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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	church_n	great_a	time_n	5,546	4	3.4499	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94736	Iehovah iireh: or, Gods providence in delivering the godly. Opened in two sermons in the citie of Bristoll, on the day of publike thanksgiving in that citie, March 14. 1642. For the deliverance of that citie from the invasion without, and the plot of malignants within the city, intended to have been acted the Tuesday night before. With a short narration of that bloody and abominable plot. Preached by Iohn Tombes, B.D. It is this two and twentieth day of Aprill, Anno Dom. 1643. ordered by the Committee of the House of Commons in Parliament concerning printing, that this booke intituled, Johovah Jireh, or Gods providence in delivering the godly, be printed. John White.	Tombes, John, 1603?-1676.; England and Wales. Parliament. House of Commons. aut	1643 (1643)	Wing T1809; Thomason E100_31	25,023	33

wise how thou doe reprove them though reproofe bee a duty yet it must bee well managed our Saviours direction is Matthew 7. 6. Give not holy things unto the Dogs neither cast pearles before Swine lest they trample them under their feet and turne againe and rend you 6. Endeavour by all good meanes to convert them Take heed of complying with them in their wayes under pretence of turning them That 's the ready way for them to glory and insult over thee and to harden themselves But bee thou as a light shining before them to convince them Philippians 2. 15. 7. If wee cannot convert them yet let us endeavour to restraine them by our authority prayers and power with them Fiftly It should admonish us to prepare our selves for these temptations while yee live on earth yee shall not live in a heaven of Saints but in a world of ungodly men and therefore make account of temptations and fit your selves for them yee that be here of this Citie because God hath given you deliverance now doe not grow secure but thinke ye may have more trialls Remember the spirit of wicked men is restlesse though they misse in one plot they will attempt another according to the spirit by which they are guided as Satan goes about seeking whom hee may devoure so doe wicked men his Agents Sixtly and lastly Herein is manifested the gratious providence of God for the godly that though they are under Temptations yet they are delivered from them though they walke among snares though they are placed as Christ saith as sheepe in the midst of wolves a few weake sheepe in the middest of a great multitude of ravening wolves yet the Church is preserved this is Gods work so it was at this time in this City a small company of godly persons preserved from a great number of malignant spirits within and without it O let us admire the goodnesse of our God herein It is the businesse of this day Doe it fully Let your spirits be raised up in admiration of Gods care and working for his people Let your hearts and tongues magnifie God and say Great is the Lord and great are his workes and great deliverances giveth he unto his people Happy O people saved by the Lord Happy are they that be in such a case yea rather happy are they that have the Lord for their God 2 PET. 2. 9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the Godly out of Temptation and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished WEE have considered in the Morning the estate of the Godly in respect of unjust men among whom they live they are under Temptation We are now to consider their estate in respect of Gods care and aspect to them The Lord knoweth how to deliver them The Truth emergent from hence is this Though it be that the godly while they live among unjust men be in temptation yet God knowes how to deliver them This is the expresse assertion of the Text The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of Temptation The phrase The Lord knoweth imports both care providence and vigilancy to deliver and also skill and wisdome how to contrive it and consequently certainty of deliverance To like purpose are many other places of holy Scripture Psal. 9. 9. The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed a refuge in times of Trouble Psal. 33. 18. Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that feare him upon them that hope in his mercy to deliver their soule from death To make this Truth a little more explicate we are to consider that this skill vigilancy and providence of God in delivering the godly out of Temptation First Hath reference to divers sorts of deliverance There are divers kinds of deliverance and divers degrees in those kindes There is a deliverance of the Soule from the wrath of God Jesus that delivereth from the wrath to come 1 Thess. 1. 10. A deliverance from the power and guilt of sinne from the anguish and horrour of conscience from desertion and Apostasy There are deliverances of the body of the naturall life from death from teares from sicknesse from wants from danger The Lord knowes how to accommodate his deliverance to give deliverance according to what kind degree he thinks meet Sometimes God delivers from death Psa. 116. 8. Thou hast delivered my soule from death Sometimes by death Isa. 57. 1. The righteous perisheth and no man layeth it to heart and mercifull men are taken away none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evill to come See The Lord knowes sundry wayes of deliverance not onely by keeping them from the hands of unjust men but sometimes by letting them fall into their hands Secondly It hath reference to the persons delivered Sometimes the Lord delivers many sometimes few sometimes whole Cities and people sometimes a small remnant in them Rom. 9. 27. Isa. 10. 