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 see_v 5,118 5 3.3465 3 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
A42091 The fast: As it was delivered in a sermon at St. Margarets in Westminster, before the honorable House of Commons upon Wednesday the 12th. of June 1661. being the day appointed by His Majesty and the Parliament, for a solemn humiliation upon the late abundance of rain, and the danger of famine, and pestilence likely to ensue thereby. / By Tho: Grenfield A.M. Preacher to the Honorable Society of Lincoln's-Inne. Grenfield, Thomas. 1661 (1661) Wing G1937A; ESTC R30320 22,523 38

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

but my application and your practise You are here mett in the house of God and what to do to fast and for what the suspicions and fears of a famine like to come upon us from our late abundance of Rain threatning to spoil the Fruits of the Earth 'T is very well that any thing will drive us home to God but yet it is observ●ble how early we are in this duty we fast for a judgement that is not yet upon us further then the fear and suspition of it It would be much more ingenuous to be early and quick in fasting for the sins of the Nation as we are for the dangers of it those I am sure are ripe enough and ready for the sickle we are much beyond the Suspicions of sin we are under the Commissions of it and yet as yet we have had no fast for these It would very much beautifie the beginnings of this blessed revolution and fortunate change of things we live under to begin with such a fast as this but it seems we love our bellies very well and as some followed Christ for the loaves so we fast for fear we shall want the loaves we fast for fear that we shall fast But since it is so that the work of this day stands stated to my hands upon this bottom it will be convenient before I can direct you how to be rid of this judgement to give you my judgement whence it comes For assuredly 't is no brutum fulmen no arrow shot at rovers no accident slipp'd out of the womb of chance without any signification in it no no as God is the highest Reason so all that he does comes from it and is guided by it his very judgements themselves are reasonable judgements and therefore though many things come forth from God the causes of which shall not be known untill the day of the revelation of his righteousness yet in the generall he bids us believe and would have us know that he hath not done without cause all that he hath done Ezek. 14 23. Well then a reason for this judgement there is and what is it to tell you that it is Wickednesse in the general is to fling an whole loaf at your head and not to cut it for you but yet the Psalmist tells us so Psal 107. 34. He turneth a faithfull land into barrenness for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein and as God told Adam Gen. 3. 17. that the ground was cursed for his sake that is for his sin so if our ground now be like to undergoe a Curse it is for our sins And for what sins Certainly for some sins above others for as the Clouds send down no other waters then what the Earth sends up so there is something comn up from us before God that has drawn down our present judgements on us There have been divers interpretations past on this late abundance of Rain The Star-gazer charges it upon some notable configuration in the Heavens but yet as our late Astrologers confessed they could not read our late revolution and blessed return of the King in any conjunction of the Planets but gave it clearly up to be a Miracle so if you now examine their Almanacks you shall not finde a word fore-telling all this foul weather which makes me think it is more then a naturall it is a judicial effect And therefore others that are no good friend to our present welfare will adventure to make a malicious glosse upon the present judgement and whisper it at least in corners that it is for the Kings coming in for our importunate desires of his return and for our great rejoycings at his presence And they observe with some pleasure to themselves the great Rain that fell at the first treatment of his Majestie in the City the great Rain and Thunder upon the day of his Coronation and the great Rains that have continued ever since and they make bold with Scripture to prove this to be the cause of the judgement from 1 Sam. 12 17. where Samu●l tells the people thus I will call unto the Lord and he shall send thunder and rain that ye may perceive and see that your wicednesse is great which ye have done in the sight of the Lord in asking you a King But I question not but this interpretation is too private and wide enough Therefore to come nearer home What may the sins be Truly the Nation stands now guilty of such sins that I could find in my heart rather to pray for a famine then to pray against it For as fasting in the way of a physicall operation is good to cure many diseases so there be many sins especially those of pride and luxury which famine would be an excellent means to remove by removing the food and fomentations of them What our sins are may be read in the very face of the Judgement that as the Hetrurians of old erected a Colledge of wise men to be their fulminum interpretes their Expositers of Thunder-bolts and as Physicians now by the signature they observe in a plant will guess shrewdly what it is wholsome for and hurtfull to So there is a signature in the present judgement and by the Features and Complexion that is in it we may Calculate its Nativity and judge whence it comes First then what think you of the sin of Sabbaoth-breaking a sin now more frequent impudent and unpun●sh●d then in those late black days in which greater sins were counted none at all This blessed day is now as much mangled and broken as once the Lord and Master of it was and as the Poet deriding the immoderate dresses of a girle told her that she was minima pars sui so is this day so divided and loaden with affairs and sins that it is now become the least part of it self and you may seek for a Sabbaoth in a Sabbaoth and yet not find it And whereas it is an holy day now other days are innocent to this those we spend upon our callings this upon our sins and now do but see how this judgment is fitted to this sin Lev. 26 34. where Moses tells the people that the land should enjoy her Sabbath and lie desolate because the men of the land will not keep their Sabbaoths therefore the land it self shall keep hers and such a Sabbaoth is now l●ke to be kept for this year by a great part of our land Secondly next what think you of the sin of swearing a sin whereby the devil cheats a man more then by any by being damned for it and getting nothing by it never did bullets fly thicker in the hottest battel then oaths now in this wicked City you cannot passe the streets but your ears will be box2d by an oath at every step and 't is a wonder to me if these arrows which are shot bolt up right and levell'd point-blanck at God do not recoyle upon the heads of those that shot them but how this sin does