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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	age_n	church_n	time_n	2,142	5	3.6322	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81241	Gods rising, his enemies scattering; delivered in a sermon before the Honourable House of Commons, at their solemne fast, 26. Octob. 1642. But, through many occasions and hinderances, not printed till this 25. of May 1644. By Thomas Case, preacher, at Milk-street, London, and one of the Assembly of Divines.	Case, Thomas, 1598-1682.; England and Wales. Parliament. House of Commons.	1644 (1644)	Wing C830; Thomason E127_38; ESTC R4759	45,209	66

death and beyond death to all Eternity Vse I would commend from this obeservation Vse this one Cavtion There is no time then for Gods people to be secure since they live among Enemies and Haters and the neerer they meet in their Relations the more is the enmity and hatred intended So you shall observe there is no such enmity between man and the Bruit Creatures as there is betweene man and man Among men there is no such enmity and hatred between Heathens and Christians as there is betweene Christians and Christians among Christians no such antipathy between Papists and Protestants as there is between Protestants and Protestants At this day no hatred so mortall no Enemies so Irreconcileable as the Malignant Protestants and those whom they scorne by that New-name Rowndhead that poor despised partie that stand up for Reformation The Protestant indeed The reason is because the neerer men meet in aliquo tertio in their relations or Profession and yet differ as in the Principles of their Natures as before so in the Nature of their Principles or opinions the more reproach and odium they conceive that difrence reflects one upon another and so the more impatient and implacable are they rendered Contraries the neerer they come together the more eminent is their difference and the greater their conflict and contention This puts the people of God into a dangerous posture the malignant partie alwaies having made the major part in the World in the Christian World and yet it is wonderfull to consider how hardly Gods people are brought to entertain reall and seasonable thoughts of the worlds desperate and devillish intentions towards them Is it not with them as it was once with Gedaliah when Intelligenct by Jonathan the son of Kareah of a bloody Massacre contrived against him and the poor Jewes under his command he would not beleeve it but for his paines gives him the lye Thou speakest falsly of Ishmael Ier. 40.13.16 Were it not a strange folly in a people to let Lions and Bears and Wolves and Leopards run up and down in the streets and high-waies unchain'd and unmuzled and say Ier. 5.6 they will do no harm And hath not God branded Malignant Spirits with these names in Scripture What a strange security hath seized upon us Surely the children of the world are wiser in their generations then the children of light would they have dealt so beleevingly with us had they had us at that advantage that we have had them Did they when they had it Innocence you know is credulous but credulity is not alwaies innocent It is a noxious weed though it grow upon a good soil I wish it may not be suffered to grow too ranke We do somewhat but it is not till our Enemies force us to it when we must either kill or be killed We do somewhat but it is by halfes and peece-meals what they do they do in earnest we do as if we were in jest Do we bestir our selves to save as the Enemies do to destroy It is well we have a God or else our security and slendernesse of spirit would certainly undoe us and had undone us long before this time Be instructed Oh England lest Gods Soul depart from thee Ier. 6.8 for if while we trust and spare them we be found to tempt and weary God we way expect to hear that sad Newes from heaven that Ahab did Because you have let go out of your hands a people whom I have appointed to destruction 1 Kings 20.24 Your Kingdome shall go for their Kingdome and your lives for their lives Now the Lord awaken our Spirits to a timely prevention of such a doom and divert it from us I come to the second Doctrine Doct. 2 The Churches Enemies are Gods Enemies they that hate Gods people hate God himself There is hardly any language more frequent in Scripture Psal Psal 21.8 21.8 thine hand shall finde out all thine Enemies thy right hand shall finde out those that hate thee Psal 83.2 Loe thine Enemies make a tumult and those that hate thee have lift up the head Why wherein did they shew themselves the Enemies and haters of God It followes ver the third They have taken crafty counsell against thy people consulted against thy Hidden ones and said Come let us cut them off from being a Nation c. Their Malignant Counsels against Gods people was nothing else but a paraphrase of their malice against God himself for so yet it followes more expressely vers the fifth They consult together with one consent they are confederate against thee thee and thine them and thee go hand in hand The Grounds of this may be Grounds First the mutuall interest that God and his people have one in another Master and Scrvant Father and Children Husband and Wife Head and Members these are the usuall titles by which this