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	lord_n	mercy_n	2,560	5	6.2833	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59878	A sermon preached at White-Hall, before the Queen, on the 17th of June, 1691 being the fast-day / by William Sherlock ...	Sherlock, William, 1641?-1707.	1691 (1691)	Wing S3349; ESTC R15763	14,452	35

Covenant with Abraham will I remember and I will remember the land Thus in the time of the Judges when God for their sins delivered them into the hands of their Enemies when they cried to God he raised up Saviours for them Nay many times when their repentance was not very sincere nor lasting yet in great goodness and compassion he spared them When he slew them then they sought him and returned and inquired early after God and they remembred that God was their Rock and the high God their Redeemer nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth and they lied unto him with their tongue for their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast in his Covenant but he being full of compassion forgave their iniquities and destroyed them not yea many a time turned he his anger away and did not stir up all his wrath for he remembred that they were but flesh a wind that passeth away and cometh not again 78 Psalm 34 c. So that how angry soever God be we have a certain way of appeasing his anger Nothing but sin can provoke a merciful God and a compassionate Father to punish He has a great tenderness for all his Creatures He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men and therefore he is more easily appeased than he is provoked Judgment is his strange work but he delights in Acts of Mercy and seems pleased with an honourable occasion to shew mercy without exposing his Laws and Government to contempt And therefore Repentance and Reformation will always appease him nay sometimes we see that the very shews and appearance of a publick and solemn Repentance though it be not so sincere and hearty as it ought to be makes him stay his hand and expect our return And this is a great encouragement and a powerful obligation on us to return to God when he strikes to humble our selves under his mighty hand for there is no other way to remove his Judgments and this will do it It is a vain thing to trust in Armies and Navies in the Courage and Conduct of Princes and Generals when our Sins fight against us when God refuses to go forth with our Armies for no King is saved by the multitude of an host a horse is a vain thing for safety neither shall he deliver any by his great strength but the eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear him upon them that hope in his mercies 33 Psal. 16 17 18. Nay the justice and righteousness of our Cause will not always secure us of Success for those who have a very just Cause may deserve to be punished and then God may justly punish them and deliver them into the hands of their Enemies God does not always determine what is Right and Wrong by the events of War for he is the Sovereign Judge of the World and may punish a wicked Nation by unjust Oppressors as he often did the Israelites The Profession of the true Religion will not always secure us when our Sins cry for Vengeance When the Jews cried The temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord the Prophet told them They trusted in lying words for will ye steal and murder and commit adultery and swear falsly and burn incense to Baal and come and stand before me in this house which is called by my name and say We are delivered to do all these abominations 7 Jer. 4 10. To glory in the profession of the true Faith or in a vigorous opposition to the Errors and Corruptions of Religion when we are Atheists or Infidels in our Lives may make God punish us but is no reason on our part why he should save us but true and sincere Repentance will save us We profess the sincere Faith of Christ we fight in a just Cause if it be lawful to defend our selves against the powerful Oppressor of the Protestant that is the true Christian Faith and the Liberties of Europe and we have no reason to fear any thing but our sins Let us but reform our Lives and put away the evil of our doings and our Arms will be as Prosperous as our Cause is Just God will then gird our Princes and soldiers with strength to the battel will teach their hands to war and their fingers to fight 5thly Faith and Prayer are more powerful than Arms as it must necessarily be if God only gives Victory and Success This we learn from the whole History of the Jews the Apostle to the Hebrews gives us a particular account of the Power of Faith 11 Heb. 32 33 34. Of Gideon and Barach and Sampson and Jeptha and David who through faith subdued kingdoms wrought righteousness obtained promises stopped the mouths of lions quenched the violence of fire escaped the edge of the sword out of weakness were made strong waxed valiant in fight turned to flight the armies of the aliens Moses his Prayer was more powerful than Joshua's Arms for when Moses held up his hands Israel prevailed when he let down his hands Amalek prevailed 17 Exod. 11. Hezekiah's Prayer overthrew the Assyrian Army when Rabshekah came against Jerusalem and reproached them with their Trust in God We must not indeed expect such miraculous Victories as God gave to Israel but this makes no difference for the Power of Faith and Prayer is the same still and all Victory is God's still who gives Success as well by invisible Means and seeming Accidents as by the most visible interposal of a miraculous Power For God gave Israel miraculous Deliverances not because he could not save them without a Miracle but because he would make it visible to all the world That he was their Saviour But still God hears our Prayers and answers them he is still the Saviour and Deliverer of all those who trust in him and hope in his Mercy and therefore the only sure way to conquer our Enemies is to prevail with God by our fervent and importunate Prayers for a Blessing upon our Arms to pray in Faith in Hope with an entire dependance on God and a perfect Resignation to his Will Thus Gideon and Barak and David and the Worthies of old subdued Kingdoms waxed valiant in fight and turned to flight the Armies of Aliens and there is no other way that I know of still If God be still the only Giver of Victory Faith and Prayer is still the only way to obtain Victory from God and therefore if we are cold and remiss in our Prayers if we do not pray at at all or expect nothing from our Prayers let us not charge any ill success to ill conduct or cowardize but to our Infidelity and Irreligion and indeed this is the only melancholly Consideration in our present Circumstances if the Courage and Conduct of a Prince if the Bravery and Resolution of Soldiers if a Numerous Army and Navy if an Arm of Flesh could give Victory we have reason to hope well but if God go not forth with our