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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	content_a	eat_v	great_a	16	3	2.1343	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93242	Judgement and mercy: or, The plague of frogges [brace] inflicted, removed. Delivered in nine sermons, by the late reverend and learned divine Mr. Iosias Shute, Arch-deacon of Colchester, and preacher at St. Mary Woolnoth, in London: with his usuall prayers before and after sermon. Whereunto is added a sermon preached at his funerall, by Mr. Ephraim Vdall. Imprimatur. Ja. Cranford. Octob. 29. 1644.	Shute, Josias, 1588-1643.; Udall, Ephraim, d. 1647. Sermon preached at the funerall of Mr. Shute.	1645 (1645)	Wing S3715; Thomason E299_1; Thomason E299_2; ESTC R200245	134,491	230

the provision of the King such as was for the captive children it will not nourish without Gods blessing This hath beene the practice of holy people in all times Samuel blessed for the people they did not eat till he had blessed 1 Sam. 9.13 So it was with our Blessed Lord himselfe he never eat before he gave thankes and Paul in a great tempest at sea Act. 27. hee brings them together and defires them to take meat but they did not touch it before he gave thankes Plutarch saith that the Heathen did it And the Turkes now are observant of giving thanks Tertullian in his Apologie for the Christians shewing the course that Christians used in their feasts and ●●ting of their meat they never sate downe to the table before prayer was made to God that he would sanctifie the creatures Secondly as it is meet that we should aske Gods blessing so when we have found that they nourish us and our spirits are refreshed and enlivened and quickned by them and we are made more nimble and agile for imployments then we have reason to give God thankes to returne thankes When thou hast eaten and art full remember saith Moses the Lord thy God thou shalt blesse him Deut. 8.12 And as it is said of Christ after they had eaten their supper they sang a Psalme before they went out of the roome Mat. 26. And Athanasius speakes of some people that were wont as soone as ever they had done supper or dinner to turne themselves upon their knees to give God thankes The Pharisees were so strict this way when a Pharisee had forgot to give God thanks at table though he were in the field he must returne to the place where he had eaten to doe it And he is no lesse then an Atheist that habitually omits the giving of thanks to God I will not say but a man may forget it and against his purpose but if it be habituall to sit downe and rise without giving thanks he is a brute beast and let him looke and he may expect the next time he eats to have a frog in his dish that is to have some judgement For the Lord will not indure such wretches Lastly since sinne lets the judgements of God loose especially in this particular of restraining a blessing upon the creatures Take heed of grosse sinnes those that the Father calls fearfull pressures such as waste conscience and so provoke God not only to cut us short in that which is superfluous but to maime us and lame us in necessaries in food that is the support of this tabernacle without which it cannot stand more then the lampe can continue without the supply of oyle And because it may be the wickednesse of this people in gluttony of meat caused this judgement upon them for they were given to that and because in experience God restraines men of their meat for that take heed of gluttony I confesse at this day intemperance in drunkennesse is now more then that of eating and the more generall sinne but intemperance of eating is of too great a breadth and as great a sin as the other And judge you now how many thousands there bee in the world that eat above their meanes and ability Though they pinch their backs their dainty tooth must be satisfied I read of old that they were wont to feast openly in the streets If it were so with us there would be many observed to spend that that they had reason to spare Againe how many thousands are there that though they eat not above their ability yet above their condition and calling for nothing will please them but rarities such as are congruous for Kings meane men must have All their pretence is they are able to doe it what of that I tell thee and I tell thee as a Minister of God that the rule of our apparrell and our meat it is not our ability but next to Gods word it must be thy calling and estate thou art in That is not lawfull for a meane man that is for a noble man this would bring attaxie and confusion into the world and blend those things that God hath digested so sweetly Againe for the manner how many thousands eat unjustly I meane are content to eat well and to lye soft and in the meane time never pay their debts They are so far from that that the Apostle speakes of eating their owne bread that other mens goods must furnish their tables How many eat unseasonably That is when the Church is under persecution and judgements are upon them and the places they are in they are most prone to feast a fearfull sinne God said it should not be purged from some till they dyed Isay 22. How many eat uncharitably without respect to the poore That stretch themselves upon their beds of Ivory and are not touched