Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	woman_n	work_n	work_v	62	3	6.9620	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43755	The cause of God and His people in New-England as it was stated and discussed in a sermon preached before the honourable General Court of the Massachusets Colony, on the 27 day of May, 1663, being the day of election at Boston / by John Higginson ...	Higginson, John, 1616-1708.	1663 (1663)	Wing H1955; ESTC W37706	22,798	29

simplicity of the Gospel on the right hand and on the left and many in the last dayes very many that have the form but deny the power of Godlyness Hence the cause of Religion much obscured and ready to be spoyled in the hands of those that profess to be the lovers of it That is the first Reason Reas 2. Taken from the Malice of the Devil and his Instrumentie Satan from the beginning hath had an old grudg against the seed of the Woman and he never wanted instruments who either by force or fraud or both have done what mischief they could against the Church and cause of God Thus in the story of Exodus Pharoah at first works wisely to undermine afterwards he works proudly to overtake and destroy the Israel of God Thus also in Psal 83.1 2 3. Keep not Silence O God for ●thine Enemies make a tumult they have consulted together they have said come let us cut them off that the name of Israel be had no more in remembrance and then there is mention made of Gebal Ammon and Amalek and many others And in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah no sooner had Zerubbabel and Joshua and the rest of the poor People of Israel begun to reform and set themselves about the work of the Lord but Sathan stood up to resist them as it is in Zech. 3.1 he had instruments at hand presently Sanballat and Tobia with their complices Nehem. 4.11 and our adversaries said they shall neither see nor know till we be in the midst amongst them and Slay them and cause their work to cease thus also in Ezr. 4.9 you read of Rehum the Chancellor and Shi●shi the Scribe with the rest of their companions pleading much the damage and dishonour of the King as in verse 13. and when they had got a commission they went up in hast unto Jerusalem to cause the work to cease and in the verse 23. they made them cease by force and power though it was but for a time as it appeares afterwards And if you look into Rev. 12.12 you shall find there in relation to the last times it is said Wee to the inhabitants of the Earth and of the Sea for the Devil is come down amongst you and his rage is great because he hath but a short time the shorter the time the fiercer the rage of Sathan against all that keep the Commandements of God and the Faith of Jesus where ever he can prevail down goes the divine Authority of the Scriptures and up goes the Commandements of Men in the Worship of God and all that will not doe must suffer and all that bear witness to truth and Holiness must be in sackcloth until the time of the End Now from hence againe the cause of Religion is much endangered by the haters of it That is the Second Reason Reas 3. The last Reason is taken from afflicting Providence He the great God changeth the times and the seasons Dan. 2.21 the History of the Church in all ages hath informed us of this that after a time of peace comes a time of trouble after a time of l●berty to be as good as men would be and as they should be there comes a time of restraint and sometimes even in the valley of vision there is a day of perplexitie and treading down and that from the Lord God of Hostes as it is in Isai 22.5 And though it hath been questioned whether Dioclesians persecution or Julians Toleration were more pernicious to the Church of God yet without question neither of these was without the Providence of God When the People of God know not how to use their peace and liberty when they have contracted the guilt of the Sins of such times it is but righteous with the Lord to bring them into bondage that they may know the service of the Lord with such a kind of Knowledg as Adam had after his fall to know good by the want and evil by the feeling of it by terrible thing● in righteousness wilt thou answer us O God who yet art the God of our Salvation and the confidence of such as are in the ends of the Earth Psal 65.5 But from hence also the cause of Religion comes to be in the same condition as the ship in which the disciples went when Christ was asleep there came down such a storm upon the L●●● and they were so covered with the waves and in such Jeopardy they were faine to cry out unto him Master save us or we perish Gather up the Reasons briefly If the lovers of the cause of Religion be so unable to preserve it if the haters of it be so sedulous to destroy it and if the Lord himselfe seem to withdraw from it then it is no wonder if the times be such and the case be such as the maintaining of the cause of Religion doth need and require more then ordinary help from the Lord himselfe By this time you see the truth of the Doctrine Now let us consider the good of it in Application to our selves and that but in a couple of Uses The one for the Information of our Judgments The other for direction in point of Practice Vse 1. We may hence informe our selves not only what the Cause of God and his people is in other parts but what it is here with us I say to informe us what is the cause of God and his people in New-England This is the first use A mistake in this may be of dangerous consequence the true stating of this cause and the right understanding of it may be of no little help unto us in the times that are come upon us For it is more then our lives and as much as our soules are worth to own the cause of God and to be faithfull to it in our generation to confess or deny this cause is in Scripture interpretation to confess or deny Christ himselfe and you know what he hath said in Mat. 10.32 Whosoever shall confess me before men him will I confess before my Father which is in Heaven but whosoever shall deny me before Men him will I deny before my Father which is in Heaven and in the eighth of Mark and verse 38. Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful Generation ●f him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with all his Holy Angels Give me leave then I beseech you Honoured and Beloved to present a few things unto you about this Caus● I confess I should be utterly inexcusable in adventuring to shew my weakness in such a place at such a time as this were I not able to call the Most H●●h to Witness that nothing but Conscience of my duty put me and kept me upon this Subject when I received the Summons of the Honourabl● G●● to preach it this time it was desired that some suitable word might be spoken now whether the stating of

