Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A43819
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The season for Englands selfe-reflection and advancing temple-vvork discovered in a sermon preached to the two Houses of Parliament at Margarets Westminster, Aug. 13, 1644, being an extraordinary day of humiliation / by Thomas Hill ...
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Hill, Thomas, d. 1653.
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1644
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Wing H2027; ESTC R2603
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33,390
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45
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Our God being the Lord of Hoasts could have prevented them and can allay them stilling the proudest waves as hee pleases Hee knows how to preserve his Friends and to reserve his Adversaries 2 Pet. 2. 9. Hee who can command light to shine out of darkenesse 2 Cor 4. 6. can as easily bring order out of confusion and unlesse hee could bring good out of evill hee who is the Supreame Governour of the whole world would never suffer any evill to befall his People It doth not argue any defect either in his power or love that his people in England have so long smarted and still goe under such heavy pressures but it is the manifold various wisedome of the great Lord Generall so to marshall all his Hoasts as they may doe execution according to the Counsell of his will and all in reference to his grand designe The advancing his own great Name in the salvation of his People you have no reason to mutter because sometimes it is male cum bonis bene cum malis because sometimes the godly suffer and the wicked prosper mis-interpreting such providences humours and feeds Atheisme why should not you allow God the honour of his Soveraignty Hee is the Lord of Hoasts and as hee makes use of his prerogative in saving the soules and in using the parts and abilities of men so likewise in the sparing and afflicting of them The same God who Isa 4. 56. hath said Hee will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion and upon all the Assemblies a cloud and a smâ—sk by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night c. by way of protection hath likewise said for affliction Isa. 45. 7. I forme the light and create darknesse I make peace and create evill I the Lord doe 〈◊〉 these things It is good therefore when God is come out of the habitation of his holinesse for all flesh to bee silent before him Zach. 2. 13. and in stormy times to saile by the Psalmists Compasse Psal. 37. 7. beâ— silent to the Lord and waite patiently for him If God bring thy estate low get thy spirit as low If God break and shatter the kingdome get thy heart broken and humbled under his mighty hand Let thy soule lye levell with Gods providence Remember the God of Hoasts is his name Amos 4. 15. If God delight in conficting times to represent himselfe to his Church as the Lord of Hoasts Then beware of cowardly feare suffer not your selves to bee discouraged by the most potent adversaries when you are ingaged in his worke who is the God of Hoasts Solomon tells us Prov. 29. 25. The feare of man bringeth a snare but who so putteth his trust in the Lord shall bee safe Carnall feare betrayes reason as well as faith when it is predominant Thousands in England have found this true by wofull experience who out of distrustfull feares chusing rather to sin than to suffer have miserably insnared themselves whereas if by faith they had taken Sanctuary in him who is the Lord of Hoasts hee would have been their safety their high place What though puissant Armies should combine and raise great mountains of opposition in the way yet the great Lord Generall who commands heaven and earth will carry on his own worke Hence hee gives a challenge to those mountainous Adversaries who did hinder Zerubbabel in Temple-work Zach. 4. 7. Who art theâ—â— O great Mountain before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plaine and bee shall bring forth the head stone thereof with shoutings But how should this bee carryed on not by might nor by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts What though enemies doe most proudly insult then remember what the Lord saith Zeph. 2. 8 9 10. I have heard the reproach of Moab and the revilings of the children of Ammon whereby they have reproached my people and magnifyed themselves against their borders Therefore as I live saith the Lord of Hosts the God of Israel surely Moab shall bee as Sodom and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah even the breeding of netles and saltpits and a perpetuall desolation This they shall have for their pride because they have magnifyed themselves against the people of the Lord of Hosts In defiance to the pride of railing Rabshakehs the Lord of Hosts will still appeare like himselfe in the behalfe of his own people even when their power is gone The Lord shall judge his people their enemies shall slide in due time Deut. 32. 35 36. not alwayes in our time but in due time Often his childrens extremity proves his opportunity to helpe as 2 King 14. 25 26. Suppose your Army should bee in straits the cause is still the same and your God is still Lord of Hosts possibly this may bee his Method to our Redemption first to humble us before hee will exalt us I hope you keepe a fresh remembrance of the late glorious successe in the Northerne parts so far beyond your thoughts and hopes Underprop your spirits when they beginne to sinke with a branch of that Psalme which Luther delighted so much to sing when the Church was in troubles Psal. 46. 7. The Lord of Hosts is with us the God of Jacob is our refuge If second causes should faile the first cause the Lord of Hosts can supply or govern their deficiency to his peoples advantage Hee is great in counsell and mighty in worke a God that will do wonders rather than suffer his own cause or people to miscarry no reason therefore in the worst times to bee discouraged Hence learne this Lesson very seasonable for these Military times Be improving daily this Stile whereby God makes known himselfe to his People as the Lord of Hosts As you indevour to fortifie your selves and the Kingdome against numerous adversaries so with all bee sure to cry mightily by Prayer to him who is the God of Hosts It is a peace of singular Christian skill when you addresse your selves to seeke God then by an eye and hand of Faith to single out those divine perfections in him which are most sutable to your exigents In these times of sad and bloody distractions in all the three Kingdomes when so many are up in Armes concurring with the Irish Rebells who would plunder us of our Religion and lives as well as of our Liberties and estates it is a most proper season for us all to muster up our teares and sighes to besiege Heaven with our importunities that wee may ingage the Lord of Hosts to appeare on our side let us say as in Psal. 74. 22 23. Arise O God plead thine own cause remember how the forlish man reproacheth thee daily forget not the voyce of thine enemies the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually I might produce a cloud of witnesses to incourage your Prayers You may read Exod. 17. 11. When Moses held up his hand Israel prevailed and when hee let
