Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	know_v	lord_n	see_v	3,997	5	3.2299	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94049	Immanuel, or The church triumphing in God with us. A sermon preached before the right honorable House of Lords, in the Abbey of Westminster; at their publique thanksgiving, November 5th 1644. By John Strickland, B.D. Pastor of the church at St Edmunds in Nevv Sarum. A member of the Assembly of Divines.	Strickland, John, 1600 or 1601-1670.	1644 (1644)	Wing S5971; Thomason E19_15; ESTC R12729	27,641	46

nor we surfet in being lifted up by abundance of mercy It is reported of Philip King of Macedon when he heard so much good newes at once as namely that Parmenio his Generall had got the victory over his enemies that his Son Alexander was borne and that his Chariots won the prize at Olympus all in one day he called upon fortune to spice his joyes with some bitternesse lest he should surfeit of them and forget himselfe wee had need to joyne with this King in our feare and our care that we doe not forget our selves nor the Lord our God now that we have received so much at once Let us therefore spice our joyes in the fruition of these mercies with a fixed observation and acknowledgement of Gods own hand in bringing about all these great things for us Three Characters that our victories and deliverances have bin generally brought about by a speciall hand of God and that God hath taken our part therein which in the dispensation of them may by an intelligent observer be discerned by three things that have commonly been evident in all our deliverances and victories viz. 1. They have not usually been given us till the creatures help and strength hath been brought to a non-plus at least we have seen the creature failing before God hath turned the day for us your Wisdomes observed how it was with us in the beginning of the day at Edg-hill at York to say no more Ut victoria qu●madmodum à se dāda erat it a a se etiam evidenter apparcret Peter Martyr in Judg. 7.2 the Lord in those days did by the hand of a few which all the army could not doe that it might more clearly appear that what was done was from God saith Peter Martyr even as Judg. 7.2 the Lord would rather give the Midianites into the hand of 300 men then Gideons whole Army Lest Israel vaunt themselves against me saith God saying Mine own hand hath saved me In middest of many humane helps God often loseth the honor of his help but when all others faile Gods help is glorious the Psalmist moves God to help his Church at a pinch when mans help could doe no good as being then the fittest time for God to do it Psal 60.11 Psal 60.11 Given us help in trouble for vaine is the help of man How clearly hath Gods hand been put forth in our victories when we were even upon the brink of an overthrow as Vaux of his giving fire Quantillum abfuit wee might say of our destructions from which GOD hath set us free 2. Our publick mercies have generally been brought us upon prayer and fasting duties that are sent out by the Church for Gods help power to her assistance and as we have held up in these more or lesse we have more or lesse prevailed against our enemies as Israel against Amalek Exod. 17.11 Exod. 17.11 while Moses held up his hands God hath broken the arrowes of the bow the shield the sword and the battell in our Churches as he did for his people in Salem Psal 76.2 3. Aelian Psal 76.2 3. because there we prevailed with God in wrestling as Jacob. The Tarentini had a feast which they called Jejunium in memoriall of that reliefe which the Rhegini spared upon every tenth dayes fast and sent them when they were besieged so though we sacrifice not nor ascribe to our fasting and prayers yet we might well set up a feast of thankfulness to God in memoriall of such publick favours as have evidently been the fruit of prayer and fasting And the rather because the honor of such mercies as come in that way is clearly cast upon God who hearing prayers doth whatsoever is done thereby in that prayer setteth God on work which was the ground of Luthers admirable confidence wherein he was wont to say when they had prayed together against the Churches enemies Vicimus we have overcome he knew God would not be wanting either to heare the prayers or by his power to fulfill the desires of the righteous 3. They have been given us in a way above humane probabilities and notwithstanding disadvantages when the enemy hath had the advantage of place and multitude At the former fight about Newbery in so much that they sometime triumphed over us before the victory whereby it hath appeared that victory was given us by him to whom nothing is difficult Thus Joshua reasons Josh 23.10 Josh 23.10 One of you shall chase a thousand because it is God that sighteth for you as he reasons from the cause to the effect we may all as well from the effect unto the cause thus it hath been with our armies therefore the Lord fought for us Yea so much have we seen of Gods going out with us alwayes into the field that the enemy was never yet knowne to prevaile against us but by our either treachery or negligence God hath never been wanting to us though we have been too much wanting to our selves Oh that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse and for his wonderfull works to the children of men this is a day wherein praises should waite for the Lord Psal 65.1 Tibi silet laus Psal 65.1 as Pagnine renders it Praise is silent to thee O God in Sion Such a throng of praises and so great that they were unutterable and therefore silent-praise as they say of cares Leves loquuntur ingentes stupent Our praises of God for our late publique mercies should have three speciall properties yet though our praises should be more then we can expresse yet we should this day endeavour to expresse our praises unto God as much as we can and endeavour also that our praises should have these three following qualifications viz. 1. We should see that they be self-denying-praises creature-praising is the way to breed creature-considence and we have had too much of that already let us frame our praises to the tune of the Psalmist Psal 115.1 Psal 115.1 Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give glory Not that any gallant Spirits should be deprived of the honor due unto them it is their honor that God will delight to use them as instruments for the good of his Church It was a notable custome among the Romans that when they had obtained a victory the Generall was wont to send Letters deckt with laurell to the Consulls to require them decernere supplicationes it seems they made account that they stood in need of prayers rather then of praises 2. Strive that our praises may be God-exalting praises we should boast of God as the Church doth Ps 44.7 8. Psal 44.7 8. Thou hast saved us from our enemies hast put them to shame that hated us in God we boast all the day long and will praise thy Name for ever We should not onely praise him with high praises with the best members that we have and highly

