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 lord_n sin_n 3,005 5 4.4939 4 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A86366 The voyce of Providence asserted, and the followers of God in the waies of His Providence justified in a letter sent by John Hinde to a minister in London, who denied the former and condemned the latter. Hinde, John, 17th cent. 1653 (1653) Wing H2055A; ESTC R42444 12,453 16

There is 1 snippet containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

upon what grounds upon a Providential ground Neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer Now these things were our examples to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted And so when God would incourage his people to depend upon him he remembers his people of his great Providential works in the 41. of Isaiah 2. and so on Who raised up the righteous man from the East called him to his foot gave the Nations before him and made him Rule over Kings he gave them as the dust to his Sword and as driven stubble to his bow he pursued them and passed safely even by the way that he had not gone with his feet who hath wrought and done it calling the generations from the beginning I the Lord the first and with the last I am he Thus the People of God and God himself did use Arguments even from his Providential Works which certainly testifie to us that there are Instructions and Cautions that are grounded even upon the Providentia● Works of God Now for your further satisfaction and conviction I shall instance in some Cases or Occurrences wherein providential Works may be looked upon as Instructions and Cautions to the Sons of men which to resolve exactly as to every individual contingency or Occurrence to every particular Person or Nation I confess is a knot beyond my ability to untie although I doubt not but that there is a particular special Lesson in every individual Work of Providence whether it be in the way of a causing or permitting Providence Nevertheless there are seven Cases wherein unto me it seems unquestionable that the Providential Works of God should either Instruct or Caution men or do both 1. When the Work of Providence serveth the Word of Precept questionless there Instruction and Caution is to be grounded upon Providence When God expresly commands a Work to be done in his Word whether of Justice or Mercy a Work that reacheth unto such persons whom God calls out for such a Work and Providences make way and point out the Duty in giving time and other occasions to act this duty that God now hath put upon a man I think it is unquestionable to any Christian that here is Instruction or Caution to be looked upon now in Providence And the neglect of a work of Precept when Providence hath served an occasion for the acting of it it hath cost men very dear as in Ahabs case when Benbadud by Providence was fallen into his hand in the 1 of Kings 20.42 and he spares him Well saith God because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction therefore thy life shall go for his life and thy people for his people which cleerly makes out that a Work of Providence joyning with a Word of Precept is to instruct and order men Because you granted this Case and this only to me in our Discourse I shall say no more of this but proceed to some other Cases 2. When Divine Providence is the accomplishment of any Divine Prediction no question but that Providence of God holds out some special Instruction and Caution answerable to the Nature and Matter of that Prediction As the Predictions of the Babylonian and Roman Captivities and Providence bringing about these Predictions and fulfilling of them there are Lessons expresly to be Learned from such Providential Acts which have such a respectedness to Divine Prediction as to Caution men to take heed of Idolatry that brought the Babylonian Captivity and of slighting and contemning Christ which brought upon them the Roman Captivity 3. When Providential Works are the Executions of Gods threats As suppose the drowning of Pharoah the cutting off Ahah in the day of battel the renting away of the ten Tribes and giving of them to Jeroboam God had expresly threatned these things and his Providence ordered the bringing about of these things Now in such cases as these and in Cases paralel to them when God still threatens the same sins in such like persons and by his Providence cuts off such persons here is a manifest finger of God to point out Instruction and Caution unto men When the rent was made of the ten Tribes the Israelites they would go and recover all again God contradicts them by his Word as well as by his Providence in the 1 of Kings 12.24 Ye shall not go up nor fight against your Brethren the Children of Israel return every man to his house for this thing is of me saith the Lord So that this is true that when Providential Works are the executions of the threatnings of God they are Instructions and Cautions 4. When providential Works step out to the support of the Gospel and the Servants of Christ and the avenging of the enemies of the Gospel it is most apparent that such Providential Works are grounds of Caution to the Enemies of the Church and of Instruction to the Servants of Christ who reap the sweetness of such Providential mercies The Scripture is so cleer for both of these in the Psalms in the Prophets and In the Revelations that a man must profess himself to be stark blind that will not acknowledg it 5. When Providential Works wait upon a righteous Cause and the pursuance of that Cause in waies of Righteousness and those attendances of Providence are in some respect the very births of the Prayers of the people of God who would give no rest unto God until he did manifest himself in such and such waies of Providence undoubtedly such providential Works ought to be regarded as well as the Cause it self ought to be regarded and the persons who have by their prayers engaged God in his Providence to own and maintain his cause for their safety they are bound likewise to maintain and own those very providential works that they have wrestled from God unless they mean to play the fool with God and their own prayers in finding fault with God for owning them and his cause and doing them good The Lord lay not this sin to the Charge of the people of this Land so that in such a case when providential Works are the support of the Cause of Christ unquestionably they are Instructions and Cautions 6. In the alteration of Kingdoms setting up and pulling down in setting a period to or putting a change upon them And as there is no hand in the world that hath such an operation in the alteration of Kingdoms and change of Government as the hand of God so the providential Works of God in such great alterations are in a special manner to be regarded and have exceeding much of Instruction and Caution in them Daniel 4. a Vision there falls into Nebuchadnezzars thoughts the great tree that flourished so high and that spread it self so broad and was at length cut down to the stumps that Vision shortly interpreted by Providence to Nebuchadnezzar it was for this intent in