with the afflictions of Ioseph So the rich man in the Gospell he fared deliciously every day and did not respect the poor man at his gate though he asked but a crum How many eat immoderately I may say as Austen saith of them They eat not daily bread but as much at one time as is fit for them for three or foure meales what a fearfull thing is this Nay Beloved how many are there in the world that eat impiously that not only disable themselves from the workes of their ordinary calling but from the performance of any act of Religion towards God as if there were no God to serve but their bellies They are farre from the practice of the Primitive Christians as Tertullian saith in the former place that did alway eat so as that they remembred that God was to be worshipped They would not for all the world indispose themselves in regard of those holy performances Is there any of you that heare me that can deny this to be a truth I know you confesse it is a truth I know your righteous soules grieve that there is such just cause of complaint and I know you feare the harvest that this feed will bring out What was the sin of the old world was not this one among the rest Mat. 24. they ate and dranke as brute beasts and did not God bring a deluge upon them What was the sinne of Sodome was not one of them fulnesse of bread and did not God bring a fiery showre from heaven and burne them What was the sinne of Esau was it not gluttony when for a morsell of meat he sold his birthright and so after was deprived of the blessing he was prophane as it is Heb. 12. And what was the sinne of the Israelites among others this they lusted and were gluttons therefore when the meat was in their month wrath fell on them And doth not wise Solomon threaten men that are gluttons in their diet as well as those that are drunkards that they shall come to rags and poverty All this is true And what do we thinke to gather grapes from thorns or figs from

them from judgement Psal 76.12 Saith David there God will be terrible to the Princes of the earth And Psal 82. Te shall dye as men and fall as one of the Princes We have instances enow of this in Scripture Abimelech sinned and was punished a great Prince So Adonnibezeck So likewise another Abimelech was slaine by a piece of a milstone Iudg. 9. So we read of Ahab and Saul and Iezebel great Princes mighty in their times We finde it in Sennacherib that came against Ierusalem with such as hoast a great Commander And Nebuchadnezzar that walked upon his Babel he had a great and large command a great latitude of dominions So in the third Herod and all those persecuters of the Church that as wilde Bores of the Wood laboured to roote out the Vineyard of God Beloved if there were no more that we did meet with of God making them the objects of his judgements then that they sicken and dye it were no great thing For surely they consist of the same principles that other inferiour persons doe When Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar Live for ever he meant another life for in regard of his temporall life he knew he was like his Image though the head were of gold the feet were of clay Surely as they consist of soule and body as well as others they have no stronger tyes and ligaments to keepe soule and body together then meaner men they have no more power over their breath then other men they are subject to sicknesse and casualties But wee speake of them as they are the objects of Gods displeasure What may be the ground of this that those who are so great in the world that the Lord should get the conquest over them and make them instances of his wrath There may be divers reasons given of it First their sinne and not simply their sinne but as their persons are advanced so usually their sinnes are of the first magnitude Those that are great sinne with a high hand they thinke they may sinne with priviledge And they are apt to heare parasiticall flatterers as Alexander had that what likes them they may doe As Iulia told Bashiana It was for them to give lawes and not to take them Therefore the Lord meets with them to humble the proud to pull downe these arrogant ones as in Iob 40. He pulls downe the mighty from their seat As it was with Pharaoh here that was in his ruffe before Who is the Lord But now hee findes a God higher then hee Secondly Princes and great persons are usually exempted from the reproofe of men As for the Lawes oft-times they are as cobwebs the great flyes breake through them who dares say to a Prince Thou art wicked Nay one saith concerning the Pope it is not lawfull to say Why doth he so Now when they are not within the compasse of humane reproofe God strikes them In Levit. 