then the God of Jacob more then the God of Isaac shough it might suffice that the Spirit of God is pleased so to speake yet Mr Calvin gives this reason 〈…〉 ●r 〈…〉 is ●●r●●●p●●u●●●●ed mag●●●o●●● 〈…〉 of ●der is um A●●●●●● 〈…〉 Calvin in Isaiam the covenant of grace was more solemnly made publickly ratified with Abraham and Jacob then it was with Isaac and therefore when he will be looked upon as a God in covenant with his people he holds forth himselfe more frequently by the name of the God of Abraham and the God of Jacob then of the God of Isaac albeit somtime he is pleased to take upon him that style also As a common name it carries in the compasse of it all the people of God in those times that were the children of Abraham Isa 14.1 The Lord will have mercy on Jacob and will yet choose Israel ●●a 14.1 and set them in their owne land And by representation it is to be taken for the Church and people of God in all ages with her he is in covenant So that this phrase the God of Jacob doth import the neere interest that is between God and his Church by covenant which makes her thus triumph in him the God of Jacob. Our refuge Our refuge or strong hold where the Church as a Ship in quiet haven may anchor ride safe or it may be a metaphor from the dennes or burroughes where weaponlesse creatures find shelter when they are hunted and pursued by their enemies Pro. 30.26 as Prov. 30.26 The conies are but a feeble folk yet make they their houses in the rockes They are safe in the rock if they can get thither tho never so weak in themselves So the Church though pursued by bloudy enemies and though weak in her self if yet she get under the wing of the God of Jacob she may be fearlesse for she is safe there he is our refuge The sense of all together is briefly thus That God who by a Soveraigne power hath every creature at his command is effectually with us by a speciall presence of his providence whereby he will not onely ayd us in time of opposition and desend us in time of danger but fight for us and destroy our enemies And this he will not faile to doe for ever because he is ingaged to us by an everlasting covenant of his own free grace In the sense and experience of this the Church cannot choose but break out again and again in this joyfull ditty The Lord of hosts is with us the God of Jacob c. The words thus opened with relation to ver 6. where the church had experience of God with her when her enemies rose up in rage against her offer this point In times of opposition God sides with his Church Doct. 1 and takes part with his people against their enemies With assurance of this truth the Lord incouraged Israel to go out against their enemies to battell Deut. 20.3 4. Deut. 20.3 4. He appointed the Priest when they came nigh unto the battell to say Heare O Israel you approach this day unto battell against your enemies let not your hearts faint feare not and doe not tremble neither be yee terrified because of them for the Lord your God is he that goeth with you to fight for you against your enemies to save you Which promise though it was made to Israel only in the time of their warres concerned the Church in succeeding ages being hereditary to Israel in the mystery as well as to Israel in the letter As may appear in that David long after in his experiēce found this promise verified in Gods rising up with him against the enemies of the Church in his time that opposed his kingdome government whereby he was so much incouraged Psal 118. ● 7 Psal 118.6 7. The Lord is on my side I will not ●eare what can man doe unto me the Lord taketh my part with them that help me therefore shall I see my desire on them that ●ate me 〈…〉 Mu●●u●●● in lo●●●● He was I say so much herewith incouraged Ut de eo considentèr gloriatur fuerat enim id saepenumero ●e ipsa expertu● saith one He glorieth in it against all his enemies were they never so many and his helpers never so few This advantage of having God to take his part raised up his spirit above all the odds that were between him and the uncircumcised Goliah and it is notable to observe what a description of God David sets before the eye of his faith when he was to enter the lists with that Philistim 1 Sam. 17.45 1 Sam. 17.45 Thou comest to me with a sword and with a speare and with a shield but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts the God of the armies of Israel whom thou hast defied he sets God forth in his soveraigntie over all creatures whereby he commands and rules over enemies and in his relation to the Church whereby he stands ingaged to assist and maintain those that stand up in her cause which David looks upon as more then all those weapons * Pro istis omn●bus unū tantum te●um hab●o sed m●ximi pond●●is n●me Do●●i Peter Martyr that Goliah brought into the field against him for God will not faile to use both the one and the other as the Church in her need shall require he will bridle her enemies by divisiō if there be no other way to restrain them and he will send from heaven to keep them play if there want humane help to manage her cause against them See Calvin on place Of both which we may see an experiment when Cambyses became a Persian scourge unto the Church the Lord sends first a single Angel then Michael the Prince to divert him and in after-ages he raised up the Prince of Graecia to oppose the Persian lest he should have oppressed the Church with his might Dan. 10.13.20 21. Gods fiding with his Church appears in three things Dan. 10.13.20 21. And as this is a truth in it selfe so the Lord is pleased to manifest it by the Churches experience in three things First In that God upholds his Church and people from ruine in the middest of destructive miseries as the bush that burned and was not consumed and against the cruelties of men which are skilfull to destroy in whom many times there wants not either malice or power This the Church acknowledged with all thankfulnesse Ps 124.1 2 3. Psal 124.1 2 3. in reference unto those manifold insurrections which the heathen made against the Church not onely in the time of David If it had not been the Lord who was on our side now may Israel say if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us they had swallowed us up quick when their wrath was kindled against us Such were our enemies and such our