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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	great_a	think_v	4,338	5	3.9369	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39599	The trovblers trovbled, or, Achan condemned and execvted. a sermon preached before sundry of the honourable House of Commons at Westminster, April 4, 1641. / By Samuel Fairecloth, pastor of the congregation of Ketton in Suffolke.	Faireclough, Samuel, 1594-1677.	1641 (1641)	Wing F109; ESTC R430	34,697	60

c. This lesson God taught Joshua verse the 12. and this lesson Joshua hath taught us in the words of the text in calling Achan the troubler of Israel Applic First if God and Joshua say that Achans offending in these things are troublers of the Common-wealth how strongly is our great master Aristot'e and his Schollers confuted that defend that wicked men may be good Common-wealths men an Achan be a Joshua a troubler a saviour of it I confesse if by good they understand good accidentally such good as God and the State in which they live may make good use of I deny it not in that sense so may God and his people make good use of Plague Famine or the Sword yet are they not formally good but destructive to the Common-wealth even so all offenders in the accursed thing are formally as great evills to the Church and Common-wealth where they live as these evills are for they cause God to send these and many more and also turne away his favour from it Could Achan have spoken as well as Turtullus had he knowne the Law as well as Moses had he kept as great a House in his Countrey and spent as much provision as Soloman did in Jerusalem yet had not the Wedge of Gold in his tent and the Babylonish Garment on his backe beene greater evills to the State then the other good things could have recompensed so though a man be a deepe Scholler an eloquent speaker skilfull in the Lawes of his Countrey a bountifull House-keeper yet himselfe an Achan a Blasphemer an enemy to the power of Religion a friend or a better to wickednes or have the accursed Wedge of Gold by oppression simony extortion or bribery in his Tent he is no good Common-wealths man but an Achan and a troubler of it Applic. 2 Secondly as it serves to confute this erroneus tenent concerning evill men so it serves for further direction to all good men especially all Joshuahs men in place and Authority whose love to their Countreys welfare have both formerly and of late laid them with Joshua upon their faces before the Lord in fasting and prayer in seeking the welfare and peace of the Church to these this position speakes as the Lord to Joshua why lie you on your faces rise and search Israel hath sinned there is an Achan him must you seeke out among your Tents if you will have your prayers prevalent for the peace of Israel upon which intelligence Joshua searches narrowly and warily for Achan First narrowly so that though but one in all the Tents of Israel and he hid yet he finds him out Secondly warily taking no other rule for discovery but the lot of God let us also therefore to our supplications joyne our narrow inquisition in searching out throughout all our Tribes and Tents of Israel to discover this execrable person that fights against our peace and welfare looke if there be never a Babylonish Garment in our Tents and Families this narrow search God enjoyneth Joshua and Israel after their Prayer and this search and information have both God and our honourable Assembly of Joshuabs required of all persons by their late order requiring and inciting us to be active in our inquisition and information wherein that our diligence and narrow search for Achans may not be fruitles nor miscarry let us observe Joshuahs rules of discovery as well as our diligence of inquirie to wit with the lot of God the direction of Gods word in our hands let him onely whom God by his word not men by their malice shall call Achans troublers of the peace of the Church be so accounted Aske Ahab who troubled Israel and he oversees all Baa's Priests in his Family and tells you it is banished Eliah that is the Achan if you aske Amaziah the high Priest of Bethell he tells you that Amos the prophet is an Achan and conspirator against the King and therefore to be banished from the Kings Chappell if you aske Haman the favorite with the Kings Seale on his hand he tells you that all the Jewes are Achans People that will not pay toll or Custome but are rebellious and refractory to all Lawes tending to the Kings Profit if you aske Tertullus the advocate and lawyer he tells you that Paul is an Achan a sectarie and mover of sedition if you inquire of the rest of the Priests