Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	abel_n	age_n	cain_n	35	3	10.4241	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81215	The oppressor destroyed. As it was delivered in a sermon at Pauls Septem. 21. 1651. Preached before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, the Right worshipfull the aldermen and the sheriffs his brethren. It being a sermon in commemoration of the 3d of Sept. on which day it pleased the Lord to vouchsafe a wonderfull victorie to the Parliaments forces before Worcester, in the total defeat of the enemie, By Joseph Carryl, Minister of the Gospel at Magnus neer London-Bridge.	Caryl, Joseph, 1602-1673.	1651 (1651)	Wing C783; Thomason E643_4; ESTC R205988	8,510	21

concerning things to be beleeved those Precepts which are to be done are such as wee must use in our ordinarie conversation these are Precepts of Holinesse and then there are Precepts of Truth in reference to Doctrine what wee are to beleeve Object But may some say did not David keepe the Precepts of God before I answer Yes David had kept the Precepts of God before for the Lord speakes of him as a man after his owne heart who would fulfill all his will What then is the meaning of this expression Deliver me from the oppression of man The meaning is this Deliver me from the oppression of man so shall I have a better opportunitie to keepe thy Precepts There are two great hinderances of the service of God as you have heard before sinne within and oppression of man without Againe he meanes I will keepe them more then I have done before I will not live as formerly I have done I have walked in the wayes of thy Commandements before but now I will runne This is the meaning of that expression Deliver me from the oppression of man so will I keepe thy Precepts Object 2. But may some say if God would not deliver David would not he keepe his Precepts For answer to this David did not indent with God and say if God would not deliver him then he would not keepe his Precepts this was farre from Davids thoughts Thus much for the explication of the Text Deliver me from the oppression of man so will I keepe thy Precepts There are severall Observations that arise from the words Doct. 1. Observe that in all Ages there hath bin among men oppressors of men David found oppression in his time yea oppression was much elder then David it is as old as the World as soone as there could be oppression oppression appeared Cain oppressed Abel in the Age after the Floud there you reade of great oppression Nimrod was a mightie Hunter before the Lord he was the Patron of oppressors Gen. 10. 89. There is a notable oppression upon Record Ier. which stands to this day against Jerusalem a Citie of God a place where the people of God did dwell and yet you shall finde oppression there yea nothing but oppression shee is wholly oppressed some render it Tota ipsa shee is all oppressed and saith the Text Oppression is in the midst of her in interiori it is not here to be meant locally as if oppression were onely in the midst of the Citie but in the midst of her as there is a middle in her heart in her soule oppression in her very spirits As there is a spirit in man which lusteth to envie Iames 4. 5. so there is a spirit in man which lusteth to oppresse An envious spirit is angry troubled and vexed when any man enjoyeth any thing that is good An oppressing spirit will not give over oppressing till it hath taken away that good which a man doth enjoy And in this see how man is departed from the example of God God he is a preserver of man a lover of man and so should man be to man but they are as the Devill is to man a Destroyer and an Oppressor Thus are many men to men Doct. 2. Observe from the Text Deliver me saith David from the oppression of man Man hath a very heavie hand upon man David desired rather to be under the hand of God then under the hand of man The oppression of man is a very heavie oppression David prayeth against it with all his might the oppression of man is very heavie it was that which made the Psalmist crie out Arise O God to judge the fatherlesse and the oppressed that the men of the world may no more oppresse the word in the originall signifieth to terrifie Oppression in Scripture is expressed by Devastation it is that which layeth all waste Oppression makes a wise man mad Oppression doth not onely spoyle a man of his outward estate but it even bereaveth him of his wits he is as it were distracted dis-composed unfit for to doe God service There are three phrases given to Oppression in Scripture First The Scripture calleth Oppression the burthening of the people which is very tedious Secondly The Scripture calleth Oppression the grinding of the face and that 's farre worse Thirdly The Scripture calleth Oppression the eating of the flesh the gnawing of the very bones and that is worst of all Doct. 3. Deliver me from the oppression of man David was under a feare of oppression and therefore he addresseth himselfe to God observe it is God alone that delivereth from oppression he can doe it he alone hath power to doe it he will doe it he hath promised to doe it the glory of God consists in it he will doe it for he is honoured by it he will break the teeth of the oppressors The Lord doth this many wayes but I will onely name three First By the totall destruction and overthrow of Oppressors They shall be consumed as stubble that is fully drie Secondly The Lord delivereth his people from oppression by restraining the rage and malice of the Enemie that they are not able to hurt them Hee suffered no man to doe them any wrong saith the Text This implyeth that many would have done them wrong but God put a barre upon their power hee suffered no man to doe them any wrong God kept the fire from burning the three Children How Not by putting out the fire but by restraining the naturall power of the fire that it could not burne them Dan. 3. 23. God also preserved Daniel in the Lyons Denne How Not by destroying the Lyons but by taking away the Lyons appetite hee stayed their hunger that they did not hurt Daniel Dan. 6. 20. Thirdly Hee delivereth his from Oppression by changing the hearts of their Oppressors hee can make them of Enemies to become friends Esay 11. 6. The Wolfe also shall dwell with the Lamb the Leopard shall lye downe with the Kid and the Calfe and the young Lyon and the fatling together God can so change the Lyon that it shall not hurt the Lamb hee can so alter the Leopard that it shall not hurt the Kid but both shall lye downe together and the Earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord. Wee have had great experience of the Lords delivering us from the oppression of man the first way by destroying all our oppressors yea and by the second way when our Enemies were strong hee hath restrained their power that they were not able to hurt us Now our last prayer for our Enemies should be this That God would change their hearts that of Wolves they might become Lambs Doct. 4. The last Doctrine is this That the Deliverance from the oppression of man should be a strong Engagement upon us to a new and vigorous service of God So will I keepe thy Precepts Judgements call from sinne Amos 4. 10. I have brought this and evill upon you