20. when the people winke at such offences Then will I set my face against him and cut him off saith the Lord he will take the matter into his owne hands Thirdly the punishment of great persons makes more for the glory of God for the greater the instances of Gods judgements be the more remarkable is his justice the more legible characters are read in the world of his impartiality Therefore in Rom. 9.17 it is said concerning Pharaoh I have set thee up that I might magnifie my power and that my name might be knowne to the ends of the earth He set him up as he would sinne so he made him an instance remarkable of his displeasure that all the world might feare and tremble And indeed it went farre and neare for the Priests of the Philistines when they consulted about the Arke saith 1 Samuel 6. Harden not your hearts as Pharaoh and the Egyptians did For the Use of it it should teach all great ones in the world to be wise to kisse the Sonne last he be angry and so they perish from the right way I know they are apt to know their eminency Herod can easily entertaine the voyce of the people The voyce of a God and not of a man And the stomach of the Pope is not so squemish but he can digest that speech Thou art another God on earth But they shall know that if they use their power to injustice and doe that that is dishonourable to the Prince of Princes the Lord of Lords the hand of God will be upon them as well as upon the meanest subject Nay the more mighty they are the more grievously they shall be afflicted and though they be Gods before men yet they are but men before God Let the Lord put them in the ballance and sinde them too light He will blow them away with the breath of his displeasure Certainly he will get him honour by the confusion of those that stand up in contumacy against him To the greatest of them all it may be said as it is Hest 4.13 Thinkest thou to escape though thou be in the Kings house more then the rest of the Iewes So may I say If thou be a Monarch of the whole earth if thou irritate Gods displeasure thinkest thou to escape I will build my nest in the mountaines saith the Edomite who shall pull me downe He that sits in heaven shall laugh thee to scorne He bindeth Kings in chaines and Robles in fetters of Iron He that threw downe Lucifer from being a Prince of light so he shall serve thee In the second place it should teach men of inferiour condition and yet have something to beare themselves out with in the world Be not proud though thou have wealth it may be honour above thy brethren and art as Saul higher by the head then thy fellowes presume not too much thinke not to be free from judgements if thou offend For if thou wouldest give ten thousand rams and a thousand rivers of oyle the fruit of thy body for the sinne of thy soule it will not doe Riches availe not in the day of wrath but righteousnesse delivereth from death Prov. 11.14 Here an under officer or Sheriffe may bee feed to forbeare the execution of his office but it is not so with the arrest of God If God say to the rich foole This night shall they take away thy soule the Subpaena will not be answered but with his appearance if hee would give all his full barnes to be released Thirdly it is an item to all to admire Gods justice and impartiality and equity that sinites the tall Cedars as well as the low shrubs and thistles Should God avenge himself upon the common people that are called Cursed and connive at the sinnes of Princes there might bee some cause of wonder but when God shall punish one as well as another who shall dare to say but his wayes are equall Fourthly stand in awe to please him if hee punish Princes he will pesants if he smite the high Towers he will the inferiour Zeph. 1.8

command them to ascend So the Septuagint is Fetch thou them forth We must acknowledge the power of God to be infinite Yet observe The workes that are his owne he attributes to men Aaron is said to bring them The bringing of Israel out of Egypt it was the worke of God with a mighty Arme none but God could doe it He assumes it oft-times I am the Lord that brought thee out of the land of Egypt So those holy people acknowledged Nehemiah and Daniel O God that broughtest us out of Egypt Yet this act is attributed to Moses and Aaron So God saith to Gedeon Iud. 6. Goe and deliver Israel yet it was God that must doe it So it is said of Samson and Shamger and Othoneele and Samuel that they delivered Israel And God saith to Moses Sanctifie to me the people against the third day yet God must sanctifie them So we see in the New Testament that conversion is attributed to Ministers and remission of sinnes Whose sinnes ye remit are remitted Nay and the saving of men 1 Tim. 4.11 This is the honour of Gods Saints God not only useth them but attributes to them what is done To arm them against discouragements though many things obstaculous to them lye in the way and confront them and be impediments to them yet let them be comforted in this the issue and effect that is wrought God will please to honour them with it he will part with some of his owne to give them he will put a splendour on Moses and make him glorious in the eyes of all the people God is content to give Iehu honour The sword of the Lord and of Gedeon Though indeed we must take heed if we be sensible of the honour that God puts upon men when he imployes them that we doe nothing to diminish the glory of God The Devill is so subtle and the corruption of mans heart is so great that he desires praise to himselfe So that oft-times the chiefe Lord suffers by the unfaithfulnesse of his Steward Let us take heed if God honour us for doing good things by him assume not so much to our selves whereby Gods glory may be diminished Let me apply it to those of the Church God hath honoured them exceedingly that he hath made them fellow workers with himselfe to dispense the great mysteries of the Kingdome And it