down his hand Amalek prevailed This listing up of his hands was partly to hold forth the Red as an Ensigne to strengthen the Faith of the Souldiers and also to expresse the lifting up of his hands together with his heart in Prayer Here you may see a different successe of the Israelites accompanying the different gesture of Moses body by the wise providence of God appointed to bee a reall expression both how forcible Moses prayers were and also how weake the Israelites were in themselves if God of whose assistance the Rod was a signe should not stand on their sides Who would not then night and day lift up their hearts and hands making use of their interest in the Lord of Hosts in the behalfe of his conflicting people How did Jacob overcome inraged Esau but by overcomming with his Prayers the Great God of heaven who hath a Throne in all mens spirits God was pleased as appeares in Gen. 32. 24. to conâ—iescend to wrastle with Jacob both for his instruction and his consolation hee would teach him hereby that hee must be content to bee a wrastler and that therein hee should bee victorious Jacob had power with him and prevailed when hee wept and made supplications into him Hos. 12. 4. who in ver. 7. is the Lord of Hosts Hee wrastled with him by his importunity in prayer Gen. 32. 26. I will not let thee goe except thou blesse mee Let us now when wee are humbling our selves before the Lord of Hosts deale like wrastlers They will first spy out their advantage and there lay fast hold Secondly they pursue it with diligence Set faith on work to spy out Gods Attributes his Promises or anything in him whereon you may lay hold and resolve to take no denyall say every one I will not let the Lord of Hâ—sts goe till hee blesse us with hopes of a gracious deliverance from our desolating troubles Admit your Army bee in great straits so was Asa and his Army 2 Chron. 14. you may read ver. 9. A mighty Host of a thousand thousand came out against him Hee made first his approaches to the great God by fervent prayer ver. 11. And Asa cryed unto the Lord his God and said Lord it is nothing with thee to helpe whether with many or with them that have no power Helpe us O Lord our God for wee rest in thee and in thy name wee go against this multitude O Lord thou art our God let not Man prevaile against thee Hee doth not say against us but against Thee Hee did wisely interest God in his Cause and thereby was triumphantly victorious ver. 12 13 14 15. So the Lord smote the Aethiopiâ—ns before Asa c. The Parliament hath Asaes advantage they appeare in the Cause of God they may with the more boldnesse presse the Lord of Hosts to ingage himselfe for them and though you cannot find a particular promise of good successe expressely made unto you herein yet the Lord of Hosts hath a particular over-spreading providence on which you may depend in all your undertakings The same successefull Method did Jehosaphat use when hee was in feare of numerous and potent adversaries 2 Chron. 20. 3. Hee 〈◊〉 and set himselfe to seek the Lord and proclaimed a Fast Some men would onely have complained in discontent against their enemies others in policy would onely make warlike preparations but good Jehosaphat would in the first place try what hee could doe with God by Fasting and Prayer that is a good feare which drives us to God and begets Prayers unto him In his prayer as prudent men use to doe in their Petitions to Princes hee gathers together many strong Arguments Hee well knew that much of the strength of our Prayers lyes in the strength of the Arguments wee therein use first hee draws an Argument from God himselfe and his Covenant whereby they had interest in him ver. 6. from his powerfull providence and from their former experience from Gods promise from the Enemies and their cruell opposition ver. 6 7 8 9 10 11. And lastly hee appeales to God himselfe with much Rhetorick ver. 12. O our God wilt not thou judge them for wee have no night against this great company that commeth against us neither know wee what to doe but our eyes are upon thee Why should not wee take this course Wee have been for many moneths and for some yeeres ingaged in a bloody warre wee have in severall Battailes appealed to the sword for justice upon the Sonnes of violence the Campe is the supreame Judicatory let us now goe one step higher As John Husse when bee was condemned by his Popish Judges appealed to Jesus Christ the most high Judge So let us appeale from enemies yea and look above Instruments let us put our cause and all our affaires of greatest concernment into the hands of the Lord of Hosts desiring him to judge betwixt us and our adversaries Hang confidently upon that branch of his own word Jer. 50. 33 34. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts the children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together and all that took them captives held them fast they refused to let them goe Their Redeemer is strong the Lord of Hosts is his Name hee shall throughly plead their cause that hee may give rest to the Land But with all when you have prayed Remember that you act your Prayers All your worke is not done when Prayer is ended As you waite eâ—pecting that the Lord should make good your Petitions so you should worke and do good according unto them by your prayers you ingage your selves as well as God This were an excellent temper of Spirit in these conflicting times To pray with so much fervency as if you were to carrie on things only by the power of your Prayers and yet also to act with so much diligence as if you were to worke out Englands welfare by the strength of your owne indeavours You have good Jehosaphat in the same place 2 Chron. 20. for your happy pattern herein ver. 20. c. hee did very industriously act consult as well as pray Hee first prayed that hee might blesse his actions then he acted that hee might backe his prayers by both he became very victorious over his enemies The Lord of Hosts so wonderfully appeared for him against his adversaries that rather then they should prevaile they should help to conquer and destroy one another ver. 23. Come we now to the second observation In that the Prophet presseth upon them with ingeminations in the name of the Lord of Hosts verse 5 7. Now therefore to consider their wayes being their endeavors did not prosper verse 6. Yee have sownâ— much and bring in little yee eate and have not enough yee drink c. in divers kinds Gods disfavour was manifested whereupon he calls on them ver. 7. to consider their ways Hence learn When the hand of God is stretched out against a