Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	aaron_n	accuse_v	moses_n	27	3	8.2154	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93347	Gods unchangeableness: or Gods continued providence, in preserving, governing, ordering and disposing of all creatures, men, actions, counsels and things, as at the beginning of the world, so to the end of the world, for ever, according to the counsel of his own will. From whence is gatherd six necessary inferences very applicable to the changes, alterations and vicissitude of these our present times. Wherein is clearly demonstrated and proved, that Oliver Cromwell is by the providence of God, Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland, &c. to whom the people owe obedience, as to him whom God hath set over them. Unto which is added, the causes of discontent, repining and murmurings of men: also, some serious advertisements, and seasonable admonitions to the discontented, and reprehensions to all impetuous, arrogant murmurers. Together with answers to some cheif objections made against the Lord Protector and his present government, endeavouring (if possible) satisfaction to all men. / Therefore written and published for publicke good, by George Smith, Gent.	Smith, George, 1602 or 3-1658.	1655 (1655)	Wing S4036; Thomason E824_4; ESTC R207687	84,417	65

publike day of Humiliation for emergent causes named which God will doubtlesse accept of as of late he did by a signet of his favour when we by his Highnesse order sought God for Rain in our great necessity Although some who stile themselves Saints not only refused to joyn in our Petitions but used unchristian speeches to Gods dishonour and contempt of the duty And truly it was sad to observe the general neglect of our late Solemn Fast that only Shops should be shut and places for recreation full as I was informed but Churches shut or empty in respect of the numbers of Inhabitants many omitting the duty out of carnal respects and many out of will because it was commanded and because the end crossed their self-interests I do affirm that it is no lesse a duty in the Christian Magistrate to command the duties and performance of duties for the true worship of God then it was duty to the Magistrate under the Law but the Magistrate under the Law did command such duties as Asa Jehosaphat Jehojada Hezckiah and others We know that Asa did not only command Reformation of Gods worship bur annexed to his command a great punishment i And Ezra did the like k And the Apostle Paul diminisheth nothing of the Magistrates Authority under the Gospel nor is there any Scripture that offers the least doubt of that their authority but rather makes it greater Heb. 10. 28. therefore I say that the neglect or rather contempt of such duties and the suffering of it uncontrolled by the Magistrate will in stead of a blessing bring a curse as is threatned by the Prophet Jer 48. 10. but the due observance of the holy and spiritual worship of God held forth by the Magistrate and practised by the Minister and People is the chief means to divert the judgements we fear and procure the blessings we want I come now to the sixth and last Inference and that is That when God hath effected and done his will in any thing visibly made known to us by the work of providenee we are not to murmure nor repine though it be in any thing contrary to our expectation or desire or though it be to our great affliction but to submit to it willingly only by praier to seek unto God and patiently wait his time and means for deliverance This hath been the practice of the godly in all ages k Thus holy David did while his childe was yet alive he used all lawful means for the life of it But when God had done his will and the childe was dead he left off to mourn and murmured not but patiently bear the affliction Thus did just and righteous Job he feared his Sons might sinne and procure Gods displeasure he therefore used the right means to prevent it m but when Providence had brought that to passe which he feared and God had visibly manifested his pleasure Job was patient he murmured not neither against providence nor instruments but blessed the Name of the Lord n The Church under her great affliction murmured not they acknowledged Gods hand and complained of their sins the cause of all o and waited patiently for their deliverance It is good saith the Prophet that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord p Surely saith Job it is meet to be said unto God I have born chastisement I will not offend any more q And the Apostle exhorts that we be followers of them that by faith and patience inherit the promise r But to murmure against providence is wickednesse and the effects of murmuring and discontents is very dangerous Dangerous to a mans self and bringeth others into dangers too You know what became of the murmuring Israelites in the wildernesse from time to time as is recorded in the Books of Exodus and Numbers Consider the case of murmuring Korah and all his murmuring company the earth opened and swallowed them up ſ This was the immediate hand of God not Moses nor Aaron yet such was the rebellious hearts of the people that