. Though the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be usually causall Explication yet is it many times and especially in the beginning of a Sentence apertive onely and little more then expletive as Prov. 30.2 and so our Translatours with others render it here Certè furor hominis Surely the wrath of man c. But if we read it Quoniam as Hierom and many others do and so run the sense of the former part of the verse into the latter it may seem very convenient thus Because the wrath of man shall praise thee thou wilt restrain the remainder or excesses of it and so it makes the praise of God the finall cause of his restraint upon the wrath of man However the import of the words is the same both wayes The wrath of man is not so well understood in a passive sense according to the Chaldee for the wrath of God upon Man as in the Active signification Vide Musculum in locum as it notes wrath subjected in man and so the word Man is to be limited or extended rather to wicked men in their wrath against the godly and so the word Man and Men is often used as Mat. 10. Beware of men i. e. of Wicked men And Psal 9.19 Let not man prevail i. e. Evil men c. Shall praise thee It is a Tropical Expression in which the Production of the Effect is imputed to that which doth but administer some kind of cause or occasion to it Verbum quod actum ceu effectum denotat de occasione ejus aliquando intelligendum est Glassius So Judas is said to purchase a Field Acts 1.18 because he provided the Money And Zedekiah is said to burn Jerusalem Jer. 38.23 Dignitatem tuam illustrabit hominum injuria Cic. ad Lentul see the Margin because as our Translation has it in the line he occasioned it to be burnt So the wrath of Man shall praise God That is it shall afford matter for his praise and occasion men to praise him The remainder of wrath may be taken for the people of God that out-live the wrath of men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Joel 1.4 The remainder of the Palmer worm signifies that which the Palmer worm hath left so Iunius and others understand by the remainder of wrath the godly that escape the wrath of wicked men But our English Bible goes the plainer way taking The remainder of wrath for those excessive Eruptions of it which might redound to the dishonour of God or which are more then he will use to his praise The remainder of wrath wilt thou restrain Maldonat c. Pontif. Restrain The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to Gird and is here used for a coercive girding such as that of Peter when he stretched out his hands another girded him Joh. 21.18 i. e. bound him as a prisoner or tied him to the Cross as some will needs have it Yet they that take it for a corroborative girding and refer it to the godly whom the wrath of enemies leaves undestroyed as Junius and others do in the result resolve the words into the same sense viz. That the wrath of man shall by the over-ruling hand of God be made to conduce to his praise and that it may do so and not proceed to his dishonour he will restrain it from excesses and confirm his people against it So much for Explication In the words thus expounded note 1. The Evil Affection of men to the people of God They are angry with them The wrath of man 2. The good Event of that Evil. It shall praise God 3. Gods Restraint upon it to that end The remainder of wrath thou wilt restrain Of the first of these The evil affection of men to the godly And it gives us ground for this Doctrinall

Observation Doctrine That there is much fervent anger in the hearts of men against the people of God That I may give an account of the sense of this Doctrine and its deduction from the Text I must speak briefly 1. Of the Subject of this Anger Man And then 2. Of the Affection it self as inherent in that Subject 1. For the Subject of Anger It is Man the heart of man is its Receptacle there it lives and dwells and so it s called in the Text The wrath of Man which words are spoken First Insultingly as some understand implying an Encouragement to the Godly in that they are but Men that are angry with them It is not the wrath of Almighty God but of poor weakly Man Appellatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quòd omnibus diebus vitae suae doleat as David prayes God to let the Enemies themselves know that they are but Men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 poor sorry man as the word signifies Psal 9.20 Secondly The word Man is spoken collectively for Mankind and so it implyes the vast number of them that are angry with the people of God even the whole body of Mankind For though the godly themselves are some part of Mankind yet they are so few that the species is in a manner entire without them As our Saviour tells his Disciples Joh. 15.18 That the world will hate them Themselves were some part of the World but alas their number was so small that it made no considerable substraction from the totall of the world and therefore the world is