Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	great_a	king_n	people_n	5,231	5	4.6713	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60325	The practices of persecutors delivered in a sermon on the fourteenth verse of the foure score six Psalme / b Mr. Archibald Skeldie.	Skeldie, Archibald.	1645 (1645)	Wing S3932; ESTC R20904	44,206	68

themselves partly when they consider that usually distraction is a dolorous presage of destruction as Eusebius in his ecclesiasticke Historie observeth that the dissension betwixt the Easterne and the Westerne Church was the forerunner of the tenth persecution and partly because vnion maketh strength but devision bringeth weaknesse There is no Nation under Heaven hath more reason to lay this to heart then we of this Kingdome We read that when Antonius was vanquished by Augustus Caesar while he lay a dieing by his owne deadly wounds he said to Cleopatra Queene of Egypt It is no shame for a Romane to be vanquished by a Romane but truly it is the miserie and dishonour of this Kingdome that SCOTLAND hath beene so frequently vanquished by Scots for our History telleth us that the most powerful forraine people that ever invaded this Kingdome was never able to vanquish this Nation without the combining of treacherous miscontented subjects amongst our selves Of whom it may be said as the Greek Oratour spake of the besieged Olynthians (f) Ibi alij hostes propulsabant alij urbem prodebant Demost thenet oratione 3. Philippica That while some valiantly were repulsing the enemies others were treacherously betraying the Citie But if we be true to our selves and keepe that peace which we have sworne in our Covenant and is recommended to the disciples of Christ wee need the lesse to care for all the enemies of the Cause of Christ Secondly when the people of the Lord heare of the assembling of their enemies they should labour what in them lyeth to hinder them that are in severall places to come together into one place It was wisely done of the Romans to fight with the armie of Hazruball before they joyned with the armie of Hannibal for otherwise the later troubles of Italie had beene greater than the former It is a great deale more safe to deal with the severall parts of an Armie than with the compleat body of an Armie as the history of our Nation telleth of one of our Noble men who with eight thousand of our people in the time of Edward the first King of England vanquished in one day thirtie thousand of the English Nation that were devided in three bands which would have beene more defieill if all had beene joyned together We know that as many burnes may make a great river so many hands joyned together may make a strong and powerfull invasion the smalest enemie is not to be contemned because his power may grow if he be altogether neglected and dispised as Amorath the sixth king of the Turks told his sonne Mahomet concerning Scanderbeg the prince of Epirus who increassed in power because he was neglected and contemned It was well said by a Greeke writter (g) Qui hostem spernit sibi periculum accersit Thucidides lib. 1. That whosoever contemneth his enemie bringeth danger to himselfe Wise people should doe with their combining enemies as Christians should doe with sinne which in the beginning is to be resisted lest afterwards it grow so strong that it car not be resisted It was worthily said by a learned man (h) In rebus omnibus qui maximum malum vitare cupit necesse est ut malum exoriens extinguat Osor lib. 4. de institutione Regis That in all things he that would avoyd the greatest evil must needes extinguish the beginning of evil It greatly concerneth the peace and present saftie of this Nation to make timous opposition to the armies of our enemies before they be strengthned by a greater faction as * 2 Sam. 20. Ioab pursued Sheba the sonne of Bichri before he could gather a greater companie And truly we have reason to blesse the Lord for that singulare care and diligence that he hath put in the hearts of our worthie Noble-men and commanders that are conservers of peace that they have so timously opposed the insulting enemie that no sooner was his power increased but al 's soone it decreased like * 1 Kings 16 15. the kingdome of Zimri that lasted for a week Thirdly when we heare of the assembling of divers people from divers quarters our humble prayer should be to the Lord * Psal 89.7 That he would be present in the assemblie of his Saints that so they may be protected and defended against the assemblies of their cruell enemies * Rom. 8.31 If God be one our side who is against us * Chro. 13.10 Abijam was more incouraged that God was with his people While wee pray for the Lords presence against our enemies wee must looke to two things than he was afrayed of the hudge number of Ieroboams armie which were against his people But while we thus intreat the Lord by prayer we must looke well to two things First That we feare not excessively nor be faintheart ed when we are fewer in number seeing it is alike to the Lord * 1 Sam. 14.6 to vanquish by few as by many according to the frequent passages that we reade of this purpose in the book of the Iudges in the Books of the Kings Secondly Though by Gods providence our number be greater yet we must not leane to the strength of man but to the help assistance of God for neither the greatnes of number nor the goodnes of a cause for which they fight will make a people prevaile aginst their enemies that hath greater confidence in their own strength than in the help of God I verily thinke that when Iehosaphat was threatned by his enemies he could have raised a greater Armie nor all the kings that were his enemies such a number as I think all the Princes of Europe conbined could not bring the like number to the fielde and yet he saith * 2 Chro. 20.12 Lord we know not what to do but our eyes are towards thee for as he knew that he was threatned by his enemies without the Lords approbation so he knew that though he had a greater number he might be vanquished by the Lords permission * 2 Chro. 20.12 Chariots and horses may runne to the battell but the Lord of hosts giveth victorie wherefore he imploreth the help of the Lord and putteth his trust and confidence in him by whose only asistance and power the greatest number may be vanquished as well as the least and without whose helpe and asistance the greatest number may be vanquished by the least But if we shall finde accesse to God by prayer then whensoever we are threatned by our enemies we may looke for protection and deliverance according to the observation of David * Psal 56.9 When I crie then mine enemies shall be turned backe this I know for God is for me Now let us speake of the third thing considerable in the enemies of David The enemies of the Saints are cruel in three respects he calleth them violent and cruell men that seeke after his soule where we are to observe that the enemies of