is the observation of Chrysostome when the Prodigall returned the father doth not bid him goe to the wardrobe and take the best robe but he said to the servants Goe and fetch it He would have the servants imployed for the benefit of the sonne that the meanes might be brought in credit That shewes how much the world is beholding to the Ministers of the Word We are co-workers with God which as it may comfort us for the present so it shall adde to our crowne afterward But let us take heed that we give the glory to God and not take to our selves any thing that may diminish Gods honour Let us be of the spirit of Paul I laboured more then all yet not I but the grace of God in me Saith Austen Nos mandamus c. we do not give the increase we doe but helpe and this that we can helpe is not of our selves but the grace of God Paul may plant and Apollo may water but it is God that must give the increase Not unto us not unto us but to thy Name be the praise given So should be the speech of every one We are Stars but we are Stars in the right hand of our Blessed Lord and he is the Sun of righteousnesse So we have it by derivation from him we shine in a borrowed light Secondly for people since God hath advanced Ministers know the necessity of their calling though God made you without them he will not save you without them Know that you must reverence them for their workes sake Shew your respect by doing that which is commanded for therein lyes the especiall respect to a Minister when that is practised that he teacheth In the last place since God reckons things done by his servants as theirs when he doth it Let all people that doe any thing for God take heed of stroaking their owne heads It is the errour of Rome in doctrine and in practise they make mens good works meritorious and make themselves saviours When we have done all we can we are unprofitable and God workes all good things in us and all our works for us That as Austen saith It is certaine O God he that reckons up his owne merits what doth he reckon but thy gifts We may have comfort and contentment in our consciences and may glory in those things that God hath given us in the temptations of Satan but let us not ascribe that to our selves that belongs to God for God begins the worke and perfects it to his owne praise So much for that Now we come to the execution Aaron did so and upon the doing of it there came an innumerable company of frogs that covered Egypt here observe The wonderfull power of God how speedily and easily and at what a distance he can worke Aaron no sooner stretcheth forth his rod but this was done he doth it speedily And hee doth but stretch out the rod and all these creatures come abundantly And he doth but put forth the rod toward the river Saith Tostatus he was now in the Court of Pharaoh yet all this was done therefore he workes at a great distance Thus is the power of God remarkable in working quickly and easily and at a great distance I will not stand long on these things because in many passages we meet with it God at the first made the world and with a word He spake the word and all was made Therefore those Epicures and Atheists that aske what ladder and engine he had to raise this goodly frame they may be answered by that in the Psalme He made them by his word For as he speakes in his workes The heavens declare the glory of God so he works in his speeches Nay the very will of God not only his word but his will I will be thou cleane not only speake the word and my servant shall be whole but I will How soone and how easily and at what a distance did the Lord destroy the Army of Pharaoh in the red Sea Exod. 14. So I might tell you of Sodome Saith Tully the heathen God can doe all things without labour and defatigation Saith the old Poet All things are easie to God he knowes how to worke when he sits still Therefore for the Use of it in a word Let us stand in awe of God if the Lord can so easily and quickly and speedily and at such a distance worke it is in vaine to contend and strive against his power God doth not need to fetch an Army of men to overthrow poore sinners he can doe it by frogs by the least creatures by his word he can drowne the

was annoyed by them in bed and board And as I told you the last day the waters turned into bloud annoyed but some senses as the taste and the sight but these annoyed all They were ugly to the eye by their deformity to the eare by their croaking sound and to the smell they could not endure them They spoyled their taste they came among their victualls and for their feeling as I told you both Tostatus and others say they were such frogs as were poysonfull and would doe mischiefe such as our toads that we are afraid of From all this this being a greater judgement then the former observe this that Where God seeth not amendment he will make the second judgement greater then the former God doth not so punish but he can punish a man more Levit. 