Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A11882
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A sermon against halting betweene two opinions preached at S. Martins in the fields, By Iohn Seller, Bacheler in Diuinitie
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Seller, John, 1592 or 3-1648.
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1611
(1611)
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STC 22182; ESTC S113727
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40,787
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61
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lieth still and all other godlie and Christian meetings quite geuen ouer Farre otherwise then it was vnder the raignes of Dauid Ezechias Iosias and Iehoshaphat in whose dayes the people enioyed those three blessings before remembred namely godlines honestie and peace All those godly and religious Kings not onely by words encouraging the people to serue God but by their examples drawing great multitudes to imitate the same zeale and feruencie which they saw to be in such Princes vnder whom they liued But on the other side when God in his anger and iust indignation sendeth wicked Princes to sit in place of iudgement and authoritie religion and vertue goeth to decay Gods honour is defaced the people drawne to idolatrie the worship and seruice of God prophanely abused the truth whereof as it appeareth by diuerse and sundry examples of wicked Kings in the holie scriptures so in none more plainly then in King Ahab of whome I shall haue occasion heereafter to speake of whom the Scripture thus recordeth that he solde himselfe to doe wickedly in the sight of the Lord that hee did exceeding abhominably in following idolles 2. King 10.30.31 according to allthat the Ammonites did being prouoked thervnto by Iezabel his wife For it was a light thing for him to walk in the sinnes of Ieroboam except he tooke Iezabel also the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sydonians to wife and serued Baal and worshipped him In whose dayes what an hauocke there was made of the Saintes and seruants of God what an increase there was made of most grosse idolatrie by ioyning Gods worship and Baals together what slaughter of the Prophets of God liuing in those times which went vp and downe wandering in sheepes-skinnes and goates skinnes beeing destitute tormented and afflicted and for the safegard of their liues being glad to wander in the wildernesse and mountaines and dennes and caues of the earth Heb 11.37 is plainely to be seene by the complaint and request of the Prophet 2. King 19.14 which hee made vnto God against Israel saying O Lorde the children of Israel haue forsaken thy couenant cast downe thine Altars and slaine thy Prophet with the sworde and I onely am left and they seeke my life to take it away Albeit the answer of God said vnto him I haue reserued to my selfe seuen thousand men Rom 11.3.4 which haue not bowed the knee to Baal In this great and miserable desolation and confusion of his Church the Lord remembring his people of Israel when they little looked for it and lesse deserued it sent Elias the Prophet vnto them who the more forciblie to drawe both the King and his Subjects to a serious consideration of their sinnes and to shew how greatly the Lord was displeased for their idolatrous worshipping of Baal 1. King 17.1 tolde king Ahab to his face As the Lorde liueth before whome I stand there shall be neither deaw nor raine these yeares but according to my word which indeed according to the saying of the Prophet came to passe For as Elias moued by the instinct of Gods holy spirit prayed vnto God earnestly that it might not raine Iam 5.17 so according to his prayer it rained on the earth for three yeares and sixe moneths By meanes wherof the famine was so great in Israel for lacke of raine that man and beast were readie to perish and raine they could haue none but at Elias word as Elias had told the king before the drought beganne At the ende of the three yeares and sixe moneths of drought 1. King 18.1 the Prophet Elias was commaunded to shewe himselfe to king Ahab and albeit hee was greatly disswaded so to doe by Obadiah whom hee met in the way yet the Prophet was resolute solemnly protesting to Obadiah As the Lord of Hostes liueth in whose presence I stand I will surely shew my selfe vnto Ahab this day 1. King 18 15. Meeting therfore with Ahab and beeing challenged by him as the author of that famine and troubler of Israel he discharged himselfe and protested before the King that God plagued the whole Land because hee and his Fathers house had forsaken the commaundements of the Lord and followed other Gods And to iustifie his speech he offered to prooue before all Israel on the danger of his owne head that the king and the Land were but seduced and abused by the Prophets of Baal and that hee would prooue by no worse meanes then by miraculous fire from heauen which should shew them whose sacrifice was accepted assuring them of raine aboundantly after their conuersion to the true GOD for which cause at this time hee was sent vnto them To this the King gaue his consent and by the perswasion and motion of Elias sent by his Princely authoritie for all Israel that they should gather themselues together in mount Carmel together with the Prophets of Baal 450. which were dispersed throghout all the tribes of Israel the prophets of the groues 400. which did eat at Iezabels table The King the chiefe heads of the people of Israel and the prophets of Baal being thus assembled together in mount Carmel Elias commeth to the people and saith thus vnto them How long will yee halt betweene two Opinions c In the which words of the Prophet I obserue foure speciall things worthy of consideration Diuisio First he reproueth the Israelites for their halting consciences betweene two religions Secondly hee declareth vnto them that they cannot serue both Baal and God together and that religion is not a thing indifferent Thirdlie hee exhorteth them to constancie in religion and in following of God Fourthlie the successe which followed this reproofe of the Prophet In the reproofe of the Prophet I obserue these foure points First who it is that reproueth Elias Secondlie the persons whom he doth reproue The people of Israel Thirdlie the person before whom King Ahab Fourthlie the thing he reproueth in the people their wauering and vnconstancie in matter of religion In the person of Elias The person of Elias wee haue to obserue the great zeale constancie and boldnesse which should bee in the ministers and preachers of the Gospel For vnto them it belongeth to preach the preachings the Lorde hath bidden them and to proclaime his vengeance against sinners yea euen to stand at the gates of paradise with a flaming sword in their mouth against obstinate and vnrepentant sinners That which the prophet Micheas saith of himselfe Mich. 3.8 that he was full of power by the spirit of the Lord and of iudgement and of strength to declare vnto Iacob his transgression and to Iacob his sinne was as truly verified in his owne person whom neither the Courtlike perswasions of the Eunuch that went for him nor the consent of 400. Prophets nor the fauour of two Kings nor the danger of his owne head could driue him from the word of God And when the Eunuch had said vnto him behold now the