mutual relation is exprest in Scripture and among all the members of the body the tenderest is chosen to expresse the interest that Gods people have in his compassion and love The Eye Zech. 2.8 He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye The least violence will offend that member what is done to the Eye presently is at the Heart wicked men cannot hate gods people but God must needs be very sensible of it they canot be Enemies to them but they must be Enemies to God himself Especially since they are found by our Saviour not onely to hate them in these relations but for these relations not onely being the Servants and Children and Spouse and Members of Jesus Christ but because they are so because ye are not of this world but I have chosen you out of the world Iohn 15.19 therefore the world hateth you Because that is crime enough that they belong to Jesus Christ Secondly The Quarrell wherein God is as deeply interested as his people Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee that it may be displayed because of the Truth Psal 60.4 A Banner is the Embleme of Victory Victorie implies Battell but what was the Quarrell The truth The truth of Doctrine The truth of Religion The truth of Discipline The truth of Government in all these God is as much or more concerned then his people Truth is the Truth of God and God is the God of Truth and thefore they that are Enemies to Gods people for the truthes sake are Enemies to God himself they that hate them for the truths sake hate God also whose truth it is look into all the Battells of the Church since Christs time to this day and you shall finde the Quarrell to have been some-what about Christ himself While Christ was yet upon the Earth the Quarrell was about the Birth of Christ in the next ages the Quarrell was about the Person of Christ in the succeeding Age concerning the Natures of Christ then about the Offices of Christ And now in our dayes about the life and Government of

If God see us pretending his wrongs but intending our own cursing them as his Enemis but hating them onely as our own we shall translate their curse upon our own heads Otherwise if God see our hearts deeply affected with and bitterly afflicted for the Insolencies and Violences done to his Name and Glory as we need not be afraid to pour out such vials of wrath upon them for the vials of wrath are nothing else but the praiers of the Saints showred down in stormes of vengeance upon the head of the wicked so there cannot Revel 8.4 5. be an argument of greater advantage to prevail with God for their destruction then when a people or person can demonstrate this to God in their prayers that whom they pray against are Gods Eenemies as well as their own that their hatred is not so much against them as against God Psal 44 22. and that for his Names sake they are killed all the day long Truely make this appear and we may be silent in our own Cause God is concernd in it more then our selves And truly our Enemies themselves will teach us this wisedome It is and hath been from Ancient times the cursed policy of desperate Malignant Courtiers and Counsellours when they would Arme Princes and Potentates against the poor people of God to possesse their ears and hearts with this prejudice That they are Enemies to Monarchy Traytors and Rebels to the Crown and Dignity of Kings and Princes So did of old Rehum the Chancellour and Shimshie the Scribe a couple of Arch Malignants labour to bring the Jews into disfavour and odium with Attaxerxes as you may read in that Scandalous Libell or letter Ezra 4.8 they writ to Babylon Be it known unto the King said they that the Jews which came up from thee to us are come to Jerusalem 12. building the rebellious and bad City c. Be it known now to the King that if this City be builded 13. and the wall set up again then will they not pay toll tribute and Custome and so thou shalt endamage the Revenue of the King And so again Let search be made in the book of the Records of thy fathers Vers 15. so shalt thou finde in the book of the Records and know that this is a rebellious city and hurtfull to Kings and Provinces and that they have moved Sedition within the same of old time for which cause was this city destroyed We certifie the King that if this city be built again c. 16. by this means thou shalt have no portion on this side the River With such jealousies did the Enemies of God and his people in the neighbour nation of Scotland labourd to possesse his Majesty towards those his loyall Subjects there They were represented to his Majesty as Traitors and Rebels that intended nothing else but to un-crown and un-King him when power should be in their own hand And is not the same Designe practised upon his faithfull Parliament and Subjects here in England Do not these Rehums and Shimshies fill his Royall ears with this odium That the Parliament and the Puritans are enemies to Monarchy and intend nothing but to bring all into a Parity and after they have pulled down Bishops then down with King too with a world of such calumnies invented by the father of lies Truely the land is not able to bear their words This is their policie for these mediums they know are most proper to render themselves gracious to Soveraignty and the people whom they would trample