the next day they all fall to murmuring against Moses and against Aaron and accused them that they had killed tho Lords people t And for this there died presently of them fourteen thousand and seven hundred by a sudden plague u You know that for this sin of murmuring all the people that came out of Egypt from twenty years old and upward were excluded from the promise except Caleb and Ioshua w Hence the Apostle exhorts us Christians not to tempt God as they tempted him nor to murmure as they murmured and were destroied for saith he All these things happened unto them for our examples x God is the same to us that he was to them only he hath divers dispensations of his judgements he is an unchangeable God for evert If we sin like them that went before us we shall be as greatly punished as they were yea greater Though God do not so usually strike men suddenly for sin as formerly yet there is greater wrath to come Let us a little consider the cause of mens murmuring and see if it do not arise from a carnal heart a carnal man propounds ends to himself as the Merchants St Iames speaks of that say they will go to such a City or such a Countrey and buy and sell and get gain but say not if God will so it is with men that seek their own ends in any thing they propound this or that but God is not in their thoughts they say no● if God will but we will do this or that thing or would have this or that done c. It may be nay it is common with these men that they will have the Name of God in their mouths but as the Psalmist speaks God is not in all their thoughts And therefore when their wils and designs are crossed they are angry and repine against God and men Thus the people of Israel did in the wildernesse they met with crosse providences which they looked not for and they could not bear it but cry out against Moses saying because there were no graves in Egypt Hast thou brought us to die in the wildernesse y and again wherefore hast thou brought us out of Egypt to kill us in the wildernesse our children and our cattel z Thus at this day we have seen many strange Providences such as we looked not for and men have had many and diverse designs aims and ends but meet with crosse Providences which they cannot bear nay resolve they will not bear they complain and cry out against this and that thing but specially they murmure against God and own not his providence in governing the world Therefore they also murmure at the thing done and against the Instruments doing it this is I say against God himself for he alone orders every thing and every Action as is proved in the beginning of this

now to be covered all over with tares but God can gather in his good corn and weed out those tares at the day of his harvest he will manifest the blasphemers and reprove the horrid blasphemies strange self-opinions false christs false apostles and teachers seducers of mens souls evil angels in shape of Angels of light that under the notion of truth broach damnable heresies doctrines of devils All o●d herefles abominated by the primitive Church are all at this day revived at once and in disguised new dresses come like wolves in sheeps cloathing these are such as trouble the Church of God which the Apostle in his time wished to have been cut off Gal. 5. 12. And it is the duty of the Christian Magistrate to suppress them he is as Christs vicegerent and Lievetenant on earth not only to command observance of the first Table but also of the second If he that despised Moses Law died without mercy under two or three witnesses how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Sonne of God c. and done despight to the spirit of grace Heb. 10. 28 29. And the sword is not put into the Magistrates hand in vain We read in Deut. 17. from vers. 2 to vers. 7. if any had broken the covenant with God and worshipped false gods he was to be stoned to death yet I say not that every heresie under the Gospel should be punished by death but I say it is the duty of the supreme Magistrate to suppress all heresie and blasphemy by a Law Nor do I say that an erring Conscience is to be punished by the Law of the Magistrate if he keep his erring opinion within his own walls but if he seduce others and thereby stirre up sedition alienating mens judgments from due obedience I say such a one is liable to the wrath of the Civil Magistrate and those Magistrates that tolerate or connive at such things will be found to do the work of the Lord negligently those things I only hint at by the way and leave to the consideration of the judicious What I have said as to the matter of my following discourse which is Providence ordering all things it is the truth of God held forth in sacred Scripture from which I cannot retrograde what I have said as to the matter applicatory I only give my judgment and leave the even to that Providence which governs all things As to my vindication of the Lord Protector whom Providence hath exalted Providence will yet further order him and all his counsels and actions after the counsel of Gods will God hath a great work for him to do and it shall be done whether to be a nursing father to the Church of Christ and a skilfull