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	just_a	law_n	2,761	5	4.7834	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35183	A sermon preached upon April xxiii. MDCLXXX. in the cathedral church of Bristol, before the gentlemen of the artillery-company, newly raised in that city. By Samuel Crossman, B.D.	Crossman, Samuel, 1624?-1684.	1680 (1680)	Wing C7270A; ESTC R214386	13,922	42

A SERMON PREACHED UPON APRIL xxiii MDCLXXX IN THE Cathedral Church OF BRISTOL BEFORE THE Gentlemen of the ARTILLERY-COMPANY newly raised in that CITY By SAMUEL CROSSMAN B. D. LONDON Printed for Charles Allen Bookseller in Bristol 1680. To the Right Worshipful and Much Honoured the Gentlemen of the Artillery Company newly raised in Bristol by the favourable allowance of his Sacred Majesty Gentlemen YOur voluntary undertaking this honourable loyal Exercise of Armes is in order to render your selves thereby the more useful to your King and Countrey That Government which preserves us that it may so do must be inviolably preserved by us And certainly 't is a great Debt and Duty which we all owe to it 'T was long since the wonder of an ingenious Platonist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Speaking of Man says he Oh God! the Creator of all things what a strange temerarious rash unmanageable kind of Creature is this which thou hast placed upon the earth We may resolve his Riddle and answer as Solomon God made man upright at first But ever since the wretched Fall of our First Parents all manner of Distempers and ill humours are like the Sons of Zerviah too hard for us and even inherent in our corrupt Natures Experience shews us all other Creatures are and have been tamed by Mankind but as holy Scripture observes we our selves remain still in many things too unruly The All-wise God hath given us the harmony of Government as David ' s Harp in Saul ' s Case to charme this unquiet and evil Spirit That we might go the journey of life not as Savages but as Men. And which is far more as the professed Servants of that God who is not the Author of confusion but of peace as in all the Churches of the Saints My Endeavours have been inoffensively to strengthen so Divine a Concern in this ensuing Sermon As your desires occasioned the composing of it at first and your importunities the publishing of it at present so You must now please such as it is to accept of it from Gentlemen Your cordial and very humble Servant Samuel Crossman Bristol May 10. 1680. 2 Kings XI 8. And ye shall compass the King round about every man with his weapon in his hand and he that cometh within the ranges let him be slain and be ye with the King as he goeth out and as he cometh in IT hath been very well observed by a judicious Authour though the Case is scarce either minded or regarded as it justly deserves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the whole compass of humane life there is not any one thing of greater importance and value toward our true welfare than a due consistence with publick Government Which mov'd a modern Writer as positively to conclude Nusquam periculosius a● hominibus erratur quàm in Politicis Men never err more dangerously than when they happen to dash against the true rules of Civil Society Other errours may be personal unhappy to our selves and there they cease but these as Phaeton attempt to fire the whole world as Achan they trouble all Israel Our late times have prov'd too clear a Comment upon so sad a Text wherein the insolent extravagant fancies of some few brought in confusion upon the whole Then was that joyless Scripture written in large Characters in letters of blood he that ran might read it The Child then behaved himself proudly against the ancient and the base against the honourable then were the people oppressed every one by another And the foot of that doleful Song was still of the same Tune and like the rest In those days there was no King in Israel but every man did that which was right in his own eyes The Text offers very fair to obviate these great evils and may serve as a Divine Antidote to prevent our relapsing any more into them The words are part of a very memorable History For our better understanding whereof we may take notice 1. Of the action it self here on foot The security of the King and Kingdom 2. The Conjuncture of time when Upon a happy Restauration 3. The Person chiefly managing this great affair Jehojadah the High Priest 4. The means and manner whereby he carrieth it on and they are both Divine and humane 1. The action it self here on foot The security of the King and Kingdom A high Concern The preserving the Ship wherein we are all imbarqu'd A loyal care for the support of Government the Subjects as well as the Sovereigns safety A Concern so essential that the Roman Oratour and indeed all experience as freely tells us Neither Family nor City neither People nor Country neither the Heavens nor the Earth can any of them subsist without it He that faithfully stands by Government shews himself a friend to his own safety as well as a true Liege-man to his Prince Gods anointed and the breath of our nostrils they may be two distinct Periphrases but they both make up but one and the same Person in Scripture account Our loyalty to him is at second hand a kindness to the breath of our own nostrils The Government thus zealously owned in the Text is that of Monarchy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Philosopher calls it The first the ancientest the noblest the divinest Form of Government upon the face of the Earth In the time of the Patriarchs in the time of the Judges in the time of the Kings of Israel the titles might and did vary but 't was still a real visible Monarchy The bright Image of Gods Government over his Creatures The Kingdom is the Lords and he is the Governour amongst the Nations Upon which account the Ancients paid so great a veneration to it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When we see a King amongst his Subjects we may therein behold a prospect far more divine a less but lively Pourtraicture of the Celestial Empire It fairly brings to mind the regency of Almighty God over the Universe Now as to their fidelity to this Government The Text would have that demonstrated in their utmost care for the person and safety of the Governour In this sense the meanest Subject may be truly said to be one of his Sovereigns Life-guard most highly concern'd in his preservation If we would strengthen the house we must not weaken him that bears up the Pillars of it We have here no news of that traiterous Position Taking up of armes by the Kings Authority against his Person The Lover of his Prince is not here run down in a popular fury as a dangerous Malignant The faithful Royalist is not here sequestred and sentenc'd as a Criminal Delinquent We hear of no specious hypocritical crying up the well-affected Party or the Good Old Cause the more easily to oppress the more invidiously to bring into contempt any that should dare though never so modestly to owne our fundamental Laws and Government The Text is of a