22. Though the number of the children of Israel be as the Sand of the Sea a remnant shall be saved though there be great multitudes of men yet a few shall be delivered Thirdly it hath reference to the meanes of deliverance Sometimes the Lord delivers by a visible power sometimes the Lord delivers by an invisible working sometimes God delivers by putting a meere fancy into the mind of the enemy somtimes by a reall accident unthought of 1 Sam. 23. 26 27. Saul and his men had encompassed David and his men round about to take him But there came a Messenger unto Saul saying Haste thee and come for the Philistines have invaded the Land Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines Sometimes the Lord delivers by an Angell sometimes by men That which the Prophet speaketh Isa. 28. 29. is true of the meanes of deliverance This also commeth forth from the Lord of hoasts who is wonderfull in counsell and excellent in working That we least dreame of is oft times the meanes of deliverance that which we most hoped in is oft times most unprofitable to us Fourthly It hath reference to the case of the persons delivered Sometimes the unjust persons be many strong cunning active malicious on the other side the persons delivered are few weake distracted fearefull simple yet notwithstanding the Lord knowes how to deliver them Even these poore ones are preserved and those strong cunning and active men misse of their prey Fifthly It hath reference to the time of delivery Gods skill vigilancy and providence is clearely seene in the season and opportunity of deliverance Isa. 64. 3. Then didst terrible things which we looked not for when the case of persons rescued is in appearance hopelesse yet the Lord knowes how to deliver even then Sixthly It hath reference to the fruits and consequent of the deliverance There is a deliverance which is but incompleate persons are delivered from one judgement but reserved to another The King of Sodom was delivered from the Kings that came

in a vaine presumption which cannot hold Experience might enforme them that when men presume most they faile most and that Gods people are then nearest to deliverance when they are in appearance in the most hopelesse condition The reasons hereof are evident God knowes how to deliver when man doth not and when men say there is no helpe for him in his God then it is that God doth most certainly appeare with deliverance Out then with all these Atheisticall thoughts as if the godly and their cause were lost when forces faile enemies grow potent and are many in number Let this one experiment of this Cities deliverance teach you to see the presumption of men to bee a vaine thing When almost was there a time wherein a City was nearer spoyling and destruction and yet preserved The narration read to you may easily give you to conceive how neere it was to be taken how great the presumption of the plotters was of the successe Yet loe in this one instance this truth verified The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of Temptation by his skill and vigilancy we have had deliverance Let not then proud spirits vaunt of their plot and power but remember what Jethro said concerning the deliverance at the red Sea Exod. 18. 11. Now I know that the Lord is greater then all Gods for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly hee was above them Secondly This should strengthen our faith and encourage us to seeke unto God and rely upon him even then when in our owne apprehension we be at the weakest and the enemy most potent So did Jehosaphat 2 Chron. 20. 12. O our God wilt thou not judge them For wee have no might against this great company that commeth against us neither know wee w●at to doe but our eyes are upon thee And a little after vers. 15. Bee not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude for the battell is not yours but Gods Be it that wee be brought to great straights so that we see no way of escape no meanes of helpe yet let our eyes be fixed on the power that is above still keepe up your heart with prayer in dependance upon God And let me tell you that faith is as good as a whole Army yea it is more then great forces By it the Saints have obtained victories escaped the edge of the Sword Heb. 11. 34. Marke what Hanani the Seer told Asa 2 Chron. 16. 7 8 9. Because thou hast relied on the King of Syria and not relied on the Lord thy God therefore is the hoast of the King of Syria escaped out of thine hand Were not the Ethiopians and Lubins a huge hoast with very many Chariots and horsemen yet because thou didst relie on the Lord he delivered them into thine hand For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro thoorow out the whole earth to shew himselfe strong in the behalfe of them whose heart is perfect toward him The truth is Faith is our greatest strength Armies be of no power without God and when God makes an Army to be a scourge to a people it is likely because they want faith in God for deliverance Oh that then our hearts might be established upon God whatever straights wee are brought to that wee could learne to cling and rest and hang upon him by faith though outward helpe faile He is the Lord of hosts the God of all power and wisedome Let our faith in God be strong though the arme of flesh wee use bee weake Thirdly if God be so expert in deliverance we should learne to waite upon God and to stay his time for deliverance God doth not deliver according to thy will but according to his owne purpose and therefore we should quiet our selves in his wisedome and care patiently staying till he be pleased to send deliverance We are ready to anticipate Gods worke to prescribe the way and time of deliverance and if they faile to begin to grow weary with waiting yea to draw desperate conclusions therefrom and all is because wee have not learned this lesson that the Lord knoweth how to deliver when man doth not that his wayes are unsearchable and past finding out by us that he reserveth the ordering of meanes the time when and the extent of deliverance how farre it shall reach Learne then to bee contented though hee disappoint thee in the way of deliverance thou fixest thy thoughts and hopes on and keepe up thy confidence in God his faithfulnesse and power Remember that of the Prophet Isa. 28. 