Esculapius to heal the distempers of three sick and wounded Nations or whether for a contrary work I cannot assert God only knowes it to whom all secrets belong what is revealed belongs to us and it is our duty as we are men to own the Powers that be and as we are Christian men to pray for them therefore for him that God will make him a glorious instrument in his own hand for his glory and the peoples good We hope well but prayer is better then our hopes and is the means to accomplish our hope and God is alwayes better to his praying people then their prayers let us not sinne by withholding our prayers which thing hath sometimes caused blessings to be turned into curses Let us not limit the holy one of Israel nor give rules to Providence nor let us spend our time in devising and plotting nor as the Athenians make it our work to hear and to tell News but pray and endeavour for peace and truth and beleeve that God is a rewarder to them that diligently seek him There is yet balm in Gilead a dore of hope is opened to us The seed is yet in the barn as yet the Vine and the Figg-tree the Pomegranate and the Olive tree hath not brought forth saith the Prophet from this day I will blesse you Hag. 2. 19. It is God that prepareth the seed and the ground and gives the increase by his blessing Psal. 65. 9 10. Therefore let us pray unto God for our Governours for his Highness and for his Parliament for as God doth instruct the husbandman to discretion to break the clods of his ground and to cast in his seed in the appointed place and time as the Prophet speaketh so doth he instruct Princes and teacheth them discretion to rule and govern as he pleaseth for by him Princes raign and rule The husbandman waiteth for the fruit of the earth saith James and hath long patience for it untill he receive the early and the later rain and shall not we follow the footsteps of providence and patiently wait Gods time and means for giving us the blessings promised Let us cast off our own wayes wills and designs and be obedient to Providence and see what the Lord our God will do for us Courteous Reader read me with patience not with any prejudice try all truths oppose nothing that is truth good counsell is not to be slighted nor seasonable reproof to be scorned though it come from one of whom you could say as Achab said of Michaiah that you hate him and that he doth not speak good concerning you but evil I have written what God hath instructed me do you read and read all then judge as God shall put into your heart of him who is your servant in the Lord Jesus Christ that desires increase of grace to you and all the Israel of God George Smith The principall things touched upon in the following Discourse GOD the Creator doth govern all things by his secret Providence Page 1. The want of the true knowledge of Providence is cause of murmurings p. 2 12. Providence set forth by the Ladder that Jacob saw in his vision and by the Piller of cloud that guided Israel in the wilderness p. 2. Nothing comes to pass by chance or devisings of men or meerly by nature but by Providence ibid. Providence what it is ibid. p. 12. It is the eye of God p. 3. It ordereth all the actions of men ibid. The dayes and life of man p. 4. It ordereth the dispositions of men ib. It ordereth the wicked actions of wicked men ib. It ordereth the secrets of the heart and the answer of the tongue p. 5. It ordereth the least of things which men falsly say come by chance or fortune ib. All creatures animate and inanimate wait on God and obey and execute his command p. 6. Providence changeth the order that nature hath put into things ib. All the works of Providence are known and certain to God from eternity ib. But they are all contingent to men p. 7. The times of Families and Kingdoms are appointed by God their rise and their period is certainly set and the means thereto conducing

could any know him for he had disguised himself Ahab wanted not for any contrivance policy counsell nor strength to preserve himself yet maugre all policy the arrow thus shot at a venture findes out Ahab and although Ahab was armed it is by providence guided to the joynts of his armour where it enters and hits Ahab so that he died u Here providence executeth the decree of God upon Ahab You know the King of Assyria sent a mighty and invincible Army against Hezechiah King of Judah confident of successe Hezechiah unable to make opposition by any equality of strength yet this invincible host is destroyed not by any art wisedome counsell or strength of men all was wanting But an Angell of the Lord went out and smote the Camp of the Assyrians in one nigh●One hundred fourscore and five thousand w This is also the work of Providence As the Actions of men so their daies and life are ordered and appointed by God therefore saith holy Job the daies of every man are appointed by God and all those daies are ordered by providence though men know them not nor how they are secretly ordered and every hour preserved till the appointed time be come for saith Job Thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot passe x therefore saith he I will wait till my change come y So the Pro David