Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

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
A95617	Christ's government in and over his people. Delivered in a sermon before the Honourable House of Commons, at their late publick and solemne fast, Octob. 26. 1642. / By Thomas Temple D.D. and minister of the Church of Battersea in Surrey. Published by order of that House.	Temple, Thomas, d. 1661.; England and Wales. Parliament. House of Commons. aut	1642 (1642)	Wing T634; Thomason E127_37; ESTC R4760	39,793	55

Die Mercurii 26. Octobris IT is this day Ordered by the House of Commons That Sir Francis Knollis doe returne thanks from this House to Doctor Temple for the great paines he took in the Sermon he preached at the entreaty of the said House at St. Margarets in the City of Westminster this present day of publick humiliation and that he be desired to print his Sermon And it is Ordered that no man shall presume to print it but he who shall be authorized under the said Doctor Temple 's hand writing H. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. I appoint SAMUEL GELLIBRAND to print my Sermon THO. TEMPLE CHRIST'S GOVERNMENT In and over his PEOPLE Delivered in A SERMON Before the Honourable House of COMMONS At their late publick and solemne Fast Octob. 26. 1642. BY Thomas Temple D. D. and Minister of the Church of Battersea in Surrey Published by Order of that House PSAL. 97.1 The Lord reigneth let the earth rejoyce let the multitude of the Isles be glad thereof LONDON Printed for SAMUEL GELLIBRAND at the Brazen Serpent in Pauls Church-yard 1642. To the Honourable House of COMMONS assembled in PARLIAMENT BEing called to this service by your command I could not think of a fitter subject more seasonable to the times and your places then this touching the Kingdom of Christ first to set before you the chiefe employment God cals you to and the duty lies upon you in it that is to study all the waies by which Iesus Christ may be best setled in his throne and his government most spread throughout these parts of the world where your work lies Secondly to hold out unto you the great encouragement to so great a work in which you are sure to meet with so great oppositions to let you know God himself will carry it on and Christs government shall be established notwithstanding the rage of people and the plots of Princes against the Lord and his Annointed If you go on in this cause with upright hearts there is no reason your spirits should faint or your hands slacken in fear of the issue you are on a rising side and in a work that will improve it self And indeed you have need of encouragement even from heaven to go on in the work of reformation of the Chuch and of establishing Christs government amongst us where the endeavours of many are so mighty to oppose it and their tongues so malignant to disgrace it But while your hearts are faithfull with God resolve to goe on with Gods work knowing you must passe through evill report as well as good report 2. Cor. 6.8 They who are called to great works must be willing to sacrifice all estate credit life in the cause of God so we keep faith and peace with God and doe not shipwrack a good conscience it matters not much what else we lose If Christ carry you through the work here he is all-sufficient to reward you hereafter The Lord make all great mountaines that lie in your way Iac. 4.7 to the setting up of the Kingdom of Christ as plaines before you Rev. 2.2 and in the end reward your works and your labour and your patience So praies From my Study in Battersea Nov. 6. 1642. The unworthiest of the servants of Christ in the work of the Lord THOMAS TEMPLE A SERMON Preached before The Honourable House of COMMONS Assembled in PARLIAMENT At the publick Fast Octob. 26. 1642. PSAL. 2.6 Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Sion THis second psalme is an exact description of the Kingdome of Christ as it was prophesied of by David who was himselfe a type and figure of Christ in his Kingdome and the Father of him according to the flesh which as it appeares out of the frame of the whole psalme so we finde this Psalme clearly expounded of Christ and his Kingdome by the Apostles in the new Testament First where mention is made of the Heathens rage and the Kings of the earth bandying against the Lord and his Annoynted v. 1.2 this is by the whole Colledge of Apostles and Disciples expounded of Christ Act. 4.25.27 Secondly where it is said thou art my son this day have I begotten thee v. 7. this is also plainly expounded of Christ not of his birth as it seemes to be meant upon the first view but of his resurrection from the grave which is as it were a new begetting Act. 13.33 A fit subject of our meditations as in all other so especially in these times Christ as he stands to us in this relation of a King we are all willing to looke upon Christ as he stands in the relation of a Priest offering himselfe in sacrifice for our sins so desiring him as a Saviour to save our soules wee lesse delight