spoken of as whole without them and wholly against them according to that of Mat. 10.22 Ye shall be hated of all men for my names sake That is almost all men there will scarce any be found that will not hate you What is the Sea the lesse if you take out a few Hogsheads of water Nothing to speak of The Vintage is counted whole though some gleanings of Grapes be left behind So the wrath of man against the godly is the wrath of the generality almost the universality of men Thirdly The word Man is spoken Patronymically In Hebrew 't is the wrath of Adam for the Children of Adam the untransplanted Branches of that old Stock Unregenerate men are meer Adamites and so metonymically Adam as Israelites are called Israel Look how Believers ingrafted into Christ are called Christ 1 Cor. 12.12 so unbelievers and wicked men are fitly called Adam as those that abide in him as fallen in his spirit and in his condition And thus the Doctrine proceeds concerning the multitude of unregenerate and wicked men that there is much fervent Anger in their hearts against the people of God Yet 't is here to be noted Note that all wicked men do not at all times nor all in a like manner and degree exert their anger against the Godly though they all have it in them Even the unregenerate Father against the godly Son and the unbelieving Son against the godly Father Mat. 10.35 So much of the Subject the hearts of men 2. Ignescunt irae duris dolor ossibus ardet The Affection inherent in this Subject is Much fervent Anger All Anger is hot it 's a soul-enflaming passion The Egyptian Hieroglyphick for Anger is an heart upon a gridiron with burning coles under it Anger is hot but the Anger here spoken of is of the hottest kind The word in the Hebrew text signifies properly Heat and sometimes the Sun for its burning heat It notes that Anger which the Greeks call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it heats and burns the heart Junius translates it Aestus Plat and others furor hominis The heat and rage of man So it is very fervent And there is also very much of it in the heart of man In the latter part of the Text the word is in the plurall number the remainder of wraths 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There are heats and treasures of Wraths in the hearts of wicked men against the godly A stock of wrath that can never be spent up they are alwayes angry and alwayes ready to be more angry at them And so much is also implyed in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which elsewhere notes abundance Malac. 2.15 Thus you see there is much hot and fiery anger in the hearts of wicked men against the godly No wonder though they trade in Fire-works Sulphureous engines when they have so much fire burning in their bosomes Thus much for the sense of the Doctrine and to shew you how 't is seated in the text For further confirmation of this point Proof see Psal 124.1 2 3. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side now may Israel say If it had not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us then they had swallowed us up quick when their wrath was kindled against us The Church complains of the fury of enemies that it was so hot and fierce that if he that took their part had been any thing lesse then God they had been utterly swallowed up and devoured But when was this perhaps at some one time when they were more then ordinarily provoked Nay many a time saies the Church Psal 129.1 2. many a time have they afflicted me and that from my youth up Ab ipsis Ecclesiae Natalitiis Ever since God had a Church upon Earth wicked men have had a fire of Anger in their bosomes ever and anon flaming out against it For thy sake we are slain all the day long was the Churches complaint in David's time Psal 44.22 and Paul applyes it to his dayes Rom. 8.36 Now there are two principall causes of this Anger in which we have the reason of the Doctrine I shall but briefly touch them 1. The malignity of Mans Nature This is the Internall and Materiall Cause of all the Wrath which wicked men conceive against the Godly the very fuell whereon this fire feeds and is maintained And therefore is wrath justy reckoned up among the rest of the fruits of the flesh in the Apostles Inventory Gal. 5.20 2. The Malice of Satan first against God and then against his people makes him an industrious Agent in kindling and blowing up the coles of this fire in the hearts of wicked men As James sayes of the tongue we may say of the heart of man that in its anger against the godly It is set on fire of hell Poets talk of fire stollen out of Heaven but this fire is brought from Hell and like the Vestal fire alwayes kept alive by the vigilancy of the evil one Satan has an old grudge against God ever since the day when he fettered him in chains of darknesse and doth what he can against him and his Gestit retalia● in populo Dei iram Dei sibi irrogatam Cocce jus in Nahum by himself and his Instruments by way of revenge whence as some think