My times saith he are in thy hands z And as Providence ordereth the Actions and Lives of men so it doth reach to the orderings of the disposition and naturall affections of men either to love or hatred to kindnesse or to chur●ishnesse what else changed the disposition and affection of Esau from bloudy wrath to loving kindenesse when he came out against Jacob with hatred and when he meeteth him he embraceth him with loving-kindenesse and brotherly affection a So you shall see Laban pursuing Jacob in great anger and when he is on the way his disposition and anger is changed b You may see the Midianites that came out against Israel all in love one with the other and hatred against Israel fall one upon another and destroy one another providence ordereth that every one set his sword against his fellow c The like you may see in the Army of the Philistims d Yea more It is evident from sacred Scriptures That all the wicked Actions of wicked men are ordered by providence God ruleth them and orders them for the accomplishment of his secret counsel and by the ordering of those Actions God hath glory I say they are ordered by providence not as wicked men intend or act them they intend and act out of a wicked principle to a wicked end but God orders them otherwise to effect something of his own decree and turns it to good in the doing his will The action and the sin in the action is their own but the ordering of the action is of God All wicked actions of wicked obdurated Pharaoh providence ordered to the glory of God St Paul hath this expression For the Scripture saith of Pharaoh even for this cause have I raised thee up that I might shew my power in thee and that my Name might be declared throughout all the earth e Rom. 9. 17. His cruelty in destroying all the male-children of the Hebrews Moses being cast into the River the repulse that Pharaoh gave to Moses message from God his encrease of the burthens and labours on the Hebrews and his oft refusing to let the people go c. Providence ordered all these things to the advancement of Gods glory So it is said of Sihon King of Heshbon that God hardened his heart and why that Sihon King of Heshbon out of the bitternesse and envy of his own heart against Israel should refuse to suffer them to passe peaceably through his Countrey to the end that Israel might have a just cause to engage warre with them and destroy them f Was there ever so great an Act of wickednesse acted in the world or invented as that horrid conspiracy of Herod Pontius Pilate Judas the Gentiles and the people of the Jews against the Lord Christ yet providence ordered all this and brought the greatest good out of that most horrid act The Scripture saith plainly that all this was no more but what was before-determined should be done g St John speaking of the unbelieving Jews from that place Isa. 6. 10. saith God hath blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts h and Esay saith the Lord hath powred upon them the spirit of deep sleep and hath chosed their eyes The Prophets Rulers and Seers hath he covered i God is not only a bare permitter of evil actions in men but he is a powerful agent ordering of those evil Actions by his wise and secret providence to serve to the purpose of his own will the sinne is their own but the guidance of the Action is Gods ordered to his own glory Job tels us that the deceiver and the deceived are both his k he ordereth both If a Prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing I the Lord have deceived him l that is such Prophets as Ahabs four hundred Prophets were whom Satan could not deceive till he was bid to go and prevail All the actions of the devil are ordered by providence and there is not nor cannot be any action of the devil but what is extreamly wicked Remarkable is that place of St John Rev. 17. 13. speaking of that foul apostacy of Papacy he saith They shall give their power and strength to the beast He saith not they will give but they shall give as a thing that God had pre-ordained to be much more may be said this I hope may suffice to prove this Truth Yet furrhermore you shall see that as God orders by his providence all Men and all Actions of all sorts their times their dispositions c. so he ordereth the very secrets of the heart and the answer of the tongue The Wiseman tels us The Kings heart is in the hand of God be turns it as the Rivers of waters whithersoever he will m And the answer of the tongue is from the Lord n to this effect is that saying of Christ to his Disciples take no thought what you shall speak for it shall be given to you what to speak at the same hour o The man thar shall consult within himself and debate in his own thoughts and come to a full resolurion what he will answer or speak to this or that thing so as that he thinks nothing shall alter him yet that man when he comes to put his resolves into action shall speak or do as providence shall order and direct it may be quite contrary to what he resolved something will come in between the preparation and the action Caiaphas the High Priest doubtlesse spake not those words of himself when he said It was expedient that one man should die for the