Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A30640
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Englands bondage and hope of deliverance a sermon preached before the honourable House of Parliament at St. Margarets in Westminster / by Mr. Henry Burton ... Iune 20, 1641.
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Burton, Henry, 1578-1648.
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1641
(1641)
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Wing B6162; ESTC R5904
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17,112
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32
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Christs delivering us from sin and from Sathan how glorious was it even when he hung on the Crosse he did on that Crosse by his death triumph over the Divell and over his Kingdome by the powring out of his blood he did work a glorious deliverance and as a glorious deliverance to the deliverer so to the delivered of slaves men were made the servants of God of bond men adopted to be his children Well in the next place another reason may be taken from the great punishment which God inflicts upon those who are not onely the oppressors of his people but the detainers of them that exercise violence over them we see this in the Egyptians they not onely kept the children of Israel in bondage but when God sent a message to them to deliver his people they put more Captivity upon them they rais'd their tale of brick well but you see how God deales with them he sends frogs to cover Egypt and they came into the Kings Chambers and when they were gon away they filled the Land with stinke and so GOD sent grasse-hoppers to devoure their fruits and he smote their first-borne and yet they would not be satisfied to suffer the people to depart but when the Israelites were gone they repented of it and God overthrowes them in the red sea if you looke for more Examples then these perhaps you shall find them nearer hand neerer home I am sure we may say there are more Egypts then one for wee read Revel. 11. That the two witnesses lay dead in the City which is spiritually called Egypt and Sodome so that there is a spirituall Egypt as well as a naturall Egypt now perhaps wee may find this very Egypt where ever we finde the oppressors of Gods people where Gods witnesses and people are persecuted or holden in contempt certainely that is a spirituall Egypt and beloved is this land free may we not find a spirituall Egypt amongst us Frogs who are they but Jesuits Priests and Friers these spread over the Land never the like as in these last dayes when the frogs were gone then came locusts and Grasse-hoppers these crept into the Kings Chambers in Cities into all places spared none and what say we of catterpillars who came in Armies into our land Irish Catterpillars and English Catterpillars that hâ—ve devoured the fruits of the Land and the strength thereof but we must thanke the Worthies of our Kingdome for scattering these And what say wee then to the darkenesse that was upon Egypt is not the like in England surely a wonderfull and a palpable darknesse when they cannot see at noone day when they were given over to that hardnesse of heart and that also in oppressing of GODS People that to this day they cannot see themselves So that after so many thousand yeares we may finde some Egyptians that farre exceed Pharaoh in hardnesse of heart for he did confesse his sin and did deprecate God to pardon it but our Egyptians can finde no fault with themselves Againe what say wee to the primogeniti of the first-borne in Egypt after the first-borne of Egypt were slain the Children of Israell were delivered David calls them the Chiefe of Egypt I speake of the chiefest of these Incendiaries do wee not see them smitten off in the late Vote against them and for the destroying of them Certainly primogeniti being taken away we may well hope for a glorious deliverance upon the Church of God The Children of God have not yet deliverance but they shall have it I will not pursue these men to the red Sea but surely if they doe not repent God hath a Sea a Sea of destruction to swallow them up Thus we see in respect of the punishment God doth send on the wicked that doe detaine his people in bondage we ought to be well affected to the Church of God and especially when he calls his people to doe justice and to deliver his people for when the Egyptians make a violent detaining of Gods people what can be expected but Plague upon Plague upon the Egyptians But now to speake a word of the last reason and that is the consideration of the meanes that is here committed unto us by which it pleaseth God still to deliver his people and that is by Prayer oh that some would deliver the people of God who shall give salvation unto Israel here you see was nothing but a bare wish yet out of a sound heart compassionate of the Captivity of GODS People who shall give deliverance unto GODS People This is the time wherein God doth begin to deliver his People when Gods people begin to cry and to seeke then he begins to heare In the 2 of Exodus the Lord tels Moses they sighed for their burthens and in the third chapter saith I have heard the cryes of the People and their sighings here was the first instance that God was pleased to take to send Moses to deliver his people when their brickes were doubled then Moses was I say sent to deliver them so then here is the 7th reason that God is moved to compassionate his people with a Prayer or a cry when nothing else will deliver us prayers and teares will But againe when the children of Israel were in Bondage God sent them another cause of deliverance when they were brought to the lowest ebbe to the greatest misery as you see Deut. 23.3 There the Lord saith of his people that when they shall bee brought low when all their strength was gone and there is no hope to prevaile then hee will deliver them 2. On the other side when the enemies of God are advanced to the height and to the pitch of all their pride and all their cruelty then this is a time that doth fore-run their destruction so God served the Amorites when their sins were full they gave way to the people of God to take possession of their lands and so you may read Esay 10.10 where the Lord speakes upbraiding of Assyria for oppressing his people thus he doth argue the case with them and thereupon their destruction comes and so when the Babylonian lifted up himselfe above the Throne of God as high as the star called Lucifer trampled upon the people of God and spoyled the Nations thereupon the Lord threatens the destruction of the Nation even of that whole Kingdome and so Ier. 57 My blood be upon the inhabitants of Caldea shall Israel say I will deliver them saith God take vengeance for them and dry up their Sea Thus wee see as on the one side the extremity of Gods people even a sigh to God moves him to compassion so on the other side the height of pride doth bring upon them destruction But some may say wee see that though there were but a few of them that were principall agents in Egypt yet God brought the ruine on the whole Land may he not doe the like on this God forbid that a faction should bring a Nation to ruine and