Scribes and Pharises they tell you that Christ himselfe is an Achan and an enemy to Caesar his temporall jurisdiction because he desires to whip out the Buyers and Sellers in the Temple and to erect the spirituall Kingdome and Government of his Father in their consciences but if you enquire of the oracle of God it will tell you that none of these but every one of their accusers were Achans and that all these may retort upon their adversaries as Elijah to Ahab We have not troubled Israel but thou and thy Idolatry are the cursed Wedges and Babylonish Garment that have brought all disturbance upon us By this lot then expresly the Tridentine Papist the Froggs and Locusts of Rome croaking over the Land are anathema accursed things troublers of our Israel as appeares by Pauls sentence in expresse words against 1. Gal. 1. whilst he affirmes if either he or an Angell from Heaven should Preach any other doctrine then Justification by grace they were to be held an anathema and accursed things If therefore Angells from Heaven for Preaching an other doctrine are anathematized how much more the Jesuits and Seminaries from Rome that Preach cleane contrary Doctrines among us and that of purpose to trouble and overthrow our peace who have not only brought Babylonish Garments Babylonish Masses Crucifixes Images Indulgences among us but Babylonians also to ware them thereby hoping also to build up Babel it selfe at last among us And as by this light the Idolatrous Romanist is discovered to be an Achan so also by the same ground the impious prophaner of the Sabbath the blasphemous abuser of Oathes the Simoniacall patron the Sacrilegious Pluralist and unconscionable non-Residents are discovered to be Achans and troublers of Israel also which will be very manifest to every Judicious hearer that shall with Chrysostom of old and Drusius of late observe that it is onely a peremptorie universall inhibition from God and the annexing of a publicke commination nationall punishment in case any one did not obey it that made the Wedge of Gold and the Babylonish Garment the accursed things as is most evident from the 17. 18. verses of the former chap. from which grounds we conclude who ever offends in any thing so inhibited with penaltie of nationall punishment is an Achan still both which and all before spoken doe plainely declare those before named to be all Achans and troublers of the peace c. First of all doth not the impious prophanation of the Sabbath impropriate from God that which he hath ever reserved to himselfe without any redemption by appropriating it to

of Israel Thou hast troubled us The persons by this one Achan troubled are the whole congregation of the Children of Israel as is cleare from the 1 verse to the 7. of this chap. not only Achans owne Family Sons and Daughters but Ioshus and the people are troubled by it whence observe Doct. 2 That a whole nation in generall may be guilty of the sinne and punishment committed by one Achan in particular none stole but Achan none of all Israel had the Garment but Achan yet God saith verse 1. the Children of Israel committed a trespasse for Achan tooke the accursed thing and Ioshua here Why hast thou troubled us This point is so difficult to be received that Numb. 16. 22. it made Moses begin to expostulate with God upon his knees Shall one man finne and wilt thou be wrath with the whole congregation yet is it of most undoubted truth and veritie as appeares in the Scripture which shewes us that God imputed the sinne of one man in particular not onely to a whole nation present when the sinne was committed but to a future Generation living long after the offender was departed for the present witnes the whole congregation of God Ioshua 22. who collecting this very lesson that wee noted from these words adds two other instances for further confirmation of it Did not Achan the sonne of Zerah offend and that man perished not alone in his iniquity againe Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us from whence we are not cleansed unto this day though wrath came upon all the congregation and yee sinne to day and to morrow the Lord will be wroth with all the house of Israell Sutable to which is that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 5. affirming that the execrable accursed thing of incest in one of the members had infected the whole iumpe of the Church and every member of it And for the future you may see 2 Sam. 27. when Saul was long dead the Famine came upon all the congregation of Israel in Davids time and when David enquired of God wherefore the Famine was God told him it was for Saul and his bloudy house because he slew the Gibeonites yea after Josiahs time the Lord punished the people for the sinne of Manasses 2 Kings 24. 