Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
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A25209
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A sermon upon the wonderful deliverance by His Majesty from assassination, the nation from invasion by Vin. Alsop.
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Alsop, Vincent, 1629 or 30-1703.
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1696
(1696)
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Wing A2911; ESTC R23666
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37,849
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39
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silence their Chariot Wheels run smoothly on and God takes them not off and this silence of Providence they interpret into consent and conclude that God is heartily with them because he is not declaredly against them Psal. 50. 21. I kept silence and thou thoughtest I was such a one as thy self Now tho it be not justifiable in humane Counsels to suffer the enemies plots to rise too high their designs to grow too ripe and ready for execution lest they should grow too unruly for their management and not be able to bring 'em down again when they would but rather to nip them in the â—ud or flower or however whilst the fruit is green As the Physitian would run a dangerous risque both of his own credit and Patient's life that should extenuate and emaciate his body upon a presumption that he can repair Nature and restore the habit of the body when he pleases tho I say this be not advisable in humane Politicks and some great Statesmen have been severely censured for suffering Conspirators to go too great a length yet is all this otherwise with the great keeper of Israel He can sail the Ship within a Hairs breadth of a Rock and yet never strike nor split he can permit the Sword to be set at Isaac's throat and in a moment stop the blow Tho Providence suffers the enemies of his Church to play with their Conspiracies whilst he plays with them and at last baffles and fools them 1. Providence suffers the conspiring enemies of his Church to play and please themselves with their own designs he sees them admire the well concerted frame of their Plots and hug themselves in the wit of the contrivance the secrecy of carrying it on the vast hopes of the success the wondrous felicity of their hopes when enjoyed Psal. 36.2 He flatters himself in his own eyes till his iniquity be found to be hateful 2. As they play with their own contrivances Providence plays with them diabolical policy is but the scorn and contempt of the divine Wisdom Psal. 2.4 whilst they are imagining a vain thing setting themselves and consulting against the Lord and his Christ he that sits in heaven doth laugh the Lord has them and their devices in derision O happy that Person that Cause that Interest upon whom the Lord shall graciously smile O wretched those persons that cause that Interest at whom God laughs There was once a project set on foot which whether it had more of seeming glory or real solly in it is a great question I mean that of the builders of Babel Gen. 11. 4. Go to let us build us a City and a Tower whose top may reach to heaven and let us make us a name c. God from his throne sees observes all the progress they make in it at last v. 6. takes notice This they begin to do and now nothing will be restrain from them which they have imagined to do Go to let us go down and confound their language So that the whole of all these conspiracies and designs issue out in this whether Men shall have their wills or God shall have his It 's come to a tryal of skill whether mens policies shall defeat Gods promises or his wisdom confound their counsels Jer. 44. 28. Whose words shall stand mine or theirs Their word and sentence is Israel shall be destroyed Gods word and promise is Israel shall be saved The only point in issue is whether Gods faithfulness shall prevail over their falshood or their policies against the divine wisdom truth and mercy and Solomon has foreseen and foretold what will certainly be the event of all Prov 19. 21. There are many devices in a mans heart but the counsel of the Lord that shall stand 3. The watchful eye of Providence observes not only the length the enemies have gone but what length it 's meet and convenient to suffer them to go and herein the divine wisdom is no less admirable than it is various 1. Sometimes he permits them to come to the Critical juncture which they have fixt and concerted in their deep Cabals just to the execution of their Plot and then when hope and expectation is rais'd to the highest pitch he steps in with his saving right hand He has suffered Israel to sink very low but never so low but he was able to recover her Deut. 33. 27. The eternal God is thy Refuge and underneath are the everlasting Arms. Nor does he ever suffer the rage and wrath of enemies to rise so high but still his infinite power is above them Eccles. 5. 8. He that is higher than the highest regardeth and there be higher than they There is a period which the divine wisdomh as fixt to all the unruly ungovernable creatures in the world These barrs he has prescrib'd to the raging waves of the Sea Job 38. 11. Thus far shalt thou come but no further and here shall thy proud waves be stayed Such limits he sets to the more outrageous rage of proud Tyrants Isa. 37.29 Because thy Rage and thy Tumult against me is come up into mine ears therefore will I put my hook into thy nose and my bridle into thy lips and I will turn thee back by the way which thou camest Pharaoh concluded he had got Israel into a snare out of which no humane wisdom could extricate her and as for divine wisdom he was secure Thus he promises himself Exod. 15. 9. I will pursue I will overtake And this length Divine Providence lets him go but when he threatens I will divide the spoyl my lust shall be satisfied upon them I will draw my sword and my hand shall destroy them He quickly found he had reckoned without God for now appears 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 now God is seen in the Mount and the extremity of the enemies hope and of his peoples fear is the opportunity of heaven to deliver God often suffers such a measure of humane or inhumane wrath to break out as will praise him but that remainder of wrath which cannot praise him he will restrain Psal. 76.10 2. At sometimes divine wisdom permits the counsels of his and Israels enemies to succeed and take effect gratifies their malice so far that they put their designs in execution and it was a great length which he allowed the ever bloody Papists in Ireland with their more subtile Consederates in England to proceed when by the greatest variety of torments they cut off two hundred thousand innocent persons but yet they reached not their utmost length It 's not individuals not single persons that will glut their fury Antichrist flies at higher game 't is the rooting out the name of Protestants and destroying their remembrance from the earth that is his quarry 'T is the extirpating the NorthernHeresy which is the Eye-sore of that envious one you shall read the whole of the Plot in Psal. 83.3 4. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people and consulted against thy