Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	heart_n	let_v	lord_n	3,181	5	4.0879	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89582	A sermon preached to the two Houses of Parliament, at their solemn meeting to praise God for his infinite mercy in the restoring of the said Houses of Parliament to their honor and freedome with so little effusion of blood: at the Abbey-Church in Westminster, Aug. 12. 1647. / By Stephen Marshall, B.D. Minister of Finchingfield in Essex.	Marshall, Stephen, 1594?-1655.	1647 (1647)	Wing M779; Thomason E401_29; ESTC R201798	19,695	33

glory to God who hath vouchsafed this Mercy to us Since the Lord hath appeared thus mercifully given us such a pledge as he hath done let us all endeavour to improve this mercy What shall I render to the Lord is the constant question of a thankfull heart so is this also How shall I use this mercy aright We must study therfore how to improve this great deliverance For our help herein I humbly commend two Directions one in generall which concerns all of us the other more particular which properly concerns you the Honourable Lords and Gentlemen of the two Houses of Parliament For all of us Besides all those Uses which should be made of every deliverance which are to teach us to turn to God to beleeve in him to trust him for time to come to tell abroad his wonderfull works which he hath done Besides all these methinks this mercy doth hint to all Gods people that God is very willing they should study to bee reconciled one to another for truly Brethren if we had gone to War now whatever might have been the pretended cause the reall truth had bin Gods people had gone to destroy one another They that have fought together against their common Enemies who have pray'd together mourn'd together lov'd one another liv'd as brethren contributed borne burthens done all with one heart and one spirit now under the pretence of I know not what must have sheathed their swords in one anothers bowells And when they were so neare it and their Father would not permit them Is it not a voice from heaven Children you must be reconciled Doth it not speak to them as Moses to the two Israelites Sirs you are brethren doe not fall out one with another Do not wrong one another Had God for our sins left us under this judgement to help to destroy each other and then the remainder of us given up into the hands of other adversaries they would have taught us to be at peace one with another wee should have agreed in prisons or in banishment or in the shadow of death O that the Lord would fix it upon the hearts of all that feare him to make this collection from this great Mercy that the people of God must study to be reconciled and united together and to bear one with another every one to indeavour to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace More especially my Lords and Gentlemen this dealing of God toward you seems to call for some notable duties at your hands Let me freely speak a few things unto you 1 That God hath oftentimes cast reproach upon you and humbled you heretofore but in this last abasement the Lord hath set such a stigma such a mark of scorne suffering you to bee spit in the face after that manner suffering the young to beare themselves insolently against the Ancient and the base against the Honorable that I cannot but say there was some high displeasure of God either to your persons or to the Kingdome whom you represent or both I doe therefore most humbly pray you that you would search your own hearts and enquire whether there be not some cause why our gracious God did thus abase you certainly a Father uses not to spit in the face of his Childe if there bee not some speciall cause for it And I cannot think that the Lord would ever have let such an ignominious act that carryes so much abomination in the face of it to bee offer'd to a Parliament if he would not thereby put them to search for somewhat for which they ought to lay themselves low in secret before him When Shimei did curse and revile David David presently reflected upon himself So-let him curse since God bids him curse David hee presently remembred how hee had dishonored God in the matter of Uriah and therefore looked at this reproach as righteously inflicted by the hand of God how culpable-soever Shimei was in it I commend it to your serious thoughts whether as men or Parliament-men or whether as Houses of Parliament the honour and glory of God have not been slighted by you and therefore the Lord hath suffered this slight and scorn to bee cast upon you enquire whether there bee not as much cause why the God of heaven let this reproach bee cast upon you as you have to appoint a Committee to enquire who they were that have done it I blame not your care in that but I humbly pray that you would be carefull of this As I would fain have you learn somewhat from the disgrace which God cast upon you So Principally I desire you to improve the deliverance that now God hath afforded he hath now vouchsafed in his mercy to bring you to sit in Parliament in safety that you may consult the welfare of this Kingdome my most humble suit unto your Lordships and you Noble Gentlemen is consider more seriously then ever heretofore what a task lies upon you you have a very sick Patient of the Kingdome of England to cure it is almost ready to give up the ghost at your doore and in your hand now for the Lords sake if ever any of you have before-time thought of any private interest of your own lay it a side and now attend wholly to the publick now God hath given you one opportunity more try whether possibly you can save the Kingdome or no and in your endeavours I commend onely these two Heads to your serious consideration First Know for certain you can never save this Land without God If the Lord will not work with you you can work nothing Except the Lord build the House they labour but in vaine who build it But if you will work for Gods interest the Lord will work with you and carry on your own interests so far as yours is good Now the Lords interest in the Kingdome is Religion his Worship his Truth his Saints his People let them have the deepest part of your care you will but set up a wall without morter Arena sine calse Sand without lime if you do not take God along with you preserve Gods Truth in the first place buy not Peace with the selling of the Truth of God 2 Look to Gods Worship let that be set up and preserved in purity and take all rubbish and filth from it 3 Let the Ministers be encouraged with countenance maintenance provide that every Flock may have a Shepheard and that they may be helped forward look to Universities those Schools of the Prophets out of which may be sent laborers into the Lords vineyard you have begun many good things in this kind but you have bin hindred by many intervening accidents and the work still hangs the Reformation still sticks in the birth now make it your great work be faithful in building Gods house God wil build your house but if you shall be slight in it know for certain you shal never be able