under feet odious and unsufferable Kings being jealous enough of what ever may endanger their Crowns limit their Power or eclypse their Glory But as it is the policy of malignants so it is their wickednesse too they lie when they use these Arguments to Kings and Princes The God of truth knows they lie And the Father of lights open the eyes of the Kings and Princes of the Earth in his good time to see how much they are abused as well as their subjects that that prophesie and promise may once be made good The Governours of Judah shall say in their heart Zach. 12.5 the Inhabitants of Jerusalem shall bee my strength in the Lord of Hoasts their God Those that I had once thought had been my worst enemies and traitors I see now are my best friends and subjects The Lord hasten this in his time But Brethren in the mean time though the enemies of Gods people lie when they use this argument to Kings and Princes Gods people shall not need to fear the lie when they use this argument against their enemies to God for they be Gods encmies as well as the Churches and they hate God as much and more then they hate his people Enemies to the Crown and dignity of the Lord Jesus King of the Church himself being witnesse they strike at God through his peoples sides And therefore if you shall plead this Argument with sutable affections you may with an humble considence expect that God will take it well at your hands and take such order with your enemies as shall make for your security and the advancement of his own Soveraignty God being more jealous and more righteously of his crown and dignity then any of the Monarchs of the Earth can be of theirs who are but his Deputies hear him else I am the Lord that is my Name Isa 42.8 and my glory will I not give to another God cannot endure a Rival in his Kingdome But I have staid too long upon this I must hasten forward to the third Doctrine God for a season seems sometimes to liE still and sleep Doct. 3 This is the occasion of all those awakening cries which Gods people make in his ears Awake why steepest thou arise cast us not off for over Psal 44.23 Arise O Lord let not man prevail Psal 9.19 Arise O Lord save me O my God Psal 3.7 And arise O Lord plead thine own cause Psal 74.22 So here Let God arise c. These expressions bee so frequent in the Psalms and else where that they need no Quotation The Church comes to God as the Disciples once came to Christ when he was asleep in the ship Awake Master why sleepest thou Mark 4.38 carest thou not that wee porish God hath his Ends in it and these may bee some of them briefly Reasons 1 First That hee may see what his enemies will do we speak after the manner of men The Master sometimes makes as if he slept to see what the servant will do when such and such advantages lie before him If God were alwayes up and discovering himself in the world the thousandth part of that rage and enmity that is in the seed of the Serpent against the seed of the Woman Christ and his members would not shew it self they would certainly bite it in But let God hold his peace and make as if he did not see let him suspend the

lets them go and gather themselves together and then when they think they are ripe for their Designes God findes them ripe for his and destroys them at once All the vse I shall make of this Vse shall be onely to turn you to that place and the Lord turn your hearts to it Isa 26.6 7. O you that are the Lords remembrancers Isa 62.6 7. give him no rest till he arise c. For that very purpose hath God set you upon the wall that when he seems to sleep you should come and awaken him and give him notice of the approach of the Enemie and cry him up to the rescue of his Church and people Arise O Lord least man prevail c. This is your very calling you that are the Ministers of the Gospel and people of the Lord Give him therefore no rest untill you have raised him out of his holy habitation and till he hath made Sion the praise of the whole earth It is our sin and folly that if God seem to be a sleep we go to sleep too if God be down we are down also either in security or despaire What mean you oh sleepers arise and call upon your God c. and awaken him with your importunate cries Let God arise c. But so much for that point I come now to the fourth Doctrine which is this God hath a time wherein he will awake and arise Doct. 4 though he hath seemed before to be asleep you need not doubt of the truth hereof you have the promise from Gods own mouth Isa 33.10 Now will I arise and oft in Scripture elsewhere c. And the servants of the Lord dare beleeve him upon his word Psal 102.12 Thou wilt arise and have mercy upon Zion God promiseth it and they beleeve it and dare not do otherwise Now that which I shall endeavour to do in the managing of this precious truth shall be these four things viz. First to open to you the meaning of the phrase what it doth import and shew you what it is for God to arise Secondly I shall shew you what these Nows or times are when God will arise and when his people may expect that he will exalt himself in their behalf Thirdly The Grounds of it why God will arise Fourthly I shall improve it according to the seasonablenesse thereof First What it is for God to arise I will arise c. God doth like himself but he speaks like man