wherein it doth stand or what are the signes of it that Gods people lye under this bondage in this Land J will give instance thereof in foure particulars The first is the bondage of Conscience 〈◊〉 poynt of Liturgy devised by men and imposed vpon the Consciences of the Godly The second is the Bondage of the Conscience under Ceremonies The third is the Bondage of Conscience under Discipline and the fourth is the Bondage of the Conscience vnder Governement First for the bondage of the Conscience vnder Liturgy Beloued if you turne to Coloss. 2.20 you shall find that the spirit of God doth by St. Paul blast all these seruices at one breath invented by men and imposed of necessity vpon the Conscience in vsing those prayers which the service of God 〈◊〉 Apostle calls all such Will-worshippers as you may see Coloss. 2.23 I would haue you turne to the Chapter and study it well speaking there of the ordinances of men which things saith hee have indeed a shew of wisedome in Will-worship and humility c. Though the pretended humility in all these Innovations of men pretend to be louing and humble yet all this worship is a will-worship devised by man and so becomes a snare to Gods people and 〈◊〉 agayne this is that our Sauiour Christ expressely condemnes 〈◊〉 15.9 In vaine doe they worship me teaching for Doctrine the Traditions of men it is a vaine worship Also Esay 29. These people draw neere to me with their lips and with their mouthes they honour me but their heart is farre removed from me What is the reason of that What 's the ground of all this their feare towards me is taught by the precepts of men Here is the very reason ground why the service devised by men is abhominable before God and is nothing but meere Hypocrisie when men draw neere him with their lipâ— and their hearts are farre from him Many men would teach how to serve God and prescribe rules for the service of God so to impose this yoke upon Gods people they would sit in Gods Chaire and doe in this as if the Servant should teach his Master what to doe God did not doe it nor Christ did not doe it but Man will doe it By which it may appeare that it is Hypocrisie and a vaine worship This is one bondage under which the Land hath suffered and for which we have cause to cry with the Prophet Oh that the Salvation of Israel were come out of Syâ—n oh that there were a deliverance of Goâ—â— people from this bondage The second is bondage under Ceremonies they be also branded Coll. 2.8 Beware lest any man spoyle you through Philosophy and vaine deceit after the Tradition of men after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ And so afterwards touch not taste not handle not the new devises of men set up in the service of God it spoyles men when they doe bind them to humane Ordinances it is a leading of them captive wherefore in the 10. ver. he shewes it is the vacuating of Christ 〈◊〉 you allied to Christ how comes it that you are subject to humane Ceremonies that you live under humane Ordinances this shewes you have no part in Christ so long as you are subject to humane Ordinances For Christs death hath abolished all Ordinances of the Law which were of Gods ordaining much more the Ordinances of men in the worship of God To set up these things and to let the conscience lye under bondage this is a great Captivity Christs death hath made void all these This is another bondage and we cry concerning this Oh that the Salvation of Israel were come out of Sion when God turneth the Captivity of his people from this Jacob shall rejoyce and Israel shall be glad The third is a Bondage under Discipline here the Discipline is brought under one man one man hath the Discipline of the whole Church The Archbishop in his Province The Bishop in his Diocesse This is condemned flatly and expressely in the Scripture That the power of Discipline it is not lest to one man but indeed to the whole Congregation Math. 18.17 First see it in Christ if thy Brother offend thee first admonish him thy selfe in private if none of this will doe tell it the Church that is the Congregation The Apostle makes it plaine 1 Cor. 2.6 Here is the infliction of punishment he was put out of the Congregation for incest Here was a punishment inflicted by many who are they The whole Congregation for the Congregation had a vote in this businesse of executing of censure upon such an offender So we may see this is meant of the Church 1 Cor. 1. To the Church which is at Corinth that is the Congregation you see it more plainly 1 Cor. 5.4 In the name of the â—ord Jesus Christ when you come together you that is the Congregation So then the Discipline that is executed by the will of one man sitting in the Court and admitting of whom hee will and shutting out whom hee will receiving whom hee will and rejecting whom hee will absolving whom hee will and excommunicating whom hee will sending to Heaven whom hee will and to Hell whom hee will is not warranted by Scripture Diothrepes who was one of the first Practitioners in this kind of this Sect was thrust out of the Church of God for taking on him such an Office Jn the last place the fourth bondage under which the Land hath suffered is the Bondage of the Hierarchy that is the fall of the spirituall Government and beloved it cannot be better paralell'd then to the Hierarchy of Antichrist Jt is a limbe of him he exalts himselfe above all that is called God in all matters of Religion hee must governe the conscience nay they must learne men in their Faith Psal. 149. where it is there Praise God for the Conquest he hath given the Church over her Enemies they will have it Praise God for the power he hath given the Church over the consciences of men what aâ— high presumption is this that any man should put in such an expression into the holy Bible yea we find that the Articles of our Religion hath bin some of them altered as in the 20. Article where meaning the Prelats the Church say they hath authority to ordaine rites and Ceremonies and hath authority in matters of Faith They would get that which Christ never left to them and never any before Antichrist such as love the preheminence Diotrephes he was he that loved the Prehemiâ—â—â—â—ie that is he loved the Prelacy in St. Johns time and under St. Iohns nose and thus we see another bondage vnder which the people of this Land hath suffered and when we are deliuered from this Jacob shall rejoyce and Jsraell shall be glad But since the Reformation we could not be freed from this bondage and delivered now wee may cry Salvation is come to Jsraell whereof Jacob rejoyceth Beloved J must