they request them that if they thought their land was unclean because they had not among them those pledges of Gods presence the Arke and Testimony which their brethren had that they would leave that Countrey where they should be exposed to such temptations and with all their hearts they would part with a portion of their owne inheritance that they might live together as brethren To this the Tribes and halfe make answer First they doe solemnely call God to witnesse that they were farre from being guilty of that which was laid to their charge it never came into their thoughts to build an Altar to offer Sacrifice they pleaded not guiltie Secondly they tell them the true reason of that fact of theirs namely they were afraid lest the Generations to come might occasion their posteritie to fall off from the true worship of God when the rest of the Tribes should tell them that Jordan was the bounds of Gods peoples inheritance and so they bee cast off as people that were not within the Communion of Saints hereupon they resolved to build this Altar that it might be a pledge and that the generations to come might plead it that this was set up at the time when the warres ended to remaine as an evidence that they and their brethren were all one both in Nation and Religion Which as soon as the Commissioners heard they rejoyced they concluded God was amongst them and they returne home and acquaint their brethren with it who when they heard it were all well pleased The thing pleased the children of Israel and they blessed God and resolved they would have no warre with their brethren Here is the Summe of the Story and in this story there are very many excellent things for our instruction This Altar built on the bankes of Jordan is much debated of in the dispute of humane significant ceremonies in the worship of God or for religious use Whether such ceremonies may be justified by this example is very disputable but without any dispute here are many notable examples of Piety it was a great example of Piety in the two Tribes and halfe that they were so desirous to provide that their posteritie might not bee deprived of the Communion of Gods people in his Ordinances And a great example of Piety there is in this that they were so ready by not onely Protestations but Oathes to cleare themselves from any thought of corrupting the worship of God Wee have also a great example of Piety in the other Tribes that in such a cause as the case of Apostasie from Gods truth they would not have spared the lives of their owne brethren And a great example of Piety was in them that they were so desirous by all Arguments to take them off from any such sinfull way yea to have parted with their owne inheritance to them rather then they should bee exposed to temptations to Apostasie Here are notable examples likewise of justice amongst them justice in the Tribes that before they would beleeve any informations or apprehensions of their brethren they would send Commissioners to know the bottome of it to see whether the things were so and justice in the Commissioners that they did so faithfully relate backe to the Tribes the true state of the case and so to hinder as much as in them lay the effusion of blood Here are likewise some examples of humane frailtie that are not to bee excused it 's not to bee excused in the two Tribes and halfe that they would goe upon such a dangerous businesse which is disputable to this very day whether such a thing was lawfull to bee done to set up such a way of instruction or remembrance that they would goe about such a thing which might prove a stumbling block and not first acquaint their brethren with their intentions And as great or greater weakenesse was that in the nine Tribes and halfe that they would almost resolve upon a warre and make preparations for it upon a rash and wrong interpretation before they did so much as know whether there were cause or no But the greatest document of all the rest in the whole story is that which they made the ground of their warre which you 'le finde about the 23. Verse That if their brethren had played the Apostates from God in matters of his worship the wrath of God would presently fall upon the whole Nation unlesse they had joyned together to vindicate the glory of God All these severall other Lessons are worth the handling but I resolve to make a short Sermon and therefore wave them all and confine my selfe to that which is the result and event of the Treatie which was a solemne Thanksgiving to God They blessed God and they resolved not to go to warre against their brethren the words are cleare and I think need no interpretation they blessed God that their brethren had not committed the sinne that they were afraid they had done and that therefore the wrath of God was not like to bee kindled against them and as the close of both these that God had mercifully prevented that which they feared that they should have beene compelled to embrew their hands in one anothers blood they blessed God that there was no cause of fighting And from this I shall by the Lords assistance handle this and this onely lesson That it is a Mercy worthy of abundance of praises to God when God doth seasonably appear to prevent his peoples ingaging in one anothers blood when they are neare to doe it This lesson lyeth cleare in the words 1 In the 31. Vers as soon as Phinehas had heard their Apology hee tells them This day wee perceive the Lord is among us now you have delivered the Children of Israel out of the hand of the Lord And all this Congregation here in my Text blesse God and intend not to fight they rejoyced because the ground of a warre was prevented and for further proofe of it looke into a few plaine Texts of Scripture you shall finde one in the 1. of Samuel 26. about the 32. Vers It is an example of David who upon an unworthy usage of a Gentleman in the Countrey a great man one Nabal that had extreamely provoked him and abused him had sworne that hee would cut off his Family and not leave a man of them and in his heate was going to avenge himselfe but as hee was in the middest of his march Abigail Nabals wife meets him tells him the story infinuates into him by her excellent Counsell endevours to stop his hand from his enterprize now marke how David rejoyceth in it though the warre would have beene but against one Family where hee was to meete with no resistance Blessed be thou of the Lord and blessed be God that sent thee to mee and blessed bee thy Counsell that hath with-held my hand from shedding blood hee looked upon it as a wonderfull mercy that when hee was ready to engage