26.18 saith God I will yet punish you seven times more Vesichius upon the place saith It signifies that God would magnifie his power in laying the judgement more upon them In Psal 78.38 the people of God it is said angred him but he suffered not his whole displeasure to arise Psal 2. If his wrath be kindled but a little blessed are they that trust in him But if his whole displeasure arise and breake downe in wrath who shall stand Rev. 6. He can make his jealousie smoke and breake out in a flame and burne to the bottome of hell There are degrees of Gods wrath so in Psal 9.12 David prayes against the enemies of the Church that God would punish them seven fold more to lay more upon them There were a great many judgements upon Iob first he heard of his goods taken and then of his servants and then of his children all oppressed by the ruine of a house And was it not so with Elie how did the stood rise on him to a great height First he heares of the discomsiture of Gods people and then of the death of his children and then of the taking of the Arke which I know not whether it brake his heart or his necke soonest Can Nebuchadnezzar heat his oven seven times hotter then before and Rehoboam make his little finger heavier then his fathers loynes Shall those Lions that were so restrained be the more furious And cannot God greaten his plagues and inhance his judgements to the full he can adde still It is said by the Schooles of the damned in hell nothing can be added in the extention of time but for intention God could adde more but that all his wayes are in mercie Therefore if we be afflicted say not that it is too much that God hath laid upon us but wonder that it is no more Doe not say with Rebecha Why am I thus as if God had dealt unjustly Iob he in a passion said O that my griefe were weighed but in coole bloud he laid his hand upon his mouth He knew that God was just and true in all his wayes and holy in all his workes Doth thy head ake God could make thy heart ake Hast thou the tooth ake God could have afflicted thee with the strangurie or with a violent burning feaver that should have put thee to nothing but frenzie and madnesse This God could doe nay it is Gods mercy that we are not consumed therefore doe not wonder why it is so much Secondly ever beware of continuance in sinne One judgement had passed Pharaoh and now another is on him So all wicked sinners if they stand out and oppose God and will not bow God will increase their judgements more and more There are a great number in the world that thinke if they have escaped the stocks once and have got free from some disease they have a Supersedeas for a long time It is a vaine perswasion God deales gently he first gives a jerke or two the next time twice as many and if that will not doe the third time he sets it on to purpose God gives a sippe of the cup if that will not weane us from sinfull pleasures then God gives us a great draught and if that will not doe we shall sucke out the dregs Thou canst not conquer him hee will bow thee or breake thee Thinkest thou that because thou hast escaped one judgement God cannot bring another Oh what treasures of wrath hath God! Suppose now thou art freed from a disease and dost not make good use of that God can give thee up to spirituall mischiefe to adde one sinne to another Thou wouldest not thinke this a judgement it may be but it is the worst of all for when God gives up a man to run further into sin it is a pit that they fall in that hate God God is angry with such people out of all question And David had better have had the sword in his family then to have been given up from the committing of one sinne to another And the sin that the Israelites run into it was worse then the sword of Balaak You see in Rom. 1. when God would punish the heathen to the full He gave them up to their owne hearts lusts Againe if God give thee not up to this cannot God smite thee with horrour of soule with terrour of conscience those tempests of minde as Ierome calls them As one calls Christs sufferings those unknowne sufferings that none is able to relate but he that knew them O if God leave thee to dismayed thoughts and terrours and hellish cogitations that sometimes the soule hath what will become of thee But suppose God quit thee of this that thou come not into these brakes when thou offendest if thou come to eternall torment and God is able to doe that all the afflictions of this life are nothing in comparison of that they are shadowes that is the substance of all for extention of time The afflictions of this world are but things that passe too and againe and if it bee foule now and then it may be cleare againe but that judgement is a standing poole and a lake that continues firme and shall for ever when time shall be no more Therefore now judge whether it be good to fall into the hands of the living God He can smite thee with new plagues and diseases with new torments or else he can give thee up to a reprobate sense or else he can visit thee with horrour of conscience And if thou escape all these he can let thee go on in thy way till thou come to the place of torment when thou shalt curse the time that ever thou neglectedst the day of thy visitation Therefore now let me be Peters Cock to crow that if thou have forgotten thy salvation and thy God hitherto Now forsake thine iniquities and thy evill wayes or else looke for the improvement of judgements upon thee and the plagues that come after shall be greater then those that went before And no wonder if God heighten his plagues when men advance in their sins THE SIXTH SERMON Vpon EXOD. CHAP. 8. VERS 7.8 And the Magicians did so