to eye him as a Prophet revealing Gods will to us little careing to know him but wee commonly hate to thinke upon him as a King as not easilie subjecting our selves to be governed by him I shall therfore crave your attention while I unfold to you this peice of Scripture The Psalm consists of three main parts First it sets forth the mad and furious councells and attempts of wicked people against Christ Act 5.39 affectasse ferunt regnum celeste gigantes who feare not to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like the old Giants fighters against God himselfe their rage and malice is bent even against the God that made and redeemed them why doe the Heathen rage Ver. 1.2 and the people imagine a vaine thing The Kings of the earth set themselves the Rulers take councell together against the Lord and against his Aancynted Secondly it sets forth Gods establishment of Christ in his Kingdom notwithstanding all the attempts of wicked men against him yet nothing shall overthrow his Kingdome but on the other side be shall breake his enimies in peices yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Sion 3. ver 6. It conteynes an exhortation because wee cannot overthrow Christs Kingdom therfore to entertaine it in our hearts to serve him and feare him as wee seare to be destroyed and desire to be blest Be wise now therfore ver 10. O yee Kings be instructed yee Iudges of the earth serve the Lord with feare and rejoyce with trembling The words of my text you see are the second part of this Psalme and have their dependance upon the former that notwithstanding all the machinations of wicked people God will have a King to rule in his Church which no power of man shall ever overthrow I shall observe to you three particulars out of this Scripture the King his Throne his Settlement in his Throne 1 The King as ver 7. Jesus Christ God the Son the second person in Trinitie God over all blessed for ever 2. his Throne where hee sitts or his Kingdome where hee reignes with the qualification of it his holy hill of Sion Mount Sion was a high mountaine in Jerusalem

as the Moon the fuller the Sun shines upon her the brighter she is the more the Sun is turned from her the darker she is yet at other times she has many obscurings But though she may have lesse glory she shall never be wholly destroied Mat. 7.25 The Church is the house founded upon the rock when the winds blow and the floods descend it shall stand it shall not fall as founded upon a rock so upon the rock of rocks Christ himself Mat. 16 18. upon this rock will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall never prevaile against her Shake her they may and give her a wound in some of her members as now the Church bleeds at one veine in Germany at another in Ireland at severall veines in severall parts of the world As Pheti us notes touching the calumnis cast upon Basil by Philost orgius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Re. 11.11 yet she shall lift up her head again and shall be healed in her wounds and like the two witnesses slain in the streets after a time she shall live again the spirit of life from God shal enter into her and great fear shall fal upon them that see her Fourthly see it in Gods cause whatever is undertaken in Gods cause though sometime it may seem to faile in particular persons the cause of the poor in perverting of judgement the cause of religion by the insolence of persecutors and tyrants yet in other respects it does certainly prevaile 1. By a retribution of vengeance upon the heads of those that set to overthrow the cause of God Abel perished in Gods cause and yet even in the death of Abel Gods cause prevailed by bringing down vengeance upon Cain the murtherer the blood of thy brother crieth to me from the ground Gen 4.10 and therefore now thou art cursed from the earth The Martyrs perished in the cause of God and yet even in their deaths that cause prevailed by bringing vengeance upon the persecutors I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held and they cried with a loud voice how long O Lord holy and true dost thou not avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth Rev. 6.10 Wee need not doubt this prevailing of the cause of God in our neighbouring Kingdom how ever it may seeme for the time to goe downe in the barbarous and bloudy destruction of that poore people whose bloud cryes so loud from the ground as God cannot but curse the murtherers and whose soules under the Altar cry so loud as God cannot but judge and avenge their bloud on them who have so inhumanely and so unmercifully shed it 2. By way of improvement that cause prevails that improves it selfe by the opposition and violence it suffers under Gods cause like Sampson is victorious even then when we think it has received its deaths wound and like the Camomill Es 53.10 Ex. 1.12 Cum duplicantur lateres venit Moses Est 8.16 Da. 6.26 Ezr. 6.6 it spreads more by being trampled upon or like the fire the more it is smothered and kept in by violence for