far different Genius serene and regular deliberately issuing out a legal Commission of Array for the just defence of King and Kingdom The truest Patriot to his Country bears as true Allegiance to his Prince what God and right reason have so nearly joined together he dares not morosely put asunder He understands not how bad measures toward the Pilot can ever become good offices to the Ship The Relate and Correlate in all true Polity as well as Nature either live or dye together God save both King and Kingdom 2. We have the Conjuncture of time when this great transaction happened upon a most welcom restauration The Case was briefly this Athaliah the Daughter of Ahab becomes married to Jehoram King of Judah upon his death Ahaziah his Son succeedeth in the Throne He being slain by Jehu Athaliah his Mother an ambitious idolatrous Woman destroys all the Seed Royal that She could any way come at and for several years usurps the Crown Most unnaturally verifying that of the Poet Saevus Amor docuit natorum sanguine matres Commaculare manus Whether it were by Sword or Poyson or by what other means this wretched woman procur'd the death of these Children many of them her Nephews and near Relations is not express'd but plain it is 't was most impiously and inhumanely done Per fas per nefas is the great Maxime of State whereever Ambition reigns While the rightful Prince chuseth to proceed by methods of clemency and gentleness the Tyrant or Usurper swims commonly through Seas of Blood to his desparate Designs Athaliah's aim was to cut off the right Line of the House of David More particularly all that descended from that pious good Prince Jehosaphat her own Husbands Father whose Reformation She had so highly stomach'd and now thrown down Never did the most vindicable Reformation want its Enemies or the most treasonable enterprize some Bigotted Zealot some blind Devoto to engage in it But behold after she has waded thus far in blood she begins now like Pharaoh and his Chariots to sink in this Red Sea Never did Treason thrive long with the Traitor The rightful Heir is still safe survives the attempts of malice and is brought with triumph to enjoy his own Jehoshebah the daughter of king Joram sister of Ahaziah took Joash the Son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the kings-sons which were slain so that he was not slain There is a God in Heaven that takes care of Princes here on Earth The rage and imaginations of the people against him and his Anointed they are but vain successess things Pharaoh may give strict charge to destroy the Children of Israel but Gods Moses is even miraculously preserved that he might be King in Jesurun Herod may murther the Infants in Bethlehem but the Lords Christ escapes his bloody hands The Text exemplifies the Case with a living Joash England illustrates it with a living Charles after all the various snares of death so often contriv'd and laid for both And now the day dawns apace the Restauration becomes conspicuous They brought forth the kings son they put the Crown upon him and they made him King The Archers shoot sore yet the royal Bow abides still in strength Thus signally does the Providence of God baffle and triumph over the Conspiracies of men We might modestly challenge the treasonable Plottings of most Ages in the language of the Prophet Surely this turning of things upside down is but in vain The Stone which the Builders refused becomes nevertheless the head of the Corner At this posture were the present Affairs of Judah Joash far beyond all humane expectations brought as another Isaac in a Figure from the Dead restored with Honour to the Throne of his Forefathers All their former confusions now fairly ended the Land orderly settled the people clapping their hands and saying God save the King And so we come to the third The person chiefly instrumental in bringing about this eminent this desired revolution 'T is pity that good actions should stick in the birth for want of some willing hands to assist and facilitate their being brought forth No doubt there were many Worthies in Israel heroically appearing in so just so generous so publick a concern The Agent we find chiefly mentioned in the History is Jehojadah the High Priest Jehoshebah she has the honour of sheltering the King under his first and most imminent dangers That God that has the whole world at his command chuses what instruments he will please to work by A weak woman as you have already heard acts so noble a part towards the preservation of the whole Kingdom She was both Daughter and Sister to a King and now Wife to this Jehojadah the High Priest which gives us occasion of calling to mind that passage of Pharaoh when in token of further favour he would chuse a Wife for Joseph his prime Minister of State he gives him Asenath the Daughter of Potipherah Priest of On supposing as it seems a Match into such a Family no disgrace to the greatest Peer in his whole Kingdom Such was Jehojadah venerable in his Function and as honourable in his Relation Uncle to the present King Brother to the former an eminent pillar both in Church and State all his days He lived in this unspotted piety an hundred and thirty years and died as he lived still laden with fresh honours For the sake of this and many other his great services to the Publick he was solemnly interred amongst the Royal Sepulchers of the Kings of Judah And they buried him in the City of David among the Kings because he had done good in Israel both towards God and towards his House Men and Brethren would to God you could bear with me a little in my folly and indeed bear with me if I say The Priesthood has been as you see highly esteemed in elder times how contemptible soever it may seem to many in these late disingenuous days Sacred and prophane History are both unanimous in this Our reverence to God will manifest it self in our respects to his Ministers He that truly loves the Master will not be very forward to despise his Servant We find Jehojadah Privy-Counsellour to Joash Nor was it amiss either for King or Kingdom If he had a potent hand he had also a successful hand in the administration of Affairs which the holy Ghost is pleased to take a particular notice of to the honour of those happy times and so to leave it upon record for the instruction of future Ages And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all his days wherein Jehojadah the High Priest instructed him Now if Princes out of reverence to such ancient Scripture-Precedents no bad Copies for any to write after if they have seen meet in these later days to continue somewhat of this practice in their Councils here seemeth no matter of grievance or offence given to any Nor needeth our eye