bring in the Ark of the Covenant into the house of the Lord by virtue of which Covenant the Lord was their God and they were his people and the cause of God was theirs and their cause was his the cause of God his People Israel was one and the same and that was the cause of Religion according to the word of God Therefore in the Text here Solomon prayes that the hearts of his People might be enclined to walk in Gods wayes and to keep his Commandements Againe it is observable the word rendred cause here in the text is translated right in the Margine of the 45. 49. verses that he maintain the right of his People there is a right unto house and land and the like but there is a jus divinum a speciall divine right which the People of Israel had unto the one true Religion and a liberty annexed unto that right that none could lawfully hinder them from enjoying all that belonged to the service of God So that in one word the cause of his people Israel was right from God and liberty from God to keep Gods Commandements in matters of Religion This was the cause of God and Israel then and I hope it will appear anon that the very same is the cause of God and his people now 2. What is meant by the Lords maintaining this cause at all times as the matter shall require He had made the same request twice before verse 45. 49. that he maintain his Peoples cause here he mentions it againe the third time that he maintain the cause of his People Israel with an addition of this further expression at all times as the matter shall require He had before in his large Prayer comprehended all the common cases which might fall out but because there might be other cases which he could not foresee or they might be otherwise circumstanced when the cause of Israel might be so endangered as there would not be any help in the ey of reason in the sight of Man therefore he commends the cause of his People Israel to the Lord himselfe and leaves it with him and beseecheth him that he by his prerogative would maintain the cause of his people even as the matter should require And those words in the Text at all times are in the Margine rendred the thing of a day in his day i. e. not onely in the day of prosperity when things go smoothly on but in the dayes of adversity in the Hirracano's of tempestuous times when it is a day of trouble and rebuke and Blasphemy as is was in Hezekiahs time Isai 37.3 in a day of perplexity and treading down Isai 22.5 in such a day as this the cause of God and Israel is Committed to the Lord himself that he would maintain it And there is an Emphasis to be observed in that word He that He maintain it when there is none else that will or can or knowes how implying the need the extream need that the people of Israel might sometimes have for the Lord himselfe to maintain their cause above all that themselves or any else should be able to doe So that the point of Doctrine which I would commend unto the consideration of this present Assembly from hence is this Doct. The times may be such and the case may be such as the maintaining of the cause of Religion may need and require more then ordinary help from the Lord himself The times may be so perillous and the case so circumstanced and the cause of Religion so endangered as it may be above the wisedom of Man to direct or the hand of Man to help then there is work for Jehovah himselfe for him to maintain his own and his Peoples cause you see the point a little for the Proof It is many times the cry of the Church of God in the World give us help from trouble O Lord for vaine is the help of Man Psal 108. last and our help is in the Name of the Lord who made the Heavens and the Earth Psal 124. last there is creating wisedom power and goodness with him that is God over all Blessed for evermore there and from thence alone is the help of his People when it s no where else to be seen upon Earth I shall add no more but that in Isai 63.5 I looked and there was none to help and I wondred that there was none to uphold therefore mine own arm brought Salvation ●●ne and my fury it upheld mee Our Saviour Christ is here brought in speaking of himself not as Chri●●nall but as Christ Mysticall Christ and ●is Church as be●…ers engaged together in the same cause and the cause of Christ and his Church is represented here as in a dispairing sinking case I looked and there was none to help I wondred that there was 〈◊〉 to uphold what then why therfore mine own arm brought Salvation ●o me the Church when sinking yet saved by Christ the cause of God and his People when ready to be overturned overwhelmed yet then ●reserved secured maintained by the outstretched a●m of a blessed ●aviour implying the case may be such and the matter may so require that no less then the Infinite Wisedom and good pleasure of of Omnipotencie it selfe can do the deed This may suffice for the Proof There is a three f●ld Reason may convince us of the Truth of the Doctrine 1. From the weakness of Man 2. From the Malice of the Devil 3. From the Providence of God Reas 1. The first reason is taken from the weakness of Men from the inability of Gods own People who are affected unto this cause and engaged in it but are not able to maintain it The best of the Saints have flesh as well as Spirit they have something of the Old Man as well as of the New they know but in part and are Sanctified but in part and hence many weaknesses in managing the cause of God There is a mixture of Hypocrites amongst the sincere Servants of God who pretend unto this cause as well as they and hence many times not onely weakness but wickedness is inter-woven into the fairest pretences to the cause of God There are various apprehensions affections and passions amongst good men Moses the Servant and Aaron the Saint of the Lord are sometimes unadvised and when they are most upright when they lead the People according to the ●kilfulness of their hands and Integrity of their Heart yet then traduced reproached opposed et tantum n●n overpoured by a murmuring People and there were Men of renown and famous in the Congregation that would not submit unto Gods order Sometimes alas there is a sharp contention between Paul and Barnabas and Godly Peter doth not ever walk with a right foot and blessed Paul when most faithfull and true is under evill surmises as a deceiver There is names and parties of men dividing Christ amongst them some departing from the Faith others led aside from the