the time the more forcible it breaks out and heats afterwards In shedding the bloud of Christ the cause of God seemed to suffer but you know what an improvement it received by it that bloud was it that was the fruitfull field of such a seed unto God 't was making his soul an offering for sin that made him see his seed In Egypt the cause of God seem'd to suffer when the children were commanded to be destroyed and their burthens were doubled yet we know that decree increased the people and doubling of their taskes hasted their deliverance By the oppositions of Haman the cause of God got better footing And by casting Daniel into the Lions den God came everywhere to be more feared and worshipt by a publike decree By the oppositions of Tatnai and Shetherboznai the building of Gods house prospered In burning and tearing the martyrs in the primitive times and in Q. Maries dayes the cause of God seemd to suffer yet we know how Martyrdom improves it the bloud of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church that is as the Bishop of Valence * To the King of France in a conference at Fountain Bleau So Tert. ad Scàp Quisque enim tan tam tole rantiam spectans ut aliquo scrupulo percussus onquirere accenditur quid sis in causa Et ubi cognoverit veritatem ipse statim sequitur once explained it people by seeing the sufferings of the Martyrs came more to look into and understand that profession then formerly they had done which made them with so much patience indure such torments and so at length to imbrace the same like the generating of the Phoenix out of the ashes not the egges of the Damme Out of the ashes of a few Saints multitudes of professours arise I shall present you these few grounds of this truth reasons of the point to be inlarged in your owne private meditations 1. The genius of Religion it is of a flourishing and improving nature As one said of Anthony that was at oddes with Augustus compound with him for his genius goes beyond yours The genius of Religion goes beyond that of all its opposites It was first in families after in Cities and so by degrees spread it self over the world The image in Nebuchadnezzars vision was smitten by a stone cut out without hands Dan. 2.34 35. and the stone that smote the image became a great Mountaine and fill'd the earth You have the interpretation of this in the following verses the Image in its severall parts represented the 4. Monarchies of the world which should all bee destroyed by a fift Kingdome which Christ should set up which should so improve it selfe from a small beginning as quickly to fill the whole earth notwithstanding all oppositions made against it 2. The power of Christ he is able to set up his colours and his Scepter there where no earthly King dares set his foot Pritannotum in accessa Romanis Joca Christo verò sub aita 'T was Tertullians observation Britaine was a place which the Romanes could not at such a time possesse and yet it was subdued to Christ Look by what motives people are brought in to Christ you must needs acknowledge a strong working power above all the strengths of men done by such contrary wayes to flesh and bloud If wee will follow Christ and be heyres of heaven Wee must deny our selves and take up our Crosse and suffer persecution and be hated for his name sake and hate father and mother c. and yet by these and the like motives more are brought in to Christ and submit to his Lawes then by all the rewards could be proposed to them 3. The course of Gods providence which shall still uphold it so as to

give it footing more and more every day though the Revelation be obscure in many things yet this we may gather out of it clearly that when the vialls begin to be powred out the truth shall grow up to the confusion of its enemies as on the other side wee see severall effects of Gods providence against the Kingdome of Satan and Antichrist that where we see the false Religion hath received some blowes we may assure our selves a further ruine will certainely follow as they said of Haman If Mordecai be of the seed of the Iewes Hest 6.13 before whom thou hast begun to fall thou shalt not prevaile against him but shalt surely fall before him If Religion be of the seed of Christ the daughter of God false Religions that once begin to fall shall not prevaile but shall surely fall before it Vse 1 It discovers the folly of those that set themselves against Gods people and Gods causes let them take heed what they doe such set themselves against Christ and his Kingdome and their attempts shall not prosper Iob 9.4 Hath any man hardned himselfe against God and prospered I must say to such as Abijah did to Ieroboam Ye think to withstand the Kingdome of the Lord 2 Chr. 13.8 Let us not thinke we shall be able to withstand the Kingdome of Christ hee is able to breake through all oppositions hee can crush his enemies thou shalt breake them with an iron rod thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potters vessell Ps 2.9 the Lord at thy right hand shall strike thorow