for the infirmity of our flesh this I shall desire you to carry along with you while I open this expression to you for which purpose take this in Generall look whatsoever this phrase doth import amongst men you shall finde in Scripture the same things are attributed vnto God and God doth assume them to himsef when he doth arise for the deliverance of his people Now this expression amongst men namely to arise That is to arise to the undertaking of some work as the Encountring with and the Conquering of an Enemy as here it doth imply six or seven gradations and you shall finde them all in Scripture to bee attributed unto God First to arise amongst men in the first degree of it doth implie an opening of the eyes a man cannot arise till he be awaked and this very thing you shall finde attributed to God God himself useth the expression Exod. 3.7 8. I have surely seen the affliction of my people c. God hath seemed for some hundreds of yeers together to have been asleep and all that while to have taken no care what became of his people in Egypt therefore the first newes of Deliverance comes to them in this language God is awaked and hath seen your affliction c. Secondly It doth imply a taking of counsell Counsell is nothing else but the awaking and raising of the Intellectualls to any undertaking and this also God doth assume to himself You may hear him calling all his Enemies to take notice of the counsell which he took against them Ier. 49.20 Therefore heare the Counsell of the Lord that he hath taken against Edom Ier. 49.20 and his purpose that he hath purposed against the Inhabitants of Teman Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out Surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them and so Chap. 51.11 there God speaks thus My devise is against Babylon to destroy it this is the second step of Gods vengeance God had opened his eyes to see the opressions of his people in Babylon as formerly in Egypt and now God calls as it were a Councell of War how he may execute his vengeance upon Babylon The vengeance of the Lord the vengeance of his Temple Thirdly it implieth resolution a man is up when his spirit and resolutions are up Isa 14.24 25 26. and this is attributed unto God also as I have thought saith God so it shall stand God had a long time lyen still and then they began to trample God and his people under foot and God is resolved to bear it no longer therefore faith he This is my purpose I am determined what to do I will cast the Assyrians out of the Land Fourthly Rising amongst men implieth preparing and making ready for warre preparing men monies Ammunition and all other manner of warlike Artilleries 2 Sam. 3.21 saith Abner to David I will arise and go and gather all Israel together that is I will prepare them for warre and thus God is exprest Psalm 7.12 13. If a man will not turn hee will whet his sword hee hath bent his bow and made it ready hee hath also prepared his instruments of death c. Hear and tremble and desire the people of God to pray for you if there be any of the enemies of God and his people here this day you are all dead men God hath whet his sword and bent his bow and made it ready against all that are up in Arms against him and his people how can you escape Fifthly Another step or gradation in mans and so in Gods rising in the sence mentioned is The putting on of the Armour the harnessing of himself for the Battell Then is a man up when he hath put on his clothes and then is a Souldier up when hee hath put on his Armour and this also is spoken of God by the Prophet in Elegant language as hee was taught by the holy Ghost And hee looked and there was no man Isaiah 59.17 and hee wondred there was no Intercessour therefore his own Arm brought salvation c. He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing and was clad with zeal as with a cloak Thus you see God armed from head to foot then wo bee to his enemies for it follows Verse 18. According to their deeds accordingly will hee repay fury to his adversaries recompence to his enemies to the Ilands he will repay recompence Sixtly It doth imply a Marching toward the enemie It was the word

to divide it self into these Ten distinct Branches whereof the two last shall bee the two Branches of the Doctrine that yet remains untoucht and we shall briefly winde up all in ten words First then If God be Risen then let us Rise in our Observations take notice what God is doing in the World and take notice what God is doing here in England For shame Sirs let not God arise and we lie sleeping in the bed of security and supine inadvertency Awake Barak awake thou sonne of Abinoam Awake Christians and observe diligently what God is doing either with us or for us It is that word which God himself causes to bee proclaimed before him when hee stirres up himself for the help of his Church Zach. 2.13 Bee silent all flesh before the Lord for the Lord is raised up out of his holy habitation Silence is the note or posture of exact diligent attention And this God expects from all the World Be silent oh all flesh much more from his own people when hee is risen out of his Sanctuary and gone forth for their Redemption as if he should say Peace be quiet stand still and behold the salvation of the Lord Observe diligently what