16. He that believeth shall not make haste Fourthly if it be the Lord that knowes how to deliver then when we have deliverance we must remember to magnifie his wisedom goodnesse care vigilancy and providence And this is the proper businesse of this day God hath given a great deliverance to this Citie And I beseech you to consider to whom it can bee ascribed but to him It were extreame sottshnesse for any man to imagine that such a deliverance came by chance that it was hap-hazzard uncertaine blinde Fortune that did so discover and prevent a plot so long before contrived and so neere the accomplishment nor can it be conceived to have been by the foresight of men The truth is all sorts of persons were in a dubious and trembling condition A plot was feared but what it might be or what way to discover it I suppose the Agents in the discovery knew not till God directed some unexpectedly to give intelligence Those that sate at the sterne here will acknowledge they were at a stand and knew not what to doe those that seemed best to understand the state of things here conceived them in a hopelesse condition If then it cannot be ascribed to fortune or to men to whom shall wee ascribe the delivery but to God Doubtlesse they shew themselves arrant fooles grosse doaters sottish persons stupid wretches that will not say Digitus Dei est hic herein is the finger of God That a plot contrived with so much cunning brought on so neere to an issue should even then bee discovered even then be prevented when it was to be acted with such a mercifull preservation of those against whom it was intended bindes us to give great praise unto God Let us then with our whole heart acknowledge that great hath the wisedome providence and vigilancy of God beene over this place in discovering and preventing this plot To make us more sensible hereof let us consider the greatnesse of the delivery by the number of persons delivered even many thousands of lives in all likelihood a whole City and a great City preserved Yea doubtlesse those that conceived themselves safe enough have cause to acknowledge their deliverance Let men dreame of a word or a signe as a securitie for them alas in a furious concourse while men are in heate of blood doe yee thinke they can attend to observe and marke a word a little white Tape in the

bosome or in the hat Alas who may not easily conceive that in such a confusion as must needs have been at the rising up and entring of so great forces into a City in such hurly burly in such fighting there would have beene little distinction made of inhabitants yea possibly as is usuall in such fights their owne Forces some of them might have suffered as enemies It is easie to conceive that not onely goods but also persons would have perished together And therefore they that imagined themselves safe enough by reason of the good will they thought the parties plotting and invading did beare to them yet have reason to acknowledge a great deliverance of them in the disappointing of this Plot not onely the persons particularly designed to destruction but also many hundreds of those who thought themselves safe enough would have beene involved in the common slaughter Secondly let us consider the greatnesse of the deliverance in the fulnesse of it Though many thousands were destinate to destruction yet not the haire of one mans head lost not one drop of blood shed not one person that we know of lost no not so much as one Peny this was a great deliverance Thirdly let us consider the greatnesse of the deliverance by the smalnesse of the meanes A deliverance in a manner without any helpe against a great Power without any foresight against a vigilant enemy that God might have all the glory and man onely the knowledge of his owne weakenesse Fourthly a deliverance in a desperate case when the enemy was confident when the preserved were fearefull Fiftly a deliverance in the very nicke of time immediately before the plot should have beene acted Sixtly a deliverance that hath vouchsafed to make for the present the place safe the inhabitants in a better posture for the future which may in probability tend to the peace of the whole kingdome However it bee that things succeed yet surely there could not bee a way in likelihood that might have tended to the shortning of this warre and so consequently to the peace and quietnesse of this kingdome more effectuall then this that God was pleased to deliver this City And which is of all the most blessed effect it hath redounded to Gods glory by many thanksgivings to him which we this day with the acclamations of our soules give unto him and I doubt not but that it will tend much to the undeceiving of the people from those hard thoughts they have had of the godly as turbulent and discover the deepe wickednes that is in the hearts of malignant spirits notwithstanding all their pretences so that I hope in time it shall be that as in the dayes of Joshua so God will bring it to passe that no dog shall move his tongue against his people and all will see a necessity of reformation in the discipline of the Church which is the great desire of all the godly in the Land I will expresse my conceits unto you I have conceived this plot in the intention of it and many circumstances in it very like that ever to be abhorred Massacre at Paris in France under Charles the ninth of France and the discovery and