Kings in the day of his wrath Ps 110.5 Kings that be his enemies It was part of Moses Song touching the enemies of Israel the people shall heare and bee afraid Exod. 15.14 sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina the Dukes of Edom shall be amazed trembling shall take hold of the mighty men of Moab the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away feare and dread shall fall upon them for the Lord reignes for ever and ever Because Christ reignes such shall be the end of all his enemies however they may flourish for a time Oh! feare to oppose Christ in his Gospel in his people in his causes Isa 45.9 Woe unto him that strives with his Maker let the potsheards strive with the potsheards of the earth Let man strive with man and Prince fight with Prince that 's but dashing one earthen pitcher against another but let us take heed of ingaging Christ against us woe to him that strives with Christ 't is dangerous setting our selves against his Kingdome or his people or his causes lest as in this mountaine in Gods Church the hand of the Lord shall rest so Moab all the enemies of Christ be troden downe under him as straw is trodden downe for the dunghill Isa 2● 10 Vse 2 Here 's matter of great encouragement to those that with upright hearts side with Christ and set in to advance his Kingdome they shall prosper in the worke We must not be troubled though we finde great enemies and great oppositions let us not value religion and the cause of Christ any whit the cheaper because so much set against The Romanes held their land about the City of Rome at as deare a rate when Hanniball besieg'd it as they did before Prize Religion as high in times of trouble as in times of peace Wee must not look only at the present proceedings our spirits must not rise or fall onely as wee see a floud or an ebbe in the handling of Gods causes but consider the end as David speakes of the upright man Psal 31.37 mark his end the end of that man is peace Whatever the present condition should prove to bee of Christs Kingdome yet the end of it will be peace and happinesse to Gods people At Cannae the Romanes went to congratulate the Consul that fled from the battaile because hee signified thereby that the state of things was not yet so desperate but he durst live We should not despaire of the state of Gods Church and Religion though we should see them brought to great straits It may be we shall not see the prosperity of Gods Church in our dayes yet here 's comfort enough to know the work shall go on It is a worke in Christs hand and a worke God takes pleasure in Isa 53 10 and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand Rev. 1.16 Christ who holds the stars in his Right hand the Angels of his Church to preserve them does certainly hold the Church it selfe for whose good his Ministers are in his right hand to preserve her whatever oppositions be made against her At Antioch if I mistake not the Ecclesiasticall story sayes there being an Earth quake wherby many houses fell and the people terrified with it being ready to forsake the city one had a vision that he faw a man comming to him who commanded him to write upon every house Christus nobiscum Christ is with us stay here and so it ceased thus we should do when we consider the tottering estate of religion remember Christ is with us be not affrighted forsake it not if God be for us who can be against us if Christ be in the ship with us it cannot sink But especially it may be high encouragement to you Honourable and beloved you are they that must help up Christ into his Kingdom in the midst of these great oppositions that are now made against it we the Ministers of God can but encourage strengthen you as the Prophet Haggai and Zachary Gods Prophets were with the Princes helping them Ezr. 5.2 helping them with their prayers and helping them with their instructions touching Gods will and helping them with their exhortations to stirre them up but the work is chiefly yours you are to encounter Christs enemies the sword of justice is put into your hands to cut down all oppositions If your hearts be upright with God that your consciences assure you you seek Gods glory and the advancement of Christs Kingdom not your selves nor your own ends you have as much encouragement as can be you go on in a work that shall be carried up against all oppositions Heb. 11.27 Should visible means faile yet as there is an invisible God who may be seen by the eye of faith so there are also invisible means the power of Christ shall rest upon those that work his works and stand up faithfully in his causes Should you be left fewer then you are yet if you can but resolve when others forsake Christ to say truly Lord we will never forsake thee and do it not only say it some have said it and yet with Peter gone away and deserted the cause there is then no reason why you should fear Christ can work by few as well as by many Christ when men faile will tread the wine-presse alone when the day of vengeance comes Isa 63.3 4.