3. yea for sinne committed since they came out of Egypt 2 Kings 27. 15. Reason The reason of this truth upon which it is grounded is the large and spreading nature of sinne unto others besides those that actually commit it the Scripture demonstrater this three waies by shewing how many may be guilty of the sinne that one committs First accessarily secondly occasionally thirdly politically For the first many may be guilty of the sinne acted by one accessarily when the actor is furthered in his sinne by the consent and privity of another and that either à parte antè or à parte post First antè three waies Either by commanding it so David killed Vriah the Hittite with the Sword of the Children of Ammon 2 Sam. 12. because he commanded Joab to set him in the fore-front Secondly by counselling so the high Priests are said with cruell hands to kill the Lord of glory because they counselled the people to cry crucifie him crucifie him Actes 4. Thirdly by provoking or inticing and so Eve was in the transgression and not Adam because she incited him thereto Gen. 3. Secondly à parte post though he had no notice of it before and that First by consenting after the fact is done so Ahab is said to kill Naboth because after Iesaball had done it without his knowledge he consented by taking possession of his Estate Secondly by defending it so the Benjamites Iudges 20. are guilty and punished for the rape of Gibeah though they knew not of it before because they defended them against the execution of justice after it was committed Thirdly by conniving and that either by not reproving if wee have place to doe it so the Minister is guilty of his peoples fins Ezek. 3. If thou reprove him not his bloud will I require at thy hands or not sorrowing for it if no place of reproofe so all the Corinthians were leavened because the Apostle tels them they ought to have sorrowed and did not all these waies may a whole Nation be guilty of the sinne of one man and yet none of these waies was Israel guilty of Achans sinne The second kind of guilt is occasionall guilt which is when the actor is furthered in his sinne without our purpose privity or consent as David was guilty of the Blasphemy of Gods Enemies occasioned by his fall Thou hast given occasion saith God to the enemies of God to Blaspheme 2 Sam. 12. This occasionall guilt is either culpable or inculpable inculpable when the sinne of another riseth from that which in it selfe is both materially and formally good so God deferring of sentence against wicked ones Eccles. 8. is said to be the cause of their going on in their sinne yet inculpable because materially and formally good Secondly Culpable occasionall guilt is when another is furthered in his sinne by that wich is materially or formally evill in us which culpable guilt is either by not restraining or furthering of it occasionally First wee are guilty occasionally for not restraining sinne so Eli of his Sons sinnes 1 Sam. 3. because they runne themselves into a slander and he restrained them not and that First when wee neglect to restraine it by Authority so when the people in Nebemiahs time bore burthens on the Sabbath Nehemiah saith to the rulers What thing is this that you doe in breaking the Sabbath in bearing burthens because they restrained not the porters therefrom Secondly by neglecting of vigilancy in watching to keepe each other from it and so I conceive all Israel was guilty of Achans finne for not watching over him and restraining him from the same I know other reasons are given but this seemes to be the best grounded from the text Both because God tells them before-hand chap. 6. verse 18. that though all but one abstained yet if any one did offend he would punish them all for it Secondly the precept is not only Cavete take heed but Custodite set a watch about others which had they done it had beene impossible but some one in such a company had discovered Achan in his theevery And as a whole nation may be guilty of the sinne of one man by not restraining it so likewise by doing that which shall occasionally further it and that first by example thus Peter is guilty of the Iewes and Gentiles conformity to the abolished Ceremonies by his example and is said to constraine them Gal. 2. Secondly by giving opportunity to sinne as negligence makes theeves Iudas is said to purchase the field Acts. 1. because he threw downe the money which gave occasion to the Jewes to purchase it Thirdly by Imitation of men in their sinnes thus the Scribes and Pharisees in the 23. Matth.