they consider how diversly the Lord is affected towards his humble Saints The saints of God whē they are threatned by their proud enemies may boldly pray to God for two reasons and towards their proud oppressors for he taketh the humble for his dearest friends the proud for his rebellious enemies * Isaiah 66.2 He is near to the humble as a mā is to the house where he dwelleth * Psal 25.9 and a Master to the Scholer that he teacheth But though he be near to the proud in the inflicting of of his anger he is far from them in the manifestation of his favour The Psalmist saith * Psal 128.6 That though the Lord be high he looks to the lowly but he knoweth the proud afar off And therfore Augustine saith (x) Humiliats Deus appropinquat ab exaltato longe recedit nisi quem ipse prius humiliatū exaltaverit Aug. in Ps 50. That the Lord draweth near to him that is humbled but he goeth farre away from him that is exalted except he be one whom the Lord hath first humbled and afterwards exalted The Lord multiplieth upon the humble his grace and his favour * 1 Pet. 5.6 For when they humble themselves he promiseth to exalt them and he exhorteth them to humble them selves that he may exalt them to him they may pray confidently * Psal 86.1 under the sense of their needines poverty And therefore as Bernard saith (y) Magna virtus hum ili tatis cui ipsa dei matestas se tam facile inclinat Bern. sermo 85. in canticum That great is the vertue of humility to which the Lord so easily inclineth his Majestie But as the Lord compasseth the humble with his favour so he pursueth the proud with his rath and displeasure The Psalmist saith * Psal 86.1 That he plentifully rewardeth the proud doer for usually when he punisheth their pride he abateth their power and plagueth their persons One of the heathen could say (z) Superbos sequitur ultor a tergo Deus Sen. in Her furente That God the revenger followeth proud men at the back But the Scripture telleth us That the righteous Lord stricketh them upon the face * Isaiah 5.15 When he powreth shame and contempt upon all that are haughty * Psal 18.27 and casteth downe the countenance of them that looke proudly And the Prophet Isay fore-telling the destruction of Moab He saith * Isaiah 16.6 We have heard of the pride of Moab And the saying of Solomon is worthy of observation That pride goeth before a fall and a high minde before destruction Secondly The Saints of God at such a time may confidently pray when they consider the nature and event of the insultation of the proud persecutors how hatefull it is to God how hurtfull to themselves whom for a time it pleaseth how comfortable in end it is to the Saints of God to whom at first it seemeth to be fearfull and terrible for when the proud oppressors of the Church of God have a purpose to trouble their peace by some grievous persecution if they see any likelyhood or probability that they can bring their purpose to passe then such is their untimous foly that as the proverbe saith They begin to sing the triumph before the victory and to sell the Bear skin before the Bear be slaine they threaten to execute what ever their malice can devise against the Saints of God as if their power were so stronge that they could not be resisted and their wisedome so deepe that it could not be disappointed and their purposes so sure that they could not be overturned Now when they thus begin to insult by blaspheming railing and threatning then the Saints of God betake themselves to prayer and cry * Acts 4.29 Lord behold their threatnings this prayer so prevaileth with God that he maketh a sudden change and alteration for when the Saints of God are brought lowest and the pride of their enemies advanced highest then it is time for the Lord to worke such a change as both declareth the glory of his mercie justice and power When like the nailes of the wheele of Sesostris his chariot that which was highest in a moment becomes lowest and that that was lowest is advanced highest Therefore we have reason to thinke that in the beginning of this combustion wherewith now these kingdomes are set on fire many of the Saints of God found matter of great comfort and a wonderfull ground of hope that the enemies of the cause of Christ should not prosper and the Covenanters should be comforted and graciously delivered when they did heare of the untimous and foolish in sulting of their proud enemies that did promise victory to themselves before they did fight and were dividing Lands distributing offices skaring Cities and killing all that should make opposition before that either they were vanquished or invaded for as it was a presage of the Syrians overthrow * 2. Kings 20 11. when putting on their Armour they boasted as though they had put it off and as it was a presage of the ruine of Senacherib and his army when he boasted so much of his power and victory And as our History telleth us that the hudge armie of Edward the second of England was vanquished by a handful of our Nation who so presumed of the certainty of his victory that before hee entred the Countrey he devided the lands and appointed the King and his Nobles to severall torments and brought a Poet in his company to describe his victory who afterwards being taken amongst other captives described in verse the victory of his enemies In later times we know how the army of the Spaniards was overthrown that was called The invincible Armado And truly the enemies of our Church and Kingdome may learne to know by their sorrowfull experience that such untimous and proud insulting hath beene an evident presage of their just confusion and a manifest fore-token to the people of God of their unspeakable comfort and gracious exaltation for when the pride of the wicked and the prayer of the godly come together before the Lord the one cryeth for speedy justice to punish the wicked and the other for timous mercy * Psal 32.10 to compasse such as put their confidence in God as wee may see in the pride of Senacherib and the prayer of Ezekias the 37. of the prophesie of Isaiah The Prophet mentioneth the assembling of his enemies for two reasons Now come we to the second thing considerable in the enemies of David when he sayeth that they assemble themselves together The Prophet maketh mention of their assembling for two reasons first for the glory of Gods power secondly that he may declare his trust and confidence which he had in God First I say for the glory of Gods power for the weaker that the defendant party be and the stronger that the assailing partie be the power of