God is doing How else shall wee bee able to pray As one sayes of Preachers they should take their Text from Gods works observe what God is doing and Preach upon that So I may say to Christians You should make Gods works abroad in the World the subject of your Prayers and Prayses at home observe what God is doing and pray upon it An Inadvertent Christian is an unpraying Christian How else shall you be able to know the Lord if you observe him not Isal 9.16 The Lord is known by the judgements which he executeth An unobservant Christian is an ignorant Christian Who so is wise Psal 107.1 and will observe these things they shall understand the loving kindnesse of the Lord. The Prophet had been discoursing of the works of Providence all the Psalm through and builds two Conclusions upon the Premisses First That it is a point of speciall wisdome to observe what God doth in the various and wonderfull dispensations of his providence Who so is wise will observe c. An unobserving man or woman is a fool Secondly That this observation is the next way to grow into the acquaintance with God and the knowledge of his loving kindnesse For By this means you may come to see all the Attributes of God his Wisdome Power Goodnesse Justice Unchangeablenesse shining forth in the wonderfull and miraculous deliverances of his Church and the stupendious destructions of the Enemies thereof By this means you may come to bee acquainted with the faithfulnesse of God in making good the promises And by this means you may come to bee acquainted with Gods love to you in the answers and returns of your prayers Wherefore since so much of Gods glory and your comfort is bound up in this duty let it be a mighty awakening call to your spirits to arise in your observations Secondly O ye people of God rise in your faith Is God up and shall our faith be down Is God risen out of his holy habitation and shall our faith lie in bed What a shame is it for Christians not to beleeve God further then we see him What a sad thing that after so many cleer discoveries of God in his word and works we should not to this day have faith enough to carry us from one miracle to another to bee tossed up and down in our hopes as if God were one day upon his Throne and the other day upon the threshold Christians let not the shield of faith hang by the walls any longer Behold the plots and conspiracies of your Enemies shall be given up to the hands of your faith there shall all your enemies be imprisoned more then in strong-holds and fenced Cities Let your faith bee fetters and prisons to your adversaries Do but study and observe what faith hath done and what Victories it hath been crowned withall in all Ages and your hands shall be strong God crowns faith because faith crowns God God loves faith above all other Graces because if God put a crown upon it Psal 115.1 the modesty of faith will come and lay it down at Gods feet Not unto us O Lord not unto us but to thy Name give the praise Why should your hearts fail you It is an awakening word and remember it I beseech you As for God his way is perfect Psal 18.30 hee is a buckler to all that trust in him q. d. Follow God in the way of his promises and providence and you shall finde no crooked turning in it from one end to another you shal not finde God stepping one foot awry The word of the Lord is tried there be millions of Saints that have tried it in all ages and will be ready to bring in their letters-testimoniall for the truth of it Hee is a buckler to all those that put their trust in him Hee hath been Armour of proof to all those that have trusted in his protection which hath rendred them invulnerable invincible against all the Gun-shot and Artillery of men and devills There is not a man to be found that can say I have trusted in God and hee deceived me no saith David Thou never failest them that seek thee Psal 9.10 The summe is thus much You may trug God if you will and be safe if not secure your selves better where you can Sirs I beseech you after so much experience of God both others and our own let not God have cause to complain of us as once of that people in the Wildernesse Numb 14.11 How long will this people provoke mee and how long will it be ere they beleeve mee for all the signes which I have shewed among them If after all this England should perish which God forbid this shall bee our Epitaph Matth. 13. ult Hee could not do many mighty works there because of their vnbelief Rise therefore in your faith Thirdly Rise in your courage and resolution for behold God is risen and seems to encourage us as once his Israel Fear not thou worm Jacob Isaiah 41.14 c. What can bee more inconsiderable then a worm and yet fear not thou worm Jacob fear not thou worm England A Worm and a God shall be hard enough for all the World Thou shalt thresh the mountains and beat them small and shalt make the hils as chaffe It is strange work that a Worm shall make with the Mountains when God stands by it It is the charge that God gives to all his Worthies and Commanders when they go out to Battell this is the Word FEAR NOT And indeed Brethren what is there in the Enemy that we should fear Why should we fear them that fear not God Their cause is damn'd there consciences are damn'd Do you not hear how they rave for their own