disappointment like unto that of the Castle and Citie of Dublin in Ireland somewhat more then a yeare since by which although the warre and misery of that kingdome hath not beene altogether prevented yet hath beene through the Almighties sole power in a great measure lessened Doubtlesse the same spirit of Antichrist hath moved in all these plots and this present warre is set on foot by the same Jesuiticall Achitophels by the same Catholique league It is the same plot that began in Scotland but lighted on Ireland and now in a heavy manner of England It is plaine enough to every one that will consider the agents the circumstances of it that it is the plot of Papists and Jesuited spirits to root out the Protestant Religion under other pretences And God doth begin now to discover it and I doubt not but will more discover it and cleare the innocency of his people and adde deliverances to them but ruine and downefall to that Antichristian state What are wee to doe this day but to acknowledge the greatnesse of this deliverance to magnifie God our deliverer and cause the voyce of his praise to bee heard to rejoyce in Gods worke which he hath done Though we may not rejoyce in the misery of any man as delighting in it though we are not to insult over them but to pity them who did not pity us though we are not to reproach them but to pray for them that God would soften their hearts and open their eyes that they may see against whom they strive yet for as much as the Scripture saith The righteous shall rejoyce when he seeth the venge mee he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked Psal. 58. 10. that God may bee magnified wee are to rejoyce that they are cast downe and that God hath vouchsafed unto his people a day of deliverance and blessed be his name a day of thanksgiving without any interruption I beseech you let not this mercy be lost keepe a yearely memoriall of it let not this day be lost spend it not onely in ease from labour and carnall mirth but remember that Deus nobis haec ●ti● fecit God hath done this great thing for us and let our rejoycing be in God our prayses of him Oh prayse our God all yee people and let the voyce of his praise he heard which endues our soule with life and suffereth not our feet to slip And in your praises observe these directions First remember the great deliverance of all deliverances even the deliverance which the Lord Jesus the great Captaine of our Salvation hath gotten for us by his death over Hell and Death Every deliverance we have from the inferiour instruments of Satan the great adversary should lead to the remembrance of the grand deliverance from Hell eternally to be remembred Secondly let this deliverance confirme your faith erect your hope in expectation of those great diliverances which all Gods people long for even the great deliverance from Antichrist when God will judge the whore and avenge the sea of blood that hath beene drunke these many hundreds of yeares by that cruell dominion of the Papacy which all that love Jesus Christ doe earnestly pray for and endeavour the deliverance from Gog and Magog when their great multitudes shall bee overthrowne the deliverance from the grave when the Earth and the Sea shall give up their dead Learne we to argue as the Apostle doth 2 Cor. 1. 10. who delivered us from so great death and doth deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us God hath delivered this Citie and therefore will deliver his Church which is his owne City It is the argumentation of the Apostle here God delivered Noah from the old world at the deluge he delivered Lot out of Sodom and therefore God knoweth how to deliver the godly out of Temptation One deliverance is enough to conclude a succession of deliverances All Gods deliverances are grounded upon the same reason and therefore the assurance of one is a confirmation of our faith concerning all Thirdly learne to delight thy selfe in God learne to glory and make thy boast in him Say as Nebuchadnezzar himselfe acknowledged Dan. 3. 29. There is no other God that can deliver after this sort We that hope in the living God that trust in Christ Jesus should raise our spirits to an high and holy magnanimity and courage in our God despise the Idols that superstitious persons magnify Hath God delivered us Hath the Sonne of God saved us away then with Crosses Crucifixes dead Saints Images Reliques breaden Gods they are but dead things they cannot deliver they are but vanitie and lies there is no breath there is no trust in them Let us exalt our God and say Our God is the living God an everlasting King the portion of Jacob is not like them Israel is the rod of his inheritance Jerem. 10. Our God is a God that can deliver and doth deliver and will deliver Let the experiment of Gods deliverance raise our hearts to an high apprehension of the power and excellency and worthinesse of our God Lastly let us cleave stedfastly to our God Hath God stood to us let us stand fast to him stand to his truth by professing to his commands by obeying them stand unto his people by appearing for them stand to his cause by engaging our selves in it stand to Gods Name by trusting on it Doth God deliver the Godly Oh prize godlinesse then as great gaine as profitable for all things Doth God heare prayers Oh then let us use prayers to God Let us contradict sinners and say It is not in vaine to serve God that there is profit in keeping his ordinances and that we walke mournfully before the Lord of hoasts Mal. 3. 14. Let us returne and discerne between the righteous and the wicked betweene him that serveth God and him that serveth him not v. 18. To manifest which I should proceed to handle the other Conclusion in the Text The Lord knoweth how to reserve the unjust to the day of judgement to be punished but time will not permit FINIS