Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	king_n	law_n	people_n	4,588	5	5.1230	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30438	A sermon preached at White-Hall before the King and Queen on the 29th of April, 1691, being the fast-day by the Right Reverend Father in God, Gilbert Lord Bishop of Sarum.	Burnet, Gilbert, 1643-1715.	1691 (1691)	Wing B5896; ESTC R4095	15,156	38

PUBLISHED By Their Majesties Special Command A SERMON PREACHED at WHITE-HALL Before the KING and QUEEN On the 29 th of April 1691. BEING THE FAST-DAY By the Right Reverend Father in God GILBERT Lord Bishop of SARVM LONDON Printed for Ric. Chiswell at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCXCI The Bishop of SARVM's FAST-SERMON BEFORE THE KING and QUEEN APRIL 29. 1691. PSAL. xii 1. Help Lord for the godly man ceaseth the faithful fail from among the children of men THE unlooked-for Turns of David's Life afford us one of the most diversified and noblest Scenes of History From the lowest condition of following the Ewes great with young which yet was the most Innocent as well as perhaps the Happiest part of his life he was advanced to be the Glorious Champion and Deliverer of his Countrey he was raised to be the People's Favourite as well as the King's son-in-Son-in-law He had a secret Intail of the Crown setled on him by a Divine Appointment and saw the Affections of his Countrey concurring with the Prophet's Designation He was by their indiscreet Applauses set so far above Saul as to give him just cause of Jealousie and he found that Blessing and Success followed him in every thing that he went about But a Reverse of Fortune quickly overtook him he was pursued by a violent and a jealous Tyrant forsaken by his Friends and informed against by Flatterers and at last forced to secure himself by entertaining about him such a company as ran to him for Shelter and Protection who when they found themselves in grea● distress were sometimes talking of Stoning him Only the Great and Generous Ionathan who of all others was the most concerned to have destroyed him gave upon this occasion the perfectest Pattern of Heroick Friendship and was ready even to sacrifice himself for him whose Fortunes and Family could not rise but upon the ruins of his own In this cloudy Revolution of David's Affairs it is probable that this Psalm was Penned when all the Prospect that he once had seemed to fail which obliged him to flye to the Divine Help since he found neither Piety nor Truth left among men to which he could trust It was no faintness of heart nor want of Courage that brought him under this dejection of Mind His heart was as the heart of a Lion yet he could expect little from a Body of men that had neither Religion nor Virtue among them It is true they flattered him and boasted perhaps both of their Zeal and Valour They spake vanity wit● flattering lips and with a double heart did they speak prou● things boasting perhaps their mighty Performances and their great Services Whatsoever they might do with their hands they were sure that with thei● tongues they would prevail They were also liberal in their discourses they thought their lips were their own and they said Who is lord over us For tho their persons might be under his Authority they resolved their Tongues should be under no restraint His Enemies were insolent and fierce oppressing the poor and needy adding the haughtiness of Scorn to the cruelty of Malice But the poor while thus oppressed sighed and cried to God who as David believed would at last arise and set them at safety from 〈◊〉 that puffed at them and in conclusion he was neither terrified with the strength of his Enemies nor with the weakness of his own Party he trusted to the Promises of God which he knew had not that allay of dross that was in the words of men they were pure words free from all mixture exactly true ●●ke Silver after it has passed through the severest refinings and therefore since God had promised to ●aise him up to reign over his People he was confident this would be performed and sure the Promise was made to him and to his Posterity he was persuaded he should not only be preserved from that generation of his enemies but that his Posterity should be preserved for ever This he concludes with a dark Phrase The wicked walk on every side when the vilest men reexalted which is capable of this sense That when David and his Followers who were then under much scorn should be exalted according to the Promi● that God had made this should so confound t●● wicked that had both despis'd them and their hope that they should be struck with admiration and gi●diness upon it like men that are staring at a strang● sight and going round it to view it on all sides I now come to consider more closely my Tex● which is a Prayer of David's to God for Help on th● ground That there was little or no Religion or ●●●nesty left among men and that therefore he had n● reason to trust to them or to expect a Blessing 〈◊〉 such Instruments on the contrary he had all reaso● to expect heavy Judgments from God upon them and therefore he prayed to him for help In speaking to this I shall consider 1. What is the Importance of the two characters here given Godly and Faithful men 2. The Reasons that he might then have an● that we now have to lament That there are men of that Character to be found 3. The sad Consequences that are justly to be apprehended to a Nation or Interest that is under suc● a destitution of Religious and Honest Men. And 4 thly The only Remedy to all this which is an earnest Prayer to God for Help Follow me in these things with that closeness of Thought and that fixt seriousness of Mind which the Importance of the Matter and the Solemnities of the Day do require To return to the two Characters of Men in my Text. The word rendred Godly in its strict signification imports a benign gentle and good-natured man but this has such a relation to Religion and is such a disposition to it that among the Iews this word was in common use extended to a man that was exact to all the duties of Religion and strict in the performance of them A Godly man is not one that places his Religion in many assumed practices that look solemn perhaps but in their own nature do not tend to make him better that are matters of mere Shew and Pomp which do begin with Superstition that is an over-doing and over-valuing indifferent things and end in Hypocrisie Faction and ill-nature A Godly man is not he that understands his Religion well that can write speak and argue closely for it and that can make both himself and others very angry about it which is the true name for the greatest part of that which the world calls Zeal In a word A Godly man is not he that is very regular in all outward Rules and matters of Form and that places his Religion in the exact performance of such a circle of things which are the external acts of Religious Worship and in which a man may go the round very punctnally through a course of many years and yet never deserve the