the whole Kingdome in so short a time in so few moneths is so deeply layed Compare the complexion of our Kingdome Judicatures Oratories c. at this present with the countenance they have carried for many by-gone yeares and you will say more have beene done for our peace and against Achans within five moneths last past then in fifty yeares before if all see it not it is because they are blind or consider not that it is in great bodies and publique businesses of State as in the motions of the Heavens which are most speedy in their course yet not sensibly perceived but by their effects when wee discerne those Starres that were aloft overnight are under feet in the morning though wee saw not their motion yet wee conclude the speed of their course even so when wee see blazing Comets and boystering clouds scattered our darke Starre elevated when wee see Hushais counsell entertained and Achitophells rejected when wee see a Warre as furiously persecuted and bent to as great hazard to our Kingdome as Absolons was against Israel by our Joshuahs and Hushais delayed now turned to a glorious peace a Triennall Parliament concluded Achitophell hanged wee cannot choose but say as David to Abigail Blessed be the Lord that sent you and blessed be you your counsell that hath thus ●oon● made our B●achim the place of our weeping become our Beracha and turned our teares into Songs yee have made this yeare the yeare of Jubilee unto us wherein so many exiled and banished from Gods house from their owne houses and places and Kingdomes as at the death of the high Priest have returned to their owne inheritance againe and with Ezra chap. 7. 27. Blessed be the Lord which hath put such a thing as this into the Kings heart give unto the Lord you mightie give unto Lord glory due unto his name for he hath loosed the collars of Princes and made the Judges vaines blesse yee the Lord yee house of Aaron for he is now your helpe and shield yea let all the Saints be joyfull with glory to our God and fing aloud upon their beds for God hath put into their hearts both power and readinesse to execute vengeance on Achans and correction among the people to binde their great ones in chaines and their Princes in fetters of Iron to execute speedily the judgment that is written this honour have all his Saints Praise yee the Lord Secondly as it affords matter of praise to God and you for the expedition already past so also further occasion of Prayer in respect of what is behinde if expedition in execution of Achans is the will of God then let us pray God to convey his will into your wills still and make you more willing to make speed to save us and hast to helpe us suffer us to pray God to remove all blockes and impediments out of your waies and from your owne hearts and spirits that what Achan soever shall by due examination be convinced to be a troubler and disturber of the lawes of God and the Kings as in Ezra 7. 26. Judgment may be executed upon him and that speedily whether it be unto death or banishment or confiscation of goods or imprisonment suffer me in the name of God and his poore Church to pray you that if God stir up the hearts of some to be forward there may none be found that may retard or delay the same serendo moras from selfe-love favour feare or carnall reason but that still Justice against these Achans may runne downe in the straightest way and the shortest course and not in the winding bankes of unnecessary delayes Consecrate your selves to day unto the Lord and if all Achans could be hanged up Coram isto sole let none remaine untill tomorrow how ever in exercising mercy and justice betimes in cutting off all the wicked from the City of God thinke not that our prayer of expedition ariseth from distrust or suspition of your wisdome and diligence for although he that beleeveth in God himselfe doth not make hast by way of diffidence yet doth he pray God make hast to helpe us oh Lord make speed to save us out of confidence and if the God of Heaven give us leave to incite him with our arguments and quicken him by our prayers I hope I shall without offence pray this honourable House that they would quicken themselves by the consideration of these incitements following tending to speedy execution Motive 1 First from the Lord whose will it is that you make speed he as soone as ever any Achan hath sinned in offending in the execrable thing sets out his judgments and wrath after him and the Kingdome also where he dwells if Joshua's execution overtake Achan before Gods then they spare and save themselves as in the cause of the Gibeonites is evident when Davids judgment overtakes him the Lord forbeares but if not he goeth on still Oh what danger is there then in one daies delay when if our speed in execution bee not sooner then Gods we come too la●e Thinke Right Honourable in your pursuing of these Achans that the Lord is pursuing you both with his threatned wrath if you execute not vengeance on them betimes and if you delay one day thinke God that comes on Eagles Wings and is a swift witnesse against Achans will come in the day you begin to be slacke and so surprize you before them oh therefore make no delay when hast onely saves I read in the 1 Samuel 25. when Abigail heard that David was offended and comming to destroy her Familie for Nabals fault that she hasted to take two hundred Cakes to prevent David verse 18. and commanded her servants verse 19. to make more hast then her selfe could But goe yee before mee and I will follow after and when shee saw David verse 21 she hasted and lighted off her Asse and anne to meete him and fell at his feete but what need all this hast even the hast that David made to revenge himselfe on Nabal and all his Familie he would not delay nor procrastinate till the dawning of the day God doe so to mee and more also if I leave ought of Nabal alive till the dawning of the day saith David Therefore not her Cakes not confession but hast saved her and her Familie as David tells her in terminis verse 30. As the Lord of hosts liveth except thou hadst hasted and met moe● I had not left any thing alive by the breaking of the day Ch 〈…〉 name the cause is ours our Achans Nabal● have provoked Davids God against us more then David against Nabal his poore servants come tell you evill will come upon us therefore you are ou●Abigails hast for as the Lord liveth except you hast wee may feare little will be left in a few daies and the rather because God is in view and therefore stay not while his wrath overtake us stay not while our Kingdome be destroyed Motive 2 Secondly if Gods